Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Genting Sempah - Revisit 2016

It's Sunday and CFAL 8 was another 7 days away, I felt Jo needed another training and we reluctantly got ourselves out of the bed and drove to Hospital Orang Asli for the ride.
Last January I used a MTB it was easy but this round I felt it was tougher, could it be my age is catching up or maybe it's the small wheeler that isn't good enough to climb.,,, hehehe.
We had a few stops as uncle and aunty were tired and needed a break.
Jo managed to complete the ride and was rewarded with a good breakfast and again it was waffle & porridge to share.
I was happy to meet some friends on this beautiful morning, the first was Sin Leng. 
And later on the way back we bumped into the "Cari Pasal" gang.
Apparently Mc Donald's has been giving free drink for cyclists for the quite some time, well done Mc Donald's I am sure cyclists love the idea and will continue to patronise the place for a good refreshment and rest.
 Then we rode back together with our friends.
Generally it a great place to cycle despite the climb but nevertheless it is a good training ground. The only thing I like to say is that the road condition is getting bad and I hope the local authority could re-surface it for a better cycling. And rubbish dumping is so rampant along the route, this need to be .

At the end of it was a satisfying ride though painful but I am glad we did it. I hope Jo can complete the coming CFAL 8 in Penang.

The Route of 34KM. 17KM uphill and 17KM downhill.

A video of our previous attempt dated January 2016 on the same route to Genting Sempah.

Monday, August 22, 2016

My Indulgence in Cycling over the Years

2012 where I rekindled the interest for another interesting chapter of my journey.
I have been enjoying the great and marvelous time cycling, I have started to go and see many places. They are simply amazing. I hope to visit more as time goes by. Definitely a big thumb up for cycling. Let's get a bike and go cycling!
A clip showing photos of what I have been doing over the years and will continue to do it as long as I am still able.
Happy cycling and see you on the road.

Thursday, August 11, 2016

Restoran Apa Khabar 老北村家煲仔堂, Kepong Baru

Apa Khabar a new kid in town? Well, this restaurant is relatively new nearly 4 months old. It was nice to meet up golfing friends for a lunch with Jan, Seiw Wah & Jimmy. Kepong Baru is pretty small and finding the place was easy.
Stir fried lotus root, french bean and petai with sambal belacan served in claypot. By the way all dishes here are served with claypot or plates.
Another veggie, kangkung stir fried with small dried shrimp, crunchy and tasty.
Steamed egg with three pieces of black organic tofu on top of the smooth and soft egg. 
Steamed Tilapia with lots of crushed garlic& Chinese wine served in claypot, I simply love the gravy or rather the soup. Next round I would love to try a patin fish instead of tilapia. I am rating this as the best dish on this table. 
Braised pork knuckle sinfully presented for our savoury. Though it was heavy for a lunch but the taste was right and delicious.
Steamed mantou buns to go the the braised knuckle.
Jan must be a regular customer, she got a complimentary steamed minced meat just like what we have it at home.
The owner/chef is a man full of tattoos and a man who takes part in Chinese food competition.

Restoran Apa Khabar 
老北村家煲仔堂
No.22,Jalan Kepong Baru,Jalan Ambong Kiri 1

52100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 014-9727-439 / 013-3656-872
GPS : 3.210131, 101.646775
Off on Monday.

Friday, August 05, 2016

Day 15 Korea Cycling Adventure - Shopping @ Busan

Good morning Busan it was our second morning in Dong Yang Motel.
To look for breakfast in the early where we were staying was not easy but not impossible, we found this quiet place selling noodle and the only thing we were concerned was the noodle has to be warm and not the cold type.
We started combing the areas of Busan Chinatown checking whether there are any interesting places we can shop and slowly we rode towards Nampo-dong a place that was ideal for the day.
And the shopping begins for these three ladies who came with empty bags in front of their bicycles.
We were actually at Gwangbok-dong shopping paradise.
I guess this a must visit street especially if you are thinking to shop. It is located near Nampo Dong Station surrounded with popular markets (like Jagalchi & Gukje) and park.
Their main targets were the cosmetic shops and I just have to leave them alone and go else where instead of waiting for them to finish.
This guy have managed to attract the three ladies into the shop and bought something.
While they were happily buying cosmetic products,  I went burrowing into the busy streets and picked up a few items in the stalls. I also went checking for interesting places and found a corner with several stalls selling shaved ice dessert (just like our Malaysian Ice Kacang)
The Korean shaved ice dessert Patbingsu 팥빙수 stall in action.
So much of street shopping, we decided to visit this Lotte Mart in this building next Taejong road, beside is Yeongdodaegyo Bridge.
Yeongdodaegyo Bridge (영도대교) that lifts up at one side to allow vessels to pass once everyday at exactly 2.00pm to 2.15pm. By accident, we were fortunate to witness it our timing was perfect.
Enjoying our lunch in the food court.
There was no hassle at all with our folded bicycles in the busy shopping mall and parking neatly next to where we were eating.
The ladies were fully satisfied with their purchases and heading back to the motel.
  I noticed that behind Lotte Mart there is a lane for cycling and decided to check it out whether it could take us back to Dong Yang Motel. 
After a crossing from the mall we resumed the journey back on the red lane.
The lane passes by the ports with anglers patiently fishing at the edge.
Yes we finally reached Busan Station where our rooms were waiting for us to rest. I started to organise our stuff and started to slowly pack them.
On the next day we woke early as usual and getting ready to go back home. These was our stuff and bicycles that we have to bring back to Malaysia, Joe & Anne decided to pack their at the bus top while the rest of us have already packed.
It was a short struggle dragging our luggage to the bus stop. The distance between Busan Station and the airport is about less than 20km. Finally our Airport Limousine bus came on the dot.
We arrived at Gimhae International Airport safely but feeling sad that we have to leave Korea but on the hindsight we will be going back for our delicious Malaysian food. 
It was good bye to South Korea, we had a wonderful 16 days in this country together with our Bromptons and I hope to come back again to see more of South Korea til then we shall see you again. Maybe Jeju Island.

