Around The World

Day 4 - Dinner @ Itaewon

2011-10-15T23:29:00.008+08:00

Where to get Halal food in Korea? ITAEWONNNNN..... ;P But sorry lah...most is not Korean food. Hehe.

Spoilt with choices, in the end we choose this one, TAJ PALACE.

price

sedap giler lah i tell u

or is it because we have not been on good food for a few days?!

the proof that it is sedap giler. :D

last but not least...someone need to get her caramel machiato....

Day 4 - Dongdaemun Silk Hunting

2011-10-15T23:13:00.005+08:00

After Namdaemun, we had a little extra time and the gals decided to help me go back to Dongdaemun to find silk, as it was one of my mom's order list.

The department for silks is this one right across the river, which we missed the 1st time we came.
An easier way to locate it is to take the subway line 4 to station Dongdaemun, take exit 9.
wallah....u will be here - - - >

Unfortunately, it is closed on Saturday.... ;( So, remember remember to plan ur trip well yeah!

There were a few shops open tho. So, we went in, but the cloth is not in the same measurement as in M'sia. The width is like half of the usual cloth we used for making baju kurung. So, i did not grab any. Sorry Mak. ;( Weird thing is, the other day, i went to Chowrasta in Penang, and one of the shop there sold the cloth which is from Korea. And it is 4 meters just right. I asked the lady where did she get the stock and she said it is from some factory.. hmmm...

Day 4 - Namdaemun Market

2011-10-15T21:57:00.007+08:00

For this trip...Nasreen did most of the research. And what she did was to find a halal place wherever we go. Which is just brilliant! It is super detail like this one at Namdaemun which once u reach Hoehyeon Station, take Exit 6...u just need to walk straight. You will pass the shop..stop for a break..and then just go straight till you reach Namdaemun Gate.

After a while an Indonesian couple reach the place and we have a nice chit chat. Of course, they stopped for the kebab as well and were very happy to finally able to eat meat! :P

Alas, we have the energy to roam the market! Yeh!

One thing about shopping in Korea is it is very expensive! They also won't entertain bargains. Some of them are quite "garang" too. But this guy over here is very different. He try his best to speak english to us and it sound so funny. "Woman! Listen! This...very nice!" In the end, i think we all bought from him. Hehe.

Do look out for item on sales which will be place in the center like this. Sometimes it is a 2nd hand item but still on a good condition. Laili and I both grab a jacket!

There is one place call "Jewel Park" situated nearby Exit 1. An ideal place to look for brooches, bangles, necklaces....and all alike. I forget which day, but i think it close on Saturday. So, do check if it is open or not because it is really a must visit place if you go Namdaemun.

Day 4 - Gyeongbokgung Palace

2011-07-10T21:19:00.011+08:00

The day started with breakfast at a kafe nearby to hostel. One thing about Korea is there have many kafes. So coffee lovers will blend well with Korea. :P

Took the metro to Gyeongbokgung Palace.

and it stops right at the entrance of the palace! no need to worry about getting lost over here.

it is certainly a very big palace. you can actually spent the whole day, or like us, half a day...

photographers sure will spent the whole day! :P

as i said...photographers can spend the whole day..as i am not sure how long..but all the picture above are taken only up to main entrance! so, bring a good bottle of water, some snacks, a good walking shoe..and you are good to spent your day here.

spent some time at the museum.

I LOVE YOU

From Wikipedia,Gyeongbokgung, also known as Gyeongbokgung Palace or Gyeongbok Palace, is a royal palace located in northern Seoul, South Korea. First constructed in 1394 and reconstructed in 1867, it was the main and largest palace of the Five Grand Palaces built by the Joseon Dynasty. The name of the palace, Gyeongbokgung, translates in English as "Palace of Shining Happiness."

Nearly destroyed by the Japanese government in the early 20th century, the walled palace complex is slowly being restored to its original form prior to destruction.

Go visit!

Day 3 - Insadong

2011-07-10T20:51:00.006+08:00

Insadong resonates with antique/artwork item. Antique/artwork item resonates with expensive. :P But fret not, we found a good shop in Insadong which will be shared at the end of the post. Well, i guess, in Korea, you should not expect to shop so much as the standard of living and currency value is way higher than Malaysia. At least, for backpackers like us. :) That aside, i would say Insadong is really a nice place to visit. Well, you can't buy, but you will for sure enjoy looking.

Starbuck

The streets/shops of Insadong

Entrance to the mall

Nothing interesting to buy tho....

Aha! this is the uncle. His shop is directly opposite the mall's entrance.

He has been to Malaysia and he gives good discount. That is really important as most of the shop won't entertain customers who bargain.

Peace ya all!

Day 3 - Sindang Dong Topukki Town

2011-07-10T01:18:00.008+08:00

From Namsan Tower, we took the bus back to the nearest metro station. There is one funny moment here as we missed the stop. Somehow the metro station that we wanted to go is not in the route. Although the bus driver said he will go there. In the end, we need to take the bus twice! Miscommunications i guess. ;P

Our next destination is Sindang. (Exit 8) Nasreen read through the forums that there is a dish called Topukki and it's only made from vege, fish cakes and noodles. There's a lot of shop there. In the forum, it's not really stated what is the name of the restaurant. So, we walk around as every shop try to lure us in. In the end, we stopped at this shop. Probably because the owner is a woman who like a nice umma. :P

At first, it is quite hard to communicate with the owner. We wanted to tell her no meat. But we do not know how. Then i saw a picture of a cow on the wall. So, i pointed it to her and gesture my hand saying No. She smile and nodd. Later she ask her daughter(i believe) to double confirm with us as she can speak English. :D

Like mama preparing dish for daughter right?

Nasreen look so happy that her wish is finally coming true.

Takde la kempunan balik Mesia.

So, do visit Topukki Town at Sindang to taste it. I am not sure which is the best restaurant there. You can google up on them so that you don't appear as lost as us when u get there. :D

Day 3 - Namsan Tower

2011-06-16T20:42:00.013+08:00

That morning, before heading out, we asked Smith if we can get fresh strawberries from the market. He then showed us the direction to a supermarket which is just at the end of the street.

The market is right behind the Tous Les Jours cafe.

You can even buy fish if you intend to cook!

There are varieties of fresh fruits in the supermarket but we chosed strawberries!!!!!!

They are really really sweeeet.

We went back to leave the strawberries and then head to our destination of the day, Namsan Tower. Namsan Tower can be reached from Myeongdong subway station. From there, we need to walk up a bit. We passed Namsan guest house. Gosh, we felt so lucky now knowing that Namsan Guest House was fully booked. There is no way we can survive walking uphill to get to the guest house daily. Phew~~~
Reached the cable car station.

The weather was not so good that day. Misty and about to rain.

Edward! Where are you? ;P

So misty that we cannot see Namsan Tower up close.

So, we decided not to go up as well.

Namsan Tower is also famous for "Locks of Love". Couples can put their locks with their love vows with hope that they will stay together forever.

It's really fun observing the locks one by one.

Most of them are very unique and cute.

Feeling hungry already, we went in to the souvenir shop and scribble our name on the wall.

Theee heee hee

There's a cozy cafe inside.

Where we had the best fries in the world! Must try!

Then we continue walking around a bit to explore the place.

And walk down to catch the bus to our next destination....for the most anticipated lunch!

Day 2 - Nami Island & Dongdaemun

2011-05-27T22:35:00.024+08:00

The trip was mean to be free and easy. Suffice to say, we got good sleep and late breakfast. :P

Everyday also need to pose here!

Was it hard to use the subway in Seoul? The answer would be, NO, not at all. :P The first thing is you need to understand there are a few lines which is clearly differentiated in respective color code. So, what you need to do is just to identify where you need to get off. Then know the color and fix the puzzle from your station.

Do not worry as each place will be labelled in Korean and English.

Before going to Korea, i was a little scared of the language barier. Words has it that Koreans can not, would not, do not speak English, thus, they won't speak to foreigner. I mean, of course not all, but most of them. However, that is really not the case in our trip. Most people can speak English. At least some basic. Those who could not, will use sign language or will still speak in Korean with hopes that you could understand it. Like this Ajimunni who wanted to tell Laili that she is pretty. She use her hand and make love <3 shape to Laili. So cute!!!

Seems there are a lot of nice places to visit along the way towards the last station. It would be nice if we could stop at each places..hehehe... but that would take forever to reach Nami Island then. :P

To reach Nami Island, the final destination is Gapyeong station, which you can take from Sangbong station. So, where ever you are from, just take note on this two station and plan your route accordingly. ;) Once you reach Gapyeong, you just need to take a taxi to the Wharf which is less than 10minutes away for KRW 4000.

If you are up for adventure, you can take this skyride to Nami Island. Laili & I contemplated of doing it.... but in the end decided to use the ferry instead for KRW 6000.

While we were taking the pictures, an ahjussi approached us to offer his help. Another 10points to the Korean! :D So, we invited his wife to join in the picture.

Reach Nami Island and got mesmerized by the wonderful scenery.

On Nami Island, you can find this Halal cafe, Cafe Drama in between Nami Historium and Winter Sonata photo gallery.

To explore Nami Island, you could either walk or take the bicycle. The bicycle center is however, is located somewhere in the middle, where u can see shops, cafes and galleries. If you are still early, then i'd suggest u rent it for more than 1hour.. explore the island, make stops to take pictures and enjoy the ride. :)

Since it's still early, we decided to make a stop at Dongdaemun, labelled as the market with the greatest bargain. We went in a few shops, but we did not buy anything. It's either is too expensive or too fashionable for us. :P So in the end, we did not buy anything from today's night out.

Korea Accomodation

2011-05-16T23:21:00.009+08:00

Booking was done through HostelBookers. Initially , we wanted to book Namsan Guest House. But then, it is fully booked. Panic striken, we search a few other options and a few of them also replied saying there are no more rooms left. Finally, we managed to secure Hong Guesthouse. Phew~~ A tip for looking for hostel besides the transportation factor, choose the one that is not on an uphill or with stairs! Like you need to climb 2,3 floor to reach your room. Imagine walking the whole day and coming back all tired with blisters on your feet and yet you need to climb up to reach you room! (T_T) . Gladly, Hong Guesthouse is not like that. :D

This is how easy it is to get to Hongik University station - direct from Incheon International Airport.

Here's the direction from Hongik Univ station to the hostel. (^_^). If you decide to stay there...not to worry, they will email you the direction. ;)

At 7-11, we made a stop to buy instant rice. The cost is around 2000 -3000 KRW.
And here is the view from the 7-11 where we need to cross the street for direction#5. At first, i was a bit worried knowing that we will reach there at night. So, i emailed the guesthouse and they said it is pretty safe in Korea. So, it is. :)

After crossing the road, we just need to walk straight until we reach the next 7-11, then turn right and wallah....here we are! As we walk in, we were greeted NOT by a Korean, but by an American. (-_-") Josh checked us in & showed us around the hostel.

We had the family room which had 1 double decker bed and 1 queen size bed.

hehehe.... here's a bigger picture of the room. :P

Suddenly, someone knocked on our door. To our surprise, there are 2 ladies outside and they asked "kamu orang malaysiakah?" . Cool! There are 2 other Malaysians staying at the guesthouse, Gloria and Elaine. Super sweet & nice people. Then, we head downstairs to cook our instant rice with sardine. :P

Living room for hang out, meeting other travellers, and free usage of internet.

There is also a supermarket nearby where you can get fresh fruits such as this super big , juicy , fresh and sweet strawberry. Nyummeh!

Thanks so much for the great hospitality, Smith(left) , Josh(right) and Charlie(taking the picture) (^_^)v

Kamsahamnida!

