Langkawi 2015 Day 1 – Arrive in Langkawi, Eagle Square and Pentai Cenang

Woke up at 6am in preparations for our flight at 1055am to Langkawi. This is Junior’s 2nd escape from the little red dot, courtesy of his wanderlust parents. Unlike our usual trips, we have to wake up way in advance to prepare, mostly due to the addition of our baby. These include preparing for his milk before leaving home, while at the airport and on board the flight and my wife had to schedule her milk expression too, such that there was enough to last the whole journey, since she wasn’t comfortable breastfeeding in public.

Our parents sent us to the airport and checked in was done pretty quickly, with one 29 inch luggage weighing about 16kg for the 3 of us. Normally, we would backpack for a 3 day trip but with the baby, that was too challenging for us to consider as we found in the last Bintan trip. There was time for us to take some food before we went through immigrations. My wife then went to the nursing room (which looked comfortable, had a sink and hot water dispenser but room was only for one person) within the terminal for milk expression while me and the baby chilled in front of the TV where he eventually dozed off. Met up some half an hour later and proceed to waiting area at the gate. There were initially some questions on the contents in the bag but later acknowledged upon seeing the infant.

While waiting at the gate, baby got a little cranky and quickly we popped a bottle to his mouth. The boarding soon commenced but we waited till Jr. was done. We had booked the so-called premium economy seats, supposedly to have wider leg space but didn’t really felt that way. Left the diaper bags on the space underneath the front seats for easy reach to the bottles and the diapers. As we didn’t pay for an extra seat (not necessary for babies under 2 years of age but with a cost of 25 SGD) and Jr. was given a infant seat belt which was secured to the main seat belt. As the door of the plane shut and the plane started to taxi to queue, we were feeling anxious, wondering when Jr. will become cranky and cause a nuisance. Luckily, all was good even after the plane lifted off, which was when we gave Jr. a pacifier that could help him swallow some saliva and remove the ear pain from the air pressure.

Throughout the flight, baby wasn’t sleeping which meant that we had to entertain him in order that he maintained his composure. This included playing with him some of his toys that we had brought along and even showed him the inflight magazine. He pooped and we thought we could wait until arrival, unfortunately he got cranky and so we did the diaper change on the seats itself. We had to lift the arm rest to create more space and lay him across the 2 seats. It was cramped but we managed, cleaned him up and threw the diapers into the puke bag, which we left with the air steward as he went around collecting rubbish. Just before landing, we gave Jr. the bottle again to help with the air pressure and also to keep him full.

Sitting at the premium economy provided the perks of getting off the plane first and clearing immigration, which was about 5 mins. As we proceeded to the luggage collection belt, we saw a line of car rental counters. Since we had to wait for the luggage anyway, I proceeded to these counters first. The people behind the counters were as if they have not seen a living soul for years and quickly call out to me when I came within sight. Fortunately, they stayed behind the counters and I did not feel that pressured to engage anyone.

Row of car rental companies immediately after immigrations.
Row of car rental companies immediately after immigrations.
Langkawi airport internal
Langkawi airport internal

I was scanning for a Kasina car rental which was recommended online as a bigger, more reliable company, instead I went to a Langkawi Discovery counter. The friendly sales person introduced the few car options and recommended I take the Mitsubishi Mirage, which he claimed was new and not too small for us, especially when I had a 29″ luggage. There was a further 60% discount on the 200RM published rates, bringing the total costs of rental to about 240RM for 3 days and a 50RM deposit. Only problem was that they only accept cash, which we didn’t bring alot. I was given the paper to make the collection outside the airport, exact location wasn’t clearly given.

After the we retrieved the luggage, we left the arrival hall and stepped out of the building. This was where there were more agents ushering for taxis and car rentals. I wasn’t sure where to pick up the vehicle until one person actually recognise the slip and brought me across the road to the carpark and then the car itself. Did the usual checks, paid, given some instructions on returning of vehicles. And the car was really new, done only 10k in distance. Set up my GPS, even though the car rental personnel told us that it was really easy to get around Langkawi. As a Singaporean, I was kiasu. Punched in the end location and we arrived 10mins later at the Meritus Pelangi Beach Resort and Spa. We parked at the carpark and walked to the main reception area some 100m away, dragging a luggage and carrying a baby, in the hot sun.

Meritus Pelangi Reception
Meritus Pelangi Reception
Reception main lobby
Reception main lobby

Checked in was done at one of the tables and the staff introduced the location of the villa and the available restaurants. We asked for late check out but was informed to ask again closer to the date of departure. After the administration, we were told to wait for a buggy but no one came to us until we asked another staff. The buggy brought us through the walk path to our beach front villa at number 46, together with our luggage, something similar to what we had experienced in Bintan.

The beach front villa was part of a bigger building of another 3 rooms, with 2 of them on the 2nd level. We had a small balcony that faced the beach but wasn’t exactly in front of us. It was more like a beach side villa. Tough luck.

The room itself was pretty big, containing a day bed, a king size bed and another single bed. However, there was only 1 air-conditioner which was not enough to cool down the entire villa in the sweltering heat. The presence of a ceiling fan only aid so slightly in the air circulation. Compounding to the problem was just like any hotel rooms, this was powered by the one and only magnetic door card. This guaranteed a warm room everytime we return from outside.

Long tub wtth separate shower.
Long tub wtth separate shower.
Single sink with open wardrobe.
Single sink with open wardrobe.
Queen, Single and a day bed.
Queen, Single and a day bed.

Bathroom was quite big, containing a long bath tub which we looked forward to utilise giving the baby some swimming time. There was a separate rain shower for the bathing. The only con was that there were only one sink, and if that was used for sterilising the bottles, we won’t be able to do any washing other than at the shower or the tub.

Jr. didn’t really like the room, becoming cranky after staying indoors for a while. So while my wife had to pump, I brought Jr. out to enjoy the warm sea breeze and the view of turquoise waters while trying to stay in the shade and he became calm. After strolling a while, I brought him back and looped the inflatable infant buoy around Jr. neck and gave him a dip in the tub. There was more than sufficient hot water here which was great for the dip. He became cranky, and figuring that he could be hungry, we fed him while in the tub. This was like bar side pool for babies!

