JBR(7) – HKT Day 4: chasing sunsets

On our last full day in Phuket we again had use of a rental car and set off to accomplish the last few remaining things on our to-do list.

First stop, Premium Factory Outlet mall which Lis spotted on the drive down from the airport the day we arrived. We arrived just as the shops were opening around 11 am and stayed until 3-ish pm. We could’ve gone on shopping but we had wisely scheduled a massage back at the Hotel for 3.30 pm. Anyhow, the property looks fairly new as some shops were still in the process of being readied for opening. And I’m afraid I’ve no pictures of this part of the day as my hands were tied down by shopping bags.

Post-massage it was time to hit the road again as the sun began its descent.

Taking Highway 4233 yet again, we made a brief stop at Kata beach for a stroll.

Red flags were flying so there were no swimmers in the water. There were some friendly local fisherman fishing along the edge of the water though.

Could be Miami?

I can see why Kata / Karon is favoured by Phuket regulars over Patong. The beach front was definitely more spread out than Patong’s where buildings stand cheek to jowl. And just overall, the energy exuded by the place felt more relaxed and casual compared to Patong’s frantic vibe.

Following Highway 4233 brought us next to the Kata/Karon viewpoint. At 6.12 pm, signs were looking good for a fantastic sunset. I grabbed a couple of shots but Lis told me to hustle otherwise we’d miss the show at Laem Promthep.

As we head towards Nai Han, the signage becomes a little few and far between and the width of the road progressively narrower.

But we were too busy enjoying the coastal scenery to be bothered by that. Relying on Lis’ sign-spotting skills and instinct, we kept driving until we hit a huge parking lot and rows of salls. No mistaking that we’d arrived at Laem Promthep because of the big express buses and hordes of tourists.

Unfortunately, our hopes of a glorious sunset were somewhat dampened by the appearance of that huge rain cloud that you see there in the middle of my picture.

Buts we didn’t care. It was still an awesome view.

Our last dinner in Phuket was at Patong Seafood. THB 380 got us steamed mussels, minced pork with vegetables, and stir-fry asparagus. Tasty and relatively cheaper than back home, no complaints.

Limbang/Miri JBR – Part 2

As mentioned in my previous post, Limbang town is located right smack by the river so I spent the good part of my evening walking along the esplanade.

My starting point was the Limbang Chinese Charitable Trust Board’s hall/temple (foreground). The hotel I stayed in,  Purnama, is in the background. Purnama is Limbang’s only hotel in a dedicated building of its own. Other hotels are of the shophouse variety.

Also, Purnama and the attached Limbang Plaza happen to be the tallest building in town. Just so you know, there is a Ngiu Kee supermarket/departmental store (FYI, closes at 8.00 pm) and a Sugarbun outlet located inside. Other than that, it’s full of your regular friendly dvd stores, knick-knack shops and tailors (FYI, these start closing from 6.00 pm) . Very much  like Kuching’s kenyalang park shopping arcade.

A few metres down from the Chinese hall and you’ll come to the Tamu and jetty.

What’s interesting about Limbang town is that a whole village is situated directly opposite it on the other side of the river. Hence, the Tamu’s jetty was populated with these little speedboats ferrying passengers home from work.

The setting sun signals an end to my exploration for the day and I beat a retreat back to the hotel for a simple dinner. Day 2 to follow.

R&R – SG(1) – hangout, vegout, lookout

After inhaling copious amounts of dust and exhaust smoke on both sides of the Causeway, we were finally on Singapore soil….and I finally got to see Li’s flat for the 1st time!

velcome!

I never tire of telling people that Liu Lian, Hao Lian and Xiao Lian go way back:

Do Re Mi

After pit-stopping at Li’s flat, we checked into our base for the next 2 nights:

plush

Nice right? This was our triple room at Hangout @ Mt Emily Hotel. It was big, bright and airy:

babe by the window

And came with an attached bathroom complete with tub:

err....

Plus, gave us lovely views of the sunset:

beam me up Scotty!

Definitely will be staying there on all my future trips to the Island.

Went a-hunting for some sunbeams

Finally went to check out if Wisma Saberkas provided a great spot for shooting sunsets over the weekend.

6.31 pm

Coincidentally, Saturday happened to be the longest day of the year, aka summer solstice day. Unfortunately, as far as Kuching was concerned, it was a cloudy evening and I was starting to worry that there wouldn’t be much of a sunset to catch. Luckily, the clouds decided to step in and make up for the sun’s shyness.

6.48 pm

6.51 pm

6.52 pm

6.52 pm

6.56 pm

6.59 pm

Before I packed up, a shot of traffic along Green Road:

And the UNIMAS medical faculty building with Chonglin apartments in the background:

So, I’m pleased to report that the top floor of Wisma Saberkas’ carpark is a fantastic place to take scenic shots of town. The only thing is, if you’re going for sunset/night shots, be sure NOT to go alone as the top floor is empty, isolated and the building management doesn’t bother to turn on the lights. Otherwise, you might end up getting a (justified) earful from your friends like I did.

Agi Idup Agi Ngelaban

Grab shot right outside my bedroom window one evening. The birds appear a little blurry, but that’s coz I didn’t have time to set up a tripod what since it was a spontaneous shot.

Anyways, whoopdedoo it’s a 4-day weekend here again! So happy holidays for y’all Sarawakians who are lucky enough to live and work in Sarawak (that would exclude youse, Ms Wong and Ms Tiu. Muahahahahahas! ). Back on Wednesday. Till then, Gayu Guru Gerai Nyamai!