Accounts cleared!

Prague - Salzburg - Vienna - Krakow - Budapest - Madrid - Salamanca - Seville - Cadiz

Spent several hours today compiling my expenditure for the trip and guess what, I only exceeded about 7% of what was budgeted. Not bad, huh? And that excess was purely due to unforeseen circumstances such as change of flights (thanks to Ryanair*) and overindulgence on food :P

On an average, our spending was as follows:

RM75 per day per person on accommodation (approx. USD21 or EUR15)
RM85 per day per person on food (approx. USD24 or EUR17)
RM120 per day per person on local tours/inland transportation (approx. USD34 or EUR24)

This was based on the fact that we managed to stay in a 3 star hotel towards the end of the trip, and indulged in restaurants every now and then (mostly in Spain). Also we did not join tour in every city. Most of the time we did our own exploring, and just paid for the train/bus tickets. And the cost above also include cheap opera tickets, entrance fees to various museums/cathedrals/castles and even a spa session! ;)

So yes, it IS possible to travel on a shoestring budget. There really isn't a need to spend so much on the food if you aren't picky. There are plenty of cheap local delights available if you keep an eye out for them. And if you don't mind having a snoring roommate, sharing rooms in a hostel isn't too bad an idea. More good news - most of the cities provide FREE use of bicycles for at least an hour, which means you can save time, $$$ and energy moving around in a big city.

So much for now, will post more details about my trip soon.

Already the 4th stop

I can't believe we are already at the 4th stop - Krakow. We arrived here this morning by a night train (my first on a sleeper coach). Exciting.

Sorry I haven't been quite active with my blog, but its quite difficult when there's so much that I want to write about and yet so little time and very much limited internet access. I'll try to post some of my offline drafts soon.

And yes, we ARE enjoying ourselves here... try not to be too jealous, ok? ;) At least you won't be as broke as we are when we get home...

Till then...miss all of you back home... HUGSSss..

Countdown to Eurotrip 2009

Just 5 more days to my long awaited trip to Europe!!! Ooh...I'm so excited!

Itinery: Prague-Salzburg-Vienna-Krakow-Budapest-Madrid-Asturias-Seville

Mt Kinabalu via Mesilau Trail - Part 2 (The City)

Although I have been quite worried about the weather (in KL it was raining almost everyday), we were greeted by warm sunshine as soon as we arrived at Kota Kinabalu (KK). From the airport, we took a six-seater van to Akinabalu Youth Hostel at Jalan Gaya.

Our taxi from the airport, fits up to 6 passengers, only RM28

This was just one street away from where we were staying the last time, but I clearly like this new hostel better. There were more bathrooms and toilets to share (of course there were also more rooms). The reception and common area were very pleasant with lots of open spaces and greens. Good thing our rooms were on the 1st and 2nd floor, so we didn't have to climb very high.

As soon as we left our bags in our rooms, our tummies were growling. And guess where we ended up in? Haha... the very same place we had our curry laksa during our last trip. The restaurant was just right below the hostel. So very convenient. This time I decided to give their beef noodles a try. It was not too bad, but I preferred the curry :)

One thing that I was particularly impressed with KK is that the city is very clean. The streets are well maintained and the people are patient. Of course you can find signboards almost everywhere warning people of fines, but you find that too in KL and yet nobody takes heed. Not only that, this particular restaurant that we were dining in actually place a mini dustbin under every table!

Mini dustbin under every table at the restaurant

We wandered a bit before finally deciding to proceed to the Monsopiad Cultural Village. As we didn't quite plan this properly, neither of us remembered the name of the place. We only knew that it was a cultural village. So we went round asking some taxi vans if they knew how to go to the place, and finally found one who could take us there and back for RM60. Fair enough, considering the distance was much further than the airport (from town) and don't expect to be able to just stop any taxi there to bring you back, so make sure you have a backup!

