Tag Archives: KLIA

Bandung Bound!

30 Aug

This time last week, hubby and I flew to Bandung, Indonesia, with our golf buddies for a 5-day, 4-night golf trip. How time flies; a week has passed already, and we are back home!

Unfortunately, during the trip, I felt a little under the weather with terrible nasal congestion. I was so out of sorts that I didn’t have the energy to write on the blog for the whole trip until now. Each day, I slept early after returning to the hotel, passing up the opportunity to explore Bandung.

When we arrived in Jakarta, our little group took the Whoosh high-speed train to Bandung. The train ride reduced a typical two-and-a-half-hour road journey to 40 minutes, saving us time to do and see much more upon arrival in Bandung.

The speed peaked at 333km to Bandung; the return trip to Jakarta was faster at 348km.

I played three rounds of golf with my nose stuffed, ears blocked, and a slight throbbing headache that came bundled with the discomfort. Despite the health setback, I played better golf during all three rounds than ever before! I thought the congestion would derail my golf ability and enjoyment. Perhaps the cool weather helped, and I was not sweating too much. However, I didn’t want to incur a further setback, and I drank almost three liters of water for the first game and two liters thereafter for the next two games.

It was so dry in Bandung that the ponds dried up and posed no threat for the Par 3 (top left photo, at Jatinagor).

Our first round was at Jatinagor National Golf & Resort, the second round at Mountain View Golf Club, and the third round at Parahyangan Golf Bandung. Mountain View was the most challenging course, being very narrow and tight, and I lost three balls there. However, I played my best round on record, nearly breaking 90!

The three golf courses.

Typically, whenever I am overseas for three games, I expect to have one good game, one decent game, and one terrible game. This time, all three were good! Funny how things can work out. My golf buddy laughed at me and lamented that the handicapped one played the best golf! Hahaha.

After the second game, we agreed to experience the Saung Angklung Udjo performance. It was quite enjoyable, and everyone in the crowd participated with their angklung to perform when prompted. Good fun!

As always, my breakfast meals at the hotel are predictable and the same. I guess I am a creature of habit. But I refrained from drinking coffee or having fruits the whole time, as I tried to manage the nasal congestion.

Same same but different everyday for breakfast.

All in all, it was a fun trip because the weather played a big part in easing my discomfort. Weather aside, the group was fun to be with, and the food choices were delicious, but sadly, I did not have much of an appetite to savor it all. Would I return to Bandung? Definitely, I would say.

Batik Air was on time, and flying out from Subang Airport was a delight because the airport is so small and convenient, unlike KLIA, which is much bigger and further away. I’m taking a break from golf now to recover from my nasal congestion and look forward to my next golf escapade!

First Trip of the Year, Part 2

13 Jan

Last week, we flew to Chiang Mai, Thailand, for three rounds of golf. It was just the four of us: hubby and I, along with two friends. The weather in Chiang Mai was excellent! I’m glad we chose this destination over Jakarta for our trip when we were deciding where to go.

The temperature was around 14 to 15 degrees Celsius every morning, which made it wonderful to play in such comfortable conditions. By noon, when we finished our game each day, it was still cool. And being buggy to the ball on the fairway for all three courses, we hardly broke a sweat.

At Alpine Golf Resort
Chiang Mai Highlands and Summit Green Valley

We played at Alpine Golf Resort, Chiang Mai Highlands Golf & Spa Resort, and Summit Green Valley Chiang Mai Country Club. All three courses were enjoyable, yet challenging as well. And for the first time, after-game foot massage was unnecessary for the whole trip! Amazing.

The highlight of the trip was definitely the food—there were so many palate-pleasing gastronomic delights! Then again, on this trip, we ate at Michelin-level restaurants, something we never did when in Bangkok. Somehow, Chiang Mai’s cuisine has more finesse and flavor than the options in Bangkok. However, this is unfair to say because I have yet to visit a Michelin-level restaurant in Bangkok. Can’t compare apples with oranges, right?

At Ekachan Ethnic Thai Cuisine
Wantan noodle choices and Vanilla Coke!
At Baan Landai Fine Thai Cuisine

Anyway, besides the two Michelin-level restaurants, we had noodles in a roadside shop and food from a food court in Nimman Square. To cap off the wonderful trip, the shopping after golf was so satisfying! I cannot recall the last golf trip being so relaxed and carefree. I have added several new golf shirts to my wardrobe.

Doi Suthep temple
Wat Rajamontean

All in all, every aspect of the first golf trip of the year was excellent! From the company, the golf courses, the sights, to the food and shopping, I am blessed to kick off 2026 with a memorable start. More to come? Definitely.

First Trip of the Year

5 Jan

What better way to kick off the new year than to go on a golfing trip with friends? A very Happy New Year indeed.

