The Land Of Sriwijaya

I’d earlier purchased a Batik Air ticket to Palembang via Agoda for early February and I wasn’t amused when I received a text message from Batik Air on Christmas Eve informing that the return flight was not operational. After checking my PNR on the airline website and finding it didn’t exist, I sent messages to Batik Air’s customer service via WhatsApp. The airline staff couldn't find my PNR either so it must’ve been cancelled by some party. I reached out to Agoda and they insisted the flight was still operational. It’s not easy to get reach out to Agoda except navigate the irritating app but I persisted and finally managed to email them on Christmas Day. Agoda tried its best not to accept responsibility so I shared the email from the airline informing I needed to reach out to the booking company and my correspondence with the airline.

I had already booked a non-refundable room so I decided to buy an AirAsia ticket this time. I would’ve been happy not to come but the hotel had been paid for.

Monday, 2 February 2026

I left home just as the call for morning prayers rang out. Made my way to the LRT station and performed prayers there. I arrived at KLIA T2 at 08:42 and hurriedly made my way through the bag weight check, passport control and bag screening processes before walking to the gate. The plane was already boarding. I sat in between a mother and daughter and was about to change seats when another young mother and her toddler moved into the seat I was eyeing.

We landed into wet Palembang at 09:55 local time. Do fill up the ‘All Indonesia’ arrival form within three days before arrival as it would make the immigration process smooth. Well, up to a point. I had a very inquisitive officer attending to me demanding to see my return flight ticket (I showed her my boarding pass), hotel details (I showed her my hotel booking), and asking the purpose of my visit. She also scrutinised my passport and asked if I’d stayed in Cambodia before. I was getting annoyed by then, I mean what business is it to her anyway, and said no, I was only visiting. And I have enough things to do back home to even want to overstay or think about migrating to your country.

My passport was finally stamped and I made my way to the LRT station. The LRT was built to support Palembang when it became the host city for the Asian Games in 2018. I paid Rp10k for the ticket to Dishub station then proceeded to to wait. Train frequency is about every 16-17 minutes. It took 30 minutes to reach Dishub station and from there, I walked to Cemerlang Inn on Jl. Mayor Ruslan. Check-in was at 14:00 and there’s additional charge for early check-in so I left my bag and walked to explore the city.

I came across Cinde Market near Cinde LRT station then continued on to Masjid Agung Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin Jayo Wikramo (Grand Mosque of Palembang). MONPERA (short for Monumen Perjuangan Rakyat or People’s Struggle Monument) is across the traffic island where the Grand Mosque is. Then I checked out Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II Museum. I didn’t enter though. Next, I walked to nearby Benteng Kuto Besak which is a walled compound from the Sultanate era on the northern side of Musi River. Originally completed in 1797, it is now used as the headquarter for the regional command of the Indonesian National Forces. Due to its military use, the compound is closed to public.

I spotted the Tourist Information Centre building and was puzzled when I went in to find three men in uniform smoking (what is it with Indonesian men and smoking?). I asked if it was the tourist information centre and they didn’t understand me so I had to ask again. There was no brochure but they finally tried to help me with suggestions of where to go.  I walked a bit before turning back. It was starting to drizzle so I headed back to the hotel to check in.  I rested before venturing out to find dinner to break my fast. I also bought some fried rice to go for my predawn meal and some mineral water before returning to my room.

Tuesday, 3 February 2026

I woke up for my predawn meal and prayers. I left at 09:30 and rode a Grab bike to Sriwijaya Kingdom Archaeological Park (Taman Purbakala Kerajaan Sriwijaya). I had to pay Rp5k to enter the grounds and then a further Rp5k to enter the museum. I was actually confused why I had to pay to enter the museum and was informed the Rp5k I paid earlier was for the grounds. So what’s in the grounds? Oh, a lake, I was told. I spent close to an hour in the museum. Somehow I couldn’t stop yawning. It was more due to the early morning and not because of the museum. I then stepped out and wandered the grounds. There were some buildings but they looked unoccupied and unused. Then there was the lake (or moat as what appeared on Google Maps). That was about it

I asked the guard if there was an angkot I could take into the city and he said I should order Grab. So I decided to walk to the intersection of Jl. Kadir Tkr and Jl. Pangeran Sido to see if I could catch an angkot there. It took only twenty minutes and was no hardship at all. I went into a convenience store to ask and was told to get a Maxim vehicle. I decided these locals probably had their own transportation so went to an idling angkot. To my delight, it was going to the market (I then found out that there was a market at Ampera Bridge which I something overlooked the day before). The ride took less than twenty minutes and only cost Rp5k.

I wandered around the market before going to the waterfront. I asked around and finally agreed to take a boat to Kemaro Island for Rp150k return. I asked the boat owner not to smoke. He stopped to get some petrol from a floating petrol station and asked to borrow some money. Now, the city is many, many miles away from the sea but the river must be very deep because there are big ships in the river. I’d looked at the map and seen there are a few tributaries that flow into the river and canals too so yes, the city is heavily influenced by water and the local diet too. There are stalls in the market selling fish-based stuff like what looked like flattened fish balls, fish cakes and other fish-mixed-with-other-food stuff.

