Celebes, Part I

I’d been wanting to go to Tana Toraja but was always put off by the long bus journey from Makassar. Then I decided well, I should go and visit it while I still can and after browsing, purchased AA tickets via xx. I was debating where to stay and decided on Rantepao, also because buses go there, before searching for accommodation in Rantepao and Makassar. Due to the long bus journeys, I decided to spend the first night on a sleeper bus and two nights each in Rantepao and Makassar with the return trip to Makassar during the day. It is tempting to just overnight in the bus but I wouldn’t get to see the countryside otherwise.

Monday, 30 March 2026

I made my way to KLIA T2 for my 14:30 flight. We had to endure a 75-minute delay due to the late arrival of our flight, the never-before painfully slow boarding and the non-functioning AC in the plane. The plane had to return to the bay (that was what the captain called it) to address the AC problem. Thankfully, the plane was near to the bay and not on the runway. In the end, we took off at 15:45.

And it didn’t stop there, oh no. One passenger had an epileptic episode mid-flight and the cabin crew tried to help him in various ways (one insensitive passenger was filming it, what a dickhead. How would you like to be filmed when you’re convulsing? A cabin crew had to tell him to stop recording). Seriously, you can’t make this stuff up. One passenger in the row behind was happily coughing throughout the flight until he was told off by a cabin crew as we were about to descend to cover his mouth when coughing. Yet another dickhead who had to be told to cover his mouth. And he was supposed to be an adult. I wished other passengers and the cabin crew had told him off at the beginning and not when the journey was about to end.

It was raining when we finally landed at 19:05. I rushed off as I had to make it to the bus terminal for my 20:10 bus. And guess what, the bus only arrived at 20:45. I was surprised when we stopped to use the facilities to find I’d actually managed to fall asleep.

Tuesday, 31 March 2026

We reached Rantepao early this morning and after getting my bag, I made a beeline for the mosque to perform prayers. I then walked around town and even bought bus ticket back to Makassar on Thursday. It turned out that not all bus companies operate service to Makassar during the day, they only have night buses. I then walked to the guesthouse to check in. My heart sank when I first turned into the lane with its puddles of rainwater and the rough ground. And there were dogs too. I managed to get to Riana Homestay safely though and the homestay owner allowed early check-in.

After resting, I left to explore the town further. Then I made my way down to Jl. Ahmad Yani and an angkot driver advised me to ride a shared mobil (vehicle) to Ke’te’ Kesu’ so I did. This is a concept I learnt in Flores in November last year, The fare was only Rp7k. Tongkonan Ke’te’ Kesu’ is one of the traditional villages in Toraja located to the south of Rantepao, offering a glimpse into the legacy of the Torajan people. The site features well-preserved ancestral houses, burial sites, and a local market selling various souvenirs. I went up to the cave but didn’t enter as I didn’t want to have nightmares tonight.

Next, I rode an angkot to the Tedong Bonga buffalo roundabout then changed for a shared mobil to Lemo. I then walked up to Lemo Stone Cemetery. Lemo is known as the home of spirits. Here, you can see funeral chambers carved directly into the steep cliff walls and wooden statues, known as Tau Tau, intricately sculpted to resemble and represent the departed. These statues have unique hand posture: one hand facing upwards, and the other downwards. This gesture holds a special meaning: a request and a blessing. Apparently, the departed is asking their family to perform traditional rituals, ensuring that the family left behind is blessed. I then browsed the souvenir stalls before making my way down to the main road and getting another shared mobil back to Rantepao. These shared mobil cost less than half of what a one-way trip on Grab bike would’ve cost me. As it was threatening to rain, I decided to buy dinner to go in advance so that I need not venture out again. And good thing I did too because the skies opened up and it rained from 14:45 well into the night… so I decided to turn in early tonight.

By the way, the locals are big on buffaloes here especially Tedong Bonga or a typical buffalo from Toraja ethnic in South Sulawesi. In the Torajan language, ‘tedong’ is a term of buffalo. Tedong bonga, a typical buffalo of Toraja with a striped motif resembling a cow, symbolises prosperity as well as signifies the level of wealth and social status of its owner in the eyes of the community. Torajan regard Tedong Bonga as a sacred being who will take them to nirvana when they die. Another thing I  noticed are the long queues of vehicles at petrol stations here…

Walked 16,600 steps or 11.3 km on my first day in Tana Toraja.

Wednesday, 1 April 2026

I woke up early for morning prayers. The church music and singing started at 05:35 followed by a sermon by a woman (a priestess? And yes, I could hear them all from my room). It lasted for an hour.  After breakfast of scrambled egg and toast with a mug of tea and a glass of cold passion fruit juice, I walked out to Jl. Diponegoro to find a mobil before deciding to walk to Jl. Ahmad Yani. In the end, I rode a mobil to Terminal Bolu (the Bolu market is here and on Tuesday and Saturday mornings there are buffalo markets too) and from there, I rode an ojek to Bori’ Kalimbuang which is located north of Rantepao. Yesterday I had visited two sites south of Rantepao and today I would visit two sites north of Rantepao.

Bori’ Kalimbuang is a megalithic site located in Sesean Village, North Toraja Regency. It is one of the most important megalithic sites in Tana Toraja, and is part of the UNESCO Tentative List for World Heritage Status as ‘Megalithic Cultural Heritage’. Bori’ Kalimbuang is a popular tourist destination, and is known for its impressive megalithic structures and its scenic setting. The site is located in a valley surrounded by mountains, and offers stunning views of the Torajan countryside. The ticket cost Rp30k.  Bori’ Kalimbuang is home to a large number of menhirs, which are tall, standing stones. There are over 100 menhirs in the site, ranging in size from small stones to massive boulders. The menhirs are believed to have been erected by the Toraja people over 1,000 years ago, and were used for various purposes, including religious ceremonies, burials, and as markers of social status. Each megalith tells a story – they're not just random stones, but markers of grand funeral ceremonies past, where noble Torajans completed their journey to the afterlife.  These weathered sentinels, some reaching heights of over 4 meters (13 feet), create an almost mystical atmosphere in the morning light. The Torajans believe these stones possess supernatural power, each one erected to commemorate a significant funeral ceremony of the nobility. The size of each menhir corresponds to the status of the deceased and the grandeur of their funeral – a permanent record of past ceremonies written in stone.

In addition to the menhirs, Bori’ Kalimbuang also contains a number of other megalithic structures, including stone circles, stone tombs, and stone statues. The site is also home to a number of traditional Toraja houses, known as tongkonan.  Bori’ Kalimbuang is also an important cultural site for the Toraja people. The site is used for a number of traditional ceremonies, including the Rambu Solo’, or funeral ceremony. I spent 70 minutes there walking around the site. There was even a Tedong Bonga cow there, chained through its nose, poor baby. How was it supposed to feed itself, I wondered.

I asked the ticket counter man if he thought Palawa’ was worth going. He said it would be much easier to get transportation back to Rantepao from Palawa’ instead of from Bori’ and he said a local chap, Doni, would be able to take me there. So I went to the nearby house and asked if Doni could bring me to Palawa’. Turned out he’d never been to Palawa’ tourist site before.

A woman suddenly appeared and asked me to pay the admittance which was Rp50k which she then lowered to Rp20k. If you want to see the old Tongkonan (Toraja traditional house), this is a good place to take good photos with ambience. The place is relatively quiet - I was the only visitor there - but the view is great. Like I said, a good place to be except for the stupid barking dogs. They are just everywhere!

