Hatyai and Trang, Thailand

Drove to Hatyai . Left KL at 6.30am and reach Ipoh 9.30am for breakfast. Leave Ipoh at 10am and arrive Hatyai 4pm. We reached Bukit Kayu Hitam to buy car insurance and is only RM14. Better change money at the border, the rates alot better.


Crossing the border is a mess. You need to park your car and all the passengers must queue at the passport control booth . Make sure you put RM2 into your passport. Just don't ask why!!Once done, go to the next booth to register your car in order to enter to Hatyai. You must drive your car to the booth cos the custom need to check your number plate to ensure it matches your car registration card.

Stayed at Lee Garden Plaza Hotel, the hotel was ok and location is very convenient. Is just htat the room quite dim.Opposite the hotel is Central Shopping Mall and Odeon. Less than 5 mins walk to night market. You can have buffet dinner for only RM15 and buffet breakfast is only RM5 per head.

We went to Trang the next day. Stayed at Thumrin Thana Hotel, hotel quite run down. Visited Tham Lay (Kao Kob) the fresh water cave under the mountain. Roaring in to the canals beneath the mountain are stalactite and stalagmite. You got to lie down flat from the sampan and when I open the eyes i can see the rock next to my face. It was scary. The entire journey is around 3km. Too exciting and scary trip!! You must experience it, no words can describe.

Then we went to snorkelling trip at Trang. Visited Marakot cave, when you view from aerial view, it looks like crater in a volcano. Infact inside the cave is a small island where the pirates use to hide their treasures inside. The locals found this place while looking for bird nests.

Snorkelling not nice, mostly dead corals. Pulau Redang still the best.

Serve authentic thai food. Must book in advance.


Sabannga Restaurant


Open 11am - 2pm, 5pm - 11pm


Tel : 074-429748


081-9690686

Treasures in a pot @"Pun Choy" at Ipoh / Places to eat

 You must try the Treasures in a pot @"Pun choy" or big bowl feast which is served in a big metal bowl. You can find prawns, roast duck, mushroom, scallop, sea cucumber, vegetable, fish maw and etc in one big bowl. You got to eat it one layer at a time. Pun Choy always cook with radish.
The radish and white cabbage is always serve at the bottom of the bowl to absorb all the flavours from the ingredients. The meat are serve on top.
You must try the pun choy at Ipoh for the price of RM298 inclusive lotus leaves fried rice and dessert.

We order the crab fried rice and it was delicious. The crabs flavours are all in the rice. You can't find this in Kuala Lumpur.

We got 12 person and we can't even finish the pun choy and in fact is for 10 pax. I'm not kidding you!!

Advance booking is required, at least few days.

Visit this place at :-
Restaurant Kok Thai
56-64, Lebuh Medan Ipoh
Bandar Baru Medan Ipoh
31400 Ipoh
Perak
Tel: 05-5468407, 5479581
Susana Tan at 016-5157178

At the same time, do order the fluffy kaya puff at Sin Eng Heong shop. Each kaya puff is only RM0.80. You must order in advance. Contact : 05-2439659 . The shop is near the famous chicken rice shop Onn Kee, just few rows away.
Address :-
No. 64, Jln Mustapha Al-Bakri,
Jln Clare,30300,Ipoh Perak.

Good places to eat in Hong Kong 2009

Sai Kung is a well known place in Hong Kong for fresh seafood. You can choose the seafood you want and ask the restaurant to prepare for you. In the morning, you can see the people selling fresh seafood on the boat near the pier.

Hong Kong during end of November where all the christmas deco and lights are up.

Ngong Ping 360 degrees

Big Buddha at Lantau Island Went to HK end November via Cathay Pacific. Stay at Royal Plaza Hotel. If you ever want to travel to HK, always book via Cathay Pacific as their package is really cheap. Package includes half day city tour, additional 10 Kg and airport transfers to hotel. I paid RM2300 per person for 7 days 6 nights. Really a good deal.

Royal Plaza Hotel location is very convenient, below is the bus station and MTR station and next to it the Grand Century Plaza Shopping Centre. You can also have dim sum at a chinese restaurant near Red Box Karoake at Level 7, Grand Century Plaza. The hotel room at Royal Plaza is huge.

This year there is no christmas deco at Central due to East Asian Games 09.

Disney land fireworks now starts at 8pm. This year they got Its a small world attraction. Able to take picture with Buzz Lightyear. hee..hee.. The christmas parade was great, 2 years ago it was raining and there was no parade. At least this year i able to see the full parade.

As for Ngong Ping 360 to Lantau Island, they got 2 types of cable car, one is the normal type which ticket priced HKD98 and another is crystal cabin which price something like HKD157. Crystal cabin means the cabin floor is a glass panel where you can view the hill from your cabin. If you are not afraid of height, i recommend you to take the crystal cabin. In fact if you are going to lantau island on peak season, is best that u take crystal cabin. Cos there is no queue for crystal cabin. We queue for 45 minutes for normal cabin. Damn tired!!

If you still have the time, you can shop at City Outlet the shopping mall at Tung Chung Station for all the branded outlets e.g. nike, levi's, puma, addidas, esprit and etc.

To go to the peak, take MTR to Central and exit J2.
This is the first time when I experience people mountain people sea at the peak tram. The queue starts outside the station. Therefore we took a cab to victoria peak and only RM25.

