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Saturday 8 August 2020

Sekinchan Trip, Day 2

We woke up late the next morning and checked out of The One Boutique Hotel at around 11am. We then headed to Ah Ma House to sample their signature charcoal grilled love letters.


it was another blazing hot day

but we braved the heat anyway

not unlike the swing at my mother's house

goodies in store

in working order?

looks newly refurbished

items from yesteryear

with retro styled furniture that's now back in fashion

the flat screen TV is an eye sore though


We then bade a fond farewell to Sekinchan and drove for about half an hour due south to the next small town of Tanjung Karang. Here we planned to have lunch at another seafood restaurant. Suang Le River Restaurant was chosen (again) solely for its stunning location beside Sungai Tengi and the views it accorded us.


the very deceptive front facade

we were very skeptical at first

then it dawned on us

first whiff of the salty air

my money shot

ahoy there!


Since this is a purely seafood restaurant, we made do with their signature Kung Pao styled fish, Lala (soft clams) in rice wine and some omelettes.


taking our order

another room with a view

unassuming seafood restaurant

as we waited for our dishes to arrive

keeping himself busy

Chinese tea, as always

kung pao styled deboned fish

Cat's favourite lala (soft clams?)

a potent combination

in case Brendan grows tired of seafood

digging in


Again the meal did not come to RM100, another pleasant surprise. The amazing view of Sungai Tengi, however, is priceless!


perched on Sungai Tengi

a quite captivating view

blue skies to soothe the soul

time to say goodbye


We bade farewell to Tanjung Karang and in less that 2 hours were back home, safe and sound. This is trip that will repeat itself in the future, this we are certain of.

Friday 7 August 2020

Sekinchan Trip, Day 1

It has been a while since we last blogged, 3 months to be precise. What with the end of the EMCO imposed on our condo, and coping with the new normal, planning and making a trip anywhere was the furthest from our minds?

August is a special month for us since it is the month when Brendan was born as well as the month we got married. As is always the case, we usually plan for a trip in the month of August to celebrate these joyous occasions.

We have never been to Sekinchan and have always marvelled at its photos posted on the internet. Barely 2 hours drive away from KL we have always wanted to go but never had the chance. Things would be different this time around.

We left home at about 9.35 am and arrived in Sekinchan exactly 2 hours later. Bearing in mind Brendan has had allergic reactions to seafood in the past, we decided against a seafood restaurant for lunch. With that in mind we ended up at Restoran Hui Siang, a Bak Kut Teh restaurant.


first order of the day

a non-seafood restaurant, a rarity here

SOPs observed!

hard at work

putting the kettle on

your customary utensils

condiments of choice

we are Malaysians, after all

herbal goodness

worth another shot

with extra broth, to boot

time to dig in!


The meal cost us RM40, which is way cheaper than the going rate in KL. With lunch out of the way we then headed to Mango King, a place that we have often read about online.


popular in Sekinchan

you won't miss it

power outage at the time

these were not served at the time

freshly plucked white guava

RM25 per canister, but well worth it

home grown mangoes

take your pick

we got 2 kilograms worth

in hindsight we should have gotten more

not too busy

sweet potatoes as well

don't mind if we do

we got a canister of dried banana fritters

not his 'thing'

wonder that these are?


Mango King apparently had a power outage, and the heat was overbearing. Hoping to cool off, the birthday boy asked for refreshments and after a quick check online we headed to Mamawe Café.


in the heart of Sekinchan

seeking refuge from the heat

in the shade at last

all manner of refreshments

I was distracted...

waiting for his ABC

Brendan's comfort food

Cat's mango bingsu

while Brendan and I...

both had the air batu campur (ABC) i.e. ice shavings galore

time to put the phone away

and enjoy all that iced goodness


Again, with all the ice shavings ordered the total cost barely came to RM20. A definite perk of living in a small town.

With time to burn till we check into our hotel we headed to the beach coincidentally called Pantai Redang (or Redang Beach). Being a Terengganu lad the word Redang is more easily associated (in my mind anyway) with the island off the coast of Merang in Terengganu.


Redang beach

posing with their 3-ply masks

unlike its namesake in Terengganu

it was a very hot day

very very hot indeed

we were driven into the shade

and continued taking photos

out of the sun

the new normal of sightseeing

face masks and all

checking Mom's handiwork


The extreme heat eventually dissuaded us from spending more time at Pantai Redang, and in a few short minutes we were checking in to The One Boutique Hotel.


fairly new

in full compliance with SOPs

one of the tallest buildings in town

let's get into the shade


We booked two Superior King rooms with a balcony, and yes, that means birthday boy had a room all to himself.


clean and spacious

with its own balcony

adequately equipped

view from the balcony

the new overpass cutting across Sekinchan

along Jalan Balai Polis (and we don't wonder why)

the only other tall building in Sekinchan


The sun was blazing outside, and we took a long afternoon nap, eventually waking up in the evening. When in Sekinchan seafood was inevitable, so armed with antihistamines we made the short drive to Loong Hua Seafood Restaurant.


ample parking for its patrons

but come early or risk not being able to find parking space

along a very narrow lane

we came pretty early

the usual

room with a view

the view can be very distracting

he was having nothing of it


To be honest we chose this restaurant solely for its view of the canal and the surrounding fishing boats, so we were pleasantly surprised by how good the food here was!


a pill before, a pill after

dining on the water

authentic fishing boats

lifeline of the town

never ceases to amaze us

absolutely distracting views

waiting to dig in


Another pleasant surprise was the entire meal of sweet and sour pork (for Brendan), steamed fish, kung pao fried squid, salted vegetable soup and a large omelette cost us less than RM90.


salted vegetable soup

steamed fish

omelette

sweet and sour pork

kung pao squid

and all that for less than RM90?


Thus ends our first day in Sekinchan, as we cast our final glance at the setting sun over the canal.