Our little taxi van, can fit up to 10 passengers @ RM30 per way to Monsopiad

Entrance fee for Malaysians was RM45 per person, and you'll be provided a guided tour and a welcome drink (traditional rice wine or fruit juice). There are also scheduled cultural performances at approximately 2 hours interval, each lasting between 45 to 60 minutes. While you are there you'll get to visit the House of Skulls, walk on the suspended bridge, sample various types of home made wines and spirits, try some traditional games, blowpipe, any many more. I personally experienced the bamboo stick dance and the bird-like dance and also given the chance to try the blow pipe (a hunting tool).

Trying my luck with the blowpipe, was only able to shoot targets within 5m range :P

As soon as our transport arrived, we left for the town. That evening we all had Bak Kut Teh in a restaurant not too far from our hostel. After dinner we bought some food for next morning as we would be departing for Mt. Kinabalu before breakfast is served.

It takes approximately 2.5 hours to reach the Mesilau starting point from KK, so we arranged the morning pickup at 6:00am. The Mesilau route is 2km more than Timpohon trail and we wanted to make sure that we have ample time to reach Laban Rata.

Next: Mt. Kinabalu via Mesilau Trail - Part 3 (The Climb)

Mt. Kinabalu via Mesilau Trail - Part 1 (The Comeback)

For those who remembered, 7 of us attempted to reach Low's Peak of Mt. Kinabalu last September but only 1 succeeded. The rest (including myself) failed miserably, owing to several factors, with the weather being the main culprit. Even if the weather had permitted the climb, we probably would not have been able to catch the sunrise anyway as we were not as fit nor were we mentally well prepared.

The moment I touched down KL, I immediately planned for a return trip. A famous chinese saying, "Shape the iron while it's hot". I was determined to make it to the top and would not accept another defeat. And this time I picked a date which was within the recommended climbing period, avoiding all possible rain spells. Lucky for me, Airasia was having another promotion and I got myself a return ticket for less than RM200. Lyne was equally enthusiastic about returning and TC too wanted to go again as he was not even able to take photo to proof his climb with the strong wind almost blowing him away :P

Since the 3 of us have already tried the Timpohon trail, we decided to go via Mesilau this time round. TC had 2 of his friends join us for this trip, WL and YL. Then TW's sister decided to tag along too... making us a group of 7. And so I had the following planned:

Day 1: Depart KL, arrive KK, visit Monsopiad Cultural Village
Day 2: Proceed to Mesilau Nature Resort for Mt. Kinabalu Climb
Day 3: Summit Climb to Low's Peak from Laban Rata,
descend Mt. Kinabalu via Timpohon trail
Day 4: Depart KK to Pulau Tiga
Day 5: Return from Pulau Tiga and back to KL

TC would head back to KL the day the climb while his friends have opted out on Pulau Tiga and decided to go for white water rafting instead.

Unfortunately for Lyne, she was hospitalized just a day before our flight for suspected dengue and hence she had to forego the trip completely. She was in no condition to even walk for 1km, so the 19.4km that we had to endure on this trip was definitely out of the question.

That leaves only 6 of us.

Next: Mt. Kinabalu via Mesilau Trail - Part 2 (The City)

I Came, I Saw, I Conquered

TW, Susan and I at Low's Peak (4095.2 m above sea level)

Details to follow later :)

Mt. Kinabalu - Part 3 (The Summit Climb & The Descent)

Although I went to bed early the evening before, I didn't quite sleep well. Our room was next to the kitchen, and right next to the foyer, so noise was inevitable. I was awaken several times during the night by footsteps and voice of (inconsiderate) climbers who couldn't keep their excitement to themselves. I am not a light sleeper, but I guess the over-exhaustion from the previous day climb also made it hard to even catch a wink. I was glad I took 2 panadols before bedtime, which soothed that minor headache I was getting, allowing me to have at least an hour or two of quality sleep (before I was awaken unnecessarily).

