Final leg 3D/2N Sg Lembing/Rompin/PJ : 29 Apr - 1 May 2012

Breakfast was scheduled at 8am. Complimentary from Pantai D'Rhu motel in Rompin. After a simple nasi lemak (local all time favourite meal 24/7), we embarked on our final leg of our expedition. From Rompin, we headed to Muadzam Shah for refuelling. Then, we passed Belimbing village ( Belimbing = star fruit...strange to name a town after a fruit, eh? Oh well...guess in the olden days people have limited vocabulary/names or perhaps they grew lots of star fruits back then).
We stopped at Tasik Chini / Chini Lake jetty (Tasik = lake) to soak in more fresh air as well as to take a break. The jetty takes one to an island but we weren't keen to explore as the Penangnites had almost 400km to cover while the Klang Valley team have almost 350km to ride. So, here are the two pictures I took.

Stairs heading down to the Jetty

It is off the beaten road inside some kampung / village, so you need to ask around before you can get there. As if secretly tucked away....Trigger happy Meng Ee clicked away while the rest took some much needed "butt" & leg rest.
Thereafter, it was a long ride to Jerantut in the state of Pahang. This time, we travelled on different secondary road. Long, windy & quiet road, great for riding & de-stressing. I was praying hard that we'll have no punctures or we'll be deep trouble as mobile reception is nought, no satellite reception for GPS too. It seems to me like a never ending stretch of road but after much butt adjusting & bumps later, we 'see' civilization!!! Hallelujah!!

In Jerantut, we had lunch at a chinese restaurant that Meng Ee previously googled & saved in his GPS. We found the restaurant in a jiffy. The food was fairly good but service was 

Notice board that needs updating.

appalling although we were the only patrons. 
Subsequently, after some pleasantries, we bade goodbye to the Northern 3 bikers & 2 pillions as we had to split ways. The journey home was torturous as some Klang Valley bikers were slow & under the hot & humid sun, I tried extremely hard to stay awake. My first time ever to feel so so sleepy.
Luckily, we managed to take a much needed break at a petrol station for final refuelling plus 2 rounds of cold drinks! So dehydrated!!! Both physically & mentally! Perhaps, drained due to over praying that we get out from that lonely stretch of road SOON! Pronto!! Phew...
Despite a boost of instant coffee & mineral water, I was still very sleepy and suggested that we eat ice cream in Bentong, a township about 30+ km from Jerantut. Was glad that they all concurred. Perhaps they too were sleepy like me???
Aaaahh, am happy as a lark as I finally get to savour the famous Bentong homemade icre-cream!!! I've been to the outlet on at least 3 occasions but never got to taste it as it was closed all 3 times!!! Can you believe my luck??? This time around, we almost didn't make it as the outlet was jammed packed with weekend crowd. Rocker57 wanted to leave but I was determined not to missed the opportunity again. After some persuasion from Alex & myself, Rocker57 relented on proviso we get seats. In we walk... (while I was praying hard we will & must find seats) & luckily found ourselves a table for 7!!! Lucky Seven, perhaps?

Service was prompt despite the huge crowd. Verdict? Can't compare to Haagen Dazs, Baskin' Robbins 31 or New Zealand Natural ice cream BUT for local Malaysian standard? I rate it 6.5 over 10!
Having sated ourselves, we agreed to go on individual speed. I was elated as I seriously wanted to ZOOOOOOOOM home! Zoom we did, between Alex & Rocker57, we arrived home about 4pm. Aaahhh home sweet home...ZZZZZZzzzz
Hah! In case you think this lunatic has forgotten to mention the name of the ice-cream parlour..."U R so mistaken". It is Kow Po Coffee Shop. No GPS cordinates needed....one can NOT miss it....along the main road heading to Bentong town!

This picture was downloaded from another blogger; namely yeogolf.blogspot.com as it was too hot and glaring for me to snap it then.

Lookout for my next trip to Port Dickson & Tg. Sepat. Vrrrrooooom! 