View of private beach line with coconut trees.
View of private beach line with coconut trees.

After the tub dip, we packed to get ready for our first place of attraction, the Eagle Square. Strapped the baby on with a Ergobaby carrier (left the stroller back in Singapore, carrier was offered far more portability) waited outside the villa after calling for the buggy. It took forever to arrive, even after a call back to the reception. We stood almost 15 mins before the buggy finally arrived, something so unlike what we had encountered previously in Bintan. It took us straight to the carpark.

Punched in the destination on my GPS and it was a easy 20mins drive to Kuah only single lane roads consisting of light traffic. We arrived at the carpark but it was filled to the brim, apparently so many people was out and about this good Friday. Cars parked anywhere and everywhere and so I followed suit, found a slot behind a car along the sidewalk and parked there. Before heading out, we fed Jr. in the car and changed his diapers since he had pooped.

As we needed lunch, we walked towards Jetty Point mall and into the food court. In the sweltering heat, the air-conditioned place offered some relief but the Nasi Lemak was only just normal. After lunch, we went to the Baskin Robbins nearby for some ice cream before heading towards the square, some 5mins walk towards the port.

Jetty point mall
Jetty point mall
Nasi Lemak lunch.
Nasi Lemak lunch.
Looks like Mug root beer.
Looks like Mug root beer.

Eagle Square has a huge ass eagle statue looking out to the sea and apparently, Langkawi was named after these types of eagle. Since this was one of the most noticeable Langkawi landmarks, tourists were there to take photos with it. We tried to take a selfie with it but it proved challenging because of its size.

Pond near Eagle Square
Pond near Eagle Square
Giant statue of an eagle at Eagle square.
Giant statue of an eagle at Eagle square.

There were a couple of shops nearby selling clothings and souvenirs but nothing really interesting. We left for the gas stations some 2km away and pumped 10litres for 19.50RM, dirt cheap! Then it was an easy drive back. There was a shopping mall nearby but we weren’t really interested.

Backed at the hotel, the wife went for her pumping while I entertained the baby and bathed him. As the sun began to set at around 730pm, I brought Jr. out for his first overseas sunset and took some photos. The balcony had a nice sunset view, pity it was a little too far off from the sand.

Sunset view from the villa.
Sunset view from the villa.

Used the room wifi to Google for dinner places (wifi was fast enough only for googling and nothing else) and Tripadvisor recommended a restaurant at nearby Casa Del Mar resort. Knowing the speed of buggy service, we called for the buggy in advance and still it took some time to arrive.

As we drove out, a mere 2mins got us to the start of a long stretch of road lined with restaurants and eating places, called Pantai Cenang. We parked at the roadside opposite Casa Del Mar and walked around to check out the places. We didn’t walk too long before returning to the resort. Went straight to the La Sal restaurant which had Alfresco dining by the beach but was disappointed that it was fully booked. The staff asked if we were interested for dinner the next day but we didn’t want to commit first. In the end, we ended up in a Restoran Almaz opposite the resort where we ordered Maggi Goreng Chicken and Roti Canai. It was a humid night and it was a sweat to eat in the coffee shop but the food was pretty good, even though it might be MSG filled. We weren’t completely full and further ordered Roti Canai with egg and I had a crispy and delicious Roti tissue, which made us very full. Returned back to warm room and it was all about getting the baby to sleep and subsequent rest.

Pantai Cenang street of food.
Pantai Cenang street of food.
Ayam Koay Teow Goreng
Ayam Koay Teow Goreng
Maggi Ayam Goreng with the menu.
Maggi Ayam Goreng with the menu.
Roti Telur.
Roti Telur.
Roti tissue.
Roti tissue.
Nasi Kandar coffee shop.
Nasi Kandar coffee shop with rows of Maggi mee.

Escape plan to Langkawi April 2015

A brief summary on the itinerary

Escape Plan to Langkawi April 2015:

Total duration 3D2N
Singapore is on the same timezone as Langkawi.
Flight time is 1hrs 30mins on Air Asia from Singapore to Langkawi and return flight on Tigerair. This airline combination gave better timing options compared a single airline combination.

Morning flight on 3rd April at 11am and arrival in Langkawi at 1225pm.
Return flight is on the 5th April at 6pm and arrival in Singapore at 735pm.

Day 1 Arrival in Langkawi and Eagle Square
Day 2 Oriental Village and SkyCab 
Day 3 Underwater World then Home Sweet Home

This escape plan was planned as our 2nd trial trip with baby. As a follow up on a holiday trip 2 months before to Bintan, we were chose to visit Langkawi because we wanted to get a feel of how our baby would react on a plane and therefore find an overseas trip where a flight time was short. Langkawi is about an hour and a half away, which would be ideal and it was somewhere that we hadn’t visit before. It was a Good Friday long weekend and a great excuse to escape.

Budget nature: Affordable costs of living offsets fairly expensive plane tickets.

Langkawi has a low cost of living and therefore it was pretty cheap to travel in Langkawi. We got by for the 3 days with less than 300 SGD for all the food and car. Maybe it was low season?

Complexity: Easy with own transport.

As with all developing places, places of interests are not within walkable distances. Taxis might rack up the costs and might not be readily available. We chose the car rental route that enabled maximum flexibility, especially with an infant in tow.

Penang 2014 Day 3 – Home Sweet Home

Again waking up was difficult, more so from the exhaustion from the walk the day earlier. Breakfast area was surprisingly less crowded than yesterday but the Al Fresco area was still full. Took some breakfast as we were saving the tummy space for other local food.

Took the same way eastwards but stop short, taking the Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling to get to Khoo Kong Si temple. The buildings got older the closer we got and saw the Kapitan Keling mosque before turning into a small side road. Bought the entrance tickets for 10rm each and was given a postcard and a sticker for entry.

