Weekend Holiday ~ Part 3

Nice and special scenes at the resort :


My dear ole pair of booties that had walked with me through many land and oceans...

Kayak... another sport that I have not been doing for years...

Flat faced chubby cats... my favourite. Not a common scene in Singapore now and some are selling by the thousands. Aww... I love that intensity in their stares too. Yeap.. it goes well with my nature.

Renggis Island from land... used to be our first dive spot for any dive trips in Tioman. How my heart ache when I saw the dive boats anchoring near without me...

Weekend Holiday ~ Part 2

2 hr plus ferry ride to Tioman was definitely not for parents that can't get their kids to sit that long without TVs. We had to resort to biscuits, sweets and lotsa hugs and chatting to bear thru the time they had to be restraint at their seat area. We were exceptionally thankful for a window seat that helped to distract the kiddoes every now and then.
Tioman's infrastruture improved a lot over the past few years.. even the previous fisherman kind of Tekek Jetty now has a remote resemblance of a mini Venice.

Berjaya Tioman Resort... one of the 4 star hotel in Tioman. Indeed it's one of the most relaxing place I stayed in this marine island. And it sure have a better environment for kids. My 2 Js spent their time playing on the beach and splashing in the pool while we parents took turns to snorkel. When night time arrived, there are choices of arcades or simply laughing together in the room, watching black and white pink panther show on cartoon network.

At the end of the trip.. we had a fulfilling time enjoying the ocean we knew and bonds with the people we loved. And oh yes... we went back to Mersing Seafood Restaurant on our way back for a 2nd round.

More photos at : http://www.flickr.com/photos/ting-family/sets/72157616192604775/

Weekend Holiday ~ Part 1

We drove up to Mersing on Friday after Jerome's class with no bookings and only what we want to eat in mind.

Mersing.. a quiet town Mark and I used to frequent for diving and stargazing during our single days. But that was 5 to 6 years back... All left in our memories are hazy sketches of the town and the last report of thunderstorms in that region for the next few days. However, the need to getaway for a while simply pulled us along.

The town was packed with divers and backpackers from various countries, Singapore inclusive. Most probably the budget hotels were full as i came across a few backpackers resting at bus stops, something I used to do but can't imagine doing it now with the kids in tow. We were truly thankful that the hotel we were targeting still had room available tho the time we reached was almost 7pm. Guess it's becos Timotel is one of the 'expensive' place to stay in Mersing... we paid 128 ringgits for the room.

After leaving our luggage, we went in search of Mersing Seafood Restaurant. God's hand must be on us that we noticed a travelling agency still open while crossing the road. We wanted to try out Paya Beach Resort but it was fully booked.. not a surprise, afterall the dive season just opened. So we settled for Berjaya Tioman instead, the next Kids Friendly resort in Tioman. It was deemed an expensive place to us, afterall... we were used to staying at cheaper rooms near the dive centres. Imagine our pleasure when we were told it's 300ringgits per night :)

I must show you the food we had at Mersing Seafood Restaurant... I nearly cried the moment I bit into the prawns. It seems such a long time since I had prawns nicely done, sweet and succulent!! Something's just not right with the recent prawns imported into Singapore... it just don't have the same oomph. And the squid with salted egg yolk was fantastic!! It's nicely crisped yet remain juicy and tender inside...

After good food and a night sleep.. woke up to catch some dawn scenes...

Family Trip to Cameron/Malacca ~ Part V

Leaving Cameron Higlands, we came to Malacca, our 2nd visit as a family. We had to come by here to top up our Uncle Tan's Crispy Prawn Chilli and some cuttlefish snacks.

We stayed at Equatorial Hotel as recommended by the travel agent which was good really cos its near most of the attractions. Especially so when it rains the next morning and we had only need to cross a road to reach the malls.

We walked to Capitol Satay for dinner once freshened up from the drive and thereafter, a walk at Jonker Street Night Market.Next morning, we had breakfast at the hotel cafe then went over to the shopping malls after requesting for a late check out at the reservation counter. Nothing much other than a few good buys from Padini and diapers from Carrefour. Oh yah... we top up on Singlong's chilli paste as well.