After glancing at my watch for the umpteenth time, I decided to climb out of bed. It was a quarter to 2am. The rest were still asleep, so I struggled in the dark to find my 3-in-1 hot chocolate drink. In the background I thought I heard the heavy rain outside; perhaps we won't get to climb to the peak after all. I found out later that it was actually the sound of water gushing down the hillside, as a result of continuous downpour the night before. It was only drizzling lightly and we were allowed to continue our climb.

Last night Lyne wanted to opt out, but I managed to talk her out of it. I convinced her that if she really didn't feel that she was up to it halfway through the climb, she could stop anytime. Since we had 2 guides, one of them would be able to bring her down to Laban Rata. It would be a complete waste to stop right there before even giving it a try to the summit. She finally agreed to join us.

I wore a sleeveless-T under a long sleeve shirt and a windbreaker. To protect my ears from the cold I wore a beanie and I put on a headlamp to see in the dark. I also wore a pair of gloves (which was not waterproof nor colourfast - at the end of the day my hands were purple). Instead of carrying the entire backpack with me, I left it in the room and only brought my waist pouch along with a camera and a water bottle. And DON'T EVER FORGET to bring your climb permit, it must be presented at the Sayat-sayat Checkpoint. We also put on our poncho since it may rain again later.

Dark rocky mountain slope

We set off at about 2:45am, and it was really dark outside. The first 500m was a steady climb on clearly defined steps with handrails, but as we progressed, the climb got more interesting. Soon we were holding on tightly to ropes and no longer surrounded by any vegetation. There were only plain ascending rocks. The air also got thinner, and I had to stop every 20-30 steps to catch my breath. It continued to rain, and that made the climb even more difficult especially when I was wearing my glasses. We also had to be very careful with each step as it was quite slippery.

Lyne gave up after only 500m from Laban Rata, but Cornelius didn't think she was serious, held her hand and continued to pull her up for another 1km. In fact, both of them went ahead of us at some point. Just as both TW and I passed the 7.2km mark, we saw them coming down again. Her Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) apparently worsened and she had to descend as soon as possible. Cornelius brought her to the Sayat-sayat checkpoint to rest while to went up to look for the rest of us.

Although we continued our climb, we saw small crowds slowly descending from the top. I was sure they couldn't have reached the peak already. The sun was not even up yet! Then we heard shouts telling us to turnaround and make our way down. It was too dangerous to continue as water was already gushing down the slopes. Both of us looked lost, but we abided anyway and followed the group down slowly.

Water cascading from the top

So near yet so far. We were only less than 1km from Low's Peak but were forced to descend prematurely. The guides told us, it is better to be safe than sorry. We can always return in future - perhaps not during a rainy season. March and April is said to be a better time to climb.

Descending a rocky slope with water flowing at your feet was not an easy task. We had to be very careful not to be washed away by the strong current. We heard that the day before, a man slipped and broke his crown. :O Whenever possible I tried to hold on tight to the ropes. My gloves were completely soaked and my fingers were freezing (the next time I must remember to get a pair that is waterproofed). I had to remove it several times to squeeze out excess water, but that was not helping much. My hands, fingers and nails all turned purple, not because of the cold but because the black gloves I had just weren't colourfast.

Curious, I asked Cornelius if it was common to have people coming down in such a bad weather and bad condition. He casually answered no, and said that I should grab this opportunity to take more photos! How could I have forgotten about my camera? And so both of us took the opportunity to pose in front of the waterfalls :P

Say cheesseeeee!

We continued our descent slowly and waiting at the checkpoint for few other members of our group. TC was nowhere to be seen. He was well ahead of us during the climb, and we found out later that he was one of the very few that managed to reach the peak but unable to see anything because it was raining and the wind was very strong.

Anyway, to cut a super long story short, all of us managed to reach Laban Rata safely. TC was the only one from our group who successfully conquered the peak. The rest of us were just wet and tired. Lyne's condition improved after taking a supplement for colds and after a short qi gong session with Kuan.

The weather also improved as soon as the sun was up, which made our descent to the starting point much easier. In fact, after the breakfast I was a fully-recharged Duracell bunny and hopped my way down. I just couldn't wait to get back to KK. We arrived the Timpohon Gate at about 3pm.

