Travelogue 6 - Bandung 2009

On 19th June 2009 (I remember the exact date because we were travelling on my birthday), I went to Bandung with my parents and sister for 4 days. I have a good friend of mine studying in University of Padjajaran  so I continued the vacation for another 2 weeks staying at my friend's place.

With my family, we were staying at a motel on Jl Riau (now known as Jl R.E Martadinata). They offered a very basic room even without the water heater. Jl Riau is very famous for its factory outlets i.e Heritage, The Secret and The Summit to name a few. The location of accommodation was very convenient and the weather was very nice which allow us to walk to the outlets. We did not hire any Pak Supir as the Blue Bird taxi is easily available. We also tried to ride on AngKot (Angkutan Kota) and trishaw - super duper cheap and convenient as well. Indonesia is very famous with the traffic congestion, so during peak hour, is not advisable to ride on a taxi. Be it whether it's blue bird taxi (with meter) or "teksi sapu" (without meter). 

the only sister of mine

4 days in Bandung were totally for shopping (goodies bag, wedding card and lace for my wedding on top of unnecessary blouses, shirts, pants etc..hehe) and eating. Bandung and Jakarta are famous place to buiy wedding stuff as their offered price might go as low as 70% compared to price in Malaysia.

After my family went back to Malaysia, I continued my stay at my friend's place in Padjajaran campus together with another 2 friends just arrived from Malaysia. The place is an hour journey from Bandung City. It's quite outskirt but I really enjoy the calmness of the Padjajaran town and the coolness of the weather. Most of the times, we took a bus to travel to the city. In Indonesia, it is common to have buskers entertaining you in the bus, beside your taxi's mirror and at the traffic light. Most of famous singers in Indonesia start their journey as singer by busking in the bus or by the road. So we enjoyed listening to their free performance in the bus regardless.

I would like to highlight that I had an unforgettable moment during the stay. We've visited a place which is 6 hours from Bandung. It is located in Pangandaran, West Java. The beautiful-must-visit place named Cijulang River which has clean green water flows between the huge wall of hill or known as GREEN CANYON..

Green Canyon

It serves never been forgotten experience to all visitors who come there by renting traditional boat or the challenging of body rafting.. We took the traditional boat. We enjoyed the amazing natural rock wall completely with the sound of river and birds tweet. The fresh look with the green water and plants surrounding was amazing. The boat buzzed up the jungle-fringed, emerald-green river to a waterfall and a beautiful canyon where there’s swimming (though the current is often strong here, they provide a rope for us to hold to). Boatmen work on a return-trip schedule of just 45 minutes, which only gives you about 15 minutes to swim and explore the narrowest and most beautiful part of the canyon. 

It was a wonderful experience. Not so much picture taken unfortunately as at that point of time, not so much funky waterproof camera available in the market (plus student don't have much money..LOL)

The traditional boat brought us to the Green Canyon

Swimming in the dark cave..

We also visited the Pangandaran Beach. Pangandaran is one of Java's best-kept secrets as far as international tourists are concerned, but has been extremely popular with locals for  long time. A small fishing town, it possesses one of Java's finest beaches and Pangandaran Nature Reserve teams with wild buffalo, barking deer and monkeys. The people are very friendly, this combined with the idealize surroundings make this a great place to spend a few days relaxing island-style.

The beach is facing the Indian Ocean 

Fishing Village

Pangandaran is especially of interest to nature lovers, as there is a wildlife reserve in the vicinity where wild birds and other indigenous animals live about freely to be enjoyed by visitors. The fine white beach, blue ocean, amazing seafood and cool weather has made Pangandaran Beach among the best place to visit in Indonesia. 

We assumed that this beach and its surrounding had badly damaged during Tsunami 2006 as the Tsunami alarm were made visible everywhere around the beach. The billboards also highlight on the Tsunami alert.

According to information available at the notice board around the beach, Pangandaran is the most devastated area by the roughly 3-meter (10-foot) wave. Off the island of Java, Indonesia, an earthquake rumbled under the ocean on July 17, 2006. The motion triggered a tsunami that struck the island about an hour later.

