The first time we ever heard of the word “Koh Lipe” was only a few weeks before our departure to this gorgeous small island of Thailand situated in the southern area of the Andaman sea – at the mention and suggestion of a former collegue of mine. Located in the Satun province, this heavenly hideaway is among more than 70 beautiful islands that are part of the Tarutao National Marine Park. If you’re looking for an island with white sand, turquoise sea, azure sky, as well as seclusion and serenity, …

I still remember when I was a small child, sleeping over at my uncle and aunt’s house one day, my cousins and I were asked to play elsewhere except the living room – for they wanted to watch The Blue Lagoon and told us that it was the kind of movies children shouldn’t see. Being little kids, naturally we were confused. I made a vow to myself when I got old enough to watch the movie, I would. Now I understand why.
The Blue Lagoon is one of those movies that …

It’s one day before the Chinese New Year festival, and I would love to spend my perfect-weathered Saturday afternoon with shutter-happy moments at Petaling Street. And I did.
Being the heart of Chinatown, Petaling Street (or lesser known in Malay, Jalan Petaling) is a paradise for bargain hunters. Tourists and locals alike haunt the place for the cheapest price of the imitations of Juicy Couture handbags or Rolex watches or Burberry scarves or Nike shoes, so they can look as good as the celebrities – minus burning a hole in their …

Imagine a pair of spikes and wooden blocks being pressed tightly together to your knee until it breaks. Imagine being naked and forced to sit on a board in a riding position, while heavy weights are attached to your feet, pulling your legs further down and hurting your crotch. Imagine being locked in a cage, hands and feet chained, the bars of the cage not small enough for other animals to bite you and you can only watch helplessly as they eat you alive. And if you’re a woman, imagine …

Dutch Harbour Cafe
No. 39, Jalan Laksamana (Riverside),
75100 Melaka,
MALAYSIA.
Tel: (606) 283 7606
And the journey continued on the third day…

MALACCA SULTANATE PALACE
Before I found out that this palace being only a replica of the one belonged to Sultan Mansur Shah (ruled Malacca from 1456 to 1477), I thought it was real. Apparently not, as it was built in accordance to the information obtained from the Malay Annals in 1984 and officiated two years later by the then-Prime Misnister, Dato’ Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. Indeed, Malacca Sultanate Palace gives visitors way much more …

A trip to Malacca would be incomplete without committing this one of the seven deadly sins – gluttony. And I’m talking to none other than doing it at any one of those restaurants along the coastline of Umbai. It’s seafood galore, baby! Oh, so sinful!
We decided to binge-eating ourselves at Ikan Bakar Parameswara after the exhausting-yet-exhilarating walk along the Malacca Heritage Trail, which was not completed yet. The reason for choosing this place was us being beckoned by the friendly staff to come over immediately when we arrived, and therefore, …

With the high-standard selection criteria for a site to be awarded World Heritage Site title by UNESCO, armed with a unique blend of cultures and living heritage (Baba & Nyonya, Portuguese, Dutch, English – need we say more?), it’s absolutely an honor for Malacca to receive the title and recognition on the memorable date 7th of July 2008. The efforts to preserve the historical buildings had been going on long before the acclaimed title came into picture; therefore, it is hoped that double the conservation work is being administered in …

I’ve always believed that, in order for you to understand a tourist attraction better, a tour guide is very much needed. If I walked out of a place of interest for tourists, thanks to my goldfish memory, you bet I wouldn’t be able to remember – what more, tell – much by merely reading the short descriptions or seeing what was there in front of my eyes after 15 minutes. I need stories by a guide (better yet, by a local one!). I revel in them, so much so that …

If you know how to get to the National Elephant Conservation Centre in Kuala Gandah, then there’s no way you can get lost going to Deerland Park because both are located less than 5 km to each other. Don’t be fooled by the name, though; deer are not the only animals you’ll be seeing there. With the entry fee of RM5 (for adults) and RM3 (for children), the best part of this park is you get the chance to interact with the animals.
Along the way to the farm where they …

Rock salt? Checked! Glucolin Glucosa in natural flavour? Checked! Anlene Gold 51+? Checked! Dumex Dugro 0-12 months?
When Anwar and I was browsing at the baby milk shelves, we couldn’t find the specific milk for donation. Of course, there was Dumex Dugro, but it was for 3-6 year-olds. There was Dumex Dupro 1-2 years. And there was also Dumex Dupro 0-12 months. So… which one should we choose without running the risk of baby elephants throwing tantrums? We grabbed the latter and prayed (hard!) that the elephants couldn’t tell the difference!
The …