Jakarta (October '07)

I had an opportunity to visit Jakarta again, for a 2 days business trip.

The group stayed at Hyatt Hotel, just by the famous fountain and welcome statue. The hotel is connected to Plaza Indonesia (PI), so, I managed to browse and window shop. We took time off after the buka puasa to walk to Sarinah. There's a good collection of batik, of higher end. I bought myself a batik silk shawl. I was eyeing some kebaya but didn't buy any. Bought telekung for Tini, as a birthday gift.

After the meeting, I extended my stay for another day, just to go around a bit and then meet up with Wan. As Wan was working, I took the opportunity to buy music CDs at the PI. The shop that I had bought gamelan CD in the last trip, was closed. But I managed to locate other music stores and ended up buying tonnes of local pop music. For original CD, each cost about Rp 30,000 or RM12...which was so much cheaper than KL. I bought a range of music, from both known and unknown artiste. I also bought a coffee table book on Bali architecture, which cost me about RM100.

I also went to the National Museum, taking a Blue Bird cab. If you're adventurous, you can take the busway. There's a station in front of the hotel, and later you can stop at the MONAS (Monumen Nasional) station.

The museum consists of two buildings. One is old and another new, adjacent to the old one. The old wing contains vast collection of statues, ceramics, and brass. Whereas the new one has a collection of all economic activities, gold, etc.

The entrance fee to the museum was only Rp 750, much to my surprise. Anyway, the museum is extremely, so, it would be good to go with friends. As I was alone, I got myself spooked...Foolish me.

As I went there on Friday, the museum closes early. I think it was noon. Point to intended visitor, do check out the business hour to avoid getting chased out of the museum.

The museum was across MONAS, so, if you have the time, you might want to visit the surrounding.

Going away...again...

As much as I'm still upset about the cancelled Jakarta trip, I can't help but feel excited about the upcoming trip.

Next week, I'll be away in London and Wales. I've checked the BBC weather news. It's a bit chilly now in London. Maximum temperature around 19 degrees celcius. It'll be much colder in Milford Haven tho.

My preparation? Well, I'm done with the financial part. Only left is to exchange some pocket money and inform HSBC about the trip. The exchange rate is around RM7 to every pound sterling. Well, that leaves me with not much choice about how much for my subsistence expenses.... I've also bought myself the other day, a long jacket and other accessories to keep myself warm....Now I need to figure out what I can do during the 13 hours flight out.
Schedule is quite tight there but hopefully, I'll be able to enjoy it.

Milford Haven

Besides London, we'll be travelling to Milford Haven by taking the train from London to Port Talbot. From Port Talbort, we're taking a car to Milford Haven. For the return journey, we're making a stopover at Bridgend. [I believe my colleagues intend to check out the designer outlets at Bridgend. :) ] From Bridgend, we're taking the train back to London.

Yay, London, I'm coming...to see the Queen...

Bandung (Day 3) - Saying Goodbye

Our flight was in the morning, therefore, we get to do much things on the last day.

My take away from this trip...an entirely new experience. I felt like I was a sponge, trying to absorb my surrounding, from it's food, noise, architecture, and nature. I left with a sigh! Well, I'm glad that I chose to spend my Bandung trip in this manner and just for shopping.

Not everything was great but what I gathered from the not so good stuffs, is a feeling of humility. Say...when I saw an old lady, cradling a child, sitting by the roadside, I told myself that how lucky am I to be born in the condition that I am...that I can live comfortably.

As much as people warned about street children, I believed that what we can do is just be a better human.

[While waiting for Shima & Miza shopping at an outlet, I was sitting outside the shop...there were a group of children, selling newspaper. It was a hot day and I didn't have a heart not to do anything. Not that I needed a newspaper but there's this urge to do something. So instead of giving them money, I bought drinks and gave them to the older kid, for her to distribute to the others...One of them later came to me, and thanked me. Well, it didn't cost much, only a meagre RM1 per child. And the feeling out of that...was something that I carried along with me for a long time.]

Well, goodbye Bandung...I'll come back again.

