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<title><![CDATA[Abdullah's FotoPage -  - Fotopages.com]]></title>
<link>http://bangdolah.fotopages.com/</link>
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<pubDate>Wed, 16 Dec 2009 14:03:02 GMT</pubDate>
<lastBuildDate>Wed, 16 Dec 2009 14:03:02 GMT</lastBuildDate>

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<title><![CDATA[RAYA IDULFITRI D DURIAN TAWAR]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Saturday, waited for eldest son Sharir to come to the house in Selayang because we are going back to Kampung together. Left house about 12 pm and reached Kg Durian Tawar almost 2 1/2 hours later, there was only staggered traffic jam along the way. Along the way bought some lemang at RM 8 a piece assuming that Sunday would be declared Hari Raya..and we were right!

Me and son and my brother went to the blue mosque at Kg Jelam for the Idulfitri prayer and there were about 150 people in the mosque. We stayed for a small feast at the mosque and enjoyed the delicious rendang daging and lemang. My brother made several telephone calls to prioritize the ziarah to avoid going to empty houses...

First stop was Bukit Tajau near Maran where my eldest brother lived and we reached there at about 11 am and enjoyed some kuih raya, lemang and rendang biri-biri (lamb). From BT we proceed to Jengka Pusat to my cousin's house and his son was waiting at the roadside to lead us to the house...I could not remember the way, been there more than 20 years ago. There were plenty of old stories exchanged betwen us...more so because this was my brother first visit! We stayed for lunch and eventually left the house to Jengka 23 to visit my cousin's elder brother...but he was away in Temerloh apparently seeking medical treatment for a clumsy fall the night before. But his children were there at the house to pass the information.

Then we proceed to Sg Nerek to visit my eldest sister who had just been discharged from the Hospital for low blood pressure and low sugar content, she fainted malam raya.
Like always my sister house was full of food because her daughter liked to cook..but we ate the satay and rice! There was also buah nangka and salak from their fruits orchard. We left about 6 pm and decided not to stop at my cousin Ustaz house as it was nearly Magrib and we have to rush home. This outing on the first day of raya measured 165 km...

Second Hari Raya started with a fish casting activities in the Sg Pahang and managed to get only four small fish as the water was too shallow. Visitors started to come from 11 am and only subsided at about 4 pm. Many of my relatives came to see my father who has lost his appetite to eat but had carried on fasting the whole month of Ramadan. According to my 92 year old father he did not feel hungry even though he eat very little..Praise Allah swt. At 4.30 pm we went to visit two other cousin's house in Lebak and Pangsenam and returned at 7 pm. 

In the evening we went to Temerloh Rest Hose to have steamboat dinner and the place was full with people.

The next day me and my brother returned to KL.
]]></description>
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<pubDate>Fri, 25 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[KOTA KINABALU - SHORT VISIT]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[I have always liked visiting Kota Kinabalu and just recently I was there to attend a meeting on Forest Plantation Development organized by MTIB.

The meeting was held at the Le Meridien Hotel.one of the many upmarket hotel in KK. I love the room, large and comfortable with view of the Sutera Harbour and South China Sea. Eating in Kota Kinabalu was really great with many choices…I had lunch at the Kinabalu Golf Club where I played nine holes with my friend Hj Nissanto and two other club members, I had beef mee-hun soup there. Tasted okay but the restaurant didn’t have chilli padi! The golf game ended prematurely with persistent rain in the afternoon but nevertheless I got three pars in 9 holes, that’s okay. 

In the evening me and Nissanto have dinner at the Tanjung Aru food-courts where we have varieties of sea-food like ikan-bakar, sotong, udang and ketam and only cost RM 32 for all of that!  

Next day was the important meeting that lasted about four hours. After the meeting which ended at 1.30 pm, I walked to the fish markets nearby..not sure if it was a fish market or just a fish landing facility managed by Sabah Fish Marketing Sdn Bhd (SAFMA). There were some fishing boats unloading their catch but mostly small fish! Beside the fish market there was the Philippine market..selling mostly souvenirs items, there was also the Pasar Ikan Masin for those bilis lovers and those large Kurau salted fish. Pasar Buah was also nearby…I didn’t buy anything, the Terubuk Masin was too expensive as compared to price in Satok, Kuching, Sarawak. 

