Haji Revisit

Jamuan hari raya untuk group haji bertempat di Taman Setiawangsa. Ada beberapa yg tak dapat hadir. Jamuan dimulakan dengan bacaan doa oleh hj Samran.

Hidangan disediakan berupa roti jala kuah daging, spaghetti, nasi goreng n ayam goreng

Dessert ialah kek sendiri baked, congo bar pun sendiri baked, rojak buah, jelly buahan, air sirap soda, teh o,

Part 1

Para hajjah

Hajjah berposing

Haji pun nak jugak

Jamuan raya rumah hj Ibrahim

Day Trip - Malacca

Last Tuesday we drove to Malacca for Asam Pedas. It is prepared by cooking fish, meat or chicken in tamarind (asam) fruit juice and chili paste.

The drive from Kuala Lumpur to Malacca took 2 hours. We took Ayer Keroh exit to get to Hajah Rahmah Asam Pedas restaurant. After the toll plaza, drive for 4km to road M12. After 2km, turn right to road M107. The stall is 4.6km on the left. GPS Coordinate 2.227708, 102.299702

We reached the stall just in time  for lunch. The place is always packed with office workers and families. However we managed to get a table for 4 people. No reservation is required. Just walk in to find an empty table. A bowl of asam pedas half cut fish cost RM18 can cater for 3 people. Other than asam pedas, other local dishes such as sambal(paste) petai with bilis(anchovies), fried fish n chicken, are also served. Dessert are also available.  

Another post for Malacca trip is found here.

Air batu campur (ABC) or desiccated ice

Hajah Rahmah asam pedas

We had coconut shake for dessert at Klebang. The eatery is located along Road 5 Klebang Besar. GPS Coordinate 2.215785, 102.206728   This place is always crowded during the weekend. Being tuesday, the crowd is less. We ordered coconut shake with ice cream topping. Air batu campur (ABC) or desiccated ice was also served.

Jalan Klebang Coconut Shake

Coconut shake

Fresh coconut

Later we stop by a local mosque along Jalan Pokok Mangga for the afternoon prayers. After a short rest we drove to Mahkota Parade Shopping Mall to let our grandson play indoor since the weather was hot outside. Later we drove to Malacca Floating Mosque to view the evening sunset.

Before driving back to Kuala Lumpur, we had dinner at a Western food outlet opposite Aeon Shopping Mall.

The outlet is located on the first floor beside Api Api steamboat Restaurant at Jalan Lagenda 6. GPS Coordinate 2.215532, 102.243861

Reached home Kuala Lumpur 12.30 am

Signage found at the Floating Mosque ground

Api Api Steamboat Restaurant

Api Api Steamboat Restaurant

Billionaire Western food menu

Billionaire Western food

Billionaire Western food

Billionaire Western food - with the owner

Driving Holiday in Italy, Austria, Czech and Ireland

This trip covered five countries. 

17 days Italy, Austria, Czech Republic

5 days Ireland 

9 days UK. 

Another Europe trip to the UK, Netherland, Germany, Switzerland and France (2009) are found here.

Pilgrimage 2014 - Makkah, Arafah, Mudzalifah, Mina & Madinah

Gracious to Allah for the opportunity to perform the hajj, the fifth pillar of Islam 

The Ka'abah found in the grand mosque.
The mosque can hold as many as 1.2 million people to pray at any one time

The Five Pillars consist of:

1. Shahadah: sincerely reciting the Muslim profession of faith testifying that there is no god but Allah (the Glorified and Exalted) and Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is the Messenger of Allah (the Glorified and Exalted)
2. Salat: the performance of the five obligatory daily prayers.
3. Zakat: paying the obligatory alms (or charity) tax to benefit the poor and the needy.
4. Fasting during the month of Ramadan. 
5. Hajj: performing pilgrimage to Makkah for those who can afford financially and physically. The week of Hajj occurs during the last month of the Islamic calendar (Zulhijjah).

Bandung & Jakarta again

Another Bandung trip (the 7th visit) from 31 May to 07 Jun with friends for a 4 days stay in Bandung n 3 days in Jakarta.

Bandung & Jakarta

We took the 3pm flight on Airasia departing LCCT to Jakarta. Pak Tam's driver had been waiting for us at the airport since 2pm even though the flight was scheduled to arrive at 4pm. He arrived early to avoid the office-hours traffic. We had been using the service of Pak Tam ever since our first trip to Bandung in 2007. Pak Tam had provide us a 7 seater chauffer-driven mpv for RM180 per day which includes petrol and parking charges. 
The drive from Jakarta to Bandung took 5 hours due to the bad traffic in Jakarta. We stop-over for a brief break at the R&R along the highway. We had booked Le Vallon guesthouse a week prior to the trip using booking.com. 

