Travel Depot

Stonehenge

2011-11-30T02:24:00.000+08:00

Destination: Stonehenge, Wiltshire, England.

Date: 26 November 2011

Stonehenge here we come! Being one of the top places to visit in England and one of the most mysterious places in the world, we decided to go to Stonehenge. We rent a car from Leamington Spa, Warwickshire to this place and the journey took about 1 hour 50 minutes.

The car parking is free! Anyhow you have to pay for the admission or else you could view the stones for free from a bit far distance. Ticket price is £7.50 for an adult & £4.50 for a child. For more information you could visit here English Heritage or Stonehenge.

Above is the complimentary audio guide which must be returned at the exit but subject to availability. This audio guide available in 10 languages but to listen to it you must put it near to your ear, which make me felt quite unpleasant as I would prefer to be hand-free because I was pushing my baby in her stroller. Anyhow my hubby got his earphone, so he could use it without having to hold the device, making everyone looks like as they were talking on the mobile phone! :)

The exact purpose of the stones remain a mystery.

Hubby & our honeybun enjoyed watching the big stones on her Stokke Evo.

Above is called as Heel Stone.

Our daughter is watching the sheep!

The admission fees will be used for the conservation of this heritage monument.

You could buy light refreshment from the Stonehenge Kitchen. They provide some tables and chairs for you to eat or drink but they are outdoor, so if you would like to visit during cold weather, do not expect to enjoy your refreshment in warm place!

Furthermore, when visiting during Winter, bare in mind that the day is shorter. During our visit around 4.30pm it was already getting dark.

Besides that, they have the Stonehenge gift shop for visitors to buy any gifts :)

All in all, besides getting a chance to see and learn about the Stonehenge, we could see the beauty of the green land with many sheep around. For those who do not fancy beauty of the nature, this place might provide nothing to you.

Off A344 Road, Amesbury, Wiltshire - SP4 7DE

Pick Your Own Fruits at Red Road Plant Centre, Kineton, Warwickshire, England.

2011-07-09T22:55:00.000+08:00

Destination: Road Plant Centre, Kineton, Warwickshire, England.
Date: 2 July 2011

It was our first Strawberries picking! Hubby chose to go to the Road Plant Centre, Kineton, as it is just about 20 minutes from our house in Leamington Spa.

We were welcomed by a friendly lady. Upon our arrival at around 11.30am, there were only few people visiting. So we felt like we could enjoy picking the fruits at a leisurely pace! ;)

What best was at the time of our visit this place offered the cheapest price for the strawberries, 1kg = £3.45, whereby other commercial centre would usually sell at £3.60 per kg. Moreover, they didn't have the entry fee. You just need to pay for what u have picked!

Visitors are allowed to have a taste of their fruits, though not to have a feast!

Our daughter enjoyed picking her favourite fruit! She is 8 months 15 days!

This area, the Strawberries are call as Lucy!

Besides Strawberries, there were many other fruits like Gooseberries, Blackcurrants, Raspberries, Redcurrants and Tayberries. For Autumn they will have Apples, Corn and many more!

The Beautiful of Girona Ancient City

2011-07-06T04:40:00.002+08:00

Destination: Girona City, Spain
Date: 2 January 2010

For me Girona City is a very nice ancient city. During our visit here, I could say that we were the only Asian there we could see. Hehe. Most people kind of staring at us. The funny things about some of the local people here is about communication. Not all local people here could speak English. We were talking to one of the shop keeper there in English but then she was just keep on talking in Spanish. She was trying very hard to try to make us understand but we just didn't get it. Huhuhu~

Our next destination is Barcelona!

Heading to Girona City and Place to Stay

2010-01-12T03:05:00.003+08:00

Destination: Girona City, Spain
Date: 1 January 2010

Continue from my previous post, now we were waiting for the bus to Girona City. Below is the photo of the bus station near the Girona Costa Brava Airport.

Bus Station at Girona Costa Brava Airport, Spain

The journey to Girona City from the airport is about 30 minutes by bus and cost €2.50 per person. We just realized that here people were driving in the left hand side.

Girona City Bus Station

Once we stepped out from the bus, we saw lots of bicycle rental around Girona City. Anyhow I am not very sure about the rent rate. Opposite the bus station in Girona City, there is the Girona Train Station.

Bicycle rental in Girona City

From the bus station, we planned to walk to the hostel which we booked online, as it seemed not that very far to walk to. Anyhow, it is quite confusing to walk to the hostel using a map we printed from google map! Along the way walking to our hostel, we could see that many shops were closed due to New Year public holiday! Lastly we managed to find the hostel by asking a local couple who could speak English. :)

Equity Point Girona Hostel

We chose to stay in a 6 beds dorm. The toilet was outside. We could say that our room was clean and the outside toilet was clean too. We shared this dorm with another 4 French girls.

6 Beds dorm

We paid €30.00 for two nights (€15.00 per person, per night), €2.00 for extra blanket and €2.00 for a towel. If you need extra linen you can rent it at €2.00per item. We brought our own lock so we could use the locker without having to pay extra €2.00 per lock.

During winter it is quite cold but not that very freezing. This hostel has a centralize heater but it was not switch on 24hours. They switch it on for a certain time only.

Lockers

View from our dorm

Can u see the machine? There are some mobile phone chargers!

TV room at the common area

Besides that there was a terrace outside of this 4th floor. Just go through the light brown door which you can see in the above photo.

