Moving Down to the Southern State of Johor

My entry this time should rightfully begin with the story of my migration to the southernmost part of Malaysia - Johor. My hubby had been assigned to manage his company’s new branch office in Johor Bahru (JB). I was startled because I had never stayed elsewhere apart from KL (and the Klang Valley) for more than 30 years of my life. Yes, I had been away in a boarding school for 5 years in Ipoh but that was then when I was still a kid and only during my studies.

I couldn’t imagine myself juggling with work and bringing up my son alone in KL while my hubby had to be in JB. And the likes of him driving up to KL every weekend to grudgingly serve as a weekend husband and a momentary dad was way too impossible (i.e. knowing a person who works in an advertising line, time is often not on their side). So we made a decision of a lifetime to move down to JB, as a family. It was indeed for the better. After all, KL is just a 4-hour drive away from JB, which means KL would now be in our monthly agenda for as long as we have to be in JB :-).

Yup, I missed KL so much and I missed my mom & dad and my sisters and friends to bits. I was not that familiar with the whole JB landscape, which made me ‘a handicap’ for the first couple of months here. My hubby was trying his level best to accommodate me with everything he could to make me feel welcome and happy. So, he made a point to bring us all around the state to discover Johor as much as possible during the weekends when his work permits.

And so our discovery of Johor began…

Memorable Miri, Sarawak - 2009

We made our way to the East Malaysia this time, to the renowned ‘Land of the Hornbills’ a.k.a. Sarawak.

We chose Miri for two obvious reasons i.e. my hubby wanting to reunite with his long-lost friend, and me making a come back to the place where I used to grow up. Yup, I used to stay in Miri long, long time ago for only one and a half years. I was 2, if I‘m not mistaken, and was way too young to even remember anything about Miri. So here I was (again), with my beloved hubby and son setting our foot on this great Sarawak soil, wanting to explore the very best of Miri for the very first time.

Miri is the birthplace of Sarawak's and Malaysia's petroleum industry. My first impression of the city was that it was rather clean and well developed. One thing for sure, it has a very laidback lifestyle which I enjoyed most. Unlike the ever fast-paced energy in KL, Miri was so calming and peaceful.


It was raining and rather cold when our plane touched down at the Miri Airport but we were greeted with so much warmth by my hubby’s friend, Safizan a.k.a. Pijan. We were then invited to his house located somewhere in Miri Pujut Road, not so far from the Airport, to meet his whole family. I had a rather difficult time communicating with his family. They were speaking in a deep local Sarawakian dialect, which I tried to follow at first albeit with little success. But hey, we are Malaysians, aren’t we? And since I’m a fast leaner, I’d probably need only a few hours to understand them better… but just to ‘understand’ them… and not to speak to them in that same lingo :-). Trust me, it’s quite complicated.



We booked a room at Parkcity Everly Hotel, a tranquil beachfront hotel located at Jalan Temenggong Datuk Oyong Lawai. The hotel was really pleasant and they served great breakfasts too. Their Spaghetti Bolognese was so superb, we ordered the dish via the room service 3 times (if not more) all throughout our stay here. It’s nothing Sarawakian. It was just a normal western-style of Bolognese. But I think it must be the Sarawak pepper they dashed into the sauce that brought the whole aroma up and made us yearning for more :-).




From the many interesting places in Miri, The Canada Hill was the very first thing that grabbed our attention. It was the place where the first ever on-shore oil well was built in Malaysia. Being almost a century old now (since it was built in 1910), it serves as a landmark legacy to the petroleum history in Miri. This oil well is of course no longer in production now and has been declared as a protected historical site by the Sarawak Government. We took a cab up the hill to visit the oil well which is also known as ‘The Grand Old Lady’.





We also took the opportunity to snap a few pictures of the beautiful Miri town and its excellent views from the observatory platform. We could see the whole spread of Miri from one end to another and it was simply breathtaking, making it one of Miri’s must-see places.


