We arrived at Menara Airport from London Gatwick airport on EasyJet. Over night at Riad Chorfa. Although we were led into a dark alley, the riad was not bad at all (although it was a first time experience for my family). As most Riad ,it have a lot of stairs and are extremely colourful with tiled patterns and orange trees in the middle of the house. It is only 5 minutes walk into the Medina. So our first night at the Medina, we had the usual kebab dinner and tagine at one of the best restaurants – Chez Chegrouni just at the Djema el Fna. The best thing I know from that Medina is only worth 4 dirham or 40 pence which is the awesome orange juice. It is so naturally sweet that it is unbelievable.

Day 2 : Marrakech 

Today was a free day for us  to explore the city its ramparts and heracus whole. We spent almost the whole day getting lost in the markets. The funny thing is that all the stalls tend to sell the same thing. In the end, it is up to us to haggle. We had lunch and started people watching at Mubarak restaurant. It is also a hotel. While we were there, we say some “illegal merchants” setting up their mats with their merchandises. People were flocking until you see some policemen chasing them. They were so quick to just bundle up their stalls and run away. Only to be back again after half an hour. We thought that this was hilarious especially when even the customers who were busy choosing continued their shopping and chasing them while they were being chased by the policemen.

Day 3 : Marrakech 

Today we were accompanied by an English-speaking guide, Muhammad who actually did English Literature in University. We visited the Koutoubia Minaret, Saadian Tombs, and the Bahia Palace. He also brought us to a herbalist store right in front of the palace where they started selling herbs that could cure any disease that you have ever heard of. Sure, bought some but has yet to see the results. Then we had set lunch at Riad Omar. I am not sure if the food was really good or that we are just hungry. But the portions and what was given in the set menu was extravagant! Although, we saw similar sights to the right, left, front and back of us. All of them were tourists brought in by a tour guide. The owner of this place must have had a deal to turn this place into a tourist trap. Muhammad also brought us tour the walls of the old medina, the markets, and the famous Djemaa el Fna Square. The famous square is animated with: storytellers, vendors of Magic potions, dancers, snake charmers, and acrobats. He managed to bring us to corners that we have yet to see. Then we went to Jardin de Majorelle where Yves Saint Laurent spent most of his life there breathing the fresh air. At night, we were craving for other cuisine as we have been having tagine almost everyday, twice a day. We managed to find an Indian restaurant Les Jardins de Bala which is in one of the 5-star hotel near Djema el Fna. We were quite impressed with the food…and thought we could handle their spice when we confidently requested for extra spicy.

Day 4 : Marrakech – Ouzoud – Beni Melal – Azrou – Ifran – Fez

We had to depart early from Marrakech heading to Fez. We crossed nice landscape along the way and arrived at Ouzoud cascades for a visit. It was breathtaking – both the scenery and the fact that we couldn’t really see it as all of us were afraid of heights and did not dare to stand by the cliff to see the waterfall. Throughout the journey, we took the scenic routet via a forested mountain to enjoy the beatiful scenery of middle Atlas. We stopped for lunch in Beni Melal. Here we couldn’t find a descent restaurant until the owner of the restaurant brought us to a private sports club where we had really good tuna salad and a range of western food. Then our next stop is at Azrou a name that means rock. After a long 12 hous journey in total!!! We arrived in Fez and was greeted by a couple of exuberant staff/owner of Riad Tafilalet – Ibrahim. Their energy level was extremely impressive and I doubt that we would ever get this kind of personal service and attention from the butler in your 5-star hotel. As Ibrahim said, the big palace near to the entrance of the riad is 5 stars, but his is a thousand stars.

Day 5 : Fez

The authentic city of Fez, where the old medina offers a step back in time – it is exactly like the Prince of Persia. A well preserved medieval city of donkey-wide alley ways and souks, the medina is encircled by an unbroken line of ramparts and gates. We visited La Mederssa Attarine, Nejjarine fountain, and the mosques of El Karaouyine, Medersa Bou Inania, and Baba Jloud. After the walk, we spent the evening on the rooftop of the Riad with our mint tea and dates, while enjoying the breathtaking view of Fez accompanied by the sounds of Azan during Maghrib from all corners of the city.