Computers are provided at this common room, but you have to pay to use it.

The hall way to the lift

The lift

The steps

The communal kitchen

The communal stuff in the kitchen

Everything in the kitchen is for the guests to be used, except those that have labels with names. Here you have to clean your own plates and things you used. If you need to buy something to cook like oil, vegetables, fish, meat, sausages, cheese, milk, rice, pasta, chili powder, etc, you could just buy them from a shop on the right side of this hostel.

If you have your own food to be kept in the fridge, do not forget to put labels

My breakfast

Breakfast is provided every morning from 8.00a.m. until 10.0a.m. at the dining area. Not only that they had bread like in the above photo, but cereals, muffins, fruits, toasts, orange juice, peach juice, chocolate 3 in 1 drink, milk, tea, sugar and salt were also provided.

For more information about this hostel, visit Equity Point Girona Hostel.

All in all hubby and I think that it was good to stay at this hostel as we make some friends from different countries. The only thing that I do not really favor is that when the other roommates were making noise while we were sleeping.

Journey from Manchester, England to Girona, Spain through Leeds Bradford Airport

2010-01-08T05:54:00.002+08:00

Destination: Leeds Train Station
Date: 1 January 2010

It was Christmas break that hubby and I planned to go for our next Europe travel mission, as well as to escape from the crazy cold of the white blanket throughout England and also to celebrate our second wedding anniversary! :) Spain here we come!

Why we choose Spain? Simple! It's because we found cheap return flight tickets by ryanair.com! Before buying the flight tickets, we did some quick research on the internet about going to Spain, the places and things related. After considering all the budgets, time and everything, lastly we made our decision to go for our second Europe travel mission! But this time we plan to travel more like the backpackers! I will explain more about the price and everything when it comes to the point. Keep reading! Ha..ha.. ;)

Early in the morning of 1 January 2010, we both walked to the Crumpsall Tram Station, hoping to spend £2.00 per person to go to Piccadilly. Unfortunately the tram only starts at 9.00a.m. on New Year! So we were rushing to catch a taxi in a very quiet morning at Crumpsall area, Cheetham Hill. Luckily we managed to get one and arrived at Piccadilly Train Station on time. Huh... Moral of the story, do not forget to check public transportation schedule time especially during public holiday! Instead of paying £4.00 for the tram, we had to pay £10.00 for the taxi. Huhu~

A friend told us to consider parking at the Leeds Airport as it could be cheaper. Anyhow after calculating it we found that it is cheaper or almost the same price to travel to Leeds Airport by train and then take a bus. This is because we were going to Spain for six days. The car parking rates for six days are between £31.00 - £50.00 and hubby said it could be tiring to drive. You can compare the parking rates near Leeds Airport from Airport Parking Shop website. So, we bought two return train tickets from Virgin Trains at £24.00.

Once reach Piccadilly Train Station, hubby asked me to look for the train platform number while he went to get the printed tickets. The printed tickets were very confusing us as there were nine printed tickets. So you have to look very carefully which one is to be used. For me the best way is to ask at the information counter or go to your right platform and ask any of the train officers you could find ;) Once we managed to get into the train, in less then 5 minutes the train was already make a move. The journey to Leeds was about 1 hour, where we arrived at Leeds Train Station around 9.30a.m.

Leeds Train Station

Then we were looking around to find the bus stand S7 which is the Metro Leeds bus interchange to Leeds Airport. You can find it on the left side, after you exit the main entrance of the Leeds Train Station. It is very near, just few seconds to reach the bus stand.

Metro Leeds Bus Station Interchange, Stand S7.

It is easy to know the time for the next bus coming to the stand, as you can see in the above photo. Our bus to Leeds Airport would arrive at 10.07a.m. Before seeing the electronic board showing the bus arrival time, we were reading the bus schedule on the left board for few times until we realized that there was an electronic board showing it! Ha.. ha.. ;P We bought the bus tickets on the bus at £2.50 per adult and the journey took about 30-40 minutes.

Once arrived at the Leeds Airport, we went to the check-in counter to weight our bags! Less than 10kg! Yee hee! If you have baggage to check-in, you'd better book online as it is cheaper but for us it is no no no way! He.. he.. We were traveling on budget and trying to reduce everything possible! ;) Please note that you can bring along one cabin bag only. Your bag should not be bigger than 55 x 40 x 20cm and 10kg is the maximum weight. Anyhow we saw someone brought a big luggage bag which I guess bigger than that size. No idea! Maybe it was his lucky day ;) Even we had check-in online, but as Non EU/EEA passengers, we must go to the airport bag drop/visa check desk before going through security. This is because they want to check for validity on our travel document/visa. In additional, the bag drop desk close strictly 40 minutes before the scheduled flight departure time and passengers should be at the boarding gate at least 30 minutes prior to the scheduled departure.

After that, hubby took a picture of me around that area and suddenly a female officer or staff (we didn't know as she never introduces herself) came to tell us that no camera is allowed. So we just apologized for it and thinking that maybe we could take some photos at outside the airport. Guess what again she came and wanted to see the photos that we already took. According to her it is in the security policy that no camera is allowed at all, even outside the airport. What a very ridiculous policy? There were lots of people were taking photos outside the airport and it just that she didn't see it! Even there were no sign at all saying no camera is allowed until we went to the security check area. There only we started to see the sign. Whatever!

