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!

Temerloh Day Trip

My sister and I had to deal with some house repair which we discovered just before I left for Kunming and when I came back, I spent about two weeks setting the house back to order, rearranging some furniture, going through dad’s books and documents and getting rid of things he boarded for decades, and of course cleaning, dusting and mopping the house.

I needed a little break from all that and considered my options for a short day trip. Because I’d been to Melaka a few times albeit not recently, I decided to go to Temerloh. So I left micasa early last Wednesday morning, 5 November 2025, and made my way to Titiwangsa bus station.

I arrived at 07:47 and made my way to one of the counters only to find that Bulan Restu would not be operating until early December 2025. I went to another counter and to my delight, found that there was a bus leaving at 08:00 so I parted with RM12 for my ticket. We were told the trip would take 2.5 hours.

The bus left at 07:58 and it was not a full bus at all. It stopped for about twenty minutes at Gombak Terminal and I went down to use the facilities. We left the Karak Highway at Karak and after brief stops along the way and at Mentakab, we reached Temerloh at 10:20. I immediately went to buy ticket for the bus back and chose the 14:00 departure.

I then walked around the town up to the river. Temerloh is not flat but the hills are manageable. The town is at the confluence of the mighty Pahang and Semantan Rivers. There is a colourful bridge there and one would need to pay to cross it but I overheard some visitors saying it was closed. By ‘it’, I think they meant the restaurant across.

I turned back and walked to Pasar Seni Temerloh but it was deserted on a weekday. Then I turned and walked back up to Jalan Dato’ Abu Samah then walked along Jalan Ahmad Shah. I stopped at a restaurant for some cendol and rojak (which automatically came with yellow noodles; apparently you have to say ‘pasembur’ if you wanted rojak so I either didn’t understand the lingo or had the wrong definition of rojak all this while. It was already 11:50 then.

I was contemplating if I should get some Patin fish with rice for lunch but I’d only just had some rojak mee (that’s what I would call it and not simply rojak) when I saw there’s a restaurant about 15 minutes away selling laksa. I was just wondering if Pahang had any laksa to claim for itself so I decided to walk over and check it out.  So I had laksa instead of Patin fish but I didn’t regret it because I’d never had laksa Pahang before. Then it was time to turn back. I stopped en route to perform prayers before making my way back to the bus station for my 14:00 bus back to KL. We reached KL at 16:25 and that was my short trip to Temerloh. There is a long Sunday morning market but I could get most things in KL and besides, the Sunday traffic around Temerloh would be somewhat heavier too. But hey, maybe just maybe, I might return on a Sunday morning because never say never.

Yunnan And Hunan 2025: Part V

Monday, 20 October 2025

I woke up early and left just after 07:00. This time, I made for Line B. Because my ticket was for Line A, a park official helped rearrange things and I was able to join Line B within minutes. I hurried to board the bus and got down at Bailong Elevator stop. Then I hurried to join the queue. Alas, the rain meant we didn’t enjoy any view as we ascended.

I walked out and to my surprise and pleasure, found a friendly ginger cat. After saying hello and giving it some pets, I left and made my way to another shuttle bus stop. After a while, I boarded the bus back to Tianzi Mountain, yes, again. This time, I managed to find the Ten-Mile Gallery route so I walked down the steps. I was so glad to be walking mostly down instead of the other way. I met two other cats on Tianzi Mountain and another cat along the way down. After exiting the route, I walked along the tram track to another shuttle bus station and to my relief, there were buses back to the East Gate.

I walked back to my hotel and after thanking rhe host, I walked to the bus station. The bus left at 13:40 and I got down at Guanli Road. After a brief detour to the bus station to ask about the bus to Furong the next day (there are no fixed schedule and I was told to return the following morning), I walked to find my hotel. It’s in an alley pretty close to the Tianmen Mountain cable car station and the kind host helped show me the bus stop on Yingbin Road from where I could take the bus to Zhangjiajie West Railway Station. Dinner was had at a halal restaurant across from the Tianmen Mountain cable car station.

Tuesday, 21 October 2025

I left the hotel early and walked to the bus stop on Yingbin Road. The bus number 17 came after seven minutes and it took thirty minutes to reach Zhangjiajie West Railway Station. I then made my way to the Ticket office and bought the 10:38 ticket to Furong, and also the next day’s 11:03 ticket from Furong to Fenghuang. There was a 3 yuan service fee which is still lower than if I had bought the tickets on Trip.com. I then alerted the guesthouse in Furong as the host would pick me up from the station.