Day 6 : Fez – Chefchouan – Tetouan – Tangier

After breakfast we travelled from Fez along a part of the middle Atlas and a part of the Rif mountains with their picturesque sites and panorama. We had lunch at the symbol of the north area “Chefchaouen”. The city was beautiful and had a medina withwhite walls and blue gates. Afterwards, we continued our trip to the city of Tangier and had dinner in Riad Tanja. The entire family was the only occupant in this 5-bedroom riad and we managed to get the beautiful suites.  So happened that the restaurant is one of the country’s first to offer nouvelle Marocain which is Moroccan with a French twist to it and the food is definitely considered as fine dining.

Day 7 : Tangier 

Tangier, also known as the White City, revolves around its state-of-the-art import and export port and you are sure to see many millionaire yachts on this stretch of Moroccan coastline where the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean meet. The tour guide brought us into one of the millionaire’s house to look into his collection of classic cars. We managed to even sit in them.  Then we walked around Place de France which  is a small French-looking square right in the middle of the Ville Nouvelle with many friendly, inviting street cafés. We also visited the Kasbah before going to  the Grand Socco Market Square with its good street cafés and absorb the city life. The market sells everything including arts and crafts, fruit and vegetables and an assortment of trinkets.  We then continued walking to the the inviting shade of Mendoubia Gardens that surrounds the Grand Socco Square in the midsummer afternoons. This garden contains a fascinating banyan tree that’s over 800 years old. The Caves of Hercules was another not-to-be-missed site in the Cap Spartel area. It is a place of great beauty and archeological significance.

Day 8 : Tangier –  Rabat – Casablanca – Marrakech.

Today we took the highway and headed straight to the capital Rabat to visit Hassan tower  and Med V mausoleum. We,then drove towards Casablanca to visit Hassan II mosque. After lunch, we arrived at Marrakech which brings our journey to a total of 8 hours. We checked in to Hotel Tichka and got ready for our New Year’s Eve Dinner at the desert. The journey to the beautiful tents were dark and quiet but when we arrived, the tents were so beautiful and we were welcomed by folk musician. The dinner was shocking as each family had a whole goat to eat! then a huge portion of couscous of which we couldn’t finished. Then it was a night of dance and fun with shows from the fire acrobats and belly dancers. Although I think it is very overpriced for what we had.

Day 9 : Marrakech – Back to the airport.

After breakfast, we had a few hours before heading back to London on a 3 hour plane journey. Tour is courtesy of Sahara Services.

Flew to Krabi on Airasia for a 4-day trip. We decided to stay near Ao Nang beach, the famous beach which is very much like Kuta, Bali or your much cheaper version of Cannes, with small street shops along the road facing the beach. Our hotel, Krabi La Playa Resort is right at the end of the road, a 4-star hotel which was quite reasonable using the CIMB discount.  We were welcomed by two cute elephants on our bed, and the room was very spacious and clean with a balcony facing the pool. Best of all, it has wi-fi. After we have settled down, we head towards the city to plan for our trip in Krabi. We bought our tickets for the activities throughout the holiday for a cheap price. Along the streets, there were finger food selling for very cheap, most of the food there is Halal as 90% of the population is Muslim. Hence, that makes it easier for us. We then walked towards a few tailor shops and decided on John’s tailor. I liked the material that I chose for my pant suit and for a two-tone shirt. I brought my own sample so that I know for sure that the design is exactly what I wanted. The price is fairly reasonable which was about RM400 for the suits and RM80 per shirt. For men, it was slightly more expensive. Although this was after long hours of bargaining. For dinner, we went to Tanta’s seafood which wasn’t great at all. The food was tasteless. We tried to play it safe as there was a huge crowd in the restaurant but we were proven wrong. Probably a lot of people just had bad taste.

Day 2

We started our day early to head off for our water rafting and atv. The trip to the water rafting was long! We went to Songpak river near the elephant sanctuary, it was my first time going water rafting. For that one hour, there were a lot of rafts around. Apparently, the water was released from the dam at a certain hours and that was when all the water rafting companies “release” their party for the activity. The river was crowded but it was fun. It was pretty mild and hence, if you are looking for more adventure, this won’t be the right activity for you. After being soaking wet, a nice hot tom-yam served was bliss. After lunch, we headed off to our ATV challenge for another hour. This is my second time and I must say it was awesome. We literally went through hills, off-roads, river bank, river in hot and rainy weather for that one hour. It was challenging and such a great experience. One hour is more than enough as the heat from the engine really tires you out and for me my thumb was already cramping from pressing the gear too hard and too long. Then it was another hour back to the hotel. It was a pretty tiring day. We then ate at a road side stall with the sign “Clean Food, Great Taste”. It was one of the best tom yum I ever tasted in my life. They were selling a lot of crepe by the streets as well just beside the market. 

