Night Market (Pasar malam) at Brinchang, Cameron Highlands

The Night Market at Brinchang (N4.49422 E101.38930) - Cameron Highlands is located around the area of Police Station Brinchang. Normally the night market is held on Friday & Saturday every week, but during the school holiday...the night market is carry on non-stop for the last 2 months of the year...

It was lucky that the rain stop after our dinner at Hong Kong Restaurant - Tanah Rata. So we just had a night market walk in the cooling atmosphere...it was not crowded maybe because the rain just stopped.

Night Market (pasar malam) at Brinchang town, Cameron Highlands

Most of the stalls here sell, fresh vegetables, fruits, souvenires, local foods and etc...
We bought some of the 'small' strawberries (not sweet) and dried starwberries which was not bad...

The night market will easily spent about an hour or more for us to walk around, the stalls were located at both side of the main road...
We found one interesting 'Sea Coconuts' which from Thailand, and decided to taste on it...one coconut cost RM6 for big and RM4 for small...tasted sweet. :)

Sea Coconuts stall

He cut it on-the-spot and let us taste before we buy, nice and honest guy!

When almost at the end of the night market, I found this stall very interesting! The strawberries which sell together with hot chocolate!

Hot chocolate strawberries stall

She will pour the hot chocolate on the strawberries depends on how many stick you want...we tasted one and continue to buy another two sticks. Hmm...tasty! 1 for RM2 and 3 for RM5.

The strawberries with hot chocolate

After finished our strawberries, said bye-bye with night market...and we walked back to the shops behind Rosa Passadena Hotel for some shopping...included to stock my beers...:)

That end our first day on Cameron Highlands...

Related post :-
*  My Cameron Highlands 3 days 2 nights trip on November 2012

Location map of Night Market at Brinchang, Cameron Highlands

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Hong Kong Restaurant at Tanah Rata, Cameron Highlands - Pahang.

After walking around Tanah Rata - Cameron Highlands, we settled our dinner at this Hong Kong Restauarnt (N4.47053 E101.37751) along the main road of Tanah Rata. Our initial plan was having our dinner at Restaurant SKG (N4.47504 E101.37239) which is surrounded by a farm, unfortunately the restaurant had stop operation, closed.

Hong Kong Restaurant at Tanah Rata

We were there quite early in that evening, and looks like the crowd just started...it has a simple setup for indoor and outdoor dining area.
The lady boss came to served us and recommended some signature dish for our dinner...(she was friendly).

The environment of Hong Kong Restaurant

Our ordered :-
*  Fried rice
*  Hot plate pork with onions and mushrooms
*  'Mah-po' tao-fu (bean curd)
*  Marmite chicken

Fried rice

Hot plate bean curd with onions and mushrooms

Mah-po tao-fu (bean curd)

Marmite chicken - recommended by Angie (the lady boss)

The fried rice was above average, the tasty hot plate pork was tender, the bean curd had a special taste and we like it! The honeyed Marmite chicken was flavourful and succulent! It was moist enough and well marinated.

It was a delightful dinner for us in the cooling climate at Cameron Highlands. We had a chat with Ms Angie (lady boss) and realized that she was from Kuala Lumpur and started their restaurant business here since 40 years ago...she has many regular customers from everywhere in the world included Malaysia and Singapore. I think we will become her regular customer too! :)
Beside the restaurant business, they are also the Authorized Booking Agent for : Bungalow, Apartment, Chalet, Hotel and Cottage.

The Damage : RM50.00 included drinks for 2 adults and 1 child. It's reasonable for the delicious foods on the Highlands.

We'll be back again on our next trips to Cameron Highlands in the future! :)

Related post :-
*  My Cameron Highlands 3 days 2 nights trip on November 2012

Hong Kong Restaurant

27, Main Road,

Tanah Rata, Cameron Highlands,

Pahang.

Tel : +6016-5657333 (Ms Angie Ng)

Business hour : 11am-9pm

The restaurant is open 7 days a week during school holiday

Location map of Hong Kong Restaurant at Tanah Rata, Cameron Highlands

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Second Visit to Rosa Passadena Hotel at Brinchang, Cameron Highlands - Pahang.

This was our second time stayed in the Rosa Passadena Hotel (N4.49167 E101.38799) on Cameron Highlands trip due to the friendly Manager - Mr Barathi. Thanks to him for helping us on the room booking.
The blog post of our last visit on year 2009.

We reached the hotel around 5pm on the first day, and the check in only took us 5 minutes! Impressed!

Rosa Passadena Hotel at Brinchang, Cameron Highlands

The hotel is located in the middle of the Brinchang town which is convenience for us to have some local shopping and foods around the area. Brinchang town is famous of Steamboat restaurant, and there are plenty of them for you to choose from...

