Port Dickson 26.07.14 - 28.07.14

During the raya holidays, we went for a short trip with my in-laws to PD.

But the in-laws are going a day later. With a spare free day for us, we planned to make a pit stop to melaka on the way to PD since there won't be much things to do in PD anyway.

Driving to melaka during holidays us akin to suicide but lucky for us, the highway wasn't that jam on that day. We managed to reach in 2 hours though.

But melaka as usual was freaking hot and we're super hungry as we skipped breakfast. Planned to make a pit stop in seremban for breakfast but decided to give it a miss as it was jam in the seremban exit.

Being a long holiday, all the famous eateries were queuing will tourist. It was only after a while we managed to find a nyonya restaurant. And we only have an hour to eat as they are expecting a group of tourists too. No choice, eat lah! Isabel's was sweating from top down!

Got our ass up once we are full and we went for a walk. Got to know there's a new attraction in jonker street. Mamee house. More like a cafe though. Seems isabel liked mamee monster a lot, hugging it non stop. 

Next we went to the obligatory stadhuys. Melaka is not complete without going there huh?

Hello kitty thishaws seems to be the craze in melaka these days I guess. Most of it are adorned with hello kitty.

The weather is so hot that we left for PD after a cendol and a short walk. Isabel can't stand the heat anyway. Previously, wife and I would continue walking till we literally drop!

After another hour drive, we had finally arrive our destination, Regency Tanjung Tuan.

Isabel checking the around the apartment upon arriving.

For those who never been to this apartment, let me just tell you, don't bother staying there. There's no hot shower, the tv doesn't work. the air conditioning for our master bedroom doesn't work and when we called the receptionist on that matter, it took the technician almost 2 hour to arrive. and yet he failed to repair it. TWICE. We don't even bother to get him to adjust the TV. And the toilet are dirty too. It took the hotel more than 10 room service staff to clean an apartment but yet the apartment are not clean... We thought of changing the apartment but we decided not to due to certain reasons.

I have nothing to say if the apartment is rm300 per night. But no, it is rm600 per night, so I think we deserved more than that.

Enough ranting about the lousy stay. At least the dinner for our first night is something to be happy about.

Mother and daughter were busy checking on what to eat.

We decided to have Mexican food that night, something not associated with PD at all. The restaurant, El Cactus serves delicious Mexican cuisine at reasonable price. One thing though, remember to put on mosquito repellant as while you enjoy your quesadillas and tacos, the misquote will be having a feast on your legs!

We retire early after dinner as we were dead tired after the first day.

The next morning, we went to another popular breakfast place, PD Eating Point.

The place serves pork-free every day breakfast fare. You get the usual wan tan mee, English breakfast, noodles and nasi lemak all pork free. The food is normal to us but the staff are quite friendly. Price is a bit on the high side though.

With time to spare while waiting for in-laws to arrive, we decided to go to PD Waterfront for a stroll.

Isabel having fun walking around the car park while watching the sea in PD Waterfront...

I find this place quite nice. There's no beach for you to play water but there's quite a number of cafes and eateries for you to hang out. You can relax in Starbucks or McDonald's located in front of the sea. Nice...

Well, in-laws reached not long after that and it is time for lunch. We had no idea what to have for lunch but ended up settling for banana leaf rice. I don't remember the name of the place but it is packed! There's two banana leaf rice restaurant in a same row of shops but both are full house. I guess maybe Indian food are limited in PD.

After a short rest, it is Isabel's favourite time. After her vacation in Langkawi, she seems to like swimming very much. And there she was, swimming unassisted with only a float on her hands. Even the lifeguard was impressed! 

And oh before that we also had a walk along the beach. But she wasn't so fond of swimming in the beach. So we just settled with walking around.

If lunch time was considered packed with people, we totally were not prepared for dinner. After searching around the Internet, we decided to go to Weng Yin Seafood Restaurant as it is THE place to go for seafood. But woooah, the place was packed! We forgot it is a long holiday and the place must be packed.