Day 3

We woke up early for our 4-island hopping trip – Koh Talu, Koh Hong, Koh Tap and Koh Mor. The first island has one of the most beautiful rock formations. Swimming in the clear water with a view of the rocks forming above you was incredible. There is only one luxurious hotel on the island. The island is famous for rock climbers. Later on, we went for lunch at Koh Hong. It is one of the bigger islands where divers like to stay in.  Along the way, we passed by “Chicken Island”. Because it does look like a chicken not that it was a chicken infested island. Amazing! At the end of the day, we finished off with the two islands that were somehow connected. These two islands offer easy snorkeling. If the tide is low, you can walk along the white, sandy causeway from one island to the other.

Then we headed back to Pranang beach which is only about 10 minutes away from our hotel. Then of course, we went again for our usual massage at one  of the shops behind the main road. It is a bit secluded but there is a cocktail stand in front and you just need to walk into the alley to reach to a house that has been converted into a massage parlour. It even has a mini saloon outside the house if you want to get your hair done. At night, we found a place to eat next to our hotel. It is a typical Malay hawker place like we have in Malaysia. The food was pretty amazing.

Day 3

On the third day, we went kayaking to Bor Thor. It was kayaking through mangrove forests and caves. There is a good concentration of caves and ‘Hongs’ that can be accessed by sit-on-top kayaks, and the geology is amazing. There isn’t as much wildlife  but Bor Tor is rich in archaeology.
 It has history of the people who used to live in the caves and some of their drawings still.  It was just a half-day trip. We were quite lucky as it started raining after.  Then later that afternoon, after we cleaned up and rested, we went to Ao Nang shooting range. The range was only about 10 minutes away and it is best to get the tuk tuk to wait for you as it will be difficult to get a cab back to your hotel. It was not as cheap compared to Siem Reap. However, they have hand guns so I tried shooting as well. We collected our suits that night which was completed to our satisfactory although we had to go for fitting almost every other night and the sales man keep telling us that we looked good despite some alterations that needed to be done.

Day 4 - Flight back to Kuala Lumpur. Overall, one of the most fun-filled and activity-pack holiday ever.

The adventure began even as early at 7am when my friend and I decided to take the LRT to Mandarin Pacific Hotel in town. We thought that we could beat the traffic and be there on time. At the same time, my other friend was worried that our friend who came to visit from London will not wake up in time. Then, we were feeling excited on the train, being the only ones in t-shirt and khakis with our backpacks whilst the others were in their work blues staring into the books or phones or just merely people watching. Suddenly, there was an inaudible voice making announcement. We tried as hard to listen but could only make out a few words and we heard train terminates at pasar seni (which was one stop before our destination). We panicked and called our friend who was driving, but then his father missed the turning to fetch us. At that time I was ready with the idea of just turning back and have a holiday for myself. But luckily we made it for our 3-hour bus journey uphill. I was sleeping most of the time and the next thing I knew, I was already at the port to get our licence to enter the forest reserves and where we went on a “sampan-look-alike longboat” for another 3 hours!  I’ve got to admit that the mangrove forest was kind of beautiful and just resting while the boat cruises in between the forest blanket it is definitely quite peaceful (no signal to the phones so my phone stopped buzzing!).

When we reached, we saw the floating restaurants and shops. The guide told us that our accommodation was on the other side of the hill. There were no proper stairway to climb up and we just had to make sure we don’t roll down the hill especially after the slippery mud covering the slopes. Our room was very basic, the toilet was bearable – at least it wasn’t like camping. But we had some time and we stayed at the verandah to play some cards before dinner. After dinner at the floating restaurants and after getting out head lamps and torch lights ready, I was walking on the plank to get out of the restaurant but instead stuck my foot into the quick sand. I had to carry all that mud around during the night trekking.

