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Friday, July 31, 2015

What's in my Travel First Aid Kit?






I have received a numbers of enquiries on skin problems that occurs when one is traveling, often due to extreme change of weather, let it be bitter cold winter or prickling hot summer. I too experienced the same when I first start traveling, along the years, after a few trial and error, I find that Bio Oil helps a lot even more so during my travel. Those whom traveled with me will vouch that I am one person who hates dry skin, even back here in Malaysia, I kept a lotion close by; in every handbag, office desk, room and car. Yes, basically it is a need, a necessity, not just a product for my beauty regime (having said that, doubt not, I am pretty much vain, very vain in fact *wink*).



I thought I should share with you my “travel first aid kit” (yeah! it shows how critical it is heh). So, here’s the thing… one always thought that scare removing is its core benefit, aside from removing stretch marks of post pregnancy, wrinkled skin (face and body), dehydrated skin yadda yadda yadda. You see, during my travel, I use it as foundation on my face before applying any moisturizer or make-up, as a lip balm base, on my back (where it easily gets dry, rashes, peeling skin the most during winter) and obviously on my hand and foot (I apply a lot before going to sleep too). I have to say that it eases the “weather transition” when I return home. A definitely win!




Aside from my Bio Oil, you noticed other must-have item such as Counter Paint, Vicks and gastric meds which I carry along almost everywhere. I kid you not when I say these are my “travel first aid kit” pouch, and what’s great is that it is a D.I.Y kit which means you purchase the items you truly need, your must-have item, if tak-ada-you-sure-die-item. 



Oh yah! For those lazy few, travel-light few, simplicity few, aside from the fact that Bio Oil is able to do all of the above, it also acts as hair treatment, soothe sunburns, make-up remover, soften dry cuticle and elbows and also as a pre shave treatment (minimize the dryness and skin irritation). One product fits all kinda thingy.

Bio Oil. Don’t leave home without it *wink*.








Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Lemper, Punten, Getok and Ketiwol - Javanese Delicacies in Selangor






A history that is very new to me.



My first time attending Travel. Eat. Write Fam Trip was an overwhelming experience, this Fam Trip brought us media to Sabak Bernam and Kuala Selangor to sample the local blend of Javanese-Malay delicacies as well as to experience staying in an agricultural homestay. As much as I know there are certain districts in Selangor that are populated with Javanese and Minangs, I knew very little of their history and background, let alone their heritage, culture and customs.



Seeking for a brighter future and from being colonized by the Dutch, the Javanese or masyarakat Jawa migrated from Java, Indonesia, to Malaysia. During this period; from 1880 to 1930, the Javanese population grew and migrated from Melaka to other state such as Perak and Kedah, while majority moved to Selangor, populating areas such as Tanjung Karang, Sabak Bernam, Kuala Selangor, Kelang, Banting and Sepang. Today, their livelihoods highly depend on agriculture; paddy field, coconut farm and coffee plantation. What makes it interesting is, up until now, the Javanese in Kuala Selangor still converse in Javanese language, upholding and practicing their Javanese culture and customs. These can be clearly seen in their ceremonies and delicacies especially, traditional art such as ‘kuda kepang’, ‘silat’ and ‘gamelan’ are the few example of Javanese culture. 

The earliest Javanese settlement in Selangor was in early 1900 at Kampung Sungai Haji Dorani, in Sabak Bernam district, Selangor. And here, where the culture and custom is strongly upheld, I get to sample some of the most authentic Javanese delicacies. Proud of their heritage, we were promised unique dishes that will make our mouths water and new craving created.


Lemper
Normally served during festivities or as afternoon snack, lemper is made of glutinous rice with chicken or beef floss filling, sometimes grated coconut, it is then wrapped with coconut leaf. Some lemper in Java island is served as it is, grilled or fried.


Punten
A favourite breakfast food; nasi impit (compressed rice) served with sambal (chili paste). The different with this breakfast set is that the nasi impit is cooked with santan (coconut milk) unlike our usual nasi impit. It is also served with sardine, depending on one’s area or custom.



