My Aquaria Story

It was a sunny Saturday. Anyway, it doesnt matter as the aquaria is an indoor actovaty. We were happy because we bought entrance tickets at a lower price. They were offering special price online, so we bought our tickets at RM28.

It was quite a long queue at the ticketing counter. However, we didn't waited for too long...around 10 minutes or so...maybe we are just too excited to see the fishes. :D

The following will be the preview of what to expect there!

"This small little creature is playful and fast. Didn't managed to get any handsome picture of them."

"Seen this big guy anywhere before? This is a water rat. Similar to the rodents in houses, but these fellas can swim and they are huge. The size of an adult Shih Tzu."

"These are Moon Jellyfish"

Note: Remember to check the feeding time from their website! Don't be surprised with the fishes' behaviours when it comes to eating!

Destination: Aquaria KLCC http://www.aquariaklcc.com/

"Aquaria KLCC is situated in the same building as the KL Convention Centre."

Entrance fee: Adult RM38 (MyKad holders)

Tour duration: approximately 1 hr 30 mins

My Sandakan Story (Day 4)

My Borneo Story: Labuan & KK (Day 1), KK (Day 2), KK (Day 3), Sandakan (Day 4)

Woohooo....from KK, we flew to Sandakan.

Only two flights daily on AirAsia. We took 7am flight to Sandakan. The journey was short. Fasten your seat belt, grab a meal and the next thing, you have reached your destination.

Once we touched down, we headed to the tourist counter hoping to join some guided tours. Unfortunately, none available. We were advised to head to Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre as the feeding time is at 10am daily.
The next thing we did was to hop into a taxi will all our luggage and off we go. Taxi from Airport to Sepilok Rehabilitation Centre was RM35.

Since we reached there really early, the ticketing counter was still closed.

So we headed to the cafe nearby for some breakfast.
I was expecting an expensive price at a tourist attraction like this, but it was not.

 Mee goreng with chicken.

Nasi goreng with chicken.

Probably because it is still very early in the morning, they couldnt really offer much. Anyway, the food was terrible, horrible, oily and totally failed!

Finally, here we go. With tickets in hand, here we go totally excited to see orang utan. The main reason for us to travel to Sandakan. Entrance RM5 (local) and RM10 (each camera).

Bags are not allowed. Lockers are provided for visitors to keep their belongings. (Free Of Charge)

Feeding time: 10am and 3pm daily

Where's the man of the forest?? Woooooho...where are you?

Finally, orang utan during the feeding time. Just one baby orang utan. Another one escaped into the forest. The caretakers actually brought the orang utans to the feeding place. We were totally disappointed with the show. The orang utan hides itself from the audience. It'll pick the food and walk to a corner to eat. And that it for about 15-30 minutes.

Anyway, we managed to spot an adult orang utan in the wild with her baby. Probably, the workers purposely bring the orang utan to reduce visitors' disappointment.

Then, we bid goodbye to man of the forest and traveled to Sandakan town to look for hotel. We settled down in a budget hotel in Mile 4. It was considered good at the price of RM74 per night for two.

After a quick rest, we headed to the famous Puu Jih Shih Buddhist Temple of Sandakan. You must not miss the beautiful scene at the temple. It was situated on the hill facing Sulu Sea. The view was gorgeous.

The sea breeze was great and we walked around the temple before heading back to our hotel.
That's very much what we did in Sandakan as it was a short detour from KK.

The next morning, we took early flight to KL.

We were scheduled to land around 6pm that day, what's more interesting was we had the chance to see a different sunset! Sunset from the plane. A different angle of sunset from high above the ground. It was beautiful. Minutes later, we were shocked with the weather. We starts to fly in thick clouds. As far as i'm concern, flying in clouds can be very dangerous due to the poor visibility, thunderstorm and turbulence. Anyway, I'm not an expert but it's not restricted to these hazards. 


Few moments later, the 'seat belt' light was lit and all passengers were advised to be seated. Then, turbulence!!! Meanwhile, the pilot announced the situation out there as we were all panicked with the strong turbulence with all the dark clouds. I was shocked with the sudden change in weather. I thought it was due to the dawn, but dawn was kind of early. Anyway, the pilot announced that we were expected to some turbulence and will be landing slightly later due to the heavy rain in LCCT.


