Top 3 Commentators for Year 2012

As what I did in previous year, here I am once again did the same thing. Another year for me to announce the top 3 commentators who leave the most trail or comments in my lil humble blog - Travel & Living Journal of DT. Despite having the same winners, looks like this year we have 3 brand new winners and because this year I travelled the most (travelled almost triple times than two previous years), therefore this year prizes will be added slightly more compare last year.

Let's us take a look who is the top 3 Commentators for the Year 2012 *drum roll again..................*

Start from the bottom top 3

Small Kucing & Mamarazzi from www.smallkucing.com - with 53 comments

• Tote bag and key chain from Bali, Indonesia
• Luggage tag and a set of Angry Bird stationery from Bangkok, Thailand
• Painting bookmark from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
• Small pouch from Phuket, Thailand
• Fridge magnet from Hong Kong 

UPDATED ON 20.01.2013:

Small Kucing and Mamarazzi did a post regarding this too. Do check out their blog  - Unexpected Prizes.

The Top 2

Hong Chern Wern from World of Travels, Environment and Photography - with 62 comments

• T-shirt from Manila, Philippines
• Tote bag and key chain from Bali, Indonesia
• Luggage tag from Bangkok, Thailand
• Painting bookmark from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
• Small pouch from Phuket, Thailand
• Fridge magnet from Hong Kong   

And the Winner goes to...

Simple Person from Simple Life - with 67 comments

• T-shirt from Philippines
• Tote bag and key chain from Bali, Indonesia
• Pouch from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
• Bookmark from Melbourne, Australia
• Luggage tag from Bangkok, Thailand
• Small pouch from Phuket, Thailand
• Fridge magnet from Hong Kong  

UPDATED ON 10.01.2013:
Simple Person did a post regarding this too. Do check out his blog  - My Simple 2013 New Year

Not forgetting for the rest, thanks a lot to all of you for the wonderful and lovely comments too. If without you guys, this lil humble blog of mine wouldn't go further. A genuine comments especially given by the readers are somehow like a feedback and it give some inspiration to improve the blog and therefore it is very meaningful to each and every bloggers I believe, including me too.

Wait guys! Not just that, I had decided to pick another reader who had commented at least 20 and above by randomly draw:

1. Mei Tzeu from meitzeu.com - 52 comments
2. Shirley Tay from Luxury Haven - 52 comments
3. Rexs Leonard J. Madan from Aki Borneo - 34 comments
4. Biqque from Beauty in Darkness- 34 comments
5. Hilda Milda from Being Hildaladida  - 33 comments 
6. Hartina Arssid from My Littlewing - 33 comments
7. Fish Sze Hui from ofishiee - 32 comments
8. Jeff Chuah from Jeff's Travel - 29 comments
9. Ken Wooi from kenwooi.com - 24 comments
10. Henry Tan from My Blog, My Way - 23 comments  
11. Filip Demuinck & Kristel Pardon from Travels-Ballroom Dancing-Amusement Parks - 23 comments 

Congratulation to Biqque from Beauty in Darkness and you will receive some mystery gift which I bought abroad too.

For the four winners above, congratulation and hope you guys will like the travel goodies. Don't forget, to leave your name, mailing address and contact number to my email: dianateodt@gmail.com within 14 days from the date of this post so that I could courier the gift to your doorstep. If no any response given within that period, new winner will be chosen.

Hence, this post concluded the final post of my blog for the year 2012 and I hope that all my blog readers enjoying reading all my travel posts throughout this year.  

Before I end this, I would like to wish to all my readers;

"May every day of this new year glow with good cheer, happiness and prosperity to you. Happy New Year 2013!"

Sensa Hotel Bandung, Indonesia

During our 2 days in Bandung, we stayed in this trendy and chic Sensa Hotel. Although it might be quite pricey, but it's a night to remember for me and my mommy. If you have extra disposal income, this hotel is absolutely highly recommended.

