Cabana Retreat a.k.a Glamping @ Kota Belud

Finding a place just for a weekend getaway in KK? 

If you have a car, you can opt to go to Kota Belud for glamping. By the way, glamping is just a word for glamorous camping! Just about one and a half hour drive from KK, there is this place called Cabana Retreat. Price is slightly expensive, perhaps about RM 250++ per camp but various facilities provided including toilet, cafe, hall, mini swimming pool etc. You can bring your own food there and cook if you want or you can request for food provided with a minimal cost. 

One nice thing about this place is that it's by the beach! You can enjoy the beautiful view of sunset in the evening and even sunrise if you can wake up early.  

The front of the resort. Very limited parking space but it's just enough for all their guests. 

Coffee Code BTU @ Bintulu, Sarawak

If you so happened to be in Bintulu and looking for some fancy kind of cafe, I would recommend this Coffee Code at Town Square, Bintulu for some great coffee. No worries if you have no car, you can just GRAB to this place as it is not far from the town. So, it's newly opened at the beginning of the year in a very new area, I guess! Because there are not many shops opened around this area. Upon entering the shop, you will tend to get a very comfy feeling but just lacking of the aroma of coffee for a typical cafe. Besides serving coffee, they do serve some other types of finger-food, waffles etc. Price is slightly above average but still consider cheaper than Starbucks!

Exterior part of the shop! Cozy looking right?!

Himbaan Homestay @ Kg Himbaan, Bundu Tuhan

Taking a trip out of the busy city KK is always a YES for me especially going to places which I can get a closer view of the great Mt Kinabalu! As for this time, my friend who is leaving KK soon picked a very nice place in Bundu Tuhan, which is Himbaan Homestay in Kg Himbaan. You may Google this place but the road to this place is bad and you definitely need a heavy duty car to reach here. 

Just something a bit about Bundu Tuhan before I move on. It's just a small town which is not far from Kundasang. It has many small "kampungs" within and most parts of this place can have a nice view of the great mountain. Weather is still cooling and going through the whole Bundu Tuhan road will eventually lead you to Ranau!

And as for this Himbaan Homestay, it is located just slightly below Hounon Ridge Farmstay but Himbaan is a more nature-like place! You may choose to stay in a nice properly built house or you can opt for the tents. Picking the tents (~ RM 90 for a tent for 2 person) is not a bad option because it is well-equipped with mattress, pillows and blankets. Besides, it has a very well-equipped kitchen as well and both sharing-toilets are fixed with heather! Damn.. This is the most luxurious camp that I have ever been to, seriously! And last but not least, it has a Husky which is super friendly and like to run around without irritating your stay there!

Stopped by at a Sinalau Bakas (smoked wild boar) stall while on the way to Bundu Tuhan!

Go Noodle House @ Genting Highlands, Pahang

Food in Genting is never cheap and try not go for those mixed rice or economic noodle or rice as you might ended paying almost the same price at Go Noodle House for a decent bowl of noodle. Unless you are willing to spend more at places such as Burger and Lobster! Since I have been staying in Sabah for about 6 years plus, it's always venturing time for me whenever I come back to KL for holiday. It seems that this Go Noodle House has a few branches in West Malaysia and has been running their business for quite some time already.  

As for the Genting Highland branch, it's located at Sky Avenue level 4, same floor as Malaysian food street. And most importantly is that, there is no queue and the service is fast!

No queue and fast service!

Genting Highlands @ Pahang

Just a throwback during the last year end trip to Genting Highlands.

Travelling to Genting Highlands is never difficult from KL as there are many ways of getting there. There are many bus services from different parts of Klang Valley (such as Pudu Sentral, KL Sentral, One Utama or Terminal Putra LRT Gombak), KLIA and many more. You can refer to the time schedule and fare from their website or click here. The bus will usually stop at Awana Transport Hub and you may proceed with the Sky Train. But before going for the Skyway, you can shop at Genting Highlands Premium Outlet (GPO) as there are many popular branded shops and frequently they have wonderful promotions! 

Genting Highlands Premium Outlets (GPO) at Awana Transport Hub

North Borneo Cruise @ Sutera Harbour KK, Sabah

North Borneo Cruise has been in the top 10 list in Trip Advisor and considered as one of the must go places in KK. If you are looking for a good night place to enjoy the night view of KK city center or sunset in the middle of the sea, this is definitely a good choice for you. They have 2 sessions every night. You can either choose the Sunset Dinner (5-7 pm) or KK Night City Buffet Dinner (8-10 pm). Or if you want to organise any special events, you can make a special booking with them. As for the service and food, the staff are really great and helpful and the buffet is just simple and nice.

