Category: Travel

• Penang Bon Odori 2014

  07.20.14 |Event, Penang, Travel| Permalink | Comments Off on Penang Bon Odori 2014

  This year I only look forward to the Fireworks. Here are some pictures for you to enjoy! If you haven?t visited this event, you should. Every year, Penang will hold the Bon Odori Festival in the month of July.

  

  

  

  

• Best Mamak Mee Goreng in Penang

  01.20.13 |Food, Penang, Travel| Permalink | Comments Off on Best Mamak Mee Goreng in Penang

  
  
  

  I tasted the best Mamak Mee Goreng from Penang Bangkok Lane. Usually I do not like mee goreng (aka fried noodle in mamak style) because it is very spicy. I cannot taste anything but chili. However this one that I have eaten, it is so tasty and not spicy at all. The sotong (squid) is done just right and absolutely delicious.

  If you are at Bangkok Lane Penang, do order 1 yourself!

  Map Here:

  
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• Claypot Fish Head Noodle

  12.30.12 |Food, Travel| Permalink | Comments Off on Claypot Fish Head Noodle

  
  
  

  My aunt brought me to eat the famous XO Claypot Fish Head Noodle. It is delicious with their special chili sauce. I must tell you that the place is crowded and you have to avoid rush lunch hour. We went early and managed to get a seat. Definitely will go there again and giving it 5 STARS!

  The place is at:

  Goon Wah Restaurant
  G13 & 14, Jalan 3/115C,
  KP 2, Taman Kuchai Lama,
  Off Jalan Kuchai Lama, 58200 Kuala Lumpur.
  03-7982-0048

  Map Here:
  
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• Chinese Opera

  09.16.12 |Penang, Travel| Permalink | Comments Off on Chinese Opera

  Penang is having a Chinese festival and in most part of the streets you will find Chinese Opera Performance. Today I went passed one while visiting the night markets. I was surprised that a live performance even has subtitles. They display the subtitles in Chinese on a LED display. Isn’t that cool?

  
  
  

• Recommended Cameron Highlands Apartment

  08.23.12 |Travel| Permalink | Comments Off on Recommended Cameron Highlands Apartment

  A few months ago, I started to look for a good apartment in Cameron Highlands for our Raya holiday vacation. Lots of people tell me that it will be super jam during Raya! I decided to pick a place where is it near eatery and easy access to attractions. I browse through lots of website and those who went said that Brinchang is the best place.

  
  
  

  There is a new property called Brinchang Imperial Court and a lot of owners are renting it out. By the way, during peak season most hotel or apartment rentals are expensive. I got to rent a unit for RM400. It has 3 bedroom and 2 bathrooms. For this unit the master and second bedroom has a queen size bed and a superior single bed. The third room has a queen size bed. Plenty of space for 2 families to stay.

  It also has a kitchen, living room and Astro. We wanted to do steamboat ourselves, so the kitchen would be great for us. It has a great view too!

  The location of this apartment is great. It is walking distance to night markets, eatery area, convenient stalls and Cactus Valley. You cannot get any better than this. By the way, the night market sells lots of cheap vegetables. You can get RM1 for 1 pack of vegetable.

  Let me know if you want the contact number of the owner.

  Imperial Court Rate
  • Weekdays rate – RM 250
  • Weekend rate – RM 300
  • Public holiday and super peak season – RM 400

  
  Living Hall With Astro Cable TV:
  

  Kitchen:
  

  Rooms
  

  

  Dining Area
  

  Night Market on the Right side:
  

  Cactus Valley across:
  
  

• India Food

  04.18.12 |Travel| Permalink | Comments Off on India Food

  
  

  

  In Hyderabad, I heard that their biryani rice is very famous. Biryani is rice mixed with a meat curry dish. I do like their Basmati rice. It has very fragrant and less starch. In fact I got some back to cook. Besides this, their butter naan is also delicious. It must be eaten while it is hot. It is crispy and very tasty. It goes well with the vast variety of different curry.

  
  

  
  

  The first day, my colleagues took me to a buffet. It looks like buffet is very common in Hyderabad. Every day I was having buffet. One thing about buffet is that you can taste all the different curry there is. I tasted mutton, chicken, fish, dhal and seafood curry, all at one go.

  At the end of the meal, I was given some Indian sweets to make the mouth fragrant. I tasted 1 but I didn’t get use to the taste.

  
  
  

  I must say that I enjoyed the food there so much.

  Hotel Room Service:
  

  
  

  Lobster Tail
  

  Chicken Drumlets coated with curry spicy powder.
  
  

  Look at the special lemon that is wrapped with cheese cloth to prevent the seed from falling on to the food. What a great idea.

  
  
  

• Impressive Service At Novotel But ….

