SUNDAY Saunter (Corus Hotel • Avenue K • KL Sentral • Maya Mess)

Impromptu Walkabout!

Cat took a while to recover from her health issues, and we were somewhat sedentary the past couple of weekends. However a spur-of-the-moment decision saw us leaving our condo at noon today. 

Plus, we were itching to take our new toy, the Lumix GX9, out for a spin. We walked to the Munshi Abdullah bus stop, and after a short wait caught the RapidKL #300 bus to Corus Hotel.

We disembarked and made a beeline for the Aeroline ticket counter here, so be sure to catch our previous video for some important updates!

We then headed to Avenue K so that Cat could reload her Touch 'n Go card. We then took a stroll along the various food stalls at the lower ground floor, but nothing whetted our appetite. Another spur-of-the-moment decision saw us ride the LRT to KL Sentral.

Here we walked across Jalan Brickfields and headed to another one of our favourite Banana Leaf restaurant. Be sure to catch our previous video on Maya Mess!

With lunch sorted Cat asked that we return to KL Sentral, where we spent some time at the Bath & Body Works shop. Cat then headed over to the Monki store where she got several dresses for our upcoming trip to Kuching. Oops, did we let the cat out of the bag?

With our little shopping spree out of the way we headed out of KL Sentral and waited for the free GOKL Red Line bus. It arrived a short while later and after a ten-minute ride we soon reached the Menara DBKL bus stop along Jalan Raja Laut. 

From here it took another ten minutes for us to reach our condo.

Brendan will be attending his graduation ceremony at UNIMAS early next month, which is when we should be posting our next video, so please stay tuned!

(Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

📍 Location:

Corus Hotel Kuala Lumpur - https://maps.app.goo.gl/HmdLK9ww6Z4kdGVz6

Aeroline (KL) - https://maps.app.goo.gl/ACS2P64z1vz2VMQ8A

Avenue K Shopping Mall - https://maps.app.goo.gl/ErJaVD6TVMzxBDKs7

KLCC LRT Station @ Avenue K - https://maps.app.goo.gl/nfMrxqY2NuGeTnP79

KL Sentral LRT Station - https://maps.app.goo.gl/vFHgbDQPjZBAfrnj6

KL Sentral - https://maps.app.goo.gl/74Sj99TycBxFsFcZA

Maya Mess @ Brickfields

- https://maps.app.goo.gl/5ewvExGJGEqPhUZJ7

Go KL Bus KL Sentral Bus Stop (Red Line)

- https://maps.app.goo.gl/geMp1gGh19nMiHEK9

Menara DBKL Bus Stop - https://maps.app.goo.gl/xDEPuqNcAcvuUwft7

Havironia Music - https://goo.gl/maps/swtNfVmjFK4FgRsf8

MAYA MESS Brickfields

Banana Leaf!

Since nothing at Avenue K whetted our appetites we made our way to Brickfield for our fix of banana leaf. We have been coming here for a while now, although this is the first time we are showcasing it on our channel. 

Maya Mess serves Chettinad cuisine originating from its namesake, a region in Sivaganga district of Tamil Nadu state in India. Chettinad cuisine is perhaps the most renowned fare in the Tamil Nadu repertoire.

By the time we arrived lunchtime was in full swing, and it took a while for us to be seated. Once seated the banana leaf was unfurled and the various delectable side dishes served. 

We added a serving of Chicken Varuval for good measure. It is a dry chicken curry dish from Southern India made with a combination of fennel, cumin, coriander seeds, and dried chillies to give its spicy flavour.

We hope that our time-lapse footage did justice to our awesome concoction of spices and herbs!

Our fiery meal came to RM54.20 (approximately USD/EUR11) which consisted of:

• 2 servings of banana leaf rice for RM29.80
• Chicken Varuval for RM9.90
• 2 glasses of Masala Tea for RM7.00
• 1 Iced Tea for RM3.00
• 1 Iced Lemon Tea for RM4.50

The Masala Tea after lunch helped to wash down the fire in our bellies, and then took a walk back to KL Sentral for a short shopping spree. Be sure to watch our next video!

(Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

📍 Location:

KL Sentral LRT Station - https://maps.app.goo.gl/vFHgbDQPjZBAfrnj6

KL Sentral - https://maps.app.goo.gl/74Sj99TycBxFsFcZA

Maya Mess @ Brickfields - https://maps.app.goo.gl/5ewvExGJGEqPhUZJ7

AEROLINE: Important Updates!

Aeroline!

As was the case last year, we will be spending this Christmas in Penang again. Our favourite way to travel is by bus, and our favourite bus service to Penang is Aeroline.

