BORNEO Native Festival 2024

It's BNf 2024!

We've been visiting the Borneo Native Festival ("BNf" for short) for two straight years and were excited to make it a happy hattrick.

With the theme of "Power in Unity" this year's BNf invited us to "Dive into the World of Borneo: A Captivating vibrant cultures, Amazing food and an Immersive music experience.”

Events planned for this year’s festival included:

• Food & Crafts
• Borneo Talks
• Creative Dance Competition 
• Miss Ethnic BNf
• Sape Stage
• Borneotroops - (Marching)
• AR Live Experience 

We eagerly made our way to the bus stop along Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman (TAR) where we caught a RapidKL bus #180 to the Pasar Seni Bus Hub for a fare of RM1.00 (approximately USD/EUR0.20). We then walked north along Jalan Hang Kasturi before making our way across Jalan Tun Sambathan to Central Market.

As always we entered its northern entrance and walked the entire length before heading out the southern exit where there were even more stalls. We browsed the various stalls and ended up at Lipang Lawai's stall, where she was still in the midst of extending Cat's necklace bought some time ago. So as we waited Cat got herself three earrings and a Kabo necklace for RM247.00 (approximately USD53/EUR48) that also included the cost of extending Cat Bao Tulang necklace.

Cat then bought a bracelet and two earrings from Borneo Touch Enterprise for RM52.00 (approximately USD10/EUR11).

We eventually arrived at the stall of Cat’s favourite beadstress, Caroline Agan just across from Lipang. Cat made sure to take her time perusing each item on display before deciding on a few items that included a hat, an Alai necklace, an African beaded necklace and a Turquoise necklace for a princely sum of RM530.00 (approximately USD113/EUR104). Caroline asked that we come back later collect the Turquoise necklace as she needed to extend it as well.

We then walked over to our favourite Nasi Beriani restaurant, Tajuddin for lunch where two plates of Nasi Beriani with Honey Chicken and Fried Chicken together with a round of drinks came to RM30.00 (approximately USD/EUR6).

Lunch out of the way we headed back into Central Market where Cat got some native foodstuff that included Rice and Umai, Ikan Terubuk Garing and Keropok Dabai for a total of RM53.00 (approximately USD10/EUR11).

We then headed out of Central Market to collect the extended Turquoise necklace from Caroline. Lipang however was not done with the Bao Tulang necklace extension so we promised to come see her tomorrow instead.

All in all Cat’s handsome bounty for the day came to RM935.00 (approximately USD199/EUR183).

We then headed back across Jalan Tun Sambathan and walked south along Jalan Hang Kasturi where we caught the same RapidKL bus #180 to the Pasar Seni Bus Hub for a fare of RM1.00 (approximately USD/EUR0.20) to the Kuala Lumpur City Hall bus stop. We then walked across Jalan Raja Laut then headed east along Jalan Esfahan past my office and stopped by the Starbucks here to take advantage of the buy 1-get-1-free offer of the day.

We continued east across Jalan TAR and soon made our way back to our home, looking forward to next year's instalment of BNf!

(Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

📍 Location:

Havironia Music - https://goo.gl/maps/swtNfVmjFK4FgRsf8

Pasar Seni Bus Hub - https://maps.app.goo.gl/oafuN8ReWLzRufUq7

Central Market (Pasar Seni) - https://goo.gl/maps/bzUo327XZcg73rXT9

Tajudin Nasi Beriani - https://maps.app.goo.gl/Dpk78zsKWeuP52fz8

SANUKI Udon: W Automart • Domino's

Itadakimasu!

It's Wesak Day, a public holiday in Malaysia. An unpleasant encounter with an overzealous restaurant in Bangi encouraged us to go in search of Japanese cuisine. It has been a very long while since we last visited Sanuki Udon in Taman Desa, and today was a good day as any to do so.

Sanuki udon is most popular in the Kagawa prefecture in Japan, and named after the previous name of the Prefecture, Sanuki Province. It is square shaped with flat edges and rather chewy texture, essentially made of wheat flour, usually served as noodle soup or kamaage (udon) in which the noodles are served in plain hot water and eaten with dipping sauce. 

The Sanuki Udon restaurant that we used to frequent used to be located on the ground floor of Jalan Bukit Desa 5, but has since relocated to the first floor.

True to form Sanuki Udon was almost full by the time we got there at 11:50am despite it only opening at half past eleven. we walked up a flight of stairs and although we dug the vibe of the new place, the open space concept of the old ground floor premises appealed to us more.