During the night trekking, we actually saw tapir and deer. The rest were mainly bugs. I was lucky enough to not get leeches on me. It was an hour and a half trail which was a very new experience. Never have I actually trekked at night.

Day 2

We actually went on a canopy walkway. It was a great experience for me as I have never walked at such heights, on just a plank for 5km amongst the canopy. It was beautiful and fun.  The tour guide claimed that it was the longest canopy walkway. But then another Dutch tourist said that the tour guide in Sabah, claimed that theirs was also the longest. Oh well, it is the longest for me as I have never experienced it anywhere else before. Then we went on jungle trekking up to Terasek Hill.It was a simple walk, with nice trails and good view at the end. After that, we went back for lunch and change. Then we were heading off to the Orang Asli Village. The locals looked like Aboriginals. I never knew as most of the Orang asli I met actually looked more Malay. It was very interesting to see the way they live their every day lives. To a certain extent, that we felt like we were invading their privacy. Not until we found out how much the tour cost and how much they were getting paid to be an exhibitionist. Is it wrong if it is a willing trade? Well, I don’t mind I think to get some cash to bring people touring around my house for a few hours. Oh well.

The best part of the trip was what we had after. A wet and wild adventure (well, sort of). We went to the shooting rapids. The rapids were pretty tame and we were all in the long boat. Hence, it was more of the guide splashing us with water. But they made it fun nevertheless. Our last stop was just to have a swim in the river, but we saw a rope hanging from the tree. Time to experience Tarzan! So first few attempts were crap and we got better after. I know it is not a big deal for my dad but our generation had slides in the pool. We didn’t have a challenge of holding on tight to the rope and jumping into the water at the right time. Then we went back and had our meals.

Day 3

We headed back to the boat that brought us back to Kuala Lumpur. All in all, it was a fairly quick but fun weekend trip. Quite minimalistic but not too “bare essentials”. A quick trip via a package from NKS Travels. 

Day 1

Had breakfast at one of the local restaurants along the main road and had its local cuisine. Very basic ingredients – noodles/ rice with soya sauce and meat. Then we head off to the Artisan’s d Angkor where we saw the students creating art and handicraft. We were quite impressed with the nitty gritty details and the quality of work done by the students. Then we went around Old Market and search for cheap sunglasses and shorts in anticipation of a hot day during our temple visit the next day. Things were reasonable and cheap although it has a lot of variety of the same stuff (such a paradox). Then it was time for check-in and we stayed in this nice little hotel just off Pub Streeet - Steung Siem Reap Hotel. The location was just awesome in the French Quarter and the most convenient. It was clean and has all the basic neccessities for a good price. We had lunch just across the street at a place that was recommended by Lonely Planet called Amok. Paying homage to the national dish of Cambodia, amok (a delectable baked fish curry in banana leaf), this smart pavement diner offers traditional Khmer food. We had the pickup to Tonle Sap fishing village. It was one of the most interesting experience ever. I can’t imagine living like a normal person on water in such limited space. However, the township is complete with grocery shops, workshops, schools, and even karaoke joints. They have “garden” and keep pets. In this day and age, we have people who live in extreme poverty, who depends on the lake for its livelihood and during rainy season, they move into the nearest jungle. It’s interesting that there are a mix of Vietnamese and Cambodians living there.

At night we just walked around Pub Street looking for nice dinner. Heard about Happy Pizza, choose any pizza you want but “make it happy”. We didn’t have the guts to try it though.

Day 2

We hired an English tour guide to bring us around the temples. We started off with Banyon Temple, which was one of the newest temple that has been discovered. We also looked around Ta Phrom where they shot Lara Croft: The Tomb Raider. It was indeed beautiful to see nature protecting this old city. City that was built by humans with their bare hands without technology, serving one king after another as if they were God. The measure of power is the magnificence of building. Perhaps nothing has changed over these centuries. Then we moved to Angkor Wat which was extremely magnificent. It was so beautiful and it has a lot of interesting stories from before. Words can’t describe it but it was one of the best temples that I have ever visited even compared to Borobodur.

