Wednesday, September 05, 2007

of legendary monsters and sunken Khmer cities

While the National Day parades and fireworks were going on in KL, a bunch of us took a drive towards the East in line with the Government's Look East policy. Heh. We ended up at Tasik Chini, with its fabled Loch Ness-ish monster and sunken city (they just had to have one up on the ol' loch).

We stayed at the Lake Chini Resort, which was probably provided the most decent accommodation in the vicinity. Of course, we're REALLY talking in relative terms here. The place wasn't really a "resort" in the full sense of the word.


There were 13 of us so we took up 2 dorms.


Shortly after dumping our bags in our dorms upon arrival, we headed down to the lake to check out the activities that were available for us there.


A half-group shot at the jetty.


Tasik Chini boat ride.


Lau sok, in his penghulu kampung pose.


Managed to catch this decent shot of a lotus in bloom, from the moving boat.


After an hour plus, we headed back to the "resort".


Sunset at Tasik Chini.


Mesmerised by the sunset? Hans thinks not.


There was nothing much to eat at the "resort" so we decided to drive out for dinner. After half-an-hour of hunting for food in the vicinity of Tasik Chini, we came to realise that the place was pretty dead. After all, we're talking about a place with an average population of less than 50 in every square kilometre. It was 9 o'clock and with stomachs growling and patience quickly eroding, we made a decision to take the 45 minute drive to Kuantan for dinner.

Fast forward through travel drama, group politics, car games, and a short trip back to civilisation, we headed back to the jungle for our first night in Tasik Chini.

The weather was good, the stars were shining, the moon was out, and the floating jetty beckoned to us. And so the more adventurous ones among us grabbed our pillows and sleeping bags and ended up sleeping on the jetty underneath the stars that night. With the platform bobbing gently on the water and a cool breeze blowing, it didn't take long for us to fall asleep. My watch showed 3 am the last time I glanced at it before drifting away into slumber.

After about 3 measly hours of sleep, I woke up with dew on my face and my sleeping bag. It was foggy and the atmosphere around us was almost surreal. We woke up hoping to catch the sunrise but unfortunately, the fog was too thick.


A room with a 360 degree lake view!


Eerily beautiful.


After washing up and having our breakfast, it was a brand new day ahead of us to conquer!


Being the city folk they were, doing the 1-2-5 pose while jungle-trekking was no sweat.


Silent waters.

Fast forward through dinner, Tasik Chini monster stories, chilling at the jetty, a heavy downpour, and a night walk (with no torchlights) on a trunk road with the dense jungle, glowing fungus and fireflies all around us. Day 2 came to a close.

Day 3 brought us back to Kuantan for gastranomical delights! Being unfamiliar with Kuantan, we called back to friends in KL who were more familiar with where we could find good food. We ended up at Chilli Restaurant along Jalan Besar. Spread was really good, but I felt as if we were compensating for our supposed 'malnourishment' in Chini.


Erm, just realised that this is not exactly the most-flattering picture of Lau sok! Haha...


And then we headed to Teluk Cempedak...


They have beaches like this in Kuantan??!! WOW!!!


Hans with our kite.


Lau sok as David Hasselhoff.


I like this shot. Faye, Carrie and Daniel fight for the kite.


Just chillin'.


More photos...
2007.08.31 - 2007.09.02 Tasik Chini and Kuantan


Yeah. I love holidays.

Don't get jealous now.

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

shanghaied to Shanghai

Ni hao! Huan ying! Xie xie! Xiao long bao!

It was only to be short business trip to Shanghai but considering I was several thousand miles from home, I decided to make the most of it.

And so, 15 minutes after checking into our hotel rooms in Chuansha, a medium-sized municipal in Pudong, Shanghai, we ventured out for food!


Sui jiao i.e. steamed meat dumplings. I remember it cost RMB1 (approximately RM0.50) for a plate of 8. Dunno why I see more here.


Work aside, I managed to catch up with Uncle Yun, Aunt Karyne and U-Minn on Sunday, which was pretty good in retrospect as it turned out to be the only day that I could really say I had a taste of Shanghai.

They came all the way from Puxi (the part of Shanghai on the other side of the Huangpu River) to pick me up, and then we drove back all the way to Puxi, towards the city centre. There were a few things struck me about Shanghai - towering skyscrapers, multi-level highways, horrendous drivers, and good food.

What about the famous Shanghai girls you wonder? Strangely, I only noticed them in Din Tai Fung, Xintiandi. That's where we ended up having dinner on Sunday night =)

I have never been to Dragon-i back home, but who cares about Dragon-i when you can do Shanghai...IN Shanghai! And Din Tai Fung doesn't stray far from the top echelons of Shanghai cuisine.


La mian. A must.


Synchronised xiao long bao eating.


Uncle Yun and Aunt Karyne stamp their approval. Heavenly xiao long bao in foreground.


All the walls in Din Tai Fung are covered with caricatures of famous people who have been there. See if you can identify the ones here.


A very unique dessert with rice wine, fermented rice, egg white, wolfberries and black sesame tang yuan. Nice!


A quiet corner in Xintiandi.


The Bund on the banks of the Huangpu.


Across the river from The Bund, skyscrapers soar in Pudong.


I had a first-hand taste of Engrish in Shanghai as well. From the pictures below, it's clear they have a long way to go.


(The visitor invites the register)
Spotted at our hotel. Who am I supposed to invite?


(The net lives the fashion network to live your eyeball)
What the??


(Everlasting and Unchanging Amusement Co. Ltd.)
How's that for a name of a nightclub?


(Please dial 68346000 if you find the water quality problem)
I'm still looking!


So quickly and it was time to go.


Shanghai Pudong Airport. It's huge.


The journey home.


Saved memories in a blue SD card...
2007.08.26-28 Shanghai

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

at the beach again

I was worried Redang would disappoint.

It didn't.

Dream about turquoise-coloured dives in the morning and evening. Throw in a fair sprinkle of snorkelling from one end of the bay to another. Think sumptuous seafood dinners every night. Beach walks. Facial and foot massages. Pre- and post-Redang walkabouts in Kuala Terengganu.

Aaahhhhhhhh...I'm in my happy place.

Three cheers to one of the most memorable family trips I've ever had! Not to mention that I also managed to get my Advanced Open Water diving certification along the way! Yeayy!



Bright colours abound at Kuala Terengganu's Pasar Besar Payang.


Hanging up her wares for sale.


A lone painter gets distracted.


I like old. Old is good.


A fancy door at KT's Chinatown.


More old memories at Chinatown.


Sometimes I wonder, what if we painted our church red?


One end of Teluk Dalam at Pulau Redang.


And the other.


Our home for three nights.


Family.


Macro of a shy grasshopper.


Black and white contrast.


Dusk falls.


Lunch with a view.


Looking out to the sea.


Colourful canoes on the beach.


Monkeying around.


Taking the leap.


Vincent took this. Nice.


A lonely batfish.


Nudibranch.


Paijo and I.


Yes, that's moi.


An awesome sight in a wreck.


And there's more...
2007.08.18-21 Pulau Redang and Kuala Terengganu