Here’s a throwback post to my trip in London in 2016. Nevertheless, let’s take a trip down memory lane in this holiday tribute to Tower of London.
Explore London’s iconic castle and World Heritage Site. Get up close to the Crown Jewels in the year of the Platinum Jubilee, meet the legendary Yeoman Warders and ravens and see the Tower like never before.
View of Tower of London from across the ThamesWhite Tower
Marvel at the imposing White Tower, a magnificent example of Norman architecture at the heart of the Tower of London.
Tower of London ticket price in 2016 (web concession purchase)
You can pre-book your ticket and time slot (where applicable) online before you visit or purchase tickets on the day from the ticket office on Tower Hill.
Book your Tower of London tickets through Klook below and see why this heritage site is visited by almost three million people every year.
Here’s a throwback post to my trip in the UK and more specifically in London on one of those days in 2016. Before the Tower of London, which was the next stop on our itinerary, we took a stroll between London Bridge and Tower Bridge, along the River Thames. Here are some spots to spot around the bridges.
London Bridge
On the London Bridge heading towards south of the River Thames
The Golden Hinde
Golden Hinde was a galleon captained by Francis Drake in his circumnavigation of the world between 1577 and 1580. She was originally known as Pelican, but Drake renamed her mid-voyage in 1578, in honour of his patron, Sir Christopher Hatton, whose crest was a golden hind (a female red deer). Hatton was one of the principal sponsors of Drake’s world voyage. A full-sized, seaworthy reconstruction of the Golden Hinde is in London, on the south bank of the Thames.
London Bridge City Pier (also known as London Bridge Pier and City Pier) is situated on the south bank of the River Thames, beside London Bridge and HMS Belfast.
Conduct a self-tour and river commute around the River Thames. River Bus from the pier departs eastbound towards Canary Wharf, Greenwich and Barking Riverside, and westbound towards Westminster, Battersea Power Station and Putney.
Next to the London City Bridge Pier, it’s obvious not to miss the 9-deck WWII warship-turned-museum with naval guns, that is permanently moored on the Thames.
Take a stroll along the Thames on The Queen’s Walk. This is a convenient route of several miles for tourists to walk from the London Eye Ferris wheel past numerous attractions to Tower Bridge and the Tower of London.
Tower Bridge
The next bridge after the London Bridge is the Tower Bridge (below photo). Tower Bridge is a Grade I listed combined bascule and suspension bridge in London. It is sometimes confused with London Bridge, which has led to a persistent urban legend about an American purchasing the wrong bridge.
Here’s a throwback post to Borough Market during my holiday in the UK in 2016. If you’re planning a trip to London and open to suggestions; I’ll suggest Borough Market, which is near the London Bridge.
If you’re taking the tube, stop at the London Bridge station.
Borough Market is a wholesale and retail market hall in Southwark, London, England. It is one of the largest and oldest food markets in London.
At Borough Market, we don’t just sell good food and drink, we celebrate it. We enjoy how it tastes and the way it makes us feel, but we also appreciate its ability to connect us to the people who produced it and the places it was made.
If all you come with is an appetite, you’ll be able to sate it in a thousand ways. But if you care about what you eat and where it comes from, our traders can feed your curiosity too. Here, in this historic setting, you’ll find an incredible range of food from all over Britain and the rest of the world – and every item has a story to tell.
Check out a list of traders – the heart and soul of Borough Market – on their website here.
Furness Food Hut is a version of Furness Fish & Game, which sits opposite this stall. It hosts a variation of foods from Spanish paella, wild boar hot dogs, venison burgers, and more. The Food Hut has different sections that belongs to the different cuisines being sold – but they all come together to make a collective of traders with a passion for their cooking and food.
Each dish is made right in front of you for you to see. The Bomba Paella and Traditional Chu – Chi Chicken Curry are key features to the Hut – they are cooked in giant pans so passers by can catch a glimpse of it. Employees also give out lots of samples if you only want a small taste.