Early December 2009 we bought the flight tickets from ryanair.com at only £28.00 for 2 return tickets Leeds-Girona, Spain-Leeds. Let me break down the price for 2 adults.

Leeds (LBA) to Girona (Barcelona) (GRO) = 4.00 GBP
Girona (Barcelona) (GRO) to Leeds (LBA) = 4.00 GBP
4 x (Free Web Check in) = 0.00 GBP
Debit Card = 10.00 GBP
Debit Card = 10.00 GBP

Total Payment Amount Excluding handling fee = 28.00 GBP

Hey you know what, if you have card with Visa Electron, ryanair.com won't charge the £10.00. Like us, we paid using Lloyds TSB debit card, so they charged extra £20.00 for our return tickets. Also don't forget that if you buy ryanair flight ticket online, you must check-in online 15 days before the departure date and the printed boarding passes must be brought to the airport!

Since we arrived at the airport early, so we just took our time to enjoy our fried rice which I cooked from home! ;)

Later, we make a move to the security check. It was our first time being asked to open our shoes at the security check. Ha..ha.. Well everybody had to. Besides that our jacket or coat also must be opened and put into the scanning machine. Moreover, we had to show our toiletries bag and it should be kept in a clear visible bag! All bottles cannot be more than 100ml. There was one passenger whose her shampoo was being asked to throw away or to be put in the hold of the aircraft for a fee about £35.00. So if you are unsure, just check at the bag drop desk before going through security.

Once last call has been made, we went to line up for boarding. Let's go to Spain!

Going to fly with Ryanair for the first time!

View from the plane where we almost reach Girona, Spain.

Girona - Costa Brava Airport

The immigration at Girona - Costa Brava Airport just asked for our passports and wanted to see our return tickets. That's all and you can start practice to say Hola, which we can hear the local people pronounce it like "O-la" when meeting people. :)

Then we were searching for the bus station at the airport to go to Girona City by asking at the information counter. Once you exit the airport just turn right and walk straight until you see the bus station right in front of you. It is not very far, I guess just about 100 meter. The bus ticket can be purchased at the counter near the bus station. We paid 2.50 per person for the bus ticket.

View of Girona - Costa Brava Airport from the bus station.

Stay tune until my next post! I will share more about our journey and holiday in Girona City as well as Barcelona!!!

First Snow Fall in Manchester, December 2009

2009-12-17T02:06:00.061+08:00

Location: Crumpsall, Manchester, England.
Date: 17 December 2009

This is our fourth months in Manchester. We've been told by many friends and specially Malaysians in Manchester that this place usually doesn't snow. Except in last February 2009, there was thin coating of snow that last for about one day.

Today lots of friends from other parts of England put their Facebook's status with "snowing". Suddenly hubby looked out from the window and saw snow falls at our place! We were both very excited and went out to the Crumpsall Park near our house to play in the snow ;)

Today is our first day playing in snow together, as hubby was once played in Scotland when he was around 4 years old.

So here are some photos to enjoy!

Snow falls on the plants

Me carving our names. He.. he..

Arif Loves Tika in Manchester 2009

Hubby trying to make snow ball

Me in the snow falls

Wicklow Mountain Tour

2009-11-04T05:36:00.010+08:00

Destination: Wicklow, Ireland.
Date: 30 October 2009 (Friday)

Here it comes our second day in Ireland! This tour took us through the scenic route out of Dubliln through the Wicklow Gap and the Blessington Lakes. Unfortunately the weather was not very good as it was a rainy day. Anyhow most passangers on the bus wanted to take a look at the view point.

Sorry I do not have the Wicklow gap photo due to the rain :(

Next, the tour brought us to Glendalough “Valley of the Two Lakes”. This place is a fascinating monastic settlement in a very beautiful natural setting. According to our tour guide, the monastery was founded by St. Kevin who was a hermit monk that died about 618 AD.

Let's look around at this interesting place! Anyhow we did not walked to the lake as it was raining all day long.

Following the tour guide.

St. Kevin Chapel

The Bell Tower has 4 windows, one facing each direction. They were used for storage, but also for refuge during time of attack.

Stream at Glendalough

What a very green setting!

I just love to see these Autumn golden leaves

The tour continued to the pretty village of Avoca. Whereby it has a reputed Ireland's oldest surviving business, known as Avoca Handweavers.

Above is the shop whereby you can buy souvenirs.

Located above the shop, you can buy their products, but I guess they are quite expensive, anyhow for those who go for the quality, they might be worth to buy.

Our lunch! :)

The tour guide recommended to try Ireland local food here at the Avoca Handweavers Restaurant. So we had Quiche (€12.95), the set which included some broccolies, potatoes and egg with cheese. Besides that we tried the Avoca bread and soup (€5.55) and Hot Chocolate (€3.50). I guess the food was quite expensive as there were nothing special regarding the taste. They are just ordinary taste which serve in many restaurants.

Once we were full enough, we enjoyed the mill tour! Inside, you can see how they weave the knitwears using both the tradisional and also modern weave machine :)

For more information about where we stayed and more interesting places we visited in Dublin, please refer to my two posts before this. Enjoy! :)

Dublin City Sightseeing Tour

2009-11-02T02:45:00.004+08:00

Destination: Dublin City, Ireland.
Date: 29 October 2009 (Thursday)

As promised in my previous post, now is the time for me to share about Dublin City sightseeing tour!

