Chiang Mai - Calm, Vibrant & Special

Chiang Mai which means the new city is one of my favourites destination. Located in the north of Thailand, the place is cool and peaceful. There are just too many attraction in this town. For nature lovers, there are dozens of waterfall, mountain,hot spring & national park ready for you to explore. My favorite must be the Doi Inthanon National park where the highest peak of thailand is located. Doi Inthanon which stands at 2650 meter above sea level provides a beautiful landscape and mountain view in its surrounding. My favorite place for shopping is the walking street located opposite of Thapae gate. You can find lots of good bargain here and some of the very affordable and fine handicraft. There are alot of good cafe,restaurant,bar & dance club around the city itself. However the best, most hip & trendy place is located on Nimmanheimin Road. This place is full of bars,dance club,cafe & restaurant. Do try the warm up cafe or monkey club. (two of the most popular clubs in town). If you are staying longer in Chiang Mai, do explore the others place around; Pai a town located about 100km from Chiang Mai is a place for nature lovers and for those who needs to relax and stay away from the bustling city life! I'll be back to Chiang Mai soon and i'll hope to discover others side of Chiang Mai. I'll be going to Pai and I'll be sipping some of the finest coffee in the world soon.

Cambodia

The country which go through several wars is indeed full of suprises! I visited this country somewhere in July 2006 with 3 of my friends. My first stop is Siem Reap a city in the northern part of cambodia. Our mission is to step our foot in angkor wat! This huge Angkor wat complex will takes you approximately 3 full days to explore. We did not but still manage to see a few of the important one! the Tha Phrom, The banyon and the major angkor wat complex! It was magnificient! It is definitely a must see when you are here! Others interesting places include the Floating village, Tonle Sap lake, cultural village, killing fields and a few more to add to the list! A very poor country from my point of view, where the average income for one person a month is around USD 50. The nightlife was a tame one indeed. however if you know where and how, you will find alots of fun. We did lucky to engaged an experienced driver which helps us alot! We have lots of fun on night and that is really fun and enjoyable! This is something that i'll remember for a very long time! Try the local food which is cheap and delicious! A meal at a side street stall for 4 person cost only USD 2.50!! We did went to Phnom Penh the capital of cambodia from Siem Reap. A very chaotic city and the traffic was in a mess! nothing much to explore here except a few sight seeing places ( Royal Palace, National Museum,Killing Fields etc.) Nightlife is vibrant with many choices to choose from; nightclubs,karaoke,disco,bar etc. Challenge yourself if you dare, nightlife kick start around midnight and continue till the early morning! I prefer the laid back and country side live style of Siem Reap! I hope to be back here in the very near future.

Surabaya-Malang-Tretes-Bromo Trip 2007

On the morning of 11 November 2007, I boarded air-asia brand new airbus with three of my friends to Surabaya,Indonesia. The 2 hour 45 minutes flight was smooth and we landed safely in sidoearjo International airport,Surabaya. The trip to hotel on the taxi takes approximately 45 minutes. Our hotel, Weta International hotel is a 3 star hotel which is quite wear off. Fortunately the rooms were okay and clean. The first day of our 4 days trip in surabaya took us to the House of sampoerna, The kembang jepun street (china town) & Surabaya newest & largest shopping- Pakuwon supermall. On the second day of our travel we went to the Kebun Binatang surabaya (zoo), the submarine monument, Surabaya oldest shopping mall- Plaza surabaya, Plaza Tunjungan-Surabaya most crowded shopping mall & Surabaya very own Tanggulangin which is an area for leather industry. lots of good bargain for leather products. I bought two pairs or leather shoe, one wallet & one ladies handbag. The night was quiet as most of the nightspot in town were close for the Muslim fasting month. We manage to have some fun watching tv and drinking in our hotel rooms. The next day we are on our way to Surabaya most famous place-Gunung Bromo. Bromo is a still active volcano and last exploded in 2004. The journey to bromo took us to tretes ( a weekend retreat for Surabaya folk to unwind their past time and relax). next stop is malang- an area similar to our malaysia very own cameron highlands. We visited the Kusuma Agro wisata which is an area for strawberry & apple plantation. I have my first chance to pick up an apple myself. the experience is a memorable one. The air in this area was so cooling and we enjoy our time here. I wonder how great it would if we can stay overnight here. However we still need to reach bromo by midnight. So maybe the next time! We reach the base camp of bromo around 12.30am. We immediately surrounded by a group of men trying to sell us the infamous bromo hat,gloves and scarf. I bought a few piece as souvenir. We rent a small room for a short nap as we need to board a jeep to Penanjakan view point where we can view the breath taking and magnificent sunrise of bromo. Not to our disappointment, the view was indeed a memorable one. By far the best sunrise I have seen in my life yet! We reach the foothill of bromo around 6.30 a.m. and a further 30 minutes walk or a 10 minutes horse ride will take you to the staircase to heaven(252 steps before you reach the top of bromo) At last we step our foot on bromo! It's really worth a visit and you will only believe what i said once you are here! it's just too much to say about bromo! we leave bromo with a heavy heart and head back to Surabaya. To spend our last few hours in Surabaya, we went for last minutes shopping at BG Junction-newly opened shopping Mall! I managed to bought a ring that cost me 45,000 rupiah! We reached home at night and we all agreed that the trip is nevertheless a memorable one even without the nightlife in Surabaya! We have already started to plan for the next trip-maybe Macau, Vietnam or Philippines. Travel improved my view on life and make me perhaps a better person.