Several hundred people died in the area, which is a fishing community and resort area. Larger structures withstood the tsunami, but many smaller buildings and homes were washed away. Tens of thousands of people have been displaced by the devastation.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the earthquake occurred in a shallow part of the boundary between the Australia Plate and the Sunda Plate. The two tectonic plates meet offshore of the island of Java. The Australia plate dives beneath the Sunda Plate at a feature known as the Java Trench. The quake occurred about 50 kilometers north of there.

Nevertheless, we could not see any remaining scars from the Tsunami. Perhaps billions was spent to rebuild and refurbish this amazing tourist attraction.

We also took the Island Hoping package together with the Pangandaran Nature Reserve tour. It was an amazing trip as until now  (after 6 years) I could still remember this wonderful journey.

On the boat: Island hoping

The recreation park offers thousands amazing experience for tourists

BFF in Dewi Rengganis Cave..the growing myth among local believe that the magical water in the cave will make you look younger than your age.

Travelogue 5 UK-Scotland Trip Part 5 (Finale)

Destination #11 - London 

The most awaited moment for Kimi:

1. To ride on train in London
2. To climb up the stairs in Big Ben
3. To see London Double Decker Bus

So we dedicated our 25th October 2014 for Muhammad Izzul Hakimi. 

We took East Midland Train from Bedford Station to St Pancras International Station. We bought a one day pass which can be used for East Midland Train, Tubes and Bus at the price of GBP12. The one hour journey went well as they provide place for us to store our baby strollers.

Kimi with the train.

St Pancras International is set at the heart of Central London with more underground connections than any other London station. There are four main services from the station – Eurostar, East Midlands Trains, Southeastern and ThamesLink (inclusive those travelling to and fro Europe).

Our first destination was the Tower Bridge. From St Pancras International Station, we walked to King Cross Station and take underground to Tower Hill Station (Circle Line). Unfortunately, few stations on Circle Line were under maintenance on that day. So we ended up walking "patiently" from Aldgate Station to the Tower Bridge. Thank you to the wonderful Garmin! Hafiey was kind of helping a lot as he was sleeping (still jetlag on day 10) from Bedford until we reach Tower Bridge. Hakimi kept on asking "where is Big Ben?" We were behind schedule and got to slash few places in London so that I can shop at Mark and Spencer in Oxford Street. Hahahha.

Mandatory picture

Speechless in front of Big Ben

Walking and taking few pictures with the Tower Bridge, Kimi was very excited to see Big Ben finally. (He is so obsess with a video in youtube where there is one girl explaining about Big Ben while climbing up the stairs). We took a double decker bus (though at first I said to Kimi, we only see the bus, but apparently, the train disruption has made us ride on the bus). He was happy indeed. The bus is very stroller friendly. They got space for those with stroller and the driver will take out the mechanical ram for the stroller/wheelchair to go into and out from the bus.

We arrived at Big Ben at 1215pm. We missed the 12 strikes of Big Ben! Kimi was very excited to see the Big Ben, speechless, blushed, hiding under the roof of his stroller. Until he forgot his plan to climb up the stairs..Hehe..

 Itinerary in London

We took a bus again to Lilywhite (after attempt to have lunch at a 5 star Maghribi restaurant at Mayfair! Slowly walkout from the restaurant and we ate banana instead while walking to the main road). We figured out that by taking a bus instead of train, it will be less walking and less stairs involved and is easier for parents traveling with strollers.

Jersey sold at Lilywhite is slightly cheaper than those at the Stadium Gift Shop. For original jersey, it was a good bargain. If you used to wear AAAAA grade of Jersey from Padang Besar (Made in Thailand) then you will find Lilywhite's jersey is still expensive.

Next, my shopping time at Mark and Spencer. Hafiey was very aggressive in the mall and he wanted to go out from the stroller, running around (morning time in Malaysia, 4pm in London) until he fall down, injured a lil bit on the mouth. Sales manager in the mall was very concern, wanted to give Hafiey some ice treatment on the mouth..but I said, I can breastfeed him in the fitting room and he'll be find. So I got one fitting room for me to try 5 blouses and of course to sooth him down. The M&S biscuit (my favourite) is very cheap as compared to Malaysia. So we bought few packs/boxes of biscuits (for souvenirs as well).