Early in the morning I made some breakfast and brought some in our backpack for lunch. Just some simple sandwiches which the ingredients were bought from the Tesco Express nearby. While I was preparing the breakfast, hubby bought the Dublin City sightseeing tour ticket online at City Sightseeing. We got 10% discount to buy the tickets online!

Around 9.00a.m. we were already got onto the hop on hop off bus.The first bus or the start point was at 14 Upper O'Connell Street, outside Dublin Tourism Office. As it was just in front of our hotel building, we could just walked there slowly.

Statue of James Larkin, the labour leader at the O'Connell Street, Dublin.

O'Connell Bridge at Liffey River, Dublin City.

Grafton Street.

On the right of the Grafton Street, there is the Molly Malone statue. Molly Malone is a tale of a beautiful fishmonger, who was a part-time hussy also.

Molly Malone statue.

As you can see in the above picture, the windows are getting smaller on the top. According to our bus tour guide, it is because they wanted to make the building looks higher and the second reason is to reduce the window tax.

Cycle track signboard in Ireland.

Most of the signboard in Ireland were translated into two languages, English and Gaeilge.

Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin.

Above picture is the Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin. Here is where the Anglo-Norman adventurer who conquered Dublin and married Aoife, daughter of the King of Leinster, was buried.

In Dublin, you can always rent a bicycle, but I am not very sure about the price rate.

Later on we hopped off the bus and walked to Saint Stephen's Green, one of the oldest public parks in Ireland. We wished to capture some autumn pictures in Dublin. Below are some of the pictures taken.

Hubby and I at Saint Stephen's Green Park, Dublin, Ireland.

Resting at the park while enjoying the golden view of the park in autumn.

Above picture is the state drawing room, which was the principal reception room inside the Dublin Castle. Dublin Castle only provides guided tour and students get cheaper price by showing the student ID card! It is so interesting to know the history of Dublin Castle. I won't tell, you should visit yourself! He... he... :)

Powder Tower at Dublin Castle.

Guinness Storehouse.

We visited the Guinness Storehouse at St. James's Gate, Dublin as it is Ireland’s number one international visitors attraction. The entrance fee was quite expensive for us even though we got some discount from the Dublin City sightseeing tickets. For more information about Guinness Storehouse, visit this website.

The Guinness brewery was founded in 1759 by Arthur Guinness. In 1759 Arthur signed a 9000 year lease for a site at St. James's Gate with access to the city watercourse. Can you count when will the lease end? :)

Inside the storehouse there is a tasting lab, where visitors can sample the finished product but as we are Muslims we couldn't taste it. We visited this place just to gain some knowledge. Besides learning the process of producing Guinness, visitors can also watch visuals about the making of barrels, the tradisional made of wooden staves enclosed by metal hoops.

On top ot the storehouse, there is the Gravity Bar, that have the unique 360° view of Dublin City and beyond. Here all visitors can enjoy a complimentary pint of Guiness. Again it was not for us as we are Muslims, so we just had two glasses of Coke! :)

Some of Irish souvenirs at Carrolls.

We found that Carrolls Irish Gift Shop is the best place to buy Irish souvenirs. Most of the souvenirs are cheaper than other places! In fact there are few Carrolls Irish Gift Shops in Dublin. For more information, visit their website.

Ireland is very famous with the step dance or people just call it Irish dancing. There are few places where you can watch the Irish dancing but you have to pay for the show. As for me and my hubby, our budget was quite tight, so we went to Arlington Hotel and watched free Irish dancing show. We only paid for the drinks and able to watch live Irish dancing show for about 30 minutes. If you want to enjoy a night of unforgettable Irish hospitality and food while watching the traditional entertainment, you may book the three course menu dinner at €29.95 per person.

Arlington Hotel.

As we came early to Arlinghon Hotel, we enjoyed listening to the above live band, while waiting for the Irish dancing show to start, located at lower ground of this hotel.

Irish dancing show at Arlington Hotel.

I really enjoyed watching the Irish dancing and listening to their traditional music. It made me felt like being in a fairy world :)

Once the show was over, hubby and I walked to the Temple Bar area. It was a quite happening night there as there were many street shows. Some more that night was Halloween, so many people were dressing in different costumes.

Part of the Temple Bar area.

Below are some of the street shows at the Temple Bar area.

Spire or Spike at O'connell Street, Dublin.

Before went back to our room at the Lynam's Hotel, we took some pictures at the Spire which is 120m tall, making it the tallest structure in Dublin City centre. Locally known as Spike, located at O'Connell Street, Dublin, which is also in front of our hotel. To know more about our hotel, please read the previous post! :)

We saw a machine which people can buy stamps, 24 hours a day! What a very convenience way to buy stamps. Hopefully Malaysia will have one like this :)

The whole day was a great tour but we felt that it was not enough time to visit the whole Dublin City in a day. Some more in autumn it gets dark early which is around 5.30p.m.

In my next post, I will share about our experiences during the Wicklow Tour! :)

Journey from Manchester, England to Dublin, Ireland.

2009-11-01T18:28:00.005+08:00

Destination: Dublin, Ireland.
Date: 28 October2009 (Wednesday)

Dublin was our first Europe tour mission, since we moved to Manchester, England. In less than two weeks we managed to book the transportation to Dublin from Manchester as well as the lodging in Dublin City, Ireland for 4 days and 3 nights from 28 October 2009.

