So JAKUN discovering A'Famosa.

  Next, we went to A'Famosa. Kalau datang Melaka, tak tengok A'Famosa, memang tak lengkap. So we went to see the A'Famosa and how it looks like. I got really excited when i stepped in to the building and see all the OLD monumens back from the 14th century. Its so amazing how they actually did the carving on a big rock and also i got the chance to see the abandoned church which they've used for a war, late in 15th century. It's truly amazing, i can say.

  Actually, i don't know much about the history of it's heritage. You know, im suck at history since school.

  Papa took us till the top of the hill and we have to climb the stairs and it really is tiring. Papa said that, "Hey, jom naik atas. Kalau setakat tengok kat bawah saja, rugilah." and i was like... "OMG... not again, do we really have to climb those stairs Pa?" and he replied, "Cepat lah!" and once again, my face was like this ---> -.-"

  We took some shots at A'Famosa. And Sharf Mikhail really had fun posing and giving his best posed for the shots. Let's browse the pics below.

                                                     

                                                   The A'Famosa

                                    "What is this, Pa?"; "I don't know, son..."




  And as we walked all over the building, there's this guy who has carried a parrot, snakes and lizard with him. He said that anyone can take picture with his pets but must pay RM 5 for each of pets. So the one that over excited is .... NO NO not Mikhail and NOT me either.. but PAPA.

  Papa paid RM 10, to get snapped with Parrots and Lizards. At first i wanted it to be fair, he got the shots for Parrots, and i want to have a beautiful pics with lizard. The lizard is orange in color and the guy said that its very rare and very hard to find orange lizard. So, i guess, if get the snap with a RARE thing, it might be cool.

  But, once again, after seeing THAT lizard, I refused to have a picture taken with it cause it's really ugly and the skin is rough and i have OCD. So once again, Papa had a wonderful experienced holding a RARE Lizard for the first time and he's bragging about that since then. Haha.

                                         Look at Mikhail. He is excited too.

                                               

Mikhail got really scared and Papa has to put him down because he started to cry.

    Look at Papa's face. I know Pa, deep down inside, you are scared too.


  And we continue walking and took few more shots before we chow. Here it is.

Old Monumens back in the 14th of century.

                                         14th Century Carving on somekind of ROCK.

 St. Paul Church which was used for war. Which i don't even know what's the story behind it.

                             This is the story of the buiding. Which i didn't really read it.

                                                     Papa and Mikhail. Again.

                              I don't know who is this guy. And whats so GREAT about him.

                                                    "Yeaaaaaaa...."

And that's the end of our tour in A'Famosa.

And still keep on discovering Melacca. Come on, and join us...

Tips & Tricks To Krabi, Thailand.

Here are few Tips & Tricks for those going to Krabi, Thailand.

1. Grab a taxi once touch down Krabi. Taxi ticket counter is at the airport exit area. Price is 600 Bhat (RM60) to Ao Nang.

2. Best spot in Krabi is Ao Nang.

3. Best hotel to stay in Ao Nang is Princeville Resort & Spa Hotel. It is one of Halal Food served hotel and nearest walking distance to beach. There will be a lots of cheap hotel from 1 star - 5 star, you can definitely pick what suits your budget.

4. Always remember to change your Ringgit to Bhat in Malaysia because its cheaper here and PLEASE activate your Maybank card for international use. Maybank International charges plus tax is RM20 per transaction withdrawal.

5. Ao Nang is a small town, so you can grab a motorcab or they called it 'Tuk Tuk' and it cost around 100 Bhat (RM10) per ride from point A to point B; around the Ao Nang area.

6. The best idea of transportation is to rent a motorcycle and it only cost for 250 Bhat (RM25) per day. You can ride all around Krabi mainland FREELY!

7. If you have a toddler and a baby, and you think you can't rent a bike, YOU'RE WRONG! because you can definitely place them like this :

BUT it if only you're brave and tough enough. One thing for sure, please use a baby carrier to attach your baby safely with you while daddy can handle the toddler/kid infront of him.

8. Don't worry about your Beach Activity and What To Do In Krabi. Once you are in Ao Nang, there will be lots and lots of "WHAT TO DO IN KRABI' counter. You can purchase an Island Activity range from 950 Bhat (RM95) per head for Phi Phi Island Tour, Hong Island Tour and etcs.

9. All vest and snorkeling equipment will be provided by the island tour guide. So no need to worry about anything else, just put on your swim suits,UV Sunblock, a beach sandals and don't forget to bring a beach mat and a towel!

