A Road Trip To Kuantan - Day 1

After getting our new place of abode to be the way we want it to be that is a "Home Sweet Home", we decided to take a short break and go on a road trip. I had wanted to take a road trip around the peninsular but never did get down to doing it so I guess this trip should give us a sample of what to expect.

Our plan was to make use of the old route and stay away from the expressway as much as possible and no toll roads. I want to revisit some of the places that I had not been too for more than 30 to 40 years ago and eat those yummy food not to be found anywhere else.

The Route

Day 1 - September 28

Our destination was Kuantan, the state capital of the largest state here in this country, Malaysia. We started off round about 9:00 am and had some trouble with the GPS because it had problems connecting to the satellite and so I had to depend on the road signs. Having used the GPS for awhile I had more or less became dependable on it because of its accuracy and taking the best routes. A couple of times I thought that we were heading in the wrong direction until I saw a road sign that confirm we were heading in the right direction. The direction signs here are kind of a unreliable but then again half a loaf is better than none. Sometimes the road sign takes you on a merry go round before actually heading in the right direction.

Our first destination was Bahau and my main aim was to look for the very delicious beef noodles that was located by the bus station and market. The last time I had it was more than 25 years ago.

The drive was scenic and the view of the Durian Tunggal Reservoir was beautiful and this is where we get our drinking water from.

Durian Tunggal Reservoir

Soon after that we arrived in Batang Melaka, a border town and it has a railway station. There are two towns in Malacca that has a railway station and both of them are border towns.

Batang Melaka Main Road

The railway station was being upgraded to accommodate  the upgrade of the tracks to twin tracks and it is sad to say we were not able to capture a photo of it but we managed to get a photo of the tracks.

Twin Tracks

We are now in Negeri Sembilan state and the first town is  Rompin which is a surprise for us. We were surprised that we had to pass through Rompin because the Rompin we know is in Johor where the Endau Rompin National Park is located. How embarrassing and Google help solve the mystery. We should have known better because there are many places with the same name in this country.

Rompin of Negeri Sembilan

Cross-road in Rompin

Next is Bahau a place that I look forward to eating the very delicious beef noodles. All I can remember is that it was located in the bus station along a row of shed that looks like it might just collapsed at any moment but I guess it was worth the risk.

The Main Range

A long the way we were able to see the ending part of of the Main Range mountains that runs along the central part of the peninsula starting from southern Thailand and end somewhere here.

Just round the corner is Bahau, once a one road town and I am eager to see how it is today.

Nope it is no longer a single main road town, it had grown to a few roads since about 50 years ago.

The Bus Station

Yes we found the bus station all big and ... where is the beef noodle store? Looks like it is gone and since we were not hungry yet and way too early for lunch we decided to go on. Our plan was to stop at Triang the next town for some snacks. To me this is a interesting town as I know it. Timber trucks heading to the south will stop here for a meal before getting on their journey. They would bring along with them jungle produce barter traded with the aborigines and sell them to the eateries here. A river separates  the main road and my first experience crossing this river was by man pulled ferry. If the river were to be dangerous to cross due to heavy rain, it would mean a detour of a few hundred kilometers to reach ones destination on the other side.

The GPS still refused to connect with the satellite and so I am keeping my fingers crossed that I am heading in the right direction. After driving for about  30 to 40 km, I started to doubt myself that I might be heading in the wrong direction because the milestones and sign board did not show Triang. Then out of nowhere at a road junction adjacent to the road we were on had a sign showing the direction of Triang which is straight ahead. I was glad and relieved. Not long after that we pass a bridge and the river is Triang river but no Triang. I wondered did my memory failed me, hmmm..........

Bera? The only Bera I know is Lake Bera, strange no Triang and now Bera. Only solved these mysteries while I was writing this blog with the aid of Google. Because we were on a new road Triang was bypassed and Bera only came into existence in 1992.

By this time I was a little hungry and only wanted to get to our next destination which is Mentakap to get something to eat. We passed by the junction leading to the small town of Mengkarak was where my granpa who came from China settled in. I did not know why I did not take the turn to go to Mengkarak, which is a decision I regretted because I have no idea when will I ever pass that way again. I guess it must be the stomach that had taken over the brain function to eat.

The rest of the journey was uneventful and some familiar spots were still there, some coffee shops by the river. No pictures and I don't know why. When I thought I arrived at our destination and it was not, yes the GPS is still sleeping. Ask around a bit, got our bearings right and head to where we want to go, got lunch nothing interesting just something to fill our tummies.

After lunch and a cup of coffee, the GPS decided to get connected to the satellite and I was relived. Set the GPS to avoid all toll roads and freeways, the country road is always much more interesting. The rest of the journey was uneventful but nice passing by a couple of small town and soon we were in Kuantan.

 

We noticed some street art on the way into Kuantan and took a picture of the one we like.

No this is not painted by the Lithuanian artist Ernest Zacharevic but someone that was inspired by him I think. 

Soon we arrived at our hotel with the GPS guiding us were there in a jiff. It was already late afternoon and I immediately made a beeline for the beach after checking in. It was like ages ago when I last saw the ocean.