Our journey began by taking the train at Piccadilly, Manchester. Hubby bought the return tickets online from Virgin Train and cost us £132.00, which included train and ferry tickets. Actually we missed our 9.45a.m. train but luckily we were allowed to take the next train at 11.00a.m. That was our first lesson to know that public transportation in United Kingdom move sharp on time. If your train ticket printed the departure time at 9.45a.m., it means that you must be on the train about 10 minutes before it departs.

Half way through, we had to change the train at Chester Station. We had about 1 hour in Chester before we could ride the next train to Port of Holyhead, Wales, England. So in Chester, we just walked around and took some pictures.

Around 3.30p.m. we arrived at the Port of Holyhead. The check-in time for the Irish Ferries was at 4.15p.m. So again, we had few minutes to take some photos.

Port of Holyhead

From this modern bridge at the port, we could see lots of seagulls and that was our first time listening to seagulls' sound live.

Irish Ferries.

Once checked-in through the immigration officer at the port, the Irish shuttle bus picked us to the ferry. Onboard you can buy food, drinks, play games, watch television and even shopping, but the souvenirs onboard are expensive. It is better to buy souvenirs at Dublin City. We were onboard for about 2 hours and felt so boring. So we just slept all they way to Dublin Port.

Once we reached Dublin Port, the Irish shuttle bus picked us to the port. We both were busy taking pictures and when a bus came to drop some passengers at the port, we were told by the bus driver that it was the last trip and the bus service was end for that day. Luckily the bus driver was very kind to willing to fetch us until the next bus stop for free, where we could take another bus to go to Dublin City. Once we managed to catch the next bus, suddenly we were told that the bus only accept exact amount of money. We did not have small change and since that area did not have any shop nearby, the bus driver was willing to let us ride the bus for free until the next stop where there were few shops which we could get some small change. Nice bus drivers in Dublin! May God bless them. Then we went to a shop and bought Kebab to get some small change. Later on, we managed to take the next bus to Dublin City and walked to Lynam's Hotel at the O’Connell Street. At first we were lost in finding the hotel's location but at last we found it. Right in the middle of Dublin City.

We both were quite tired after the whole journey. Anyhow, we felt relief to see our room was just nice. It cost us about £130.00 for 3 nights without breakfast. Hubby booked this hotel online at Budget Places. Do not forget to find the promotion code at their blog before proceed with the booking payment online, so that you could get some discount! :) That time the promotion code was "twitter". Below are some pictures of our room.

Lynam's Hotel, just beside McDonald.

Private bathroom with bathub.

Towels were provided and being changed daily.

A comfortable double bed and television.

Coffee and tea making facilities were also provided.

Not to forget the room was also provided with a safety deposit box and free wifi. So we managed to stay in touched with friends and family using the internet as we brought along our laptop.

We were very much satisfied with this hotel and would recommend to anyone who wants to have a good and easy time in Dublin as it is also situated at a very strategic place. Right in the middle of the city center, Spar and McDonald are just beside the hotel. Beside that, Tesco Express is just about 5 minutes walk. The tourist information center is on the opposite building and you can easily get a taxi right in front of the hotel. Moreover, if you want to take the city sightseeing tour, the buses starting point is just at the opposite road. Furthermore, you can just walk to go to few places like Temple Bar, Grafton Street, Trinity College, Grafton Street, St. Stephen’s Green and many more.

Keep on reading my next post or just subscribe it to get some information about our experiences enjoying the Dublin City sightseeing tour and Wicklow Mountain tour! Plus, I will tell you where to watch free Irish dancing show and also the cheapest shop to buy Irish souvenirs! ;)

Oldham Car Boot Sales in Autum 2009

2009-10-24T12:26:00.000+08:00

Destination: Oldham, England.

Towards end of autumn the car boot sales were getting lesser. By the time we arrived at this Oldham car boot sales, some of the seller were closing up their boots already. So it is best to come early in the morning, as it is usually close at 12.00pm. Anyhow the car park was free.

According to a friend, usually this car boot sales is being held on the field and even more bigger than this one.

My husband I were looking forward to buy a wall clock. We managed to buy one at £1.00. Here you can bargain but just be nice! :) Oh! you better bring along un umbrella or a rain coat because it always rain in United Kingdom. Moreover be expected that the sales items sometimes are wet because of the rain.

Visiting Manchester City Stadium

2009-10-22T22:21:00.000+08:00

Destination: Sportcity, Manchester, England.

Sportcity was developed for the 2002 Commonwealth Games and the City of Manchester Stadium is now home to Manchester City Football Club. Now it is owned 100% by His Highness Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Manchester City Stadium

The above photo was taken from the opposite side of the stadium, which was from the Asda Wal Mart Supercentre.

CityStore at Manchester City Stadium

Opening Hours:
Monday to Saturday: 9.00am - 5.30pm
Sunday: 11.00am - 5.00pm
Matchdays: Store is open after matches

or else, there is another CityStore at The Arndale Centre.

Opening Hours:
Monday to Friday: 10.00am - 8.00pm
Saturday: 10.00am - 7.00pm
Sundays: 11.00am - 5.00pm

Some of the souvenirs sell in the store

There is also Stadium Tour available 7 days a week. Check the prices on it's official website and for student it is always at a discounted price. So don't forget to bring your student card. Poor me, if I were to go for the tour, I have to pay the normal adult price but my husband get cheaper price as he is a postgraduate student. However it is, my husband has to pay for me. Ha ha ha :)

Manchester City FC
City of Manchester Stadium
SportCity
Manchester M11 3FF

For more information visit: http://www.mcfc.co.uk/

Enjoy seafood at Wonderland Food Store in Langkawi

2009-09-18T22:08:00.000+08:00

Destination: Langkawi Island, Kedah, Malaysia.