It took 35 minutes to reach the island and it was a good thing I asked how long I had there. ‘30 minutes,’ he said. ‘Or could be longer and you’ll just have to pay extra.’ So I got down to explore the island. For some reason, there’s a Chinese temple there and a pagoda. I walked further and discovered a water village. I had a quick walk through the village before turning back. The journey back took almost 40 minutes. After wandering around the market again, I walked back to my room. The skies opened shortly after I reached my room. Alhamdulillah.

I was so tired that I took a nap and woke up way after the alarm. I quickly dressed and went out to find dinner.

Wednesday, 4 February 2026

This morning, I decided to have some local fish-based food for breakfast so I left at 08:30 and walked down to the main market. Cinde Market is nearer but is way smaller with limited options. I had some tekwan (fish ball type in soup with vermicelli) and a plate of pempek. It was just all right. Nothing to shout about.

I then decided to be brave and cross the river. I had checked and the pedestrian lane is quite wide so I walked up and across the Musi River. Well. The other side of the river (‘Ulu’) was not very pedestrian-friendly. I walked until Jakabaring Sport City where I’m sure the Asian Games were held.

I walked into a residential area to Al Islamic Muhammad Cheng Ho Sriwijaya Palembang Mosque. It’s a unique mosque with Chinese influence reflected in the architecture. Then I walked to the market but it looked closed so I turned back and headed for Jakabaring LRT station. I paid Rp5k for the ticket to Cinde station.

At Cinde, I got down and went to buy some fish crackers and mangosteens at the market. There was no one selling sugarcane drink there, unfortunately. I walked back to my room and it started raining during my walk. I reached my room just as the rain turned heavier. Alhamdulillah.

I went out at a quarter to six for dinner and had it at Nasi Goreng Bejo, a roadside stall that operates from the late afternoon. I had fried noodles and ordered fried rice to go. The fried noodles were very delicious and tasty. I then went across to Indomart and bought an ice cream for dessert.  

Thursday, 5 February 2026

I woke up at 04:00 for my predawn meal. After showering and prayers, I finished packing. I checked out at 07:15 and received my Rp100k deposit. Then I set for Cinde LRT station and this time I took the back streets. I reached the station after only 11 minutes and without having to brave heavy traffic had I followed the main roads.

The train ride to the airport took 33 minutes. The plane from KL arrived late though, later than we did when we arrived on Monday. So much so we only took off thirty minutes later than scheduled.  We landed at KLIA T2 at 13:30. I was out by 13:35 and rushed off. I made it to the 13:48 KLIA Transit train with three seconds to spare. Alhamdulillah.

P. S. I had purging when I came back from Palembang and I know it was definitely something I ate in Palembang because I fasted on Thursday. The tummy upset started on the transit train from the airport.

Langkawi Trips

I’d purchased ticket to Langkawi a few months back for mid-January 2026 and asked my sister if she wanted to go. Unfortunately, she had a doctor’s appointment then. Subsequently, she informed that she and family had bought tickets for end-January. I decided to join them but for only two days.

So I kicked off my Visit Malaysia Year 2026 with the first Langkawi trip on 13 January, three days after I came back from Xiamen. I wanted to book the organisation’s resort; alas, it was undergoing works. In the end, I booked Wan’s Roomstay near Cenang for two nights. I didn’t realise there were many small lanes around the area and had fun exploring the villages there. I just wished the villagers would exercise more care in disposing their rubbish.

Langkawi was hot as usual and especially in January. I’d spent Chinese New Year once there with Abah and Mummy and it was hot as Hades. I mainly stayed in the room during the day and ventured out only for lunch and in the late afternoon.

I left for my second Langkawi trip on 28 January. I flew in the late afternoon and stayed at Qamaar Hostel this time. My sister and family arrived the following morning and after picking me up, we drove to an eatery for them to have brunch. After that, we drove to Perdana Quay Lighthouse and Pantai Kok. My nieces wanted to ride the cable car so our next stop was Oriental Village.

Then we drove to Datai and stopped at Pantai Pasir Tengkorak. We then drove to Nazrat Residence at Tanjung Rhu, stopping en route for laksa and meehoon utara. After checking in, I went for a walk along the beach with my niece while the others went for a swim in the sea.

We checked out after one night and drove to Kuah, stopping at a mosque for the men to perform Friday prayers. Then it was on to Century Suria where my sister had booked an apartment unit for two nights.  They then dropped me off at the airport. Sister and family were staying until midday on Sunday

 I guess that’ll do it for Langkawi for a while. Alhamdulillah. Langkawi was so hot and bright (I could’ve sworn it was hotter than KL) that I had a fever when I came back from my second trip there.

