Roadtrip Day 4 │ Sin Yoon Loong • Havironia Music

Today We Headed Home!

We had another early night and woke up at 8:30am. After a shower, we packed up all our belongings and headed downstairs to check out of Ipoh Downtown Hotel.

We loaded everything into the car and drove a short distance to look for Ipoh’s original white coffee along Jalan Bandar Timah. Torn between the modern looking Nam Heong and the more traditional Sin Loon Yoong, we finally chose the latter.

Breakfast in Ipoh

I ordered a large glass of their famous white coffee, while Cat had her usual Iced Milk Tea. We both ordered toast with half boiled eggs, and we added a small plate of custard pudding for dessert.

Our classic Ipoh breakfast came to RM21.80 (≈ USD/EUR5).

We also bought five packets of Wan Ton Mee to take away for RM37.50 (≈ USD/EUR8) — our lunch for later.

With breakfast done, we strolled back to the car and began our journey home.

The Drive Back to Kuala Lumpur

The drive took about two and a half hours, including a quick stop at the Petronas Sungai Buloh Layby for a potty break. We reached home at around 1:00pm and began the long task of unpacking.

Signing Off for Now

We will probably not be posting any blogs in the coming weeks as my day job will once again take over my time.

Catch you all soon!

(Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

📍 Location:
Ipoh Downtown Hotel - https://goo.gl/maps/p13QrXce2dck4GCr7
Kedai Kopi Sin Yoon Loong - https://goo.gl/maps/iCKtmVLiqaG8qQZU9
Havironia Music - https://goo.gl/maps/swtNfVmjFK4FgRsf8

Roadtrip Day 3 │ Ipoh Downtown Hotel • Gerbang Malam • Ong Kee Chicken Rice

Today I Delivered a Lecture!

We had an early night, and I woke up at dawn to review the slide deck for my lecture at Bandar Darulaman Community College. Two hours later, I left Cat to continue her beauty sleep and made the 15 minute drive to the college.

The lecture was scheduled for 10:00am, and it was part of a nationwide programme involving 140 community colleges and an estimated 37,000 students. Everything began right on time, with all colleges starting their sessions simultaneously.

In the end, the event was officially entered into the Malaysia Book of Records — a proud moment for everyone involved.

Heading Back to the Hotel

I left the college at 12 noon and returned to the hotel to check out. By 12:45pm, we were back on the road, beginning our drive south toward Ipoh. Along the way, we stopped for petrol and had lunch at the Gurun Rest & Recreation area.

Arriving in Ipoh

We reached Ipoh at 4:10pm and checked into the final hotel of our trip, Ipoh Downtown Hotel. The building was old and had seen better days, but our twin room surprised us — modern, clean, and spacious.

We dropped off our bags and waited for a sudden downpour to ease before heading across the street to a laundromat. An hour later, with our laundry sorted, we made our way toward Gerbang Malam for dinner.

Dinner and Shopping

We had our usual steamed chicken rice at Ong Kee Restaurant. With drinks, dinner came to RM34.00 (≈ USD8/EUR7).

After that, we visited Happiness Authentic Local Delights, where we spent RM194.00 (≈ USD43/EUR41) on:

• 7 packets of instant Ipoh White Coffee (mostly for neighbours)
• Lime Tea and Milk Tea
• Various snacks and goodies

We then walked past Gerbang Malam and headed back to the hotel.

Wrapping Up the Day

With nothing planned for tomorrow except the final leg of our drive back to Kuala Lumpur, we’ll see what the day brings.

Good night!

(Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

📍 Location:
Raia Hotel & Convention Centre Alor Setar

- https://goo.gl/maps/BprWTkqAq7yXwG5b8
Bandar Darulaman Community College - https://goo.gl/maps/PvhSbCmJ1XLo1dbj8
Cleanpro Express Self Service Laundry - https://goo.gl/maps/QabgrvP3Vjw9jYPV8
Ipoh Downtown Hotel - https://goo.gl/maps/p13QrXce2dck4GCr7
Ong Kee Restaurant - https://goo.gl/maps/bym5cPZh4jHvuzWV6
Happiness Authentic Local Delights - https://goo.gl/maps/dbhXwyJxoMaGusGMA

Roadtrip Day 2 │ Raia Hotel • Sri Pumpong • Padang Besar

Today We Continued Our Road Trip!

We woke up at 8:30am and went down to the hotel’s coffee house half an hour later. As hotel buffets go, breakfast was okay — nothing fancy, but it filled us up.