Kapitan Keling Mosque.
Kapitan Keling Mosque.

The temple was just around the corner. This was an ancient building so packed with details, both plain and coloured, that came in the form of carvings or wall murals, was amusing to just look at, and take photos. There was also a mini museum that can be entered at the sides of the temple which gave information, history and also a recorded Chinese theatric. Saw a map that showed the various clan temples and there was one with my surname and we decided to just go check it out.

Sticker for admission to Khoo Kong Si.
Sticker for admission to Khoo Kong Si.

Khoo Kong Si temple.
Khoo Kong Si temple.

Laughing Buddha statue at the steps.
Laughing Buddha statue at the steps.

Carvings on pillars.
Carvings on pillars.

Wall murals of heaven generals
Wall murals of heaven generals

Walls of paintings.
Walls of paintings.

Intricate wood carvings.
Intricate wood carvings.

While walking the streets, we saw some of the wall paintings that was mentioned to us by the store owner over at ICT mall, this was one of a cat and mouse. Cute!

Cat and mouse.
Cat and mouse.

It was not long before we saw what we thought was the Yeoh Kong Si. It was closed to public, and frankly not as majestic as the Khoo Kong Si.

As we moved towards our lunch destination, we stopped by Cheong Fatt Tze mansion. Wanted to go in and explore a bit but entry required tour that had a fixed schedule and costed 12rm. Weren’t really interested and left. Had Roti Canai (1rm) and ice milk tea (1.7rm). Roti Canai was just Roti Prata, tasted similar. Left after having rested enough, we walked southwards on Jalan Penang to Kheng Pin cafe looking for chicken rice, ended up having Hokkien Mee (4rm) and Loh Mee(4rm) and 4-in-1 porridge(4.5rm). Hokkien Prawn Mee was delicious though the prawns were only just tiny sweet shrimps. The soup had a great flavour with it. The Loh Mee wasn’t as nice though, though the soup did had a tinge of Chinese medicine flavour but it didn’t had the garlic which we were used to. Fish, egg, chicken slices and fried fritters were the ingredients for the porridge.  The fish tasted sweet but was just very limited slices, I guess it would be best just to order the fish porridge alone.

Cheong Tze Fatt Mansion.
Cheong Tze Fatt Mansion.

Sup Hameed for Roti Canai.
Sup Hameed for Roti Canai.

Roti Canai - Roti Prata, same same.
Roti Canai – Roti Prata, same same.

Trishaw wall painting.
Trishaw wall painting.

Kheng Pin cafe for Hokkien Mee, Loh Mee and Porridge.
Kheng Pin cafe for Hokkien Mee, Loh Mee and Porridge.

Hokkien Prawn Mee.
Hokkien Prawn Mee.

Loh Mee.
Loh Mee.

Porridge.
Porridge.

History in art.
History in art.

EO hotel.
EO hotel.

Walked back to the hotel to pack, bath and rest until the reception called to ask why we haven’t checked out. I thought we asked for late check out but we didn’t confirm our intentions. Fortunately, we were ready to go and we checked out quickly.

Had one more location to visit, for Nyongya Kuek and followed the map to 53 Jalan Muntri but it had changed to another shop selling cat stuff. We just continued towards Cititel hotel where the chances of getting a taxi was higher. We were quite lucky to see an empty taxi parked beside the main road with the driver nearby. Quoted a price of 30rm to Queensbay Mall and we hopped on.

Love Lane.
Love Lane – what a name.

Cute art 3
It’s like comics on the streets wall.

Historical building.
Historical building.

We managed to see more in the day time compared to when we first arrived at night. There was a really long bridge that linked the island to the main island.

Queensbay Mall was the biggest mall in Penang, also another one by Capitalmall. Right at the entrance of the north zone, the bridge can also be seen. Shopped around a little as the strong dollar made shopping here more attractive. Though there were more space here, the variety were somewhat similar, mostly made up of affordable known brand names and local stores. Had some food at Kim Gary restaurant before getting onto a taxi for 25rm to the airport. Tried negotiating for 20rm but was flatly rejected.

View of bridge linking Georgetown to main island.
View of bridge linking Georgetown to main island.

Queensbay Mall.
Queensbay Mall.

Inside the Queensbay mall.
Inside the Queensbay mall.

Pork instant noodle.
Pork instant noodle.

HK cheese baked rice
HK cheese baked rice

Yazu and ice tea with coffee pudding.
Yuzu and ice tea with coffee pudding.

The counter for Tiger Airways was long as a snake. Fortunately it didn’t take too long after they opened more counters. The departure hall was small, there were a few shops including a Duty Free and a local food products store but there aren’t any big food store, so fortunately we ate before coming to the airport. Our gate shifted probably due to the delay in the previous planes. Boarding wasn’t implicated and the plane flew off on time. The view from the sky was memorable, having able to see the long bridge linking Penang and main land Malaysia was amazing and with sunset on the right side of the plane.

PIA
PIA

Sunset on the way home.
Sunset on the way home.

As there wasn’t any duty free concessions for alcohol for travel between Singapore and Malaysia, we proceeded to pay the necessary duty at the customs and immigrations office. It was straightforward with the receipt and the alcohol percentage, the officer punched in the details into the computer and derived the additional costs. Payment could be made in cash, nets or credit card. For a bottle of 1 liter vodka, it came out to cost another $30+.

This trip to Georgetown wasn’t planned till the last minute but it turned out ok, although there were some confusion over the public transport destinations. The main objectives of pigging out and shopping were achieved from this really short weekend escape.

Penang 2014 Day 2 – Walk, shop and makan

Couldn’t wake up early as planned – bed was too comfortable. When we did eventually, went to buffet breakfast over at the Sarkies Annex. The variety was huge but we were saving the space for the makan ahead. Food taste was just alright but they had fresh juice (using a mean little juicer)!

Sarkies restaurant.
Sarkies restaurant.

