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Two weeks on from our trip to Kuching and we had not planned on making any videos. My day job demanded all of my time and concentration, so editing videos was the last thing on my mind.
We had recently repainted our condo and wanted a change in our fittings so we took an impromptu drive to Nilai, a small town in the state of Negeri Sembilan about forty five minutes south of Kuala Lumpur.
We arrived at Nilai and made our way to Dataran Nilai (Square) to have lunch at Rumah Makan Dataran. We read about the positive reviews that Restoran Marhaban Bikum received online, and were game to try.
We then scanned the QR code and placed our order for the:
Roasted Chicken with Arabic Rice
Grilled Chicken with White Rice
Sirap (Rose flavoured cordial drink)
Watermelon Lychee Juice
that came to a respectable RM40.00 (approximately USD9/EUR8). Lunch out of the way we drove out of Nilai Square and headed to Nilai 3 Wholesale Centre six kilometres away. Here was a large concentration of large retails stores selling textiles, curtains and related paraphernalia and carpets.
We strolled around for a little while but could not find the appropriate railings for our home. The heat was especially unbearable and dissuaded from exploring this vast network of textiles, curtains, and carpets.
Thus ended our unplanned vlog for this week. We hope to take you on another excursion next week when we visit the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) Fair!
We're leaving Kuching on the Malaysian Airlines flight MH 2545 later at 6:00pm. We woke up and headed out to a laundromat to give our bedsheets and covers a wash as well as have breakfast.
We drove around for a while before eventually settling on myDobi at Queen's Court. Brendan had a debate tournament over the weekend and because of that we extended our Airbnb till Monday. At the same time the Airbnb will be the control centre for his group of debating friends over the weekend hence the need for clean bedsheets and covers.
He is scheduled to fly back to Kuala Lumpur on Monday once the debate tournament is over.
Once our clothes were in the washer we thought of having breakfast at the noodle restaurant Little Skill across the street but it was full. We then wandered around a bit but found nothing of interest and doubled back to Little Skill where a table was free.
We both ordered the Mee Pok Kolo Mee and with a round of drinks our final Sarawakian breakfast came to RM43.95 (approximately USD10/EUR9). We then drove back to the Airbnb where the debate tournament was in full swing. We retired to our room and after some time spent organising our luggage bags we took a shower.
We bade Brendan farewell and drove the rental car to Kuching Airport where good old Awang Amirul was waiting. We handed the car back to him and walked into the airport. We were worried that our luggage bags especially the large red bag of Brendan's would excess our baggage limit. True enough, we were in excess of 8 kilograms and had to pay a hefty sum of RM301.00 for it (approximately USD68/EUR64).
With our flight three hours away we settled down to have drinks at Starbucks. An hour later we walked into the departure hall and made it through Immigration unscathed. We then sat patiently at Gate 4 until we were allowed to board.
Cliched as it sounded but time sure did fly by when we're having fun. We had an actioned pack five days in Kuching, and we were truly sad to leave, taking solace in the fact that we will be back next year for Brendan's convocation ceremony. To commemorate our visit to Kuching we pieced together highlights of our five days into a short montage that we hope you will like in the video attached below.
At around 5:15pm we boarded MH2545 and after a slight delay took off an hour later. The flight was largely uneventful with very little turbulence except for the fact that our landing had to be delayed due to traffic congestion into KLIA (is that even possible?).
Please enjoy snippets from the flight we took in hyper lapse mode in the video attached below.
We were eventually given the go ahead to land and touched down at 8:00pm. After a short time taxiing we were docked and we were then told to collect our luggage bags from Carousel K which was quite a distance away. We were glad to see the shops lining the long, long walkway had come back to life, unlike a year ago when it was all closed and cordoned off.
We picked up our very heavy luggage bags and debating whether to take the ERL train to KL Sentral or hail a six-seater Grab car home. In the end we went with the door-to-door option that the Grab car accorded us.
We got home at half past ten and began the arduous task of unpacking the two mammoth bags while dreaming of our next trip to Kuching! With that we end these series of vlogs on our trip to Kuching.
Please stay tuned as we make plans to explore Kuala Lumpur in the weekends to come and show you the full glory of its public transportation.
It's our penultimate day in Kuching and with nothing planned we walked out of the Airbnb toward a row of shop houses. Brendan decided to sleep in and did not join us on our morning meandering. We wandered for a while before deciding on Thian Fock Cafe.
We've been having Kolo Mee the past few days and for a change ordered two sets of toast bread with half boiled eggs. It took a while for the eggs to be ready and together with drinks our breakfast came to RM16.00 (approximately USD4/EUR3).
We walked back to the Airbnb and I spent the rest of the morning in an office call.
The online meeting ended at half past twelve and we drove out of the Airbnb toward Jalan Satok in search the famous butter cheese cake at Mita Cake House. Alas they were out of stock. We then strolled along the row of shop houses until we reached Jong Hua Kopitiam where we decided to have lunch.
After browsing the various stalls here we settled on:
Sarawak Laksa for RM8.00
Beef Noodles (Kueh Teow) for RM6.00
Chicken Rice (packed for Brendan) for RM9.00
a round of Wheat Grass drink for RM5.10
Cat ordered the Sarawak Laksa while I tried the Beef Noodle (Kueh Teow) and together with a round of drinks our lunch came to RM28.10 (approximately USD/EUR6).
After lunch we drove around and found success with the fabled butter cheese cake at the Mita Cake House in Eastmoore Centre. We then drove back to the Airbnb to begin packing for our flight back to Kuala Lumpur tomorrow evening.
Our car rental guy Awang Amirul called in the evening to explain that he had the rental dates mixed up for the car he gave us. Turned out he had also promised another renter the same car today, so he had to collect the car from us.
In exchange he gave us the use of a Toyota Camry till tomorrow! As nightfall approached we drove the replacement rental car to UNIMAS to pick Ashley up from Cempaka Residential College and take her our to dinner then proceeded to the general area of Aiman Mall.
We were in the mood for western food and wanted to try GBS Hanbāgā but alas it was closed, probably for good. Brendan then suggested we try Unihaus instead.
