THE SHOPPING ACTIVITY IN XI'AN, CHINA

   5TH SEPTEMBER 2026    ~ There was a slot specifically for a shopping activity in the itinerary. We were taken to the city centre where there were huge shopping complex buildings.

Unfortunately, after the Fig picking trip before that, most group members were already tired. From my observation, these people were not spending much to shop except for buying fruits from all the farms that we had visited.

As for me, I had some issues with my left knee. Walking was excruciatingly painful and I was actually limping. I did not get the chance to explore the malls a lot even though there might be interesting items that could be purchased, My friend and I opted to sit down in a cafe, drink coffee and rest a bit [READ HERE]. And there were other three people from the group who were also there.

[MY XI'AN TRIP MAIN PAGE]

THE LONG WEEKENDS GASTRONOMIC ADVENTURE IN GELANG PATAH

   7th NOVEMBER 2026    ~ It was a long 3-day Deepavali weekends break and what best way to celebrate it other than going for a gastronomic adventure. It would be a good idea to travel for a staycation trip unless you were ready to be trapped in a massive traffic jam on the highways.

We all headed to this one eating place in Gelang Patah for dinner called Masarap JB. This would be a popular spot as the dining area was filled with diners that evening.

My friend and I both had Aglio Olio with Lamb Chop. My honest unpaid review: the lamb chop was a bit too sweet and the portion was quite small.

Another eating place discovered and tested in Gelang Patah. We would have to find some other eating spots in the same area after this.

 

TAKING ANOTHER UPM TESL FRIEND TO KACANG POOL HAJI

Puan Wan Aisyah Haris, a friend of UPM TESL Class of 1993, is in town for work-related matter. As usual, a dinner/supper date was set when she was free and I decided to take her to Kacang Pool Haji Restaurant in Larkin. She was at this place once but a long time ago.

It was only a short meeting but we still managed to update ourselves with the latest happenings in our everyday lives. Thanks to Puan Wan Aisyah for sparing a bit of her time for the meet up despite her busy work schedule. Guess she will still be coming to Johor Bahru for work until she retires in about three more years.

RETURNING TO MUSLIM QUARTERS IN XI'AN

   4TH SEPTEMBER 2026    ~ During the Xi'an trip, the evenings were not filled with any activities. Most the group members preferred to stay at the hotel while a few of us went out on our own. We made a return to trip to Xi'an's Muslim Quarters as we needed to buy souvenirs to bring back home.

The place was not crowded like the first time when we went there [READ HERE], either it was already late of it was a weekday. Because of that, we could shop peacefully.

We also took the opportunity to savour the Halal Muslim food there and I chose to have the famous beef and lamb skewers and the dumplings as well.

One point worth mentioning was that communication was very hard to establish with waiters in the restaurant. We were not actually sure whether we had ordered the right amount of food or had paid the bills accordingly. The locals did not take the initiative to learn English even though it was a tourists' attraction spot in the city.

[MY XI'AN TRIP MAIN PAGE]

STOPPING BY AT TELUK KEMANG BEACH IN PORT DICKSON

   19TH OCTOBER 2026    ~ Port Dickson is a well-known place as a holiday destination among the locals. It is popular for its beaches and that is the reason there are many hotels around this area. There are actually many spots along the long stretch of beach but we only stopped by for a short while at Teluk Kemang.

It was Monday morning when people were busy at work. We were not beach bummers so we did not stay that long under the hot sun. There was actually a beach near the hotel where we were staying but Teluk Kemang was much better and there should be more people here during weekends and public holidays.

HAVING LUNCH AT RESIPI WANGI SALAI IN PEDAS, NEGERI SEMBILAN

  19th OCTOBER 2026   ~ When In Negeri Sembilan, eat like the local people do. We decided this time to try another Lemak Salai restaurant in Pedas. As recommended by an ex-classmate who originated from there, we stopped by at Respi Salai Wangi Restaurant for lunch.

We arrived at about 1:00 p.m. and there were not that many people dining in. However, there were still people arriving as we were going out of the place an hour later.

This was another place serving all kinds of traditional Malay dishes and their signature cuisines would be Lemak Salai - all kinds of smoked meat and fish cooked in spicy coconut milk gravy.

The chicken dish was fantastic and I would not hesitate to return to this place if I were to come there again. We even bought some dishes to bring home for dinner.