Sunday 11 May 2008

Quiet charm

The BBQ party was great. The inviting smell of meat grilling over the charcoal fire filled the yard. We were seated around the table, eating and drinking merrily as usual. Besides the usual meats (chicken, pork, beef and ham), we had seafood (squid, fish and prawns) and other local favourites (curry vegetables and longtong, otah, fried chicken) and salads. My friend even made a refreshing cold honeydew/sago dessert and set up a chocolate fondue!

I simply love alfresco dining at my friend's place. They're one of the lucky few to live in a spacious house tucked away in one corner of our island yet not too far away from civilisation.

Here, you can still see the stars twinkling brightly in the sky and hear the crickets sing. They're constantly remodelling and upgrading their house, so everytime we visit, there is something new to greet us. First it was the treehouse, then the new lawn. The most recent addition is a big pond which is home to some kois and a big bullfrog living amongst the aquatic plants.

Now, if we're lucky, we can hear the bullfrog croaking away into the night too.


The sunset here is beautiful. I feel so at home whenever I visit.


The flowers are always in full bloom. This is the kids' treehouse.

Unfortunately, some new developments are taking shape really quickly just across the road. Most of them are monstrous houses that tower over the older abodes in the estate, promising a Shangri-La type of lifestyle complete with swimming pools and tennis courts.

Once these bungalows are completed, I'm pretty sure the tranquility and quiet charm of the little enclave will be lost forever.

11 comments:

Amel said...

GREAT pics!!! ;-D

It's such a pity, though, that there are more and more modern buildings. :-((((

J@n!ce said...

I hope I could have that kind of experience too. You are so lucky :)

Nick Phillips (15/03/1967 - 04/11/2022) said...

Gosh, I love the tree house. In fact it looks more posh than my own house ... hehehe ... Oooooo and a BBQ, haven't had that in ages now.

Glad you guys had a great time :)

La delirante said...

It looks like you had a great time! All that food...I am hungry already! :)

The World According To Me said...

I could live in that tree house!

Sorry to hear about the building work though, it sounds perfect at the moment.

The World According To Me said...

PS That's a great picture of you.

Blur Ting said...

Amel - When you return to Bandung this time, I'm sure you'll say the same thing too.

Blur Ting said...

Janice - Yah, they're lucky people. The bungalows across the road are going for $3 to $4million! I'll never be able to afford this in my lifetime!

Blur Ting said...

Nick- the tree house is quite roomy. Pity the kids are not so fond of it anymore. I think it has become a store room now.

Blur Ting said...

Wen - Yes, always a good time at best friend's house.

Blur Ting said...

World - Thanks! :-)
I can imagine you idling away in the treehouse, reading a book on a lazy afternoon. You've got to watch for mosquitoes though.

Chowmahalla Palace

During our week in Hyderabad, some of the places we visited include the Mecca Mosque, the Charminar (the icon of Hyderabad), Sufi Shrine, Bi...