We got to Unihaus and got ourselves seated, but quickly moved to a bigger table when the opportunity arose. After browsing their menu we settled on:
Beef Cheezy Fries
Chicken Chop
Lamb Chop
Nasi Goreng Daging (Beef Fried Rice)
Nasi Goreng Seafood
Green Ice Tea
Iced Teh C Special
2 glasses of Ribena Sprite Longan
that came to RM76.00 (approximately USD17/EUR16). We enjoyed our time at Unihaus as we got to know Ashley a little better, and after an hour we drove Ashley back to Cempaka Residential College before heading back to the Airbnb.
Brendan enrolled in University of Malaysia, Sarawak (UNIMAS) in September 2019 to pursue his Bachelor Of Arts In English For Global Communication (With Honours). It was then that we began acquainting ourselves with this little known suburb of Kuching, though it is a district in its own right.
Brendan was assigned Cempaka Residential College as his dorm and in his first week of enrolment during the Minggu Aluan Pelajar (or students' welcoming week?) together with two other students brought glory to the college when they won the inter-college English debating tournament.
Brendan then came back for his semester break in March 2020, which was when the pandemic hit, and for the next four semesters or two years he attending lectures remotely from our home in Kuala Lumpur.
Last November he was asked to come back to attend face to face classes. Alas Cempaka Residential College turned their backs on him and did not offer him a room. We know for a fact that cronyism is practiced but will not say anything further on the matter.
We had no other choice but to put him up at the paid Dahlia Residential College for the remainder of his seventh semester.
A few days ago was his last day at Dahlia College, which was why we flew to Kuching. Apart from his convocation next year this would be among the last times that we will be visiting UNIMAS.
Despite the ungracious experience with Cempaka College Brendan still had far more fond memories of this place, which is why we decided to take a drive around most parts of UNIMAS as well as take a walk along his most frequented places here.
We hope you will enjoy the video, whether or not you are or were a student of UNIMAS.
During our previous trip here we drove to Bako and chanced upon an interesting riverside seafood restaurant. It was however closed at the time, so this time around we made it a point to visit Muara Tebas Seafood for lunch.
Described as "a little gem of a place that only the knowledgeable few know about" we were eager to have lunch at a restaurant on stilts by the Kuching River.
So we began our drive at ten in the morning but went in search of a padlock for Brendan's luggage bag that was to be shipped back to Kuala Lumpur. That out of the way we then drove to a shipping company called Nizaf Movers over at Jalan Keruing.
We got there and found out that they only catered to bulk shipping and a flat fee of RM250 was charge regardless of number of items or weight, so long as it fit a 'pallet'. Undeterred we decided to postpone our search for a reasonable shipping company and continued on with our drive in the general direction of Bako.
Half an hour later we arrived at Muara Tebas Seafood and were immediately approached by a local gangster asking that we pay him RM5.00 for the privilege of parking at the restaurant. Rather than attract unnecessary attention we quietly paid the thug.
We walked into the restaurant and were immediately taken in with the view of the Sarawak River. We perused the menu and settled on the:
Deep Fried Ikan Mancung (Indian Threadfin)
Cangkuk Manis (Sweet Leaves?)
Deer Meat in Soy Sauce
Chicken in Soy Sauce
Oyster Omelette
Plain Omelette
3 servings of Rice
Several rounds of drinks
Our riverside seafood feast came to RM172.80 (approximately USD39/EUR37) which was a little pricey but the novelty fish alone was RM70.00 (approximately USD16/EUR15) so it was to be expected.
Lunch of the way we then decided to settle the shipment of Brendan's large luggage bag.
At Nizaf Movers we were told to try Microlink Express that catered to individual item shipping. We keyed in the name of the company into Waze that suggested the company TJ Pacific so off we went. A half an hour later we arrived at TJ PAcific which appeared closed.
We then tried the second alternative, CTSI that Waze interpreted as K.C Logistics. We arrived have an hour later and were thankful that they accepted Brendan's single luggage bag, we were told that we were only expected to make payment once the bag arrives in Kuala Lumpur.
The rate was quoted at RM5.50 per kilogram and since Brendan's luggage bag weighed 20.25 kilograms the estimated cost would be RM111.40 which was less than half of what Nizaf would have had to charge us.
Mission accomplished we drove back to the Airbnb where I spent the afternoon organising and editing the footage from the last few days.
We emerged in the evening and went on a leisurely drive to UNIMAS. Once there we switched from hyperlapse to normal mode and dropped Brendan off at his old college (Cempaka) before continuing our drive around most parts of UNIMAS before parking at the Student Pavilion to talk a stroll along the bridge of love or Jambatan Cinta.
We then drove to Siang Siang Corner for dinner. This was the first food court that we had ever been to the first time we came to Kota Samarahan in September 2019. It was only fitting that our last time in Kota Samarahan would be spent here as well.
Time has not been kind to Siang Siang, with only a handful of stalls still operating. Cat ordered the Fried Beehoon (what else) while I settled on the Rice with Fried Chicken and shared two set of chicken wings. Together with drinks our dinner came to RM26.60 (approximately USD/EUR6). We then drove back to the Airbnb.
Tomorrow would be our penultimate day in Kuching, and with nothing planned we will be playing it by ear.
Today is the day we visit the Sarawak Cultural Village (SCV). We tried to book tickets to the SCV during our previous trip to Kuching to no avail. This time around we booked the 1 Day Admission with Lunch for RM117.00 each a month beforehand.
We were especially eager to watch their Cultural Show where "the Sarawak Cultural Village’s award-winning dancers and musicians present their famous multi-cultural performances. Spectacular costumes and elegant dance routines provide an entertaining and enjoyable introduction to Sarawak’s ethnic groups and their cultures".
We were hoping to catch the cultural performance morning show at 11:30am.
We awoke at seven in the morning and had breakfast just outside the Airbnb before starting our drive at half past eight in the general direction of Mount Santubong. Forty-five minutes later we arrived at SCV and parked out rental car at the designated lot.
We produced our proof of payment to the counter and were issued three tickets as well as stickers to affix on our person. We had to pinch ourselves since SCV has been at the top of our bucket list for a very long time.
We began our walkabout with a visit to the Rumah Cina (Chinese House) then the Rumah Melayu (Malay House). With each passing House we noticed that it got bigger and grander, starting with the Melanau House, then the Orang Ulu House, followed by the Bidayuh House and finally the Iban House.
