Out of Norm Travels

Penang aka Pearl of the Orient was where I indulged my food cravings and laid my head for 3 nights some 2 weeks ago. Its street food helped Penang to hold the Best Foodie Destination badge by Lonely Planet in 2014 and ensured that this little state, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, is mentioned over and over again in countless food blogs, websites, news and magazines.  Food in Penang is generally time segregated with many stalls open for a specific period. For a foodie like me, this can actually mean that I could eat different types of food at different time periods in the SAME location! Talk about gluttony at its finest! So here was my food roll call for this trip!   Morning from 7am: 7am to 12 pm: Transfer Road Roti Canai . This real piece of Penang heritage has been dishing up this typical Malaysian food from the same roadside stall for some 80+ years. This photo does not do justice to the delicious fluffy and thin (almost filo-like) crisp...

Kuala Lumpur or better known as KL has provided the usual activities for me personally i.e. shopping & eating but in my recent trip down to KLr, I was shown a different side to this all too familiar location.  A few hours away from KL city centre (specifically Lata Berembun Kuala Lumpur), there is a lovely waterfall that cascades down into a pool. This welcome sight only comes in after a back breaking and knee jerking an hour's journey on an open-top jeep. I have been on jeeps in the past but never in conditions that involved a trip into potholes & extremely muddy conditions. I consider it a natural roller coaster ride. At the end of the trip, I had sore muscles from all the holding onto the bars (to prevent falling off the 4WD cos one can be easily thrown out of the car as it navigates the terrain) and a new high from breathing in of the fresh air.  Would I do it again? Perhaps so but i have to forget the pain for this trip & only remember the high...

What can an urban city like Kuala Lumpur offer for jaded travellers?  How about some enlightening (Batu caves) and architecture (Moorish no less) before ending on a high note (KLCC Twin Towers) ? Group enlightening @  Bat u caves Moorish architecture  @ KTM Headquarters KLCC Twin Towers @ Sunset  Till the next time, onto the world & beyond!!

Like most travelers, a trip out of home country means taking an air plane out of the country. In the not so distant past, many travel out of their country using the only means of affordable transport i.e. train. I am not old enough to say that I did that but I was glad I managed to catch one of the last few trains that departed from our grand ol dame, Tanjong Pagar Railway Station back in June 2011. The feeling of nostalgia was what spurred on me taking the journey up north from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It was surreal that I was still in my country yet the land the station stood on was actually Malaysian land. In a typical Singaporean way, I facebooked my location & wondered if I should state Singapore or Malaysia as place of origin? Anyway, this dilemma soon ended on 30 June 2011 when the land on which the train station stood was closed to the public with the land returned to Singapore. It was thus unfortunate that my kids will not be able to experience such ...

The famous "old" town of Malacca (or Melaka as others prefer) is an interesting place for a photo shoot. A truly Unique PeR aN aK aN (mix of Chinese and Malay heritage) architecture, food & people awaits the traveler who spends some 3-4 hours on a bus-ride from modern Singapore to the "sleepy" town. Of course, if you are brave enough to venture on the roads yourself, it's definitely faster to travel by car. Here's a collage of some of the photos taken in my recent March 2011 visit: FOOD GALORE! Here you have the " dim sum", wanton noodle and roasted chicken on display A look at the architecture....you will not be able to find similar houses in such a pristine order...at least not in Singapore even though some of the houses in Katong or Joo Chiat still bear some resemblance of these 'old' places but unfortunately, although many still try, quite a few of the houses in Singapore no longer bear the truly orna...