We were awoken by Wuan’s phone ringing. It was her colleague calling to find out about our room booking mix-up. Wuan explained that apart from not having the room that was booked, we had to pay for the room that we were staying in now. She advised us not to pay anything and that we could move to the two-room suite immediately. It was a hassle having to pack and lug our belongings to another room but we were elated when we saw how spacious and luxurious the other room was. The master bedroom had an attached bathroom with a Jacuzzi that looked out to the entire Gurney Drive. We could actually be soaking in the tub and watch people walking by below. How sexy! There was a kitchenette with a washing machine and a microwave oven. In the living room was a sofa bed, a sofa and a dining table.

We did not spend much time enjoying our room as our tummies were rumbling in protest. We had a look at the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf menu. It is located just beside the Gurney Hotel. That was convenient but we did not like what they were serving for breakfast. So on we went to Gurney Plaza again. We had actually planned to have breakfast there anyway. The heat of the morning sun on my skin was a refreshing change. I seldom get to bask in morning sunlight as I tend to wake up late most of the time.

Wuan and I never had Domino’s Pizza before and she had heard that it is better most of the others. We ordered the Value Meal which came with one regular-sized hand-tossed Chicken Classic pizza, breadstix and two cans of Coca Cola. We agreed that the pizza was “different” from the others but we liked the breadstix better. Having had our fill, we went scampering around the shopping complex. As it was still early, the place was rather deserted.

As classy as it may look, Gurney Plaza’s disabled toilets gets a one star rating out of five. One was too small; one without a wash basin and another was under repair. I have never been to a shopping complex with toilets that I cannot use except here. I had no choice but to put my diaper’s absorbency to the test. This is one of the complexes that I will not be frequenting often.

The battery life of my mobile phone was nearing its end. When we passed by a phone shop, Wuan dragged me in and made me choose one as an early birthday present. I liked the Nokia 3120 for its simple functions and nice shape. The shop accepted a trade-in of my old phone for a miserable RM80. We left the shop with a spanking new phone that will hopefully last longer than the two years I had with the previous one. We did not bring the charger for the old phone along. Wuan had to walk back to the hotel to get it as that was part of the trade-in deal.

After what felt like hours, Wuan came back with the charger for the shop. She had stopped halfway on the walk back to the hotel to snap some shots of a docked cruise ship that was visible from Gurney Drive. On her way back, she was distracted by a monitor lizard scuttling by the rocks. It had probably swam along the coast looking for food.

We had dinner at the basement food court where we shared a bowl of Taiwanese-style rice with salted vegetable, minced chicken and lotus root soup. I did not have a good appetite then as I was still coughing. We had wanted to go back after the dinner but were hampered by heavy rain. Unable to go back and too lazy for another round of window shopping again, we waited for the rain to stop while sharing a glass of hot chocolate. When the rain finally stopped, we quickly made our way back. They sky was still dark and threatened to pour again soon.

When we thought we could get a good rest upon arriving back at the room, one of the lamps blew a bulb and we had to wait for one hour before the technician came replace the bulb. In the darkness, we watched the replay of the Copa America finals between Brazil and Argentina while eating the leftover pizza from breakfast. That was not my idea of a relaxing holiday, eating scrap in the darkness. We had intended to have a nice dinner in a romantic setting but we too pooped out. We did not sleep well again that night with my persistent coughing every few hours.

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When I was a kid, every trip to Gurney Drive with my parents was a treat. Dad would park his car at the stretch where the casuarina trees were. We would then look for the ice cream man, either on his bicycle or cart. We would order ice cream on wafer cones which would either be vanilla, chocolate or corn. We would sit on the sea wall, licking on the ice cream as it began to melt in the sea breeze. Afterwards, we would play around on the white sandy beach, digging for siputs that we took back to fry with soy sauce and chilli.

Wuan, through her office, had booked a two-room suite for two nights at The Gurney Hotel beginning last Sunday. The hotel overlooks the stretch of casuarina trees where I used to frantically lick the ice cream as it dripped down the cone onto my hand and clothes. The ice cream man is no longer there. The beach is no longer there too, being replaced with huge rocks that were dumped there to prevent further erosion of the beach.

The hotel messed up the booking and we were left without a room. Since it was a Sunday, Wuan could not get her office to sort out the mix-up. After much arguing the hotel refused to budge and suggested that we pay for the first night for a studio suite at RM150 nett and then get Wuan’s office to clear up the booking on Monday. All flustered and hungry, we went looking for lunch first before deciding on the next course of action.

The hotel’s coffee house was serving Sunday buffet brunch for RM38 per person. We thought it was rather expensive for the limited amount that was on the buffet train. The waiter there offered to give us a 50% discount. Being the bargain suckers that we were, we decided to eat there. Still, I have tasted better buffet at much cheaper prices and serving more food that I care to eat.