I spent about 20 minutes there before walking down to the main road. After about ten minutes, a car stopped and driver said he was going to Terminal Bolu. The shopkeeper with whom I had a brief chat suggested I ride the mobil to Bolu so I did. From Bolu, I took an angkot to Rantepao to Alfamidi store.  I then bought some Jakarta fried noodles for dinner before returning to my room. Today was a dry day for a change although the weather forecast did predict rain.  I finished my book and rested. I suppose I could’ve taken the night bus back to Makassar but I wouldn’t be able to enjoy the view at night.

To be continued

Vietnam’s City Of Eternal Spring

This trip was initially planned to be from 1 to 4 March; however, a few weeks before departure, I received notification from Trip.com that there would be no flight back on 4 March after all. I was given the option of either cancelling the trip and getting a refund, or rescheduling the trip. So I looked at the calendar and decided to bring the trio forward by two days.  I’d already booked non-refundable accommodation at The Blue House. I emailed the property and informed that I had to cancel my booking because there would be no flight back on 4 March. Thankfully the property agreed to cancel my booking without any charge. I then searched for another accommodation and finally settled on Daisy Dalat House. I didn’t want to book via Booking dot com as the rate was higher on that platform. Thankfully, the reasonable owner agreed to accept my booking without any deposit. Alhamdulillah.  

Friday, 27 February 2026

I left house at 07:30 and made my way to the airport, stopping en route to briefly meet my niece. I arrived at KLIA T2 at 09:42 and made my way to the gate. Unlike the recent trips, this time my flight would depart from gate L. I managed to perform dhuha prayers before boarding.  We landed at 12:35 local time and went through passport control. I then went to find the airport shuttle bus counter. Was given misleading directions by clueless personnel before I went for another look. I was surprised to find the fare was VND150k and not VND50k as mentioned by some sites. I tried to argue but the staff were not friendly. I reluctantly paid and was told to have a seat.

After fifteen minutes, we were called to board the bus and when asked where the bus was, one staff pointedly vague into the distance. Well, I walked over to the parking lot and had to turn back because the bus had pulled over at the airport entrance. I grimaced at the thought of having to take the bus from the city back to the airport for my flight back.

The journey into the city took 40 minutes and the traffic built steadily as we approached the city centre. I got down at Dalat Market or rather the road above the market. Sitting at between 1,500 to 2,000 metres above the sea level, Dalat is a very hilly city. I walked down, crossed the roads and then up a hill to my hotel. When I booked the hotel, I didn’t realise how close it was to St Nicholas Cathedral aka Chicken Cathedral (because of a chicken on top of it) and the local version of the Eiffel Tower. My hotel is in a small lane off the main road. Very convenient and very central. Alhamdulillah.

I checked in and rested. My room was on the second floor and overlooked a valley. There’s a school across from the hotel and it was noisy as schools are. After performing prayers, I walked out and went to find Tiem Chay, a vegetarian restaurant about ten minutes away (it didn’t look open though). Then I walked to Lâm Viên Square. There’s a beautiful green artichoke bud-shape coffee shop there and a yellow wild sunflower art structure at the square. I walked around admiring the view of the square and Xuan Huong Lake before continuing on to Ga Dalat or Dalat Train Station. I passed a smaller lake, Lang Lake, and noticed the rubbish thrown into this much smaller lake (pond, more like). There’s a charge to enter the station and I decided not to bother so I turned back and walked along the lake. There were many people there: locals jogging or exercising, visitors taking photos and walking around, anglers trying their luck. And again, I saw rubbish ton the ground and in the lake. Dalat reminds me of Sapa with its elevation and cool climate but Sapa is so much more cleaner.

I continued on and walked to the night market which was just starting to be set up. I browsed some stalls before deciding to leave and find a vegetarian restaurant to break my fast. I walked to Bếp Chay Thiên Bình at Nguyen Chi Thanh. This restaurant sold buffet rice where you self-serve. I scooped some rice and a variety of dishes then walked to sit on the first floor. My meal cost VND50k. After dinner, I walked back to the hotel, stopping en route at Nhà Nghỉ Đà Lạt Chay, another vegetarian restaurant, to buy fried rice for my predawn meal.

Saturday, 28 February 2026

I woke up for prayers and predawn meal and didn’t sleep thereafter. I’d paid to go on a tour to the waterfalls today among others. I left at 08:10 and walked to nearby Du Parc Hotel (built in 1932). The VietChallenge vehicle was pulling up as I was approaching the hotel so it was great timing. The guide offered me to sit upfront next the driver and I happily accepted. The guide was very knowledgeable and eager to share information. I also found out that the International Airport would be closed from 4 March until end-August 2026. Ahh, so that explains why there was no flight back on 4 March.

We drove around picking up other guests then finally we drove out of Dalat heading for Datanla Waterfall. I’d bought the entrance ticket via Trip.com so I just showed my reservation at the counter for the ticket which visitors would need to scan at the turnstile. Once inside, you have the option of riding the Alpine Coaster (at an additional cost of course. You could buy the ticket on Trip.com before going) or walking down to the waterfall. I walked down of course. It took only ten minutes. I spent twenty minutes at the waterfall before heading up again as I knew it would take slightly longer on the way up. Well, it took only 12 minutes actually for me to walk up. I browsed the shops then went to use the facilities before exiting.

We left at 09:40 and drove to Pongour Waterfall. It took about 50 minutes to reach Pongour Waterfall from Datanla. The entrance ticket was included in the tour ticket. Again, we had to walk down to the waterfall. Compared to Datanla, it was a shorter walk but hotter as there was hardly any shade along the road. Pongour is a wider waterfall. We spent 50 minutes here before continuing on.

We stopped for an early lunch. I’d earlier informed Ocean, the guide, that I was fasting and wouldn’t be joining lunch. I sat outside the restaurant and read my book. The nearby shops were closed. Strange, as it was Saturday and you’d expect more customers than on a weekday.

We left the restaurant about 50 minutes later and drove to Linh An Pagoda. Ocean said we could enter the statue and climb up so that was what I did. We had to remove our shoes first. I climbed up to the very top or at least until where the stairs ended. From inside the statue, you could see the Elephant Waterfall and the surrounding countryside. I went down and walked around the temple complex for an eye-level view of the waterfall.

Our next stop was Cuong Huan Silk Factory where we were taken through the various steps of extracting until silk is produced. There was a small shop selling silk products but the selection was limited. We waited for a member of the group to conclude her purchases before leaving.

NWe then stopped at a cricket farm and visitors got to taste fried crickets along with the local rice wine. We didn’t stay here long and before long, we were at Me Linh Coffee Garden. We walked around the ‘showroom’ then to the gated enclosure where the weasels were kept. We were told that the weasels actually prefer other things like bananas over coffee.. we also had the opportunity to try out the coffee at the in-house coffee shop, something I was glad to sit out. I like the aroma of coffee but I drink tea. Last but not least, we stopped at a flower farm specialising in gerbera daisies. It had started drizzling by then.

It took us thirty minutes to reach Dalat and I got down at the Chicken Cathedral. I performed prayers and then waited to break fast before venturing out to Tu Sen Vegetarian Restaurant to get fried rice for the following morning’s predawn meal. There were so many young couples taking photos with the local Eiffel Tower in the background. I stopped on the way back at Du Parc Hotel to take some photos at the lobby.