Relaxed :)

The beach was a little quiet just the way I like it.  After have a nice relaxed moment on the beach, it was time to go look for food. I did a little research before we came and this takes the guessing game away. Set the GPS to where we want to go and we were on our way.

When we arrived, there were quite a lot of people already there and we quickly got ourselves seated. We thought we had to wait quite awhile for some service but the service was excellent and the food was good.

Tou-fu with minced pork & salted fish

Chinese romaine

Spicy Prawns - yum

Hokkien Fried Noodles

The dinner was excellent and having filled our tummies we decided to explore the town a little before heading back to the hotel to call it a day.

Project Tomato - Oh! O!! Trouble!!!

A couple of days ago I noticed that one of my precious tomato plant was not well and I thought that it was some kind of bug attacking it like aphids. Did the soap water treatment and some part of the leaves turned yellow. I washed the plant with clean water 5 minutes after treating it with soap water so it couldn't be the soap water treatment. Out of the 3 plants only one is having the problem.


Precious Tomato

Plant number 1 was having the problem and the growth had slowed down considerably. It was the first plant that was transplanted and the largest among the three.


yellowing leaves

Yesterday morning some black spots start to show at the yellowing part of the leaves and bacteria infection comes to my mind immediately.


Black spots

Without thinking further, I grabbed a pair of shears and started cutting all the affected leaves away. After doing that I only realized was that the right thing to do and is there any other options or my diagnosis is wrong. To investigate this further I posted the problem in the forum. Well after reading the responses I think I did the right thing. If the plant does not recover then the possibility of beetle grub is very high. Anyway if the plant do not recover in two weeks I'll dig it up and look for those grubs.


condition of plants

This is the condition of my 3 Heroes as of September 18th.

Project Tomato - Transplanted!

It had been about a month since I sowed the seeds and  I finally got one seedling that is tall enough to transplant, about six inches.


The Candidates

The first to sprout is the tallest and I do not know why some of the leaves are yellowing. Maybe because it had been raining and there was too much water.

I was just wandering if I were to let the seedlings grow in a open top box, would I get taller seedlings? Maybe will try the next round.

Next is to prepare the container, more holes were punched slightly above the bottom to allow for better drainage. Thanks to a member of Garden Stew suggestion, I was able to decide quickly where I wanted the extra drain holes. Those holes at the bottom were already there so I'll have to live with it.


Drain holes

Since the tomatoes are indeterminate, I would have to prepare some kind of support for the plant as it grow taller. I have some 8 feet aluminum poles and I decided to use them.


The container

Next the media which was the most difficult thing to obtain. Difficult in the sense that I had never bought them before and I have no idea what is good and what is just not good. Wish I can just dig up some earth and just use it. Anyway a decision had to be made and I bought two different brands from two different places.


The media

From left to right, first is home made compost, Epsom salt, organic soil, pelletised chicken dung, and very old soil. The mix is about six liter of compost, six liter of organic soil, six liter of very old soil, six tablespoon of chicken dung and one tablespoon Epsom salt around the roots.


Organic soil

The organic soil smell like coconut husk, brownish in colour, had lots of clay balls, some unchopped coconut husk and some burnt things inside.


Very Old soil

The very old soil also had some clumps of coconut husk, large pieces of charcoal, looks like it is burned, very dark in colour and no distinct smell.


The potting soil

Anyway I broke as much of the clumps as I can, mix in the compost and chicken dung. Mix the mixture real well and put it in the container.


Lay down planting style.

I planted the tomato seedling the same way it was done by one of the members of Garden Stew posting "Tommie Time". 

Now to prepare the seedling.


Ready to go.

All unauthorized growth were removed and the yellowing leaves on the tomato was removed too before planting it in its new home.


in the long hole

A tablespoon of Epsom salt was spread all over the root area before covering it with earth. I did not add a tube at the root area because it is not in a green house.


Final

Finally I had to cut another leave away and prop the plant up slightly with a wire rest.


All ready

A few days later number 2 was transplanted and yesterday the final plant number 3 was transplanted. I was told that it was not necessary to prop the plant up after transplanting because they can recover by themselves. Yes by the next day, the part that was not buried in the ground was upright again. They are all in their new home and the difficult part is just starting. Number 1 and 3 are heirloom and 2 is the lone hybrid. They all look healthy.

Project Tomato - A New Start

I had planted tomatoes a couple of times but did not had any real success. My last attempt was a very big failure with no decent fruits to show. Since I had no success on planting them on the ground, this time I decided to make use of containers which I think I'll will have better control over the conditions. The containers were from my dismantled aquaponic system because after we moved, I decided not to make use of it again. They were chosen after some consultation and since they were the largest unused containers I had.

OK This time I am going to plant real cherry tomatoes because the aim now is to get garden fresh tomatoes for salad instead of making tomato paste or sauce. I have two different varieties and one is a hybrid. It seems that cherry tomatoes are the easiest tomatoes to plant.


Cherry Tomato Seeds.

