Pearl of the Orient

Pardon me for the lack of updates lately. Despite the hectic schedule & coming home exhausted every evening, I kept telling myself to find time to blog in order to de-stress myself. But somehow I can't seem to push myself to do anything cuz it's as if blogging has become a stressful chore. Lucky thing I've disregard that notion & decided to get the ball rolling again.

This post about my travel up north is long overdue but I definitely would want to document it as part of my life journey. Here it goes...I was still in primary school when I set foot in Penang. I could vaguely remember that the only place my family hung around back then was at Batu Ferringi. Sadly, we didn't travel to town to enjoy the good food that Penang was known for. And back then, Batu Ferringi is pretty much a quiet beach town with nothing much to offer. Perhaps this was the reason why my parents never wanted to return there for another visit.

Fast forward more than 10 years later, here I am in the Pearl of the Orient but this time with a different purpose - a gastronomic feat. The typical food excursion would include the first stop at Ipoh. Knowingly Foh San Restaurant is supposedly popular for its dim sum, we decided to give it a try. I'd have to say it's one of the worse dim sum I've ever eaten in my life. Whoever it said it was good, you seriously have taste bud problems. It was obvious that the restaurant has boomed over the years through recommendations from local & foreign tourists that the food has become the victim of commercialisation. What puzzles me is that people still flock to that restaurant -.-"

After our brief stop, we continued our journey with occasional toilet breaks along the way. Finally, we arrived the Penang bridge. It was Friday therefore it wasn't surprising to see the traffic slowing to a halt at the bridge as cars, trucks, bikes (you name it) enters the island. What's more, road works are in progress. It's like queueing for entry to Singapore. :/

Something caught our eye as our car crawled slowly across the bridge. Some creature with a fairly pink butt with its head bobbing up & down in the truck ahead of us. Guess what? These are PIGS XD. No wonder. That explains the pink, big butt. LOL.

We arrived at Gurney Hotel at 1pm but the room wasn't ready yet as the housekeeper is working on getting everything prim & proper after the previous guest left. While waiting, we headed to the nearest coffee shop along Gurney Drive for lunch. Hoping to try the prawn mee that Penangites rave about, I thought any stall that serves prawn mee would be delicious. I was wrong. The soup was lukewarm, not as steaming hot as it should be. It wasn't fragrant at all; not to mention the prawns turning bad & tasted weird. The noodles were pricey too -.-" I was already tired from the travelling & I had to endure such horrendous food =(. Yuck! I gobbled up whatever is left & thankfully, the hotel receptionist called to inform that our room is ready.

We checked in to our suite which is at the 16th floor (I think...can't remember) & was quite delighted to see a two-bedroom suite with a decent kitchen & a spacious living room. It's a little old but cleanliness is okay. The master bedroom faces the direction of a scenic view, overlooking Gurney Drive. It's quite annoying that the faulty ceiling bulb was not replaced & the air cond in the master bedroom drips occasionally when it de-frost. :/

I didn't take much pictures during this trip cuz I was easily tired from frustration that we got lost countless times. Penang's road system is awesomely confusing & congested. Somehow, we still managed to find our way through but it was a total waste of time & left us starving most of the time. On our first night, we headed to McCalister Road which is situated nearby Sunway Hotel. One peculiar thing about Penang stalls is that different hawkers are allowed to sell similar food. For instance, you can find at least 2 or 3 hawkers selling fried kuay teow.

The next morning, we left after breakfast to Kek Lok Si Temple for sightseeing. I read somewhere in the papers last year that a new monumental size Kuan Yin statue was built at the peak of the hill. We were curious to see the scale of the project. The statue was no doubt tall & huge, visible from the foothill.

Upon reaching the peak, the statue was right in front of our eyes - so magnificently tall & beautiful that it made us looked like dwarfs.

As you can see, the statue is not completed yet. Donations are welcomed from visitors who are generous enough to contribute towards the statue's completion. As a token of goodwill & here's to good health & prosperity to all my loved ones, I contributed a piece of roof tile which costs only RM30. Someday, this piece will be somewhere on the pavilion to shelter the statue. Or perhaps be an object of display if there are enough roof tiles for construction.