Korea Budget

2011-05-08T22:44:00.011+08:00

Here is the rough estimation on the budget:-

Rough is because i did not jot down the expense, so, it is my high level estimation base on memory. :P Help needed from my travel buddy to validate if anything i miss or if you find anything fishy over here. haha. Anyway, most of the budget come from food. We can't really help it as we are coffee addict and 1 cup of coffee cost at least 3000won. If you really want to save cost from the food, then bring your own meggi/nescafe/sardin. We did bring those stuff... however, what's a travel without tasting the local food? :)

I believe our budget is still considered low.... that is because most of the place we go is those with free access. We do not go to places such as Lotte World, 63 building, Han River cruise which might cost more. Well, whatever it is, it depend on your choice and travel plan. As once you defined the type of holiday/travel that you want to make, there is really no right or wrong in your budget expenditure. :)

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 1 Korea - Departure & Arrival

2011-05-06T22:06:00.010+08:00

We chosed Air Asia for this trip. So far, i have not get any bad experience with Air Asia, hence, i continue to stick with it. Probably i need to survey for other airline next time as a few people have been telling me there are also other airline which is not from Malaysia and offer quite cheap tickets. We tried the online check in which led us to some confusion. We thought that it would be just easy breezy to drop our bag but, we were asked to go from one counter to another and in the end we still need to queue for check in. Apa la Air Asia ni... :S Other than that.... everything went fine.

One good news is that the flight was not full. So, once departed, we started to choose our own seats. Laili..... as u can see....really knows how to make herself feel at home. :P

We travelled during daytime. So, i did not sleep at all. Studied the info that Nasreen help to dig out and also watched 2 movies from my netbook. A little different from the other trips, this time around we did not do much planning but just relied on other people's itenaries. Most of us were busy towards the trip.

Food was OK lah.

Gossip time!! It was really good "catching up" secara live. :P

Reach Korea safely. Yeah!

Need to take the shuttle.

Passed the immigration! No hassle at all.

One important note. Phone without 3G can't function in Korea.

So, Laili had to rent a phone for 3000won per day.

Then, we head to the Transporatation Center, B1 Floor to take Arex, the Airport Rail Road.

The best thing is, one of the stop is the one right at our hostel location, Hongik University.

Thanks to Laili for choosing such a good location.

Pandai!

We ride the train, happily, ready to start our adventure.

The only way to take a picture of everybody. (^_^)

Irau - The hike

2011-03-20T23:55:00.007+08:00

At the end of the wooden walkway (which i mentioned in the introduction post), you will be greeted by the green and muddy forest. That is when i realized that what Em Kay said is so true --> IF IT AINT MUDDY IT AINT NO TRAIL. :P

But Subhanallah...cantik sgt!

The key point here is to just follow the foot steps of the people in front of you. If they are safe, so do you. :P Else, you might land your feet in a pool of mud and need to slowly wiggle it out. Thus, it is better not to bring a brand new shoe, else it will break your heart to thousand pieces to see how it turned out at the end of the hike. According to Em Kay, the mud have a low acidic PH which can result in the shoe sole peeling off slowly. It happened to M. :P I guess it's true as for me who does not wear any glove, it take days to really wash off the mud from my hand. Tips again, do bring a pair of glove. ;)

Photos taken from Kak Ilah. The front pack with CC, our volunteered guide.

Around 1hr or so, we reached anak irau, the false peak. It's just a small area for a rest. From here, we need to descend again. The route is like a W shape where u decent down, ascend, descent again, and ascend and so on so forth, i lost count. On the hike back, this trend could actually be demotivating as well. :P

At the last ascend when you are about to reach the top, that's one of the most magical spot of all. It's like surreal such a place ever exist, especially in Malaysia. :)

There is also this part which those who had climb Gunung Kinabalu able to relate.

And finally, we reached the top!

To sum it up, i would say Irau is quite a challenging hike. ;( Somehow, i find it harder than G.Kinabalu. Hmm..let's just see...GK is mostly stairs, it have toilets all the way at every stop, you bump into many people along the way, you will never get lost. While Irau require you to plan your every step, which root to hold on, which branch to grab, and mind you, the most important thing is NO TOILET, not even at the camp site. It's mother nature & you. Go figure.

Whatever it is, i am glad to say...i've climb Gunung Irau. :)

We made it!

Hiking is going to take a short break, at least for a while. :P

Irau - The Drive Up

2011-03-20T23:03:00.003+08:00

As mentioned in previous post, for the drive up to the camp site , one need to go through a narrow winding road. Well, if we knew it will be like this, maybe ... just maybe....we might opt for camping. :P I don't mean to scare you with this 6am shot... drive slow and carefull, there should not be any problem. Just make sure you survey the road first, like we did, during daylight. ;)

Reach camp site......Yeah!

Gunung Irau - Introduction

2011-03-19T20:21:00.009+08:00

Truth to be told, i never heard of Gunung Irau before. So does many people. :P Whenever i told people that i am going to Gunung Irau, the next question will be, where is it?

Gunung Irau is in Cameron Highland, Pahang. The nearest landmark would be Equatorial in Brinchang. Look for this road with that small sign saying "Gunung Brinchang 9km" and also that big sign on Sungai Palas Boh Plantation, Mossy Forest... etc.

Once up there, follow this sign.
Oh man...i gotta tell u.... the road is a bit narrow. At some part of the road, only 1 car can pass through. If you are used to the road at Feringghi Penang, then u can imagine driving a narrow road like that up a hill. (T_T) Nobody told us about this! So, the tips over here is make sure u bring a good car. The smaller the better i guess. :P Kancil FTW! Lowered2 sume tak mau naaa....

When u see this base camp, you are there!

Well, if you wanted to survey the place, then i would say go for it! As there is this really nicely built wooden walkway for those non-hikers to venture into the area. Really nice!

So now, next time u go to Cameron Higland, u know where to wander off...... ;)

Accomodation - Cameron Highland

2011-03-10T20:56:00.011+08:00

The main reason for this latest trip is to hike up Gunung Irau. Marlina found an event in facebook and she forwarded it to us. In the end, 5 of us (from the last trip to Gunung Kinabalu ) decided to join. Fazot, M, Aida , Lily & Me.

A week before the trip started, i had a slight pain on my right toe nail. It was actually an old injury from my previous hiking trip. I thought it will heal in time, but unfortunately, it just got worse. Not willing to jeopardize my hike, i went to have the doctor pull it out. At first, i thought it will just be a small procedure. But what happened was i need to do a minor operation. First time in my life. (T_T) After the operation, i was still worried that i might not be fit enough to go hiking. But thankfully, the doctor confirmed that everything is well and i am safe to go. YeaH!

As for the trip, it was mentioned in the Event Page that we can opt for camping or find our own accomodation. Knowing that there is no water supply at the camping site and we do not have much camping experience, what more a tent, we decided to book an apartment.

Since the meeting point will be at Equatorial, we opt for apartments in Brinchang. Found this website, which was straightforward enough. I immediately booked through the web, but did not receive any news from them. So, i give them a call and a guy called Simon attend to our request. After checking a few apartments, we finally settled with Honeymoon Villa with RM300/nite. Cheap? Expensive? Not sure....I guess, it's not bad for RM60/person as the reason we wanted to stay at an apartment vs hotel is because we wanted to cook our own food. (^_^)v

Honeymoon Villa apartment is located a little behind Iris Hotel. Quite secluded. Which can be quite scary if you want to walk out at night. But once u reached the apartment, it is actually quite a happening/safe place as there are permanent residents there. It has 3 big rooms with bathroom each and a decent kitchen. However, i would suggest one to bring their own cooking utensils for any apartment stay.;)

There are actually many other choices at Brinchang. For example, i saw this hotel nearby the market, it's called Hill Garden Lodge, which range ~RM60/nite as well...however, the review says that it could be quite noisy at night as it's right by the road side. Iris Hotel also have a good rate. So, i guess, decide how you want your stay to be....and just choose one that suit your need. :)

Expect the unexpected

2011-03-09T20:52:00.006+08:00

We had it all planned. 8am for departure.8.30am for rendezvous with M at McD Juru. Arrive early at Cameron for sightseeing. Check- In & get some rest. Meet up with hikers.

As the saying goes…. Kita hanya merancang…..

Just as we are approaching Simpang Pulai, the cassette player suddenly stopped, followed by the air cond. We thought to ourselves, “no radio and no air cond….hmmm… small matter”….. but then, as we were about to exit, guess what, signal is not functioning! JENG JENG JENG……. Still, we tried to maintain calm and agreed that we should not stop by the highway but after the toll instead. Luck is still on our side as we spot 2 Plus patrol men. I guess, it's the last straw of luck that we had as right after that, the car stalled.

Our heroes of the day managed to detect the problem, and the culprit is called alternator. ;(

Another saviour was then called.

We were then towed back to Tambun.

Where we were told to wait at a nearby restaurant while problem is being fixed.

Oh well...problem happens and most of the time what we should do is think positive, right?
30mins, 1hr, 1hr and 45mins......

Positive energy started to run out.

The mechanic has called for spare part from ~12noon....and it only arrived ~1.45pm. (T_T)

We made a few phone calls to consult our situation, whether we should stay or proceed with other options. In the end, we chosed to stay as it seem the best choice at that time.

culprit #1

culprit#2

Yes. There are 2 culprits. The 2nd one was discovered after the 1st spare part arrived. ;( Luckly, this one does not need to wait for long. In the end, all was fixed around 3pm.

Some would say that, when things started to go wrong, it's a bad omen.
But hey..... obstacles are meant to be overcome. ;) So, the journey continues.....

Current Currency Exchange

2011-03-04T11:28:00.001+08:00

Korea - Flight Tickets

2011-03-03T01:29:00.003+08:00

Normally, i only write about a trip once it's done. Ye lah..benda belum jadik, malas la nak gebang.
Tapi kali ni try a different method lak. I will write on every preparations. Hopefully, everything goes well. :)

So, for the 1st entry, here is what we manage to get from Air Asia:-

Merci!

2011-03-02T21:01:00.002+08:00

There are a few videos which i have not posted yet from Europe trip.

Here's the 1st one... :)

Nostalgia 2008

2011-02-11T11:24:00.000+08:00

My friend, Marlina is going to Gua Tempurung next week. She asked me about it. I wrote about it in my old personal blog, and lucky i still have the archive... So, here u go. Enjoy!