Hotel Exterior

Our deluxe room

Our deluxe room is very spacious and classic with modernly designed and minimalist style. Not just they providing us with a comfortable bed, it is very huge too. Therefore this room can be shared among 4 people. As a flashpacker who can't live without Internet connection, the free WiFi connection never disappointed me with such a strong connection but a lil bit annoying with the requirement of frequently sign in for WiFi connection.   

The bathroom which concentrate on open concept with partially glass wall is so huge in size too. All the basic toiletries is provided including hair dryer and slippers. The only minor problem was there is no lock at the bathroom door.

The room that we booked is including breakfast and upon reaching their restaurant, it is so colourful and vibrant. Mainly because this hotel seems like many people favourite's choice, so it was crowded when my mom and I were having breakfast there. But no worries, there are plenty of seats as you can choose to dine-in whether indoor or outdoor.

 Wide spread of bread and cakes

Having breakfast for 2 days, I realised the breakfast buffet doesn't give a lot of choices especially in terms of main meals but they were well-prepared with a range of western and Indonesian dishes to choose from. One can even requested the chef to cook hot bakso soup. 

There are even a small swimming pool which is located outside the restaurant with the fitness center and pool on the top of it. And once again cause ran out of time, I can't managed to utilise them.

Talking about the location, Sensa Hotel is perfectly tucked in great and excellent location. Cihampelas Street is just a stone's throw away and Ciwalk Shopping Mall is located just next to the hotel which houses with those famous daily doses such as KFC, Pizza Hut, J. Co Donuts, BreadTalk, Starbucks and more.

Sensa Hotel, absolutely a sensational hotel which gives an unique and wonderful experience to both mommy and I. Absolutely will be another come back for both of us.

Indonesia Day 3 : Kampung Daun, Tangkuban Perahu, Dago & Riau Street, Rumah Mode of Bandung

Date of Visited: 22nd December 2011

Before flew off to Indonesia, I did contacted a local tour operator that I wanna hire for a day tour around Bandung but unfortunately no response was given at all. Luckily enough that the taxi driver we met in Bandung train station who send us to the hotel proposed himself to become our driver for a day and the charge will be IDR450,000 (roughly around RM160). It might be pricey cause sharing among two of us only but that is the normal rate charged by the local driver for a 12 hours tour services, which include the petrol but this excluding the parking and entrance fees. It will be worthwhile if you are travel in a big group as the car we travelled with was Toyota Avanza.

Our tour started at 8am as what being promised by the driver. He indeed came earlier and waited for us in the lobby. Before started the journey, a night before I did listed down the places and attractions which I think would be worth to go since it was my maiden trip to Bandung.

Kampung Daun Culture Gallery & Daun

Kampung Daun is an authentic Indonesian restaurant located in the hills high above Bandung and required at least 2 hours drive from Bandung city. The reason we came here was not for their foods but their surrounding environment and atmosphere. Afterall, the entrance is free of charge.

 

This beautiful restaurant was built among the natural environment. The way they built the log cabins which served as the eating platforms is perfect for those want to have a quiet, peace and privacy moments. Besides that, one can enjoy their foods with such a scenic, cool and fresh surrounding as the log cabins were set in a lush and green valley with a small stream running pass through them. Relating to their foods, we didn't managed to try but I saw tons of positive reviews towards them.

Tangkuban Perahu

For me, this is the main highlight that you shouldn't miss out when visiting Bandung. Being blessed living in a country like Malaysia, volcano is something unique for me as we unable to experience this is elsewhere around Malaysia. Therefore, this is my first time experience visiting and seeing the active volcano right in front of my eyes and instantly took my breath away.

I stepped down to look closer of this biggest crater which known as Kawah Ratu (literally means Queen of the Craters) of Mount Tangkuban Perahu. My mom was too afraid to get nearer as worried it might be erupted anytime but our driver did told us that the last erupted was like 50 years ago. The weather was cold and windy. Therefore, kindly bring along your jacket or wear more thicker clothes. Plus, be aware of souvenir sellers which I heard from the driver that the price of souvenirs that they were selling were 3 or 4 times much higher. And please don't ever talk or ask them cause once you did so, they will keep following you. 