Armed with a map, we walked eastwards towards the Padang and Esplanade, along the way snapping shots of old cathedrals and administration buildings.

St George Church
St George Church

Cathedral of the Assumption.
Cathedral of the Assumption.

Town Hall
Town Hall

Sitting at the tip of Georgetown was a Fort Cornwallis. 2rm per entry for view of the small fort that didn’t had anything much left but some cannons and a old chapel. Just round the corner was the Queen Victoria clocktower and the a fountain.

Standing next to a cannon in Fort Cornwallis
Standing next to a cannon in Fort Cornwallis

Queen Victoria Clocktower.
Queen Victoria Clocktower.

Walked along Lebuh Pantai, and turning eastwards on Lebuh China towards the sea again, there was the bus interchange and another 5mins we saw the clan jetties.

This interesting kelong styled area had became touristy with many choosing to conduct business at their homes selling memorabilia to the visiting tourists. I supposed it would have looked better back in the days.

Chew clan jetty.
Chew clan jetty.

Went back to the Rapid bus interchange (there was a info office that had small brochure for passengers on taking buses) and boarded the free CAT bus to go towards Komtar, tallest building in Penang as of 2014. Alighted at bus stop 8 to start on our food journey.

Rapid bus info counter.
Rapid bus info counter.

CAT bus - Free hop on bus.
CAT bus – Free hop on bus.

Typical bus stop sign.
Typical bus stop sign.

Went over to Ho Ping cafe and ordered the Char Koay Teow (5rm) and Mee Goreng(5rm). The Koay Teow tasted ok, fried differently without the usual sweet sauce. The Mee Goreng was tasty though, with unfamiliar slices of potato and fried flour gelling well in this slightly saucy mix.

Char Koay Teow
Char Koay Teow

Mee Goreng
Mee Goreng

Ho Ping Cafe for Char Koay Teow and Mee Goreng.
Ho Ping Cafe for Char Koay Teow and Mee Goreng.

As we walked southwards towards Komtar, ended up sitting in a Joo Hooi cafe which had a really crowded Chendul mobile stall outside. Ordered the laksa (4.5rm, that had a “famous” laksa stall sign) and also brought in Chendul (2.3rm, from the stall outside, that rendered a sit in cost of 50cents, most probably because they weren’t paying anything for the permanent sitting area. Additionally, there was a need to buy a drink in order to eat-in too. The assam laksa was indeed delicious and tasted different from the Singapore version. The Chendul was a good cooler for hot weather but I didn’t felt it was far superior.

Penang Laksa
Penang Laksa

Chendol
Chendol

Joo Hooi - to eat Laksa and Chendol.
Joo Hooi – to eat Laksa and Chendol.

Chendol stall.
Chendol stall.

Further southwards across the bridge, we arrived at Komtar ICT, digital mall like Sim Lim. Got our screen protector for the iPhone and the iPad mini for only 58rm, slightly cheaper than Singapore. From ICT, we went to 2 other interlinked retail malls, Pranglin mall and 1st Avenue, the latter being the newer one. Pranglin had a Lucky Plaza feel but both malls had lots of walking space, typical of most Malaysia malls. We ended up at Oldtown coffee to take a break from so much walking.

Tallest building in Penang, Komtar.
Tallest building in Penang, Komtar.

Inside Pranglin Mall.
Inside Pranglin Mall.

Inside 1st Avenue.
Inside 1st Avenue.

Trekked back and along the way, bought some Penang instant noodles for 8rm per pack of 4 only to find it for 7.5rm at another stall. Oh well. Went into a Nasi Kandar stall that we thought was recommended by one of the tourism brochure. Ordered chicken, egg and vege for 8rm. Tasted pretty good as it was served with 4 different curries! We only knew that we have entered the wrong restaurant after we saw the name on the receipt, the correct one was actually one more store later but heck it was nice. Asked the shop owner about getting to Gurney Plaza and was told that taxi there would be around 15rm. Flagged down one, asked the price and was told the same. Got in and we were on our way.

Nasi Kandar.
Nasi Kandar.

Yasmeen Restoran
Yasmeen Restoran

Gurney Plaza was located facing the sea, where we could see the famous lighthouse. This was a Capitalmall mall and the layout was oh so familiar, only that it was in RM and much less people. After getting some stuff, proceeded to walk over to Gurney Paragon mall for a second round of shopping though this new mall didn’t had as many shoppable shops like Gurney Plaza in our opinion.

Gurney Plaza
Gurney Plaza

Inside Gurney Plaza.
Inside Gurney Plaza.

Gurney Paragon.
Gurney Paragon.

Inside Gurney Paragon.
Inside Gurney Paragon.

View of lighthouse from Gurney Plaza.
View of lighthouse from Gurney Plaza.

Then it was time for dinner and so we walked towards the Gurney drive open air food center that was something like Newton Center. Ordered Chee Cheong Fun (3.60rm), Wan Tan Noodles (4rm), Hao Jian (10 rm) and Curry Mee (4rm), supposedly the must eats too. Only the Hao Jian and the Curry Mee made the difference in my opinion. The oysters in the Hao Jian tasted pretty fresh. The Curry Mee had pig blood, cuttlefish and fried bean curd and the pig blood and cuttlefish was really soft and tasted like pudding! The curry was really different in that the taste was derived from the chilli itself and unlike the sweet curry we have in Singapore. The meal was really filling and we decided to walk back.

Chee Cheong Fun
Chee Cheong Fun

Or Lua, fried oysters.
Or Lua, fried oysters.

Curry Mee.
Curry Mee.

Wan Tan Mee.
Wan Tan Mee.

Gurney drive food center.
Gurney drive food center.

The walk along Gurney Drive was ok as there were things to see like various restaurants that lined along the road. However it got boring on the 2nd half of the journey, as there were nothing but boring office buildings and the walking pavements  became sporadically unavailable. In the end, we took really long (1.5hr?) to get back to our hotel. So even though it looked doable on the map itself, it definitely was not worth the effort.

Gurney Paragon at night.
Gurney Paragon at night.