Bandung (Day 2) - Kampung Daun

Wan recommended me to go to Kampung Daun. Apparently it's known for its great ambience. But nothing really prepared me for the experience.

We arrived in Kampung Daun at about 4pm. It's located at an exclusive housing area (something like Country Height, Kajang). It's not a restaurant per se but spread across an area. You can either make a reservation or walk in. The reception is located at the entrance. The eating area is consisting of numerous huts of various sizes, located all over. You can have a view of the hill, streams and waterfall.

Our sauk (hut) is by the hill. The distance from another hut was within 2 metres, so, one can really have the privacy. Everything is green...it's like you're transported into a dense jungle...close your eyes, listen to the sound of nature...it's really soothing. The service is very personalised. To call for help/assistance/order, just hit the bamboo chime. The waiters would be just right at your hut within minutes. Great service!

As for food, I can't really comment much as everything seemed new to us. We decided to try out varied food, range from sambal belut, rice in bamboo, etc. Desert was serabi...it looks like the kuih panjeram, except that it wasn't made in brown sugar...but used other stuffs. We took the one with banana.

Price wise...it's really reasonable considering the good food.

After lunch/early dinner, we walked around a bit at the compound. There was a waterfall right at the end of the path.

If you're interested to go to Kampung Daun, go there early while it's still bright and stayed on until way past sunset. First, its because of the view. Secondly, because the condition of the road is bad.

Personally, I think it's such a romantic place. Can't help but dream away...a romantic dinner with loved ones...perhaps, getting a marriage proposal...hehe...I wish!

For further info, here's the website to kampung daun. http://www.kampungdaun.net/

Bandung (Day 2) Gunung Tangkuban Prahu, Bandung

Over in July, my friends and I decided to travel to Bandung. It was I who decided on our holiday destination, simply because I didn't get to see much of the place the last time I was there in March. Second time around, I would do it my own way.

Anyway, I'll write in a different posting about my Bandung trip later.

This time, I would like to share about Tangkuban Prahu. Most of the Malaysian that I knew who had been to Bandung, never actually went to Tangkuban Prahu. [The typical shopping habit of Malaysian explains it!]...It's such a shame. No one should go to Bandung without going to the mountain.

The journey from Bandung city to the mountain took us close to 1 hour or so, passing the mountain village of Lembang. Gunung Tangkuban Prahu, an active volcanic mountain has not had any major eruption lately. The mountain is over 2000 metre in elevation.

It doesn't take much effort to get there. The car can take you right to the rim of the crater of Kawah Ratu actually. Among the things that I noticed as I got there is of course the smell of the sulphur, the strange looking trees that looked like they are from the LOTR movie, and lots of dragonflies flying around us.

To get a good view of one of the volcanic craters is to go to the watch tower. Be very mindful of the local peddlars, who would go around and pester you to buy stuff. As much as possible, be polite and FIRM! If you'd ever say, "Later" rather than "No", they would literally take it. So, really mean what you say. If you think that you would buy the souvenirs just because you're being polite, forget it. The souvenirs are so much more expensive than the city.

Also, when approached by locals wearing the Guide vest and offer to take you the nearest volcanic craters i.e. Kawah Domas, do ask how much they charged. We had a hard lesson the other day. We thought it was just like any other national park or so, where rate is standard. Apparently not!!! We only knew it when we were returning from the crater.

[We had a scary experence though. Besides the guide, the souvenir sellers actually followed us to the crater. It did cross my mind on how dangerous it could be for us. There we were, 3 ladies travelling, with about 5 or so men, trekking along a lonely trek at the mountain. If something were to happen to us, there would be no way anyone would come to our help. There were no one else in sight, perhaps not within 1 kilometre. Besides being lighteasy about the walk, I couldn't help feeling uneasy about it, especially when Miza was walking way ahead of us with the guide, leaving me & Shima with the men.]

Well, back to the crater...the walk DOWN will take you more than half hour, if you're not fit. The guide told us that it would take us about 20 minutes, trekking down the 1.2km. Oh boy, we were fool to think that it would REALLY take us 20 minutes.