Strenuous & Challenging - Gua Tempurung in memory

2011-02-11T11:03:00.000+08:00

Its 8.03am Monday morning. the memories is still fresh in my mind. I am missing the moments so much. here's the story.

my Saturday starts as early as 5am. as AjK memasak, i need to prepare sandwich and cekodok. Mak helped me out. i love MAK!! Around 6.30am, all is complete. so, i rushed upstairs to get ready. around 7am, i am out from the house.

at 7.30am, everyone has gathered and off we go. i thot of asking Irfan to drive, but he said he is not ready. ;( cait! then, in the car, he broke the news that he woke up late and thus is feeling a bit blur on everything. haha. apa lah. we made a stop at Juru to pick up Nando and Ruby. then around 8am, off we go! Base on my F1 driving skill (ecewah), we reached Gua Tempurung around 10am. The first impression is some sort similar of Bukit Larut. without hesitation, led by BB fazz, we found our tour guide and heads in.

our guide, zairul, is a bit strange to me. sometimes he talk to himself (complain about something), he got a poker face and also moves like lipas kudung(very impressive). Once we enter, the first thing, we need to do is wade thru water. We all loved it! The water is very cool and clear as well. Let me keep the journey short as pics speak a 1000 words. i dun have the pic yet, but will post it once i have it yeah.

along the way, bb emme and my shoe's tapak started to peel off. haha. (we bought the same shoe just a few days before, its cheap(Rm25) and made of rubber) . lucky, we have bb zleenz who brought rubber band(along with benang, jarum etc-what a preparation). once fix, the shoe is as good as new. =P

before we went, i've heard fiza's stories on the sliding and lubang jamban thing. the sliding sounds horrorful. we need to wait a few metres a way when another group is doing it. we can hear screams, claps and laughter. its a scary wait i tell you. when it is our turn, it does looks scary. people keep telling me its 90degrees turn. but NO it is not. its a bit slanting. our group is matched with a primary school scouts group. and we need to let them go first. so, while helping the kids, i guess my tremor is uplifted little by little. =) and my slide goes well. yeay!
next was lubang jamban. being tall, its actually quite easy for me. YAB rash stayed to grab our legs and ensure our safety. BRAVO YAB rash!

the most impressive and best momemts is when we need to climb the stairs up to the peak. i thank my gym days as i managed to pull myself thru.yeay!the step down have a very magnifcent + awesome + fantastic + fantasyical view. its like walking in a mystic forest in one of the lord of the rings movies. or like walking under the sea passing by a wrecked pirate ship. seriously!!!

the walk out is relaxing. we made a few stops for photos. and lastlyyyyyyyy... before the exit, we stopped at a pool and have our last berendam session.

i think its about 3pm when we walked out. mandi, tukar baju, solat, makan beger, makan jagung and then heads off to our camp.

part 2- to be continue...........................

more pixxie

2011-02-11T11:02:00.000+08:00

as promised. here u go.

Part 2 – Camping and Berendam.

2011-02-11T10:08:00.001+08:00

Erm. I wonder if anybody took the sungai pic? I am regretting that I don’t take the pic now. ;(

So, once we reached the camp site, we started to unpack and choose our tents. There’s a bit confusion at start on which tent shud be given to gals n guys. =P in the end, gals take the exact opposite tent.

Once settled, we had a quick tea break before we head off for a volleyball match, as what BB zleenz dreamt. The fitnessfirst team vs the nonfitness, and guess what, we lost all the 3 games. Hahahahahaha. Oh well, being fit does not mean u are great at volleyball. =P although, we do have historical moments when Bulat did some cool shots!

Once done with games, off we head to the sungai! It’s a very wide one with strong cool currents. Gals choose the front spot while guys heads off to the back. I think its about 7pm when we came up and took another bath at the shower. It brings back memory of hostel life, mandi kolah! Once prim and proper we head to a pondok cum surau and solat berjemaah with Bulat as imam. Due to a big group, we need to split into two, and the next one is with Johnny as imam.

Before heading off to dinner, we calibrate on the night activity and all agreed to have a game. Ape ntah nama game tu yg org buat aksi lepas tu kita teka apa benda yg digambarkan. Hikhik.
Dinner was ayam masak kurma and sayur kacang panjang. Then, came a few rangers(I think). They brought durian and horror stories. Hahaha. Only half of the group stayed for the stories while the rest heads off to pondok waiting for the game to start.

Sessi game lasted for hrs, we try not too laugh too hard as its already late nite(~10pm). Kuakuakua. The highlighted moments is when the other group wanted to kenakan Johnny by giving him the song entitled “Sexy Notty Bitch”. He tried hard to portray a bitchy character but we only get to guess the Sexy word. =P Around 11pm, me and Melly already sleepy. So off we went to bed while the rest continue the game.

Part 3 – Durian Durian…coming up.

Part 3 – Durian Durian…- FINALE

2011-02-11T09:53:00.001+08:00

Woke up at 6am for Subuh berjemaah. Again we split into two groups with the two identified imams. Once done, we head off to pondok only to found that banyak gileeeeeeeer durian luruh malam tadi. Oh, did I forget to mention that our camp is in dusun durian? It’s a bit scary also as takut durian jatuh atas kepala. Tapi Alhamdulillah, none of that happen.

So, here we are at 7am in the morning, makan durian! Never in history of my life. But BB zleenz was sure happy as can be for she is the Queen of the King of fruits. =P

Lepas makan durian, sessi seterusnya ialah makan bihun dan cok keria. The hospitality showed by Atok and family warmed our heart. Esp the 3 kids, amin, ayap and ayi. So cute, chubby and good kids, although hyperactive of coz.

Lepas makan bihun, lepak2 jap…then apa lagiiii…..mandi sungaiiiiiiiii! This time around, the guys showed us their secret spot and findings. It turns out; their sport is waaay great as got pasir2, so tak le sakit kaki… then, ada satu kayu ni..bila kita bergayut and let ourself loose with the current, wahhhh…the feeling is so awesome! Best best. lepas tu main splash2 air…and tuju batu kat kayu. Best betul rasa cam budak2.

Then, mandi, lepak2 jap, packing, makan nasi n lauk gulai, and off we go after bersalam2 dgn Atok and family. The next stop is Taiping rumah kak ilah. Once we enter Taiping, it brings back memory of Trip Taiping. Hmmm…really nostalgic. I think Taiping is going to be on of the place in my heart. Its really a calm and serene city. Macam biasa, hujan turun dgn lebatnye di Taiping. Dan, sajian dirumah kak ilah ialah pulut dan durian! Dan mencatat sejarah sebagai hari paling banyak makan durian dalam hidupku. 2 times tambah pulut and countless biji durian, we are done. Sambil lepak2, kami main dgn udang peliharaan family kak ilah. Sorry yeah. Me too bz forget to take pics. Dalam kul 4.30pm, we depart off.

Dan kenangan ini akan terus terpahat disanubariku. =)

Jakarta..... recap

2011-02-07T17:26:00.001+08:00

Accomodation.

I strongly recommend Hotel Ibis or any Hotel around this area. It is a really strategic place. Here is my own version of Google Map. :P All of this place is walking distance.
When booking online, make sure you print everything that was emailed to you. Just like our case, miscommunications happens.

Transportation

If you can, avoid taking flights with arrival at peak time, which is after 4pm, as the traffic is normally bad a.k.a macet.
From Airport to our destination, we took Avanza from the SilverBird counter, you can see it before you exit the Arrival Gate. It is at fix rate which is IDR 150k. On the way back, we took Blue Bird taxi which cost IDR 106.6. It really depends on the traffic to determine which options is better. The fix rate is not that expensive anyway. Not to mentioned, it might be quite tricky to get BlueBird taxi upon arrival.

Food

Gudeg Jogya, D'cost, Steak Abuba, Natrabu, the foodcourt at Tanah Abang & Thamrin City & many more! All at affordable price.
The best Jus Apolkat is the one at Jaya Agung. However, i have to warn you that Jaya Agung is an open eatery. Thus, there will be street performers or beggars. You need to give some money to ensure they move on. However, the more you give, the more will come. ;(

Shopping

USD is not accepted at most money changer, especially not those old serial number or notes that looks old/folded. So, make sure you have IDR. You can also bring extra RM & exchange it incase you overshoot ur budget. ;P
Most shops at Tanah Abang/Thamrin City open at 9/10am and close at 4/5pm. If you have the time, go visit both!

Tanah Abang

Thamrin City

Flights

The departure gate is quite far from check in. So, make sure you go in early as it will be hard to attempt any amazing race here.

I guess that's all.

Will i go to Jakarta for the 3rd time? YES. :P

But before the 3rd visit to Jakarta, i hope to go Bandung. Hihi. After Korea, of course.

Steak Abuba

2011-02-06T21:14:00.005+08:00

Next to Thamrin City is Grand Indonesia. Next to Grand Indonesia is Plaza Indonesia.

Ada sales....

My colleague recommended Sour Sally, so we tried it. It is really SOUR.

Price.....

Checking the currency exchange....

Muka bahagia....

Up close and personal

That night we had dinner at Steak Abuba...just around our hotel.

As usual, Jus Apolkat! Review on this place: Really recommended!

Dessert must have!

Muka bahagia sekali lagi. :P

Thamrin City

2011-02-03T20:25:00.008+08:00

This is Thamrin City. Thanks to Aini for recommending us to visit it. I thought there is only Tanah Abang in Jakarta. ;P Of course, there is also Mangga Dua, but they don't really have as wide variety of Muslimah clothing there. Anyway, i felt that Thamrin City offered cheaper price. And somehow, i can find most of the clothes that i look for here. Probably it's just luck or maybe Tanah Abang is quite crowded with so many levels, that we did not get to see all. Oh well...whatever it is, i am loving Thamrin City. :P

It also have a nice food court. The price range is also cheaper than Tanah Abang.

Our choice

One word. Manissssssssssss.

Baso.

Posing time.

After that, we went shopping. But, i am so busy shopping that i don't take any pictures. :P

Another plus point for Thamrin City is this restaurant called D'Cost. Aligned with it's name, it is really cost savvy.

Gurame Masak Pedas

Sotong Goreng Tepung.
Maaf. dah makan baru tangkap gambar. :P

Kacang Panjang...
Juga sudah masuk perut.

Tauhu.
Juga sudah masuk perut.

The menu.... murah murah....

The proof.

Bukti kelazatan....

The bill for 4 persons.

Murah murah.

Group photo. <3>

The best thing to do in Jakarta

2011-01-30T22:04:00.009+08:00

The best thing to do is none other than shopping!

To shop, we need energy. To have energy, we need to eat. So, the 2nd best thing to do is eating!

Since we did not take the breakfast package, we decided to have our breakfast at Tanah Abang foodcourt, at the 8th floor. Why is it spelled Tenabang here? hmmm...not really sure..

foodcourt, very well maintained

Yes, this is called breakfast. It's Pecal from Gerai Setan.

sedap wooo...

Next up, is the moment we have been waiting for.......shopping! For me, whenever i travelled, i will have this cheat sheet of currency exchange. I also took a picture and changed it as my hp wallpaper. However, little did i realized that the world has changed. Dayah & Iz actually used "currency converter" from their Ipod Touch. (T_T) I'm so old!

Shopping Telekung

Dari nak beli 1, jadi beli 2, jadi beli 3, jadi beli 4...dan seterusnya

Aini once wrote in her blog how people got curious and interested about her sleepywrap. But now i get to see it before my own eyes. Everynow and then, Aini has to patiently answer interviews on her sleepywrap. :P There is also one funny moments where the salesgirl asked Aini "Kamu fasih Bahasa Indonesia ya?" She has mistakenly thought Aini is from Malaysia too! haha.

Finished shopping around 4pm as it's about to close already. However, it's quite hard to get a taxi as it is already peak hours which is the perfect time for massive traffic jam. The moment we crossed the streets, little kids started to follow us around asking for money. Iz tried to offer them food instead but the boy declined saying he has tooth ache. From there, we knew that these boys could be from a syndicate and did not give in to their plea. As the traffic condition did not seem to get better, we decided to WALK. The best thing is, the kids decided to follow us. Gigih betul. According to Google Map, it is around 24mins walk.. hmmm..i did not realize we walk that far... with bagpack and all.... We made it!

That night, we walk to Natrabu, which is just a block away from our hotel. I am glad they all enjoyed the food and agree that the price is very reasonable.

Pengantin Tak Baru

Belum pengantin.

After that, we walk another block to Plaza Sarinah for some window shopping.

To be continued................

Getting Familiar with Jakarta

2011-01-28T23:21:00.008+08:00

Once done freshened up and all, Baim/Aini brought us to Rumah Makan Gudeg Jogya. It's actually just a block away from Aini's house at Bendungan Hilir. ;)

How does it look to you? Appetizing isn't it. How come when i look at it now, it reminds me of Nasi Kandar? hmmmmmmmmm....