We quickly scanned the menu and promptly settled on their:

• House Special Udon
• Curry Udon 
• Jelly Fish
• Grilled Squid
• 2 Green Tea

After lunch I took a walk around to take some footage of the place. Our delectable and savoury Japanese lunch came to RM60.40 (approximately USD13/EUR13) which in our minds was reasonably priced.

P/S: Our pet peeve – people whose English is not their first language but put on an accent so fake that it melts our earwax! We had to endure a quite torrid time seated beside a loud and obnoxious couple with said ‘impediment’.

We then walked down the same flight of stairs and hopped into BiBi, bound for Pandan Indah to ask for help with our Android Player from Daniel of W Automart. We had trouble hearing the voice directions from the Waze app if the radio is turned on.

We arrived at W Automart, Daniel who was busy with a customer asked his colleague Steven to assist with our predicament... and voila, problem solved! We then made our way home, which was about the same time the DJI Action 4 camera’s battery gave way.

By the time we resumed filming we had arrived at Domino’s Dang Wangi to collect our customary order of Beef Pepperoni as well as Aloha Chicken pizzas.

We then headed home.

We are excited for our road trip to Kuala Terengganu early next month, so please stay tuned!

(Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

📍 Location:

Havironia Music - https://goo.gl/maps/swtNfVmjFK4FgRsf8

Sanuki Udon - https://maps.app.goo.gl/PbAK3o16ywfb7khJ6

W Automart Pandan Indah - https://maps.app.goo.gl/DpJCvZL59HATKNne7

Domino's Dang Wangi - https://maps.app.goo.gl/PAK2sr9zS7AFqFcE7

Tapak Urban Street Dining @Cyberjaya

Food trucks!

We picked you up again after making the round trip to our home and back. A drive that took a little over two hours, we eventually found ourselves at the Tapak Urban Street Dining located at the Park and Ride area of Cyberjaya, our favourite food truck colony. This food truck was among the first outdoor dining we ever went to after lockdown, it was a little nostalgic.

Alas our favourite Mexican food truck did not ply its dishes here anymore. The quesadilla was exceptional so it was a shame. No matter, we took our time browsing the various trucks here and finally settled on:

• French Fries for RM8.00
• Trouble Triple Burger for RM25.00
• 2 Chicken Tomyam sets for RM24.00
• 3 types of beverage for RM15.00

Our dinner under the stars came to RM72.00 (approximately USD15/EUR14) to which led us to believe that perhaps the cost of living here is higher than Kuala Lumpur.

We might be having one last meal in Putrajaya tomorrow so we could perhaps put our theory to the test?

(Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

📍 Location:

Tapak Urban Street Dining @Cyberjaya

- https://maps.app.goo.gl/pFEy5GNGxbYrueBp7

Woodfire Putrajaya

Gourmet Burgers!

We were spending the night at Putrajaya, arriving at noon before making our way to Woodfire Putrajaya, arriving just in time for lunch. An interesting place, Woodfire was established in Johor Bahru in 2017 focusing on creating succulent gourmet burgers and sides. Started with delivery services from home, it has expanding through retail outlets with an impressive list of branches across six states in Peninsula Malaysia.

The ordering process was akin to a fast food joint, and after a quick scan of the menu we proceeded to order the:

• Smoked Beef Burger for Brendan
• BBQ Chicken Burger for Cat
• Mixed Double Patty Burger for Moi
• Curly Fries 
• 3 Hausboom King Cola

then added the:

• Creamy Chocolate Milkshake
• another Curly Fries
• one more Hausboom King Cola

Our lunch came to a pretty steep RM126.00 (approximately USD27/EUR25). Give that it was a supposed gourmet meal we guess it is justified.

Stay tuned for our next video as we have dinner at an old favourite food truck colony!

(Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

📍 Location:

Woodfire Putrajaya - https://maps.app.goo.gl/t4SmPNjCi71AxNKo9

PUTRAJAYA in 24 Hours

Passports!

After an unprecedented amount of unbelievable procrastination, we finally did it. Our passports had expired right smack in the middle of lockdown, and we simply had no reason nor means to renew it.

Once the borders had reopened Malaysia experienced an unprecedented frenzy for passport renewals. With the need to maintain social distancing at the time, and with new contactless practices introduced, the Immigration Department was simply overwhelmed! Wait lists ran into several months, and with no real desire to travel abroad we decided to wait.

