16 Ipoh : Lost World Hotel

Out of Kampar and into the Lost World of Tambun. We purchased a two-night stay at Matta Fair promotional rates. It was around RM300 per night for an Executive Suite at Lost World Hotel , with extra bed inclusive of buffet breakfast for three and entrance to the hotsprings night park.

The four-storey hotel faces the exciting Lost World of Tambun theme park with an incredible view of lush ancient limestone hills in the background. Eight of us arrived in the afternoon to wide smiles and heartwarming welcome. As soon as we parked our car, the concierge rolled the luggage carrier over. The hospitality is amazing and check in was quick!

This is the lobby, decorated with out-of-this-world blue circular sofas. I was so attracted to the UFO-styled sofas that I started googling for where to buy this. When I began envisioning how it would fit into our small apartment, it hit me that, "Oi! Comfy meh? ". I mean what was I going to do with it - curl myself around the thing to watch TV? Lol.

Lost World Hotel Check-In Counter

Lost World Hotel's Cute UFO Sofas

We were most excited to see the spaciousness of the room. It was like walking into an apartment. Two toilets, two TVs, a huge living room with a proper fridge and a kitchen sink. Basic amenities like a hairdryer, ironing board, electric kettle, safe, it's all there. What more could we ask for.

Living Room of Executive Suite

A Proper Fridge and Kitchen Sink

The Love Bed

Two TVs? No Way!

Another Angle Of The Room

Dressing Area Next To The Bathroom

Shower Enclosure

Pictured below is the Classical Room which my aunt and cousin stayed in. Compact sized, with basic amenities included plus a minibar. No proper fridge or kitchen sink but as this was a connecting room to our executive suite, my aunt didn't miss out on a thing!

Lost World Hotel, Classical Room

FOOD
The nearest and only eatery I could see, housed within the same building of the hotel, is Papparich. Good thing we brought our own food and snacks because we're complete greedy pigs during holidays. It made for that in between meal before heading to the Night Park because all that exploring the animal kingdom, tin valley, getting our thrills on the roller coaster and swimming tired us out!

We had initially made plans for dinner in town but we each carried that face that said please-let-no-one-insist-on-it. It would cut into our rest time and since we already had an amazing whole day at the park, we were amped up for the night one too - not willing to miss the fire show! But if you insist on going out for dinner, there are places just a minute drive away.

Anyway, on to the buffet breakfast which is located across the road near the entrance of the theme park. It carries both western and asian food. We made sure to eat our fill since there was a 'no outside food allowed' rule in the theme park. Although there are plenty of food stalls inside, you never know if there's a queue that could ruin your mood and if it would burst your travel budget.

The Buffet Breakfast at Lost World Hotel, Ipoh

One last thing, Giant Supermarket is a short distance away, about 1km or more, depending which route you take. FYI, the beer counter closes at 9PM.

That's that on my stay at Lost World Hotel. Wait 'til you read about the fun stuff we did!

Lost World Hotel
Address: 1, Persiaran Lagun Sunway, Sunway City, 31150 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.
Telephone: +6 05-540 8888

18 Kampar : Chicken Biscuits And Other Stuff

I remember this biscuit very well from my childhood. It was the most delicious thing my teeth sank into. Light, crispy, addictive stuff. There is no way I'd leave Kampar without buying a few packets of 'Chicken Biscuits' home. I never hunted for these cookies in KL although there's a high possibility that it is available here - if you ask me, the feeling's just not the same. That's like buying a fridge magnet of Melaka in Pasar Seni, Kuala Lumpur but never actually visiting the place.

Anyway, after a satisfying meal of chicken curry bread at Yau Kee, we drove to CB Red Label to hunt for chicken biscuits and other local snacks.The shop was little more that a minute away. We parked at the side of the building.

The friendly shopkeeper who invited us in mentioned that they'd been around for 40years.

Why this is called 'chicken biscuit' when it contains no chicken meat remains a mystery to me. It's made with red fermented bean curd (nam yue). We purchased a few varieties - soft chicken biscuits, crunchy chicken biscuits and light & crispy chicken biscuits. Light and crispy, being my favourite, the crunchy ones were a pain to chew into and the soft one was perfect for my old dad.

CB Kampar Chicken Biscuits

CB Kampar Chicken Biscuits - Crunchy One On Top.

See? No Chicken!

