Tag Archives: docgelo

malaysia chronicles: nasi lemak

Posted by rob on

visiting malaysia would not be complete if one will never taste their traditional food, nasi lemak.  when i was in penang, docgelo, together with his wife tina and my godson gabby had our own food trip (see beyond toxicity’s hunger pangs inducer post, food porn: penang).  it included docgelo eating nasi lemak and me finding out that it is served with chicken that i avoid to eat (i have poultry meat allergy). 

when i went to kuala lumpur after my stay in penang, me and my malaysian friend went to suria klcc mall and he invited me for lunch at nasi lemak adik located at the food court.

i thought nasi lemak was only served with chicken but i was wrong.  one can have it also with red meat or seafood.  i ordered nasi lemak sotong (squid).

my plate of nasi lemak sotong was an all thumbs up!  my friend said he eats nasi lemak anytime of the day.

i also had this malaysian dessert they call ABC (acronym for air, batu, campur or simply, mixed ice).  i enjoyed eating this local dessert.

we went to another mall in kuala lumpur, midvalley megamall.  it was about dinner time when we passed by this restaurant serving authentic malaysian cuisine, madam kwan’s. 

i ordered fried king prawns cooked with a special sauce of chili and garlic. 

i also had some stir-fried kangkong with sambal belacan (chili sauce with toasted shrimp paste).

to finish my satisfying dinner at madam kwan’s i had cendol, another local dessert. 

cendol consists of shaved ice, coconut milk, red beans, sugar, and a worm-like jelly made from rice flour with green food coloring (usually derived from the pandan leaf).

malaysia chronicles: vistana hotel

Posted by rob on

i stayed for another night in penang after i bade goodbye to docgelo, tina and gabby as they went back home to their rented condominium in butterworth. my flight to kuala lumpur is scheduled at mid afternoon the next day so i had the chance to check the nightlife at georgetown. from tune hotel, i decided to transfer to another accommodation for a one night stay in vistana hotel.

this hotel was suggested by an indian cab driver after asking him which was the nearest hotel at the airport. he drove me to the hotel and i checked in as a walk-in guest, i was given a deluxe room number 1602.

the room is clean and has complete amenities that one needs for an overnight stay.

i slept comfortably on their king size bed that i almost missed breakfast the next day, likely that i was tired from my temple visits with docgelo or had to blame the local beer i chugged at a nightclub in georgetown. 😉

satellite television with entertainment channels and high-speed internet was available in the room. the buffet breakfast was average and pescetarian friendly.

the gym was fully equipped and they also have a swimming pool which are all well maintained.

the staff at vistana are all courteous and helpful. the limousine service to the airport was quite expensive for RM29 but i did not want to sacrifice myself being drenched in the rain that suddenly poured when i was about to check out – i noticed the rain had always followed me during my trip!

malaysia chronicles: three temples

Posted by rob on

malaysia has its share of beautiful temples and penang is one of the places to go to see these structures.  docgelo, tina, gabby and i started our day early to visit the temples.  we headed off to air itam by taxi, where the largest buddhist temple in southeast asia, the kek lok si is located.

 the “temple of supreme bliss” was started during the late 1800’s and visitors have to ascend a flight of stairs to reach the top.  there were souvenir stores along the pathway leading to the temple but most of them were still closed when we got there.  the temple itself was also still closed  (we were quite early being there) so we were just able to take pictures of the outside.

 

the temple has a main seven-storied pagoda known as the pagoda of 10,000 buddhas which we were not able to view. docgelo told me he will go back to the place next time so he can take pictures of the interior.

 

we boarded the efficient rapid penang bus to reach another temple built during the early 1800’s, the dhammikarama burmese temple that houses a tall marble-made golden buddha.

 

the design of the interior around the buddha is so intricate and very detailed. i took a shot of the ceiling which is beautifully designed.

 

behind the statue are images of buddha with different hand gestures called as mudras (read docgelo’s interesting post, mudras: inspiring gestures).

 

just opposite dhammikarama is wat chaiyamangalaram, a thai temple with a reclining buddha which is said to be third of the largest in the world.

 

docgelo took a picture of me with his wife and son. it was a memorable time for me visiting penang with him and his family.

 

thanks doc for the tour! a day in penang is not enough but i enjoyed it a lot. if everything goes well back here at work i might visit you again sometime next year.. show me more of penang then! 🙂