Getok Ubi
Made from pounded tapioca or cassava (ubi kayu) with brown sugar and grated coconut, it is one of the popular light snack in Sabak Bernam. This delicious delicacy is also popular in Singapore and readily available. A few other traditional getok that is also common in its native country is getok pisang, getok goreng, getuk lindri etc. 



Ketiwol/Tiwul
Ketiwol, tiwul, or thiwul is the staple food substitute for rice made from tapioca or cassava, similar to getok ubi. It is believed to prevent disease heartburn , stomach rumbling, and been used as staple food during the Japanese occupation.



The success of Dorani Homestay, Kampung Sungai Haji Dorani has created massive opportunities not only for the locals’ livelihood but also to highlight their exquisite heritage and culture. This great accomplishment has brought respective ministries together with Ministry of Tourism to assist in building and upgrading few new communal facilities such as the activity center for events of homestay program’s purpose, training the locals on tourism and hospitality management as well as educating them on agricultural development; a concerted effort to establish and for the betterment of the villagers, homestay and the wondrous state of Selangor.







Travel. Eat. Write Media Fam Trip is in collaboration with #TourismSelangor with #GayaTravel as media coordinator








Monday, July 27, 2015

Huskey sled. Reindeer sleigh. My Finland Trip! (Part 3)





Huskey sled.
Reindeer sleigh.
My kind of holiday.



As featured in my earlier entries here and here, the Ranua Zoo is worth the visit as it also offer a few other rides outside its compound such as Snowmobile ride, Husky sled and reindeer sleigh ride; and all these at a reasonable price. This is what I have been waiting for from this whole trip and we save the best for last keh keh keh…. (kalau tak dapat buat memang nangis meraung kalah polar bear hokkay!).

My trip highlight and plan was this :
Santa Clause Village, Husky sled and reindeer sleigh in Finland
Viking ship and Noble House in Norway
Gamla Stan and Skansen in Sweden



My so called future plan (tak tau bila) will be Aurora Borealis, Ice fishing and snowmobile ride in Iceland, Legoland in Denmark to complete my Scandi countries. Obviously I plan to do a repeat in Norway especially, to cover Bergen, do some hiking and perhaps a few of the smaller cities up north. All these depending on rejeki, in-sha-Allah.





Anyway, there’s nothing much to share except pictures… do bear in my that during the rides, one’s face can froze (beku) but it was worth it (and funny too). I also attached the price and bus timetable to help you guys plan better *smile*.


 This is the best part, wanna know how the bus stop environment looks like. Check out the below.



So, make sure you are well covered yah... we waited almost an hour for the bus and after a while it was freezing cold and sky gets dark pretty fast. Plan well!







Saturday, July 25, 2015

Jom CSR Campaign! | Pak Cik Misteri





In this Syawal month and Raya spirit, let’s contribute our share in TM’s latest “#PakcikMisteri” CSR campaign, all we need to do is to click and collect digital coins which will be transformed into virtual donations which will be collected and contributed to selected charity houses by TM as mention below.


Click on the photos, all photos are hyperlinked.


Click on the photos, all photos are hyperlinked.


Click on the photos, all photos are hyperlinked. 




Let’s do our part as Malaysian!







Friday, July 24, 2015

#TravelTips | Austria DIY Walking Tour



While preparing for my Balkan trip last year, I bumped into this amazing blog which I thought I should share, and I wish the owner would expend *hint hint*. You see, there are a few ways to reduce cost on your trip, especially the one that will cost a bomb ie traveling in Europe (for Asian especially, due to the exchange rate *bluek*).

What I normally do, aside from sourcing for cheaper flight and accommodation (this can be achieved either via couch-surfing or AirBnB, or even hijack friends/family home, muahhahahah *evil laugh*), I will source for cheap and convenient tours. The thing about me is, I like and still prefers a guide narrating to me of the places, history, culture and etc, in other words - visual impact is very important to me. Despite that we read all the stories and histories of a place, there is no way we can remember every single detail, right?! So, now, what I did was to do or take :

Free Walking Tour (where we only award via tips) or
DIY Walking Tour (self discover)

The first option will always be my priority as it is also a way for us to meet new friends and share some tips or ideas, or share some light bitch session. Keh keh keh....