All's well, ends well

And yes, for the next few days all of us walked like we've got piles. But I still returned to my dance class just 2 days after...itchy feet :P

Mt. Kinabalu - Part 2 (The Climb)

The very next morning we had our breakfast at the lodge before departing to the Kinabalu Park at 7:30 a.m.

Lyne loading her bag into the van

The journey took about 2 hours, and while the rest were quietly resting and saving their energy for the climb, Lyne and I, the two biggest chatterboxes couldn't stop talking. She taught me how to play "sap ng yi sap (15, 20)" and then we switched to "So you think you can spell". We went on and on, spelling words that start with the last letter of the previous word. Each time it got tougher as we kept coming up with words that end with the letter 'e' and 'y' :P Mind you we got quite noisy back there :P

Lyne & I camwhoring while the rest get comfortable at the back of the van

As soon as we arrived, we registered with the Kinabalu Park HQ to get our climb permit. It took them quite a while, so while waiting we roamed around and took some photos. This was the time where some came to offer us walking sticks for RM 5 each, and since we are getting 7, we managed to negotiate for RM3 each. Around the area where we parked was also a big signboard that marks each stop in the Summit Trail and with the distance and height from the starting point.

The Summit Trail

Still left with nothing to do while we lingered, we took our bags to weigh at the scale. The porters charge between RM7-RM8 per kg. My backpack weighed about 6.5kg while TW's was only 5.3kg (he had his water bottle on his waistpouch while mine was in the backpack). We decided to carry these ourselves. Also we had some bulky warm clothing on a separate backpack, and that weighed about 3kg. This separate backpack was given to the porter.

People waiting inside the registration office

Just when I thought that the weight I had was manageable, TC told us that we had to carry our own lunch! And that alone weighed 1.5kg (consists of cheese and ham sandwiches, springrolls, fried chicken, hard-boiled egg, a bottle of water, a can of Sprite and an apple). So I ended up with 8kg to carry until our lunch stop :O.

Some of the items in our packed lunch

Lyne and Amy preferred to walk empty handed and so they gave both their loads to the porter. Only TC and Kuan did not use the porter service (these are our 2 champions, always ahead of the team during the climb). We finally get to set off about 10:45am, and the van drove us to the entrance of Timpohon gate (about 4km from the Park HQ).

All set to go!

We started about 10:45am, which was considered a little late, so we had to stop for our lunch before the Layang-layang Hut (5th stop). These were the distances between each stop:

Starting Point (10:45am) - Timpohon Gate (1866.4m above sea level), approx 700m to first stop
1st stop (11:20am) - Pondok Kandis (1981.7m a.s.l), 441m to next stop
2nd stop (11:42am) - Pondok Ubah (2081.4m a.s.l), 750m to next stop
3rd stop (12:20pm) - Pondok Low II (2267.4m a.s.l), 920m to next stop
4th stop (1:25pm) - Pondok Mempening (2515.47m a.s.l), approx 800m to next stop
5th stop (2.10pm) - Layang-layang Hut (2702.3m a.s.l), approx. 1100m to next stop
6th stop (3:26pm) - Pondok Villosa (2960.8 a.s.l), 417m to next stop
7th stop (4:00pm) - Pondok Paka (3080.42m a.s.l), 550m to next stop
8th stop (4:48pm) - Laban Rata Resthouse, for our dinner (3272.7m a.s.l), approx 300m to GLH
9th stop (6:20pm) - Gunting Lagadan Hut, overnight stop (3323.5m a.s.l)

A small descent before the real climb begins (still happy)

After our stop at Layang-layang Hut it started to pour, but only for a short while. We continued our journey with our poncho on, as there were still occassional showers after that. Lucky for us the wind was not very strong.

Varied track conditions at different height

In total, we had to walk about 6km distance from the gate to get to Laban Rata, and by the time we arrived we were super exhausted. The last 1km was most difficult of all, as we were completely drained of our energy, and instead of taking approx. 40 minutes for each km walk, we were taking twice as much of time to cover the same distance.