No choice, we go to the seafood restaurant a few metres away. Same thing. It was packed too. Okay, now it is Plan B (actually there was none. Haha), that is to drive along the stretch of road until we find a seafood restaurant that was not so packed. A few hundred metres, there's one but still packed. Okay, so we drive again until we found one not so packed.

Or so we thought...

Yeah, we found a table the moment we walked in. But the place was so busy that the staff can't found the time to clean our table or take our order. Instead, we have to walk to the waiter to tell him our order. That is not the end of it though. The food took an hour to arrive. By the time it arrived, it was around 9.30pm. And Isabel had fell asleep by then. Food was so-so but we were not complaining as we were so hungry at that time.

The night ended with a late birthday celebrating with father-in-law before retiring for the day.

On the third day, I decided to have some me-time and take a small walk along the beach and relax along the way.

The beach in PD is not something to be shout about but it was good and peaceful enough on 7 something in the morning.

I decided to walk towards the end of the beach to see what is beyond there. Feeling a bit adventurous in the morning. Hehe.

And woah! So this is where the rich people in PD stay. With their own yacht and all that.

And so before we left for KL, we went for another walk in the beach.

And surprisingly she wanted to go to the sea with her Tata! But she is still unwilling to dip her body inside the sea water. Oh nevermind, she'll have her dose of swimming pool water not long after that.

After a quick dip in the swimming pool, we depart separately with our in-laws as we wanted to get something special from nearby PD. 

This is the thing we are looking for, Lucky King Bun in Lukut. Basically it is a curry chicken wrapped in a big bun. No photo of it opened coz our photography skills sucks. The price for it us quite reasonable (forgot the price though) and you can choose a few other flavours too. We choose curry and Dong Po combination. Taste good especually the curry flavour. The queue will be very long especially during long holidays. So the trick is to go to the back of the shop to buy it! We accidentally found about this trick as our gps led us the wrong way earlier. Talk about blessing in disguise!

And oh, we also went to get seremban siew pow on the way back but the place was full of people. Parking is hard to get too. I don't bother to take a photo of it. Note to self, do not bother to go there during long holidays unless you like long queues.

Overall it was an enjoyable trip for the whole family except for the choice of accommodation. When will be our next trip? Haha.

Pulau Langkawi (10.04.14 - 12.04.2014) - Part 2

going to merge day 2 and 3 as there was nothing much on the final day of the vacation :)


Day 2

second day, i woke up with a great muscle pain on my right calf. this must be due to the the all the carrying and 7 hours of walking a day before the Langkawi trip (no joke). but it is not a big problem and we proceed with our trip anyway.

Isabel waking up feeling refreshed and getting ready for the next destination.

which is of course Langkawi Cable Car. the ticket is only RM15 for an adult (with Mykad).

 

Queuing up for cable car. Isabel was very excited when she saw the cable car. i was freaked out on the thought of sitting in a glass compartment which hangs only on a cable going up high.

and i mean very high! can't blame me for freaking out, right? hehe!

taking an photo on the viewing platform. and this is only a pit stop, mind you. there is a skybridge on this level too but it has been closed for maintenance for many years. pfft!

the last stop. the temperature was cooling, but the heat from the sun was melting us at the same time!

family photo in the cable car while on the way back.

other than the cable car, there is also an oriental village down there. but i think it is forgettable. and so we left right after the cable car ride.

since we have no plans for the day, i decided to take the longer route to Kuah town. and boy, that was a real petrol waster route. nothing much to see on that one hour journey as we mostly pass by villages and hills, not much seaside to see though.

had a great Thai food at Wan Thai. food was really great and the price is reasonable too. too bad no photos as we were famished at that time.

after lunch, it is off to some chocolate price survey at the town and back to another session of power nap and a dip in the swimming pool again...

the plan for the night is to drive back to kuah town after the nap for a dinner at Teo Seafood Restaurant as we read about the rave reviews there and then stroll at the Eagle Square to have the obligatory photo with the big eagle there.

but turns out is is not a good idea to drive from Cenang to Kuah at night. the road was dark, creepy and there was not much car. but we still drive there nevertheless. reached the restaurant and we see a large crowd there. we decided to skip this and also the eagle square and return to the hotel right away...

the 17km journey feels like eternity. moral of the story, not going to drive that stretch of road at night next time. too creepy. the hair at the back of my neck were standing at that time. huhuhu...

as for the eagle square, next time then!

dinner was spend tapau-ing food from the malay restaurant next to our hotel. not bad though.