As I was researching a.k.a googling, I found this site http://www.bigboytravel.com/ , I immediate fell in love with it. Below are walking tour guide from this site, how cool it that!

Big Boy Travel
Salzburg Free Walking Tour:  

(Printable Tour Map | Use Map On Phone)

Location: Old Town Salzburg (Altstadt)
Cost: Free, Self-Guided (Museum and funicular/lift costs below)
Style: Do-It-Yourself Walking Tour (Self Guided)
Start: Mirabell Palace Gardens
End: Bräustübl Beer Hall
Distance: 3.4 Miles
Time: 2.5 Hours of Walking (with attractions 5-6 hours)
Fun Scale: 10 out of 10

Salzburg's Old Town, known as Altstadt, has a beautiful Alpine setting which has not only been home to Mozart but also the setting for the Sound of Music.  The city center has retained it graceful Baroque architecture by avoiding the conflict of The 30 Years War and by suffer only minor damage during WW2.  Because it still holds much of its old world charm, Salzburg's Old Town is one of only 8 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Austria. 

We like to start this walk early in the morning, sometimes even right at 8am when the Mirabell Palace Gardens are opening.  Starting early is a great way to avoid feeling rushed throughout the day and will give you you plenty of extra time to explorer sights longer or even to shop on Getreidegasse.


How not to like this site right?

How I wish Big Boy Travel covers more city in their Walking Tour guide, I would certainly benefit from it *major hint*.


The options for Vienna was good too :


Top Things To Do In Vienna

  • Schönbrunn Palace
  • Ringstrasse Tram Tour
  • City Center Free Walking Tour
  • Other Vienna Attractions


Big Boy Travel
Vienna Old Town Walking Tour: 
(Printable Tour Map | Use Map on Phone)

Location: Vienna's Historic City Center
Cost: Free, Self-Guided (Museum and sight costs below)
Style: Do-It-Yourself Walking Tour (Self Guided)
Start: State Opera House (Karlsplatz Metro stop)
End: Museum Quarter (Volkstheater Metro stop)
Walking Distance: 1.6 miles
Time: 60 minutes for walk (with sights 4-5 hours) 
Fun Scale: 9.5 out of 10

The heart and soul of Vienna (Wien) pumps from its historic city center which is a mix of Medieval and Renaissance elements.  The area of Old Town Vienna is compact and best seen on foot.  We hope you enjoy our free do-it-yourself free walking tour as it has all the best stops and tips. 


And the best thing is, it also provide a map for us! Fantastic! Do check-out this site for DIY Walking tour http://www.bigboytravel.com/



Happy traveling!










Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Ljubljana at Blue Hour



Blue Hour?
Curious much?


I waited for sunset patiently and what I got was even better, Ljubljana at blue hour. Gosh, this reminded me of my trip to Vigan City in the Philippines whereby we rushed just to get a couple of blue hour shots (view here). I was very satisfied with my pictures, after all, it was taken with my trusty old junk Canon S95.

Well, take a look and share your thoughts on the blue hour shots or my old trusty junk *wink. cheeky smile*.

Background
The blue hour is the period of twilight each morning and evening when the sun is a significant distance below the horizon and the residual, indirect sunlight takes on a predominantly blue hue. This effect is caused by the relative diffusability of short blue wavelengths of light versus the longer red wavelengths. During the blue "hour" (typically the period is about 40 minutes in length), red light passes straight into space while blue light is scattered in the atmosphere and therefore reaches the earth's surface

Source : Wikipedia

More stories on Slovenia
Ljubljana Castle / Ljubljanski Grad
Slovenia Day trip to Lake Bled, Slovenia (did toboggan ride too!)
Ljubljana Free Tour, Slovenia











My advise is to stay in the this old medieval town itself as it will make night crawling more eventful. Not to worry, it is hard to get lost here even if you tried very hard *smile*.








