Tag Archives: Road trip

Two More Weeks

16 Dec

Gosh, 2025 is coming to an end soon! There are two more weeks left in the year. And what a year it has been for me. As always, there were ups and downs, as well as memorable and sad moments, to mark another eventful year.

For me, the highlights have been my international travels! This year, I visited Bangkok, Halong Bay, ZhangJiaJie, Kyoto, and Osaka. And not to mention several local road trips within Malaysia. A good mix with family and friends, I would say, in terms of activities like shopping or golf, sights, and gastronomic adventures.

2025 saw my golf skills fluctuating up and down too much. I experienced both great games and frustrating ones, whether it was putting issues, chipping challenges, or just inconsistencies in my swing – I have encountered it all!

When the mindset leans more towards treating the game as a social outing, the focus on doing well tends to falter. If I want to play to win, I have to be very disciplined and change my mindset. We shall see.

2025 was also when hubby and I became serious pickleball players. We invested in better paddles, balls, and shoes, thus making our weekly games more enjoyable. When one has the right equipment and apparel, it makes the outing more comfortable and fun. And it’s a great alternative to golf, especially during the rainy season, because we play the sport indoors, covered from the weather in an air-conditioned space!

Thank you, 2025! But it’s time to store these wonderful experiences and memories away soon, and make way to usher in 2026 with a bang!

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Day Trip to Teluk Intan

2 Feb

Two weeks ago, we did a day trip to Teluk Intan to see the Leaning Tower of the town. We were not disappointed. We took the new West Coast Expressway instead of the usual Plus Highway, and the drive was pleasant enough.

I must admit it was our first time visiting the tourist attraction site. Although not as towering as the famed Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy in terms of height (25 meters versus 57 meters), the structure was beautiful and just as intriguing. We enjoyed being tourists despite the heat of the mid-afternoon sun.

An obvious tilt
The difference in height on two sides of the tower
The Leaning Tower of Teluk Intan

Lunch soon after at the local coffee shop was an eye-opener! The prices were so cheap compared to prices in the city for the same orders. Well, being a small town, I guess the affordability showed. After the satisfying lunch, we decided to head home as there was nothing else to see or do.

We saw a Tapir road sign along the drive instead of the typical version with a cow that we see on the highway warning of animals crossing in the area. The funny thing was each time there was a Tapir signpost, they looked different. Consistently inconsistent in terms of the image of the Tapir. Why?

Tapir crossing sign post

It was interesting because we were on the trunk roads, cutting across plantation land. What if we did encounter a Tapir crossing? Wow, unimaginable. Then again, it would have been scary because the animal is rather huge and can be dangerous for us in the vehicle. Thank goodness, nothing of that sort, merely Tapir road signs mostly and not the animal.

Day trips are fun to discover the country. We should do it more often, and I look forward to planning the next outing.

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Moving Around

12 Nov

Car rental in Dublin is so easy, unlike in the US. There is less paperwork required. Our spanking Ironman red hybrid SUV is comfortable, spacious, and easy to handle. With a built-in navigation system, finding our way out of the city was easy. The weather was good, and hubby drove along the non-toll roads toward Galway.

I am Ironman (hahaha) with this car!

When it drizzled, we stopped at a pub for lunch. I think we ordered too much. But then again, with the cold, we were famished. The portions always have a lot of chips (or mash) that we cannot finish, unfortunately, famish or not.

Lunch at this pub

We arrived at Galway by 3.30 pm, and just nice to check into our hotel. After a short rest, we headed into the town center. We were delighted to discover a Christmas fair at Eyre Square with things to see, buy, and food to savor.

Heading towards the Christmas fair

We had a good time browsing despite the large crowd and weather. For a change, dinner was at a tapas bar, with drinks, of course, to celebrate M2’s graduation.

The streets of Galway
We tried the Chimney Cake
Christmas atmosphere at the fair
Satisfying dinner

It was a long day, and we decided to call it a night earlier than usual.

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Short Excursions, Part 2

5 Jul

The power of advertising today, especially on social media, has changed advertising from what or how it used to be. It was from a Facebook posting that I found the cafe that served lovely strawberry cakes.

So I convinced hubby that we should drive to Hulu Yam to try the cake, and this was the beginning of our short weekend excursion plans. A nice change from the usual weekend golf game and window shopping at shopping malls.

Two weekends ago, we drove to the Kebun Cafe. The drive was long because traffic was heavy. But when we arrived, it was a pleasant discovery. There was an organic vegetable and fruit farm next to the cafe, and yes, we bought some fruits and vegetables.

The cafe had a small crowd, but we managed to get a table. There were only drinks and cakes on the menu. Luckily, we had lunch already before we drove here! We ordered the strawberry cake and the black sesame cake, and both were heavenly. I’d say it was worth the drive. But as there wasn’t much else to see and do, we left after the short coffee break and sinful cakes.

