Saturday, 31 May 2025

KCH Day 1 │ Lim Hock Ann Seafood • 500th Video!

500th Video!

We picked you up again after our late lunch at Kim Coffee Garden over at Kenyalang Park. We spent the afternoon unpacking and settling in before we headed out again for dinner.

I had asked for recommendations on the best seafood restaurants from a colleague of mine at our Kuching branch, and knowing that we would be renting a car recommended that we try the Buntal Esplanade an hour's drive north of Kuching. With this in mind we checked online and settled on Lim Hock Ann https://bit.ly/43S3ziQ as our dinner destination.

We hopped into the rental car at a quarter past five in the evening and arrived at the intended seafood restaurant 45 minutes later. Overlooking the South China Sea it's described as being "renowned for its excellent seafood offerings. Located by the waterfront, the restaurant provides a picturesque setting to enjoy fresh seafood dishes that are a delight to the palate. The menu at Lim Hock Ann Restaurant features a variety of seafood options, from succulent crabs to flavorful prawns and fish, all prepared with expertise and served with local flair. The restaurant's friendly atmosphere and attentive service further complement the dining experience, making it a favorite among locals and tourists alike."

Our first time here, we took our time perusing their menu before settling on:

  • Ikan Siakap (Sea Bass) In Teochew Gravy
  • Lala in Lemongrass Soup
  • Buttered Prawns
  • each a serving of White Rice
  • each a glass of Kedondong (Ambarella) Juice

Our first dinner in Kuching came to RM126.60 (approximately USD30/EUR26), which was a bargain given that most seafood joints in Kuala Lumpur easily charge at least double the amount.

Mindful of the fact that I was driving we stayed clear of alcohol and the trip back to Adelyn's homestay was uneventful.

Stay tuned as we wake up pretty early in the morning to explore Kenyalang Park Market!

Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

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KCH Day 1 │ MH2520 KUL to KCH • City One to Kenyalang Park!

Off to Kuching!

We were up at six and were out the door an hour later. Brendan drove us to KL Sentral's KL City Air Terminal ten minutes to seven. He had initially planned to tag along but an upcoming final year project presentation meant that we had to cancel his middle seat 6E.

As always we bought our train tickets online and enjoyed a discount so it only cost us RM43.75 each (approximately USD10/EUR9). 

This is important since the only way to check in at the KL City Air Terminal was with the KLIA Express tickets. We scanned our train tickets at the turnstile and voila! We were in. We submitted our yellow submarines for a security check before checking it in. Our bags weighed 25kgs in total, well within the allowed total of 40kgs. 

We then exited the KL City Air Terminal and walked across past the KLIA Express turnstiles using the same train tickets. The train was already waiting and departed KL Sentral at 7:30am, arriving in KLIA half an hour later. We took the escalators up to the Departure Level and strolled along before having drinks at Costa Coffee. 

Our hot Latte and Iced Strawberry Tea came to RM36.35 (approximately USD9/EUR8). We spent the next hour here people-watching and with two hours till our flight departed we strolled past the domestic departure gates at 9:00am.

We were catching flight MH2520 from Gate B9 that would take off at eleven in the morning.

We spent another hour or so people-watching at the boarding gate waiting area and the boarding process began at 10:30am. Brendan's cancelled middle 6E was occupied by Mr Chong who was kind enough to swap with Cat's aisle seat 6D. The cabin crew did not object to the swap as well.

We pushed back half an hour later, but a delay due to a runway inspection by the airport authorities meant that we eventually took off at 11:25am. The flight was uneventful and we were served our inflight meal half an hour later. We both opted for the Fish with Rice.

MH2520 began its descent at 12:35pm and landed half an hour. We got past Customs & Immigration then collected our luggage from Carousel XX 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 our camera onto the windscreen mount made our way to our regular homestay in Kampung Kenyalang Park, hosted by the awesome host Adelyn.

After a quick shower we walked out in search of a late lunch and settled on Kim Coffee Garden where we had:

  • Sarawak Laksa
  • Curry Mee
  • Iced Milk Tea
  • their signature Coffee

Our first Sarawakian meal came to RM26.00 (approximately USD6/EUR5). We then walked over to the Everwin Supermarket to get some provisions before heading back to Adelyn's homestay.

