Singha Lager Beer

Singha is a Thai beer which I came across and bought for RM 9.89 from Cold Storage some time ago.

 

 

The Singha is a mythical lion and was chosen as the symbol for this beer. The Garuda symbol on the bottleneck is a symbol of Thailand's royalty and Boon Rawd Breweries is the only Thai brewery to be granted Royal Permission to display it.

It is brewed with water, malt and hops. The alcohol content is at 5% of its volume. The filling date and its expiry date is printed on the label and it can deduced that it has 1 year shelf life.

It pours to a pale straw yellow with low carbonation rising up. The head did not last very long though.

The taste is clean and light with some malt and a mild bitter finish. It's an easy to drink beer with virtually no aftertaste.

It is not the best beer around as it is bland but refreshing.

Where To Drink While In Kuah Town, Langkawi

Langkawi is blessed with cheap boozes due to its tax free status. However, it lacks in night life as well as places to drink. Here I going to showcase some places to drink while in Kuah Town. Do take note that there is no draught beer available anywhere on this island.

Probably the closest thing to a pub atmosphere is the Cappuccino House. It lookss more like a decent cafe rather than a drinking place from its facade.

The place is air conditioned inside and a bit dark to my liking. I notice I am the only non-Caucasian drinking here that night. Guess this is their favourite place to hang out. I reckon they stay open until midnight or some sort. They serve some light food too but nothing to worth mentioning here.

Beer selection is rather limited. I ordered San Miguel (RM 6) as it is hard to come by in any other part of Malaysia. Most of the patron here seems to drink Carlsberg as their first choice.

The other cheap and cheerful option to get some boozes is at any Chinese restaurants here. The down side of it is most of these restaurants will be closed by 10.30pm. I stopped by Langkawi Sunrise Seafood Restaurant for a quick drink as I notice they have some unusual choice of beer.

I don't order the normal beers such as Carlsberg, Heineken, Tiger or Guinness as I can find it easily elsewhere. I manage to negotiate my way to get 3 cans of Sapporo Beer for the price of RM 9 (normal price is RM 3.50 per can). The bottle version will be RM 4 per bottle.

My advice is buy those beers, wine or liquor in any of the duty free shops here and keep them in the refrigerator when you go back to the hotel room. It might sound silly but probably the best way to savour it on this island is from the comfort of your hotel room.

Kuching Park Hotel

Kuching Park Hotel is one of the older hotel in Kuching which I recently had the opportunity to stay while in Kuching for a couple of days.

The hotel is currently undergone some renovation. The lifts are old and definitely need some modernization. The cafe is also not ready yet and visitors have to take their complimentary breakfast temporarily at the Chinese Restaurant at level 2. To make things worse, the breakfast was not ready at 7am during my stay and there was not enough place to dine if there were some 25 people at the same time. The breakfast is not worth a try and I would recommend instead to eat outside as there are many coffee shops nearby.

 

 

The room here is just more than I expected. It is quite obvious the room has just been renovated and equipped with flat screen TV. For RM 150 (inclusive service charge and tax) a night, I would say it is a bargain.

I was lucky also to have a nice view. The majestic Kuching South City Municipal Council is just across the hotel.

Standard amenities are readily available in the room. Complimentary newspaper is also been delivered to the doorway every morning. Just remember to ask for English paper or else they will give Chinese newspaper (assuming the visitor is of Chinese race).

The hotel location is quite ideal, depending on where you need to go. It takes about 20 - 25 minutes to walk to the city centre but taxis are always readily available at the hotel door step.

Kuching Park Hotel
Lot 606, Pandungan Road,
93100 Kuching
Tel: 082-239 888
Fax: 082-238799

New Parkson Sibu

The new Parkson Sibu outlet at Wisma Sanyan recently opened its door on 1st December 2011 after some 2 months upgrading and renovation work. It now spans across four floors and carries more than 200 brands.

 

 

On Level 2, ladies can enjoyed more variety of branded shoes, accessories, handbags and so on. Some of the brands available here are Hush Pupies, Alain Delon, Carlo Rino, cr2, Pierre Cardin, Sachs and many more.

Level 3 specialize on women's apparel with brands such as Polo, Biem, Zashka, Xixili and etc.

 

  

Level 4 has more to offer for the men with brands such as Alain Delon, Camel, Jeep, Valentino Rudy and WWE.

 

 

 

The area on Level 5 used to be Blue Splendour Restaurant and some of its previous structure are still visible here. Toys, gifts, home furnishing, stationary, DIY and electrical appliances are now available at this floor.

I definitely proud of this new outlet as it gives another new dimension of shopping experience for the Siburian.

Kondo Istana

Kondo Istana is where I stayed in my recent visit to Langkawi. It is located at Jalan Penarak, Kampung Padang Lalang, Mukim Kuah. Its location is kind of ideal as it is within walking distance to Kuah town and Bayview Hotel Langkawi.

The condominium offers apartment rather than room and definitely ideal for those who bring family for leisure here. An apartment here usually consists of 3 bedrooms (1 Master room, 1 twin sharing room and a single room). It can fit more people in as it has spacious living room.

It also equipped with functional kitchen which can be useful for those who prefer to cook their own meal while staying here.

This is not my preferred place to stay while in Langkawi due to a few reasons. First, there is hardly any room service. The bed linen was not changed during my 3 days 2 night stay here. Let alone any tidy up of the apartment in general. My other complain is the presence of mosquito while trying to catch a nap here at night. It's pretty annoying and I hardly get a good night rest here.

Amcorp Mall Flea Market

The Amcorp Mall was opened in December 2007 in Petaling Jaya and is located just opposite the Taman Jaya LRT Station.

Amcorp Mall was once famous and crowded shopping centre. However, it started to lose its charm with the emergence of other newer malls such as 1 Utama, Mid Valley, The Gardens and Sunway Pyramid, this mall is practically deserted on weekdays.

The biggest draw to the crowd is the flea market on weekends. Compared to other larger and bigger shopping malls, one may not find Amcorp Mall interesting but for those who loved antiques and collectibles, this mall is definitely a must visit.

 The flea market here is Malaysia's oldest (since 1997) and most worth visiting flea market with more than 300 stalls open up indoor every Saturday and Sunday

 

 

 

Located on Lower Ground Level, this retail stalls sells wide array of collectibles such as coins, currency notes, pictures and stamps.

Even old songs can be sourced here. It definitely brings out the pasar malam feel although in a more comfortable environment.

Almost one every floor, one can notice a small number of stalls selling antiques and collectibles. I was even surprised to see some MASK toys from the 1987 on sell here from the Split Seconds Series such as Dynamo, Afterburner and Wolfbeast.

 

 

Another attraction here is the toy stores located on the 3rd floor. There are so many Transformers toys to see and purchase from G1 to the Masterpiece series.

The Transformers toys here are generally cheaper by RM 30-40 compare to the other toy stores in KL. I will definitely make a few trips here for some of the Masterpiece series.

Pulau Payar

 

Pulau Payar is a marine park situated some 35km south of Langkawi Island. Due to its nature as sheltered water, the island is ideal for snorkeling, diving and swimming.

 

The catamaran services operated by Langkawi Coral took some 50 minutes to reach the island from Kuah Jetty. Usually it will departs from the jetty in the morning around 11am and anchor nearby the island roughly at 12pm before making a return trip at 4pm.

 

 

Fishes and sharks can be swimming at the island water. Snorkeling is the best way to get close and personal with those marine creatures. Since this is a marine park, there will be a fine of RM 20, 000 imposed to anyone who try to feed the fishes or even bring back any souvenirs from this pristine island.

Small crabs can also be spotted among the rocks on the island. I heard some visitors saw some small snakes among the bushes too.

 

 

It is such a relaxing stroll around the island, enjoying the sea breeze and admiring the beauty of mother nature. Food and drinks are not sold on the island but lunch is usually included in the package trip to this island by the boat operator.

I would die for a bottle of beer but the boat operator charge some RM5 for a can of beer. Still consider cheap though compare to other places in Malaysia.

 

Pulau Payar offers a few stretch of sandy beaches. It is definitely a good place to get your skin tanned here. There is no fresh water supply on this island. Salt water is mainly used for in the bathroom and toilet.

Other side activity besides scuba diving and snorkeling is jungle tracking by negotiating some 183 steps to view the surrounding island. I reckon it only takes 10-15 minutes to reach the top.

This is definitely a worthwhile trip and I strongly recommend it to anyone who come to Langkawi Island. I would rate it better than the Manukan Island in Kota Kinabalu.