Kuching, Sarawak.

Sarawak State Legislative Assembly building, located in Kuching, Sarawak - the capital and most populous city in Sarawak.

Went there with my family in 2009. We stayed in Harbour View Hotel, just opposite Kuching Waterfront. So finding food and a place to hang-out was no problem to us.

And we hanged-out at the waterfront a whole lot! We get to watched a man dressed in a traditional Iban costume, playing "sape" - a traditional Iban's instrument. 

And at night, there was cultural performances.

There's a boat service that takes you across the river, which only takes about 5 minutes or so. On the other side, there's a big food court where you can find great Sarawakian food like Sarawak laksa & Kolok mee.

The people of Kuching are very friendly. They are very generous when it comes to smiling. Didn't go exploring the forest, "rumah panjang" & all the authentic features of Sarawak. Maybe we'll go again next time.

Can't remember much of this trip, but I remember that I enjoyed myself hanging out at the waterfront. Going on & off the boat and smiling at every Sarawakian bcoz they are just so friendly. Can't say anything about the hotel or restaurants or even kek lapis bcoz my memory of them are only barely touching the surface. 

I miss it, though. It was a good trip with my family. 

Superhot Morning @ Mount Bromo

View from the top of Mount Bromo. Took us quite some time to get to the top - we weren't fit, so had to make a lot of breaks along the way. Didn't wanna get down, but the hot sun was burning the skin.

Photo was taken in 2009. When oh when can I go there again?

Sunset @ Santika Premiere Beach Resort Bali

Spent my birthday in the year 2012 in Bali. Had a very relaxing 3 days by Kuta Beach.

The hotel was awesome. It was nearby a busy road & the airport, but once you are inside the area, the noise disappears. The staff was very helpful & friendly, the food was good, the 2 swimming pools are comforting.

The picture was taken at my favorite spot in the hotel - the walkway to the beach. :)

For more information on the hotel & reservation, go to their website or check out their review on Tripadvisor

Sightseeing @ Cape Rachado

After Portugal conquered Malacca in 1511, the Portuguese wanted to build a lighthouse to guide its ships. Tanjung Tuan was chosen and the cape was named Cape Rachado by them. Subsequently, a lighthouse was built between 1528 and 1529. As Malacca switched hands to the Dutch and later to the British in 1641 and 1824 respectively, so too did the possession of the structure.
(Source : Wikipedia)

There's a forest reserve that surrounds the area. It was a refreshing walk for us. Calm & quiet. Not too quiet tho, you can hear the birds chirping.

It was quite a walk through the forest & up the hill. The view from up above was nice. I wouldn't say magnificent, tho. But you'll be staring out at the open sea, and down below you'll see the white waves hitting the shores.

After all the sweats, the best way to end your day is to have some "air batu campur" or ABC, with a bowl of "rojak" & "pisang goreng" by the roadside, with a bunch of crazy cousins. The Malaysian street food, the Malaysian culture.

Kuala Lumpur : Petronas Twin Towers

The Petronas Twin Towers, located in Kuala Lumpur City Center - KLCC in short, is my favorite building of all. It's one of the tallest twin building in the world, and it's in the city that I live in.

During weekends, the KLCC park is filled with people - the locals hanging out or bringing their children to the playground, the foreigners busy taking picture and being amazed by this majestic building.

Taken during Chinese New Year

Koryo-Won, a Korean restaurant at the top floor

To us KLites, the best place to meet up would be at the Suria shopping center. A bit of a high-end mall, but there are some affordable things to choose from. And of course, the store I love most - Kinokuniya.

There's a whole lot of stores with various brands to choose from. There's also a cinema, Petrosains (a science center, perfect for kids) and most importantly, a variety of restaurants and food to choose from! Malaysian, Indonesian, Western, Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese - you name it, they have it.

And at night, this building looks simply magnificent!

For more info, browse thru the official website of Petronas Twin Towers, here. KLCC area is also a stone's throw away from Bukit Bintang. There is, in fact, an air-conditioned walkway from KLCC Convention Center & Pavillion mall.

It's the ultimate shopping experience in Kuala Lumpur. A must-see, must-do thing if you are in KL.