It was an impromptu trip planned within a few short months. We decided to keep the group micro small, as such, there are only four of us, unlike previous golf trips, where there were 16 to 20 people.

Anyway, four is enough to make a flight, and it’s perfect. I hope this will be the start of many more trips for 2026! Yay.

First trip of the year!

Land of the Rising Sun, Part 2

9 Oct

Typically, having an agenda for a holiday trip is good. And when it is a self-planned trip, it is all the more important. Our overall agenda is rather ambitious as it covers seven to ten places per day. However, we have not been able to follow through with our plan since our arrival. Hahahaha.

After the delayed departure from KLIA, our Day Two agenda was in disarray. We had to adjust accordingly, and Day Three was affected too. So, are we upset? Funnily, no.

It has been very chill and at our own pace. Day Two was an impromptu plan, discovering Kyoto Station itself and the surrounding area from our hotel. And what was supposed to be Day Two became the agenda for Day Three. Being flexible was best.

So for Day Three, we spent the whole day at Arashiyama strolling along with no urgency despite covering only three points of interest: the Bamboo Forest, Tenryuji Temple, and Togetsukyo Bridge.

Honestly, the shops lining the streets were more interesting, and I had a great time browsing in them. The two Snoopy shops had me excited like a kid in a candy store! Hahaha. It was a good day of sights, eats, purchases, and experiences. Overall, the crowd was not too huge, the Matcha drinks and ice cream were heavenly, the sights were impressive, and the walking pace was manageable. But the weather was a mix of conditions. When it became too hot, I used my umbrella for protection.

Our Matcha being prepared
Drinks and food of the day
The dinner spread

Day Three ended with 9.97km covered, a cold draft beer, and a hearty meal to wrap it up. Let’s see how we adjust our plans for Day Four.

Land of the Rising Sun

7 Oct

Konnichiwa from the Land of the Rising Sun! We arrived at Kansai Airport this morning. The flight was not the best experience. There were three gate changes within an hour at the Satellite Building at KLIA. And although it was rescheduled to depart at 11:45 pm from 10:25 pm, the flight eventually took off at 12:12 am.

Twenty minutes after airborne, there was turbulence, but not too bad. However, my entertainment console sucked. The touchscreen had issues returning to the home icon, and the headphones worked only on one side. Sigh, how much worse can it get? Honestly, the start of this trip by MH is not Malaysian Hospitality at its best. Not living up to their tagline.

After the meal, I could feel a headache coming, ugh. I tried to sleep it off, and it was a restless phase. An hour before touchdown, I was awake. It wasn’t beauty or comfy sleep. Nonetheless, time flew by, and I must have slept, or did I?

My AppleWatch showed some unusual Vitals stats! I had only two hours of sleep and my blood oxygen level dropped to 91.6 %. It concluded that elevation could have caused such numbers to be recorded because I had set my watch to Airplane mode upon boarding. Such an amazing and clever device to be able to detect this.

After the delayed arrival, and like typical tour packages where Day One starts at the airport, our self-planned itinerary is no different, our adventure finally begins. Hahaha.

We made our way slowly from Kansai to Kyoto, and it was supposed to be effortless, yet we faced a bit of a challenge in terms of language. Google Translate was a savior when we needed it!

What a long day to kick off our October adventure!

The Boots are Ready to Go

6 Oct

Monday is not a typical day for an entry or a scheduled post, but I need to share. My Blundstones and I, plus hubby of course, are ready for another adventure tomorrow! It has been a short and quick planning for this. Anyway, our luggage is all set for our upcoming trip. Whee!

So where are we headed? Hah! Stay tuned to find out. We will be heading to KLIA this evening for our flight with Malaysia Airlines. Here’s wishing us happy travels and a safe journey ahead!

The Overwhelming Trip

25 Apr

It was supposed to be an epic trip, postponed from last November until this April. But I’m still trying to find the appropriate words to describe the Zhangjiajie and Changsha trip, which has been overwhelming.

What better way to kick off a trip than a beer and char kueh teow past midnight at the Premier Lounge before boarding! We departed from KLIA on Saturday at 3.00 a.m. Unfortunately, our seats were not the best, being a row in front of the emergency exits, which meant they couldn’t recline. Sigh. Luckily, the five-hour flight was still bearable.

Upon arrival, everything went smoothly, and we boarded our private bus for just the six of us, along with our English-speaking guide. The bus ride was scary as the weather was quite extreme, with wind gusts up to 42km/h. I could feel the bus swaying on the highway! We stopped once to allow the driver to rest, and we had our first meal in China: a simple spread of rice, mui choy with pork, stir-fried potatoes, and some fried donuts.

Gusty wind made the bus sway on the highway!