Monday, July 20, 2015

#Travelholicawesome Photo Challenge Balik Raya 2015







Yeahhhh! Photo challenge datang lagiiiii! Are you guys readyyyyyyyyyyyyy

Let's do this!

3 SYARAT UTAMA YANG WAJIB ADA!
  1. Setiap gambar MESTI ada Blogger.
  2. Setiap gambar MESTI pegang/letak/lekat kertas A4 bertulis "#TRAVELHOLICAWESOME PHOTO CHALLENGE BALIK RAYA 2015".
  3. Setiap gambar MESTI kena pakai baju raya. (Tak kisah baju melayu/baju kurung/kebaya/jubah/apa-apa yang motif raya la)

Note : Kalau takde salah satu syarat diatas ni, masih boleh teruskan, tapi tolak markah je la kihkih!


10 CHALLENGES YANG PERLU DIBUAT!

  1. Blogger menimbang berat. Mesti nampak muka, lepas tu kaki atas penimbang dan tunjuk berat badan korang. Di sebelah penimbang tersebut ada sampul duit raya (Jangan malu, bukan berat yg menjadi ukuran hahahaa).
  2. Blogger berdiri di tengah-tengah pasar ramadhan / pasar malam / pasar terbuka, berkain pelikat sambil pegang buluh lemang dan kaki kene angkat tinggi sebelah (Tak kira laki ke perempuan, tetap kena pakai kain pelikat ye).
  3. Blogger melakukan aktiviti-aktiviti yang paling gila yang pernah blogger buat masa puasa / raya (Lagi pelik, lagi unik, lagi mencabar, lagi gile, lagi bagus. Risiko tanggung sendri tau hehe).
  4. Blogger bergambar secara kreatif dengan kuih-kuih yang dibentuk menjadi perkataan “#TA RAYA”. Mesti kena guna minimum 7 jenis kuih yang berwarna-warni serta bercorak-corak (Lagi kreatif, lagi bagus).
  5. Blogger bergambar dengan orang yg ambik zakat fitrah kat kaunter (amil), sambil hulurkan biskut raya (tak kira sekeping atau sebalang) sebagai tanda terima kasih (Siapa amil tu tak kisah. Kalau orang lain yang tgh bayar zakat pun takpe). 
  6. Blogger bermain bunga api dengan penjual bunga api (Siapa penjual bunga api tu, tak kisah). 
  7. Blogger bergambar di petrol station sambil memegang 10 jenis sampul duit raya yg berlainan design. Mesti kena pegang sampul 5 kanan 5 kiri sambil gaya mengipas (Walau mengipas, sampul kena nampak ye. Lagi kelakar, lagi bagus).
  8. Blogger pegang kalendar 2015 yg tunjuk tarikh hari raya 1 Syawal, kat depan rumah tol / RNR (Kalau dadap bergambar dgn pekerja tol yg buat muka menangis lagi bagus). 
  9. Blogger susun kasut raya kat rumah orang yg korang pegi beraya, secara bertingkat (Lagi tinggi, lagi macam-macam bentuk kasut, lagi bagus). 
  10. Blogger bersalaman dengan orang yang paling tua masa raya / buka posa. Orang tua tu kena pegang kertas tulis photo challenge tu dan diselit pula sampul duit raya (Sapa orang tua tu tak kisah. Lagi tua, lagi bagus. Hahaha!).

