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.

16 A Shiok Time At Swiss Dream Circus

Shiok-lah, that's how I would describe the Swiss Dream Circus. The performers put on a spectacular show. I was enthralled the moment Evgenia, the violinist and songstress, came on. Me, that emo makcik who sobs to herself dramatically when reading sad storybooks, had to dab her eyes once-twice in the middle of her performance.

The circus was all sorts of good fun and positive vibes. Hubs and I bought a bag of popcorn and water from the stalls stationed outside the entrance before going into the 4PM show. I asked the usher if we were allowed to snap photos - she replied, "Oh, yes!!" . I was excited to know that this was going to be a laidback thing with fun for everyone in mind. In case you're wondering, I did not abuse the camera privilege!

I was so caught up with the amazing acts I was seeing that video-ing and snapping pics became the last thing on my mind. I did, however, very quickly managed a few just to show off to friends and family. Lol.

It's hard for me to say which act I loved most. I just enjoyed it all. The breathtaking aerial acrobatics, the jaw dropping pole dance, the funny clown, the omg knife routine, the mesmerising diabolo spinning skills, the incredible Russian bar act - it was magical to me. In case you're keen to see the list of performers who made this show a success, I leave the link here for your convenience.

These are the few pics I snapped.
Can you get up from a split using no hands? Yurie Basiul did it flawlessly!

Yurie Basiul - Swiss Dream Circus

This is part of the knife throwing act. I was cringing in my seat, worried for the lady on the fast spinning wheel! Phew! No one was injured.

Igor and Tatiana - Swiss Dream Circus

Evgenia ended the show with a beautiful rendition of Time to Say Goodbye. Sniff. Wipe eyes.

Evgenia - Swiss Dream Circus

A look at the circus inside and out.

Swiss Dream Circus, Desa Parkcity

Spellbinding Stage Effects
Swiss Dream Circus, Desa Parkcity

Seats Getting Filled Up Quickly
Swiss Dream Circus, Desa Parkcity

There you go. That's how we spent our Sunday evening. Early next rain-fresh morning, we were blessed with a rainbow in the sky.

Rainbow in Kuala Lumpur

Oh, how I enjoyed my long weekend! Yes, it was four days off for many of us in Malaysia with two public holidays back-to-back.

20 Eats : Grandpa Lamb Noodle, Bandar Kinrara

Have you tried lamb noodles before? I haven't, not until this if I remember correctly. I knew I had to pop in for a taste when I saw the word 'grandpa' - for me, it can only mean comfort food!

Hubs and I ordered two bowls of Original Lamb Noodles (small bowl, that is, a regular sized portion) and a plate of fried dumplings. The picture speaks for itself - it is mouthwatering. I couldn't wait to slurp all that up.

Grandpa Lamb Noodles (Rice Vermicelli), Bandar Kinrara

I found the broth tremendously delicious and it brought on memories of my grandmother's cooking. She was always thorough with meal preparation. Such was the case with this bowl of noodles. The lamb meat was fall-off-the-bone tender evident of long hours of cooking, the soup has a depth of flavour that says - "Nope, not just a salt and pepper thing."

Grandpa Lamb Noodles (Flat Rice Noodles), Bandar Kinrara

Each bowl costs less than RM15. I don't remember the price exactly since we didn't save the receipt.

Fried Dumplings

The restaurant is clean and airy with a feel-good ambiance.

Grandpa Lamb Noodles Restaurant

If you're in Bandar Kinrara, this would be a good place for a meal instead of the usual hawker fare.

Grandpa Lamb Noodle
Address : 16-G, Jalan BK 5a/2c, Bandar Kinrara, 47180 Puchong, Selangor, Malaysia.
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/Grandpalamb

A little about the owners : http://www.malaysiabest.my/?p=9608

12 Eats : Thai Style Noodles at Meng Yang Restaurant Two

Hubs and I have been to this kopitiam several times. They sell an array of hawker food from char keow teow, chicken rice, curry noodles to chap fun - these are comfort food for many Malaysians.

However, it was not these local favourites that drove me to write this post. I was enamoured by the tasty Thai style noodles I tried recently and think it deserves mention. Sharing is caring, it is popularly said!

Excited us ordered a bowl of Thai Chicken Noodles and Fish Maw Noodles after seeing several banner stand displays outside. We opted for rice vermicelli when asked which noodle we preferred.