This is not our first time visiting Langkawi Island, but what made this trip special is that I had a chance to eat my favorite Dried Chili Squid! I've been waiting about 3 years to come back to this island, place where I grew up, just to eat this delicious squid! My parents used to bring me having dinner here and this time my lovely hubby bring me here.

Dried Chilies Squid

Steam Grouper

Kangkung Belacan

Soft Crab

We had all these for about RM60.00! :)

Wonderful Fireflies

2009-05-02T10:44:00.017+08:00

Destination: Kuala Selangor, Selangor, Malaysia

It has been so long that I haven't update anything about my travels.

During last labour day, 1 May 2009, my family and I went to see the beautiful of fireflies at Kelip-kelip Kampung Kuantan in Kuala Selangor, Selangor, Malaysia.

The fireflies are not flies, they are actually tiny beetles which are about 6mm. If the weather is good you'll be lucky to see them glowing at night. During our trip, we could see them glowing along the river and they looked like the flashing Christmas tree! Sorry that I don't have any picture of these amazing fireflies, as flash is not allow to be used as it will scare them away.

My tips here, if you are planning to go there during any public holiday, you'd better buy your ticket earlier as it is usually going to be a very long line. Some more once you managed to buy your ticket, then you will need to line up to get into the boat. I don't know if nowadays they change the way they manage it. It is also good if you go there in a group of four people so that you could be in the same boat. The price, well I can't remember but I guess it is around RM10.00 per person.

Line up to buy ticket and to ride the boat.

Rojak SS15 Subang Jaya

2009-03-24T20:04:00.014+08:00

Destination: Selangor, Malaysia

Rojak SS15 Subang Jaya is one of my hubby's favourites! Here they do not provide table and chairs for customers to eat. It's either you take away or you just need to find your best place to seat anywhere there! Sometimes this place is too crowded until we have to eat while standing!

I know about this Rojak since 2003 but that time they run the business on the mobile van stall opposite of Shell petrol station next to the mosque. Now they already moved to this stall built by MBSJ. According to some people the taste of this Rojak is much better during the previous years. For me it is just the same, maybe because it is not my favourite food. Anyhow, my hubby really like it. For him it is the best Rojak he ever tasted.

Above is the price list. The photo was taken in February 2009. Hopefully they will maintain the price forever. You wish! :P

Usually, we have to line up to buy the Rojak, but that doesn't take so long, as the sellers prepare the Rojak very fast.

Above is the delicious Rojak. I usually will ask for more cucumber. My hubby loves the Rojak with Sotong (Squid).

Besides that, we ordered coconut.

This stall is nearby the KFC at SS15 Subang Jaya. It's a row of MBSJ stalls by the road side, which also opposite the football field. You will see the white van parking there.

Simple Lunch at Teppanyaki, Ikano Power Centre

2009-02-28T14:09:00.011+08:00

Destination: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

This time hubby and I went to Teppanyaki, at Ikano Power Centre, Mutiara Damansara for lunch. This might be our 15th visit to Teppanyaki, I don't know... Whenever we were kind of no idea where to eat, we usually choose Teppanyaki. Maybe because the simple menu they have suit both of us.

We love to see the cook prepare the meal in front of us.

Green Tea (Japanese Tea), RM0.90
Here, this Green Tea is free refill.

Salmon Fish Teppanyaki, RM15.50

Chicken Teppanyaki, RM9.50

We ordered 2 Green Tea, 1 Salmon Fish Teppanyaki and 1 Chicken Teppanyaki, which perfect enough to make us full for lunch! :)

Certified Crazy at Ostrich Farm

2009-02-24T12:24:00.068+08:00

Destination: Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia

Last weekend hubby and I went to PD Ostrich, formerly known as PD Ostrich Show Farm in Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. We travelled by car for about 2 hours journey from Shah Alam, Selangor. This trip was actually our pending plan in 2008.

I took this photo from inside the car, so that's why it looks like that :P

We dropped by at the above food court for lunch.

The Ostrich Farm Signboard

Ostrich Farm here we come!

This Ostrich Farm is open from 9.00 a.m. until 5.30 p.m. daily. The entrance fee for an adult is RM8.00, RM4.00 for children (3-12 years old) and senior citizen (55 years old and above). If you come in a group of more than 15 pac, you'll get discount for the entrance fee. You know what, the ticket fee will make you entitled for visiting one whole day. It means that you get to go in and out as you like as long as on the same day. Everyday they will have monkey (Abu) coconut plucking activity at 10.45 a.m., 1.15 p.m. and 3.15 p.m. Any inquiries, contact them!

Add: PD Ostrich,
Lot 1419, Jalan Kemang 13, Batu 9,
73000 Port Dickson,
Negeri Sembilan,
Malaysia.
Tel: 06-6627496
Fax: 06-6625919

There are few activities that can be done here. You can feed the animals, ride the ostrich, play coconut bowling, play the blow pipe and many more. To feed the animals, you have to buy the food they provided.

Above is the Ostrich food which can be used to feed the goats too! RM2.00 per container.