Teh Botol Sorso

Aini, Alma & Me!

Paling Nikmat.

Titik.

After that, we head to Grand Indonesia. And pass by this banner which reminds me of Azleena. ;P Azleena mon --> do spot the clue in this pic. nampak tak?

The carpark at Grand Indonesia. I think Alma is observing and is trying to learn how to do the peace sign. ;P

Grand Indonesia in one word is GRAND. How can it be NOT grand when according to Wiki, it is 6, 900, 000 sq ft! (-_-').

After doing our walkathon in Grand Indonesia, we head to Hotel Ibis Arcadia for check in. There is yet another challenge there. I had actually booked twice for the accomodations. One room for me & iZ, while another separate transaction for Mr & Mrs S. However, i guess Hotel Asia overlooked or maybe got confused on 2 different transactions by the same person, (heck, even CIMB credit card center called me to verify). In the end, the hotel only received one booking.

So, how lah?

A customer got to do what a customer got to do. Fighted for my right. Well, not really fight dush dush like that. Just keep repeating... "I Paid for 2 rooms, so give me 2 rooms" in a polite but firm manner. :P Luckily we had printed the 2 reservations number. Thanks as well to the front desk officer who is willing to find an empty room for us and gave us in anyway while he call Hotel Asia to reconfirm on the next day. So, two thumbs up for Hotel Ibis Arcadia..! :D

Later on, we had dinner at Jaya Agung. Just a walk away from the Hotel.

The superb host! Baim - Alma - Aini. :D

Soto! And the best Jus Apolkat. (pls find it in above picture). heh. :D

Oh yeah....because i've forgotten to set roaming, i've bought the local telco simcard for only 25000RP. I strongly recommend as it really have a good deal, especially on internet surfing. Check it here.

Warming up to Jakarta

2011-01-27T00:09:00.009+08:00

At first, I wanted to write just a short entry with bullet points. However, looking back at all the photos, I can’t help but itch to write on the details. Huhu...

First and foremost, let me tell you that we almost miss the flight due to this. (T_T)
At first, i just wanted to buy a perfume, but the sales girls were so nice, answer all our stupid questions and even try the eyeshadow on each of us. We get so engrossed with them that we did not notice the boarding time is 10.20am. It was already 10.30am! Run baby run we did! While at the security checked, our name got announced as the last passenger. (-_-')

I am not sure if she will kill me for putting up this photo. But, cantik per...hihi...

Already blurred it a bit also. :P

Alhamdulillah, we catch the flight. Boleh masuk Amazing Race la camni. :P

Now I realized that I do not have the pictures upon arrival! I guess I was so engrossed with my phone checking why it cannot roam this time vs last time. In the end, I realized that it’s because I changed the line from Prepaid to Postpaid. Dang! I already have 1001 problems after changing to Postpaid that I am so gonna banned Maxis. Long story about that, but not now.

So, we arrived, and head straight to the Bluebird a.k.a Silverbird counter. Baim, my fren from Jakarta has specifically reminded us to only take Bluebird. However, the girl at the counter recommended us to take Avanza for RP150k. So, Iz and I decided to venture out looking for Bluebird taxi. Once we stepped out from the arrival gate, it’s like walking into a lion’s den. (Yes, I am exaggerating). There were actually many guys out there who I believe work in pairs. Like this guy, trying to be friendly with us and wanted to show us the Bluebird taxi. He passed us to another guy who is wearing blue shirt and claimed he is from Bluebird group by showing a tattered blue bird card. No pictures, no names. I was a little suspicious but I followed along anyway. We finally stopped at his, not-bluebird-taxi but Avanza(!) and he quoted us for RP200k. I think the RP50k is for the guy who led us to him. (-_-) . So, we head back to the counter and get the RP150k deal. It is really not a bad deal because it is really important you land on a safe hand once u arrived. While I don’t think the “syndicate” will be kidnapping us, but it’s just that going through the proper channel is more secured and to avoid being conned in term of the payment.

So, we get on our Avanza and head to Baim/Aini’s house. We get a relatively young driver who keeps saying “Sudah punya pacar?” “Saya pingin pacar dari Malaysia" “Ini mau ke rumah pacar kah?” (-_-‘) Lawak jer.....He used to work as fish monger and changed his profession to a taxi driver due to modalnya habis. Cuteness. Haha.

An hour later, we arrived to Bendungan Hilir or better know as Ben Hil.. Baim opened the door for us and we went it to freshen up and catch us. It was nice to see familiar faces again. :D

To be Continued….

Jakarta 2011

2011-01-15T20:43:00.010+08:00

Hello! Yup. I went to Jakarta for the 2nd time. Oh well, i can't resist the temptation to shop there. As usual, everyone can fly with Air Asia & here's the price for 2 people:-
It is not a really promotional fare, but, since we desperately need to go there, so we went on with it anyway. But lo and behold..... just a week before our departure, Air Asia announce a promotion where a return ticket is only half of what we paid.... adoiii laa..... nak wat camno.. sabo je lah.

While searching for the Hotel, my travel mate, Dayah, plan to use the Flight+Hotel package with Air Asia. Most of the time, it offers a quite good deal. However, make sure u do some comparison before really placing a booking. For example, the hotel that we chosed this time, Ibis Arcadia, was offered at a lower price at another website called Hotel Asia. It turned out because the Air Asia deal included breakfast package and it was charge at around RM25 per person. (*_*)

My last tip of the day, if you travel with low cost airline such as Air Asia that charged you baggage fee, then this kind of expandable bag is really a good deal. Thx Kak Ilah for the suggestions, i survived with 14.1kg luggage only on the return flight. Yes!!!!

See how cool it able to expand itself?! This one is Polo Beverly Hills at around RM60(if not mistaken). I am sure there are many brands available... ;)

Ok...that's it a teaser. Summary on Jakarta trip coming up next!

Hello New Year!

2011-01-09T13:41:00.004+08:00

There is something i would like to try. It's not easy. But, i believe or aspire, to be good at it. It's time to experience another part of the world.

Jakarta 2009

2010-12-21T20:45:00.000+08:00

This is an imported post from my previous blog. It might not be that detail, but i'll try to make it up next time.

Travel done: February 2009
Day1 - Departure and Arrival
Flight ke jakarta dlm 4.30pm. sampai dah dlm 6.30pm...but it is 5.30pm Jakarta time..masa disana lambat 1 jam dari sini. Tapi, eventho..6.30pm..dah rasa cam Maghrib..and waktu pagi pon, kul 6am tuh dah nak terang dah... sampai aje kami amik supir yg bawak unser. leh muatkan 4 org sekali. supir nya nama Pak Dadang. Baik orangnye. Tapi masa nak masuk kereta tu, ramai lak dak2 muda dtg angkat beg. kami tak tau motif diorg, rupenye nak mintak tips. Nasib baik kami tak bagi sbb angkatnye 2,3 tapak je dari bonet kereta. Kalau bagi angkat, mmg tips dituntu. huhuhu. Begitulah suasana disana kalo nak dibandingkan dgn sini.

Day2: Shop till u drop
Apartment Take Mansion yg kami dok tu, dekat ja dgn Tanah Abang(tempat shopping paling glamer), jadi kami jalan kaki saja ke sana. Gamble je..nampak bangunan Tanah Abang tu..jalan tanya2 org...naik jejambat sume...sampai akhirnyaaaa....

muka ceria baru nak mula

yang hijau2 tu la tanah abang
posing jap

breakfast di pagi hari....SOTO sodap!

cik intan berkenan sgt kat baju2 camni..mule2 i tak layan baju2 camni... sbb i tak reti pakai...lama2 sangkut gak satu...tapi bukan yg dlm gambo ni..sbb yg ni singkat...cam korea pon ada kan? hihi..
pehtu makan2 di food court aja. tingkat 8. bagus tempatnye... banyak choice..menarik..cara bayar dia kene beli kad camni..bayar dlm 50k rupiah 1 kad, leh makan 2 org.

makan es cendol yg sodap

bersama bak mi soto...

lepas tu shop2 lagi..dan kemudian jalan kaki bersama hasil borongan kembali ke pangkal jalan...

malamnya...naik taksi..ronda2 kotaraya.....bangunan kat sini cantik2...lagi hebat dari KL..kagum sgt...pegi ke Plaza Senayan... tempat ni cam KLCC... agak expensive... so, cuci2 mata ja...pehtu makan Sate sodap!

Day 3: Jalan2 Pusing2..

Pagi2 lagi dah keluar.. nak ke Mangga Dua dan Ancol... kalo sebelom datang, org cakap macet...macet... erm.. i think...it's still acceptable laa...maybe sbb luck jugak kot, tak tau la...tapi rasanya tak la teruk sangat... or maybe it's just me yg dah biasa jem kat penang bridge. =P

Kalau nak banding mangga dua dgn tanah abg..best lagi tanah abg..sbb i think, tanah abg cater for muslims...jadi lebih byk baju2 yg leh dibeli... so, kami stop jap je kat mangga dua... dan terus ke ancol....

Kat ancol...mula2 tu sesat gak..tak tau nak g mana..tapi then decide naik gondola... and pegi sea world...

atas gondola...

namanya andre andre, letty la fea dan andika..

ikan lumba2

ni paus putih..

lepas tu stop jap isi perut... makan piza jek.

Lepas makan, g tgk 4d and then balik...plan asalnye nak dinner kat jimbaran...tapi kat sini...jaaaauuuhh nak jalan dari satu area ke satu area...dan takde bus cam kat pulau sentosa tu...so kami cancel dan terus ke Monas.

Lepas jalan2 sampai sakit kaki kat monas...pegi dinner kat Natrabu...ni pon jalan jugak dari monas...oops...gambar blur. =P gambar dari kamera ada kat my frens...nanti la i upload... tapi mmg best makan kat sini...percaya atau tidak...sy telah makan 3.5ketul ayam dan 2 pinggan nasi! hoyeah hoyeah...best betul kalo selera makan camni hari2... hahahaha...dan bila nak bayar harganya in total 278k...which is around rm22 per person. murah kan?!

lepas tu g jalan jap kat plaza sarinah... and lepak kat burger king

Day 4: Shop again sebelom menyesal ada barang tak beli...

pagi2...breakfast pancake kat apartment ajo...sodap...

saje amik gambo ni... Pickup Zuraini Nyonya at Take Mansion..hehe..

sini senang je nak dpt taksi.. suh je diorg call... =D

mbak2 yg lain ni sume nak borong kain... i tgk aje sbb i tak reti borong2 kain ni...kene g ngan mak =P
so tugas sy adalah candid camera....

makan time!! sbb tak dapat makan nasi goreng kambing kat jimbaran...so makan la kat food court ni... sodap!

dan malam terakhirnya...ronda2 kotaraya lagi.... kali ni g Fx Senayan.yg unik dah femes kat sini...ni haaa... boleh gelongsor dari tingkat 6.....weee...gayattttt

sekian saja....

Still on PG Bridge Marathon

2010-11-24T21:29:00.005+08:00

Hey...Berita Harian caught us on paper. Check it out!

klik di SINI :P

Finally...as a wrap..here is our official time to complete the 10km. :D

We Did IT! Woo Hooo!

2010-11-21T18:02:00.006+08:00

There can be miracles, when you believe
Though hope is frail, it's hard to kill
Who knows what miracles you can achieve
When you believe, somehow you will
You will when you believe

I registered for the marathon just for fun. The aim for medal is also for fun. But doing something for fun does not mean u do not need to do it wholeheartedly. Hence, the practise. In life, nothing come for free. At least, not in my life. (Ooops...tetibe sensitif plak..almaklumlah...baru achieve another dream today :P ) Anywayyyyyy.... here's the story.