The Hotel lobby

The Lobby looked the same since our last visit on 2009, but the corridor and the rooms have upgraded to better and clean environment...

The hotel corridor...

We had a 3 persons room, and it surprised us on all new furniture with the basic facilities...

The 3 persons room in Rosa Passadena Hotel, Brinchang.

The room had equipped with new LCD TV, safe and a mini fridge...with a new wardrobe too. The bathroom has a mini bathtub which I felt the shape was a bit weird while showering...but the wooden support of the basin was really rundown! Do you notice it?

The bathroom of the room

The new building of the school behind the hotel had completed, it wasn't here on our last visit. You can view it from my last visit here.

The school new block had completed, view from the hotel room...

Anyway, we were satisfied with the hotel for our 3 days 2 nights stayed. The hotel staffs were friendly as usual...and the room rate we paid was breakfast included (which was not bad) for 2 mornings.

The hotel is provide a reasonable price with the convenience to reach the nearby shop and restaurant, and there's a private vehicles parking for those visitor who drive. It's one of the nice hotel at Brinchang town, Cameron Highlands.

ROSA PASSADENA HOTEL
No.1 Bandar Baru Brinchang
P O Box 8
39100 Brinchang,Cameron Highlands
Pahang Darul Makmur
Tel: +605-4912288
Fax: +605-4912688
Reservation : resvnrosa@cameronpremierhotels.com.my

Related post :-
*  My Cameron Highlands 3 days 2 nights trip on November 2012
*  First visit to Rosa Passadena Hotel on 2009

Location map of Rosa Passadena Hotel at Brinchang, Cameron Highlands

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My Cameron Highlands Trip on November 2012

We visited Cameron Highlands at Pahang again on the 2nd week of November 2012. This was our first time visit the highlands almost year end, just to feel the cold and relax...

I purposely drove through the Simpang Pulai Toll and via the wider road to CH that took additional 'One hour' journey compare with the Tapah road...total of 6 hours+ drive included rest time from Muar, Johor.

Our itinerary as below :-

Day 1
*  Check in to Rosa Passadena Hotel, Brinchang.
*  Free and easy at Tanah Rata.
*  Dinner at Hong Kong Restaurant, Tanah Rata.
*  Brinchang night market.
*  Rest...

Day 2
*  Simple breakfast at Hotel
*  Butterfly Farm, Brinchang.
*  Sungai Palas BOH Tea Centre.
*  Simple lunch at Uncle Chow Kopitiam, Tanah Rata
*  Big Red Strawberry Farm, Brinchang.
*  Dinner at Mountain House Charcoal Steamboat, Brinchang.
*  Rest...

Day 3
*  Visit Sam Poh Buddhist Temple, Brinchang.
*  Check out from Rosa Passadena Hotel, Brinchang.
*  Lunch at Water Cress Valley Restaurant
*  Bye-bye Cameron Highlands!

We had a wonderful vacation on Cameron Highlands this time even the climate not as cold as expected. It was relax and easy holiday for us without heavy traffic congestion. Never forget we had the 'best' Teh Tarik (our preference) at Brinchang, love the different dining experience at Water Cress Valley Restaurant, also realized that not 'all' charcoal steamboats at Cameron Highlands are good...haha!

Too bad the Restaurant SKG had closed down...and we missed the chance to visit the Famous My Lord's Cafe...both located at Tanah Rata.

We just simply Love the cool air (even not as cold as those days...) and the climate on the Highlands. We will try our very best to visit the highlands every year. Do you? :)

History of Cameron Highlands

"In 1885,William Cameron, a government Surveyor, discovered a plateau at an elevation of 4500 -5600 feet above sea level.He then brought this part of Pahang into History,thus naming it the Cameron Highlands. From 1896 - 1902, the narrow path to the Highlands was widened and improved.Meanwhile surveys were carried out to identify the actual plateau in this area. In 1925, Sir George Maxwell paid a visit and its was then decided that the Cameron Highlands,which is situated in the present Tanah Rata and Brinchang areas, be developed into a Hill Station. Between 1926 - 1931 this area was zoned into areas reserved for the Department of Agriculture,Township and Residential Sites, Aras of Services , National Park ,General Adminstration and Recreational areas. After the Japanese occupation interest to develop further was revived but progress until the 1960s was hindered due to Emergency.After the termination of the Emergency,the Hill Station was carefully developed into a popular resort which not only attracted local tourists but overseas tourists as well."
Source from Here.

Another visit to MaMa Nyonya Restaurant at Taman Molek, Johor Bahru.

We had been visited the MaMa Nyonya Restaurant (N1.52412 E103.78532) at Taman Molek for few times in the past, and I would like to share some Nyonya dishes served by the restaurant with you.