10. Mommies, please don't forget to pack and bring along your kid's beach toy set!

11. IMPORTANT! Please bring your own KIDS VEST cause the island tour guide did not provide vest for kids and please bring ARM FLOATS for kids. All can be purchase at Tesco near you.

12. Elephant Ride and Show is 800 Bhat (RM80) per head and everything is FREE for children below 3 years old.

13. Kind Reminder on the Elephant Ride activity, Please please please feed the elephant after they gave you the ride. Somehow i feel sorry for the elephants because human use them to put on show and such ways. The tour guide will sell bananas and coconuts for 50 Bhat (RM5) per plate. Please buy.

14. Over all, Please stand by 3000 Bhat (RM300 maximum) per head for your 'KRABI ACTIVITIES' and that is more than enough! 

Shopping In Krabi:

15. Krabi Town Night Market is on Friday, Sat & Sun and everything here is definitely cheap.

16. You might get tired by riding a bike from Ao Nang to Krabi Town cause it's quite miles away.You need to grab a taxi to Krabi Town and the taxi driver will wait for you while you shop till you drop!

17. You can also shop at all shops along Ao Nang streets. Always ask for a discounts and bargains!

18. Fridge magnet is 100 Bhat (RM10) for 3pcs, Tshirt for kids is 100 Bhat (RM10) each and Tshirt for adult is 200 Bhat (RM20) each. Bargain more and discounts will be given and you might even get 120 Bhat (RM12) for each Tshirt by luck. So, GOOD LUCK!

19. I suggest you go out for a quick shopping between 9.30 - 11pm. This is my 'secret tips' of shopping. At this hour, all sellers will be getting ready to close their businesses for the day and you will have the chance to demand your price and they will NEVER TAKE NO for an answer and you'll get your best discounted prices!

20. Cigarettes are cheap 95 Bhat (RM9.50) only. Smokers go by more!

21. Red bull is so cheap 15 Bhat (RM1.50).

22. Everything here is cheaper than Malaysia. You'll be amaze.

Foods in Krabi:

23. Plenty of Halal restaurant in Ao Nang, Krabi. You may Tripadvisor or Google it. But the well known Halal Restaurant in Ao Nang is Hasna Palace Seafood. The price is reasonable and its entirely clean. Hasna Palace is also a 3 star budget hotel. You can always check out their rates www.hasnapalace.com

24. There is another Halal Serve stall, i forgot the name of the stall but it is next to CHARINA stall near a driveway on a pavement. (The landmark is 7Eleven, and on a downhill side of Hasna Palace Seafood. We call it "The Hut Stall" so whenever you are around Ao Nang, go find a stall that looks like a hut :

25. I recommend you to try "The Hut Stall" because the Tom Yam is soooooo goood and much wayyyy delicious than the Hasna Palace Seafood. Every dish at "The Hut Stall" is so tasty! The Cashew Nut Chicken, Blackpapper Beef and Kerabu Manggo is so good oh my God!

26. All Shops close at 11pm except for Bars.

27. Lots of Bars and live music in Ao Nang, Krabi that you can enjoy.

28. Taxi for airport transfer is 500 Bhat (RM50) only. They will come and pick you up at the hotel.

29. That's all for Tips & Tricks To Krabi. Happy holiday and remember to always be careful with your belongings and keep your children close with you all the time.

Thank you.

Le Tour Bandar Hilir, Day 2.

 2nd of May, 2011. It's our last day in Bandar Hilir, Melaka. Disebabkan Papa cuti tak lama and esok dah nak start kerja; then kena bertolak balik ke KL, so kena lah jalan-jalan keliling Bandar Hilir puas-puas.

 Bangun pukul 9am, kejutkan Sharf Mikhail dan Papanya yang tersangatlah liat nak bangun tidur. Kami bersiap, get ready for our breakfast di Ground Floor hotel. 

 *Papa memang dah pesan sebelum tidur semalam; "Yang, jangan lupa kejut bangun pagi tau. Nak breakfast kat hotel. Nanti makanan habis pukul 10.30am."

 Wah Papa ni, takut makanan habis pula lah! Haha.*

 We had our LOUSIEST breakfast ever at the hotel. Makanan memang TAK sedap. They served Kuey Tiaw, Bubur Nasi, Omelette, Nasi Goreng and Roti Bakar. And dalam banyak-banyak tu, yang paling sedap ROTI BAKAR which is rasa macam biasa saja, macam makan di rumah sendiri.