Woke up at 3.30am to the sound of thunder. Imagine that. (-_-) But, we already made a pact that we will run, rain or no rain. Thankfully, the rain ceased at 5am. While on our way to Queensbay, we could already see those who completed the Full Marathon(which start at 2am), and they have medal around their neck! Super Jeleous! We got a pretty nice parking spot and head off to the surau area. Once done, it's already 5.55am, so, we head straight to Eastin as the start for 10km will be there.

There's a cute incident. The kids, who are entering the junior category joined our queue. And the organizer need to repeat many times asking them to step aside as they will be disqualified if they start together with us. Some of the kids did not really listen to the organizer, so they remained there among us. We tried to identify a few kids and help to brief them that their category will start at 6.30am. Cuteness la these kids!

So, here is our route for 10km run.. We started from the red arrow there. Feeling a little energetic, i ran all the way from the start until the X there. Can u see it? the red X. After that i started to slow down, but still run intermittent with walking. So that i don't loose the time.

And the strategy worked indeed! Unbelieveable lah! Gosh.. if only i could record what i am saying in my head.

"Don't give up Zue..Don't you dare"

"Keep on running Zue. The moment u stop, that's the end"

"Zue..if you don't get the medal, will u hv regret for walking when in fact u can run"

"See..the old lady also cut you Zue"

"What the Fish..got kids cut u some more"

"Don't let Marlina get out of your sight..Go catch after her. Run!"

Thus, i was so overjoyed that when i hit the finishing line, i actually said "Woohooo". And then... can't stop smiling while waiting for the medal. Surreal... :D

Thanks so much to Azleena, Fazot and Marlina for joining in. Having u gals around, is really a big motivation. REALLY! And not to forget Kak Rosni n Aida for inviting me. Hihi.

Pergh. Ucapan macam menang 1st prize jer. :P

Well....1st prize or not... i m really happy i did this. :)

Thx again...buddies.

14days...

2010-11-13T16:14:00.007+08:00

Last week, we had an impromptu activity to Kerachut. Impromptu is it? Maybe not.

Initially, some of the group members plan a hike up Gunung Ledang. Unfortunately, Gunung Ledang was closed to hikers, or maybe part of it only, not sure. So, the group then opt for the backup plan to Penang instead. Kak Ilah somehow got promoted to be the organizer and she came up with this really full action packed route. Normally,we just went to one destination, either Kerachut or Monkey Beach. But seems we had guests coming from a far, KL and KK, so, here goes:-

Trekking Teluk Bahang -->Kerachut->

Boat --> Monkey Beach -->

Trekking --> Mukahead Lighthouse --> Teluk Bahang

(Start ~9am. End ~3.15pm)

Even having been there a few times, it will never tire me to go again <3

20days

2010-10-31T15:35:00.002+08:00

Went up to Botanical Garden at around 6.30am. woohhooo.... ;P (pat on the back). I thought that it was early, but already the carpark is almost full. Crazy people of Penang.

Crazy or not? When we reached,there are already people leaving. Means, they came at 5am or something?! But then again, the real PG Bridge Marathon run starts from 3am(21km), 6am(10km). So, i managed to run+walk for 3 rounds in 30minutes. I guess thats good enough to proof that the 10km in 1.5hrs is doable. I just need to buckle up and run more... sometimes, i don't really feel that tired, but i just like to stop and walk instead of running... hmmm... then i did another 3 more round of walk... and leave at around 8am.

And of course, the exact motivation for waking up early its actually breakfast time. Nyum!

27 Days....

2010-10-24T20:31:00.002+08:00

halu halu..... latest training done is jogging + walking around usm for 1hr... and so far so good, dah takde sakit2 anggota badan... today morning, intended to jog at uSM stadium, but i dozed off, theeehee.. when i woke up, i need to hang the clothes, and when everything was done, it's already 8.30 am...so, i bailed on jogging and went for roti canai breakfast instead.... ;P Superb!

33 days.....

2010-10-18T20:33:00.002+08:00

May Day May Day.....

One day, over lunch, Aida talked about joining Penang Bridge Marathon... and then later on, Kak Rosni also mentioned that she registered. Then, an idea sparked in me. Ting! Why don't i do this too?! Besides, I could also include it into once in a lifetime list. ;P

And registered i did. Oh well, after the last hike up kinabalu, then come puasa, i've retired from physical activities. In order to get myself prepared for the 10km marathon, here's what i did and what happen next.

What I Did?

2 weeks ago, i started by a 30minutes jog around USM sports arena.

What Happen on the Next Day?

Pain at the thigh..... ;(

What I Did part 2?

Went up Bukit Jambul on last Saturday

What Happen on the Next Day?

Pain at the calf... ;(

I guess pain is a good thing coz that means the muscle is starting to adapt to the exercise, right? So....33 days to go, according to Omin, need to exercise at least 4times a week.... macam mana ni.......

Medan in memories

2010-10-15T21:47:00.009+08:00

Disclaimer: Most pixs credit to Azleena-mon....

Fotografi episod1

Pandai kan si Azleena ni amik gambar? (cewah..ayat bodek sbb curi gambar)

feri ke samosir

dinner at a pink stall nearby

menu of the idea

After that, went back to the house and played Dracula vs Police..(adakah ini nama gamenye?)

Lawak gile sbb ada yg confuse. Si Police pon jadi pembunuh...haha.

Naik bot ke Samosir...(Thx dindi runding harga)

Wide Lens sponsored by Azleena mon

Samosir..shopping yuk!

tips!!! jgn beli kat kedai first..jalan2 dan tawar dan jalan dan tawar..kedai mana bagi harga murah, amik la labu...

Pok Mie!

Burung Goreng

Jus Apolkat sedap!!!

Dan akhir sekali.... Terima Kasih tak terhingga pada Dindi dan Azka....

jemput lah ke sini!!

note: maafkan atas posting yg macam tak ikhlas ini... ;(

saya lapar nak pegi makan...

Danau Toba

2010-10-10T11:55:00.005+08:00

Hi! It's already 2months after Medan trip..and i have yet to complete it! Better late than never, kan. So here goes.....

The morning started with a simple yet unforgettable breakfast. Roti bakar with chocolate jem. I can still remember it's chocolatey taste and the yummy chocolate rice that comes with it. Huhuhu... a note to myself to smuggle out this kind of jem next time!

Here's what Dindi's family going to have for breakfast. And us being tempted by it, did have a few bites. Come on...who does not get tempted by this kind of good food? Pecal is infact one of my fave!

Dindi has obtained 2 van for the MPV, 1 of it comes with a driver while another one was driven by her bestfriend, Azka. We departed at 8.30am.

On the way, we stopped at Restoran Bahagia which serve Nasi Minang. No pics of food sorry! So hungry! After that, back on the road trip, the 3 of us keep dozing off on the way while Dindi kept Azka company.

Reached Danau Toba and stayed at this place called "Istana Bung Karno"

A nice place with magnificent view

fairytale comes alive

public beach

rainbow!

The place we stayed also can be considered a historical place as it was once used by President Sukarno. ;D

same chair? :D

Unfortunately, that time was a wrong timing as it is still school holiday + public holiday(10 Juli), so it is quite crowded. Dindi tried to sneak us in the private beach spot which is attached to a hotel. Normally, she can get it for 20k Rupiah, but this time, the security wanted to charge us 100k RP. In the end, not wanting to give in to him as seems he is taking advantage on the peak season and charging us extensively, we went back to the public beach near the bungalow but it started to drizzle. So azleena , M n me heads back to the house to finish our manga udang which we bought on the way searching for a good beach spot. As the rain slowed down later on, we went back, but not for a deep in the water, instead for photo seasion. ;)

Cewek atau Cowok

2010-07-25T18:39:00.005+08:00

After filling our stomach with the delicious Es Kolak Durian and Es Pulut Durian, we followed Dindi to her In-Law’s house for a stop over. Dindi’s sister in law, Winda who were at home with her kids greeted us. Upon learning that her name is Winda, I got excited. Back home, my mom like to watch this Sinetron called Benci Bilang Cinta. The main roles are called Dimas and Winda. Guess what, Dindi’s brother is also named Dimas! Hihihi. What a cute coincidence!

Anyway…. While we were there, the real life Winda suggested that we try Sate Padang. I thought that she is suggesting us to made a stop at the stall on our way back, but, she got a better idea and bought it for us instead!! Thank you Winda!

Sedap Kali!!!Garing!

Jemput makan!

Oh... we also watched this programme called Cewek atau Cowok? It's a game show where a few chosen girls and guys, got dressed up as girls and the contestant need to guess who is the real girl and who is an imposter. :P

Finally, we head back to Dindi's house but not before making a last stop at a mall.

Kepudur Kepingin

2010-07-19T21:51:00.008+08:00

As shared in the first post ... , the bait that lure us to Medan is KEPUDUR a.k.a KEdai PUlut DUrian.. Anything about Durian made Azleena an easy target, while for me, anything involve travelling, especially if we will have a host to guide is around, is a thing not to be missed! :P

But lo and behold......................................................... the morning that we arrived, as we were doing the ice-breaking after being picked by Dindi, she break us the news. KEPUDUR is closed temporarily! Boooo hooo hooo. Dindi can't find someone who can maintain the store permanently yet, so, she had to close it for a while. Oh No! How now?

Of course we throw a tantrum and demand Dindi to take us to KEPUDUR by hook or by crook! ;P

Hihi. Dindi, being the best host, does not want to dissapoint us. So, she brought us to another place somewhere around USU (Universitas Sumatera Utara).

someone is clearly happy

The owner

The photographer

The .....erm...victim?

Ohhhhh la laaa...

Slurp

Weeeee

Tadaaaaaaaa

Happiness multiply 100

:Blink:

So, KEPUDUR, will you wait for our return again? ;P

Pasar Petisah Pasar Ikan

2010-07-18T15:33:00.007+08:00

As the the trip is quite short, we waste no time and head to Pasar Petisah right after our brunch. That would be just a few hours after landing in Medan. Bravo girls!

As we shop, I found that the blouse in Medan is relatively more expensive than Tanah Abang, Jakarta. According to Dindi, it's because the shops here get the supply from Jakarta too. It's lucky that Dindi accompanied us, as she can really bargain well. ;) We bought a few blouses which range from IDR 60,000 to IDR 150,000.

Dindi & Azleena

Green Girls

Marlina feeling contented being in the shopping heaven ;P

Photographer, part time model and shopaholic in action

A few hours later, we got thirsty and.....look! Teh Botol! :D

The last shop.

For prayers, we made a stop at Masjid Raya. According to Wikipedia, Masjid Raya a.k.a the Great Mosque of Medan was built in 1906 in the Moroccan style by the Dutch architect Dingemans. It was such a big and spacious mosque.

We wanted to buy telekung(the women's prayer outfit), but those at Petisa were mostly priced around IDR300,000(RM108). Thus, Dindi suggested that we change the location to Pasar Ikan, which on the other hand, have telekung as low as IDR40, 000 to IDR120, 000. (IDR 50 = RM18).

So, that's the end of the shopping frenzy, and after this, we are more ready for the real deal of Medan. Yosh!