Monsters do PD

Port Dickson, 1st August 2009 - Teluk Kemang beach was under attack by 7 monsters on Saturday morning.

The 6 monsters, plus 1 taking the picture

They bought food and drinks and stayed around for a few hours for a picnic and some gruesome action in the beach. They were nowhere to be seen in the area when the rain pours down again around noon.

After an hour of peace, they were being seen again in PD area. Reported by some witnesses, they then roamed over the firehouse at Tanjung Tuan for some uphill view of the sea.

The monsters going thru the woods in Tanjung Tuan

While they were lost in the woods, people in the area can feel the grounds shaking. A witness said that they were taking pictures.

"Yes, I saw them with my own eyes! They were trying to take jumping pictures. It was ugly.", said Ali, the cleaner at the area.

Around 5pm, they were seen heading back towards Sepang, but stopped by PD Town to attack a mamak stall at the roadside.

"They ate all my cendol, ABC, rojak, cincau drinks and goreng pisang!", claimed Mutu, the stall owner. "But thanks to them, my business was really good that day. I get to close early and spend time at home with my children", he added with a grateful smile.

Port Dickson is now in peace as the monsters are gone. The people of PD can sleep soundly from now on.

Lonely Langkawi

Another post taken from my old blog, of a trip by myself, on my birthday, to Langkawi. Back in April 2011. You might wanna open up Google Translate while reading this post (if you don't understand Malay language).

I stayed in Berjaya Langkawi Resort. A bit far from the airport, so I arranged with the hotel for a pickup. Hotel website here.


View from Thai Restaurant where I had my dinner the 1st day there. Very nice ambiance. Windy, nice sunset, moon & stars at night sambil ada orang hiburkan dengan mainan guitar yg sangat lembut dan calming.

Afterwards berendam dalam bath tub, syampoo rambut, hangout with friends @ the lounge while waiting for 12am to wish myself a happy 29th birthday. All in, perfect day.

Earlier, after check-in, masuk bilik and crash onto the huge bed (which I had all to myself), read a good book by the window, hangout at the balcony overlooking the garden and the sea.

That evening I went out to checkout what's around the resort. My room is conveniently located near the main building so I don't have to wait for the shuttle. Shady, because trees all over. Beware of monkeys, though - but they're friendly. Walked down to the beach, hanged out there for a while.

I was the only Malay there on my 1st day. And, I was alone. I can say all of their staff did a double take at me. Must be because I was alone, walking cheerfully, but then dressed so selekeh tak suitable nak jadi guest hotel kot. Jeans lipat2, selipar jepun, pasir dari beach penuh kat kaki dan jalan tanpa arah tujuan.

Almost everybody became my friend that day. They're very friendly. And they HAVE to ask if I'm there alone. By the time my friend checked in that night, I was already her tour guide for the hotel and every story the hotel staff told me. Ye, aku sangat kepoh. Segala benda aku nak tanya staff kat situ. Aku cakap dengan semua orang, except the AngMohs sebab aku bet diaorg ingat aku tak geti cakap omputih. Ekekeke..

Next day when I checked out, finally pakcik yg jaga shuttle to tanya, "Dari semalam saya nampak awak ni jalan sorang2. Awak memang sorang2 ke?". Hahaha.. And then came those younger guys barulah nak gelak2 sekali. Cet! Sepanjang aku kat situ takmau tegur ke, berkenalan ke.. apelah!

It's a walking distance between the resort and The Langkawi Cable Car or Panorama Langkawi Cable Car, plus shuttle boleh hantar for free.. so I went lah. Absolutely empty, unlike the last time I was there during CNY, had to beratur berjam2!. Anyway, of course the view was awesome. I stayed up there for like, an hour. Wanted to go on the bridge, but tak ramai orang takut jugak kan.. and it was SO hot! So I stayed under the shades just staring far into the ocean.

It's a great break for my brains. I love it up there - one of my favourite places in Malaysia. This is my 3rd time being up, and definitely will go again.

I made friends with a guy who worked there. Budak lagi, baru habis diploma. I was alone in the cable car and he wanted to accompany me up. So I said yea, why not. We chatted. Of course didn't exchange phone numbers. He looked kinda shy. Maybe he was looking for somebody fun, but unfortunately I'm kinda old and gave him a good talk about cari kerja baik, how to search for jobs and basically how to live life. Hahah.