Sunday, 1 March 2026

I’d earmarked my third day in Dalat to revolve around art and culture. I returned to Du Parc Hotel and admired the architecture and its classic elegant beauty. Then I walked to Crazy House. The ticket cost VND80k amd I spent 70 minutes there. Gaudi would be proud! I’d reached the roundabout at Trần Phu when I looked across the road and saw an advertisement of Muslim clothing. I was intrigued of course so I crossed the road and discovered Dalat Mai. The shop sold Muslim clothes for men and women, head scarves, prayer attire and even materials to make clothes. I spent probably more than an hour there. The shop accepted Ringgit but I didn’t bring any Ringgit so I swiped my card and arranged for shipping (it turned out to cost less than paying AirAsia for additional luggage).

Then I made my way to Doc Nha Lang, the mural street in the city. I wandered around the backlanes and alleys to snap photos. Then I took the long, long way to Dalat City Flower Garden before walking along Xuan Huong Lake. Finally, I made my way to Dalat Market where I bought dried guava, dried strawberries and dried ginger.

I decided to try my luck and walked to Tiem Chay. Alhamdulillah, I was lucky this time. I wanted to buy lemongrass fried rice but was told they had run out of lemongrass. The lady offered me family rice instead which turned out to be rice with five dishes. I asked about the opening hours and was told the restaurant opened from 06:30 for breakfast and that they were closing for the day. Alhamdulillah, I was indeed lucky and said so.

I returned to my room and rested. Performed prayers, packed, broke fast, prayers, read book before hitting the sack.

Monday, 2 March 2026

All good things must come to an end and my stay in Dalat ended today. I left at 09:00 amd walked to a bus stop four minutes away. I’d just missed the bus so I waited another fifteen minutes for the next bus number 02 which passed the airport junction. The fare was only VND20k and it took 40 minutes only to get to the airport junction even though the driver stopped a few times and for five minutes at one point to accept a delivery. It took me 15 minutes to walk to the terminal from the airport junction. Not a hardship at all even if I was fasting.

I had checked in online but still had to get a physical boarding pass before I could clear security and passport control. I was shocked to find the two covered Malay girls in a coffee shop at the airport having a meal. It’s only a two-hour plus flight after all and to me, I’m Muslim wherever I am. Why can’t you observe and respect Ramadan? Being in a foreign country doesn’t mean you don’t have to fast and it’s a short flight anyway, not a ten-hour flight or more.

We took off on time (we were actually called to board before passenger from KL had finished disembarking). We landed at KLIA T2 at 15:46. The prayer room after passport control was closed so I performed prayers in the nursing room before rushing to catch the 16:08 KLIA Transit train.

Remember, Dalat International Airport is closed from 4 March until end-August 2026 (although I suspect it’ll only be ready in early September) so if you want to head to Dalat, you can fly to Nha Trang and bus it from there.

My X-Rated Trip: Episode III

Sunday, 15 February 2026

I woke up, showered and performed prayers. After a quick breakfast, I left at 06:17. There was a marathon in the city today and I didn’t want to be caught up in any road blocks or road closures. I walked to Kokura train station and bought a ticket to Hakata station in Fukuoka.

I arrived at Hakata at 08:38 and walked to Toyoko Inn Hakata-eki Minami. It had just finished raining and the ground was wet. After depositing my bags at the hotel, I boarded the hotel shuttle back to Hakata Train Station where I bought tickets to Nagasaki. Again, it’s a combination of local and Shinkansen and the return tickets cost more than the Hiroshima-Kurashiki return tickets. We had to change trains at Takeo-Onsen but the Shinkansen train was at the same platform and was already waiting.

We arrived at Nagasaki station at 11:28 and I walked to Dejima. Dejima is an artificial island constructed in 1636 to accommodate Portuguese traders. In 1639, an edict was passed, effectively closing the country off from foreigners. Dejima remained unused until 1641 when the Dutch trading post at Hirado was transferred there. Dejima was the only open window to the West for 218 years until Japan came out of its national seclusion. I didn’t enter though and instead continued on towards Oura Cathedral.

I came upon the Oura Higashi-yamate Foreign Settlement area and walked up the hill (Dutch Slope) to look at the Western-style houses. I’d noticed when I came out of the train and glanced at one side that Nagasaki is a pretty hilly city. The Oura Higashi-yamate area is similarly hilly. It had gotten warm by then and I shrugged off my fleece jacket.

I walked on and came upon Glover Sky Road which is a covered escalator (it reminded me of a covered furnicular). The view at the top of the city and port was spectacular. I didn’t enter Glover Garden as I was pressed for time. Instead I continued on towards Oura Cathedral which is one of the 15 hidden Christian sites in Nagasaki region, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

I descended down to former HSBC Bank Nagasaki branch then walked to Shinchimachi, Nagasaki’s Chinatown. I spent some time at the former Chinese quarter before walking to Ohato tram stop and riding the tram to Peace Park. There is also Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum but I decided to skip it.

After Peace Park, I walked down by the river to the railway station stopping en route at Nagasaki Masjid; unfortunately, it was locked. I tried knocking before leaving in disappointment.

I rode the Shinsaken to Takeo-Onsen where I changed trains for Hakata. At Hakata station, I bought some fried noodles at Family Mart then waited for the shuttle back to the hotel.

Monday, 16 February 2026

I went down for breakfast then took the 09:45 shuttle to Hakata station. From there, I walked to Hakata Sennen-no-Mon Gate which is the gate to Old Hakata. Then I continued to Tochoji Temple and then Kushida Shrine. There were many people at the Shrine compared to the temple. I then stumbled upon Kawabata Shopping Arcade. I stopped at a cat-themed shop before continuing on to Tenjin. From Tenjin, it was a stroll to Maizuru Park where I spent some time amidst the cherry blossom trees before climbing up the Fukuoka castle ruins. It was an overcast day and slightly cooler than the previous day in Nagasaki where the sun shone brightly.

I dithered and finally decided to check out the nearby Ohori Park. The name means moat and came about when an old Fukokan lord reclaimed part of a cove or an inlet and made a moat for Fukuoka Castle. I spent about twenty minutes there before leaving.

I walked back to Tenjin area and browsed some shops before buying some Japanese snacks to bring home. Then I walked back to the cat-themed shop at Kawabata Shopping Arcade before returning to Hakata station. I also bought some onigiri for dinner at Lawson.  I spent the evening packing before turning in.

Tuesday, 17 February 2026: FUK then back to SIN

Well, all good things must come to an end. I left the room at 06:35 and went down for breakfast. The queue was long so I went up again to get my bags. I’d packed my fleece jacket, gloves, muffler and hat and would be braving the cold. Well, the hotel wasn’t cold and the shuttle ride to the airport would only take ten minutes.  At the airport, I had to print the bag tag and boarding passes before going to another counter to drop off my bag. Unfortunately the system failed me so I had to manually check in my bag. What a bother. Then we went through security procedure before an electronic passport control.

The duty free has Japanese boutiques like Porter and shops like Uniqlo and 7-11 convenience store. There are also counters selling Japanese desserts - cakes, chocolates and biscuits. Very, very tempting indeed but I didn’t have a personal porter or bodyguard to help me carry my bags. One Japanese bloke spoke to me - in Bahasa. Turned out he learnt Bahasa in Bali.

We took off on time. I read and finished my fourth book for this trip. The plane was made to hover over Singaporean airspace due to terminal congestion though so I couldn’t perform prayers at Changi as I’d planned as I had to rush to my next gate. Well, turned out we took off later than scheduled then had to wait for a plane to taxi before we could proceed to the gate.  So that was my trip back to Japan after 13 plus years. And I made the conscious decision not to go to Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe which I’d been to before.

