Tag Archives: travel

Cairo and the carefree Egyptians

Posted in Food and Drinks, Leisure & Travel, Places to Eat by

Our little family went for Umrah in Dec 2025. Before that, we went for a short holiday to Cairo and spent 4 days there.

ETIHAD AIRWAYS

Husband made the bookings using Trip.com for the flight tickets and hotels. We departed from KLIA1 in the morning. Each seat on the plane has a blanket, a pair of headphones and a mini reversible tote that holds earplugs, hand cream and a blindfold. My daughter received a water bottle, a pencil case and an activity book.

I was so delighted to see the BTS album

I applaud the wonderful in-flight meals and entertainment. The 6-hour journey passed by in a breeze.

TURQUOISE PYRAMID HOTEL

Total RM 635.00 for a 5D4N stay.

We used UBER quite a lot during our stay here as the rate was quite cheap, despite the ride feeling like being on a rollercoaster. Plus, they have no regard whatsoever for the speed limits, road lanes and helmets! Everyone drives the car like they’re in a hurry all the time.

The room we booked has 2 double beds, clean bathrooms, a mini fridge and most importantly, the majestic view of the pyramid. There is also FREE WIFI, and the reception was very accommodating. We did not include breakfast as we brought our own meals from Malaysia. My husband packed a lot of instant noodles, pasta and pastries.

The December weather in Cairo was chilly. I did need to wear a light jacket, especially when we go out in the morning. It gets warmer towards the end of the day. Maghrib was very early. We got very sleepy as the day clocked into 7PM. Haneem went to bed that early. Thus, we did not experience Cairo at night. We woke up early too, between 2 and 3AM. The circadian rhythm went a bit haywire during our Cairo stay.

GRAND EGYPTIAN MUSEUM

2 adults,1 child: RM 387.00

This newly opened museum was rich in history. I, for one, never really enjoy going to the museum, but coming here was so enlightening. I did feel that my knowledge of Egyptian history began to become a bit saturated, having spent just over 2 hours there. Avid lovers of history might want to spend the whole day there, with breaks in between, to absorb the majestic presentations of people from the past.

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION

2 adults, 1 child: RM 122.00

I thought Egyptians during the time of the pyramids were giants. However, looking at the size of the tombs and the mummies on display, I learned that they’re just like our size. It is amazing considering the amount of work that was done to preserve and showcase history in a delightful way for visitors of all ages and nationalities.

Human civilisation is always an interesting part of human history, as we unknowingly try to compare how it was for them during that time with ours. The technology, fashion and general way of life were undoubtedly interesting for a commoner like myself to read about and explore.

Finally looking at the real ‘Egyptian Blue’

THE PYRAMIDS OF GIZA

2 adults, 1 child: RM 151.00

A trip to Egypt would not have been complete without a visit to the pyramids. Compared to how it was more than a decade ago, now they have a hop-on, hop-off bus in the area. Honestly, it would be nice to visit this place with a tour group or guide. I believe the history behind the pyramids would become much more alive with the stories.

As we neared the last stop of the bus (near the sphinx), we were told that we’d need to rent a horse carriage to bring us back to where we started. Realising that this could be one of those ‘scams’, we decided to just walk past the carriage area and lo and behold, we saw the proper bus. Waiting for visitors to climb on so that we could make our way back up to the entrance. There was no need for an extra carriage or camel ride, unless you prefer to, since the bus service is included in the ticket price.

General opinion of Egypt

It was easy to see that Egypt is a muslim country. The people are kind and carefree. Too carefree to a certain point that they don’t give much thought to the rules of the world, like car lanes, social etiquette or behaviour.

Egyptians pray wherever they please. It is not wrong because we know that everywhere is a place worthy of worship to ALLAH. Hence, I saw them praying by the roadside, in the middle of the restaurant and at airport seats. No one bats an eyelid or gives off side-eyes because it is an acceptable norm. It is not something that Malaysians would be accustomed to do but it was an observation that I was pleased to witness.

Egyptian food was super delicious. I just wish I had taken more photos of it. Especially at this buffet place we went to. In short, their protein meals, the chicken, lamb, beef whatsoever tasted delicious in whatever way they were cooked. Eventhough it is just fried chicken. Egyptian hospitality was top-notch, and they really entertain kids very well. My daughter was called a princess every time during her visit there.