Soto Sinar Pagi

2010-07-13T22:14:00.006+08:00

Despite Air Asia giving us last minute surprise AGAIN, we arrived safely at Polonia International Airport and Dindi was already outside waiting to pick us up. Yeay! The surprise was Air Asia is having some system upgrade and require us to check in 3hrs earlier! Azleena were at the airport already by 7.15am and the counter only open at 8 freaking AM. ;( However, we decided not to let this spoil our mood and head to McD for breakfast and a small celebration for Azleena's Birthday. ;)

At the airport, just like in Jakarta, there were many guys waiting outside to help carry your bag. Tips: If you have not much baggage, it is not worth to pay for assistance, so be strict on carrying your own bags OK. ;) Once we were safely tucked in the car, Dindi ask us if we would like to go shopping or have our lunch first. Oh well....that’s not a hard question at all. The next photo explain our decision. ;P

From Left: M, Dindi and Azleena

Inside.

Our Menu: Soto Ayam and none other than Teh Botol

Sinar Pagi is situated at Jalan Sungai Deli. 4 of us had the Soto Ayam set with Teh Botol and it cost around IDR 83,000 which equal to ~RM29.41. That would be ~RM 7.35 per person. :) It is one of the famous Soto restaurant in Medan and i could personally relate it to Nasi Ayam Periuk Besar in Kulim, simple and original. According to Dindi, this place will always be fullhouse especially during breakfast hour.

Finally, we are now fully energized to start our hunt in Pasar Petisah and Pasar Ikan! Yuk!

Medan...how it started......

2010-07-08T15:57:00.005+08:00

Pada tanggal May...dengan adanya teknologi terkini...terjadinya sebuah conversation

maka, Zu & M telah menginvite diri mereka sendiri utk menemani Az utk reunionnya bersama Dindie.. dan tanpa membazirkan masa....tiket pon dibooking:-

nantikan episod seterusnya.. ;)

Day 5 - Tip of Borneo

2010-06-30T12:05:00.000+08:00

In Kota Kinabalu, we stayed at Imperial Boutec Hotel which is situated inside Warisan Square and just a walking distance to Filipino Market. Since we are going to book for 5 rooms, I emailed the Sales Marketing Officer and requested for a complimentary breakfast. (The breakfast cost RM15). This is my first time bargaining the hotel package and it turn out a success. :P Yeay! Another way of getting cheaper price is by booking through this link which was discovered by Omin.

After that, we split into 2 groups. Azleena, Fazilah, Akmar, Marlina, Azril and me plan to go to Kudat while Omin, Fina, Bullert and Azrul heads for an adventure around the city and a visit to Monsopiad Cultural Village. The attraction that lure us to Kudat is non other than the Tip of Borneo. At first, i was a bit skeptical if the rest of the group will find this place BOORRRIINGG as there is nothing there expect wonderful spectacular view. However, i forget that we have 2 dedicated and passionate photographers in the group and it turns out everybody got turned on by this beautiful place. ;)

If one wanted an escape from civilization or honeymoon perhaps, then you can opt for this chalet.
So that you can wake up to this beautiful scenery.

Hik Hik.

Weeeee

Serenity

Peace

The tip

The view

The happy group photo

The classic group photo

The cover album group photo

Kudat is really a must visit if you like places with beautiful scenery and especially if you like photography. It is 3hrs drive from Kota Kinabalu. If you charter a van with a driver like us, it is RM400 return trip. But, if you are the adventurous type, you can rent a car for as cheap as RM100 and drive to Kudat instead.

Bye bye Kudat... it has been a nice experience.

Eating Out @ LeBoss

2010-06-23T22:57:00.006+08:00

A few days ago, Pah, Intan & M told me about LeBoss Restaurant in Sungai Petani which they came across in Facebook. I guess they were tempted by the pictures of the food which mainly consist of Western Menu. Another selling point would be it's considerable price which can be considered as cheaper than some well known/famous restaurant in the market. Today, we decided to give it a try. ;)

Entrance

Pah had Hazelnut Tea

Intan, M and me had this Dragon Fruit Juice
Intan & M's Mee Hailam

Pah & Mine - Fish & Chip

The minute we walk into LeBoss, we were greeted by a very nice aroma, flower scented and also got amazed by the beautiful interior design. No wonder it's tagline said "LeBoss Restaurant, Your Second Home". In summary, nice ambience, good food and reasonable price. Go dine at LeBoss if you are in town!

Decoration

Lepak Area

Payment

Location:

201 & 202, Jalan Lagenda Height

Sungai Petani, Malaysia, 08000
Phone:

0124090446, 0174770996
Mon - Thurs:
12:00 am - 3:00 pm
6:00 pm - 12:00 pm
Fri: 4:00 pm - 12:00 pm
Sat - Sun:
12:00 am - 3:00 pm
6:00 pm - 12:00 pm

Gunung Kinabalu Budget & Details

2010-06-14T22:11:00.006+08:00

Our Itineraries

Things to Bring

Summary on Expense

::Advertisement::
Contact for Mt Kinabalu Hike Package

Feel free to send a message @ Facebook to El Maestro

Ping me if you can't find him. ;)

The Descend

2010-06-09T20:56:00.007+08:00

Conquering Lows Peak does not mean it is the end just yet. Reaching Laban Rata is not the end yet as well. There is yet another 6km to go towards Timpohon Gate, the entrance and the exit of the hike. However, we are certainly full of spirit and excited to move on at approximately 10.30am.

The porter with the heavy luggage. They are small yet strong.

Just like the hike up, we are divided into groups again, going at our own comfortable pace. At first, there were 5 people in my group, and then we started to loose Kak Ilah & Azleena. Slowly, Omin move forward and we lost sight of her too. I tried to look if there is any glance of Omin at each Station, but I can’t find her. Reading Omin’s blog, now I know that she did run at some point, so, no wonder I can’t seem to catch up with her. :P So, it was Marlina & I, all the way down. We actually try to savor the moment too, especially before reaching the 4km mark. I remember telling Marlina “Stop and take a deep breath. We never know when we can breathe such fresh air again.” ;’( It is really a bittersweet moment. So sad to leave the place, but so happy that we finally will be going down to enjoy the rest of the holiday.

One of the reason that both of us go down slowly is because we both hurt our feet. My right toe has been hurting since a few months ago. I think, it started from the Europe trip. And the series of hike I’ve been doing for Mt Kinabalu does not let it heal. To make matter worst, in desperate act to reduce the pain, I cut the toenail a tad too deep and it got infection a few days later. Sum everything up, I literally kill my toenail. ;( Anyway, as we continue the walk down, i started to feel the muscle pain at both calves. Since we are racing against time (need to reach down at least before 4.30, as that will be the last call for lunch/dinner), we did not pamper ourselves by stopping so much. At one point, after the 1km mark, I think I started to hallucinate as I thought I saw the Timpohon Gate, but instead we keep walking into stairs and stairs and stairs! Feel like crying!!! However, fret not. The world is fair. At around 2pm, we reached the Timpohon Gate. Ho Yeah!!!

3 of the teammates with our good porter cum guide leading them.

Group photo

Group photo with guides

The food that motivates us to reach on time

The proof that we did it!

After that, we head back to Kota Kinabalu and check in to our hotel, The Imperial Boutique. Oh, before that, we made a stop at Bos’s house to pick up our bags. Thanks Bos!

We also had a mini group dinner before hitting the sack!

Day 4 - Fight till the End

2010-06-07T22:21:00.009+08:00

The day before, our guide had asked us to come down to Laban Rata and meet them for breakfast/supper at 2am. That night, having gone up and down the route a few times for check in and dinner, we decided not to waste energy and time by going down again in the morning. So, we are left to figure out how to relay the message to our guide as we had forgotten to take their phone numbers! There were another group which consists of uncles and aunties who were kind enough to suggest that we try to call their guide and check if he knew our guide. However, their guide was already asleep as he is not answering the phone. Hence, Kak Ilah and Azril volunteered to go down again that night to ensure our guide gets our plan. Terima Kasih! ;)

So, the next day, we woke up around 1am and starts to get ready. Those who are ready gathered at the lobby and started to exchange food. Omin brought Tuna & Sandwich, Akmar brought Maggi, Marlina brought her 2 in 1 Goats Milk and I brought biscuits and of course, energy bar. But I guess I spent too long time munching my breakfast that I did not realize it was already 2.30am until Kak Ilah mentioned that “our guide is here”. Argh!! Frantically I dashed to my room and get my gears ready. Luckily, none of my stuff was missing/misplaced and we managed to gather on time. At around 10mins later, we started the 2nd part of the hike.

At first, it was all wooden stairs. Then, it turns into rocky stairs. At this part, I still felt OK. I even stopped a few times to wait for Azleena. Then, we reached the famous “Rope”. At the end of the stairs, you will see a rope hanging down from a rocky wall. You then need to pull yourself up and from then on, the rope will be your good friend.

Thats when my brother get his "Altitude Sickness" again. He gets dizzy and slows down. I stayed back to ensure he move on. Thus, Azleena and Aida went ahead. In hiking Mt Kinabalu, the rule of the game is "Never Wait or Never Chase" for other people but "Move at Your Own Pace". Thus, when one of our tour guide came to my brother's rescue, i moved on. Alone. At first, there was Lily. But as we continued on, i started to slow down. Slowly, i lost sight of Lily. It was only me, the sky, the stars and the wind. I took 10 steps, stopped, looked up at the beautiful sky filled with stars and then move on. This is really theurapatic. The sky was magnificently lit up with stars. As we did not manage to get it into pictures, here is an illustration of how it felt. :P

Although i have that theurapatic moment, i still need to fight with myself. ;( I keep asking the guide "Is it still far?". His standard answer is "Not far...15mins..See that light... Just right there". But when i look up at the light he is pointing, it seem a gazillion years away. "Are you serious? That's like the end of the world. When will i ever reach there?!" the unspoken words shouting in my mind. At one point, i started to think that "Nah...it is OK if you don't reach the top..this is already consider the top" . I ended up walking slower but i still did not stop. The word of wisdom from my friends keep ringing in my head "Just walk at your own pace...Don't stop" Sometimes , it felt surreal that i am walking on top of this mountain by myself, being blown by the wind now and then, loosing my balance. Where did i get this courage? To tell the truth, i am quite a coward. Darkness scares me. As i get myself lost in thoughts, someone familiar greeted me. It's my brother who finally managed to caught up. Lucky i did not wait for him or else i will end up slow him down. ;) So, both of us walk slowly and then, miraculously, we bumped into our friends, Azleena, Aida, Azrul, Bullert and Lily who had just finished their Subuh prayer. They have found a perfect spot just minutes below Lows Peak. We performed our prayer too and after that, it is history. Just a few steps, and we reach Lows Peak. :)

The team has this last minute plan of bringing a banner which did not materialize.

Thanks to the Putrajaya geng for bringing this flag.

Bro & me

Flag in action again!

The descend.

It used to seem forever to get there, but now we are leaving. ;(

Donkeys Peak

Thanks Azleena for this National Geographic shot. :P

Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhh...........

Alhamdulillah for this pair of eyes.

Checking out at Sayat Sayat

The picture makes it look more scary. But it is really not that bad. ;)

Back to the rocky stairs.

Wooden stairs.

Pack our bags and back to Laban Rata for breakfast!!!

We did it!!

The BIG Day (3)

2010-05-23T22:48:00.015+08:00

"This is it! It’s do or die! No turning back!" the thoughts that crossed my mind that morning. :P

I am not sure about others, but I sure sleep well. Especially since it rained that night but the thick blanket able to keep me warm. I managed to wake up around 5am and get ready. By 6am, Kak Ilah and I went downstairs to see Boss. Apparently, Boss had chosen to sleep in the car rather than sneak in into the boy’s room. Knowing that Boss has arrived late the night before, we gathered everybody at the compound first, then only proceed to wake him up.

This lodging was not included in our package. Boss managed to get it for us at a student rate which is RM15 per person per night. So, we gathered and listened to the the last leg of briefing and some motivational words from Boss.