We continued our tour to Lambir the next day with a visit to a Sarawak Longhouse. It was not too far from our hotel. It actually took us around 40 minutes to reach Lambir’s Rumah Panjang area. Quite frankly, the place was not as exotic as what I have pictured in my mind. It was a reconstructed Longhouse after the original one got burnt down just a few months back. Thank God our tour guide was very well-versed about the Longhouse as she explained almost every little thing about the history of the Longhouse as well as about the lifestyle of the Sarawak Natives i.e. the Ibans & the Bidayuhs (just to name a few).



The Longhouse we went to see was named after the Tuai Rumah (i.e. the Chieftain) himself, (Rumah Panjang Tuai Rumah Anak Linggie). All in all, I believed there were about 15 doors or more which meant at least there were about 15 families living there. That explains why they needed such a big Ruai (verandah), it was mainly for their kids to play, and the adults to have their catch up after a long day of work. Our guide showed us around the area, and we did enter a few houses to see the interior of the house. We were also greeted by a few of the residents. They were so humble, friendly and warm. I enjoyed very much sharing stories with them.



We met the Tuai Rumah’s wife (as the Tuai Rumah himself was out for a meeting). She then explained to me how the Pua Kumbu (a special made blanket with intricate Sarawak native designs) was made. It was a great tour indeed and after a lot of photo takings, we then made our way back to the hotel.



Now, let’s talk about their food. The local Sarawakian dishes were great and aplenty, but what I can personally say, it might be an acquired taste to some. At least, it was to me :-). We were invited to a dinner get-together at Safizan’s Uncle’s house in Senadin. To our astonishment, they had prepared a huge array of Sarawak-Malay delicacies for us to try out. The list of exotic dishes included the ever-popular Umai Ikan Tenggiri, Midin, Ulam-Ulam with Sarawak Cencaluk, Ikan Tongkol Bakar, Asam Mangga, Linut, Sweet Sour Prawn, Daging Kicap, Buah Tarap, Buah Dabai, Peach Pudding and many, many more. Surprisingly, some of them tasted so good to me because it was closer to a Malay style of cooking.



But there was one thing I can’t really help but not to swallow. It was the Linut. Linut is made from Sago flour that is simply mixed with hot water. It became so sticky it reminded me of glue. I can’t eat glue! My hubby tried it and he said it was OK. You have to eat them with Midin, a type of wild fern found only in Sarawak jungle that was cooked with some fresh chillies and Belacan (shrimp paste). Does that sound titillating enough? Nah... not for me :-).


The Sarawak Laksa was another acquired taste. We went to a night market in Sarberkas, and I had a taste of their Laksa Sarawak. The smell of the spices that they used in the Laksa gravy was too strong and it really turned me off. The smell could stay in your mouth for quite awhile. I had to pass the idea of indulging that so-called Sarawak specialty and ordered something more to my liking, like Satay :-).

Oh yes, in Sarberkas Night market, we came across many of the Sarawak local delicacies, and we had the chance to try some of them. The popular Ikan Terubuk Masin, Kuih Cincin and Sarawak Kek Batik (Layered Cake) were amongst our ‘shopping’ items we brought back as ‘knick-knacks’.




Bintang Plaza Shopping Complex was the place to shop for souvenirs. We have been told by the hotel staff that there is a Miri Handicraft Center in the city area, too bad we didn’t find it. But the one we found in Bintang Plaza was a great one. We didn’t know that they were on sale until the time we wanted to make our payment. All items were sold at a 50% discount!! We bought a couple of Dayak’s Wooden Shield miniature, Sarawak beads necklace, Sarawak Batik, fridge magnets (a lot of them), some Sarawak Pepper Candies, Sarawak table runners and placemats and T-shirts. Most of them were to be given away as souvenirs. I didn’t buy any of the Pua Kumbus (though I was so tempted to buy one) since I already have 3 pieces of them at home :-).



One thing I had in mind before leaving Miri was to see a sunset by their beautiful beaches. I read about Luak Bay and its magnificent sunset and I really wanted to experience my sunset there.