Amoi In Amoy

In mid-September 2025, I bought flight ticket to Xiamen via Mayflower page. I decided to visit for four nights and was happy when I found I could visit three UNESCO World Heritage Sites near Xiamen. Xiamen means door or entry to the house and indeed Xiamen or Amoy as the Westerners used to call it was one of the gateways into China. Hotel searches showed Xiamen is not a cheap place to stay in and after some hotel bookings and setting price alerts, I finally changed my hotel booking closer to the date of travel from free cancellation to a non-refundable room. So it turned out to be quite reasonable after all. I also made some tour bookings although the one to Tianluokeng Tulou was cancelled due to low demand, which I found out when I reached my hotel.

Tuesday, 6 January 2026

I left early in the morning from my sister’s place as the flight ETD was at 09:25. I managed to reach the airport in time to queue for bag drop and update my Enrich number. I expected the crowd as it was school holidays  It was unusually cold on the plane but no complaints from me. Malaysia Airlines provided blankets but I decided I could stand the cold and besides, I should get used to it as it’d be cold in Xiamen.  We landed around 13:20. China has since implemented online entry declaration since my visit in October so I spent some time filling up the form before joining the queue. One note: it’s funny that the instruction for visitors to place their finger prints at the immigration counter is in Malay.

After being reunited with my bag, I filled up my water bottle (that’s another great thing about China, you can find water dispensers at train stations, airports and some tourist attractions) and headed out. I stopped at the information counter and to my surprise, they spoke some English and gave me some brochures. I then followed signs to the shuttle bus to Terminal 4. The shuttle bus runs every 20 minutes except after 22:00 when it runs every 30 minutes. From Terminal 4, I followed signs to the BRT (Bus Rapid Transit). The BRT buses run on elevated bus-only roads with four lines operating. It is very fast and comfortable and there are signs in English. Fare depends on distance, usually ¥1-4 per person. It cost me only ¥2 to get to Xiamen Railway Station from the airport T4 (<RM1.20). There are also buses which run on normal roads (ground level) but that would be subject to traffic so I didn’t even bother researching.

The trip to Xiamen Railway Station took slightly over 20 minutes. I went through a mall to utilise the escalators and went to find my hotel. It is in an alley behind the mall and I was glad I chose it as the location was perfect. I checked in and the lady at the reception kindly showed me to my room. I was not very happy with the room as it was mouldy and was lucky to catch the lady outside in the corridor. I showed her photos of the room and she kindly allowed to change rooms.

I spent time in between prayers finding trips to the Fujian Tulou and finally signed up for a tour on Trip.com. After prayers, I ventured out up to Paragon/Pan Ji Zhong Xin before turning back. I wandered around and stumbled across some halal eateries, not as easily recognisable as in Yunnan. I had a big bowl of beef lamian for dinner. I stopped by a supermarket very close to the hotel called Hot Max and bought some food.

Wednesday, 7 January 2026

I left the hotel at 06:50 and walked to Rezen Huaxia Hotel, five minutes away. The bus arrived at 07:10 and then spent the next hour picking up other passengers around the city. We finally left around 08:30 and drove to the Fujian Tulou in Yongding. The journey took two hours. I’d joined a Chinese-speaking tour and some of the other passengers kindly helped to translate for me. At Yongding, we had another local guide bring us to the Tulou buildings. We walked  for two hours.

After that, it was time for lunch. Alhamdulillah, there were some dishes that I was able to eat like vegetable, prawn and fish. We were all hungry after the walking around and attacked our food.

After lunch, we continued to Yunshuiyao and our guide took us around. We walked for more than two hours there. Then we boarded the bus for our journey back to Xiamen. I was the last to be dropped off with another couple at Xiamen Railway Station. I went in to buy the next morning’s train ticket to Quanzhou. I could buy it on Trip.com but there’s a fee and although the station also charged me a fee, it all worked out less than what it’d cost me on Trip.com. There was no queue at all and I got to discover the station and familiarise myself with its layout.

I had dinner at another halal eatery. This time, the noodles came in a much smaller bowl and cost a lot more. Harrumph.

Thursday, 8 January 2026

I left my room at 06:50 for the railway station. My train was at 07:21 and we reached Quanzhou at 08:10. I followed the signs for the bus and took bus number 2 to the city. I couldn’t pay off my fare despite trying several times and the driver waved me on. It took 30 minutes to reach the city centre where I alighted near the Feitian Yingbin Urban Sculpture and walked to Guan Yue Temple. Guan Yu and Yue Fei were generals so this is a warrior temple. There were many worshippers there. After walking around, I left and walked to nearby Qingjing Mosque. This is the only mosque left in Quanzhou and is over 1,000 years old. The entrance fee is ¥3. There are some pillars left standing of the ruins. I saw the imam and greeted him with Assalamualaikum and told him I was from Malaysia. He then brought me into the prayer hall which was not open to the public. Alhamdulillah for the rezeki.

After that, I walked to Kaiyuan Temple, passing Confucius Temple on the way. I stopped for a short while then continued on. Google Maps brought me to a pedestrian street which led to Xijie Street (West Street). I walked up and down the street and stopped by an eatery to have an oyster omelette pancake (something like the ones I had in Penang). Then I continued on to the nearby Kaiyuan Temple with its Eastern and Western  Pagodas.