We also picked up two bottles of Kampar's famous Se Woh spicy chilli sauce. "Mui yee, buy-lah. Go. Buy. Don't know when we'll be back here again." That's how it ended up in our shopping basket. This chilli sauce is the perfect thing for chicken rice and if you want a dipping sauce with oomph!

Strawberry Heong Peah? This biscuit is not made in Kampar but I found it hard to resist because it was in a flavour I had never tried. Was it yummy? Okay-lah. The original maltose flavour remains my top pick.

Se Woh Chilli, Heong Peah (Strawberry and Charcoal), The Shop Address

So there you go, these were the stuff we bought with plans to gobble some up during our vacation in Tambun Lost World. Nothing of the sort happened since I brought many little packets of nuts to snack on, instant noodles and chips. There's no chance of your tummy ever going 'kruuUuk, kruuk' if you travel with me. Lol.

Below is the address of their branch in Gopeng. According to the shopkeeper, this one's bigger and is a good rest area for travelers and tourists.

CB Red Label, Gopeng

14 GE14 : Election Rush

Although more than a month has passed since Malaysia's 14th General election, the day is still fresh in my mind. Hubs and I woke up early and was at the polling centre by 7.30am. There were tents along the road with people passing out tissue to voters.

It was a cheerful occasion. We made top 10 in the queue. I walked into the classroom and everyone was so smiley. Yup, ours was in a school. "Good morning!" we greeted one another. I stood back as my name and IC was read. My fingers were checked for nail polish. Moving on to the next person, I dipped my finger into the indelible ink, tissuing it dry moments after. Then, I was handed a slip of ballot paper. I marked it in secrecy behind a booth, folded it and put it into the box in the middle of the room. It was over in minutes.

Malaysia GE14 Queue

I had updated my address directly at the SPR office in Kepong over a decade ago so I needn't fly back to my hometown to vote. If I hadn't, I'd be one of those rushing to purchase flight tickets home, keeping my fingers crossed that it'd be cheap and there'd be seats available. Could have easily been a boo-hoo sob-sob situation for me in many ways.

Anyway, I'm glad I did as the election scene in Kuala Lumpur is pretty exciting. There were many eateries offering free breakfast and drinks to voters. Some gave discounts. There are even shops offering free services for the day. So many incentives to do our duty but really, wanting a better Malaysia should be motivation enough.

We were blessed with a free packet of nasi lemak and a cup of teh tarik when we popped into Plan B, Publika for breakfast. Not really expecting anything, we had already ordered bagel and eggs. So it was a pleasant surprise when they placed it on our table seeing that we had already voted - our inked finger being the proof.

Plan B - Nasi Lemak for GE14

Plan B - Bagel and Eggs

That night, we stayed up late to catch the results. We weren't alone. Friends and family whatsapped my phone with continuous updates but then it slowed to almost nothing all of a sudden. The results stopped coming in and it frustrated many Malaysians - we knew that something not bersih  was going on!

It was a historical moment for us as news spread that the opposition had pulled off a shocking election win.

Many were glued to the TV the next day awaiting the swearing in of a new Prime Minister, with as many discussing how to remove the indelible ink from their finger online. The ink started out light purple for us and was almost a dark dirty brown by the time we reached home. My friend Kathy had the answer - clorox.

Stained Index Finger - Indelible Ink GE14

Patriotism demands the ability to feel shame as much as to feel pride.

We should be proud of our country when we have done something to be proud of,

when we have lived up to our own standards.

But the flip side of genuine pride is being able to recognize when we have fallen short,

and to hold ourselves to account.

~ Anne-Marie Slaughter

16 Kampar : Yau Kee Restaurant's Chicken Curry Bread

Some call it 'Golden Pillow Bread', some call it 'Jumbo Curry Bun'. A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, a chicken curry bun by any other name would taste as delicious.

Continuing from my previous post on Kampar, where we quenched our thirst on a refreshing tall iced drink - The six of us decided on light lunch after that huge drink. Just a short distance away, is Yau Kee Restaurant, an eatery famous for their curry chicken buns. My cousin mentioned that they sell mutton curry buns too. I would have loved trying that one but there's only so much that my tummy can fit in. Haha!

Surprisingly, jumbo chicken curry buns are a thing in Kampar. Googling for food to try here, I found four places selling it. Besides Yau Kee, there's Kam Ling Restaurant, Jia Kampar and CB Kampar.