Having come all the way already, Wuan decided to stay one night at her own expense and then get her office to sort it out the next day. As usual, we asked for higher floors. Surprisingly, we were given the highest floor which is the thirty sixth floor. The room window overlooked the Penang harbour, the entire old city and the Penang Bridge. The room had all the usual amenities one would find in other hotel rooms with the exception of a Jacuzzi. We rested a while and then decided to have our dinner at Gurney Plaza, which is at the other extreme end of Gurney Drive.

The casuarina trees provided some shade from the sun which was still shinning brightly. I remember that fishermen and fishmongers used to sell their freshly caught fishes, prawns and crabs by the promenade. Now, there are mostly loafers and courting couples, people exercising and some who were fishing by the rocks just beside where the waves gently lapped. The view is still remarkable despite the changes but all this will soon change again when sea is reclaimed for commercial intents. When Gurney Drive is no longer there, I still will have these images to remind me when it was such a popular spot among the locals and tourists alike. Among others, Gurney Drive is synonymous with Penang. I cannot imagine a Penang without a Gurney Drive as it is today.

As we neared Gurney Plaza, we could see cars being parked haphazardly. This is a usual sight, especially during weekends. The unique building style of the St. Joseph Novitiate caught Wuan’s attention and she took a few quick shots from outside the fence. When we reached Gurney Plaza, it was crowded. There was an auto exhibition outside and at the main atrium of the complex. We skirted around the exhibition area and checked out some of the clothes that were on sale at Parkson.

After buying bottled water and some buns from Cold Storage, we surveyed the food outlets that lined the walkway of the complex called the Gurney Place. We settled on La Manila for a wedge of chocolate cake and a grilled salmon set meal with mushroom soup, tea and ice cream. After dinner, it was a leisurely walk back to the hotel as a slight breeze was blowing and the night sight of Gurney Drive was a total transformation from the day with all the fairy lights strung across the road and the many food shops decking out their outlets with dainty lights to attract customers. We did not sleep that well that evening as I was consistently coughing throughout the night which woke Wuan up.

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The old St. Anne Church

For as long as I can remember, Mum would always make a pilgrimage to Bukit Mertajam for the Feast of St. Anne at the St. Anne Church. When Dad could drive, he would take us, although he was not a Christian. We would clamber up the granite steps worn smooth by the feet of millions of faithful who had gone to pay their homage before us. Many pilgrims, some from as far as Singapore and Brunei, would devotedly come with their petitions or to give thanks for prayers answered.

The new St. Anne Church

I do not know what petition Mum gave to St. Anne but I guess when I was young, she would have prayed for my safekeeping and good health for the family. When I grew up, I think she would have prayed for me to do well in my studies. After my accident, she prayed for my recovery. After saying her prayers, she would light a few candles just before the altar and then at selected spots all the way up to the top of the hillock where the shrine of St. Anne stands. As a tradition, Mum would always take some blessed salt and holy water from the well beside the church home.

Mass in the new church

St. Anne is the mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Although she is not mentioned in the Scriptures, the Catholic Church has acknowledged her as the wife of St. Joachim and mother of Mary. The Feast of St. Anne falls on July 26, which is celebrated together with St. Joachim’s. We would usually go a few days before the feast proper to avoid the ocean of people. The compound of the church would be packed to the brim with people holding candles and flowers joining in the procession. Peter had planned to make two trips this year, one especially for Wuan and me on July 24. I almost did not make it as I had an upset tummy. I was struggling with whether I should risk it and possibly mess up whatever I was sitting on. As I sat there weighing the odds, I was touched and the worries disappeared just like that.

The Crucifix behind the altar

We started our journey at 8.30pm, reaching the church just after nine. We had not planned to participate in the Mass but as it was just beginning, we followed the proceedings from outside for a while before getting a place near the entrance. It was in Mandarin. The new church is a magnificent structure that is truly awe-inspiring. One can only experience the ambience by being there. No words can explain how I felt, especially since this is the first feast that I am attending since Mum passed away. Throughout the years, all the feasts that I attended were with her.

Statue of St. Anne.

While we were in the church, Wuan took the camera and traipsed all over the church grounds. There were many places that I could not access because of the hilly terrain and the images that she took will complement her description of those spots. She also took the little container for Holy Water that Mum bought while she was there a few years ago for filing up. After Mass, we browsed around at the makeshift stalls that had been set up in the church compound to sell religious items. I bought one five-decade rosary, one one-decade rosary and a rosary pouch. Wuan and I each also got a Divine Mercy pendant.

St. Anne’s Water Fonts

We left the church at around eleven. Traffic was heavy but it was moving. I cannot imagine how congested it would be on the Feast Day. We had our late dinner at the coffee shop that was just a hop away from the apartment before going back. Just as I entered my apartment, my tummy started to rumble again. Call it coincidence or call it anything you want. The timing could not be more perfect. A little earlier and everyone in the car would have had a very unpleasant experience. Someone up there really likes me.

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