The End

My X-Rated Trip: Episode II

Thursday, 12 February 2026

I wanted to try fasting in Japan so I woke up for my predawn meal this morning. I left my room after 08:00 and rode the streetcar to Hiroden-Miyajimaguchi Station. I was able to take the next ferry that arrived. The ferry ride took about 15 minutes. I walked along the waterfront heading for Itsukushima Jinja Shino Shrine, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There are wild deers on Miyajima and I met a few  of them on my walk.

I paid ¥300 to enter the shrine and walked through it. The shrine offers a stunning view of the ‘floating’ torii gate and the surrounding landscape with the scenery. Hanging with the low and high tides. That explains why the tide times were posted. Some brave souls did walk a bit on the sandbank but they didn’t quite reach the torii gate.

After leaving the shrine, I walked along the waterfront to admire the view of the torii gate. Then I turned and walked to Itsukushima Shrine Treasure Hall before climbing up to Tahoto Pagoda. I then walked along the lane to Omoto Park. There are many deer at Omoto Park. After spending some time with the dear deer, I walked back along Asebihodo lane to Momojidani Park. Indeed if one has enough time, energy and inclination, one can go on a few hikes in the island. I returned to the town centre and Omotesando Shopping Street.

I boarded the ferry and back at the mainland, missed the first streetcar by a few seconds. I rode the next one leaving at 14:20 and was back at the hotel more than an hour later. I ventured out again after evening prayers and had dinner at a restaurant. I ordered oyster noodles and an orange drink (customers arriving after 19:00 must order drinks). After dinner, I explored Hondori Shopping Street before returning to the hotel.

Walked 18,120 steps or 12.5 km on my third day in Japan.

Friday, 13 February 2026

I checked out this morning at 09:50 and left my bags at the lobby. I then rode the streetcar to Hiroshima Station where I bought tickets to Kurashiki in Okayama. I had to buy Shinkansen and local train tickets and change trains at Shin-Kurashiki station. 

At Kurashiki, I followed signs to Bikan Historical Quarter. This quarter encompasses an area of historic buildings along an old willow-edged canal where a group of black and white warehouses has been converted into museums and lane ways are lined with old wooden houses and shops. In the feudal era, the warehouses were used to store rice brought by boat from the surrounding countryside. I had fun walking along the canal and capturing photos of the beautiful buildings. I reluctantly returned to the station for the 15:40 local train to Shin-Kurashiki and then the 16:02 train back to Hiroshima.

Back in Hiroshima, I went to find Sumiya Spa & Hotel. I’d read that this hotel offers prayer room and halal bento to guests. I did find the hotel all right; unfortunately, the hotel was closed for renovation.  I walked to Kanak Restaurant and asked if I could perform evening prayers there. I managed to perform prayers there, alhamdulillah. However, I’m not a fan of Indian food so I left without ordering anything.

I bought some soba noodles from Lawson and heated it up at the hotel lobby. After freshening up. I collected my bags and walked to Hiroshima Bus Centre. My bus out was scheduled for 23:50.

Walked 24,810 steps or 17.4 km on my fourth day in Japan.

Saturday, 14 February 2026

I had a poor night and could barely slept. We reached Kokura station at 04:25 and I followed a girl to the train station. It was colder in the station than outside if that was possible. I performed morning prayers there and sat there until 08:00. The shops were only just opening so I browsed some shops in the station that were only just opening before making my way out. Yes, it was actually milder outside the station. Kokura is one of the five districts in Kitakyushu.

I walked along the monorail line then decided to follow the sign to Kokura Castle. I walked around the castle (there’s a Japanese Garden but it wasn’t opened yet) and up Seicho-dori to Katsuyama Park. There is a small peace memorial at the park. You see, the U Ass actually targeted the second atomic bomb to hit Kokura but there was cloud and smoke covering the city then resulting in poor visibility and the bomb was then diverted to Nagasaki instead. This fact was known after the war and the citizens of Kitakyushu decided to erect a memorial for the atomic bomb victims.

I crossed back Murasaki River and walked towards Tanga Market. This is a covered local market lined with vendors selling seafood, fruits, vegetables, meat and prepared food. When it was almost 10:00, I made my way to TangaTable Hostel where I had booked a bed for the night. After leaving my bags, I walked to the Tourist Information Centre at the train station. After consulting a helpful tourist guide, I decided to take the local train to Mojiko.

The Mojiko train station is a beautiful building built in the Neo-Renaissance style and completed in 1914. I walked to the Dalian Shipping Line Terminal which confirmed the town’s shipping origin. Across the road is Kanmon Straits Museum. I then walked down to the Old Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd. Building which is a restored Osaka Shosen Moji Branch building built in 1917 and constructed using orange and white bricks as tiles. In the past, it was used as a ship office and waiting room, but now there is a cafe and restaurant on the first floor, and the interior exhibits and sells works by local artists. The Old Moji Mitsui Club is just next door. Apparently Einstein and his wife once stayed at the Club, on the second floor.

I crossed Blue Wing Moji, a pedestrian drawbridge that is raised six times a day, to the beautiful red Former Moji Customs Office building. The Kitakyushu City Dalian Friendship Memorial Hall to commemorate the friendship between China and Japan is just across the Customs Office.

I continued on and walked until Norfolk Square, admiring the view of Kanmon Bridge which links Honshu and Kyushu islands. I walked on until I reached the Kanmon Pedestrian Tunnel Entrance. I took the lift down into the tunnel and after reading the background of the tunnel (it was planned in 1937 and completed in March 1958. Its length is 3,461.4 metres of which 780 metres are underwater), I started walking across to Shimonoseki on the Honshu side. It took me 15 minutes to emerge out at Shimonoseki. I walked down to the ferry terminal, passing some shrines and Market. The ferry ride cost ¥400 and back at Mojiko, I walked to the train station and took the train back to Kokura.

It had begun to drizzle and I hurried up to TangaTable Hostel. The check-in process took some time and I was given the code to enter my dorm (five bunk beds for ten occupants and the hostel was full that evening). I was given a locker but had problems locking it with the provided padlock so I just kept my shoulder bag in another bag and locked that bag instead.

I’ve had a long day after a poor night plus an early morning start the following day so I was in bed by 22:00.

To be continued

My X-Rated Trip: Episode I

In mid-November 2025, I was contemplating visiting Okinawa. However, I changed my mind when the sites that I found informed that public transportation is not that frequent there and one would be advised to rent a car instead. Even my sister said her friends who return to Japan every year never considered visiting Okinawa. So I changed my mind and looked at Fukuoka instead. There’s no direct flight from KL; I would have to fly Vietnam Airlines, Philippine Airlines or Singapore Airlines and via those cities instead. In the end, I bought tickets from Singapore Airlines. I then searched where to go before booking hotels. Oh, and despite the depreciating Yen, the hotel prices for Saturday night stay are so terrifying that I had to book a bed in a female hostel instead (and the cost for that one night stay in a bunk bed would get me a decent hotel room in China). I also bought bus tickets online and (sigh) do they cost a pretty penny.

So this ‘X-rated trip’ is because I went to SIN on my way to FUK (get it?).

Monday, 9 February 2026: On my way to SIN

I made my way to the airport this afternoon and decided to arrive earlier as I wanted to change seats on the planes. I couldn’t seem to do it online no matter how many attempts I made. The kind lady at the counter suggested I took the earlier flight at 20:30 instead of the flight I booked at 21:50 and said there could be delays seeing as the latter flight is the last flight of the day and that only two days previously, the same flight was delayed by an hour. I thanked her for her suggestion and agreed to depart earlier.

