A Day’s Outing In Celebration Of Wai Kit’s Birthday (Dec. 30, 2017)

Soh Ai and I on MRT train

December 30, 2017 is my eldest son Wai Kit’s 29^th birthday.  He suggested for us to make a trip by MRT to Mutiara Damansara to visit the newly renovated Popular Bookstore (he likes visiting bookshops) among other things.  I have already plans for the evening to have dinner at Balakong and watch movie at TGV Cheras Selatan after that.

As it was a Saturday and public area parking was free-of-charge, I decided to drive to Batu 11 Cheras, parked our car there before taking the MRT ride.

Soh Ai, Wai Kit and I left home at 10.30am to go to Batu 11 Cheras.  The traffic was very heavy and it took us more than an hour to reach the MRT station.

The MRT ride from Batu 11 Cheras began at 12.00pm, reaching Mutiara Damansara station at 12.55pm.  The fare for me as a senior citizen was RM2.10.

Batu 11 Cheras MRT station platform

Wai Kit met his primary school classmate on the train

Mutiara Damansara here we come

We walked to Ikano Power Centre where our first destination was Popular Bookstore.  I bought a book “图解二战全史” (中国华侨出版社), original price RM39.80, member’s price RM29.00.

The Street

The Curve

The Christmas festive mood still lingers on

Walking across to Ikano Power Centre (IPC)

Popular Bookstore at IPC

The book I bought for a revision of  WWII

At about 2.00pm, we had beef meat-balls, salmon and coffee at the food court of IKEA. There was a piano performance by a Korean pianist Yang I Deun on a rounded stage in the middle of the open area of The Curve Shopping Mall.  He played a variety of songs including the Chinese “The Moon Represents My Heart” and English “YMCA”.  Very splendid performance indeed!

Piano performance at The Curve

Korean pianist Yang I Deun 

As we moved on to eCurve after 3.30pm, there was another crowd-attracting show going on at the ground floor known as “The Greatest Showman Comes Alive”.  I actually planned to watch the latest movie “The Greatest Showman” starring Hugh Jackman at night and didn’t expect to see a “premiere show” in advance.  The stage circus show was great and we watched till the end.

The eCurve

Stage show of "The Greatest Showman Comes Alive"

Two short video clips of the proceeding are posted as follows:

We took a train from Mutiara Damansara MRT station at 4.10pm to reach Batu 11 Cheras at 5.00pm.  We reached home at 5.20pm.

Without having much rest, we left home again at 6.00pm for our dinner at Tien Xia Restaurant (attached to a temple) at Jalan Balakong.  This time Wai Kei followed us. The total cost of our dishes comprising stewed mutton (羊腩煲, RM25), egg-steamed clam (lala 水蒸蛋拉拉, RM22), pumpkin taufu (南瓜豆付, RM9) and bitter gourd tauge (苦瓜芽菜, RM9), rice and Chinese tea pot was RM 73.

Stewed mutton, very delicious but small in quantity

Egg-steamed clam (lala), also very yummy

Pumpkin taufu 

Bitter gourd tauge

After dinner, we proceeded to the opposite Aeon Shopping Mall of Cheras Selatan where we watched the 9.15pm movie of “The Greatest Snowman”.  I found this musical movie very entertaining offering many melodious songs and dazzling dances.

Movie show

What an eventful day it was on the second last day of the year 2017!   

A Day Trip To Hulu Selangor On Christmas Day

A group photo of us at Serendah Waterfall

On Christmas Day, December 25, 2017, my wife Soh Ai and I joined my cousin brother Pan Mok Weng, his wife Penny Lim and another friend Molly Yeoh to Rasa, Serendah and Batang Kali in the district of Hulu Selangor for a day trip of enjoying food and sight-seeing.

The location of Rasa, Serendah and Batang Kali we went this day

Soh Ai and I left home at 9.10am and we drove to Taman Puchong Utama.  We reached Pan’s house at 9.45am, 15 minutes ahead of the appointed time of 10.00am.  Traffic was very smooth!