We hoped that our footage did justice to these magnificent houses.
We reached the entrance where I asked for a fresh sticker since the one affixed to my T-shirt had dropped off. We then strolled over to the Budaya Restaurant to have a breather and wait for the Cultural Show to begin. The doors to the Theatre opened at 11:15am and we entered with excitement.
The show was everything it was hyped to be, and we could not recommend it highly enough to everyone. So as not to take anything away from the show we only provided snippets of the various dances and performances. We insist that you attend the show in person!
The ticket prices are:
1 Day Admission at RM85 per adult (approximately USD19/EUR18) and RM55.00 per child between the ages of 2 – 12 (approximately USD/EUR12)
1 Day Admission with Lunch at RM117 per adult (approximately USD26/EUR25) and RM80.00 per child between the ages of 2 – 12 (approximately USD18/EUR17)
We opted for the 1 day admission with lunch and did not regret it, since we were served with:
Steamed Rice
Manok Pansoh (Chicken cooked in Bamboo)
Ikan Asam Pedas (Fish cooked with Golden Brinjal)
Bandong Tutok (Squashed Tapioca leaves)
Labu Masak Lemak (Pumpkin cooked with Coconut Milk)
Paku Belacan (Wild Fern cooked with Prawn Paste)
Beverages of Sirap Selasih (Basil Syrup)
Local Fruits (Honey Dew)
We enjoyed our exotic local lunch immensely and highly recommend that you opt for the 1 Day Admission with Lunch if you do decide to visit SCV.
We walked back to the rental car and drove back to the Airbnb. We spent the rest of the day indoors and briefly walked out to get dinner off camera. We will be busy tomorrow as we attempt to look for the cheapest way possible to ship Brendan's belonging back to Kuala Lumpur.
We woke up and after a shower headed out to the Kenyalang Food Centre for breakfast. Brendan was tired out from his debate tournament of the past few days and declined our invitation.
Not many stalls were open this morning at the food court here, but we were glad that the noodle stall was in business. I tried the 'black' Kolo Mee while Cat tried the 'white' Kolo Mee. Together with a round of drinks our first Sarawakian breakfast came to only RM11.50 (approximately USD3/EUR2) with the Kolo Mee only costing us RM4.00 each (approximately USD/EUR1).
We then took a stroll along the Kenyalang Park Market taking in the sights and sounds before dropping by an Everwin Supermarket for some provisions. We walked back to the Airbnb where I spent the morning in an office call.
We emerged at lunchtime and took a drive to UNIMAS where we dropped off some souvenirs with Brendan's favourite lecturers. We then headed to Dahlia College to collect a shoe horn and then made our way to Aiman Mall where we sent the rental car for a wash while we headed over to Makansari Street Food for lunch.
We browsed for a bit and settled on the following Dayak dishes:
Pork Curry with Rice for RM10.00
Crispy Pork for RM12.00
Mixed Pork Soup for RM12.00
Cangkuk Manis (Sweet Leaf) for RM12.00
2 servings of Rice for RM1.00 each
3 glasses of Special Iced Milked Tea for RM3.50 each
Our delectable Dayak lunch came to RM59.50 (approximately USD/EUR13). We then walked back to the car wash and drove our rental car back to the Airbnb, where I spent the afternoon on another office call.
We re-emerged at six in the evening and hailed a Grab car for a fare of RM10.00 (approximately USD/EUR2) to Kuching Waterfront where we hoped to catch a river cruise. Alas we narrowly missed it and will have to come again some other day since it only runs once a day at 5:30pm.
Unfazed, we started an impromptu walkabout along the Kuching River until we reached the Burger Station where we hailed another Grab car for a fare of RM18.00 (approximately USD/EUR4) to our dinner destination.
Twenty minutes later we arrived at Langkau Arau Rumah Asap Dayak Stutong, a mouthful we know. Basically its yet another smokehouse (together with seafood are our kryptonite). With no idea what to order we started ordering and before we know it we ended up with:
Fried Cangkuk Manis (Sweet Leaf) for RM12.00
Medium Barbecue Set for RM28.00
Butter Pork Rice for RM9.00
3 Lemon Wheat Grass for RM11.50
Grilled Crispy Pork for RM25.00
an unknown Nasi Goreng for RM11.50
3 Coca Cola for RM7.50
Our smoking supper came to RM104.50 which was a little pricey but with the rising prices of pork was to be expected. We may stick to seafood in the future?
We then hailed a Grab car for a fare of RM8.00 (approximately USD/EUR2) and hoped to have an early night since we will be headed north in search of a cultural village tomorrow morning!
Brendan enrolled in University of Malaysia, Sarawak (UNIMAS) in September 2019. Pursuing his Bachelor Of Arts In English For Global Communication (With Honours) he recently concluded his seventh and penultimate semester.
The 19th of February was his last day at his residential college in UNIMAS and he will be coming back home to serve his internship at an agency in Kuala Lumpur. With this in mind we made plans to come to Kuching.
We woke up at half past five and were out the door a quarter past six in the morning. We hailed a 6-seater Grab car for a fare of RM16.00 (approximately USD4/EUR3) to KL Sentral and from there rode the ERL for a fare of RM55.00 each (approximately USD/EUR12) to KLIA.
We arrived at half past seven and rode an elevator up to the departure hall. Here we checked in our luggage and collected our boarding passes before going in search of breakfast.
We initially thought of the "Noodles" stall but Cat eyed a Taco Bell nearby and we went there instead. I ordered a Quesadilla with a side of Fries while Cat had the Shredded Chicken Nacho set that came to RM46.20 (approximately USD/EUR10).
We spent the next hour here people-watching and with two hours till our flight departed we strolled into the domestic departure gates. We were catching the MH2520 from Gate B10 that would take off close to eleven in the morning.
We spent another hour or so people-watching at the boarding gate waiting area and boarded at a quarter to eleven. The flight took off at twenty past eleven and we spent the next hour in the half in the air experiencing some turbulence over the South China Sea.
