Welcome Seafood Restaurant @ Penampang

Daniel & SL 

Leong Chen Luk

Alwee & Daniel

Upon arriving in Kota Kinabalu (KK) via BI 825 at almost 5.00pm, Luk & I went straight to the Promenade Hotel to check-in. At Promenade, we met up with Alwee, the owner of Brunei's Busiido MMA gym, who had arrived a day earlier. Daniel, my room guest (at Traders Inn) whom I met on the plane had volunteered to bring us to Welcome Seafood Restaurant in Penampang for dinner that night. This restaurant caters mainly to the locals and the place was very busy during the whole time we were there. The price tag for the four of us inclusive of beer came to only RM177-00 (B$70-00)! Fantastic deal and you can't get live seafood cheaper than that anywhere else in KK!

Humanitarian Aid to Kg Awat-Awat, Sundar in Lawas

Arrived at Bangar; L-R: Raja, Hj Japar, Sammy & SL

I woke up very early this morning as I will be joining two PWM Exco members (Raja & Sammy) on a trip to Lawas to support Jabatan Belia dan Sukan's humanitarian aid to fire victims in Kg Awat-Awat, Sundar. We took the 6.30am speed boat to Temburong where we used Hj. Japar's Nissan Patrol which was parked near the ferry terminal to meet up with the other volunteers at the Temburong-Lawas border. The convoy of about eight four wheel vehicles and MPVs were stacked with food supplies purchased in Brunei a day earlier. We reached our destination, Kg Awat-Awat, which is situated about 50km from the Temburong ferry terminal at around 10.00am. The collection and meeting point was at Masjid Misbahul Huda where some of the fire victims, the Penghulu and a Barisan National representative welcomed us. We also visited the site of the fire which is two minutes away by boat. We returned to Brunei by land and arrived in Brunei at approximately 3.00pm. A big "thank you" to all those who donated to this worthy cause and we left Lawas contented, knowing (and feeling) that the fire victims were very grateful and appreciative of our efforts, especially when the aid comes from a neighbouring country! 

The above photos showed what's left after a fire destroyed a section of Kampong Air (water village) at Kg. Awat-Awat, Sundar on 29 October 2013. Fifteen houses were totally destroyed while three houses were partially damaged resulting in 47 families (comprising more than a hundred residents) homeless. Fortunately, there were no casualties. The site is a mere two minutes away by boat from the mosque.

On Board RB's 787 Dreamliner

I was lucky (or unlucky as BI872 was delayed for almost 4 hours due to a "malfunction") to have the opportunity to fly on Royal Brunei's 787 Dreamliner which was on its maiden flight from Kuala Lumpur to Brunei last Saturday, 19 October 2013. You can smell the "newness" in the Dreamliner as you would in a new car. It's definitely more comfortable with the extra legroom (in economy class) as my knees were at least four inches away from the seat in front of me; in RB's other planes, my knees would be touching the front seat! The user friendly in-flight entertainment (with touch screen display) is also a plus. The special effects lighting in the cabin is a first I've ever seen and almost all the passengers were busy taking photographs. A talented young violin player was also on hand to entertain the passengers and a gift pack (consisting of an 8GB pen-drive, pen, passport holder, note pad and eye cover) was distributed to commemorate this maiden flight. 

Executive Studio Room @ Piccolo Hotel

This is the second time I stayed at the Piccolo Hotel Kuala Lumpur and this time, I was upgraded to the Executive Studio Room which is more spacious than its Deluxe Room. I chose the Piccolo Hotel for its fantastic location along the tourist belt of Bukit Bintang and its affordable rate of RM266-80 nett (corporate rate). The hotel itself doesn't have the facilities of a 5-star hotel like a swimming pool or gourmet restaurants but its rooms are certainly on par or even better than some 5-star hotels that I've stayed in! 

Harris Resort Kuta Beach

I was in Bali for two nights and on the first night, I stayed at a hotel in Seminyak and as I was "surveying" this hotel, it will not be mentioned here. On the second night, I moved to Kuta Beach and my friend, Hans, who flew in from Jakarta to join me has booked Harris Resort Kuta Beach for the night. Harris Hotel is a local brand with 13 hotels scattered throughout Indonesia and in Bali alone, there are five Harris Hotels. The furnishings are very simple and plain with the colour "orange" as the main theme as almost everything in Harris Hotel is orange in colour. All the basic amenities like coffee/tea, toothbrush, slippers and a safe are provided in the room. Although it is touted as a four star hotel, I would have given it a lower rating if not for the swimming pool and its good location. It is very near to Kuta Beach and the Beachwalk Mall is conveniently situated just next to the hotel!