Hanged out with friends afterwards @ Kuah. Didn't buy anything, tho. Kinda tired of chocolates, too young for Corelle and liquor is off limits. So, keluar masuk kedai tak beli apa2, cuma tanya2 soalan bodo2 kat tukang kedai jek. Padan muke diaorg. :P

Flew out @ 9.30pm and so damn tired this morning nak bangun gi keje. Nak MC tak sampai hati. Why oh why!

Emotions still in control having to face him today again after a whole weekend break.

Go, self. You can do it.

Pantai Leka, Muar.

Caught up in laziness, I haven't written about my recent visit to Parit Jawa with cousin Nur, Fatin & Syami. Let me call it Exploring Muar - a mission I had when I first came to know about Pantai Leka from a friend of mine on Instagram. It's basically a fishing village where the air is filled with the smell of dried fish. Yikes!

Very relaxing environment with ah pek sitting down by the banks having conversation and families having drinks at the small shop nearby. Youngsters with huge cameras-hanging-down-their-necks positioning themselves in weird ways, trying to capture the "moment". Local youngsters of boys and girls flirting on their motorcycles (yea, you better snatch one while somebody wants you!) giggling over some so-called-funny-jokes.  A lot of boats & herons, I guess. Sunset is beautiful, as always.

All in all, I'd say it's an OK place to go for a nice evening out with the family. For now I'm still loving Bandar Maharani's own Tanjung Ketapang.

Pantai Leka playground view from it's Menara Tinjau

On my next Exploring Muar activities, will head over to Sri Menanti - Pantai Mesra. Can't wait! But in the meantime, you might wanna browse some photos on Pantai Leka before you plan your trip down to Muar for a weekend-getaway.

Sungai Ramal Food Junction

"Ko katne? Jom dinner burger bakar kat tmpt @pizlimw ckp tu. Aku stuck dlm jem kt tun razak ni"

... came a tweet from a friend yesterday evening, as if I just posted my location on his GPS. I was, too, stuck in a jam in KL Tower, heading towards Bukit Bintang. Obviously food comes first, so I cancelled my 7 o'clock appointment (which I was sure to NOT gonna make it, looking at the traffic) and agreed to food.

I'm kinda a sunset-sunrise-sky-clouds addict, so I just HAD to take pictures of the amazing sunset from the rest area beside Sungai Besi toll plaza. I could sit there forever & stare with a teardrop streaming down my face... but then came a Whatsapp message from him saying he's stomach is in need of an urgent attention, so we had to go back to his place first.

After powdering up, we were off to Sungai Ramal Food Junction. Ordered Satay Willy - I've heard good reviews about it & wanted to try. And very highly recommended grilled burger from Abang Burn.

I love the chicken satay from Willy, but not so much of the beef tho. The gravy is OK. I normally would slurp away the gravy or have a spoon just so I can have extra dip with the satay, but I do have a reputation to hold up to, ok. I can't show the public of how ugly I can get.

We waited a long while for our burgers to come. After about 20mins, I went to ask. Turned out our burgers were ready. It's just that they had our table number wrong. Oh well. Guess we had to munch the cold burger anyway. It was HUGE! Thickest meat I've ever had.

I was having trouble finishing it. My friend managed to finish it in a cool & calm manner. Or maybe he was just covering his act in public, we never know. By the time I had my 3rd bite, I was full. Like, seriously full. I was numb from the full-ness, it's like there's no oxygen that went thru my head, I was dizzy, blurry & I can't think straight.

It was ugly. But, satisfying nonetheless. I'm definitely going back :)

Bukit Tinggi, West Sumatra

A post from March 2013.

I did a crazy thing this year. I got off from Jakarta & booked my next flight to Bukittinggi, Indonesia only 3 weeks apart. Well, to some (read: rich people), this is pretty normal, but for regular folk like me, this is kinda crazy. With the money, work & annual leave situation. 

I didn't regret it. I enjoyed it thoroughly. It was a relaxing trip. Just sit around & hang out with my 2 buddies. No pressure. A stress-reliever. 

