So you are thinking of bringing your kids for a vacation this Christmas – but of course – you need a hotel that is kid friendly and have certain amenities for kids as well.  But you also don’t want to pay top dollars for just accommodation alone for you want to leave some spending money so that you and your kids can buy some souvenirs home right?   I can understand it completely – but do you want to just choose a hotel with a pool and pool safety fence or do you want also restaurants for them to eat in – as well as an amusement park nearby for convenience reason?  What about the rooms?  do you want a hotel to provide those free roll-in bed or a sofa bed?  yes you have to take all these into consideration.

The Westin Chosun is one of my favorite hotel when I am in Asia – not only is it reasonable in prices – it is kid’s friendly as well as very near a shopping market.

The Myeong dong market is like a cluster of shopping center together – they have loads of high end shops here – and you can shop till you drop.  I loved the street food on the Myeong Dong Market – and everything is just so cheap there.

The interior of the Westin Chosun is pretty luxurious as you can view from this picture – very much like a Japanese hotel but much bigger rooms.  The pool is an olympic size pool and you can see children playing at the children’s pool and although they do not have safety fences like the B & B’s in the West – you also will be in awe of the Olympic size pool that most western hotels do not have but definitely kid’s friendly.

]]> http://www.isbreading.org/2011/11/kids-friendly-hotel/feed/ 0 http://www.isbreading.org/2011/11/street-food-in-hong-kong/ http://www.isbreading.org/2011/11/street-food-in-hong-kong/#comments Fri, 18 Nov 2011 03:55:12 +0000 breading http://www.isbreading.org/?p=3489

Some of the best food in Hong Kong are found on the street – someone told me before I first visited Hong Kong – that you can forgo any kind of food in Hong Kong – but you have to taste all the street food in Hong Kong.  Not only are they cheap they are darn good.  Don’t be mislead that street food in Hong Kong isn’t clean – in fact – they are just as clean – or more than the high class restaurants that you go to in Hong Kong.   I loved the curry fishballs on skewer  and the octopus on skewer – and not forgetting the siew mai on skewer and sweet chilli sauce as well.

Made of flour and eggs – this is a local delicacy – for all Hong Kongers – it’s like an afternoon snack for them.

Fried Hor Fun may not be exactly street food – but you can find them in small chinese cafe in Hong Kong – they are definitely a must try – loved their dry hor fun.  Try the ones with sambal -  it’s in a pretty high class restaurant in Hong Kong – taste different but only if you like it hot.

Polo bun is a must when you are in Hong Kong – yummy to the max.

And my favorite red bean ice dessert – also another must eat and drink.

]]> http://www.isbreading.org/2011/11/street-food-in-hong-kong/feed/ 0 http://www.isbreading.org/2011/11/roti-prata-from-ipoh-a-hot-spring-resort/ http://www.isbreading.org/2011/11/roti-prata-from-ipoh-a-hot-spring-resort/#comments Tue, 15 Nov 2011 05:21:23 +0000 breading http://www.isbreading.org/?p=3497

I love going to Ipoh in Malaysia – of course  there is more than just Roti Prata in Ipoh – in fact lately Ipoh had been quite the vibrant town with lots of resorts everywhere.   But I do like the roti prata in Ipoh – the fluffy piece of flour – and a good bowl of curry to dip them in – and if  you are lucky – you may even get a piece of chicken or lamb.   From the Strawberry park to the Banjaran Hot Spring Resort – depending on your budget – I say Ipoh, Malaysia is a fabulous place to visit if you are in Asia.  But the Banjaran Hot Spring Resort is my destination when I visit Asia next – or should I say when I go home next.

If you are in Malaysia during the month of August – you are in for a feast – because it’s Ramadan month and with Ramadan month – it can only mean one thing – food !  and more food.  During the ramadan – the muslim will go for a fasting period for a month from dawn to dusk and when they break their fast in the evening – you can see lots of food stall all over malaysia – selling all kinds of food – in their food bazaar and they choices are endless.  If I go to Malaysia during Ramadan month – I have to have lots of appetitie suppressing ideas because you can bet on it that I would eat any kind of food I come across.  The food are not only delicious they are so color and so fragrant – no one can resist it.

From curry to popiah – and sweets and even drinks – they are absolutely delicious – so if you are on a diet – do not think of going to Malaysia during the Ramadan month – for I can assure you that after 5pm – food and its stalls are all over the place in Malaysia.

Some people confirmed that they put on more weight during their fasting month than they do during the entire year – because they eat a lot more of the good food offered after fasting for the entire day.

The variety of food offered are endless and they are really reasonably priced because they are targeted for the average family – who are out working and have no time to break their fast properly by cooking for the entire family.

Yummy coconut dessert are to die for!  i can eat 10 of these at one go.