After that we moved to the Shooting Range at one of the army base camps not far from the temple. It was absolutely an experience. We went there expecting hand-guns but the minimum we could shoot was AK-47 and M-16! There is also an option of throwing grenades! Although I banned my boyfriend from doing so. Once that was done, we headed off for some pottery class. It was a place just opposite the Angkor National Museum, a pottery owned by a Belgian man. He had his workers actually teaching us how to make pottery. We can do up to 3 and choose one to be burnt and painted. It was definitely a good experience for that one hour plus. For dinner, we went to your typical tourist place where we had buffet dinner and entertained by Apsara dances. At night again, we just went around Pub Street and Bar Street. We even had our massage at a parlour next to our hotel. It was reasonable and clean and we had body massage for an hour at least everyday. There was a restaurant called NYDC where it is actually a charity restaurants against human trafficking most particularly children. The Elephelicious was an awesome Hershey’s chocolate drink we have ever tasted!

Day 3

On the last day, it was mostly chilling, shopping, eating, relaxing. We visited the Angkor National Museum on their famous tuk tuks. At night we went to a fine dining French restaurant where you can wear shorts called Le Malraux. The food was ok but it has very interesting decor.

Day 4

Head to airport – end of tour.

After the 8 hours overnight flight of which the flight attendant was kind enough to give me a spot with an empty seat so that I can lie down and sleep. I managed to get a good 3 hours sleep before they annoyingly woke me up for breakfast! So then begins my Sydney trip.

Day 1

Visited Circular Quay where we had our breakfast at Guylian Cafe – how sinful is that. The pancake with strawberries and bananas was excellent and the waffle with praline icecream was sinful. It is not everyday that you get waffles and icecream for brekkie ;p  After that we just walked around the quay and the Sydney Opera House. Later on we just walked further to the Botanical Gardens and lazed there for a good hour or two before heading back to the station for some fish and chips served in paper. We headed back to the hotel to check-in and the size of the apartment was excellent that my sis decided to stay with us. We stayed in Medina Executive Central. I think we were all knocked out and fell asleep until it was time to meet my dad’s friend’s family for dinner in Subsolo – an award-winning Spanish restaurant which had excellent pit-roast. The best I ever tasted – it was marinated and cooked perfectly. And its churros filled with hazelnut praline with chocolate sauce was divine.

  Day 2

Second day was a walk around the city or rather the shopping centre. So we covered Myers, Westfield, No. 1 Martin Place and the shops  around it. We had lunch at Cloudy Bay Fish Co in Westfield after visiting the Sydney Tower which to me was ok. But I really like the whole upmarket Food Court concept. Then we just continued shopping the whole day and then walked over to Darling Harbour for dinner with my dad’s best friend and his family in Zaafran – an Indian restaurant at Harbourside. We had the set dinner and to me the best thing was its Mushroom Naan ;p.

Day 3

Today was just another day of shopping in Queen Victoria Building. The shopping selection here is much better and it reminds me a lot of Harrods because of the English influence in the architecture and the things that the sell in the basement. It even has the tea room of which we couldn’t get into because it was closed for a private event unfortunately. On the way back to the hotel, we say a long queue and people were carrying pints of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. We walked over and saw this sign – saw we ended up queuing for a good half hour and got six pints!

That night we went to the Rocks and had Italian dinner at Caminetto. The portion is huge!!! And the pizza was good. It was tucked away behind the Rocks. Then after we went for dinner at Pancakes on the Rock where we had to queue for a good 15 minutes. In the end, the plain pancake was the best – super fluffy and buttery.. emmm yum!

Day 4

Early in the morning we went to Paddington market which was a huge disappoinment because we finish going around the market in 15 minutes. So we decided to sit at the Micky’s cafe which had awesome smoothies. Then we went to Sydney Fish Market and had lunch in Doyle’s with our old neighbour. We absolutely vacummed the food! The lobster was super fresh and best to have it grilled with butter. For dinner we went to another town called Leichardt. In a place called Italian Forum we had Italian dinner (surprise surprise) at Sapore by the Fountain.

My mom was more excited to get the new recipe of my Linguine al Scampi which is just made out of olive oil, chillies, spring onions and lots and lots of garlic with grilled scampi. It was simple but excellent. Then for dessert we went to a quaint little cafe in Glebe called Badde Manors Cafe which to me has a lot of character and excellent dessert. Its Hungarian Baked Cheesecake is one of the best I have ever tried.

