On the second day of our holiday we had a hard time waking up early because we were enjoying the bed too much. But wake up we did because we didn’t want to miss out on the buffet breakfast. In my case, I didn’t want to miss out on the rabbit feeding :P [...]]]>

On the second day of our holiday we had a hard time waking up early because we were enjoying the bed too much. But wake up we did because we didn’t want to miss out on the buffet breakfast. In my case, I didn’t want to miss out on the rabbit feeding :P So we got our lazy bums out and went in search of food.

The buffet breakfast is actually complimentary when you stay in the hotel, and it’s in this restaurant called Food Trader’s restaurant. They don’t have a very large selection, mostly the usual suspects of nasi lemak, porridge, yellow noodles with soup, an assortment of bread, hash browns, sausage, pancake, beef bacon, baked beans, soft boiled eggs, and cereal. For drinks, you have a choice of coffee, tea, fresh milk, or fruit juice. The food was just so-so, it’s certainly edible, but nothing spectacular.

After breakfast it was time to visit the pet farm! You had to walk a bit because the pet enclosure was on the other end of the hotel. They had five free roaming rabbits, and one tortoise in a little pond in a corner of the enclosure. The rabbits were fed with fruits, and you can actually hand feed a rabbit with a bit of fruit too. I was told that they once had seventeen rabbits, but were down to the last five. I wonder what happened to the others?

The rabbits are soft and cute, but not very friendly, because they scamper away the moment you get near enough to pet one. I was fortunate because while he was taking pictures of them a few of the more curious ones came close to inspect his camera I got to pet them :D

We also think that Valentine’s Day is not just for people, but also for rabbits as well. See the picture below for proof.

Rabbits are celebrating Valentine’s Day with lots of love too!

We didn’t want to spend too long with the rabbits, so we headed off to explore the Cape Rachado Lighthouse at Tanjung Tuan. With the help of the GPS, it wasn’t a very far drive from our hotel. You could drive your car in, but you cannot drive all the way up to the lighthouse, unless you paid for the entrance. So you have a choice of either parking at the foot of the hill and walking up (it was a 25 minute hike up the hill) or pay the RM10 fee and drive up (5 minutes drive). Since it was a searing hot day and we didn’t feel quite like fighting off the mosquitoes, we paid the fee and drove up instead.

Once at the top, you still have to climb a set of stairs to reach the top. Once up there, you can see the lighthouse from outside the fencing, but you’re not allowed to go in :( But you can still see the MEASAT satellite dish. Even though the lighthouse has lots of historical significance, it wasn’t really a very exciting visit. So we decided to explore the surrounding areas instead.

If you follow the path from the stairs, it will lead to a fork. Head towards your right you will come across a steep cliff overlooking Tanjung Tuan. From this cliff you are presented with a magnificent vista. The sea water was so clear that you can actually see right to the rocks at the bottom. As far as your eye can see, the horizon is a beautiful blue. We also saw a huge ship anchored somewhere, but it was too far away to get a good picture. You can also see sea birds from up here. Please be careful though, if you lose your footing you will likely roll all the way into the sea below.

After that we backtracked to the fork in the path and took the left turning instead. This path leads to a jungle trail down the hill that has been overrun with plants at some places. The path is not particularly difficult, but one side of it is the steep side of the hill so again, be careful or you will roll all the way down.

According to the map of the hill, if you followed the path all the way down you will come across a cove where anglers can fish and you can see coral reefs. We never knew that Port Dickson had coral reefs to see! So these two curious cats took the hike downhill. We felt like we were exploring the wilderness :P We were halfway down when we had to stop and turn back around because I was being a buffet for the mosquitoes. So please be warned, if you plan on coming here too, bring something to protect yourself against the mozzies >.<

We will try to come back here again in 12th or 13th March, because that is when you can see migrating raptors. We would also like the chance to go all the way down and visit the coral reefs. One day, and we will take lots of pictures too!

After our little hiking trip it was already past noon so we drove back to the hotel. On the way we passed by this restaurant called Restoran Port Dickson (yes, their naming lacks creativity :P) where we stopped by and had ourselves cantonese fried noodles for lunch.

We ordered one plate, but the portion was enough for the two of us. It was a surprisingly delicious meal! The sauce was eggy and so smooth. If like us, you’re looking for a simple lunch, then this would be it. The price is very reasonable too, RM5 for the noodles and two glasses of Chinese tea.