After checking out, we looked for Ole Sayang restaurant to have peranakan fares, something that we missed during our last trip. Thank goodness Mark managed to find it half an hour before the last order for their lunch session. Nice!! and I'm gonna try my hands on cooking those delicious Pineapple Prawn curry. (yep, I even found the recipe)... Home sweet home after getting stuff from Tan Kim Hock.

More photos of the trip at http://www.flickr.com/photos/ting-family/sets/72157606556968723/

Family Trip to Cameron/Malacca ~ Part IV

Food in Cameron Highlands

We had breakfasts at Jim Thompsom Cafe back in Strawberry Park each morning. They served decent breakfast buffet complete with variety of breads, cheeses and sides to complete the continental brekkie. There's even a prata counter which I did not try... age has caught up and I no longer goes for heavy stuff to break the day.

Steamboat goes well with the weather here and you can find quite a few restaurants serving it. We wouldn't give it a miss of course especially it's at 17bucks per pax. Don't expect plentiful of meats but huge servings of their fresh vegetables instead.

We really had to mention Bala's Chalet here!! We went over after the KHM episode for some tea and scones. The English styled garden is so beautiful and filled with serenity that makes one just want to sip the tea in a dainty way and do nothing. (Not even 2 monsterous kids jumping around can kill the mood) The scones were served with strawberry jams from KHM and fresh creams. It was truly a nice experience that both Mark and I felt that we would like to be back again when our kids are .. erm... less monsterous?

We had another round of scones and tea in Cameron Valley Plantation on our way downhill. I had shortbreads instead this time round and bought a box of strawberry tea. Somehow ceylon from Sri Lanka is still preferred to Boh and those available here. But the magnificent view and cold breeze does wonders to the food.

Family Trip to Cameron/Malacca ~ Part III

Around the towns of Cameron Highlands

I love flowers!! LOTS!! If you are wondering how I got stuck with a husband that never believes in giving flowers... its because he spent the money on buying me chilli crabs for supper every month... as he claims.

Back to Cameron... the weather here does the floral good. Roses, lilies, orchids, morning glories, hibiscus etc flourish beautifully even in the wild. YES! Lilies that we pay 7bucks per stalk is here in the wild and you can get a dozen for 5 ringgits in the market.

We had to go to the Rose Valley although roses are not in my favourite list. There are rows and rows of different breeds and all in bloom. There's my favourite daisies and gerberas though and other unique flowers. The flowers still pale in comparison to those seen in London/Amsterdam and doesn't smell as strong as well... but lovely in their own ways, especially if compared to those available in Singapore. Oh well... you know.

One will not miss strawberry farms here.. there's so many to choose from but we travelled to look for KHM farm. It's really small and there wasn't any strawberries for plucking nor available for sale cos most were still green. We came here as its recommended to have the best homemade jams and ice cream, which later verified by Mark that their jam does taste better. Oh well, we did walk off with a bottle of strawberry topping after tasting it with the ice cream.
Oh my, the pasar malam there is unforgettable with rows of stalls selling flowers(yes, again), fruits, vegetables and snacks. The fruits were vibrant in colours especially the strawberries, but though being juicy... it lacks of the fragrance and sweetness. The vegetables are lovely!!! Being the 'auntie', i just had to go "ohhh" and "wow" at those super fresh and pretty veggies. And what's more, these fresh stuffs were being fried and steamed at other stalls. We bought sweet potatoes home.. 3 packs and skipped the popular sweet corns. No, it was good really... its really 'sweet' corns, so much so we thought it was saturated with sugar syrup. I didn't really fancy serving 'dessert' kind of soups for dinner so I gave it a miss. Oh yah, try out the fried mushrooms if you have the chance to.
Most importantly... the flowers there were so cheap, even Mark couldn't resist getting me a bunch of champagne roses..heheheh

Family Trip to Cameron/Malacca ~ Part II

Stay at Strawberry Park, Cameron Highland

Oh yes... over 1,500m over sea level in the cool hills of cameron Highlands, with it's sweet looking tudor styled resort and plentiful of greens and flora, I totally agree with the brochures that it's a perfect hideaway.