 So I had crappy Kuey Tiaw, a glass of Orange Juice and a cup of hot Coffee. Papa makan juga lah untuk isi perut sebab nak tenaga untuk TOUR katanya. Sharf Mikhail tak nak makan, suap nasi, ludah di tepi. Hmmm... mogok tak sedap lah tu!

 Habis saja makan, naik semula ke hotel room. Papa kata, "Kita check out pukul 1.30pm, so adalah masa untuk sambung tidur." Untuk mengelakkan sesi bertekak, saya buat muka macam ni sajalah --->  -.-

  Ingatkan boleh berjalan-jalan after breakfast, rupanya naik semula ke bilik sambung tidur sampai check out. Hmmm... pandai Papa manage his leisure time kan. Dalam bengang-bengang tu pun, saya and Baby pun join Papa tidur.

  After check out at 1.30pm sharp, kami teruskan perjalanan ke kota bersejarah, Bandar Hilir. Bermulalah ekspedisi sight seeing and tour satu bandar. Mula-mula sekali kami ke Christ Churh Melaka. Kami tak masuk pun churh tu, tengok dari luar saja. Agak jakun la sebab first time tengok the building dari dekat and betul-betul clear depan biji mata. Kalau tak sekadar tengok dalam buku sejarah sekolah saja. Haha.

 Then, sekitar kawasan bangunan Christ Churh ni, adalah tempat pelancong menyewa BECA untuk membawa mereka pusing-pusing seluruh Bandar Hilir. Banyak sangat beca yang boleh disewa. Cantik-cantik dan macam-macam design decoration ada. Kalau nak naik beca yang pasang MUSIC pun ada. Tapi disarankan pada semua, kalau nak naik & sewa beca, cakaplah pada Abang-abang beca, kalau boleh jangan lah pasang music. Sebab kalau pasang music, sight seeing kita akan jadi bosan. Sepatutnya kalau kita naik beca, adalah baiknya kalau kita berborak dengan pengayuh beca itu sendiri. Mereka boleh bercerita kisah-kisah menarik di Melaka malah dengan cara ini dengan tidak disengajakan ikatan silaturahim sesama insan juga terjalin :)

 Kami dapat Pakcik beca yang paling best dan cool. Pakcik beca yang membawa kami keliling Bandar Hilir selama 45 minit ini, sudah 20 tahun berkhidmat dalam kerja membawa beca. Kesian tengok dia. Bayaran diterima ciput, tapi kudrat dia mengayuh, Tuhan saja yang tahu. Memang bekerja keras untuk menyara keluarga. "Pakcik ni dah 20 tahun kayuh beca. Dari tak ada anak sampai anak 7, inilah punca rezeki pakcik." Dengan tidak sengaja, satu mesej yang padat dan berguna dapat kami bawa untuk dijadikan semangat dalam hidup. Maknanya, kehidupannya hanya ala kadar sahaja, dia bekerja keras untuk mencari rezeki, malah sentiasa bersyukur dengan apa sahaja yang dia perolehi. Pakcik beca sambung celotehnya, enjoy sangat sight seeing dengan pakcik ni.

Beca yang Papa pick untuk kami. Cun kan.

                                       

"Wooooooooooooo.... o_O"

 Our fisrt stop, Pakcik berhentikan becanya depan Muzium Samudera. Pakcik tu cerita, kisahnya, kapal Samudera yang besar ni memang pernah digunakan pada kurun ke 15 di perairan Melaka. Sekarang kapal Samudera ni dijadikan muzium. Dalam kapal tersebut dilengkapi pelbagai bahan-bahan sejarah lampau serta monumen-monumen lama. 

The Huge Muzium Samudera.

Look at that! Itu lah rupa kapal pada kurun ke 15 yang PERNAH DIGUNAKAN di perairan Melaka. Unik kan.

Sambung perjalanan......

 

 Pakcik continue mengayuh beca, and bawa kami ke Dataran Pahlawan. Dia berhentikan kami pula di tapak Railway Station (Stesen Keratapi) lama. Ok, to me nothing interesting with this Old Railway Station sebab di kampung saya di Taiping pun hari-hari lalu lintas di sebelah tapak Railway Station yang lama juga. So benda ni macam biasa. Nak sedapkan mix Tour kami, snap lah few pictures di sana.