Beside that I mentioned on previous post, these are some of the Nyonya Delicacies that you will not going to miss it...

Ayam Keluak (Authentic Nyonya dish)

Ayam Keluak from MaMa Nyonya Restaurant

The Authentic Buah Keluak from Indonesia

If you like know more about 'Buah Keluak', please click here : Peranakan Cuisine.

The preparation of the dish above took much more longer compare with other dishes...estimately one day. Some peoples might not easy to adapt the taste of the Buah Keluak, we normally mixed it with the rice and we like it very much! The curry chicken was tender and tasteful.

Garlic Ginger Fish

Garlic Ginger Fish from MaMa Nyonya Restaurant

The fish was fresh and the taste goes well with the dried garlic.

Ayam (chicken) rendang from MaMa Nyonya Restaurant

I believe most of us will think, this Ayam Rendang is commonly available anywhere around Malaysia. But the taste was different from the normal stall I visited, it had a thick rendang and nice frangrance taste. One of the Nice Rendang Chicken I ever taste before..

Sambal Petai Sotong (squid)

Sambal Petai Sotong from MaMa Nyonya Restaurant

If you follow my blog post, you'll notice that we like this dish very much! As long as the dish available in the restaurant, we'll ouder. It taste like others, but the sambal was different and Good!

Bean Sprout with salted fish

Bean Sprout with salted fish

This was average but the satled fish was nice!

Nyonya Spicy Steamed Fish

Nyonya Spicy Steamed Fish

Normal steamed fish mixed with Nyonya Homemade Chili paste. This was my first time tasting the Nyonya dish! The homemade chili paste and the steamed fish really enhanced this Nyonya Delicacy very well! Hardly describe by words, you have to taste it yourself for the Delicious steamed fish!

We had a delightful dinner every time we visited the restaurant, we listed as one of our Favorite Restaurant within the Taman Molek area.

Related posts :-
* MaMa Nyonya Restaurant (Home cook) at Taman Molek, Johor Bahru.
* Nyonya Popiah at MaMa Nyonya Restaurant, Taman Molek - Johor Bahru.

MaMa Nyonya Restaurant
8, Jalan Molek 1/28,
Taman Molek, Johor Bahru
Tel : +6016-7167190 (Grace Lim)
https://www.facebook.com/pages/MaMa-Nyonya-FOOD/110292562374357

Location map of MaMa Nyonya Restaurant at Taman Molek, Johor Bahru.

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I Speak about Jewish Heritage in Spectacular Florence Venue

 By Ruth Ellen Gruber

(This post also appears on my En Route blog for the Los Angeles Jewish Journal)

I had the pleasure and privilege Sunday of giving a presentation about the Jewish Heritage Europe web site project in Florence, in one of the city's most prestigious and spectacular venues -- the Salone dei Cinquecento of the Palazzo Vecchio, the city hall of Florence, a massive building with a distinctive tower that was originally built at the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries.

Me & Pope Leo X. (Photo: Angelo Pontecorboli)

I was part of a five-person panel speaking on various aspects of "Developing Jewish Cultural Heritage in Europe." Our round-table was part of a huge, weeklong biennale on Cultural and "Landscape" Heritage sponsored by the Fondazione Florens. Other people on the panel included Giuseppe Burschtein, an IT specialist and Jewish heritage activist in Florence; Renzo Funaro, an architect who heads the "Opera del Tempio" project of restoration and promotion of Jewish heritage in Florence and elsewhere in Tuscany; Dora Liscia Bemporad, the director of the Jewish Museum in Florence; and Annie Sacerdoti, a pioneer of Jewish heritage documentation and activism in Italy and one of the spearheads of the European Day of Jewish Culture.

The moderator of our panel was the journalist Wlodek Goldkorn -- who pointed out at the start of the event that this session was probably the first time that a Jewish program (other than a commemorative event) had taken place in the magnificent hall, a grandly huge space dating from 1494, richly decorated with a gorgeous painted ceiling, sculptures and paintings from the 16th century.

The view from the podium

We had a pretty good crowd -- and nobody left in the middle! Given the mix of people on our panel, presentations included both local and Europe-wide issues -- and none of us had more than 10 minutes or so to speak.

For my talk, I had an internet connection projected on two immense screens. I presented Jewish Heritage Europe as a tool that is already functional, attracting 4,000-5,000 people a month. I took the audience on a tour of the site, describing both the static content for 48 countries -- and also the dynamic content -- the newsfeed, calendar, and the In Focus section.

I had wanted to highlight some other web sites that bring Jewish heritage online -- such as Judaica Europeana and Virtual Shtetl. But, alas, there wasn't time.

