Under the current RMCO conditions, many aspects of life are returning to near normal, and something like a trip out to meet friends for a seafood dinner has again become possible.
Last March we had planned to meet our friends Carolyn and Tony to hear all about Carolyn’s time helping at a conservation site for gibbons in Malaysia. Then the government announced the MCO (Movement Control Order) to start the next day and we decided to cancel the dinner date. Little did we know that it would be another three months before we could meet up again. And this time, eating out would involve a whole new set of conditions.
First, we needed to (chose to) wear masks on getting out of our car. Then we joined a queue of well-spaced diners waiting to sign-in and have their temperature checked before entering the restaurant. I had downloaded the government-based MySejahtera App on my phone, so just had to scan the QR code presented by the restaurant. Lawrence though used the old fashioned method of writing down his name and telephone number. Then we had a squirt of hand sanitizer and could enter the restaurant. Officially it was recommended that one spend no more than one hour there, but I guess we were slow eaters! Currently, we are allowed to have four people per table, and tables are to be well-spaced.
Nothing too remarkable about these requirements you might think. But when you look at the fragile nature of this restaurant, constructed on flimsy wooden poles in a muddy bank of the Johor Strait, you might have thought they had other priorities. This is the Alam Seafood restaurant (Sungai Danga, Kampung Sungai Temon).
Carolyn and Tony are regulars at this restaurant, and when they last visited there on 17th March, the owners were distraught at the thought of their livelihood disappearing. But they had used this time wisely, and done some renovations and added a lick of paint here and there. So as soon as the government allowed, they re-opended for business. On this Friday evening, the place was buzzing, busier than it had ever been. Being able to sit in the open air, without the potential virus-spreading hazard of air conditioning in enclosed spaces, this location is ideal. Besides, this was one of the few local BYOB (bring your own bottle) locations, and they sold cold beer too!
Given the possibilty of a good sunset view here, I brought my camera along only to be rewarded by grey skies and rain. So here are a few photos of the views from the restaurant.
There are quite a few seafood restaurants nearby, as you can see in the photo above. But it would be hard to beat the food at Alam Seafood. We had a couple of dishes containing prawns and they were so sweet and tender. There is no menu here, but the lady owner speaks English and will help with the choice of dishes. We ate everything and hope to return with other friends to introduce them in turn to this delightful place. Of course it helps if the tide is in so you can’t see the rubbishjy state of the shoreline. If you are bringing foreigners here who are unfamiliar with Malaysian environmental practises and Malaysian toilets, they may find the experience a little daunting. We never did get around to talking about gibbons, so clearly we will have to return for another hearty meal!
Click here to return to Travels in Malaysia 2020.
Click here to return to Helen Gray’s homepage.