Budget Travel

Our flight was at 6.30 a.m. in the morning. What an awkward hour. It meant that we had to check in by 4.30 a.m. To buy some time, we checked in online. That meant we could be at the airport later, say by 5.00 a.m.

We had to be in KL latest the night before. Hence, my friends decided to put up a night a Tune Hotel at LCCT. It was my first time there as well. My friends invited me to bunk in with them. I had not planned to stay overnight at the hotel initially. My plan was just to wait out at the airport till it was time to fly in the early morning.

Because my friends were persistent, I gave in to them and decided to join them to check out Tune Hotel at LCCT. From LCCT, we waited for the shuttle bus to Tune Hotel. We paid RM1.00 each for the short ride. We could have walked the short distance. But because we had baggage, it was so much more convenient to just jump into the bus.

There was a long queue at the front desk at 10.30 p.m. at night. We lined up for a long time before it was our turn to be served. It was at least a 15-minute wait. It seemed so much longer as the small lobby was so crowded with people. There seemed to be no breathing space at all.

I paid RM15 for a towel. RM10 was deposit, and RM5 to rent the towel. The deposit would be refunded when the towel was returned. The towel came with a toiletries kit, a piece of soap, shower gel and conditioning shampoo.

A towel set

My friend booked a double room with one Queen size bed for RM98.00. Next she bought 12 hours of air-conditioning credit for RM13.49.

Designed for travellers on the go, the room was really tiny. There was hardly any place to move, as it was not meant for more than 2 persons.

My friends unpacking

Attached to it was the washing closet. I enjoyed the hot water shower a lot. It's just that it was already late, and I wanted to catch some shuteye before it was time to check out again. Hence, I did not dare linger in the shower.

The room was really cramped, so I went downstairs to the lobby as soon as I was ready to leave. There were some weary travellers sleeping on the sofa at the lobby, even though they were not supposed to. Can't blame them. They could not secure a room as the hotel was fully booked.

Travellers bunking at the sofa at the Tune Hotel lobby
Please pardon the blurred shot taken with my old phone

At 5.00 a.m. in the morning, lots of people checked out. Probably like me, they had early morning flights to catch. I found a spot at the lobby to sit and wait for my friends. I observed that the front desk officer tended to greet the ang mohs more than she did the asians. "Good morning," she piped to all but one ang moh in the short span of time I was observing her. Methinks she should not be selective about whom she greets.

As I waited for my friends, the 5.00 a.m. bus that we were supposed to catch left for the airport. We had to wait for the next bus. A while later, my friends came down to the lobby and check out was only a jiffy. We waited another 10 minutes before the bus came to transport us to LCCT. There were lots of passengers, and some had to stand at the aisle. It was another RM1.00 to get back to LCCT.

We checked the information display to locate our check-in counter. Upon finding it, we dropped in our baggage. We went towards the international departure gate, and was about to enter when we were stopped by the airport security. Apparently, we were not to depart from the international gate. Instead we had to use the Y gate, which was meant for both international and domestic departures.

We turned back but could not find the Y gate and had to ask the airport security for directions. We were about to go in when we saw the sign :

No toilet!

Hmn. That's interesting. No toilets in the departure hall. That meant we had to find toilets to use before we went in. Off we went to search for the nearest toilets. Again, we had to approach an officer for directions.

We were about to go into the departure hall when my friend enquired whether there were any food outlets in there. The officer shook his head, so we turned back to buy some food from McDonald's. While we were queuing however, came the announcement to board. There was no time to buy food after all.

One hour into the flight, meals were sold. I ordered Nasi Lemak, a cup of Old Town White Coffee, and a bottle of mineral water. The meal set me back by RM18.00.

Breakfast in the air

It was also the first time I ate in the plane. The nasi lemak sure looked good and smelt good.


But I found the sambal and the rendang a bit salty. The coffee was alright, except that I preferred it to be burning hot. It seemed a bit lukewarm.

The flight was boring after breakfast, with nothing much to do. With about 3 hours to log in, we spent time playing electronic games on the phone and the iPod. I tried to catch up on sleep, but it was not really possible for me to sleep upright. And so, I was much delighted when we touched down at our destination.

View of Macau from my window

Slow-mo Amazing Race

Previously, all my holidays were planned by tour agencies. All I had to do was to pay, pack and go. Accommodation, food, and transport were taken care of, and I did not have to worry about a single thing.

Going on tour meant that I had to follow the itinerary arranged by tour agencies. It was alright to visit places of interests as per arranged. But most tour agencies arrange for stopovers at specialty places, where the salespersons will talk you into buying their products at exorbitant prices. In China, it was silk, tea, chrysanthemum tea, pearls and teapots. In Taiwan, it was precious stones, pearls, and tea. These visits were lengthy, and I really disliked wasting time at such places when we could have visited more places of interest. Furthermore, the pushy salespeople really annoyed me.