We went back to the hotel to shower and get some rest while the afternoon sun was still blistering hot. When evening came, we walked to the private beach nearby. If you choose not to walk, you can also rent some bicycles and cycle around. There are quite a few people who opt to do this and it does look like lots of fun because you are shaded by lots of pretty trees along the path.

Unlike other beaches in Port Dickson, this beach was actually very clean. The beach was made of sand, not sand and rubbish. We walked to the shore and saw that the wet sand there had many little crabs digging in it. If you’ve ever wondered what those little mounds of sand are, wonder no more, for they’re made by very tiny crabs who work surprisingly fast to build itself a little burrow.

We also found some dead crabs and dead fish lying on the beach. I’m not sure what kind of crabs they are, but the fish are small pomfret fish. It’s such a pity that they didn’t grow up to become big pomfret fish, because they would have been so yummy :P We also saw a white jellyfish but we didn’t manage to take a picture of it. We will try again the next time we come here.

We thoroughly enjoyed our beach visit :)

After that it was time to go looking for dinner. The hotel was having a Valentine’s Day dinner promotion for couples, RM150++ per couple for dinner, with a breathtaking view of the Malacca straits, and a stalk of rose for each couple. Or so this was what their promotion said. Instead, I suggested that since we’re in Port Dickson, let’s go for some fresh seafood instead. He agreed, so we went to Restoran Weng Yin, which was actually right next door to Restoran Port Dickson :P

For those of you who weren’t aware (like us) Weng Yin is actually a Muslim seafood restaurant even though the food served is Chinese food. My guess is that the proprietors are also trying to attract more customers by serving halal food.

We ordered kum heong mantis prawns because those are his favourite dish. The dish came out to be very flavourful. It wasn’t too spicy and they were also quite generous with the prawns. Eating this with rice was delightful. Yes, we would recommend this.

For a vegetable dish, they had sold out on a lot of their vegetables so we went for stir fried sweet potato leaves. This was also a nice dish. The portion was generous and I like how they also used cut bird’s eye chillies and “har mai” (small dried prawns) to add flavour to the vegetables. Again, another recommended dish.

He wanted to have fish (we are really cats :P) but we were told that they didn’t have any fish small enough for two people. All the fish they had were 1kg fish and above, which would have been too much even for two cats. So we settled for dory fish fillet in sweet/sour/spicy sauce (three flavour sauce). I thought this would be just a so-so dish, but it came out to be quite nice. The fish was fried crispy, and they poured lots of sauce on it. He enjoyed the fish thoroughly. We will recommend this dish too.

Lastly we went for claypot tofu. I had actually wanted to try their signature tofu dish, but was told that they were sold out for the day. The claypot tofu came to be quite a big pot, with egg tofu, mushrooms, chicken, and other vegetables in it. This dish was also not bad, although it could be a little bland if you’re one who finds tofu to be too tasteless. Since we already had lots of other food with strong flavours, a bland tofu dish was welcome for me. If there isn’t any of their signature tofu left, then go ahead and try this.

Our dinner total came up to be less than RM50, inclusive of two plates of rice and one pot of chrysanthemum tea. We found it to be very reasonable, and definitely much cheaper than dinner at the hotel would have been. Satisfied and well fed, we went back to our hotel to rest and call it a night.

I don’t know what species of bird it is, but it’s a small [...]]]> A few days ago my dad beckoned us to look out the window. So we took a quick peek and guess what we found? A little bird had decided to make its nest on one of the trees in my porch!

I don’t know what species of bird it is, but it’s a small brown bird with a white head and a yellow bum. It’s also an industrious little bird that made its nest not just out of twigs, but also with bits of tissue paper. I suppose the tissue paper makes it more comfortable to sit in?

This morning we took a quick peek into the nest to see if the bird had laid its eggs in it, and we saw two sweet little speckled eggs happily nestled in the nest! The eggs are so small; they are even smaller than a quail’s eggs. It’s a bit hard to see them because the eggs blend in nicely with the nest. We did not touch the nest or the eggs because we didn’t want to scare off the birdie parents. Often while the mummy bird is sitting on her precious eggs, daddy bird can be seen loitering around or standing on the gate, keeping watch on his family.