We went back to King Cross Station at 8pm to continue our journey back to Bedford.

26th October 2015 - Bye Bye UK

Saying goodbye to United Kingdom, we departed at 3pm (delay one hour) and we missed our next flight to Kuala Lumpur (transit time only 2 hours). Etihad claimed that there will not be enough time to transfer the baggage to the next flight. So we got free accommodation at the hotel nearby Abu Dhabi Airport (only 3 hours sleeping time but luxury room and breakfast provided).

27th October 2015 - Happy Birthday Muhammad Izzul Hakimi

We celebrated Hakimi's 4th birthday in the flight. Apparently Etihad airways provides flying nanny on board that can entertain your kids. They celebrated Hakimi's birthday in the flight, sang Happy Birthday song, gave Happy Birthday card autographed by the Pilot and Hakimi got a slice of birthday cake some how. Nice rite!

The card which autographed by the pilot

It was comfortable riding on Etihad, bigger leg room (as compared to MAS) and friendly stewardess. The food also better than MAS.

We arrived at KLIA around 10pm Malaysia Time. But our baggage were not on the baggage carousel. So they sent our baggage on the next day. FOC on doorstep of course.

OVERALL JOURNEY (DOCUMENTATION)

Overall Journey

Prayer time at each related destination

Planned Food Arrangement

-THE END-

Travelogue 5 UK-Scotland Trip Part 4

We were heading back to England after spending time at Edinburgh Castle and the souvenir shop nearby. 

We totally rely on Garmin as none of us have been to Durham or even travel from Scotland to England via Newcastle. We were enjoying the journey to the maximum as Garmin brought us to a country road where the scenery was very eye soothing. Sheeps, cows and horses grazing the grass, windmills on a hilly farmyard and the trunk road is in a good conditions. If in comparison with Malaysia, the quality of road is at par with PLUS highway but it is to connect Kuala Lipis to Gua Musang or those road in Felda. 

However, we were quite worried as the road is like endless, not so much signboard, unfamiliar name of places and in fact we were not sure whether we were in Scotland or England. I remembered we crossed a town named Jetburgh which after that we assumed we were still in Scotland.

Until we saw this...

Border of England and Scotland

Destination #9 - Beamish Museum, Durham

Beamish is a living, working and open museum, set in 300 acres of beautiful Durham countryside. Costumed folk bring to life the Town, Pit Village, Home Farm and Pockerley Old Hall.

The Beamish Unlimited Pass is valid for 1 whole year from the date of your visit which can be purchased year round for the prices listed below:

Adult : £18.50
Senior (60 years) / Student: £13.50
Child (5 - 16 years): £10.50
Family (1 Adult + 2 Children): £34.50
Family (2 Adults + 2 Children)  : £48.50
Family (2 Adults + 1 Child) :  £42.50

The small town

They do not provide ticket for one-off visit. So we have to pay for 365 days ticket. But it was worth it. I'm not into history and museum but the way they present the concept of museum has made it an interesting place to visit.

There are actors/volunteer including school children which pretend/doing role play to live in the late Victorian and Edwardian eras, together with portions of countryside under the influence of industrial revolution in 1825. The museum's guiding principle is to preserve an example of everyday's life in urban and rural North East England at the climax of industrialisation in the early 20th century.

The buildings at Beamish are not replicas, but have been brought, brick by brick, from around the region and rebuilt to give visitors a real sense of history. Let the beautiful pictures tell the stories...

The home farm..Kimi touched the sheep

The Old Railway

Tram as main transportation in the 300 acre area

Spot me among the children? It was a role play to evacuate the school building

Lil bro with his name on the board..so proud huh!

It is recommended to spend one whole day at this museum. Unfortunately, we have to leave this amazing place by noon as we have to continue our journey to Bedford. For those who could spend more time in Durham, this place is a two thumbs up. The journey continued for another 4 hours.

4 hours tiring journey heading to London from North East

We stayed at a two storey house of my father's friend (Uncle Rasol and Autie Norli). It is a Muslim's area as we can see few mosques, Halal restaurants  and Halal groceries stores around the neighborhood. Uncle Rasol and Auntie Norli also provide their accommodation to Malaysian who wish to have a short visit in London or nearby area with a very affordable charges. It is not a big house (typical British houses) but it's comfortable enough for a short stay.

