Johor: Day Trip to Kangkar Pulai Blue Lake

I'm back in action! Life has been rather happening and I forcefully stopped blogging for a while. Just got back from a work trip in Johor and I can't wait to share my experience and nice places that I found. The idea of sharing the nice places brought me back to this blog! 

I will start of with a hidden gem near Johor Bahru -- Kangkar Pulai blue lake! I wanted to visit this place since 2017 but it was closed at that time due to leptospirosis breakout at Gunung Pulai waterfall and also the land owner complained about the rubbish that was left on the trails. I was attracted by the stunning blue of the lake, which I would like to see it myself, if the colour is real or edited. 

On a Friday morning, I drove an hour from Simpang Renggam to Kangkar Pulai to search for this hidden gem with two of my colleagues! I studied a lot of blogs to check the location of the entrance. In fact, the entrance is searchable by Waze (search for Kangkar Pulai Lagoon) but I doubted myself a while when I reached. It doesn't really look like an entrance to a lagoon.

The rocky roads to walk towards the entrance of the blue lagoon

Basically, you will need to hike for about 10 minutes to reach the first viewpoint, which is the only hike that I did for this trip. I felt that this point is good enough for me to take good photos and sun was getting too hot that time. XD 

(Tips: Go earlier to avoid hot sun. I reached around 9.15am, which isn't too ideal)

This view definitely worth 10 minutes hike. Easy with good view!

The hike can be a bit steep. Just need to make sure you have a pair of shoes with good grips. My kampung adidas from Mr. DIY works pretty well! Thank goodness!

The blue lake was formed because of the iron ore quarry nearby. Copper sulphate is the mineral that is forming the blue colour. 

Yours truly with inappropriate outfit for hiking.

Never expect to hike during this work trip!

Life is too short! Don't wait and start exploring wonderful places now!

This is one of the landmark that you could confirm that you are walking towards the entrance. One of the blogs called it the "Big Tangki"

Tips: If you are unsure, look for cars and human beings! I confirmed that I was at the right place by noticing that there are a lot of cars stopping by the roadside. Then, we followed a couple who were also walking to the entrance. 

After hiking, it's time to search for good food! Yes, still need to feed the stomach although the hike was just 20 minutes in total with 1 hours plus of photo taking session. After googling, we found a stall that sells clam (la-la) noodles which seems quite interesting. The stall is located inside Restoran Atson. 

This looks like a fairly normal kopitiam. Can't wait to try local coffee here too!

I always like to try local coffees at local coffee shops as they usually surprise me.

Ta-daa!!! My fried noodle with clams (la-la) (RM7)

They served the noodles with very generous amount of clams. Yumssssss! 

The taste is satisfactory for me. =D The iced Cham (Coffee +Tea) that I ordered was decent.

This wrapped up my Kangkar Pulai blue lagoon exploration perfectly. 

Fed my eyes and cameras, then stomach! Weekend is always better if you do something different and indulge with good stuff. 

Address             : Restoran Aston
                                  1, Jalan Inang 1, Taman Nesa, Johor Bahru
Opening hours: 6am-1pm (closed on Thursdays)

Perak: Manjung Trip - Where I Stay, What to See & What to Eat

Manjung, is a district in the southwestern part of the state of Perak, Malaysia. Bandar Seri Manjung is the district's principal urban center while there are smaller towns around it which includes Sitiawan, Lumut, Pantai Remis etc. As I have to attend a 3-days workshop in Hospital Seri Manjung, I have the chance to visit Manjung district, which is also famous with Pangkor Island. 

WHERE I STAY:

I booked Hotel Sfera to stay as it seems to be more decent from photos in Agoda.com. It isn't cheap though, it costs be around RM336 for 2 nights stay. This hotel is actually a shoplot hotel where you will see a lot of shops around. However, the interior of this gym is very nice and it has a link bridge to connect to opposite shoplots.

The lobby

I've got myself a twin room. Requested for a queen bed but I checked in late on the first day, hence I got these single beds for myself. A little disappointed. 

They have very beautiful swimming pool but it closed at 7pm. I don't have the chance to enjoy it. Great place to chill!

WHAT TO SEE:

1. Teluk Batik - a beach located in Lumut town. It is about 10 minutes drive from Bandar Seri Manjung. I would say that it is a great place to chill, especially over the weekend, when you need a short escape from stress. I went there for sunset but the beach was rather quiet on weekday. After walking around, I've decided to leave the beach before the sun sets due to safety issue as I was alone.

It was really relaxing to be here. Enjoying the sound of waves and sea breeze.

Selfie at the beach. I have people staring at me as I am the only awkward girl walking along the beach and keep taking photos. XD

There's a huge square with unique traditional designs.