"you guys can do it! I've guided a 60++years old man and even a 3years old boy"
"OK..after this...u guys walk around a bit for some warm up... i'll take ur bags in my car and wait up at the registration place"

(Translated :P )

Apparently we do not really listen to what Boss was saying. I am not sure what goes in everybody mind, but we did not double confirm with him the exact location to meet him up again. Although some of us was quite sure it is the Kinabalu Park, but the head of the pack(name kept secret), went straight up. 500m....1km...1.5km... and we are still not there yet! We started to question whether we are on the right track. I wanted to call Boss, but my handphone is in the bag. My bag is with Boss in his car! Finally, the head of the pack managed to clarify with some locals and we made a turn back to Kinabalu Park. Thanks to everybody for being so sporting and able to laugh about it. So, this might really be our "warm up" which help us to complete our mission. ;)

Yeay! Here it is!

We are coming for you!

Breakfast given
Photo Session

Excited!

Get another briefing from the guide.
"U ols don't play2 ok...This is serious!"

1st stop - Pondok Kandis

Among the tips being given to us is not to take a lot of rest in between the stations. The longer you stop, the more you waste time and energy. So, we obliged and the first bunch of us(Fazilah, Azleena, Omin, Marlina, Azril and me) just stop for a breather and continued on.

At the early part of the climb, we keep stopping now and then to take photos. At first, it was a fun thing to do.

Then, I started to feel grateful every time the girls stop for photos. This means, I will not be left behind as I can take that time to catch up.

However, after the 5th station, Layang Layang, the trail gets really uphill and tougher. Thus, everytime the rest stop for photos, I will just stay behind to take a rest and even if they call me up for a group photo, my tagline is “Taking photo is not my priority now”. Yes. Drama Queen add Bimbo equals to me. :P

As you approach Villosa, you can see that the forest and environment is completely different. This time, instead of stopping to recover our strength, we also stopped to enjoy the view. Especially once we reach this stage, where we are clearly above the cloud.

Well, actually, at the end of the hike towards Laban Rata, I was pretty much by myself. I really cannot keep up with the rest of the girls. Thus, i keep stopping at each few steps to look around and savor the moments instead. At one point, a guide with 2 of his foreign hikers passed by me. The guide then looks at me and said “It’s really nearby. Just a few minutes. Keep walking” . Not just that, everytime he saw me stopping, he will stop also and wave at me to come forward. Thanks to him who gets very persistent in ensuring I reached Laban Rata, I really did reached it around 1pm!!!!

As it is still early for Dinner which start at 5pm, we laze around at the balcony for some sunbathing moment. :P We also used this time to update our family that we have safely arrived.

From our place, we could see one by one of our group members starting to emerge. Bullert, Abg Azrul and Lily came up and took quite some time for photoshoot session before heading up to Laban Rata.

Then, as most of us arrived, we went inside and fill ourselves with the food we bring such as chocolates and cookies. Hot and plain water are also provided.

Once everybody reached Laban Rata, we went ahead for check in and continued on to our dorm, Gunting Lagadan.

Came back down at 5pm for dinner!!!!

The beauty about climbing Mt Kinabalu is, you do not have to worry on food and accomodations. Just ensure you reach Laban Rata on time. ;)

Next up --> To the top - the famous Lows Peak!

Note:- All photos are credited to Azleena Kassim and Marlina Abd Aziz. I did not take my own photos due to:-

1. I don't own a camera

2. I am too nervous to take photos with my handphone camera

:P I am such a lame blogger like this. Will take note to snap my own photo next time. Thanks a lot girls!

Day 2 - Discovering KK, Tamparuli & The Grand Surprise

2010-05-21T22:26:00.015+08:00

It’s Wednesday morning in KK! We woke up feeling hungry and Boss took us for brunch at Sinario Café.

Lepak at Boss's house

I am giving 2 thumbs up for this café for its delicious and unique food.

We had Nasi Goreng Lalap, Nasi Goreng Ayam Cheese, Nasi Goreng Butter Prawn and Kuetiow Tomyam. As for drink, it is Jus Apolkat, Teh Tarik and Limau Ais.

Next, we head to Bukit Bendera! Yup…. Bukit Bendera does not only exist in Penang! In Penang, Bukit Bendera is translated to Penang Hill, but in Sabah, it is called Signal Hill. Both is not a direct translation from Bahasa Malaysia to English!! HAha. Funniness!!

What can be found here? Simply...................... breathtaking and nice views on Kota Kinabalu.

Look at the sea.... ;)

Nice place for photoshoot too.

Next, we head to Menara Tun Mustapha.

Info :- Located 5 kilometres or about 15 minutes away from the KK City Centre. Formerly known as the Sabah Foundation Building, this circular tower of steel and glass stands 30 storeys high in the Likas Bay area and is instantly recognizable as a Sabah icon. It has a central core with steel brackets supporting each floor. When completed in 1977, it was one of the three such buildings in the world based on this design concept. (Credit)

According to Bos, we can actually head to 18th floor where we can get to see a nicer view. But, there was an event going on that day, so what we did was just jumping around as can be seen below. :P

YIPPEEEE!

As a tourist, one of the must go place is none other than Jambatan Tamparuli. Well, one of the reason it got famous is because there is a song inspired from this type of bridge in Tamparuli. The real Jambatan Tamparuli has been reconstructed, thus, we made a stop at Kampung Damat instead.

Welcome

Fear Factor?

As we get ready to leave the place, Kak Ilah and I received sms from our A.Azrul & Omin. The 2nd group from KL are about to embark their plane to KK. But what does their sms says?

“Our flight got delayed” . (-_-‘)

It was ~1.15pm. They are supposed to depart at 12.50pm bha. :( So, instead of going to the airport, we head back to Bos's home for a short nap. :P

At around 2pm, received another sms from Omin "We are back 2d departure hall. Wait for further updates on the flight change" Uhuk. :( Air Asia! Why oh why? We are suppose to make the move to Kundasang at 4.30pm. How now? :( Being pessimistic, of course i started to think of 1001 possibilites. What if they can't make it?

But then, at 2.49pm... received another sms "Br masuk plane. Hopefully kul 3 nanti gerak" OK. Good update. Around 3pm, Omin send the last sms saying that they are ready to take off... and if everything goes well, they will reach around 5.30pm. Hoyeah!

Thus, unwilling to deter our spirit, we decided to think positive and head to Tanjung Aru instead.

We had ABC Special...for the price of RM2.50, and also ate our dinner.

Take a stroll along the beach.

At about 6pm, we head to airport and meet up with the KL team. Phew! They actually arrived!! :P Immediately, we took the pre-arranged rented van and head to Kundasang. Ooops...before that, we made a stop at Alamaya as the KL team would like to have some dinner first.

If i am not mistaken, we reach our destination at around 9pm. It is Mountain Resthouse, which is only around 100m from Kinabalu Park.

Here's how the room looks like. Simple but clean and comfortable enough for the to-be hikers. ;)

It was a good memorable night. :) Rain, Muchi the Cat and the shared open door toilet. Haha.

Next up --> The Climb.

Sabah Day 1 - A rough start

2010-05-20T21:20:00.007+08:00

Mission Impossible = Conquer Mt Kinabalu

The talk about this mission impossible started from August 2009. Omin who had been to Sabah tried to hike up the Kinabalu trail just for fun. With lack of practice, she managed to get to the 2km station. Then, after my family outing in the same August, Omin and I started to talk on this “mission” seriously. So, we spread the words and in the end gotten 13 people to sign their blood on this crazy adventure.

Crazy it may seem as we are not those hard core active people. Heck, the most my friends and I has been doing is hitting the gym, or the leisure climb up Bukit Jambul in Penang and that once in a while venture into Kerachut. But you have to have a dream, don’t you? Aim for the outer space and hit the sky! :P

One of the group members, Fazilah, had a friend, Cikgu Shamsul @ Boss in KK who arrange this Kinabalu stuff. So, she gave me his contact number and we liaised on the date and fee.
Date : 13May.
Fee: RM440 for 13pax.
(Inclusive of Tour Guide, Lodging at Gunting Lagadan, Certificate, 2x Breakfast, 2x Dinner and 1x Lunch)
** The price varies and keeps increasing. So, don’t be surprise with a different rate if you aim to go. ;)

If you are interested to book, you can send a message to Boss's facebook as below:-

Let him know how many people in your group and when do you plan to go. ;)

Flight bookings were done in December. This is the price that we got:-

PG - KK for 6 pax

KK - PG for 3 pax

After that, we kind of take our own ways…live our own life…do our own business until March, where we started to do some serious training. Azleena wrote about it in her blog -->

Monkey Beach
Penang Hill

Bukit Jambul ( Tumpang link En Pian :P )
Bukit Mertajam

Time sure flies, and here comes April. That’s when Air Asia decided to interfere with our plan. Around end of April, I received an SMS saying that the flights has been rescheduled.

Old
PG-KK 10am -12May
KK-PG 7am -16May

New
PG-KK 8pm - 11May

(since it will be too late to reach Kundasang area, i've call to reschedule us to 11May)
KK-PG 5pm -16May

We continue to be positive and get in touch with our host, Bos and inform him that we need to crash over at his place 1 night. Glad that he welcomes us with open arms. ;) Thanks Bos!

11May – Departure Day!
Fazilah, Azleena and Marlina was already at the airport while I was coming out from my house when we receive an SMS from Akhmal saying that he need to pull out from the trip. ;( His uncle was admitted due to cancer and he does not feel right to go on with the journey. It dampen our spirit a little, but we need to go on no matter what. Thanks Akhmal for sending us off at the airport and we wish that you and your wife will plan another trip for both of you. ;)

We reached KK safely around 11pm, get picked up by Bos and was brought to the “hot spot” in KK. Having a local to bring you around is sure great!

So, that’s it! The introduction. To be continued…. Day 2- The next surprise!

London Bridge, London Part 2 and Finale

2010-05-10T19:58:00.009+08:00

After witnessing the guard changing ceremony, we head out to Hard Rock Cafe/Shop. Disclaimer: In almost every cities that we went, Hard Rock London has the most variety design! :P

As we walk to the Green Park Station, we passed by a café called Pret A Manger and made a stop for a quick lunch. I had sandwich and Mocha for 4Pound.

Laili sure know how to eat.

A moment not to be forgotten

We then took the metro to Charing Cross, and exit right into Trafalgar Square

Then, we took the metro again and head to Monumen Station.

Walk to London Bridge. Macam ini saja rupanya... (-_-)

Oh Look! A nicer bridge! Let's go there! :P

Tower Bridge

Tower Bridge. Me. Red Bus.

Nostalgic.

Last but not least, a stop at the Oxford Road!

Last minute shopping! Let's go!

Well…remember that things started to go wrong in Brussels, Part 1 and Part 2? Well…things continue to go wrong in London. We jokingly said that, the way things starting to go wrong is an omen that it’s time for us to go home. I fail to mentioned previously that the metro nearest to our hostel in Victoria Street was closed for maintenance. Thus, as a containment plan, they have arranged for bus instead to go through the route from a few designated metro station. Unfortunately, the bus travel at a slower speed and stop for a long time to wait for all passengers to get on board. This would not be a problem if we was not racing against time. Our bus to Stansted leaves at 7pm!

Chronology: Left Oxford Street at 5.30pm. Reach our hostel at 6.30pm! Reach Victoria Station at 6.50pm.

