Coffee Talk ...

I went back to my sanctuary in Ayer Itam just so that I could type this entry. Hahaha .... had been quite excited lately because 2 of my special projects had moved on to the next level. One of it has got something to do with coffee.

Let me start first by explaining what inspires it. Among the tourism industry players, I am much closer or much in tune with the tourist guides in Penang, especially the more senior ones. Though they can be sooooooo vocal, but one assignment in 2010 brought us closer together, in a sense that, both organisations later understood each others job better. Well, it's human nature ... no one wants to admit they are wrong or weak kan????? Myself included.

But I learned something from that assignment as well. To introduce or to get people to trust in the product, we have to go through many trials and errors (try and error). It is always chicken and egg story. Many tourists guides in Penang complained to me that the tour packages offered by their 'towkey" (travel agency) were not interesting or creative enough. But talked to travel agents they said the products (attractions) and facilities were not interesting enough or the not enough facilities (or tourist guides demand so much). Talked to the attraction owners they said ... travel agents not bringing enough tourists to their place so how are they going to upgrade or maintain it. So get my point?

Therefore I decided to focus on Free Independent Travellers (FIT) and domestic tourists/ excursionists as a catalyst for these tourist attractions. If travel agencies and tourist guides giving me so much problems, better focus my energy to FIT. Having said that the attractions or products must also be wel-maintained, good and unique enough to attract tourists. Some places, I noticed ... truly under-promoted, unnoticed or in a dire need of fresh coat of paint. Budget Travellers Guide to Georgetown and Discover Autocity Juru program confirmed that. Lack of signboards, attraction owners were not commercially inclined (some people do it for passion or hobby - no intention to make it big) ... and some deserved to be repackage.

So when Vincent asked for my approval to do the Coffee Trail for our Penang Bloggers ... I asked him, "Just bring them to visit kopitiams is it?" He shrugged ... "Yeah?" Automatic some wild ideas crept into my already "wild" thinking hahaha ... yes, my mind is like a jungle now, so many ideas (and wildest imaginations, unhibited)... stored haphazardly!

I explained to him ... coffee is not just for drinking ... we can even use it for cooking and beauty. Let's explore more about coffee. So that day, Vincent, myself and KK had a wild brainstorming on this Coffee project. So finally yesterday, myself and Vincent came out with an itnerary - each with a special Coffee theme.

Photo from chrisau.wordpress.com

Drink coffee - savour the traditional Penang kopitiam black coffee (kopi-O) with traditional toasted bread (u know the one still using the charcoal oven)

Photo from http://blog.omy.sg/jaimeteo

Eat coffee - savour the taste of Coffee Chicken Chop or Oriental Coffee Chicken wash down with Vanilla ice-cream in coffee syrup.

Photo from myskinconcierge.blogspot.com.

Beauty coffee - give your body a good polish with the Coffee Body Scrub.

Make coffee - learn how to make good cup of coffee and some of well known coffee treats - cappucino, expresso, machiato, latte etc.

Blend coffee - blend your own coffee from selected coffee beans.

Photo from http://duckies-food-blog.blogspot.com

Gift coffee - Penang Coffee is great as a gift.

To be honest, last Friday ... I spent the whole day evaluating the coffee products and places. Sampai i mabuk coffee. Pening ... pening ... too much of coffee indulgence! Will update on this after 11 March 2012 ... stay tune!

Sawadee Ka Bangkok 2012 - Day 3

I wanted to publish this entry sooner but I left my travel note in Penang (a small notebook where I jotted down important infos about our Bangkok journey for future reference), so was a bit lost on what to write while was in Kuching. Anyway, I compensated my 2 lousy sessions at Dahra Beauty and Spa, Bangkok and the Baan Silom Heritage hotel's own massage service with a 90 minutes aromatherapy massage at my favourite Thai Odyssey@Straits Quay. Finally .... rasa sangattttttttttttttttttttttttt puas! I will definitely request for Ya (the name of the therapist) again for my next session.