I took a taxi (RM 30) to the airport at 4 pm and spent the time at the airport lounge, Well…it was just a short trip and my flight back to KLIA was at 1735 hrs….can’t wait to play golf at Nilai Spring tomorrow!

See Nilai Spring Finale at Bangdolah.blogspot.com

Eid Mubarak!!
]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sun, 16 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[4D3N Vientiane, Lao PDR]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Recently I visited Vientiane for the fourth time in four years, this time bringing along a group of entrepreneurs who were interested in the Agarwood industry. Malaysia is currently promoting the development of Agarwood industry especially in the state of Kelantan where the State Government hope to establish a so-called Agarwood Corridor by encouraging rural folks to plant Karas trees in their idle lands and backyard. Laos has approximately more than 30 million trees planted in their six provinces. One day this country will smell nicely with Agarwood aroma!

We stayed at the newly opened Malaysian owned DRose Hotel, a 44 room facility with great Malaysian hospitality. Just opened in June this year, the management were happy with our support. Located just next door to the well known Lao Plaza Hotel, DRose  Hotel provided you with bigger rooms with just half the prices...just call Mr Benny Tan the GM who resided in Taman Ampang Indah,KL. Mr Benny took care of us very well and went extra length to get the much needed golf sets for us to borrow and play!

With missions accomplished with the signing of a MOU between the two countries entrepreneurs on Friday 31 July 2009, I spent the afternoon with friends Steven Foong and Munir at the Vientiane KM6 Golf Club. The club is owned by one of the Agarwood company in Lao PDR.

We paid Lao Kip 200,000 for green fees and 80,000 for caddies and 50,000 tips after the 18 hole game.  It was a walking course with challenging holes, lots of water hazards in play,OB and thick primary rough. However our second nine play was slowed down when many golfers started to play after office, each flight would have six or more golfers and we have to wait on every hole...thats the way of life in Lao PDR...Please Dont Rush! 

My good friend Mr Bounsouane walked the course with us during the first nine..and took us back to the hotel after the game. Me and Munir went for a USD 4 foot massage before having dinner at Fatima restaurant.

Next morning the re-timed AirAsia AK613 flight gave us time to visit the Morning Market, a place like Petaling Street where China Copy Handphones were favourites amongst Malaysian. Clones of Nokia 97 and iPhones with touchscreen functions were sold at USD 70 per piece, My good friend Ismail bought 3 pieces and Borhan took 1 Apple Phone look alike.

The flight to LCCT took about 2 hours 35 minutes. Great to be home..already missed the roti canai and nasi lemak!]]></description>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://bangdolah.fotopages.com/?entry=1906739</guid>
<pubDate>Sat, 01 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[NAKHON SI THAMMARAT AND HATYAI]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Sunday 21 June 2009 dari TOL Jalan Duta Kuala lumpur saya memandu kereta ke Bukit Kayu Hitam, di utara Malaysia dan selatan Thailand. Singgah di Taiping makan kepala ikan asam pedas dan meneruskan perjalanan keBKH,  Setelah berpuas hati dengan keadaan kereta di tempat letak kereta ZON C di Duty Free Zone saya terus menemui tuan punya Gemilang Travel & Tour Service yang berpusat di Hatyai, Thailand untuk urusan imegresen. Lepas makan malam di restoren Faridah di Danuk, lauknya sup tulang, daging masak merah (lidah), sayur, ikan stim dan telur dadar itik (sedap!) kami bertolak ke Hatyai dan check-in di Novotel Centara. Pilih hotel sebab nak tengok siaran langsung Golf US Open dan F1 tapi ESPN dan STARsports tak ada, internet pun kena bayar..THB 200 sejam atau THB 500 untuk 24 jam, tak payahlah....room rate THB 1700 with breakfast. Penat memandu sejauh 500 km...baik tidur saja.

Monday 22 June 2009 kami bertolak ke Nakhorn Si Thammarat menaiki kereta sewa Chevrolet Optra 1.8A sejauh lebih 200 km tapi jalan di Selatan Thai ni okay...dua lane each way and no toll! Then pergi jumpa Presiden dan Chairman of Federation of Thailand Industries (FTI) untuk urusan meningkatkan perniagaan dua hala antara dua Negara.  Nasib baik Pemandu kereta Khun Sar adalah bekas Polis Siam..dia tahu jalan di Nakhon, senang la sikit!