PERINGATAN!
  • Ingat! 10 challenges diatas, mesti kena ada 3 syarat utama tu dalam setiap gambar. Jangan lupa tau! If tanak lupa, sila PRINT post ni sebelum balik raya :D
  • Tarikh tutup ialah Ahad (26 July 2015). Blogger kena publish post kat blog pada Isnin (27 July 2015). Jangan lewat tau!
  • Post kat blog mesti bertajuk “PHOTO CHALLENGE BALIK RAYA 2015 – Nama korang”. Patu letak 10 challenges berserta gambar bukti, ikut sususan. (Copy paste je kat atas tu.)
  • Dah post, sila tinggalkan link post korang tu kat ruangan comment bawah ni. Senang kitorang nak view nanti. Kat sini je tau! Jangan comment tempat lain plak hehe.
  • Keputusan para pemenang akan diumumkan pada Isnin (3 Aug 2015). Again, jangan lewat yeeee :)
  • Segala keputusan akan dijuri oleh ahli #TravelholivAwesome dan segala keputusan adalah muktamad. Takde rayu-rayu dah. Titik! Hehehe!

THE BEST PART IS, OF COURSE LA HADIAH-HADIAH NYER!

FIRST PRIZE :
TIKET FLIGHT

SECOND PRIZE :
VOUCHER HOTEL

THIRD PRIZE :
VOUCHER TAMAN TEMA



Notes:
*Tiket/voucher adalah tertakluk pada harga, tempat dan ehsan pihak penganjur.
*Tiket/voucher mungkin akan ditambah mengikut tahap sambutan dan ke-excited-an pihak penganjur.

Apa lagi? Cepat bagitau semua! Semua orang boleh masuk, janji post kat blog je. Apa? Takde blog? Cepat buat satu hanya untuk photo challenge balik raya ni! Ingat! Pikirkan camne nak dapatkan semua gambar-gambar ni ye. Nampak je susah tapi actually senang gile kalauuuuu korang tau berfikir secara kreatif. Kalo tak tau, jangan risau! Korang improviseeeeee :d ok?



P/S: Nak tengok macamana peserta tahun-tahun lepas buat dengan jayanya? Klik link kat bawah ni.

Contoh perserta 2012
Contoh perserta 2011
Contoh perserta 2010


P/S: Nak tengok hadiah menarik tahun-tahun lepas? Klik link kat bawah ni.
Hadiah tahun 2012
Hadiah tahun 2011
Hadiah tahun 2010


~Organized and sponsored by #TravelholicAwesome.~

~Originated by Sekupang Team.~


Thursday, July 16, 2015

Ljubljana Free Tour, Slovenia



Ljubljana is pronounced lub-lee-yana.


As you know, I have the weirdest reason when picking a country, of which I feel it is rather inconsistent as it can be for whatever reason at that point of time. And for Slovenia, it was because of the dragon. Yup! DRAGON! Very loman hor. Hehehehheee...

There is so many version and I shall share the one I like most, or perhaps I should just create one. *wink*

Story 1 
Legend has it that Ljubljana was founded by the Greek mythological hero Jason and his companions, the Argonauts, who had stolen the golden fleece from King Aetes and fled from him across the Black Sea and up the Danube, Sava and Ljubljanica rivers.

At a large lake in the marshes near the source of the Ljubljanica they stopped and disassembled their ship to be able to carry it to the Adriatic Sea, put it together again, and return to Greece. The lake was the dwelling place of a monster, which Jason fought, defeated and killed. The monster, now referred to as the Ljubljana Dragon, found its place atop the castle tower depicted on the Ljubljana coat of arms.  From Visit Ljubljana

Story 2
According to the Slavic myth the slaying of dragon releases the waters and ensures the fertility of the earth, and it is thought the myth in this area is tied to the Ljubljana Marshes, the expansive area that has been threatening because of frequent flooding that reached Ljubljana. According to the celebrated Greek legend, the Argonauts on their return home after having taken the Golden Fleece found a large lake surrounded by a marsh between the present-day towns of Vrhnika and Ljubljana. It is there that Jason struck down a monster. This monster has become the dragon that today is present on the city coat of arms and flag. From Wikipedia

I like Story 2 better, but no lomance wan?

Franciscan Church of the Annunciation

Here's the thing, Ljubluna city is pretty small a quaint, technically one can cover it within one day and I found the best to do this and get to mingle with fellow travelers as well.

#TravelTips 1 : I found a Ljubljana Free Walking Tour website where by the walking tour itself is free (great for budget travelers) and takes approximately 2.5hours or so. At the end of the tour, if feels that the guide did an excellent job you can reward them with tips as they very much rely on this tips.