Sorry .... sidetrack!

By the way, I forgot to mention in my previous entry that Zaini and myself got ourselves the BTS Sky Train Smart Pass (since we traveled mostly on the Sky Train) which cost about 260 Baht (60 baht deposit + 100 baht card price + 100 baht reload value). Actually, it is convenience to have this card around having learned some valuable lessons during my last trip to Singapore, especially when travelled during peak hours or weekends. Cut the queue, cut the hassle. The BTS Sky Train Smart Pass is valid for 2 years from date of purchase.

BTS Sky Train Smart Pass and Singapore EZlink card.

Madame Tussauds, Bangkok

Our first destination on the third day was Madame Tussauds Bangkok. During my previous trip to Bangkok in 2010, Madame Tussauds Bangkok had yet to be opened. In fact, I found out about this "must-visit" attraction when helping Emelia planning her trip to Bangkok last year. It is the first in South East Asia and third in Asia after Hong Kong and Shanghai. It is located on the 6th Floor of Siam Discovery Centre. To get there we took the BTS Sky Train to Siam Station.

The ticket counter.

Naomi Campbell, welcoming visitors.

The ticket price is 800 baht which include a guidebook and a photo discount voucher. This is my first Madame Tussauds Wax Museum visit so I will not complain on the ticket price or number of wax figures on display. Except that, it was a bit smaller than I expected. We arrived early, so that we don't have to queue or fighting for our turn to snap pictures with our "idols". 

Madame Marie Tussaud

Anyway, lately I truly felt blessed living in Asia ... many attractions now is coming to our region (i.e Madam Tussauds Bangkok and Universal Studio Singapore) so we don't have to spend so much money and travelling time just to visit these attractions in faraway countries. Plus the best low cost or budget airlines are also in our region ... therefore everyone can fly and everyday low fare! Seriously ... I am soooooo into Asian destinations at the moment.

The wax figures are divided into sections : The Royal Room, History, Leaders, Arts and Science, Sports, Music, Film, TV, A-List Party, Behind the Scenes and History of Madame Tussaud. There is a gift shop if you want to buy something back for your friends or love ones. I took so many photos and here are some of it ...

King Bhumibol parents

With our former Prime Minister, Tun M.

The First Lady of the White House.

Wow!!!! This is so scandalous.

Mie playing golf with Tiger.

I am sexy and I know it...

Slam Dunk with Yao Ming.

Help meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!! Get me out from here.

Capt Jack Sparrow was not please with the "treasure" that he found.

(

Mie on Oprah ...

For other photos, feel free to check out Zaini's blog entry ....seriously, I was soooo envious of his photos with some of my favourite celebrities! (Yelaa kan some people kena "berdiri sama tinggi" baru nampak santek!)


Pratunam Market

We finished our tour at the Madame Tussauds at about 1.30pm. Initially we planned to go shopping at Siam Paragon but after seeing nothing really "unique" that caught our attention, Zaini suggested that we hit the Pratunam Market to look for costumes and accessories for shows. The taxi fare from Siam Paragon to Pratunam Market was about 50 baht (meter taxi).

Pratunam market comprised of retail stores and outdoor stalls, along narrow alleys. Most of the stalls I noticed selling textiles, clothing and accessories. Anyway, Zaini was looking for a tailor specialising in dance costumes whom he befriended many years ago. Of course we couldn't find the person, nor could he remember the exact location of the shop ... not when many of the shops looked identical.

Interesting T-shirt.

We found many shops selling costumes as we ventured further into the alley, complete with head gears and accessories. The costumes ranged from 800 baht and above. Most that caught my eyes priced between 1200 baht - 1500 baht (costume only). Consider veryyyyyyyyyyy cheap. In KL according to Zaini, one costume cost about RM 1000.00 plus plus ... The best thing is, they also do delivery. While Zaini was busy selecting the ostrich feathers, I got myself 2 beautiful batik sarongs (of all places) - my reason ... the designs were similar to a nyonya sarong and belt (only 79 baht!).