Now, theoretically, we would have gotten there on time. But, surprise surpriseeeeeee, the bus stop is right at the end of the station. We ran. Ran like we were about to be eliminated from the Amazing Race. With our 8kg backpack, we ran! But as we approached the bus station, we could not see our Terravision bus. Yes. The inevitable had happened. We missed the bus! The next bus will be at 8.30pm which might be too late. If we wait for the bus, and the traffic is bad, we might miss the flight.

So, what’s next?
Plan A : Take metro to Liverpool and change to another metro to Stansted.
Plan B : Take Taxi.
Plan C(highest risk) : Wait for Bus.

Final decision: Plan B.

So, there were we, standing by the road side under the drizzle, looking for a taxi. It took us almost 30minutes when we got one. He said “It’s gonna cost you a lot”. Well, we kind of expected how much it will cost us, so we said “It’s ok. We have the money”

Then, as we settled into his car, he started making phone calls. By the end of the call, he turn to us and said “I’ve been driving taxi for 3 years, and I have never been to Stansted” What?! Before we even have the chance to say that, he continued “But I called my friend and he said it’s quite straight forward” Ohh…OK. we have no choice but to trust him.

And we lived to this day to tell the story. We arrived to Stansted just in time for check in. ;)

So. That’s it. That’s the end of the journey.
That’s all I have for now. Gonna leave for another escapade tomorrow.

Phew…Glad I managed to write this before the next adventure begin.

Note: Europe Trip Budget/overall Planning is HERE.

Till then. See ya!

Buckingham Palace , London Part 1

2010-05-09T19:21:00.011+08:00

Due to the train being changed to Lille, we reached London at 11pm vs supposedly 9.30pm. Thus, we opted for Taxi to our hostel at Victoria Street. Cost 22pound. The hostel was nice, but then we found out that our room is on the 4th floor! That mean, another set of stairs!!! There is a sink inside the room but shower/toilet is outside and need to be shared.

The next day, we had breakfast provided by the hostel. The kitchen was so full with the travellers. A young Japanese guy joined us and introduced himself as U-Ichi. He has just finished his last semester, thus wanted to travel before he started working. How nice……No need to work also can travel. (-_-) But, he also mentioned that he got disappointed “I came all the way to Europe…but I can see Japanese everywhere!” Haha..True… At each city we’ve been to, we never fail to see a Japanese.

Anyway, after breakfast, we bid our goodbye and off we went to the 1st landmark in London. Oh ya..we purchased a 1 day underground pass for 5.6Pound

Big Ben!

London Eye!

Thames River

After that, we head to St James Park Station and took a short walk through Buckingham Gate heading to non other than the Buckingham Palace to catch the guard changing ceremony!

Aida asking for direction.

Diana's Memorial

Hello...is the Queen at home?

So many people!!

So so many people!!!!

Yeay! Guards!!!

But, they are not wearing red. :( This is the winter clothing, i think.

Guards chit-chatting

This guard is like an artiste. There's a long line waiting to take photo with him.

Aida's modelling attempt.

My modelling attempt.

Oh..here comes the limo to pick us!

To be continue...

Live Telecast from London

2010-05-09T00:06:00.003+08:00

Note to my videowomen : you are fired! :P

The day things started to go wrong Part 2

2010-05-06T22:26:00.010+08:00

Judy and Laili are the first to see that our trains were not being displayed on schedule. Thus, they went to Eurostar counter to clarify. Without much explanation, the lady there just directs us to another counter. Once there, the ticket officer asked us to go in and said “Oh..you are late..the bus is leaving” we thought we heard her wrong. Bus? What bus? We are supposed to take the train. We sat at the lounge for a while until another personnel came in and ask a bunch of us to follow him. The way they handle everything seems very mysterious. At one point, i felt that we were like immigrants, being snuggled into a country.

We were brought to a BUS. The guy than check our TRAIN tickets and asked us to go in the BUS. We started to speculate. Oh…maybe this BUS will take us to the TRAIN station. So, we sit back, and relax as the bus move.

But then…… there was no train station in sight and as time continues to tick, the bus maneuvered into a highway!! This is getting ridiculous, so, I asked the lady in front of us. “Where are we going?” (so silly right, after ~30mins of the journey only want to ask...if it was the wrong bus, there is no turning back already) The lady replied “Lille”. I gave her a shocked face and she explained “The train to London from Brussels got cancelled. So, they arranged us to Lille, and we will take the train from there”.

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…… so, that is what actually going on. Now we know.

At Lille train station

faking a smile for the the photo's sake

the blue beg contains chocolates ONLY

Finally, the TRAIN arrived

The good thing is, we got promoted to 1st class

Later, once we reach home, Judy managed to checked online.

This is why our train got cancelled.

All i can say is, Alhamdulillah... we were not on the train. ;(

The day things started to go wrong...

2010-05-06T22:00:00.000+08:00

It was Day 13 and we are already at the 12th city. Time sure flies very fast and we questioned ourselves... "Are we ready to go back?" Back to reality. Ending this adventure. ;(

But back home is where we belong. Above all, we need to go back as that's where we work for a living. :P Else, we will end up being beggars on the street.

Anyway, we safely arrived to Brussels Midi Station, with plenty of time still at hand before our train departure, we find a seat and proceed to eat the dinner we bought just now. Suddenly, a guy on a wheelchair approached Aida and starting to say something to her in a foreign language. Is he asking for money? Or he wanted the food that we are having? Unclear of his motives, I think, it’s wiser that we ignore him. If it is not money or food that he wants, he might be humiliated by our act. Unfortunately, that is not a wise move. He suddenly becomes more agitated and started pulling Aida elbow. He grabbed it so tight that Aida cringed. In an instinctive defensive act, I pulled back Aida’s arm away from him and motioned to him to leave us alone. Laili ask us to move quickly as that guy could be a mad guy instead! We stand, about to take our bag, when I suddenly notice that he is getting ready to spit at me! #*@!%#1!^!#^!!!!!!

I turned my head quickly and at the same time can see him spitting! I could sense his spit hitting the back of my scarf.#!%!#%^!^!!!! I was super mad and at the same time super scared! =( That guy is crazy! He is turning aggressive! We managed to grab our bag and leave the place. Then, we saw him turning towards another guy who was sleeping on the bench, and he tried to punch that guy! Super freaking us out! As a last resort, we move away to a place far from his sight. I then went to wash my face and to calm myself down, walk a bit around that area and ending up buying 3 box of Godiva chocolates. Shopping does sooth your heart and soul. :

Well, the mishap doesn’t stop here. As we look up at the train information counter, we can’t find our train number! Our train was suppose to leave at 8.29pm, but the display was already showing the train for 8.30pm onwards! Where is our train?!

To be continue…………………………….

Sweet Tooth in Brussels

2010-05-04T20:20:00.006+08:00

Some Facts:- Brussels operates as a bilingual city where both French and Dutch are official languages. Thus all the streets have two names, which can sound totally different. For example, the Main Square is called both la Grand Place and de Grote Markt. Although officially bilingual, French is undoubtedly Brussels' lingua franca. English is also widely understood, but not always widely spoken. (credit)

That's where our next destination is, Grand Place-Grote Markt, surrounded by the city tower and a range of beautiful 300 year old buildings!!

Charles Buls Fountain

This small entrance lead to 102 shops! No kidding!

Initially we plan to go another chocolate outlet listed in the tourist guide, but who knows, one we reach here, it is very hard for us to leave! Why not, each stores that we go in will offer free chocolate tasting! :P

Oops. Not this one. I think this cuties cost ~1EUR. We shared. :P

Galeries Saint Hubert-Sint Hubertusgalerijen. The world's first shopping mall, opened in 1847, is a light and airy triple-gallery enclosing boutiques, bookshops, cafés, restaurants, and a theater and cinema. (credit)

We got mesmerized seeing the sales girl preparing Strawberry Chocolate or is it Chocolate Strawberry?

Super Duper Yummy! EUR 1.6

Some of the buildings surrounding Grand Place

Memorial to Charles Buls, a Belgian politician and former mayor of the City of Brussels.

A unique statue of a guy sleeping, not so sure the history on this one.

As we walk along the alley towards Mannekin Pis, we were again tempted by this stall.

So, we bought 1!! :P

Right after that, is this alley.

Where the famous Mannekin Pis can be found!

Up close and Personal! Si Budak Kencing.

And it's twins, triplets... etc.... They are all curse to do the same thing. :P

After that, mission is considered accomplished and off we find our way back.

Look! Archie!

We walk to the next station and pass by this imposing statue of King Leopold II on his horse, Royal Palace

Reach Botanique safely. See those guys in the pictures? They are the security checking if people riding the trains have valid tickets. Luckly, we did not try to cheat and bought the tickets, albeit a bit dramatic as being told in the previous post. There is this 1 couple who did not have the tickets and try to escape the security, by running down and ascending elevator! Alas, the got caught!

Dunno what this thing represent. :P

Oh ya. Before getting our bags, we accidentally missed our tram station and get off at an Adidas store. While in there, we asked the owner if there is any Halal shop nearby, and guess what?! The road behind the shop is actually full with Muslim community and a lot of Halal restaurants. If only we know about this sooner! :P

Bought our dinner and off to the train station!

Bye Bye Brussels.

If i stay here longer, i might loose my teeth. :P

Day 13 - Brussels Part1

2010-04-28T21:33:00.011+08:00

OMG....i am such a lame blogger. (-_-") It's been 2months+ and i haven't finish updating!!

Ok Ok...here goes....Brusselssssss......

We reached Brussels at night. Thus, there is this eerie experience that I wanted to share. The direction says we could walk from Botanique Station right to the hostel, and walk we did. The road itself is not isolated as many cars were passing through it. Laili and Aida were walking in front while Judy and I walked a few meters behind them. Suddenly, a van pulls over right next to me and the driver speaks to me in a language I don’t understand. This is the type of van that carries things at the back, not a passenger type of van. Instinctively, I shook my head and continue walking, a little faster. Fortunately, they just drove off. Scary or not? Huhu. (-_-)

Anyway, we reached the hostel safely a few minutes later and this is how our room looks like. It is quite spacious and we spent the night watching Winter Olympic. :P

On the next day, after breakfast, we headed to Atomium. Before that, there is yet another experience at Botanique station again! Apparently, the station does not have a ticket counter and tickets need to be purchased from the auto machine. But the !%!% machine does not accept coins on that day! All it wanted is an auto card, sort of ATM card. We asked for help at the bus station and a guy tried to explain to us something. But we could not understand him as he cannot speak English. In the end, we decided to stand by the machine and identify a good samaritan to help us. Luckily, there's this woman who help us to purchase the tickets using her card. We paid her in cash. Phew. I think the whole fiasco cost us >half hour:(

Here's Atomium. We just loiter outside and take photos. :P

Next, we decided to go to Basilica. But, before that, one of the interesting thing about the metro in Brussels is each station is decorated differently. So, Laili and I stood by the train door and try our best to snap each station's photo before the door closes again. :P

We reached Basilica, but then again, we decided not to go in as we have other important agenda. What is that important agenda? It will be in Part 2. :P As of now, being Day 13 in Brussels, we are tired of taking photos already, hence, the goofy pictures.

When in Brussels

Brussels Never Die

After that, on the way to the train station, we crossed the street and bumped into Godiva and had a sip of Hot Chocolate for EUR3.

Then we take the metro to the station nearest to King Stephen Cathedral.

Stumble across this grand church.

and walk a bit

until we reach Stephen Cathedral. Nice isn't it?

This will be the next gothic cathedral after Duomo in Milan, i guess.

Cak!

So, that's it. The 1st part of Brussels, just walking around, taking photos and goofing around. Our main agenda will be in Part2. Stay tune. :)

Opocot!

2010-04-26T22:28:00.002+08:00