Pangkor Escapade

During the recent school break, we went to Pangkor Island. As I did not allow my girl to go on a trip to Redang last March for reasons best known to myself, I thought this Pangkor trip would work more like a 'compensation' to her. I booked the Pangkor Island Beach Resort two months ago and the kids have since getting excited over it.

We started our journey early morning. The drive was much easier than I envisaged. As I used to work on the university project in Tronoh, I know quite well the first half of the stretch. After passing Tronoh, we kept going straight and eventually took a right turn to Lumut.

Quite a facelift they have given to Lumut town. Note the colourful buildings behind the giant fish bone-like sculpture.

This is the Lumut Jetty. We bought our ferry tickets at the special booth and boarded a double decker ferry. I recalled during 70s' and 80s', there were wooden ferries. Of course now we have air-conditoned double decker with faster speed (not to mentioned the horrible smell), but yet to upgrade to hovercraft.

Off we go.

We went onto the open deck for some fresh air. My son simply adores the sea.

Are we there yet?

Within 30 minutes, we reached this private jetty shared by PIBR and Teluk Dalam Resort.

Already there waiting to wheel us to the resort, is the hotel shuttle bus. Err... more like a prisoners' bus. Reminded me of my terrifying bus experience in Mexico City years ago. Within 2 minutes, we reached the guard house of the resort, and then passed through the beautiful 3-holes golf course and ponds.

Pangkor Island Beach Resort, formerly known as Pan Pacific Pangkor. If I am not mistaken, it was known as Golden Sand Hotel during the 70s'.

The Filipino singers that perform in the hotel lounge give a welcome greet to the arriving guests.

The refreshing welcome drink.

I was speechless when the staff at the check-in counter told us that we could check into our room. Shouldn't the normal check-in time for hotels be 2 or 3pm? It was barely mid-morning. Well, overjoyed, we headed straight to our room located in the Ocean Wing.

The Ocean Wing.

View from our room.

My kids could not wait and dashed straight to the beach after changing into their swimming gear.

White sandy beach.

Plenty of reclining deck chairs under the shades.

Lazy swaying palm trees.

Quite gorgeous blue water.

But, do you notice something not so right? There was hardly anyone on the beach!!! Considering it was middle of the school holiday, I expected crowded beach after reading reviews from travel websites.

We have the 1.2 kilometer secluded beach almost all to ourselves. The kids dipped into the sea, chased the crabs, jumped over the waves...

Giant trees provided plenty of shades. As I was feeling quite weak, barely recovering from food poisoning, I didn't join the kids in the water. I just slumped myself in the reclining chair and rolled into a deep nap.

The gentle lapping of the waves. A tranquil way to unwind. A much needed rest for me.

Sunset. Strolled this private enclave accompanied by the soft breeze and water washing against my feet.

Hornbill birds swoop in and out for the scheduled feeding by the resort. Oh, dinner time. Decided to eat out in the town.

We took a taxi to Pasir Bogak. It cost us RM30 in this nostalgic pink van for a return trip. The trip was a fast and scary one, the driver was speeding like nobody's business. The road is winding and hilly and it really felt like a roller coaster ride.

We ended up having dinner at an unpretentious, minimal decor chinese seafood restaurant. We had Or Chien, the oyster omelette, steamed white snapper Teochew style, prawns, and green vege.

My son had the whole plate of prawns to himself.

After dinner, another round of roller coaster ride.

Didn't fancy music at the lounge/karaoke, went back to the room. Stood at the balcony, listening to the sound of the waves, before crashing exhausted into bed.

Anything to do with the prawns he has eaten? I ordered creamy prawns, not drunken prawns...

What's Next?

Kids are back to school for their new term and I am back to work. For the time being, I have to put aside my 'real work' but concentrate on some office admin. I will be racing against time to sort out some book-keeping and accounting stuff ready for the annual audit thingy.

It has been days the government announced the increase in the price of fuel, however the headlines remain unchanged, the papers filled with incendiary arguments and angry protests. It is still disturbing everyone's mind.

As well as bearing the drastically higher price of fuel, we Malaysian will be paying a quarter more on electricity bills soon.

The price hikes will undoubtedly lift downstream prices beyond levels acceptable to a society already reeling from high food costs.

We will have to tighten our belts from now on. But how?

Hmm... Walk to work.

Stop the Starbucks lattes.

Make your own lunch.

Snip off your plastic cards.

No more holidays, not even via AirAsia.

Don't buy new tops...

But, What's next?

Can't just sit here and moan and groan about it. Must generate more income. That's it. More revenue!!

In order to do that, I have to start to love my job, my projects, my clients and their problems.

Yes, I love my job, I love my job, I love my job, I love my job, I love my job ...

The Unique Mamaking Experience

After soaking up for two solid hours in the pool at the new Ayuria Condominium (will post on that later), my son was craving for roti canai. After my terrible suffering last week due to food poisioning, mamak store spicy food would be my last choice. Since it was school holiday and I did not want to spoil his fun, I suddenly thought of a perfect mamak place to go - The Restoran SS2 Murni.

Murni, being the most crowded establishment in the whole SS2, I suppose it does not need any further introduction. But, for my friends in Ipoh, I better elaborate. Murni, is a mamak place, run by a Chinese, located in PJ SS2, a few shops away from Secret Recipe. It does not open for lunch and only opens from 6.30pm until 5am. Business is so good that they started to occupy the five foot walk/kaki lima of a number of the neighbouring shops and also the parking lots in front of the shops. Nowadays it extends as far as both ends of the lots, i.e. Public Bank.

