Wah, eight days into October and no posts...

We're in full-on trip-preparation mode now, and so things are pretty busy. Lots to organize. Lots to attempt to foresee.

And, of course, there are lots of places you have to pop into so you can just have that last bowl of porridge or that last cup of Liberica... We're going away for just over three months. We're coming back... But there has definitely been a valedictory feel about the week.

It has also been a bit smoky again. Not mega-bad, but we just don't seem to be getting rid of this menace, despite regular dumps of rain.

Nevertheless, there has been plenty to enjoy. Here are my favourite 11:

1. Returning to Makino Kochi for chwee kueh (water rice cakes) and tau foo fah:



2. Continuing our early morning walks:



3. Checking out the new supermarket in town. Goceli at The Hills. Cheese within easy walking distance... We'll definitely be back...

4. Trying out the egg tarts that various friends have been recommending for ages. You have to time it right. We were a bit early, and had to go and have coffee while they were baking. But don't leave it too late either, as these delicious things sell like the hot cakes they are:




5. Enjoying rambutan season. We bought a big bunch for MYR 4 (still on Kai Joo Lane). The vendor stuffed a few handfuls of extras into our bag. I was moving off, saying thankyou, but she continued to heap Nigel's hands with more...

6. Appreciating the Japanese Film Festival all over again. We hadn't attended in person for years. There was covid, of course, so it all went online for a while. Then last year it was back, but Nigel wasn't long out of hospital, and we were taking things very carefully. This year, we've had time for only two movies, but it has been great to take part:





7. Indulging in Indah's almond-flour chocolate cake:


8. Checking out some of Borneo's amazing wildlife in the photo exhibition that's part of the What About Kuching (WAK) Festival:




9. Dining out with friends at yet another food festival (again part of the WAK programme). Favourite dishes: Crispy baby crab and keropok lekor (and I also enjoyed the nice quiet coffee afterwards...):


10. Meeting a turkey on our morning walk today... Yes, really. We often meet cats, chickens, and squirrels on this route, but a turkey strutting his stuff in the middle of the road was a first...:



11. Enjoying geometrics: