Orient Star Resort Lumut

Orient Star Resort Lumut is the first modern hotel at the quaint town of Lumut. I reckon it is the biggest hotel in town

 

 

 

The resort offers 150 spacious appointed rooms consisting of 4 VIP Suites, 5 Junior Suites, 75 Deluxe rooms and 66 Superior Rooms 

 

Rooms at the resort offer simple elegance with the relaxing atmosphere to unwind. The resort is located along the bank's waterfront overseeing the azure blue sea.

 

The rooms are reasonably clean and comfortable. All the rooms are cooled with split unit air conditioners. For the oldest hotel in town, it is fairly well maintained.

 

Interestingly each room is equipped with this coffee making device. This is one feature I don't get to see in most hotels I stayed before. 

All rooms have a view of the sea and its surrounding area. Every room has a balcony but somehow my sea view is obstructed by the many trees around the hotel.

 

 

There is a small stretch of beach behind the hotel with a clear view of the navy base which is located just adjacent to it.

The resort also serves as a good base to explore Lumut town as the town is basically just next to it.

Kampua @ Ming Tien Restaurant, Bandar Sunway

Its pretty hard to find a decent kampua noodle around KL and Selangor and I was directed to Ming Tien Restaurant at Bandar Sunway which is just beside the Sunway Pyramid Mall.

A small kampua noodle here cost RM 4.50 which is a bit expensive by Sibu standard. I been told the stall is opened by a Sibu folks but sadly, the noodle is now been prepared and cooked by foreigner.

In terms of overall appearance, it definitely has some resemblance to a plate of kampua noodle usually found in Sibu. It is topped with slices of BBQ and minced pork. I was really disappointed with the noodle on my first bite as the noodle was soggy and did not even come close to what it tastes back home. Even the chili sauce which came with it didn't make the mark.

 

The soup which comes with the noodle is also tasteless and oddly, fish balls were added to it. I should give up my effort to find a decent plate of kampua noodle on this side of the world.

Another kampua version is the one served in soup which also cost RM 4.50. I can only summarize that somehow kampua only taste better when prepared in Sibu, most probably due to the water and ingredients which went into its preparation.

There is also a selection of dim sum which pretty much save the day as the kampua noodle here really fails.

Delicious @ Midvalley Megamall

Delicious is one of the many food outlets I manage to dine recently in Midvalley Megamall. It is most distinguishable by the birdcage lamps which are used as part of the decoration. There are limited air conditioned seats inside and most likely diners will have to settle for the open air seating.

 

 A cup of tea or coffee here is served with carefully warmed milk and biscotti. I am having a Long Black (RM 7.90).

This outlet is more well known for its traditional tea set for two which comes with an assortment of finger sandwiches, scones, savoury cookies, strawberry, hand rolled chocolate truffles and choice of cake. Unfortunately, I didn't have the privilege to order it this time around.

The Mushroom Mascarpone (RM 25.50) is actually a vegetarian meal. I am not a fan of vegetarian meal as it always lack of that extra kick but this pasta is doing alright.

This Tomato Bruschetta (RM 12.90) is another vegetarian snack where the bread is toasted and topped with grilled tomatoes, greens and cheese. It has a pleasant presentation and I like it.

 

Baked Rigatone (RM 25.90) is another great pasta dish where it is baked with the sauce and topped with Parmesan cheese. Best eaten while it is still hot and definitely a satisfying meal.

For some snacks, fries (RM 10.90) is available and it came with cheese as the dip sauce. I kind of like the combination of cheese and fries. It just make the fries taste better.

Jonker Street Dragon

It was a pleasant surprise for me in my recent visit to Malacca's Jonker Walk as the dragon replica which was erected for this year Chinese New Year is still there.

This 121m dragon replica, guarding the entrance to the bustling Jonker Street is said to be the longest dragon replica in the country.

 

I reckon this dragon will be hanging around until the next Chinese New Year to bring prosperity to the traders in this area.

 

So, what we will be having next year? A snake?

GoKL Citybus

A new bus service had been introduced in the capital city since 31st August 2012 which is very much welcomed by the public and tourists alike.

The bus service is free of charge. Another value added service is that free Wi-Fi is available which will attract those who are tech savvy. The bus service is really commendable as the wait is not that long (less than 10 minutes). This is probably the most efficient bus service to date in this country.

 

It has basically 2 lines. The green and the purple line. Both of the lines converge at Ain Arabia and Istana Hotel where commuters can switch buses to reach to the intended destination.

 

Be aware that the buses were not painted according to the line colour. Instead, all buses exterior were painted light purple. The only way to distinguish which line the bus is plying is to pay attention to the LED display on the bus.

The purple line starts from Pasar Seni bus hub-Bangkok Bank-Telekom Museum-Olympia Tower-KL Tower-Istana Hotel-Pavilion-Bukit Bintang-Istana Hotel-KL Tower-Olympia Tower Telekom Museum-Kota Raya and back to Pasar Seni bus hub.

 

The green line  starts from KLCC-Wisma BSN-Renaissance Hotel-Hard Rock Cafe-Jalan P. Ramlee-Istana Hotel-Pavilion-Bukit Bintang-Sultan Ismail Monorail Station-Wisma KFC-KLCC Convention Centre-Traders Hotel-Ampang Park-Menara Maluri and back again to KLCC.

For those who are familiar with Rapid KL buses, commuters will soon realize the buses are owned by Rapid KL based on its interior and seating arrangement. The buses are new and I hope they stay that way with proper maintenance and care.

 

 

 

 

It is a scenic ride and here are some of the great landmarks I manage to capture around KL while using the bus on the green line. I used to walk from Ampang Park all the way to Pasar Seni. I guess now I can just rely on these buses to reach my destination in a more comfortable manner.

I hope this bus service could be around in a long run although there are strong protest from the city taxi drivers.  It is one of the best way to encourage public to take public transport and reduce the congestion in the city.

Mid-Autumn Festival 2012 @ Sibu

This year Mid-Autumn festival is kind of special to me as this will be the first time I celebrate it with my almost 4 months old boy. I failed to return home last year for the occasion as I got the date wrong. However, I had made early preparation this year so as not to miss this important festival.

This is also the first time I see before my eyes that my son is able to flip over. It such an achievement for him as this will be the first step for him to crawl soon.

I made a quick visit to Rejang Park to see what is it looks like this year as I miss did not made it here last year.

 

This is definitely the place to be as lanterns can be seen everywhere starting from 7pm onward. Unfortunately I couldn't bring my son along as he starts to act cranky just before dinner time. He will definitely be joining the other kids next year.

 

This is also the first time I notice the giant lantern been released from this park. It was such a beauty to watch those lanterns made its way up to the sky.