         *Asyik gambar bapak dengan anak je! Mak dia tukang tangkap gambar! Bila bapaknya tangkap gambar maknya, semua senget benget! -.-*

                             Old Railway Station, Bandar Hilir, Melacca.

                            Belakang Mikhail is Kapal Terbang Tentera Lama.

And now... let see where we're heading to... 

browse to the NEXT POST.

*page ni macam dah semak, panjang sangat.

  

                              

Bandar Hilir, Melacca At Night.

 Alright, let's start with our Day 1 @ Bandar Hilir, Melacca.

 We checked-in to our room, had some quick rest and awesome hot bath shower, I also managed to explored the room, checking whats in the mini fridge, while papa turned on the television and tuned to Cartoon Network,  Sharf Mikhail jumping on the bed, looks like he really liked the bed alot.Teramatlah beruntung dapat bilik best dengan harga yang murah :)

 Kami keluar dari hotel at 10pm. Agak lewat sebenarnya untuk aktiviti jalan-jalan, sebab semua akan tutup dalam pukul 11pm. So kami hanya sempat naik boat rides yang bawa kami pusing sekeliling Bandar Hilir. Disarankan pada semua, kalau nak naik boat rides, naiklah pada waktu malam and you can see all colorful lights at night and tak panas.

 So, i bought the tickets, since Papa dah penat drive kereta, and bayar duit hotel kan.
*Baik tak baik tak. Baik kan. Haha.*

 The Boat Rides tix is only RM 10 for Adult and Free for kids below 2 years old. So the total that i paid is RM 20. *Best bawa Sharf Mihail time-time sekarang ni. Semua FREE.*

 We really enjoyed and had so much fun. Naik boat keliling Bandar Hilir, tengok-tengok lampu, tengok ragam manusia. Ada yang berdating, ada yang masam mencuka, ada yang keseorangan melayan perasaan atas jetty, pelbagai jenis manusia ciptaan Tuhan Maha Esa.

 Sharf Mikhail enjoy juga walaupun muka agak masam. Mungkin penat sangat duduk kereta berjam-jam lamanya. Alhamdullilah, Sharf Mikhail tak banyak ragam malam tu. Tak menangis pun. Pandai anak mama. Sayang dia sangat-sangat :)

                               Tak sabar tunggu boat, bila nak sampai ni?

                                                     Papa & Sharf Mikhail :)

                                          Boat Rides.

                                          Colorful lights at night.

                                          Eyes On Melacca Ferris Wheels.

                                          "Woohoo, what's that!?"

                                          We had fun!

                                          Penat la tu.


 After boat rides, we went to JONKER Walk. It's like a night market or pasar malam which sells cheap stuffs like T-shirts, rubber flip flops, art crafts, fake LV handbags, accessories, kuih-muih, and etc.

 I bought 'Visit Melacca' T-shirt for myself and Papa, (only RM 30 for 2 T-shirt.), bought cool flip flop for me and Papa (RM 10 each), and also bought cheap belts for only RM 8.

                                          JONKER Street.

 After that, we went to Mc D's drive thru and tapau our dinner and went back to our hotel room. I had Mc Chicken Set and Papa ate his all time fav; Big Mac Set.

 Sharf Mikhail is very tired and he slept silently till the next morning. 

Cuti-cuti Melaka.

 Baru-baru ni, on the 1st May, 2011. Papa bawa kami jalan-jalan di Bandar Hilir, Melaka. Maklumlah, Papa bukan senang nak cuti kerja. Pada hari tersebut jatuh pula cuti Hari Pekerja. Kebetulan pula ada wedding dekat kampung papa di Masjid Tanah, Melaka. Kalau nak ikutkan, malas nak balik. Tapi disebabkan ibu mertua berada di Mekah menunaikan umrah, dia suruh kami wakilkan kerana dah janji dengan tuan rumah. Nak tak nak, pergi juga lah.

 Saya cakap dgn Papa, "Alang-alang dah sampai Melaka, apa kata Papa bawa kami jalan-jalan dekat Bandar Hilir. Yaya tak pernah sampai *buat muka kesian sikit* lagi pun, kan Papa cuti Hari Pekerja."

 Papa diam je, tapi lepas wedding and habis makan-makan, salam-salam nak balik, masuk je dalam kereta Papa cakap, "Ok, let's go to Bandar Hilir. Kita check in di hotel and jalan-jalan."

 "Aik, Papa biar betul? Kan kita ni sehelai sepinggang je. Tak bawa baju salin even berus gigi pun tak ada!"

