Category: Travel

The Ignorant Sakai

Sakai is a local idiom to describe a person who is a country bumpkin or someone who has never seen common things. It is a somewhat derogatory term for the indigenous tribe it was named after.

After receiving two bookings for hotels in Kuningan, Jakarta, I was curious. The first is Ascott Kuningan Jakarta and the second being the Aston at Kuningan Suites Hotel.

Confusingly, there is also a regency and city named Kuningan, east of Jakarta, near Cirebon. To complicate things, Kuningan City Mall turns up in search results.

I asked my Jakarta friend and Jakarta resident Veronica Sitorus (@ve_nat on IG) and she confirmed Kuningan is one of three business districts in Jakarta. When I went to Jakarta, I stayed at the Gran Mahakam Jakarta which was a fine hotel but I hated the metal detectors and explosive sniffing dogs checking my camera bags.

Jahabar Sadiq, who was then working there, visited me at the hotel before taking me on a Jakarta pub crawl. Coming from KL I have seen the undercarriage of cars inspected with mirrors before entering the car park of the KL Hilton in KL Sentral. I suspect the Grand Mahkam hotel had some American connection. This was after the Jakarta Marriott bombing.

Just my luck that I stayed later at the Renaissance New World Makati Hotel in Manila, also managed by Marriot I think. The Philippines capital suffered a wave of bombings by militants at that time. I went through the same hassle with my camera bags at hotel and at mall entrances. Was a bit unnerving seeing. for the first time, a guard with firearms inside a McDonald’s.

Anyway, Jakarta is great for street photography on foot. Although there seems to be growing inter faith intolerance now. It was nice to see multi-religious symbols placed together at a roadside art shop. I went to the Jakarta Cathedral or the Roman Catholic Church of Our Lady of Assumption earlier and saw many male guests attending a wedding dressed in batik and wearing songkoks. The women were in beautiful kebayas. I felt like an ignorant, sheltered sakai from Malaysia. All hotels cited can be booked at MyCen Hotels www.mycen.my

#kuningan #jakarta #indonesia #streetphotography #manila

The Shangri-La Hotel, Paris

The Shangri-La is a Parisian paradise.

The aptly-named luxury hotel in the City of Love is quite simply as good as it gets.According to a review by the Belfast Telegraph today.

That is; if you want a hotel room in Paris with a view of the Eiffel Tower from your bed. You could also sit on the balcony with a glass of champagne taking in the view. Or see the super structure from the bath tub in the room.

You pay dearly for it. Not for those who think the Shangri-la KL is expensive at RM 450 (low price at MyCen Hotels). The Paris Shangri La Hotel is RM 4232 a night! (lowest guaranteed price).

Just a friendly reminder that MyCen Hotels can take bookings ranging from a backpackers’ hostel in Chinatown KL to a five star Parisian luxury hotel.

Book the room via the link on this page or see the map at:
http://www.mycen.my/the-shangri-la-hotel-paris/

 

Tanjung Malim

When I was photographing Tanjung Malim and surrounding areas, I was looking for a nice hotel to stay. I ended up at the Slim River Rest House because I liked the green surroundings.At one glance, Rumah Rehat Slim River looks like a charming hippie commune from the flower power days. Only thing missing is a VW Kombi with psychedelic colours.

Unlike other government rest houses from colonial days, this one is relatively recent. The reception clerk told me it was built in the 1960s.

The motel-style chalets are on stilts, clustered on a big lawn with nice countryside surroundings as a backdrop.

Unfortunately, it is run by the district council and like many government owned rest houses, the government servants in charge see no need to be competitive by making affiliations with online booking merchants.

Can’t really blame them when the more sophisticated Sekeping Serendah and Summit Signature Hotel Silm River aren’t signed with Agoda or Booking dot com either.

Sad that many fine and historic rest houses with awesome food eventually closed down. There is a rest house in Tanjung Malim town itself but it was abandoned and left in shambles. I wrote about it some time ago.