Last selfie before leaving Teluk Batik

2) Tua Pek Gong Temple, Sitiawan (品仙祠大伯公和观音堂)
This is like a must-visit place if you were to visit Manjung/Sitiawan. It is located at Kampung Pasir Panjang, facing the sea. Using waze, you can get to this temple easily. However, the turnings that you need to go through when approaching the temple is a little funny. Trust your GPS, then you will reach the temple!

Huge tua pek gong statue! Wow!

Kuala Lumpur: Murni Discovery @ USJ 9 & Jin Xuan Dim Sum @ Puchong

Murni Discovery @ USJ 9

If you are looking for a mamak stall for dinner or supper, you might want to try out Murni Discovery. They serve Chinese, Western, Malay, Indian and Italian Cuisine. There are so many food choices which will make you have problem choosing. XD Murni Discovery has several branches and one of the famous one is in SS2. The one I went to try is at Taipan (USJ 9) as I feel that it is more spacious than the SS2 one. 

I ordered a cup of "Korean" (which is actually Nestum smoothie) (around RM5) and sis ordered a cup of Teh Tarik (RM2). OMG~ The portion is so huge! 2 bucks Teh Tarik for such a big glass! Surprising! The Nestum smoothie is nice too but a little too sweet. 

They have special drinks named "I love you", "I miss you", "Don't Worry", "Be Happy" etc.... Those are quite nice smoothies. You can try one if you come here. Even the name can make you smile. 

We ordered a roti and a naan as supper. Missing the Roti Hawaii a lot. They have so many types of roti canai available. Ranging from the very authentic roti canai, roti planta to Roti Jepun, Roti Beckham, etc... 

Roti Hawaii is served! 

Topped with mayo sauce, there are chicken, pineapple and sausages stuffed in the roti. This is my favourite roti *kiss*

Sis wanted to try cheese naan a lot and hence we ordered one. 

It is so huge and so cheesy. We have problem finishing it. 

Lesson learnt: Don't order so many food if you are not really really hungry as they are of big portion.

           *************************************************

                                            Jin Xuan Dim Sum Restaurant @ Puchong

The next morning, we decided to have some dim sum as breakfast. So, we went to Puchong for Jin Xuan Dim Sum Restaurant, our favourite dim sum place. 

This place is easily located but parking is very hard to find. We waited 15 minutes for a parking spot.

Ordered mini polo buns (there's pineapple inside), egg tarts and crispy fishballs.

Perak: Steamed Sandwich (刈包) @ Taiping

So busy with work! Finally I have time to update this blog!

Have you ever heard of steamed sandwich -- koah pao (刈包)? It is also known as Taiwanese Hamburger. I never try one when I visited Taiwan, but I found a stall in Taiping which sells delicious steamed sandwich. The stall is located in a kopitiam, opposite Prima Restaurant. The stall sells steamed sandwich (刈包), Dumplings (水饺) and Steamed Sweet Potatoes (烤地瓜).

Here is how the steamed sandwich looks like! 

You can choose either chicken or pork, with or without egg. I always ordered one with egg because it costs only RM3 with additional egg. So cheap!!! The sandwich bun is soft, mantou (馒头) texture. It has very nice sauce with peanut. Yumzzz.... One down side is..... The owner will need some time to prepare. Be prepare to wait and it is totally worth the wait! =D

I also ordered the dumplings! It is so crunchy and delicious. And doesn't look too oily. 

Definitely will visit this stall again if I want some special, cheap and nice dinner.

Kedah: Fried Porridge @ Serdang

~~Short Trip to Serdang, Kedah during Friday Lunch Break~~

If you read my previous post about Explore Selama I (click here to read), you would know that I am currently working in Selama, Perak. During a Friday long lunch break, I drove to Serdang, Kedah to hunt for food. From Perak all the way to Kedah?? Don't be too surprised as Selama is being divided into Selama (Perak) and Selama (Kedah). So crossing the border to Serdang, Kedah, isn't too far. It was just a 15-20 minutes drive. ^_^

Here's the map! Look how near it is between Selama and Serdang.

I wanted to try the famous Fried Porridge but they only open in the evening. So I simply stop by a restaurant for lunch. Surprisingly, they sell fried porridge here too! Due to my curiosity about fried porridge, I ordered one to try. Fried Porridge, is it similar with Fried Rice? Let's see..... Let's see.....

This is the restaurant I stopped for lunch. Just opposite the restaurant with famous fried porridge.

Pretty historical restaurant.....

Waited for 10 minutes and fried porridge is finally here!

This is how fried porridge looks like. It is still of porridge texture, but fried with soy sauce, cuttlefish, pork, vege and eggs. This stall's fried porridge is salty but overall it's nice. =P

After lunch, I went to explore Serdang Lake Garden, which is 2-3 minutes away from the restaurant. Great scenery here! Although it is not as beautiful as Taiping Lake Garden, it still able to give me a sense of peacefulness. 