Do take it slow. The trek down is okay but do remember to get a good walking shoes. Be extra careful as the trail might get slippery...and you could trip over uneven steps. Enjoy the view and scenery. Notice that the vegetation changes as you walked further down the mountain.

After making a few stops, we finally arrived at the bottom of the crater. Coming from a non volcanic country, it was an amazing experience for me. There you'll be able to see the bubbling water from the hot spring and steam coming out from the ground.

If you're up to it, get to relax your feet in the hot water...and since there'll be strong smell of sulphur, don't stay too long...it's kind of hazardous to be exposed for long.

The trek back didn't take us as long as we did when we came down. The reason is that we took the short cut back to the main road. If you decide to do this, make sure you inform your driver to wait at that point....otherwise, you'll have to find other means of transportation to take you back to the top or...TREK back...The short cut was of easier trek as we only needed to climb up to about 100 metres and then trek alongside the mountain until we reach the main road.

It was definitely a trip to remember, which was coming very close to a volcano (well, my Gunung Batur trip didn't count. )

Last pointers:

• It is not that cold at the mountain (if you're comparing it to Mount Kinabalu), so, you don't really need a warm clothing


• A good pair of walking shoes would be excellent, though a normal flat shoes is sufficient.

Bandung (Day 2) - Sightseeing

After a full day of shopping, we made arrangement for sightseeing. We decided to use Pak Atang to drive us around. He was a cab driver that drove us from the airport to the hotel. An entire day would cost us around RM120.

We started quite early....but first order of the day was the money changer. While waiting for Miza & Shima at the money changer, I spoke to Pak Atang. I asked a lot of things and Pak Atang was patient enough to explain. I gave him a list of buildings that I wanted to see and he planned our journey.

We later drove around the city. It's rather difficult to take picture from inside a moving a car. Some of the things that I managed to see were the masjid agung, cathedrals, jalan asia afrika, Hotel Savoy Homann, ITB (Institute Teknologi Bandung), Bank Indonesia, Gedung Sate, etc. We also stopped at Muzium Geologi as I really wanted to see the Java Man specimen.

Bandung is an old city with lots of old, colonial buildings. Therefore, it's a great experience if you could move about the city, viewing these old buildings. I wished I had more time. It would be a nice if I could walk inside a cathedral, looking at its sculpture and stained glass. However, one has to be a bit more practical as it can be time consuming to try to view all the buildings. So, do make your homework before travelling to Bandung & prioritise on the things that you want to see.

After touring the city, we went up to the mountain i.e. Gunung Tangkuban Prahu (there's a separate posting on it). After spending few hours there, we left for Kampung Daun for lunch. We arrived in Kpg Daun at bout 4pm (seriously starving).

Bandung (Day 1) - Shopping!

My Bandung trip isn't something that I had planned for long. I was there briefly (less than 24 hrs) in March, as an extension of my biz trip. Due to that, I told myself that I would definitely come back...and I did!

Miza was toying with the idea of a ladies getaway, and I blurted out Bandung. We managed to get tickets and get everything arranged in perhaps about 1 week. Shima was coming back to KL, and then decided to follow us for that trip.

Well, back to my trip...We took the AirAsia early morning flight. As we didn't get to purchase our tickets earlier, our return tickets had cost us about RM700 (inclusive of tax and all). We arrrived in Bandung at about 10am, local time.

After checking in, we decided to go for some shopping (well, it was my bargaining item. I had promised the girls that I would allocate the 1st day for shopping & the 2nd day for sightseeing). As we were staying at the Santika Hotel, there were some factory outlets located along the same road. The girls got to do some shopping but I didn't.

We had lunch at one of the roadside shops, and nothing fancy of that sort. I introduced them to some local dish. Shima decided to have Nasi Timbel and Miza and I had nasi goreng. We also had advocado juice (Jus alpukat) and orange juice (Jus jeruk). As in any other indonesian food, it was definitely yummy.

There was something in the menu that we didn't know, i.e. Nasi Goreng Terasi. We asked the guy from the shop what terasi was but he couldn't explained. Fortunately for me, I have Wan (an Indonesian friend) who lives in Bandung, but working in Jakarta. He was in Malaysia for his masters and therefore, knew the Malaysian word for it. Funny thing...Terasi is actually belacan!