So where can you stay in the Tanjung Malim area?

Hotel Sahara Inn -Tanjung Malim,
Adelia Hill Farm Kalumpang,
One Home Hotel Batang Kali, 
Bukit Beruntung Business Hotel,
The Leverage Business Hotel Rawang,
Slim Village Leisure Farm (Pet Friendly) Kampung Penderas,
Felda Residence Trolak,

Summit Signature Hotel Slim River (Tel: 605 452 8993)
Sekeping Serendah (Tel: 012 324 6552)
Slim River Rest House (Tel: 05 52 0023)
Fernz Hotel (Tel: 05-458 1120)
Sri Malim Hotel  (Tel: 05-459 9333)

See also our page on Hotels in Kampar, Bidor and Tapah.

Hotels In The News Part 4

Hotel In The News is a Backup Of The Popular Section at MyCen Hotels under Hotels In The News. Bookings can be made via the links given here too.

Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino The Strip Las Vegas (booking link)
Las Vegas hotel sued for life-sized mannequin in room.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/las-vegas-hotel-sued-for-life-sized-mannequin/

Manila Hotel Manila Bay Philippines (booking link)
New eats: Pinoy street food re-imagined at Manila Hotel buffet.
http://news.abs-cbn.com/life/05/17/17/new-eats-pinoy-street-food-re-imagined-at-manila-hotel-buffet

Marriott Swansea Hotel Swansea United Kingdom (booking link)
Swansea hotel charging football fans a whopping £4,650 per night on Champions League final weekend.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/champions-league-swansea-cardiff-hotel-10435337

Hotel Port Aux Basques, Newfoundland, Canada  (booking link)
Newfoundland hotel designs rooms for children with autism.
The refurbished suite features extra locks to prevent children from running away while objects that could be thrown during tantrums are now secured.
http://www.ctvnews.ca/lifestyle/newfoundland-hotel-designs-rooms-for-children-with-autism-1.3415023

Hotel Stripes Kuala Lumpur (booking link)
Located in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, STRIPES connects guests to the pulse of an urban neighbourhood, right by the city’s business hub, with some of the city’s greatest local food, art galleries, shops and legendary landmarks.
http://www.stripeskl.com/

The Akmani Legian Hotel Legian Bali Indonesia (booking link)
Singaporean tourist flings himself from fifth floor of Bali hotel after consuming magic mushrooms.
https://coconuts.co/bali/news/singaporean-tourist-flings-fifth-floor-bali-hotel-consuming-shrooms/

Hotel California Todos Santos Mexico (booking link)
The Eagles are suing the owners of a Mexican hotel named Hotel California, claiming it is capitalising off the band’s hit song of the same name.
https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/world-news/2017/05/04/the-eagles-sue-mexican-hotel-california/

Element Kuala Lumpur by Westin (booking link)
Element Kuala Lumpur stands proudly at 275-metre high in Ilham Tower.
Built green from the ground up with eco-friendly practices, natural light and open spaces.
http://www.elementkualalumpur.com/

Nude Hotel,  Zipolite, Mexico (booking link)
What it was like to stay at the Nude Hotel in Zipolite, Mexico.
Mexico’s only legal nude beach and hotel are quite an experience, even for the most liberal travellers.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/travel/news/article.cfm?c_id=7&objectid=11848026

Las Alamandas Carretera. Quemaro, Mexico (booking link)
This Hot-Pink Hotel Is 1 of the Best-Kept Secrets in Mexico.
https://www.popsugar.com/smart-living/Las-Alamandas-Hotel-Mexico-43422777

Mandarin Oriental Taipei Taiwan (booking link)
Gong Yoo’s Hotel Room in Taiwan Costs 20 Million Won?
http://my.castko.com/archives/9152

Radisson Hotel Brunei Bandar Seri Begawan Brunei (booking link)
A taste of authentic Thai cuisine at Radisson.
http://borneobulletin.com.bn/taste-authentic-thai-cuisine-radisson/