We made our way to Corus Hotel and bought our bus tickets, but not without several surprising twists to the tale! For those intending to travel with Aeroline to Penang here are some things that we learnt:

• A one-way ticket that would normally cost RM60.00 (approximately USD13/EUR12) has been increased to RM65.00 (approximately USD14/EUR13)
• If you plan travel on a Friday through Sunday the price is then RM72.00 one-way (approximately USD15/EUR14) 
• Please use cash when paying at the counter to avoid an additional 3% admin charge
• Debit cards are not accepted for some reason
• Large sized baggage are no longer free; a fee will be imposed

We were not yet able to purchase our return tickets, since the date was not yet 'open' for purchase.

Truth be told the above 'inconveniences' has given us pause to consider alternative means. A very tempting alternative would be the ETS, since the *Platinum from Butterworth to Kuala Lumpur is very similarly priced at RM73.00 (approximately USD15/EUR14).

*Electric Train Service (ETS) Platinum Class Trains are the quickest of all the ETS Services as they stop at only the main stations along the line and so are the quickest way to get from A to B on long distance trains. They also tend to operate at the most popular times of the day to travel.

It is a shame that Aeroline has decided to price themselves out of the game.

In the meantime, Brendan will be attending his graduation ceremony at UNIMAS early next month which is when we should be posting our next video, so please stay tuned!

(Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

📍 Location:
Corus Hotel Kuala Lumpur - https://maps.app.goo.gl/HmdLK9ww6Z4kdGVz6
Aeroline (KL) - https://maps.app.goo.gl/ACS2P64z1vz2VMQ8A

New Gear Day: LUMIX GX9!

New gear day!

With my lower back sorted I hailed a Grab car from Wisma MCA for a fare of RM9.00 (approximately USD/EUR2) to Berjaya Times Square.

During a trip to Penang last year our precious little Lumix GX85 malfunctioned. This prompted a purchase of a backup camera, and we acquired the Olympus OM-D E-M10 [Mark III] last August. 

This was our backup camera and as soon as our precious little Lumix GX85 was repaired we switched back to it.

Over a period of time and after many trips here and there we realised that the Olympus EM10 was hardly ever used. One big reason is its inability to shoot in D-Cinelike, a lower-contrast video with a flat colour profile, which was great for expanding our post-processing options.

We were then on the lookout for a suitable replacement, and recently CM of Altech Camera brought to our attention a preloved Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX9 that he had for sale.

So today after my chiropractic appointment with I headed to Altech Camera. Alas it was still closed by the time I got there, but after a little wait CM and his crew showed up.

Being the minimalist that we are, the Olympus EM10 was traded in for a very reasonable price. That allowed us to acquire the preloved Lumix GX9 for a very satisfactory price too.

Besides an upgrade to our precious little Lumix GX85 the Lumix GX9 was also able to shoot in D-Cinelike [we first needed to upgrade its firmware]. Furthermore both cameras used the same battery model and were therefore interchangeable, which was a big deal to us.

After sealing the deal I headed down to 4Fingers Crispy Chicken to get lunch for everyone. I then hailed one final Grab car for a fare of RM10.00 (approximately USD/EUR2) back to our condo.

Now we have two precious little Lumix cameras that we could alternate, and we could not wait for our next excursion to give the Lumix GX9 proper test. Stay tuned!

P/S: Cat did not accompany me as she was feeling under the weather.

(Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

📍 Location:

Nova Chiropractic - https://maps.app.goo.gl/osEhCoFrkTedenxK7

Altech Camera - https://maps.app.goo.gl/1HgPdyHBe3fTAzXRA

4Fingers Crispy Chicken - https://maps.app.goo.gl/WTvHvadGW4ShAhMXA

Havironia Music - https://goo.gl/maps/swtNfVmjFK4FgRsf8

CHOW KIT Market (GOKL Free Bus • Yem Masakan Kampung)

Chow Kit Road!

This video has been a long time in the making. Among the most famous streets in all of Kuala Lumpur, we've been meaning to do a walkabout video for a very long time.

Today is the day, so we left our condo and headed to the Capsquare Bus Stop where we boarded a GOKL Free Bus that took us to the Monorail Chow Kit Bus Stop. We walked across Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah underneath the Monorail Station onto Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman.

We stopped for a while to get some footage of the DBKL Hawker's Centre where we usually ordered our meals from through the Grab App.

We then continued our walkabout and soon entered the Chow Kit Road Market. We will let the footage paint the words for you!

Taken from the Visit Malaysia website: "Chow Kit has been a reliable place to purchase fruits, spices, meat, vegetables, clothes, shoes and so on. For generations, the Chow Kit is a wet market frequented by many to obtain the freshest ingredients for their household and also for some restaurant owners. This place may not be somewhere visitors may want to visit because it is in fact a wet market but this is the only place where you can try out local foods at a very low price. The market here begins as early at 6am and you can expect to experience lively and culture rich scenes here."