Jonker Street or also known as Jonker Walk, is the Chinatown street of Melaka. It is an old, beautiful heritage street in Malacca City in Malacca (Melaka), Malaysia.
It is a street filled with 17th century historical houses. You can start your journey at either ends of the street. On one end is the Jonker Walk Arch. The other end is at the Tan Kim Seng Bridge. The landmarks are H&M or San Shu Gong.
From Friday to Sunday from 6.00 p.m. until 12 midnight, the street becomes Jonker Street Night Market – a vibrant outdoor hub of food and goods. The street will be closed to vehicles. Hence, it becomes easy to walk and roam the street on foot. It can be crowded and busy with activity.
At night, the street can good for night street photography as the Jonker Walk Arch and the street are lighted up.
To avoid the crowd, go early in the morning and on weekdays. Much better walking around when there are fewer people.
What to Eat in 1 Day in Jonker Street
Breakfast or Brunch
The Daily Fix Cafe
A proudly Malaccan cafe in the middle of Jonker Street since 2014. The Daily Fix Cafe opens daily from 9.45am to 5.30pm.
Lunch
Famosa Chicken Rice Ball
There are 2 Famosa Chicken Rice Ball restaurants. There’s one along Jalan Hang Jebat and another at Lorong Hang Jebat. Order your fill of chicken rice balls, steam chicken, pork, and vegetables.
Tea
East & West Rendezvous
Off Jalan Hang Jebat at Lorong Hang Jebat, enjoy nyonya cendol in this dessert shop.
Jonker 88
Jonker 88 is just a short walk from Daily Fix Cafe along Jalan Hang Jebat. Enjoy bowls of curry laksa, assam laksa, cendol, and shaved ice for late lunch and tea.
Previously, we had a taste of Balinese food at Bumbu Bali in Puchong. Today we’re at another Balinese cuisine spot in the Klang Valley – Uma Bali in Kota Damansara, Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
Selamat datang & welcome to The Uma, a restaurant conceptualised and dedicated to the people and culture of Bali, a place that exhales love, peace and harmony.
The Uma Bali
How to Get to Uma Bali
Parking space is available along Jalan PJU 5/21 where Uma Bali is on. Alternatively, you can park around the block or in Encorp Strand Mall and walk over.
The Uma Bali
Uma means paddy field in Balinese language. It is the tranquility of the “uma” which inspires the concept of this restaurant.
May you enjoy our creation of tasty and authenthic Balinese cuisine in a relaxing ambience true to Balinese lifestyle.
If you’re looking for a restaurant for small family gatherings and which serves sharing platters for families – Uma Bali has sharing meals for 3 to 4 peoples, dubbed the Paket 4 Orang.
There are 6 different packets, labelled alphabetically from A to F. There’s even a pork-free packet in Paket F. Each packet comes with 4 servings of rice. You can choose either:
Nasi Putih – White Rice
Nasi Saur – Black-Eyed-Pea Rice
Nasi Kuning – Yellow Rice
Since we were in a group of more than 4 people, we ordered Packet E and Packet F.
Packet E
In addition to the rice, in Packet E are:
Udang Kesuna Cekuh – Fried Whole Prawns
Be Siap Sambal Matah – Chicken Sambal Matah
Babi Kecap Manis – Pork in Sweet Sauce
2 types of vegetables
Potato Fries
Pork Satay
Pork Sausage
Fish Satay
Egg Sambal
Sambal Tomat
Sambal Embo
Sambal Kecap
Packet F
In addition to the rice, in Packet F are:
Pesan Be Pasih – Baked Seabass
Kambing Mekuah – Balinese Lamb Curry
Be Siap Mepanggang – Balinese Grilled Chicken
2 types of vegetables
Spiced Potato Fries
Chicken Satay
Minced Fish Satay
Spicy Shredded Chicken
Egg Sambal
Sambal Tomat
Sambal Embo
Sambal Kecap
Es Campur
We topped off our meal with a sweet ending of Es Campur dessert: Balinese ABC of jackfruit, cencol, cincau, nata de coco and coconut meat in vanilla flavoured milk syrup. There’s also the Indonesia Specials and mocktails under drinks and beverages.
