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.