Prolog

Around May of 2014 we made reservations with Celebrity Cruises for a sailing that would start in Singapore and visit Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia. We decided that since “we are already there”, we should visit the country of Malaysia in depth. I contacted few travel agencies but decided to have Audley Travel as our agents because of the professionalism they had presented from the beginning of the process. They were not the cheapest but I felt very comfortable talking to the agent, Caroline Parry, who spent few months there.

Caroline made many suggestions and together we agreed on an itinerary that will give us both an opportunity to meet the many colors of cultures plus visit the most significant attractions there.

Day 1& 2 – December 24^th, 2014 – December 25^th, 2015

David & Debbie, from D & D Limo Services, came around 6:00 and we headed over to LAX. On our way we stopped for dinner at The Embassy Suits, right next to the airport.

We boarded our Cathay Pacific flight at 10:30 to our first leg of the trip: Hong Kong, a flight that lasted 14.5 hours. I spent the time watching 3 different movies. The nicest one was Boyhood.

By the time we landed in Hong Kong it was already Friday, December 26^th, which means that we spent Christmas day up there in the skies.

Hong Kong Airport was beautiful, with many shops and eateries but the most significant impression was the cleanness and the spacious terminals.

A beautiful Christmas tree was on display in the middle of the International Terminal.

Day 3 – December 26^th, 2014

We boarded the flight to Kuala Lumpur and arrived there 3.5 hours later. This was my first time landing in a country where most of the population (about 80% of them) is Muslims. Tova feared that since our passports indicate that we were born in Israel we will encounter problems but the whole process was as smooth as it could be.

Outside the terminal we saw our name on a plaque with Audley Travel logo on it. Our guides were waiting for us!

Outside we met our guide, a nice gentleman by the name of Rizal.

We started our journey to our first destination in Malaysia: The city of Malacca, about 100 miles away. Rain started to fall as we left the airport and Rizal told us that it is pretty typical to rain in Kuala Lumpur, on a daily basis. On our way we stopped in a service station to have lunch. There were about 6 restaurants in a food court along the highway. Rizal chose one that he had visited before and we had some traditional Malaysian plates (rice and curry chicken – also called Nassi Lamma) accompanied by strong coffee. The taste of the food was unbelievable and the coffee was delicious. The three of us ended up paying $5.30 in total for the whole meal!

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An hour later we were in Malacca City, the capital of the state of Malacca. The city is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage. Rizal told us a bit of the history of the city: The site where the city of Malacca stands today was the center of Malaccan history. It was the capital of the Malacca Sultanate and was the center of the Malay world in the 15th and the 16th century after the Malays moved over from Sumatra and was the most prosperous port and city before it fell to the hand of Portuguese in 1511. Centuries of colonization by the Portuguese, Dutch and the British as well as development of Straits Chinese culture have influenced the architecture of the town.

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When we arrived it was hot and humid but no rain in sight. After a short visit at St. Paul, the oldest active church in the country, we found our hotel, after fighting traffic for about 45 minutes: It was Friday afternoon and the Malaysians were getting ready for the weekend. The facts that Malacca is the most popular destination for the Malaysians, plus the weather conditions in the East of country were horrible as heavy rain caused serious flooding and chaos. We later on found out that scores of people perished in the flood.

Hotel Puri was unique. It was built many years ago and looked very “historic”. Its best feature was the location: right in the middle of things – Chinatown. Our room was small but comfortable.

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We showered and decided to walk down the street to look for food. As we walked outside of the hotel we saw hundreds of people walking towards an alley, right next to our hotel. We joined the crowd and found ourselves in a street that was closed to traffic and instead was flooded with thousands of people with one thing in their mind: FOOD. We saw scores of stands on the sides of streets with each stand featuring different kind of food. We found out that this event takes place every weekend (Friday thru Sunday) and the name of the Night Market is Jonker Walk, known by the locals as Jalan Hang Jebat.

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We stopped at different stalls and tasted Octopus Dim Sum, Pot Chicken, BBQ Pork among half a dozen different plates, which were all delicious and cost a couple of dollars each.

There was a gathering of people next to a center stage. One of the stores had a grand opening and hundreds of spectators were looking on at the ceremony.

We returned to our hotel at around 11:00 as of all the sudden the jet lag started to act. We crashed on the bed for a deep sleep.

Day 4 – December 27^th, 2014

We woke up at 7:00 and headed to the dining room. The kitchen offered Malaysian breakfast, which was very similar to their lunch: Curry Chicken and rice, Chinese breakfast and American breakfast. We chose the Chinese breakfast and had noodles, dumplings, hard-boil eggs and fruit.

Rizal was scheduled to meet us at 10:00 and since we had a couple of hours to “kill” we headed back to Jonker Walk. The streets were now empty but the amazing thing was how clean they were after last night market event.

We met Rizal back at the hotel and started our walking tour of the city.

We strolled along Harmony Street, also known as Jalan Tokong Besi.

We stopped at a unique shoe maker place where they make special shoes called “Round feet Shoes”. The owner told us some details about these weird looking shoes: Millions of Chinese women bound their feet to turn them into 'three-inch golden lotuses or San Cun Jin Lian. Having small feet was seen as beautiful and a status symbol - often the only way for a woman to marry into money. The practice was first banned in 1912 but some families would have children's feet bound in secret. Records show that foot binding dates back to the Song dynasty between 960 - 1279AD.

We visited Cheng Hoon Teng Temple, built in 1645, the oldest Chinese Temple in Malaysia. Our next stop was at the Kampung Keling Mosque, which was finished in 1868. Our next visit was at Sri Payyatha Vinayagar Moorthi Temple, built in the late 18th century, and is the oldest Hindu temple in Malaysia.

We made a brief tour of a traditional Malaysian home (Kampung Ketek), right next to the temple. Originating before the arrival of foreign or modern influences, the home was constructed by the indigenous ethnic Malay.

We strolled along the street, crossed the river on a beautiful bridge and right there where the street meets the river there was a restaurant named Kocik Kitchen. There were about 100 people lining up along the bridge. The time was 12:00 and Rizal told us that they started to line up at 10:00, waiting for the restaurant to open at 11:00, as they serve the best “Baba Nyonya” Food in town. When we inquired about what was so special about this food, Rizal told us the following: Malacca is rich with centuries-old cultures, it’s most prominent one being the Peranakan (‘Baba Nyonya’), which is a mix of two very diverse customs and traditions, and the term was coined back in the late 15th century when interracial marriages first began between Chinese immigrants and local Malay Muslim ladies. Today, while the Peranakan race is becoming a rarity because of local rules prohibiting Muslim Malays marrying other religions, the culture lives on and it is still the pride and glory of its descendants. And what better way to relive and experience the Old World charm than through its absolutely irresistible cuisine?

Across the bridge there was St .Paul Hill and on top of the hill we found St. Paul Church, built originally in 1521, dedicated to the Virgin Mary and known as the Nossa Senhora da Annunciada (Our Lady of Grace) or the Nossa Senhora da Annunciada (Our Lady of the Hill). The chapel was built by a Portuguese nobleman. At the front of the church we saw a statue of St. Francis. The statue was dedicated to Francis Xavier, who in 1548, with the help of others, established a school in the premises of the chapel known as St. Paul's College. This was the first school in the modern sense to be established on the Malay Peninsula.

The view from the top of the hills was beautiful. We were able to see most of the city and the bay.

We walked back towards the hotel and stopped for a pre-arranged lunch in a Perankan Restaurant, next to the hotel. The service was terrible, as we waited for about 20 minutes for someone to come to our table and when no one showed up we walked as if to get out. The manager, a middle age woman, came over and we told her that we don’t have all day, someone came with the menu. The food arrived 30 minutes later and was already cold. There were complaints from other tables as well.

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We rode the car and arrived to Sila Tanggalkan Kasut Anda, the Malacca Straits Mosque, located on the man-made Malacca Island. It looks like a floating structure, and was built in 2006. It was necessary for Tova to cover herself with one of their gowns and we explored the structure for about 30 minutes and met a couple to be married in the mosque. They wore the traditional Malaysian clothes and looked very happy!!

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We stopped for coffee at a Malaysian coffee shop in Portuguese Town and ordered three coffees that were delicious and paid $1.00 for the total bill.

Light rain started to fall as we drove back to our hotel. We rested for a couple of hours and went down to dinner. Once again we visited Jonker Mall and had a terrific time. We had Egg-Foo-Young in one place, seafood in another location; baked dough filled with chicken in another and ended our feast with guava slices in another location.

We returned to our hotel at around 10:30

Day 5 – December 28^th, 2014

We woke up at 7:00 and after breakfast and checking out from the hotel, we met Rizal in the lobby.

Our first stop was a River cruise.

The Malacca River is where the town began and it has a key role in the city’s colorful history. Taking that cruise was like seeing the city from the back door. A few decades ago the river was a striking waterway lined with decayed houses on stilts and the untidy rear side of crumbling shops. In recent years it had a major facelift. Lots of new building, but at the same time an effort has been made to preserve many of the historic buildings and bridges along the river. Even the newer buildings have been painted with colorful murals with many aspects of the city’s rich history and culture. The ride took about 40 minutes. It went through the passage and some inaudible recorded description was given along the way.

Rizal suggested that we should take the countryside roads back to Kuala Lumpur and we of course agreed. We stopped along the way for lunch in a restaurant alongside the road and had a terrific lunch and ice coffee.

We arrived to the big city and the capital of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, at around 3:30. We checked into our boutique hotel, by the name of Anggun. It is considered one of the few good quality hotels in the city and is located in the capital’s lively Bukit Bintang area, which is the heart of the city’s entertainment and shopping and throbs 24/7 with activities. The hotel was developed from two 1920s Clan houses and the combination of history and culture make for a unique property in the city. The room was big and very comfortable.

At around 4:00, Zimra, an official of our travel company in Malaysia, met us in the lobby of the hotel. I insisted that I would like to have our guide Rizal for the entire trip in the country, as we got to know him and appreciated his knowledge, manners and charms. To my delight, Zimra agreed and except the walking tour scheduled for tomorrow and the time that we will spend in an island called Penang, Rizal will be our guide! We met with Rizal few minutes later and told him the good news.

