Amarajothy: The Northern Chronicles Chapter 1

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

The Northern Chronicles Chapter 1

The view from my new place.

Mei and I had been thinking we’d retire somewhere in Malaysia. Despite 25 years away, it’s home for me of course, and it’s not far from Mei’s ‘home’. Factor in all the other reasons - food, relative affordability, nice people… and even when you balance that out against a political climate that isn’t very encouraging, crime that is prevalent, public transport that is non-existent and so on, you still get a pretty good argument for a retirement in Malaysia.

Our plans were also to set up some sort of Eco-friendly B&B so Malaysia was an obvious choice. We’d looked initially at Ipoh and had even made a couple of trips up to look at property there but eventually set our sights elsewhere. Yes, Ipoh is a lovely place, and yes, it’s Cantonese, and yes, the food is fantastic, but it’s just a little too old, tired, and perhaps even faded. More importantly it was no longer on a busy tourist trail and if we wanted a sustainable retirement business, Ipoh, despite its attractions, could not quite make it.

Melaka was our next choice. It was, after all, one of my favourite cities in Malaysia. Turns out ‘was’ became the operative word. IN recent years, I reckon Melaka has somewhat lost its charm. Development that has ignored the historical heritage and natural attractions has become a turn off. Land reclamation, for example, has destroyed some of the seaside eateries’ attractions. The Portuguese Settlement has been affected too, and has also suffered from a lack of proper guided support. It seems to me that in trying to provide a little to everyone, Melaka is simply failing to provide an excellent experience for any one.

Then it came time to smile… My Senyum Sajalah exhibition in Penang at the end of 2013 gave me my first extended experience of Penang. I spent over 10% of 2013 in Penang, researching, chronicling and eventually exhibiting. It was a wonderful time and I made new friends whom I know I will have around me for many years to come.

“It seems that when you’re on the right path, the Universe conspires to help you on the way”

I remember telling Mei one day that we could forget Ipoh, Melaka and even Johor. Penang was the place for us. She came up for the exhibition and spent some time with me and agreed. And so we took the first steps towards settling up North.

Among these were exploring some business opportunities. It was at this time that I discovered things in Penang move a little slower than I am used to. Our negotiations for some business premises began in January and it wasn’t until June that that our plans had to change because the location became unsuitable for a variety of reasons. We quickly found another and finally signed the lease a few weeks ago.

It seems that when you’re on the right path, the Universe conspires to help you on the way. My friend Newton had accepted a job overseas and left a few weeks before my arrival in Penang. He generously let me stay in his apartment. I also had to sell my Singapore-registered Honda Airwave as it didn’t make sense to keep it here. You can read about the wheels elsewhere on this blog. She’s a 30-year old Volvo 240GL Wagon. I’ve affectionately dubbed her The Tank.

So here I am now, making my first steps towards settling in Penang. I’m slowly prising open this oyster and discovering the pearl within. The first steps have been good and when I turn back and look at the footprints I’m planting here, I feel very happy and proud.