After lunch, we bought lots of titbits from the shop next door. We bought the local munchies such as pisang salai (with varied flavor), cheese sticks, and lots of other kerepek.

We went to pasar baru, after sending off our stuffs back to the hotel. Pasar baru is a place where you can buy all the local produce, largely textile. It's worth to note that the place is a very busy place, and crowded. So, do bear in mind about your handbags and purse. It also closes early, about 5pm. Therefore, do allocate a FEW HOURS to be there. As per the first trip there, I hardly ventured into the other part of Pasar Baru...only managed to cover the ground floor.

Among the things that you can find there are batik attire, embroideries, kebayas, and muslimah attire. There's a particular shop that I took Miza to, that sells finely tailored muslimah business suits. It was definitely a deal...A nice 2 piece pant suits, and lined, cost only about RM70.

As for batik attire, it ranges from blouses, nighties, kids pyjamas, etc. I bought some batik blouses (long sleeve, chinese colored) and they cost me slightly more than RM10 (about Rp 35,000 to Rp 45,000). There are a lot of varieties, so take a lot of time to choose the one you like.

My interesting find this time was the kids clothes. I bought Jareth a 2 piece attire and for Girl, a dress. Both are made from batik jawa, with excellent workmanship....not to mention that it was extremely cheap. Each was about Rp 15,000 which was like RM6.

For muslimah, there are a lot of things to buy. It range from telekung to swimsuit! Telekung (or Mukena, in Bahasa Indonesia) is something that you definitely have to buy. There are a lot of choice. Most of them are beautifully embroidered, and are in many colors. Being Malaysian, the prefered choice would be white. The materials also varied. The more expensive ones would be the ones made from imported cotton like french cotton or japanese cotton. But that would only cost about RM100.

There are some being sold with bags or separately. For the kids, there are choices of colors. It was strange for me though but according to the mba' at the shop, the kids' telekung are mostly colored as that attracted the kids, plus, as kids play a lot, the telekung won't be that dirty unlike white.

During this trip, I didn't buy any of the telekung but Miza & Shima did. I bought one during my trip in March, for Mas. Bought her a white telekung with gold embroidery. The embroideries were so intricate, around the hemline and also way filling the back.

Other muslimah stuff...a swimsuit. It's a 2 piece attire, with the top long enough to cover the bottom. It alco comes with a headgear, covering the neck as well. Shima bought one. Can't really remember how much it was but if I'm not mistaken, it's about RM50.

Beside that, there were lots of choice for tudung (headscarves). Shima bought the one made from pashmina shawl, which she intended to wear for her New Zealand trip.

There were other things that a muslimah can find such as a neck cover, which one can use together with a low cut blouses/shirt. Basically, there are a lot of stuffs for covering aurat. Probably even things that you can never imagine.

Well, pasar baru was definitely a shopping experience. However, coming back from the pasar could pose some problem. Either you make an arrangement with your cab driver or hail a cab from the roadside.

Getting into a cab can also be tricky thing, which we experienced. The roadside was crowded, not to mention that the road was exteremely busy. Because the staircase is literally next to the road, there wasn't a space for cab to properly stop. Therefore, making it really difficult to get into the cab.

For us, as Shima & I sat at the back, so, we got in thru the passenger door but Miza had a problem to even open the door as she was sitting in front. The other vehicles moved so close to the cab that there was only about less than 1 feet gap! It was only after the security guard stepped forward & stopped the oncoming vehicles that Miza could enter the cab. Come to think of it, it was really a funny experience !!!

Note: The picture above is of Shima trying out her swimsuit, much to the amusement of the ladies at the shops!

G'day mate!!!

I had been in Sydney since Wednesday nite. Havent seen much of the city except for The Rocks which I had the chance to wander around during lunch & in the evening. That has always been the case with business trip.

I arrived at the hotel around 9.30pm on Wednesday. The suite had a view of Sydney's skyscrapper & part of the Harbour Bridge. Thought I could check out a place to eat but was told that the nearest restaurant, down at the corner of the Essex street would be closing by 10pm. So, that was basically an early nite for me then.

