Saturday, July 12, 2008

Carol and Mel of Bainbridge...


Wake up to a cool summer morning here in Seattle. No we were not sleepless in Seattle. In fact we had a good sleep last night after a rather hectic sightseeing tour of the city the previous day. It is what we come for, to see the city and like all tourists do we just enjoy the day until we are down. It look like age is catching up on us and I had indeed got a good sleep, a total rest for the next adventure.

The weather was on our side, cool and comfortable. Indeed a beautiful day in summer. Unlike Boston the weather in Seattle was great for a day out in the sun. A day that tourists like us loves. It gives us the opportunity to take its easy and walk the streets. Enjoying the day care less of what's happening in the other parts of the world. We come to enjoy living and we are happy to be doing just that.

That day was the Forth of July, a holiday here in the US, the Independence Day. With such a beautiful and historic day we decided to visit a friends of ours, a couple who live on the island Bainbridge, off mainland Seattle. We decide to do it the easy way to get there. First we take the public transport which is free here and then walk from the forth Avenue to the Pier 52, where we board a ferry that ply the island. Actually it is more of a ship then a ferry that Malaysian are use to. Like the Penang ferry, it carries vehicles as well. This one is rather big and it has all the comforts, like a cafeteria and good seating to makes your travel an enjoyable one. The ferry has two decks. After awhile I decide to go on a discovery trip of the ship and enjoy the scenes as the ferry move toward the island. I then got a cup of coffee and went to sit with my spouse and our daughter and enjoy the rest of the trip, watching the ever changing scene as the ferry move on. Half an hour later we arrived on the island and there waiting for us is our friend Mel; happy to see us arrived at his island. Indeed a picturesque island, a dream place for folks who call this part of the world their home.

Everyone on the island was out to celebrate the Forth of July and there was an atmosphere of festivity all over. Mel took us for a walk toward his home. It was real nice to get to see the local folks here enjoy their holiday. Mel who is more then ten years older then me could just walk and walk, so we just follow him while enjoying the walks as well. And eventually we arrive at his home; a beautiful home with flowers all around. The happy and smiling face of Carol greets us at the door. There were the hugs of friendship and happiness at the doorway. It was just like coming home after a long lapse of absence.

Mel and I seem to be of the same mindset and wave length on many fronts, so it was easy to chat on subjects close to our heart. From culture to politic, economic, history and travels. It was real nice to be able to discuss so freely on the various subjects that comes to our minds. Carol, Lin and my spouse Asmah chips in to gives inputs to the discussion and at time became serious as thoughts we could simply change the socio cultural/political scene of the world. I even brought the subject of the Jurassic!! and left them to ponder further. But then it is like that for folks of our age. I believe like me Mel was once one of those young people who want to do changes to the world. We would want a better world now and for the not too distance future as well. Even in our chat we are still gunning for changes. Well it look like we are going to continue doing that for ever.

Carol had cooked especially for us and as it was lunch time, we all sat at the dinning table in the kitchen and enjoyed the home cooked meals of Salmon and vegetables stew and fresh salad. The food was simply delicious, the Salmon was baked perfect and the vegetable stew was fresh and tasty. The drinks of fresh fruits juice complete the wonder of having lunch with friends. We chat along while enjoying the meals. As usual in a situation like this times passes by fast. After awhile we move on to see the other part of Bainbridge. All along our path were garden of flowers in the color of the rainbow. At the sea front nearby there is a marina with boats of all shapes and sizes, like those that you often see in movies, in the story of the rich and famous.

We found a nice Tea shop and then sat to enjoy tea and continue to chat. Surprisingly we found out that some of the tea they served here comes from the highland of Malaysia. The lady who served us says that she has been many times to Malaysia. It is indeed a small world we live in.

Since it was rather late we decide to call off the day and board the ferry back to the mainland, happy that we made it to Bainbridge and met our friends Carol and Mel. Folks, Bainbridge island is an enchanting island with beautiful people and I believe visiting Seattle would not be complete without been on this picturesque island. Thanks folks for making our day so colorful. Have a nice day. [Please click on image to enlarge]

4 comments:

JALAN REBUNG said...

salam pak idrus,

Thanks for sharing. I'm happy to know that our little country do make the list on the vacation calendar of friends from the other side of the world.

RIZAL

Pak Idrus said...

jalan rebung, Rizal thanks for the visit and sharing your thoughts on this subject.

Yes Malaysia is well known here in the US. Some of the electronic products are made in our country. It is real nice when you meet someone who have been to Malaysia and enjoy their stay there.

Have a nice day.

Kerp (Ph.D) said...

salam from malaysia, pak idrus!

woowww, looks like you and puan asmah are really having a blast there in seattle. looking at those pics and how you described your stay there, i cant help but to wish we could switch positions, just a night will do. bainbridge island may be a must-go destination but i'd say visiting kurt cobain's former mansion located in aberdeen, seattle is compulsory.

if i'm not mistaken, Starbucks coffee is seattle's biggest export. betul ke?

Pak Idrus said...

kerp(ph.d), thanks for the visit and the greeting.

Wish such a wonderful set of friends the visit was so enjoyable. Just jump into the next plane and I am sure Louis and Rita would take care of the rest. We saw as much of Seattle on our first visit and I do not think we would be able to see everything in just one visit. Anyway we did had a great time there.

As for their export I believe you are right Starbuck coffee start here and we visited their first store on First Avenue. And the other export is Microsoft and of of course those Washington Apples/other fruits that we often seen in our supermarket.

Have a nice day.