Doing such short excursions during half a day on the weekend can be therapeutic, and we are convinced to continue with this activity. Away from the hustle and bustle of work and city living or even the monotony of our daily life, this activity discovery is pleasant for our well-being and mental rejuvenation. I look forward to our next excursion!

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First Road Trip Post-MCO

17 Jul

We are going on a road trip! Yay. After staying put for four months during this pandemic, it is okay to travel across the state borders now. So hubby has decided it’s time to visit his parents. Moreover, M2 has been back for so long now, it will be good for her to see the grandparents.

We are taking the drive leisurely without any hurry. And no road trip is complete without a stop or two to savor delicious food along the way! We left home at 9.30 this morning and will most likely do lunch somewhere along the way. Hopefully, the traffic won’t be a crawl and we should arrive by mid-afternoon.

And as always, we will be playing a round of golf. Looking forward to the short break away.

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A Much Needed Break

14 Dec

We go off for our much needed break today! This year, M1 is not coming back for Christmas so the year-end family trip will just be the three of us.

Hopefully traffic won’t be heavy but we’re in no hurry. And it’ll be nice if the drive is a leisurely one without stress to Penang. We will of course detour to some favorite places along the way for food before we get to the island state.

I am really looking forward to spending my time lounging by the poolside, with a cold beer and hopefully, catch some sun to get a nice tan!

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What a Day, Part 2

19 Jun

Such contrasting experiences for us for two different days of impromptu day trip excursions…

After the fun-filled Friday at Resorts World Genting, on Saturday we decided on another day trip excursion. This time, we managed to convince Mom to come along as it would be a shorter outing with less walking and more suited for her. Destination: Pulau Ketam or Crab Island.

Unfortunately things did not turn out as well as the day before…

The line for the ferry tickets was horrendously long. It was sardine-packed at the jetty. There was no proper queue, the crowd was loud, the weather hot and yes, it wasn’t pleasant. Finally when we got onto the ferry, there was some respite because it was air-conditioned. The half hour journey was pleasant enough to make up for the earlier discomfort.

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Packed, murky, strange, we saw it all at Pulau Ketam!

 

When we got to Pulau Ketam, it was even hotter and humid and I have forgotten to bring the sunblock, cap or the umbrella. Oops.

We decided to have lunch before exploring the little island. Unfortunately, the lunch experience left a bad taste in the mouth. While we understand it’s the weekend and a public holiday with packed crowds and long waiting time, the lady boss didn’t have to be rude replying us when we asked how come the table that came after us was served first? Was there a preference because they ordered crabs and fish, more expensive items on the menu compared to our choices? Hrmph.

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Expensive for a fish ball soup, steamed clams, mantis prawns and a veggie, all small portions

The thing that riled us even more after the meal was the exorbitant amount that she charged us! The audacity of her… it does not bode well to be rude to paying customers on top of the unethical business practice of over charging. Lady… the consequences can be far more damaging than that moment in time when you were questioned while stressed.

So people, if you ever visit Pulau Ketam, do avoid the restaurant on the left, next to a religious abode after passing the two-storey yellow fire station, you can’t miss it.

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The island village’s fire station with their ‘fire engines’

The mood was spoiled after that. We walked aimlessly towards the village. There were a lot of other open air restaurants and all were packed to the brim. Nothing caught our attention except for a couple of food stalls. There were some dried sea produce to buy like dried anchovies or dried shrimps and that’s it, not even local handicraft on display to admire or browse.

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Two different vendors selling the same thing, clam & oyster omelette

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From freezer to hot wok, this fried ice cream is crunchy on the outside, cold on the inside

The heat was getting to us and we decided to leave. The wait at the jetty was another horrid experience. The sardine-packed place was just a madhouse. There was no queue, no manners, no rule. Everyone was for themselves.

It was shoulder to shoulder and made worse when a group of cocky guys came shoving through rudely and jumped the haphazard queue that was eventually formed. The crowd wasn’t pleased and loudly told them off. They then back-tracked but laughed it off without any remorse. Eeesh. Then people disembarking from the speedboat was pushing and shoving to get out. It wasn’t the nicest experience.

Thank goodness, we managed to get on the 3.00pm speedboat in a somewhat orderly manner and left the island. What a contrast in experience compared to the day before. Oh well, at least I can now add this destination as another ‘been there, done that’ off my checklist. And I’m afraid it will be a long while before we’d consider coming back here again.

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What a Day

18 Jun

Last Friday our road trip to ‘nowhere’ turned out to be the most fun and relaxed day! We decided to head to Resorts World Genting. Located in the highlands at 6,000 feet above sea level, the drive was unhurried and leisurely as traffic was clear. Within an hour from leaving home, we arrived, found parking and started our adventure. There was no time limit, no fixed plans and everything was just spontaneous.