We drove to the city’s Twin Towers, better known as Petrona Twin Towers. The twin skyscrapers were the tallest buildings in the world from 1998 to 2004 and remain the tallest twin towers in the world. The buildings are a landmark of the city, along with nearby Kuala Lumpur Communication Tower.

The sights of the towers were unbelievable. I was able to find some good spots to take good looks at the magnificent giant buildings. We entered the first floor, which was a shopping mall, with hundreds of happy shoppers. There was also a cinema complex on the ground floors. We then stood in line for security
clearance and then used the elevators to get to our first stop: The 41^st floor. A guide was waiting for us outside the elevators and gave us a brief description of the history and some important facts. The view from this floor was magnificent. After a 15 minutes tour, walking on the Sky Bridge, and photos taking we used the elevator to climb to the 86^th floor. There, another guide was waiting. The bird eyes views again were spectaculars. There was also a museum with state of the art computers and information center. We spent about 30 minutes there and were called back to the elevators.

Our loyal guide was waiting for us down on the ground and we decided to end the night in a Chinese restaurant. The food, which consisted of a huge fish, chicken, rice and noodles, was delicious.

We returned to the hotel at around 9:00 and when we turned on the TV, we learned about the disaster of the Air Asia (a company owned by Air Malaysia).

Day 6 – December 29^th, 2014

We woke up at 7:00 and went to a sit-down breakfast that was served to us on the hotel’s roof. The food was absolutely delicious and the service was perfect. I had a Malaysian typical breakfast: Rice, curry chicken (very spicy), fresh watermelon juice and coffee.

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Doris, out guide for the day showed up at around 10:00 and we started our tour of the city.

We walked to the main street and waited for the bus. Doris told us that the city of Kuala Lumpur has a complimentary bus service, sponsored by the city. The reasons for that were to keep the city less congested and to keep the pollution level to the minimum. What a great idea!

The bus stopped not far from a huge complex that is called by the locals The White Elephant. The official name is Berjaya Times Square and it is a 48-storey, twin tower, hotel, condominium, indoor amusement park and shopping centre complex. It was opened in October 2003 by the 4th Prime Minister of Malaysia. The development is currently the eighth largest building in the world and has also been tagged as the "world's largest building ever built in a single phase". When we went inside, however, we found out that most stores are closed for business and the huge space was actually empty. This fact contributed to its name: White Elephant, which is a possession which its owner cannot dispose of and whose cost, particularly that of maintenance, is out of proportion to its usefulness. On the street level there were homeless people sleeping alongside the walls and beggars.

We walked along the river bank and as Doris was telling us the history of the city, light rain has started: Kuala Lumpur was established during 1857 at the junction of 2 rivers: Gombak and Klang. In English, “Kuala Lumpur” literally means "muddy confluence". The venture into the muddy confluence started when a member of the royal family, opened up the Klang Valley for tin prospectors. 87 Chinese prospectors went up the river Klang and began prospecting in the Ampang area, which was then a jungle. Despite 69 of them dying due to the pestilential conditions, a thriving tin mine was established. This naturally attracted merchants who traded basic provisions to the miners in return for some of the tin.

We arrived to the British Colony. The British, Doris told us, controlled Malaysia between 1771 and 1957. Under British rule, Malaya was one of the most profitable territories of the British Empire, being the world's largest producer of tin and later rubber.

We stood in front of a beautiful building and Doris continued: This building was used to house the British Administration and is known as the Sultan Abdul Samad Building. This building is one example of how Kuala Lumpur’s multi-cultural identity blended with Britain’s colonial influence. Named after the sultan who lived at the time of construction, the building was designed by architect A.C. Norman and completed in 1897. Norman used Moorish influences, giving the building a character that is neither Asian nor British, but rather North African or Iberian – except for its sort of English-style clock tower.

We arrived at the Independence Square (Dataran Merdeka) and the first thing we noticed was a huge banner with “Our prayers and thoughts for MH370”, referring to the terrible tragedy of Malaysia Airlines flight# 370.

Doris told us that it was here where the Union Flag was lowered and the Malayan Flag hoisted for the first time at midnight on 31 August 1957.

We continued to the City Gallery where a huge “I Love KL” placard was on display. This was an interesting tourist information center with a collection of paintings and photos of KL’s history, plus miniature mock ups of famous city landmarks.

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Our next stop was at the Pasar Seni, the Central Market. It was founded in 1888 and originally used as a wet market, selling only meats and fresh produce. The current building was completed in 1937. It has since been classified as a Heritage Site by the Malaysian Heritage Society and it is now a landmark for Malaysian culture and heritage. The market is arranged in a stall concept, representing the traditional market that has existed in Kuala Lumpur since the 1800s.

We continued to walk and arrived to Petaling Street, in Chinatown. It is infamous for pirated clothes and accessories along with bootleg DVDs and CDs. Petaling Street however does not exclusively offer pirated products. Haggling is a common sight here and the place was crowded with locals as well as tourists. Tova found a beautiful bag and we were able to pay 40% of the asking price.

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We passed a beautiful Chinese Temple and then arrived to a colorful Indian Temple.

We returned to Petaling Street where Lunch was served at Cafe Old China. This is one of the oldest restaurants in the city and was shortlisted in the Best Malaysian Restaurant category of the Time Out KL Food Awards 2012, voted by the city’s residents. Doris did the ordering and the food was excellent!

We used the tram to arrive to the city’s center. We said goodbye to our excellent guide and walked towards The Gallery Mall and its impressive entrance. The place was crowded with hundreds of shoppers.

We walked the streets and looked for bargains for the next couple of hours and found some shoes, a curler iron and hair-drier for Tova and a wallet for me.

On our way to the hotel we found an Indian restaurant and had naan bread with melted cheese plus coffee. Unbelievable!

Next to our hotel we found a Thai Massage and had a foot massage, which was excellent.

After a couple of hours of rest in the hotel we decided to end the day with a night walk in the city.

For dinner we decided to go to the night market, a block away from our hotel, where about 200 stalls lined up the street and offered a variety of food. We ended up sitting in a seafood restaurant and had a delicious meal.

We returned to our nearby hotel at around 10:00

Day 7 – December 30^th, 2014

We woke up at 7:00 and went to the hotel’s restaurant on the roof. The weather was not so bad: Cloudy but no rain. We checked out and waited to Rizal, who showed up around 9:00.

Our first stop was at Istana Negara Malaysia Palace, or The National Palace. This huge palace was the former residence of the Supreme King of Malaysia. It is located on a commanding position on the slope of a hill of Bukit Petaling overlooking the Klang River, along Jalan Syed Putra, the major hwy. It was replaced by the new palace as the official residence of the King in 2011. On 2013 it was converted into the Royal Museum. The building is nestled within over 11-hectare compound with a variety of plants and flowers, swimming pool and indoor badminton (a game with rackets) hall. As the palace grounds were not opened to members of the public or tourists, the Main Palace Entrance is a great picture spot.

The whole area is fenced up and the Royal Insignia of His Majesty is placed on each steel bar between two pillars of the fence. At the front of the Istana Negara, we found the main entrance which resembles an arch. On each side of the arch, are two guard posts to shelter two members of the cavalry in their full dress uniform similar to the ones at Buckingham Palace, London. From 2013, the full dress uniforms are in Malay traditional attire as it was during the Malay Sultanate era.

We drove to the next highlight of the day, and what a highlight it was: The Batu Caves, in Gombak.

In front of the caves we saw this HUGE statue, standing at 140 foot tall. It is the world's tallest statue of Murugan, a Hindu deity. The statue, which cost of millions of dollars, is made of 1550 cubic meters of concrete, 250 tons of steel bars and 300 liters of gold paint brought in from neighboring Thailand. I believe this was the biggest statue I have ever seen.

The structure is a limestone hill that has a series of caves and cave temples; it takes its name from the Sungai Batu or Batu River, which flows past the hill. The cave is one of the most popular Hindu shrines outside India, and is dedicated to Lord Murugan. It is the focal point of Hindu festival of Thaipusam in Malaysia (a Hindu festival celebrated mostly by the Tamil community on the full moon in January or February). The caves are estimated to be 400 million years old.

To get to the cave we had to climb 272 concrete steps. We found out that before the concrete steps, wooden steps up to the Temple Cave were built in 1920 and have since been replaced by the concrete steps.

As we climbed up the stairs, we were “greeted” by many monkeys that call the cave “home”. The monkeys were looking for “victims”, those were the people with bags, hats, glasses, or jewelry. Some of the worshipers brought food for the monkeys and they were competing with each other to eat the provided food.

Of the various cave temples that comprise the site, the largest and best known is the Temple Cave, so named because it houses several Hindu shrine beneath its high vaulted ceiling.

We spent about an hour in the complex and when we met Rizal at the bottom of the hill, he told us that he received a text message, informing him that the road to the falls in Cameron Highlands was closed due to flooding. Rizal offered us to visit another water fall, not far from the caves, and he claimed that in his opinion it was much nicer than the one next to Cameron Highlands. He then drove to the most beautiful water fall named Kanching, in the Templer Park Resort. The park was named in honor of Sir Gerald Templer, a British High Commissioner in Malaya. The water falls were beautiful.

We spend about an hour there. I climbed the stairs and reached the 4^th water fall. The view from up there was spectacular.

On our way there, we stopped at a fruit stand and bought some juicy mangos and guavas, which we all consumed in the car.

We drove a while and arrived to a tiny village where the specialty was Basket Weaving. We entered one of the huts and saw 3 women weaving baskets the way they used to do it hundreds of years ago. Under the shade of the hut they use both their hands in rhythm in weaving together the dry leaves into a beautiful basket that they either use or try to later sell to tourists like us. It takes patient and practice to master this skill. The process can between 20 minutes to several hours. They worked in deep concentration as they use a skill that has been down to Malaysians from generation to generation.

Next to the building we met a farmer and saw how he turns the bamboo branches into thin material, which is used for the weaving.

As we left the village, Rizal saw some men servicing the road. He stopped and asked them if the road to Cameron Highlands was still closed. To our delight they informed him that the road, named Tapah Way, is now opened.

We stopped for lunch at a road service station and had typical Malay food.