Regard to food, we did try the wan ton mee at Wellington Street known as Mark Noodle. This round was really dissapointed with the pricing. A bowl of wan ton mee cost HKD30 which is equivalent to RM15. One plain noodle with prawn rolls with no vegetable cost HKD40 (RM20). Just because Antony Bourdain visited the store. Opposite the store Jin Jai Kee only sell a bowl of wan ton mee for HKD16. According to locals, they prefer to dine at Jin Jai Kee. Well, Mark Noodle is famous for their traditional noodle, u can still give it a try.

Below are the list of restaurant that we visited :-

Shanghai Xiao Nan Guo Cuisine
Upper ground, TST centre, 66 Mody Road, Tsim Tsa Tsui, Kowloon
Business hours : 11.30am - 3pm, 6pm -11pm
Tel : 22582238
email : enquiry@xiaonanguo.com
- shanghainese food and something different. Worth trying. Their dessert are very nice. Famous for siew lung pau @ dumplings.

Tao Heong 88
www.taoheong.com.hk
- we had cheesy noodle with lobsters, hokkien fried rice with scallop, roast goose and etc and the bill only came up to RM300. Highly recommend. The restaurant also serve steamboat but did not had the chance to try it.

Gong Cha (Bubble Tea)

Fa Yuen Street, Mongkok

come down from royal plaza hotel/grand century plaza, take escalator to Fa Yuen Street, 2nd shop from your right. Must try their bubble tea, most of the time long queue.

Porridge, Hot Soya Bean

Just opposite Gong Cha
come down from royal plaza hotel/grand century plaza, take escalator to Fa Yuen Street, Shop is at the left hand site. You can see them selling cold soya bean, yau chow kwai and steam cake. Must try their hot soya bean and only HKD8. 2 person can share for hot soya bean.

Kam Wah Cafe and Bakery
G/F 47 Bute Street, Mongkok
(Prince Edward MTR B2 Exit)
- famous for "poh lau bau" @ bun. Their bun is so soft. You can order bun with egg with ham, bun with char siew or just the bun with butter. Highly recommend!!! It seems this is a famous store in Mongkok.

Jumbo Kingdom
Dragon Court

Shum Wan Pier Drive, Wong Chuk Hang, Aberdeen, Hong Kong

Tel : 25539111

Website : http://www.jumbokingdom.com

- nice environment where u can view the yacht. Food is great too and not pricey. We had dim sum, noodles and rice. And you have a free ferry ride at Aberdeen...hee..hee..therefore no need to pay HKD$50 for the cruise.

If you want to go Macau and want to arrange for a day tour, you can contact the following person.

Macau Driver Contact :-

Si Tou Wa

+853 66239678

ATTRACTIONS AT TAI O

Tai O

How To Get There

Tai O Fishing Village, Lantau Island (Outlying Island)1. Catch ferry from Central Pier 6 (MTR Hong Kong Station Exit E1. Walk through IFC mall) to Mui Wo, then bus 1 to Tai O.

2. MTR Tung Chung Station, then bus 11 from Tung Chung Town Centre.

From Ngong Ping Road, take bus 21

Kwun Yum TempleBe sure to check out the 80-year-old Kwun Yum Temple in Tai O. Kwun Yum is popular with Asians of various faiths and is commonly known as the Goddess of Mercy.

Kwan Tai Temple

This temple honours Kwan Tai, the God of War and Righteousness and was built in the reign of Hong Zhi (1488 – 1505 A.D.) during the Ming dynasty. In real life, Kwan Tai was a general renowned for his loyalty and is said to protect devotees from evil.

Yeung Hau Temple

This temple honours Hau Wong, a local court official from the late Sung dynasty in the 1270s whose real name was Yang Lianghie. A bell cast in the 38th year of the Kangxi (1699) was also placed in the temple.

Former Tai O Police Station

Dating from 1902, this building is one of the earliest police stations built in the New Territories. It is situated on a small hill next to the Tai O Ferry Pier.

Tai O Market

Browsing in the stalls and shops around Tai O is always a lot of fun, too. Be sure to check out the locally produced fish paste and salted fish for a unique culinary experience

Attractions at Hong Kong

The Peak Hong Kong

1. Take the Peak Tram from the Lower Peak Tram Terminus on Garden Road (Bus 15C from the lay-by outside Central Pier 6 or walk from MTR Central Station Exit J2)

2. Bus 15 from Exchange Square Bus Terminus (MTR Hong Kong Station Exit D)

3. Green minibus 1 from MTR Hong Kong Station Public Transport Interchange.

Ocean Park Hong Kong

Bus 629 from MTR Admiralty Station Exit B.

Lan Kwai Fong

MTR Central Station Exit D2. Walk along Theatre Lane and uphill to D'Aguilar Street. About 5 minutes walk to Lan Kwai Fong.

SoHo District

MTR Central Station Exit D2, and turn right to Theatre Lane. Walk along Queen's Road Central towards The Center. Then take the Central-Mid-Levels Escalator.

Golden Bauhinia Square ( Expo Promenade )

MTR Wan Chai Station Exit A5. Walk across the footbridge, head right and through the lobby of Central Plaza, continue on across the connecting overhead walkway, then descend to ground level. Head towards the waterfront ahead and the statue and monument is on the left. About a 15-minute walk.

Hollywood Road / Upper Lascar Row / Cat Street

1. Bus 26 outside Pacific Place at Admiralty to Hollywood Road and get off near Man Mo Temple.

2. MTR Central Station Exit D2 and turn right to Theatre Lane. Walk along Queen's Road Central towards The Center. Then take the Central - Mid-Levels Escalator to Hollywood Road.

