Tuesday, July 17, 2018

A Durian-eating Day Trip To Titi Jelebu N.S.

A pose at the durian orchard at Titi
On Tuesday, July 17, 2018 after morning walk at the hill near our residential area at Bdr Sg Long, Lai Fah Sang, Yong Yew Khoon and I left at 10.45am from BSL in Lai's car to Titi, Jelebu, Negeri Sembilan. 

We reached Pekan Titi at about 12.20pm and met up with Leong Wong Fatt who had earlier invited us to eat durians in a durian orchard in Titi. We went for coffee and bread at a coffee shop in the town before proceeding to the orchard. The ride in Leong’s pickup truck to the orchard on narrow laterite road took us about 20 minutes, passing by hilly rubber plantations along the way.

Leong is entrusted by his boss to manage the durian orchard and he has two Burmese workers there to pick up durians as well as mangosteens. Lai, Yong and I ate about 6 to 7 pieces of durians of the various species of D24 and Musang King with the compliments from Leong. All durians were very tasty as they were fresh and I had never been so satisfied for a long time. After eating. each of us bought some durians from Leong to bring home. I bought 3 pieces of D24 durians weighing 4.5 kg for RM 65.00.

We left the durian orchard at 1.50pm and returned to Pekan Titi at about 2.15pm. Leong delivered 2 crates of mangosteens to a fruit shop after Lai took 3kg and I 2kg of them. We were told the mangosteens were traded for RM 2.50 per kg only there (whereas the price is around RM 8 per kg in KL). I also bought 2 pieces of pineapples (selling at RM 4.00 per kg) from the shop for RM 11.00.
A wefie with Yong (pic centre) and Leong (pic right) at the coffee shop at Titi town
Pic from right: Yong Yew Khoon, Leong Wong Fatt and Lai Fah Sang
Arrived at the durian orchard
D24 durian
Three of us savoring durians (Leong didn't join us eating)
Musang King durians
Leong calculating the quantity of durians to be sold to us
Leong showing us the budding point of durian
Durian tree
Mangosteen tree
Durians (covered) and mangosteens in crates being transported out from the orchard
The road from orchard to town
Leong driving his pickup truck
After that, we went to Leong’s bungalow house for a rest.  We settled payment to Leong for the durians we bought and it was a pleasant surprise that the mangosteens were given free to us. 

Leong took us to Kedai Kopi & Makanan Swee Fatt in the main road of Pekan Titi for refreshment before we returned to home. He initially wanted to bring us to a “tong sui” shop but it was closed. The shop was full of customers that made me admire at the easy-going life of a small town like Titi at about 3pm in the afternoon on a working day! The cost of one glass of iced coffee, two cups of hot coffee and a glass of barley water was only RM 6.00. Cheap!

We bade farewell to Leong at 3.15pm.  Before returning home, I managed to take a few photos of a wall painting of a building said to be contributed by Tan Sri Lim Wee Chai, the founder and executive chairman of Top Glove Bhd. who hailed from Titi. We returned to BSL at about 4.55pm. I am grateful to Lai for the driving and Yong for the company of this pleasant durian-eating trip. 
Leong's bungalow house used for tourists' homestay as well
Going to Kedai Kopi & Makanan Swee Fatt (瑞发茶餐室) 
Proof of easy-going life of people in a small town
Wall painting in Pekan Titi

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Sunday, July 15, 2018

2D1N Trip to Melaka for "Encore Melaka" and Sight-seeing

On Saturday, July 14, 2018, my wife Soh Ai, our eldest son Wai Kit and I left home at 12.00pm by car driven by Wai Kit to Melaka via Silk Highway to Seremban and North-South Highway after that.  The total amount of toll fees we was RM 18.60.

We arrived at Melaka at 2.35pm and immediately checked into Avillion Legacy hotel at 146, Jalan Hang Tuah (booked and paid by Wai Kit, about RM 140 per night).  For traveling for the rest of the day, we took GRAB cars instead of driving ourselves.