We arrived to Lata Iskandar Waterfalls and parked alongside of the road, right next to some stalls, which sold fruit, vegetables, snacks and other items such as medical leaves, handicrafts and souvenirs.

At the base of the hill there was a pool, created naturally by the multi tier falls with swirling water that come streaming from the highlands to the bottom on its way to a river, steaming under the road. Some people were taking a cold bath as monkeys were watching. The waterfalls were magnificent. We walked for a while and my camera worked non-stop, taking beautiful pictures of the site’s waterfalls and fauna.

We drove and arrived to a village that looked as if time stopped there. The people were living in huts that looked as if they will fall apart any minute. Roosters, sheep and other animals were walking between the huts. Rizal stopped there because we wanted to purchase the local honey. We did!

After driving up the hills in a winding road we arrived to our final destination of the day Cameron Highlands, situated on top of the hills, some 120 miles from Kuala Lumpur. The place was discovered by Sir William Cameron in 1885.

Rizal told us that we are now at the center of agriculture in Malaysia. He continued and explained that most of the residents here are entrepreneurs, service industry employees, farm workers, retirees or government servants. The languages spoken languages spoken here are Malay, Mandarin, Tamil (Indian dialect), and English , Islam, Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, Christianity, and Sikhism are the main religions of the haven.

As we entered the town our mouths dropped when we saw the acres and acres of tea plantations. They were arranged as a continuous carpet and the site was one of those that you never forget. We stopped at a tea house on top of a hill and had a delicious cup of tea. We then went down the hill and walked around the tea plants.

We arrived to the most beautiful hotel named The Cameron Highlands Resort. It was a true 5 stars hotel. We were greeted by one of the receptionists and were asked to sit in the lobby while she could find our reservations. She then came back with refreshing drinks and wet towels, to wash our hands and faces. When she returned, our guest-card was already filled and all we had to do is sign. We entered our spacious and modern room and felt as if we are in heaven.

Tova announced that she is going to skip dinner and just rest in the comfortable bed. At around 8:00 Rizal returned and I asked him to take me to a typical local restaurant. He already knew where we are going: The You Hoo Steamboat Restaurant. We arrived to a simple but yet a very large restaurant and sat at a table on the sidewalk. The food started to arrive only a few minutes later. We received a pot with chicken soup broth that was situated on a hot gas plate while the flame was on. The waiter placed few deep plates with raw shrimps on the table, load of fresh vegetables, tofu, chicken strips, and fish balls. We then poured a plate’s content into the steamy pot of the broth, one at a time and after the content of the plate was ready to eat we shared the steamy food and poured the second plate onto the pot and so on. It was both delicious and interesting.

I returned to the hotel at around 10:00. Tova was sound asleep!

Day 8 – December 31^st, 2014

We woke up at 7:00 and had a wonderful breakfast at the hotel’s dining room.

We checked out and waited for Rizal, who showed up at 9:00.

Outside the hotel I saw a sign that says "1 Malaysia". We kept seeing this sign all over in the previous days as well. later on found out that it means that all Malaysians are "one" as in "united as one"

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Our first stop of the day was a local market where they sell local products. We then drove to the Rose Garden but it was closed, due to flooding. Rizal substituted it to a visit at a strawberry farm: Raaju’s Hill, one of the well known strawberry farms in the area. Entrance was free of charge and we got a free tour of the strawberry field and the actual processing plant and it was remarkable.

We drove down the hill and stopped at the Butterfly Farm that was established in 1990. The farm guardian accompanied us as we toured the farm. He told us that the butterfly farm was initially started as a hobby of the founder and a breeding house of these beautiful creatures. Presently it houses a wonderful live butterfly’s exhibition house and other exotic wildlife for the public and tourist who visit Cameron Highlands. Today Cameron Highlands Butterfly farm has become one of the most well known Tropical insects houses in Malaysia.

We tagged along and had a great experience. The guides stopped at every exhibit and let us touch the animals. He even picked few of the insects and put them on our cloths. We later on met his wife, who was in charge on the fauna in the farm.

The tour lasted about 45 minutes and we had a terrific time.

We drove towards the next destination: Sungei Palas tea Garden and Tea Center (BOH). Rizal gave us a bit of history about the tea plantation: The Plantations was founded in 1935 by a British businessman during the British colonial era in Malaya. He was optimistic of the tea plantation business due to huge demands despite of the world-wide Great Depression at that time. As a result of the potential, he applied for and was granted a concession of land for his first tea garden in Cameron Highlands. To ensure the freshness of its tea products, the Plantation also set up a packaging factory near its main garden. BOH tea products are distributed both in domestic and international markets.

As we drove onto the plantation, we stopped our breath to the views of fields covered with the tea plants. We arrived to the center and started the tour in the packaging center. We witnessed the phases of the process and it was quite interesting. We then entered the beautiful modern center and purchased tea that was absolutely out of this world. We sipped it sitting on the balcony and viewing the field. The current slogan of BOH tea products is "BOH ada Ummph!" (BOH puts the Ummph!). After tasting the tea we understood why…

Reluctantly, we left this beautiful site and started our way to Penang. We drove on a beautiful highway for about 3.5 hours (some 180 miles). We were supposed to arrive to the island via an old historic bridge but Rizal asked our permission to ride a new bridge, which was just become available, as he never rode it. We agreed and the ride was an unbelievable experience. The new bridge was very wide and very comfortable.

The name "Penang", Rizal told us, comes from the modern Malay name Pulau Pinang, which means "island of the areca nut palm" and the island, is often known as "The Pearl of the Orient"

We arrived to the city of Georgetown and after some difficulties, we found our hotel, Muntri Mews, known to be one of the best boutique hotels in the city. The location was excellent but our suite was right above the kitchen, which is a very popular for locals and tourists alike, and the noise was almost unbearable, especially at night. Nevertheless, we made the most of it.

When we arrived to the hotel we found out that we had a visitor waiting: Dennis, the tour operator in Penang joined us to get to know us and to tell us when is planned ahead for us. As tomorrow would be a “free day” he suggested that we take the “Hop on Hop off” bus. He even offered his help to purchase the tickets. We agreed.

After a shower and change of clothes we went to dinner at the Red Garden, which consists of about 18 different restaurants and one huge dining room. We picked our food from different restaurants and it was served to us to our tables by different waiters. We had fried calamari, noodles with shrimp, soup and a couple of beers. The price was an amazing $12 for both!

We walked the streets and arrived to a park, where New Years Eve will be celebrated in 4 hours. There were already hundreds of loud spectators, singing along a singer some traditional songs. We stayed for a while but realized that we would not make it till midnight as we were exhausted. We returned to our hotel and crashed. The noise that came from the kitchen as they were extremely busy did not bother us; that how tired we were.

Day 9 – January 1^st, 2015

Happy New Year!!

We woke up at 7:30 and started 2015 with a great breakfast at the hotel, including fresh squeezed orange juice, and a choice between Indian breakfast and Malay breakfast. We ordered one of each and both were delicious! The Café Latte that followed the meal was one of the best we had!

While we were sitting at the garden, enjoying our breakfast, the narrow street became very active as thousands of locals were in the midst of the annual New Year Marathon. Some of them took a break at the dining room and had some food and coffee. After consuming the food they returned to the street and continued the long walk.

At 9:00 Dennis showed up with a voucher and explained where the bus station (number 9) is: “Go up the street and make a left at the end. This street is named Lebuh Keng Kwee You will see on the left side, about 5 blocks away a BIG sign that will indicate that this is the bus stop. You then take the voucher to the office and they will exchange it to 2 bus tickets. You can’t miss it. Make sure you take the Red Line”. Well, we followed his directions. We made a left as instructed and then we arrived to the end of the street and no sign for the Hop on Hop off sign. We met a Chinese couple and asked them if they knew where the bus station was. They did and even offered to take us to there.

On our way they mentioned that there is a very famous stall, named Teochew Chendul, which serves the famous desert made of coconut milk, jelly noodles rice flour, kidney beans, shaved ice and palm sugar. That sounded so yummy. They continued to tell us that they tried last night to get it but the line was 2 hours long and they are on their way to try it again. When we arrived, there were only a handful of people in line, as they just opened. The staff at the stall was like a well-oiled machine. They were very efficient in preparing each bowl of ice and adding on the ingredients. The stall’s owner was in charge of ladling out the Chendul noodles and coconut milk before serving the bowl up. In the background, his wife was busy washing dishes and spoons, digging out new blocks of ice, or warming up new batches of ingredients. We took our bowls and tried to sit at a table across from the stall. This is when another stall owner yelled at us that if we want to sit there, we must buy something from him. The owner of the Teochew Chendul was embarrassed and offered his house, not far from there for us to sit there. We politely declined but were impressed, nevertheless. The desert was out of this world and we ate it while standing up, as the other patrons did.

The Chinese couple led us to the bus station and when we found it, both Tova & I were laughing so hard: The sign was so tiny and the office? Well it was a lady sitting in the street at a tiny table!! (See picture!)

We changed to another bus (Green Line) and took the tour of the seafront using Gurney Drive. When we saw the beautiful scenery, the beaches and the fabulous hotels we understood why Penang is one of the most popular vacation getaways for tourists from the 4 corners of the world.

The bus arrived about 20 minutes later and we chose to sit on the upper deck. We passed through all the highlights of Georgetown and arrived to the last stop for this line – at the New City and its resorts area. When the tour was done we strolled on the beach and enjoyed the outstanding views.

We then hopped again on the original bus (Red Line) and hopped off at Arulmigu Balathandayuthapani Temple. We took our shoes off at the bottom of the hill and climbed 513 steps (!) to reach the temple. Along the way we talked to many worshippers, who were extremely friendly and charming. When we finally arrived to the temple, we met a priest, who went out of his way and let us in, even though the temple was already closed. We talked to him and this is what he told us: The site is better known as the Waterfall Hill Temple or Hill Top Murugan Temple and among local is considered as one of the oldest temple in the city. The main deity of this temple is Murugan. It is the focal point of Hindu festival of Thaipusam (a Hindu festival celebrated on a full moon, usually in January or February) in Malaysia after the Batu Caves.The hilltop temple, with its seven-storey main tower, has been touted as the largest Murugan temple outside India. He continued and told us that in about a month (I think he said February 20^th) there will be hundreds of thousands worshippers that will visit the temple. Georgetown streets will be closed that day to accommodate the worshippers that will march from the city’s center to arrive here. They will all be bared foot and will be dressed with the festivities clothes.

