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Showing posts with the label hols

Sore in Surabaya V: CityChill

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With not much planned for the day, we had a leisurely breakfast buffet at the hotel, and later did some exploring of the grounds. One could really wear a tuxedo with pin tails, pair it with a top hat and walking stick, and not look out of place at The Majapahit. But then, you could be mistaken for a poltergeist. My favourite spot is the Cafe 1910 with its grand stained glass windows, and antique furnishing. Too bad we didn't have time for the pool.  Later in the morning, we took a Grab to Masjid Cheng Hoo , a Chinese-Muslim mosque that looks like a Taoist temple with its red Pagoda-like design. Its namesake is Admiral Cheng Ho, who had traveled to the  Malay Archipelago to trade and spread Islam. The mosque is actually pretty small and located behind a basketball court ( many Chinese temples in villages also have a basketball court ), so we were quite baffled when the Grab driver told us that we had arrived. Finished looking around in less than 30 minutes, and we were off to Raja T

Sore in Surabaya IV: Incredible Ijen

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At midnight, Pak Sulaiman drove us out to Paltuding , which is the nearest stop to the Ijen crater. For 2 hours he navigated pitch dark roads, while we dozed in and out of sleep at the backseat. Unlike Bromo, there isn't much decent infrastructure in the vicinity of Ijen, hence tourists have to stay at Bondowoso.  Everyone would wait at the many waroeng s near the carpark, sipping thick local coffee. Met up with our local guide who gave us a couple of 3M respirator masks, and headlamps for our impending trek into the sulphur fumes of Ijen. The hike up was 4KM over a tarred road. Our guide knew every bend of the road, and would update us about how easy or difficult the upcoming stretch was. Such intimate knowledge was picked up from his decades of mining sulphur in Ijen. His shoulders are scarred from carrying 70kg baskets of sulphur in and out of the crater daily. If your legs fail you, you cam pay to use modified carts ( the locals call it 'medicine for the knees' ) that t

Sore in Surabaya III: Beautiful Bromo

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Pak Sulaiman navigated a slew of dark and winding roads to get us to Bromo. Lots of hotels and amenities in the area. The altitude is high, and its so cold that we could see our breath. Our guide is actually from thereabouts. Checked in to the Cafe Lava Hostel at dinner time. Lugged our luggage up a steep flight of stairs, jumped into the shower with its gas powered water heater, and put on our warmest jammies. Sauntered down to the hotel's cafe for a simple dinner of vegetable soup and coffee. Wake up call was at 2:30AM where there was a line of jeeps waiting to take tourists to Bromo to catch the sunrise. At around 3:40 AM, we arrived at a rest area with a lot warungs . Sitting on low stools, we huddled around a small charcoal hearth to keep warm. A lady served us banana fritters and hot coffee. While waiting for the cue to go, we chatted with a Malaysia couple who were in the same warung . Although I was pissed with Batik Air for transit fiasco,  the couple had it way worse with

Sore in Surabaya II: Very Wet

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Woke up puffy-eyed and sleepy for breakfast at 6:00 AM. Finally had a good view of the surroundings at Yanti Homestay. The place is a cluster of rooms with common areas and a warung at the front. After our simple breakfast of a sandwich, omelette, and weak coffee, Pak Sulaiman met up with us with a clove cigarette in hand. One look at the shoes that we were wearing, he shook his head and told us to change into slippers. Together with a local guide, we walked a short distance to the Tumpak Sewu viewing deck. In the Javanese language, Tumpak Sewu means "a thousand waterfalls", and it's really breathtaking. Water flows down 120 meters over a semi-circular gorge with Mount Semeru in the background.   The real adventure began with our descent to the foot of the falls.  One would think that such a beautiful nature spot would be under the governance of park authorities, but in actual fact it's all maintained by locals. The path down was a mixture of trails, bamboo paths, r