Maze café@Chiang Mai, Thailand

I am glad to be at this very sophisticated café somewhere around the old city in Chiang Mai. I come to know about this place during one of my trip to Chiang Mai. The café architecture works and its interior decoration is great. Maze café have two floor of dining area with a private dining hall for those who need more private time. The ambience of the café is carefully set up by the owner. You could find some very modern couch inside the café. Food serve here is a mixture of Thai fusion food and international food. My personal favorite is the Instant noodle fried with crab. A very simple food that is so delicious. I love their coffee as it was from the local homegrown brand “Wawee”. I tried their Pan fried dory fish with orange and vinegar which I love. The smell is fantastic and the texture of the fish is cooked perfectly! This is a must visit place for me every time I am in Chiang Mai. A perfect place for dining and unwind your past time. Fee wifi service for internet lovers. Ample of parking space for those who bring their own car. The desert which I choose is the café all time best seller “Tiramissu cake”. The café is located at 12/2 boonruangrit road. A new outlet is open recently at 8/11 Nimmanhaemin road. ( the hip & trendy road in Chiang Mai)…….. Open from 8a.m. till 12 midnight daily.

Fern Forest Cafe In Chiang Mai, Thailand

My favourite cafe in Chiang Mai. Located in a secluded area inside the old city, this cafe has everything that I need. (environment, coffee, homemade cake & service) The cafe itself is an old bungalow house that has been renovated into a cafe. As the name told us, the surrounding area is full of fern forest, wild orchirds and trees. Occasionally you will hear bird sound. Very peaceful environment and for those who needs a place to chill down or relax....this must be the perfect spot! The cafe lady owner made the cake herself with the help of her very attentive cafe staff. Try the blackforest cake and the hot cappucino. You will remember the taste for a very very long time! I love this place and i've been to this place so so many times and i'll never get bored with it. as people says....you never say enough untill it is really enough! I have just one word for it "perfect"

De’Favorites cafe “A simple yet cozy café with plenty of taste and choice”

I am a food lover who has been hunting for good and tasty food throughout my free time. One of my favorite café’ is De’Favorites café which serve some of the best & valuable food in town. Located in a sub-urban area in Kepong, this simple yet cozy café’ boosted an extensive range of foods and drinks. The café signature dish & all time favorite must be the “curry chee cheong fun”. The dish is so delicious that you will never say enough to it. The curry is full of aroma and combined together with others ingredient such as “foo chuk” & “tauhu pok” the curry “chee cheong fun” is simply awesome! Try the café special sambal sauce which blend perfectly with the “chee cheong fun”The café’s owner told me that the curry paste which he prepared himself daily used a lot of herbs and not forgetting the chef special recipe. If you are not a friend of “chee cheong fun” try the curry noodles instead! It taste just as good as the curry “chee cheong fun” In order to cater the Thai food lover, the chef carefully added a new dish in its already extensive list of menu. The Thai Tom Yam Rice which the chef created just a month ago was a hit with those who loves spicy food. You have a choice of either prawn, squid or fish cook with fresh veges(long bean & lady’s finger) & the chef’s special home made tom yam paste. For those who prefer non spicy food, do try the café very own Hong Kong style vegetable with pork spare ribs. The texture of the spare ribs is perfectly cooked. According to the chef, the spare ribs is marinated overnight and cooked daily to maintain its freshness and taste.Last but not least, do try the café special Asam laksa which I believed is as good as those you can find in Penang! To wash down a hefty meal; you can choose from the extensive list of drinks in the café menu.For coffee lovers; do try the café’s special “Yin Yong” or Hainanese coffee. For those who prefer cold drinks, do try the café special Ice Glaciers range of drinks. My personal favorite is the café Ice Glaciers special “Sunrise” which is a combination of mango & vanilla. A plate of curry “ chee cheong fun”cost a mere RM 5.30 while a cup of Cold Yin Yong is priced atRM 2.50. The staff member has been very attentive and have been very polite is every little aspect. This simple yet cozy café is located in No.13, Jalan Metro Perdana Timur 2, Taman Usahawan, Kepong, Kuala Lumpur. For the exact direction to the café please call the café@ 03-6250 3983