Pre-MCO Binge

 

Before the Tabligh Covid-19 cluster exploded into the media in March, not many people knew what Tabligh was about. For years, I had been seen their members take the LRT to Bukit Jalil station, but I never knew what group they belonged to. Often see in long white robes and turbans, the members were mostly from out of town judging from the bags they carried. When the news came out, mum was actually curious about Masjid Jamek Sri Petaling, the headquarters of the Malaysian Tabligh chapter. From Kuchai Avenue, we drove to Bandar Baru Sri Petaling to take a look (after my last haircut before the commencement of the MCO). The usually busy Jalan Radin was actually quiet, and no cars were parked along it. When we turned into the commercial area, the roads were also abnormally clear. We actually parked to go buy egg tarts at Tong Kee. After we had done our shopping, we spotted a Tabligh member heading in our general direction.  Jumped into the car as fast as we could. Haha. 

Also had the last pre-MCO paktor session with KH. Shared something sweet at Tanuki. 

Later in the afternoon, we drove out to Tommy Le Baker in Kampung Attap. It was my first time at the Zhongshan Building. The old building was actually repurposed into an arts, crafts, and special interests hub for the urban creatives of Kuala Lumpur. Met Tommy (the Baker) at entrance of Naiise, one the specialty gift shops on the ground floor. KH and him had a short chat, and then we went to the al-fresco bakery for some of the famous sourdough. Felt like having coffee at a HDB void deck. Very interesting surroundings. My last visit was when they were located near Jalan Ipoh. The grilled cheese sandwich was delicious and the serving of cheese was generous. On the other hand, I wasn't crazy about the sourdough cookie. 

That night, I received a guest from Singapore, someone from Tater's gay running group in Singapore. David checked into Majestic Hotel at 5 PM, freshened up, and met us at Tommy Le Baker at around 6 PM. David was a very sweet guy. He actually got me a first meet-up gift! A Discover Singapore mug.  Once he had a bite to eat, we explored the building. The orientation of the building was a tad weird, but we just wandered around anyway.  Hidden in the building are a shoe and bag cleaning specialist, vintage bookstore, vinyl music store, a library, a law firm, a tailor, dll. 

The next touristy thing to do was head to Petaling Street where we had a walking tour from the Chan Clan Library (too bad it was closed for restoration) to the Sri Mariamman Temple, and Guandi Temple. The hot and humid evening walk rushed us to a cafe to recharge. Mingle Cafe was our choice for a cold drink and a bite to eat. The watermelon citrus cooler and the sambal petai pizza really hit the spot. 

Another reason we chose Mingle Cafe was because of the speakeasy bar that was located above it. The bar had a macabre theme, and was aptly named The Deceased. Even Cikgu J had paid the place a visit during his last sundal session to KL. Punched in the '4444'  access code and pushed the door open. KH actually jumped when he was greeted by a mannequin seated in a wheelchair. Above the the dimly-lit flight of stairs was the red-lit bar. The walls were decorated with 'dripping blood' and illustrations of the Buddhist Hell. The decorations were mostly tacky, cheap Halloween stuff, but they did incorporate some Taoist prayer items which lent a more authentic air. Even the cocktails adopted a similar theme. KH's drink actually came covered in a Momo Challenge mask.  LOL. In my opinion, the drink's weren't great. Called it a night and sent David back to his hotel. 

But that didn't mean KH and I headed home. Still had the energy to go to Gallo Wine Bar to have red wine and roast pork with KH's friends. Guess we were already anticipating a lock down to happen, so we were stretching our freedom for as long as we could.