THE COOKIES THAT TRAVELLED

The first box of cookies came all the way from Penang. Being brought to Kuala Lumpur, then the box was passed to someone else, and had to be taken to Senai.

This bottle of cookies traveled a shorter distance, from Kuala Lumpur straight to Senai. Still it had been transported hundreds of miles before reaching me.

with the messenger

The goodies were sent by two friends of the TESL UPM  class of 1993. Thank you Puan Aishah Aboo Bakar and Puan Siti Rohani Awang, for the kind thoughts. And also Puan Salmiah Mohd. Ghazali for asking her son to become the middle man in this transaction. Only Allah may repay your kind deeds. *tears of joy*

GOING CHINESE ON A WEEKEND WITH TWO GIRLS

Once in a blue moon, if I am lucky, there will be ex-students asking me out for meals. That doesn't happen much nowadays as people get too busy with work - or perhaps they are afraid to give me a treat.

A lunch date was set at a Chinese Muslim restaurant on Saturday at Mee Tarik Warisan Asli, the newest branch  located at Bandar Baru Uda. The two girls, ex-students of SMK Taman Universiti from SPM batch 2006,  were here for the noodles as well as to update ourselves with the latest gossips - as usual.

I was glad I could introduce them to Chinese Muslim food available in town - and there are not many choices available actually.

Hope they liked the authentic Chinese food. Thanks Ms. Khaulah and Ms. Nashuha for the time and company. Next month we shall go Korean and try something new.

BENTENG SOMBA OPU - THE HISTORIC SITE IN MAKASSAR

16th OCTOBER 2017 ~ In the morning of the last day in Makassar, I went to visit Benteng Somba Opu. It was a historic port of one of the once most important spots in the city. Unfortunately, the place was not well looked after and there was not much remnant of the fort that could be seen.

Many traditional houses or known as "Rumah Adat" were built at this area. The houses had different architectural styles of the many ethnic groups in Makassar. Again, the beautiful houses were not taken care of. I was even confused as there were real people residing in a few of these houses. At one house, there was even a dog rushing out as I was admiring the beautiful structure. I don't think this is still an attraction for tourists anymore.

Luckily I found a museum nearby so I made my way to the building to see what would be waiting inside.

[MY MAKASSAR TRIP MAIN PAGE]

MAKASAR CITY FROM THE HOTEL ROOFTOP

17TH OCTOBER 2017 ~ Only on the last day, I went exploring further in the hotel - on the rooftop. The sky was clear and blue, and the view was just awesome. I should have come here to view the sunset but then on the second day, I came back late from the trip to the countryside and it was raining on the third day.

The name of the hotel I was staying is Quality Plaza Hotel. A more elaborate post of the hotel will be coming soon.

[MY MAKASSAR TRIP MAIN PAGE]

MY MAKASSAR GASTRONOMIC ADVENTURE - "PISANG EPE"

This is the banana dessert that was sold everywhere in Makassar City. There were hundreds of stalls selling the same thing, I wondered if people really ate the bananas every day there. Hence, your visit to Makassar will be not be complete without trying "Pisang Epe".

The unripe bananas would first be grilled on hot charcoal and then squashed so they would be flatter. Right after, you could choose how would you like to eat your bananas with - chocolate, cheese, (condensed) milk, durian etc. Or you could just savour the original way, just by pouring brown sugar syrup on top of them.

Another dessert which was too sweet for me, and even the white coffee was sweet too. This was definitely not good if taken frequently. That was my dinner on the last day in Makassar - the evening when I decided to go vegetarian.

[MY MAKASSAR TRIP MAIN PAGE]

MY MAKASSAR GASTRONOMIC ADVENTURE - "ES TELER"

Another well-known dessert in Makassar is "Es Teler". I successfully found one restaurant selling this sweet delicacy as similar to "Es Pisang Ijo", I could not get it from the many stalls at Losari Beach. Similar to our local ABC [translate: mixed ice], "Es Teler" is shaved ice with a lot of local fruits like slices of jackfruit and avocado, and sweetened by the syrup while the coconut milk provides the creamy taste. It should be wonderful to get a bowl of"Es Teler" when the temperature is high outside. However, I was enjoying my dessert when it was suddenly raining in Makassar.

The restaurant was located at the city centre, near to the hotel I was staying at Losari Beach. It was very modern and it looked more like a fast food restaurant. You can also find the branches of this restaurant in Malaysia, so you don't have to travel far for "Es Teler".

[MY MAKASSAR TRIP MAIN PAGE]