Three and a half years after our passports expired, we finally applied for renewal online. The process was fairly easy, but we ran into a snag with the photographs we submitted. We had selected the Immigration office at Shaftsbury Putrajaya, a fairly quiet and out of the way office, to collect our passports. With this in mind we also booked a homestay within the same building to make things easier for us.

So, with our appointment at the Shaftsbury Immigration office slated for tomorrow in mind we left our home at noon and after a leisurely hour's drive arrived in Putrajaya. 

We had lunch at Woodfire, a gourmet burger joint here in Putrajaya.

After lunch we headed to the homestay that we had booked for the night. The host requested anonymity, a request that we respected and honoured.

We checked in and spent the rest of the day indoors, out of the blazing heat. I then realised that I had forgotten an important item of clothing: the Batik shirt that I bought from Serikin, Sarawak meant to be worn tomorrow for the passport's photograph to be taken at the Immigration office.

We had little choice but to make the seventy-kilometre round trip to and from our home to get my shirt! Once that was sorted we made our way to Tapak Urban Street Dining at Cyberjaya, then hopped back into BiBi to make our way back to our homestay to retire for the night. We have an appointment with an Immigration office first thing tomorrow morning, so a good night's sleep is always a good remedy for eyebags!

The following day we woke up at half past six and got ready for our appointment at the Shaftsbury Immigration office. In the end we did not get much sleep, for the life of us we could not figure out how to switch off the wardrobe light in the bedroom. It was a good thing that we did not review the anonymous homestay since it would have been less than flattering. Also, I was quite perturbed when the lady we dealt with who was 6 years my junior insisted that I address her as "Kak", or elder sister?

We got to the Immigration office at a quarter past eight, and in little over an hour walked out with our newly minted passports! We then headed back to the homestay to pack up and check out. We left at ten and exactly an hour later were back at our condo.

Armed with the passports we can now plan our next trip abroad in earnest, but not before first fulfilling our promise to feature every state in Malaysia on our channel. Stay tuned!

(Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

📍 Location:

Havironia Music - https://goo.gl/maps/swtNfVmjFK4FgRsf8

Woodfire Putrajaya - https://maps.app.goo.gl/t4SmPNjCi71AxNKo9

Shaftsbury Putrajaya - https://maps.app.goo.gl/2r5g397dT8mLFjEH9

Tapak Urban Street Dining @Cyberjaya

- https://maps.app.goo.gl/pFEy5GNGxbYrueBp7

Malaysia Immigration Department (Shaftbury Putrajaya) 

- https://maps.app.goo.gl/zczRs1FqH8yZEFtCA

KUCHING to KL: KIA • KLIA • KL Sentral

Returning to KL!

We picked you up again after coming back from the Borneo Cultures Museum. We spent the afternoon packing up and getting organised for our flight back.

We bade Adelyn's homestay a fond farewell at 3:00pm and made ourselves way to the Kuching International Airport. Here we parked the rental car at the agreed spot and after observing the contactless procedures laid out by Awang Amirul set off with our bags to the Departure area on Level 3.

Here we checked our bags in and waited for the appointed time for us to enter the Departure Hall, which in this case is 4:00pm.

We entered promptly at the appointed time and made our way past Customs and Immigration without incident.

We had plenty of time to spare since ours flight MH2545 was only scheduled to depart at 6:00pm, so we spent some time at the food court at the far end of the hall. Seeing as meals will be served onboard the aircraft later we decided to only have drinks. 

During this time Brendan and Cat walked over to Mita Cake House to get five of their delectable Butter cake, were disappointed. In the end they managed to get 3 Kuih Lapis of various flavours.

At 5:00pm we walked over to Gate 5 and took our seats; we were allowed to board the aircraft half an hour later . The aircraft pushed back at 6:00pm and taxied for ten minutes before MH2545 took off at precisely 6:10pm. The flight was largely uneventful and we eventually landed at 7:37pm.

Kudos to Captain Darren and Chief Steward Patrick for a very pleasant flight. We disembarked the aircraft at 7:46pm and were directed to Carousel L to collect our bags. We all went for a much needed potty break before making the long trek to claim our luggage.

We got to Carousel L and to an announcement that the was a delay in the delivery of the bags from MH2545. We only managed to collect our luggage at 8:25pm.

With our KLIA Express train tickets in hand we then headed down to Level 1 where we caught a train at 8:40pm back to the KL Sentral Air Terminal.

Here we hailed a six-seater Grab car for a fare of RM38.00 (approximately USD/8EUR7) to our condo.