Stay tuned as we head out to dinner an hour's drive away!

Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

📍 Location:
KL Sentral Departure Hall - https://maps.app.goo.gl/4ADueEqwvtSLzSmS8
Kuala Lumpur International Airport - https://goo.gl/maps/YzCAt7GGta382YKk7
Kuching International Airport - https://goo.gl/maps/8ei2VZArmivJHuwR6
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Monday, 5 May 2025

TGG to KUL │ MS Resthouse • Paka R&R • City One!

Going Home!

Our fifth and final day meant that it was time to head back to Kuala Lumpur. We arose at six and were out the door forty minutes later.

We walked over to where BiBi was parked and after several attempts finally managed to load our luggage into the boot before checking out of the rest house. 

We then drove to Batu Buruk hoping to have breakfast at Kak Pah Nasi Dagang, alas she was not yet open so we began our journey back, eventually driving past the Kuala Terengganu toll plaza at a quarter past seven. 

We stopped at the Paka rest area for breakfast at a quarter past eight and had their unique green Nasi Lemak. Together with a round of drinks our breakfast came to RM23.50 (approximately USD6/EUR5). 

After a quick potty break we resumed our journey at five to nine and the three hour drive was largely uneventful with very light traffic in either direction. Most of the drive was captured in time-lapse so we hope you will enjoy the calm and relaxing journey. We eventually arrived at our home at precisely twelve, which meant that the entire journey including the forty minute pitstop took us five hours.

We will be in Kuching over the Gawai weekend in early June, so please stay tuned!

Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

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Sunday, 4 May 2025

KT Day 4 │ Pantai Batu Buruk • Kedai Makan MYM!

Batu Buruk!

We picked you up again as the sweltering heat drove us back to the air conditioned comfort of the rest house. A shower picked our spirits up and we soon returned to the home where we spent the next couple of hours going at our respective chores.

Cat eventually took a nap while I completed the second in our series of videos on Kuala Terengganu. With tomorrow's drive in mind we decided to take a drive to the Petronas station at Batu Buruk to top up BiBi's fuel. We first drove to the rest house to pick Brendan up and began our evening drive to Batu Buruk.

We stopped here for a while to take some photos and take in the salty sea breeze. Dusk was soon upon us so we hopped back into BiBi and continued our evening drive along Batu Buruk before eventually continuing onto Jalan Sultan Mahmud. We drove on for a kilometer or two before making a U-turn at Kuala Ibai and doubled back along Jalan Sultan Mahmud.

We then stopped at the Batu Buruk Petronas to top up BiBi's fuel as well as her tyre pressure before continuing on, eventually ending up at Pulau Warisan near the Pasar Besar Kedai Payang. Brendan was feeling hungry so we decided to have dinner at Kedai Makan MYM.Here we quickly settled on their:

  • Nasi Lemak Daging Goreng Kunyit
  • Nasi Minyak Gulai Ayam
  • Nasi Minyak Ayam Goreng Kunyit
  • 3 Iced Lemon Tea

for a modest sum of RM33.00 (approximately USD8/EUR7). 

We then hopped back into BiBi to head back to the home, but not before making a stop at the 7-Eleven along Jalan Pejabat so that Brendan could pick up some snacks. We returned to the home where I continued working on the videos from today, and returned to the rest house at 10:00pm to immediately start packing.

Stay tuned for our next video as we make the return drive to Kuala Lumpur!

Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

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KT Day 4 │ Pasar Kedai Payang!

Market Hunt!

Despite the drama with Titan Cafe last night we managed to get a relatively good night's sleep and woke up at half past seven. We woke Brendan up but he opted to continue with his beauty sleep.

As is always the case we got ready and walked over to the home at eight to get a load of laundry going. No trip to Kuala Terengganu would be complete without a visit to my beloved market, Pasar Kedai Payang (PKP). I had very fond memories of the old market, accompanying my mother to this market as she shopped for groceries back in the day when a cluster of five ikan kembung (Chub Mackerels?) cost only RM2.00 (approximately USD0.50/EUR0.40) while a hand of banana was barely RM1.00 (approximately USD/EUR0.20)!