Destination #10 - Bicester Village

This is a much awaited moment for my Mama. I purposely arranged visit to Bicester towards the end of the trip so that she can has something to look forward along the journey.One whole day at Bicester Village without Abah. Abah was very busy at Uncle Rasol's house packing his figs for 'export' to Malaysia.

No pictures taken at Bicester as we are so busy window shopping. I kept on saying don't compare with US Dollar, don't convert to RM or otherwise I'll end up buying nothing for myself. After 4 hours walking around the outlet (the size is about Johor Premium Outlet), I managed to get a good bargain for my MK. It's cheaper than US. Unfortunately, only one left or else I would buy few for sale! I aimed to sell Clark's shoes as well but the price is not that good. So end up I just bought for myself and Kimi (Birthday present I guess) He insisted to buy the "shoe with light" rather than buying "On Sale" item. Hmmm..Other than that, few Cath Kidston stuff on sale (reasonable price) and the rest is not affordable for "kuli cabuk" like me..The outlet also provide counter for tourists to settle the VAT stuff and proper praying area. Spotted quite numbers of Malaysian shopaholics here!

Pictures from the net to give better view of Bicester Village

It's a tiring day and back to Uncle Rasol's house,a big luggage full of fig's bare root ready to check in! We also need to do the packing as we only got 1 and half day left.

Travelogue 5 : UK-Scotland Trip Part 3

Destination #5 - Pitlochry, Scotland

The long journey from Lancaster to Pitlochry, Scotland was a 'spritual journey'. Subhanallah, thank God for granted us the opportunity to be in Scotland and to appreciate His creation.

I've ranked Scotland as the most wanted place to visit (Perhaps I can list down the rank - my wish list in separate post). Nevertheless, this is the unforgettable memory ever. The greenish pine trees on the bottom part of the terrain and yellowish trees as it goes up. Little bit of ice/snow at the peak of some of the hills. Crystal clear creek, river and lake along the journey (in Scotland, lake is known as loch). It was very pictureque.

We arrived at Pitlochry after a calm 4 hours journey. Pitlochry is located in the heart of highland Perthshire.

By the road side at Pitlochry

The main attraction in Pitlochry is the Salmon Ladder at the hydroelectric dam.  The ladder was specially constructed to enable salmon to by-pass the dam and make their way upstream to Loch Faskally above. The ladder is 310 metres long and consists of 34 chambers, linked together by tunnels that the salmon can swim through. It enables around 5,000 salmon to return to their spawning grounds each year - a journey of some salmons are 6,000 miles! However, chances of seeing a salmon are slim (Autumn is usually when they are most prolific).

With the Salmon Ladder

We thought that we would be lucky enough to see the Salmon as we were there during Autumn. But we tried our luck for two times, there were no sign of salmon swimming at all. Therefore we decided to proceed with buying fresh salmon at the nearby local hypermarket. As highlighted in my previous post Part 1, we brought 30kg food in our bag which include rice and spices. So we can cook Malaysian food in Pitlochry..

We stayed at a homestay named My Scottish Cottage. My Scottish Cottage is adjascent to Moulin Inn which it was used to be the laundry room for that hotel. It was converted into a very nice two storey cottage fully equipped with fire place, kitchen and cooking utensils, living cum dining area, 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom. There is a small stream at the backyard. In short, the cotttage was superb.

We had a great home-cooked dinner i.e grilled Salmon, fried local wild mushroom and rice. And to make the dinner even greater, we ate in front of the fire place. So classic.

A perfect cottage

Destination #6 - Glencoe, Scotland

It was the fifth day of our vacation. We made a simple breakfast as the journey started very early in the morning. The road is very narrow along Loch Tay but it is not bumpy and no potholes. So it was comfortable to drive in Scotland.

