Kampung Agong 2024 - Me, Just Me

My last post on Kampung Agong is a photo collection of me! I don't normally like taking photos, or even posting them here, but I must be in a good mood that day, cause I love all these photos here. Granted most of them were taken by my new cousin, and they turned out really well, probably cause she has a good camera phone, and a good eye! Above, one of my favourite shots of me taken by her :)

Me on swinging into a paddy field <3

Me sleeping on the hamster wheel :P

Me inside a bird nest :P

Me on a buffalo :P

More bird nest....

And so much LOVE

Thanks for a lovely day out cousins! I am glad I rushed back from Cambodia to meet up with you all for this! Oh wow, what a wonderful time I had on that week alone :) Sunshine! Blue Skies! And everything nice! At times like these, you just feel happy to be alive!

As I'm blogging this in 2025, I might be taking a break after this post for Chinese New Year, and also settling down again in Singapore. After that I play to catch up on my backlog of Kyushu, Beijing, and Kansai-Hiroshima travel :)  

Kampung Agong 2024 - Fooling Around With My Cousins

Here is a collection of photos of me and my cousins at all the photo spots in Kampung Agong. Starting off with a blur one! Hahahaha. I kinda like this photo actually. It's like I purposely make them blur in the background. Anyway, I think it would be fun when we look back at these photos one day when we are all in our 60s or 70s. 

Old cousins playing on the swing. We were all behaving pretty much like kids here :) It's kinda nice to see these two helping to push each other on the swing so that their feet can reach the area of the paddy fields, lol.

Look at her go! Enjoying the view and not even bother to turn back for a photo.

Kak Laz was nicer and turned back for a nice shot :)

I although these bird nest photos were hilarious. The two above looked like two angry birds in their nest.

Oh wait, here's one with the three of us! The photos are so super cute! <3

There were also these water buffalos around, so we all went and rode on it and asked the passer by people to help us take photos. I like this photo above, cause it clearly shows I am the baby of the three cousins :P

The new cousin was pretty game to post any post I suggested to her too. So we have a selection of cool post of her, like the one above of her running as a hamster in a wheel! Hahahahaha

Or of her doing some taiji quan on air....

Ah, the balance in life :P

First time meeting each other and already gone quite mad.....

And lastly, since we are all peranakans, I though this was a nice shot of us sitting at the entrance stairs of a kampung house. Long long time back, I used to visit my great aunt at her kampung house at Bagan Jermal, Penang. It was a place where all the relatives old and young used to gather, especially on Sunday afternoon, and especially for big occasions like birthdays and Chinese New Year. So I guess this shots reminded me of our roots :)

Kampung Agong 2024 - Beautiful Kampung Scene Part 2

 

The photos taken here in the Part 2 entry requires a tram ride to the other side of Kampung Agong. The ride is only 4rm return trip, and judging by the photo spot at the other side, I would say it's worth the ride. I mean, the ride itself was kinda fun. 

After purchasing our tram tickets, we waited for the tram at the tram stop. Even the stop is scenic to me.

It wasn't long to wait for the tram to arrive, and it's really just a motorised tracker pulling along a cart, and you get to sit inside the cart. The speed of the tram is super slow and relaxing, and for me, it really brings a feel of the kampung life.

The tram takes us all on a ride thru and across the paddy field. A slow sleepy ride.

I love the above scene. It's with people standing at the back of the cart. It looked so straight out of a Lat comic book of life in a Malaysia Kampung :)

When we reached the other side of the kampung, it was super hot so we stopped for some coconut jelly and drinks. Here's me and my new and old cousin taking a wefie as we took a break :)

Kampung Agong 2024 - Beautiful Kampung Scene Part 1

 

After our lovely dim sum breakfast, the main event of the outing was to go visit Kampung Agong. I didn't have much expectation for it. In general, I wasn't a fan of instagramable places. I mean, paying money just to go in and take photo of yourself? Pass! But it was part of the day's outing, so I went along, and boy was it fun! And I had so many beautiful photos after the trip too! Thanks partly to my new cousin's better 'eye' and phone at capturing photos of me :P  More on that later. First, the above is kinda like a fish eye view of the resting/eating place at Kampung Agong. Does't it look lovely? Hot! But lovely! 

Here is a more 2D look for the place. So Kampung Agong is basically just a wide piece of land, and it's kept to look like a 'traditional' kampung. That means coconut trees and paddy fields and atap houses. But it also consist of photo spots for you to take nice photos! I think Malaysian needs to pay 10rm for entrance fee to visit Kampung Agong.

I guess it's private property. They kept the place so spacious that it was just so freeing running around this place! You could see Gunung Jerai just nearby! And large paddy fields all over!

Here is another scenic view of Gunung Jerai. As I kid, I would have love staying at such a place. Actually, I don't mind spending a few nights here as an adult here too. I don't really like city life much. This type of place is more to my style :)  Very relaxing! A place that I can run wild in and be FREEEEE!

