Feeling old...

Just came to realized that I have not updated the blog for about a month.

It was quite a busy month with me attending the Oil and Gas Exhibition, entertaining the people who flew over from UK for the show and conferences.

During that 1 week, I was staying in Concorde Hotel, Kuala Lumpur so I don't have to drive to and from my home every single day. (Especially after late night drinks, every night).

And after that long eventful week, finally I am sick.

I felt as if my life was sucked out from my body totally at the end of the week. During my younger days, I really don't mind working and partying at the same time.

But at this age, I figured out it has taken a big toll on my body.

Old liao la!!

 

@ Amsterdam

 

Finally managed to survived one of the busiest week in UK. So it is nice to be able to fly to one of the top European city of choice for travellers - Amsterdam (or some refer it as City of Sins) for a couple of day just to chill out and relax.

 

 

My wife did not make it this time as she just underwent an operation and was not allowed to walk too much or carry heavy stuff for the next 6 weeks.

So we have to cancelled all the flights, trains and hotels bookings with some penalty imposed.

Too bad for her.

But as I mentioned a lot of time, I would definitely try to cover as many different places as I can when I get the opportunity.

So this time, I chose to spend a few days in Amsterdam - a city which I have never been before.

Luckily, I have a friend who stayed in Amsterdam so I managed to save a lot on accommodation and transport.

One of the beautiful canal in the middle of city centre.

 

And where sex and marijuana is as legal as books and magazines back in Malaysia.

If you happens to visit Amsterdam, try to take a closer look on their coffee shop. 

 



 

These coffee shops tend to serve marijuana as part of their menu.

 

And rest assured you will not get arrested with that joint in your hand. Just make sure you do not bring it back to your country where you may end up behind bars.

 

 

And even though you will see the tit-grabbing hand on the street, it doesn't mean it is legal to do so. Ok?

 

The Netherlands Open Air Museum (Nederlands Openluchtmuseum) is an open air museum and park located near Arnhem with antique houses, farms and factories from different parts of the Netherlands.

 

The Netherlands Open Air Museum is a national museum focusing on the culture associated with the everyday lives of ordinary people.

 

How can you missed the windmill which is one of the most symbolic item of this country apart from football?

 



In fact there is a lot of photos to be shared, but due to limited time now, I will just sign off first.

If you need more information on the travel to Amsterdam, can message me on my facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/wong.h.yew.

Vaarwel!
 

Busy Week

 

Counting down to the days before departing to Europe.

 

I have presentations to prepare, itinerary for Europe trip and etc etc to be completed prior to departure.

 

 

If I am not back in two days, kindly arrange a search and rescue team to look for me!

Europe, soon.

I get a lot of questions on when would be the best time to visit Europe.

Generally, between April to June (the "shoulder" season) would be the best, it is when you can have a decent weather (Not too hot or cold), average crowd and lots of daylights (for photo shooting).

I am lucky enough.

I will be travelling for work to UK this April, and I took the chance to have a post honeymoon with my wife. (As she has been bugging me on Europe for quite a while now).

If you think planning for a trip to Krabi is suicide.

Then, planning for a trip within European continent would be like banging your head on the wall, immerse yourself in petrol, burn yourself and then finish it off by jumping off a 30 storey building.

The very first thing you must realize when planning for an Europe trip, apart from your money, SPARE YOUR ANNUAL LEAVES.

Anyone thinks that you can have a 4 days 3 nights trip to Europe, you need a doctor.

(Theoretically it can be done, but your itinerary can be as good as sleep on the plane, stopover in the airport for duty free shopping and finally take a return flight back to Malaysia).

Secondly, knowing what you want to achieve. (Historical sites? Scenery? Food?)

After a painstaking research, me and my wife has decided on this "minimum" route. (Exclude UK).

Amsterdam-Paris-Switzerland-Rome, Italy.

We have tried to squeeze in a little bit of culture, buildings, and a sight seeing for this trip.

4 different countries in 2 weeks probably would be just nice and sufficient.

Amsterdam and Switzerland are always be the top recommendation based on the feedback from friends who travelled to Europe before.

The only let-down of this trip would be I will miss the chance to watch Man Utd in action in Old Trafford!

Anyway, stay tuned for more stories and photos on our Europe Travel!


 

Lombok, Indonesia

No, this is not Maldives.

Welcome to the island of Lombok, Indonesia.

Compared to Phuket, Koh Samui and Boracay, Lombok is a pretty much unknown tourist destination.

How do we ended up choosing Lombok instead?

About a year ago, one of our friend met a girl from Indonesia, and over a drinking session suddenly one of us started the topic of having a trip overseas.

About a tower and a half of Carlsberg gone into the stomach, somebody just shouted "Lombok!".

Just like the Aladdin fairy tale, after about a year of planning and so much of anticipation, here we are in the land of Lombok, about 3 hours flying time from Kuala Lumpur.

Amazing isn't it?