Well, the flight took off at 20:45 despite us boarding early. I was impressed with the crew who determinedly served us hot beverages even for a short flight. We landed at Terminal 3 and I made my way to the SkyTrain for Terminal 2. I then wandered around looking for the prayer room. Turned out it’s on the upper floor and the nearest escalator is the one near Gucci. After prayers, I decided to add on to my step count for the day and took the SkyTrain to Terminal 1. Terminal 1 is huge. You’d need to clear immigration to view the Rain Vortex though. I haven’t been to Changi for more than a decade and the last time I was there, the Rain Vortex wasn’t there yet.

Tuesday, 10 February 2026: SIN on my way to FUK

We landed in Fukuoka at 06:55. I’d earlier filled up the arrival form on Visit Japan Web but was confused as I’d expected the site to ask for my itinerary. Instead, I was just asked my personal details, the hotel address, and to declare the goods I’m bringing in. The queue was long but fast moving. It turned out I had filled up the arrival form correctly after all. I was however subjected to rigorous and thorough bag inspection by a custom officer. But he was polite and considerate and went through my bag contents carefully and professionally and not just drag everything out and leave everything dumped out for me to repack.

I exited at 08:38 and asked the bus counter if I could change my 10:45 bus ticket to 08:45 but was told my ticket was not changeable. So I had two hours to kill at the airport. Anyway, I found a pouch and curious, I opened it to find two Japanese passports! I was panicking because I could just imagine how I would be had I lost my passport so I hurried to the information counter to hand the pouch over. Let them sort it out with the Lost and Found.

The 10:45 bus arrived at 10:53 and we were off within minutes. We had a stop at a service area to use the facilities (there is a small WC on the bus though). We reached Takachiho Bus Centre at 13:50. After leaving my bag at the Tourist Information Centre and grabbing a map, I made my way to Takachiho Gorge. It took me 20 minutes to reach the gorge. Takachiho’s magnificent gorge with its waterfall, overhanging rocks and sheer walls was formed over 120,000 years ago by a double volcanic eruption. I walked the length of it before turning back. I stayed there for an hour before making my way back to the town centre, stopping briefly at Takachiho Shrine.

My bus out was at 16:37 and it arrived at 16:30. The bus stopped en route to allow us to use the facilities. It was drizzling then. We reached Hakata Bus Terminal and I got down there. I wandered around and bought some snacks at Daiso.

My next bus out was at 23:10 and we left on time. The seat was comfortable with a retractable ‘hood’ that allows passenger to draw it down over her head to cover against the light and allow for privacy. I was so tired after the long day that I actually managed to sleep. Alhamdulillah. The bus stopped en route and I went down to stretch my legs and found that it was raining.

Walked 16,900 steps or 11.6 km on my first day back in Japan.

Wednesday, 11 February 2026

We arrived at Hiroshima Bus Centre at 05:25. I went down and after performing ablutions, performed prayers near some lockers. Then I waited until after 07:00 before walking to Hotel S-Plus Hiroshima Peace Park.

After depositing my bags at the hotel lobby, I walked to the nearby Hiroshima Peace Park. I decided to visit the Peace Museum first (ticket cost ¥200) and spent an hour there, it was a harrowing and sobering experience. Nobody should have been made to go through all that suffering and yet we continue to inflict pain on others due to our own greed.

After the museum, I walked to the Cenotaph and the Peace Flame, the Children’s Monument and the Peace Bell. I then walked along the River Motoyasu and gazed upon Gotenba Dome, the only surviving structure of the atomic bomb, before crossing over for a closer look. After some time, I walked to the hypocentre where the bombing took place.

As I still had some time to kill before I could check in at 15:00, I decided to walk to Shukkeien Garden. The entrance cost ¥350. I spent 70 minutes there and was glad I decided to visit it.  I returned to the hotel and checked in. I ventured out again after evening prayers and had dinner at Kei Ai Chinese Vegetarian Restaurant. After that, I walked to Hondori and browsed the shops there. A lot of shops were already closed though.

Back at the hotel, I had a chat with the bloke at the reception and he kindly advised me how to get to the ferry to Miyajima and sold me the ticket (which included the streetcar, ferry and Miyajima visitor tax of ¥100) for ¥1,000.  Walked 24,910 steps or 16.8 km on my second day in Japan.

To be continued

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 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. The pedestrian walk was neither here nor there and I quickly became annoyed when I had to walk on the roads with the morning traffic. It took me longer than I expected to reach the hotel. 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 somehow 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.

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.

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!

Catching Arsenal In Singapore

I was excited when I heard The Arsenal were coming to Asia, never mind it was to Singers instead of KL. I actually bought the ticket to the friendly match against AC Milan just before going through security check at KLIA T2 when I was flying out to Nairobi. I only bought the bus ticket after coming back from Chiang Mai and as I’d be leaving early in the morning and taking the late evening bus fr Singers, I booked a room at Times Square as I envisaged I’d arrive before dawn like I did on a previous trip.

I left the hotel at 06:37 on 23 July 2025 and had to wait ages for the monorail train to KL Sentral (the bus actually also departed from Times Square but I didn’t notice it when I bought the ticket, duh me). The bus was supposed to depart at 07:15 but it only arrived at 07:45. I was actually embarrassed by the delay as there was a Japanese mother and her young son also taking the same bus.

We stopped at Yong Peng rest area to use the facilities before continuing on. The immigration process on both sides was such a breeze compared to the slow long queues of the past.

We arrived at Oxley Bizhub at 13:25 and I set off for the National Stadium, stopping en route at Masjid Wak Tanjong to perform prayers.

I went to have late lunch/early dinner first at Kallang Wave Mall then sat and read my book before queuing up to enter the stadium. No water bottle allowed but I managed to smuggle a small bottle in my bag and there’s also a water cooler and I filled up my water bottle.

The match begun just after 19:30. I was surprised to find many empty seats, maybe because it was a week night but there were just too many empty seats. And true enough, the announcer announced there were just over 22,000 spectators. What a pathetic number! And the atmosphere was blergh. Whoever at Arsenal who thought up of and arranged this tour should’ve considered KL or even Jakarta. It’d be a full house and the match more lively and atmosphere more electrifying.

The match, being friendly, was frustrating in the first half. Saka scored the only goal early in the second half.  I left right after the match and didn’t wait for the penalty shootout as I wanted to perform prayers at the space in Kallang Wave Mall and if the mall closed at 22:00, I didn’t have much time left.

After prayers, I walked to Lavender MRT station to wait for the bus back to KL. I was informed by some Indonesian girls that they’d received WhatsApp message from the bus operator informing that the bus would be slightly late.

Well, I only received the WhatsApp after 23:00 informing that we’d be picked up by a Transtar bus which would then bring us to The Plaza at Beach Road for us to change to another bus. The Transtar bus arrived at 23:24 and we arrived at The Plaza ten minutes later. I managed to doze off until we reached Tuas.

After crossing over, we had to change bus yet again. This third bus looked very comfortable and brand new. The driver increased the AC temperature so it didn’t feel like we were travelling in a morgue and I even managed to doze off!

Due to the delays and bus changes, we arrived at Times Square at exactly 06:00 (and I actually thought I’d have to stay awake to wait for morning prayers). After prayers, I went back to bed.

So that was my first trip back to Singers after the pandemic. Please, Arsenal, just come to KL or even Jakarta next time.

