Klang Bak Kut Teh, Ho Chiak :P

We have been talking about visiting Klang for quite sometimes. The unemployed woman stays in Klang. We have known each other since 2008, and had been talking forever since, to visit Klang. Truth to be told. All talk and no action, and subsequently, for the next couple of college lives, we still did not visit her home. Being spontaneous, I proposed to visit her in Klang during the mid of February. The initial plan was end of February. However, we postponed it until early March. 

On 7 March 2014, after work, I rushed back home. To bath and pack my bag. Yes, we are heading to Klang finally! The excitement is certainty there. Employed woman whatsapp-ed me on how many clothes I will pack, and what time to start journey etc. Its not too spontaneous but its worthy.

To clarify, unemployed woman is from Klang. Employed woman just stays nearby my housing area. 

My belief system told me that Klang is far far away from my home. However, it took us approximately 35 minutes to reach Klang. After settling down (I had not shower due to water rationing at my place), unemployed woman brought us to a mamak stall. We ordered Roti Tisu and Tandoori Chicken. The Roti Tisu tasted better than the one we tried in Penang famous curry house. It is very thin layer, and served with sugar toppings. The Tandoori Chicken had spices and serve good without Naan. I ordered a Teh Tarik, and requested it to be kurang manis. I think, the only Indian Curry House that knows my order is Kanna Curry House, which serve awesome Thosai Telur and Teh Tarik (sikit manis). After the mamak hangout, we went back to unemployed woman house. I am blessed that I can shower with normal water supply.

Roti Tisu. Appearance moderate, Taste Great :)

Spicy but awesome!

We were contemplating to go to Pulau Ketam or Taman Pertanian. After being burnt under the hot sun, I decided to wear long sleeves, despite it looked weird, when we are doing outdoor activities. We concluded that we will go to Taman Pertanian. We woke up at 7am to catch our breakfast at a Hainanese Coffee Shop which serves awesome Nasi Lemak, Roti Bakar, Roti Stim etc. Its just like any other typical Hainanese Coffee Shop, but with a huge crowd. I was told that this shop had been operating for more than 50 years!

3 person meal :D

After our heavy meals, we departed to Taman Pertanian. We rented bicycles. The cheapest available which costed us RM5 for the first hour and additional RM1 for the subsequent hours. The bicycles were rusty, but who care, as long as I can cycle and its affordable. We were joyful as we were close to nature. There is this SkyTrex which seemed fun. It was relaxing. I enjoyed my ride most when I am going down the slope. The wind was opposing me, and I was having high speeding momentum, down slope. The freedom that one can experience.

Cycling up the hill requires lotsa stamina!

After cycling, we went to eat ice and fried chicken. It is just opposite of a Chinese school. Yao Yao Ping. Since it was very hot, the ice drink definitely serve it purpose. The fried chicken is nice too. I had the drumstick. If I were not to control my diet, I will definitely go for second round!

Watermelon Ice, Asam Ice, all are good!

I feel like eating again :X

After that, we went for Klang famous Bak Kut Teh. We have minimal idea of what restaurant to go. Hence, we randomly googled and we arrived at Leong Kee (Klang) Bak Kut Teh. The serving was big. The 3 of us didn't manage to finish 2 persons' order. According to unemployed woman, its below her expectation, she is expecting a thicker herbal soup. Well, maybe its personal preference? 

Saliva drools?

We went back to our nest after the heavy lunch. Employed woman was sick. Hence, we just laid back and chill inside unemployed woman house before preparing for our dinner location. Unemployed woman brought us to Boston Baru Seafood Restaurant. The queue was crazy. We waited for half an hour to secure a seat and additional hour to eat our dinner. The price was reasonable. The food awesome.No wonder there were so many people queuing up.

Lala Soup

Calamari in Corn + Butter Style

Nothing to describe about this lol

Famous in Boston!

Since we were full, our stomach bloated, we decided to walk around Icity. Ended up, we were made belief to pay RM15 for the Space Exploration game. The whole experience was new. However, it wasn't value for money. What added value to our experience was when we were exiting the Space Exploration. Employed woman open the door at the second floor, and she saw a ghostly figure running towards her. She screamed. Then, the next thing I heard was unemployed woman screaming. My reflects told me to run for my life as well. The whole scene was too dramatic, but yes, we were that crazy. RM15 plus a little perks from haunted house isn't that bad after all!