The buffet place near our hotel

Even then, it was quite amusing to experience their service in the ‘fast food’ industry. We went to WIZZO and placed our order. It was not even noon yet, and there was no other customer in the store. The lady at the counter was very firm in taking our order, and it took about 30 to 40 minutes for our food to be served. That was so slow for a fast-food joint. We thought maybe the chicken needed some defrosting or marinating before it was fried. Thankfully, the meal was delicious, although the soft drink that came with it was really small.

We did some food shopping at Carrefour. I scouted for their local products. I bought these. There was one particular chocolate bar that I liked called Corona (if I am not mistaken). I should have bought more. Grocery prices, as compared to Malaysia, are fairly low. As a milk lover, their milk cartons are super cheap. My husband bought some Egyptian tea as gifts and for our own consumption. He also got some cooking spices and marinades for his mother.

The chocolate drink was nice. Regretting not buying more.

After spending 4 days in Cairo, it was time to leave for our Umrah. We boarded the Flyadeal airline for a 3-hour journey to Jeddah. That part of the trip will be in my next post.

Kuching trip with my daughter – getting there with Malaysia Airlines

Posted in Good Things, Leisure & Travel, Parenting, Family and Relationships by

I had a wedding to attend. My cousin, the only son of my uncle, who has lots of girls, was getting married. Hence, I feel it is a must to attend. I asked my husband if he wanted to tag along for the short weekend trip. He was not keen. Thus, it was just me and my daughter.

I booked Malaysia Airlines (MAS) because Air Asia has a reputation for flight delays. I couldn’t afford to waste my time on that, especially when travelling with a kid on my own. The return tickets were booked 2 months in advance, for which I paid a total of RM 904.40. We checked in online 24 hours before the flight. I also made a call to customer service to request a Child’s Meal for my girl.

Travelling from Melaka to KLIA

I used my remaining hours to claim the evening off from work. The hours were from my weekend task for the NHSI programme. Once I clocked out from work, together with the luggage in my car boot, I picked up my daughter from my MIL’s house. I have asked her to have her lunch once she gets back from school, before we drive off to KLIA.

I made sure that my daughter was comfortable in the car because it was going to be a 90-minute drive to the Long Term Car Park (LTCP). It’s been a while since I went there, and I was pleased that now we could pay with either TouchNGo or a debit/credit card. The ladies’ parking area was full. This goes to show that a lot of ladies are driving themselves to their destinations. So I parked just a bit further. Then, my daughter and I took the free shuttle to KLIA1.

Boarding at KLIA1

We arrived at KLIA1 ahead of schedule, so we had a light meal at Taco Bell. Once we were done, we went to the ticket kiosk to print our boarding passes and luggage tags. Our luggage was dropped off at the counter with ease.

Although our boarding gates changed, boarding time was not delayed. We had a good window and middle seat on the plane. I have forgotten that now, on MAS, we can watch in-flight entertainment on our own devices. I did not bring any headphones with me. Haneem had to watch her Mechamato movie using subtitles. On second thought, it’s better that way cause then she could read faster in English. I am making a mental note to bring my earphones everywhere next time.

Haneem was served Mac and Cheese. I chose a chicken varuval dish with rice. It was delicious. Then we had extra drinks. We had Sprite and Orange Juice. Haneem also received a kids’ pack with a small notebook, stickers, and stationery to keep her occupied. Well, she was more occupied with her Mechamato movie. The plane departed at 19:30, and we arrived 1 hour and 15 minutes later.

Kuching International Airport (KIA)

I wanted to use MAXIM, but the app was taking forever to find my driver. I used GRAB instead. The fare from KIA to the Abell Hotel was RM 11, and it took less than 20 minutes to get there. The driver was very kind to help me with the bags.

My next post will be about the hotel and the wedding.

HONG KONG 2025 – Food

Posted in Everyday Life, Food and Drinks, Leisure & Travel, Places to Eat, Reviews by

If you do enough research, there are probably a lot of HALAL options at HK. I am saying this because I know for sure that we didn’t do much Googling. Still, we had good food and our stomachs were full.