My first time hearing such long speech from the pilot. And I began to panic! The turbulence was so strong I felt myself in some roller coaster ride! You will go up, suddenly down, and shaking as it it's earthquake for a while. The experience was unexpected. I got off my seat once in a while which made me hole tight to my seat.


Anyway, we went round and round while looking at the dark clouds and rain through the windows. We also get to see the lights lit for the night. Around 15 minutes later, we were finally allowed to land. Fuuuh...

Thanks to the pilots! Good job!

My Borneo story ends.

check out My Borneo Story: Labuan & KK (Day 1), KK (Day 2), KK (Day 3), Sandakan (Day 4)

My KK Story (Day 3)

My Borneo Story: Labuan & KK (Day 1), KK (Day 2), KK (Day 3), Sandakan (Day 4)

After a day of sun and beach, day 3 was shop and relax.

Basically, we had a makan-makan tour around KK town. Started from 9am in the morning till around 5pm, nothing more than shop, talk, eat, and drink! In fact, no much picture of ourselves. Most of them (should i say all) are photos of the food we had!

1. Fook Yuen

Fook Yuen is easily found in KK town. It is situated next to Old Town in KK Town. We visited this modern kopitiam of Fook Yuen. 

 The one with two colours, that's teh madras. It was tea with evaporated milk. Half a cup of milk and half a cup of tea. Hmm...if you like your drinks with more milk, you will like it.
As for Teh C, that's the usual Teh Ais in Peninsular Malaysia but less sweet.
RM2.30 for each of these.

Roti Kahwin. I insisted to have breakfast in Fook Yuen due to the highly recommended Roti Kahwin. Anyway, this is just steamed white bread with kaya and butter. >.< Still....DELICIOUS~

RM1.30 for each set. (picture shows 2 sets of it)

Besides this outlet, we also visited the main outlet of Fook Yuen for tea. It was packed with people! The only difference between East and West Malaysia is that, kopitiam in every edge of KK is packed with people in the evening, during tea time. (3-5pm). They enjoy traditional kopi, toast and a group of friends chatting in the kopitiam. We were shocked to see coffee shops all packed with people in the evening. Anyway, that's the culture. Make yourselves into the old classic coffee shops and enjoy the sound, taste, scent, and faces of KK evening.

2. Suria Sabah.

We walked to Suria Sabah, which is around 5 minutes from Fook Yuen. Suria Sabah is one of the latest shopping mall in KK. So, it's shopping time!!!! Woohoo. Suria Sabah has TGV cinema and KTV as well. Anyway, you wont want to spend your holidays doing things you can do back in Peninsular Malaysia.

3. KK Plaza

Next, KK Plaza for Har Mee. A local recommended us to this claimed to the authentic Penang Har Mee. It was on the 3rd floor if I remember it correctly. Anyway, to get there, just follow the direction food court.  It's right in front of the escalator and elevator. You will never miss it.

Penang Har Mee!

The reason we traveled to KK Plaza. Anyway, probably because we were in KK eating Penang Har Mee, it didnt taste the same although it claimed to be authentically from Penang.

Kuey Teow Soup was ok too. Just OK.

RM5.50 for each bowl

3. Warisan Square

Warisan Square is also good for shopping. It is more like street shopping in KK. 

4. Yoyo cafe

Yoyo cafe can be easily found around KK town. basically, they are not really cafes. Most of them are kiosk selling bubble tea. A local claimed it is better than Chatime. Anyway, in terms of variety, Chatime wins. But in terms of taste, based on the Pearl Milk Tea we had that day, I would say, the tea was smooth, and the pearl was good. There are some cheap Pearl Milk Tea sold out there with uncooked pearl, but for Yoyo cafe, I would say cheap and good! @RM3.80

5. Filipino Market

Locals advice: Do not enter. Nothing much than just handicrafts made by Filipino. This place can be very dangerous and the locals do not have trust in these Filipinos. Most importantly, BEWARE OF PICKPOCKETS.

So, we didnt dare to enter. All locals told us to keep out of that place. We only look from far. >.<

You can spend a day shopping in KK town. Just walk around the town. Everything is within walking distance. Great place for backpackers. 

It was almost time for sunset. Everyone awaits for the beautiful sunset. It was gorgeous. The best view? From Hyatt Regency. Anyway, you can sit somewhere near Hyatt. While enjoying sunset, you can also count the number of airplanes landing and departing from KKIA. 

