Sunset at Batu Ferringhi / Ferringi Beach

 I have always like to see sunset so when I went to Penang during the last school holidays, I didn't miss the chance to go to Batu Ferringhi to see sunset. It took us about half an hour to get to Batu Ferringhi from Lebuh Chulia, Georgetown. The drive was smooth and we got there just in time to enjoy a few moments before the actual sunset time.

 This is how it looks when we got there. Not as many people as I would have expected but it left us with some space to enjoy the view and the beach alone.

 From left, my brother-in-law, two nephews on the horse, elder sister and my lovely mum. There are people leading the horses around asking if anyone would like to take pictures with the horses or even to have a ride on the horses for RM30. As technology and social media have advances, people start to take photos of everything just like my brother-in-law.

Panoramic view of the beach.

There are a lot of water activities in Batu Ferringhi. Swimming, sailing and boating just to name a few. One of the most favourite activities is Parasailing or Parascending where a person is towed behind a boat while attached to a 'parachute'. Some enthusiasts choose to view the sunset while being off the land ; more romantic maybe?

The golden colour sky always melts my heart. The sunset view from Batu Ferringhi is one of the prettiest that I have seen. So wait no more if you are visiting Penang, spend some time there! It's worth it!


What I personally think about the downside of Batu Ferringhi:

1)  The sand is not as fine as some other popular beaches.
2)  A little rubbish was seen strewn along the beach.
3)  Be extra careful of your own personal belongings as I spotted a few 'foreigners' eyeing up the bags that were left on the beach.

YOUNIQ Hotel Experience

 This is the first time I am writing about a hotel which I had stayed in. I had to drop my partner off to the airport early in the morning so we both think it's wise to just stay at a hotel near the airport (KLIA). At the very last minute, we booked this hotel YOUNIQ HOTEL from booking.com. There were a few choices so we chose the more luxury one for an extra RM20 for a window. My partner thought it was a change/cool to stay in a colourful  hotel while I was not so impressed as the colour looks rather strange. But after awhile, I sort of got used to the colour and started to like it but not love it.

 Upom entering the lobby, we were served by a lady at the counter whom was not very friendly, didn't smile like she couldn't care less.

            This is the corridor to our room on the second floor (R207). What do you think about it?

 There is a few jelly bean 'sofas' to sit and have a chat near the lift but I don't think it's a good idea as it may disturb the occupants whose rooms are right there.

 This is how the room looks like. We were quite impressed by the size of the room but after trying out the bed, it's not a good bed. Springy bed makes my body ache and I didn't sleep well.

                                                The bathroom is in good condition and clean.

                                                    The power shower is a plus to this hotel.

 What do I think of this hotel (HONEST REVIEW):
1)  The colour is a bit strange but the location makes it worthwhile as it's only about 15 minutes to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).
2)  The bed is not that comfortable but I guess this is what you get for the sort of money you pay.
3) We got the room with window and it wasn't a good choice as the room faces the main road to KLIA. The non-stop traffic and the noises made by the vehicles made it a nightmare to sleep in. It's also definitely not sound proof too. I constantly awakened by the opening and closing doors of the rooms with footsteps of walking guests and we could hear the showers from both sides of the rooms. 
4)  My partner slept through most of the noises and only awakened by a car which was speeding so maybe it's not so suitable for light sleepers like me.

Naughty Nuri's Warung Pork Ribs

Before we left for home, we had to have the famous 'Naughty Nuri's Warung' spare ribs in Ubud. So many people had been talking about it especially Jess. So, we just had to go with her and it was indeed one of the best ribs I have had so far. I remember it's not very near from Kuta beach but it's worth going all the way for the scrumptious ribs. 

The advertisement board which is not to be missed and I must take a picture of it.

It was full of people when we got there and we had to wait for a while to get a seat.

The board for the food and drinks' price lists. They are not very cheap but the this is the average fare in restaurants in Bali so do not be put off. (about RM30 or USD9 per serving of the ribs)

EAT , PAY , LEAVE.. Basically this was not exactly what we did. We 'WAITED , SAT , ORDERED' before 'eat pay leave'.

How can you not have a pig in the kitchen when you are selling pork ribs? Here we found a little piglet figurine welcoming us beside the sink!

The ribs are grilled / barbequed after being marinated in Indonesian sauce.

So, what is so special about these signature ribs? Well, by just looking at it has already made me feel hungry. I thought I couldn't finish the huge serving but I did !! The marinating sauce goes so well with the pork and it is so tender when biting into it that you do not need other sauce to dip in.

What more to say about it? The picture below tells you how delicious it is. Now you see, now you don't! It's so 'FINGERS LICKING GOOD!'

                                     Naughty Nuri's Warung
                                Add : Jalan Raya Sanginggan
                                         UBUD

                               Opening times: Daily 11am-10pm

                  What to beware:
                  1) There are a few restaurants (warungs) around in UBUD serving ribs too.
                  2) There is a 10% tax on top of the price too.
                  3) Avoid dinner time as it is always packed.
                 4) DO NOT SHARE your ribs with others because you will end up having another  serving.

Love is Hard

Love can happen around us at anytime and anywhere without at first informing us. It can strike us whenever it likes. I used to believe in love and that I could live happily ever after with my prince charming but no.. my dreams were crushed and my heart was broken to pieces. Deep down inside me I silently wish that he would come back to me apologising for being 'young & foolish' and that he would make up for all the silly things he had done. Dream is a dream and it is not going to happen with the hard work of one person. 2 person is needed to make love happens.