Day 3

time sure flies fast when we were having fun. an this was the last day of our vacation. nothing much was done on that day. woke up, had breakfast at the hotel and off we go to the shops beside Underwater World to get our fix of chocolates, liquors, cigarettes and perfume before going back to the hotel to pack and leave for the airport.

stopped at one of those stalls along the beach nearby airport for a laksa and cendol. the view was nice, the same cannot be said for the food though...

at the airport waiting for check-in. Isabel was tired and i think she knows that holiday was over from her look in this photo. again, she had been a good girl throughout the flight back and slept for the whole journey.

it's been a short and tiring vacation but it's been a great one. and i know there will be more fun vacation to come. this is only the beginning!

Pulau Langkawi (10.04.14 - 12.04.2014) - Part 1

it's been almost two years since we actually went on a vacation. there weren't any vacation for both of us last year due to arrival of Isabel.

but this year onwards, we will have to include our daughter along for vacation! and so, we decided to have a pilot test for her by bringing her to langkawi by flight.

and boy, bringing a baby along for a vacation is really a different level of game. i'll post about it when i don't feel lazy in the future...

in fact, the chaos started the moment i stepped out of our home. noticed that i wore a different flip flops? i only noticed that when we reached the airport. haha.

fortunately, Isabel adapted well to the flight. gave her a pacifier (to ease her ear pressure) and some kiddy videos in the phone, she is an angel throughout the 1 hour journey

the distance from the airport to our hotel in Pantai Cenang area was less than 30minute. we chose Favehotel, nice, clean and cheap hotel which fulfills our requirement for a family trip. bought a 3D2N pacakage (2 days breakfast included) with a Myvi auto for RM490 in Matta fair. quite a bargain right?



Isabel hogging the bed the moment we reached the hotel!

after a brief rest, we wasted no time for our next destination, the Underwater World Langkawi. entrance fee is not cheap , RM30 for an adult (with Mykad), but i think it is worth it.

upon entering, we are greeted by various birds which are not restricted in cage. the birds are free to fly freely in that area.be sure to lookout for the parrot that can greet hello!

seals are swimming behind us. don't let Isabel's moody face deceive you. she was in fact very exicted and was screaming around excitedly although she was a bit scared of certain big fish and don't dare to tough the aquarium! haha.

and the main attraction there, the penguins! everyone was excited as it was their feeding time too! don't miss this and make sure to check the feeding time beforehand. i've forgotten the time, i think it is around 2.30pm.

other than penguin feeding, there was also another feeding time at 3.30pm where the divers will be in the aquarium to feed the fishes. damn, the fishes are so pampered here.

decided to 'dump' her to sit in front of the aquarium as my body was aching from all the carrying (nope, we did not bring a stroller along).

once we were done with the Underwater World, we were back for a power nap. once Isabel is refreshed, off we go to the hotel swimming pool!

the kiddy pool is slightly deep than an average baby. so we have to hold her while she splashes happily in the pool. so happy that she cried when we carried away her away from the pool later on.

i'm sure she will be tall enough to play on her own in the kiddy pool the next time we come back to this hotel!

dinner time, we were thinking of what to eat, at first we we thinking of having our dinner at Orkid Ria (maybe next time) but we went to Little Mexican instead. taste not bad but the portion is quite small though.

at first we planned to go to the pasar malam nearby but we decided to give it a miss as it is just like other malay pasar malam that we have frequesnted before. so we decided to walk along the pantai cenang area.

we were dead tired that night. and to think of it, we only spend less than 12 hours in Langkawi...