Umrah April 2013

The four of us me, wife, Hazim & Humairah signed up with Alfjar Travel & Tours from 01 - 11 Apr 2013 for the Umrah package to Medinah & Makkah. The package of RM4,990 includes airfare on Malaysia Airlines, lodging and food and ziarah. We left KLIA at 11am and arrrived at Medinah International Airport at 2.30pm. There were 31 people in the group of 10 men.

Ajim n Humaira

Seoul - Winter Jan 2013

Left for Seoul on 02 Jan 2013 from Kuala Lumpur LCCT. Arrived at Incheon Airport at 4.10pm. Being winter, we had brought winter jacket since we are  expecting a very cold dry weather. We had to choose this date since it is the only free time available for our school-going kids.

Eid Celebration

Today muslim worldwide celebrate after a month-long fasting during the Ramadan month. Celebration includes morning prayers followed by visiting to relatives & friends home. Prayers starts at 830 followed by the sermon. After prayers, the family from my wife sife gathered at our grandmother home in Keramat. Lemang(rice cooked in bamboo) were served. It was normally eaten with beef or cooked in coconut milk mixed with gravies.

Mersing n Singapore

Over the weekend, me, wife and 2 kids attended a wedding in Mersing, eastern Johor state and 350km from KL. Left home at 9.30am and reach Mersing at 1.30pm. Took the North South hIghway and exited at Ayer Hitam. We stop by a pottery shop to get some Spode ceramics. Spode are branded ceramic wares sold in the UK.  Some are produced in Ayer Hitam. They are however, seconds items.

Osaka Day 6 - Packing for Home

We woke early getting ready to return to Malaysia. Yoshiko prepared breakfast for us. Akiyo left much earlier at 7 for work. We had a family photo in front of their apartment house.

Bus station location for Nishinomiya

Nishinomiya Bus Schedule

Osaka Day 5 - Nara Prefecture



The next day Sunday, we went to Nara. Before leaving, I took some time to cycle to the mountain  and back to the beach which is close to their home. The bike belongs to Akiyo father Katsuyoshi. I did not manage to cycle far since the weather was very cold.

We went to Nara with Akiyo and her mother. We left for Nara at 10am. His father left home very early to play golf. It was a 15 minutes walk from Akiyo home to the nearest station, Korean. Along the way, we stop by the river bank, home of tens of cherry trees. Unfortunately there were no cherry bloom yet. 

Akiyo home from the side access

Road biking in Nishinomiya

Osaka Day 4 - Osaka Castle & Moving to Akiyo House

Osaka Castle

Hotel Misano Osaka

As we were planning to spend the rest of our stay in Akiyo home, we only booked Misano Hotel for 3 nights and had to check out on Saturday. Akiyo arrived 10.30am as planned. We left the luggage with the hotel and went out for breakfast.

Osaka Day 3 - Umeda & Den Den Town

This is the 3rd day we were in Osaka. It was raining since last night. The hotel reception offered us umbrellas.Even though it was drizzling, but enough to get us wet. Had tepoyaki for brekkfast or rather brunch. There we always long queue for this local dish. We ordered a pack of 8 piece for yen450 with daun bawang, mayonaisse, slices of dried tuna toppings. Had them with cokes. 

We took the subway again to Yodobashi Camera Outlet in Umeda to buy perfune and watches as souvenoirs for the kids at home. The price were quite competitive compared to the rest of the outlet we visited. Umeda is only 4 station away from Namba subway station.

Osaka Day 2 - Umeda, Dotonbori

On 2nd day we went to Umeda, Osaka central transport station with connections to all over Japan. The underground train station had similar system just like the ones in London and Paris. The difficult part is that the signboard were in Japanese with litle English. So i have to ask around to buy tickets from the dispensing machine.


The walk from the hotel for Umeda took us to the Dotonbori area.  The place is a popular  area where tourist and locals hang around. The street stretches for almost a kilometer long. We stopped over at the local brand Evisu jeans outlet to take photos. A jeans itself cost Rm800, so tengok aje ler.

Osaka Day 1 - Arrival

Air ticket reservation made in Dec 2011 during Airasia sale promotion

High above the clouds

Tickets were purchased during a promotion sale early Dec at RM800 per person. The kids were not going since the timing is not right. One will be sitting for exam and the other has classes to attend.

Langkawi Island - Mountainbike Challenge

Participate in Langkawi Mountainbike Challenge  LIMBC from 16 Oct until 23 Oct. Had attracted international participation from New Zealand, Australia, USA, South Africa, Germany and many more. Drove from Kuala Lumpur and had the car parked at Kuala Perlis jetty terminal. Used the passenger ferry to take the bike across to Langkawi Island. Four of us from the office rented a motel for the 5 days event. However most of us only complete the first day challenge and skipped the rest due to fatigue.

Ferry plying Kuala Perlis & Langkawi Island