We went in one car driven by Pan at 10.00am and arrived at Kepong to pick up Molly at 10.30am. 

Pan took the newly opened Rawang bypass with elevated bridge to go to Rasa (叻思).  We reached Rasa town at 11.30am and had lunch at Restoran Sin Hoe Huat (新和发酒家), Taman Rasa Jaya, Rasa.  We ordered claypot mutton (羊肉煲, RM 25), soy sauce steamed fish-head (酱蒸鱼头, RM 30), char siew pork (叉烧, RM 18) and vegetable (清炒树苗, RM 8).  All the dishes were very delicious and it was really worth our trip to travel so far (about 84 km from Puchong) for food there.  All-in cost including rice and drinks was RM 91.50.

Main road of Taman Rasa Jaya

The shop front of Restoran Sin Hoe Huat

Claypot mutton

soy sauce steamed fish-head

char siew

green bean and pumpkin drink

A pose at the restoran

Soh Ai buying some petai after lunch

Petai sold at RM 10 per bundle

After lunch, we wanted to visit the 100-year old building “Grand View Garden” (叻思大观园) also known as haunted house. But it was not open for public admission.

We then proceeded to Serendah (双文丹) where we visited the Perigi Tujuh (七仙井) and Serendah Waterfall (双文丹三夹瀑布).

Perigi Tujuh Serendah (Seven Wells)

Scenic seven wells

There are seven spectacular larger circular vertical water drainage culverts placed in the river in  Perigi Tujuh and it is really amazing as water keeps flowing into the “wells” and being discharged through the nearby dam.  There were hardly any tourists there when we visited.

But the 8.5 ft high Serendah Waterfall was full of tourists when we visited at about 2.30pm.  There were plenty people having picnic and playing with water.  Parking was only RM 1 per car.  It was observed that the road entering the place is very narrow, passing through jungles and Orang Asli’s timber houses.

Serendah Waterfall

Pic from right: Pan MW, Penny Lim, Molly Yeoh, Soh Ai and the blogger  

We wanted to have coffee and other refreshment at Yee Kee Kopitiam, Kampung Dato' Harun, Serendah which is known to offer different hawker delights, but we arrived at the destination, it was closed.  What a big disappointment!

Batang Kali specialty

The next stop was to purchase Batang Kali specialty of Swee Len Food Industries (瑞麟饼家) --  LaoHuei (蓼花) and MuaLao (麻蓼) cookies made of glutinous rice, sesame seed, sugar, maltose and vegetable oil at its house No. 65, Kampung Bukit Chandang, Batang Kali as its business shop was also closed.

  

At 3.30pm, we stopped over at a packed road-side Thai food stall (with no trade name) for tomyam meehoon and roasted pork ribs.  The business was a brisk as many foods were sold out but customers kept coming.  We didn’t manage to order any drinks despite taking 3 bowls of very very spicy tomyam meehoon and a plate of pork ribs costing us RM 39.50.

tomyam beehoon (ultra-spicy)

roast pork ribs

Thai food stall by the road-side

We returned to Kepong Baru at about 4.50pm and had tong sui (sugar water) at K.T.Z. Food (Fruitti Stall).  Pan took red bean fuitti (RM 5.95) Penny, Molly and I took peanut butter while Soh Ai waterchessnut (each RM 2.65).  The total cost of food and beverage of today’s trip amounted to RM 147.55 and shared among us roughly RM 30 per pax.

 

Fruitti stall at Kepong Baru

After sending Molly back amidst drizzling, we returned to Puchong Utama (no rain along the way) for me to pick up my car.

Soh Ai and I left Puchong at 6.00pm and it was raining cats and dogs near Seri Kembangan.  There was little rain near BSL and we arrived home at 6.35pm, concluding an enjoyable day outing, many thanks to the invitation of Pan ad the good company of Penny and Molly!