The temple itself was unique and simple. The views from the hilltop were amazing: In front of us we saw the entire city of Georgetown and beyond. We saw the Old Bridge and the new one. We saw the port, the clock tower and the new city. It was unbelievable!

We climbed down the same 513 steps, found our shoes and waited for the bus. 45 minutes later it showed up and we took it all the way back to the initial bus stop on Lebuh Keng Kwee. There we found a Chinese food court and had a wonderful dinner.

We returned to our hotel at around 8:30 and after a shower we ‘Skyped’ with Emly and then collapsed on our bed. The heat and humidity finally got us!

Day 10 – January 2^nd, 2015

We woke up at 7:00 and after another delicious breakfast at the hotel’s restaurant; we met Billy, our tour guide of the day. The first thing that we noticed is that the guy likes to talk, and a lot.

We started our walking tour and our first stop was St. George's Church on Lebuh Farquhar in Georgetown,. We found out that this is the oldest Anglican Church in Southeast Asia and it was completed in 1818. The churchyard now plays host to Penang’s most expensive car park. On the green lawn at the front, shaded by ancient-looking mahogany trees, is where we found a Greek temple-style memorial to Captain Francis Light, who founded Georgetown in 1786 under the auspices of the British East India Company.

We walked to walk along Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling, otherwise known as the ‘Street of Harmony’. The street draws together the town’s four main religions and provides a quick, easy tour of its different communities. The arrival of the British was the catalyst that brought together so many other different nationalities, each of whom came here in the late 18th century to take advantage of fresh opportunities in the brand new port town.

We stopped at a Chinese Temple. Billy told us that this is the spiritual center of the Chinese community and another of Penang’s best-known landmarks, the Goddess of Mercy Temple (Tokong Kuan Im). We were able to smell it before we saw it, thanks to an array of giant pink smoking joss sticks in the forecourt. Dating back to 1800, the existing Chinese temple is one of Penang’s oldest surviving buildings and features an extraordinary number of dragons on its carved stone pillars and roof ridges. The inner chamber, with its hanging red lanterns and 18-armed statue of the goddess herself, is particularly atmospheric at dusk, when devotees come to pray, and we found many of them outside and inside the temple. The downside of the temple was the mountains of trash in the front, right next to the street.

We walked, not far from the temple, to a Tea House, where Billy’s friend was the owner. We sat at one of the tables and sipped hot and delicious tea, while Billy and the owner, who are buddies and also perform at the same band, were playing the guitar and singing American songs to us.

Just a few yards away we found a small Hindu shrine and it is testament to Penang’s multicultural diversity that you will see both Indians and Chinese standing in front to make prayers.

Back on the Street of Harmony, we found Sri Maha Mariamman Kovil, built in traditional south Indian style. It was established in 1833, and is the oldest Hindu temple on the island and its colorful tower features 38 statues, including the patron goddess Amman in all her various incarnations. Inside, the temple was just as colorful, and the statue of Lord Subramaniam, which is embellished with gold, diamonds and emeralds. It was quite impressive. As we continued along the road, the domes of the imposing Kapitan Keling Mosque appeared above the rooftops to the west. It was closed, as prayers to visitors as worshippers were praying at the time.

Our last stop in Harmony Street was a big and a beautiful complex and after paying the entrance fees, we viewed the inside of Khoo Kongsi; in Cannon Square. Billy explained that The Khoo Kongsi is a clan association, whose forefathers came from South China. The Khoos were among the wealthy Chinese traders of seventeen century Malacca and early Penang. The forefathers of the Khoo family built it as a clan-house (Kongsi) for members of the Khoo family in 1851. The famous and distinctive building complex is the grandest clan temple in the country. It is also one of the city's major historic attractions. The clan temple has retained its authentic historic setting, which includes an association building, a traditional theater and the late 19^th century row-houses for clan members, all clustered around a granite-paved square.

Our next attraction was what Billy called, “Street Art in Georgetown”. We walked in the streets finding some walls with impressive paintings, also called Murals; many artists were sitting in the shade and painted pictures that were of course for sale. We probably saw about 10 of these murals and stopped for pictures taking at the most famous one, on Armenian Street: “ Little Children on a Bicycle”, painted by Ernest Zacharevic , who left his mark with beautiful wall painting of children all across the city.

After a short walk in the streets of Little India, Billy wanted us to enter a museum but I told him that we are not interested. He then proclaimed that “there nothing else I could show you” and we headed back to the hotel. Now: I am not usually complaining about tour guides, but Billy was not what I call “A good guide”. The tour that was supposed to last 5 hours lasted only 4 and by shortening it we missed few things, primarily in the Street Art portion. When we got back to the hotel I found out that there were at least 30 murals in this section: we saw 10. Besides, the company was paid for a 5 hours tour and Billy shortened it to 4. I complained to Dennis and he apologized.

We rested for about an hour in the hotel and then decided to use the rest of the afternoon to visit few attractions, using the Hop on - Hop off services.

We found the bus station (this time it was easy…) and made our way to the first stop: 2 temples, opposite to each other on Burma Road.

First we entered to a Burmese Temple called The Standing Buddha, or as it is called Dhammikarama Burmese Temple. The golden standing statue was very impressive with its height of 25 feet and its beauty. Besides the famous golden Standing Buddha in the main hall, there was an area which displays paintings telling the stories of Buddha, on both side of the walk way to the inner hall. The temple was founded at the beginning of the 19^th century.

We crossed the street and entered to the grounds of the Reclining Buddha Temple (Wat Chayamangkalaram), also known as the Sleeping Buddha by the locals. At the entrance we were greeted by two dragon statues protecting the temple entrance. We took off our shoes when we stepped into the temple. This Thai temple is well known due to the gold plated reclining Buddha that is as long as 100 feet. This is the third largest in the world. The temple was built in the year of 1845, by a Buddhist monk, who came from Thailand, on the five acres land given by Queen Victoria to the Thai's community.

The reclining Buddha represents the historical Shakyamuni Buddha at his death. It is said that the Buddha knew death was approaching, and asked his disciples to prepare a couch for him in a grove. He lay there, reclining on his right side, facing west, with his head supported by his hand, as he passed into nirvana.

Behind the reclining Buddha, we saw many niches, containing the ashes of devotees. There was a small Thai village and a Thai cemetery just behind the temple.

We returned to the main road and were lucky, as the next bus just approached. Our next destination was Penang Hill, a hill resort comprising a group of peaks, also known by the Malay name Bukit Bendera, which refers to Flagstaff Hill, the most developed peak.

We stood in line and bought tickets to the Air Tram, which is the most convenient way up to the Hill. The ride was only for about 10 minutes and the tram was very modern and comfortable. Construction of the railway took place between 1906 and 1923. Many locals escape the heat of the city and go there to relax and cool off. We saw many families there, walking around or just chilling in the restaurant on top of the hill. The views of city from the top were outstanding!

When we arrived back to the bottom of the hill, an hour later, we had just missed the bus and waited 45 minutes for the next one.

Once we arrived to our next destination, we climbed a hill and reached Kek Lo Sik Temple, translated as "Temple of Supreme Bliss", one of the best known traditional Chinese Buddha temples in the city. Unfortunately, the temple itself was closed but we asked for permission to walk the grounds from a monk at the gate, and he let us spend a few minutes there.

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The bus showed up about 30 minutes later and we found out it was the last bus of the day. The time was 7:00 in the evening. We arrived back to the original station, where we started our tour and had dinner at a Chinese Seafood restaurant.

We returned to our hotel and packed for tomorrow travel.

When we finally went to sleep the time was 11:00.

Day 11 – January 3^rd, 2015

We woke up at 6:30 and during breakfast a driver by the name of Abu showed up. We invited him to join us for breakfast and he was happy as one could be. He told us that he always wanted to eat in this famous restaurant of the hotel but could not afford it. After the meal he drove us to the airport to our awaiting Malaysia Airlines flight to Kuala Lumpur.

Rizal, our loyal and excellent guide was waiting for us at the airport. We actually missed the guy, not seeing him for the last three days and we hugged each other as old friends.

Rizal made an unplanned stop at Putrajaya, a planned city 25 km south of

Kuala Lumpur, which still serves as the federal administrative center of Malaysia. The seat of government was shifted in 1999 from Kuala Lumpur here, due to overcrowding and congestion in the Capital. Nevertheless, Kuala Lumpur remains Malaysia's national capital, being the seat of the king and the Parliament, as well as the country's commercial and financial center. Putrajaya was the brainchild of former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad. In order to accommodate all the staff and their families, the city includes state of the art of condominiums and single family homes, including schools, hospitals, parks, shopping mall and eateries, among other necessary services. The population in the city is mostly Muslim (about 95%). The main road of the government plaza was astonishing with tall and beautiful buildings on both sides. At the end of the road there was a magnificent mosque (Putra Mosque) and the Prime Minister’s offices (Perdana Putra).

We made it to Kuala Lumpur; about 30 minutes drive from Putrajaya and to our hotel, the magnificent Renaissance Hotel, a true 5 stars hotel. The view from our luxury room was unbelievable: as we opened the curtains, in front of us stood the Twin Towers and the Telecommunication Tower with all their glory. Our room was on the 25^th floor and it was about at the same height of the towers. Unbelievable!

We washed up, changed our clothes and walked for about a mile to the Muslim Bazaar. When we arrived we were treated to one experience we will never forget. About 10 thousands shoppers were walking in the narrow road between the stalls and shops. The place was as dirty as it could be. The smells were a mix of food, sweat and garbage.

We walked for about an hour and then decided to have dinner in Chinatown. We took a taxi and once we got to the center of Chinatown, we found a nice restaurant with seats inside and outside. We opted to sit outside and had a wonderful meal.

After the meal we walked to the close by Mydin Mega Market. The store is spread out to four large floors and was HUGE, even by American standards. By looking at the hundreds of shoppers and the long lines at the cashiers, we realized how booming the economy is in this country.

