Little Cottage

Days ago, aunt introduced me to this eatery place called Little Cottage which has very nyonya setting. They served nyonya foods (nasi lemak etc) and western food as well. Love the place set up and the food, especially the steam Lady's Fingers served with belacan.

Nasi Lemak comes with a bowl of curry chicken/beef


kacangma

lunch

dinner

Birthdays

Happy 19th - John & Tze Hui (29th), Kim Chiew (30th).

Toblerone Blueberry Cheesecake

Quite an expensive cake, as you could have guess from the name (500gm cream cheese, toblerone, fresh berries). Nevertheless, it was heaven! Dad says it tastes like Starbucks :D

P/S : It took two hours to bake.

Nails beauty treatment

Went manicure and padicure with aunt at Berrie Nail Patio. Overall, very satisfied with their efficiency and creativity but i somehow felt cheated *cough*. Oh wells, learnt a lesson :) Thanks Aunt!

makes me feel like having an OPI nail polish now.

Boutique hunting

a necklace and a handbag. just in time for cny :)

Into the box

Happy to set it up. Sad to pack it in the box. I can't believe Christmas had already passed.

Brastagi

Brastagi is a lovely tourist town located at Karo Highland. It's like the only place you can look for souvenir in Medan. Did i mention how hard it was to purchase souvenir here? I barely see any keychains or magnets (you know, the usual souvenir)

Sipiso Waterfall is like a magical waterfall which flow out from a smalll ravine approximately 120 M down into Lake Toba. A nice place for picnic.

Gundaling Hill has beautiful garden and offers a clear view of two volcanoes. Also, here you can take a 10 minutes horse ride for 20000 rupiah (RM7.40).

Samosir Island

This is a continue post from the previous.

At Samosir Island, we stayed overnight at a Victorian look alike humble cottage - Carolino Cottage which cost 150,000 rupiah (RM55). With this rate, you cannot expect the facilities to be on par with a 5 star hotel. However, it offers a spectacular view of Lake Toba and is open up to Lake Toba where you can swim or do some fishing. In addition, it owns private garden.

Carolino Hotel


crystal clear lake water

Dad enjoyed fishing a lot
"This is amazing." I told myself.
I feel good, i feel happy, i feel on top of the world. My family likes the place. It gives us a feeling of serenity. It's so pure, so untouched. One wouldnt know this scenic place is located in Medan, Indonesia; one might think it's New Zealand.


view of Lake Toba from Samosir Island

so carefree.

when you lay on the grass and look into the sky and the view.. and suddenly it feels as if the globe stop spinning

I was so happy to taste Lake Toba's grilled fish that night and man it is a huge portion. Grilled fish was served with French salad sauce prepared by the guest chef. Also, we were served free wines as if we are special guests (VIP).

We met this little Indon-English kid who is so uber cute and friendly.

Lake Toba

Lake Toba, also known as Danau Toba, is the largest volcanic lake in South East Asia. Surrounded by a breathtaking view of mountains, Lake Toba is indeed very awe-inspiring, with Samosir Island in the middle (also due to eruption). Sitting 900 meters above sea level, it has pleasantly cool climate and magnificent view.

The entire 6 hours journey was quite a hassle but worth it. We chartered a vehicle and it was a 5 hour drive from Medan to Parapat, the shore of Lake Toba. From Parapat, we took a 30 minutes boat ride to reach Samosir Island, the island within Lake Toba.

View of Lake Toba from Parapat

shore of Parapat

the town of Parapat is crowded with different hotels and cottages

30 minutes boat ride to Samosir Island

9 Facts about Medan

1. Airport

~Medan airport provides Shuttle service (reminds me of Hang Zhou, China)
~Short conveyor belt caught my attention
~Trolleys are not available at the arrival hall. You can see locals in blue uniform, offering to
push the trolley & serve you by helping visitors to fetch their luggages and calling the taxi.
With this, they hope to earn an income (tips).

2. J.W. Marriott Hotel
~It has 2 security checkpoints : (1) entry to the car park [with 7 to 12 security guards checking the car bonnet, boots etc etc] (2) lobby entrance
~You've to scan your belongings upon EVERY entry to the hotel.
~Very tough security. Shocking but impressive.


3. Parking
~In Malaysia, parking coupon is being used.
~In Medan, you've to pay TIPS (amount of TIPS subject to requirement from the locals). The parking fee is price as low as 1000 rupiah to 5000 rupiah. I find this rather annoying. NO LAW woi!


4. Transport ~ In Cambodia, trishaw is called Tut-tut.
~ In Thailand, it's Toot-toot.
~ In Indonesia, it's called Becah.
~ Becah can hold up to a maximum of 3 person. ~ Price : 5000 rupiah (RM1.90) per ride. ~ Ohhhh by the way, the VIOS there is called LIMO (sound cool aye!)


5. Traffic
~ People claimed that Kuchingnites driving is crazy (also dangerous) compared to Australians (I agree).
~ Worst in Medan! People there drive like law doesnt exist (or it doesnt at all?) ~ They overtake without giving signals, follow the cars so closely that they might as well kiss the front car (approximately 10cam between two cars). Bloody crazee!
~HONKS (the horror) : Medan drivers HONK LIKE THERE IS NO TOMORROW. I'm serious. At peak hours, there isnt a single second you wont hear the honk. They surely utilize the car's horn *insert sarcasm*

6. Food
~Reasonably priced Asian food is served.
~Food served are usually TOO SALTY; Drink served are usually TOO SWEET.
~Look up for their local specialties - Teh Botol (taste alike our Teh C Peng)
~Cheapest food you can get there is the local Mie Sapi - 1000 rupiah (RM0.37/37 cents)


7. Fruits
~Had the cheapest durian ever in my life - 6000 rupiah (RM2.20 only ohmygoodness and it tastes good!)
~Markisa (orange) : belongs to Passion fruit family
~Pepino (purple) : known as Tree Melon, taste like Cucumber & has medical purposes.
~Terung Belanda : Dutch Eggplant/ Tree Tomato

8. School
~ Girls : Unlike in Malaysia, schoolgirls in Medan wear 2 two pieces (very Japan!)
~ Boys : Caps are compulsory.

9. Shopping
~ Unless you want to purchase fabrics and clothes, Medan is definitely not the place for you to shop. In fact there's nth in Medan, even souvenirs are barely in sight.
~ The only attractive place in Medan is its famous Lake Toba, which is a 5 hour drive from Medan. Too bad, one cannot fly in Lake Toba. (Stay tuned for Lake Toba's photos)


10. Poverty rate ~ People in Medan is generally richer than Cambodians.