Then I walked and walked to find the bus stop for bus number 2. The bus fare was ¥1 (I paid by cash) and at the station, I quickly went to find the ticket office. The train back to Xiamen was quite full.

Back in Xiamen, I browsed the underground mall before moving on to MIXC Mall before returning to my room. I still had some bread so that was my dinner tonight.

Friday, 9 January 2026

Another early start. I left at 06:50 and walked to the metro station and took the train to Cruise Centre for the ferry to Gulangyu. I’d bought ticket on Klook (just before this trip, I checked again and the ticket cost less on Trip.com so always, always check and compare before buying). The terminal is white near the metro station. I went up to the second floor and showed my passport and received my ticket. There were a lot of local tourists with their tour guides - indeed Gulangyu is a very popular destination for the local tourists.

I wandered around Gulangyu happily. The island, although predominantly populated by Chinese, has foreign influence on its buildings and you’ll be forgiven if you think you’re somewhere in Europe when you wander its streets. Vehicles are banned here, except for golf-cart like vehicles and the locals use handcarts to transport goods. The terrain is hilly and some areas are steep. I had a great time exploring the island.

I returned to Xiamen at 14:00 and took the metro to Zhongshan Park. From there, I walked to the mosque to perform prayers. This is the only mosque in Xiamen. After prayers, I had beef soup at a halal eatery before continuing on. The road then led to Zhongshan Road Pedestrian Street. I bought some local delicacies to bring home. I also bought fried oyster pancake.

I then walked to the ferry office at Heping Wharf to get my ticket for the Lujiang River Night Cruise. The locals were sticky about me performing prayers there. Sheesh. Sure, I could perform prayers when I was back in my room but I had time before boarding the ferry and I didn’t want to wait until I reached my room to perform prayers.

The cruise lasted an hour and I took the metro back to Xiamen Railway Station. Back in the room, I started packing a bit.

Saturday, 10 January 2026

Well, it was time to bid farewell to Xiamen. I left the hotel at 11:50 and took the BRT to the airport. Reversing the process I underwent when I arrived. I had checked in online but the system couldn’t issue my boarding pass so I went to the bag drop counter to get my boarding pass and asked if I could sit at the front row. I was told that the flight was full but the lady managed to get me a window seat at row 15. It turned out to be the emergency exit row but nothing untoward happened, alhamdulillah.

We landed at KLIA at 19:50 and I rushed out to the baggage area. I performed prayers first and my bag was out shortly after that. I took the 20:52 train back.

I was very satisfied with the trip. Five days were just enough for a fulfilled trip. Alhamdulillah.

2025: The Year That Was

And just like that, 2025 left us.

Genocide continued on and flotilla attempts to carry aid were illegally intercepted in international waters by the most immoral army in the world with the flotilla members detained before being released. Genocide also continued in Sudan by the Emiratis. I continued boycotting products made by companies who are pro-ishell and will widen the boycott further. The so-called ceasefire is not respected by the immoral army with attacks continuing in Gaza and West Bank.

Closer to home, our neighbours are involved in their own crises with the Thai and Cambodians disputing over their border issue, while the worst flooding ever seen devastated large parts of north Sumatra. Sometimes I wonder if people would ever learn how to live peacefully with each other and nature and compromise, and learn not to be so greedy at the expense of others. The years go by and if anything, man is more and more determined to wreck ruins on others and destroy the environment.

After some thinking and going through my finances, I decided to go on early retirement. InsyaAllah, this decision is for the best. I was prepared to work until 60 before but the pandemic changed my mind. Not being able to travel and then having to care for my dad made me decide that I didn’t want to work until I reach 60. I want to travel further and longer and I don’t want to wait until I’m 60 - presuming I’ll still be fit, able and healthy then - to travel. Money is always important - it helps one afford a lot of things and one will definitely need money to travel - but I don’t want to have a lot more money than I do now at 60 but not be able to travel. On a friend’s advice, I’ve kept this news fairly quiet and not broadcast it. After all, it’s up to me to share the news and I don’t think it’s anyone’s business anyway. I’ve already started making adjustments to my life following my fall in 2024 where I’d started selling off my handbags which were just too heavy, no longer suit my lifestyle and did not help with my scoliosis issue.

Arsenal again came up second in the Premier League race behind Liverpool. Injuries didn’t help of course. We are doing all right now and I’m praying hard.

Alhamdulillah, I managed to travel to new places and revisit other places as follows:

January: flew to Lombok. Rainy season but I still had a good time, alhamdulillah

February: flew to Bali, took a boat to Nusa Penida and stayed for two nights. Also rainy season there but I was lucky to have sunny mornings

March: revisited Phnom Penh and brought over some clothes, bags and money for the Muslim Cambodian imam to distribute. I also took a bus to Battambang where I spent a couple of nights

April: flew out to Nairobi at month-end then flew out the very next morning to Kigali in Rwanda. After two nights, I rode a shared car to Kabale where I visited Lake Bunyonyi and stayed for a couple of nights. Then I took a shared van to Kampala but I went down at Kayabwe for some photos before boarding a bus for Kampala