To know more about the other days :

Day 1 : Part 1 
Day 2 : Part 2 
Day 3 : Part 3

(Part 3) 3D/2N Sg Lembing/Rompin/PJ : 29 Apr - 1 May 2012

You know what? I forgot to mention that we went to see pure fresh mountain water before we left Sg. Lembing. It was crystal clear, cool & refreshing. So refreshing that Meng Ee couldn't resist putting his entire head into the cold cold water!!! 

Meng Ee dipping into the water. Water is so so clear.

Eric & Missus

Before we left Sg Lembing, we took some group pictures under the Sg Lembing  arch but those pictures are in Meng Ee's camera, sadly. Nonetheless, we travelled to Rompin via Kuantan town. Would you believe it? Again Alex recommended Yong Tau foo noodles?? What's with him & yellow noodles??? Apart from breakfast yesterday, everymeal thereafter is noodle, noodle noodle!!! And not any noodle...Mee...aka yellow noodles!!! Frankly, I told him I can't swallow another strand of yellow noodle and opted for vermicelli instead. Apparently, the shop we ate in Kuantan was a spin off from the original one in Sg Lembing. Yet again, this forgetful blogger failed to take pictures until after the meal....sigh...sad sad case ~~ onset of dementia, I think... *shaking head in disbelieve*. However, the Yong Tau Foo was pretty good though. But I will need to get the GPS cordinates in order to guide you there. Perhaps in my next trip I will do so. Will put in mental note to remember :)   Hahaha..and you trust my mental note? Uh,uh..I don't trust myself either!

Following lunch, we started our long trek to Rompin via Pekan & Muadzam Shah. Pekan or literally "town" in Bahasa Malaysia is the regal town of Pahang. I believe it was my first time passing through the town. Quite developed and bustling with activities. I enjoyed this coastal ride as we get to see lots of 'kampungs' or villages along the way, secondary forest & wonderful stretch of road for bikers to speed as well as road curves for them to do their stunts.
It was a long ride as both Meng Ee and Vincent wanted to test a couple of roads which they felt was apt for this trip from their previous ride. By the time we arrived at Pantai D'Rhu motel at Pantai Langit it was dark. A short rest and we were ready for dinner.
We were recommended a restaurant which served decent seafood at affordable prices. It was along the main road heading south, so it was easily spotted. As we waited to be seated, we were told by the proprietor that they can't accommodate us as they had confirmed 1 reservation for 8 earlier on! What? What kind of F&B turns away customers? They also told us they were unable to cope cooking for another 12 pax!!! Shocking, shocking!!!

So we headed few doors away :

Restauran Rompin Bahru

Verdict? Restaurant Rompin Bahru food is very good. Price? Also very good ~~ PRICEY!! For a small place, the price was too high even for city folks like us. But we enjoyed the bonding, laughter and sharing. I don't know about them, but I always enjoy myself and I really had a good time during dinner.
The highlight of the day was the Claypot Pork Knuckles noodles....YES...you've guessed it...Yellow noodles AGAIN....arrrrghhh.... but the dish was superbly good we ALL, yes ALL had second helpings. It was cooked with lots of vegetables and roasted pork!! YUMMYLISIOUS!!!

After the sumptuous & delectable dinner, we went back to shower & rejoined at the only al fresco cafe in Pantai D'Rhu motel to chit chat. We also managed to get a glimpse of the replay of Moto GP which Rocker57 & Alex missed when we stayed at Sg. Lembing the night before. At almost midnight, we bade each other goodnight as it will be a long ride home tomorrow as they embark on a sight seeing trek home. More details in my following blog. Stay tuned! Adious amigos!! Ride safe!!!

To know what happened previously :

Day 1 : Part 1
Day 2 : Part 2 

Claypot pork knuckles noodles

(Part 2)3D/2N Sg Lembing/Rompin/PJ : 29 Apr - 1 May 2012

Cock-a-doodle-do....."Rise and shine sleepy heads", says the rooster that woke us...aahh...bliss~back to nature. So refreshing! The group that did not climb the Sg Lembing hill gathered for breakfast at our make-shift garage that we chatted into the night yesterday. I had asked the climbers to snapped pictures for me so that I can blog about it. Apparently, the sight is beautiful as one can watch the sunrise. Unfortunately, it was very misty due to rainfall the previous night. So all they could see was mist! So....sorry, no sunrise picture to boast :(

This kept our bikes dry.

A short ride later (takes about 10 mins walk from motel to town), we were at the foodcourt. Again, Alex recommended Tau Foo (soya bean) noodle(?). Further probing, Alex said it is actually noodles with Yong Tau Foo (i.e. stuffed Tau Foo with fish paste. Other variety are also available like fish balls, bitter gourd, chili, etc all stuffed with fish paste). I had originally thought it was noodles made from soya bean! What a bummer! The queue was long so we ate from a different stall that served their local noodle dish instead. The noodle dish is served a tad different from those found in Klang Valley, apart from that nothing significant..*secret*...served with lard! Hence, tastier and more 'aromatic'(?). Unfortunately, this hungry forgetful blogger forgot to take pictures :))  (hmmm...expected, right? Right!)
The hill climbers joined us for breakfast. Thereafter, we took a slow ride around town, then rode to the museum.

Incidentally, for my foreign blog readers, Lembing in Bahasa Malaysia (Malaysia national language) means spear. Hence, Sg. Lembing literally means River Spear/Spear River. Pssst...notice the spear on both ends of the signboard? Yup...says it all, doesn't it? We spent a fair bit of time visiting the museum, soaking in the refreshing greenery, fresh air and great view from atop the hill (museum situated on top of a hill). Check out what we saw.

Giant moth the size of a man's palm! And we are not in the forest.

The view from atop the museum's hill...awesome!

At 10 past, we still see clouds atop the hills, rare sight indeed. The other favourite spots to visit is the rainbow waterfall & another waterfall which the bikers chose not to go as they treasure their bikes too much to ride into the wilderness!! We visited the crystal house but was turn-off when we were asked to pay admission fee! The guys said "when you see a crystal, you have seen it all, only difference is, it comes in different sizes and colors"...so macho! In reality, I think they were afraid that we 3 ladies will get hooked and start swiping our cards!!! Men!! *shaking head*
But, collectively, we agreed that we have to visit the hanging bridge! A 'must see' for tourists apparently. But for a semi-kampung girl like me (remember, I used to spent my childhood in Pedas-see previous blog


Tin can & hide & seek


Rubberbands, this bridge is haven compared to my younger days when we used to cross rivers balancing on single/dual coconut trunks! Sigh...I should have signed up with the circus then!! I was darn good with my balancing act. LOL

We crossed the bridge and purchased some local delicacies. Hung around relishing in the knick knacks we'd bought, chatted a fair bit before checking out enroute for Rompin (border between State of Pahang & Johor).
Follow me on my ride to Rompin in the next blog ya... Until I see you, have a Happy Day & week ahead!! Cheeeeers!!! Vrrrooooom....Vrrroooom!!!

For part one : Day 1 : Sg Lembing/Rompin/PJ

3D/2N Sg Lembing/Rompin/PJ (Part 1) : 29 Apr - 1May 2012

Group picture at Batu Caves.

This is I think the 3rd biggest group I've joined for an overnight stay. In total, there were 8 bikes consisting of Kawasaki Z1000SX, Kawasaki Versys, Kawasaki 6f, Kawasaki 6n and a Honda. We congregated at a petrol station in Batu Caves. The KL convoy of 7 met the Northern convoy consisting of 3 bikers but 5 people, namely Meng Ee & Moy on the Versys, Eric & wife on 6f & Vasu on his Versys. From Klang Valley, we had Vincent & wife on the Honda, Alex & Eric on their 6f respectively, Ravi on his Versys & Rocker 57 and myself on ZacBoy. 
The Klang Valley bikers met at Damansara Uptown at the famous Park Village Nasi Lemak for breakfast while waiting for the Penang bikers. The food was so good, the gang ate brunch instead! At noon, we met up the northern folks. After the Penangnites had their brunch, we headed to Sg Lembing through Karak Highway heading to the east coast of Peninsula Malaysia. 
Sg Lembing is a quaint tin mining town in the state of Pahang, approximately 17km from Kuantan town. I've never heard of this place until Rocker57 started riding. Though he has been there once, this would be my maiden trip.