The admission fee for an adult is IDR50,000 but cause both mommy and I looks like Indonesian (kinda an advantage for us), we were being charged under local fee for IDR13,000 per pax only whereas the parking fee is IDR10,000. 

Done with sightseeing and now it's time for my mom's turn as this was what the trip for. Another reason that many tourists visiting Bandung every year is for shopping craze. As what according to Malaysia Asia, if you are looking for factory outlets, there are four main areas in Bandung which are Jalan Setiabudi, Jalan Riau, Dago District and Cihampelas Area. I did blogged about Cihampelas Area before (click HERE) but for the rest, cause of limited of time, I only managed to visit few factory outlets in Jalan Riau and Dago District. If you wanna know which are the top 10 best factory outlets in Bandung that should visit, read Malaysia Asia's blog.

Dago District

These are the few factory outlets in Dago District; Grande Fashion Gallery and Central Branded Outlet. Grande Fashion Gallery is listed as one of the top 10 factory outlets to visit. These factory outlet houses many famous brand such as Zara, Levi's, Polo, MNG, Calvin Klein, Burberry and more. If you ask me whether are all those goods are genuine or fakes, I'm so sorry to say that I'm not so sure about that cause I am not fashion chaser. As you can see that I didn't took any photos inside the factory outlet cause most of the factory outlets strictly prohibited phototaking inside their outlets. 

As for our lunch, our driver recommended Nasi Padang at Simpang Raya. For those who haven't try Nasi Padang before, it's a field of dishes ranging from chicken, beef, fish vegetables and more and it's only countable based on consumption. My mom and I politely invited our driver to have lunch together eventhough he didn't even requested at the first place but it's our courtesy to treat him for the long hour drive. Our driver was very kind and helpful but unfortunately I lost his contact number.

Jalan Riau

Then, we continued to shop in Jalan Riau. There are few well-known factory outlets which were highly recommended such as Heritage Factory Outlet and The Summit. I personally prefer to shop at Heritage cause it is more fashionable with pretty decent prices. Not just that, I love the classical architectural style that has the similar to Greek architecture.

Rumah Mode

Rumah Mode is not just notable as a shopping paradise, but it is famous for its beautiful landscaping and unique interior design. Among all the factory outlets I went, I was so shocked when I reach Rumah Mode as it was so packed and crowded compare to the others. The most shocking to me was it was mostly packed with the local especially those from Jakarta. It's long queue almost everywhere especially the fitting rooms and the cashier. So, it's kinda hard to shop around with the crazy crowd and mommy just managed to buy 2 or 3 goods.

Our shopping haul for the day 

Frankly speaking, I don't think Bandung is the best place for shopping craze. Mainly cause I am not fond of those fashion and some of the goods I think kinda pricey. I just bought 3 tops which each cost RM25 and below. Some of my friends love to shop in Bandung, but some don't. Well, it depends on one own preferences whether worth or not to shop in Bandung.

Snapshot Sunday: My 2012 Year End Trip

Definitely and for sure, this is my final trip for the year 2012. Just like every year, no matter how many times I travelled, I will plan at least a trip for my dearest family and this time around, I planned for something different. Visited 3 different cities in a week via overland. We flew into Johor Bahru, then hired van driver to Singapore. Then from Singapore to Malacca and finally arrived in Kuala Lumpur. Initially was supposed a trip with my mom and siblings (dad was too busy with his works), ended up my aunt and cousins from Brunei joined us for the trip too. First time I planned for such a big group (there are 9 of us) from hotel arrangement to transportation mode. Another challenging tasks but I kinda love the feelings of doing so. 

"Till then, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all my readers!"

Indonesia Day 2: First Day in Bandung (Part 2)

Date of Visited: 21st December 2011

Continue from Part I: Leaving Jakarta to Bandung

Upon arrived Bandung, it rained cats and dogs. It is one of the most annoying things when comes to travelling.

Hence, my mom suggested to have lunch before taking taxi to our hotel and we spotted this small little Japanese bento shop located right at the exit of the train station which known as Hokka Hokka.