Kawa daun, served in coconut shell

Of course, my favourite Indonesian travel agent (whom I have mentioned in my earlier post), Ade, brought us to this shop that sells coffee that is made from coffee leaves. And it tastes like tea - Kawa Daun, the name. To coffee lovers, this would be the most insulting kind of coffee that has ever existed but knowing the story behind it, you just have to forgive them & let it be.

It was during the olden days when Indonesia was still under the power of the Dutch. Their coffee beans were all being exported by the higher power & leaving them only with the leaves. And so, that's what the people use to make coffee.

Anyway, we had ours with tidbits - goreng pisang, cucur udang, tahu goreng with cili padi & another kuih which-I-don't-know-the-name-of. I kinda miss it tho. Eating & talking & laughing. Super fun time.

Later that night, Ade took us to his friend's wedding. So we had the chance to go to a Minangkabau wedding, in the land of Minangkabau! Yeay! Just do a Google on Minangkabau wedding ceremony & you'll see a whole lot of colorful pictures. 

It was the fanciest pelamin I've ever seen. However, the reception itself was kinda dull. It was the 3rd & last day anyway. They had no music, people weren't talking loudly, and the food was not to my liking. Good social experience tho. And of course, my first time going to a wedding in t-shirt, jeans & red Converse. 

I am definitely going back to Bukittinggi. I wanna try their mie ayam, murtabak, belut goreng, sate Padang & all the other food that I've missed out. 

Apart from the food, I guess what I like most about Bukittinggi is the view. Very scenic, very green, fresh air & so relaxing. I love it there. And the weather is cool too. 

Pantai Morib, Selangor

This was a post of mine somewhere in 2012, taken from my old blog.

Yesterday was one fine Saturday, and I really wasn't gonna spend it sulking at home. So I googled Pantai Remis & Pantai Morib. Both are beaches that's nearby the city, about 1 1/2 hours away. Google search for images showed me that the crowd of people are less in Remis compared to Morib. Also, Morib has a nice, decent recreational park and so I made my choice to go there.

Wearing my new and oh-so-soft tshirt from Addini, I head out for my adventure (yea, rite!). But of course, 1st stop - lunch. At Wong Solo, Ampang. Ayam penyet is the best! After all those crispy chicken are safely inside my tummy, I continue on.

Ayam penyet

As I was closing in to Cheras, I decided to drop by Spermajalang's crib. To give him coffee from Bali & to say hi. Yeah, kinda missed him. Anyway it was kinda early to head out, I don't wanna have to sit in Morib alone while waiting for the sun to set - I needed a place to crash. After about an hour of watching TV & getting to know his soon-to-be-lawyer housemate who is also good looking & rich, I continue my journey.

I had my Google Maps on, but unfortunately I was brought to an unfamiliar area - somewhere in Putra Perdana, Puchong. On a nice evening & very much no traffic at all, I am glad I got lost. Driving around, seeing new things. 

Almost decided to cancel my trip since it was already close to 6pm when I reach Putrajaya, but my feet just continued on stepping on the gas pedal. So there I was, driving through Dengkil, on towards Banting and finally reached Morib at 7pm.

The sun was absolutely amazing! I was so happy I got there in time before it disappears. There was a lot of people, but parking was easy anyway. I had about 20 minutes there - paid a visit to the loo & then walked slowly to a spot where I had a full view of the sun and the sea.

Masya Allah, it was so breathtakingly beautiful.

That's about it. I went home after Maghrib. The journey home was scary, coz it was very dark and not a lot of cars passing by. I didn't know the way, just went with the signboards - my phone battery was completely gone. After about an hour of driving in the middle of nowhere, I found myself at KLIA. Thank goodness!

So I drove home on my usual route. On the way, my stomach was growling, so I decided to visit Ely at work in Subang SS 15. A whole lot of food there, plus I needed some updates on our girl issues. 

All in all, I had a great day. Very tiring, tho.

Superb Surabaya

In 2009, with the flu still attached, I made it up Mount Bromo! Using the stairs lah. Hehe.. And, I went crazy.. shopping!! First off, Surabaya. Was very hot when we arrived. Mr. Ade (an accelent Indonesian travel agent of whom you can contact thru his Facebook page - just mention my name) welcomed us at the airport, with our tour guide, Wawan. Had Nasi Padang for lunch @ Silanggang Jaya Restaurant. After lunch, we headed straight to Cemoro Lawang. Halfway through the highway, we stopped by the roadside to see a village which was swallowed by lava.