May: I left Kampala after two nights and rode a matatu to Entebbe. Spent a night there before flying out to Bujumbura in Burundi. I was there for a day before flying out back to Nairobi and Lamu the following morning. After a night in Lamu, I continued on by bus to Mombasa. After two nights, I took the train to Nairobi where I spent two nights before flying home

June: I went to Ipoh with my sister and brother-in-law. They left after one night. I left a day later and took the train to Penang where I stayed for two nights

July: celebrated my birthday in Chiang Mai then more than a fortnight later, took the bus to Singapore to watch The Arsenal

August: revisited Danang and went to Bana Hills and My Son Sanctuary this time. Then in mid-August, went on family trip to Lumut and Pangkor Laut

September: visited my aunt in Plentong, near Johor Bahru. About a fortnight later, took a night bus to Kuala Krai and then rode the train to Dabong. Spent two nights in Dabong before heading for Wakaf Bharu. Met an old mate whom I had not seen or heard from since we finished SPM. After one night in Wakaf Bharu, I took the bus to Kuala Terengganu where I stayed for two nights before flying back

October: flew to Kunming in Yunnan and travelled up to Shangri-la before going back down to Lijiang and Dali. Took the train back to Kunming and flew out to Changsha in Hunan. Took the train Zhangjiajie and local bus to Wulingyuan. Back to Zhangjiajie for one night after two nights In Wulingyuan then took the train to Furongzhen and the same train the next day to Fenghuang. Rode the same train the next day to Changsha then flew home the same evening

November: took a bus to Temerloh early in the month for a day trip then visited Labuan Bajo and Komodo National Park

December: redeemed some air miles earlier for a trip to Saigon and the return leg from Kuching (bought one way ticket to Kuching)

I managed to read 156 books which was an improvement and I hope to do better this year. I’ve also started reading the Quran with translation. It’s a slow and steady process. I’ve also started fasting on Mondays and Thursdays on those days where I don’t travel.

I pray that Allah will bless us good health, wealth, peace, increased iman, prosperity, success, wisdom, compassion and all that we wish for this year and beyond. Let’s prioritise our mental and physical health, may we be more considerate, generous, less judgmental, more compassionate, humane, thoughtful, mindful and kinder to everyone and all creatures. (Of course the Orange fatso would have to attack another country, damn him to hell and back.)

49 Hours In Kuching

I mentioned in my last post about having some expiring air miles and after redeeming for a return flight to Saigon, I checked my option and redeemed some points for the return leg from Kuching. I wanted to avoid school holidays so that decided when the trip would take place: the following weeks after my Saigon trip although I could also have gone a fortnight after. I then reached out to the hotel I usually stay at and made my room reservation.

Wednesday, 10 December 2025

I arrived at the airport and as the departure gate was A9, managed to perform prayers near the seats after gate A11 just before boarding. We took off on time and landed at 15:20. I quickly made my way through immigration and waited for the complimentary bus 103 for the city. It did come at 16:00 but I was preoccupied then with making reservation on Maxim after giving up on the bus. So I missed it despite trying to run after it. This made me determined to get the bus to the airport for my flight back.

The car ride took about 15-20 minutes and check-in was smooth. The problem I had was the room cards didn’t work so I had to go down to the lobby again and was reassigned another room. The room view was of the town and part of Hilton Hotel. I went out for a quick afternoon stroll before returning to the hotel. My friend would meet me for dinner and I wanted to perform prayers first. I didn’t plan to shop but went into a few shops to find if they had any hair bands of pua kumbu design and finally had to describe it to one shopkeeper who said she would come up with something.

I met up with my friend at 19:50 and she drove across the river to Barong Tinuk, a restaurant serving Melanau food. She ordered jellyfish umai (salad) and Dabai fried rice along with plain white rice, fiddlehead fern and smoked fish. I must say the food was delicious. Where else can one sample Melanau food anyway? We chatted and caught up through dinner and on the way to and from the restaurant. I took pity on her because she was from the office and still in office clothes so we finally cut short our conversation and said goodbye. I showered, laundered my clothes and dozed off.  

Thursday, 11 December 2025 

Having been to Borneo Cultures Museum in 2022, I decided to follow the Heritage Trail today. After a leisurely breakfast, I walked past the Main Bazaar to the Indian Mosque. Then I headed for the old Fire Station. It has since been demolished but the Drying Tower remains to this day as a landmark. Then I passed the City Mosque and walked to Gurdwara Sahib before heading for the Islamic Heritage Museum which is just behind Borneo Cultures Museum. It used to be a Malay College and a staff invited me in. I was confused at first until I found out that the building was then taken over by the museum. It was a relief to be indoors in the cool air-conditioned comfort!

