Category: Journey

Tong Seng: The Last Truly Multi Racial Kopitiam

Majulah Singapura.

This is a 2010 picture I took inside Tong Seng coffee shop in Liang Seah Street in the Bugis area. It has since closed and one of the reasons cited was the difficulty in hiring help.

Rumour has it that property value appreciation resulted in the family making a tidy SGD 15 million selling the shop and retiring to The Bahamas.

It was the favourite halal certified Chinese kopitiam in Singapore. I always go there to eat the sliced fish soup, chicken rice and prawn mee whenever I was in Singapore. It tasted really good.

According to newspaper reports; on its last day which coincided with Hari Raya Haji in 2013, it decided to give free food to its many Muslim customers during lunch.

Unfortunately, everyone who has never eaten there before and the entire island rushed to the shop when they heard there was free food. Just like Malaysia lah.

The owners were forced to reserve the first three hours of free dinner for Malay customers only because they used to form the bulk of their customers.

Happy 50th National Day today (in 2015), Singapore.

Olympus E-PL1, ISO 1600, f3.5, 1/60 sec.

#singapore #singapura #majulahsingapura #sg50 #sg51

Recent Individually Featured Hotels At MyCen Hotels

Recent hotels individually featured at Mycen Hotels website at http://www.mycen.my/

You can book and see all featured hotels directly. It ranges from the RM 4200 a night Waldorf Astoria of Beverly Hills to the RM 23 a night Polo Regatta in Saint Petersburg Russia.

1. The Polo Regatta Hotel on the Gulf of Finland
http://www.mycen.my/the-polo-regatta-hotel-on-the-gulf-of-finland/

2. The Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills
http://www.mycen.my/the-waldorf-astoria-beverly-hills/

3. The Oberoi Amarvilas, Agra, India
http://www.mycen.my/dining-with-one-of-the-seven-wonders/

4. Berjaya Eden Park London Hotel
http://www.mycen.my/berjaya-eden-park-london-hotel/

5. Makkah Clock Royal Tower, A Fairmont Hotel
http://www.mycen.my/makkah-clock-royal-tower-a-fairmont-hotel/

6. Jumeirah at Etihad Towers
http://www.mycen.my/jumeirah-at-etihad-towers/

7. Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru
http://www.mycen.my/four-seasons-resort-maldives-at-landaa-giraavaru/

8. Le Apple Boutique Hotel KLCC
http://www.mycen.my/le-apple-boutique-hotel-klcc/

9. Salcombe Harbour Hotel and Spa
http://www.mycen.my/salcombe-harbour-hotel-and-spa/

10. Sea Lion Firefly Concept Hotel Kuala Selangor
http://www.mycen.my/sea-lion-firefly-concept-hotel-kuala-selangor/

The Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru

Ranked at 62nd and a tie at T&L’s Top 100 Hotels in the World List. The picture speaks for itself. Crystal clear waters and sunny blue skies, Pic by Booking.com. View rooms and book by diving in here:

http://www.mycen.my/four-seasons-resort-maldives-at-landaa-giraavaru/

#maldives #fourseasons #diving #sea

Jakun Moments – Singapore Casinos

The word Jakun is used to described a country bumpkin or greenhorn who is amazed by seeing something new for the first time. The word somehow entered the vocabulary of both the Chinese and Malays. Jakuns are an actual orang asli tribe and it is derogatory and disrespectful towards the Jakuns to associate them with ignorance and for being unrefined and uncivilized. I think the word is usually used without malice and it has no replacement or perfect synonym.

I will begin a new series on self deprecating Jakun moments during travel. Me and Emily Lowe visited both the new casinos in Singapore – RWS and MBS when they opened in 2011. We two Jakuns went ‘”Wah” when we saw a Lamborghini offered as Jackpot prize. Can’t remember if this was Resorts World or Marina Bay Sands. I can remember I entered both and played wearing short dockers or cargo pants or khakis. We Jakuns thought only a long sleeve batik shirt or a clip-on necktie were compulsory after years of grounding in Genting.

#jakun #singapore #mbs #rws #lambo

Tioman Island

Sharon Teo (https://www.facebook.com/seaDevilyn) who shared her Fraser’s Hill pics for my feature recently has some great pics of Pulau Tioman too. I have covered all the three highland resorts of Genting, Fraser’s and Cameron’s. Use Site Search or Hotel Search at http://www.mycen.my/. Let’s go to the ocean.

Sharon works for a dive centre and dive shop in KL and as such is no stranger to Tioman. Tioman Island has many dive and snorkeling sites including those with shipwrecks. I remember the airport was scary with the turboprop plane banking dramatically to land. You can also travel by ferry from Mersing, Johor.

There are jungles, nature attractions and kampung life on the island to explore when not diving.

See hotels here: http://www.mycen.my/tioman-island-deals-finder/

#tioman #island #pulau #mersing #johor #malaysia #diving #sea #ocean #underwater #dive #resorts #mycenhotels