We left the hotel at 3.15pm to go to Jonker Walk.  The Grab car’s fare was RM 5.00.  There weren’t many tourists at that time. 

We went for a late lunch or early dinner at 4.00pm at “Nyonya Kitchen” (Uncle Keong Delicacies) at 108, Jalan Tokong (almost end of Jonker Street) where we had tamarind fish (ikan assam, RM 60.00), bean paste chicken (ayam pong teh, RM25.00), fried belachan long beans (RM 18.00), steamed spicy fish paste (otak-otak, RM 20.00), 3 bowls of rice (RM 3.60), soursop juice and buah long-long juice (each RM 8.00).  The total cost plus 5% service charge amounted to RM 149.75.  The taste of the food was okay, nothing great but the cost was felt to be pricy.  We had no better choice of restaurant in Jonker Walk and we were quite hungry then, having not eaten anything after breakfast at about 9.30am.

After that, we walked around Jonker Walk area and took 4 pieces of durian mochi (RM 10.00) and chendol (RM 6.00) at a shop where a giant durian sculpture was displayed. I bought 2 packets of kacang gula at a shop called “Old Shop” at 30, Jalan Hang Jebat.  We also visited Gudang Hasil Restaurant (三叔公) and bought a bottle of concentrated honey lime juice 900g (“一树酸柑露 纯蜂蜜) and a bottle of essence lime with liquorice 800g (浓缩陈年老桔) for RM 21.50 each.
Lobby of Avillion Legacy Melaka
Our spacious hotel room 
Jonker Walk
Durian mochi (4 pieces for RM 10.00)
Chendol (RM 6.00)
Soh Ai (pic right) and Wai KIt
We returned to the hotel by Grab car.at about 6.00pm.  We went to the roof-top swimming pool at 6th floor for a look before returning to our rooms for rest.
The things I bought at Jonker Walk
We left the hotel at 7.30pm and took a Grab car to Impression City, Kota Laksamana to catch the 8.30pm “Encore Melaka” show.  The price of ticket is RM 128.00 per adult and booked online in advance by Wai Kit.

I observed the theatre was only about 2/3 full. And the approximately 70-minute long show was indeed impressive.

A bit of the background of “Encore Melaka” is as follows:


Encore Melaka, a scenic venue overlooking the Straits of Melaka, is a purpose-built 2,000-seat theatre, which has been designed especially to provide a hi-tech retelling of Melaka’s rich history.


Encore Melaka (又见马六甲), helmed by China-based artistic director Wang Chaoge (王潮歌), is a state-of-the-art production of Melaka’s beginnings and growth through a timeline of six centuries, depicted through a myriad of compelling songs and dances.

The 70-minute long mega show recounts the long-forgotten tales: stories of the early voyagers, legacy of Zheng He (郑和)’s diplomatic mission, indigenous settlement and cross-cultural encounters such as the Baba Nyonya (峇峇娘惹).

Audiences will be transported through different eras, presented in English, Bahasa Malaysia and Mandarin to reflect the harmony that exists within Melaka.

Wang Chaoge was part of the team behind the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

Encore Melaka is the 10th Impression series (印象系列) established in 1998 by renowned directors Zhang Yimou (张艺谋), Fan Yue (樊跃) and Wang (王潮歌) and first outside of China.
 


The Encore Melaka theatre boasts innovative and stunning video projection mapping and multi-stage hydraulic sets, advanced lighting and acoustic techniques and features a one-of-a-kind 360-degree rotating audience platform. The show features 200 local performers.

The theatre building was designed by Wang Ge from the Beijing Institute of Architectural Design which occupies 15 acres and overlooks the scenic water view of the Straits of Melaka. Its modern structure of white porcelain exterior and blue shades welcomes guests with an organic canopy entrance leading to a blue foyer, the main facade.

