14 The Orchid Park At Perdana Botanical Garden, Kuala Lumpur

Do you love orchids? I do, for their beautiful unique flowers and their long-lastingness. It's been a long time since Hubs and I last popped into this corner of Perdana Botanical Garden. The orchid park is located on higher ground in a quieter area where only the occasional jogger passes by. It feels like a 'secret garden' sort of place.

I remember making countless trips here in preparation for a treasure hunt. We were a team of three girls, just hitting 20, second year of college. Hopes were high. Alas, the running around was too much for one member and we lost the heart to continue as concern for her welfare hit us. Still, we had a great time and was excited by the orang utan soft toy we had earned from the hunt.

I thoroughly enjoyed my walk here this particular Sunday. There were many orchids in bloom and I could not resist snapping many photos! I wasn't the only one - there were other makciks swept away by photography therapy too.

Feast your eyes on these beautiful blooms. Identifying orchids is not as easy as I thought without a guide - Google wasn't my best buddy in this research so I have left out the names.

Pic 1 - Orchids at Perdana Botanical Garden, Orchid Park

Pic 2 - Orchids at Perdana Botanical Garden, Orchid Park

Pic 3 - Orchids at Perdana Botanical Garden, Orchid Park

Pic 4 - Orchids at Perdana Botanical Garden, Orchid Park

Pic 5 - Orchids at Perdana Botanical Garden, Orchid Park

It may not look like there are a lot of flowers from this distance.

Orchid Park, Kuala Lumpur

Let me show you a close-up. Lots of blooms, as you can see.

Pic 6 - Orchids at Perdana Botanical Garden, Orchid Park

This park has a lovely water fountain near here, which I have not shared a photo of in this post. Perhaps next time. 

Orchid Park, Kuala Lumpur

Orchid Park, Kuala Lumpur

Pic 7 - Orchids at Perdana Botanical Garden, Orchid Park

Pic 8 - Orchids at Perdana Botanical Garden, Orchid Park

Pic 9 - Orchids at Perdana Botanical Garden, Orchid Park

Pic 10 - Orchids at Perdana Botanical Garden, Orchid Park

A bit of history. Officially opened in 1986 by the wife of our current Prime Minister.

Orchid Park, Kuala Lumpur

There you go. Which orchid did you like most out of these? Pic 3 is my favourite - I love those twirls.

14 Seremban : Galeri Diraja Tuanku Ja'afar

This is one of my favourite places in Seremban; Galeri Diraja Tuanku Ja'afar, an interactive royal museum taking us into the history of Negeri Sembilan through the life of the tenth Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia.

Galeri Diraja Tuanku Ja'afar, Negeri Sembilan

Hubs and I were warmly welcomed by upbeat staff ; the museum, although quiet with an air of regalness, is a cheerful place. We had a ton of fun trying out various puzzles on large computer screens which were placed along the gallery.

Galeri Diraja Tuanku Ja'afar - The Entrance

Exploring Negeri Sembilan via a pair of headphones and a tablet, plunged me into an exciting world of old Malaysia. It almost felt like I was a part of it; like I was there. It was nice to walk through the gallery listening to the pleasant voice of Sarimah Ibrahim narrating the history on each piece of display item.

Headphones and a Tablet - An Audio Guide

Galeri Diraja Tuanku Ja'afar

The gallery is spread across 3-floors. We took the stairs although a lift is provided.

Galeri Diraja Tuanku Ja'afar

At the end of our adventure, a friendly staff stepped forward to help snap a photo of hubs and me at the entrance. Being horrible at wefies, we were happy and grateful for the assistance.

As we headed to the carpark, we noticed this building with the famed pointed roofs of Negeri Sembilan. It is an olden day architectural design that, to me, is still attractive. The building is currently unused according to the security guard. I wonder if it will be a place for traditional dance performances in future.

Galeri Diraja Tuanku Ja'afar - The Pointed Roofs of Negeri Sembilan

Tickets were priced at RM15 per adult when we were there. A little steep, I know but worth the once-in-a-lifetime visit.

Galeri DiRaja Tuanku Ja'afar
Address : Jalan Taman Bunga, 70100 Seremban, Negeri Sembilan
Telephone : 06-761 9012
Visiting Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 10am - 5pm
Closed on Mondays.
Website: www.gdtjns.com

18 Melaka : Restoran Famosa Chicken Rice Ball

It was a humid day. I was sweaty from an hour of traipsing around Jonker Walk before Hubs and I decided to lunch here. My hair protested with frizzy vengeance and there was nothing I could do about it. Hubs insisted I looked beautiful. Ahem.