Day 5
Visit to Sydney that ended up where we hang out at the airport. Oh yes – another important tip – keep your receipts of goods which are over 300AUSD. It is simple to claim tax refund here. No forms and direct charge to your credit card. But they do check every item claimed in the receipts!

Till then – will update the rest of my trips in due course.

Why 8? Because it embodies the 8 different facets of House of Dior:

1) Haute Couture

2) Architecture

3) Essence

4) Silhoutte

5) Elegance

6) Preciousness

7) Expertise

8)  Eight – Because 8 is Dior’s favourite number and is the only number in roman numerals on the watch. How brilliant is that!

p/s: my favourite number is 7

Enjoy Mylene Klass and this is her mix of Krwling

especially the transition at the first minute and Bach’s Toccata and Fugue mix

Looking back so much has happened and so much has changed.  I am truly grateful to Allah for making me truly blessed. I am pretty sure that it is my mum’s prayer.  She prayed so much that I have this kind of life – a happy life and a contented one (somewhat – still unsure about the career aspect of my life but I have my short-term target). I smile more often now and became more productive.  In fact I can’t remember the last time I cried so much (my monthly episodes don’t count).  Well enough of this drama and let’s make my birthday a memorable one by immortalising it in words.

It first came with a diamond bracelet that my parents bought from Burma.  It is just simply beautiful – it even looks like it is from Tiffany’s but with more diamonds! And then one week later, the one person who changed my life to be a happier one and a more contented one, gave me a white ceramic tag heuer formula 1 watch that I wanted. (Actually, I want the chanel j12 but it is at least 5 figures.. hehe I am not that bad).  Now I have a white ceramic watch that I have always wanted! Yay!

That night my londoners friends arranged a triple celebration with the other two arians! We karaoked and danced all night and yes I got more pressies!! On Saturday it was my parent’s anniversary and we went to a nice restaurant called Le Midi – awesome jazz music there.  The next day, I got free tickets to watch the Formula 1 race and RAIN!!!! Lol! We decided to stay for a while while the traffic eases and to see for ourselves what is so great about rain.  First song – rainism, 1st half to the second song – It is raining! – nuff said, we decided to leave the premises ASAP.  Huhu.. however, that was an experience that I enjoyed.   Monday night my PwC Dutch friend arranged a burger and cranium night for a joint birthday celebration with 3 other PwC colleagues.  I never knew there were so many Arians! That was a simple and fun night.

On my birthday, we went for a very “special” dinner.  It certainly makes me smile thinking about it.  Guess what, as not so scrumptious it may be  – the best part of the night was sitting in the kopitiam just chatting beside each other with that special someone.  The next day I went to Chynna, Hilton with my family and managed to get the Bank Rakyat account open without even going there (courtesy to my bf’s aunt – thanks!).  Also I managed to open my CDS account as well! So much investment intentions but so little money

Anyway, my birthday hasn’t ended yet – it just goes on to Malacca!  Put well in a sentence – we ate it more than we saw it! That was my birthday celebrationssss.. and it will probably end with Siem Reap next month! Can’t wait.

Thank you sayang for being there with me everyday. Thank you for making my life such a happy and memorable one. Thank you for enabling me to create more fun times with my family when my siblings are not around.  I pray for the best for you as you deserve it. I hope I am doing a good job taking care of you. I love you.

p/s: got myself a new bag, 2 dresses and a top! (I went shopping after a stressful week – gimme a break)

1) It stars Audrey Hepburn and this is her first musical before My Fair Lady which I love too

2) She actually sings and swing dances.. which is one of my favourite dance (as it is sooo fun and carefree – love being tossed around while moving your    feet)

Favourite scene –

3) Although I can’t help to think that this movie is like the original version of “Devil wears Prada”, Audrey plays the bombshell with the brain.  And yes… like all other “chic flick”, you can’t help but drooling over the beautiful dresses featured in the film.

…and finally 4) the car!!

The little white car that Dick and Maggie drive to the beatnik club is called a VELAM Isetta. The French nicknamed the car the “yoghurt pot” because of its looks. It was also known as the “bubblecar”, “rolling egg”, “little egg” and even “trouser fly” since you could get into the car from the front.  How cute is that?!