Thank you for enduring our series of twelve videos on Kuching, and stay tuned as we travel to the East Coast of Malaysia next month to visit my home town!

(Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

📍 Location:

The CountryMan, Terrace House - https://goo.gl/maps/ASdsS7d7Qqo718vs8

Kuching International Airport - https://maps.app.goo.gl/f332PGTvyN2EvCDJ7

KLIA Express Station @ KLIA - https://maps.app.goo.gl/3DzFNh4MmxHRZYkE8

KL City Air Terminal - https://maps.app.goo.gl/r5XZiqSvxi6wGTJM9

Havironia Music - https://goo.gl/maps/swtNfVmjFK4FgRsf8

BORNEO Cultures Museum: Everwin • Yong Kwang

Change of Plans!

We had made plans to visit the famed Kenyalang Park Market this morning but the rain put paid our plans. We waited for a while but the rain did not subside, we still wanted to spend our last morning in Kuching productively, so we hailed a Grab car to the Borneo Cultures Museum. Brendan decided to sleep in and declined our offer.

We caught our Grab car for a fare of RM9.00 (approximately USD/EUR2) at twenty past nine and arrived at the museum fifteen minutes later. It was already open by the time we got there and after paying an entrance fee of RM20.00 (approximately USD/EUR4) each we began our exploration at the second floor.

This video will be a lengthy one and we can understand that museums may not be everyone's cup of tea, but for those who enjoy the occasional museum visit we hope our footage will serve you up a treat.

We spent almost two hours visiting with each gallery spanning four floors, as well as paying the pricey gift shop a visit.

We then hailed a Grab car at 11:15am for the same fare of RM9.00 (approximately USD/EUR2) to Everwin Enterprise near Adelyn's homestay to run a few errands. We eventually had Kolo Mee at Yong Kwang shop nearby, then took away hot coffee from Kim Coffee Garden before heading back to Adelyn's homestay.

Stay tuned for our next video where we fly back to Kuala Lumpur!

(Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

📍 Location:

The CountryMan, Terrace House - https://goo.gl/maps/ASdsS7d7Qqo718vs8

Borneo Cultures Museum - https://maps.app.goo.gl/DHCKtThZnc66nhcq7

Everwin Centre Kenyalang - https://maps.app.goo.gl/SqdDajvPuBd2Kg9C9

Yong Kwang Kedai Kopi 榮光茶室 - https://maps.app.goo.gl/nv4V3DbA49ae384C9

Kim Coffee Garden - https://maps.app.goo.gl/aY8VxZwozZyuBh9w6

PINGGAI Cafe: Running Errands

Dayak cuisine!

We picked you up again after picking Brendan up from Adelyn's homestay after coming back from Serikin Weekend Street Market.

We then punched in Pinggai Cafe into the Waze mobile app and headed to the Waterfront area. We could not find parking in the immediate vicinity of Pinggai Cafe, so we drove into the basement parking of Plaza Merdeka nearby.

We then exited Plaza Merdeka and walked a short distance along Carpenter Street before turning right onto China Street. Here we found our lunch destination, Pinggai Cafe famed for its modern take on Dayak cuisine. Serving trays embossed with flower motifs adorn almost all of its walls made for a unique dining ambiance.

We took our seats and quickly scanned the diminutive menu before settling on:

• Grilled Cha Siu (Pork Ribs)
• Pork Pansuh
• Manok (Chicken) Curry 
• Midin Fried Belacan
• 3 Nasi Beras Hitam
• a pot of Chrysanthemum Tea
• 2 Coca-Cola

 

There's something about Dayak cuisine that appealed to Brendan's palate  since he again asked for a second helping of Nasi Beras Hitam, while I added a hot Caramel Macchiato.

Our Dayak lunch came to RM90.50 (approximately USD19/EUR18) which in our minds was reasonable given the rising price of pork. It was worth three times what we paid for our Bario lunch yesterday but was it three times better? The jury is out on this one.

After lunch we drove to Kuching International Airport to print out our boarding passes for our flight back to Kuala Lumpur tomorrow.

We then met up with Jacob to hand over a box of chocolates that we forgot to bring along during our dinner two nights ago.

We finally got back to Adelyn's homestay at 2:40pm to rest up while I continued with editing our voluminous amounts of footage. We will probably stay this evening and order takeouts with the Grab food app.

Stay tuned for our next video where we go on a market hunt just a stone's throw away from Adelyn's homestay!

(Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

📍 Location:

Pinggai Cafe - https://maps.app.goo.gl/U9QXFJzma6k8e47i8

Plaza Merdeka - https://maps.app.goo.gl/SMWL3TDQtkmi8oEr9

Kuching International Airport - https://maps.app.goo.gl/jpuFPGJwNTPoPBJFA

Premier Food Republic - https://maps.app.goo.gl/GMPbtbeEyNZypNxs5

The CountryMan, Terrace House - https://goo.gl/maps/ASdsS7d7Qqo718vs8

SERIKIN Morning Market

Serikin Weekend Market!

We've read a lot about this border town and knew that we simply had to make a trip here. Having been around for almost 20 years, the Serikin town border market is truly one of Kuching’s local hidden gems. 

It is mainly operated by the locals of Kalimantan, from across the border and also the local Sarawakians. Items sold are mainly catered to the local Sarawakians and the occasional tourist from Peninsular Malaysia. There's a good combination of household items ranging from kitchen utensils, comforters, curtains and rattan furniture while apparels for kids, men and women are also in abundance.

With that in mind we woke up at half past six and left Adelyn's homestay half an hour later.

The drive to Serikin took almost an hour and a half, partly due to the fact that we enjoyed the immense greenery that engulfed us soon as we left the city limits of Kuching.

We hoped that the time lapse footage taken did justice to the awesome scenery, and vindicated our tendency to  drive slow and take in the sights.

We arrived at Serikin at twenty past eight, and after a quick potty break had drinks at an unnamed restaurant.

We then spent the next hour or so browsing the various stalls of souvenirs, clothes and other novelty trinkets.

In the end we got:

• a couple of hats for RM50.00
• 15 Kuih Penyaram for RM10.00
• a set of blouse and pants for RM40.00
• 2 sets of his and hers Batik shirt & blouse for RM200.00
• a tribal necklace ornament for RM70.00

Our border town bounty came to handsome RM370.00 (approximately USD78/EUR73). We were especially chuffed with the his and hers Batik shirt and blouse combo which we will rock tomorrow on the flight back to Kuala Lumpur. We will expect some stares but we don't care, bring it on!

We left Serikin at 11:00am and made our way back, stopping by a Maybank at Kota Sentosa to replenish our Federal Reserves. We eventually got back to Adelyn's and at twenty past eleven to pick Brendan up for lunch.

Stay tuned for our next video where we have lunch and sample a modern take on Dayak cuisine!

(Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

📍 Location:

The CountryMan, Terrace House - https://goo.gl/maps/ASdsS7d7Qqo718vs8

Serikin Weekend Street Market - https://maps.app.goo.gl/9T5SwYXJvKryRMXYA

Maybank Kota Sentosa - https://maps.app.goo.gl/aku218HK6ZWrknxcA

SINIAWAN Night Market

Night Market!

We picked you up again after our excellent Bario lunch at Mummy's and Mama's Home Cooking, as we spent the afternoon indoors hiding away from the blistering heat.

At half past four we got into the rental car and punched in our destination of Siniawan into the Waze mobile app. A small town in the Bau district, about 20km away from where we were, this usually quiet town comes to life during the weekends when the Siniawan Night Market is set up along the streets of the town. 

Offering a wide variety of local delicacies and street snacks, the main attraction of this night market is the abundance of Chinese lanterns that change the way the street looks, turning it into a movie-like setting.

We spent an enjoyable evening strolling along the night market then sat down to have some tidbits consisting of:

• 9 Taiwanese Sausages for RM3.00 each
• Assortment of Fruit Juices for RM19.00
• A set of Dumplings for RM10.00
• 2 Cheese sausages for RM3.00 each
• A Pork Burger for RM15.00
• 4 Hakka Fruit Tofu with Meat for RM2.50 each
• Five Spices Meat Roll for RM10.00

As the sun began to set I took another walk along the night market to capture the bright lights and lanterns that lit up the twilight sky.

We hopped back into the rental car to drive home, eventually dropping by a Shell petrol station to fill it up before taking away a hot drink from Kenyalang Food Centre before making our way back to Adelyn's homestay.

Stay tuned for our next video where we take an even further leisurely drive to a weekend morning market at the border town of Serikin!

(Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

📍 Location:

Siniawan Night Market - https://maps.app.goo.gl/DYgTZjaQfA96j7VA9

Kenyalang Food Centre - https://maps.app.goo.gl/igtuwj3jifdq2zbt6

The CountryMan, Terrace House - https://goo.gl/maps/ASdsS7d7Qqo718vs8

AH LIONG Cafe Again: Mummy's and Mama's Home Cooking

Bario cuisine!