At the end of our Chow Kit Road Market walkabout we decided on an early lunch and after wandering around for a little bit we decided on Yem Masakan Kampung. I had the Spiced Fried Chicken with Rice while Cat tried the Grilled Torpedo Scad (Mackerel) with Rice. Together with a round of drinks our lunch came to RM21.50 (approximately USD5/EUR4).

We then headed back to Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman and caught another GOKL Free Bus back to the Globe KL Bus Stop where we walked back to our condo.

We are hoping to wake up early tomorrow morning to experience the Kuala Lumpur Car Free Day that is held every Sunday around our area, so please stay tuned!

(Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

📍 Location:

Havironia Music - https://goo.gl/maps/swtNfVmjFK4FgRsf8

KL32 Capsquare Bus Stop - https://goo.gl/maps/WWxxw539o5LR87aM8

KL52 Monorail Chow Kit Bus Stop - https://goo.gl/maps/Yyy3pdMMtfZk2HVm9

Pusat Penjaja DBKL - https://goo.gl/maps/kgDKG4En45rB5HUS6

Chow Kit Road Market - https://goo.gl/maps/YbqG5BhzdqVrsopA9

Yem Masakan Kampung - https://goo.gl/maps/jSyRrVEwc5scT6rTA

KL37 Globe KL Bus Stop - https://goo.gl/maps/AeuyhguPq6ztjVSs6

Roadtrip (Penang • Ipoh • KL)

Going Home!

We had an excellent breakfast at the hotel's Sri Tanjung Cafe and checked out at a quarter past ten. Together with Raudha and Shuhaida (Shima joined her family holidaying in Penang) we got into the car and made our way back to Kuala Lumpur.

The drive back south along the North South Expressway was largely uneventful and after a little over two hours we exited at the Ipoh (Utara) to drop Raudha off at her in-laws in Chepur. We continued our drive and reached Kuala Lumpur at about three in the afternoon.

We then dropped Shuhaida off at her home in Setiawangsa and headed back to our own home.

We hope that you will enjoy the time-lapsed footage of our drive back to Kuala Lumpur.

(Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

📍 Location:

Royale Chulan Penang - https://goo.gl/maps/7FvB4VK31NfBVMxE8

Havironia Music - https://goo.gl/maps/WQvrEoWPxqEuvnNy8

Royale Chulan PENANG

Royale Chulan!

Home for the past two nights, we felt it fitting that we paid Royale Chulan Penang homage, in the form of footage taken from the past two days.

We checked in two days ago and found our room to be well appointed and comfortable. Although a little dated the hotel has been making the effort to modernise itself, and we appreciate the fact that it is strategically located near the various street art murals and Little India.

We have also been enjoying their buffet breakfast immensely at the Sri Tanjung Cafe. Billed as "offering a range of delicious flavours and dining experiences" we thought that it served an excellent combination of both eastern and western, as well as local cuisines. We hope our footage will do this cafe justice.

If you are looking for a hotel that is in very close proximity to the Ferry Terminal that look no further!

(Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

📍 Location:

Royale Chulan Penang - https://goo.gl/maps/7FvB4VK31NfBVMxE8

Padang KOTA LAMA

Penang Esplanade!

Almost at the end of our walkabout Cat suggested we visit the Penang Esplanade, or Padang Kota Lama.

Taken off Google: "The waterfront Esplanade features historical landmarks, such as the Cenotaph war memorial and Fort Cornwallis, scenic promenades and access to several museums of art and culture. Architectural gems include Penang City Hall, which combines Edwardian Baroque and Palladian styles. Cafes, restaurants and bars dot the area, and there’s a handful of hotels. The ferry port offers trips to Butterworth and Langkawi Island."

We marvelled at the gorgeous building that is the Penang City Hall, and spent time taking a time-lapsed footage from the Esplanade Walkway.

We then resumed our walkabout, so be sure to catch that video!

(Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

📍 Location:

Penang City Hall - https://goo.gl/maps/XYUjnTJqEWd9utZM8

Padang Kota Lama (Esplanade) - https://goo.gl/maps/DtNsGQcH9Wez76JE7

Esplanade Walkway - https://goo.gl/maps/oj7bxB7MQY7TQAxU6

RAFFEE Nasi Kandar

Nasi Kandar!

Work matters out of the way we were now able to focus on content creation. While at the Penang branch my colleague Nazirah recommended we try the Nasi Kandar at Pulau Tikus.

Evening came and we walked out of the hotel onto Beach Street headed to the Police Station. Here we waited for the free Rapid Penang CAT bus that took us to the KOMTAR Bus Terminal. We then caught a Rapid Penang #101 bus for a fare of RM1.40 each (USD/EUR0.30) to Pulau Tikus.