On the last day, before we flew back home, we made a stop at this very scenic Luak Bay. Thanks to Pijan and his dad who really made sure we had a good time there. It was almost 5.30pm when we arrived and as you already know, the night falls earlier in East Malaysia compared to the West. And by 6.30pm the blue skies of Luak Bay suddenly transformed into a passionately gold coloured landscape just when the sun set below the horizon. We were so beyond words at the time. The panorama was so stunning and picturesque we felt as though we were appreciating a painting on a hugely magnificent canvas. I was so happy to be there right on time to watch this beautiful scene. Just view my pictures down here and you would totally understand what I meant.




It was indeed a wonderful journey to Miri, but most of all it was the family who greeted us there and showed us the insides of Miri that made the whole journey so memorable and worthwhile to us. Our special thanks again to Safizan and his wonderful family members for their hospitality and generosity. No amount of words could best describe our sincere gratitude to the family.

Serai De Lanjut, Rompin, Pahang

Let's cuti-cuti Malaysia (again), shall we?


It was my year-end getaway with my husband’s side of the family. To the east-coast of the Peninsula – Rompin, Pahang it was. It has been awhile since the last I went for a beach vacation so this was a great escape for me and my family, especially after so much of browsing on the net and learning how beautiful the place would be.


Serai De Lanjut is located in the interior of Pahang and is rather far from the main towns. We had to cross along the Pekan – Rompin route before diverting our way towards the exotic resort. Over there, we had our Kampung-Style chalet for a change. It was a big chalet with 3 rooms, a kitchen, dining and living, all within a rustic kampung setting.


The best part of the chalet was that it was fronting a beach. Imagine yourself waking up in the morning to the sound of the waves and witness the sunrise just a glance away while having your breakfast…! Charming isn’t it?


And for that moment, I felt really proud to be a part of it (and proud to be a Malaysian too… :-). I suddenly realized that we actually have so many beautiful places that we have yet to explore. We just have to know how to find it. Malaysia is after all a beautiful place…

While the kids were having fun in the pool, we, the elders, rented a bicycle each and cycled by the beach. This was something I had never done before in my life. Not the cycling part, but the “cycling-by-the-beach” part :-).



A rather good exercise I must say, amidst the fresh morning air and surrounded by the greens on the other side of the beach. We even took a picture of ourselves before we took the ride, and guess what? We looked like “Samseng Kampung Dusun” or for the lack of a better word, typical Kampung Boys and Girls. Hahaha...



My hubby and his big brothers took the opportunity to jungle trek thereafter but I opted for a tall cool drink back at the coffee house (since, I am not so of an outdoor girl), sat back and enjoyed the sea breeze after the long cycling activity.

Sometimes, it is not so much of the surrounding that makes your vacation worth spending, it is how you make use of your time and realizing it to the fullest. Being away from the hustle and bustle of city life made me wonder how serene it could be on the other side of my world. I simply loved my days here, lazying around and becoming a beach bummer.


While some of us took the opportunity to take a dip in the crystal blue seawater, my son enjoyed the sandcastle-making activity by the white sandy beach.



And when the night comes, we sang our hearts away to the karaoke while enjoying our dinner. It was amusing yet entertaining! Strolling by the beach at night was another option but I just hate beaches at night. It was always too dark and too creepy for me. Too much of horror movies, I guess! So forget about that option and just karaoke for me.


Oh yes, when it comes to makan-makan, there is a great restaurant that offers mouthwatering seafood in a kampung-style setting just a few km away from the resort. Their Sweet Sour Udang Galah and Ikan Kerapu Tiga Rasa were delectable dishes that really made our day worthwhile!



Playing Carrom while waiting for the food to be served :-)

The Breathtaking Bali, Indonesia - 2009

The land of paradise, that’s how people described Bali. After a year of not travelling abroad, my hubby and I (and my son, of course) decided to try Bali this time. All arrangements on flight tickets, hotel and ground itinerary were handled by ME. After several bouts of travelling, I think I’m getting really good at it! I made my homework before departing to Bali on where to go and what to do there. We ended up staying in a small-but-pleasant Balinese hotel in Kuta-Legian district, Bali Sorgawi.