Back in the room, it was just all about getting relaxed from the tiring day out and snoozing in bed.

Penang 2014 Day 1 – Arrival in Penang

Our escape on Vday to Penang started with drive from work to Changi. Figured that since parking fees at Changi Airport were capped at $20 per day and it was only parking over 2nights, might as well drive then to take a cab, which would have costs $50 return.

Parked at Terminal 1 and checked in at the Jetstar counter as web check in wasn’t available, queueless and quick. As the flight was at 750pm, there weren’t much time left after rushing here from work and we had a quick dinner at Killiney before boarding the jetstar flight which was late.

1hr flight later and we were “dropping” (seriously that was what the attendant said  after a bumpy landing, which brought some giggles  amongst the passengers) into Penang, we got past the customs slowly, due to the slow motion of the officer and exited the airport. There was a queue for taxi, pretty similar concept to the ones in KL, paid 45ringgit for the 30mins drive to shoreside E&O hotel deep in Georgetown. The night drive have us a view of Penang that resembled Singapore – tall buildings like HDB flats but much less in quantity littered along the way.

Taxi counter outside Arrivals.
Taxi counter outside Arrivals.

The feeling of grandeur was felt upon arrival – like a walk into heritage colonial building but with the treatment of a VIP, it was something like the Raffles Hotel in Singapore. Welcome drinks and wet towel for refreshment were served while we wait for the administration of the check in to be completed. Once done, a butler brought us to our suite, on the topmost 3rd floor, full sea view. Room was correspondingly designed with the historical touch matched with luxurious look that made the stay valued for money.

Reception area of hotel
Reception area of hotel

Bathroom that requires a panorama.
Bathroom that requires a panorama.

Comfortable bed.
Comfortable bed.

Living room.
Living room.

Frequent fireworks illuminated various areas of Georgetown, the booms often sending us to the windows to catch the display. It was the last night of Chinese New Year, often referred to as Chinese Vday, that coincidently was on the same day as 14 Feb 2014. One of such boom sent me down to the poolside where I witnessed brief moments of fireworks that was shot close to where the hotel was situated.

Fireworks.
Fireworks.

Night view of swimming pool.
Night view of swimming pool.

Spent the remainder of the night in the room utilising the long tub and planning out the attractions and makan places before snoozing in the super comfy king size.

Escape Plan to Penang in February 2014

A brief summary on the itinerary

Escape Plan to Penang in February 2014:

Total duration 3D2N
Singapore is in the same time zone as Penang, Malaysia.
Flight time is 1hr direct flight on Jetstar from Singapore to Penang.
Friday evening flight on 14th Feb and arrival in Penang at 9pm on the same day.

Day 1 Arrival in Penang
Day 2 Shopping and Makan at Gurney Drive
Day 3 Home Sweet Home

This escape plan was to getaway on Valentine’s Day where everything was expensive. Thought we might as well fly somewhere to spend the same amount of money. Took Tigerair back instead of Jetstar as it offered a better time slot of 735pm, which was not too early leaving the 3rd day wasted or late so that it was too tiring to get to work the following day.

Budget nature: Cheap eats. 

Definitely a makan heaven since everything was half price considering the very good 2.6 ringgit to 1 SGD. Transport by taxi wasn’t too bad though it ranged from 15ringgit within Georgetown to 45ringgit to airport. There was free hop-on bus, but required to know your location before getting on.

Complexity: Easy to get around, but easier with own transport

Georgetown was a rather small area for visit and easy to move around. Tourist destinations were apparently served by the local buses but we didn’t take these buses as we didn’t know where the bus stops for these buses were. There were bicycles for rental and we did see people riding around to various tourists locations. Taxis could get you around but it depended on the locations for the availability and costs could vary and required negotiation.

Port Dickson 2014 – Weekend getaway

Woke up early today (as early as going to work) as many as advised that the customs to Malaysia will be jammed since many were returning to Malaysia during the weekends and especially so since it was a week before Chinese New Year. We have packed the night before though there wasn’t much, since it was just a night getaway to Port Dickson. Prepared the GPS by putting in the few stops and makan places that we were intending to make, hoping that the map was still valid, though Google maps should still help and also got the fuel tank filled to 70%. Also checked the license, the ringgit and the Touch N’ Go card that I borrowed from a Malaysian colleague a while back. A little anxious since it was my virgin drive to Malaysia, apart from one that we did a few years back with accompanied, and also due to horror stories of robberies in Malaysia though many had swore that they were isolated cases and there shouldn’t be a need to be overly scared. With that little pre-planning, that should help.

Arrived at the border at around 815 and had to wait awhile but traffic was light and in 15 mins, we were on our way to Johor border. Before at the Singapore side, a toll of $3.20 was paid using cash card. At the Johor side, it was also smooth sailing. Topped up the TNG card on the first left most lane with 100ringgit and then we were on the highway. Was initially traveling at speed limit but was quickly forgotten on the highway where everyone was moving fast.

Stopped at one of the Shell station along the way to top up. Was confused with the type of fuel, only realized that their V-power was only octane 97. Tried to DIY but no fuel came out after I squeezed off the nozzle. Utterly confused. The screen read to wait for authorization and so I read but there was nothing. Luckily, a station attendant came and authorized the machine and helped with the topped up. Took the opportunity to visit the toilet before onto to 140km/hr cruising.

The GPS suggested an unexpected exit thru the Muar bypass and suddenly we found ourselves going on small roads and at a miserably slow 80km/hr with traffic and traffic lights. By the time we arrived at Melaka, it was almost 3hrs on the road. Since the GPS brought us to 2 of the recommended restaurant, we couldn’t find Nancy and Riverine wasn’t opened. We were also chased away by roaming traffic police for stopping by the roadside and fiddling with our GPS. Ended up parking at one of manned carparks and walked towards Jonker street for lunch.

Sign of Jonker street
Sign of Jonker street

CNY deco up along the Jonker street.
CNY deco up along the Jonker street.

