Our days in Penang this time was pretty packed with trips that were arranged by my brother in law ahead of time. We were very grateful of what he and my parents in law have done to make our stay very pleasant and enjoyable.
We arrived in Penang on Monday, June 1 at around 8pm-ish local time, picked up by all the family members (parents and bro in law ;)). Before we exited the airport, we passed by a stall that was selling sim cards, with a big promo sign that was so inviting. We then decided to get a sim card there, to make it less hassle for our parents/brother to get one for us later on.
This sign was a little misleading, since it didn't mention how many GBs we could use for 10 days, only says, "Free 4G LTE Internet (10 days)". But it only lasted for about 6 or 7 days.
On our way home, we stopped by at a hawker center nearby the airport, just for my husband and me who were a little hungry for dinner that time. As usual, my first meal I always look forward to when I got to Malaysia is their authentic char kway teow and watermelon juice, and curry mee (if not mistaken) and bitter melon soup for my husband.
Does it look like curry mee?!?! Hm... OOH... that watermelon drink...really YUMMY!!! :))
The next day we just spent it to rest at home and enjoyed the Penang food all day. On Wednesday, the 3rd, we were off to Cameron Highland, a place that I had been curious to visit. It took about 3 hours to get there from Penang. And we had 2D1N there to visit the House of Lavender, strawberry field, bee farm, BOA tea plantation.
Semi-buffet shabu shabu lunch at Cameron Highland
1. House of Lavender
Can you see the beautiful lavenders behind us?
Just fyi, they also sold a very delicious lavender ice cream here, which was a bit pricey, I think. About RM6.50 for a cone, if I am not mistaken.
Once we checked in the hotel, we took a walk to check out a local market there that sold many fresh and dried strawberries, clothings, and other kinds of food.
Beautiful evening sky in Cameron Highland
2. Strawberry Farm
3. BOA Tea Plantation
Breakfast with magnificent view of the tea plantation
In front of the hotel we stayed before heading back to Penang
Last week, my husband and I went for a short gateway to Cape May / Wildwoods Park, NJ., for 2D1N to celebrate his birthday. It took us about 3 hours drive to get there from NYC. We left home at around 9am-ish, and stopped by at several places in NJ for brunch and gasoline. We arrived at Cape May around 2:30pm-ish.
The birthday boy's enjoying his miso ramen at Mitsuwa after waiting for about 30 mins for it to open at 11am
Just reached Cape May, NJ.
We started to search for a hotel in Cape May area only 2 nights prior to our trip since my husband initially intended to go to Dorney Park, PA., but due to the accident I had with my knee while I was in Indonesia, I still could not afford to go up and down the stairs much. When we checked out the hotels, we were so surprised that they were all fully booked for Wed/Thurs that week. Also, the hotel price was quite high. The cheapest we saw was around $300+ for a 3 star hotel, which was way over our budget. With his never-giving-up spirit, he kept on looking till late at night, and found a deal a 2-star hotel for $200. Not bad! Though I was a bit skeptical about the cleanliness of the room.
Once we arrived at the hotel, I was astonished by how clean the room is, and the location is right by the beach with magnificent view. It is more like a one bedroom apartment, with a living room, a dining room, a kitchen, a bedroom with 2 full size beds, a bathroom, and 2 TVs. They even provided us with all utensils, drinking glasses, pans, and other cooking utilities, and extra blankets and pillows in the closet. Also, there were 2 BBQ places that we can use while enjoying the beach/pool view. I already thought of bringing my parents / brother's family here next time when they come to US...$200 for more people is more worth it than only for the two of us....in Indonesian, we say 'ngga mau rugi'... in Solo, we say 'nyucukne'... hehehehe... :p
Our hotel room at Acacia Hotel, Cape May, NJ.
Beach view from the hotel
On that day, after resting for about an hour, we then headed to Wildwoods Park, as we both like water park. However, they were closing at 6pm. So, we went to take a stroll around and at the boardwalk instead until around 7pm-ish to head back to the hotel to swim and enjoy the beach view.
Because You are my help, I sing in the shadows of Your wings (Psalms 63:7 NIV)
The next day we went to the famous beach at Cape May, but since there was an entrance fee, and we were kind of stingy economical, we decided to skip, and went to our next stop at the light house, which also was surrounded by the beach.
Cape May beach with $6/person entrance fee. I think if we come early we might be able to get one of those tent and relax there for a whole day with books, chips, fruits, drinks, etc ... hmm...
"God, all nature sings Thy glory, and Thy works proclaim Thy might"
Free Movie?? Why not?? But too bad we had no room to stay for another night.
"For the beauty of the earth..."
"Beauty in the stormy sea..."
We left Cape May around 12pm-ish, and went for a birthday dinner that night at Legal Seafood in Paramus, NJ.
Lobster Bisque, Crab Cake, 6 Fresh Oysters, 6 Fresh Clams, and the very delicious freshly baked breads for free... yum yum... :)
Happy Birthday, Dear! May our Lord enrich you with more wisdom and strength to do His wills, thru your voices and thru your deeds, His commandments to fulfill. Amen!