MH2520 landed at a quarter to one in the afternoon. We got past Customs & Immigration then collected our luggage from Carousel D and walked out of Kuching Airport where our regular car rental guy Awang Amirul was waiting. He offers very attractive rates and you can reach out to him here at https://bit.ly/3IlMUIA
He handed over the keys to the blue Perodua Bezza to us and after fixing the DJI Action 3's mount onto the windscreen made our way to UNIMAS.
We arrived at Dahlia College half an hour later. Brendan was waiting for us and after a round of hugs & kisses started loading his belongings into the car. We then headed to our Airbnb in the Kenyalang Park area of Kuching. We plan to review this home once we get permission from its owner.
After a quick shower we headed back to Dahlia College to collect the remaining belongings. We then drove to Aiman Mall to run a few errands and since I was a little hungry we stopped by a cafe for a drink.
We then drove back to UNIMAS but this time to Cempaka College to pick up Brendan's (ahem) friend Ashley. We then headed to the Premier Food Republic, a food court in Tabuan Jaya. It was a large and sprawling food court and after much browsing:
I had the Bak Kut Teh for RM11.00
Cat had the Laksa Sarawak for RM8.00
Brendan had the Minced Pork Noodles for RM8.00
Ashley had the Beef Noodles for RM8.00
and a round of drinks for RM11.20
Our first Sarawakian dinner came to RM46.20 (approximately USD/EUR10) which was exactly what we spent for our breakfast at Taco Bell in KLIA!
After dinner we sent Ashley back to Cempaka College before returning to our Airbnb in Kenyalang Park to retire for the night.
Apart from an office call tomorrow morning we had nothing planned, so please stay tuned!
Ever since our Penang trip I've been meaning to seek chiropractic help, but didn't get round to doing it till recently. Off camera I went to Nova Chiropractic on Monday, and after consulting with Dr Chin was sent to get an X-Ray taken of my lower back and neck from Sunway Medical Centre Velocity.
We went back on Wednesday (again off camera) and he confirmed that a slipped disc of the L4 & L5 had indeed occurred. He then administered adjustments to my lower back and neck which provided immediate relief and increased mobility.
My third appointment was at ten in the morning so we left our condo bright and early to hop on a Rapid KL Bus #300 for a fare of only RM1.00 (approximately USD/EUR0.20) to Corus Hotel. We walked across the overhead pedestrian bridge and stopped by a diminutive Mamak stall for breakfast. We each had a packet of Nasi Lemak and Cat had Iced Milk Tea while I had a hot Nescafe Tarik that came to only RM9.20 (approximately USD/EUR2).
We then walked over to Wisma MCA and into Nova Chiropractic and found Dr Chin waiting for us. I underwent further adjustments to the lower back and neck. Dr Chin was pleased with my progressed and hoped to see me often in the weeks to come.
Seeing as I would be coming often we decided to sign up for the package that offered a ten percent discount for ten sessions.
We then set our next appointment and walked out onto Jalan Ampang headed to Suria KLCC. Cat wanted to look for a blouse she liked at Marks & Spencer, a blouse she bought at their Gurney Paragon Mall during our recent Penang trip. Alas she could not find the blouse she liked.
We then hopped on a free GOKL Green Line bus to Bukit Bintang where we got off and walked to Lot 10. After a quick pitstop at their washroom which cost RM0.50 (approximately USD/EUR0.10) we took a couple of escalators down to the Hutong Food Court. We browsed for a bit and settle on the Penang Famous Fried Koay Teow stall where we ordered the:
Curry Mee (Yellow Noodles)
Duck Egg Fried Kueh Teow
2 cups of Iced Herbal Tea
Unfortunately our lunch attracted service tax and came to RM42.60 (approximately USD10/EUR9). We then walked over to the bakery on the same floor and got ourselves a bagful of pastries for RM39.30 (approximately USD9/EUR8), and our dinner was sorted.
We then walked out of Lot 10 and walked across Jalan Bukit Bintang's mini version of the Shibuya crossing toward the bus stop. After a little wait we caught the free GOKL Blue Line bus to our customarily bus stop along Jalan Munshi Abdullah.
We have nothing planned next week and look forward to our flight to Kuching the following Monday!
Federal Territory Day is an annual regional celebration that is observed on February 1 in Malaysia to mark the anniversary of the formation of the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur in 1974. Kuala Lumpur, the much newer Putrajaya, and Labuan are the three federal territories of Malaysia.
It is a public in Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan while everywhere else is a normal working day. We took the opportunity to visit a friend who had moved his eatery.
Dipendra and Rabitha were running Hamro Nepali Restaurant over at Medan Pasar, and after a while could not cope with the rising rental. We kept in touch and after a period of inactivity they were finally able to re-open their eatery under the name Mechimakali Restaurant.
We made it a point to visit them first chance we got and today was the perfect opportunity. We left our condo late morning and began our walkabout along Jalan Munshi Abdullah headed south. We then continued onto Jalan Melaka until the Masjid Jamek LRT station before walking across Jalan Tun Perak onto Jalan Benteng.
We continued southwest and paid the Old Market Square Clock Tower where Dipendra's old restaurant was situated before continuing across Jalan Tun Tan Siew Sin. We turned left onto Jalan Tun H S Lee and arrived at Mechimakali Restaurant.
We met up with Dipendra and Rabitha, and after a short chit chat we ordered the:
Chicken Kanna set for RM20.00
Lamb Kanna set for RM25.00
A set of Momo (dumplings) for RM15.00
Coca Cola for RM3.00
that came to RM63.00 (approximately USD15/EUR14) which in our minds was a little expensive but accepted that novelty cuisines come at a premium.
We bade Dipendra and Rabitha all the best with their new eatery and continued our walkabout towards Jalan Tun Tan Siew Sin and across Jalan Yap Ah Loy before turning right onto Lebuh Pudu. We then continued on along and turned left onto Jalan Petaling.
We walked across Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lok and past the Chinatown entrance archway. The last time we came here it was very quiet unlike today, where it was hustling and bustling. we walked to the end of Jalan Petaling then turned right onto Jalan Sultan then right onto Jalan Hang Kasturi.
We walked across and rode the escalator up to the Pasar Seni LRT Station and caught a Kelana Jaya LRT to Wangsa Maju. Do enjoy the hyper lapse footage of the journey in the video below.