Clock Tower

1. MTR Tsim Sha Tsui Station Exit E, walk towards Salisbury Road, turn right, take pedestrian next to YMCA to Hong Kong Cultural Centre. Then turn right and walk straight ahead towards the waterfront.

2. Take Star Ferry from Central or Wan Chai and follow the signs. The clock Tower is located next to the Tsim Sha Tsui Star Ferry Pier.

A Symphony of Lights(every day starts 8pm)

Avenue of StarsMTR East Tsim Sha Tsui Station Exit J, and follow the signs to the Avenue of Stars and Tsim Sha Tsui Waterfront.

Golden Bauhinia Square

MTR Wan Chai Station Exit A5. Walk across the footbridge, head right and through the lobby of Central Plaza, continue on across the connecting overhead walkway, then descend to ground level. Head towards the waterfront ahead, and the statue and monument is on the left. About a 15-minute walk.

Ladies' Market

1.MTR Mong Kok Station Exit E2, then walk along Nelson Street for two blocks.2.Bus 1, 1A, 2, 6 or 6A from Tsim Sha Tsui Star Ferry Pier.

Temple Street Night Market

1. MTR Jordan Station Exit A. Turn right into Jordan Road and walk three blocks to Temple Street.2. MTR Yau Ma Tei Station Exit C, walk along Man Ming Lane to Temple Street.

Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple

MTR Wong Tai Sin Station Exit B2 or B3.

Sai Kung

1. Bus 92 from MTR Diamond Hill Station Exit C2 Bus Terminus

2. Green minibus 1A from MTR Choi Hung Station Exit C2.

3. Green minibus 101M from MTR Hang Hau Station Exit B1 to Sai Kung Market.

You can buy dried seaweeds for 3 packets at HKD50. You can see people selling seafood on the boat. You can also take ferry ride over to Kui Chui Beach to walk around and ferry ride only HKD20 for return. Must try their ice cream known as Mister Softies. Very nice!!

Stanley Market

1. MTR Hong Kong Station Exit D and take bus 6, 6A, 6X, 66 or 260 at Exchange Square Bus Terminus.

2. MTR Causeway Bay Station Exit B, walk to Tang Lung Street then take green minibus 40.

3. Bus 973 from Tsim Sha Tsui East Bus Terminus or Canton Road outside Silvercord Centre.

You can buy linen table cloth, coasters, linen bags.

You can buy HK t-shirts for 4 pieces at HKD100, the quality is alot better than ladies market.

'1881 Heritage'

MTR Tsim Sha Tsui Station Exit E, walk towards Salisbury Road, turn right, take subway (Pedestrian tunnel) next to YMCA to '1881 Heritage'.

Located on Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, '1881 Heritage' boasts an area of 130,000square feet. It features a shopping mall, a heritage hotel, and an exhibition hall. The original site of ‘1881 Heritage’ was the headquarters of the Hong Kong Marine Police from the 1880's to 1997. The buildings’ unique Victorian architecture epitomizes its rich colonial background. Except for the Former Fire Station, the Former Marine Police Headquarters Main Building, Former Stable Block, Former Time Ball Tower were declared monuments by the Antiquities and Monuments Office in 1994, as proof of their historical significance.

Ngong Ping 360

MTR Tung Chung Station Exit B and walk 5 minutes to the Tung Chung Cable Car Terminal.

Walk to the Temple and visit the vegetarian store for their desserts. Must eat their tow foo fah.

Po Lin Monastery

1.Catch ferry from Central Pier 6 (MTR Hong Kong Station Exit E1. Walk through IFC mall) to Mui Wo, then take bus 22.MTR Tung Chung Station Exit B, then take bus 23 from Tung Chung Town Centre

Lamma Island

Catch ferry from Central Pier 4 (MTR Hong Kong Station Exit E1. Walk through IFC mall).

Food Picture : -

Bo Loh Bun with egg and ham

Trip to Adelaide, Australia

Went to Adelaide, Australia to celebrate my birthday. Took Malaysian Airlines and it was a full flight. 4am they serve us breakfast - yogurt and cereal bar. My friend woke me up at 3am to celebrate my birthday. They bought cake to the plane. It was really fun and guess we did woke up our neighbours...ha!ha!

We arrived Adelaide 6am, aus time. We went to Hertz to get our car. According to Hertz is cheaper to rent your car from your travel agent rather walk in to HERTZ counter. They gave us Toyota Camry sport version and is red color. We check all the oils and tyres to ensure everything is in order before we drove off. We brought our own GPS.

1st destination is find our breakfast. Therefore we went to Adelaide Central Market to find food. Yummy breakfast and we ate toast bread, bacon, ham, mushroom, eggs for Aus$10.50.

You can get your nuts at NUTS BAR, Stall 76 at Adelaide Central Market.Then we went to Rundell Street to walk around. Stopby at Woolworth to buy food stuff and drinks.

Our itinery (our actual itinery are in red text) :-

Day 1 (19 Sep 2009 - 20 Sep 2009) Adelaide city
Upon arrive, pick up car at the airport and self drive to hotel for check in. free at own.
- visited adelaide central market
- rundell street
- woolworth to buy food stuff
- dinner at melbourne street at Tiger Lily for thai food. Food not that great and quite expensive.
Overnight : Freedom Adelaide Meridian Hotel, 21-37 Melbourne Street, North Adelaide.
Check in time : 12pm

How to get to Freedom Adelaide Meridien
The Hotel is in Melbourne Street, North Adelaide, just over the parklands from the city centre. From the Airport you can take a taxi directly to the hotel or drive yourself to the city and take King William Street, North over the river Torrens and then turn East down Sir Edwin Smith Avenue which turns into Melbourne Street.