The bus driver dropped us off at the Sleeping Buddha Bus Stop with instructions to walk southwest along Lorong Burma to its very end. We did so, then walked across Jalan Burma to Restoran Mohamed Raffee Nasi Kandar.

It was late evening and the legendary queues that is synonymous with this restaurant had not yet grown. We both ordered the same Nasi Kandar with Fried Chicken:

• Cat added the Green Chillis for RM9.90
• while I added the Lady Finger for RM10.90

together with a round of drinks our meal came to RM24.60 (approximately USD/EUR5). We hoped that the footage from our little Lumix did the meal justice.

We then walked across the street to catch another bus and begin our walkabout in earnest. Stay tuned!

(Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

📍 Location:

Royale Chulan Penang - https://goo.gl/maps/7FvB4VK31NfBVMxE8

Balai Polis Bus Stop - https://goo.gl/maps/MEmkx1d114hT29Uj6

KOMTAR Bus Terminal - https://goo.gl/maps/LQ8Kt1tnXe6brA8X6

Sleeping Buddha Bus Stop - https://goo.gl/maps/AfwPNrEmSovtbqBC6

Restoran Mohamed Raffee Nasi Kandar

- https://goo.gl/maps/sC4NzgcpdH8hGWRM8

Evening Stroll (To Lebuh Leith and Back)

Walkabout!

We checked into the hotel at a quarter past four and settled in. An hour or so later the walkabout itch bit us and since we had some laundry to do we walked out of the hotel looking for a local Murukku (a savoury, crunchy snack, its name derives from the Tamil word for "twisted", which refers to its shape) shop.

We walked southeast along Beach Street before turning right onto Lebuh Pasar where we found KVM Thulasiraman, the Murukku shop. We were asked to get several packets of the Dhall Pagoda variant and did so. 

We then continued our stroll along Lebuh Pasar before turning right onto Penang Street then left onto Lebuh China. We continued northeast to the end of the street until we reached the Goddess of Mercy Temple built in 1880.

We then walked onto Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling and continued southeast until we reached the intersection with Lebuh Chulia. We walked across then continued along Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling before turning right onto Jalan Buckingham.

We arrived at 123 Laundry only to find it claustrophobically small.

Due to an error downloading the files from the DJI Action 3 we lost all footage from this point onwards!

We actually eventually arrived at Laundry 39 along Lebuh Leith, and then had dinner at Red Garden Food Paradise. We ordered the:

• Sotong Kangkung for RM18.00
• Char Kueh Teow with Duck Egg RM9.00
• German Sausages RM20.00
• Small Heineken & Keat La Juice for RM20.00
• Banana Split RM12.00
• Apam Balik x RM7.00

for a grand total of RM86.00 (approximately USD19/EUR17). 

We were able to recover footage from the DJI Pocket 2 and picked you up at St. Xavier's Institution. We walked southwest along Lebuh Farquhar past the Church of the Assumption and the Francis Light Memorial before turning right onto Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling again.

We then walked across onto Lebuh Bishop and continued southwest all the way almost to its very end before we stopped to chat with the proprietor of Auntie Gaik Lean's Old School Eatery. We then continued on past the Ali Nasi Lemak Daun Pisang before making it back at the hotel.

I will be busy in the morning attending to office matters at our Penang branch, but hope to go for another walkabout tomorrow evening. Stay tuned!

(Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

📍 Location:

Royale Chulan Penang - https://goo.gl/maps/7FvB4VK31NfBVMxE8

KVM Thulasiraman (M) Sdn Bhd - https://goo.gl/maps/rM5fdSrD4p211XTF7

Red Garden Food Paradise - https://goo.gl/maps/qx7xUYGBC4XQoJzx7

Auntie Gaik Lean's Old School Eatery - https://goo.gl/maps/2FKRvb17jEqsVFQb7

Roadtrip (KL - Ipoh - Penang)

We're on a roadtrip!

Courtesy of my office we're driving up north again, starting with a short stop over at Ipoh before continuing on to Penang.

We left our home at half past seven and drove to the office a short distance away. Here we waited for my colleagues Shima and Shuhaida to join us before continuing our drive.

We headed to the Jalan Duta Toll Plaza and drove onto the North South Expressway before having a quick breakfast at the Sungai Buloh R&R. We then continued our drive to Ipoh and met up with Raudha at before continuing our drive to Penang.

The purpose of this roadtrip was to re-aquaint ourselves with the branch personnel as well as to promote a new project that our department had been working on.

Hope you will enjoy our time-lapsed footage of the drive!

(Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

📍 Location:

R&R Jejantas Sungai Buloh Arah Utara - https://goo.gl/maps/dgaBxxNTPUDz2DY67

Agensi Kaunseling dan Pengurusan Kredit (AKPK) Kuala Lumpur

- https://goo.gl/maps/bS8d5wN7KmLRRs2t5

Agensi Kaunseling dan Pengurusan Kredit (AKPK) Ipoh

- https://goo.gl/maps/HHq15oyypaeCvxLz7

Royale Chulan Penang - https://goo.gl/maps/7FvB4VK31NfBVMxE8

AJIE Car Wash

Puteh needs a shower!

My office organised a treasure hunt yesterday. It lasted the entire day taking contestants from Kuala Lumpur to Kuala Selangor so by the time we got home Puteh was filthy.

I promised her a day out at the 'spa' so I went out early this morning to a car wash that I have frequenting for the past twenty years. Manned by a group of hardworking and enterprising Indonesians they have been taking good care of my cars for as far as I can remember.

We hope you will find the hyperlapse and timelapse footages entertaining!

(Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

📍 Location:

Ajie Car Wash - https://goo.gl/maps/3QBgRVDMpwxsARmG8

Melaka Day 4 (Baba Low)

Going home!

The bad bout of diarrhoea of yesterday had dissipated while the nasty cough still kept me up most of the night.

We had originally planned to visit my parents in Bentong today, but my health situation meant that we had to cancel these plans.

We checked out of Backyard Rio at 10:00am and drove a short distance away to Baba Low for breakfast. It was midweek and we had the whole place to ourselves for a change. Cat had the Mee Siam; I had the Nasi Lemak while Ashley and Brendan both had the Toast & Eggs. Together with a round of drinks our Peranakan breakfast came to RM24.50 (approximately USD/EUR5).

We also got ourselves a bagful of local sweet cakes. The six (6) Apam Balik that looked and tasted remarkably like the Sarawak Kuih Penyaram and four (4) Pulut Inti (Steamed Glutinous Rice with Gula Melaka Coconut Topping) came to RM17.50 (approximately USD/EUR4).

Breakfast out of the way off-camera we headed to Lao Gan Bang Kopitiam to take away ten packets of their Nasi Lemak, as well as several local sweet cakes. 

We then began our drive back to Kuala Lumpur.

The three days and three nights absolutely flew by, and we will most definitely be back soon for another stay at Backyard Rio!

(Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

📍 Location:

Backyard Rio Melaka - https://goo.gl/maps/KEQjMGcqoA6tTgEt8

Warong Baba Low @ Tranquerah - https://goo.gl/maps/SRzBoQVBcZ2vriYE8

CHENG HO Hawker Centre

Diarrhea!

For the third time in as many days we found ourselves at Cheng Ho Hawker Centre for lunch. My perut was still quite sore from the 'disturbances' earlier in the morning so we both decided to have rice porridge here.

This time around we filmed our excursion here. Interestingly enough, the Chicken Rice Ball stall that we tried to visit yesterday and the day before was still not open for business.

I was especially thankful for the rice porridge since I did not have an appetite for much else here. 

Cat had the normal rice porridge while I opted for the plain variant, just to be safe. Each bowl cost RM7.00 (approximately USD1.50/EUR1.40) and together with drinks our very simple meal came to only RM20.00 (approximately USD/EUR4).

Lunch out of the way we then drove back to the Airbnb where I spent the rest of the day under the covers.

Tomorrow we head back to Kuala Lumpur 😔

(Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

📍 Location:

Cheng Ho Hawker Centre - https://goo.gl/maps/XxN8T2DwoDaGfWog8

Melaka Day 3 (Bronchitis?)

Day 3!

A bad bout of diarrhea and a nasty cough kept me up most of the night, so we decided to sleep in today.

We woke up late and by the time we left the Airbnb it was half past eleven in the morning. Ashley and Brendan were still asleep so we did not disturb their slumber.

First things first, we headed back to Cheng Ho Hawker Centre for the third time in as many days for lunch. My perut was still quite sore from the 'disturbances' earlier in the morning so we both decided to have rice porridge here.

After that we headed to Super Dry nearby for a spot of laundry.

All done we decided to visit a medical clinic since my cough would not go away, so we drove a short distance to Klinik Melaka Jaya. After having been thoroughly checked over the doctor feared that I was suffering from bronchitis! The doctor would have liked to have an ex-ray of my chest, but since we were going back to Kuala Lumpur the next morning he decided against it.

I was prescribed a host of medication, including antibiotics and cough syrup which effectively ended any hopes I had of roaming around Melaka today. We then drove back to the Airbnb where I spent the rest of the day under the covers.

Tomorrow we head back to Kuala Lumpur 😔

(Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

📍 Location:

Backyard Rio Melaka - https://goo.gl/maps/KEQjMGcqoA6tTgEt8

Cheng Ho Hawker Centre - https://goo.gl/maps/XxN8T2DwoDaGfWog8

Super Dry Laundromat - https://goo.gl/maps/HDuyJuUUKgH99os48

Klinik Melaka Jaya - https://goo.gl/maps/HRaYASfFSKbQheGRA

Puteh Rooftop Bar (25th Wedding Anniversary)

It's our anniversary!