We arrived at Pasar Kedai Payang 1 (PKP1) at half past eight then walked in and went in search of breakfast. There were several food stalls on either side on the aisle and we opted for the first and nearest one, sweetly named Kayu Manis (or Cinnamon). We scanned their diminutive menu and quickly settled on their:

  • Nasi Dagang
  • Nasi Minyak
  • 2 Sugar-free Iced Tea

for a modest sum of only RM16.00 (approximately USD4/EUR3). 

Breakfast out of the way we walked over to Pasar Kedai Payang 2 (PKP2) to begin our hunt for keropok and other heavenly goodies. We took a stroll around checking the various stalls selling keropok and serunding (meat floss) before finally circling back to Kak Salmah's stall. Here we went a little nuts and bought:

  • 10 packets of raw keropok
  • 2 x 500 gram packets of beef serunding
  • 2 x 200 gram packets of beef serunding
  • 5 x 100 gram packets of beef serunding
  • 5 x 100 gram  packets of chicken serunding
  • 2 packets of fish serunding knotted spring rolls
  • 2 x 50 packets of Keropok Ikan Segera SEAmEQ

Our handsome bounty eventually came to RM345.00 (approximately USD81/EUR72), money well spent in our minds since most of these items will cost almost double in Kuala Lumpur.

We walked back to BiBi to store away our bounty then headed into PKP1 to see what they had to offer. Unlike the old cramped and claustrophobia inducing rows of stalls on the first floor of the original PKP the new PKP1 had  spacious and organised rows of batik merchants. We toured the ground floor then went up to the first floor to see more of the same.

Truth be told Jakarta's Thamrin City has spoiled us where batik was concerned.

We then headed back to the home to begin our respective chores. A short while later Ah Seng the electrician turned up to install our solar lamp at the back of the home. He also moved the previous malfunctioning lamp to the front, to test and see if it works.

Just as Ah Seng was about to leave my good buddy Vinodh dropped by bearing gifts of Nasi Dagang. We sat and chatted for about half an hour before Vinodh took his leave, he wanted to hitch a ride with us tomorrow but thought twice when we told him we'd be leaving at seven in the morning. He's obviously not a morning person.

By two the heat was unbearable so we beat a hasty retreat to the rest house. We woke Brendan up and showered before heading down to the common area to feast on the Nasi Dagang that Vinodh brought for us. By half past three we went back to the home where I continued working on our videos, while Cat started a load of laundry.

Stay tuned for our next video as we go on another night drive!

Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

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Saturday, 3 May 2025

KT Day 3 │ Lim Sian Tian • Ah Huat • Grab Food!

More Chores!

We picked you up again returning from breakfast and running several errands including getting an office chair and provisions from Mr. DIY.

Once at the home I continued work on our videos while Cat busied herself with micro chores in and around the house. I managed to capture some of her activities on time lapse.

Lunchtime came and went but we were not hungry since our breakfast of Nasi Dagang and Nasi Kerabu was quite filling. We also made made a call to our regular plumber Ah Huat who promised to be at the home by five this evening.

We continued working then walked back to the rest house at two for a shower and change of clothes. Half an hour later just as we were about to get ready Ah Huat called to inform that he would be at the home by three instead.

At the appointed hour we walked over to the home to find Ah Huat patiently waiting for us. He began work replacing the faulty kitchen faucet, we had the presence of mind to send him a photo of the offending faucet for him to source a suitable replacement.

He was done ten minutes later. The replacement faucet and his labour costs including transportation came to only RM80.00 (approximately USD19/EUR17). We then headed out for another errand at Mr. DIY where we made away with RM104.70 (approximately USD24/EUR22) worth of provisions.

Feeling a little hungry we ordered take out via the Grab food app. After perusing the various restaurants available we opted for Nasi Ayam KJ and ordered:

  • 2 Chicken Rice
  • 2 Iced Lychee with Rose Cordial

for a total of RM32.80 (approximately USD8/EUR7).  We placed our order at 3:50pm and the Grab driver delivered our late lunch forty minutes later.