After visiting all the galleries in the museum, I walked on to the Old Government Printing House. The Central Police Station is just across from the Printing House. Then I continued on to Round Tower and Textile Museum, the Japanese building and Old Court House and Rajah Charles Brooke Memorial. I’ve seen, come across and taken photos of these buildings on my previous visits but it gave me such pleasure to see these beautifully restored old buildings still standing. Next I walked past the Square Tower and went up the Darul Hana Bridge to get a better view of the Old Court House and Astana before turning to .Sarawak Steamship Building. I then went back to the General Post Office and walked past St Thomas Cathedral to the Sarawak Museum before walking to Hong San Si Temple. A quick visit to Hiang Thiang Siang Ti Temple which I stumbled upon the previous afternoon then I went to search for George Cafe but it was closing for the day. I crossed over and walked to Tua Pek Kong Temple and the Chinese History Museum. In all my previous eight visits to the city, I’d never been in so I decided it was high time I entered it!

Then it was back to the hotel to perform prayers and rest and a good thing too as it rained not too long after that.

The rain petered off sufficiently for me to venture out again at 17:20. I walked quickly to boat cruise counter and after paying RM19, boarded a boat. Besides the boatman, I was the only Malaysian there haha. We set off at 17:30 for an hour-long ride along the river. After the boat ride, I went to buy dinner.

After dinner, a quick shower and prayers, I went out again to catch the Darul Hana Musical Fountain show. I missed this on my earlier visit as it was raining throughout the day so I was determined to catch it this time. The show started just before 20:30 (there’s another show at 21:30 and an extra show on weekend) and lasted almost 15 minutes.

Friday, 12 December 2025

I brisk walked to the shop which owner agreed to make some customised hair bands before returning to the hotel for breakfast. I checked out at 11:45 and then crossed the road to wait for bus 103. This is why I keep staying at the hotel: it’s near the Main Bazaar and waterfront, near the cat statue and there are bus stops nearby. The bus arrived at 12:05 and it took us 70 minutes to reach the airport in the Friday lunchtime traffic. I went to the counter to change seats before performing prayers. My flight was at 16:20 so there was no rush.

We took off on time and landed at 17:55. It was dry at the airport but a light drizzle was waiting for me when I reached the last station.

So that was my ninth trip to Kuching and my last trip for the year. Alhamdulillah.

Super Saigon

I had some expiring air miles and instead of letting them expire like I usually did, I decided to take a trip. In the end, I decided to redeem my points for a return flight to Saigon and a one-way flight to another destination. My morning flight was then rescheduled to depart in the afternoon though. 

Tuesday, 2 December 2025

I arrived at the airport and made my way through the border pass and first security check then waited for the aerotrain. I managed to browse a bit before making my way to the prayer room and then to the gate,  We departed on time and after 100 minutes or so, landed in Saigon. I was last in the city in November 2015 although I was last in the airport when I had a stopover back from Busan. The queues to clear passport control were long but the process took about 15 minutes only.  I refilled my water bottle before exiting the terminal and headed for he bus stop. The ticket is VND5k and another VND5k for one bag. The bus left within minutes.

Saigon looked more or less the same although its streets didn’t look as clean as before. I got down after Ben Thanh Market and walked to my Airbnb at Co Giang. It was close to evening prayers so I ventured out again to find dinner after performing prayers. There are a few vegetarian restaurants at nearby De Tham.

Wednesday, 3 December 2025

I woke up early for prayers then had breakfast in my room. Today, I would join a trip purchased via Trip.com to Cần Giờ, a coastal suburban district 50 km away from Saigon. It is home to Cần Giờ Mangrove Forest, a biosphere reserve listed by UNESCO. Rừng Sác, where the Viet Cong established base areas during the Vietnam War, is also located here.

We left Saigon at 08:00 (I was the last passenger) and drove to Phà Bình Khánh (Bình Khánh Ferry Pier) and then rode a ferry across. We continued on and reached Cần Giờ at 10:00. Our guide paid for the tickets and then we walked in. There are two types of monkeys, the brown and the golden (yellowish) kinds. The former is mischievous and devious. You need to be extra careful of your belongings here as the brown monkeys are bold enough to climb up and steal your glasses and caps. One member in our group had his water bottle taken from his shorts pocket. Our guide distributed some peanuts for us to feed the monkeys.

After that, we went to see some salt-water crocodiles nearby. There are 16 crocodiles in the area and we saw four of them. On weekends, there are stalls selling fish to be fed to the crocodiles but there was no one selling fish when we went today.

Next, we walked beneath the canopy of trees along the path and crossed some bridges to get to Rừng Sác War Zone area. The guide shared some historical background then we were free to explore the hints before taking a motorboat back to the entrance.

We had lunch at a restaurant and were served seafood hotpot. The restaurant prepared vegetarian noodles for three o members of our group who were vegetarian. After lunch, we rested and I took the opportunity to explore the nearby seafood market.

We left at 14:00 and headed back to Saigon. It was a comfortable trip and I enjoyed myself. It rained along the way back to Saigon. I didn’t fancy venturing out again to find dinner so I decided to return to the restaurant where I had dinner the evening before to buy a banh mi chay.

Thursday, 4 December 2025

After breakfast today, I went out to find the bus stop for bus number 152 to the airport. There is one just five minutes away from the Airbnb (Google Maps directed me to walk in a narrow alley, cross the road and continued along another wider alley and out through at Trần Humg Dao Road. The bus stop services a few bus routes and the expected time for the buses are displayed on an electronic panel. Neat! Then I walked to Takashimaya at Saigon Centre, then on to the statue of an Uncle Ho and the City Hall, and then to the Opera House before turning back.