There’s also Balinese individual meals with pork, duck, chicken, seafood, mushroom, or lamb. If you want to order dishes, there’s an a la carte menu
Flying in into Melaka? On the way down to Pusat Bandaraya? Stop by for some kuih at Kuih Nyonya Kim Batu Berendam.
There is a great variety of authentic and very tasty nyonya kuih.
How to Get to Kuih Nyonya Kim Batu Berendam
Also known as Aunty Kim’s Nyonya, it is located along Jalan Mohd Zine Dsh. As it is a main road, it can be busy and hard to park in front of the shop. You can park at the shops further down the road or at Jalan SB 1.
They’re open for half a day from Wednesdays to Sundays, and closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Monday
Closed
Tuesday
Closed
Wednesday
6:30 AM – 11:00 AM
Thursday
6:30 AM – 11:00 AM
Friday
6:30 AM – 11:00 AM
Saturday
6:30 AM – 11:00 AM
Sunday
6:30 AM – 11:00 AM
Kuih Nyonya Kim Batu Berendam
We had a basket of kuih muih.
Inside were kuih lapis, kuih seri muka, kuih sago, kuih ubi, kuih kochi, rempah udang, kuih koo green bean paste, kuih keria, lepat kacang, kuih ko swee, pulut tekan, abok sago, curry puff, and sweet potatoes.
Early in the morning, they also serve mee siam, nasi kunyit, nasi lemak, mee goreng, and mee hoon goreng – until they’re fully sold out!
Just a short 10 minutes walk to and from Jonker Street is Samfu Restaurant in Malacca (Melaka). If you’re craving for Nyonya food, you’ll be glad to know that Samfu Restaurant serves Nyonya food.
Samfu Restaurant is not like most other restaurants in a shoplot along the (main) road. Only people who know the location or Google it, would be able to find it; as it is found inside a hotel – Mimosa Hotel.
Samfu Restaurant is on the ground floor of the hotel and just past the reception and lobby area.
How to get to Samfu Restaurant
If you’re driving, parking is available for free for 1 hour in Mimosa Hotel.
Do take note that Jalan Bunga Raya is a one-way street. If you missed the hotel, you can turn into Jalan Kee Ann or further up at Jalan Munshi Abdullah. You can park along the roads where they’re paid parking – even on Sundays.
Download the Smart Vehicle Parking Melaka 2 or SVP Melaka app from the App Store or Google Play Store. Tap the building icon at the bottom and then go to the “OnStreet Parking” and “All Council”. Then “Choose Vehicle” and “Choose Hourly Pass”. Parking is from as little as RM0.40 for half an hour to RM0.60 per hour, on an hourly basis.
To add your vehicle, tap the profile icon at the bottom right and then tap “Vehicle” to “Add Vehicle”. To purchase parking credits, tap the wallet icon in the middle and then you can reload from as little as RM5.00 to as much as RM50.00 with online banking or debit/credit card.
However, if you’re walking from Jonker Street, you can walk along Jalan Hang Kasturi and enjoy the back-lanes of one of Malacca’s street. Then walk along Jalan Kampung Pantai towards the Jambatan Kg Jawa. It is one of the go-to spots to pose with the Malacca River as your background. Then cross the mini-bridge to Jalan Jawa and then to Jalan Bunga Raya, where Samfu Restaurant is at.
Jambatan Kampung Jawa
Alternatively, from Jonker Street, cross the Tan Kim Seng Bridge and take a stroll along the Malacca River. While at it, you can also tour the Dutch Square (Red Square) Melaka and Christ Church Melaka. Then from Jalan Laksamana (the main road), continue walking down towards Jalan Bunga Raya. Samfu Restaurant is at the junction at Jalan Kee Ann.
Samfu Restaurant
Samfu Restaurant has a feel of elegance and class in it. There is ample space and tables for 4 to 8 people per table. There is also a small private room with 2 round tables for 16 people.