After few pit stops for refuelling and leg rest, we arrived at Sg Lembing for "Lunner" at about 4pm(??? Lunch cum dinner, duh!...hahha...I just coined the word). Tired and hungry, we ate what the restaurant could cook up for 12 hungry bikers. We quickly lapped up the sizzling hot fried noodles. 
Then Alex (former Sg. Lembing local) suggested we should visit the temple in a cave. And, went we did - Charas Cave, here we comeeee!!! It was almost closing time but the caretaker was kind enough to accommodate us, given only 10mins to go up & down!. A token fee of RM2 each & off some of them went up the flight of stairs. A handful of us decided not to go, Rocker57 & myself inclusive. We enjoyed the clear & clean fresh air & rehydrate ourselves with more liquids while waiting patiently for our camaraderies.

Charas Cave.

The cave is only a short ride to Sg Lembing township. Sg Lembing consists of two main roads and few rows of half cement & old wooden shop houses. 
No 5 star hotels but we were pleased to be able to check into a local motel just a stone throw away from the famous Sg Lembing.  (errr...Sg =Sungai = river!! Just in case you are still fumbling with what is Sg...hehehehe). The so-called motel is just a huge double storey wooden house extended with many rooms to accommodate tourists :)  
As it was a public holiday, all rooms were fully booked, so Meng Ee from Penang offered to take up the 'Spiderman treehouse' for RM150/night complete with ensuite bathroom but no air-condition, cool, eh? Our landed 'property' was RM80 per night. Super small room befitted with a queen-sized bed, air-condition, 1 plastic chair & a bedside table that can only be placed at the end of the bed! And just enough walking space & to place two panniers. No luxury of ensuite bathroom like Meng Ee. But decent and clean.

Meng Ee's Spiderman Treetop house!

FYI, Sg Lembing overflowed & filled the entire town almost to the second floor of the shops in 1971 for close to a week!! It was front page news in local national newspapers. But in normal time, the river look so tame and inviting.(see below).

View from the car porch of our motel.

After refreshing ourselves, we headed to Hoover Restaurant for the famed tomato noodle. I eat fresh tomatoes but am not a fan for tomato based stuff except pasta sauce. I was sceptical and quite reluctant to eat it. But was asked to try, and try I did. I had second helping, surprisingly!!! It was smacking good! Thanks Alex for the recommendation. We also had other dishes that complemented the tomato noodles such as vegy, sweet sour pork, fish, orange sauce chicken, minced meat taufu just to name a few. We had two variants of the tomato noodles - yellow mee & mee hoon aka vermicelli but the former tastes better!

Tomato noodle & fish on foreground

Sweet sour pork & orange sauce chicken

Cost for 12 people for 9 dishes inclusive of drinks came to about RM13 per person, super reasonable considering the huge portions served. We were all sated to the max. With no TV in our rooms & it was raining, we gathered at the make-shift open garage to chat & mingle. At about 9.30pm, we sent old faithful Alex to buy drinks & toasts for supper. 5 minutes later, he was back empty handed!! Guess what? The proprietor of the shop is also the owner of the 'motel' we were staying in. What a small world! And we had special home delivery as the owner was on his way back to the hotel, Alex was sent 'home' earlier. Hah! This is one special delivery...similar to hotel's room service...we had our garage service! We chatted into the night & called it a day slightly past midnight as half the battalion will scale the famous hill in Sg. Lembing at 5am tomorrow. For more news, check out my next blog.
Till then, stay happy always. "WE LIVE TO RIDE"

 

Hoi An, Danang, Hue - Vietnam

Jan 27, 2012 - Rocker57, his 3rd sister & hubby and I embarked on our 4D/3N journey to Danang, Vietnam. Danang is the coastal area in Vietnam where AirAsia has their stop apart from Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. We did not stay in Danang but chose to stay at Hoi An instead (river township), about 40 minutes drive from Danang. The distance is not very far but due to stringent speed limits, cars do not exceed 60 kph!! For city folks who are rushing all the time, the ride was a crawl!

The 4 star hotel we stayed for entire stay. Notice me the 4th star?

We stayed at Hoi An Pacific Hotel which is situated along side the river. Strategically located along the main street where food & souvenir shops are aplenty. Daily, we just stroll along the main road in search for food. Our first meal upon arrival was just next to the hotel. A simple and tasty local beef noodle soup - Pho. (photo on left)

Beef noodle....simple yet tasty.