Berat OK!

Miss Universe

Fru fru

Hard Rock Cafe, Bangkok

We returned to the hotel to refresh ourselves for the Calypso show, happily carrying 2 big plastic bags containing headgears and ostrich feathers. I am sure, judging from the all the starings that we get, people assumed that Zaini was the cabaret dancer and I was his manager. It was sooooooo good to be back to the comfort of the hotel that I almost "terlajak tidur".

We hit the skytrain back to Siam Paragon and walk to Siam Square looking for Hard Rock Cafe Bangkok at Soi 2. Goodness I had forgotten that there were many great shops and booths at Siam Square selling fashion items. But time was limited and I really need to get to Hard Rock Cafe to get my T-shirt and shot glass. 

Couldn't come here during my first trip. Now I got what I want!

Dinner at Sizzlers, Siam Centre

Initially, I wanted to have dinner at MK restaurant, a very famous suki/hotpot chain of restaurants in Thailand. But we were too lazy and hungry to locate the restaurant, plus we didn't have much time, so I told Zaini we should try the Sizzler restaurant at Level 4, Siam Centre. Went there before with Aey and Jett.

Just to prove that I went to Siam Paragon.

Grilled vegetable salad from the salad counter.

Grilled Bassa Pesto serve with brown rice.

Calypso Cabaret Ladyboy Show

Personally, no trip to Bangkok is complete without watching this ladyboy show (serious!). Especially first timers.

From Siam Center we took the BTS to Ratchadewi Station (about 5 minutes). The Ratchadewi Station linked directly with Asia Hotel, the venue of the Calypso Cabaret so not to worry about not finding the place. Calypso has two shows per night, 8.15 pm and 9.45pm.The ticket cost us about 1200 baht per person.

Established in 1988, you get the feel of the 1950-60s cabaret when you enter the theater. The theater can accommodate up to 350 guests per night and the seating arrangement is 5 seats per table. 

We were among the first to arrive.

The ticket comes with a free drink coupon.

Mie and Zaini.

It was another full house that night and most of the patrons were foreigners and tourists. We saw (and heard) some guests communicated in Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Tagalog, and of course the Queen's English and some other European languages. Some even make new friends especially those who came alone or with groups of friends but were seated next to each other like the China-Chinese guy and Japanese girls on the table next to ours.

The show was divided into few performances, each with it's own theme.

(Pre Show) First Lady-The Classic

(Pre Show) Italy - Young, Beautiful, Handsome

Opening Show - With all the feathers.

The Chinese Ballad

The Ostrich Parade

The Wondergirls

Blossom

Geisha

Can't remember but I call it Burlesque.

Contemporary Thai.

Taco fantasy.

Like The Flow of The River.

Finale

The show was entertaining but I think I prefer Simon Cabaret in Phuket. The "girls" in Simon Carbaret were also better looking, plus the performances were more colourful, modern and energetic. Plus I think they have to do something on the commentaries ... a lot of "Ladies and Gentlemen". The audio sound system also they have to improve, suddenly the music just stopped with a thud instead of slowly fading out.

End of Day 3.

Sorry ... Maybe Next Year

I had dinner with a close acquaintance of mine at DOME Cafe, initially to discuss about our trip to the Land of Smiles when suddenly he brought up about the Penang Beat Prelude. He told me that a big company is eyeing to organise and sponsor the event scheduled in Oct 2012.

Exotic Percussion from Thailand performing for Penang Beat Prelude 2011

Though I welcome the recognition over "that work of art" but I think I have to say NO this year for I am planning for a street party ... which based on my calculation if planned and executed accordingly may be another signature event of Georgetown. Penang Beat Prelude confirmed that the experimental music concept formula works but the success of the Borneo Street Dance 2011 organised by MOTOUR Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan sort of like putting the icing to the cake.Besides I am sooooo not going to join the craze of feeding music fests to tourists ...