Lyne still looking fresh while I am completely drained
(together with TC, she arrived Laban Rata 10 mins before TW & I)

We arrived just in time for dinner (only served from 5:00pm - 7:30pm)! It was a buffet, and the food was not too bad. Temperature at Laban Rata that evening was about 10.8 deg C. Some of us however, had started to feel a little headache, so we rested for a while before climbing another 300m to our overnight stop at Gunting Lagadan. We also refilled our bottles with water from the restaurant.

Our room in Gunting Lagadan with 8 bunk beds

It started to rain quite heavily that night, and we could only hope for the best the very next day. Frankly I did not shower that night, it was just too cold. Yes, heated showers were available, but it was really limited and we had to wait long time for it. Instead I boiled some hot water and used it on a towel to wipe myself clean before changing into a new set of clean and dry clothes. After packing what I need for the next day, I swallowed 2 panadols and went to bed about 8:30pm.

Next: Mt. Kinabalu - Part 3 (The Summit Climb and the Descent)

Mt. Kinabalu - Part 1 (The City)

When Choong told me sometime early this year that he would be climbing Mt. Kinabalu, I immediately asked if I could join him (since it coincided well with our school's term holiday). And lucky for me, both MAS and Airasia were competing with free air tickets. When else could be a better time to get the tix?

We spent approximately RM920 per person for accommodation, flight, and airport transfer and some meals.

Return flight KL-KK : RM240
Mt. Kinabalu climb (2 lunches, 1 breakfast, 1 dinner) : RM600
Airport transfer : RM20
Accommodation at Beach Lodge : RM40 (2 nights - with a/c)
Porter fees -shared (3kg) : RM24
Walking stick : RM3

On the morning of 6th Sept, mom sent both of us to the KLIA (thanks mom!). We got ourselves MAS tickets for flight to KK, as it was slightly cheaper than Airasia. We had a pleasant surprise too, as I was not expecting a meal on board a short distance flight. I thought we'd probably just get some juice with peanuts or maybe the best it would be a sandwich. But I had roti canai (which was quite good), and TW had omelette, and both lunch boxes came with yogurt drink, bread and biscuits.

Our lunch boxes on board MAS flight - not bad

Another unexpected surprise was a short stopover at Labuan, my birth town! I don't remember having a transit stopover when I bought the tickets. But anyway, I haven't been back there for at least 25 yrs or more, so that stopover was definitely welcomed, even though we arrived KK perhaps 30 - 45 mins later than the original scheduled time. We got out of the plane for a walk in the airport... just to get a breath of Labuan air... he he he...

TW posing at the Labuan Airport

As soon as we arrived KK airport we called TC who arrived very early in the morning with the others on a separate flight. But he was already in the ferry with his friends to Pulau Manukan!!! And he didn't wait for us :( . Anyway, both TW and I took a cab straight to the Beach Lodge to check in first. I asked the taxi driver about the new shopping center in town and he told us about 1Borneo. That'll be a nice place to visit on such a hot day!

Within 15 minutes we arrived at the door step of the Beach Lodge. TW was clearly put off by the condition of the place from the outside. Not forgetting to mention that it is on the 3rd floor with no elevator! The gate was locked when we reached, so we rang the doorbell. We were greeted by a nice chap. And it didn't look too bad inside too... as advertised in their website, its a little laid back, but everything was clean :) For me cleanliness was very important. Towel and blanket are also provided. What more can you ask for only RM20/night? ;)

View of our room at The Beach Lodge, clean and comfortable

As soon as we settled down, we asked for directions to 1Borneo since TC and gang won't be back until later that afternoon. From the lodge, it would take about 15-20 minutes depending on the traffic. We decided to take the bus, well... to be exact it was me who decided to take the bus (TW hated the heat). Most of the public transport were just vans but they were called mini bus. We had to take the City Bus in order to get to 1Borneo.