I woke up at eight, and let Cat and Brendan sleep in as I continued working on the footage of the past couple of days. They eventually awoke at ten and we were ready to go out forty five minutes later.

Determined in our resolve to try the Bario inspired cuisine that Carolyn's sister had to offer, we made another trip to Ah Liong Cafe to visit Mummy's and Mama's Home Cooking. We hopped in the rental car and punched in the destination in the Waze mobile app.

Carolyn explained that her sister Sarina had an appointment with the Sarawak General Hospital and could not open her stall yesterday. Well today was a different story! As soon as we walked into Ah Liong Cafe we could see the brightly lit stall of Mummy's and Mama's Home Cooking.

Carolyn's son Joey was on hand to serve us, and after a quick scan settled on the:

• Chicken Rendang
• Lamb Curry
• Wild Ginger Flower
• Cassava Leaves
• Sambal Petal
• 3 Bario Rice

Our first ever Bario inspired meal came to RM33.00 (approximately USD/EUR7). We enjoyed our meal tremendously, so much so that Brendan had a second helping of Bario Rice. 

Sarina's stall will celebrate 11 years in business this August, and we wish her every success. We then made our way back to Adelyn's homestay to rest while I continued work on our footage.

Stay tuned for our next video where we take a leisurely drive to the neighbouring district of Bau to visit with a night market!

(Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

📍 Location:

Ah Liong Cafe - https://maps.app.goo.gl/qp9UjrKNFrZBrLqJ7

The CountryMan, Terrace House - https://goo.gl/maps/ASdsS7d7Qqo718vs8

WANG SENG Seafood: Dinner with Jacob

Dinner with Jacob!

After the river cruise we hopped back into the rental car and drove a distance away to Wang Seng Seafood for dinner with Brendan's old roommate from college. We first met Jacob when Brendan first registered as a freshman with Cempaka College in UNIMAS, way back in September 2019.

Midway through the second semester UNIMAS along with the nation went into lockdown, and we have not met Jacob since, even missing him during Brendan's convocation ceremony last November.

So when we met with Jacob at Wang Seng Seafood they had a lot of catching to do, so while they reminisced about old times we perused the menu and eventually settled on:

• the Butter Mushroom (at Jacob’s recommendation)
• Charcoal Crispy Pork Belly
• Assorted Vegetables in Yam Basket 
• Lemongrass Fried Pork
• Midin Belacan
• Deep Fried Squid
• 4 White Rice
• 1 Iced Lemon Tea
• 2 Air Mata Kuching Longan Drink
• 2 Coca Cola

Our first proper dinner in Kuching came to RM167.70 (approximately USD35/EUR33), and it was again an experience not to be missed especially when dining with old acquaintances. Jacob was disappointed that we would not be staying on till Gawai since he was excited to show us around the most important festival of the year for the Ibans, even eclipsing Christmas!

We then bade our fond farewell with a promise to try to come back for next year's Gawai, then headed back to Adelyn's homestay for settle in for the night.

Stay tuned for our next video where we hoped to try our luck again with authentic Bario cuisine for lunch!

(Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

📍 Location:

Wang Seng Seafood - https://maps.app.goo.gl/tSZ1ydjuuBxTk9xp9

The CountryMan, Terrace House - https://goo.gl/maps/ASdsS7d7Qqo718vs8

SARAWAK River Cruise

River Cruise!

We spent the entire afternoon at Adelyn's homestay, it rained heavily at about two thirty that caused us some concern but by the time we left two hours later the weather had cleared.

We drove to Jalan Main Bazaar and parked the rental car in front of the Indian Mosque. We then took a brisk walk along the Waterfront till we got to the Sarawak River Cruise ticketing counter. Here we paid the fare of RM70.00 (approximately USD15/EUR14) each and boarded the boat at five minutes to five.

We were excited to "Be enthralled by the landmarks of a bygone era that still stands majestically along the riverbanks. See Kuching from a whole new perspective, as few ever see her." The MV Equatorial, was built in the year 1990, and has been cruising the Sarawak River ever since. Over the past 30 years, the vessel branded the Sarawak River Cruise has offered tourists and locals alike a rich panoramic view of the city and its famous landmarks.

We headed to the upper deck and found a suitable table to enjoy the boat ride. The fare entitled us to a small selection of Kueh Lapis as well as a glass of orange cordial. I sat down to set up the time-lapse on the DJI Action 4 and at precisely 5:30pm the boat pushed off from its dock.