We were married on this day twenty-five years ago at the Kuala Terengganu Catholic Mission, can you imagine that? The 8th of August 1998 remains the best day of my life. Apart from welcoming Brendan to the world a year later, of course.

A quarter of a century later and we're still madly in love, and still as mad for each other as the day we first met.

The day I laid eyes on her this poem echoed in my head:

"I wrote your name in the sky, but the wind blew it away. I wrote your name in the sand, but the waves washed it away. I wrote your name in my heart, and forever will it stay."

Hannah Gould's poem “A Name in the Sand” has stayed in my heart since then, and so has my better half.

So to celebrate we decided to treat everyone to a rooftop dinner. We perused Puteh Rooftop Bar's rather comprehensive menu and after a while we eventually decided on:

• French Fries for RM15.00
• Spaghetti Carbonara for RM28.00
• Buttered Lemon Spaghetti for RM27.00
• Classic Beef Burger for RM31.00
• Smoked Salmon Sandwich for RM34.00
• Puteh Chicken Wings for RM30.00
• Virgin Pina Colada Mocktail for RM20.00
• Mojito for RM30.00
• Margarita Watermelon for 30.00
• Flavoured Mojito for RM30.00

Together with a 10% service of RM27.50 our anniversary dinner came to RM302.50 (approximately USD66/EUR60) which in our minds was reasonable given the ambiance and the occasion.

Happy Anniversary Baby. Thank you for 25 years, and here's to 25 more!

(Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

📍 Location:

Backyard Rio Melaka - https://goo.gl/maps/KEQjMGcqoA6tTgEt8

Puteh Rooftop Bar - https://goo.gl/maps/qs2fkaPrP19wQDNj7

Airbnb: Backyard Rio

Victor!

What can we say about this absolutely fabulous Airbnb Super Host that hasn't been said yet?

Due to the rather short notice Victor arranged for us stay at the loft of Backyard Rio first upon our arrival in Melaka. Situation at a bend of the Melaka river, this Airbnb unit provided us with a commanding 180 degree view.

We settled in and as always had nothing but good things to say about Victor's well appointed unit.

The following day, and as promised Victor moved us down to the intended and more spacious unit on the first floor. Again, we were blown away.

We hoped that our footage of both units will do it justice, and as a bonus we threw in a timelapse footage of the sun setting over the Melaka River captured from the Airbnb.

We'll let the videos describe the apartment units we stayed for the duration of this visit to Melaka. If you are planning a trip to Melaka, we highly recommend Victor's portfolio of immaculately maintained apartments and homes on Airbnb. You can refer to his profile for a complete list of his well-appointed units.

If the previous video was a little negative we hope that this video will spread some positivity around. 

Enjoy!

(Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

📍 Location:

Backyard Rio Melaka - https://goo.gl/maps/KEQjMGcqoA6tTgEt8

MELAKA Day 2 (Drive Around)

#haveperutwilltravel #djipocket2 #djiaction3 #lumixgx85 #walkabout

Day 2!

We awoke and off-camera took a walk to Happy Laundromat nearby to do our laundry. As we waited we headed over to our favourite breakfast spot, Mei Sin Cafe.

We then walked back to the Airbnb and at about 11:00am were told that our unit was ready. Due to the rather short notice Victor placed us at the loft of Backyard Rio, and today was the day we moved into the intended and more spacious unit on the first floor. Be sure to catch our upcoming video on both the units here at Backyard Rio.

After moving our things we got ready for lunch. As we walked out of the Airbnb it started to rain, so we hastily made our way to the carpark.

It was here that we were attacked!

Be sure to catch our video on this unpleasant experience. Shaken, we lost all train of thought about lunch and found ourselves back at Cheng Ho Hawker Centre. Still shaken, we did not film our lunch time experience here.

We then drove back to the Airbnb and spent the afternoon indoors.

In the evening we hailed a 6-seater Grabcar for a fare of RM13.00 (approximately USD/EUR3) to Eco Tree Hotel. I made reservations for us to have dinner at the Puteh Rooftop Bar to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary, so be sure to catch our upcoming video as well!

After dinner we hailed a 6-seater Grabcar for a fare of RM10.00 (approximately USD/EUR2) back to the Airbnb.

Later I developed a bad case of diarrhea, and began coughing incessantly. If things don't improve tomorrow perhaps I might need to visit a clinic.

Fingers crossed!

(Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

📍 Location:

Backyard Rio Melaka - https://goo.gl/maps/KEQjMGcqoA6tTgEt8

Mei Sin Cafe - https://goo.gl/maps/oBr73EU6WciXLJ1p7

Happy Laundromat - https://goo.gl/maps/pmAzykzS9zKRE8Yy5

Cheng Ho Hawker Centre - https://goo.gl/maps/XxN8T2DwoDaGfWog8

Eco Tree Hotel - https://goo.gl/maps/Rvs29enTrbg8CuLw8

Puteh Rooftop Bar - https://goo.gl/maps/qs2fkaPrP19wQDNj7

ATTACKED in Melaka!

Attacked!

Truth be told we debated on whether to post this video, but in the end decided to do so as a cautionary tale to those who park their cars in and around the Kampung Jawa area.

The day began inconspicuously enough with us making our way out of the Airbnb for lunch. As we exited it began to rain, and since our car was parked some distance away I made haste. As I approached Backyard Rio's private car park I heard someone asking me in a rather confrontational manner "where are you going!?". It was as though I was somehow headed somewhere that I was not supposed to.

I paid no heed and this was when all hell broke loose. The person was offended that I did not respond and went on a tirade. I walked back and asked this person what the problem was, and was met with more verbal abuse.

I then decided to ignore this person, but when Cat, Brendan and Ashley received the same abuse I decided that I could not let the matter rest. Furthermore, we were fearful that this parking tout might exact revenge on the car.

We got in the car, and I placed a call to Victor. I related the attempted extortion to him, and he promised to come see us at the car park as soon as he can.

A few minutes later Victor arrived and we met with the car park proprietor, asking him why we were stopped from entering Backyard Rio's private car park. The proprietor had no idea what we were talking about, and the deranged person then confronted us.

This deranged person then took off her cap and hit me on the arm . It was then that I decided enough was enough, and asked Victor to call the police.

We retreated back into Backyard Rio's private car park and as we waited for the police to arrive this deranged person came over to continue abusing us. At some point even Victor was hit in the arm as well!

Cat then suggested we leave the matter to the police so we left the car park, while apologing profusely to Victor for the unpleasant experience that we both faced.

We were later informed by Victor that she was 'dealt with'; we did not want to know any further and left it at that.

(Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

📍 Location:

Backyard Rio Melaka - https://goo.gl/maps/KEQjMGcqoA6tTgEt8

Kampung Jawa Parking - https://goo.gl/maps/CGzXR4pFq7eK7wik7

MELAKA River Cruise

River cruise!

After dinner we went on an impromptu walkabout and found eventually found ourselves at the Melaka River Cruise ticket counter and treated Brendan (and Ashley) to a boat ride.

Truth be told we've been on this river cruise several times before this, but hardly at night.

We purchased our tickets from the counter for RM25.00 each (approximately USD/EUR5) and since Ashley brought her varsity student card she got an RM5 (approximately USD/EUR1) discount.

We then waited our turn and in about fifteen minutes boarded our boat. We hope the footage was not too shaky!

As an added bonus we threw in footage from an earlier boat ride taken during the day time, with an even better perspective of the Melaka river.

After the river cruise we took a leisurely stroll along the banks of the Melaka river until we eventually reached our Airbnb.

(Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

📍 Location:

Melaka River Park and Cruise - https://goo.gl/maps/hyMjNY1UXZrdj7P3A

Wild Coriander

It's Brendan's birthday!

And to celebrate we decided to take him to an upmarket eatery near the Airbnb. Described as "an incredible little local eatery with food that will tantalise your taste buds and leave you feeling more than satisfied in a very stylish and homely space" we knew we could not go wrong with Wild Coriander.

We walked in and were immediately ushered to our seats. As our ensemble perused the menu I took a walk around to check out this diminutive restaurant housed in a shoplot hundreds of years old.

The service was excellent and the waiters well versed in each dish listed on their menu. After a while we eventually decided on:

• Pai Tee RM12.90
• Fruit Rojak RM9.90
• Lambshank RM69.90
• Chicken Devil Curry RM29.90
• Plain Omelette RM8.90 x 2
• Wild Coriander Special Beef Rendang RM26.90
• Plain Rice RM1.50
• Lemongrass RM6.90
• Soursop RM6.90
• Iced Tea RM4.90
• Iced Water RM0.50
• Tiger Beer RM13.80 x 2

Brendan's birthday surprisingly did not attract a service charge and it came to RM215.60 (approximately USD47/EUR43).

Up next, a river cruise!

(Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

📍 Location:

Backyard Rio Melaka - https://goo.gl/maps/KEQjMGcqoA6tTgEt8

Wild Coriander Melaka - https://goo.gl/maps/H99CWzeU7qsT3UuF7

MELAKA Day 1 (Walkabout)

Melaka again!

Barely a month later and we made plans to visit Melaka again. This time it was for an entirely different reason, and this time we had a special guest in tow.