Start off with the lemon grass with ginger tea to quench your thirsts. The tea is served in those old-fashioned flasks.
We ordered omelette, otak-otak, babi chili garam, pongteh, masak lemak nenas prawns, steamed okra with dried chili paste, and fried eggplant with ebi.
The babi chili garam was very small slices of pork meat in chili garam. The pongteh was unique, as it was usually either pongteh chicken or pongteh pork. This was a combination of pork and chicken in a dish. The masak lemak nenas prawns is also a recommended dish because it’s a curry replacement and adds a sweet and spicy flavour to the rice.
After a plate of Penang’s famous Char Kuey Teow and a bowl of Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendul; it’s time to burn them calories.
Take a stroll along the streets of George Town and nearby streets, capture fun memories with murals and sculptures, and play a part in Penang’s heritage.
1. Boy on a Bike
Boy on a Bike can be found on 12, Lebuh Ah Quee. It is one of Ernest Zacharevic’s original and famous murals.
2. The Real Bruce Lee Would Never Do This
Just after Boy on a Bike and around the corner is this Bruce Lee and cats mural. This mural was painted by ASA, Artists for Stray Animals, for the 101 Lost Kittens project.
The street is named after Kapitan Chung Keng Kwee who generously donated his house to the Municipality for vehicular access ensuring that his name lives on for posterity. Cheng Keng Kwee is also known as “Ah Quee”.
In 2008, George Town was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The following year, the Penang state government held a competition – Marking George Town – and Sculpture At Work won it. Across George Town, 52 cartoon steel-rod sculptures reflect the history and unique characteristics of selected streets in George Town.
In 2012, Ernest Zacharevic, a Lithuanian-born artist was commissioned to create large-scale street art murals for the George Town Festival. The project was called “Mirrors George Town”. Some of his most famous murals are Boy on a Bike, Children on Bicycle, Boy on Chair, and more.
In addition to Zacharevic’s murals, there are also several murals depicting cats and dogs by “Artists for Stray Animals”. You can explore an overview of the most famous and popular street art murals in George Town, Penang below.
Here’s a throwback to the bitter-sweet museum of Chocolate and Coffee Museum in Penang. Checks on Google Map and the museum’s Facebook states that the museum has permanently closed it’s doors on 31.12.2020.
Nevertheless, sharing some snaps from the museum taken way back in 2010. The museum was once located along Leith Street in George Town, Penang.
If you’ll like to visit other Chocolate museums in Malaysia, there are similar chocolate museums in Kota Damansara and Kuala Lumpur.
Penang Hill, Bukit Bendera, or Flagstaff Hill is the most developed peak in Penang.
They are one and the same. Penang Hill is also known by the Malay name Bukit Bendera, which actually refers to Flagstaff Hill.
At 833 m (2,733 ft) above sea level and Georgetown at it’s peak, Penang Hill has an amazing panoramic view of the island and mainland. Penang Hill is also part of Penang Hill Biosphere Reserve, recognized by UNESCO as the third Biosphere Reserve in Malaysia listed in the World Network of Biosphere Reserve (WNBR).
How to Get to Penang Hill (See you at the top)
Penang Hills covers a number of hills. To get to the peak where the observation deck is, you’ve to ride the funicular train via the Penang Hill Railway from the foot of the hill at Hill Railway Station Road.
The Penang Hill Funicular Train is the most popular and convenient way get to the top of the hill. The funicular’s tunnel track is also the steepest in the world and the longest track in Asia, adding to its uniqueness.
Love Lock
If you’re visiting Penang Hill with a significant other, pop by the lover’s promenade at the open-air observation deck. You can fasten a love lock 823 m (2,700 ft) above sea level on an 80-meter wide fence overlooking the city of Georgetown! Love locks are available for purchase on-site and you can decorate them individually and secure them along the fence. Though you can also bring your own if you’d like.
Feast 833 meters in the sky
Feeling hungry? Pop by the Cliff Cafe (also known as the Astaka Bukit Bendera), a three-storey food court where you can feast on a variety of local delights.