And finally I stopped at Ben Thanh Market. I bought a couple of horn necklaces and some dried ginger, mango and guava. Then I walked to Phạm Ngu Lao before heading to the vegetarian restaurant for a late lunch. I spent the rest of the day indoors reading my book.

Friday, 5 December 2025

I left just after 08:00 and walked to the bus stop. Bus 152 arrived within ten minutes and we reached the airport after 40 minutes or so. I asked if I could change seats from the one assigned to me when I checked in online and the lady at the counter said yes, if I didn’t mind a middle seat. So I moved up from row 16 to row 7, which is great because I could hurry off the plane.

We landed at 13:45 and I performed prayers first before catching the 14:22 train.

So that was my Saigon trip after ten years.

Flores Trip

This trip was planned back in April, just before my trip to East Africa. I asked a colleague if she wanted to join me and she said yes. Flight ticket was bought and when I was in Africa, I did spend some time browsing for accommodation. Boat trips were browsed when I came back and we availed of Klook discounts saving us each RM30.

We’d earlier planned to go to Ruteng and I’d contacted a guesthouse to book a twin room but as my colleague was not feeling well a week before the trip, we decided to cancel Ruteng (as it meant spending a further four hours on the bus, after almost 3.75 hours on the plane). I quickly searched for another hotel and while there are plenty of hotels, it was not as easy to find twin rooms. Finally I found The Green Prundi, about seven minutes’ walk from the airport but it offers complimentary airport pick-up and drop-off.

Tuesday, 22 November 2025

It started raining around 05:00 this morning and it didn’t let up. Just as I thought it had petered off, it started raining again and I left in the drizzle which gradually got heavier. I arrived at KLIA T2 arrived at 09:28 and made my way to baggage limit check before walking to the gate - only to find that our flight had been retimed to depart at 12:05 from 10:45. The gate was also subsequently changed. I quickly messaged the hotel to inform of the change in ETA. We waited and only boarded at 12:35 and took off at close to 13:00.

We landed at 15:40 and I rushed off. The immigration set-up is a little different at LBJ. The hotel staff was already waiting and we made our way to the vehicle. After checking in, we performed prayers and rested before venturing out at 17:00. We walked all the way into town. Labuan Bajo is pretty hilly but nothing too taxing. Dinner was had at a Warung and we both had Soto Makassar. After that, we went to a nearby convenience shop to buy some water. My colleague wanted to take Grab bike back but I wanted to walk back. It was easy to get a motorcycle taxi or ojek as the drivers would beep their horns at you.

Wednesday, 23 November 2025

Fajar is early in these parts but of course considering East Nusa Tenggara is further to east of the Indonesian archipelago. Due to the early start, we had a short nap after morning prayers.

After breakfast, we walked down to Puncak Waringin and waited for transportation. The hotel staff predictably told us there were no more buses at that hour and advised us to rent a car. Well, I reasoned that the locals would need to travel and surely people travel throughout the day. I hailed down two angkots before we agreed on the second one. It looked like we chartered the whole angkot as no one else joined the angkot. We asked the driver to drive us to Melo Village and we arrived there after 50 minutes. We enjoyed a great view of the village and surrounding areas including the distant sea but that was all there was to it. There was a Rumah Adat which I didn’t enter, having read negative reviews about it.

We had help getting transfer back to Labuan Bajo and it cost us only Rp25k each. It was a shared vehicle and there was just enough space for both of us. We asked the driver to let us off at Sei Sapi Lejong, a halal eatery serving roast beef. It also sells local souvenirs and kompiang, which interestingly is also sold in Sibu, which meant that it was brought over by Fujians. After lunch, we walked back to the hotel and rested. We ventured out for dinner and had fried rice at a Warung near the airport.

Thursday, 24 November 2025

We didn’t venture out this morning and stayed in until Zuhur. We checked out at 12:00 noon and after a while decided to walk down to Puncak Waringin to get an angkot to our second hotel. The angkot demanded ridiculous fares so I said I’d walk instead. I had noticed two local women walking down some steps near Puncak Waringin the day before and some ojek drivers also told us to take the same route so we climbed down with our bags and what do you know, the hotel was actually pretty near. Plus we were going down and not going up so it was no hardship at all. We couldn’t check in yet as our room had yet to be cleaned so we walked to the waterfront and then I walked past Kampung Baru, a modern village with blue roof houses, all the way to Laprima Hotel - well, not quite because the walkway doesn’t connect with the walkway to the hotel - before turning back.

We walked along Jalan Soekarno Hatta and stopped to get some provisions before continuing on. Lunch was had at Kedai Ana. I had soto. Then we walked back to the hotel and checked in. I asked if the hotel could pack the following morning’s breakfast for us to take away.

Dinner was fried noodles which we bought from a stall behind Pizza Haus Bajo. It was simple and surprisingly tasty.