Hubby is feeding the sheep.

These are the juvenile Ostriches (7-16 months). Male feathers are black in color, while female feathers are grey in color. Ostrich belongs to the ratite family. The characteristic of the ratite family is they do not have breast muscle, so they cannot fly.

Hubby is feeding the ostrich. I'm scared to do so. Ouch! Ouch!

Female Ostriches start laying at 18 months old, while male Ostriches start mating at 3 years old. The laying time is around 8 to 10 a.m. and from 4 to 6 p.m. After laying the eggs will be collected immediately to avoid the soil contamination. The production of eggs is around 40 to 90 eggs per season (1 season = 8 months).

The breeder bird are under feed intake control, to ensure they are healthy and successful in laying eggs. The controlling variables are fiber, protein and calcium intake. There are 5 main industries involving this amazing birds, whereby they sell the meat, skin, feathers, oil and bones.

Some Ostriches are being placed in a clinic paddock, not because of disease. They are relocated in the clinic paddock because of low in fiber, protein and calcium. Every month the sick birds will be selected and placed in the paddock for treatments.

At the Ostrich Nest, they put in the fake eggs to stimulate the female to lay eggs in that area. The male Ostriches will look for sandy area and dig a hole with their wings. The male is ready to make when the beak and the seals on the leg gradually turns into the red color and they will make a sound called "wooming".

The Ostrich's leg!

If you are less than 120 kg, you can take photo stepping on the Ostrich's egg, but that's not the real egg :) hahaha... An Ostrich egg can withstand up to 120 kg, but you cannot kick or jump on the egg, if it's a real egg!

Here is the pets playground. You can feed the rabbits!

Here is the most challenging activity! Are you dare to ride this brainless Ostrich? Once you're here, you should try it! Just pay RM4.00 for adult or RM2.00 for children, the trainers will explain to you how to ride it! Don't worry they will also take care of you.

Once you managed to ride the Ostrich, don't forget to claim for your certificate!!! It's cool to keep the certificate. We had been judged by their fun loving trainers to be choked, full of bravado, stuffed with fun and certainly a little crazy in even considering riding the big brainless ostrich!!!

Here is the cafe.

Here they sell Ostrich Satay but it is quite expensive. RM10.00 for 6 sticks of Ostrich Satay. Well just try it once :)

Ostrich Satay. It tastes more or less like chicken but a bit sweet.

That is a lamb, which being care by the staff here as its mother died.

Besides that, at this Ostrich Farm they also have few other animals. Some are being put in the cage, while some other are freely live in the farm.

Before going back, we dropped by at the Pantai Telok Kemang (Telok Kemang Beach) as I miss to see the sea.

Telok Kemang Beach

It was a hot day at the beach, so we would like to drink and eat something. We ordered Laksa and ABC. Anyhow it's not the best Laksa and ABC in town.

Here you can buy colorful kites and also ride horses.

The Steamboat Ketam Village at Ikano Power Centre

2009-02-19T12:36:00.015+08:00

Destination: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Last 16th February 2009, my parents came and stayed with us, as on the 17th dad has his medical check-up. So yesterday, my elder sister and I planned to bring our parents for dinner at The Steamboat Ketam Village, located at Lower Ground Floor, Ikano Power Centre, Mutiara Damansara, (Malaysia).

The steamboat concept here is more personalized as each customer may have their own steamboat hob and soup. So you get to cook whatever you like and may control the heat yourself. I wouldn't say that they serve the best steamboat around town, but the concept is unique, which ideal for anyone who is fussy eater and for those who love to try something different. Besides that, the prices are reasonable too.

Here you can order ala-carte or either sets. They serve noodle, seafood, beef, mutton, fish and chicken. While for the soup, they has different flavours. We preferred tomyam and chicken soup. They also provide shallot oil and red chili paste to make the soup taste better.

Steamboat Value Set for 1

Steamboat Combo Value Set for 2

Celebrating 1st Anniversary at Gobo Upstairs, Kuala Lumpur

2009-02-11T09:38:00.029+08:00

Destination: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Gobo Upstairs at Traders Hotel in Kuala Lumpur was the venue where hubby planned to surprise me for our 1st wedding anniversary.

We have had our romantic dinner at the Gobo Upstairs Lounge & Grill, the stylish elegance venue which suitable for intimate dinners and special celebrations. Located at the 6th level of Traders Hotel, the dress code is smart casual. The lounge is open 11pm-1am, while the grill is open at 11.30am-2pm and 5.00pm-10.30pm.

Knowing that we wanted to celebrate our 1st wedding anniversary, they prepared our table at a corner to make it more private. Not only that, they decorated it with roses petals and candles to glow up the romantic moment, make if more extraordinary.

About the menu, we (I mean for Muslims) don't have to be worried much as on the menu itself they label it with (A) for alcohol, (V) for vegetarian and (S) for specialty dish.

Above is the complimentary crusty bread with the truffle butter.

Caesar Salad, Focaccia Pesto Croutons, Shaved Pear, White Balsamic, RM22.00.
It tastes good for a starter, but having small stomach like mine, easily make me saturated.

Tenderloin Beef 1824 Australian 120 Days Grain-Fed Premium Beef 200gm, RM75.00.
Cooked to medium rare, the tastes is amazing!

Crispy Skin Salmon Steak 160gm, RM60.00.
Also tastes great!

