bumisepi.com

life is short. do first thing first.

Year: 2010 Page 4 of 8

Welcome to Miri, Sarawak, MALAYSIA

By

On August 24, 2010

In Travel

18 August 2010:

Early MH flight to Miri was an aging Boeing 747-400. Seated at 19A seat, I could see clearly stained metal patches on the wing, over the scratches window. The engine made some rattling noise when taking off but quietened down when cruising. The sky was cloudy but no rain. Most passengers felt asleep the entire journey over South China Sea, 33000 feet above at the speed of 800 km/h. After 2 hours 15 minutes I could see the shoreline with rivermouths full of muddy waters from the interior of Borneo. The plane was circling a couple times along the shoreline beneath which are at one side green plains and zig-zagged rivers and at the other side are muddy beaches. The pilot Jeff Azman went on air saying some problem at Miri Airport which did not concern us. He managed to land safely eventually. Airport terminal was a straight line building with 2 or 3 contact piers, just like Yangon International AIrport. Immigration was a breeze as I presented my intenational passport to the officer behind the counter, and she stamped the ‘visa’ on a blank page which allows me to stay up to 90 days on social visit to Sarawak.

Unlike Yangon arrival, nobody was waiting for me. This is my home country Malaysia and I was expected to know this country well. People speak my language and eat my foods, so whats the big deal. That what my new company thought, when I called them last week to tell them of my arrival date.

I went thru typical airport arrival procedures  — immigration checkpoint, collect baggages, custom checkpoint, greet&meet area. After custom checkpoint, I exited to the greet&meet area. At your left there were many car rental counters and one of them was a taxi counter. Bought a coupon here, only Rm20 for 15 minutes drive to Mega Hotel in downtown Miri.  Took and presented the coupon to the waiting taxi queueing for passengers outside the arrival hall. No taxi touts at this airport.

It took about 15 minutes from Miri Airport to Mega Hotel in the city center, along tree-lined boulevards.

Welcome to Miri, one of the youngest city in Malaysia.

Guangzhou Baiyun Airport to Shenzen by bus

By

On July 10, 2010

In Travel

June 2010:

If you are in Guangzhou, you should not miss Shenzen, the youngest city in China. There are many ways to get to Shenzen from Guangzhou.  The most common advice is by train from Guangzhou East Railway Station. But Last June 2010, we took  a bus ride from Baiyun Airport, a service provided by Baiyun Airport Express.  The coach is spacious and clean. En route you can enjoy many Chinese cities, towns and villages along the highway. You can buy a ticket at the ticket counter at Baiyun Airport and wait for the bus outside the airport terminal (I think at Gate 7 Arrival Hall). There many buses from the same company  going to different destinations, so make sure you go the right boarding place. You must buy a ticket prior to boarding.  The fare was 88 Yuan one way. The journey took about 3 hours with one quick stop at Shekou, just before entering Shenzen city limit. In Shenzen, the bus made a final stop at Bagualing Road. From here we took a taxi to our hotel near Louhu. A the final stop, beware of many touts waiting for the bus to arrive. When we got down the bus, they rushed to assist us with the luggage. TIPS: Hold your things to yourself and just pretend you know the way even though you do not know.  Stay cool and pretend talking to somebody on your mobile as if there is somebody is coming to pick you up even though nobody is coming. After a while these touts will go away and you can find a real taxi — colored red and silver. The place the bus finally stops is in fact a small decent hotel operated by the same Baiyun Airport Express. The hotel lobby serves both as a ticketing office for the same bus going back to Guangzhou Baiyun Airport, and the entrance to the hotel. To get to the lobby,  go around the building and enter through the main entrance. There was a clean toilet at the lobby if you need to ease yourself. You can hail a metered city taxi from the main road right in front of the hotel lobby to anywhere in Shenzen. Again don’t forget to add fuel surcharge to the amount listed on the meter. Welcome to Shenzen everybody!

Halal restaurant in Shenzen, CHINA

By

On July 10, 2010

In Travel

June 2010:

Mencari masjid dan makanan halal di negara asing seperti China bukanlah sesuatu yang mudah. Satu cabaran berat bagi pengembara poket nipis (budget traveler) yang tidak datang dengan pakej. Yang penting ialah persiapan awal atau groundwork. Sebaiknya, tanya kawan-kawan yang pernah sampai ke sana. Atau buat carian di internet — cari laman web yang mempromosi hal ehwal Islam di negara tersebut. Antaranya zabihah.com yang mempromosi restoran halal di seluruh dunia. Masukkan nama bandar yang anda akan lawati dan insyallah laman web ini akan menyenaraikan semua restoran halal di bandar itu. Anda perlu sokong laman web seperti ini dengan memberi feedback jika anda ke sana. Mereka memudahkan umat Islam membuat kebaikan semasa musafir.