Pirate Ship was our last game before we decided to go home. It was a short visit but I sincerely appreciate my friend who is so willing to bring us around, share us her bed, and let us shower. Plus, I enjoyed the great company and the memories that we have created. We are planning for another cycling trip. Destination will be identified soon. 

Trying to be funny. Hmm...

Wah! You're in Penang?

11 February 2014

The decision was made in split seconds.

An unemployed woman, another on the bench woman, both decided to travel spontaneously.

After deciding the location, they browsed through Agoda and managed to obtain an affordable insider deal for Penang one night stay accommodation. 

Without any  preparation, they packed their belongings, some clothes, some toiletries, and they kick started their journey 5am in the morning. 

Smartphone had been a great help in navigating the 2 directionless women to reach to their destination. 

Their journey started with yawning, and more yawning, loud yawning and with the accompany of OneFm DJs.

They spend approximately 2 hours on the road before stopping at Ipoh for their breakfast. Breakfast was awesome. They ate the famous Ipoh 'Ho Hei'. 'Ho Hei' is the Fishballs version of 'Ho Fun' with chicken floss. It was a satisfying meal, plus they were hungry.

- Penang, We Conquer -

Soon, after their breakie, they spent another 2 hours drive to Penang. The sun was glaring when they reached the hotel. Parked their car, and the exploration for food and cultural experiences begun.

Luckily, the on the bench woman had been to Penang last year. Hence, she somehow figured that they can board free shuttle services to most of the tourist destination. The plan was simple. To go to the last tourist attraction spot and walk back towards the hotel. They thought that the bus can bring them to "Kek Lok Si". Unfortunately, the route plan of Penang free shuttle changed. However, they reached Chew Jetty unexpectedly. It was an eye opener to them. 

They decided to have their lunch infront of Chew Jetty. Unemployed woman ordered a bowl of laksa whereas the on the bench woman ordered Hokkien Mee. On the bench woman was surprised that a bowl of reasonable Hokkien Mee only cost RM2.80. The noodle tasted reasonable compared the one she tasted in Kimberly street.The unemployed woman mentioned that Chew Jetty is similar to Pulau Ketam. As they walked deep into the floating village, they discovered the gist of the sightseeing visit. Durian Puff was on sales! They bought the creamy fulfilling Durian puff and ate under the hot sun. 

Clueless of the next destination to visit, they randomly stopped at another station. They walked clueless-ly in search for Love Lane. Love Lane was easy to spot. It directed them to Armenian street. Too bad it wasn't a weekend. Hence, they missed out the opportunity to visit a Tarot Card reader recommended by on the bench woman's friend. They did admire the heritage of the old buildings, the street art, and yes, they
captured plenty of the street art drawn by Ernest Zacharevich. People seemed to enjoy queuing up under the hot sun just to have a moment with the boy and his sister on a bicycle.

As they wandered around, they saw a famous pastry shop. They forgotten which route was it. However, it is located at the back lane of ChinaHouse.

Exhausted due to the hot sun, they randomly entered a cafe. Moustache Houze. It was a great place to chill. They drank Kiwi Iced Cube. Its basically Kiwi processed into Iced Cube, served with chill Sprite. The drink was like "elixir of life". A little bit of exaggerating, but it definitely cool them down a little.

They checked into the hotel around 4.30pm. Showered and slept for around an hour. They were awakened by their alarm clock. Its time for a food hunt at Kimberly street. Kimberly street is famous for its wide selection of food. However, not all food are tasty. Unemployed woman enjoyed her pork and duck porridge and drink. Everything on the bench woman ordered was tasteless. The Hokkien Mee was tasteless. The longan drink was tasteless.

Dissatisfied with the dinner, she proposed to go for Nasi Kandar. Nasi Kandar is popular in Penang. They headed to the famous New Line Nasi Kandar shop. Before arriving at their destination, they saw a signboard stating 'Massage by the Blind'. They were bold enough to explore the massage parlour. Nothing hanky panky. They met 2 friendly blind masseur. The masseur provided foot and shoulder massages. They talked about the blind academy, the massage experiences, the encounters etc.