We disembarked at the Wangsa Maju LRT Station for a fare of RM3.20 (approximately USD/EUR0.70) and walked across the overhead pedestrian bridge where we caught a Rapid KL Bus #250 to Sogo Kuala Lumpur. Please enjoy the hyper lapse footage of this journey as well in the video below.
We eventually got off at SOGO Kuala Lumpur for a fare of RM1.70 (approximately USD/EUR0.40) and walked back towards our condo. However we had some errands to run so we continued along across Jalan Munshi Abdullah to LuLu Hypermarket where we got a loaf of bread.
We then doubled back across Jalan Munshi Abdullah, and I stopped by the Murukku stall where I got several packets of nuts for RM10.00 each (approximately USD/EUR2) while Cat continued on to Haniffa Department Store where to get a can of butane gas lighter refill. We then headed home, content with the fact that we managed to meet our daily quota of 7,000 steps
We have nothing planned this weekend, so we next videos will probably be centred around our trip to Kuching. Please stay tuned!
All good things must come to an end, and we woke up bright and early to pack our bags. We checked out of the Airbnb at half past nine looking to end our Melaka trip where we started it at Odeon Western Food but as expected it was closed for Chinese New Year.
We then drove a few kilometers to the original Warong Baba Low Café at Tengkera but the place was full. We then drove on and tried Baba Charlie Cafe a short distance away as well but it too was full. We then decided to have breakfast at Lao Gan Bang Kopitiam at the opposite end of the row of shop houses.
I had the a packet of Nasi Lemak while Cat had her customary Fried Beehoon (Rice Vermicelli), and together with drinks our breakfast was only RM10.00 (approximately USD/EUR2). I loved the packet of Nasi Lemak so much that I took away another six packets at RM2.00 each (approximately USD0.50/EUR0.40).
After breakfast we walked back to Baba Charlie Café and got ourselves RM63.00 (approximately USD15/EUR14) worth of Nyonya sweet cakes.
We then set off on our drive back to Kuala Lumpur.
Like what we did for our Penang trip, to commemorate our stay in Melaka we pieced together highlights of our five days into a short montage that we hope you will like.
The drive was uneventful, so be sure to catch our previous vlog dedicated entirely to this relatively calm three hour drive.
We reached home at half past one in the afternoon, and began unpacking. With that we end these series of vlogs on our trip to Melaka. Please stay tuned as we make plans to visit Brendan in a month's time at Kuching!
We ultimately began our drive back to Kuala Lumpur after we left Baba Charlie Café.
After leaving the Air Keroh Toll Plaza we drove for about an hour before exiting the North South Expressway at the KLIA turnoff. We then continued along the ELITE Highway and made a pitstop at the Dengkit Rest & Recreation area. We then refueled Puteh at the Petronas station a short distance away and continued our drive.
We exited the ELITE Highway at the Putrajaya turnoff and entered the Maju Expressway bound for Kuala Lumpur.
This video will showcase the entire three hour drive shot in timelapse mode and condensed into twenty minutes.
Our penultimate day in Melaka and we finally managed to wake up early. We got ready and left the Airbnb at five to nine and hailed a Grab car for a fare of RM11.00 (approximately USD3/EUR2) to the Melaka River Cruise ticketing office.
Although it was supposed to be in business at 9:00am but the rain meant that they erred on the side of caution and temporarily suspended operations until the weather improved.
Unperturbed we took a walk along the river and across the Tan Kim Seng Bridge to San Shu Gong to get several bottles of Kaya (Coconut Jam) as well as a few packets of White Coffee as souvenirs for our neighbours. Our little spree came to RM52.70 (approximately USD12/EUR11).
We then left San Shu Gong and proceeded northeast along Lorong Hang Jebat to see if our favourite breakfast spot was open. Alas Lung Ann Refreshments was still closed since it was only the third day of Chinese New Year after all.
We then headed back to San Shu Gong and walked up a flight of stairs to have breakfast at their mezzanine floor, but they only served drinks. We then walked across headed southwest along Lorong Hang Jebat in search of an alternative breakfast venue.
We then chanced upon GravyBaby, walked in and were enticed by the riverside seating at the far end of the restaurant. We got ourselves seated at a couple's table and perused the menu before settling on:
The Big English Breakfast
The San Francisco
Hot Latte
Hot Ginger Lemon Tea
Our riverside breakfast came to RM114.85 (approximately USD27/EUR25) which by our standards was quite steep. We consoled ourselves with the fact that it was a special occasion, we paid a premium for the riverside seats and we would probably skip lunch!
An hour later we emerged from GravyBaby and thought we would take a second stab at the River Cruise. We were in luck since the boat services had resumed and we gladly bought our tickets from the ticketing office for RM25.00 each (approximately USD6/EUR5). Please be informed that it will cost non-Malaysians a little extra, that is RM35.00 each (approximately USD/EUR8).
After a half an hour's wait we boarded the boat! We took a timelapse video of the entire boat ride that we hope you will find interesting.
We disembarked at the Hard Rock Cafe Jetty and walked across the Tan Kim Seng Bridge and then across Jalan Laksamana. We then took a seat under one of the trees in front the Dutch Square and indulged in some people-watching as we waited for a bus.
We caught the Panorama Melaka bus No. 17 at Muzium Belia bus stop and for a fare of RM1.50 (USD0.40/EUR0.30) took us past Dataran Pahlawan then to Ujong Pasir before doubling back and depositing at the bus stop in front of Taman Hilir Kota.
We walked approximately 650 meters to the Airbnb where we stopped by the mini mart to get more bottled water. We got back to our apartment and pondered our dinner plans, since we would be skipping lunch after the extremely hearty breakfast at GravyBaby.
We skipped lunch as planned and emerged from the Airbnb in the evening for dinner. Not wishing to go very far we walked across Jalan Syed Abdul Aziz, checking out both Palsaik Korean BBQ as well as Wok & Pan but the long queues dissuaded us.
We eventually settled on Kook Thai and after a quick scan of the menu settled on:
Grilled Pork (Moo Ping)
Minced Pork Omelette
Seafood Tomyam
2 servings of White Rice
together with a round of drinks came to RM70.70 (approximately USD17/EUR15). After dinner we walked back across Jalan Syed Abdul Aziz and back to the Airbnb.