More beautiful pictures taken at the temple. =)

It as lunch time when we descended the hill. For convenience, we drove to another coffee shop nearby our hotel which is just next to where I ate that awful prawn noodle. This shop serves tastier food but we felt a little ripped off cuz the bill turned out to be expensive. Supposed most of the shops at Gurney Drive charges pretty high mainly to rake profits off tourists. *sighs*

Not wanting to return so quickly to the hotel after lunch, we went for another temple visit at Temple Road - with two temples facing each other. One Burmese, the other Thai. Both with almost similar beliefs, yet so different.

The Burmese temple has a little machine that upon inserting a 50 cent coin, will allow you to find out about luck in career, love & so forth. It's like tarot reading or palm reading. Tiger year is not so prosperous for everyone but being born in the Tiger sorta makes things worse & complicated, it seems. I've got a rather depressing read about my life. It said...not wise to for career move & someone at work is trying to harm me. My love life/marriage is not hopeful. Geez, I felt so demotivated after reading that. Can't they show me a road that has at least a glimpse of hope?

Since it was our last night at Penang, we thought of having a stroll along the pavement near the beach just like everyone else. While WL's parents stopped half way to listen to one of the singing performance at the coffee shops, we continued to our walk. Little did we realised that me & WL spent approx 15 minutes walking from Gurney Hotel until G Hotel. Thankfully, it was a nice hotel to stop by - a boutique hotel given a 5-star recognition.

Bright, groovy neon lights adorned the reception & cocktail bar at the lobby.

A snapshot of us before another long walk back to our hotel. XD

We left Penang on late Sunday morning. It was close to lunch time & stopping by at Bukit Tambun for seafood was one of our main activity. There are several seafood restaurants at this small village which is built on stilts at the river.

The river is a rich source of income for villagers & restaurant owners to serve exceptionally fresh seafood. Gosh...I'm so used to eating fresh tilapia back home but the ones served at Bukit Tambun was unmatchable. It tasted like it was only caught minutes ago. We also ordered this rather oddly shaped prawns (I've seen it before but I know nothing about its English name) which bear a resemblance of pre-historic sea creatures. Yes, it was indeed ugly & who would want to put those in the mouth. Surprisingly, it was so juicy & sweet just like a fresh tiger prawn. I'd say, it was unbelievably juicier than large prawns that I've eaten previously. The best part is the food was incredibly dirt cheap. Yummy & cheap~

I wouldn't mind purposely going to Bukit Tambun for another round of seafood fiesta in the future. Anyone who's up for it? XD Btw, we spotted this random vehicle carrying loadful of greens (veggies?) on the North-South Highway. So funny...XD

*gasps* Omg, it's a truck full of petai!!!

If only I could fit in

I was crashing the mall yesterday with WL, hopefully getting a pair of sandals or flats that I could casually wear it in the office when I'm not in the mood for stilettos. And so I have found some to my liking but having to fork out RM69.90 for a pair seems like a dumbass when the Mega Sale is going on.

I dragged my sweetheart to the next shoe shop - store after store - just to find that perfect pair but to no avail. Either it's too pricey or there isn't any size I could fit in. Well, maybe there is but the shoes will bound to have a loose space in between my feet which measures up to approximately half inches. Now that's a lot of room!

What can I say...someone who's born with feet slightly shorter than the smallest size 4 will have to go through agonizing experience to find the pair that fits it all. My bony, skinny feet also makes matter worse. Far worse than I ever imagined. =(

My loved ones have told me a couple of times that maybe, someday I'll have to resort to custom-making my shoes sandals or high heels. Does that sound like I'm living a glamorous, picky life by only wearing strappy heels which is meant to fit one person in the world - my feet? Wow, the thought seems so distant & unbelievable. O.O

Kids grow up, toys stays young

After more than 15 years hiatus, Disney & Pixar had decided to pick up one of their earlier works & started working on a new storyboard. Thus, a tale of toys was born! Our familiar good 'ol Toy Story, part 3. Whee!

The Toy Story franchise was among the movies I grew up watching. I could remember my old self literally begging my parents to let me watch it with my sis or friends only cuz they just don't enjoy such animated films. I don't blame them, it's not their cup of tea. Although I have less vivid memories of each scene; the movies were simple, heartfelt & most importantly, honest. It just brings out every childhood's imagination of roleplaying with their toys. At least, I did roleplay with my Barbie dolls XD. It's amazing that the creators can bring out life out of these plastic things that it makes us wonder whether our toys live life after dark.

