JOHOR BAHRU: Hong Kong artist Fu Man Yat loves visiting small towns in Malaysia and spends time drawing the old buildings and day-to-day life of local residents.

Fu, who is teaching watercolour at the School of Continuing and Professional Studies, Chinese University of Hong Kong, flies to Malaysia almost every year to visit different towns, where he spends time drawing and enjoying the delicious food here, including Malay and Indian food.

In a recent trip, he spent two weeks in Malaysia, flying into the country as soon as his two-week break started and returning to Hong Kong when he was about to teach again.

A Malaysian friend from Johor Bahru helped him plan his visit by taking train from Cheras to Johor Bahru.

He visited Simpang Renggam, Machap, Yong Peng, Panchor, Bukit Gambit, Tangkak and Labis.

“Each place is different and unique. Some of the towns are very small and the pace is really slow. It is very relaxing!” he said.

He loves fishing villages, old shop houses, roadside stalls and the small towns.

While taking time to sketch, Fu enjoys observing the interactions among people, especially in local wet markets.

He once had breakfast in Seremban and discovered the colourful vegetables sold by the hawkers.

He also recalled a hawker in Sarawak arranging the chillies in an organised manner at his stall.

A hawker in Tampin treated him a glass of chrysanthemum tea after he completed the drawing.

A Malay woman hawker packed a few pieces of kueh for him while he was sitting beside the stall sketching. He said he had a great time chatting with the hawker.

Fu enjoys the hospitality from Malaysians, and this is a source of happiness for him, prompting him to keep visiting the small towns in Malaysia.

He travels light, bringing a box of watercolour, several pens and some drawing papers each time to keep the luggage within 7 kg when visiting Malaysia.

The regular visit started with a family vacation to Penang back in 2009.

While his mother needed to rest in hotel, Fu ended up buying art paper to draw.

He loves the old buildings and streets of Penang, which he can’t find back home in Hong Kong.

Since then, he has been embarking on regular trips to different towns of Malaysia.

“I have come here many times and I love this place. People here are absolutely wonderful! I also love the food here!

“I enjoy the food and enjoy spending time drawing here,” Fu said.