Having foot massaging for the first time, the on the bench woman stated that she wanted a hard massage. Unemployed woman gave her a 'are you sure' look. Ended up, the on the bench woman lower her requirements, from hard to medium to soft. Everyone went laughing.

After the 30 minutes massage, they finally reached Line Clear Nasi Kandar. They ordered a plate of Briyani rice served with fried chicken, topped with fish curry, and Roti Tisu, to satisfy their cravings. Unfortunately, it happened that the foods didn't meet their expectation. Unemployed woman found a string of hair on her Roti Tisu and instantaneously lose appetite. They left the scene to walk around Georgetown. Didn't manage to catch a movie in First Avenue. Grabbed a Chipster and a bottle of Cactus, walked back and chillax.

- The End of Day 1 -

Day 2 is filled with good food. They visited ChinaHouse for breakfast before driving home. ChinaHouse had served them extremely memorable healthy breakfast, and latte. After breakie, they traveled back KL with Mindy Gledhill Anchor album. 

Sabah - The Land Beneath the Wind [Day 3]

DAY THREE 

1 JUNE 2013 (SATURDAY)

Sabah is famous for its island. The world-famous diving spots including Sipadan, Mabul, Kapalai and Layang-layang. There are also other nice snorkeling areas such as the 2 mentioned below.

Sapi Island

Jesselton Point

Heading to our motorboat!

We reach Sapi Island Jeti!

Beautiful beach

Calm sea breeze

Wait... it's not the end! Part of the reason we are in Sapi Island is to experience the sea walk!

What is this sea walk? Simple... walk under the sea! Is it possible? Yes it is. Share with you some random pictures :)

Did we look like underwater astronauts? Yes, we are deep down under the sea with fishes swimming around us!

Can you spot the nemo?

Don't be frightened to experience this once in a life time opportunity! You're 100% safe. There will be 3 instructors monitoring us below and taking our pictures as we interact with the fishes. The fees might be expensive (RM180 for locals and RM250 for foreigners) but again, how often you get to walk on the sea bed? Cherish that moment! 

Manukan Island

Manukan is another island worth visiting. However, if compared to Sapi island, Sapi island water is more transparent, and the coral reefs are lively. Somehow, Manukan Island is disappointing as I see rubbish are litter into the sea! No proper control/management done. The fishes are not as vibrant as Sapi too. Maybe it's just a bad day for me to visit! haha.

Cozy resort is built inside of Manukan Island

Still, you get the scenic view

Note: Didn't manage to capture much pictures on this island as the time spent here is shorter.

I won't be writing for day 4 as the only activity worth mentioning is visiting the Gaya Market, which was very merry. Stay tune to my next holiday!

Sabah - The Land Beneath the Wind [Day 2]

DAY TWO 

31 MAY 2013 (FRIDAY)

I promised you in my first blog post that this second blog post will mainly talk about nature.

And so, here we are, in Poring Hot Spring.

Poring Hot Spring as according to local sources has the ability to de-stress and soak away the sores and aches of our muscles due to its richness in sulfuric minerals. The hot spring is well maintained and is very clean and organized. 

Welcome Sign! :)

Surrounded by greens, clean and well-organized, you can even book private hot spring rooms! But its First Come First Serve (FIFO) basis

However, as I mentioned earlier, its super peak season and we didn't manage to enjoy the hot spring. Luckily, we still manage to proceed with the canopy walk. 

Note: The canopy walkway is 157.7 meters long and 41 meters high.

On the way to Canopy Walk!

We passed-by a bridge

Almost reaching the canopy!

There are 5 check points for the canopy, this is the first!

Only max 6 persons are allowed to be on the bridge each time

 After the canopy challenge, we walked further down to the waterfall which taken 15-20 minutes.

Nice avenue :)

We reached the waterfall! Time for some splash!

You can stay whole day at Poring Hot Spring as it is very big! Apart from the hot spring, canopy and waterfall, you can explore the butterly farm, Poring Orchid Conservation Cente, Tropical gardens etc. So much to explore. If only you have all the time :)

For more information on the entrance fees for the activities inside Poring Hot Spring, refer to the link below.

http://www.sabahtourism.com/sabah-malaysian-borneo/en/destination/60-poring-hot-spring-phs/

After a day of nature, we finally decided to check-in at Horizon Hotel. Horizon Hotel is a good place to stay as it is at the city center. All the major banks, pharmacies, polyclinic are just walking distance. Needless to mention about the night life, abundance selection of food and shopping malls (ie. Suria Sabah Shopping Mall). 