The theatre is located in Melaka’s most prominent site, along the city’s waterfront, 3.5km from Jonker Street in No. 1 Jalan KSB, Impression 8, Impression City @ Kota Syahbandar, 75200, Melaka, Malaysia, a new tourism-cultural integrated development from Yong Tai Berhad.

Photos and video recording are not permitted during the performance, although a few audiences were found taking pictures with their mobile phones but they were not stopped by the staff.

I found “Encore Melaka” very entertaining and enjoyed the phenomenal experience of the rotating audience platform, multi-layered and multi-leveled stage, excellent audio and visual effects combined with contemporary choreography and artful delivery.  The water dance scene at the finale was most impressive. 
The theatre of "Encore Melaka"
Ticket for the show
Finale of the show
After the show ended at 9.45pm, we took a Grab car to go to Jonker Walk again.  The night market there was crowded and there were many snacks to eat.  I took 5 pieces of skewers (each RM 1), a cup of mango juice (RM 7) and shared with Soh Ai a plate of fried egg-oysters (RM 10). 

We returned to the hotel at 11.30pm
Night market of Jonker Walk
On Sunday morning, July 15, 2018, we went to Restoran Nasi Kandar Subaidah along Jalan Hang Tuah for breakfast at 10.15am. The food comprising a few pieces of curry mutton, curry fish, chicken, boiled eggs, rice and teh tarik cost us RM 30.65. 

We checked out of the hotel at 11.45am.  We planned to patronize Baba Charlie Nyonya Cake before returning to KL.  Along the way and while waiting at a traffic junction, I found a large billboard advertising The Tun Abdul Ghafar Baba (former Deputy Prime Minister, 1986-1993) Memorial and asked Wai Kit to drive in for a visit.

The Memorial is a single-storey (with a mezzanine floor) timber building.  As I found the door closed and was about to leave in disappointment, a caretaker opened the door and invited us to go in for a visit.  Entrance is free of charge.

I was told that this was the residence of Tun Abdul Ghafar Baba after being appointed as the Melaka Chief Minister (1959-1967).  He used this place to meet the people too.  The exhibition space is divided into two main parts.  The lower level showcases his personal items during his service with the government as the people’s representative, the Chief Minister of Melaka, Cabinet Minister and subsequently the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia.  The upper level features two bedrooms that were previously inhabited by Tun Abdul Ghafar Baba’s family as well as souvenirs, speeches, photos, book, a TV set and furniture.

I posed for a photo with the friendly caretaker before departure.
Memorial Tun Abdul Ghafar Baba
A pose with the caretaker of Memorial Tun Abdul Ghafar Baba
There was a mistake on my part in setting the WAZE’s location of Charlie Nyonya Cake to Its night market location every Wednesday at Jalan Emas 9 which not far from Memorial Tun Abdul Ghafar Baba.  Upon arrival only did I realize my mistake as it is a residential area.   A reset of direction took us another 15 minutes to Baba Charlie Nyonya Cake at 72, Jalan Tengkera Pantai 2C.  It is a domestic nyonya cake-production house and was packed with customers when we dropped in at about 12.40pm. 

We bought 4 packets of 5-piece kuih (each RM 6.50), 4 pieces of nyonya chang or dumplings (each RM 5.50), durian dodol (RM 7.50) and original dodol (RM 7.50), totaling RM 63.00.

Wai Kit proposed to go the nearby Baba Charlie Café at 631, Jalan Siantan Seksyen 2 for a drink.  Actually they also sell nyonya cakes there but the varieties and quantities are less than their production house. 

We had nyonya otak-otak (RM 15.00), nyonya chang (2 pcs RM 11.00), nyonya popiah (RM 3.80), kuih (RM 5.50) and 3 glasses of kopi ice (RM 9.00), totaling RM 44.30.


We left Melaka at about 1.30pm and returned home at 4.00pm.
Baba Charlie Nyonya Cake (30 years' history)
Long queue to buy the freshly made nyonya cakes
Baba Charlie Cafe (in operation 2 years ago) 
Our snacks at Baba Charlie Cafe before returning home

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