We started off looking for food. Something light to get us going. The Congee and Wantan Mee (not very generous with the pieces of Char Siew) was very expensive but then again, when one is at a tourist spot, food prices are at their mercy. There was no lack in choices I must say. Plenty to eat and plenty to tempt your palate, the only thing holding one back is the tummy’s ability to eat everything.

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The food choices from the two different stalls

Wandering through the indoor mall, the sea of people was bearable. Crowded but not shoulder to shoulder, we just explored and simply enjoyed the mall’s deco, festive attractions and digital display.

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Lights, sights and sound to entertain and dazzle

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The Smurfs on display. Wasn’t quite sure what the red costumed folks were about…

 

The first stop we made was at the Jurassic Research Center. Having watched Jurassic World last week, we thought this would be fun. And it was. Although there were no thrilling rides or popping out dinosaurs to scare you, the docile animatronics giants were enough to make this experience very enjoyable.

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Our combo ticket included entry to Ripley’s Believe it or Not too. And this was just as enjoyable. By the time we finished these two attractions, it was 2.30pm already. So we looked for food again but we got lost going around in circles. The place was practically an intricate maze but nobody got mad or upset about it.

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Channeling my inner T-Rex but at the wrong attraction!

We ended up at a Parisian-themed cafe for high tea instead of lunch. This was quite an experience. Sugar laden from all the pastries presented in the elaborate setup, we had good black coffee to counter all that sweet intake. Our high tea indulgence lasted an hour and a half in total relaxation without a hurry in the world.

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It may not look much but believe me, it was quite a struggle towards the end for us

Pumped by all that sugar, we felt we had to do something more active to burn all those calories. The next stop, the amusement park and we played some silly arcade games – coin tossing, shooting, ball throwing and some serious driving with more shooting. Good workout it turned out. When the amusement park credits were all used up, we moved on with silly grins pasted on our faces.

By now, we decided to leave as it was getting very crowded. Thankfully, the weather outside was lovely and it was very refreshing to enjoy the cool temperature of the highlands. With the much needed short breather (we passed the 10,000 steps mark with so much walking), we felt revived and then made our way back into the indoor maze to try to get to the car park. It wasn’t the easiest because we got lost again.

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Finally the car was located and it was a new challenge to drive down six levels through haphazardly parked cars in the narrow multi-level car park. Eeesh. Driving into the abyss, we bade the highlands goodbye and headed to the Premium Outlet, a short distance away.

The Premium Outlet offered many international brands at attractive prices. Nothing caught our eye but we did buy some necessary items because it was a good deal. We had dinner here and the spicy and salty choices were a welcome taste to overcome the sweetness of the earlier afternoon tea.

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Taiwanese dry pork noodle, salty crispy chicken and spicy beef noodle… yum

By 9.30pm we decided to head home. What a day it has been! Tired and contented, I think this was one of our better escapade and we plan to visit again. It took an hour to arrive home and I clocked in 12,866 steps by the time I opened the front door to the house.

 

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Road Trip!

15 Jun

It is a public holiday today and we decided to take a road trip to… nowhere!

We thought it’d be fun to drive out of the city in search of food and some adventure. Who knows what sort of traffic conditions we will face as most festive travellers would have started their journey yesterday.

We brace ourselves but keep an open mind to have an adventurous unplanned trip.

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As Its Name Implied

4 Dec

I don’t know why I thought eating in Rawang was the itinerary when clearly the highway, being called Rawang Bypass, would not lead us to the town. Looks like I did my research and got it all wrong. I could have been too excited at the prospect of savouring new food to realize the implication of the name.

As its name implied, we bypassed Rawang when we did the day road trip on Friday. Our scenic and leisurely-paced drive led us to a lot of places except Rawang but it was fun!

We made several stops – at a hill slope village with a Chinese temple showcasing a karma cycle mural on its hillside wall; savoured a simple noodle lunch in another town; saw a man-made dam and appreciated the vast volume of water surrounded by the mountains; and a winding ascending drive to Fraser’s Hill for a second lunch amidst lovely weather and a very tranquil surrounding without the crowd.

I’m glad we bypassed Rawang. It was lovely especially driving to Fraser’s Hill with towering trees to admire along the way and cool weather to appreciate because of the elevation. Such a welcome change in weather, we had the windows down all the way and turned off the air-con in the car. Indeed sheer driving pleasure.

And the walk around the quaint little town enjoying the foliage and green surrounding, breathing in the fresh air, made this impromptu stop very enjoyable.

I am sure we will be back to discover more and poor Rawang will be bypassed again.

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