We had been planning a surprise for Brendan's birthday with Ashley since April, and early this morning we sprang this surprise on him. Be sure to catch our video on this.

Since Ashley flew in very early in the morning we slept in and only left our condo at about 11am. After a leisurely two hour drive we arrived in Melaka and with time to spare till we checked into the Airbnb had lunch at Cheng Ho Hawker Centre.

We then drove over to another one of Victor's fabulous Airbnb units, Backyard Rio located along the Melaka river. Still knackered from the early morning drive to KLIA2 earlier we took a nap and emerged from the Airbnb in the evening. 

We then walked over to Wild Coriander to celebrate Brendan's birthday, so be sure to catch that video as well.

After dinner we went on an impromptu walkabout and found eventually found ourselves at the Melaka River Cruise ticket counter and treated Brendan (and Ashley) to a boat ride, be sure to catch that video too!

After the river cruise we took a leisurely stroll along the banks of the Melaka river until we eventually reached our Airbnb.

Stay tuned for our upcoming vides of Brendan's birthday surprise, Wild Coriander and our awesome river cruise!

(Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

📍 Location:

Havironia Music - https://goo.gl/maps/swtNfVmjFK4FgRsf8

Cheng Ho Hawker Centre - https://goo.gl/maps/XxN8T2DwoDaGfWog8

Backyard Rio Melaka - https://goo.gl/maps/KEQjMGcqoA6tTgEt8

Wild Coriander Melaka - https://goo.gl/maps/H99CWzeU7qsT3UuF7

Melaka River Park and Cruise - https://goo.gl/maps/hyMjNY1UXZrdj7P3A

Chaos is a Friend of Mine

It's been a while!

I think I can absolutely relate to the quote “Chaos is a friend of mine” by Bob Dylan, that best described my entire month of July.

Without mincing words I was knackered each weekday, and could only think of doing absolutely nothing on the weekdays.

Naturally we were not able to create any content, apart from the ones I did for my campaign at work.

This was the 30-second teaser video:

While this was the 1-minute launch video:

The campaign launched on 24th July, and soon after that more videos ensured.

With July coming to an end I could breathe a sigh of relief and with Work from Home privileges soon to be reinstated in August it could not come soon enough.

We will [yet again] be spending time in Melaka in the coming week, to celebrate Brendan's birthday [7th August] and more auspiciously to celebrate our 25th Wedding Anniversary on the 8th of August.

We had initially planned on a road trip to Kuala Terengganu but with the impending State Elections on the 12th of August we decided against it.

We will be sure to resume posting in August, so do stay tuned!

P/S: This was the eventual video for my campaign at work:

MELAKA to Kuala Lumpur (Going Home!)

Going Home!

We woke up at 9:00am to find a surprise waiting at the front door. Apparently Victor the Super Host came earlier and hung a bag of local cakes at the door handle. Thank you Victor!

We checked out an hour later and hailed a 6-seater Grab car for a fare of RM20.00 (approximately USD/EUR4) to Melaka Sentral.

With a little over an hour till boarding we had drinks before heading over to the departure gates at a quarter to eleven.

Turned out the tickets we bought at TBS did not allow us entry, and we were told to purchase boarding passes for RM0.70 each (approximately USD/EUR0.10) from the counters nearby. We finally got past the turnstiles and waited for our KKKL bus at Gate C which was scheduled to depart at 11:30am.

The bus soon arrived and after some time organising our luggage in the bay before boarding the bus, and it soon departed at 11:33am. It was an uneventful bus ride and we arrived at Terminal Bersepadu Selatan (TBS) in under two hours.

We went for a potty break then headed up in search of lunch, finally settling at a Briyani food stall at the Teratai Food Court located on Level 4. Cat had the Chicken Briyani; I had the Mutton Briyani while Brendan had the Curry Chicken with Rice. Together with a round of drinks our lunch came to RM48.20 (approximately USD/EUR10).

After lunch we walked over to the TBS LRT Station and caught a train to the Chan Sow Lin LRT Station for a fare of RM2.40 (approximately USD/EUR0.50). Here we again hailed a 6-seater Grab car for a fare of RM20.00 (approximately USD/EUR4) back to our home.

It was an eventful three days in Melaka, and we will be going again in August to celebrate our very 'silver' anniversary!

(Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

📍 Location:

Melaka Sentral - https://goo.gl/maps/nNAb4DNuxtyjobGZ6

Terminal Bersepadu Selatan (TBS) - https://goo.gl/maps/heT4RtLqQdmHbTQY8

TBS LRT Station - https://goo.gl/maps/u9ySLxCjEBqePAye7

Chan Sow Lin LRT Station - https://goo.gl/maps/pgzeJbn17bi99fz57

Havironia Music - https://goo.gl/maps/Y2d41FGCh3e8cczF8