My host was already waiting when I arrived at Furongzhen station. I had thought I was communicating with a woman so was surprised to find a young man waiting for me. The ride took ten minutes and the host parked his car at a car park near the guesthouse. The double room wasn’t ready as the guest hadn’t checked out and as I wanted to charge my phone, I decided to take the twin room instead. Oh, visitors need to pay to enter Furong town and I bought my entrance ticket on Trip.com on Sunday evening. Turned out the guesthouse host could also purchase the entrance ticket for me for 90 yuan.

I ventured out after prayers at 12:57 and walked around Furong (Hibiscus) Ancient Town. I walked across Tuwang Bridge then down to the river and across the stones crossing the river. I followed the river then wound up along the pedestrian shopping lane before finding a doorway from where I could walk by the river again.

Pretty soon, I came into sight of the two-tiered waterfall. There were a lot of visitors here of course. I then walked down and behind the water curtain (I actually opened my brolly, one would get quite wet otherwise). What a beautiful view, I just could not tire of it. I went to a small gazebo to take photos then up to the car park area for a few photos.

I then followed the shopping lane back to my guesthouse. I continued on and went into a small supermarket where I spent some time finding ramen suitable for Muslims. All the restaurants I came across had pork in their menu. I then continued on and found an almost-hidden path by the river and walked along it. It was deserted and pretty soon I came across another waterfall. I was sulrprised there was no one else there and I had the place all to myself, unlike the crowded area downstream.

I turned back and walked back to and across Tuwang Bridge. There was a square above some steps and near this square was a stall that sold grilled squid, corn, potatoes. I gave a quick scan, no pork in sight so I ordered some grilled squid. There was a performance at the square then.  I returned to the guesthouse and rested. I ventured out again after evening prayers to take in the night view of Furong. Met a few cats this evening too.

Wednesday, 22 October 2025

After morning prayers, I went for a walk around the town. Then I went back the the guesthouse for breakfast and to finish packing. I left at 09:15 and went to  Sanjiaoping to catch a bus. I must’ve missed the bus because I waited until 09:45 and none came so I took a taxi to the Railway Station.

The train left Furong for Fenghuang, the trip took 33 minutes only. At Fenghuang Gucheng, I followed signs for the Tourist Shuttle Bus. The ticket was seven yuan. The trip took twenty minutes and I walked down from Qifeng Square to my hotel.

After checking in and performing prayers, I went to explore Fenghuang (Phoenix) Ancient Town. I spent four hours walking along the river downstream before turning back to follow it back upstream. Just like Furong, I had problems finding a restaurant that doesn’t sell pork. I finally found one that looked like it sold vegetables only and they proposed shredded potatoes. I wasn’t thrilled when I saw it was potatoes sliced thinly and fried. I returned to the hotel after buying some fried prawn pancakes. I’d queued but the locals barged in and I argued that I’d arrived ahead of them. I walked a bit after dark to see the lights before returning to the hotel.

Thursday, 23 October 2025

I wasn’t in the mood to walk around town this morning unlike in Furong. I left and checked out at 09:20 and walked to Qifeng Square. A kind local showed me where to buy the bus ticket. The bus left at 09:40. I sat in the station reading while waiting for the 11:38 train to Changshanan (Changsha South). I met a few Chinese Malaysians in the same train carriage.

From Changsha South Railway Station, I took the subway to Changsha Railway Station. I walked out the station and around the block before taking the subway to the airport. After prayers, I had some tofu for late lunch then did some  reading. After performing evening prayers and freshening up, I went up to departure level to check in for my flight. I was not amused to find that my AMEX had been used fraudulently. Tried calling Maybank but no joy.

I had some ramen before boarding but it was too spicy for me. The plane was supposed to take off at 21:10 but it only pushed off at 21:30. We were served drinks first before they wheeled out dinner but it was either chicken or beef, so k had the fruits, bun and yoghurt instead. I asked for tea and was served Chinese tea.

Friday, 24 October 2025

We landed at almost 02:00. I called Maybank as I was waiting for my bag to appear on the carousel. I stayed at the airport until 05:22 when I took the ERL back.

So that was my solo trip to Yunnan and Hunan. I was amazed how I ever did Zhengzhou and Xian without installing any WeChat, Alipay, eSIM and using Translate app. The locals were kind enough to help me along. I find the people in Yunnan less willing to help visitors out. I still couldn’t log into WeChat as my phone doesn’t accept calls from I stored numbers and to sign into WeChat, it would give me the code by phone call. I had since installed Alipay and linked it to my Wise and for this trip, I decided to use eSIM cards for both phone and iPad because it was a much longer duration than to Zhengzhou and Xian.

The end