Thai Style Chicken Noodle,

I was itching to dig in as soon as the food arrived so it's a good thing that I'm very cincai with my photo-taking. Snap-snap, done! Not only did the noodles look good, it was truly delicious. The broth is smooth and tasty, a cross between lor mee and imitation shark fin soup. I found the chilli an awesome accompaniment and eagerly dabbed a generous amount onto each scoop of meat and noodles.

Thai Style Fish Maw Noodle

Hubs and I were thrilled when we saw two boiled quail eggs in our bowl of fish maw noodles. One for you, one for me, so it goes. I have always preferred this over chicken eggs - I believe it's yummier, a personal taste thing. 

Thai Style Fish Maw Noodle with Quail Eggs

This is the stall - located inside the corner shoplot, near the back.

Thai Noodle Stall at Restoran Meng Yang Two

Since we've been here more than once, here are pics of the other food we've tried. There's chee cheong fun (top-right), prawn noodles (bottom-right) and a plain bowl of pork soup (bottom-left).

Restoran Meng Yang Two

Restoran Meng Yang Two
Address: No. 2, 2A, 6 and 8, Jalan Teknologi 3/6C, Seksyen 3, Taman Sains Selangor 1, Kota Damansara, 47810 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.

22 A Morning At Perdana Botanical Garden

Perdana Botanical Garden is one of my favourite spots to go for walk. It is a place that pleases the soul. There is much peace in the heart seeing well cared for flora and fauna smack in the middle of concrete-infested Kuala Lumpur.

To sit in the shade on a fine day and look upon verdure is the most perfect refreshment.

~ Jane Austen

Taman Botani Perdana, Kuala Lumpur

Parks like these are a side that balances the harshness of city life that is, over at my corner at least and more often than not, riddled with wearisome surroundings like the messiness of construction work on a new highrise or road, and the din of cars and motorbikes zooming past.

Perdana Botanical Garden Waterway

Oo ..A Topiary!

Coffee is the drug of choice for many people needing a boost of energy. Me? My fix is nature but don't be mistaken, I'm not into sporty, adventurous stuff - I just like fresh air and taking in the sights on non-treacherous grounds. Haha, no mountain climbing stuff for me!

Lovely Orchids Along The Waterway

Perdana Botanical Garden is formerly known as Lake Gardens. It was renamed in 2011 to reflect its botanical status.

The Scenic Lake at Perdana Botanical Garden
Formerly named Sydney Lake in honour of Frank Swettenham's wife

Water Fountain

On my walkabout, I saw a some really interesting trees.The one pictured below is a tree with woody brown fruits that resemble cannonballs. Although I didn't see any of it on this visit, I managed to snap its flower.

A Flower of the Cannonball Tree

The Cannonball Tree

This, funnily, is called the Sausage Tree.

The Poisonous African Sausage

The Sausage Tree

Did you know that Perdana Botanical Garden is also equipped with an open-air concert venue? I didn't until this visit! Panggung Anniversari is a neat spot for events, as you can see.

Panggung Anniversari

Water Feature in front of Panggung Anniversari

Guess what else we discovered? At the end of the route beyond the lake is a tunnel leading to the back of Muzium Negara , our National Museum. Hubs and I did not venture any further than a few metres away from the tunnel since we were really sweaty by then. We decided to walk back. 

Tunnel to Muzium Negara

You would think that my many visits to this park would have had me going 'same old, same old' but to tell you the truth I am still amazed by the place and find that there's still so much to explore.

My previous posts on this beautiful garden.

1) Kuala Lumpur : Perdana Botanical Garden's Sunken Paradise
2) Saying Goodbye To The Deer Park In Perdana Botanical Garden

20 Eats : Restoran Triple 5, Bandar Kinrara

Bandar Kinrara quickly turned into our hang-out for food after we became enamoured with the wide range of kuih offered at one of the stalls outside Restoran Triple 5. Local favourites like chicken rice, appam and home-cooked Indian food besides the usual hawker noodle offerings are also sold at the same kopitiam.

Restoran Triple 5, Bandar Kinrara

These pictures were taken from a series of visits over several weekends. It's not that I ate so much in one day, haha!

The kuih stall opens from 3.30PM onwards. I have great love for Hakka Hee Pan obviously but so far I've only ever had the plain ones. It was my first time trying those with filling - one with mung bean and the other, sweet crushed peanuts. Tasty!

It slipped my mind to snap a picture of the kuih stall which sells a good selection of baked goods and sticky cakes but I will one day, and update it here.