Glencoe was not in the itinerary initially. We only have 3 days to spend in Scotland. We had few options to select and it was a tough decision to made as all places come with good reviews and we dont want to miss any good place. The options were
1. Pitlochry
2. Oban
3. Loch Lomond
4. Inverness (Loch Ness)
5. Loch Etive
6. Fort William
7. Glasgow
8. Edinburgh

After a thorough study via google map and Trip Advisor, we eliminated Inverness as it is too far at the north tip of Scotland and there are many other Loch along the journey. Glasgow is just a typical city. Loch Lomond initially was in the list but after reading review, it is quite dangerous to drive to Loch Lomond especially at night, so we decided to remove Loch Lomond. Fort William is an hour journey from Oban, so we are considering Fort William.

A week before our departure to the UK, Mr Hubby showed me a scene from 'Skyfall', and I was like..fantastic..we are going there (I never watch James Bond movie). We found the exact gps coordinate in google (56.6194755,-4.9309293).  This place is named Glen Etive.

On the left is picture from the James Bond scene, on the right is Us mocking the scene

There was a tragic moment at this scenic place. Kimi was very excited to go out from the car. It was less than 8 degree Celcius, with tremendous gale of wind. This poor small boy fall down in the mud puddle because he was too excited to take picture. To add some drama, Mama forgot to bring extra pant for Kimi and as a result, Mama had to wash the pant and mitten in a freezing cold puddle. The water was damn cold. Mama cannot enjoy the scenery that much..hmm..what to do..

Kimi was pantless in the car. Mama got to buy new pant for Kimi in the next stop which was Oban. 

Destination #7 - Oban,Scotland

We continued the journey to Oban. Mountain, creeks, pines, lakes, river and sheep grazing the grass along the way.

Oban is a fishing village. The waterfront is very scenic where strolling on the pavement while admiring the boats can be a way of appreciating God creation in Oban. However, during our visit, the strong gale which resulted from the Typhoon at the North Atlantic Ocean had made our day in Oban can be considered as not enjoyable as we even cannot  standstill including my 0.1 Tonne hubby..My contact lenses like wanna fall out from the eyes due to the strong wind. Poor Kimi as he need to ride on the stroller pantless while waiting for mummy searching for a shop to buy new jeans for him.

Within Oban itself, one of the most prominent features is McCaig's Tower. The tower is  a Colosseum lookalike that stands above the town and features in many of the postcards you will find for sale in the shops on George Street. The Tower was built by a local banker, unsurprisingly called McCaig. The aim was to provide work for local stonemasons and provide a lasting monument to his family. The interior comprises of a grassy hilltop, with the wall of the tower encircling it like a crown on an uneven head.

Scenery of Oban from McCaig's Tower

We are on the look alike colosseum

Prayer by Loch Etive facing Dunstaffnage Castle

We had a very nice lunch in one of the Fish and Chips restaurant in Oban. Of course we bought a fresh salmon and trout for our home cooked dinner. In conclusion, it was a tiring day due to the super long hours journey,  super strong wind and additional work for mummy to wash pant in a super cold clear puddle at Glen Etive.

Destination #8 - Edinburgh Castle, Scotland

The next morning, we had Nasi Lemak for breakfast. My supermama brought daun pandan, ginger, coconut milk, anchovies and blended chilli all the way from Malaysia.

Before we left Pitlochry town, we've visited the Heathergerms Factory Shop and Visitor Center. Heathergems is a unique and imaginative range of Scottish jewellery and giftware, made in Pitlochry, Scotland from natural heather stems.

Our last checkpoint in Scotland was the famous Edinburgh Castle.

The place is quite crowded with tourists not like other places that we've visited in Scotland. We just took few pictures around the castle as we don't want to waste time going into the castle to read about the history and so on. (I didn't appreciate history that much especially when I have to pay ticket to enter into the castle/museum). 

Saying goodbye to Edinburgh Castle, we continue our journey to Durham.

In conclusion, Scotland is very scenic and worth a visit. Super delicious salmon and trout, the weather is extremely chilling but it is not a suitable place for shopaholics. 

On a serious note, Afi hardly cry in Scotland maybe because of the chilling weather, his mouth became numb that he even cannot open his mouth to cry. Perfect!