As part of the planning process, I added a few travel agent via Facebook, and ended up with "Lombok Travel Fun". Details of the company can be found here at  http://www.lomboktravelfun.com/

The placard upon arrival. I bet no one has ever come up with the idea of naming the group as "Wolf Pack Gang", from the movie "Hangover".

As that is exactly what we planned.

Upon arrival at Lombok International Airport, the owner of the Lombok Travel Fun, Pak Rizal was waiting for us with two "6 seaters cars".

One for carrying passengers and one for bags only. Take that.

Transportation: (Lombok Airport - Senggigi - Lombok Airport) Approx USD 130.

Accommodation

For this trip, we preferred something like a bungalow or villa that comes with swimming pool.

In Lombok, there were lots of choices to choose from, but if you have a tight budget, consider this.

The Riverside Villa.

It has 3 villas in total and we took 2. Each villa has 3 rooms, so it was just nice for 6.

It was really value for money.

The manager is Mr. Rocky, who speak better English than any one of us there. (He used to stayed in Singapore for quite some times).

Breakfast and lunch is complimentary if you stayed here. Just grab the menu and tell the cook what you need.

Each villa has the following features:

3 bedrooms (with individual toilet), 1 kitchen, 1 living hall, 1 TV hall, 1 dining hall, A/C in every room, and complimentary wifi. (Speed of the wifi was excellent unlike what we read in the review).

Overall the setup is excellent. Clean and comfortable. Only problem would be the water pressure and their towel can be cleaner.

Similar to a lot of places in Indonesia, occasionally you will face the black out situation. We had it 2 times a day almost every day.

Blame the National Utility company.

Price: RM800/Villa for 4 days 3 nights. (Yes, total of 3 nights!) X 2 Villas = RM 1,600.00

So , the first thing we did, jumped into the pool!!

Nothing beat a bottle of cold beer and relaxing by the pool after a whole day of travelling.

So, if you come to Lombok, one of the must do thing would be a trip to the Gili Trawangan.

There were 3 main island off Lombok, namely Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno and Gili Air.

But since the main objective is to get hangover, we decided just to visit Gili Trawangan.

Gili Trawangan Tour (With Private Speedboat) Approx USD 35/head.
(Inclusive of transfer to and from jetty, Lunch and dinner, private boat transfer and complimentary drinks)

Some people told us that during the peak season, you may opt to stay overnight at Gili Trawangan to enjoy the party atmosphere.

There were lots of choices of places to stay on that island.

We took a one hour bicycle ride circling the island. You don't have to worry, as you will never got lost on that island. The only downside is I felt my ar*e swollen from the 1 hour bike ride.

One of the shocking thing was that we never knew that there were people who will approach you and try to sell their "magic mushroom" and marijuana on the island.

My advise is, stay out of it.

Although the bike riding session was really a "pain in the ars*". I strongly recommend it as you will get the chance to appreciate the island from all the different angles.

 

 

 

 

And of course, the package include snorkelling session. (Snorkelling gear has to be rented separately).

 



 

 

As the boat ride from the main land to the island only took us about 15 minutes, we managed to get back to our Villa at about 5.30 pm.

 

(We opt to have our dinner at Senggigi rather than the island).

 

 

It is a seafood restaurant in Senggigi. The food is quite delicious, and the environment is quite nice also.

Took a group photo before dinner.

What's a guys trip without partying?

If you have done research about "partying in Lombok". you will come across "Marina Pub".
(Sorry I have to upload the picture from internet as I do not have a copy in my laptop)

Marina pub is one of the most popular music and dance club. (Similar to the Alive in KL).

You will see a lot of foreigners in here, and also some local call girls who will try charm their way into your path. (Or your bed if you have the cash).

If you need a quieter place for dinner and drinks (and live band) I will strongly recommend "The Paragon", which is located just across the road from Marina.

 

 

The wolfpack gang having a great time at the Paragon.

Generally the alcoholic beverages is not that expensive over there. Although it is considered as muslim country (You can find a lot of mosque over there, just like the 7-11), alcoholic drinks is not banned.

(Take that Kelantan).

Overall the trip was quite a memorable one.

Thanks to Lombok Travel Fun for being such a patient and dedicated tour guide for us. (Even waiting for us after late night party at 4am).

Definitely will be back again in the future!

 

Wolf of Wall Street (Malaysian Version)

The movie "Wolf of Wall Street" has became an instant hit when it was first released, which happen to be one of my favourite movie made of all time.

 

Leonardo Di Caprio (Left) acted in the movie as the real "wolf", Jordan Belfort (On the Right).



 

Finger Lickin' good isn't it?

But as a Malaysian, I am proud to inform that we do have our own version of the "Wolf" in our own home soil.

Introducing the "Wolf-de-f***" of Malaysia.

Jho Low.

Finger....my....god.

But love him or hate him, ever since the news of him being part of the 1MDB fishy deals with Petrosaudi, I have googled him more than before on the social media.

Honestly on a very personal level, the way this guy carry himself with charisma, the way he talk and the way he present himself is quite impressive upon me to say the least.