The City Bus that travels to 1Borneo

After just 5 minutes of waiting TW wanted to take the cab instead (which will cost about RM20/way). I suggested to wait for another 5 minutes, and finally we managed to board the bus (only RM1/person). Anyway we had to take the cab back as it was raining quite heavily after that (what a change in weather!) and we didn't want to get wet.

1) TW squinting under the hot sun, 2) TW posing in the bus

When we got back to the lodge that evening, TC and gang also arrived. Lyne only arrived about 8pm that evening. After dinner we debated and discussed on what to bring and what not. Lucky for us, Kuan's sister brought us an additional backpack to stuff some of the heavy warm clothing. We decided to leave that backpack to the porter.

We went to bed between 10.30 -11.30 pm that night.

Mt. Kinabalu - Part 2 (The Climb) next!

Time to go home

Decided to give myself a weigh too after packing my luggage and confirmed that everything is within 20kg. Guess what? I put on 2kg! Where on earth did that 2kg come from???






Hurricane's Grill website
Max Brenner's website

I Climbed the Story Bridge!

The Story Bridge Adventure Climb

Hanoi Photos

Just realised that I have not shared out my Hanoi trip photos yet.... how forgetful! Not to mention that I have not even posted stories of my Hokkaido trip and more of the Hanoi trip. Procrastination..... *sigh*

One step at a time-lah..... go to Shutterfly for the Hanoi photos - you'll have to excuse me, with more than 400 photos, some photos are not properly labelled.....lazy-lah!

Symphony to the Ears

We arrived Hanoi last Sunday, to be greeted with an orchestra of honking cars and motorbikes. The sound of honks and beeps are extremely melodious to the ears, and one should not be offended.

As we watched the traffic from the The Legends Beer restaurant right in heart of the town, we were amazed. Cars and motorbikes waltzed across the "dance floor" and effortlessly avoided collisions just like any professional dancers would. Just honk your way, beeeeeeeeeep beep beep, honk honk, HOoooRRRnnnnNNn, tooot tooot tooooot, deee dooo deeeee dooo deee and you'll do just fine.

Traffic lights are nothing more than an ornament on the street and its probably more dangerous if you abide to them. Once I thought it was safe to cross when the lights turn Green for pedestrians, when a motorbike appear out of nowhere and gave a loud honk. Be prepared to cross the roads just based on your instinct :)

More updates later :)

Term Break!

School holiday is here again...and I'm off to Hanoi tomorrow! Hooray! :D

Japan Trip Album ready!

For those who are waiting to see photos of our recent Hokkaido trip, I have uploaded some 200 photos to my Shutterfly account. Stories to follow later! ;)

Smelly Surprise

Finally got home last night from our 7D trip to Hokkaido completely drained..... and what did we find? The electricity switch had tripped (probably due to thunder and lightning) and an unbearable stench coming from the kitchen.

Of course, the FRIDGE!!! I had frozen fish, prawns, sausages, ice cream and i-can't-remember-what-else in the freezer! Fearing the worst I opened the freezer door and the stink practically knocked me off. And then the sight of fruit flies (or whatever they call it) lingering inside the fridge too....UUrrghhh...

And so, instead of a good night's rest.... I spent the night cleaning the fridge; had to throw away every single item in the freezer, and whatever that is not spoilt from the fridge below. What I couldn't get rid until now is the smell. Trying out some remedy that I found online .... baking soda, newspaper, charcoal.... whatever I could find. Gonna leave them in there for a day or two to see if it works.

Will put some updates from my Hokkaido trip later.... btw, it was awesome!

Holiday holiday holiday!!!

I'm back!!! School has reopened for more than a month already, and bro's wedding (which was very very happening) is also over, I am back to my normal humdrum life.......... NOT!!! Chinese New Year is coming and I have already replaced that Christmas tree with some nice red-dyed pussy willows. And then we are off to Hokkaido in less than 4 days!!! Hoorraaaayyyy!!!