This time, my friends and I decided to go on a holiday on our own. We booked our flights and our accommodation online as early as September last year, and anticipated the trip lots.

Before the trip, we searched the internet for lists of places of interest to visit. We drew our own itinerary and researched transport routes. We also asked our acquaintances for information and travel tips.

Now that we are finally done with our holiday, I would just like to sit and reflect on it, and perhaps document some of the highlights of the trip.

Well, I enjoyed my holiday lots. At least I did not have to sit in a bus for long journeys from place to place. My friends and I managed to visit all but 2 places we listed. We I learned our way around the places we visited, enquiring people for information and directions whenever there were complications. Indeed many times, my friends and I walked the wrong directions. And they were long walks too! Many times, I felt like I was having an Amazing Race, albeit a slow-mo version. Lol.

All the people whom we asked were absolutely helpful. One particular girl even offered to bring us to a certain place that we wanted to go! Such nice people they were.

Lots of Food at Hutong Lot 10

2 days ago, I was at Lot 10 Shopping Mall. So I had lunch at Hutong Food Court. It has got to be the only non-halal food court in Malaysia. The place is pretty stylish too!

It was my first time there, and it seemed like there was so much to try. I wanted to try everything! Bro recommended the Soong Kee beef noodles, but it was too bad that I did not feel like having beef on that day.

I walked around so many times down the alleyways. However, I found them to be quite narrow. With shopping bags in hand, I kept bumping into tables or chairs ;p. Perhaps I only had eyes on the menu!!

I finally settled on the Char Siew Wanton Noodles. There were strips and strips of juicy char siew hanging at the stall, and those really tempted me.

Famous Ho Weng Kee wanton noodles

Ho Weng Kee was a famous joint, but not being local, it was my first time eating it. The serving was reasonable. The noodles were sweet and savoury at the same time, the char siew was tender, and the wanton had substance. Eat your noodles with the crunchy pickled green chilli and experience a burst of flavours.

Bro ordered the Mor Sang Kor Bak Kut Teh. You could have different cuts of meat in the Bak Kut Teh. Bro had spare ribs Bak Kut Teh. I tried a bit of the broth, and found it to be yum.

A Bak Kut Teh set

Siltb ordered the minced pork noodles and a meat ball soup. The noodles are more savoury, compared to the wanton noodles, the pork bits fragrant and flavourful. The soup was not too salty, and the meat ball was chewy.

Minced pork noodles

Pork ball soup

I really liked this yam flavoured snow ice from Ice Room. Now, I did not fancy yam ice-cream, and yet this ice concoction was smooth and creamy, with a hint of yam flavour infused in it. One spoonful left me craving for more! Really wish I could eat it at this very moment!

Yam flavoured snow ice

I would really have to go back to Hutong to try the beef noodles and the porridge. Can't wait, really!

Dinner @ Fatty Crab Restaurant

Bro had a craving for crabs. So, we ended up at Fatty Crab Restaurant for dinner last Saturday night. We went to the restaurant at Mines, as it was nearer to us. My cousin, H**, said that the outlet at Taman Megah, PJ near his residence is always packed with people.

Fatty Crab Restaurant

Well, I can say the same for this outlet here in Mines. Customers who were a little late had to wait for their tables. Business was surely good.

I loved the view of the lake. There were plenty of fishes in there too. Some diners brought their own bread to feed the fish. If I had known, I would bring a loaf or two for the feeding.

View of the lake from our table

Each table has a pair of scary looking tools. A meat tenderiser to hammer those hard crab claws, and a nut cracker to break those shells.

A nut cracker (L) and a meat tenderiser (R)

We ordered a serving of Fried Rice. It was RM12.00 per medium serving. The rice had diced long beans in it - not my favourite vegetable in fried rice. Otherwise, it was light and not too oily. Not bad, actually.

Fried rice

Our chosen vegetable for the night was Sambal Kangkung. The sambal was neither too spicy nor salty. It complemented the vegetables well. This dish was also RM12.00 for a medium serving.

Sambal kangkung

Next was the Steamed Siakap. Quite a huge fish for the four of us. It was fresh and sweet. The sauce was light and savoury. I wished they would put more celery though. I loved to eat steamed fish with lots of celery. ;p Fish was RM38.00.

Steamed Siakap

Halfway through the meal, our crabs arrived. It's funny that the restaurant uses "kati" instead of "kilogramme". We ordered 2 kati of Sweet and Sour Crabs, which was equivalent to about 1.3 kg. There were about 4 crabs served, each crab halved.

The infamous sweet & sour crab

I liked the crab, but I found the sauce a tad too strong. It was real sour. I was sure that a particularly strong type of vinegar was used. It gave me the coughs. The crabs were RM60.00.

You can also have your crabs steamed. But most diners will order the sweet and sour variety. I observed that there was a plate of sweet and sour crab on almost every table!

We ordered 8 pieces of bread to soak up the crab gravy. They came sliced up and lightly toasted. The bread was RM5.00.