We will be going back to Kuala Lumpur, and to be honest we miss our home terribly!
A day after Chinese New Year and we wanted to go on a cruise along the Melaka river. Alas we woke up at close to 10:00am and by the time we left the Airbnb it was past 11:00am.
We walked out of Imperio Residence to catch a Panorama Melaka to Jonker Street in front of the flats at Taman Hilir Kota 1. It duly arrived and for a fare of RM1.50 (approximately USD/EUR0.30) each the bus took us to Jalan Kubu.
We disembarked and were greeted by the Jonker Walk archway. We strolled along Jalan Tokong before turning left onto Jalan Portugis headed north until we reached Xiang Ji Satay House.
It was a day after Chinese New Year, and they were swamped with take-out orders, so we were lucky to arrive before orders were closed. This place is a favourite of Brendan's so we will be sure to bring him here during our next trip to Melaka.
We ordered 30 sticks of satay with a serving of Nasi Himpit (rice cubes?) together a round of Coca Cola for RM45.00 (approximately USD11/EUR10).
We then resumed our walkabout headed back south along Jalan Portugis before turning left onto Jalan Tokong. We then turned left onto Jalan Hang Kasturi before darting into an alley where the Melaka Street Art (The Well) was situated.
At the end of the alley we emerged onto Jalan Kampung Pantai and we darted into another alley that took us directly to the riverside. We then walked across the Kampung Jawa Bridge and turned left but alas the café Sin See Tai was closed.
We continued our walkabout onto Jalan Bunga Raya headed south then walked over to Jalan Laksamana. Here we continued walking southwest until we arrived at Dutch Square or Red Square. Here was the Melaka Clock Tower, The Stadthuys, Queen Victoria's Fountain and Christ Church.
We then continued our walkabout along Jalan Kota right up to its end before arriving at the most popular landmark in Melaka, the A' Famosa.
The weather was hot, so we dashed into Dataran Pahlawan's north entrance before exiting its south entrance. We then walked into Starbucks and spent the next half an hour cooling down while enjoying some beverages.
We then walked back into Dataran Pahlawan all the way to its east entrance where we hailed a Grab car for a fare of RM9.00 (approximately USD/EUR2) back to the Airbnb.
We spent the afternoon indoors and a thunderstorm rolled in. Later in the evening we tried to hail Grab car to Alai, to no avail so we hopped in Puteh and went on a leisurely drive east along Jalan Padang Temu onto Jalan Permatang Pasir to Alai where we planned to have an early dinner at Haji Nasir Ikan Bakar.
A favourite grilled fish restaurant of ours, we've been coming here since way back when for its picturesque settings and the delicious food, of course.
However outdoor dining was not permitted due to the unpredictability of the weather so that put paid our intentions of capturing the sunset. We browsed the various fresh seafood items on offer before settling on:
Grilled Siakap (Asian Sea Bass)
Prawns in Sambal Sauce
Fried Flour-Dipped Calamari
Salted Kailan (Chinese Broccoli)
together with a round of drinks came to RM65.00 (approximately USD15/EUR14). Not our first, never our last time to Haji Nasir's Grilled Fish restaurant, we would recommend them to anyone looking for a picturesque dining experience with reasonably priced seafood.
We then hopped back into Puteh and made our way back to the Airbnb. We are firm in our resolve to catch a river cruise tomorrow morning, so please stay tuned!
It's Chinese New Year, and at the stroke of midnight a myriad of fireworks erupted everywhere in Melaka town. From our Airbnb we had a quite spectacular view of the pyrotechnics.
With nothing planned we slept in since it rained the whole morning anyway.
I woke up at 9:00am and began working on the videos from the past few days. We eventually left the Airbnb at 11:00am and hailed a Grab car for a fare of RM9.00 (approximately USD/EUR2) to Waronk Melaka. We hoped to have brunch there only to find it closed. In hindsight we should have checked with Google first, for we would have found out it only opens at 12:00pm.
We then began an impromptu walkabout along the Melaka River before arriving Arang Cafe. We took our seats but soon experience another denial of service (DOS), and so we walked away. "You cannot sit here" are not words any customer wants to hear. The sheer petulance was stunning, and we pray that the bespectacled waitress be more courteous in the future.
We went in search of brunch and settled on Nasi Kandar Ali Akbar. We both had the Nasi Kandar, I tried the Fried Chicken while Cat had the Curry Chicken. Together with a round of drinks (and a banana) our brunch came to RM34.50 (approximately USD8/EUR7).
Our perut (bellies) sorted we continued with our walk along the river and soon arrived at The Shore. The elastic of Cat's socks wore out and it sagged badly so we headed into The Shore Shopping Gallery. We found a suitable replacement and Cat was soon walking comfortably again.
We then took a walk along Lorong Bendahara past the old Ramada Plaza Hotel and waited for a Panorama Melaka Bus in front of Hotel Orkid. A #17 bus soon arrived but did not stop for us. The traffic along Jalan Bendahara headed to the Red Square was getting gnarlier by the minute so we decided to take another impromptu walkabout.
We turned left onto Jalan Munshi Abdullah past the old Emperor Hotel before eventually arriving at the Old Well of the Chinese Princess Hang Li Po that for some strange reason is now called Sultan's Well. We explored the well and the neighbouring Poh San Teng Temple before hailing a Grab car to take us back to the Airbnb.
Alas no drivers were available so we continued walking along Jalan Munshi Abdullah and trying the Grab app again. After several attempts we finally managed to hail a Grab car for a fare of RM9.00 (approximately USD/EUR2).
At the Airbnb we began reading news reports of heavy traffic in and around Melaka so we decided to stay in, weighing our options of walking out to dinner or ordering in with the Grabfood app.
In the end we decided to walk across the street to Amigo Steak & Grill. Another favourite of ours, we scanned their QR code and quickly placed our order for:
Fish & Chips
Mushroom Chicken
Extra Large Honey Dew Juice with Milk
Extra Large Carrot Juice
that came to RM72.95 (approximately USD17/EUR16). We enjoyed our dinner immensely but made a mental note to share the extra-large fruit juice the next time we're here. We then walked back across the street and back to the Airbnb.
Weather permitting we might catch a river cruise tomorrow morning, so please stay tuned!