 I like that the food here are all harvested & made locally. Natural and full of flavour & healthy too. In Hoi An, we visited the Lantern road, had a river boat ride and relish their local cuisine both in restaurants and shops. We also stopped by at the bridge built by the Japanese way back then..1900's

Strangely, in Hoi An, almost all the entrepreneurs use a portion of their house to conduct their business, either F&B, souvenirs, etc and live at the back portion or upstairs. Now, that is what I call, SOHO - small office, home office! 

lantern road, many different types of lantern, Hoi An

Japanese made bridge behind me. Hoi An

Marble mountain, Danang.

Danang is shopping haven but not the kind of shopping we were looking for. So we spent more time at cafes watching the world go by along the coast but we did visit 1 mall. We also visited the marble mountain, a private beach, museum & also to savour the Pho 24 beef noodle that we had the last time we were in Ho Chi Minh City. We were 'tricked' into thinking that the climb up the marble mountain would be treacherous and difficult. So we opted for the easy way out - paid 30,000 dong per person (I think) to use the bubble elevator two way ticket! Little did we know the climb was a mere 5 minutes down!! So, we rode up but walked down. Looks CAN seriously be deceiving!!!

Danang private beach, endless sandy beaches & inviting sea

Next, Hue Imperial City. Similar to Forbidden City in China but many scales smaller. Having seen the Forbidden City, Hue Imperial City was a quick walk for us. But we did have an emperor's meal that costed the 4 of us 1,000,000 dong! It was worth the money for the unique blend of food, creativity and excellent service despite the crowd.

Entrance to Hue Imperial City

We made our local ground tours in Hoi An at a fraction of the cost offered online and by the hotel. Unfortunately, all our guides speak no English but with google...we are good as long as we get to visit the sites.

All in all, a good place for relaxation & going back in time. In terms of price? Inclusive flight, accommodation and food, etc...about RM1,200 per person, so cheap yet so rewarding.

The thing that most caught my mind was this ....see pictures below : I love the simplicity and creativity.

CHARITY CONVOY TO KEDAH - 24 March 2012

Just before briefing (Subang Avenue entrance)

Rise and shine, everyone. Grouping and briefing at 8.30am at Subang Avenue entrance before charity convoy begins. Amongst the group of bikers (organiser : UN Rider), Alex & Rocker57 were the only Chinese, ahem... not forgetting yours truly. 

Alex & Rocker57

Riders missing!! Breakfast-lah

 We were escorted by traffic police outriders. I noticed that when the police reached borders between states, they switch police escorts! I thought that only happens in movies!
There must have been some 60-70 bikers and this time around I saw many brought along their wives and girlfriends. Among the bikers were a handful of lady bikers too :)
We joined the convoy until Ipoh and then bade our goodbyes and proceeded on our own ride as the entourage were going to stay overnight while we weren't. 
In Ipoh, we brought Alex to savour the unique curry mee (stone's throw away from the police station. For more info, check out previous blog). He too concur that the meal was delicious. Mind you, that was our brunch and it was only 11am!
With nothing else to do, we toyed on where to head to next....Alex suggested Tg Malim. I've never been to Tg Malim, so why not? Once we were there, its time to look for a watering hole to chillax. Where else but Yik Mun!

Apparently, this place is famed for its Pau (dumplings). So we ordered one each although we just had curry mee about an hour ago. Didn't I tell you that bikers NEVER go hungry? Its amazing I've not put on weight since I started pillion riding almost 2 years ago. You know why? Firstly, the jackets are expensive. Secondly, its so darn hot riding under the immense heat in Malaysia. Thirdly, plump people don't look so cool on bikes. So....I had to workout and at the least sustain my weight. Lucky I don't ride that often as Rocker57, else I'll have to enlist in Biggest Loser Asia!