After eating, we returned to the room to pack and even squeezed in a short nap. We checked out at 11:15am and began our drive to Alor Setar. The journey took about three hours, including a one hour delay due to a fatal accident near Sungai Petani. (You can watch the hyperlapse in our previous video.)

Checking In at Raia Hotel

We reached Raia Hotel & Convention Centre at 2:40pm and checked in right away. We booked a twin room for RM230.00 (≈ USD51/EUR48), fully claimable from my employer.

We dropped our bags in the room and headed out again to look for lunch.

Lunch at Restoran Sri Pumpong

A friend recommended Restoran Sri Pumpong, known as one of the best “mixed rice” spots in Alor Setar. It was only ten minutes away.

We arrived after the lunch rush, so the choices were limited, but we made do:

• I had fresh and dried squid in sambal
• Cat had fish curry
• Plus drinks

Total: RM21.00 (≈ USD5/EUR4).

Simple, tasty, and affordable — a good first meal in Alor Setar.

A Shopping Detour to Padang Besar

Feeling adventurous, we decided to drive one hour north to Padang Besar. We wandered through the arcades and bazaars inside Aarked Niaga Padang Besar and ended up with bags full of Siamese goodies:

• A dozen bar soaps
• A compact powder
• Siamese instant noodles
• Tom Yum paste
• A Nirvana T shirt for Brendan
• Various snacks and treats

After shopping, we stopped at Restoran Nurhasiah for drinks and decided to pack dinner from there as well.

Back to Alor Setar

We drove back to the hotel, making a quick detour to check the venue for my lecture tomorrow. Once we returned to the room, we spent the rest of the evening reorganising our luggage to fit all the Padang Besar goodies.

That wrapped up our day. Good night!

(Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

📍 Location:
Flemington Hotel - https://goo.gl/maps/ysGHwgfa7nsyZ1876
Raia Hotel & Convention Centre Alor Setar

- https://goo.gl/maps/BprWTkqAq7yXwG5b8
Restoran Sri Pumpong - https://goo.gl/maps/7NCMpWS6TNP59ipQ8
Arked Niaga Padang Besar - https://goo.gl/maps/zAPKvkHGBZcDLcrn8
Restoran Nurhasiah - https://goo.gl/maps/HwSf7XvYRetjbzBe8

Roadtrip Day1 │ Taiping Lake Gardens Stroll

We're Going on a Stroll!

After checking into Flemington Hotel, we took a short nap and hoped to enjoy an evening walk at the Taiping Lake Gardens. But a heavy downpour changed our plans. We waited it out, and once the rain slowed at sunset, we finally stepped outside.

A Little History of Taiping Lake Gardens

The Taiping Lake Gardens had once been a mining ground before becoming a public garden in 1880. The idea came from Colonel Robert Sandilands Frowd Walker, and the garden was developed by Charles Compton Reade, who also helped plan Kuala Lumpur’s garden town, together with Lady Swettenham.

The land itself was donated by Chung Keng Quee to be used as a public recreation park. By 1884, the area was planted with grass, flowers, and trees. Part of it was even fenced to keep bulls out.

Covering 64 hectares (160 acres), it became the first public garden in Malaya and has been loved ever since. The gardens feature ten scenic lakes and ponds, and along Residency Road stand the famous golden rain trees (Samanea saman), their branches stretching gracefully over the water.

Nearby are several historic homes, including the Old Residency, the Raja’s House, and former army officers’ residences. The gardens were so beautiful that many early travellers wrote about them — and now, so did we.

Evening Walk and Dinner

After about fifteen minutes of walking, we reached Tai Hu Food Court for dinner. Once we were done eating, we took another slow stroll, retracing our steps through the peaceful gardens before heading back to the hotel.

A simple, calm evening — the perfect way to end our first day in Taiping!

(Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

📍 Location:
Flemington Hotel - https://goo.gl/maps/ysGHwgfa7nsyZ1876
Taiping Lake Gardens - https://goo.gl/maps/iNhPPV8kgkwZEWhS7
Tai Hu Food Court - https://goo.gl/maps/dTnJjBg5WYXH8MXY7

Roadtrip Day1 │ Bismillah Cendol • Taiping Lake Gardens • Tai Hu Food Court

We're Going on a Road Trip!

A week ago, the office asked me to give a lecture at a community college in Jitra, Kedah on Monday, 20 March 2023. The lecture was part of a nationwide programme happening at more than 140 community colleges, involving around 30,000 students — a scale big enough for the Malaysia Book of Records (MBOR).

With such short notice, and with the school holidays ending, all ETS train tickets heading north were sold out. A bus ride would take six to seven hours anyway, so we decided to drive.

