Jenjarom Sparkles In The Lunar New Year

This little township nestled halfway between the royal town of Klang and Banting, came alive in a splendid blaze of lights when the sun sank below the horizon. 

It was a beautiful surprise as we had not heard of this town nor the large temple complex that boasted beautiful gardens with flowers of different varieties. 

 This year is the Year of the Rooster so there are many colorful roosters and chickens superbly lighted up. These are the big draw which attracted thousands of visitors to this little town.

We were invited there by my former sis-in-law after a lovely afternoon tea. 

She insisted that we just had to see the beautiful lights, so there we were. I’d like to share the lovely pictures with you. My siblings and my former sis-in-law who still remains a close family member in our hearts are in most of these pictures.

       The Rooster greets us as we enter the temple grounds of Fo Guan Shan Dong Zen.

 

                                      The Rooster stands tall and proud resplendent in its colors.

                                                                  Orchids behind me

                                     The figures and the heart will light up once the sun sets
                              

                                                                      Chickens!

When the sun went down, more and more people came into the temple grounds, attracted by the lovely lights.

 

The lights will go out after the fifteenth day of the Lunar New Year. The next event where there will be more lanterns decorating the temple grounds will be the Mid Autumn Festival in the second half of the year.

Delicious Vietnamese Cuisine

Here I would like to share some of the delicious food we had during our visit to Hoi An. I’m not talking of the Vietnamese soup or soup noodles which you can now get in big cities outside of Vietnam but the food which the locals like and which tourists like us have come to love. 

The White Rose is an exotic name for dumplings but they do look like white roses when the super thin pastry is folded to hold the ingredients of minced pork and prawn.

These are steamed in the kitchen and brought up to the dining area where tourists can enjoy the freshly made dumplings.

They also cater to other restaurants that place orders with them. The ladies are specially trained to fold the dumplings so that they look like exquisite white roses.

Another local favourite is the Banh Mi which is a bread roll stuffed with pork and greens. Sometimes the bread roll is white and sliced into half. Then the pork pieces are stuffed inside so that It looks like a burger.

Then there are the spring rolls that Vietnam is famous for. You can have fresh rolls or deep fried ones. Both are equally tasty. I prefer the fresh spring roll.

There are many more dishes which we savored but it is not possible to have them all here in this blog.

Needless to say, I look forward to another visit to Vietnam, just to savor the food once more.

Along tne River Bank in Hoi An

The river is very wide and fast flowing especially after the heavy rain. It is also prone to flooding. At other times the river is quite tranquil. Here is what we saw as we walked along the river bank to the old town.

                                                              Fishermen in a small boat

                                                    Reflections in the calm river

                                     Small boats that are used during floods to transport people

                                                    More boats

                                         View of the river from the Japanese Bridge

The placid river

                                          A cafe by the river bank

                                        Back of buildings fronting the river bank

                                          River boat that carries tourists along the river

                                         Shops across the other side of the river                                       
There are boatmen and women who often solicit tourists to board their small boats for a ride along the river. It's quite a busy river.