Tuesday, August 02, 2016

Day 14 Korea Cycling Adventure - Busan Exploration

Good morning Busan we were fresh and ready to explore Busan, the 4th largest city in South Korea before that our breakfast at Kobongmin Gimbap.
Another wonderful place for a nice breakfast.
We ordered four different dishes of course not forgetting the gimbap.
As we find our way south towards Jagalchi market we came across beautiful waterfront with blue sea, ships, boats, containers, nice boulevards and statues like this. 
We were actually at the surrounding of Busan Port which is the largest port in South Korea and the fifth busiest container port in the world.
Jagalchi Market (부산 자갈치시장) is the largest seafood market in South Korea selling live and dried fish. Some are found in the complex and some are out at the road side.
It is also another place of attraction for tourists.
The market is located on the edge of Nampo Port (남포항)
Dried fish stalls are mostly seen at the road sides.
Moving over to International Market also known as Gukje Market, another popular place to shop and it is filled with so many shoppers locals and tourists like us.
Pusan International Film Festival Square, a place dedicated to the film industry with hand-printing of famous movie celebrities. 5 pairs of cycling legs from Malaysia were here too.
Our cycling mates checking the pricing of Korean cosmetics and a must buy item for the ladies.
Across the site of the yearly Pusan International Film Festival is Gwangbok-dong Cultural & Fashion Street which is full of shops selling everything from bargains to luxury items. 
There are so many alleys, shoe alley, bag alley, jewelry alley, eyeglasses alley, art alley and many more.
Our next mission was to search for the tower of Busan and this must in the right direction as we were going uphill.
Busan Tower is a 118-metre-high tower at Yongdusan Park, located in Jung-gu, Busan, South Korea.
It was time for the beach, Busan is famous for its beach. We took a train to Haeundae Beach.
As we surfaced from the underground train station we could feel the sea breeze and sight of a beautiful beach from a distance.
Haeundae beach is always crowded with human beings with thousands of people and parasols packed on the sandy beach. Visitors come from all over South Korea as well as outside of Korea.
Rolling through the food alley of Haeundae in search of something interesting and obviously we were hungry.
We agreed to try on this shop, something different from what we have been doing for our previous food adventures. So let's check out their dumplings.
There is a variety of dumplings with different fillings just like the Chinese Dim Sum but over here it is served in a bigger portion in a stainless steel trays..
Stole this picture from Joe, our meal at this dumpling shop, we actually shared table with the workers as there are limited tables in the shop.
One for the album with the boss of the shop, he was so supporting with willingly taking a pose with me. Kamsahamnida.
The ride to the temple strenuous as we climbed along Dalmaji Street overlooking into the blue sea.
Jo, Fenn and myself gave up at this spot and nothing beyond this point so we turned back to Busan City. Joe & Anne proceeded to take the challenge for Haedung Yonggungsa Temple.
We took an alternative route back looking for the closest train station.
I did not realise that Dalmaji street is famous for its cherry blossom during spring.
This man was incredible, he was so helpful insisting to guide us through in getting our train ride. There was a small "commotion" as we declined his offer to pay for our tickets, he won & managed to pay the tickets. Sorry we forgot to ask for his name. Sir, may you have a blessed life in Korea.
Backed to Dong Yang Motel and a little while later we were out again on the street for beer & burger at a pub called Chinguya & Kiyo. Joe & Anne joined us after their extended adventure.
This cafe that serves handmade burger known as "Tsushima Burger".