Planning the Journey

Jitra is about 450 km from Kuala Lumpur, so we planned to split the drive:

• Saturday: KL → Taiping
• Sunday: Taiping → Jitra
• Monday: After the lecture, drive south to Ipoh
• Tuesday: Ipoh → KL

We booked the hotels, and our good friend — who works in the used car business — kindly lent us a comfortable SUV for the long journey.

KL to Taiping

We left home at 9:20am and reached Taiping at 12 noon. (You can watch the hyperlapse in our previous video.)

We headed to the hotel, but check in was only at 3pm. So we drove into town for lunch at Bismillah Cendol. We had:

• Pasembur — RM8.00 each
• Kacang Jagung Cendol — RM2.20
• Pulut Jagung Cendol — RM2.60

Total: RM12.80 (≈ USD/EUR3).

With two hours to spare, we drove back near the hotel and parked at DoubleTap Café. We decided to first take a drive around the Taiping Lake Gardens, then stopped at a Petronas station to refuel the “thirsty” SUV.

Coffee by the Lake

We returned to DoubleTap Café and ordered:

• Dalgona Coffee — RM15.00
• Iced Honey Lemon — RM8.00
• French Toast (shared) — RM8.00

Total: RM31.00 (≈ USD/EUR7).

We sat by a large window overlooking the lake — a peaceful hour well spent.

We then checked in at Flemington Hotel, where we booked a twin room for RM208.00 (≈ USD46/EUR44), fully paid using credits from our Booking.com wallet.

Evening in Taiping

After a nap, we planned to take an evening stroll at the Lake Gardens, but a heavy downpour delayed us. Once the rain eased at sunset, we headed out. (Watch our next video for the full walk.)

For dinner, we went to Tai Hu Food Court and had:

• Mata Kuching drinks — RM4.80
• Lor Bak — RM19.70
• Grilled Stingray — RM26.00
• Kueh Teow Thng — RM6.00

Total: RM56.50 (≈ USD13/EUR12).

We took another slow walk around the Lake Gardens before returning to the hotel. Our room came with breakfast for two, so we aimed for an early night.

More Tomorrow

Catch up with you tomorrow morning!

(Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

📍 Location:
Havironia Music - https://goo.gl/maps/HQ3NCQcv6SA3dDDK8
Flemington Hotel - https://goo.gl/maps/ysGHwgfa7nsyZ1876
Bismillah Cendol - https://goo.gl/maps/7eVeNx3NgCm2qdUt8
New Clock Tower - https://goo.gl/maps/VNEEQUD7oC2exM868
DoubleTap Cafe - https://goo.gl/maps/GPNrvnte4mTJV7QH8
Taiping Lake Gardens - https://goo.gl/maps/iNhPPV8kgkwZEWhS7
Tai Hu Food Court - https://goo.gl/maps/dTnJjBg5WYXH8MXY7

Drive to Nilai │ Mahaban Bikum • Nilai 3

We Drove to Nilai!

Two weeks had passed since our trip to Kuching, and we had not planned to make any new videos. My day job demanded all my time and focus, so editing was the last thing on my mind.

We had recently repainted our condo and wanted to refresh some of our fittings, so we took an impromptu drive to Nilai, a small town in Negeri Sembilan about 45 minutes south of Kuala Lumpur.

Lunch at Nilai Square

We arrived in Nilai and headed to Dataran Nilai (Nilai Square) for lunch at Rumah Makan Dataran. We had read many positive reviews about Restoran Marhaban Bikum, so we decided to try it.

We scanned the QR code and ordered:

• Roasted Chicken with Arabic Rice

• Grilled Chicken with White Rice

• Sirap (rose flavoured drink)

• Watermelon Lychee Juice

The bill came to RM40.00 (≈ USD9/EUR8) — a fair price for a hearty lunch.

Exploring Nilai 3

After lunch, we drove 6 km to Nilai 3 Wholesale Centre, a huge area filled with large retail shops selling textiles, curtains, home décor items, and carpets.

We walked around for a while looking for new railings for our home, but nothing suitable caught our eye. The heat was intense, and it discouraged us from exploring too much of the vast complex.

Wrapping Up

And just like that, our unplanned vlog for the week came to an end. A simple drive, a good lunch, and a quick look around Nilai 3.

We hope to take you on another excursion next week when we visit the MATTA Fair!

(Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

📍 Location:
Restoran Marhaban Bikum - https://goo.gl/maps/61Y6PLzw6RV73EhP6
Nilai 3 Wholesale Centre - https://goo.gl/maps/DJfiyUM7eb1iskQaA