When it's about marketing, Disney & Pixar always work their magic. The objective was for the benefit of the new generation kids who either knew nothing about Toy Story or weren't even born yet & young adults to relive their childhood memories. And there you have it, a special theatrical release for two weeks only. One ticket, two movies, three-dimensional.

Not only the there was a re-run of the prequels, merchandises were re-released to commemorate the comeback. And there you have it, the more than 10 year old characters capturing the heart of the new group of kids. The merchandises are most likely the upgraded version of the older models in which plus inflation, the toys definitely carry a hefty price tag. Sure bet Disney & toymakers are making big bucks out of these merchandises.

Now to the movie...it was plain awesome! Just another honest storytelling from the creators that made the whole movie truly entertaining. You'll be surprised that majority of the moviegoers were actually adults =D. I'm not gonna reveal much here but I assure you that it's worth every cent you pay for. Toy Story 3 ended in nice way & I doubt that the chances of a 4th movie or whatsoever in the making. Good things always come to an end & while we're at it, we should cherish the meaning behind this movie. After all, every child grows out of their toys when they reach adulthood. It's the way of life...

Minty "condoms"

*gasps* Who left a box of condoms on my table?

I supposed there's no harm taking a closer look & see what's inside, right?

Oh c'mon, it's only a chewing gum. Who am I kidding? LOL. But who would've thought this new Wrigley's chewing gum bear too much resemblance of a contraceptive. The name sounds so...condom-ish. Electro gives me the feeling of ultra-lubricated condoms with ribs for that vibrating feeling. Good gracious!

Speaking of minty "condoms"...=P Was this packaging design intentional?

Hotel toiletries just got cuter

Did it ever cross your mind that hotels would go the extra mile to provide you toiletries like this?

With colourful designs as plastic wrappers as part of the hotel's branding? And at the same time being eco-friendly by using recycled materials to manufacture these items? Wow! That is a whole lot of objectives to meet.

According to a friend of Mum's who travels frequently to Japan, she discovered these cute toiletries in most of the hotels she has stayed before. It's indeed common to have the following on their list:

1. Hair clips of different purpose - one for clipping your bangs & the other to clip up all your hairs

2. Hair brush & comb - for the straight or curly tresses

3. Hair rubber band - for a quick ponytail

4. Razor - to shave your unwanted hair

5. Toothbrush & toothpaste - for that clean, minty breath

And last but not least...

6. Wash ball - to scrub off all the dirt & grime, dead skin cells etc.

Wow, what a feat! I'm so going to Japan... =D

Roadside KFC

In the heart of KL nearby the historical Pudu jail, lies a stretch of hawker stalls in between the streets. Still doesn't ring a bell? The location is a stone's throw away from the popular yong tau fu shoplot that, I believe, most people should know.

At first impression, the hawker stalls street aka Wai Sek Kai didn't seem to be an ideal choice for me & WL's dinner date on a Saturday. No doubt I have pet peeves for less hygienic food premise ie badly lit, dirty tables & chairs, stalls being too near the stinking & severely clogged drains. The occasional sightings of rodents & the territorial system added on to my resentment. When I mentioned territorial, I meant literally being shooed away by the owners for sitting too near the stores without ordering any of their food. Some business sense they've got, huh? -.-"

Despite all that, I'm quite satisfied with the pork noodles that WL claimed to be one of the best. The soup is not oily & less salty to my liking. I wouldn't call it the best cuz pork noodles seemed the same to me. Unless the hor fun is made thin & smooth =).

Of course the one that truly impressed me was the fried chicken. Ta-da!

I know you won't believe this. It tasted exactly like KFC! Yes, you read it right. Kentucky Fried Chicken. Period. And I'd say that the chicken kicks ass big time cuz it's way, way cheaper. WL paid merely RM4.80 for breast meat & another piece near the drumstick. For all I know, the chicken tasted even better some of the KFC outlets that I've patronised. Shame on you, KFC! Go tantalize your taste buds with this Pudu chicken & tell me what you think. Trust me, it's finger linkin' good. Yum~ *drools*

Yeo's Retreat 2010 & 2011

The big day has finally arrived for the team to embark on a journey to Ho Chi Minh, the largest city in Vietnam. Despite the thought of dragging our feet up early in the morning to catch the earliest flight, our sleepy faces & pursed lips couldn't help but curled into eager smiles.

