Foraging

After a recent visit to KL Uncle Zainal has returned cheered by the fine Islamic deportment of the gals he had seen there. Even in a tourist hub like Bukit Bintang, where cafes and bars line the streets in the central hub, uncle Zainal found good girls everywhere. Fine, decent, tightly wrapped girls and women in their tudongs that fell from the top of the head down over the lower curve of the breast. In all the malls the same modesty and proper attire. It cheered an old fella. Not like here in SG. For some relief and entertainment here in his own neighbourhood uncle Zainal is confined to the cheeky, forward Batam and Viet girls who come over on their fifteen and thirty day visas. Daily they traipse up and down along the street, jalan, jalan, cari makan. They are a feature of the locale, easy to spot, the same periodic faces and newcomers all the time. The Viets are younger, though not as young as those trafficked up in Middle and Upper Geylang; the Batam mostly middle-aged, upper thirties and beyond.
                 Jalan, jalan
                 Cari makan
         Three years now one had heard the little rhyme. Jalan, jalan was often given as the answer to questions what you were doing, what you were about. Jalan is walking; the same term is used for a lane or street. Answering you were going walkabout would often bring the rejoinder from the inquisitor, Ah, jalan, jalan..... something, something. In the quickness it was usually lost. Previously there had been no need to seize it.
         It was cari makan.
         In search of a bite is a rough translation. Google Translate has "foraging". 
         The visiting lasses here in Lower Geylang were always on the make, fossickers, foragers, squeezing a deal. Not what one was after at all; not the ideal. Uncle Zainal was disenchanted with that round. Up in KL the scene was entirely different.
         The guess is uncle had not been out of his neighbourhood a fair while. Retired now near twenty years, travel is arduous and expensive.