Confuse? 

Well, sorry I have yet to organise my thoughts on the Street Party so can't share now. But the inspiration from this Street Party is the feng shui principles of using sounds, merrymaking, lights and lots and lots of joy and happiness to revitalise and dispel lerthagic and weak chi (energy), thus improving luck and jump starting a stagnant life.

Our office is moving to a newly conserved colonial building in a once very famous street in the 1960s. During daytime, the place is busting with activities but come night ... it is like a ghost town, with all the old heritage buildings around. Usually, Chinese businessmen will call the lion dance group to grace the place as well as to dispel evil spirit and summon good luck through the loud sounds of drums, cymbals and gongs.

But I want to dispel evil spirits lurking along the street and summon good luck to all the occupants of the buildings along the street. I want people from all walks of life, race and religion to enjoy something shared, common but nostalgic ... musics of their youth (oppsssss too much information!)

I am also drawing inspirations from the streets in the Universal Studio of Singapore. If Singapore can turn their roads into an F1 International GP Circuit ... we may turned our beautiful streets into a living Universal Studio especially now that the State has declared the area as Car Free every Sunday.

Hmm ... having said that as I may not be in the position to do so ... perhaps someone may consider proposing to Hollywood moviemakers to shoot film there. Wink wink ... I am very generous with idea today.

Penang Beat Prelude@Queensbay, Penang 2011

Hello friends ... just want to promote my latest event for Penang. Maybe some of you might wonder why out the blue I suddenly want to promote this event on my blog. To be honest, my office events during the last few months were back to back with no time for me to spare for updating my blog. As for this one, my office is the co-organiser so I have some space to breathe.

Few months back I was approached by Penang Municipal Council to assist them in this event which will be mainly funded by them. This was because, the President of Penang Municipal Council was so impressed with Music In The Park Concert during the last Parks and Gardens Carnival at Penang Botanic Gardens. Further to that, I was also made to understand that the council would also like to strengthen and focus on tourism related activities as a member of Tourism Promotion Organisation (TPO).Coincidentally, I was also doing a research on sister cities or friendship cities as a catalyst for sustainable tourism (huhuhu ... topik memang hebat tapi paper pernah tak siap-siap).

So together with the National Arts and Culture Department (under Ministry of Information, Communication and Culture), we researched, planned and developed a music fest that will benefit from the council sister-cities networks and TPO membership as well as creating new arts and culture based tourism product for Penang. To be honest, I was a bit surprised when Cik Mariam (National Arts and Culture Department Director) suggested that we explore "experimental music". Wow, when all the hype now in Malaysia is "World Music" ... from Penang to Sarawak and now Sabah ... lets be honest here that I was skeptical. I remembered talking to one of the founders of Sarawak Rainforest Music Festival ... years ago, nobody cares about world music and now 3 states are claiming that theirs are different than others.

But as we progressed further, I began to realise that Cik Mariam might have a point. It was to my great surprise that we as in Malaysia do have groups that have won numerous awards at international level and a homegrown group that just need a little push and exposure. Hahaha ... now, the Penang Beat is no longer a music fest but a platform for these groups to compete with each other. But since the genre is relatively new we decided to design it as a showcase or prelude first.

Hahahaha ... will have to stop here as I don't want to give away so much information ... just come and feel the BEAT on 11-12 November 2011 at Queensbay Beach area from 7.30 pm to 10.30 pm. See you there!

Teratak Spa, Bayan Baru, Penang

Sometimes, it kind of bad knowing too much. It makes us too cautious and skeptical on little, little details. Like when I was with Ministry of Housing, though it saved me from buying property from scrupulous developer, it took me about 7 years to invest in one. The same goes here in Ministry of Tourism when I had to rate hotels and spas in preparation for the Visit Malaysia Year 2013 as well as to move the Malaysia Tourism Transformational Plan - 2020:36:168. Some hotels that I had rated, looks good on the outside but sekali you go to the kitchen .... you want to pengsan.