Makan tengahari di sebuah retoren kecil Muslim dekat sebuah masjid di Nakhorn Si Thammarat. Kawan kita Aidakristal dari Gemilang Travel yang uruskan apa nak makan...kita manalah tahu cakap Siam! Lepas makan terus check in di Twin Lotus Hotel dekat dengan TESCO Lotus, so kalau tertinggal berus dan ubat gigi..pergi la beli kat supermarket tu! Bilik hotel lebih bagus dari Novotel Centara Hatyai, rate sekitar THB 1400 dengan breakfast! Dalam bilik ada WiFi internet, channel sports ada 5 atau 6 termasuk Golf, so tak miss la tengok final round US Open yang Lucas Clover menang, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods kalah! 

Makan malam di Nakhorn memang best...dapat cuba makanan yang berbeza, dekat 20 hidangan yang disajikan dengan dessert sekali. Pernah makan buah manggis separa masak..masih keras dan masam sedikit, tak ada kat Malaysia! Disajikan dicucuk macam satey!! Hidangan special yang lain termasuklah makan telur belangkas, salad kumbang, salad semut api..dll. ada live band lagi tapi lagu Siam la!

Apa nak buat di Nakhorn Si Thammarat? Tak menarik..tak ada apa-apa pun kat Bandar ni, kena pergi ke Pantai untuk santai..lainlah penganut ugama Budha banyak la Wat2 untuk dilawati...saya pun gi jugak tengok satu Wat, dia orang kata menara yang dibuat dari emas dan intan belian tu tak ada bayang2...entahlah malas nak comment! 

23 June 2009 return to Hatyai from Nakhorn, sampai petang dan check-in di Lee Gardens Hotel, harga bilik dah turn 30% sebab H1N1...actually bilik hotel di Thailand dah turun harga 30-40% sebab tourism kurang! YES..pergi foot massage dulu, kena THB 250 ada jugak tempat yang offer THB 199..suka hati la nak yang mana, ada lebih 50 tempat massage kaki! Makan malam ? YES..must try Kengsom atau asam pedas kat sini.

24 June 2009 pergi pasar beli kain ela untuk baju kurung isteri nak raya, lepas tu beli beras pulut, buah gajus, pisang salai, tomyam paste,serbuk lada dll. Makan tengahari di Danuk dan keluar dari Thailand jam 3 petang, start kereta...pasang musik,,lagu Ebiet G Gade..Berita dari kawan...perjalanan ini terasa sangat menyakitkan ..sayang kau tak duduk disampingku kawan...500km wah jauhnya KL!


]]></description>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://bangdolah.fotopages.com/?entry=1886271</guid>
<pubDate>Sat, 27 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[South America Trip]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay in December 2008

Buenos Aires 7-9 Dec

My 3rd trip to South America! I was sent there by my office in 2005 and 2006 and now in 2008 I am in Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay for the Samba and Tango night classes ! Seriously South America is just like home...hot and dry with lots of tropical fruits to eat and Guarana to replace Tongkat Ali ! In 2005 I visited Argentina, Brazil and Chile and this time around I will be visiting Uruguay instead of Chile and second visit to Argentina and Brazil...

I arrived in Buenos Aires Argentina late afternoon on Sunday 7 December 2008 after about 29 hours of journey. Departed KLIA about 1 am on Sunday and arrived on the same day...at 3.45 pm, how amazing! Took a taxi and put up at the Dazzler Tower Hotel near Florida Street, BA.  Dinner at McDonald and slept early!

Monday was a holiday in Argentina so no much activities in the city. A friend Mr Ernesto Fernandez took me to meet a custom made furniture maker, Michael..an Italian and then spent  about 1 hour in his office. Talked golf a little bit with Michael and he brought me to the Buenos Aires Golf and Country Club where Tiger Woods and David Duval competed in the World Golf Championship for lunch..I bought a T-shirt to wear and play in Malaysia! We had lunch at the club and ordered Salmon..what else can I eat!
Tuesday...rejuvenated and full of energy and completed six business meetings at the Argentina Chamber of Commerce office for South East Asia.  In the evening I met them again at a dinner hosted by me...eat my second Salmon for the day! 