Top and Bottom-Left : Hakka Hee Pan
Bottom-Right : White Sugar Cake, Seri Muka Kuih, Sweet Potato Sticky Layer Cake, Fried Nian Gao

The chicken rice stall offers a variety of dishes that are familiar to many Malaysians - braised pig ears, kiam chye boey (spicy, sour mustard greens), braised duck, chicken curry, tofu and boiled egg. The stall was open from brunch 'til evening. I have no idea how early the seller starts his business since I have only ever come here nearing lunch hour.

Kiam Chye Boey, Chicken Curry, Braised Duck, Braised Pig Ears

In The Pot - Kiam Chye Boey, Braised Egg and Tofu

Indian food is sold at one corner, economy rice style. It is mouthwatering stuff. I noticed that they had appam too but upon enquiring, we found out that this is sold only in the early morning and from 5PM onwards. Lunch is about its lip-smacking rice meal. For school kids, a rice meal with one veggie and one meat is priced at RM5.50 flat under the 'student package'.

Restoran 555 Indian Food

We couldn't resist ordering a pandan waffle to try. This made a nice tea treat for us. That's what I like about this clean and airy kopitiam - they seem to open the whole day and there's always enough food to choose from! I don't have to worry about walking in for late lunch or early dinner - there's always something to eat.

Restoran 555 Pandan Waffle

Across the road, is a cendol (coconut milk, palm sugar iced dessert) food truck. We popped by to quench our thirst after a particularly hot afternoon. How satisfying it was to sit under the shade of a tree and enjoy the scenery.

Cendol

Finally, here are a couple pictures of what the places look like.

Left: Restoran Triple 5, Bandar Kinrara
Right: Cendol Food Truck

Does this restaurant name remind you of our 555 note books? I used to write my marketing list in those!

Restoran Triple 5
(Corner shoplot facing SMK Seksyen 4 Bandar Kinrara school)
Address: Jalan BK 5a/1, Bandar Kinrara 5, 47180 Puchong, Selangor, Malaysia.

17 Ipoh : Lost World Of Tambun, Theme Park Pt.2

"Welcome to Tin Valley!  " my aunt hilariously mimicked a tour guide.

Welcome to Lost World of Tambun's Tin Valley!

Tin Valley is part of the Lost World of Tambun, a theme park which I had blogged about halfway due to space constraints:  Ipoh : Lost World Of Tambun, Theme Park Pt.1 . This place takes us back to the booming era of Ipoh's tin mining industry. We were given an opportunity to try our hand at how it's done traditionally here. We had to swirl the soil with water in a dulang (round tray) until tin particles could be seen. Phew, this was not an easy task but on a brighter note, it's great arm-slimming exercise!

Panning For Tin Ore

Further down the path, we saw life-sized elephant sculptures which we could climb up to for photographs. It is said that a pet elephant named Larut played a significant role in Perak's tin mining history - the owner having discovered rich deposits of tin after finding his lost pet covered with some of it.

On The Way To Tin Valley and Adventures At
Bottom right: Needle of Tambun aka Pencil Rock

The view from this spot is stunning and the greenery is what my grandma would say, "Good for the eyes." That tall slim rock in the background is called 'Needle of Tambun ' or 'Pencil Rock '.

Needle of Tambun (View From Swan Lake)

It was already noon when we stepped into Tin Valley. Our stomachs were growling so we popped into Dulang Tea House for food. It's a beautiful kopitiam built under a rock formation of limestone hills. The ambiance is a nostalgic feel of Ipoh's past. The food listed on the menu is said to be a popular choice of tin miners back in the day.

Lost World of Tambun Dulang Tea House

Chiak hami arh, aunty?

Empty tummies do not make wise decisions. We over-ordered but was saved by the waitress who advised us that the portion would be too much for us to take on. She was right. Thank God for good people. 

Kopitiam Favourites

Half Boiled Egg

Love trying something new ..or old, in this case? This rock hard bread is called Biskut Lutut. Not advisable for anyone with false or loose teeth. I was tempted to swing this bread around like a weapon. Best enjoyed softened in coffee.

Biskut Lutut

Well, that's about it on our walkabout in the Tin Valley. It was a fun place to be and I'm missing the food already.

I'll be back with Pt. 3 to share about our adventures at the Petting Zoo. Such a long cerita (story) just for the Lost World of Tambun, right?

Sunway Lost World Of Tambun
Address: 1, Persiaran Lagun Sunway, Sunway City, 31150 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
Telephone: +6 05-540 8888
Closed every Tuesday, except on Malaysian school and public holidays.