Merry Majestic

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Both KH and I were looking forward to our first overseas trip in a long time. We didn't brave that hellish passport renewal queue at Jalan Duta for nothing. Our tickets to Danang were for the 27th of September. Packed my bags, and ordered my Grab. But it was not to be. Super Typhoon Karding left the Philippines and made its way across the South China Sea, turning into Typhoon Noru. Noru was slated to make landfall at Danang on the 27th, on the same day of our scheduled arrival. Of course, the airport was closed, and all flights cancelled, and our travel plans were blown away by a strong gust of wind. My Grab driver was already halfway to my house when I called him to cancel. He was nice enough not to charge me a single sen. Dragged my luggage back upstairs with a hint of dejection. However, all was not lost. The ever resourceful KH immediately arranged a staycation. Packed my overnight bag, and headed to KL with KH, dressed in my short shorts and rainbow socks. Parked at Lot 10, a

Trip to Taiping II: Traipsing

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When your hotel is just beside Taiping Lake Gardens , there is no excuse for not waking up early and having a nice walk around it. The historical park offers beautiful landscaping, and wonderfully fresh air. The old raintrees ( some so bowed down that the town council support them with steel crutches ) really give a distinct character to the place. Most people go jogging around it, some pull out a book to read, sitting on one of the many benches overlooking the lake. While others have a picnic on the grass with their family, and the select few dress up their cats in dresses and let them roam around ( not sure if pets are allowed actually ). After a round of strolling and camwhoring with the aunties, it was starting to get sunny. Retreated back to Medan Selera Tai Hu for breakfast. Breakfast there was even more disappointing than dinner.  Checked out from the hotel and headed to the Church of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart , which was actually under extensive renovations. They let us in

Trip to Taiping I: Splendid Sepetang

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Covid put a two-year damper on my BEC outing plans. On Malaysia Day 2022, we were finally able to organize a short 2 day-1 night trip to Kuala Sepetang, Kuala Sangga, and Taiping. Surprisingly, two of my neighbours joined because they were intrigued by the itinerary. It didn't take long for our registration drive to fill up one express bus. On the morning of the 16th, we left KL a little late due to some stragglers, and encountered some congestion on the highway. An expected situation considering it was a long weekend. Lucky for us ( some would disagree ), our tour guide was a chatty fellow, so he could really talk and talk and talk. When the tour guide wasn't talking, we had onboard rosary prayers and KTV.   Arrived at Kuala Sepetang at 1 PM, so the bus directly dropped us at Xin Seafood Restaurant . Strategically located on the banks of Sungai Sepetang, we got to a great view to go with our seafood lunch. Once we had our fill of fish, cockles, prawns, calamari, crabs, and cla

BahBoys V or Sabah Celebrities: Sabah Stan

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Time to bid our farewell to beautiful Sabah. A pretty short trip, with not enough time to eat everything, haha. First breakfast was Beaufort Noodles at Restaurant Beaufort . Basically stir-fried noodles with thick gravy, minus the egg drop. Second breakfast was ngiu chap at Kedai Kopi Cheng Wah . Wasn't impressed. Drove over to KKIA to return the car. While KH was settling the grown up stuff, I got to cuci mata with  Sabah Stan . Pretty hairy legs. He was the best thing at KKIA.  All in all, it was a great trip. Easy to get around. And lots of attractions. Will return to visit the other parts.  

BahBoys IV: Jalan-Jalan KK

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The next morning, we did some exploring around Jalan Gaya. Grant recommended that we try an old pastry shop called Keng Wan Hing that was famous for its buns. Most of the customers were senior citizens who probably live nearby. Eat, kopi , chit-chat in Cantonese, then leave with several plastic bags filled with old school buns, probably for their grandkids. After breakfast, KH bought more 4D at Diriwan, another local brand.  We took a long link bridge from behind our hotel to the wet market. Typical PasarPride stuff. Outside, near where the boats pull up was the seafood market. Some exotic stuff like sea grapes, Moray eels, and parrot fish. Typically, tourists come here to pack frozen seafood in styrofoam boxes to hand carry back to West Malaysia. Back at the hotel, KH and I put on our swim trunks and went swimming. Truth be told, my first swim after 2 years! Really helped us work up an appetite. Fish noodles is a famous dish in KK, and Fatt Kee is one of the famous shops serving it.