Both mommy and I ordered and shared a set which consists a bowl of rice, fried chicken nuggets, fried fish cake, grilled chicken, salad and a coke that cost IDR57,000 (roughly around RM20). We tried to wait but looks like the weather wasn't on our side. Without waiting any longer, got no choice but immediately take the taxi to our hotel.

This is the hotel we were staying for 2 nights when we're in Bandung - Sensa Hotel. It is indeed one the highly recommended not just by me, but also my mom who truly fall in love with this hotel. Will blog about this in the upcoming post.

Even the location is absolutely superb. It located in the center of Cihampelas Street, where we pampered ourselves with cheap shopping. Most of the items sold here were jeans cause this is the place known to be jeans centre. I noticed the jeans were super cheap and you can even request to alter for free. Not just that, Cihampelas Street is different from other streets in Bandung in terms where you can see many superheroes huge statues which are amazingly standing on the top of the buildings such as Superman, Spiderman and more.

Almost the whole rows of Cihampelas Street filled with garments. 

Besides Cihampelas Street, Ciwalk or fully known as Cihampelas Walk Shopping Mall is located just right beside the hotel. It seems to be newly opened shopping mall with many unique and amazing shops.

Before we went back to the hotel after spending almost 2 hours of shopping, we settled down by having dinner. We had a set of Teriyaki Chicken Noddle and fresh Strawberry Juice but turns out the teriyaki chicken noodle taste awful. Luckily there is a convenient store in the Ciwalk, so we went and bought few foods.

And what did I bought on my first day in Bandung? A Smurf T-shirt which cost RM17 (consider quite cheap) and a set of fridge magnet for collection.

NOTE: Kinda quite rush for this post cause I am currently travelling for my final trip for the year. An overland trip to 3 different cities in a week.

Indonesia Day 2 - Leaving Jakarta For Bandung (Part I)

Date of Visited: 21st December 2011

By the time we woke up, we found it's only 7am of Indonesian time. Jakarta time is 1 hour behind Malaysia time. Mommy and I woke up early to wander around nearby the hotel before leaving Jakarta to Bandung. And also to hunt for breakfast as it was not included in our hotel.

Some of the area in Jakarta was indeed clean. No kidding!

Some of the buildings we saw at this business district of Jakarta Golden Triangle. Jakarta is divided into 5 cities/municipalities; which are Central, North, East, West and South. The area that we were staying was in Central Jakarta which is the smallest city and home to most of Jakarta's administrative and political center.

Mom couldn't find any coffee shops nearby the hotel. She needs at least drink a cup of coffee everyday. Hence, we decided went back to our hotel, MaxOne Hotels.com for breakfast before checking-out. The reason I choose this hotel mainly because it is so near to the train station and we heard a lot of congested jam in Jakarta. For sure, we don't want to miss out train.

This is auto rickshaw of Indonesia, which being by the local as Bajaj. Initially we plan to take taxi to the train station from our hotel, but the staff recommended us to take this as it was more faster and cheaper too. You can bargain with them before decided to ride with them. Mommy and I did bargained with the driver and finally both of us agreed to pay the driver for IDR15,000 (roughly around RM5). The ride is similar to tuk-tuk in Thailand.

Gambir Station, the mainline railway station in Central Jakarta that will depart to Bandung. Besides Bandung, it also depart to other major cities of Indonesia such as Semarang, Surabaya and Yogyakarta.  


The time schedule. The train from Jakarta Gambir Station to Bandung depart for every hour or two but it is advisable to check it advance as it might change. There are two website that you can check out if you want plan your journey from Jakarta to Bandung or even to other cities:

1. Train Travel in Indonesia
2. Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero)

As I saw one of Jakarta's icon, the Monument National or in short known as MONAS is located just besides the Gambir Station and also cause we had a lil bit of spare time, I told my mom I wanna go there for photoshooting. But turns out, it need at least 10 minutes walking. Mommy was quite worry that we might be late for our flight, hence this is one and only shot that I managed to capture from the station:

Monument National of Indonesia, MONAS

Bear in mind that if you wanna take taxi in Jakarta, it is advisable to take this blue colour taxi which known as the "Blue Bird". Up to date, I heard lots of positive comments from the foreign tourists.