The one on the right is the hybrid and I got these seeds about a year ago. Prepared the bed with 75% compost and 25% black soil which I got from my neighbor. According to him black soil is burnt soil combined with other vegetation. I found quite a fair bit of coconut husk in it.


Starter

I put in 3 seeds of each type separately into each starter. The starters were placed in a place where they get the morning sun.


Germination Station

And now keeping my fingers crossed and counting the days...

I was digging a hole to plant a okra plant and I had to stop because I hit a rocky patch. Actually the whole area is kind of rocky and digging is no fun. 

 
Rocks!!! 

Normally in this situation I would use a concrete chisel and break the stone to smaller bits but this time I borrowed the mini jack hammer to do the job. 

 
It did not help. 

Nope it did not help, it just made hole in the stone without breaking it. Sigh..... After some hammering and working around the obstacle, I managed to remove it in halves. I have to dig deeper than usual because planting in this stony conditions is just like planting in a pot even though it is in the ground. 

 
Final result 

I wanted to go in 2 feet but I only managed 14~15 inches I think. I intent to fill it with 30% compost and 70% topsoil which I hope to get from somewhere. 

Right now I am not able to do anything in the mini-farm because it had been taken over by the building contractor. 

 
Hijacked!!! 

 
Iron rods on the ground  

 
Building material everywhere!!! 

I have to stop all my activities in the mini farm except for watering the plants. It is really dangerous to walk around the mini-farm now with all those building materials all over the place and the danger of being poked by nails. The mess is getting worst as the construction proceed. My poor plants having to endure this situation and to make situation worst it had not rained for more than 6 weeks or so. 

Yes, the Mini-Farm is hijacked. 

Our Vacation Down Under & Younder - Final Part

April 1

Today is a stay in day because Becky’s Facebook friend who is also a colleague of our hostess is coming for a lunch visit.


Breakfast – Homemade Scones and Jams 


Exploring the neighbourhood 


Girls only 


Nice wine 


Sharing a joke!!! 


Lamp chopped yum!!! 


Potato Salad 


Beetroot, rocket salad 


Lamb chopped, lamb sausages and beef burger patties 


Skewered chicken and chicken sausages 

It was a day of eating, chatting and laughing from lunch to almost dinner.

April 2

Today is Brisbane discovery tour day.


Breakfast – homemade pancakes with fresh fruits 


Boat not here yet 


Let’s rest awhile  


Here it comes 

The first part was a tour of Brisbane River on the City Cat which was really interesting.


Boarding the City Cat 


Off we go!!! 


Tourist!!!  


A cruise ship 


Hawthorne ferry wharf 


A City Ferry 


Brisbane City 


Brisbane City 


Brisbane City 

We started from Bretts Wharf and go right up to University of Queensland and hop off somewhere in the city center and continue our discovery tour on foot.


The Route 


Our Disembarkation Point 


A Green Cab 


Rugby a popular sports 


Queen Street Mall 


Guide Dog Graduation 


Autism Supporters in Blue 


Happiness – Lunch Time 


Scallop and Mussels Risotto 


Fish and Chips 


Westernized Nasi Lemak 


A Native playing a Didgeridoo 

After exploring Queen Street Mall we crossed the Victoria Bridge to the Queensland Cultural Centre.


Crossing Victoria Bridge 


Green Cab in Action 


Inside the art gallery 


The story 


Close up of familiar things 


Close up of familiar things 


Close up of familiar things 


Close up of familiar things 


I like this  


Iron Snake??? 


Hmmm....??? 


The Story 


Bodyguards 


Hmmm… 


They have no legs! 


See, no legs! 


Hmm …. 


eeny, meeny, miny, moe  


Thrash bag dog 


Little glass animals 


More little glass animals 


Lots of little glass animals 


The story 


Sound like mine - NG HOUSE  


The Wheel Of Brisbane 

After an exciting fun filled day discovering Brisbane, we had a delicious Thai dinner at a nearby small Thai restaurant run by Thai people or should I say Siamese.


Thai spring roll 


Duck and pineapple fried rice – yum! 


Green Curry 


Yummy dish 

April 3

Today we return to Melbourne and spend a quiet day in. It was cold.


Brisbane Airport 


Cold Day in Melbourne 

April 4

Spent the day with Becky’s aunt indoors and her cousin took us out for dinner in a Chinese noodle shop nearby.


Beef Noodles yummie! 


Fried Noodles 

April 5

Today is the last day of our vacation and will be flying off in the wee hours of tomorrow morning. Anyway we went to Preston Market with Becky’s cousin to do some marketing. Really love the markets here, lots of variety, clean, bright … unlike the markets we have back home.


Nice 


Lots of choices & varieties 


Fresh 


Food Truck 

In the evening we all went out for dinner just round the corner in Bundoora Hotel before we went to the airport to catch our flight home. We were already missing these two wonderful country.


The Pokies Section 


Soup of the day 


Roast Beef Ribs 


Fish and Chips 


Satisfied Diners 


Melbourne Airport again 


Back in Malaysia 


Welcome committee my eldest 


The sign  

It had been a wonderful holiday … wish it could be longer.