However, on the bright side, at least you are ensured that company practised good quality assurance in their services while keeping up with competition and latest trends. Having said that ... I am still skeptical hahaha. Takut masa rating jer "fabulous" and "marvelous", habis rating ... lagi teruk dari hotel cap ayam hahahaha ...

Anyway, I want to share my personal experience with one of the spas that I had rated and in which I think deserve to be promoted by me. By the way, the lady boss doesn't know that I own a blog and going to blog about her spa as whenever I went there for "short breakaway from the office" ...she was not around.

The entrance to Teratak Spa

Teratak Spa is actually a double storey, corner lot house which was converted into a spa sanctuary in the residential area of Bayan Baru. It is actually quite near to the Bandar Bayan Baru roundabout heading towards Bukit Jambul, but most people missed it from the roundabout because there are huge trees planted by Penang Council blocking the view.

All the lush tropical greens in the garden greeting you as you enter the spa compound.

The spa concept in my opinion is a mixture of Balinese and Javanese, from the spa deco to the treatments offered. However, I was very happy when she incorporated some local elements in the deco such as spice tray (nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, star anise), rattan casings, "mengkuang" mat and bunga rampai (a Malay pot-purri). The owner also created a special brew of ginger tea with nutmeg essence that was quite calming and soothing (though slightly spicy) as a welcome drink before you go for your treatment.

The bunga rampai

To be honest, when it come to massage ... I am a great fan of Thai massage by Thai masseurs. It is something about the massage technique and how they applied pressure from using their thumb or palm. Every time I went back to Kuala Lumpur, I will definitely indulged myself with a nice massage at Thai Odyssey. Sometimes, I will go to Urban Retreat at The Curve@Mutiara Damansara. I did try some local spa centres who engaged local therapists before but ... memang kureng lah.

But on that fateful day, I was actually having very stiff neck and back pain due to fatigue, stress and lack of sleep/rest. Coincidentally, that month ... there was no trip to KL. Cannot "tahan" anymore, I called up the spa for a short session during long Friday prayer break. The therapist on duty recommended me to try the 1 hour Swedish massage after a brief consultation. That time I didn't care anymore ... Swedish kah, Thai kah, Malaysian kah ... as long as it could relieve the pain and make me feel relax I am OK. She also recommended "cream bath" to go with the massage.

 

The treatment bed and some insight on the treatment room.

Cream bath hair treatment is actually a traditional Indonesian hair treatment to promote hair growth, elasticity and prevent damaged hair. The treatment usually uses ingredients such as coconut milk, mint leaves, aloe vera and sometimes avocado, which is applied to your hair and scalp with a light head massage. I tried it for the first time at Taman Sari Spa Jakarta and love it so much. My hair smelled coconutly terrific for days.

Most of treatment rooms come with a bath tub and built in shower.

Rain shower ... I love rain shower. The rustic wall is cement by the way.

I also love the fact that Teratak Spa use quality clean towels and proper massage bed ... among the plus points I gave them during my rating session. The treatment room was clean and tidy, with proper locker to keep your things. During rating session, I usually give special attention to the preparation area and product storage especially if the spa is using natural ingredients such as fresh fruits, yoghurts or coconut milk in their treatment. And Teratak Spa scored high marks in those area.

Anyway, lets move to the most important part - the treatment. Was it worth the money spend? To be honest, it was fantastic. I started dozing off during the cream bath treatment which was unexpectedly minty cold by the way, followed by a very relaxing Swedish massage with the right pressure on the right points on my body.  Seriously ... that was the first time I enjoyed a massage by a local therapist so so much.  Overall, it costs me about RM 170.00 for a 1 and half hour session of massage and cream bath hair treatment. But I really, really enjoyed it and truly recommended it to all tired and stressful ladies out there. I went there twice and both times it was excellent.


Address:
No. 31 Jalan Tun Dr Awang,
11950 Bayan Baru, Penang.

Telephone: 04-6444121