Yesterday evening, my friends & I walked to QVB (Queen Victoria Building), down by George St. The building was simply amazing. Well, we managed to shop a bit at the QVB. It's quite fortunate as the business hour is extended to 8pm on Thursday nite.

I finally got that Corduroy jacket that I've been meaning to get. [Oh yes, I'm in cloud 9]

And today, after a quick lunch, we took a walk to The Rocks. I really must say that the government had done a great job preserving all these old buildings. Well, since it was only a short walk, I made a mental note to come again.

The picture posted is taken at The Rocks, at the junction of Harrington Street & Argyle Street. Notice the cleanliness of the street & the condition of the traffic? Great, huh.

This evening, after the training was over, we walked to Circular Quay and the iconic Sydney Opera House. Ling left me on my own to travel. After walking about the Circular Quay, I made my way back to The Rocks, to have my dinner. It was such a pity that I didn't manage to walk around much to take more pictures before the sun set.

At this point, I'm planning to go there again, after breakfast tomorrow to catch the market before checking out of the hotel.

Well, I love it here in Sydney. The pace is much slower than KL even though it's a city. People are not rushing away like mad men. The city is clean and people are law observing. You won't even have a hard time trying to cross the streets. I like the old sydney & amazed at the restored buildings. I like the happenings of Circular Quay. I like the weather and its cool breeze.

Hey, I don't even mind staying in a city like this.

I wish I could stay longer here & explore so much more of Sydney but I can't really ask for more.

Well, signing off from down under.

Breezing away in Bandung (Day 3 & 4)

I definitely have to come back to Bandung. We literally spent few hours (less than 24 hours, to be exact) in Bandung and that was it. Arrghhh...tak puas hatinya.

We finished meeting rather late and pushed back to Jakarta, sending off a Manager before traveling to Bandung. We were caught in a traffic crawl!! (Yeah, my experience with Jakarta's macet) It took us more than 1 hour just to get out of Jakarta city itself. We made a short stop at a rest area just before the highway, to have dinner and refuel the car. My colleagues even managed to buy some warm clothing there. (err...I found out that wortel is actually carrot. I wondered what that was in the menu)

The journey took us almost 2 hours via the highway. It was pitch dark hence we were unable to appreciate the view. As we got to Bandung, we were struggling to find our way to the place where we're putting up i.e. Hotel New Sany Rosa at the Jalan Hergamanah as our driver was not familiar with Bandung. When we got to the hotel, there wasn't much to see or do.



It's a nice, cosy hotel...seriously, forget the view. There's a nice courtyard right in the middle of the hotel. If you need food, McDonald's right across the street (if only you manage to cross the road).



The room rate is about RM100+, inclusive of breakfast. If you have a driver, the hotel has a different type of room for him. It costs around Rp 100,000 or RM40, and that includes breakfast which is delivered to the room. I think that's pretty fair and convenient.


Having reached Bandung rather late at nite, we decided to just have our rest.

We started early the next morning and managed to check out some factory outlets. Not into shopping, I took the opportunity to catch up with a local friend. Hey, it was a nice chat over chocolate chip crepe & ice blended coffee durian!

My friend later took us to this restaurant called Sambara, and introduced us to Sundanese food. Great ambience, delicious food and damn cheap. For 5 of us, it was slightly over Rp100,000. It was definitely a deal!

We left Bandung right after lunch as we wanted to reach Jakarta by late afternoon.

The first official trip...to Indonesia - Jakarta/Bogor (Day 1)

We arrived in Jakarta just after 10am, local time. As my colleague had made prior arrangement for immigration assistance, we just breezed through the immigration via the diplomatic lane. Cool!

We later made a stop in the city for lunch, eating nasi padang (a must!) & I've tried the avocado juice, with chocolate syrup. Strange taste though...thick, filling and seriously, delicious.

Jakarta, as in any other city, full of life...but some of things that caught my eyes were the numerous statues around the city. Wished I had the time to take pictures of all of them, rather than rushing through the city to get to Bogor.