Our stay here was definitely one of the most relax one despited the heart stopping drive up. The cool or somtimes cold breezes.. greens and more greens... sweet singing birds... beautiful flowers...

Jem liked the butterflies that greeted us at our doorstep each morning while waiting for their wings to be dry from the morning dew to flutter away...

And yes... one shall not forget the comfortable beds that we can lounge, sleep, and mess up without having to straighten it after...

Family Trip to Cameron/Malacca ~ Part I

1st August 2008, 8:30am... we set off from home to drive up to Cameron Highland for our annual family trip.

We had a stopover at Machap, an R&R station before YongPeng. It's pretty clean with a nice playground, much to the delights of the kids, and a foodcourt with Malay stalls.
Next stop, Mid Valley at Kuala Lumpur. We were behind time but couldn't resist staying longer. Justco was having sale.. just nice as we left Jay's jacket behind at home. Managed to get a nice one at a good price.. seems like i had been shopping at their annual mega sale for the past years. The kids had fun at the kids' arcade and later lunch at KFC. Their original flavour is definitely better than those served in Singapore.

The sun was setting when we once again hit the road for Cameron. Oh gosh was I anxious and panicky... thinking of the ride uphill in darkness. Mark was concentrating hard on manoveuring through all the turns uphill with no lamp posts to assist. I was running through strings of prayers in my mind.
But it's definitely worth the experience driving up at night! (I'm not sure if Mark shares the same enthusiasm though) Imagine previous trips up Mersing, camping at Ubin for all the stargazing... none can equals the sight that greet me when we were winding up to the top. Scorpius was next to me and for once, stars really felt within reach. (To Mark, the lack of barriers on the side means the cliff is definitely within reach) Even Jerome when we finally reach the resort exclaimed,"Look! So many stars!! So beautiful...."

Day 3 at Batam

Brought the kids for a swim after breakfast before the ferry trip home. It's a short trip but we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Having Jayden in our midst is a real joy with his constant laughter and playful nature. Jerome has blossomed into an assuring presence, filling us with unselfish hugs and kisses... and not to forget his,"nevermind, try again, it's okay..."

What's more wealthy than having a happy family?



More photo's at : http://www.flickr.com/photos/ting-family/sets/72157603893832974/

Day 2 at Batam

Rise and Shine and it's my Birthday!!!

Went out for a walk while the rest are still zz'ing. Yeah... the bed's real comfy. The sea view there was not wow just as expected and water visibility as poor as over at Turi Beach. Still it's a nice place with fresh air that filled my lung with peace and joy. The short walk was really a nice break from the kids' hankering n crazily tight schedules i'd been living in recently.

Once the kids were up.. we went to the cafe for the complimentary breakfast buffet. Jem enjoyed turning the knobs and see his cereals tumbling out onto his bowl. So much so that he had 3bowls of it. Jay rather go for his beloved sausages and fruits. The coffee wasn't that bad but not as good as those in Malacca.



Went for another walk witht he kids this time before took the 11am shuttle service to Nagoya Town. This shopping mall is not as new as Megamall but it has a lot of fake goods. The fake goods looks real good tho unlike those available in Singapore. We wanted to have KFC but was lured by a Bak Kut Teh shop there. The soup had mixed offal in it and the owner, a guy with gold draping all over him, offered pig's blood. It's one delicacy that i used to love especially from the hawker stall back in Queenstown church but surprisingly i no longer have the guts to consume. We ordered a fish head curry and beansprout w salted fish to go along. Too bad Mark didn't really like Assam Pedas but the salted fish from Batam was a delight.

We went back with the hotel shuttle service and changed for water time at the hotel's beautiful swimming pool. My two water babies enjoyed themselve thoroughly and continued their splashing fun in the room's bathtub. I tried the green tea mani lulur during my shower n smell really nice. With the smooth skin and soothed soul from the scrub, we went to the cafe for the dinner bbq buffet and my birthday celebration.