Day 2 (20 Sep 2009 -21 Sep 2009) Barossa Valley
One of world's most famous and historic wine regions, the Barossa, is a one-hour drive north east of Adelaide. Take the picturesque route through the Adelaide Hills, via Chain of Ponds and Kersbrook to arrive at Williamstown. Just outside the town is the Barossa Reservoir with its engineering feat, the Whispering Wall. The wall has a remarkable acoustic phenomenon - messages whispered at one side can be heard clearly at the other end, 140 metres away.
Continue on to Lyndoch, perhaps stopping for morning tea at the Lyndoch Bakery. You can also stop by at Lavender Farm and it closes at 4pm. The lavender are so beautiful.

After Lyndoch, there is an endless choice of attractions and wineries. Do drop by at Trevor Jones, the wine is great. At Rowland Flat, visit the Jacob's Creek Visitor Centre, 'home' to the famous wine and the creek, and the cellar door of the major wine company Orlando Wyndham. You can buy small bottle of wines (6) at AUS$18.

Other wineries on this route include Grant Burge Wines and St Hallett Wines, each known for their premium wines.
The town of Tanunda is a delight, and a walk around is the best way to see its unique historic attractions. There are good country cafés, bakeries and antique and craft shops too.We had our dinner at Tanuda Chicken where they serve you roast chicken. If you want sauce for the chicken, you need to purchase at Aus$2.50.

Other recommended wineries on the outskirts of Tanunda include Chateau Tanunda, Peter Lehmann Wines, Richmond Grove and Langmeil Winery.

Drive to the town of Angaston via Mengler Hill .Lookout for one of the best views of the Barossa Valley. In Angaston, visit Angas Park Fruit Company to purchase some delicious dried fruits or Barossa Valley Cheese Company for delicious cheeses. Both Saltram Winery and Yalumba are near Angaston also well worth a visit. We visited Angas Park Fruit to buy dried fruits. Kinda expensive compare to Adelaide Central Market.

This afternoon continue exploring the wineries of the region, perhaps visiting those near the town of Nuriootpa, such as Elderton Wines, Penfolds Wines and the striking contemporary setting of Wolf Blass Visitor Centre. There's good dining throughout the Barossa. For picnic fare and to taste great regional produce, Maggie Beer's Farm Shop is highly recommended. For dinner, try 1918 Bistro & Grill in Tanunda; Vintners Bar & Grill or Salters, both near Angaston; or Apellation at Marananga.
Adelaide - Tanunda: 71km, 1 hour 10min
Adelaide - Tanunda via Chain of Ponds: 74km, 1 hour 20 minutes
Overnight : Novotel Barossa Valley
Check in time : 2pm, check out time : 11am
Golf Links Road, (PO Box 942), Rowland Flat, Barossa Valley, SA, 5118
Tel: +61-8-8524-0000 Fax: +61-2-8524-0100 Email: H3026-re01@accor.com

Novotel Hotel, very nice scenery facing the hills and vineyard. The room are huge. Very clean and highly recommended. Per nite is Aus$233.

Day 3 (21 Sep 2009 - 22 Sep 2009) Adelaide City
Overnight : Freedom Adelaide Meridian Hotel, 21-37 Melbourne Street, North Adelaide.
Check in time : 12pm
Visited Cleland Park and entrance fees is Aus$16. It was raining heavily and windy, therefore we got to wait till 2pm to see the koala. You can take pictures with the koala. If you wish to carry the koala you got to paid AUS$30. You only can take pictures with Koala from 2pm-4pm.
We did not go to Mt Lofty cos too cold.
At night we drove to O'Connell Street, North Adelaide for Thai Food. You can try eating at Pattaya Thai next to the japanese restaurant. The portion are big and very nice food. We had our chicken with cashew nuts, tom yam and another pork dish with vegetables. Total bill AUS$52. O'Connell street got lots of restaurant and the parking is a problem.

Day 4 (22 Sep 2009 - 23 Sep 2009) Fleurieu Peninsula
Less than 30 minutes drive from Adelaide, the Fleurieu Peninsula has rolling hills of vineyards, untouched bushland, stunning beaches and dramatic coastlines. Spend a day visiting some of McLaren Vale's 50 cellar door outlets, and art and craft galleries, olive and almond shops. And tackle the Cheese and Wine Trail.
Visited MENZ chocolate factory, famous for chocolates and fruit sweets. You can stop by at Olives and Almonds shop. Then Olive shop. There is one dried fruit and nuts shops at the corner, the nuts are very cheap. You can also buy figs to boil lotus soup.

Continue south to Victor Harbor, South Australia's most famous coastal resort town. Renowned as a great place for watching southern right whales in winter, it is also home to a colony of little penguins on Granite Island(penguin interpretive tour $12.50). The island is a short walk across the timber causeway or a pleasant ride on the horse-drawn tram.($7) appx 40mins for return trip. (place to visit nearby : Urimbirrra Wildlife Park / The south australian whale centre)
The granite island tour starts at 6.30pm and you got to walk to the island which takes 15-20 minutes. We did not able to take the horse drawn tram cos it was closed at 4pm. It was raining heavily and very cold. The penguin tour lasted for 1 hour. We had our dinner at a thai restaurant which is open till late if you need hot soup and hot noodles. We stay at Mccracken Country Resort and the room are huge, you even got a spa tub in your bathroom unfortunately we do not have time to use it. The room faces the golf course. Room per nite is AUS$150, worth staying.