So here comes some of the cheesy photo spot. Bird nest is a popular spot. You can climb up one and look out of it to have your photo taken. Cheesy! But I guess since I've already PAID 10rm, might as well fully make my money worth!

More cheesy photo spot. But you have to admit, it kinda looks cool. How could you be agree seeing so many heart shape?  <3

Up close view of cheesy heart shape. Love the background of it! Blue and green!

The kampung also have some kampung activities you can try your hand on. Fishing with these basket net was one of them. I was actually amazed that there were actual cat fish inside!

See! I wonder if there is a place they cook them for you! 

What a nice kampung view, a road leading somewhere, dunno where, but with coconut trees swaying at both sides :)

Kampung Agong 2024 - Dim Sum Breakfast

To spend ridiculously amount of money just to fly back for an outing with my cousins! Yes, I finally have cousinS with an 'S'. An unknown cousin who existed wanted to meet me, so I must keep my word for going out with her and my Kak Laz Yeo Beautiful! Hahahaha. What a name. So after rushing back from Cambodia in the evening, I was whizzed away the next morning to the above place somewhere in mainland Butterworth to have a dim sum breakfast. Just by the looks of it, it's nothing special and, to be honest, kinda worrying! But I trusted my Kak Laz when it comes to food!

The dining area we were seated at, a covered platform on the beach overlooking the sea! What a great place for a morning dim sum!

I mean, look at the table view! Those are the first serving of dim sum we had, all three ladies of us. We had just two rounds or so, which was considered little for me and Kak Laz :P  We have a special cousin with us, mustn't show our true self to her yet! Hahaha. Anyway, I did enjoyed the dim sum. I did wish I could have stayed longer there just sipping tea and eating and enjoying the view.

I mean, just look at the sign at the shop! I already love this place as a tea lover, and totally agree with it! I should drink more tea now that I have time AND tea!

A typical tea pot and tea cup used at almost all dim sum place in Penang. 

A cup of roster with my tea. I usually drink Pu-Er with my dim sum.

Best of all were these view! I've never seen Penang Island from this point of view before. As it was a beautiful day, the colour of the sea and sky were just splendid!

From a different view point, we could also see Gunung Gerai in blue too!

I could almost see my house from here!

Anyway, just to note, the dim sum platform was destroyed by strong wind and wave in 2024, around September or so. So we can't really visit the place again. Which just goes to show, you should treasure every single moment as if it is your last. Ichigo Ichie. One Moment, One Chance! Aside from all the drama, the owner did say they will rebuild it again once the monsoon season is over.... So there is hope for the future! But I don't know of an appropriate Japanese saying for hope.....lol

Here is a wefie of all the cousins, from left to me, Kak Carolyn, Kak Laz Yeo Beautiful, and Adik Cordy! 

Cordy Cafe 2024 - Tea

The other obsession I have is tea. Above a rose oolong tea I got from a friend. If you buy me tea, make sure they are oriental tea, and you can't really go wrong. Except maybe jasmine tea, I don't do well with strongly scented jasmine green tea. But if it's faintly scented, you might still win some favours from me :)

 

If I go to Taiwan, Japan, Korea, China, (especially Japan), I would buy tea. Although now I kept telling myself that I don't need that much tea, since I'm overflowing with tea at home, I still end up spending money and time on tea :P Above, Uji tea I got from years back! It's amazing, I'm still drinking these. I've been to Uji twice to-date! And the previous time, I had the most amazing houjicha latte which I still kept thinking about till today. I kept wondering if I could make them myself.....

Above, from last year's trip to Beijing, these are white tea. White tea, is actually my favourite of all teas! But they are kinda expensive, and the fragrance is really faint. And every time I drink them, I felt like it's more of a cleansing ritual more than anything. It's like they are holier than other teas. So I don't really drink them often. My daily tea is houjicha, and pu-er, or oolong. 

I think these are oolong. And scented with a hint of Jasmine. Another good tea I got from a friend. I think he gave me so much tea in once year that I don't need to buy any more tea for myself for the next 3 years at least!

Above, lovely tea box I got for myself from Korea. I love this tea brand. It's just so lovely!

Why do I like tea so much? I guess it's tied to wonderful memories of hiking with my Dad when I was young. Back then, when you hike up to the midway point of Penang hill, there is an 84 station there where you can have tea for free. And after an exhausting hike, it was such a pleasant feeling to drink that precious tea. Also, tea bring serve hot, just automatically calms you down since you can't drink them in a hurry. While waiting for it to cool, the fragrance of it just really relaxes you. If you put your face near the hot steam, you can even have a brief mini facial! Hahahaha. I also love chatting with good people over a nice pot of tea, or having it by myself in a foreign land. So many memories tied to this beautiful beverage! How could I not love it!