Siem Reap (13.06.2012 – 16.06.2012) – Part 2

our day started very early as sunrise starts from 5.30am.
first stop will be at the main attraction of this trip, Angkor Wat
 
but first, you’ll have to show your pass to one of the few guards here!

after around 5minutes walk, at last we reached the main building. too bad the front building was under restoration back then.
anyway, back to the sunrise…

the most important thing – get a nice spot! coz the crowd is crazy… notice the carpet on the above? those belongs to creative entrepreneurs. if you want to sit on it, be prepared to buy expensive coffee or sandwiches from them!

next, frame a good shot while waiting for the sun to wake up! haha!


voila! the end result. too bad for our lousy photography skills. else, it will be a nice photo!
after spending an hour or so, we proceed to the interior of the temple
not going to elaborate much on the temple other than the attraction which is the Bas Relief. what it is?

 
the carvings on the wall are Bas Reliefs. these carvings surround the whole temple itself.

for those without a Guide to explain the events carves on the wall, we can only see a brief descriptions on the info placed on various places. just remember to follow the correct way/chronology when reading!
After Angkor Wat, it’s back to the hotel for a quick breakfast. yes, we can go out of the and back to the temple area a few times as long as the pass is within the stipulated time

some noodles for breakfast where we add everything in the photo above together. not bad! taste a bit like asam laksa with lots of coconut milk.
anyway, back to the Temple trip!

not really a temple here, but it’s just a gate – South Gate of Angkor Thom.

the heads lining on the side was heavily damaged and restored. can you see which one are the restored head?
not far from the gate are one of my favourite temple

Bayon. where there are hundreds of faces in the temple itself!


different from your usual temple, no?
next stop is the temple that max out our stamina!

Baphuon

this temple consist of a few crazy steep levels!

although the steps were steep, i am adamant to climb to the top as i was curious of what is in store for us there…

upon reaching the top, i was like WTF???!!! i risked my life just to see this??!! aih…

and the dreaded walk down…

the view at the back of the temple. can you guess what is it?
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it’s an image of a reclining Buddha.
after all the climbing at Baphuon, we have no more energy to climb…

imagine our horror when we saw the stairs leading up to Phimeanakas. we ended up sitting under a tree for half and hour while observing other people struggling to climb up. haha!

Terrace of Elephants. great carvings!

Terrace of Leper Kings (if i’m not mistaken). Greater carvings!
by this time, we were exhausted, sweaty and hungry!!!

this photo show it all… taken in some unknown temple on the way for lunch

lunch was some simple stir fried beef. this dish cost us freaking USD5!!!
Tips : be sure to bargain for every thing, especially food. due to our lousy bargaining skills, we are only able to bargain to USD4. if you are a great bargainer, try to bargain till USD1. haha!

amok. One of an Cambodian signature dish! don’t really fancy it though. too much coconut milk.
after filling our stomach and getting a breather, we are ready for our next destination

Ta Keo.
nothing really special about this temple though…

but the children here (and in any of the temples here) make this place an interesting place. great memory (don’t ever say you will come back again to buy if you don’t intend to, they will remember), smart in dealing business (try bargaining with them and you will know) and speaks great English (we had a good laugh seeing them speaking with other tourist. serious, they are good in English!)

to the top of Ta Keo.
OMG was the first sentence that was uttered out of my mouth when i saw this. the Mat Salleh aunty who heard it also told me that was what she said when she saw that too! haha!
the 3 of us ended up watching people climbing it instead…
next stop will be the temple where the movie Tomb Raider was shot – Ta Phrom

a 15minute walk in a forest trail before we reach the main temple.


at last, we’ve reach the temple!
the main attraction of this temple is that the huge trees that are grown from the temples!





come to think of it, which is the Tomb Raider tree??? haha!

 
some other parts of the temple which are not under restoration
this will be our final temple for the day – Banteay Kdei

looks pretty normal from outside?
 

the interior of the temple is their intricate carvings.
this is one of the tiring trip! and we are only covering small circuit (there’s a big circuit which was not covered by us).
i think in order to truly enjoy the temples, 1 day will be a bit rushed! if the budget and time is not a problem, get at least a 3 day pass.
next post will be about our adventures in the Siem Reap Centre!