Friday, 25 November 2025

Today was the day of our boat ride. We left the hotel just after 06:00 and climbed into a van. There were just two seats left for us, just like I told my colleague that we’d be the last to be picked because our hotel was the nearest to the marina. We had to scan some QR code which was our entry into the building. After collecting Rp400k each from us (for the entrance fee to the Komodo National Park (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), guide fees, etc), we waited a short while before we boarded our boat at 06:25. We had to take off our footwear before entering the boat.

It took 70 minutes to reach Padar Island. We got off and walked to the waiting area. The guide told us we had about an hour there and that he wanted us to be back at the waiting area by 08:45 so that we could depart by 09:00. He also informed that there are six pitstops and the best view is at the fifth pitstop. On average, the climb up would take 20 minutes while the climb down would take 15 minutes. The guide also offered to take our photos for us. We then started climbing the steps up. I stopped every now and then to take photos and keep an eye on my colleague but after a while, she started lagging behind.

Despite my stops, I reached pitstop 5 just before 08:00 and after some Kodak moments, I climbed up. There are no steps from the fifth to the sixth pitstop and after a short while, I decided not to proceed. I could climb up but I dislike coming down because I have this fear of falling down and after what happened in Turkestan in end-April 2024, I definitely didn’t want to take my chances. So I climbed down then sat on some boulder taking in the view. More and more people had started arriving by then and I was glad our boat left when it did because it was getting very hot indeed. And it was barely 08:30!

I made my way down almost reluctantly and reached the waiting area by 08:40. True enough, my colleague was there. I went to use the facilities then stood to wait for the others. We walked back to our boat and re-boarded it.

Our next stop was Pink Beach which was on the other side of Padar Island. The boat ride took us 15 minutes and we were allocated an hour there. I was famished from all that climbing and besides it was high time for breakfast so I dug into my fried rice, courtesy of the hotel. Alhamdulillah! There was a young deer which came to us. It looked hungry and one of the boat crew fed it some coconut flesh.

We washed the sand off before boarding the boat to our next destination which is Loh Liang. We reached Loh Liang 25 minutes later and met up with two other guides who gave us brief background on the Komodo dragons before bringing us on a short hike. We were lucky enough to see four Komodo dragons near the beach. After some photo taking sessions, we hiked into the jungle. The vegetation there looked dry and when I remarked on it, the guide said the island doesn’t receive a lot of rainfall. We saw a wild boar from afar and a wild hen and had the kapok tree pointed out to us. We came upon a man made water hole but the Komodo dragons seemed to have left the area. The guide said he saw two of them there that morning. Oh well. To be honest, I don’t like reptiles and I was happy and thankful we managed to sight four of them. The guide said some groups didn’t even manage to catch sight of any dragon on their visits.  

By the way, Komodo dragons are predatory animals and even eat their young offsprings. The baby dragons would climb trees and stay there for up to three years to save themselves but they face another threat: eagles or other birds. The female dragons live up to 35-40 years while the make dragons, being lazy, can live up to 60 years. There was a case where a Frenchman was attacked and presumed to be killed by dragon(s) as all that remained were his glasses and blood. This was in the 1970s.

We turned back and had our packed lunch before boarding the boat.

After lunch, we went to Takka Makassar, a sandbank that forms around 13:00 daily. However, the sandbank didn’t quite form today. I stayed on the boat with four others who were officemates from Jakarta (their three other colleagues had gone in for a swim). We didn’t stay long here, probably for only half an hour before continuing on to Manta Point where we could see shadows of the manta rays deep in the sea. After another half an hour, we moved on to Siaba (Turtle Point), our last stop. We stopped here longer, probably for an hour. Then we returned to Labuan Bajo. My colleague and I walked back from the marina instead of waiting for the van.

We ventured out after evening prayers to a square near the waterfront. There were some booths set up and after browsing, we had some chicken soto. Then we walked to Jalan Kerapu to see the seafood stalls. You can choose your seafood and get the restaurants to cook them for you. After browsing, we turned back and returned to our hotel.

Saturday, 22 November 2025

We went up to the third floor for our breakfast at 08:30. You can enjoy a fine view of the sea from the hotel restaurant. The buffet was pretty good. After breakfast, we finished packing and rested.

We checked out at 12:00 noon, after afternoon prayers. We rode a motorcycle taxi each to a reflexology place across from the airport but alas, there was no female therapist there then. We then walked to Kado Bajo Souvenir Store a few meters away. It’s so clever to build a souvenir store right across the airport. I didn’t spend a long time in there as I didn’t plan to buy anything at all.

Lunch was had at Warung Bandara a few meters away. We then crossed over to the airport and went through the first security check. Our flight was retimed again by almost two hours. I sat down and read my book before going through the security check (you don’t need to take out your LAGs here though) and immigration.

The plane took off at almost 17:00 and we landed at KLIA T2 at 20:20. I hurried through the terminal and made it to the 20:48 KLIA Transit train with a minute to spare. Alhamdulillah. I would’ve cursed AirAsia had I missed that train.

So that was my trip to Flores. I doubt that I’ll be back - I have many other destinations I have yet to get to!