Lunch out of the way we continued doing our respective chores throughout the evening before finally heading back to the rest house at half past seven. We were not in the mood to drive out to dinner so once again Grab fppd came to our rescue. Determined to enjoy local cuisine we settled on a restaurant known as Nasi Lemak Womoh.

We placed our order for three sets of their Nasi Minyak with Khemok Chicken gravy each with Iced Tea for a total of RM43.40 (approximately USD10/EUR9).

The order was placed right before leaving the home, we then managed to dash back to the rest house for a quick shower before the Grab rider delivered the food. The rest house has a common area downstairs with its own little pantry, a lounge area and several rows of tables and chairs where one could get work done.

Brendan, Cat and I gathered here at the common area to finally have a meal together as family, the first time since we first arrived here. After dinner Brendan retired to her room while I stayed behind to finish up some work on the laptop while Cat sat at the lounge scrolling through her IG feed. We felt a little bloated and in need of some carbonated drinks so for the third time today we placed an order with Grab Food.

This time the merchant was Titan Cafe and we ordered three soda based drinks for a total of RM39.09 (approximately USD10/EUR9). The order was placed at nine and we were made to wait a whopping hour and a half before our order was delivered. We made a mental note to avoid this merchant in future, and their one-star rating reflected this.

We then went up to our room at half past ten hoping to have an early night.

Stay tuned for our next video as we go on a market hunt!

Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

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KT Day 3 │ Lim Sian Tian • Pak Man Telo • Ban Soon Hin!

Sedulous Saturday!

We again  had a good night's sleep and yet again woke up at half past eight. Brendan chose to continue with his beauty sleep and did not join us this morning as well.

As is now a routine for us we got ready and walked over to the home at twenty past nine to get a load of laundry going before driving out in search of breakfast. With something local in mind we made the short drive to Jalan Sultan Omar, near my old primary school and parked in front of the Warung Pok Man Telur stall.

Here we joined the queue and quickly ordered the:

  • Nasi Kerabu
  • Nasi Dagang
  • hot Nescafe
  • Iced Lemon Tea

together with several packets of local sweet cakes our breakfast came to RM28.00 (approximately USD7/EUR6). We then walked back to BiBi and drove back to the vicinity of our home. At the main road of Jalan Sultan Ismail we stopped by the furniture shop Ban Soon Hin which coincidentally is owned by our neighbor Ng (for some reason nicknamed Ah Tee).

We were looking for an office chair for the long hours spent at the dining table working on our videos, and finally decided on a greyscale model for RM380.00 (approximately USD89/EUR79). No more back aches! The shop promised to send the fully assembled chair to the home by noon today, which suited us fine.

We spent some time chatting with Ah Tee before making our back to BiBi and making a nother short drive to Mr. DIY along Jalan Tengku Ampuan Mariam to get some provisions for RM82.60 (approximately USD19/EUR17). 

We then drove back to the home where I as always continued working on our videos while Cat pottered around the house. The chair was delivered to us at noon as promised, woot!

Stay tuned for our next video as a plumber comes visiting!

Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

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Friday, 2 May 2025

KT Day 2 │ Lim Sian Tian • Eja Corner • Seng Huat!

Batu Buruk and Beyond!

We picked you up again after coming back from breakfast and running errands.

We spent the next few hours productively as Cat and I continued to focus on our respective chores and before we knew it lunchtime was upon us. Brendan chose to continue sleeping at the rest house so we drove out without him.

 We drove out to quickly discover almost all eateries were closed for Friday prayers. We eventually ended up at Batu Buruk and found a row of food stalls behind the Kuala Terengganu Aquatic Centre. We parked BiBi and chose the nearest food stall which happened to be Eja Corner.

The food stall offered a myriad of seafood based cuisine so we settled on:

  • Fried Yellow Noodles
  • Fried Rice Vermicelli
  • 12 sticks of Keropok Lekor
  • 1 Ikan Celup Tepung
  • 2 Coconut drinks
  • 1 Coconut Shake

for a total of RM44.00 (approximately USD10/EUR9).