Sao Paulo, Belem and Curitiba 10-15 Dec

Early wake up call to catch a flight to Sao Paulo, Brazil and arrive there after 2 hours flight..I felt hungry because I was unable to take the in-flight meal. I purposely let a vacuum in my stomach because I am going to the Brazilian barbeques for dinner! Mr Khairul..the Malaysian Trade Commissioner in Sao Paulo took me to the restaurant and I was having a great time..savouring the Japanese and Brazilian dishes! Brazilian beef grilled meat were the best. 

Next morning I took the early morning flight to Belem about 700 km from Sao Paulo where Mr Alex (Brazilian) was waiting at the airport. I took  buffet lunch at the riverside restaurant and went straight to the  Grand Continental Hotel, the newest hotel in town. Belem is located at the mouth of the Amazon river! When I was here in 2005, it was a quick visit and didn’t see the town.

Belem is the central activity for tropical timber distribution, the reason why I was sent to South America. I visited three woodworking mills and met with several logistics provider in case some procurement contract could be established. There were some night activities in Belem for the braves and the non-sleepy because night activities only start at 12 midnight...until 5 am! I went to see the Brazilian Beatles band...and they were good. I went back to the hotel at 2 am. 

After three days in Belem I flew to Sao Paulo again to catch a flight to Curitiba and check-in at the Grand Continental Hotel and in the evening met with Mr Tadeu who will bring me to his factory the next morning. The factory is located 230 km from Curitiba and we drove by car, its the Nissan x-trail equivalent. It was a very nice trip..and the factory visit was really worth it, very well organized operation and manufactured Pine timber for export market.

Montevideo 16-20 Dec

The next day I flew to Sao Paulo again for the connecting flight to Montevideo, Uruguay and it was just a short flight. I spent four days in Montevideo meeting with Government Ministries, Timber Associations and Timber Companies. Uruguay is interested to sell their Eucalyptus timber and this timber is widely used in the production of outdoor furniture. 

Montevideo celebrated its 100 years anniversary of it town council and the city was alive day and night with fireworks display and the parade and music everywhere! I stayed at the Four Points Hotel which is located at the central area and very close to shopping areas..at the hotel doorsteps actually! But the great attraction was the Casino...and after a few nights of observations..I concluded that, its true, nobody wins at the casino! When there were 7 or 8 people betting at the roulette table hardly 3 of them got anything back! My friend won RM 600 the first night but lost the other two nights...how much ? He only said more than 2K.  Anyway, there was this Korean restaurant near the Casino and every night we eat there because they served very good grilled fish..looked like Trout! 
Me and my friends managed to play 2 rounds of golf at the Montevideo Golf Club and the Del Cerro Golf Club...no lady caddies here but tough men who spoke very little English! In Malaysia we have the luxury of choosing lady caddies from Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia...and they would go all the way to seduce you and pampered you just to get those extra tips...

Buenos Aires 20-21 Dec

The next stop was Buenos Aires, Argentina while waiting for the flight home and I spent whatever Pesos and Real at Florida Street ! Of course we went to the Casino again..in BA the Casino is a converted ship and as usual everybody lost money! 
Time to go home and prepare for the 29 hours journey! Departing 21 Dec and arrived KLIA 23 Dec !
]]></description>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://bangdolah.fotopages.com/?entry=1845348</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 07 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[New Delhi, India]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[In October 2008, I was in New Delhi for a few days following a delegation from Malaysia attending the Asian Global Shipping Conference. We stayed at the Le Meridien Hotel, New Delhi for about RM 950 per night.  All good hotels are very expensive for security reason!

I visited the Babu Markets where the textiles and Sari's were sold. I am not really into this textile thing but they said all those textiles sold in Dubai originated from India, so buying in India was very much cheaper than Dubai. I ended up buying half a dozen materials for my wife...