Perlu diingat di China walaupun restoran terdapat tanda halal, kadang-kadang minuman keras juga di jual sama. Makanan dan minumam ringan sahaja halal, tetapi yang berat-berat tidak halal. Jadi kena hati-hati.

Berikut beberapa restoran makanan halal yg sempat saya jumpa sepanjang lawatan saya ke Shenzen pd June 2010, mudah-mudahan memberi manafaat kepada semua pelancong muslim.

Restoran KFY dekat Louhu, Shenzen, CHINA

Restoran muslim KFY ini pakar dalam masakan dari Xinjiang (muslim di northwest China). Daging lembu dan kambing menjadi menu utama. Kebab dan dimsum pun ada. Nasi goreng dan mee goreng pun ada. Anda kena cuba. Restoran sangat bersih dan dekor luaran seperti KFC outlet sebab merah menjadi warna pilihan. Harga berpatutan. Ada tandas sekali. Servis baik sekali. Buku menu diberi bila anda sampai, siap dengan gambar dan harga. Waiter lengkap beruniform akan mengambil pesanan dengan menggunakan alat canggih sebesar telefon bimbit. Pilih sahaja menu yang berkenan. Teh Cina diberi percuma.

Restoran ini berdekatan dengan Days Hotel, Louhu metro station dan juga Louhu Commercial Center.

Selain Louhu, ada beberapa restoran halal di sekitar Masjid Meilin di Shenzen. Pada hari Jumaat, banyak gerai-gerai makanan beroperasi di hadapan Masjid dan suasana sangat sibuk sebaik sahaja selesai solat Jumaah.

Klik di sini:  Masjid Meilin Shenzen.

Juga terdapat sebuah hotel Muslim di Shenzen dan di tingkat atas hotel tersebut terdapat sebuah masjid. Cuba google “muslim hotel in Shenzen” untuk dapatkan maklumat hotel ini. Saya tak sempat ke sini sepanjang lawatan ini.

“It happened so fast.”

By

On July 9, 2010

In Uncategorized

July 6th 2010:

One of our contractor passed away yesterday while we were busy with work and meetings and doing other worldly things.

I got the message late while in one of the KPI-setting meeting which was supposed to set key performance indicators to measure individual performance for the next financial year.   While we can plan how much sales and revenue the Company can make, or how many leaders we want to develop, we never can plan when and how we will die.

Unable to catch the funeral ceremony at Yuwey cemetery in Mingalardon, we visited the bereaved family members today at their house at University Avenue in Yangon. Our car was stopped by the security guarding this stretch of University Avenue  which is the home for the most famous lady in Myanmar — Daw Aung San Su Kyi.  We were made to walk some 800 meters along University Crest to the house no 71A.

We met the wife, a widow now. A petite pretty lady, who spoke English better than most of my local staff in my office.

“It happened so fast. ” The wife started the story. There were many relatives and friends in the house, which served as his husband’s office. So she took us to the verandah.

“He complained about slight chest pain in the morning.  Then he visited a doctor at nearby clinic, have ECG taken. ECG was no good and the doctor gave him a bundle of medication, to be taken after meal.”

Her eyes were wet with tears but she managed it well not to drop the tears. She tried to put up a brave front but sometimes she broke down and simply buried her face into her hands, while we were waiting for this damsel in distress to complete her sentence.

“I quit working and started becoming a fulltime housewife last year. Now I don’t know…  It seems I have to return to work.”

“I am spoilt by by him, everything I wanted I got it, just like a baby.”  She is a young mother with 2 boys — aged 6 month and 2.5 years old. She said her late husband said he had 3 kids, and she is the third one.

“This house is my husband’s office, somebody new will come. I have to leave and find a new place.”

I did not say much. I was not good at comforting others in pain save some words rather direct like life is test, be patient, Allah loves him more.

Anyway I did hand over my business card before I left just in case she wanted to try her luck in my organization.

A flower girl in Yangon (Part 2)

By

On July 3, 2010

In Rambling

July 2, 2010:

Met her again at the Shwegondaing intersection.

She was as innocent as ever, wearing the same sweet smile, very natural indeed. She rushed to my car knocking at the window gently, as what she did last time. She waved a string of jasmine flower for sale, as what she did last time. Unlike what I did last time, this time I rushed to get some kyats from my work pant deep inside the sport bag, as I just returned from a badminton game at the university sport complex.  But alas I could not control the traffic light. The light turned green so fast, and the car had to move. I missed her again. May be next time. I forgot her name but I could never forget her smile.

It was an interesting sight at the Shwegonedain intersection in Yangon, Myanmar. In this city, everyone has a story. Every face tells a story.

Page 4 of 8

Previous

Next

Powered by WordPress & Theme by Anders Norén