Most of the time, we ate pre-packed meals that I brought from Malaysia. The usual ones are from Brahim, Sharifah and PAMA. This time around, I have Khairul Aming’s Dendeng with Prego. Kembara meals are quite expensive, so I did not buy them.

In Hong Kong itself, Mr Husband bought some bread, milk and carton drinks. The peanut butter was delicious, but we were not allowed to bring it in our hand carry back to Malaysia. An act I find it hard to grasp. Is it because of the bottle? Or is it because it is already open? I am bringing back a lovely item from HK to Malaysia, why can’t I? Anyway, I redha. I just said, Go ahead to the officers when they wanted to take it away.

Islamic Centre Canteen, Wan Chai

Average price: HKD 30 – 60 per dish.

This is the type of place where you go to ensure that the stomach is fed. There is no aesthetics to it. Just a delicious meal with vegetables or protein cut up in a way where it doesn’t matter how weird it looks on the plate. As long as it can be bitten into or chewed up. The fish and meat chunks were huge. The chopped onions were bigger. The taste, however, is super nice with the compulsory hint of MSG. Better than loading it with salt.

This canteen is located on the 5th floor of the mosque. Better known as Masjid Ammar and Osman Ramju Sadick Islamic Centre. It is situated right behind our hotel, The Charterhouse Causeway Bay.

Ee really liked his sweet-sour rice. I had their beef noodles. I wanted to see if the Mi Tarik we have in Malaysia is authentic or otherwise. We shared beef fried rice, and I think we ordered a tomato-based chicken dish as well. Since the portions are huge, we felt that adding on dumplings was a bit on the heavy side, so we skipped that. The iced lemon tea is purely black tea with lemon slices instead of the canned ones we have in Malaysia. So, there is that bitter tea aftertaste.

Tahitian Terrace (Adventureland), Disneyland HK

Average price : HKD

I have mentioned this place before in my Disneyland post. The Laksa has a rich, flavourful broth. I would ask you to try the Black Lentil with Biryani and Paratha. That one is super delicious (to me). The price is of course, Disneyland price. Ha ha.

Soy sauce chicken, Ocean Park

This was a miserable meal. We thought this was the only Halal option here. Turns out there were a few other options. Well, this is what you get when you don’t read enough reviews. Our bad!

Miss India, Kowloon

This was an impromptu choice. We were walking around Kowloon (will write about it later) when suddenly a man handed us this paper. Since the kids were already tired, hot and hungry, we thought a meal would get us going again. However, to be honest, we did not enjoy our food. It was only later that we found reviews that say, “avoid at all costs!”.

Lanzhou Beef Noodle

This was a familiar taste since we’ve had the Lanzhou noodles at MITC, Melaka, before. This was about HKD 48 per bowl. My kids loved it a lot.

That is roughly what we had in Hong Kong. I believe this article from one of my favourite websites, HHWT, is more helpful.

Amverton Heritage Resort Melaka – an escapade for exhausted parents

Posted in Good Things, Leisure & Travel, Reviews by

The room, food and activities are nice for exhausted parents with energetic children. I booked a room with two single beds on Agoda. Com. Total was RM 442.45 including tax and fee for a 3D2N stay. This time I did not include breakfast. I wanted to see whether the menu is nice. If not, we will have our meal nearby. This resort is located at Ayer Keroh. Thus, near a few main attractions and MITC of course. That is where the food is. However, we did get 2 free waterpark tickets (priced at RM15/each). I bought an additional 2 tickets.

We checked in on Friday just after our Rejab Iftar at Mi Tarik Lanzhou. Mr. Husband brought his inflatable mattress. We pushed the single bed next to each other, giving enough room for the Queen-sized mattress. There were the usual expected amenities: FREE WIFI (with a very long password), a mini fridge, an iron with a board, and a TV. Plus points, a bathtub, and room service! Although we do not need it, the idea of it being available made me happy.

Even chilling at the lobby is nice. The breeze, the ambience is just relaxing and cooling.