Sutera Marina Jetty

White + Scarlet Restaurant @ Bandaran Menjalara, Kepong

Looking for a simple and nice western cuisine for lunch or dinner, or even a hang out place during tea time or supper, you can try White + Scarlet Restaurant at Bandaran Menjalara, Kepong. It is located facing Tesco Kepong and at the front row of all the shops which can hardly be missed when you drive along the main road. You can even Google this place on Google map. The down side around this area is the parking as there are many eateries around this area as well, unless you park in Tesco and just walk across the road! =) From the menu wise, they serve a wide variety of food. The special one that must try on the menu includes Spicy seafood aglio, lamb chop or any of the Western grill (or with waffles) with salted egg sauce, prawn paste fried chicken and last but not least, the waffles with ice cream toppings!

White + Scarlet Restaurant.. One of its kind around this area.. I don't think there is any other restaurants serving the same menu around this area..

Working Trip to Kuching, Sarawak

Kuching is the capital city of Sarawak and it's also a state with is rich in culture (like Sabah) and definitely food as well. I have been to Kuching once but it was almost 13 years ago and I believe that many things have changed from the time I stepped out from the airport, to highways, roundabouts etc. Though I don't have much time to walk around for this trip as my hospital just send me here for 2 days for a course but at least I managed to cover a bit! =)

** Just a random blog about Kuching!

Sarawak Museum. Located right in the city center. Easily accessible. To learn about the culture and beginning of Sarawak. No entrance fee.

Soo Har Yee Restaurant @ Bercham, Perak

Another recommended good place in Bercham is this Soo Har Yee Restaurant 蘇亿儿海鲜饭店. They are open for both lunch and dinner. As for the lunch, you can order fresh from the kitchen or cooked vege from the counter (mixed rice). Their specialties are stewed duck（狗仔鸭), Thai style steamed seafood (can mixed up to 4 types) and many more e.g. crab in the bread. Parking is never a problem at this place during the weekend but I'm not sure how about other days..

Stewed Duck（狗仔鸭) for RM 15. Very good dish. I can only say that they stewed it long enough till the duck meat is soft, tasty and juicy.

Restaurant Rasa Lain PLT @ Bercham, Perak

Bercham is a district in Ipoh which is next the to the North-South Expressway in Perak. Surprisingly, this place has many great restaurants if you ask Mr Google and each of the restaurants has different specialty. As for Restaurant Rasa Lain PLT 味不同海鲜坊, their specialties are steamed chicken (招牌胡须鸡), steamed fish balls (蒸鱼旦), steamed lala (蒸啦啦), claypot glass noodle with crab (冬粉螃蟹), special sotong (香茅蘇东) and many more. If you  are coming from the city center, you can get UBER to fetch you to this place! But if you are driving, it will take you about 20 minutes to reach to this place from the city center. 

Steamed Chicken (招牌胡须鸡) Basically, it's a no-fat, tough chicken meat.. Good in the sense that it's more healthy but bad for those who got no teeth.. =p

Botanica & Co @ Bangsar South City, KL

To be at home for Father's Day was the best thing that I can do for this year. Sorry for missing out Mother's Day =p I will be home more often next time! As for this year, my sister suggested Bo+Co this time as I have yet to try out this place. If you are coming in a big group, it's best that you do a reservation in advance and be there early if you want to avoid huge crowds. 

Everything on the menu was interesting and the price was quite reasonable for the ambiance and the location. So we ordered 5 things on the menu for a total of 6 of us! 1 tacos, 1/2 roasted chicken, 1 fish & chips, 1 pasta and 1 pizza.

The entrance.. 

Nuluh Lapai Hike @ Telipok

It is great to capture the beautiful sun rise at Mengkabung Bridge which is just nearby (roughly about 3-5 min drive from Nuluh Lapai starting point) before the start of any hiking activities.

Beautiful view of Mt Kinabalu from Mengkabung Bridge.. 

Japan Trip 2017 Summary

Japan Trip 2017 Summary (Click on the high-lighted part for the link)

Day 1: Part 1 Tokyo Arrival

Day 2: Part 2 Tokyo Kawaguchiko Lake and Kawazu River

Day 3: Part 3 Tokyo Asakusa, Skytree Tower and Shibuya

Day 4: Part 4 Tokyo Odiba Onsen, Mirakan Museum, Toyota City Showroom and Divercity for Gundum. (Last day in Tokyo)

Day 5: Part 1 Kyoto Fushini Inari, Higashiyama and Gion Districts

Day 6: Part 2 Kyoto Kinkakuji Temple (Golden Pavilion), Arashiyama Bamboo Forest and Kiyomizudera Temple

Day 7: Part 3 Kyoto Nishiki Market and travel to Osaka!