Hokkien association.
Hokkien association.

Muscleman statue in Jonker street.
Muscleman statue in Jonker street.

Along this famous long street, tourists were all around, shooting photos and shopping at the various shops. We too ended up shopping at a Marvel store that caught our fancy. Bought some tees and were entitled a free visit to the art museum on the 2nd floor. Also was informed that the 2 stores on the right was a popular stall selling Nyongya dishes and included the laksa, and it would be busy if we didn’t hurry.

Marvel store.
Marvel store.

Caught by the Hulk.
Caught by the Hulk.

War Machine statue.
War Machine statue.

Luckily, queue was only starting to build up. Bought Nyongya and Baba laksa each and also had the Baba chendol and mango ice kachang. The laksa wasn’t especially tasty though it was different but the toppings were quite nice. The Baba chendol was good.

Nonya and Baba laksa
Nonya and Baba laksa

Baba chendol and Mango ice kachang
Baba chendol and Mango ice kachang

Gi Kiat Huey food place.
Gi Kiat Huey food place.

Walked back toward our car and en-route purchased some goodies to bring home, such as coffee and durian flavoured tidbits. Paid 2ringgit to the attendant and proceeded to Mahkota Parade to purchase Ipad, as it was cheaper. Parking fees were managed using Touch N Go which was easy.

Local store selling local delicacies
Local store selling local delicacies

San Shu Gong selling local delicacies too.
San Shu Gong selling local delicacies too.

View of Melaka river
View of Melaka river

Went to Challenger and asked for the Ipad, and found out there were discounts for the tablet (moving out sale), making it even cheaper! Got a screen protector at the same time and left, wondering if we should get more stuff. It was a pity that the only demo MacBook Air was sold as it also had a discount.

Markota Parade Shopping mall.
Markota Parade Shopping mall.

Set the GPS to hit the NS highway first in order to take the full small roads to Port Dickson. The journey was very long due to slow moving heavy traffic and we only get to travel on the highway some 30mins of struggling with the congestion. From there onwards, it was easy drive all the way to Avillion Hotel.

Entered a manned carpark and checked in at the reception. It was done effortlessly. Following the instructions, we managed to find out over water chalet. Lazed on the day bed looking out at the dried out low tide beach and utilized the free wifi. Went to the Avi Spa to enquire on the massage services available, reserved the latest slot of 730pm and explored the resort. There weren’t really much to see and soon we were back at the spa lounge area where we were given complimentary access with cocktail and small bites. There was a sitting area in the open but was packed and so we stayed indoors to eat and chill (literally).

At Avillion reception
At Avillion reception

Peacocks at Pet farm in Avillion.
Peacocks at Pet farm in Avillion.

White rabbit
White rabbit

Peacock full glory
Peacock full glory

Rooster
Rooster

Pet farm in Avillion
Pet farm in Avillion

Bedroom.
Bedroom.

Rain shower with open overhead.
Rain shower with open overhead.

Bathtub
Bathtub

Balcony with beach chairs.
Balcony with beach chairs.

Low tide panorama.
Low tide panorama.

Riau beach
Riau beach

Avispa building.
Avispa building.

From the spa entrance.
From the spa entrance.

Finger food
Finger food

Mocktails
Mocktails

Lounge deck at Avillion
Lounge deck at Avillion

Avilounge
Avilounge

Went for the massage on time and was brought to a couples room, designed beautifully with a sea view. Had a foot scrub followed by a bath and then some good massage I fell asleep mid session as it was truly relaxing, especially after the drive. By the end of the 1.5hrs session, we felt good.

Massage room
Massage room

Bath in massage room with a view
Bath in massage room with a view

Proceeded to Crow’s Nest to get dinner. Food portion was large and we were really full after dinner. Went walking off the food and returned to the chalet to enjoy the room – sitting in the balcony listening to the incoming high tide and soaking in the bath tub. Found the open air rain shower a nice idea but could get a little chilly at night.

Crow's Nest
Crow’s Nest

Mango smoothie
Mango smoothie

Gado Gado
Gado Gado

Baked Cod
Baked Cod

Kampung Nasi Goreng
Kampung Nasi Goreng

Day 2 – Home Sweet Home

 

Morning gloom shrouded a sunrise and the tide also low. Was wondering if we ever would have a get a balcony-over-water-feeling for the duration of our stay here.

Went for breakfast and it was crowded. Variety of choices was adequate and taste was alright. Went back to the room and sat out in the balcony, read newspaper and watch people banana boat out in the waters with the high tide building up. Fell asleep on the day bed as time slowly ticked away to check out.

Breakfast
Breakfast

Got into my car that was parked in the private carpark of the hotel and punched in the next location, Lucky King Bun, one of the popular foodstuff in PD. Unknowingly, we have input the wrong GPS coordinates and we ended up in a isolated residential area. Got onto the main road after pumping some gas and as luck would have it, we found the stall! Parked the car and ordered a curry chicken bun. Was delicious but was a little too oily and a bit too much for 2 persons. For 34Ringgit in total including 2 plum juices, we left the leftover potatoes for home.

Lucky King Bun restaurant.
Lucky King Bun restaurant.

Huge buns on the shelves
Huge buns on the shelves

Curry chicken in the bun
Curry chicken in the bun

It was easy way to NS highway as traffic was light. 120-170km/hr was the speed to negotiate the traffic and we rest at a rest point at some 110+ km from Singapore to visit the loo, bought some fruits and some Baskin Robbins smoothie to cool off the heat. The samples offered by the fruit stall boss was quite tasty but we weren’t sure of the actual ones that we bought for 10RM per pack.

Bags of fruits hanging for sale
Bags of fruits hanging for sale

Stalls at the rest stop
Stalls at the rest stop

Rest stops with food stalls and tables.
Rest stops with food stalls and tables.