Toasted plain bread

The whole meal set us back by RM135.00, including drinks, peanuts and towels. Perhaps I shall return to this restaurant in the future, to try the steamed crabs.

Farmland Porridge Steamboat

My friend, W**** frequents this outlet whenever she's in KL. She's raved about the porridge steamboat for a long time, but I had yet to try it. It so happened that we were in KL together, and she suggested we have dinner at the Farmland Porridge Steamboat restaurant along Jalan Pudu.

At about 7.00 p.m. on a Sunday night, the place was packed, with many more people lining up for tables. I understood why. The tables were limited, and each set of diners took at least 1 1/2 hours to dine. I mean, steamboat is not something you can gobble up and go. Most people take their time to eat, enjoying fellowship over the meal.

We ordered half a pot of porridge and clear broth for the other half. The pot sits in the middle of the table and diners can chuck into the pot whichever they like to eat.

Half clear broth, half porridge broth

We then ordered 4 seafood sets for the 5 of us. Each set had assorted fish and meat balls, prawns, tofu, tofu skins, and vegetables. Each set also came with an egg.

2 seafood sets

Part of the seafood set

On top of that, we ordered some individual items that we liked.

Century eggs with preserved ginger slices

伊麵 orYee Min noodles

Fish noodles

Thin pork slices

After trying both the porridge and the clear broths, we agreed unanimously that the porridge broth was tastier. Even bro, who does not usually prefer to eat porridge, agreed that the porridge broth was good. So don't try the clear broth unless you really have an aversion to porridge.

The service was not that good. The waiter kept coming with the wrong orders. First, came a pot of porridge broth, when we ordered only half a pot. Then, part of the seafood set did not come. Next, we ordered cold Chinese tea, but it never came. I think the restaurant did not have enough workers, and at peak hours, they could not keep up with the orders.

Parking was also very limited. There were only a few parking lots that lined the road. We had to park round the corner after the Caltex station, at a really dark parking lot which may not be safe for any car.

Another outlet is located at Serdang, just opposite South City Mall. Perhaps you can check that outlet out, in case Pudu is inconvenient for you.

Anyway, the meal came to a little bit more than RM120, which some would say was expensive. What say you?

Gardenia Butterscotch Bread

The package says "Full flavoured butterscotch that leaves you craving for more". It also said "Really, Really, Really Good!!!"

I had heard my friends back in Miri saying that the Gardenia Butterscotch bread is really yum, good enough to eat on its own. Every time someone went to KL, we wanted to ask them to buy us a loaf or two. Somehow, it never came to pass. Our messengers either forgot to buy, or they did not bother, or they could not find this particular variety on the supermarket shelves. And every time I am in KL, my stomach is always so full that I do not feel like eating bread.

Gardenia Butterscotch bread packaging

Today, however, I was at Jusco, and I thought I would just buy a loaf to try. And I'm glad I did. It was soft, light and fluffy, slightly sweet and buttery. I ate 2 slices this afternoon, even though I was not hungry. ;))

A slice of bread spotted with butterscotch

Bro also tried it for the first time. He liked it and said it was as nice as Jusco's Gion bread, which was a whopping RM18.00 a loaf. The Gardenia Butterscotch Bread was only RM4.00 a loaf.

Well, I do think that this bread is good, as it claimed to be on its packaging. I also understand that it runs out faster than any of the other bread. No wonder it is difficult to find it on the supermarket shelves!

Pulau Ketam Yong Tau Foo

One of the things I always like to eat in KL is the Yong Tau Foo. Today, at The Gardens Food Court, I had assorted stuffed beancurd and vegetables from the Pulau Ketam Yong Tau Foo stall. This stall seems quite popular with shoppers and office workers alike.

One time, when I was there at a lunch hour, the waiting line was really long as people queued up for hot plates or bowls of Yong Tau Foo. I had eaten here a few times already, and I do like the Yong Tau Foo here.

The past month, I had been craving for Yong Tau Foo. We do not get Yong Tau Food like this in Miri. So today, by hook or by crook, I had to satisfy my craving ;p.

Three choices are available here. There is Yong Tau Foo is sweet sauce, Yong Tau Foo in clear soup, or Yong Tau Foo in curry gravy.

We ordered Yong Tau Foo in sweet sauce,

In sweet sauce and sprinkled with lots of toasted sesame seeds

and one in curry gravy.

In curry gravy

It was funny that I did not like the curry gravy much this time around. I was crazy about it on my last trip ;)). Not that it wasn't nice or anything. Bro and siltb preferred the Yong Tau Foo in sauce. And it seemed nicer too, as the sweet sauce brought out the flavour of the stuffed tofu and vegetables.

And so I went back to the counter to asked for sweet sauce for dipping purposes. The stall, however, was rather stingy with their sauces. The woman gave it to me, albeit reluctantly. Even then, it's just a miserly spoonful. Hardly enough to dunk all my Yong Tau Foo in it ;(