After the longest hiatus, ayambackkkk!!
(and you wouldn't believe the amount of backlog i have in my postings - muahahahahaha)
Nevertheless, here's my long story (or rather long line of photos) on our lil family vacay to the 'Pearl of the Orient' (Penang lor), in conjunction with mom turning a proud 67 years old. Though it was only Penang, but it was a first for many; as in the first Firefly trip for all except me. Better still, it was Darren's first time flying!
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| lounging at Subang Int'l Airport while waiting for boarding |
All buckled up and ready to take off!
A happy me with dad coz Darren survived the half hour flight without a fuss.
Any sane Malaysian will tell you that Penang is equivalent to what else, but
good awesome food, right?!
What Darren missed out on ...... 0.o
Rather than just stuffing ourselves silly the entire vacay, sis wanted this to be a somewhat historical and educational trip to Penang. Hence, the sight-seeing begins ...
The Khoo clan association is one of the most famous in Penang.
But i think i'd be more interested if it was the Ku Klux Klan association.
i found a cute monk statue though
Apparently, on certain auspicious nights, the entire place is beautifully lit up into a glowing evening of lights. Probably looking something like this, as displayed on one of their huge tv screens.
Our next destination was the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, recipient of the UNESCO Heritage Award. I've read about this famous blue house once, so i was glad to be able to walk inside it now.
My only comment is that more daily tours should be conducted to accommodate visitors who turn up in at awkward in-between times. Nevermind about the disallowing of photography; i was told everyone is free to snap as many photos as they want to now.
There are even homestay rooms up for rent, priced rather heftily from RM 420 to RM 800!
Dunno about you, but don't you find the rooms rather spooky? There are even stories about their haunted rooms on the web. Booyah!
For me, their English guided tour alone will do just fine. ^^
Didn't manage to take many photos on the tour as Darren kept me busy running after him all over the mansion. He must have thought his house had suddenly grown in size.
By the end of the tour, i didn't really get to hear much about the story of Cheong Fatt Tze, thanks to Darren (again).
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| A tired dad at the end of the tour |
Last visit was mom's request - the Peranakan Museum. It was very similar to how a Baba and Nyonya museum would look like in Malacca. Only this one's much more exquisite and enriched with details and customs.
This mansion built in the 19th century houses over a thousand pieces of antiques and collectibles of old and new in its many rooms and hallways.
It was hard to resist taking photos of every nook and cranny as the furniture, artwork and carvings were so beautiful and elegant.
This lady here was our very bubbly and 'loud' guide. Quite interactive too.
Can you believe these decorative items below were from the Peranakan heritage?
Awesome wall decor. At the end of our tour, we bought cute little fridge magnets of peranakan clogs, kebaya and tiffin carriers, from their souvenir shop.
Well now, let's not forget it was mommy dearest's birthday. Mom is not a big fan of sweetened cakes, hence we got her a decent slice of warm apple cobbler topped with vanilla ice cream and walnuts (caramel sauce on its side please). Don't mind mom's out-of-bed hairdo as i kinda woke her up from her nap with the surprise cake.
Taking a break from our Penang hawker food craze, we brought mom to a quiet cosy dinner at Shangri-La's Rasa Sayang Resort at Batu Ferringhi.
I wouldn't mind staying here really...if i can afford to pay 1k for a room/ night. This hotel's so serene and peaceful, definitely a perfect getaway from the stressful city life.
Dinner reservations were made at Spice Market Cafe.
An abundance of different spices greeted us at the entrance of this restaurant. Check out the conventional ice shaver gadget.
The view of good food from where we were seated.
Our little
tauke of the night.
Chowtime!
Best time to
wallop all the crayfish, lobster, abalone and crab in whole! The cholesterol test can wait.
Thanks to my bro-in-law for the wonderful dinner!
Before heading back to our mainstream kind of hotel, Darren managed to check out Queensbay Mall too.
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| longing for a piece of candy, boy? |
Finally, i got to experience staying in the ever so popular HRH.
There really isn't much to shout about the hotel's lobby though. I would have preferred it to be enclosed and air-conditioned, but instead it was quite a warm and humid atmosphere.
HRH could very well be called Beatles Hotel as they were everywhere.
Check-in was at 3pm but we were already here at 1 plus, hence the longgggg wait for our rooms.
Darren was getting bored.
Then, he got drowsy as the afternoon got hotter...
Finally,
aaah....the BEST FEELING EVER!!
I've got Elvis in my bathroom. The mirrors could be slide back to reveal the bedroom.
One of the best scented hotel amenities i've ever used. A name like 'jasmine mandarin' would appeal to anyone.
Waitaminute, my room has another room in it!
Bieber's room? Haha, to my delight, there was a kid's room attached; equipped with bean bag, own tv and play station (this is the cue for hubby to squeal with excitement).
They call this room the Lil' Rock- Just for Kids!
How cute.
Now, if only Darren was 5 or 6 years old, this room would have been his perfect getaway (from his parents). The kid's bed was simply too high for Darren to sleep on himself.
So this room became his daytime play room instead.
The corridor outside our rooms.
Darren on the swivel throne.
Snapshot of Hard Rock Cafe right outside HRH.
The HRH breakfast buffet - love it, love it, love it!
Particularly when they served ice cold Chocolate Milk!
Darren eats for free!
Hubby's only complaint was....
The global icon of Fender guitar in every Hard Rock Hotel.
At the entrance, you can find these beautiful color-changing neon lights ...
...and a pink ride to coincide with Breast Cancer awareness month.
One of the best parts of HRH - its free-form poolside!
Don't miss its sandy beachfront!
Awesomeness!
Darren had his first feel of s-a-n-d.
And he loved it. ^^
A grumpy Darren when it was time to leave the beach, with grandma having to remove bits of sand from between Darren's little toes.
Overall, it was yet again another fun family outing. I would definitely return to HRH for its comfy bed and awesome breakfast! I'm not just building sandcastles in the air, i'll be building sandcastles with Darren at the beach.
Mom sure had a blast with Darren keeping her occupied the entire time.
Happy Birthday mommy, here's to great health and happiness always! we love ya.