More photos at : http://www.flickr.com/photos/ting-family/sets/72157603897334721/

Day 1 at Batam

Finally, our long awaited family holiday trip!!

We dragged our two princes out of dreamland at 7am to catch the ferry ride to Batam at Habourfront. The boat ride was pretty smooth with Jem continuing his sleep. Jay was as usual climbing up and down, making us wonder if we can ever survive an air fligth with him.

Harris is just like the clean hotel with good service reviewed by many on the forum. Jay happily slurped down his Bandung Welcome Drink while Mark was assisted with an early room check in. Once our luggages are settled, we took a cab down to the Megamall. The 45mins of car ride wind us through several small towns, showing us the humble lifestyle of the residents there.

Once we reached the mall... we headed straight for A&W for lunch... and of course, Root Beer Float. The fashion there is not as trendy as Singapore but still quite a nice place to shop for simple clothings.. which suits me just fine. I was planning to get some white tank tops in Giordano but never had the time to. Imagine my joy when i found some of better materials at just 3bucks each!! Jem gotten a Thomas the Train for 5bucks too.. and it's a original TOMY toy! I couldn't resist getting a few bottles of the popular Mani Lulur at their hypermark.

We tried donuts from Jco but its a tad too sweet for my liking. Before we headed back to the hotel, we packed some Indonesia food for dinner from Solaria.. yummilicious! and all for 15bucks

We planned to go for bowling after dinner but the alley ran out of socks and didn't have suitable shoes for Jem. He looked so disappointed. Thank goodness he cheer up after a few rounds of snooker. The kids konked out at the end of the day.


More photos at : http://www.flickr.com/photos/ting-family/sets/72157603893115680/

Driving up to Malacca

Early at 8am on 8th Nov, we met up with Winney's family at the Woodland's Carpark and started off to our first drive up to Malacca.

Our first stop is to Tebrau Justco to have a nice breakfast of toast and eggs. And of course topping up on necessities like more chips?

Next we moved on to Muar for the Kopi that Alicia's dad had recommended. Oh my... what a out of the way town. But it turns out to be a pretty little place which i think i'll like to go back if i have the chance again. It has loads of shoe shops, nice food and great otak!!

Finally we reached Jonker St. at 4plus.. and of course we had to go get our hands on some heavenly chendols after enduring such a long ride. Afterwhich we settled our dinner at Newton Food Centre, satisfying our tummies with hot bak kut teh and yummy sambal sotong. Back to the car, we rolled on to our 'home' for 2 days... A'Famosa Condotel

Rise and Shine to the Animal World!! Personally I think Bangkok one is more enjoyable but we still had fun. The Safari ride turned out to be more of a F1 track... behold a stuffy one. The package came with lunch and it was pretty amusing to have food vouchers. The kids had fun feeding the elephants with sugar canes and taking boat ride to a small island.

Evening time see us back in the town queueing up at Satay Celup. Woah!!! Super yummy!! SOmeone should bring this into Singapore... Then we went for the night market at Jonker st. Yes!! more chendol and this time round... we found Mango Chendol!! I luv their modern clogs but din get a pair... well, kinda regret now.

Day Three brought us at Mahkota Parade which little Jerome had to choose MacDonalds. Oh well, i do miss having Double McSpicy and Mark's Beef Foldover was yummy as well. We got Jem his toy golf set. Yes!! i have to mention the wonderful Cornetto Sundae at the Mac which i had before we left the building.

Drove off to look for the elusive peranakan food nearby... turned out to be a hard search. In the end, we settled for The Chicken Rice Ball where they do serve some nonya dish as well. Well, not too bad... the sambal was nice and our tummies were full for the long ride home...

More photos at : http://www.flickr.com/photos/ting-family/sets/72157603133582543/

Reminiscence's of Tioman

Was packing for Friday's trip when my mind was bombarded with images of previous dive trips there. Decide to go through the past photos taken. Hopefully I can get some breakthrough shots this time round even though my Nikon is no longer around. Wish us a safe trip okay?

More photos : http://www.flickr.com/photos/ting-family/sets/72157600993520973/