As for night life in KK, you can find a whole row of pub at the waterfront, right opposite Warisan Square. Besides pub, they do have restaurants serving western and local food too. We had Ampang Yong Tau Foo that night and it tasted very much like those from Ampang. Finally, something that carries the exact taste from Peninsular.
If you are craving for seafood, there's no good seafood at reasonable price in KK. The famous Ocean View Seafood is overpriced! Local's advice; "Never enter unless you are really rich."

Anyway, we didnt managed to climb mount KK, visit the hot spring, travel to Kudat to visit the Borneo's most north tip and water rafting. I would visit KK for more of these excitements!!

As for food, Lime Juice and Iced Lemon Tea is common in KK. They served with lemon and not lime for Iced Lemon Tea unlike in Peninsular where lime is used in Teh O Ais Limau! Iced lemon tea are available in kopitiam too, at regular price. Lemons are cheaper in KK?

for more of My Borneo Story: Labuan & KK (Day 1), KK (Day 2), KK (Day 3), Sandakan (Day 4)

My KK Story (Day 2)

My Borneo Story: Labuan & KK (Day 1), KK (Day 2), KK (Day 3), Sandakan (Day 4)

On Day 2, we decided to do some island hopping. However, we only stopped at Pulau Manukan.

Repeat photo? Nah....this jetty is also jetty to get to Pulau Manukan. So, we're back to Jesselton Point.
Tickets are sold in the building on your right at the entrance, just like bus tickets. All vendors will be shouting, it reminds me of Pudu. Haha!
Boat tickets to Manukan is RM17. You can opt for island hopping with an additional charge of few bucks for each island.
Additional charges: Life jacket and goggles RM15, Jetty charges RM7.20

A 5-to-10-minutes boat ride will bring you to Pulau Manukan! Woohoo...blue sea and white sand! Beautiful. From the jetty, you can actually see fishes in the water!

 Upon reaching at the jetty, you will first need to pass through this entrance where you will need to pay an RM3 entrance fee. According to local, this is because this place is now a preserved marine park and it is under the care of Sutera Harbour.

Manukan Island is claimed to be the dirtiest island around KK but has the most number of visitors. -.-"
We departed from Jesselton around 10 and requested our boat to come back at 1pm.

Fishes are everywhere in the water. Go near the jetty, you will find more fishes nearer to the shore. We were kind of swimming away from the fishes because some of them are really big. Whenever something touches any part of our body, we starts to get panic. Haha. Girls :P

Anyway, it is sad to see some of the corals are bleaching. You will still see colours, but you will see some white spots on them. Some have half of the white. It's sad to see that.

I promise, I'll love the earth more today. Preserve, Conserve and Reuse!

Before we leave, we had lunch at Manukan Island. We ordered Manukan Fried Rice. It's actually seafood fried rice. Sad to say, tasted awful! Seafood was not fresh! Kota Kinabalu is famous for its seafood and yet a 5-star resort selling this kind of food. Totally disappointed. BUT, the satay was GOOD! Probably because the chicken was marinated for a long long time, the satay was really tasty. Side dishes were so-so. And this plate costs RM22!!

 After leaving Jesselton Point, we traveled uphill to the Observatory Tower. Somehow a must-go when you go to KK. It's half way up the hill, you can walk there, locals jog there everyday though! The road is narrow there, cars need to be careful if you are not familiar with the area.

The view from Signal Hill Observatory Tower of Kota Kinabalu. A 5-minutes stop will do. :) Haha. Nothing much other than views. This is probably the second best place for sunset.
It was raining when we went there. So, dark clouds, not much pictures. :-/

We called it a day. We were totally exhausted after a half-day snorkeling at Manukan Island.

For more of My Borneo Story: Labuan & KK (Day 1), KK (Day 2), KK (Day 3), Sandakan (Day 4)

My Labuan & KK Story (day 1)

Finally, here comes my KK Story.

On someday in 2010, a group of 5 girls decided to go on a trip to Labuan and Sabah. Since we have a friend who studies in Labuan back then, we decided to pay her a visit at the so-claimed-pathetic-and-boring university. So we bought flight tickets from KL-Labuan, KK-Sandakan, Sandakan-KK, KK-KL at just RM45 including taxes. Anyway, the booking was made in Oct 2010 while we were expected to depart in May 2011.