We bought the Executive class for IDR60,000 (roughly around RM22) per person. The seats are quite comfortable with fully air-conditioned. There are even meals being sold inside the train such as fried rice, fried noodle, snacks and drinks but might be pricey. Well, mommy and I had bought quite lots of foods and drinks before we depart.

Finally, a train ride for 3 hours, we reached Bandung but unfortunately, it rained cats and dogs once we arrived. This is what I hate when comes to travelling - heavy rain that really spoil the travelling mood.

So, it rains heavily in Bandung and what did we did? Stay tune for the Part II of Bandung travelogue.

Foodie Friday: Foods Around Kuching

NOTE: Non-Halal Food Post

Like what I did mentioned before in my previous post that during my trip to Kuching with my family last week, our trip seems like more towards food adventures. Besides Penang and Malacca, I think that Kuching is consider one of the city in Malaysia to be one of the place for food paradise.

Kuching has a number of notable and famous local dishes that mostly served in hawker stalls. It doesn't means that you have to go for grand and luxury restaurants for fine and delicious foods, hawker stalls sometimes serve more delicious than that.

The FOUR heavenly foods that you must try when in Kuching:

Who doesn't know this, the most famous noodle of Sarawak - Kolo Mee? A flash-boiled egg noodles that classically served with crushed garlic and shallot, minced pork, white vinegar, either vegetable oil, pork oil or peanut oil, and sliced barbecue pork known as char siew which is my favourite food that I can have it almost every morning when I was in Kuching. You can have this as low as RM2.60 per bowl in Kuching. It's dirt cheap and sometimes the hawker is generous with the amount of char siew.

Kueh Chap, a ricecake strips served in a herbal soup with assortment of pork internal organs, deep fried tofu, and hard-boiled egg. 

Another favourite of mine, Tomato Sauce Kuey Teow. Some people found it weird to eat this ricecake strips in the tomato sauce but for me, it is simply delicious. Some of the stalls in Kuching do serve in crispy deep fried noodles and you can request whatever ingredients you wanna add into this meal. For me, I prefer chicken, pork and fish cakes.

 

Sarawak Laksa – Spicy coconut prawn paste-based broth served with rice vermicelli, omelette and chicken strips, prawns, sliced deep fried tofu, and occasionally clams. But to be frank, I seldom had this in Kuching cause my mom serve the best Sarawak Laksa.

Apart from the above four heavenly foods of Kuching, there are even many unusual and unique foods you can find around Kuching itself, such as:

I found this one kinda special cause I never came across in anyway, the Belacan Bihun. A vermicelli served together with octopus mixed together with spicy shrimp paste. Did anyone found this food in other place besides Kuching, please share with me but I doubt so on that.

Rojak Buah - Mixed of pineapple

Kuching Special ABC with their special name. From left; White Lady, Harry Potter and Gangnam Style. 

I was so surprised but at the same time, laughed for non-stop when I heard the name. Their ABC are freaking cheap too where you can get as low as RM1.70. Gosh!

Three Layer Milk Tea or locally known as Teh C Special. This three lay­ers are often made up of tea which is on the top, evap­o­rated milk in the middle and Gula Melaka syrup in the bottom part. Not just three, there are some shops even served in five layers. Cool!

Most of the foods above are hardly for you to bring back or even give to your friends and family, unless going to Kuching by themselves. But no worry, as there are always something you can bring back as a gift from Kuching, none other than Kek Lapis or Layer Cake. Everytime when I see those passengers from Kuching flight, most of them brought a big box and sometimes even more than that filled with Kek Lapis. There are many flavour with different kind of patterns and motifs.

I doubt that most of the foods above are hardly to be found in elsewhere, except in Sarawak especially the Kuching city. Wanna try and eat the origin, buy ticket and heading to Kuching for a food adventures that for sure will make you craving for more. No offense but a Malaysian who had been to many countries but not Kuching, it's kinda shame on you. Should plan your trip to this humble cats city someday. Meow!