The journey to Bogor took approximately 1 hour, via the highway. We're staying at the Novotel Bogor at the Golf Estate Bogor Raya. There were beautiful mansions located at the golf estate. It reminds me of Country Height.

Bogor is nicknamed "Kota Hujan" and that explains it all. It was raining since we arrived and throughout the afternoon. So, guess we are stuck at the hotel.

Today is quite free for us. We had a short discussion with the team late afternoon & followed by an early dinner together. Hey, I tried the nasi timbel. A specialty sunda food. I consider it as a very healthy meal as it contains everything. :)

The best thing about today is that, before we retire for the day, almost all of us had booked a massage service. I tried the aromatheraphy massage and for an hour, it cost me slightly more than RM60. It'll be double that price if it had been in KL. It was good & I really needed one. Truth is, I fell asleep along the way. haha.

I left my heart there! (Tanjung Simpang Mengayau, Kudat, Sabah)

If I could choose a spot in the world to live, I would probably had chosen this....Tanjung Simpang Mengayau, the northern tip of Borneo island with it's blue sky, blue sea and white sand.

I left my heart there...or is it that I've fallen in love there?!

p.s: Will write more on this trip to the place in other postings.

The lake cruise

If you happens to be in Putrajaya, do check out the lake cruise. It'll cost about RM30 for adult. The journey will take about 45 minutes along the shore of the lake. There's also a tour guide who would explain on various buildings and magnificent bridges of Putrajaya.

The above is a picture of the Prime Minister's Dept, as seen from the cruise.

Chasing dolphins in Kuala Lumpur

Walk a bit from Suria KLCC, towards the bridge. As you pass the bridge, you'll come across these amazing dolphins.

3 days on an island (Gaya Island, Sabah)

Have you ever imagine holidaying on an island, all by yourself?

Well, that was exactly what I did almost 3 years ago. Friends thought that I was crazy, planning a trip alone to Gaya Island, off Kota Kinabalu. Not only had I planned to go alone but it was for 3 days.

They didn't see what I could be doing for the whole 3 days there. Gaya Island, after all, isn't one of the favorite spot among Sabahans as it's used to be known for its illegal immigrants.

Well, what the heck. I needed a break!

The island is bout half hour boat ride from KK jetty. I chose to stay at the Gayana EcoResort and had booked myself the water villa.

The balcony of my villa was overlooking the open sea. It felt good, having all the space to yourself and nothing else but you and the open sea. What else can you do but read a good book and soak in the sun.

I also managed to check out the marine research centre, and later hanging out often there, learning about new stuffs, looking at the fishes, corals, etc. I even tasted the sea grapes. I also signed up for the adopt a coral program. This is where you get to choose the corals from the nursery, snorkel to your prefered spot & then transplant them. I chose a spot, near the natural pool. [I found out months later that my baby coral didn't survive. ]

I also kayaked to the mangroves nearby. A bit scary at first as I wasn't familiar with the open sea kayak. Felt too light to paddle...but I managed though. It was an exhilirating experience being in the mangroves. As we paddled further inland, it was so still and tranquil. In the background was the chorus of the forest insects.

After kayak, I snorkelled at the Taman Tuanku Abd Rahman marine park. It felt like walking in a garden...I vowed then that I must take up my diving licence. There's so much to explore.

For those intending to visit, you only hv one place to eat which is the island restaurant, built on stilts, extending to sea. Grab the seats by the edge & enjoy the view of the fish underneath it. Some place else to hang out is the beach bar. Great place to be during sun set. It also has a stunning view from the deck above.

Beside kayaking & snorkelling, you may want to hike along several treks.

Further info on the resort:

http://www.gayana-resort.com/info.html

Kampung Kuala Nyalau

Few years ago, I organized a motivation camp for school children at a village called Kampung Kuala Nyalau in Bintulu. The drive there took us more than 2 hours, partly through a oil palm estate and jungle. Despite the long drive, nothing beat the scenery that awaited us there.

To get there, take the Bintulu-Miri road. Take a left turn after you had passed the Bakun Dam junction. You'll then pass thru the confusing roads in the oil palm estate. Can't really remember the route but after the estate, it's the jungle. You'll also be seeing the winding Likau river. A recommended form of vehicle to get there is a 4WD due to the condition of the road. It's really offroad!