We ordered 'kacang' pau. Rocker57 and I both thought it was crushed peanuts with sugar but alas...it was red bean pau!! Oddly, as we were about to tuck in the famous pau, the vendor apologize and took the pau back! Eh? He then explained that he had forgotten to heat them up prior to serving us....Ahhhh....
Some minutes later, the pau arrived but not piping hot like those served in Chinese Dim Sum restaurants or stalls. It was warm. Verdict? Nothing great, just another pau that I can get from roadside stalls. But perhaps, it is something else for the Tg Malim folks.
Well or well...to each its own. Anyway, I can pride myself in having rode to Tg Malim and eaten their so-called famous Tg Malim Pau.
Incidentally, Yik Mun is a corner shoplot located at a big junction just across an Indian temple. No GPS so not longtitude and latitude only a good attitude!

Post Birthday Treat at ANDES

Andes - Aman Suria

On 21st March, 2012 I was chauffeured driven by my good and close friend Joseph Lee & accompanied by yet another good friend Nicholas Lim for my belated birthday treat. I was brought to Andes at Aman Suria (along the main road next to Alliance Bank, I think).
It's a family-run restaurant. Cozy ambient with friendly & efficient service. The place seats 60 and does catering for functions as well. Next, I learned that Andes's owners are Ong Ai Rin & Andy Lim (former colleague & her husband's family business)
All 3 of us ~~ Jo, Nic & I are T-Rex (cannibal dinosaurs), so Joseph quickly ordered some of the house specialties ~~ FYI...this restaurant is NON HALAL....OINK OINK OINK!!! Bring it on, we'll gobble down ALL!

Chicken Mignon with choice of side servin

The Chicken Mignon comes with a choice of side servings (pasta, mash potato & something else) and choice of sauces - black pepper or cream. We opted for Aglio Oglio Spaghetti with black pepper sauce for the chicken. Cole Slaw is part of the dish. The chicken breast was wrapped in two generous pieces of bacon. The chicken was moist and cooked just right. The juicy bacon with its saltiness complemented the chicken and the peppery sauce simply completes the meat dish superbly. Good choice, Joseph! The spaghetti was cooked al dante and tasted good but me being a spicy person would like it to be a tad more spicy and then the pasta would be just right!

Before the main meal, we had to have the FIRE BALLS!!! Meaty pork balls with bird's eye chili hidden within the balls! It was a B>L>A>S>T! I relish this dish but poor Nic, had to single out the chilies as it was just too hot to handle. This dish will be great complement for drinkers. The garlic was succulent and fragrant...Nice entree to kick start the night.
Next came the pork burrrrrger....What? Pork again? Hey, we aint OINKs OINKs for nothing, eh!

Porky-lisious Burger

The bun was soft and fluffy. The pork meat patties were soft, juicy and moist. Inside the pattie, they 'stash' a generous serving of cheeeeeeeese....Eat it while its hot! The cheese oozes out and blends well with the pattie. End result..the burger melts in your mouth with minimal effort to chew....Awesome with capital "A"! Also, generous serving of fries....ahhhh....glorious food!

BBQ pork ribs - smacking finger licking good

As if this was not enough.. Joseph had to top the night wiiiith....
PORK RIBS!!!! The meat was soft, easily slip off the ribs, well marinated and cooked to perfection! The smoked BBQ sauce does the ribs justice- not an overdose of sauce like some places do. The mashed potato was creamy and potato-ish but it would have been perfect if the serving was a bit larger, likewise the coleslaw. But I guess Andy knew we couldn't finish so much as we've eaten a mountain of food as is....but in anycase...I really like the huge portion served and recommend that it is shared.... for sharing is caring :)

WOW...between the 3 of us, we lapped up the entire course squeaky clean! And to burst our seams, Jo surprised me with an entire 500gms Tiramisu cake. House desert specialty. 

fr left : Ai Rin, Nic & Jo

The cake was superb! Baked with passion and love for baking. FYI, Ai Rin bakes all the Tiramisu sold in the restaurant. According to her, more cakes will be listed soon. Check it out! The liquor in the cake gave all 3 of us a good 'kick'. We each had a piece and I had the privy to take the balance home! Yuuuuuummmy!!
After the 'tummy threatening meal'....we all had to have lime juice to 'clear' our meaty head! But I headed back for more a week later with Rocker57 and son in tow....and the restaurant was packed to the brim with weekend crowd. Best to call for reservation first. For more info, check out their Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/andes/138644212872594?ref=ts