Adelaide - McLaren Vale: 40km, 40min
McLaren Vale - Victor Harbor: 45km, 45min
Overnight : Mccracken Country Club
Mccracken Drive , Victor Harbour, 08-85510200.
Check in time : 2pm, check out : 10.30am

Day 5 / 6 (23 Sep 2009 – 25 Sep 2009) Adelaide Hills
Stay at Hahndorf Inn Motor Lodge
AUS290 for 2 nites
35a Main Street, Hahndorf South Australia 5245
This logde is very nice, room is huge. Very convenient location, walking distance to main street.
Shop at Lavender Shop and the owner is really helpful. You can find alot of things from lotion, body gel to sweets at this shop. We stopped by at one shop that sells spices known as The Pickle. You should try their cashew mustard which is AUS$7 and their spicy pork spices. Salami cost AUS$9.50.
We had buffet dinner at Cedar Brasserie, the gaming place which is only AUS$19.50. They serve great food. Worth trying. We had german food at Handorf Inn. We order a german platter which consist of pork knuckles, pork ribs, sausages, potatoes and pretzels. Really big portion and we can't even finish it and only cost AUS$52.50 where you can't find this price in Malaysia. Highly recommend.You should try the apple pie at their bakery shop which is before the supermarket. The apple pie got to eat it cold and cost is AUS$11. The apple are so crunchy, totally different from Malaysia. Must try!! Travel south to the Adelaide Hills this morning, stop at Birdwood, the National Motor Museum ($9) shares an automotive treasure house and the stories of Australian motoring. Check out the sights and sounds of Hahndorf to find great spots for kids, like Humbugs lolly shop, the Hahndorf Puppet Shop, the fairy shop and more. Climb the world's biggest rocking horse, explore the animal park and buy some quality wooden toys and at the Big Rocking Horse (FOC) at Gumeracha.Visited the biggest rocking horse and you can also enter to their barn for free. You can see kangaroos, sheeps, birds and etc in the barn.
Discover why the whole world loves Adelaide Hills wine at some of our many award-winning wineries - Nepenthe, Shaw + Smith, The Lane at Ravenswood, Bird in Hand and Hahndorf Hill (to name but a few).
Search for treasure (or hunt out a bargain) in the many weird and wonderful antique and second-hand shops of Woodside. See chocolates and lollies being made the old-fashioned way at Melba's Chocolate Factory in Woodside (you can even taste them fresh the production line). Housed in an historic former cheese factory, Melba's is choc-aholic heaven.Instead buying chocolate we bought alot of cow stuff e.g cow bell, cow photo holders, apron with cow elements and etc. I can't believe that i can get my cow collection in the chocolate shop. You can visit the cheese factory next to MELBA.
Stock up on home-made apple pies, fresh fruit and a stack of other regional products at The Old Apple Shed and other cute roadside stalls along the route.
Whistle while you work at Beerenberg Strawberry Farm ($3), picking your own bucket of ripe, red strawberries. Then check out the jam kitchen, the 1840s barn and the historic German wagon used by Hills pioneers. Bought strawberry jam at AUS$4 for 48 pieces, hot mustard for AUS7.

Close by, The Cedars is artist Hans Heysen’s former house and beautiful garden. This is the famous artiste house. You able to view the art gallery. Recommend to stop by.

Set out at sunset to see amazing Australian wildlife at Warrawong Wildlife Sanctuary(self guided FOC / Animal Show $5 / Santuary Tour $5) near MylorGuided night tours are the best way to see all the animals (including platypus), but you can also explore the sanctuary by day (entry is free from 9am until 4pm). Very small wildlife park and you able to see kangaroos and birds. No Koala at this park. You can walk entire park within half an hour.


Cuddle a koala, feed a kangaroo and eyeball an emu at Cleland Wildlife Park(S16). Special kids' activities include self-discovery trails, interactive wild shows, craft activities and scientific explorations.
Tanunda – Hahndorf via Birdwood and Mt Torrens: 77km, 48miles 1 hour 20 minutes

Day 7 / 8 / 9 (25 -27)
Drive to Holdfast shores for Dolphin watch cruise($58 / dolphin swim $98) with Temptation. Dolphins are one of the Earth's most fascinating and curious creatures. Dolphin swimming offers you this once in a lifetime encounter in which you will be touched forever.
Adelaide CBR - Holdfast Shores Marina Glenelg: 10km, 25min
Overnight : Overnight : Freedom Adelaide Meridian Hotel, 21-37 Melbourne Street, North Adelaide.
We did not go for dolphin cruise cos too cold. The weather is crazy. You can visit the fisherman wharf but then only open on weekends.Therefore we explore Port Adelaide where you can get fresh oyster at AUS$10 for 1 dozen. You can find great vietnamese food at the following location, all this road very near Port Adelaide . I called this place vietnamese village:-
a. Grand Junction Road
b. Hanson Road
c. Adison Road - Vietnamse cuisine and always full house..did not able to try it.
You can stopped by at the Vietnamese Supermarket and buy curring powder to make vietnamese pork.

Visited Harbour Town Shopping Mall at Glenelg. You can find alot of branded outlets such as esprit, converse, colorado and etc. Mall closes at 5pm.

Went to brighton road at Glenelg to check out the esplanade. Very beautiful place but unfortunately too cold to walk around. Open parking near Stamford hotel cost AUS$2.50 per hour.