Being the inexperienced traveller, I was unprepared with sufficient luggage space for a 4D3N trip. It didn't occur to me that my family rarely travels around & wouldn't have varying luggage sizes to cater to different needs. Instead of using a huge old Delsey hard case without the telescopic handle, I had to make do with an 18" trolley bag from Shiseido. I stuffed all my necessities & left my bath towel behind cuz the clothes are starting to spill over. This goes to show that sometimes saving a few hundred bucks from buying a new luggage won't do you any good. And I totally forgot about asking my aunt. Bummer! -_-"

Me & WL took the coach from PJ to LCCT, arriving the destination at 7am plus. Our flight is scheduled at 9.05am & we had slightly more than 1 hour before departure. At the departure hall, I couldn't help but took out my camera to take a snapshot of a plane nearby. I felt a gush of excitement as I counted the number of years since the last time I took a flight overseas. Almost 13 years ago...

Not long after that, we were served with meals which were pre-purchased online. I supposed there weren't much variety as most of us are eating similar food. I got nasi lemak + 100ml water while others had nasi briyani.

Approximately 1 1/2 hour later, we landed at Tan Son Nhat Airport - slightly earlier than the scheduled 2 hours flight. I supposed the plane taxi-ing, luggage collection & immigration adds up to the remaining half hour. When the plane slowed down to a halt, most of the passengers stood up immediately & unloaded their luggages off the cabin - standing & waiting impatiently for the air stewardess to open up the exit door. I remained seated & looked on; not wanting to fight my way through & risk getting pushed around. :/

Minutes later, the indoor lights & air-cond was shut off leaving the whole plane warm & stuffy. I was flabbergasted. The Southern RSM seated next to me chuckled, "They do save cost in every possible way, don't they?". I grinned in response. Subsequently, we were provided the luxury to walk through the skybridge connecting both the plane & the terminal. At LCCT, we had to walk on the grounds to the plane. Imagined if it's raining cats & dogs. -.-"

Here we were in between the skybridge, spotting 3 spectacular "metal birds" parked majestically side by side - the proud property of Vietnam Airlines.

The airport is relatively smaller than KLIA but despite the size, it's bustling with activity unlike the quiet halls you see at KLIA.

Here we are, entering the city with barely 15 mins drive from the airport.

Traffic in Ho Chi Minh is total madness! If you think that Malaysians are reckless, wait until you see Vietnamese on the road. Motorcyclists reign supreme there & they don't even stop at zebra crossings to allow pedestrians to cross.

Even the warm temperatures are unbeatable. During April & May, the temperature could reach up to 34 degrees Celsius. If you think KL is hot & sunny, you have yet to experience the worse. At Ho Chi Minh, the sun rises early at 6am - as bright as 7am to 8am in Malaysia although the city is an hour slower. The air gets warm & humid as the hour passes by; to the extend of stuffy & congested - like there's no air to breathe.

Throughout the trip, we had had all sorts of Vietnamese & Chinese dishes alike. Sadly, it wasn't a pleasant experience when it came to food mainly cuz our tour is fairly cheap - hence, the less tasty food we get to indulge in. Here's the good & bad...

Good: Beef noodles

I ordered this at Pho 24 for a quick meal not long after we arrived at the hotel from the airport. Pho 24 is not known for serving the best beef noodles in town but this is considerably good. Apparently the famous one is few blocks down the street but the group who followed us don't consume beef & we were just too tired to walk anyways :/.

Bad: Steamed tilapia fish

This dish was served at the floating restaurant on our first night. The miserable size was meant to feed 6 people. Not only was it insufficient, it was cold & not fresh. Coming all the way to Ho Chi Minh to dine on this dish is total waste of money. This dish obviously tasted so much better back home.

Good: Steamed rice cake

The only dish that is mouth-watering & worth a second serving. It tasted like the usual HK style steamed chee cheung fun which is also made of rice flour except that this cake uses fish sauce instead of soya sauce. In Vietnam, fish sauce is used as a substitute for soya sauce to give a savoury taste to all dishes. Imho, it does taste good but some restaurants served the sauce that has a slight hint of fishy smell. Boo-boo!