Birthday Weekend

I decided to utilise my second Malaysia Airlines Flypass and spend my birthday weekend by revisiting Chiang Mai. I’d been to Chiang Mai twice before with Mummy and Abah joined the second trip too. 

Friday, 4 July 2025

I left home early and made my way to KLIA. Was a bit surprised to find the gate was at the satellite building. I’d decided to carry my bag on board and not check it in so I’d packed quite lightly (except for the thick books). We took off on time and landed at 11:45. After asking for directions, I walked to Door 1 to catch the bus to the city. I’d booked hotel within walking distance from Tha Phae Gate. It took about ten minutes on foot to Budget Stars Hotel and I checked in and was able to go up to my room after ten minutes. I had to pay a deposit of THB300.

I ventured out in mid-afternoon and walked down to Changklan Road then walked up to Charoen Prathet 1 Alley and had halal beef noodles for late lunch.  Then I walked up to Ton Lam Yai Market but it was closed and deserted at that time of day. It started raining shortly after so I sought shelter outside some shops along Tha Phae Road. Thankfully the rain didn’t last long and soon I was strolling down Changklan Road and browsing the stalls that had already been set up. I stopped by a vegan stall at Pha Ploen Market and bought pomelo salad for dinner before returning to my hotel.

Saturday, 5 July 2025

I ventured out at about 10:00 and walked to Ping River. It didn’t impress me much so I turned and walked up Charoen Prathet Road. I came across a restaurant selling fish soup noodles and after checking out my options, had a bowl of fish noodles as my mid-morning meal.

I walked up to Ton Lam Yai Market and browsed the stalls. I found myself buying some dry snacks. There were some fruit sellers outside the market and I ended up buying a kg of mangosteens. I saw lychees too but buying another kg of fruits would be too heavy for me. I then crossed over to Warorot Market and after circling around the market, I bought some pouches as souvenirs. I returned to Charoen Prathet 1 Alley and had khao soi for lunch. On the way back to the hotel, I stopped by a jewellery shop and browsed. Oh dear. And I wasn’t planning to shop!

I ventured out in the afternoon in the drizzle (I borrowed the hotel’s umbrella) and walked to Mae Kha Canal. I then walked along the canal up to where it meets Suriyawong Alley. Then I walked up to Wua Lai Walking Street Saturday Market. I didn’t stay long - by now, the street markets had all started to look similar, selling the same boring things (souvenirs, t-shirts, ceramic things, clothes, repeat, repeat, repeat). I walked to Pha Ploen Market and bought some green noodles from the vegan stall, but not before stopping at the jewellery store and buying a baroque pearl necklace. We'll figure out when we’ll wear it later.

Sunday, 6 July 2025

This morning, I ventured to Charoen Prathet 1 Alley. I wanted to have some wanton noodles, alas, I wasn’t in luck. Upon recommendation, I had pa pa soi instead. After that, I walked along Tha Phae Road to Wat Chiang Man. I spent about twenty minutes there before I walked down to Three Kings Monument, which as the name suggests depicts the purported three founding kings of Chiang Mai. I then walked down to Wat Chediluang Varaviharn but I didn’t go in. Instead, I walked down Rachadamnoen Road on my way to Tha Phae Gate.

I literally stopped in my tracks when I spotted Prang Crocodile Leather shop. I found myself going in and I proceeded to spend at least thirty minutes there (and I wasn’t supposed to shop!!!). I found out that crocodile belly skin is the most expensive part of the whole crocodile. I left with a small pouch case (similar to LV key pouch). Aiyaiyaiyai! Oh, I was told there was a Sunday night market along Rachadamnoen Road. Righttttt. If there’s anything that Chiang Mai has an abundance of its massage places and street markets, the occasional tattoo places, Muay Thai places, weed shops.

Against my better judgement, I went out that evening and walked to Rachadamnoen Road to check out the night market. It seemed like the whole of Chiang Mai and their families were there. The same boring junk sold again. The market seemed endless, it went on and on and even at the side streets. I was getting pretty sick of all these commerce by then so I turned around.

I’d intended to walk again to the vegan stall at Pha Ploen Market to get some dinner but came across a halal restaurant at the corner of Pha Thae Road and Kampangdin Road so I decided to have my dinner there instead. After that, I followed Kampangdin Road back to Loi Kroh Road and back to my hotel.

Monday, 7 July 2025

I stayed in to finish a book I borrowed from the hotel lobby. I left at 10:40 and checked out. I got my deposit back and then arranged for a Bolt car (more economical than Grab). It took less than 15 minutes to reach the airport.

I had checked jn online but the airport staff made a big fuss as my online boarding pass didn’t have ‘binti’ in it. I explained that ‘binti’ means ‘daughter of’ and that it is not part of my name. I reasoned that the airline wouldn’t have checked me in if there’s an error but the machine also wouldn’t recognise the bar code on my online boarding pass so I had to get down and get a physical boarding pass. Moan, groan, mumble, grumble! This time, the machine was able to read the bar code. I went through passport control and waited for my flight back. Only remembered that I wanted to sell off my Baht for Dong but there was no exchange offices at the boarding area.

The flight took off on time and we landed back at sunny KLIA at 16:37. Will I return to Chiang Mai or any part of Thailand? At this stage, I much prefer Vietnam and Indonesia, thank you.

Cambodian Trip 2025

I bought Malaysia Airlines Flypass in end-November 2024 and decided to revisit Danang, Chiang Mai and Phnom Penh. I originally wanted to visit Danang in March but the dates I chose were not available so had to switch to Phnom Penh. I had to add on a bit more on top of the Flypass for fuel/tax/charges.

My sister has a Cambodian contact, a Cambodian Muslim Ustaz whom she and family had visited before and has continued to be in touch with. Ustaz Rani usually contacts my sister in Ramadan asking if she could help collect some funds for the local Muslims and my sister obligingly helps collect and transfers the funds. This year was no different. As I was going to Phnom Penh anyway, I offered to bring over the funds with me. We then decided to collect some clothes (new and preloved), batik and pelikat sarongs, women’s prayer attires, shirts, etc. I also bought a suitcase to store the clothes in. Alhamdulillah, my sister managed to collect substantial amounts and transferred part of the money to Ustaz Rani a week before my departure (the local Muslims are really destitute). I topped up the balance of the money with my zakat and converted into USD to bring over.

Saturday, 15 March 2025

We left my sister’s house at 07:00 and arrived at KLIA T1 35 minutes later. I quickly made my way to the bag drop counters. The line was dealt with efficiently. We then went to use the facilities where I found two rings near the hand dryer. I went to the Information Counter to ask where Lost & Found was but because it was at another floor (Level 2, if my memory serves me right), I asked if I could just leave the rings there and if the lady at the counter could help instead. She made a big deal and snapped photos of my boarding pass. I was made to feel like I was guilty for finding those dang rings. I hurried to have my boarding pass scanned and then went through the e-gate.

We took off slightly later than scheduled and landed at 09:50 local time. My last trip to Phnom Penh was back in 2009 and the city has really developed since then. I hurried out of the plane to the arrival hall and completed the e-arrival form before going through passport control. It was then when I discovered that the accommodation I’d booked months ago in Battambang had double booked and they had to cancel my booking. I was furious and quickly searched for an alternative accommodation. Alhamdulillah, despite being very last minute, I managed to find a hotel room.