 

On the way up to Cemoro Lawang, it gets cold. The view was breathtaking. The mist in the woods reminds me of Edward Cullen. I thought at any moment he would jump out of the mist. Along the roadside, there's fresh flowers and vegetables - mostly cabbage & potatoes, the main source of income for the villagers there. We stayed at a hostel called Cafe Lava. Very comfy bed, pillows and blanket! And yes, superb dishes too. We had Nasi Goreng Jawa, Soto Ayam, Nasi Campur dan Potato Cheese. I had a cabin all to myself, coz one of my friend can't make it for the trip. 

  

The sunrise there is very early, compared to Malaysia. 6am there is like 8am in KL. So I woke up at 3am and took a bath in the chilling water, since the heater was broken. Hey, I don't mind - it was refreshing! And when I went out to wait for the driver, I saw a whole lot of stars. I could lie and stare at the stars for hours and hours! Anyway, 4am we took a jeep up to Mt. Penanjakan. It was very cold! Bought gloves for Rp15.000 and rent a jacket for Rp10.000. A lot of tourists there, most of them with high-end cameras. Around 5am++, I can see a yellow line of sunlight. It's a magnificent view! I am absolutely awed by it.

 

Then we went down and continued our journey to the sand-sea, to take up the 250 flight of stairs for Mt. Bromo's crater. The moment our jeep came into the parking area, we we're being chased by horses! Coz u have to walk from the jeep parking area to the stairs. It's about 2 - 3 km and we decided to take a horse instead. First time for all of us! My horse's name is Pablo. The climbing of the stairs was so tiring for somebody as unfit as me! We had at least 5 pit stops before reaching the top. Upon reaching the peak, I have to say it was worth every single drop of my sweat. The view was spectacular! Me & Ely sat at the cliff to enjoy the view, while Linda sat nearby the stairs which covered her from the blinding sunlight - although it was only 7am. I didn't wanna go down, but I figured if I stay too long up there, I might get burnt!

   

By 8.30am, we have reached our hostel for breakfast. I bought a souvenir t-shirt for myself and postcards for my cousin. We checked out early because we wanted to check-out Madakaripura Waterfall. Signboard says 5km. Do not believe the sign. I felt like it was more like, 105km. But we didn't go in because there was some climbing of the slippery rocks involved, plus, there was a naked man taking a bath welcoming us. Scary! You may read the information for this waterfall from this Indonesian travel website.

We headed back to Surabaya, check in hotel. Quds Royal Hotel. The tallest building in the area. Interior is like a castle, but only 3stars. And the food? Superb! And cheap, of course. That evening we went to ITC - International Trade Centre. Where we had dinner @ the foodcourt and do a little bit of shopping. We had Nasi Timbel, and not forgetting Es Teler. I requested to go around the city centre, but it was too far away and we got lost!

That night, me & Ely ordered room service for more food! We ordered Fish & Chip, Pisang Keju & a very nice-looking, and excellent tasting Orange juice. So far the best drink I've had there.

The next morning, we had breakfast at the. I tried every single food and drink available. Nasi Goreng, Ayam, Soup, Sayur Campur, Roti Bakar with Strawberry Jam & Chocolate Rice, Pancake, Omelette.. I ate 'em all! After check-out, we went straight to Plaza Jambatan Merah. We read in a forum that this is the best shopping center. And yes, all too cheap to even imagine! We were expecting to buy "kebaya" for RM50, which we thought was the cheapest. And when we got there, we found a set of "kebaya" selling for Rp35.000. Equals to RM12! We went into most of the shops there, showing my skills on bargaining and finally came out satisfied. Still, with some extra money in the pocket. 

 

We treated our driver & guide for their help. Had Nasi Kebuli, which was good, and then went straight back to the airport. 

 

Surabaya was an excellent experience for me, especially Mount Bromo. I've been thinking of going back there - hopefully soon! But this time I'm not gonna ride a horse. I think I'll just walk. Am afraid with all my extra weight, the horse might not make it uphill.