We decided to walk off the food and started to walk towards our hotel only that we got some bad directions from a taxi driver and ended up, an hour later, at the same location of the lively Bukit Bintang area, which we recognized right away from our last visit in the city. We stopped a taxi and he took us directly to the hotel.

In order to cool off and get the sweat out of our bodies, we decided to dip in the huge pool on the fourth floor of the hotel. It was amazing!

We got ready for tomorrow travel and went to sleep at around midnight.

Day 12 – January 4^th, 2015

Happy Anniversary! Today we celebrated our 43^rd anniversary!!

We woke up at 6:45 and were treated to the most beautiful breakfast at the hotel. The dining room was huge and included 5 different islands of food. There were Malay food, Chinese food, Indian food, English food and American food. There were chefs on each “island” to cater your favorite breakfast. I had a Chinese breakfast or Dim-Sum.

AT 8:20 Rizal showed up and took us straight to the airport. A drive that lasted about an hour. Our flight to Singapore left at 11:50 and 45 minutes later we landed in a country that it is the only one in the world that consists of a Country, an Island (diamond shaped), a City, which is also the Capital.

A driver was waiting for us at the terminal. His name was Tony. He took us to a shopping area where I replaced my watch band, which got ripped yesterday and then to the Cruise Port. We went through the boarding processes and then embarked the beautiful Celebrity Millennium. We found our cabin #1135, which was located in the “Quiet Zone” on the 11^th deck. We had a salad at the buffet restaurant and then toured the ship for about an hour. We always do a “ship tour” on the first day. Just to know where everything is. When we got to the top deck we saw the city’s skyline, including the world famous: The Marina Bay Sands Hotel & Casino (the one with a pool at the top) – what a magnificent sight!

At 5:45 we walked down the stairs to the 5^th deck and to the Blu, the restaurant that we will dine at, in the next 14 days. When we returned to our room, the luggage pieces were already inside the cabin and we unpacked for the next 30 minutes.

We walked on the 11^th deck to view the island at night. The sight was so beautiful, with all the many lights from the tall buildings in the Downtown area and other lights from afar.

We then went to the Persian Garden to relax in the different saunas (wet, dry and Turkish!)

We returned to our cabin I read some facts about Singapore that was provided to us by Audley and learned the following: There are about 5.5 million people who live in this country with about 2 million of them, who were born elsewhere. While Singapore is diverse, ethnic Asians predominate: 75 percent of the population is Chinese, with significant minorities of Malays, Indians, and Eurasians. There are four official languages—English, Malay, Mandarin, and Tamil — and the country promote multiculturalism through a range of official policies. The country consists of additional 60 significantly smaller islands and is one of the world's major commercial hubs with the fourth-biggest financial center and one of the five busiest ports in Asia. Singapore has the third-highest per capita income in the world (!) It places highly in international rankings with regard to education, healthcare, and economic competitiveness.

We fell asleep at around 11:45

Day 13 – January 5^th, 2015

We woke up at 7:00 and after breakfast we exited the ship and found a taxi to take us to Chinatown.

Tova wanted to do her hair before the trip and we found a beauty salon in one of the shopping centers. While she was having her hair done, I strolled around the busy streets. Singapore was getting ready for the Chinese New Year

just around the corner (February 19^th). This year would be The Year of the Goat and every street I saw had some decorations with goats and red balloons.

I returned to the saloon about an hour later and Tova was ready. We decided that we should walk back to the port, about 4 miles, but first we were looking for food! We found a Food Hawker Center. Last time we visited Singapore in 2003 we had a wonderful lunch in one of those world famous centers. We found a booth that served (what else) noodles and dumplings and settled there, having a delicious hot lunch. When we got there it was lunch hour for the thousands of employees in the downtown area and all the tables were packed with them. Luckily for us, Tova saw 2 people cleaning up their plates and we replaced them at the table, sitting next to strangers that greeted us and asked us for our whereabouts.

We started our walk that lasted two and a half hours and arrived to the ship exhausted. We rested till 4:00 and then joined the rest of the passengers to the mandatory life-boat drill. After a sauna at the Persian Garden we showered and went to the Blu for dinner, as the ship was ailing away.

The show at the luxurious theater featured Martin Ralph, an Australian comedian. His show was kind of slow and we never connected with his routine. The dancers and singer of the Millennium were a delight!

We returned to our cabin and fell asleep

Day 14 – January 6^th, 2015

At Sea!

We woke up at 9:15 and after breakfast I joined a class called ILearn, which was conducted by no other but Charles, the same instructor I met few months earlier on the Atlantic cruise with the Celebrity Reflection. To my surprise he recognized me!! The class was about IOS, the apple operating system.

After lunch we once again went to the Persian Garden and then returned to our cabin for a nap.

We dressed up with our finest cloths for a “Formal Night”. After dinner at the Blu , we went to the theater for Captain (Mr. Konstantinos) Welcome Aboard Toast Party, hosted by the Cruise Director Steve followed by Simply Ballroom, performed by the ship’s singers and dancers. It featured songs from around the world and was fun.

We returned to our cabin at midnight.

Day 15 – January 7^th, 2015

At Sea!

I woke up at 8:30 and after breakfast I joined the ILearn when the loud speaker announced that one of the passengers needs an emergency medical attention and therefore we are altering our route to bring him/her to a nearby Indonesian island.

At 4:00 we went to the Cosmos Lounge and a met a wonderful couple from Florida: Terri and Stan. We immediately connected and when we learned that they too eat the Blu we decided to be there at the same table. We took their advice and changed our waiter to their. Our new waiter and his assistance were excellent! Their names were Mr. Gumawan and Miss Chang.

Tonight’s show featured a violinist by the name of Analiza Ching, who had her debut in the “Britain’s got talent” show. She was exiting and charismatic and of course very talented. The only thing she was missing was some communication skills with the audience.

When we returned to our cabin and turned on our TV in the room, we learned that 11 Frenchmen were murdered by three Al Qaeda terrorists in Paris. One of the victims was Charlie Hebdo, a world famous cartoonist and publisher.

Day 16 – January 8^th, 2015

We woke up at 7:45. The ship already arrived to Benoa, Bali in Indonesia. We had breakfast and then used our “Express Pass”, given to us as Elite Members, and were on the first tender that left the ship. It took the tender 35 minutes to arrive to shore, where a “Welcome Committee”, in a form of a band and choir welcomed us.

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We found a taxi driver and hired him for the rest of the day. In my hands I had a list of things we wanted to do today, and the taxi driver agreed to see them all.

On our way to the first excursion, the taxi driver gave us a short description of the island: Bali is an island and province of Indonesia. The province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller neighboring islands. With a population of over 4 million, the island is home to most of Indonesia's Hindu minority, About 85% of Bali's population adhered to Balinese Hinduism, 12% to Islam, and most of the remainder followed Christianity. Bali is the largest tourist destination in the country^] and is renowned for its highly developed arts, including traditional and modern dance, sculpture, painting, leather, metalworking, and music. Since the late 20th century, the province has had a rise in tourism.

About 45 minutes later we arrived to our first destination: Elephant Riding in the village of Bakas Klungkung. We opted to take the package of 60 minutes and were lucky to arrive early as there was no line and no waiting time. We climbed the huge animal and rode it for 60 minutes. Our elephant tour guide sat in the front and both Tova & I sat in the back of him. We rode along the bushes and the side of the Melangit River. During the trip we saw beautiful green hills and a dozen of monkeys. It was a fantastic experience.

At the end of the ride, the elephant posed for some photo opportunities and we were treated to a buffet lunch. After lunch we saw a couple of orangutans being pampered and groomed by a couple of attendants.

We continued our day and our driver took us to a village so we could see the magnificent rice fields, on our way to a Silver Factory.

Once we were out of the factory, I saw an exciting crowd outside. I went towards them and when I arrived I noticed that they are participating and watching a cockfight. There were promoters inside the circle, holding both roosters and collecting bets. The crowd was loud and extremely excited. Few minutes later, the fight had started and lasted only about a minute or so. One of the roosters won and the losing rooster, according to the “rules” was now owned by the winner’s owner. He then offered the losing rooster for the higher bidder. Two additional roosters were now introduced to the crowd. The whole process was disgusting. I noticed a couple of kids, no older than 10 watching as well.

We drove for few more minutes and arrived to Teba Sari, the coffee plantation. We were taken to a tour by a lovely young woman and found out about the different kind of coffee beans that they grow. We spent about 45 minutes during the "complete" tour with coffee & tea tasting (about 12 different kinds of coffee and tea). Everything was free including the famous Luwak or "cat coffee". This coffee is made from the stool collected from a particular cat that all it consumes, during its life time, are coffee beans. The stool is then taken and goes through a process where it is being sanitized. There was no pressure to purchase anything! And overall it was a nice experience that added memories to our pleasant visit to Bali.

We drove to the city of Sanur, where we visited the local market alongside the beach. We bought a couple of T-Shirts and other souvenirs and walked on the beach for a while.

We drove for a few minutes and arrived to the world famous Nusa Dua, where the high-end hotels in Bali are. As time approached to return to the ship, we decided to at least see the beach at the Ritz. It looked so peaceful and crowded with many hotel guests.

We boarded the ship at around 8:00 and went straight to dinner.

Day 17 – January 9^th, 2015

We woke up at 7:00 and after breakfast we took the tender back to the shore (The ship stayed overnight at Bali).

We met our guide for the day. His name was Gede. I offered to Gede the following: Instead for our pre plan agenda for today and tomorrow, let’s try to squeeze 2 days into one and this will give us both a free day tomorrow. Gede called his office to confirm and they agreed.

Our first stop was at the city of Ubud, located among rice paddies and steep ravines in the central foothills of the island. Our driver dropped us in the main street, Jalan Raya, and along with Gede we entered the local market. This market serves both the locals and tourists and many stall sell anything from food to clothing and souvenirs. We spent about 45 minutes in the market and bought few items.