Silver Dollar Mushrooms with Thyme Oil (V), RM14.00.
So delicious to eat while it still hot!

Whipped Potato, Roasted Garlic and Mascarpone Cheese (V), RM14.00.
Light fluffy but not that damn delicious.

Hazelnut Royal, RM22.00.
Those who love dark chocolate for sure will love it for dessert.

On the other side, it is framed by views of the spectacular Petronas Twin Towers.

Oh ya, before going back, don't forget to let them wave your parking ticket! Besides Gobo Upstairs Lounge & Grill, they also have Gobo Chit Chat and Gobo Upstairs Lounge (Sky Bar).
Gobo Chit Chat offers stylish all-day dining, with a sushi bar, Thai appetizer buffet, open noodle kitchen and bakery. Open from 6.30am until 11.00pm at 5th Level, the dress code is smart casual. While Sky Bar has a very chic and cosmopolitan atmosphere, that also available for private parties and events. Open from 5.00pm to 1.00am, Sunday to Thursday (until 3am on weekends and before a public holiday), the dress code is smart casual.

Location Map

The Best Mee Rebus in Malacca

2009-01-28T15:51:00.020+08:00

Destination: Malacca, Malaysia

Last few weeks, hubby brought me to the historical city of Malacca. He was very excited to let me enjoy the most delicious Mee Rebus he ever tasted.

At first, we were lost one's way, we went round and round all the way in Malacca city ;P So hubby stopped near by the Malacca Tourism Center to ask for direction, and I was just sitting in the car.

From inside the car I could see Menara Taming Sari (Taming Sari Tower). See below:

Visitors or tourists can enjoy Malacca City's scenery on top of that tower. I was attracted seeing the circle deck revolve slowly from bottom to the top of the tower. Besides that I saw a double decker bus beside the tower. I guess it is Malacca tourism bus!

Later on hubby continued his mission for the Mee Rebus and at last we managed to get there! It is located at Jalan Ujung Pasir and opposite the Portugis settlement.

Taa daa, below is the place which my hubby was talking about.

According to my hubby's friend, this local stall is very famous and had been broadcasted in few television programs.

Above is the Mee Rebus

The taste is very special. It's hard for me to explain... It has a bit of curry savour and add with some green chillie, but it is not so fiery.

The other one is what they call it Rojak, as in below picture. It has a mixture or egg, bean sprouts, bean curd, cucumber, a kind of turnip (Pachyrhizus erosus) and sour gravy.

Who ever know about this special Mee Rebus, feel free to share your experience eating it! :)

Honeymoon in Bali Island

2009-01-20T15:50:00.010+08:00

Destination: Bali Island, Indonesia

Bali Island was my honeymoon destination, which located in the Indian Ocean in the center of the Indonesian archipelago. Bali is well know throughout the world with its unique Hindu cultural, the splendor of its ritual arts, and the charm of its friendly people.

My hubby and I travelled from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) to Denpasar International Airport by Qatar Airways.

Our arrival was warmly welcomed by the tour guide who excitedly calling for my hubby's name with his banner.

Right: That is our plane to Denpasar.

We chose to stay at Aston Sun Island Villas & Spa Seminyak, as it has a great location at the main shopping street of Jalan Raya Seminyak. Although at the road side, this villas are set well back from the road, so there’s no street noise at all, make our honeymoon peaceful ever!

Left: The villa which we stayed

After check-in at the lobby, with guided by a staff, we walked through the footpath to the villa. All the way to the villa, everybody greeted us charmingly! They even welcomed us with a cute honeymoon cake.

Each villa has LCD TV and a DVD player. Not only that, it is equipped with a self-contained kitchen, who knows you want to cook a special meal...

Besides that, it has en-suite bathrooms with a separate bath tub and showers. There are two showers, which you can have it in the shower room itself or you may enjoy the exotic outdoor shower, whereby you could feel the fresh air and see the blue skies above, as it is roofless :)

The toiletries are all complete, together with their spa product like bath salt. So you won't have to worry about anything. We just went there and enjoy our private time together! In fact, we travelled there with two empty bags! ;)

Right: The separate bath tub and shower room.

Above: View from the bedroom

Every morning, our breakfast is ready on the table. We can choose either Western Breakfast or Bali Breakfast menu. For the omelette or scramble egg, the cook prepared it in our villa's kitchen.

Above: The Western Breakfast menu.

Sometimes we choose to enjoy breakfast at the coffee house.

Most places in Bali, will say that they provide 'Halal' food. I guest most of them think 'halal' food is any food except pork and liqueur. But for Muslims, even it is cook without pork, the food cannot be cooked in the same wok that used to cook pork or cannot be kept together in the refrigerator. So everytime we go to a restaurant, we have to go through the menu to see if they serve pork or not. I can say that most restaurants in Bali serve pork and make me feel very tired searching for 'halal' restaurant. I should have bring lots of Maggie mee and bread. Huhuhu~

Above: Having lunch at Gabah Restaurant in Kuta
The best strawberry juice I ever tasted

Above: Traditional music at Gabah Restaurant

Above: Drop by to shop

Above: Having seafood dinner at Jimbaran Beach

Above: The Kechak Dance

On the cruise

Above: Our last seafood dinner at Kedonganan Beach before depart back to KLIA

Oh I hate thinking back to the office and the news room!!! I love my job but I hate working in shift. Some more the traffic jam makes me crazy!!! Arrrgghh...