Lunch out of the way we then made our way to Seng Huat Electrical to meet up with Ben. Top on our list was a 26" industrial stand fan, and in the end we made away with:

  • Phison Industrial Stand Fan PSF-6260
  • Karcher Wet and Dry Vacuum Cleaner WD 1
  • iSonic Stainless Steel Kettle IJK-1803

for a grand total of RM600.00 (approximately USD140/EUR124).

We then made our way back to the home, deposited our electrical goodies then made our way back to the rest house for a quick shower and change of clothes. Twenty minutes later we were out the door and walked back to the home where we unpacked our boxes of electrical goodies. Cat got the ball rolling by unboxing her vacuum cleaner and began using it around the ground floor to her heart's content. The upstairs is an entirely other matter, and we hoped to engage a day maid to help with cleaning, mopping and wiping the windows upstairs.

At the same time I began assembling the massive 26" inch industrial stand fan. After a few hiccups I managed to get the behemoth of a fan installed and we enjoyed the breeze that its massive blades produced. Even at its lowest speed of 1 the breeze was powerful, we cannot even imagine it at its highest setting of 3!

We then spent the next few hours working, me at the laptop and Cat at the washing machine as we both got a ton of work done.

In that time Brendan woke up and ordered McDonalds with the Grab food app. I then cut my finger on the condensed milk can so Brendan ran over to the FamilyMart along Jalan Pejabat to get a small bottle of Dettol and bandages. Later in the evening he went to FamilyMart then ZUS Coffee for some grub and drinks. All this was off-camera, so you can only take our word for it. The home is turning out to be a very strategic place to stay!

We eventually left the home at a quarter past nine and then met up with our neighbour Ng and we started chatting. Then another neighbour Heng joined us and by the time we got back to the rest house it was already past 10:00pm.

We're having an authentic Terengganu breakfast experience, so please stay tuned!

Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

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KT Day 2 │ Lim Sian Tian • Al Mubin Maju • Sabasun!

Footle Friday!

We had a good night's sleep and woke up at half past eight. We got ready and walked over to the home at a quarter past nine to get a load of laundry going before driving out in search of breakfast. Since BiBi was badly in need of a shower we decided to head to Batas Baru where a car wash and nasi kandar restaurant were co-located.

We deposited BiBi in the hands of the car wash personnel at Warisan Car Wash then walked across to Al Mubin Maju for breakfast. We ordered the:

  • Roti Canai Sardin
  • Roti Telur
  • hot Nescafe
  • Iced Tea

for a modest sum of RM16.00 (approximately USD4/EUR3). We then walked back to Warisan Car Wash and paid them RM20.00 (approximately USD5/EUR4) for external wash and internal vacuuming.

We then drove to Sabasun Hyper Runcit at Bukit Kecil to get some groceries for RM64.15 (approximately USD15/EUR13) then Mr. DIY along Jalan Tengku Ampuan Mariam to get some provisions for RM174.20 (approximately USD40/EUR36). Our final errand was to get a small bottle of Nescafe Gold from the 7-Eleven along Jalan Pejabat for RM15.00  (approximately USD4/EUR3).

We then drove back to the home where I continued working on our videos while Cat pottered around the house. 

Stay tuned for our next video as we go out to lunch then resume our shopping spree!

Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

📍 Location:
Al Mubin Maju Nasi Kandar - https://maps.app.goo.gl/EukWXirUVnctypUt8
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Thursday, 1 May 2025

KT Day 1 │ Lim Sian Tian • Zeeror Mini Market!

Dinner at Batu Buruk!

We picked you up again waking up at half past five in the evening, freshened up then walked over to the home. I began downloading the videos from today while Cat busied herself cleaning the front porch. We left Brendan behind to left him enjoy his beauty sleep and left word to let us know when he's awake and hungry.

We spent the next hour or so doing various chores before we got a text from Brendan. We met up with him at the parking space opposite the rest house and drove out at 9:00pm. 

