Chinese New Year's Eve afternoon, all Chinese businesses closed and the streets nearly empty of cars or bikes and walkable, the best way to explore this area for the first time. Like San Francisco it's a blend of cultures but here, no one feels the need to assimilate! So, people whose families came as laborers from Sri Lanka still wear saris and jewelry, Chinese people wear the latest fashions lots of red today of course, and other stylish short party dresses, and their kids have the coolest toys, yet lots of malaysia. Muslim,women in salwar kamise and also saw one true full black burka last night on a woman clearly enjoying the fireworks through the tiny eye openings.
Early in the evening, only Muslim and Indian restaurants open, (ate yummy lamb roshan gosht) but after dinner many hawker stalls set up so we got our first bowl of Hokkien mee which is an amazing strong rich spicy beef broth with at least two dimensions of noodles, thick wide, and vermicelli type, and pork and some veggies. Indescribably savory. Mostly otherwise we ate ice cream although I did drink a rose flavored iced drink, called milk not sure if was condensed. Didn't taste like milk,just good!
Lodging prices are more western here, $65 usd for a tall ceilings spotlessly clean Asian modern white room in a redone old building, the Chulia heritage. Food not so expensive, Indian dinner w two entrees onion naan two drinks and water still just $10 usd, bowl of Hokkien mee about $1.50 usd.
Then, there was Chinese New Year. Fireworks, cheesy public dance programs (think Bollywood like even though Chinese), excellent lights, chance happening on the wonderful quan yin temple with huge incense tapers and lots of folks paying respects, later chance happening on lion and dragon dancers just around the corner from there who also went in procession in the street to the temple and back. Then fireworks big and small.
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