You will just have to go to all those web sites and explore!

(Photo: Angelo Pontecorboli)

HAN (韩) Korea BBQ Restaurant at Taman Molek, Johor Bahru.

HAN Korea BBQ Restaurant (韩) (N1.53038 E103.79330) is located along Jalan Molek 2/2 of Taman Molek, Johor Bahru, which is just next to Standard Chartered Bank Taman Molek Branch. We had a bad experienced with the other outlet at Jalan Molek 1/28 (behind OCBC Bank Taman Molek) which was smoky and stuffy on our visit months ago, so we decided to give a try in this outlet on one of the evening...

HAN Korea BBQ Restaurant, Taman Molek

Heard from friends that this outlet was took over from another restaurant not too long ago, and the design also different from the traditional Korea restaurant...no tatami.

It was quiet and not many customers on that evening, therefore it was nice and cooling...for me, the environment is better and spacious than the other outlet which I mentioned above...

The interior design of HAN Korea BBQ Restaurant

As usual, we ordered the one of the set in the menu for 2-3 person, the set include marinated Pork (五花肉), chicken, beef and a choice of soy bean or kimchi soup. We took the kimchi soup...

There were 15 different types of refillable side dishes (banchan) as appetizers served on table before the main dishes serve where you experience in all Korean restaurant...

side dishes served by the restaurant

The friendly waiter preparing the BBQ at the next table while we enjoyed the side dishes...

Every table has the flexible vaccum to avoid smoky condition, common in all Korean restaurant. The waiter patiently barbeque the meats till perfection...under the smokeless environment. Great!

The raw beef...

The BBQ pork in process...

About less than 5 minutes, the BBQ pork served...

Korean BBQ pork with onion...

Follow by the BBQ beef...

BBQ Beef...

While we enjoyed the pork and beef, he (waiter) continue preparing the chicken immeditely...

BBQ chicken in process...

BBQ chicken with mushroom...

After all done, the Kimchi soup presented on our table...served with a steam egg...

Korean Kimchi soup...

The pork, chicken and beef were tasteful! All were well marinated and tender! The chewy moment of the pork was unforgotten.
There were vermicellis, korean rice cakes and others in the Kimchi soup, and it was slightly 'special' compare with others, not very sour...we like the soup very much! I don't really like too sour and spicy Kimchi soup, that it kill the original taste of it (personal preference).
The texture of the steam eggs was nice, just melted in our mouth...
Delicious!

The Damage : RM118.00 for 2 adults and 1 kid included a jug of Korean tea.
The quantity of the foods enough to serve at least 3 adults, so we were overloaded again! We will be back and of course with more friends...:)

韩 HAN Korea BBQ Restaurant

84, Jalan Molek 2/2,

Taman Molek, 81100 Johor Bahru.

Tel : +607-3539002

Location map of HAN Korea BBQ Restaurant at Taman Molek, Johor Bahru.

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A small fishing village at Johor - Kong Kong

Out of the curiosity, we drove to the Kong Kong Fishing Village (N1.51836 E103.99752) for nothing on one of the cloudy Saturday afternoon...

I found one of the special of this small village is the road direct us until 'The End'!...Well, it stop next to Johor River...

The end of the road at Kong Kong, Johor.

Peaceful!
Was the first impression of the village, I felt...
So we strolled around the very small jetty and also the surrounding...accompany with nice cool breeze from the Johor River...where the Johor civilaization began...

One 0f the 'Kelong' floating on Johor River...

We found a simple and Classic kopitiam situated along the river, without the second thought...we ordered our coffee and continue enjoy the scenic view of the village.
Kind of strange, I like this area very much! No doubt it's a nice photography area, but I didn't bring my digital camera, just wanted a simple visit of it...

Kedai Kopi Kim Lee - A 70s kopitiam...

The kopitiam was not crowded during our visit, the calm atmosphere really made us enjoy the nice aroma coffee on our table.

The washroom of the coffee shop is another unique to me...it has the 60s design where I only saw it at my grandfather house those days many years ago. It's really brought back my childhood memory when I discovered this!
That was the reason I had a second cups of coffee again in the shop...

The traditional design of the washroom during the 60s...

The well next to the toilet...

Have you experience this type of toilet before?!

Beside that, I found a clinic, school, mosque and the famous Tai Son Seafood Restaurant in the village. Still many more to explore...this was the second fishing village I like in Johor state, the first one was Kampung Pendas nearby the Second Link.

I promise myself that I will definitely have another visit to this village and make sure I bring my digital camera!

It's a nice place to calm down and relax when you have a continuous hectic days of city life!

*  Photos were taken by Nokia phone E71, apologies for the poor quality.

Location map of Kong Kong small village at Johor.

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