Next to the airport is IKEA...therefore you can still shop and dine at IKEA before you drop off the car to HERTZ.

SUMMARY :-
Parking??
1P means you can park your car for 1 hour
2P means you can park yoyr car for 2 hours
Therefore watch out for the sign.

Vietnamese Food in Adelaide can be found at :-
a. grand junction road
b. hanson road
c. adison road
All above roads are near Port Adelaide.

You can purchase Fresh Oyster at Port Adelaide, the shop is located next to College Road. Turn in at Commercial Road. 1 dozen for AUS$10 where the oyster already open.

Handorf
a. Must try the german platter at Handorf Inn
b. lavender products at Lavender Shop
c. apple pie at bakery shop before the supermarket
d. strawberry jam, honey, mustard at Beeremberg
e. buffet dinner at Cedar Brasserie, aus$19.50 per pax at the restaurant which got gaming centre.

Water
You can purchase 10 litre of water at the supermarket e.g Woolworth, Foodland for only AUS$4. Is very convenient to use, is cheaper then purchasing bottle.

Fast food restaurant does not provide ketchup. Ketchup can cost AUS0.40 per sachet.

Adelaide is a quiet place and with beautiful scenery. I don't think I will ever visit Adelaide again.The weather is too cold and our skins are dry. I don't think I can ever migrate to Adelaide. :)

Overall i did enjoy the trip with my friends and is unbelievable that i'm the driver and navigator. Great achievement for me.....as i hate driving..ha!ha! We only get lost in the city. You need a GPS when you travel in the city and make sure the map are updated.

My 1st Pottery Class

Attended 3 hours session at Sunway University on pottery workshop. The workshop teaches you on how to make sauce plates using clay. You need to have patience to do this. Your need to control the strength on your hand when using the clay.
As you know I love cows alot therefore i created my sauce plates with cow elements on it... Well, this is the 1st pottery workshop so don't expect anything great... I able to create the cow head...hee..hee...

Well need to wait for 1 month before i can collect all this items from the instructor. Then will upload the final result of my cow sauce plates and spoon.

Fungus Cake provided by NOEL

Today is my friend birthday and he received a cake specially delivered to him from NOEL.
After all the birthday songs, cake cutting ceremony and everyone wants to eat this delicious Caramel Banana Cake.

Look what they found in the cake. Fungus in the cake and refer to the pictures below.

Well of cos he is mad and the buyer contacted NOEL, guess what is the reply. The cake is not supply by NOEL but our partner. Well, don't you think NOEL is so irresponsible. You should have quality check on your partner. This will really affect NOEL in terms of branding.

Anyway I used to order my gifts and cake from NOEL, I decided to use other gift sites.
Is it so embarrassed. To my friend it is a memorable gift from NOEL as he is a loyal customer with NOEL for the last 10 years. Guess he would not ever order anything from NOEL...

Is time for NOEL to provide service recovery. To retain a customer is more difficult than to acquired new customer. Especially for some one who is with your company for 10 years.

Unforgettable trip to Kuala Selangor

This happen few years ago where we went to Kuala Selangor for a day trip. We visited Bukit Melawati where those days you can drive your car all the way up to see the light house. We had our dinner at Assam Jawa Restaurant ( according to my friend already closed down). They serve the best coconut prawns.

Kuala Selangor is the place where you can witness the sights of millions of fireflies. You need to take a boat ride along Selangor River there the fireflies inhibit around the branches of berembang trees along the riverbank.


We went to Bukit Belimbing (http://www.fireflypark.com/home.htm) to see the fireflies instead of Kampung Kuantan. Of cos Kampung Kuantan is more adventure and romantic cos is a sampan ride. The sampan can only take 4 pax. Since i got 10 person with me so decided to take them to Bukit Belimbing where they ride on a proper boat which can accomodate max 12 pax and better safety.

The fireflies is like flashing christmas lights. Is really beautiful and you cannot imagine such a small insect can do wonders. Everyone was amazed with the flashing fireflies and you can hear " look at right, more fireflies there", wow so beautiful and etc.......very noisy group.

After 20 mins journey of enjoying the fireflies, suddenly we saw something flooding on the river and we thought was some woods or rubbish. My mom kept insist the boat man to turn back to the jetty. My mom and my aunt sat in front of the boat and kept asking what is the "thing" floating. We said nothing la, just some plank woods floating. We are seating at the back therefore we could see something submerge but can't really see what is it. We know the river got crocodile but never strike our mind.We decided to ask the boat man what is that. He said, please keep quiet, this is our member. Then we realized the thing we are talking about is CROCODILE. We quietly wear our life jacket and start holding each other hand. Suddenly everyone was quiet, TOTAL SILENCE compared 20 mins ago. Praying hard that my aunt would not shout else everyone will get hurt cos the crocodile is just next to our boat. I can see the head submerge to the water. Normally the journey is about 30-45 mins but we took more than an hour to go upstream so that we would not meet the crocodile when we are back.

We finally reach the jetty and everyone was asking each other, what did you see.... you can see that they just want to go home and want to leave this place ASAP. No one ever dare to mention what they saw. My friend face was pale and not even a word from her. She is really scared. Anyway we really thank GOD that we are safe and alive. Crocodile is just the beginning.