Ustaz Rani was already waiting for me with a banner with my name on it. He quickly recognised me and approached me. I asked him to wait a bit while I finalise my hotel booking and messaged my sister. Then we went to the car (his brother-in-law’s car) and drove into the city. The traffic was really heavy then and it took us 40 minutes to reach Al-Serkal Mosque. I wanted to perform prayers here and prayer time was less than a hour away so I caught up with my Quran reading.

After prayers, the men dropped me at VET Bus Station. After thanking them, they left for Kampong Cham. I’d previously researched the minibuses that offer services to Battambang and was even about to pay for one only to have my payment rejected. So it was quite by accident that I discovered VET Bus company and after reading the reviews, I made up my mind to purchase ticket from VET Bus company instead.

The bus left at 13:00 and we stopped en route for 15 minutes to use the facilities. There is a WC in the bus too but it was good to be able to stretch our legs. Oh, if you ride VET Bus, you’ll get a small paper bag of bun/croissant and juice and a bottle of water. The crew also offered hot tea or coffee which I declined of course, as I was fasting. We continued our journey and reached the VET office in Battambang at 17:50 and I walked seven minutes to Royal Hotel. The streets were not great at all with potholes and dusty.

I checked in and paid USD20 for my room (USD10/night for a room with fan). Then I went up to my room and before long, I was breaking fast. After that, I ventured out to find food for my pre-dawn meal the following morning. I found one halal Indian restaurant before turning back and taking another route. Finally found a vegetarian restaurant but it was about to close. I hurried inside and asked the owner if I could buy something for my pre-dawn meal. She took pity on me and prepared some noodles. Alhamdulillah. I then returned to my room, showered, performed prayers and then hit the sack.

Sunday, 16 March 2025

I woke up at 04:00 for prayers and sahur. I then went out for a morning walk at 07:30 before returning to my room. I even met and chatted with a local Muslim girl. The hotel owner had helped arranged a tour for me (I’d booked on Booking.com when I arrived; however, the guide contacted me to inform that he was down with asthma and couldn’t bring anyone around). I insisted for the tour to start at 08:30 because anytime after that would be just too hot.

There was some confusion at first and finally an elderly guide was assigned to me. We headed south for the Bamboo Train. I had to wait a bit until a couple arrived and I could join them on the train. We had to pay USD5 to ride the train (if I had chosen to ride alone, it’d be USD10). So we boarded to open air train and sat on a bamboo platform and rode it. We had to stop when trains from the other direction came and get down. The two train operators would then lift on of the platforms, set it aside and push the other train ahead before replacing the removed platform on the track again. We also had to stop a bit at the last stop to let a train pass.

After that, we drove north to Wat Samrong Knong. Along the way, we passed a Muslim area and I saw quite a few Muslims and also Islamic establishments, and mosques. Ustaz Rani had told me there were not many Muslims in Battambang and I didn’t believe him as I saw there were a few mosques outside the city on Google Maps. Anyway, at Wat Samrong Knong, I was first shown a building where female prisoners were held. This temple was taken over by the Pol Pot regime and where prisoners were held and detained and tortured. It was one of the ‘killing fields’ in the country. There’s a Torture House Museum that tells the tale of Cambodia's dark era of Khmer Rouge regime and how it was used as detention centre and torture house. There is also a Khmer Rouge memorial in the back besides the killing fields.

After that, we drove to nearby Ek Phnom Temple. There’s a USD1 entry fee to this Angkorian temple located on the left side of the Sangkae River. It is a Hindu temple built in the 11th century under the rule of King Suryavarman I. Although partly collapsed and looted by the Khmer Rouge, it is famous for its well-carved lintels and pediments. I spent about thirty minutes exploring the area and even climbed up and into the temple.

We then returned to the city stopping en route at a mosque. However, it wasn’t time for prayers yet (not for more than an hour) so the driver dropped me off at the hotel.

I met up with the driver again at 16:30 and we drove south to Phnom Sampov, yet another killing field. It was about half an hour away from the city. I chose to walk up instead of renting a motorcycle to bring  me up. There were quite a few visitors this afternoon. The views are amazing from the hill and the history is interesting. Many people, even young children, were murdered in the killing caves here during Pol Pot’s era.

I had noticed that the horizon looked dark and hurried down. I started walking faster and once I reached the ground, the winds started blowing. I quickly located my driver and after asking if I wanted to stay for the bats to which I said no, we left. The rain came down shortly after and it was heavy. The driver got down to bring down the covers; however, the rain and wind were just too heavy and strong that the covers wouldn’t stay in place and before long, I was drenched. I tried holding on to the covers so that they wouldn’t flap open but the elements were too much for me. I was grimacing throughout our journey.

We finally reached Royal Hotel and I paid the driver USD25. After breaking fast, I walked to Monorom Garden, the vegetarian restaurant, and bought fried rice for my sahur.

Monday, 17 March 2025

I woke up early for prayers and sahur. I then finished packing and had my shower. I checked out at 06:40 and the young tuktuk driver was at lobby. He then called out to the owner who gave me a krama, a checked Cambodian scarf. What a kind and thoughtful gesture! After taking a photo of them, I then thanked them and walked to VET office. It was there when I realised my bus was at 07:30, not 07:00. Duh me.

The bus came and we left on time. We stopped at the same pump station rest area as before for fifteen minutes before continuing on. We reached VET Bus station in Phnom Penh at 12:45 and I walked to Aurea Delight Hotel. I managed to check in when I arrived, alhamdulillah. 

I left the hotel at 16:00 and walked to the Central Market (Phsar Thmei). Completed in 1937, it has a high central dome. You can find fresh vegetables, fruits, seafood, souvenirs and gems sold here. I left after a short while and walked to the river. Then I walked to the National Museum and the nearby Royal Palace. There was some show there with young kids dressed up in traditional garb and parading with the girls donning very high heels. Really, at that age?! O know many adult women who would have problems wearing such high heels and someone is telling these barely ten year-old girls that it’s okay and feminine to wear those heels?  

I left and went to Surn Yin Vegetarian Restaurant to get some food for sahur. The restaurant quoted a different rate for conversion (it’s USD1 = 4,000 Riel but the restaurant’s conversion was slightly worse) and those who bought to go would have to pay for the container too. Then I discovered there was a halal restaurant right next door to it. Oh well…

I returned to my room and stayed in.

Tuesday, 18 March 2025

I woke up for prayers and sahur. I left my room at 08:03 and checked out. The staff wanted to check my room so I had to stay while that was done. I was walking to the bus stop for bus no. 3 to the airport when one passed by. I stood waiting for 55 minutes and not one single bus came. I was starting to despair when a Dutch bloke came. I told him I’d been waiting for 55 minutes and we decided to share a tuktuk to the airport. In the tuktuk, I discovered I had less than USD1 in local currency and told the Dutch bloke so. He offered to pay for the tuktuk in exchange of my remaining Riel. I thanked him profusely.

I quickly went to drop off my bag (it was light enough to be taken on board but I didn’t bring any ziplock bag for my LAGs). We took off on time and landed at KLIA at 14:50. However, it landed at the satellite building and I had to trek across the building for the bus back to the main terminal. I waited for my bag then went to perform prayers before going to the train station. However, I was stopped from entering the station - it turned out the trains were stuck at KLIA T2 and trains were not operating until the glitch was sorted out. I hurried up and made my way to the bus station. I managed to buy ticket for the 15:00 bus but of course it had to stop at T2 first (and I thought the bus came from T2). We finally reached KL Sentral at 16:00 and I took the LRT to Ampang Park where I had to wait another 15 blinking minutes for the bus back to Ampang. What a trying and tiring day!!!