Simple and nice scenery.

They have a playground too!

Explore Selama Part I: Restaurant Country & Refuel Cafe

5 months working in Selama, Perak. To be honest, I haven't really explore much of Selama. Most of my lunch were home-cooked or buns. So I'll rather stay in the office rather exploring myself to the hot sun. XD If I were to go out to hunt for lunch, I seriously don't know where to go.

Whenever people ask me what Selama has, I don't know how to answer as I never explore. So, I've decided to explore Selama town more in this new year of 2016. Hmm... It is one of my new year resolution, which I think should be quite achievable. Haha... 

So....... What I've explored so far?

I found a chinese restaurant which serves nice coffee. Restaurant Country (家乡饭店) is where you can find seafood and various chinese dishes. They also offer some friend noodles, such as Wat Tan Hor (滑蛋河). I've tried their rice and also Wat Tan Hor, not superb but they are quite nice. Then there is one day that I ordered Iced Coffee as I was feeling really sleepy in the afternoon. Surprisingly, the coffee that they served is of good quality. Coffee Kao Kao (very thick texture). 

This is the Iced Coffee. 

Very tempting isn't it? And it isn't expensive. I remember it is around RM2+.

Last week, I wanted to look for a place with air-conditioning for lunch as the weather is burning hot. Then I thought of a cafe near Caltex and hence I drove there for a try. Refuel Cafe is located beside Caltex and the Dobi. It is quite easy to locate. 

At first I thought Refuel Cafe is the kind of hipster cafe which I could have my cuppa coffee. I didn't visit hipster cafe for a very long while already. But yet, this disappoints me. This is not hipster at all, but it provides a wide range of food. From waffles, to sandwiches, to chicken/fish chop, to Nasi Lemak and noodles. 

This is how it looks. Pretty simple layout.

I ordered their Peppery Chicken Chop (RM8.80), which serves with fries and baked beans. I ordered something local as beverage -- Iced Neslo. Both of them costs me RM12 in total. I think the price is quite decent for a such a big portion of chicken chop and the drink is nice too. 

Looking forward to find some good food here. Please look forward for Explore Selama Part II. =D

Kuala Lumpur: Tim Ho Wan @ One Utama

Tim Ho Wan is famous as the cheapest michelin-starred restaurant in the world. It has expanded its business from Hong Kong to all over the world, which includes Australia, Manila, Jakarta, Singapore and also Malaysia. I didn't get to try it when I was in Hong Kong in 2013. I also didn't get to try when I was in Singapore. Luckily, right after Singapore trip, I managed to try it out at their new branch in One Utama. 

Their menu at a glance. They are famous with their crispy char siew pau (脆皮叉烧包). So, we ordered one plate of char siew pau which comes in 3 pieces, and also a bowl of steamed rice with chicken and mushrooms. 

Here's the buns! They are really really nice!

I like the crispy bun and the char siew is really juicy! Yumzzz.....

Close up. Look at the juicy char siew! =P

This is a bomb! This is the best steamed rice I've ever had. The rice is really soft and the chicken is also very juicy and tender. Worth trying. Maybe you can request for less sauce as the waiter gave me too much, and it becomes a little too salty. 

Kedah: Yi Le Cha Fang 一乐茶坊

#throwback

If you are looking for a nice restaurant for some Chinese food in Alor Star, you may drop by "Yi Le Cha Fang" (一乐茶坊) at Lorong Pintu Sepuluh. This restaurant is located same row as Mist Cafe and Restaurant Auntie Kang (mentioned in previous previous post XD -- click here to read more about it)

This restaurant is under Wah Tua Guan company and hence they have same menu as Wah Tua Guan restaurants (which has a few branches in Alor Star). Something different about Yi Le Cha Fang and Wah Tua Guan is that Yi Le Cha Fang serves more variety of food, which includes western style. 

The menu.

Note: they will charge government tax as it is under a big group. Oh well. =)

Taken while waiting for friends at ground floor. -- Look like a place that sell chinese medicine. 
Didn't know that they have second floor until my friend called and ask for my location. They had waited for me over 20 minutes upstairs XD *so embarrassing* Second floor decoration is nicer as it is Japanese style. Have to take off shoes to dine for Chinese food. Impressive!

Very simple and nice deco. Makes me feel like home.

What?! They serve coffee too! Surprised when I was flipping the menu.

Next time I'll try it. =D

Singapore style Fried Mee Hoon (RM6+) 

This is a bomb! Really good! The portion is kinda big too and hence I'm full up after eating.
NO MORE SECOND ROUND. XD

If you want to search for a restaurant that has nice decoration and serve good chinese food, this may be a choice for ya! =D Though the price is a little higher than normal hawker stalls, but I think we pay for the service and environment, which is fair enough for the price they charge.