The first floor of the restaurant was preserved to give us a glimpse into Melaka's heritage. That's interesting - I get to enjoy the food and then go for a walkabout. I was surprised when I got upstairs. There were several rooms set up to give us a glimpse into the culture of various communities. The wooden carving on the wall and the doors itself tell of an era of skilled woodwork.

Famosa Chicken Rice Restaurant - First Floor

In one corner was a sculpture made out of plates that had me scratching my head trying to figure out what the creator of this piece was trying to tell us. The Chinese wording on the wall made me even curiouser. Hubs showed me what it was for - I laughed.

What do you think? Do I look pretty in my Cinderella dress?

Me In My Borrowed Dress

The Famosa Chicken Rice Ball restaurant, located along Jonker Street, is a lovely place to go for yummy Melaka food. I enjoyed the lively atmosphere, friendly waitresses and watching experienced staff roll the rice into balls.

This is the food we ordered, which we were satisfied with.

Chicken Rice Ball

Here is a short video of rice being rolled into balls to give you an idea how its done.

Below are more pictures of the area in the two-storey restaurant. It is a busy place but if you come at the right time, there will be no queue and you should be able to get a table quickly.

Walking to the back, I noticed some tourists putting on the traditional costume for pictures. I believe it is free for anyone to use. It was here that I saw a staircase and ventured up to discover another world to this restaurant.

Restoran Famosa Chicken Rice
Top: Dining Area |
Bottom: The Staircase To The Upper Floor Is Pictured On The Right

It feels like a place out of a Kung Fu movie.

First Floor and Back Area

The Facade and An Olden Day Cart

There you go - another post on my Melaka trip, but I'm not done yet. There's more which will have to go into another blog post.

19 Melaka : Chop Chung Wah Hainanese Chicken Rice Ball

It was the longest queue I'd ever seen outside a kopitiam ; that made me curious. I crossed the triangular traffic island at Jonker Street to get a peek inside. Hainan Chicken Rice was written on the signboard.

"They're lining up for chicken rice balls!" I told my partner, rolling my eyes in disbelief. And that was that or so I thought.

We were up and about Jonker Walk early next morning looking for food. The skies were gloomy and it started to drizzle. Under the cover of a newly purchased tourist-priced umbrella, we scoured the quiet streets of quaint historical buildings for something to eat. We could tell we were in the wrong corner of town when it came to breakfast. Deciding to walk back, we passed Kedai Kopi Chung Wah again and this time, there wasn't a queue.

Chop Chung Wah, Melaka

It was 8am-ish. The shop had just opened. The rain was getting heavier so hubs and I made a dash for it, both agreeing that it was best to wait it out here. Only four tables were occupied with customers. We were welcomed in with a lovely smile and our order was taken - which was simply us showing a V sign with our fingers indicating we wanted food for two persons.

Whilst waiting, we watched an adorable child of not more than four years, possibly a relative of the shop owner, ambling up and down within the confines of the small building, greeting people she knew.

Two plates of rice balls and chopped kampung chicken was placed in front of us minutes later. I couldn't wait to tuck in! The chicken was tender enough and it was tasty. I almost asked for seconds but stopped myself from getting carried away.

Chop Chung Wah Kampung Chicken Rice Ball

Hubs and I enjoyed our meal in our own thoughts blissfully unaffected by the brisk activity around us that comes with the typical kopitiam style ambiance. It was cosy with us watching raindrops fall gently from the edge of the roof through an old side door that had been barred with a metal railing. The shop wasn't full so we sat awhile and enjoyed our drink.

Chop Chung Wah, Melaka

We left when the rain slowed to a drizzle. It was a yummy meal and a wonderful start to the day. We had a satisfied grin on our faces, plus a warm fuzzy feeling about the whole experience. It is another memory to be cherished.

This is what the whole place looks like coming in from the entrance.

Chop Chung Wah, Melaka

Below are photos I snapped whilst looking for a place to eat. The streets of Melaka on a chilly Monday morning.

A Morning Walk Around Jonker Street

Chop Chung Wah is located across from this traffic island.

Jonker Walk, Melaka

The 'Don't Mess With Melaka' slogan is meant to be a stern reminder for people to keep Melaka clean. We saw these banners all around Melaka's tourist spots.

Don't Mess With Melaka

Chop Chung Wah
Address : 18, Jalan Hang Jebat, 75200 Melaka.
Phone: 06-286 0121

17 Aquaria KLCC : Ok-lah!

The 'Spotted Garden Eel' is just one of the fascinating creatures you can see in Aquaria KLCC. It sways like grass against soft winds, except that this is underwater. It can live up to 20 years!