Yau Kee Restaurant, Kampar - Chicken Curry Bread

We sat in the air-con area and ordered one to try along with other dishes. Food was served quickly. We counted our blessings that we had stepped in here just before 12PM. A couple of buses stopped in front and soon the restaurant was filled with tourists!

Chicken Curry Bread For The Tourists!

The fried mantou and braised pork belly (pictured below) was pretty delicious but no match for the large curry bread, excitement-wise.

Yau Kee Restaurant, Kampar

Just before serving, the top of the bread is brushed with melted butter. The waitress alerted us to get our cameras ready if we were keen to snap pics of the bread being cut open, which we were. Lol, 'tourist' - I point at myself.

Chicken Curry Bread
Yau Kee Restaurant, Kampar

We dug in excitedly, tearing the bread off the sides and dipped it into the curry. The texture, taste and aroma is reminiscent of bread made in the olden days. It was so satisfying to eat. The chicken curry is a delicious match! 

After that yummy lunch, we made our way to CB Kampar, a local snack shop located just a street away. But this is a story for another day, another blog post ;)
 
Restoran Yau Kee
Address: 55 & 57, Jalan Idris, Kampung Masjid, 31900 Kampar, Negeri Perak, Malaysia.
Hours: Closes 10PM
Telephone: +6 05 - 465 1738

21 Happy Dumpling Festival!

Dumpling Day is here and typical me purchased a few to savour. I like joining in the fun! I do the same for Mooncake Day and have my tang yuans on Winter Solstice Festival.

I got these rice dumplings from a roadside stall at Restoran DU Cafe, Dataran Sunway. This uncle sells local kuih and cakes but on this particular weekend, his table was loaded with bak changs and nothing else.  

Roadside Stall at Restoran DU Cafe, Dataran Sunway

There are several varieties of sticky rice dumplings out there ranging from sweet to savoury - my favourite is those with meat filling, like the one pictured below.

Sticky Rice Dumpling

Rice Dumpling with Meat and Bean Filling

I don't think I've ever tasted a bak chang I didn't like so I'm warning you now - I should be the last person you think of to ask for an opinion on where to get the best. Haha!

We are like dumplings. We have different ingredients in us. That's what makes us a dumpling. That's what makes us unique - Ryan Hu

Happy Dumpling Day!

12 Kampar : The Very Tall Ice Blended Drinks

It's been a couple of years since mum's passing. My dad, now in his mid-seventies, told me that at first it felt like this loss was his alone. It took awhile but one day it hit him that many people around us have lost their loved ones too. Seeing them pick their lives up gave my dad the strength to keep going.

My brother has been encouraging dad to visit his hometown for the longest time. Dad upped and left the sleepy town of Kampar for East Malaysia in his early twenties, got married and stayed put.

He hasn't seen our Kampar relatives for many years. Anyway, he hadn't been ready until last month when I asked him if he'd like to join the lot of us on a trip to Lost World of Tambun. Us, being my aunt and cousins. When he said yes, I arranged for a short stop there. That's how we ended up savouring Kampar's yummiest food.

The first thing we did when we arrived was quench our thirst with tall ice blended drinks at Pusat Penjaja Kampar aka Medan Selera Kampar (along Jalan Masjid), Stall 25.  

We ordered mango and dragonfruit.

Ice Blended Mango, Medan Selera Kampar

"No sugar," added my aunt.

"Cannot, cannot! It won't turn out," argued the fierce lady taking our order. She explained that without it, the drink will not hold as high.

"Okaylah, okaylah. Less sugar!" we convinced her with many smiles. She warmed up to us and was soon cracking a few jokes with our gang.

It was hard to resist snapping a lot of photos for this one. I'd never seen a drink so tall. The ice was melting at a pace we could keep up. Also, all we had to do was quickly eat until the top of the glass and then we could take our time. 

The sweetness was perfect and the taste of fresh fruit was there. Our gang gave it a thumbs up!

Ice Blended Dragonfruit, Medan Selera Kampar

I read that this place closes in the afternoon so we made sure we were there by 11.30am.

Stall 25, Medan Selera Kampar

Pusat Penjaja Kampar (Kampar Hawker Centre)

Have you had any drinks as tall as this in Malaysia? Let me know so that I can add it to my growing list of places to eat!