Chap Goh Mouse

Once again, I was at Bandar Rimbayu for a party with SK's ex-colleagues. The potluck luncheon was to celebrate Chap Goh Mei, marking the end of CNY, and to fete the February babies. The host prepared some delicious dishes like kam heong prawns, vinegar pork trotters (with black beans), steamed pomfret, and a luxurious dish of abalone and scallops in brown sauce. SK brought a dish rice wine chicken, while another guest came with osmanthus-goji konnyaku jelly. For dessert, we had birthday cake with kopi o. 

Come evening, KH brought mum and I to Dong Zhen Temple in Jenjarom. It was his second visit in the span of the week. He had just visited with his mum. Before admiring the lights at the Buddhist temple, we had dinner at Ban Siew Keng, a Taoist temple along the main road. The plaza in front of the temple was transformed into a Taiwanese night market complete with food stalls and carnival games. At the side were permanent structures that housed various food vendors. We chose to eat there. While enjoying our curry noodles, mee suah soup, and lobak, we had an excellent view of the Chap Goh Mei concert that the temple committee organized. 

The crowd at Dong Zhen was definitely affected by the Covid-19 situation. Parking was easy to find, and there weren't any traffic jams. As usual, the whole place was decorated with loads of lanterns, and some were fitted with some mechanics, so that some part could rotate, or flap. The highlight was a giant rotating rat that came with a 1-minute laser show. In an attempt to recover the costs of the decorations and the electricity bill, the temple committee had employed various ways to get visitors to spend some coin. If you're thirsty, buy a drink from one their many F&B stalls. Wanna make a wish? Release a lighted lotus candle into an artificial pond. With your lover? Do cross the Lover's Bridge and ring the bell for a small donation. Once can also throw coins into a wishing well, or hurl weighted red ribbons up a wishing tree. And of course the most direct way, drop cash into the donation box. As we made our way from one section to the next, we got more and more lethargic from the heat. From the photos, one could tell that our enthusiasm ebbed as the night wore on. Haha. Once we canvased the whole place, we called it a night.