The Baglioni Hotel Kensington London United Kingdom (booking link)
The Baglioni Hotel is the perfect place to put your feet up.
http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/15242821.Travel__Why_The_Baglioni_Hotel_is_the_perfect_place_to_put_your_feet_up/

The Silo Hotel Cape Town South Africa (booking link)
Forbes declares The Silo Cape Town’s latest‚ greatest hotel.
http://www.timeslive.co.za/sundaytimes/lifestyle/2017/04/27/Forbes-declares-The-Silo-Cape-Towns-latest%E2%80%9A-greatest-hotel

Chirag Plaza Hotel Baku Azerbaijan (booking link)
You maid my day! Hotel guest cheers up house-keeping staff with hilarious figures made from pillows and duvets.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/travel/news/article.cfm?c_id=7&objectid=11846076

The Taj Rambagh Palace, Jaipur, India (booking link)
The only Indian hotel in the world’s best heritage hotels list.
https://www.gqindia.com/content/rambagh-palace-only-indian-hotel-in-the-best-heritage-hotels-list/

Cathedral House Hotel, Glasgow (booking link)
How Cathedral House earned the title of Glasgow’s most haunted hotel.
http://www.glasgowlive.co.uk/news/history/cathedral-house-most-haunted-hotel-12063508

The Omni King Edward Hotel Toronto Canada (booking link)
King Edward Hotel’s Crystal Ballroom reopens after 38 years.
https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2017/04/19/king-edward-hotels-crystal-ballroom-reopens-after-38-years.html

The Lowry Hotel Manchester United Kingdom (booking link)
Manchester United hotel searched by sniffer dogs before derby clash with Man City as security is tightened.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-4449560/Manchester-United-hotel-searched-sniffer-dogs.html

The Swan Hotel and Spa Newby Bridge Rusland United Kingdom (booking link)
A hotel robe, an hour-long facial and succulent scallops in the Lake District.
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/trips-and-breaks/swan-newby-bridge-lake-district-12900449

XVA Art Hotel Dubai (booking link)
A Dubai Hotel for People Who Don’t Like Dubai: The XVA Art Hotel.
Under the radar for nearly 15 years (but a darling of the global smart set), it’s the project of gallerist Mona Hauser, a longtime champion of contemporary Middle Eastern art.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/annabel/2017/04/24/a-dubai-hotel-for-people-who-dont-like-dubai-and-people-who-do-the-xva-art-hotel/#60c93bcbecab

Roslin Beach Hotel Thorpe Esplanade, United Kingdom (booking link)
Roslin Beach Hotel rated as one of boutique best in the UK.
A boutique hotel in Southend has been listed in the top 20 beach hotels in the UK by the Times newspaper.
http://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/15243873.Roslin_Beach_Hotel_rated_as_one_of_boutique_best_in_the_UK/

Curtain Bluff Spa & Resort All Inclusive Antigua & Barbuda (booking link)
Inside Curtain Bluff: How glamorous 1950s American couple built Antigua’s oldest exclusive hotel – and where old-world values make it first choice for the most discerning vacationer.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4358080/Inside-Curtain-Bluff-Antigua-s-original-exclusive-hotel.html

Jam Hotel Brussels Belgium (booking link)
Concrete thinking’s in fashion at Brussels’ brutalist Jam Hotel.
Budget hotels always offer basic, boxy rooms, but not many are as creative as this alternative gem in the Belgian capital.
https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2017/apr/23/jam-hotel-brussels-belgium-review-budget-travel

Movenpick Hotel Mansour Eddahbi Marrakech Morocco (booking link)
Follow in the footsteps of Morocco’s greatest sultan with a visit to golden Marrakech.
The treasures that Ahmad al-Mansour Eddahbi brought to Marrakech remain much in evidence, and a new hotel nameafter him only burnishes the city’s opulence.
https://inews.co.uk/essentials/lifestyle/travel/hotel-review-movenpick-hotel-mansour-eddahbi-marrakech/