Eve of Chinese New Year and we slept in. We emerged from our Airbnb late morning and decided to take a random drive. We eventually found ourselves along Jalan Hang Tuah and thought that we would give Nasi Lemak Royale Kedah a try.
Cat tried the Nasi Royale (yellow coloured rice) with regular Fried Chicken while I tried the same rice with Honey Fried Chicken. Together with a round of drinks our brunch came to RM22.70 (approximately USD/EUR5).
I had bought a pair of shorts the previous day and was looking for a tailor to do some minor repairs so we spent the next hour or so driving around. Alas, we could not find a tailor with it being Chinese New Year Eve and all.
We spent the entire afternoon at the Airbnb while I worked on the videos of the past day or so. So as evening came we hailed a Grab car for a fare of RM14.00 (approximately USD/EUR3) to Kocik Heritage for our Sa Cap Meh (Chinese New Year eve) dinner.
Our reservation was at 6:00pm and since we were half an hour early we decided on an impromptu walkabout along Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock. We walked northwest to its end before making a loop around onto Jalan Kubu then onto Jalan Hang Jebat and into Jonker Walk.
We took in the sights of this very familiar stretch of road and walked along headed southeast for a few hundred meters making a right onto Jalan Hang Lekir then another back onto Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock and back to Kocik Heritage, which was by this time open for business.
Our dinner here was a sumptuous affair which deserved a vlog of its own so do check it out!
After dinner we continued with our impromptu and headed back along Jalan Hang Lekir before turning right back onto Jalan Hang Jebat into the very heart of Jonker Walk. With the aid of the DJI Extension Rod we were able to hoist our camera above the heads of the revellers that hat flocked the Night Market thus having an unimpeded view.
We walked along Jalan Hang Jebat headed southeast to its very end past the Melaka Zero Mile roundabout before continuing onto Jalan Kota. We were glad to see the plentiful and elaborately decorated rickshaws doing rip-roaring business and marvelled at its sight (and sound).
We continued along Jalan Kota headed south and made it to Dataran Pahlawan. Here we walked into a Brand's Outlet store to look at some T-shirts that had caught Cat's eye yesterday. We walked away with a pair of couple's T-shirt because that is how we roll, so please don't judge!
We could not resist the three T-shirts for RM55 (approximately USD13/EUR12) offer, so with our mini shopping spree done we hailed a Grab car for a fare of only RM6.00 (approximately USD/EUR1.30) back to the Airbnb.
As midnight approached the window of our Airbnb erupted with the sight of numerous fireworks being set off, a sight that we will share in our next vlog.
We had made reservations to have our Chinese New Year Eve (the Hokkiens call it Sa Cap Meh or 'Thirtieth Night') dinner at Kocik Heritage Nyonya Restaurant along Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock somewhere near Jonker Walk. Knowing that it was perhaps the busiest night of the year we booked well in advance.
A very long time ago Kocik Kitchen used to be our mainstay for Nyonya Cuisine at the Jonker Street area. Then it closed down and we had to look elsewhere.
During my work posting to Melaka we often stayed at the Ramada Plaza Hotel and always enjoyed the Nyonya restaurant Manis J nearby. Then the pandemic hit and Manis J found could not cope, culminating in its eventual demise last year.
We kept in touch with its proprietress Jennifer (the "J" in Manis J we guess?) and found out that her family had recently acquired the old Kocik Kitchen and rebranded it as Kocik Heritage Nyonya Restaurant.
So as evening came we hailed a Grab car to Kocik Heritage for our Sa Cap Meh (Chinese New Year eve) dinner. However we were early so we took a stroll around before coming back at a little after 6:00pm.
We walked in and where glad that very little changes had been made to Kocik Kitchen (now Kocik Heritage) and the very old-world charm of its architecture and layout was still very much evident.
It was like taking a step back in time for us who grew up around the Peranakan lifestyle. Oh, and by the way 'Kocik' means youngest or littlest auntie in the local dialect.
Our dinner set consisted of:
Assam Fish
Ayam Pongteh
Sambal Prawn
Steam Ladies Finger with Sambal Belacan
Ngoh Hiang (Fried Meat Rolls)
Mixed Fried Vegetables
Dessert of the Day
that with a round of drinks and cendol came to RM164.00 (approximately USD38/EUR35) which in our minds was very reasonable. We had been keeping an eye on Chinese New Year eve dinner rates and found that most restaurants in Kuala Lumpur will charge that same price, but on a per pax basis!
With that ends our vlog on Kocik Heritage, do pay them a visit if you should ever be in the area to experience authentic nyonya cuisine set in authentic nyonya surroundings!
We woke up at 5:00am in the morning and was on the road an hour later. Apart from a few side-swiping morons the drive was largely uneventful, and we reached the Air Keroh toll gates at about 8:30am. Be sure to catch our previous blog dedicated entirely to this peaceful and calm two hour drive.
First order of business in Melaka was breakfast, so we headed to Odeon Western Food at Melaka Raya. We scanned their menu and quickly settled on the convenient breakfast sets; Cat ordered the Set A while I opted for the Set B with a side order of a sausage.
Our breakfast with a round of drinks came to RM17.50 (approximately USD/EUR4).
We then drove to Dataran Pahlawan and parked at the basement hoping to while away our time at a cafe. Alas none were open at 9:00am so we walked out and headed to a small stall nearby where we had drinks.
We re-entered Dataran Pahlawan at 10:00am and walked around looking for a manicurist. Again no luck. We then decided to treat ourselves to a foot & shoulder massage at Thai Wadee Reflexology for RM85.00 per person (approximately USD20/EUR18).
An hour and a half later we felt rejuvenated! We then continued our walkabout before eventually having lunch at Wong Kok Char Chan Teng. We had the:
Chinese 5 Spice Fried Rice for RM13.60
Honey BBQ Pork with Fried Rice for RM14.90
Fruit juices for RM7.50 each
that came to RM50.45 (approximately USD12/EUR11). After lunch we left Dataran Pahlawan and went in search of bottled drinking water. We eventually found a 99 Speedmart along Jalan Ong Kim Wee. With half an hour to go before we were allowed to check into our Airbnb we made our way to Imperio Residence.