I paid RM46 for an admission ticket. It's my second visit. The first being with hubs and now, with a relative. We walked in. It was noisy with schoolchildren. I found the area too small to be accommodating large numbers of persons visiting at the same time. The place could have been better designed if it was intended for buses of people. Just saying.

My two cents out of the way, I was excited to be blessed with the opportunity see underwater creatures up close.

LionFish

We walked through a passageway lined with aquariums housing various small fish.

Aquariums Along The Corridor

The oceanarium is a glass tube tunnel with a travelator. We saw sharks, sting rays and many large sea animals swimming by. This, to me, was the best part of Aquaria.

The Oceanarium

Below are some of the other underwater creatures I saw along the way.

This Looks Like An Eel

Pot bellied seahorse?  Noooo.. what an unflattering name.

Pot Bellied Seahorse

Is anyone thinking of having Lobster Thermidor for dinner after seeing this?

Lobster

Moon Jellies

We were surprised to see a virtual piano close to the exit. My cousin, who's a musician/singer, couldn't resist trying it out. I didn't bother looking for information as to what it was for but now I wish I had! That's the thing with delayed curiosity.

Fish in a Vertical Aquarium (left), Virtual Piano (right)

There was also a little corner dedicated to plants.

Plants at the Eco Lab

I should mention that Aquaria KLCC has the bestest staff stationed around every corner. They were down-to-earth friendly and proactively helpful. Can't fault a nice smile and a good hello. 

That ends my day out with my lovely cousin. That said, where are you most likely to take visiting relatives?

14 Sekinchan : Paddy Fields Of Green

Sekinchan. A small fishing village that's a major rice producer and is famous for its scenic paddy fields.

Amazing photos of this village started appearing weeks ago through various social media sites I was subscribed to. A large expanse of green against the horizon made it seem like paradise on earth. It was magical, to me at least. As weeks flew by, the urge to visit the place soon became an itch that couldn't be ignored.

Sekinchan Paddy Fields

"Can we go? Huh, can we? Too late-lorrr ...it will be fields of mud by then." That's the gist of me trying to convince my other half that we should go before the rice plants reached harvesting stage.

A decision was made and we were off the next morning.

The journey from Kuala Lumpur took one and a half hours by car, passing several small towns. We stomached a couple of char siew baos that we had purchased along the way for breakfast. It was a fun drive with music from the 80s blasting from the radio. Google Maps navigation led us directly to the the spot. Aah ..GPS has made domestic traveling such a breeze! Soon our little car was chugging along a small road lined with rice plants left and right. There was an old kampung charm about the place.

Although I knew through several blogs that Sekinchan had much to offer in terms of sightseeing, I chose to dedicate the day to just the fields. It was a view that deserved no rushing.

A Paddy Field

Pictured below is PLS Group's paddy processing factory. It is open to public daily. Rice and other food stuff can be purchased on the spot.

Paddy Processing Factory

After a bit of photo-taking with the paddy field as my backdrop, we paid RM5 in entrance fees to get into the gallery which was located a floor up. The receipt came with a small packet of rice. Win-win, in my opinion. I saw a couple of workers packing rice through the glass window. There was a guide on hand to explain the history and process of rice planting. We opted to explore the gallery on our own.

Me, at the Paddy Field and Factory

Scarecrows and paddy harvesting equipment were some of the things displayed. It included olden day household items. The gallery was a short walk from one end to the other.

I remember using a similar straw broom in my younger days!

We exited down the stairs into a shop crowded with tourists. The tour buses left soon after and the place was quiet again. This was when I did my bit of shopping.

Souvenir Shopping

 The factory also offers a buggy ride around the area in a vintage designed open car. It's RM5 for a ticket.

Buggy Ride

This is a real factory, mind you. A paddy tractor rolled in for weighing.

Paddy Tractor

I saw this building at the back of the factory across the field. It was neat against the green. I couldn't help but feel the serenity of working here.

Paddy Factory

Sekinchan Paddy Factory

Below is a close-up of the flowering rice plant. This is what it looks like before it ripens (turns yellow) for harvesting.

A Paddy Plant At The Flowering Stage

Finally, these are all of my purchases from this outing. See that packet of rice crunch on the left? I'm addicted to it! It was made fresh in front of me; so hot off the wok that they couldn't seal the pack for me. They told us to wait until it was cool before closing it with the twist tie they gave us. 

Rice and Snacks

That ends my day trip to Sekinchan. We'll be back for 'the other stuff'.