The river cruise would take an hour and a half, so please enjoy the time-lapse footage of the entire journey. As the sun set over the Sarawak river the river cruise came to life with dance performances of the different ethnicities in the state. Since I was pre-occupied with the time-lapse Brendan shot some footage of the dance performances with the DJI Pocket 2.

It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening, and those who felt that it was not worth the fare of RM70.00 ought to manage their expectations. You can hit them up at their Facebook page for private bookings too.

We disembarked the boat and made our way back to the Indian Mosque. We then hopped back into the rental car to make the half an hour drive to the 10th Mile Bazaar of Penrissen Road.

Stay tuned for our next video where we have with Brendan's old roommate Jacob!

(Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

📍 Location:

The CountryMan, Terrace House - https://goo.gl/maps/ASdsS7d7Qqo718vs8

Jalan Main Bazaar - https://maps.app.goo.gl/JQgRvHTJQz9XUNWE9

Sarawak River Cruise Jetty - https://maps.app.goo.gl/kM6pA4SrXt3Copck6

AH LIONG Cafe

Local Cuisine!

After our photo shoot at The Attic Studio we hopped back into the rental car and made another short drive to Ah Liong Cafe.

Remember Cat's favourite beadstress Carolyn? Well, her sister runs a food stall here called Mummy's and Mama's Home Cooking.

Eager to try authentic Bario cuisine we were disappointed to find Mummy's & Mama's Home Cooking closed. No matter for Ah Liong Cafe had plenty more to offer so we browsed the various food stalls here before settling on:

• Brendan's Char Kueh Teow for RM10.00
• Cat's Kampua Mee for RM5.00
• My Beef Noodles for RM12.00
• My Kolok Mee for RM5.00
• 3 Three Layer Iced Tea for RM3.00 each
• 2 Coca Cola for RM2.60 each 

Our first lunch in a local food court in Kuching came to RM40.20 (approximately USD/EUR8). We then made our way back to Adelyn's homestay but the rental car was low on fuel. After a bit of a runaround we managed to locate a Shell petrol station and filled her up.

Stay tuned for our next video where we finally go on a river cruise!

(Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

📍 Location:

Ah Liong Cafe - https://maps.app.goo.gl/qp9UjrKNFrZBrLqJ7

The CountryMan, Terrace House - https://goo.gl/maps/ASdsS7d7Qqo718vs8

THE ATTIC Studio: Family Portrait

Family Portrait!

With nothing planned in the morning we slept in and awoke at eight. We were lazy to get ready and go out for breakfast so we ordered in with the Grab Food app. After perusing the app we settled on the western breakfast sets from Lao Jie Fang that consisted of:

• Eggs Sunny Side Up
• Toast
• Hash Browns
• Baked Beans
• Chicken Ham

Three sets of this together with delivery charges came to RM32.40 (approximately USD7/EUR6).

We then got ready, hopped into the rental car and left Adelyn's homestay at 10:30am making a short drive to The Attic Studio where we had an appointment with Ariffin to take a family portrait with Brendan in a UNIMAS graduation robe.

Brendan looked resplendent in his robes and we were dressed in bright cheerful colours to recreate the joyous occasion from last November. Once ready we will share the photos with you in a future video. We then walked over to a sundry store, CJK Chai Jee Kiong Trading hoping to get napkins and a bar of soap but it sold items in bulk and catered to wholesalers.

Cat then spotted another sundry store across from where we were parked, KSC which fulfilled our small errand. We then drove back to Adelyn's homestay for a change of clothes before heading out to lunch.

Stay tuned for our next video where we hoped to have lunch at an authentic local Bornean food stall!

Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

📍 Location:

The CountryMan, Terrace House - https://goo.gl/maps/ASdsS7d7Qqo718vs8

The Attic Studio - https://maps.app.goo.gl/GDEYXD4vZ2DMb3VBA

CJK Chai Jee Kiong Trading - https://maps.app.goo.gl/ftem1d3Aib8ib9jS6

KSC @ Trinity - https://maps.app.goo.gl/YchUMTt21ssdwjV17

ADELYN's Homestay!

Welcome to Kuching!

Exiting the airport we received word from our good buddy Awang Amirul that our rental car was ready and waiting at a predetermined spot, with the keys safely tucked away in a secret compartment. 

As is always the case we rented a car for the duration of our stay in Kuching for RM90.00 (approximately USD19/EUR18) a day, which would normally entitle us to a Perodua Bezza. However due to the unavailability of that particular car model, same as the last time Awang Amirul presented us with a Toyota Vios instead, and same as the last time it was the same silver (yellowish) unit.