We drove aimlessly for a while as we weighed our options for dinner then BiBi's fuel warning came on forcing us to Batu Buruk in search of a Petronas station. 

We then spotted a cluster of food stalls along TY Hotel and decided to check it out. We eventually settled on Zeeror Burger that also served Thai cuisine and ordered the:

  • Beef Bone Soup
  • Tom Yum Chicken
  • Nasi Goreng Kampung
  • 2 plates of white rice
  • 2 plain Omelettes
  • a serving of Keropok Lekor
  • 2 Iced Lemon Tea 
  • Watermelon Juice 

We later added an Oblong Chicken Burger Special as well as a Double Beef Burger for a grand total of RM62.00 (approximately USD14/EUR13). 

Our succulent dinner out of the way we then hopped back into BiBi for a short drive to the Batu Buruk Petronas station. Here we filled up RM100.00 worth of fuel (approximately USD23/EUR21) before driving back to the home. We then spent another hour here as I worked on our videos while Cat busied herself with little chores here and there.

By the time we got back to the rest house it was close to midnight. Stay tuned for our next video as we have breakfast at an unlikely location!

Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

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KUL to TGG │ On The Way • Lim Sian Tian • MS Resthouse!

Road Trip!

Almost three weeks after I got Covid-19 we were headed northeast to Kuala Terengganu. The trip was a welcomed respite as we sought to recharge ourselves, physically and mentally.

The last time we were in my hometown was in June last year. Before we went back to Kuala Lumpur we left the keys to the gate with a neighbour who has been helping to keep an eye on the property, he has also been tending to the plants. Thank you Heng!

This time around we left our condo before dawn to begin our long drive up the east coast. We headed north and drove past the Gombak Toll Plaza at 6:30am. After almost an hour we exited Karak Highway at the Bentong Toll Plaza before making our way past the Karak Toll Plaza and onto the Lebuhraya Pantai Timur (LPT, or East Coast Expressway).

We arrived at the Temerloh Rest & Recreation area at 7:40am and had a simple breakfast of Nasi Lemak and Noodle with Soup, together with drinks it all came to RM26.00 (approximately USD6/EUR5).

Breakfast out of the way we then resumed our drive forty five minutes later, and after two more hours we finally drove past the Kuala Terengganu Toll Plaza then headed to town for lunch. We were determined to have lunch at our perennial favourite Chicken Rice restaurant, Chuan Kee. Alas by the time we got there it was noon and they were all out.

The next best thing was On The Way (OTW) Kopitiam about a kilometer away along Jalan Pesisir Payang. We were lucky to get a seat since OTW quickly filled up. A quick scan of the QR code and we placed our usual order of:

  • Laksa Kuah Merah
  • Laksa Kuah Puteh 
  • Laksam Kuah Puteh
  • Rojak Betik
  • French Fries 
  • Iced Tea with Evaporated Milk
  • Iced Lemon Tea
  • Apple Juice

Our lovely lunch came to RM66.40 (approximately USD16/EUR14).

At 1:00pm we made our way to my late Aunty's home excited to check in on the place. Back in June last year we engaged a cleaning crew to give the house a comprehensive spring cleaning. Apart from cleaning the home we also disposed a ton of junk that required two trip of a small lorry. 

The cleaning crew had spent an intense 14 hours cleaning the entire house. In time we hope to bring this home back to its former glory, and become a family 'homestay' of sorts.

We spent some time unloading a few things that we brought along for the home including a solar spotlight to replace the malfunctioning lamp at the back of the home. While Cat washed the toilet downstairs with its newly installed bowl and cistern I busied myself inspecting each electrical outlet.

We then drove a very short distance to MS Resthouse located along the same street and checked in. We had booked two rooms for a duration of four nights that came to RM99.00 a room a night (approximately USD/EUR). Since my late Aunty's home was equipped with a newly purchased washing machine we no longer needed to look for accommodations that provided a washer.

We were in Room 7A while Brendan was across the corridor in Room 2A on the first floor of the rest house. We spent the next three hours catching up on some much needed sleep and arose at half past five. 

Stay tuned for our next video as we head back to the home then out for dinner!

Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

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