My friends visited the Taj Mahal and Agra but I opted for a visit to the Asian Tour Hero Honda Indian Open at the Delhi Golf Club. I have to catch a flight home that evening. I followed our Malaysian golfers Airil Rizman and Iain Steel for a few holes before switching  to Jyoti Randawa and Chapchai Nirat for a few more holes. I went back to the hotel at 3 pm to rest before going to the airport.
]]></description>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://bangdolah.fotopages.com/?entry=1826641</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 08 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Temerloh, my home town]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Durian Tawar, my home village

Once a month, I drove from KL to Temerloh, Pahang to visit my father. He used to be an active guy but age is catching up with him. Now he can hardly see beyond 5 feet and I have to speak louder when engaged in a conversation with him. Born in 1918, he is amongst the very few in my village to live beyond 90 years. My last trip was last week and I was in time to pick-up some rambutans and manggis and went fishing with my younger brother who also lived in KL. We managed to catch some fish and river prawns by casting net in Sungai Pahang. As it was raining quite frequently in Temerloh, the water level was quite high and the water was very muddy and yellowish, so I guess fish and prawn can’t see too well either ! My office mates and my neighbours will have some free rambutans and manggis this week…Selamat berpuasa!
 8-) ]]></description>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://bangdolah.fotopages.com/?entry=1659668</guid>
<pubDate>Sat, 16 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Phnom Penh (Feb 17-20 and March 16-20 2008)]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Cambodia, Phnom Penh (17-20 Feb 2008) & (16-20 March 2008)

Work took me to Cambodia in February and March 2008. Both times from KLIA using Malaysian Airlines and flight time was 1 hour 50 minutes. I was impressed with the new airport, much better than Vientiane and Yangon airports and perhaps similar in size and facilities to Saigon airport.  The airport is managed by a French company. So welcome to Khmer country…

The taxi charged USD 9 for one way trip to the hotel, most drivers do not give you back the change when you give them USD 10, that USD 1 can give you a glass of Teh Tarik at Mamak Corner. We arrived at Asia Hotel in 20 minutes. A standard room is USD 25 and bigger rooms at USD 40 per night. At the ground floor of Asia Hotel there is a Malaysian operated KFC just opened in March 2008. I moved hotel the next day as the hotel was too noisy at night.  I stayed at Asia Palace Hotel, new and clean and just across the road, 50 meters away. Malaysia Airlines office is just a stone throw away. 

During the next two days in Phnom Penh, met a lot of Malaysian friends who were working in Phnom Penh.  There were people in packaging business, food and beverages, oil and gas, timber, investment and tax consultants. 

During my March trip, I stayed a Holiday Villa Hotel at Movivong Boulevard, it is the main road in Phnom Penh.  I have a nice 6th floor room overlooking the Mekong river and Tonle Sap. Business meetings and industry visit took almost 2 days and I have a bit of time to explore Phnom Penh.

For sea food enthusiast, a must go place is the Tonle Bassac Restaurant where you pay USD 12 per person and enjoy yourself to a full-fledged seafood galore of fish, crabs, prawns, cuttlefish, shells, dim sums, soups, noodles, sushi and salads etc. It was so good that I ate two large prawns and 3 crabs (all grilled) plus the desserts. On the last day, I invited some friends to go there again….Compare to Malaysia, Crabs are RM 32 per kg in Kuching and in KL probably double that...

A visit to Phnom Penh is not complete if you don’t go to Killing Fields!! 
Killing Fields of Cheung Ek is situated 15 kilometers south-west of Phnom Penh and made famous by the film of the same name "Killing Field". it was a place where more than 17,000 civilians were killed and buried in mass graves; many of them transported here after detention and torture in Toul Sleng. This place is a chilling reminder of the brutalities of the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime. In the center of the area is a 17 story glass stupa which houses 8,000 skulls exhumed from mass graves. Entrance Fee is USD 2 per person. See my photos…

I also visited the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, cost USD 6 per entry. Familiar exhibits of royal costumes and ornamentals , more of the same thing if you have frequently visited royal museums elsewhere. It was nice to take photos of golden colored buildings, no activities or performance prepared for tourists.

I was having quite a difficult time looking for Muslim food in February but not any more as I uncovered more muslim cambodian restaurants.  Go to Malaysian Restaurant at Street 130 Phsarkandal District and a Cambodia Muslim Restaurant just across the road. Two other restaurants are located opposite Holiday Villa Hotel, the Malaya Café at #20Eo Street 130 and Mamak Corner at No. 17 Street 144 Sangkat Phsar Thmei 1.  Malaya Café serves daily buffet for USD 3.50 per person, nice food combo…even served Patin masak lemak and asam pedas !! Ulam and sambal belacan and udang petai…likewise Mamak Corner served you teh tarik and roti telor for USD 3 only. Holiday Villa Hotel provides you with buffet lunch at USD 10 per person…

Nothing to buy for me in Phnom Penh, I am not into jade, stones, emeralds, gems, sapphire etc. just a simple Cambodia T-shirts to bring home.  By the way, I visited the Central Market (Psah Thmei). This unique, art-deco building is a Phnom Penh landmark. Inside is a dazzling display of jewels and gold. Electronic goods, stationery, secondhand clothes and flowers are also in ample supply. (Phsar Thmei means ‘New Market’, but ‘Central Market’ has caught on in English.).