ONE thing which I am overly excited about though.... this year we have to give out angpows! :(

Signing off.... have to get my bags packed :D

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Pinkguins in Phillip Island

Our trip to Phillip Island - Couldn't resist putting up this photo first (though it's already way overdue). Will update story soon!

Makan-makan Malaysia

My family forego the plan of going to Taiwan because of I couldn't make it. We headed for Penang instead. It must have been a blessing in disguise cause Taiwan was hit by an earthquake on the same day that we returned from our northbound trip.

So, what did we do in this trip? Well, to start with, the 10 of us set off on Christmas eve morning with a nice dim sum to fill our tummies. On our way, we stopped at Teluk Intan to have our favourite Ah Chai rojak*.

Yummy Ah Chai Rojak

Oh, and did I mention that all the Leong sisters were dressed in a uniform? Well, not exactly a uniform but we had the exact same polo T-shirt. We definitely caught everyone's attention no matter where we went ... he he he...

After that, we visited a goat farm in Chenderiang, a small town next to Tapah. The kids were soooo cute.... when they saw us, they immediately greeted us, "meeehhh... meeeehhhh.....". Yi San tried to carry one of them and the poor fella went "MEEEEHHH!", which I assumed to be "Put me down!".

"MEEEEEHHHH!!!"

From Chenderiang, we headed straight to Penang, and checked-in to the hotel first. Then, for dinner we went to Tanjong Tokong. There we indulged in 4kg of salt-baked prawns, 1kg of grilled crabs, 30 sticks of satay, or chien**, grilled stingray, stir-fried vege, fried meehoon, spicy la-la, gung bao*** mantis prawns and I have probably missed a thing or two from the list. A feast that could feed at least 20. Unfortunately, I had my fingers all dirty from peeling prawns and crabs, I didn't manage to take a photo.

Of course that was not all, immediately after we went to Gurney drive for 2nd helping of Penang food. That was how we discovered that "White" Christmas exists here! There were lots of stalls selling party SNOW spray: 4 for RM10. All the youngsters were having fun spraying at their friends and passerbys, including cars. Though we tried to stay away from them, we were not fully spared as the wind helped spread the "SNOW". I had to refrain from taking photos to avoid getting my camera all "SNOWY". We returned to hotel after having our muar chi and crunchy mango rojak.

Again the very next day it was all about FOOD. We had our routine breakfast at Soong river, one of the restaurants located by the seaside near Gurney drive. Our usual orders: steamed rice noodles with fish (I don't know what type), braised noodles with prawns, fried chicken wings, etc. After breakfast we went to Prangin Mall, and while doing our window shopping, stumbled across a Reflexology center and 7 of us decided to get some massage. Sebastian (first-timer) was heard screaming throughout the foot massage session. Me on the other hand fell asleep during the session. We also had a ear-candling session.

All ready for foot reflexology

If you have been following me closely from the beginning, you should be able to guess by now that our next activity was of course to EAT. It was cendol time :D

Enjoying ice cold cendol on a hot sunny day

Tired yet? Wait! I still have not talked about the assam laksa at our favourite no. 11 stall at Gurney drive (yes, again). And not to forget... *drum rolls* : FRIED CHICKEN SKIN! Yes, you heard me right the first time, an extremely sinful delicacy but Oh, so yummy!

SS taking a bite of the fried chicken skin

That was just a pre-movie snacking. We watched Confessions of Pain at GSC in Gurney Plaza (original plan was to watch Curse of the Golden Flower but it was a full house), and proceeded for our dinner at NS Nasi Kandar. The portion was really big and they gave lots of kuah**** :D

Ok, ok....that's basically the end of our Makan-makan trip. Erm, ALMOST......aside from the breakfast at Soong River again the next morning before our depart and another stopover at Ipoh for char koay teow, sotong kangkung and chee cheong fun. BURP!

THE LEONG FAMILY

*rojak = fruit salad a la malaysian [pronounced as "row jug"]
**or chien = fried oysters with eggs
***gung bao = fried with dried red chilis and dark soya sauce
****kuah = gravy