Summer Bay Lang Tengah Island Resort (booking link)
Set your sights on Pulau Lang Tengah, dubbed ‘the Maldives of Southeast Asia’
http://www.nst.com.my/lifestyle/jom/2017/04/232622/set-your-sights-pulau-lang-tengah-dubbed-maldives-southeast-asia

Malmaison Birmingham (booking link)
Woman who swiped hotel’s freebie shampoo begs them for more after she says it CURED her psoriasis.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/3380603/psoriasis-cured-hotel-free-shampoo/

Art Series The Olsen Hote Melbourne (booking link)
Art Series The Schaller Studio Bendigo (booking link)
Cheeky hotel promotion encourages guests to take nude selfies inside the rooms – then artists turn photos into life drawings.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4427482/Hotel-promotion-encourages-visitors-nude-selfies.html

Shangri-La Hotel, Paris (booking link)
The Shangri-La is a Parisian paradise.
The aptly-named luxury hotel in the City of Love is quite simply as good as it gets.
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sunday-life/the-shangrila-is-a-parisian-paradise-35632965.html

Sheraton Hotel Addis Ababa Ethiopia  (booking link)
Mt Etna, Ethiopia: Journey to one of the hottest places on Earth.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/destinations/africa/91219465/journey-to-an-ethiopian-volcano-located-in-one-of-the-hottest-places-on-earth

The Ritz Carlton Vienna (booking link)
The Ritz Carlton, Vienna – hotel review
Sumptuous luxury and a world class steak helps David Ellis relax during a weekend of Austrian culture.
http://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/travel/the-ritz-carlton-vienna-hotel-review-a3496761.html

Grand Central Hotel Glasgow, United Kingdom (booking link)
Tempus at Grand Central Hotel has a new set menu and it’s a bargain.
The train station restaurant has a touch of old school glamour about it and the service is impeccable – but you’ll be happy to know that the prices don’t match the decor.
http://www.glasgowlive.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/tempus-grand-central-hotel-new-12901530

 

Heartless Bastards Some Malaysians Are

Another Vietnamese story or travel tale to tell. I was traveling between Danang and An Hoi, Vietnam when our crazy (reckless) and impulsive van driver stopped suddenly at a very remote and isolated beach.

I went down the beach and there were a row of empty beach chairs. I sat down on one and a man soon appeared out of nowhere to claim rental. Paid him and continued to relax with the sounds of waves and the South China Sea breeze massaging my face.

Not long later, I spotted a hunchback old lady inching her way towards me from far. It can’t be good, my instincts told me.

The old lady reached me, exhausted and almost breathless. She had a bag and she sells souvenirs. She pulled out a RM 20 note to show me. My van driver translated for her. A Malaysian customer previously bought stuff from her and gave her the RM 20 note. Being an uneducated villager, she didn’t know that Malaysian currency was not accepted at money changers at that time.

Poor lady took a long bus journey to Saigon to be told she can’t exchange that. She didn’t know any black market dealer, of course. In my mind, I was thinking what a heartless bastard who gave her the note knowing full well that it will be impossible to change in a small town. Every tourist changed to USD before arriving.

I asked the driver how she got to know I am a Malaysian? Word got around in the village grapevine, it seemed. Is like one in a million chance a Malaysian will land here since it is off the beaten track and unknown, Fate had demanded that I redeem the name of the country.

Gave her USD 50 and she told me it was too much. I said it was for her trouble and bus fare to Saigon. I stayed at a hotel similar to Emily Hotel near the beach in Danang,

You can find this and many Danang beach hotels, Vietnam at http://www.mycen.my/

Pic of My Khe beach from Emily Hotel at Agoda. I was a fan of Dana Delaney and China Beach series but never knew I will one day be at My Khe Beach where the Vietnam War TV series was based on and (partly) filmed.

#danang #vietnam