The other popular market is the Russian Market  (Psah Toul Tom Poung).  This market is of far less architectural interest but has a larger and more varied selection of souvenirs, curios and silks than the Central Market. Like the Central Market, it has a good selection of silver, gold and jewels, but also carries huge selection of curios, silks, carvings, etc. The Russian Market offers the largest selection of bootlegged VCDs, DVDs and CDs of all of the traditional markets. Most of the CD vendors are located on the south side near the southeast corner of the market. It’s also a good place to buy fabric for business and casual cloths to take to the tailor. 

Bye Khmer country….
[i]]]></description>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://bangdolah.fotopages.com/?entry=1658576</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 17 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Saigon holidays]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[17 January 2008 Saigon, Vietnam

I travel by car from Selayang to KLIA via Sg Buluh toll and highway.  Me and wife left the house at 0630hrs and reached KLIA covered parking building at 0715 and parked at level 3, ideally should park at level 2 where the connecting bridge to main terminal was located.  Went to check-in at Counter C and got seat 8E and 8F. Went to the Airport lounge (Enrich Card) for a quick snack and boarded the plane on time. For this trip  I used my ENRICH points to travel and debited 50,000 points for the trip and paid RM 786 for airport tax and administration for 2 persons.

We reached Saigon at 1055 or 0955 local time and waited for our friend Mr Saimon Lim.  He called me and arrived after 30 minutes. Saigon is now saturated with cars, MPV and SUV, besides motorbikes, scooters and bicycles.  I was in Saigon in 2002, it wasn’t this bad. Saigon has a new airport, very much better from the old one, immigration formalities was swift but luggage came out slow, almost 20 minutes after immigration clearance when the first bag came out. There was a big crowd outside the airport, relatives and friends waiting or bid good-byes to their loved ones.  If you are meeting someone, be sure to specify the exact location, use the airport pillar as each pillar has a number, I was at LG 11. Then at last my dear friend Mr. Saimon Lim arrived with our transport and we drove to city center, to a hotel in District 1 near the Van Thenh Market. The Hotel was called Thanh Long Tan Hotel or THANH LONG. T@n Hotel. At 19 - 21- 23 Truong Dinh St., Dist. 1, HCM City, Viet Nam. Tel : (848) 8.248.767. 8. 248.768 - 8.248.769. Fax : (848) 8.298.576 .. http://www.thanhlongtanhotel.com/ the rate was USD 25 including simple breakfast. I paid USD 35 for a larger room, the bathroom was clean and room tiled. 

After a quick shower, both of us rushed downstairs as our host Mr Vanh was waiting at a nearby restaurant. Both of us have vegetarian noodle while the others enjoyed the famous Vietnamese beef noodle…Mr Vanh and I have been friends for almost 5 years and this would be my third visit to Saigon city.

Then my wife and I went to the Van Thenh market, very crowded as always and full of tourists looking for handbags, wallets, t-shirts, jeans, shirts, textiles, imitation bags etc. 


18 January – Saigon walk, 

Today we moved to a more upmarket hotel called the Palace Saigon Hotel, the rate was USD 115++ including buffet breakfast. While the former hotel was more like Petaling Street environment, this hotel feels more like Bukit Bintang area…

Vietnam was famous for its beef-noodle and the noodle franchise shop was called PLO 24, you can find them everywhere. The noodle was served with fresh vegetables.  Our host Mr. Vanh (Vietnamese) accompanies us during lunch. The afternoon was spent shopping,  at nearby Van Thenh Market. This place is a heaven for shoppers, go for it…bargain and bargain until you get a fair price i.e. in your opinion of course. Shoes, handbags, luggage and textiles were the main attraction. So first outing spent about USD 50 or VND 800,000.  Vietnam Silk material were sold at USD 12 for 4 meter piece for the baju kurung. Buying was easy as many shop assistants spoke Bahasa Melayu…the salesgirls called you Sir..Madam baju kurung… cantik…murah etc. Well..one shopping session could last 2-3 hours and walked 1-2 kilometers inside the market. There were so many shops…I was pulled up by a salesgirl when we visited her shop for the third time and she shouted...Aku Cinta Kamu !