(Talking about a guy who own billions in his early 30s, obviously he has to be a very smart guy to be able to accomplish what he had today).

I am not sure if he is really one of the culprit in the 1MDB-Petrosaudi issue and I couldn't care less. Our lovely government is the one who should be responsible for any deal makings and ensure that the people's money will be properly managed.

One thing I have noticed recently is the hater's voices and opinions. But I am really sure that most of the haters would have browse through his profile, his partying antics, the assets he owned and felt envied at the same moment.

Who wouldn't?

Partying with Paris Hilton.

A lavish proposal surprise to the Taiwanese Pop Star Elva Hsiao which cost an eye-watering RM 5 Million!

And got rejected.

(But I must agreed that the proposal is quite lame. I can do it better with 5, 000).

As Elva treated him as "one of my little brother".

Here we can come to accept that there is a "world of difference" to most of the people where money will never be a problem to him.

Ironically, it was rumoured that he did has some parts in the financing of the wolf of wall street movie, which it was linked to one of our most beloved Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor.

Well if the rumour is true, I think I am going to stop paying my income tax from now on.

 

Medan, Indonesia Trip.

We decided to have a little trip to the city of Medan, Indonesia for Chinese New Year holiday getaway.

I have been to Bali and Jakarta at one point couple of years ago. But Medan was my first time. Not to mentioned that this is also the first trip that involved my in-law family members.

The difference between travelling with in laws and friends?

Just check out the differences from the pictures.

With the in laws.

With friends.

or like this.

 

Jokes aside, you will know you have arrived in Medan (or Indonesia in particular) when you
come upon traffic jams (with lots of honking at each other).

One thing did surprised me actually.

With all the "honking" around.

1. No one give two f**ks actually.
2. No one wind down their window and gave us a middle finger.
3. No one stop their car and use her steering lock to hit on our car. 

It is as if by honking at one another in Malaysia = "F**K you!"
In Indonesia = "Hi how are you doing?" 

Actually it is the same with Vietnam, Thailand and Philippines. Something must be really wrong with our country in term of education.

Malaysia Boleh!

During this trip we stay at one of the nicest hotel in Medan. The JW Marriot.

 

 

The rate per night is about USD 100 per night inclusive of breakfast, which is quite a bargain.

 

That was me in the infinity pool for a morning swim.

 

 

 

View at the lobby.

 

 
View in the room.



To be honest, I would not recommend if you want to do a lot of sightseeing.

(That is just my two cents).

But one thing you should never missed will be this.

 

 

This is what the Indonesian called "kueh Lapis Legit". You can find it in most of the places in Medan, however, I will personally recommend the "Rika Bika Ambon" in Jalan Sekip, Medan.

We were allowed to have a "tasting" session before we decide whether to buy it or not.

You can even make the bookings and get it delivered to your hotel the next day if you do not wish to carry it around.

Trust me, I have a very high level of standard in term of rating about foods. For example, penang char keow teow is "ok lah". Klang "bah kut teh", also so so only.

But Kue Lapis Legit? My goodness, it is a must try!

Another place for food hunters - Coffee Box at Jalan Palang Merah.

This is where you can get lots of local delicacies at very reasonable price.

And why the one at Jalan Palang Merah?

It is because, if you wish to get a good massage afterwards, opposite the road about 1 minute walking distance there are one good massage parlour.

"Feng Huang".

The price for a leg massage for 1.5 hours would be around USD 7 per person. I am not a big fan for massage anyway, but since it is so cheap, i think why not?

Don't ask me if they offer any "extra services". I am with my in laws and family.

Another local delicacies which is a "must try", the "Satay padang".

 

Extracted from Wikipedia:

 

Sate Padang is a speciality satay from Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia, made from beef cut into small dices with spicy sauce on top of it. Its main characteristic is a yellow sauce made from rice flour mixed with spicy offal broth, turmeric, ginger, garlic, coriander, galangal root, cumin, curry powder and salt. In Medan, a lot of Sate Padang use not only beef but also chicken and lamb.

 
As for the rest of the trip, we visited one Chinese temple and one church.

This tree at the temple, where the people will write their wishes down for the year and hang it on the tree with the hope that good fortune will come and their wishes will come true.

 

 This is my wife praying that his husband will be a millionaire in no time.

 

 

 

And this is where I put a wish list on the tree praying that she will never run away with my money if i am a millionaire. LOL.

 

One of the church in Medan, can't recall the name really.



 

Like I said earlier, there were nothing much to shout about. But if you are into the ancient history or religion stuff, this may could be the "must go destination".

Total damage for the trip? (4 days 3 nights) about USD 300 per person all included for airfare, tour arrangement, hotels, foods, basically everything. (Please note that this is calculated based on the sharing basis for 8 adults and one infant).

Would I ever return?

Since i am more like a "beach and sun" guy, I don't think so, unless I am craving for the "kueh lapis legit"!


Next trip will be in two weeks time, Lombok! (That's what I classified as a "beach and sun" place.

So stay tuned!