Is time to go home, my sister lead the way and we kept driving and suddenly we realised we are LOST. We can't see any signboards. And is around midnight, left and right is jungle,total darkness and misty. Handphone got no signal and we dunno where we are. This is the first time we get lost after so many times to Kuala Selangor. Both car stop side by side to discuss what shall we do, should we just go straight or turn back. So we decided to turn back. We saw a mamak store and everyone came down to the car to relax, change driver and then ask the owner for direction. The owner said just follow the road, turning back is too far. So we got no choice but to just take the same road, after half an hour journey, we saw one car coming towards us and everyone was so happy. We saw lights and we are on the right track. Everyone in the car was praying to GOD for safety and direction. We took the wrong turn and ended up to Rawang. We reached home at 1am, everyone was tired and scared after all the incidents. 1st we saw crocodile next to our boat, 2nd we get lost middle of no way.
Only next day we decided to speak out...is that CROCODILE that we saw and the answer is YES.

An unforgettable trip for my family, cousins and friends. None of us visited Kuala Selangor after the incident. We did not even mention Kuala Selangor in any of our day trip now. It use to be my favourite spot. Well, i heard from my friend that now you can take the mini train up to Bukit Melawati, Pasir Penambang is very clean now. I used to buy fish paste and seafood there. Guess is time to pay a visit after so many years.

Cakes Decoration, Wilton Course 1

Took the Wilton Course 1 on cakes decoration using butter icing on June 20, 2009 till July 11th 2009. Able to learn alot of tips and my classmates are very nice people. Kinda crazy too..ha!ha!

This is the cake that I decorated during my graduation. Those roses are hand made. Each of us got to make at least 30 roses. With the help of my sister, I'm able to complete it. Is not easy, every petals that you create got to follow the steps. Frankly speaking very tired exercise. Therefore do appreciate it when someone gave you cake which is nicely decorated. This cake are meant for viewing and no one will eat cos the icing is too sweet. You can't reduce the icing sugar cos the consistency of the butter icing would not be there. The consistency divided into 3 types - stiff, medium and thin. Stiff is use to create rose petals. Medium use to create clowns, leaves and etc and thin is use f


Aren't this roses beautiful....took us quite some time to create it.

Learn how to create a clown on top of the cup cake. This is really easy, we just need to pump the icing to make the shape of the leg, body and hand. Then just put the clown head on it.

Cup Cakes Decoration

Attended one day workshop at ICCA on how to decorate cupcakes using fondant. It was fun and it bring back old memories. Is like playing dough when you are small. Below are my creations. The ballerina and handbag. Isn't it nice??


Carrot cake which i bake for my uncle birthday....taste good!!!

1st time baking cup cakes and decorating it with butter icing. Simply pipping the icing on the cake. Wait till i take up the cake decoration from wilton course and definitely you will see improvements on it.

ATV Ride

Went for ATV ride at Kemensah Waterfall behind Zoo Negara.
We took the package - ATV 2 hours off-road ride to the awesome Ulu Kelang Dam for only RM150. Our instructor MAS train us how to operate and control the ATV outside their office. It was easy controlling it on a flat land.

6 of us went for this adventure. We always want to try something new. We have no problem going up the hill. You just got to go all the way up without pressing the break.
We reach one steep hill and one by one will go up. The instructor will wait for us on top of the hill.
So when comes to my turn, I lost control and hit on the side of the slope and was holding on to the ATV, waiting for my friends to rescue me. The instructor came running down and he told me, you love my ATV bike very much that you still holding on to it. My pose is like superman pose, both hands straight. I was lucky that i'm still alive that the ATV did not fall on me.

Since my friends and sister saw my situation, we decided to take a break.

So my instructor seek my guy friend help to drive the ATV down. He nearly lost control and lucky he able to make it. Else we see him flying to the ravine. We were standing there wathching and kept shouting his name. Too panic and frighten. Really dunno what to said.

Below is our instructor taking his break, he needs a cigarette badly after what he saw.Guess we gave him high blood and heart attack.

After long discussion with our instructor, we decided to give up and we are not even half way to the dam. Too scared to continue the journey.

We are lucky to be alive..ha!ha!

We are not suppose to take this package as we don't even know how to control the bike, this package is more for professional.

Is a life time experience and if you dare to take the challenge, you should try.

Just that we are not fit for this kind of adventure...ha!ha!

You can visit their web site at http://www.atvmalaysia.net/

Contact : MELIZA , 019-3407895

Travel Insurance

Finally we got our compensation from Air Asia, this is due to flight delay in Bandung which we waited for more than 7 hours. We got 500,000 rupiah which is equivalent RM170 e-voucher. We got to utilised the voucher by end August. Voucher only valid for 3 months. Do we still want to fly Air Asia? Just to utilised this voucher...gosh!!! Got to think twice. I rather pay more to travel MAS or SIA.

We bought travel insurance and according to the policy we can claim if the flight delay more than 7 hours onwards. Yeap, we can claim up to RM300 but the insurance company insisted that we get an email from Air Asia stating that the flight is delay even thou we got the Air Asia voucher. We been calling Air Asia Customer Service and email to their guest support services. Till now no reply from them. Some more Dato Tony Fernandes send enews stating Airasia has improved their customer service and it will provide excellence service. I doubt it.

So in future is better to buy Air Asia insurance directly to avoid the claim hassle. I don't know whether we will get our RM300. Anyway submitted all the documents and just wait for the good news.

Each time you travel, is best to buy travel insurance to cover your medical expenses.

Now credit cards do not provide any more claims for flight delay. sigh.....

What's next?