Day 7-8: Part 1 Osaka Dotonbori and Namba, Universal Studio Japan and Takoyaki Museum

Day 9: Part 2 Osaka Osaka Museum of Housing & Living, Tenjinbashi Shopping Street, Umeda Sky Building, Cafe Sky 40 and Hep Five Ferris Wheel

Day 10: Part 3 Osaka Osaka Castle, Osaka Tennoji Temple, Tsutenkaku Tower, Hozenji Yokocho Alley and Hozenji Temple

Day 11-12: Part 4 Osaka Kuromon Market and Shinsaibashi Shopping St.

Enjoy and have a nice day =)

Japan Trip (3-14 March 2017) Part 4 Osaka

Day 11 and 12 (last day), Kuromon Market and Shinsaibashi Shopping St.

It was basically "free and easy" most of the time after visiting Kuromon Market. Most of us had our own last shopping destination e.g. Shinsaibashi Shopping St. and Namba Station before getting back early to AirBnB to pack everything up.

Kuromon Market is just like Nishiki Market but it has more fresh stuffs e.g. seafood, fruits etc as compared to Nishiki Market. Whatever you have not tasted in Nishiki, you can get it here! We just got ourselves an empty stomach before going there and filled with lots of food before starting our last shopping spree day. =)

Japan Trip (3-14 March 2017) Part 3 Osaka

Day 10, Osaka Castle, Osaka Tennoji Temple, Tsutenkaku Tower, Hozenji Yokocho Alley and Hozenji Temple.

First destination for the second day using the amazing pass was Osaka Castle (free entrance, included in the pass). This is one of the famous tourist spot of all time. If you want to get a nice picture of the castle, make sure to be there early!

Japan Trip (3-14 March 2017) Part 2 Osaka

Day 9 (3rd day in Osaka), Osaka Museum of Housing & Living, Tenjinbashi Shopping Street, Umeda Sky Building, Cafe Sky 40 and Hep Five Ferris Wheel.

To start off the day, we bought the Osaka Amazing 2-days pass for 3000 Yen to travel around freely for these 2 days. The pass includes free rides via trains from station to station (not including JR and some other line) and free entrance for many tourist destinations. Thus, to maximise the usage, try to allocate 2 consecutive travelling days around Osaka only! You can log on to their website to find the place to buy the pass. After buying the pass from Namba St, we traveled up to Tenjinbashi St to visit a few place. If you want to wear the kimono costume at the cheap price, you can get it at Osaka Museum of Housing & Living. 500 Yen for 30 minutes but you got to get there early to get an early queue. 

Osaka Museum of Housing & Living.. Right above the station, look out for the sign board to lead you the way... The museum was not big, spending about 1 hour there was sufficient for us..

Japan Trip (3-14 March 2017) Part 1 Osaka

Day 7 and 8 (1st and 2nd day in Osaka), Dotonbori and Namba, Universal Studio Japan and Takoyaki Museum.

We arrived at Namba from Kyoto at around 5pm but we checked in into our AirBnB late at around 7pm because we couldn't find the place. After leaving our luggage at the AirBnB, we headed out straight for dinner at Mikino Tempura Restaurant at Namba area. 

Our AirBnB in Osaka, walking distance to Dotonbori, nearest train station is Nippombashi St.

Japan Trip (3-14 March 2017) Part 3 Kyoto

Day 7, Nishiki Market and travel to Osaka!

We left out luggage at the AirBnB and traveled to Nishiki Market from Fushini St. Nishiki Market is a shopping district where you can find a lot of food, from the raw to the cooked one! To travel there was easy, we took the train to a nearby station and walk about 10 minutes to the place. 

Baked cheese tart, fresh from the oven! Pretty from the outside, yummy from the inside! =)

Japan Trip (3-14 March 2017) Part 2 Kyoto

Day 6, Kinkakuji Temple (Golden Pavilion), Arashiyama Bamboo Forest and Kiyomizudera Temple.

To move around Kyoto to tourist spots was a bit complicated and time consuming as compared to Tokyo or Osaka. Kinkakuji Temple and Arashiyama Bamboo Forest were quite far from the place that we stayed. Thus, we took a train then a bus ride to each of these destinations.

Japan Trip (3-14 March 2017) Part 1 Kyoto

Day 5, (Kyoto Day 1)  Fushini Inari, Higashiyama and Gion Districts.

We arrived at Kyoto St. early in the morning (before 6 am) and there were no shops open yet. So, we just clean up a bit at the washroom, sent our luggage to the locker and headed out to Fushini Inari!

Kyoto Station early in the morning!