 "Ala, kalau tak ada, BELI la." kata Papa.

"Wah, kaya betul Papa ni! Haha."

 Then Papa cakap "Ok, sayang google hotel mana nak duduk. cari rate bawah RM250."

 Saya pun sibuk google hotel-hotel di Bandar Hilir, Melaka. Nak save sikit, baik duduk budget hotel je. Tapi Papa tak nak sebab takut Sharf Mikhail tak selesa katanya. Puas bergaduh dalam kereta pasal HOTEL mana nak duduk. Last sekali, nak senang cerita, dengar aja lah kata suami. Biar dia tentukan.

 Nak dipendekkan cerita, perjalanan kami ke Bandar Hilir dari Masjid Tanah mengambil masa lebih 1 jam. Traffic jam dia, MasyaAllah, teruk teramat sangat! Ramai betul orang bercuti ke Melaka pada cuti Hari Pekerja ni. Bawa keluarga tok nenek sekian jalan-jalan juga la tu.

 Sampai saja di Bandar Hilir, pusing-pusing cari Hotel. Pergi turun tanya beberapa hotel, semua penuh. Terjumpa satu hotel 3 star, Naza- Talyya Hotel. Tanya di Reception dan this guy named Encik Ramli cakap "Hotel kami penuh la kak. Tinggal satu bilik sahaja. Itu pun satu malam RM400. Kakak nak?"

 "Mahal tu, untuk satu malam saja RM400. Lari budget." kata saya.

 "Macam ni lah kami boleh link kan abang dan kakak di Boutique Hotel lagi satu, tak jauh dari sini. Kami kasi map, senang je direction. Satu malam CUMA RM 300 sahaja. Ada 1 Queen bed + 1 Single bed for baby, ada balcony, ada hot shower, television, air-condition, free breakfast for 2. Nak?" kata Encik Ramli pada kami.

 Mama pandang papa. Papa pandang mama. Mama Papa pandang Baby, Baby hisap jari.

 Saya bisik pada Papa, "Tak payah lah yang, kita balik je. Mahal la. Kita nak duduk 1 malam je. Let's not waste money." Papa diam je. Masih memikir agaknya.

 "Tak apa lah Encik Ramli, kami balik KL sahaja. Lain kali kami datang lagi. Mahal lah Encik Ramli, satu malam RM 300. Our budget is only Rm250 below. Thanks ya."

 "It's Ok, kami faham. Tinggalkan contact number Abang dan kakak, nanti saya call kalau ada mana-mana kosong." Then, Papa tinggalkan number lalu kami beredar pusing-pusing di Bandar Hilir, mencari peluang jika ada bilik kosong di hotel-hotel lain.

Tak lama selepas itu...


 Jeng jeng jeng...

 Cellphone papa berbunyi. Papa pick up and answer.

 "Yes, Ok, ok, Alhamdullilah. Tadahal, tadahal. Saya ke sana sekarang!" jawab papa.

 Saya tanya dengan cemas dan ingin tahu, "Kenapa Pa?? Apa jadi?"

 "Encik Ramli yang botak tadi tu call, dia cakap dia boleh bagi bilik kosong harga RM 300 dekat Arenaa Deluxe Hotel yang dia ckp tadi tu, tapi harga dia kurangkan RM250. Jangan cakap banyak, check in situ je lah."

 Dengan perasaan tak sabar, kami patah balik di Naza-Talyya hotel bertemu Encik Ramli, dia cakap "Saya kasi bilik harga RM 300 ni bang. Tapi kesian kat baby abang yang comel ni, saya turunkan harga RM 250. Rezeki anak abang lah ni."

 "Terima kasih, Encik Ramli, syukur lah. Alhamdullilah sangat. Kami dah terfikir nak balik KL dah."

 Papa berjabat tangan, berterima kasih pada Encik Ramli, lalu kami pun beredar mencari Hotel Arenaa Deluxe yang terletak di Ujong Pasir tak jauh dari situ.

 Sampai saja di hotel, kami TERKEJUT.

 Terkejut sebab CANTIK SANGAT. Haha.

                                   Arenaa De Luxe Hotel, Ujong Pasir, Melaka.

                                            Hotel Lobby.

                                            Hotel Dine Cafe'.


 Kami check in pukul 9 pm. Rehat sekejap, mandi. Satu jam kemudian, bermula aktiviti jalan-jalan di Bandar Hilir.