#TravelTips 2 : Don't stinge on the tour guide tips just because it is free, kemut pun jangan lah sampai ambil kesempatan yek.

#Travel 3 : You can stop at any point of time but make sure the tour guide is well informed, jangan blah senapas.

Aside from the free walking tour, they also do chargeable tour, pick one you like. I personally enjoyed the free walking tour... I just wish the weather was better and the sky is bluer.




The starting for this walking tour is from the town center itself, we waited for the guide at the steps of Franciscan Church of the Annunciation. No way you can miss it, its the orange colour church *smile*. Briefing will be conducted then off we go.

#TravelTips 4 : Make sure you camera, smartphone, good walking shoes and water handy, And keep close to the guide when he explains the buildings and history. Semua orang tunggu part dragon tuh ajer arituh, hehehheee...


Some of the building is really amazing and I am sure there's a beautiful story wrap around it. but it not be a heavy weight in history. So tangkap jer gambar sambil gawk (yup, yang gawk to adalah saya).



Not to worry, within the 2.5hours walking tour, they will take you to the famous dragon bridge.

Background
The bridge was originally named The Jubilee Bridge of the Emperor Franz Josef I. In July 1919, it was renamed to Dragon Bridge. The Dragon Bridge, although significantly modeled after the Nußdorf weir, is often regarded as the most beautiful bridge produced by the Vienna Secession.[7] It is the first bridge in Slovenia paved with asphalt, the first reinforced concrete bridge in Ljubljana, and one of Europe's earliest reinforced concrete bridges. When opened in 1901, it had the third largest arch in Europe at that time.

From Wikipedia




#TravelTips 5 : My suggestion is to allocate between 3 -4 days if you plan to wonder outskirt of Ljubljuna as well, else a 2 full day trip here is sufficient. 2 full day tau, bukan 2D1N.


There are a few key places that you should cover this medieval city.
  • Wander the medieval town
  • Walking down Ljubljanica River
  • Experience the hustle and bustle of the central/flea market 
  • Ljubljana Castle
  • Night crawler (night performances and buskers everywhere)

I missed out the boat cruise when i was there though. Sigh.


The walking tour ends at the Križanke Open Air Theatre, it is most active during summer festivals, Located at the French Revolution Square, it was once the courtyard of the former Monastery of the Holy Cross. There are cafes around this area for you to chill after the walk *smile*.


6 months after this trip, I head to the land of "How to train your dragon". Wanna take a guess which country I visited?


More stories on Slovenia
Ljubljana Castle / Ljubljanski Grad, Slovenia
Day trip to Lake Bled, Slovenia (did toboggan ride too!)









Thursday, July 9, 2015

Jami Air Tiris, Oldest Mosque in Veranda of Mecca City, Kampar



The great thing about doing road trip is that you can stop anywhere you want at any time you feels like.

It brought us to Veranda of Mecca City in Riau,  Kampar.


And this is what we did, Iman, our kind supir wanted to show us the oldest mosque in Kampar, Province of Riau, Indonesia and to perform the Zuhur prayers as well. We stopped at Jami Air Tiris, an mosque that was built in 1901 AD. The design was influenced by Malay and Chinese architectural styles, the uniqueness is that it was built without using a single nail and that it has a pyramid-shaped roof.




There is one thing that I found out right after I got back to Malaysia, that there is a water bath in it submerged large rock-like head of buffalo, apparently the stone is constantly moving despite no one moving it. Many said that it being sacred, hence they visited this beautiful mosque and cleanse themselves with the water, thus resulting to their wish and desire being granted, also that the water is able to cure diseases. Katanya lah kan…

Like any places, there is also a legend associated with Jami Air Tiris as well (wallahulam), during the Netherlands colonial era, they have tried to burn the mosque down but to no avail, not only that, Mesjid Jami survived the flood.





Note :

Many have requested me to share the list of places I covered during this road trip, I will do so in my next post.