Currency in Vietnam is the Dong, the common exchange rate was 1 USD to VND 16,000 and RM 1 to VND 4,000. So USD 100 was VND 1.600 million, in Ringgit USD 100 was RM 330 and VND 1.320 million. So it was better in USD, right? 
My wife and I both purchased the local pre-paid phone card at VND 100,000 each or RM 25. Just in case we got lost or separated in the crowded market, then the local line would be handy…mine was called MobiCard SuperSim 64K and valid until May 2008. 
For dinner, we have French fries and fish burger and we roamed the Saigon District 1 roads until 11 pm, no problem, very safe to walk at night. The night scenery was beautiful…and plenty of people.

19-20 January 2008

The next two days were the same, sight seeing and shopping. We went to a local Muslim restaurant called Quan An Sulaiman at TK 25/40 Tran Hung Dao, P.Cau Kho District 1 (Tel. 8385332), taxi fare about VND 20,000 (RM 5) from Van Thenh Market.  We have Nasi Putih, Tom Yam fish ball, Telur Dadar and Udang Goreng kunyit and fruit juices, all for VND 84,000 or RM 21.  Along the main road near the restaurant, was the Thanh Duong Jamiul Islamiah Mosque at 459b Tran Hung District 1, tel. 9203325.  My wife bought a Telekung for VND 120,000 or RM 30! 

There was another Muslim restaurant, a bit upmarket a bit near Sheraton Hotel called Four Season Restaurant or Restoran Empat Musim located at SO 2 Thi Sach Street in District 1, (Tel. 8257186) at the junction of Dong du and Thi Sach. The lady who served us spoke Malay fluently and suggested Kepala Ikan Asam Pedas. It was tasty, however the price was a bit steep as we paid about VND 484,000 or RM120 for lunch….

All in all, it was a tiring and memorable holiday for us…Saigon is definitely worth a re-visit someday!
 8-)  :P ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Thu, 17 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Pangkor escapades 2007]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Pangkor Island 24-27 December 2007

We left KL by car in the early morning of 24 December 2007 for our holiday.  I have been to Pangkor Island many times and this was my wife’s third visit and each visit we stayed at different hotels or chalet. We had lunch in Lumut near the newly constructed multi-level parking complex, we managed to park our car at the ground level.  After lunch we proceeded to the jetty, bought our tickets and waited 15 minutes before boarding the ferry.

After landing at Pangkor jetty, we took a mini-bus to Teluk Nipah for RM 10. Luckily our hotel was very near to the main road. Do you want to know how  I got the hotel ? This time I searched the net and ended up with Nipah Bay Villa at Teluk Nipah. You may find it at http://pangkornipahbay.com for details.  Was the hotel nice ? For me, I have only one complain, no breakfast provided during our stay, they said the cook went back to her village..balik kampung la tu…. Anyway, there are plenty of accommodation nearby, all within walking distance, mostly chalets, such as Pangkor Indah Beach Resort at http://www.pangkorindah.com , Lyana Villa 605-685 3393, Ombak Inn, 605-9585223, Suria Beach Resort 605-6853922, Hornbill Resort 605-6852005, Palma Beach Resort http://www.palmabeachresort.com.my , Florabeach Resort http://www.florabeachresort.com , Pangkor Bay view http://www.pangkorbayview.com , Lala Chalet 605-6855112 and Mizam resort http://mizamresort.com , basically they are the same, price wise a variation of 10-15% ..some charges RM 100, others maybe RM 110 !

So, what do you do in Pangkor Island in 4 days and three nights ? For me, I jumped into the sea during low tide…and cycle around the island when I am not in the water ! That was what we did, only we used a scooter for RM 30 a day and made many trips to different parts of Pangkor. For meals, we had many meals at Teluk Nipah itself and at different shops in Pangkor town and Pasir Bogak. I enjoyed swimming and indulged in water sport activities during the day and enjoyed the grilled fish in the evening.  Grilled fish or ikan bakar was expensive… but tasty !
 8-)  $-)   :P ]]></description>
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<pubDate>Sat, 24 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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