The first attraction was Liuye Lake in Changde City, northwest of Hunan Province; it was strange. It was supposed to be a tourist resort, but hardly anybody in sight— it felt like a ghost town! We wondered whether we were in China, a country known for its crowds. Here we were, at an attraction without visitors. We then proceeded to another attraction, which I can’t recall the name of, but there were plenty of people, shops, and street vendors.

Liuye Lake
Cute little cooking stations to test your cooking skills!

We spent our first night at the Zeyun Hotel in Changde City and checked out the next day to head to the next attraction and hotel.

Back from the Travels

22 Apr

I’m struggling to find the right words to describe my recent trip to China, especially my visits to Changsha and Zhangjiajie. The best word to summarize the experience is “overwhelming” of the natural scenery, vast crowds, and buildings with their vibrant night colors, be it the city or the villages.

I need a little time to collect my thoughts and fully process everything before I can articulate everything. Arriving home at the ungodly hour of 4:15 a.m. hasn’t helped either, and it has only aggravated an unsuspecting sore throat.

Time to Travel Again!

11 Apr

It has been a while since I had an entry on Friday. There used to be so much to share, but life has become predictable and unexciting lately, leaving me with little to write about. However, this is changing because it is time to travel again!

My all-girls trip is finally happening. My high school friends and I were supposed to travel together in November, but with unforeseen circumstances and issues some of us had, we all agreed to postpone our trip to China until this year. The girls are the same friends I traveled with to Bali in 2022.

The excitement has been building this week, and I am packed and ready to go! We are meeting up at KLIA tonight for our wee-hour flight on Saturday to kick off the busy nine-day itinerary. I may be unable to update daily, but I’ll have plenty of pictures and stories to write about afterward.

Looking forward to the adventure ahead! Whee!

Star Struck!

7 Jan

We often use this colorful Hokkien dialect phrase – luak kaw gong, when describing eating something spicy beyond one’s tolerance. It directly translates to ‘spicy until stupid’ because the spiciness hits you to the core, and you go numb and see stars.

Over the weekend, I flew to Bangkok with my two girls for an impromptu trip, and it was a much-welcomed escape! M1 had planned the trip for a fan meet-and-greet event with some Thai TV stars, and both M2 and I decided to tag along for fun.

Hello Bangkok (again)!

And fun it was! It was leisurely-paced without a packed schedule like our trip here last year. Food is always an adventure, especially Thai food! On this trip, we tried various choices, from 7-Eleven quick-to-go meals to food hall and street food, and the gastronomic discoveries were delightful, albeit spicy. Shopping was the other thing on the agenda.

Dinner on Friday night was at Zaozen Artisan Noodles in Siam Paragon Food Hall. The Pork Bone Broth soup was an unexpected killer. Laden with bird eye chili and more chili, the first careful slurp of the steaming hot soup packed quite a punch. The Pad Thai and Lao Salad with Grilled Pork Neck were equally flavorful and bearable. But the fiery soup was nothing compared to dinner on the second night.

Top left: Pad Kra Pao at the airport; Top right: Zaizen, bottom right: leftover chili from the Pork Bone broth; Bottom left: Killer noodles

When M1 went to her event on Saturday evening, it was just M2 and me to explore. We decided on Thai Boat Noodles for dinner after a foot massage and exploring Siam Square, and this was where the earlier mentioned phrase applied. I was punched in the mouth with the spicy level, and we had asked for the medium level, thinking it should be safe. The bowl of noodles was not a lot, probably two mouths full, but the chili. Hot damn!

Typically, my tolerance is quite good, but this time I was numb. My lips felt swollen, and I could not go on. There were no tears, but I was floored and saw stars! Indeed, I was struck by the spicy until stupid. It’s funny to point out that M1 saw human stars live on stage while I saw stars in my vision from my dining experience! Hahahaha.

It took some time before I recovered. I had to suck on ice cubes constantly after that to douse the fire! Who would have thought a petite bowl of noodles could be so devastating?

The last time I was in this predicament was also in Bangkok with hubby ages ago, and it was a Som Tam dish. One must remember that when in Thailand, a medium spicy level may not be what you think is safe despite having an above-average tolerance.

A safer choice: burgers from Shake Shack. The Pandan Sticky Rice shake was too much though. Burp…

So, for the next meal at the airport, I requested for my Pad Kra Pao to be less spicy, yet the oomph was still there. I shudder to think what normal would taste like. I did not relish being numb and seeing stars again before flying.

The short getaway ended too soon. The three days of lovely, cool weather with low humidity were perfect for walking outdoors without breaking out in sweat and feeling sticky. Although it is now January, Christmas decorations are still up inside the malls and along their perimeters outside. They are a delightful sight to see.

Bangkok will always be a favorite destination for food flavors, shopping choices, creative decorations, and, of course, pristine golf courses. I look forward to another trip to this vibrant city again!