Another hour or so and we arrived at the immigration. There wasn’t a clear queue on the one that I went to but we didn’t take too long, in about 20mins, we hit the Singapore checkpoint. We passed quickly and through customs and we were back home. Thought that it would be taking some time at the customs when they pulled up their socks, since the latest incident of some Malaysian woman gatecrashed into MFA having skipped the clearance at the checkpoint, luckily it wasn’t so.

Visit to Port Dickson concluded a successful virgin drive into Malaysia and at the same time, a visit to one of the beach resort of Malaysia. Though it did not match other more famous beach resort in terms of beauty, considering the costs and such, it did made a nice weekend getaway for us.

Escape Plan to Port Dickson in January 2014

A brief summary on the itinerary

Escape Plan to Port Dickson in January 2014:

Total duration 2D1N
Singapore is on the same time zone as Port Dickson, Malaysia.
Drive time is 3hr direct Singapore to Port Dickson.
Early morning 8am at checkpoint, arrival at 4pm at Port Dickson with 3hr stop at Malacca.

Day 1 Lunch at Malacca and arrival at Avillion Hotel.
Day 2 Home Sweet Home

This escape plan was to spend the weekend at Port Dickson for our anniversary. It was planned as a getaway, visit Port Dickson for the first time and drive in Malaysia for the first time.

Budget nature: Cheap fuel, affordable food, value for hotel. 

Malaysia was generally more affordable than Singapore in terms of food and the cheap fuel allowed for nice road trips from Singapore. We paid for a over water chalet, which was the cheapest you could find compared to other more popular places such as Maldives or Bora Bora. However, what you pay is what you get.

Complexity: DIY

Notwithstanding the media reports of how dangerous it is to drive in Malaysia, we had an easy time and the GPS was very useful to make the virgin drive a success. Pre-planning and getting a Touch-N-Go card was essential and roads were easy to drive. No reason not to do so again.

Kuala Lumpur 2013 Day 3 – Home Sweet Home

Knowing that it was the last day and we had some eating and last minute purchases in mind, we still woke up later than planned. When we were finally ready, it was already almost 9am. Wanted to visit the colleague recommended Komugi cafe in Pavilion for breakfast but the mall wasn’t opened till 10am and settled for the Loaf cafe which was also recommended for their breakfast. Ordered and waited. Was disappointed that we were told that there wasn’t any croissant and then we saw so many of them being served. Also, my wife finished her breakfast and my came after being reminded. Otherwise, the breakfast was really delicious and the coffee was kinda unique. Wifi was available luckily and we distracted ourselves from waiting while going online. In fact, many eateries in KL had wifi and you gotta ask for the password sometimes.

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The Loaf cafe that served awesome breakfast!

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Chicken pie and sausage bun with Cappa.

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My loaf cube -60. It has some icy expresso in latte. Interesting idea though not really tasty.

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Tasty scrambled eyes with smoked salmon on rosti. Loved it!

Visited the Komugi store to bring back some beautiful pastries. Some last minute shopping and my wife snagged a few pieces of clothing. Since we had to check out soon, we went back to the hotel and repacked the new stuff into the luggages and checked out.

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Japanese theme street.

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Beautifully shaped pastries.

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Komugi Cafe.

The reception did the check out smoothly but the luggage storage and the reservation for cab took place at the concierge in the middle of the lobby. Paid a reservation fee of Sgd20 and the balance of 40RM was due later. Tagged out baggage and left for lunch, our final eating stop and the return to Oversea restaurant.

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Oversea restaurant.

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Cold dish of soy chicken.

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Complimentary ABC soup.

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Popular dish of Oversea restaurant.

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A must-eat every time I was at KL.

There was a table already reserved for us and the Char Siew was served after we confirmed the dishes. As we weren’t really hungry, we only had the meat and a free soup. Still it was just satisfying to have that Char Siew at the restaurant itself as usually I only get to have it when I package it home after each trip. And it wasn’t any different this time as I had also reserved a package of Char Siew and roast pork home, though I wasn’t impressed with the big box for a small amount that required to be repacked.

Returned back to the hotel and our luggage was given to us. Repacked all the stuff that we bought into the luggage (including the yummy meat) and a whole later, a budget taxi arrived for us. It was the same 1hr heat back to LCCT. Again!

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Lobby of the hotel.

We arrived 2hrs ahead of flight time and proceeds to check in, without queues. It was kinda warm and we got ourselves a Mango Tango from Boost. Shopped again and bought some more local foodstuff before going thru the gate for immigration. There was a large waiting area and some shops with duty free products. Didn’t get any and waited for the call to board. There was a queue forming and once the call for the plane number, we proceeded to queue too.  The gate soon opened, a 3mins walk to the plane, a short wait for plane to get ready before we boarded from the back of the plane (there were two locations to board, at both the front and the back). Home Sweet Home.

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Last Boost Mango Tango for the cooling down from the heat.

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LCCT for the budget planes.

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The chaos outside the airport.

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The long walk back to the airplane which felt like “bus terminal”.

I had been to KL previously alone for business but this time it was with my wife and that we spent time shopping and enjoying each others’ company. Definitely a feasible getaway.

Kuala Lumpur 2013 Day 2 – Petronas Twin Towers, Berjaya Times Square, Sungei Wang, Fahrenheit 88

Set the alarm to start the day early but overslept. Discipline wasn’t a priority, after all it was supposed to be a chill out getaway without an itinerary. Went to the 18th floor Club room lounge for our breakfast and saw that there were some dress code requesting no shorts and slippers. I was in chinos and we just tried our luck. There was 2 Japanese men already in the small area having their breakfast but no hotel waiter in sight. A small breakfast buffet was laid out and not much of a variety but there was a city view consisting of the twin towers and the Menara tower in view. Left soon after since we were already running “late”.

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My Nasi Lemak breakfast mixed with American breakfast goodies.

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Breakfast with a view. We can see the twin towers from the club lounge.

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Panorama of the city.

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The Royale Club lounge on the 18th floor.