 I am writing this because one of my very close friend has just broken up with her boyfriend of 'XX' years and this has made me a bit emotional thinking of my own failure in my relationship. What has gone wrong with this world and all its inhabitants? Are people thinking rationally now before they make a decision to end their relationship? I have to put up a brave face and also a smiley face telling the world that I have moved on.. frankly, it's hard but not impossible. I have challenged all the impossibilities of me not being 'able' to live without you and now I am living better, seeing more and enjoying myself more. However there is always a small corner in my heart for the memories we have had.

To my friend, do not be sad and please move on although it can be hard but it can be done! I will be there to support you. Do not take it as betrayal or have hatred but as lesson learnt!

Tegalalang Rice Terrace - Ubud & Bali

Stopping in Bali without visiting Tegalalang paddy fields is a not-so-clever thing to do. It's only about a few minutes drive from UBUD MARKET if the traffic is flowing smoothly and it's worth to stop there for a few minutes to have a glance at the beauty of the this well known rice terrace. It took us around 40 minutes to arrive due to the congested traffic.

It was in January when we went to Bali and I wondered why didn't I see the ripened paddy.. It was all still growing. Even though no golden grains to greet us but we were welcomed by the picturesque view from the top. Most importantly, we don't get charged watching this greenery plants.

Apart from eye-soothing views, the surrounding is also packed with people selling goods and souvenirs such as woodwork, scarves, paintings as in below and etc. Bear in mind that you would be swarmed by the sellers.. not one, not two but half a dozen or even more asking you to buy , buy and buy.

By the way, most of the tourists driven there by guides would be taken to restaurants of their choice. The reason being is they get free meals in exchange for business. So, we were taken to this Warung Ceking Babi Guling ( babi guling stands for roast pork ).

I don't know if it was our taste buds or there had been discounts on salt.. The entire meal was salty and unfortunately we did not enjoy the food. Sorry buddies. Maybe you should try some other restaurants??

I went to Japan!

On the 5th-15th of September 2012, I went to Japan. It was one of my best trip ever and I shall blog about it in a later time. We arrived to Osaka and proceed almost directly to Kyoto for 2 nights. Then we went to Tokyo for a night and to Morioka the next day for a night as well. Yudanaka was our next destination before heading to Hiroshima and lastly back to Osaka. We spent two nights in Hiroshima as well as in Osaka. If one is to spend more than a week in Japan and is planning to go around Japan, it's best to get yourself a Japan Rail Pass. It costs 28,300yen for a week and it allows us to travel the whole Japan on most of its Shinkansen (bullet train). One can go as far as Sapporo with this rail pass too. By the way, August and September is not the best time to visit Japan from my own experience. It is very hot and humid, we got very sticky and drained within a matter of minutes. We at first thought it was Autumn in September but it isn't. Go in the month of March if you want to witness the beauty of Sakura , the month of July if you want to see the lavender, visit in the month of October if you want to see the beautiful autumn colours and the month of December if you would like to touch the snow and experience the cold weather.

Mount Batur , Lake Batur - Kintamani @ Bali

After having visited Tampak Siring Spring , we continued our journey to Kintamani. Kintamani is a highland area in the east of Bali. I have forgotten how long it took us to get there. It was an easy ride for us as the road directly took us to the top where we could view Mt Batur. It was quite windy at the top of the viewing deck located at the roadside. Mount Batur which is in Kintamani is an active volcano located at the north west of Mount Agung. Mount Agung is the highest possible point in Bali island. According to the locals, this volcano has been constantly spitting a small amount of lava. 

 The weather was not on our side as you can see from the picture above. Mount Batur was covered by a huge piece of fluffy cloud. It was hazy and we could not see the mountain tip. What a shame. We stood there for quite some time waiting for the cloud to shift itself but nope.. it was stubborn and decided to stay stationary at its comfortable spot. But that didn't stop many other tourists from standing and snapping photos. 

This is Lake Batur. It is the largest lake in Bali and is crescent in shape. I think the water in the lake should be quite cold as the surrounding temperature is quite cold too.According to the locals, it is also a sacred lake as they mainly survive on agriculture and fishing. This is the best picture I could find from my collection. I know not much to see but at least you guys know that there is a magnificent lake just beside the magnificent Mt Batur. 

As I have mentioned earlier, the small communities living in this area survive on agriculture thanks to the black lava flowing out from this volcano. Its constant flow of lava has enriched the soil with minerals and is ideal for the folks to earn a living from it. Tourism has increased dramatically in this area and has caused a slight jam on the way up.

Things to note from my own experience:

1) Although the weather is cool , don't forget the shades as the sun can still be peeping at us.

2) Be prepared to expect a bad weather with overcast like us. We couldn't have a proper look of the mountain.

3) Due to this spot being increasingly popular among tourist, goods or souvenir sellers are popping like mushrooms after the rain. Firstly, one would approach you to see if you wanted to buy something and then a big group would follow. They would pester you till you gave in. DO NOT ask for the price here is you have NO intention in buying! Please bear in mind! We really had a very bad experience in this incident.

4) Another thing to remember is always to check the things which you have bought. These sellers would show you a nicely carved ornament and packed a chipped one in the bag.

5) I bought some mangosteens thinking that I could have some tropical fruits along the journey. Bought a kilogramme of it and only got 8 mangosteens! Do not trust these guys here in Kintamani... always check before leaving!