After much anticipation, we ended up flying with just 2 members while others couldnt make it. One of them will be working as an intern in KK so she will only join us after work. Anyway, it's good that she's there in KK, because, we'll get free accommodation! Yeah!

Well, we got ourselves a morning flight to Labuan. Only one flight per day from KL-Labuan. Once the plane touches down, it'll take passengers from Labuan-KL right away. That happens everyday. So, we start off with McDonald's breakfast that morning. *Yawn*

 From the pitch dark sky, then dawn, then sunrise! We were there at LCCT. *Yawn* It was pretty awesome! Woohooo.

 Fly...let's fly with me...we witnessed it all from the cotton-candy-cloud view, to sea-view then landing! Woohoo. We flew more than 2 hours from KL-Labuan. We slept for 2 hours in the plane. Not comfortable but there aint anything else to do. :'(

We flew in AK5176! Thanks Captain!!

Due to the reason that the internship duration was forwarded, our friend in labuan has left her university to prepare herself in KK. So immediately after we touched down, we took a cab from the airport to the jetty terminal to catch the last ferry ticket to KK. Taxi fare from airport to terminal jetty was RM12.50. Last ferry to KK is at 1 pm daily. Ferry from Labuan to KK was RM34 each. Each ticket is registered with the passenger's name just like bus tickets in the TBS. ^^

The first thing to do in Labuan was to get duty-free products! Woohoo.
Where to get? According to my friend, the best will be the on opposite Terminal Jetty. From the terminal, look for Sykt Tai Seng, it's a corner shop; around 100m from the jetty and it is visible from the jetty. They sell liquor, cosmetics, cigar, fragrances and other duty free products.

We bought some liquor and chocolates. Please be reminded that duty free liquor permitted upon exit is only 1 litre. I am not a fan of strong liquor, so I bought 1 litre of Bailey's Irish Cream at RM55 and chocolates. 300g Daim was only RM13.50 (normal price is around 39.90-43.90).

 Hungry!!! Let's eat!
This is a very Sarawak dish. But was found in Labuan. I guess, good food is not limited by geographical borders. Haha. Anyway, it tasted awful.

 We were disappointed with the Laksa, but the Kolo Mee was much better.

3 hours later, we reached Jesselton Point, KK, Sabah. Woohoo? Not so soon. We were lost of direction, do not know where to go. Our friend who said will provide accommodation was occupied with her landlord problems.

We spent our time dealing with her landlord that day. Anyway, if you need cheap backpacker-style accommodation in KK town area, Lavender Lodge is a good choice.

We thought of renting a car to loaf around KK, but it is not advisable as the car rental expenses is not economical friendly. According to source, it costs RM100 a day for a kancil. O.o

end of day 1: miserable

for more of My Borneo Story: Labuan & KK (Day 1), KK (Day 2), KK (Day 3), Sandakan (Day 4)

Jalan-jalan: Malacca Day Tour

Travelling in Malacca is easy. Just follow the signboard from the toll exit, and you will reach the town. Do some readings online and the signboard will bring you there. For instance, Jalan Ong Kim Wee for satay celup. :P
First stop upon toll exit: Tan Kim Hock Food Products.

My advice: Just buy at the nearest hypermarket to you. It has the same products. In fact, cheaper than the one in Malacca. I roughly checked the price, it's almost the same. So, no fuss, there's no need to travel all the way to Malacca for Tan Kim Hock's dodol.
But you can always try the cendol. :)

Next and last stop before hotel: Where else other than the famous Jonker Street.

 The newly-built jonker walk. Basically, it is toilet-break stop. Nothing much there. A police booth and public toilet.

A vintage building of Hainanese Association. The precious peranakan lantern is easily seen in Malacca. I was introduced to it in "The Little Nyonya" (小娘惹). This is a good drama. A great drama that delivers the culture of the Peranakan. I know a lot about Peranakan from the drama. (For people like me who does not enjoy reading books, especially history)

Malacca's landmark: The Stadthuys. If you have never taken a photo/ never been to The Stadhuys, you have never been to Malacca XD. It's so much a must-go place on every visit.

Another Malacca icon: A Famosa (pronounced as "Ah-Famosa", not "Ei-Famosa") which means The Famous in Portuguese.

In Malacca, just get yourself a car park and for the rest of the day, expect walking! That's the only thing I know in Malacca. Other than this, nothing much to visit. Someone should tell me what to do in Malacca other than these.

.