Have you ever remembered an eatery for its decor, especially when you have NOT even sampled the menu there? The bestie and I were fantasizing over a reel shared on social media where diners get to savor the sumptuous fare on offer while dipping their feet into a tranquil river in the middle of a lush rainforest! This sublime spot is about 70 kilometers or so from our house, so one Sunday we just took off without too much planning or preparation.
It was the holy month of Ramadan in Malaysia, and like in every Muslim country, most restaurants are closed during the day except where there is a predominantly Chinese or Indian population. Trying to avoid the potential fiasco of this place also being shut for business, we not only looked up the route on GPS but also the website, which mentioned that they would be open from 11 am to 9 pm.
Hungry and tired by the time we reached around noon- having foregone breakfast- we came upon a pretty little village where not a soul was to be seen. Fearing the worst, we still plodded on and found a parking spot, hoping against hope that someone would materialize from the shadows and offer us food and drink.
But that was not to be. The river still flowed serenely through the shaded foliage, the umbrellas and pergolas made of net and fabric still occupied their designated positions, while the benches and tables stood neatly stacked one upon the other waiting out their moment of glory. Rubbing our eyes in disbelief and our bellies in despair, we keyed in the nearest Starbucks or KFC or Subway on our phones, and promptly set off again after clicking a few pictures of our latest misadventure!!
Idyllic!