We walked up the street and entered Ubud palace or as it called by the locals: Puri Saren. Gede told us the following: This palace is a center of art and cultures while the market which is just in front of it as a center of local community’s economy. The existence of this place as King’s Palace completed by a Wantilan (a big traditional building used for meeting venues) and a shady banyan tree as shelter during the hot days. The existence of market as a center of social economy is always set side by side with the palace as a center of art and culture life.

We wanted to purchase a specific music that we had heard yesterday, music that is played by a flute. We got the name from our guide yesterday and asked Gede if there is a Music Store in the village. He led us to a store that combined of 5 different business owners. “This is the right way to survive when you have a small business”, he explained, “You share the costs with others”. We found the music store and the salesman said that he was out of stock, but knows someone, in a different location, who has it. He asked us to wait 15 minutes, while a runner from the other store will bring us the CD’s.

While waiting, we noticed that one of the shops is offering a “Foot Massage by Fish”. We already heard about this kind of a spa treatment and knew that

the freshwater fish are being used for treating skin diseases in Turkey and it sometimes called "doctor fish" in the UK, but we never tried it before. The fish are called Garra Rufa. The price was right ($3 for 15 minutes) and we did have few minutes to “kill”, so what the heck. Tova entered her bare feet first and some of the fish came over. She started to laugh and said that they are ticklish. I entered my feet, a minute later and the entire class of them came over to my feet. It did make sense that they had left Tova for me, as she is regularly having pedicure and I never had one. The whole ordeal was so much fun. When I finally took my feet out of the spa I felt that my feet have new blood circling through them.

The CD’s arrived and we continued to our next destination: the village of Ceking and its famous Rice Terraces. I was impressed with the beauty and also left with the impression that I just saw the best "iconic" rice fields in Bali. I was told by Gede that there are much better fields but they far away from here.

We returned to Ubud and drove to the outskirts. Over there we ate a prepaid lunch that was okay, and then sat in the comfortable and air-conditioned car and were on our way to Uluwatu, in the Badung Regency, where the famous temple on the rock is. Once we arrived it was required of us to put a sarong over our legs.

We had a few minutes before the start of a famous dance and Gede gave us a short description about the temple: Pura Luhur Uluwatu is one of Bali's directional temples and guards Bali from evil spirits from the sea. It is one of the oldest temples in Bali. This most spectacular temple is located high on a cliff top at the edge of a plateau 250 feet above the waves of the Indian Ocean. The temple is an architectural wonder in black coral rock, beautifully designed with spectacular views.

We walked towards an amphitheater, as bunch of monkeys were looking for an opportunity to grab whatever they could. Gede warned us about it and we did not carry anything of value (earrings, glasses, hats, etc) and found seats in the middle but all the way up. We were here to view the spectacular Kecak Fire Dance. We watched the thirty or so bare chest Indonesian men sway with the rhythm. They were sitting on the ground in a circle – and in the middle the drama was unfolding. Two young princes, a demon king, a princess in distress (she was beautiful), and a mischievous monkey all played their parts.

The dance was interesting but lasted too long. We were dying to get out of there after 20 minutes, as the dance looks as it repeats itself, but the place was so jam packed, that there was no way to escape. It looked as if the other tourists felt the same way, but we all just stayed and politely applauded.

Gede was waiting for us after the dance and after taking beautiful photos of the breathtaking sunset and we walked towards the temple. The monkeys were harassing the tourists and one of them grabbed someone’s glasses. As we arrived to the temple we were told that we could not enter as prayers were coming in with their offerings. It was a beautiful sight to see the men, women and children all bring food, jewelry and other “gifts”, climbing the many stairs to reach the top of the temple.

We drove for about an hour and arrived to a restaurant in Jimbaran, situated on the beach, by the name of Langsam Café. We sat outside, overlooking the beach at night and ordered some fresh fish, rice, and noodles.

When we headed back to the cruise port, the time was 10:30. We said our goodbyes to Gede and the driver and waited for the tender for about 45 minutes. By the time we arrived to our cabin it was around midnight!

CNN reported that hostages were taken in a Kosher Supermarket in France. They were connected to the brutal terrorists attack yesterday.

Day 18 – January 10^th, 2015

I woke up at 10:00 and had a quick breakfast. When I returned to the cabin at 11:00, Tova was still sleeping!!

I went to the pool and read the new book of James Patterson and after an hour went to the Persian Garden.

When I returned to the room I learned that Paris police killed 3 suspects but a woman, belonging to the terrorists were able to escape.

At 4:00 we dressed “formal” and went to meet Terri and Stan at Cosmos for cocktails.

At dinner we had a surprise; Stan ordered for all of a Romanian dish called Mameliga (made of corn meal) and it went great with the main course, which was veal.

We returned to our cabin at 10:45.

Day 19 – January 11^th, 2015

We woke up at 5:45 and after breakfast we were aboard a tender that took us to the shores of Komodo.

Once we arrived, we were divided into groups and met a ranger. He gave us a brief introduction:

Komodo is one of the 17,508 islands that compose the Republic of Indonesia. The island is particularly notable as the habitat of the Komodo Dragons.

Komodo Island has a surface area of 390 square kilometers and a population of just over two thousands. The people of the island are descendants of former convicts who were exiled to the island and who have mixed with Bugis from Sulawesi. The people are primarily adherents of Islam but there are also Christian and Hindu congregations.

The attraction of today was to see the famous dragons. They are the largest living species of lizard, growing to a maximum length 10 feet and weighing up to approximately150 pounds. As a result of their size, these lizards dominate the ecosystems in which they live. Komodo dragons hunt and ambush prey including invertebrates, birds, and mammals. They also occasionally attack humans.

The ranger added that if you kill a dragon you will be sentenced to death. The dragons, however, are free to hunt humans.

We walked for about 30 minutes in a wooded area; saw some interesting trees and various animals, mostly deer. The ranger told us that the huge dragons would bite the legs of the deer and just wait patiently until the deer would lose enough blood where then it will collapse. The dragons will then attack and share the meat.

We arrived to the middle of the forest and saw about half a dozen of the huge lizards. They were very aggressive and even tried to attack us. We were told that the smell of blood will make them do so and it could be just a drop of blood, which is how sensitive they are.

We continued to take the path in the thick forest and few minutes later found ourselves on a pier. There were a dozen or so kids, who were asking for anything, from money to food. A boat was waiting for our group to take us to Pink Sands Beach. When we arrived I could not believe my eyes: The beach was pink!! We found out that this is one of just 7 beaches in the world with that color, and that the sand appears pink because it is a mixture of white sand and red sand, formed from pieces of Foraminifera (Types of shells).

We were provided with snorkeling equipment and after a swim for about 5 minutes, a beautiful coral system was in front of my eyes. It was so beautiful!! I snorkeled for the next 45 minutes and it was just wonderful.

Lunch was served on the boat, about an hour later, and consisted of grilled chicken, noodles, rice, fish, fresh vegetables and fruit. We also dived from the boat and spent the next half an hour finding new coral reefs and plenty of different kind of fish. We learned later that there are approximately 1000 species of fish, and 250 reef-building coral species, in this beach!

We returned to the ship at around 1:30, showered and napped until 4:00 when we went to Cosmos for drinks and then dinner with Terri and Stan.

The show tonight featured Laura Broad, a singer that was quite boring and then went to the 4^th deck to watch the staff show, which was entertaining.

We were back in the cabin at 11:00

Day 20 – January 12^th, 2015

Day at Sea!

I woke up at 8:30 and after breakfast attended ILearn. I then relaxed by the poolside and read my book for about an hour. I met Tova at the Persian Garden and after lunch participated at the “Battle of the Sexes” game.

We napped until 5:45 and then joined Terri and Stan for dinner at the Blu, followed by the “Elite Members Party” at the Cosmos.

Tonight’s show featured Jonathan Clark. It was a triple treat as the performer was dazzling the crowd with singing, comedy routines and impressions. I enjoyed it tremendously!

Before going to sleep, we turned the clocks one hour back.

Day 21 – January 13^th, 2015

Day at sea!

I woke up at 8:00 with a terrible back pain and went down for breakfast at the “Imperial Restaurant”, followed by ILearn, reading at the pool, and Persian Garden (My “at sea” routine!). I discovered that the ThalassoTherapy Pool helps my pain in the lower back. I thought it was just for detoxification but I guess that the ingredients (sea water and seaweeds), along with the power flow of water, not only moisturize the skin but also helps to improve circulation. Anyhow, I felt much better after about 30 minutes in the pool.

I napped in the afternoon and then participated in the Battle of the Sexes.

At 4:00 we went to the Cosmos to join Terri and Stan for drinks, and then dined at the Blu.

At the theater tonight we watched and listen to Steve V. King, who used to be a member of the Drifters. He was awesome, and dazzled us with the group’s oldies but goodies hits.

At 10:00 we attended the Crossing the Equator (very noisy) party at the poolside on the 10^th deck. Some members of the ship’s crew dressed up as Neptune (Poseidon) and some other Greek mythology characters and had a “sacrifice ceremony” where they threw some of the officers to the pool, to ensure safe passage to the Northern Hemisphere..

We returned to our cabin at around 11:00

Day 22 – January 14^th, 2015

Day at sea!

I woke up at 9:00 and had my routine at sea: Breakfast, ILearn, pool, and Persian Garden.

After lunch I participated in the Battle of the Sexes as the men took the title!

We went to a matinee with a magician named Steve Marshall. It was very entertaining!

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We joined Terri and Stan at the Cosmos at 4:00 and then had a fabulous dinner at the Blu (Lobster tails and steaks). At the theater we had a great treat tonight, watching the amazing act of Yulia and Alan Reva, the acrobats from Russia, who dazzled us for an hour of acrobat flying act. They were full of charisma and showed off their incredible acrobatic skills!

We were back in the cabin at 11:00.

Day 23 – January 15^th, 2015

We woke up at 9:00 as the ship was en route to Phuket, Thailand.

We used a tender once again to get to the shores and once we landed we looked for a taxi. We found a taxi driver that for $40 would take us to all the attractions I had written down. We started to tour the amazing city and its surroundings.