So, if you don't mind being run over by reckless drivers or having bird shits to enhance your food, or having rats strolling under your feet, do give this mamak place a try. Food wise, they serve unique, innovative food, especially its confusing array of roti canai and fruity ice-blended. If you ask any of the waiters for a menu, he definitely will say, "I am the menu..." And he will start bleh, bleh, bleh without any semicolons let alone commas. Never mind the speed, but the accent (being Burmese/foreign workers) deter you from catching a single word. Heck, luckily I have done my homework. I ordered Roti Hawaii (RM5.50) for my son.

The roti was filled with minced meat with a sausage centre, a layer of egg sticking to the inner skin of the roti and cubes of pineapple, topped with a generous dose of mayonnaise. Both my kids shouted yummilicious.

Yes, Claypot Lou Shi Fun with chicken mince topped with a raw egg (RM4.00). Not bad, considering it is a mamak place. I heard that the belacan chilli is wonderful, but I have to skip that.

This is Garlic and Cheese Naan (RM3.50). Zoom into the sauce compartments, there was dhall, fish curry and ... guess what? It is CONDENSED MILK. This naan is best eaten with the condensed milk. My daughter simply loves it.

Here comes the famous ice-blended. Mango Special (RM5.00) and Watermelon Special (RM5.00). Served, not in glasses but in glass bottles, like those commonly used in Hong Kong style Cha Chan Teng. Fruit puree/juice filled with lychee/longan, nata de coco, watermelon bites. Itself alone can fill you up. I prefer the mango version as it was smoother.

We were so full and satisfied. While leaving, spotted another lorry load of plastic chairs and tables being unloaded to fill up the street...

Cheapshooter

Have been longing to buy a DSLR, but my financial status does not allow me. Sod it.

Below are my attempts to capture beautiful flowers using my cheapo Sony Cybershot. What do you think? Quite pro images, right? I didn't mount the camera on tripod either. Slight wind caused the flower to sway and couple with the fact that my hands shook like nobody business, these are the best I could achieve.

The Palm Tree Shaped Islands

The Palm, a development off the coast of UAE, is now an international icon. The trilogy of islands envisioned the Palm Jebel Ali, the Palm Jumeirah and the Palm Deira. It is the largest land reclamation project in the world. Basically, each settlement is being built in the shape of a date palm tree and consists of a trunk, a crown with fronds and is surrounded by a crescent island that acts as a breakwater. The islands were created to increase Dubai's tourism and to provide more beach frontage in Dubai. To me, it is the product of years of brute hauling of millions of tons of Persian Gulf sand and quarried rock.

Between the islands there will be luxury hotels, exclusive residential beach side villas and apartments, marinas, water theme parks, restaurants, shopping malls, sport facilities and health spas. Most investors/owners are foreigners with Britons making up the largest group.

Owners are gradually moving into Jumeirah, but the project is still far from completion. The target completion of this Arab extravaganza will be in 2015.

The Palm may be stale news now, but do you know that in Malaysia, there is also a palm shaped development? I am not bluffing. Ever heard of Sepang Goldcoast? Yes, Goldcoast in Sepang, not in Australia. To check it out, I went with my kids on a half day trip. Having worked for years in Sepang, as part of the team constructing the KLIA, I have no problem with directions to this part of the world.

The Sepang Goldcoast is being developed by SGC, a joint venture between Permodalan Negeri Selangor Berhad and Sepang Bay Sdn Bhd. It is an ambitious plan by SGC to turn the coastal line between Tanjung Sepat and Bagan Lalang into a largest coastal paradise in Asia, comprising various commercial and residential projects. The project has started to take shape with the 1st phase, comprising 361 Golden Palm Tree Water Villas, currently under construction and is scheduled to be completed by mid 2009.

The water villas are being built on stilts, about one kilometre from the shoreline.

These water villas are conceptualized as a palm-shaped eco-friendly resorts ranging from 520 - 2000 sq. ft. in size and priced from RM488,800 to RM2.19 million a unit. The water villas are based on a sale and leaseback basis where SGC will lease it back and turn the units into a resort which will be run by a Swiss hotel operator. According to the sales officer, investors can expect a guaranteed return of at least 8% for the first two years. 99% of the water villas has been sold with foreigners making up the largest portion.

After strolling along the beach, I was sceptical about this over-zealous development. A question I asked myself: will it be a tropical showcase or a major flop? Considering the murky water, the unappealing beach, the threat of Sumatra earthquake, the objection by the locals, the slow progress of the project, etc. I left without even registering for the next launch of their tropical cluster village.

Sumptuous Durian Dessert

My mom, being a durian lover, I always look out for anything made from durians to satisfy her cravings. Spotted this tiny stall that sells durian puffs while passing along the link between Mid Valley Megamall and The Gardens at Lower Ground Floor.

These durian puffs came in pre-packed boxes. 6 pieces in a box for RM10.00. I bought a box to try them out. They were simply delicious. The next day, I went back and bought 3 boxes to bring back to Ipoh for my mom.

Fragrant durian flesh, soft fresh cream, wrapped in a wafer thin crepe.

Drooling... Even a non-durian lover like me, thinks that these puffs are God send.

The name of the stall is Lee Lee's Sumptuous Desserts. Besides the durian puffs, mango, cempaka variations are also available.

Life Without Broadband Connection

The kids started their school holiday last week. We went back to Ipoh to stay with my mom. There is no broadband connection at mom's place. Although I still retain the Jaring dial-up account, but the speed of 56kps drives me nuts. Coupled with the fact that I was down with food poisoning, I was so weak that I didn't do anything for a whole week except sleep.

Now that I am back, will resume my online ramblings.