After collecting the room key and paying a deposit of RM100.00 (approximately USD23/EUR22) from the Host's counter at Tower B we drove up to Level 7 and took an elevator up to Level 26.
Home for the next 6 days our little studio apartment complete with kitchenette and washer/dryer only cost us RM897.18 (approximately USD210/EUR193) or RM179.50 (approximately USD42/EUR39) a night!
Like we said, we were up since 5:00am and by 5:00pm we were fast asleep and snoring away. We awoke four hours later and drove out to the Bunga Raya area where we stopped by another 99 Speedmart for some provisions before having supper at Seri Sahabat nearby.
Our dinner of Naan bread, Tandoori Chicken and Fried Beehoon (Rice Vermicelli) with a round of drinks came to RM22.50 (approximately USD/EUR5). We then headed back to Imperio Residence where we hoped to have an early night, eager for a right proper walkabout tomorrow morning.
We woke up at 5:00am in the morning and was on the road an hour later. We reached the Air Keroh toll gates at about 8:30am and were in Melaka town half and hour later where we had breakfast at our favourite Odeon Western Food restaurant.
This video will showcase our two hour drive shot in timelapse mode and condensed into twenty minutes.
It's been two weeks since we came back from Penang. In that time we managed to get our condo repainted while I resumed work on an important project at the office.
The weekend arrived, and so too did the replacement for the suction cup mount for our DJI Action 3 that had broke previously. We had plans to visit our friend Jack the master luthier anyway to pick up a couple of my guitars so we figured we would try out the hyper lapse mode of the Action 3.
We arrived at Jack's place before 10:00am so we decided to head on over to Nasi Kandar Bestari for breakfast. I had the Dosai while Cat had the Roti Canai, and together with a round of drinks our meal came to RM11.70 (approximately USD/EUR3).
With breakfast sorted we walked back to Jack and picked up the guitars, but not before giving both a proper sound test.
We then headed to the Petronas petrol station to fill up Puteh before making our way back to our condo.
We would be wise to stay home this weekend since it’s the last one before Chinese New Year and roads will be heavy with shoppers.
We ourselves will be celebrating Chinese New Year in Melaka so please stay tuned!
Our final morning in Penang, we arose at six in the morning and checked out of Hotel Penaga soon after that. We hailed a Grab car for a fare of RM30.00 (approximately USD7/EUR6) to Queensbay Mall where we were catching the Aeroline bus again back to Kuala Lumpur.
Cliched as it sounded but time sure did fly by when we're having fun, slipped disc notwithstanding. We had an amazing six days in Penang and we were sad to leave, to the point that we overlooked that today was New Year's Day. To commemorate our stay in Penang we pieced together highlights of our six days into a short montage in the video below that we hope you will like.
We boarded the bus at 8:30am and departed five minutes later. It was a largely uneventful journey, we stopped at the Petronas petrol station in Simpang Pulai two hours later for a biological break and the bus resumed its journey.
Two hours after that we were within the city limits of Kuala Lumpur and arrived at Corus Hotel at five past one in the afternoon.
With that we end these series of vlogs on our trip to Penang. Please stay tuned as we make plans to visit Melaka in a few weeks time for Chinese New Year!
With nothing at all planned for today we slept in and woke up close to nine. I did video editing work before getting ready to check out of Hutton Central.
At twelve we checked out and stored our bags with the front desk then walked over to Hotel Penaga just across the street to confirm our booking for the night.
We walked out onto Jalan Transfer before heading to the bus stop at 7-Eleven along Jalan Penang to catch a free Rapid Penang CAT bus to Padang Kota. Here we walked across Lebuh Light then onto Lebuh Penang past the Merlin Hotel.
We continued walking along Lebuh Penang before making it onto Lebuh Bishop. There were plenty of eateries here and after a while taken to consider the options the birthday girl eventually decided to have lunch at SmokePapa BBQ.
After asking the waiter for his opinion we decided on:
the Pork Rib Set for RM27.90
Smoked Pork Crackling Set for RM28.00
a small bottle of Heineken for RM16.80
a glass of cold Lemon Tea for RM5.50
Together with service charge the birthday treat came to RM86.00 (approximately USD20/EUR18). We then headed back to the bus stop at Padang Kota and caught another free Rapid Penang CAT bus to the Weld Quay terminal where we switched to the Rapid Penang 101 bus for a fare of RM1.40 (approximately USD/EUR0.30) to get back to the bus stop at the 7-Eleven along Jalan Penang.
We then walked back to Hutton Central to collect our luggage and then walked across Jalan Transfer to Hotel Penaga. The check in process was smooth and flawless and the first sight of our room was quite amazing.
If Hutton Central was chic and modern Penaga was anything but, in a good way. Our first in a long while staying in a boutique heritage hotel we agreed with Penaga's descripion of the room "gorgeously furnished with wood and antiques. These rooms will spice you up with the opulent feel!".
In our own words it felt like we took a step back into history. We will not be going out again until this evening as we relaxed in this comfortable and cosy room that comes with a jacuzzi.
We had a short but productive nap then I continued with our video edits. We emerged from the hotel close to eight at night and took a walk along Lebuh Clark before turning left onto Jalan Argyll then right onto Jalan Sri Bahari.
There were quite a few eateries here but the birthday girl could not make up her mind until we reached Bibik's Kitchen Nyonya Cuisine. Eager to experience Peranakan (early Chinese Straits Settlers) food from a Penangite perspective we walked in and were fortunate to find a table since most were there by appointment only.
We carefully perused the menu and settled on the:
Fried Fish Sambal Petai
Cincalok Pork
Okra (Ladies Fingers) Sambal
a large plain omelette
2 servings of Mix Coloured Rice
2 dessert servings of Bubur Cha Cha
that eventually came to RM115.50 (approximately USD26/EUR25). Our bellies filled and the birthday girl contented we walked out towards Jalan Penang headed southwest. We walked across at the intersection with Lebuh Campbell and continued on. We wanted to get a few packets of pickled fruits from Chowrasta Market, alas the shops were all closed probably due to New Year's Eve.
We then headed back to the hotel and had to remind ourselves to get to Hotel Penaga, not Hutton Central.
We have an Aeroline bus to catch at eight thirty tomorrow morning, which means that we will need to hail a Grab car to Queensbay Mall by seven.