The driver, a good looking woman in her 40’s, told us some interesting facts on the island: This is the largest island of Thailand. The place enjoys a rich and colorful history. The island was on one of the major trading routes between India and China, and was frequently mentioned in foreign ship logs of Portuguese, French, Dutch, and English traders. The region now derives much of its income from tourism. The meaning of its name is from two Thai words, "phu" (mountain) of "ket" (jewel). On December 26^th, 2004, Phuket and other nearby areas on Thailand's western coast suffered extensive damage when they were struck by the Boxing Day Tsunami, caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. The waves destroyed several highly populated areas in the region, killing up to 5,300 people nationwide and tens of thousands more throughout the Asian region. Some 250 were reported dead in Phuket, including foreign tourists. Overall the tsunami killed more than 230,000 people that day!

Our first stop was at Karon Beach, where we saw a long stretch of beautiful white sand beach. It is the island longest beach and hundreds of tourists and locals were having fun in the water and on the beach.

Our next destination was the highlight of the day: The Buddha on the Hill. Standing at 140 feet tall, this Buddha sits atop the highest peak of the Nakkerd Hills, the highest point of the island, overlooking much of southern Phuket.

Visible from many places across the south of the island, the Big Buddha become one of the most popular attractions on Phuket since construction started on it in the early 2000s. It’s known to most as the Big Buddha because the statue’s official name doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue: Phra Putthamingmongkolekanagagiri (lol).

We first found some panoramic spots and looked at the spectacular and stunning views of the southern island. At the base of the hill was a temple with a couple of monks. People stood in line and then crawled on their knees to the monks. The monks would then listen to them and then prayed for them. We then climbed some stairs and reached the hill’s peak where we found a Buddhist Temple that was built, in majority, by the donations from all over the world. We were now at the base of the statue and it was overwhelming. The views, once we reached the top were just unbelievable.

We spent about an hour there and then drove to our next destination Wat Chalong, The most important of the 29 Buddhist Temples of Phuket. We made several stop in the complex.

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The centerpiece of the temple is the 200 feet tall Buddhist temple which is said to hold an actual bone splinter of the Buddha. The tower consists of three levels, the first two house statues of the Buddha as well as intricately detailed murals along all the walls, depicting the life and teachings of Buddha. At the top of the tower we found a large viewing deck in which we spotted the Big Buddha in the distance, it was an excellent photo opportunity to capture the entire temple grounds. At the very pinnacle of the temple was an enclosure that houses the bone splinter. This is a very sacred part of the temple and we showed our respect.

In addition to the temple, there were a number of other buildings as well. All were so beautiful. In one of them there was a Sitting Buddha and believers came with their offerings and prayed.

We continued our journey in Phuket and stopped at the world famous Sri Bhurapa Orchid, the Cashew Factory, which, as we found out, was a must stop for cashew nuts lovers (such as us). On our arrival we were greeted by one of the workers that showed us around. The first stop was a taste of the juice of the cashew nut which is believed to have valuable medicinal properties which tasted quiet nice. We then proceeded to taste all the different flavors of cashew nuts, there were so many different flavors to choose from. Some of our favorites were the butter, coconut, sesame, honey, garlic and the sweet chili cashews. We purchased about 6 different bags of cashew nuts at a very reasonable price.

We drove the street of the city and stopped at an open mall where we purchased a luggage.

We arrived back to the dock. We then went to a local bar and had beer.

After arriving to the ship we showered and went to a late dinner at the Blu, followed by a show, at Cosmos, with Steve Mazan, a comedian who used to write for Craig Ferguson and David Letterman. He had a comedy routine just for adults.

Before going to sleep we turned our clocks one hour forward.

Day 24 – January 16^th, 2015

When I woke up at 8:30 the ship was approaching the familiar views of Georgetown in Penang, Malaysia.

After breakfast we walked on the dock and into town where we met Dennis, our man in Penang!

We were introduced to our guide in the island, Richard, and started out Tour Around the Island.

Our first stop was at a place where we could have a look at the Old Bridge, simply called Penang Bridge. Richard informed us that the bridge is 13.5-kilometre (8.4-mile) long. It is a dual carriageway toll bridge. The bridge connects Perai on the mainland side of the state with the island, crossing the Selatan Strait. The bridge was the first and, until 2014, as I mentioned before, the only road connection between the peninsula and the island. The bridge is the second-longest bridge in Malaysia and the fifth-longest in Southeast Asia.

Our next stop was at the Snake Temple. I first heard about this temple while watching the Amazing Race and it was on my bucket list since then. Richard, who was very resourceful and informative, told us the following: perhaps this is the only temple of its kind in the world. The temple is filled with the smoke of burning incense and a variety of pit viper. The vipers are believed to be rendered harmless by the sacred smoke, but as a safety precaution, the snakes have also been de-venom but still have their fangs intact. We were warned against picking up the reptiles. The temple was built about 1850 in memory of Chor Soo Kong, by a Buddhist monk. Chor Soo Kong was born in China during the Song Dynasty. He was serious about seeking spiritual attainment and was ordained at an early age. According to legend, Chor Soo Kong was also a healer and sometimes gave shelter to the snakes of jungle. When he died at age 65 after a lifetime of good deeds, he was awarded the honorific title Chor Soo, that of an eminent figure revered generation after generation. After the construction of the temple snakes reportedly appeared on their own. Believers from as far away as Singapore and Taiwan come to pray in the temple on Chor Soo Kong's birthday (the sixth day of the first lunar month).

Adjacent to the temple there is a Snakes Farm where many snakes and other reptiles are on display. Tova opted to wait outside, while I was touring the farm. I found it very interesting.

We found Richard sitting at a restaurant across from the temple and we decided to have lunch after the aroma of the food had reached our nostrils. We had noodles, cooked with eggs and vegetables. The food was very tasty and spicy.

We drove along the coast and entered Taman Negara national Park. We stopped at a place where we could see the Malay Straits and the continued to a Nutmeg Factory, called Ghee Hup, where we met the owner who told us some interesting facts on the factory and the fruit, while sipping a cold glass with Nutmeg juice. This place is the biggest nutmeg producer in Penang (and probably in Malaysia) and was established in 1953. He told us that his products are proven to help the body and are useful for pain. We purchased a bottle of concentrated juice and oil.

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After a brief stop at a water reservoir we arrived to a Batik Factory, where we saw some artist draw on the material and create beautiful patterns. Surrounded by lots of tropical greenery, it is one of Penang’s well known sightseeing spots and offers a wide variety of quality batik, from block prints batiks to hand-drawn pieces.

We drove a short distance and arrived to fishermen village in the park where we e walked on a dock and saw several dozens of tourists getting ready for an adventure. I simply envied them!

We made a complete circle of the island and now we were back in Georgetown and the cruise port.

We returned to the ship at 6:15 and then went to dine at the Blu and while we were having our dinner, the ship sailed away to our next port of calls.

We decided to pack our luggage tonight and not wait for tomorrow because we already how hectic it will be.

It was the perfect evening for a beautiful sunset and I took the opportunity, as many other passengers, to take some great sunset shots.

Day 25 – January 17^th, 2015

We woke quite early and after breakfast at the Blu we left the ship that was already docked at Port Klang, Malaysia, a town and the main gateway by sea into Malaysia. It is the largest port in the country and 24 miles southwest of Kuala Lumpur.

Since we already visited Kuala Lampur, we decided to visit Pulau Ketam, also known as Crabs Island, which plays a role as a major fish, crabs, prawns provider to Klang valley and a tourism spot.

We found a taxi that took us to a different port and there stood in line to catch the next boat to the island. The boat, which looked like a banana (in shape) arrived and we climbed in. However, Tova, who is claustrophobic, ran away from the boat, storming outside as she could not breathe. I, of course, followed her and tried to calm her down. The uniformed guard in the place came over and offered her a chair. Slowly she calmed down and when I explained to the guard what was going on, he had a solution: to take an open boat to the island instead. He made a phone call and sure enough, a different boat, with an open roof approached the dock and we entered it, along with other passengers. This was a faster boat and we arrived together with the other boat that we ditched some 20 minutes earlier.

When we approached Crab Island we saw floating houses, perched on wooden stilts 3 to 33 feet above sea level and fishermen, standing in their own balconies. What a sight. We talked to the owner of the boat and he promised to wait for us to return with him in a couple of hours.

Once we started to tour the island, we learned (from a Belgian couple, Chris and Farlon, also from the cruise) that the island was founded around1880 by Chinese immigrants, who ran away on boats from mainland China and decided to make the island as their new home. We walked through the market and saw a beautiful temple at the entrance of the village and then walked the narrow concreted pavements in the residential areas. There are no cars in the island, only bicycles, some of which were motorized, were the only way to ride along the island. It was Saturday and we saw many shoppers on motorized bikes going shopping. Some bikes fit the entire family on them!

Life on the island is simple. Fresh water can be found for the locals, outside their homes, in small huts. The bathrooms are also outside.

We decided to have lunch in the market and the four of us had crabs (what else) along with noodles, Mongolian beef, vegetables, rice and drinks.

Our boat was waiting for us, even though we were 20 minutes late and took us back to the mainland.

We were back to the ship at 3:30 and met Terri & Stan at Cosmos for drinks.

The ship’s Elite Club Coordinator gave me an early birthday gift: she invited us to have dinner at the French Cuisine Restaurant. Dinner was so yummy!!

The show tonight was performed by The Diamonds, an Australian group, featuring 3 stunning and talented young women. The show spanned from the original sisters of swing and soul, to the legends of Motown and divas of disco and pop – Aretha Franklin, Patty Labelle, Dusty Springfield, The Supremes, Gloria Gaymor, Madonna and Lady Gaga, just to name a few!

We returned to our cabin and finalized our packing.

Day 26 – January 18^th, 2015

Happy Birthday to me!!

When I woke up at 6:15 the ship was already docked in the pier of Singapore. We had breakfast and said goodbyes to all of our friends and crew members that we met in the last 14 days.

At 8:00 we already disembarked the ship and on the pier Tony was waiting for us with a “Happy Birthday Mr. Aviram” sign.

Tony took us to the Swissotel in Chinatown. The hotel was wonderful. We had a very comfortable room and lots of amenities. We went down to the lobby at 9:30 and met our guide for the next couple of days. His name was Garry and seemed to be very nice and very polite.