Shifted to new office in March. Everytime we shift office sure someone is sick. This time is the worst. One of my staff got chicken pox, one got high fever and another admitted to hospital twice. As for me, suppose to admit to hospital for stomach bacteria, need to go for injection and drip and ended up still surviving. I wonder how long can I last. Must pray really hard that all this will end soon. So that my department will be lively again. Now entire department is so quiet and everyone is so worry, who's next?

The staff that admitted to hospital got fever for 2 weeks, doctor suspected dengue and after blood test shows normal. Now two specialist is seeing her and the specialist said is more complicated than swine flu. Got to run thorough check on her e.g. mri scan, ct scan, x-ray, bladder, kidney and etc. Hope she is ok. Wonder what kind of virus is this that is so strong.

Today ,15th May 2009 announced first swine flu in Malaysia. The guy just came back from United States and staying at Sg Buloh Hospital.

Is it a cycle? First came JE, follow by SARS and now SWINE FLU. I wonder what's next.

Economy is already bad and with all this FLU it definetely affect the tourism industry.

Hopes all this will end ASAP. Let's start praying to GOD for good health. Also pray hard that all my staff have speedy recovery.

Bandung, Indonesia

Took air asia to bandung and flight is almost 2 hours. Time difference in bandung is 1 hour. We stay at Aston Bandung Hotel and Residence. The room was ok. Staff very friendly.
We visited Musuem and spent most of the time shopping at Rumah Mode. According to our guide Lucy and Win Win, Bandung got 40 factory outlets and majority own by few owners. So certain places you will see the same things.

You should only shop at the following places and don't waste other time visiting other factory outlets.
a. Secret
b. Rumah Mode
c. Heritage
d. Renarati (opposite secret)

Grande, Espisode at Jln Dago nothing much. Hardly can get any stuff there.

Places to eat :-
a. The Valley - bistro cafe & Resort Hotel
Jln Lembah Pakar Timur 28 (Dago), Bandung
Tel : (022) 2511450
Please remember to make reservation first. Weekends always fully booked.
The Valley serve western food and price start from RM17 onwards. A beautiful night scene and can view entire bandung from the peak. Picture below is mix grill...yummy!!

b. Tomodachi
Jalan Sukajadi No. 193 Bandung 40162
Tel : (022) 2036755
Tomodachi served western food - must try their beef chowder and mix grill. Don't bother their teriyaki set. Western food is still the best.

c. Bebek Van Java Restaurant
Lombok 47, Bandung 40114
Tel : 022 76751777
Famous for bebek. Bebek means duck.

d. Rumah Stroberi
Jalan Cigugur Girang No.145
Parongpong Kabupaten Bandung
Tel: 022 91144272
Must try their strawberry juice. You can't find it in KL. Their grill fish is very nice compare to their fried chicken. At the same time you can visit the strawberry farm. Their entire concept is very nice. Highly recommend.

e. Kampung Daun Cafe @ Lembang
The food is quite nice, famous among tourist. Surround by nature and also man made waterfall. About 1 hour journey from city. The road are very bumpy. Food that you could try are :-
a. kampung daun special steam rice
b. grilled chicken with honey
c. mie tektek (we did not able to try this, according to the guide is very nice)
As for their dessert we try sekoteng, bandrek, bajigur and i still prefer their boji tea @ local tea. Others are too sweet or taste weird.

f. d'palm sundanese restaurant - sorry did not take their name card. The environment looks nice and did not try their food as i was having severe food poisoning.
Jalan Lombok No.45
Tel : 022-4261623

g. Kartika Sari - this is the place where you can buy snacks e.g. steam brownies, layer cakes, bagelan (bread with butter - very nice)

h. Duck King at Paris Van Java Mall
Since the branch in Jaya One is always pack, therefore we decided to try Duck King. Not as nice as i thought, too salty. The price is similar to KL price.

We visited Tangkuban Perahu and we enjoyed the scenic view of the crater. This volcano is still active. You can shop alot of things there. I bought a wooden craft cow...ha!ha! Make sure you negotiate. You can get fried tofu and tofu snacks on the way to Tangkuban Perahu. Refer to below map.

I got severe food poisoining and luckily our guide Win Win send me to hospital for injection. The hospital is a training ground for the medical student. Yes, i'm really shock and scared and luckily i know what injection i needed. They are helpful and friendly. It only cost me RM30 for doctor consultation fees and medication. Is really cheap. What a day?? The worst yet to come.

Our flight suppose to be at 3.25pm and we waited till 10.40pm bandung time only got flight. The flight from Singapore to =Bandung was cancel due to technical error. Therefore no air plane to bring us home. First annoucement came in at 6pm saying that delay until further notice and hopefully the rescue flight will be here at 10pm. Then 7.30pm, food is served. We got 1 packet of rice and 1 pcs of KFC chicken, indonesian style of eating KFC. I was sick therefore the airasia crew "Three" was very nice , he serve me milo and noodle soup. He is very patience with all of us. Finally 10pm is here, the flight is delay and will be here by 10.40pm. We waited and finally it came...All of us are glad to go home. The airport departure hall is too small and stuffy. The airconditioned is like not working.You can see people sleeping on the floor. Is like we are in the refugee camp. We reached LCCT, KL at 2.40am. Can you imagine how long we suffer in the airport?

I definitely would not fly AIR ASIA , i dont mind paying more to fly MAS or other reputable airlines. 7 hours for flight delay is too much.

If you planning to go bandung, you should spend more time on sightseeing rather on shopping. We were there for 4 days 3 nights and only spend 1 day on sight seeing. Too tiring to shop too many days.