The bird and its nest has become our pet now. Everyday (and afternoon and evening and night :P) we check up on it to see that it’s doing all right. We’re very egg-cited and we’re hoping that soon we can hear the delightful chirping of baby birds!

Here’s a little sneak peek at what we’ll be posting next

Even [...]]]> Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone! Whether or not you’re celebrating the day, do make sure to spend it in the company of people you love and cherish. Please don’t be spending the day working, because that would be so sad.

Here’s a little sneak peek at what we’ll be posting next

Even the rabbits are enjoying the love! “Hoppy” Valentine’s Day!

They were so enthusiastic with their prancing that at one point, they whacked the fake styrofoam [...]]]> After her encounter with lion dance in Mid Valley previously, it was my turn when I saw them at Old Town Cyberjaya last week. There were 2 yellow lions prancing around to what seems to be a more-upbeat-than-usual tempo.

They were so enthusiastic with their prancing that at one point, they whacked the fake styrofoam roof that was above the counter, causing it to fall. But luckily it was caught by one of their guys before it came crashing to the ground. The lions were then sitting stationary at the payment counter for some time. One wonders what they might be doing under the guise of those lion costumes. Think quietly robbing the establishment’s cash register? :P

After the lions, came a dude dressed in old Chinese Opera ensemble handing out Ang Pows. It would seem feeling the Ang Pows from the outside that they would hold 2 x 50 cent coins. But when she opened it later, we found out they were just chocolates that weren’t very tasty. Oh well.

Next year, hopefully they will give out cash in their Ang Pows instead!

Being a very curious cat, I went to [...]]]> Today while I was walking through Mid Valley and doing some window shopping (no, I was not wandering around aimlessly, even though it might  look like it :P) I came across lots of loud drum and cymbals noises. It was the Chinese New Year Lion dance!

Being a very curious cat, I went to look for where it came from. It wasn’t actually very easy to find because Mid Valley is very big and the lions are not, but after walking around a bit more I found them at the lowest floor right in the centre court. They were dancing in front of a photo shop. There were two red lions along with their ensemble of one drummer, two cymbalists, and a few more of the troupe that were standing around observing. They were all wearing purple t-shirts, but one of them must be their manager because he was wearing a white t-shirt.

The Lion dance was very entertaining to watch, because I do try to watch a Lion dance at least once for every Chinese New Year. These lions are very tame, they just walked one circuit through the shop, and then give the shop proprietor something that looks like a vegetable with an angpau (there were many other people watching and I was too far away to get a good look). Then the lions posed for photographs before heading on to the next shop. Yes, they danced for quite a few shops today. Even though I followed them around for a while, I didn’t manage to take a good picture of them. Too many people around and the lions were moving about quite a bit too. Next time, I will try to pose with the lions for a good shot!

I do quite feel sorry for the people in the lion suit, because they were all perspiring badly. The one holding the lion’s head is sweaty because he has to haul around that heavy head, while the one who becomes the lion’s bum has to dance around bent over, and let’s just say that if the one in front had durians for lunch….>.<  It is a tough job, and I don’t feel envious about the people who have to do it.

Well hopefully next year I get to see a Lion dance again. Let’s see if I get to see a pink lion :P

Apart from installing a grill at the entrance, the next level of security of my home comes in the form of the Samsung Ezon SHS-1320 which I had recently purchased.

Today we went to eat the Prosperity Burger set at McD. Every year McD will have the Prosperity Burger meal, where they will release the beef burger first and the chicken burger later. He always goes for the beef, but I will go for the chicken instead. A burger, juice, and my favourite curly [...]]]>

Today we went to eat the Prosperity Burger set at McD. Every year McD will have the Prosperity Burger meal, where they will release the beef burger first and the chicken burger later. He always goes for the beef, but I will go for the chicken instead. A burger, juice, and my favourite curly fries! Except for it being very unhealthy, what’s there not to love? Since it only comes once a year with Chinese New Year, we always make it a point to eat it at least once. I guess our Prosperity Burger is like the McRib for everywhere else :D

Our meal also came with a pleasant surprise. We got ourselves a McD angpau! Yes, McD was giving away an angpau with each Prosperity set. There is a tab on the angpau, and when you open it up it will give you a free gift that you can redeem with any purchase at McD. We got ourselves a free Chicken Burger, so we will definitely be going back there for a meal one day to get our redemption. It is a very good strategy for McD to get repeat customers :P