So we walked over to where the rental car was, secured the car keys,  fixed the DJI Action 4 onto its mount and began our drive to Adelyn's homestay in Kenyalang Park. 

We deposited our bags and  immediately headed out to the local food court. We eventually settled on the path of least resistance Ilittle wait time, which is San To Wang Seafood.

We ordered Chicken Rice for RM7.00 (approximately USD1.50/EUR1.40) each, and together with a round of drinks our first meal in Kuching came to RM28.40 (approximately USD/EUR6).

We then made the short walk to the local supermarket, Everwin Centre for some provisions then headed back to Adelyn's homestay to unpack and get settled in.

Stay tuned for a terribly busy day tomorrow where we have an appointment with a photo studio then a dinner date with Jacob, Brendan's former roommate in Cempaka College!

Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

📍 Location:

Kuching International Airport - https://maps.app.goo.gl/f332PGTvyN2EvCDJ7

The CountryMan, Terrace House - https://goo.gl/maps/ASdsS7d7Qqo718vs8

San To Wang Seafood - https://maps.app.goo.gl/1U12DXjggNJCo72g6

KL to KUCHING: KL Sentral • KLIA • KIA

KUCHING Day 1!

Barely six months had passed since our last trip to Kuching to attend Brendan's graduation ceremony.

In the frenzy of the previous trip we could not find the time to take a family photo with Brendan in his graduation robes. Thankfully, The Attic Studio in Kuching offered a package that included the UNIMAS robes, hence our trip today.

We left our condo at ten last eleven in the morning and hailed a six-seater Grab car for a fare of RM16.00 (approximately USD/EUR3) to the KL Sentral Air Terminal.

Here we checked in our luggage at the check-in counter (that catered to only Malaysia Airlines and Batik Air passengers for now).

We then walked across and past the KLIA Express turnstile where we caught the train bound for KLIA Terminal 1.

We had the presence of mind to purchase our trains tickets online to enjoy a discounted price. While it would normally cost RM300.00 (approximately USD62/EUR59) for return tickets for the three of us, with the "Family Package" only available online it came to  only RM240.00 (approximately USD50/EUR47).

We arrived at KLIA Terminal 1 thirty-five minutes later at approximately 12:10pm. We then headed up to the Departure Hall on Level 5 and made our way to Taco Bell for lunch.

We used the self-serve terminal and ordered sets of:

• Chicken Quesadilla for me;
• Grilled Stuffed Burrito for Cat; and
• Crunch wrap Supreme Meal for Brendan.

Our flight to Kuching (MH2544) was due to leave at 3:25pm which meant that we had a solid three hours of leisure.

Our Mexican fast-food lunch came to RM63.90 (approximately USD14/EUR13). After lunch we made our way past the security checkpoint at half past one without incident, then headed to Gate A9.

Midway through our walk along the long corridors I happened to glance over at a FIDS board to discover that MH2544 was now departing from Gate B4.

Thankfully, we had two hours to spare so we doubled back and ambled toward Gate B4.

We arrived at the newly appointed gate and after double checking with the digital display that it was indeed for flight MH2544 we took a seat in the area opposite the gate.

At 2:25pm Gate B4 was open for boarding, and half an hour later we were allowed to board. In that time it began to rain heavily which caused some concern for a while, but it soon subsided.

The rain however wreaked havoc on the scheduled loading of luggage and cargo onto the aircraft, which ultimately delayed the push back to 4:10pm. 

After taxiing and waiting for another twenty minutes MH2544 finally took off at precisely 4:35pm. But for a few air pockets that the pilot Captain Johan expertly navigated the flight was largely uneventful and we eventually landed at 6:10pm.

Kudos to Captain Johan and Chief Steward Hamizi for a very pleasant flight.

After making it past the Immigration checkpoint we walked out of Kuching International Airport.

Welcome to Kuching!

Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

📍 Location:

Havironia Music - https://goo.gl/maps/swtNfVmjFK4FgRsf8

KL City Air Terminal - https://maps.app.goo.gl/r5XZiqSvxi6wGTJM9

KLIA Express Station @ KLIA - https://maps.app.goo.gl/3DzFNh4MmxHRZYkE8

Gate B4 Departure @ KLIA - https://maps.app.goo.gl/H9i4ugCUm4Z22ABi8

Kuching International Airport - https://maps.app.goo.gl/f332PGTvyN2EvCDJ7