Travelogue 5: UK Scotland Trip Part 2

Destination #3 - Old Trafford Stadium

Old Trafford

Mr Hubby is a Manchester United hardcore fan. Our visit to Old Trafford was during away game. So he did not have the opportunity to watch a Premier League Match live at Old Trafford. It was just a museum & stadium tour. We purchased the tickets online (GBP 18) prior to our visit  to avoid disappointment of long queue or worse, the tour slots are fully taken.

Our visit to Old Trafford was on the same day of visit to Anfield. The one hour journey was spoilt by Kimi's annoying question "What happen to tongue? What happen to tongue?" The annoying question came along with a loud cry. Kimi is a fussy boy regardless whether it is food, clothes, friends or toys. He always has his own preferences. Apparently, he seemed to disagree with the winter jacket which I bought at 80% discounted price at Mothercare (Darn, he knew it was a cheap winter jacket.hahaha). So at the temperature of less than 15 deg C, he wore a thin jacket and as result, his mouth and tongue felt numb. And this fussy boy managed to make his not so kaya mummy went to Man Utd Megastore, freely choosing whichever jacket that he liked. He chose a sleeveless winter vest with a small Man Utd logo on it. It suits him well.  It was also unfortunately for me as his vest was more expensive than my Clark's shoes.Huh!

I have to put a disclaimer that I have a very limited knowledge about Manchester United team. I am a very typical woman who know only a few Man U related players i.e. David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Park Ji Sung, Rio Ferdinand, Cristiano Ronaldo. Yup I know, the list is quite old and obviously not up-to-date!

Happy face

The stadium tour was quite formal compared to Anfield's stadium tour. The stadium (the cathedral as my husband called it - duh) is so damn huge. Thus, the 2-hour tour was a tiring one as we need to rush at each checkpoints. We cannot take as much pictures as compared to Anfield's Stadium Tour.

Kimi was very excited to be in the stadium and he asked tonnes of questions loudly which apparently annoyed other people who  were in the tour group. After a while, Kimi was requested to leave the tour group because according to the tour guide, he cannot even hear his own voice. So poyo! So I have to bring  Kimi out from the group (and also Hafiey to avoid further embarassment in case he cries etc). Mr Hubby of course felt that it was a blessing in disguise as he's able to be more focus to listen to the crappy stories from the tour guide. Outcasted, we happily walked around the stadium, taking as much pictures as we want since we were no longer restricted to the timing rules. It was also a blessing to me too as I didn't have to listen to the history. Technically we were requested to move to the next checkpoint once the main group arrived at checkpoint. Maybe I should get a ticket refund. I swear I'll make sure Kimi will not support Man U ever.Hahahhaha..

Being kicked-out from the stadium tour

Shoe-less in Old Trafford

I brought my kids out of the stadium after the tour ended. Mr Hubby continued with the museum tour. While waiting for him, we really had fun playing ball outside the stadium

Destination #4 - Morecambe/Lancaster

Saying goodbye to Manchester, we traveled to Morecambe. We had our dinner at Fish and Chips restaurant nearby our hotel (Sea Crest Hotel). Dinner was superb. Everybody was so damn hungry as we skipped lunch. Hafiey managed to eat all of his fish (it was an adult serving) and took some portion of mine as well. The hotel was perfect with very typical English deco and quite spacey.

The next day was a travelling day to Scotland. After having a self made breakfast, we continued our journey to Lancaster University. It was 10 minutes away from Morecambe. My mom studied at Lancaster University back in the year 2000. My family except me were here staying in the campus. (I plan to write about the melancholic life of mine without my family in separate post).

Kimi at Oma's School (wearing new MUFC vest).
Uniqlo Umbrella (which they claimed 'is designed to withstand heavy wind'), is not recommended to be used in the UK

We also dropped by Moorside Primary School, where 3 of my siblings used to study.

Alumni..
All of us remember his friends' name at Moorside; Jack, O'Connor and Ryan and his teacher was Mrs Clark

Next pitstop, Simply Baby of Lancaster, where somebody got a birthday present from Oma. New stroller for Kimi. (His convertible car seat broken in Bath). Ohoho..damn cheap..It's a Silvercross Stroller and it was 50% cheaper than the price in Malaysia!

Good-bye Lancaster. Hello Pitlochry, Scotland.

To be continued....