In-house breakfast started at 7am. The price was RM30 for adults and RM20 for children. The options were satisfactory. They had bread but not other forms of pastry. The bihun and curry were delicious. There’s nasi lemak, lontong, congee etc. I loved that they provided mugs for our hot beverages and not those tiny cups. That is the way to go! Mr Husband had a meeting that morning at a nearby hotel, so I didn’t bring the kids for a swim due to safety reasons. I worry that I won’t be able to keep an eye on both. But we did play at the playground and the kids’ zone. The entry bracelet could be worn for both days we were there. In other words, you can enter and exit the park no matter how many times you like, as long as you wear the bracelet. We went to the waterpark later in the evening once Mr Husband came back from his meeting. The employees even use the stapler to make it easy to remove and fasten again.

Our humble breakfast buffet.
After breakfast, I brought them to the playground near the waterpark. For Vitamin D.
There’s also an indoor playground – the Kids Zone. With a mini library and lots of little tables for self-activity.
There’s also a little sand area where kids can build sandcastles and stuff. There were lots of slides too. My daughter tried the ‘tall’ one. That one is only for kids between 6 to 10 years old.

That’s why I believe this is an excellent spot for tired parents. Personally, I don’t have the stamina to spend over four hours at a water park just to get my money’s worth. But at Amverton, we could enjoy an hour of water play, take a break for a meal and a nap, and then head back in the evening for another session. Later, we’d pause for dinner and even continue the water park fun the next day until checkout. It’s perfect for parents to sneak in some much-needed rest between activities. I believe the adults would enjoy the swim at the huge pool just beside the mini water park. I’ll do that with Haneem once she’s a bit older. Amverton is also lenient with swimwear. I love that we can wear T-shirts instead of a burkini.

The normal swimming pool roughly 4ft over here and the waterpark just beside it.

We used GRAB for our lunch and dinner. There’s an in-house restaurant and cafe where you can have your meal. I might consider that during our future visits. Yes, we love this place so much that we’re thinking of making it our getaway place at times when we feel that we need to go to a kiddie-themed waterpark.

GBW Hotel, Johor Bahru

Posted in Everyday Life, Leisure & Travel, Reviews by

This is what I said on Google Reviews. Mr Husband booked a room here during the Deepavali holidays. Coincidentally, school is also out so we get to go for a staycation at Johor Bahru.

My daughter was really looking forward to our stay here. She said it’s been a while since we went for a holiday. Although I believe we’ve just had a weekend stay at The Everly Putrajaya a few weeks ago.

Kids waiting at the lobby while Mr Husband checked us in.
Little fashionista going up the lift with her new hat and Anya

The moment I stepped into our Premier Suite, I immediately loved it. It was a lovely room that had a kitchenette equipped with a microwave, a fridge and a kettle, a dining space, a living area and a separate bedroom. There were two writing desks which is great. I could continue doing my assignments in the room and he could do his work in the living area. My daughter enjoyed the bath tub of course and the son just loved being in an air-conditioned room. Staying in a dorm means that he is deprived of life luxuries. This room probably cost us roughly between RM250 – RM270 per night through Agoda.

Free WIFI is available but only 4 gadgets are granted access. There’s an ironing board with iron as well. The pool is on the 7th floor. We wanted to have a look but then we got stuck in the lift. Hence, the mission was aborted.

Breakfast for 2 adults is included in our room rate. So we paid extra for the kids. The breakfast menu was top-notch for a 4-star hotel. As mentioned, I loved their nasi lemak paru. The restaurant is also not overly crowded making it a pleasant experience in the morning. If you prefer having breakfast outside, either order a GRAB and have it sent to the lobby or walk across to the R&F Mall.

During our stay there, we were out and about mostly until after lunch. We would just order our dinner through GRAB but that is when an unfortunate incident happened. Our Kacang Pool and rice meals were stolen by a fellow hotel visitor. The hotel cooperated by giving access to their CCTV. Mr Husband had a good look of the culprit’s face, requested a refund from GRAB and was hoping to confront this guy during breakfast time. We didn’t see him. Most likely he enjoyed our meal as breakfast. HA HA HA.

Since this hotel is near the main road, we could hear motorcars honking almost every 30 mins during rush hour. It’s almost normal to see some shameless car owners cutting the queue. I understand the frustration.

Overall, it was a very comfortable stay. I would definitely repeat a stay here although I’d be more likely be trying out other hotels if we are ever going to JB again. It would be nice though if the big windows were cleaned as the view seems amazing at night. Minus the smudge.