Old Kuala Lumpur

A few days ago, two friends and I took a walk around Kuala Lumpur to take photographs. This was something I'd been wanting to do for a long time- to just walk in KL, chill and make like a tourist.

It wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. I once tried to write a travel piece about Kuala Lumpur and found it really difficult- I didn't know what to write. I thought that taking photographs would be easier, but it's only just marginally so. The thing about trying to see your city through a foreigner's eyes is that nothing is foreign to you. You've seen all these faces and eaten all the food.

So it was interesting that we found ourselves gravitating towards the old parts of the city, not necessarily what you would see on a Tourism Malaysia website.

It was beginning to get really hot so we stopped for a lassi at an Indian restaurant on Lebuh Ampang. That was when I saw these shophouses across the street. The waiter didn't seem too excited when we told him we didn't want to order any food, though.

These were painted on the wall of a backpackers' joint on Jalan Sultan, part of a heritage project in the city. I remembered this road because I'd stopped here to rest while covering Bersih 2.0.

Ask me where I saw this 'Astrology Centre' and I wouldn't be able to tell you the name of the street, but I'll probably remember the route we took.

There's something about old doors and windows which I really like. I found this old house round the corner from the Astrology Centre. I hung around for a while and waited for someone to open the door but no-one did.

This was a mural/collection of paintings on a building on Jalan Panggong. I can see the 1998 Commonwealth Games logo somewhere up there.

Coconuts at Central Market. Coconut water is great on a hot day

Cruel, but cute

And finally....for all your hairy needs, contact this man. You will not be disappointed.

This week's photo- Clouds over Lang Tengah Island, Terengganu

This was taken on one of our snorkelling trips around Lang Tengah Island, which lies off the coast of Terengganu, Malaysia. The snorkelling isn't as good as what you get on Redang or the two Perhentians but the island is pretty enough for a quiet weekend or a change of scene from the busy-ness of Terengganu's other islands. I like Lang Tengah because it isn't overrun with tourists and it's quite possible to wander off and find your own private beach, which we did.

Turkish delights

You know you're in a really great country when your tummy loves the local food and doesn't yearn at all for KFC, Burger King or McDonald's. For me, this great place was Turkey.

I love Turkish food. Turkey was the only country where I never once stepped into a burger or pizza joint and never felt the need to look for a Thai, Indian or Chinese restaurant. These fall under the category of 'food which is familiar to me' - anything with noodles or rice, which I usually seek out after a few days.

So what is it about Turkish food then?

Let's begin with breakfast. The basics are bread, cheese, salami, olives and a cup of strong coffee. I was lucky and happened to pick a hotel which had a pretty generous breakfast with some extras thrown in, like goat's cheese, cereal, three types of bread and five varieties of olives. My favourite were the boiled eggs with paprika sprinkled on top.

Lunch and dinner in Turkey are wonderful affairs. There's nothing like a succulent, freshly grilled kebab with a crunchy salad on the side. That's another thing I like about Turkish food- the main ingredient may be meat, but it's always eaten with lots of vegetables. The aubergines, carrots, pickles and tomatoes aren't included just to add colour.

Grilled chicken with rice and salad

Kebab with vegetables and a dollop of yoghurt

I'm not a big fan of desserts or sweet stuff in general but I knew I had to have authentic baklava once I arrived. I prefer baklava to lokum or Turkish delight, which can get a bit 'too much' and cloying after a while.

I love baklava for its simplicity. Those nice, crisp layers with crushed nuts in between, all drenched in honey. Yum.

Don't wait to eat baklava after dinner at a restaurant- make it an event in itself. There was a little cafe near my hotel in Sultanahmet which I stopped at a couple of times after breakfast just to have a plate of baklava and some tea.

Keep an eye out for Istanbul's bakeries. There are dozens all over the city and they sell a huge variety of baklava filled with pistachios, almonds, walnuts and chocolate.

Unless you order a small plate for dessert at a restaurant, baklava is sold according to weight. This is good, because it means that you can buy different varieties to make up 1 kilogramme, or however much you want.

If you're thinking of bringing some back home with you, buy it a day before you leave and ask the bakery to pack it well. Your precious baklava should last more than a week after you reach home.

This week's photo- Pacific Coast Highway, California

There's nothing like the blue of the sea contrasting with rocks or mountains or grass, only to reach upward to meet the blue of the sky. This was along California State Route 1 or the Pacific Coast Highway, the road we took from San Francisco to Los Angeles. It was a windy morning in early October when we set out soon after breakfast. We stopped for lunch at Monterey, whizzed past Carmel (thus failing to stop and say 'Hi' to a certain Mr Eastwood) and reached LA close to midnight. What a beautiful drive.