So that was my return trip to Cambodia.

Nusa Penida Trip

I’ve been wanting to visit Nusa Penida for quite some time and even contemplated taking a boat from Lombok after buying the flight ticket there. However, after finding out that the boat ride would take four to five hours one way, I scraped the idea and bought another flight ticket, to Denpasar this time. I then started searching for rooms near the port and then on the places to visit. I booked a room in Denpasar and Toyapakeh at Nusa Penida, was offered another room at another place in Toyapakeh, searched further, cancelled earlier booking a mere few days before departure and booked The Cozy Bidara as it’s closer to the main road. Just before this, I also cancelled the Denpasar room and booked a room in Sanur as I figured it’d be better to travel on directly to Sanur after landing than taking an early morning cab to Sanur from Denpasar. 

I then bought fast boat tickets from Sanur to Banjar Nyuh Harbour and return from Banjur Nyuh Harbour to Sanur. A colleague who went to Nusa Penida on a day trip from Bali shared me a guide’s number and after a few days, he gave me quotation for a two-day trip (covering Weat and East Penida). Initially, he quoted me IDR7.5 million but after telling him that I’d make my own room booking, he quoted me IDR5.5 million. Which was simply just exorbitant! I’d searched for tours on Klook but it cost too much for a solo traveller. Somehow, Allah helped me come across a page offering car and driver for RM194.7 for a solo traveller for either West or East Penida so I purchased one of each. I’d have to pay for parking and entrance fees but after doing more research, I found it would still be way more economical than the earlier offers I saw on Klook. Syukur Alhamdulillah. It always pays to do some research. 

Friday, 7 February 2025

I left office and took trains to KLIA T1. I had checked in for my flight online and wasn’t too worried when I arrived at 15:37. I was surprised to find that the flight was bound for Melbourne which meant I had to go to the satellite building so I hurried over. I was boarding the plane before long and we took off on time.  We landed at Denpasar and I rushed out, earning some comment from an entitled elderly woman. I gave her a ‘whatever’ look and sprinted out. I had pre-booked a taxi via Booking.com and the driver told me that due to the busy airport, they could only wait a certain time.  I was out by 20:30 and after locating the driver, we made our way to Erwin’s Guest Room in Sanur. The guest house is located within a maze-like neighbourhood with very narrow lanes but we managed to find it, Alhamdulillah. It was 21:30 then and too late to find dinner.

Saturday, 8 February 2025

I woke up early and had a shower then performed prayers. A light breakfast was served at 06:30 (it was already light then). I left at 07:10 and made my way to the rendezvous place for Axe Stone boat. I decided to be adventurous and followed a different route and ended up being lost and tried to retrace my steps and Alhamdulillah, found another exit out of the maze. Alhamdulillah.

I registered at the Axe Stone counter then joined the other passengers to the port building. We then went through security and walked to the boat. We were given lanyards which we returned back to one of the staff before boarding the boat. The boat ride took about 45 minutes and it rained somewhere along the way. I had taken an anti-motion sickness pill during breakfast but the aging of the boat as we were disembarking almost made me nauseous.

I had arranged to meet the Klook local operator for driver at 09:15 and borrowed a bloke’s phone to contact the driver. We met up and walked out of the port area. Ok, the port area was horrible and I don’t know why the local authority didn’t improve the road surface with the port tax that they collected from visitors (Rp25k). We drove first to Kelingking Beach aka T-Rex Beach. Nusa Penida is hilly and the roads can be quite bad in some areas and very narrow with one-lane width so drivers have to drive carefully to navigate the turns and slow down when there’re vehicles from the other direction.

We spent about 45 minutes at Kelingking Beach - I actually went down the steep stairs until the steps stopped and you have to navigate the o my terrain) and climbing up again - before driving to Angel’s Billabong and Broken Beach. I paid Rp10k for parking at Kelingking Beach car park and Angel’s Billabong/Broken Beach (the latter two share the same car park). We left after spending about an hour there and Dhika (my driver) brought me to lunch at Manthies Resto.

After lunch, we drove to Crystal Bay. Again, I paid Rp10k for parking. I didn’t see the charm or beauty of the place. There were stray dogs (indeed there are too many stray dogs around the places we visited) and the sand was black. I couldn’t appreciate it at all and went to sit at a hut instead to let Dhika have some shuteye.  After an hour, I woke Dhika up and he drove me to The Cozy Bidara Guest House. I had paid for my stay beforehand. The guest house is quite near to the only mosque on the island and within walking distance of Banjar Nyuh port. I wanted to venture out for dinner and was not amused when there was a power trip just before Maghrib. Thankfully the room wasn’t too suffocating as I had switched to AC earlier. I then went out in the dark to find dinner and ordered bakso from a stall. The power came back on while I was having dinner. Alhamdulillah!

Sunday, 9 February 2025 

This morning, we set off at 09:00 and drove to the east of the island. It fined during the night so there were puddles in the roads. After 75 minutes, we reached Diamond Beach. After paying Rp10k for parking and Rp35k for entrance (receiving a bottle of mineral water in exchange), we made our way to the cliff overlooking both Diamond and Atuk Beaches. The view was spectacular. I decided to go down to Diamond Beach - many people stopped along the way down to take photos - before coming up again. My thighs were already screaming from the steps at Kelingking  Beach the day before and were in agony by then. But hey, this would likely be my one and only trip to Penida, right.

After that we drove to nearby location for a view of Raja Lima (a group of islands) and Tree House. I paid another Rp10k for parking and Rp25k (smd received another bottle of water), we walked down (yes!) to the tree house. There are actually three tree houses but the staircase to one was dilapidated while another was abandoned. You have to pay Rp75k to have your photos taken at the tree house which I didn’t feel like paying so I just took photos of the tree house sans me.

We were ready to leave but the car battery decided to die on us and after trying to restart the car with another car’s battery, Dhika decided to borrow his friend’s car battery. He borrowed a motorbike and went to his friend’s house. It started raining then stopped then started again. I sat in the car but it was hot and suffocating so I held my foot out to hold the door open, closing the door when it rained.

We finally drove back and I told Dhika to bring me back to my guest house. It had rained very heavily in west of the island and the lane leading to my guest house was submerged and I had to wade my way through. Good thing I decided to pack my old Crocs instead of Converse or Skechers!

After prayers, I went out to find lunch. I bought some titbits then waited to have a massage. Oh by the way, there was another power trip so I had to wait for the power to be restored before I could have my massage. I had chicken noodles for dinner then returned to my room. It started raining again in the evening.  

Monday, 10 February 2025

I left the guesthouse at 07:15 and walked in the drizzle to Semabu boat office. I had received a message reminding me to arris an hour before the boat trip and was not amused to find the office hadn’t yet opened. It started raining on and off and finally I went to wait at the port. The boat from Sanur was late and we only boarded at 08:48. We reached Sanur at 09:30 and I was so glad that I asked the driver to come at 09:45.  It started raining heavily just before I reached the car and I jumped into the car. It rained all the way to the airport. My flight was retimed from 12:00 to 12:15 to 13:20 and finally 14:00. I walked to the domestic terminal to find lunch then back to the international terminal. The rain continued.  After a gate change, we finally boarded a bus to the plane. The airline had some umbrellas for us to share. I dozed off and wa not amused to find we were still on the runway when I woke up. We finally took off and landed at KLIA at 18:15. What a tiring day!!!

And that was my trip to Nusa Penida.