After a short orientation, of what to expect in the next couple of days, we started out “City Walk” tour. The weather was just perfect and not a cloud in the skies.

We started the tour at the Government Building which was fabulous and then walked down towards Singapore river. Just at the bank of the river we saw Ruffle Statue, which honors Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, a British statesman who founded the city in 1819. He is often described as the "Father of Singapore”.

We walked along the river’s bank and arrived to where the symbol of Singapore was standing. Hundreds of tourists were already there. The Merlion is a traditional creature in western heraldry that depicts a creature with a lion head and a body of a fish. In Singapore, it has become a marketing icon used as a mascot and national personification of Singapore.

We walked to, the now familiar, Chinatown and walked in the narrow streets, like we did a couple of weeks ago. We arrived to Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, which hosts both the beautiful temple and a museum. Garry gave us a brief description and told us that "The temple is based on the Tang Dynasty architectural style and built to house the tooth relic of the historical Buddha.” The place was just breathtaking with its beauty and richness.

When we exited the temple, we had our driver waiting for us and headed towards Little India, east of the Singapore River—across from Chinatown. We walked on Serangoon Road, the main commercial street and entered a shopping mall where we walked around the many stores. We then walked down to the first floor and had lunch: Indian style Quesada’s (2 fresh Indian Naan with melted cheese) and coconut juice, made in front of our eyes in one of the kiosks.

We walked toward Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple. Garry explained that this temple is a Hindu temple and is dedicated to the Hindu goddess Kali, fierce embodiment of Shakti and the god Shiva's wife, Parvati. Kali has always been popular in Bengal, the birthplace of the laborers who built this temple in 1881. The colorful and detailed building was constructed in the style of South Indian Tamil temples.

We took the MRT back to Chinatown, so Tova could use the same Beauty Salon she had used a couple of weeks ago and then had lunch in one of the food stalls in Smith Street and then returned tour hotel to refresh and nap, as the day has not finished. We still had one more thing on our agenda.

At 6:30 we came down to the lobby. Gary showed up a few minute later and the van took us to the Night Safari, the world's first nocturnal zoo, which characterized animals by activity during the night and sleeping during the day.

Once we were aboard the safari’s vehicle, the guide told us that The Night Safari currently houses over 2,500 animals representing over 130 species. The ride itself took about 45 minutes and was quite interesting. Because the animals are separated by glass walls and electric wires, it was very difficult to take good quality pictures. After the ride Garry took us on a trail where some of the animals were visible and without the glass wall.

On our way back to the hotel we dropped Garry off at his home and then asked the driver to take us to Smith Street, as we were hungry (again!). This time we ate at different stalls, having soup with noodles, fried carrots cake (first time in my life – it was very tasty), and beer.

We walked back to our hotel and went to sleep around 11:00

Day 27 – January 19^th, 2015

We woke at 8:00 and had breakfast at the hotel. Garry showed up at 10:00 and we headed to the Garden by the Bay complex. We found out that this garden is spanning over 100 hectares of reclaimed land, usually known as land fill, which is the process of creating new land from the ocean. The park consists of three waterfront gardens: Bay South Garden, Bay East Garden and Bay Central Garden. The largest of the three gardens is Bay South Garden, standing at 54 hectares.

We walked through the park and it was something to remember. The colorful flowers, arranged in a beautiful way, the trees and bushes looked so beautiful and so colorful. There was a huge water fall in the middle of the park and it was stunning. The Bay South Garden had a flower dome, a cloud forest, a super tree grove, and a children garden and was the center of attention. We spent a couple of hours in the park and enjoyed every single minute!

We continued our journey and walked to the Marina Bay Sands Hotel, towering by the bay, the world's second most expensive building (Most expensive one is the Makah Royal Clock Tower Hotel), at $5.5 billion, including the cost of the prime land. The resort opened in 2007. The hotel has three 55-story towers with 2,561 luxury rooms and suites, and is capped by the Sands Sky Park, which offers 360-degree views of Singapore's skyline. The hotel height is approximately 660 feet (!) The Sky Park is home to restaurants, a bar, gardens, and the world famous 500 feet vanishing edge pool. Connected to the hotel towers are the Sands Expo and Convention Center, The Casino and The Shops. In the middle of the lobby we saw a river with gondolas (same as in the Venetians at Vegas).

We entered the resort and were overwhelmed by its size, the many beautiful stores, including names such as Ralph Lauren, Chanel, Cartier and Prada, and the elegance of the lobby. The famous pool is situated on the roof of the hotel and we wanted to see it firsthand. Garry told us that only hotel’s visitors could sit by the pool but if we agreed to be at the bat (at $30 a drink) we will be able to see most of it. We took the elevator to the 56^th floor and went through some security guards but Garry talked to them and they let us in. We stood in front this beautiful pool with the vanishing edge and underneath us were the beautiful buildings of Singapore.

We took the elevator to the first floor (without buying any drinks), and used the MRT to take us to (what else) Chinatown, for lunch. We said goodbye to Garry, who was wonderful and found our way to the Lee Tong Kee restaurant on Bridge Road. The restaurant was set up in 1969 by Mr. Lee Tong Kee, an Ipoh-born hawker. He started his business in Kuala Lumpur in the 1948 with two dishes, Hor Fun and Wanton Soup. After he got married he came to Singapore to set up a branch restaurant, bringing two children with him. His daughters and wife stayed back in Kuala Lumpur to tend to the main restaurant. After Lee passed away, the two children took over the restaurant and have kept it alive to the present day. The restaurant interior was comfortable. The crowd had not yet come in so we managed to get our seats rather easily. (Last night we saw about 50 people waiting outside the restaurant to enter).

We ordered the right mix of traditional kai si hor fun, beef chau hor fun and wanton soup. The kai si hor fun was rather simple and refreshing; the winner was the chicken meat, which was juicy and tender. The beef chau hor fun was rich with the thickness of beef and was so easy to slurp down. The wanton soup was excellent. Two thumbs up!!

We shopped for awhile and then went back to our hotel, only 10 minutes away. We packed and went to sleep at 9:00.

Last Day – January 20^th, 2015

We woke up at 4:00 in the morning. A driver was waiting for us at 5:00 and we headed to the airport for our international flight back home.

Recommendations:

D & D Limo Service: If you are in Southern California and need transportation - They are wonderful - DNDLimo4u@Gmail.com

Audley Travel: Excellent service and experienced staff. Ask for Caroline: - caroline.parry@audleytravel.com

Gede Pariasa: If you are ever in Bali - His is your guide! - GedePariasa@Yahoo.com

Discovery Overland Holidays: Ask for Danny Liew. He is very responsible and loyal - doh_Penang@DiscoveryOverland.com

Garry Koh: Your guide in Singapore. Knowledgeable, friendly and reliable - Garry@GarryKoh.com

More Journals

Malaysia & Cruise (2014/2015)

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Malaysia & Cruise (2014/2015)

Prolog

Day 1& 2 – December 24^th, 2014 – December 25^th, 2015

Day 3 – December 26^th, 2014

Day 4 – December 27^th, 2014

Day 5 – December 28^th, 2014

Day 6 – December 29^th, 2014

Day 7 – December 30^th, 2014

Day 8 – December 31^st, 2014

Day 9 – January 1^st, 2015

Day 10 – January 2^nd, 2015

Day 11 – January 3^rd, 2015

Day 12 – January 4^th, 2015

Day 13 – January 5^th, 2015

Day 14 – January 6^th, 2015

Day 15 – January 7^th, 2015

Day 16 – January 8^th, 2015

Day 17 – January 9^th, 2015

Day 18 – January 10^th, 2015

Day 19 – January 11^th, 2015

Day 20 – January 12^th, 2015

Day 21 – January 13^th, 2015

Day 22 – January 14^th, 2015

Day 23 – January 15^th, 2015

Day 24 – January 16^th, 2015

Day 25 – January 17^th, 2015

Day 26 – January 18^th, 2015

Day 27 – January 19^th, 2015

Last Day – January 20^th, 2015

Recommendations:

Blog Archive

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Malaysia & Cruise (2014/2015)

Prolog

Day 1& 2 – December 24th, 2014 – December 25th, 2015

Day 3 – December 26th, 2014

Day 4 – December 27th, 2014

Day 5 – December 28th, 2014

Day 6 – December 29th, 2014

Day 7 – December 30th, 2014

Day 8 – December 31st, 2014

Day 9 – January 1st, 2015

Day 10 – January 2nd, 2015

Day 11 – January 3rd, 2015

Day 12 – January 4th, 2015

Day 13 – January 5th, 2015

Day 14 – January 6th, 2015

Day 15 – January 7th, 2015

Day 16 – January 8th, 2015

Day 17 – January 9th, 2015

Day 18 – January 10th, 2015

Day 19 – January 11th, 2015

Day 20 – January 12th, 2015

Day 21 – January 13th, 2015

Day 22 – January 14th, 2015

Day 23 – January 15th, 2015

Day 24 – January 16th, 2015

Day 25 – January 17th, 2015

Day 26 – January 18th, 2015

Day 27 – January 19th, 2015

Last Day – January 20th, 2015

Recommendations:

Blog Archive

Day 1& 2 – December 24^th, 2014 – December 25^th, 2015

Day 3 – December 26^th, 2014

Day 4 – December 27^th, 2014

Day 5 – December 28^th, 2014

Day 6 – December 29^th, 2014

Day 7 – December 30^th, 2014

Day 8 – December 31^st, 2014

Day 9 – January 1^st, 2015

Day 10 – January 2^nd, 2015

Day 11 – January 3^rd, 2015

Day 12 – January 4^th, 2015

Day 13 – January 5^th, 2015

Day 14 – January 6^th, 2015

Day 15 – January 7^th, 2015

Day 16 – January 8^th, 2015

Day 17 – January 9^th, 2015

Day 18 – January 10^th, 2015

Day 19 – January 11^th, 2015

Day 20 – January 12^th, 2015

Day 21 – January 13^th, 2015

Day 22 – January 14^th, 2015

Day 23 – January 15^th, 2015

Day 24 – January 16^th, 2015

Day 25 – January 17^th, 2015

Day 26 – January 18^th, 2015

Day 27 – January 19^th, 2015

Last Day – January 20^th, 2015