 

First stop today was Petronas twin tower visit. Walk to Pavilion mall and took the connecting bridge to the KLCC – a 15 mins walk in a sheltered air-conditioned walkway. From KLCC, you could see the twin towers clearly and a good photo opportunity. Continued walking under shelter to the KLCC shopping mall. The entrance of the mall led out to a nice little park and a place to strain your neck looking up at the towers. We went back to the concierge to ask for the directions to the ticketing counter for a visit to the top. It wasn’t really obvious and was located at a level below first floor, at a corner. Once below, a left turn led us to the ticketing counter where we lined up according to the curvy line drawn on the floor. A volunteer girl approached us for some details before the counter and informed that the morning tickets were fully sold out and the next available was 3pm. We didn’t planned for that and thus gave up and proceeded to next location. Having visited Taipei 101, Empire State Building and Top of Africa in Joburg, this came as a slight disappointment and a lesson learnt that we should book ahead if we wanted to visit the Twin Towers the next time.

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Long pedestrian bridge linking Pavilion to KLCC.

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Wide walkway with clear signages.

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Twin Towers from the entrance of KLCC.

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Many floors of the KLCC mall, variety very similar to Pavilion.

Walked back the same way looking for the LRT as we wanted to visit Berjaya Times Square and it was really far to walk all the way there. Followed the signage and got to Raja Chulan LRT. Tried to buy the tickets on the automated machine and took a while to figure where we were and where we were going. A token per pax was dispensed for about 2.40 Ringgit for 2 persons for 2 stops. Went to the platform and a whole later, the train arrived.

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One of the LRT stations.

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Token tickets for the ride.

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Raja Chulan station.

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LRT looks like this.

Got off at Imbi station where the shopping mall was and went in for shopping. Things here were cheaper than the mega malls but this was in place of quality. Before taking on this mall, got ourselves a Boost energizer fruit juice and some donuts from Krispy Kreme. There were many floors of stores and we were merely browsing quickly. There were some areas where there were themes such as a Taipei shopping street and a 1st Avenue Street. Things of interest were handphone covers as there were a variety of stores that sold a variety covers. There were many clothing but were not really of our taste, in that aspect Bangkok would make a better shopping place. Before departing for lunch, we bought a taro flavoured soy milk with  red beans – liked the tasty beans.

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A boost Energizer drink against the hot weather.

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Shelves of sinful donuts.

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Our treats from Krispy Kreme.

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View of the entrance of the Berjaya Times Square mall. High ceilings made the place spacious.

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Many floors of the Berjaya Times Square mall.

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Taro flavoured Soy drink with red bean.

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Soy buddies shop for different flavour of Soy drinks.

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Berjaya Times Square Mall.

Our restaurant of choice was Oversea restaurant as we were yearning for the famous Char Siew. After we sat down and served the cold dish slices of soya sauce chicken, we were informed that the Char Siew was sold out already! Opened at 1145am and at a quarter over 1pm, it was sold out. No choice, we ordered some dishes and made a reservation for lunch the next day, and also to packet some Char Siew and roast pork home. After lunch, proceeded to Sungei Wang for more shopping.

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Lunch at Oversea Restaurant. Malay vegetables with honey ribs and fried rice.

Sungei Wang had many floors of shops too and linked with BB plaza, it was also quite a feat if you want to see everything. The difference was that the shops here were more compact that those in Times Square and there were a chaotic bunch of people moving around. We got tired and went to the ground floor where we saw an interesting cafe selling bear palm printed burgers and we can’t resist and ordered one to try. It was pretty tasty and the store was decorated with an interesting pictorial story telling. After this, we walked around the ground floor shops but couldn’t find anything of interest and left.

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Sungei Wang shopping mall.

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One typical floor of shopping stores.

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Multiple floors of the Sungei Wang mall.

 

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Storyline of the “bear palm” burger.

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That’s how the “bear palm” burger came about.

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Kuma mono burger store.

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Wrapped burger with a green tea.

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Nice fillings of the burger.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As we walked towards Pavilion, we visited another mall en-route called Fahrenheit 88 since we had some time and wasn’t that hungry for dinner yet. Went to the basement and bought some cheap tees. Shop around the upper levels and saw that there was a table soccer competition going on with many representatives from various countries there. Didn’t spend much time looking at them as my wife thinks that there was a weird odour around the playing space. Proceeded to the top level where there was an anime theme deco of the place. There we bought some interesting tees too. It was an unexpected place to have purchase clothes but it was satisfying though. As we were about to leave for Pavilion, we found ourselves stuck as rain started to pour and we only had a small umbrella. Tried waiting out the rain while sitting at one of the benches in which I fell asleep due to tiredness and woke up some 15mins later. Still raining. So we braved the rain to get across the street, with wet shoes and crossing the roads with light against our favour but together with the crowd, we got to a crowded entrance where many were waiting out the rain.

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Fahrenheit 88 did not have as many levels as the previous malls.

Proceeded to the basement where Madam Kwan’s restaurant was located and waited behind a queue. Wasn’t too long and we were seated by an old lady whom I suspected having the same name as the restaurant but didn’t further verify. The food was mostly popular Malaysian street food but at inflated prices. Ordered a bowl of curry noodles and my wife ordered dumpling soup and otah. The curry noodles was too spicy for me though the other 2 dishes was delicious. I was in the opinion that it wasn’t worth that much as I could have paid the same price for better choices in some other restaurant such as oversea restaurant. Went over to the DVD shop to browse and bought some cheap DVDs. As we left, stores were already beginning to pack and we realized it was almost 10ish.

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Madam Kwan’s menu.

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Curry noodle, far too spicy for me.

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Otah Otah, nice and meaty.

 

 

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Dumpling Soup.

 

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Madam Kwan’s restaurant at the ground floor of Pavilion.

Walked back to our hotel along the busy Jalan Bukit Bintang where there were jammed road of cars and many massage parlour touts and provocatively dressed ladies along the street, seemingly trying to get some business going. We went into a shop selling some local food products to buy home and a few steps away, we were back in the hotel. A really long day out and pretty soon we hit the sack.

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The street view of Jalan Bukit Bintang outside of our hotel.