Spacious and comfy beds

The Main Entrance... Notice the horse?

Note: Famous eating place to explore are Double Luck Restaurant, Sinalau Bakas and Gayang Seafood Restaurant.

Sabah - The Land Beneath the Wind [Day 1]

DAY ONE 

30 MAY 2013 (THURSDAY)

Richard Branson's Reach for the Skies: Ballooning, Birdmen and Blast into Space has broadened my view on the airline industry. The dream of flying like birds are no longer dreams and now Everyone Can Fly! I boarded Air Asia's AK5110 on Thursday morning. It was early in the morning, approximately 6.30am. Once I found my seating, the first thing I did was to catch some rest ... ...

I woke up around 2 hours later and as I peeked outside the window (I was seating besides the window between). I saw clusters of puffy clouds.The sky had a vibrant blue, deep blue, light blue, peaceful blue etc. I wished that I have captured those picturesque moments ... ...

We reached Terminal 2 around 9 am. It was 28 degree Celsius and a sunny day. 

AK5110 flied by Melissa Nathan landed safely at Terminal 2

Terminal 2 is a mini airport. However, it has the ability to manage the ever increasing traffic to Sabah.

Bro managed to grab some leaflets before leaving Terminal 2

We chartered a van to take us around Kota Kinabalu

David is our van driver cum tour guide. David have been in the Sabah tourism industry for more than 20 years. Hence, he was acting like a walking Sabah encyclopedia for us. 

Note: Sadly I did not capture David's face. If not I will share it over here.

We have our breakfast at Borneo Treasure Restaurant. I just randomly select some dim sum that we have tasted for the day.

Borneo Treasure Restaurant - Famous for Dim Sum (Non-Halal)

烧卖(Shao Mai)

叉烧包 (Char Siew Bao)

流沙包 (Custard Bun)

I know by now, your saliva must start to drool! They are tasty indeed! After the satisfactory breakfast, we started to tour the following places. The (6) is our accommodation. Please take note.

(1) Sabah Museum 

Nice landscape and informative museum

Note: Sadly I couldn't capture pictures inside the museum. The items displayed inside the museum are belonged to the old tribes, ie Kadazan, Dusun, Bajau etc. It somehow refresh my memories on the history text books I used to study back in secondary school

(2) Signal Hill Observatory Tower

The highest point in the city, able to have a good view on Kota Kinabalu

(3) Tun Mustapha Tower

The design of the tower is unique so much so it is one of the 3 buildings designed based on this concept whereby a central core with steel is used to support each floor

 (4) Kundasang View

I feel like I am away from Malaysia. The sky looks awesome!

Note: There is a famous Sayap Ayam Kundasang nearby, and very long queue. Of course, we managed to taste the great marinated chicken wings! Yumyum :) But since my eating etique is not pass, I won't wanna post it on my blog. Haha.

 (5) Desa Dairy Farm

ALERT! The cows are no longer black and white... Its muddy and black :(

If you plan to visit this place, don't visit during peak season, because they are unable to upkeep the cleanliness of the farm when tourists kept flooding in. Add ons, they marked up the entrance fees to RM4 each person, instead of RM2. Add on to that, they charged for the filthy toilet. Kinda disappointing experience. Seriously :(

However, the plus point is the scenic view you get to experience when you are at Desa Diary Farm. Just can't help falling in love with the nice view :)

(6) The Pines Resort (KK)

Our rooms are at the back end. It is surrounded by trees, mainly pine trees.

This is where we stayed for the night. Notice that the environment makes me feel like I am shooting in a Twilight movie. The setting is just so perfect. However, my skin won't glow or turn into diamonds when the sun shine towards me. Sorry for the lameness. Can't help! haha

Take another scenario, I am one of the characters inside the Harry Potter movies. Phew... luckily no scary creature attacked me for that night.

TBC ... thank you for reading attentively. Day 2 will be mostly on Nature, like the idea? Please continue to follow my blog then :)