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.

MY REMBAU GASTRONOMIC ADVENTURE

  19th OCTOBER 2026   ~ This was an unplanned gastronomic adventure. We rerouted from Pedas to Rembau, Negeri Sembilan, and found this place after performing our prayers at the mosque nearby. The food court was called Medan Selera Taman Bunga Raya.

We just had had lunch like 30 minutes before [READ HERE] so we just ordered the popular Malay cold dessert: Cendol for me and Air Batu Campur [ABC] for my co-pilot. I would happily award an A+ for my Cendol.

It was easy to find the food court as it was located right beside/in front of Masjid Jamek An Nur in Rembau town. There could be other food available but we were already full and had to make our way back home right away.

VISITING ORNAMENTAL FISH CENTRE IN PORT DICKSON

   19TH OCTOBER 2026    ~ There was no proper plan during the short stay in Port Dickson and we just decided to visit Ornamental Fish Centre.

This place is under the management of the Fishery Department. It is opened every day [including weekends and public holidays] from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. There is no entry fee.

There are small exhibits of ornamental fish, corals and there are also turtles outside the building.

We enjoyed ourselves a lot here. However, since it is a free for all venue, do not expect too much especially if you have been to the bigger aquariums like in KLCC or Langkawi.

There are videos of the aquamarine creatures HERE and HERE, where you can see the the moving images of the fish.