Bad: Glutinuous rice cake with dried shrimps

I gagged each time I took a bite on this Vietnamese delicacy. It was a known fact that I dislike eating dried shrimps aka har mai & glutinuous rice cake in general. Oh the horror when the waiter brought a plateful to the table for us cuz it's the worse combination I could ever imagine. Moreover, the dried shrimps were not the small ones that we normally see in Malaysian dishes but these are comparable to the size of a 20 cent coin. It's gummy texture & odd taste crept up all over my tastebuds upon chewing the first bite & trust me, it was a torturous experience to endure. Bleagh!

It was fun travelling overseas with colleagues but it was WL's presence that made the whole trip more safe, warm & meaningful. Although it wasn't our personal trip, it was our first time travelling out of the country. He was no doubt protective of me but he's an awesome bargain hunter. Ask for any price & he can almost persuade the sellers to agree. Honestly, I felt ashamed that being a woman - I'm such a lousy shopper *sighs*. Hmm, we weren't shy to hug each other close while taking pictures. One is not stupid enough to not notice that we're in a relationship. The whole company knows, I supposed. But we still pretend to be oblivious to how much others are well-informed about us. We just couldn't be bothered ;)

On the last day, it was free & easy for those are bound for the last flight home. Not wanting to miss the opportunity, we set foot early in the morning to Ben Tanh Market which is only 10 minutes away from our hotel. We stocked up on souvenirs to bring home - lotus seeds, Vietnamese coffee, almonds, decorations etc. As mentioned earlier, I came with only an 18" luggage which barefly fits all my clothes. Plus the goodies from the night market shopping I did the last two nights, there is no way I can stuff the food & non-food items into my tiny luggage nor WL's cuz his one is full too. In desperate need for a luggage, we ended up buying a Polo Club imitation 20" luggage for only RM40+. Can you imagine that kind of price?? But don't expect much as I'll elaborate on that later. Once back to the hotel, I transferred my clothes & necessities to my new luggage to check in & the 18" to store the souvenirs for carry-in.

There were a couple of hours away before we head to the airport. We decided to drop by Lotteria (finally! =D) for a munch. This is the most popular fast food chain in Vietnam besides KFC. That's right, McD doesn't exist here. The great thing about overseas fast food chain is that it serves non-halal burgers which leads to an array of flavours to choose from. I settled for a Lotteria Combo Meal - beef burger, fries & Pepsi for 55,000 dong. Now that's not cheap nor expensive cuz the burger portion is small, just like Malaysia. The burger does taste yummy for a change. =)

The next few hours were a blurry past of events as we hurried over to the respective departure gate to catch our flight home. Little did we expect that our flight will be delayed for more than hour. It was frustrating & exhausting, yet seeing all the long faces of passengers stuck in the same predicament does worsen my mood. I was starving too cuz the flight was late & I haven't had my meal yet. =(

Alas, we boarded the plane at almost 9.30pm (Vietnam time). I was so relieved. I bid Ho Chi Minh farewell for the last time & fell into a deep slumber.

Upon touchdown at LCCT, I noticed a really groovy AirAsia plane. One of a kind~

It was already 1.30am when I reached home. Gosh, I was so dead tired. The thought of turning up to the office the next day kills me >.<. Anyways, back to the luggage story. When we were waiting to collect our luggage at LCCT, I found out that one side of my luggage stand was broken. I wasn't sure to laugh or cry cuz it was BRAND NEW, for God's sake. Now you know that cheap is not always good. Don't squeeze that penny too much.

The next epic thing is I bought a set of sportswear; more like an attire for tennis that is branded "Adidas" but with the tag "Made in Singapore". Who am I kidding? Only RM20 & the "Adidas" word was misspelt anyways. Epic fail!

For more pictures of the trip, go to my FB profile. You don't expect me uploading all here, do you? XD

Back to home sweet home

Several days after my return from Ho Chi Minh, I'm still feeling the tired bug in me. Every inch in my body screams exhaustion. I wonder why...

I supposed the scorching weather at Vietnam really drained all our fluids dry, leaving us suffering & in desperate need for rehydration. In addition, boarding the last flight home turned out to be a 1 hour delay nightmare. According to the pilot captain, the delay was inevitable due to a storm at Kuching en route to Ho Chi Minh. -_-"

Home is still the best place in the world. I'm still in the midst of transferring the pics & uploading it on my FB. Keep a lookout in my upcoming post.