We made our way on foot to explore the Kuta area as we arrived, taking the opportunity to window-shop along the Kuta Road from one end to the other. It was quite a long street with rows and rows of outlets selling souvenirs, clothing, paintings, home décor, food and even massage parlors, all of which came at a good price.


We took a few pictures at the Bali Bombing Monument, somewhere along the Kuta Road. It was rather poignant and heart-wrenching to see the long list of names being engraved on the monument – a memoriam dedicated to those who didn’t survive during the Bali bombing a couple of years ago.

Sightseeing was one of our main agenda in Bali. We went to almost all the must-see places. Mount Batur in Kintamani was an incredible sight. The view of this volcanic mountain from afar, surrounded by a lake was so overwhelming. Good thing we had our al-fresco lunch there, overseeing the mountain in a chilly-crisp mountain air. It was so beautiful that I almost cried. Seriously!!





The charm of Bali was so ever-present at Uluwatu. The view from the pura (temple) right on top of the hill cliff overlooking the Indian ocean was so astounding. There are no words to best describe how beautiful the scenery was.




But, beware of monkeys here! Better keep your shades, hair crunchies and even your camera pouch properly guarded or these creatures will snatch them away before you know it.


We managed to get to Tanah Lot even though it was quite late in the afternoon. There were thousands of people, mainly tourists wanting to see the sunset but the weather was not that kind on us that day. So cloudy was the day and so, there was practically no sunset for us. We ended up having a drink at the Sunset Terrace and just enjoying the scenic outline of Tanah Lot Temple. This ancient Tanah Lot Temple is set on a big rock surrounded by the sea water. Simply amazing!





Since we haven’t completed our itinerary, we continued our journey to Ulun Danu, Bedugul the next day. It was far from Kuta. The road was meandering, as we had to climb a steep mountain. The Pura (temple) was set on a lake, the most picturesque temple in Bali, I would say, because of its traditional Balinese architecture and the reflections on the water made a remarkable silhouette. Absolutely great for photography.




Goa Gajah was our next stop. It was another temple yet with another astonishing history behind it.



Tempak Siring was another old temple we visited. We reached there just in time for their prayers to set forth so we didn’t quite get to see the interior of the temple.
Well, it’s ok though. I’ve had enough of temples in Bali anyway. Let’s talk about some other things.


Dinner at Jimbaran was truly, truly amazing. It was a good spot for eateries where you can find a whole stretch of Food Outlets along a beautiful sandy beach, with each and every outlet offering gorgeous and sumptuous looking seafood dishes at a reasonable price. But, of course, you are not there just for the food, but also for the ambience i.e. dining by the Beach, entertained by a 4-piece Musician and if you’re lucky, you will also be served with cultural performances on stage. Sunset is also breathtaking at Jimbaran.




Oh, the Jagung Bakar (baked corn on cob) was pretty enticing too, you must try it if you ever get the chance to be in Jimbaran. It makes a very good appetizer before your hearty dinner is served.


Shopping can be everywhere in Bali, be it in Ubud, Seminyak, Kuta or Tanah Lot, but the best shopping ever would be at Sukawati.




We didn’t forget to hop-in to our must-buy outlet, The Hard Rock Café Bali.



Overall, what did we buy in Bali? The list will go on and on, from fridge magnets (of course) to dresses, flip flops to placemats to handbags, t-shirts to paintings and many many more, just name it, it will be in our list.

And oh yes, the Kecak Dance also known as the Ramayana Monkey Dance, you just have to see it to believe it! The story of Ramayana and Sita was beautifully choreographed into an astonishing musical theatre… but without any music. Just the sounds and voices of hundreds of men chanting their prayer –“Kecak…cak…cak…cak…kecak!! …”