It's a small idyllic village by the sea. The kampung folks told us that before there was a road, it used to take them many hours to get to Bintulu by boat. I could hardly say that there was a proper road but at least it's better than taking the boat, especially during the rough monsoon season.

Durian by the river (Selangau, Sibu)

Selangau is a small town along the Bintulu - Sibu road.

The Balingian river flows thru the town. Picture was taken in December 2004, on my way back from a visit to the army camp in Oya. We made a stop at the local market, bought some durians & ate all those durians by the river.

KK - Last day (Pasar Filipin)

Feeling a bit impulsive in the morning when I took my mum to Pasar Filipin. We were there for about one hour before heading back to the hotel, in time to get ready for our flight back in the afternoon.

Some notes :
Taxi from Pacific Sutera to Pasar is RM10 (vice versa). To get back to the hotel, taxis are available across the Pasar, near the junction of the newly opened Le Meridien Hotel.

If you intend to buy pearls, it's better to have a look first. Then, settle for at least 1 stall so that you can bargain. A good bracelet would be around RM20. A pearl necklace is around RM40 or more depending on the style, length & types of pearls. Pearl studs is RM10. Brooch is more or less the same. I managed to get a rice pearl, white color necklace, slightly longer than the ones I had for only RM40. The last time I bought a necklace, it was pinkish, corn pearls that cost me RM80.

Anyway, do try your bargaining skill. You could land yourself a better deal.

KK - Day 3

Mum & I got ready early today. We had planned to go with Bro. Paul to Kota Belud, a small town about 1 hour drive from the city of KK. We had to go early so that we could make it to the Tamu i.e. the market.

We left the hotel around 8.40am & took the Sulaman road. We arrived at the Tamu almost 10am. There were still lots of local people selling stuffs. I bought a colorful box made from palm leaves by the Bajau people. I was told by the lady that it was also meant to keep the wedding hantaran or gift. Found other interesting stuffs too. Bought the kuih gelang and colorful fish cracker (in various shapes).

Link on the tamu : http://www.sabahtravelguide.com/travelogue/details.asp?articleid=35

After Tamu & brunch at a coffee shop in Kota Belud, we proceeded to Bro Paul's village. It was about half hour drive along a winding & steep road. We were actually driving along the hills. The village, Kampung Bundu Paka is located at the valley of the Mount Kinabalu. It's not really that cold there despite the location. The backyard of Bro Paul's house is the Sungai Kedamaian, that flows from the mount. The water was definitely cold. It's so refreshing to listen to the water through the creek.

We left the village about 6pm, taking the Ranau road to KK. It was a winding road but with superb view of the mountain.

Tonite, we had dinner at the Garden Seafood, not far from the traffic light towards Tg. Aru.

The mountain river (Kota Belud, Sabah)

Kampung Bundu Paka, Kota Belud, Sabah. Here, the kids, Yan & Adik are having a good time at the Sungai Kedamaian that flows from the Mount Kinabalu.

Notice the suspension bridge or "jambatan gantung" in the background?

KK - Day 2 (The wedding)

The highlight of the day was the wedding.

The service at the Sacred Heart Cathedral started at about 10.30am. A beautiful wedding, conducted in Kadazan language with songs in English & Malay. The bride's sisters wore the kadazan attire too. The whole do at the church ended till about 2pm.

The family later hung out at Tg Aru beach. Quite a significant change from the my last KK trip, 2 years back. It even had San Francisco coffee now!

The wedding reception was held at the Pacific Sutera. Also in attendance was the city mayor. A low key reception, basically just the dinner, cake cutting, toast and singing. Frankly, it was a sample of the muhibbah spirit...there were people of different ethnic background. In our table alone were Ibans, Dusuns, Kadazans and even a matsalleh (a mixed canadian & native american) who's now married to a Dusun girl. We even had a muslim Kadazan, wearing tudung who sang a Kadazan song on the stage while some relatives danced the sumazau on the dance floor.

I was sporty enough to sing a song specially dedicated to the couple..."Will you still love me tomorrow?" hehe