  04.06.12 |Travel| Permalink | Comments Off on Impressive Service At Novotel But ….

  I was in India last week and I must applause the ground service people in the Novotel Convention Center Hotel in Hyderabad. They were very courteous and polite. Everywhere I go, they greet me, always asking me if I needed help.

  Most nights I would order room service for dinner because of my work schedule. India time zone was a little difficult for me to adapt. Once I finished work with my India counterpart, I need to rush back to the hotel to have meetings with the US folks as they wake up.

  Anyway one of the meals that I ordered had a very tough beef. The in dinning service called and asked my feedback. I just made a small remark about the beef being tough, not tender enough. I didn’t expect much from my feedback. The service manager called me again and told me that he will offer free dessert. I was happy to hear that but I was also too full for dessert. I passed.

  One thing they did was really out of the way was, after I return back home, I got an email next morning from the hotel. Apparently I left my GAP sweater in the room. Yeah I notice that when I was on the plane, freezing throughout the journey. They told me that they can courier it back to me. The next day, I receive it. Kudos to all the housekeeping & in-dining service people.

  Now the bad part is that the front desk charged a security deposit on my company credit card. I have no idea about this until I returned and saw the charge on my online statement. My company travel agent booked the hotel for me so I wasn’t aware of that charge at all. I was a little disappointed because really I was about to write to tripadvisor.com sharing my great experience with the hotel. It will take 15 days for them to release the charge to me. The only thing I wasn’t happy that they made a charge without my consent. There goes your compliment to tripadvisor.com.

  
  

  View from my room:
  

  Room Service Dinning:
  

  Security Checks
  
  

• Travel Pack Meds

  03.20.12 |Travel| Permalink | Comments Off on Travel Pack Meds

  I will be making a business trip to Hyderabad India. It is first time ever going to India. Lots of people advise me on drinking water and food. It makes me a little nervous going there. I also got a call from my mum to prepare some diarrhea meds.

  I went to my office clinic to ask for diarrhea meds. Look what they gave me? The doctor told me that this is a travel pack meds that include fever, flu, sore throat and diarrhea meds as well. Everything except charcoal pills.

  
  
  

  Let’s hope I don’t fall sick when I am there.

• Oh Libra Cruise!

  07.02.11 |Travel| Permalink | Comments Off on Oh Libra Cruise!

  
  
  

  I thought of treating my family to a 1 night cruise with Star Cruise Libra ship but it turned out to be a disappointment. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t board the ship yet. I was surveying the price on internet to see how much I needed to spend.

  They have standing rates for adult, anyone above 12 and do not need a cabin. It costs $142 per person, all inclusive during low season. The cheapest cabin rates are $202, all in.

  Strangely, they do not have children rates! Yes no children rates below 12. The management force you to take a cabin and the rates charged to children is the cabin rates. If 2A and 2C go, it will be $202 * 4! What a rip off!! Ooops, cannot be a rip off if I didn’t make a booking. Children rates are more expensive than adult rates. Only Star Cruise Libra does that.

  I wonder why SC management do not provide any children rates? They do it for Star Cruise Pieces and for Star Cruise Virgo, children travel free. Maybe they just want adult on board.

  I feedback this to Star Cruise and they hit around the bush. Lastly, they told me that’s what management gave. No valid reason.

• Berjaya Langkawi Resort Hotel

  12.07.10 |Hotel, Malaysia, Travel| Permalink | Comments Off on Berjaya Langkawi Resort Hotel

  
  
  

  It is a great resort in Langkawi. I did enjoy my stay there for 3 nights without much problem. Before the trip, I did read some feedbacks on tripadvisor.com about the hotel. It was a mixed feeling. I was kind of confused why certain people gave lots of positive feedback and the others gave negative. Probably the negative ones didn’t get good rooms or they had high expectations.

  I must say the kampung chalet does give me a feel that I am closer to nature. However the condition of the rooms does not portray a 5 stars hotel room for the value they charged. They do need some sort of refurbishing. The bathroom has a couple of stains, bottom of the bathtub is slightly cracked, TV is old, furniture is outdated and the resort facilities are limited.

  The swimming pool is very wide. If they add in a slide for kids, it will be perfect. I kind of like the water wall by the side of the pool. There is a portion of the pool that provided some sort of Jacuzzi.

  There are other activities available in the hotel like nature walk, water sports, beach play, swimming in the sea where they block off from water sports and lots of beach chair for a nice tan.

  One more thing that may cause an inconvenient, some of the chalet are a distance from the lobby. You need to ride shuttle van to and from the room. However the wait is just 5-10 minutes. I am pleased that the chalet given to us is walking distance from the lobby.

  The price of the rooms is a little steep if you asked me. I would go back if I still get the Berjaya Membership rates from my good friend. My family did enjoy the resort.