My girlfriend came back from Asia – and asked me about certain food that she had tried when she was there.  One of the places that interest her a lot was KL – as in Kuala Lumpur.  Kuala Lumpur is in Malaysia – and one of the most vibrant city in Malaysia.  They say that things are relatively more expensive in Kuala Lumpur than other places in Malaysia – but that’s because Kuala Lumpur is a more advance and a business district – but compared to different countries in Asia – they are still very affordable.

Street restaurants like this are common in Kuala Lumpur and they have cleaned up the street restaurants a lot to entice the tourists – and food is definitely more authentic and cheaper in this kind of restaurant than the air -conditioned ones. Plus, you get a taste of the real food here.

The king of fruit is a must try – you may not like the smell – but it’s awesome after you’ve tasted it.

These food on sticks are for dipping them in a pot of chicken stock or tom yum stock.  Some also use peanut sauce for dipping as well.   And they are very cheap to eat – but remember to leave the sticks on the table – so that they can count how much you’ve eaten.  Food are very fresh here.

Street fruits are just as cheap in KL – buy them fresh and eat them on the spot.

Have some claypot rice while you are there – they are rice baked on charcoal fire – with chicken and chinese sausages and mushroom.  The black color in the rice is a sweet soya sauce – and they are yummilicious.   So if you are in Asia – please try out their street food – it’s an amazing experience.

]]> http://www.isbreading.org/2011/07/street-food-in-kl/feed/ 0 http://www.isbreading.org/2011/07/a-trip-down-history-river-in-china/ http://www.isbreading.org/2011/07/a-trip-down-history-river-in-china/#comments Mon, 18 Jul 2011 12:28:36 +0000 breading http://www.isbreading.org/?p=3098

I remembered learning all about the Yangtze River in China when I was a kid – during history lessons and when the boss said that we should go see the 3 Gorges and the Dam – I said why not!  so we hopped on a bus and off we went.  I don’t know the place is like now – but back then – it wasn’t really a pretty sight when we arrived in Chong Qing.  The hotel that we were booked in to stay wasn’t the most pleasant I’ll have to say – but the cruise down to the 3 Gorges was really nice.   If you are thinking of cruising down Yangtze River then in a tourist cruiser – then you can forget it – it’s more like a bunk boat.

The town folks selling all sorts of food – near the river.  And if you were told that the Ghost Theme Park is to die for – I’ll have to tell you it was more amusing – but not really for kids.  We had seen some kids that had tour with us – and were crying buckets at night from nightmares even though the statues and stuff weren’t that frightening.   We loved the magnificent dam as well as the Yangtze bridge – but I was glad to get out of Yangtze but I am assuming they are in better shape now – the town I meant.

For those who frequent Bangkok and want some good ribs – then you have to try this Bangkok bar called The Roadhouse.  Mesquite wood is flown in for the proper smoky flavor. The American style smokehouse and barbecue joint occupies three floors where Surawong Road meets Rama IV. Hamburgers are always hard to come by for the American traveler and this is one solid option. Pulled pork sandwiches, Philly cheesesteaks, Texas brisket and housemade cole slaw are also offered. The Roadhouse is also a sports bar and while much of what comes into Bangkok by cable or satellite is football (soccer), rugby and cricket, this is also reliable for American football and basketball.

Watch for Buffalo wing specials on Monday nights. Foosball, a pool table, shuffleboard and the sports bar element are all on the third floor. Almost a dozen beers are on tap (including Guinness, Kilkenny, Stella Artois, Hoegaarden and more) and served cold enough to freeze the condensation on the tappers. The wine list tops 60. The bar serves a bucket of peanuts to munch on if you’re in for a beer or three. This is a five-minute walk along Rama IV from Saladaeng BTS station and Silom MRT station.

I’ve flown on Malaysian Airlines many a times on first class and to fly first class in domestic flight on this airline is super cheap – maybe that is why Malaysian Airlines not allowing babies on their first class seats?   This new rule does not sit well with a lot of parents of course.  But the business class cannot be that bad either right?   So if you are flying from KL to Amsterdam, London or Sydney with babies – forget about flying in first class seats and because of what Malaysian Airlines is doing – I hear that other airlines are thinking of doing the same too.    Now that would not be good at all.

Truth be told I wasn’t too keen in going to the Todaiji Temple in Nara – afterall, it is another temple and shrine right?  but we were pleasantly surprised by the amount of cherry blossom that was in bloom at that time.  The Todaiji Temple is one of the more well known temple for historical reasons – it also has one of the largest bronze Buddha.

A giant statue that guards the temple – they are known as the Nio Guardian Kings.   These are said to be national treasures.

Some deers found outside the temple – they were friendly too.

A Shrine

Kasuga Taisha

Cherry blossomsssss!!!  awesomeness!

This pillar is said to grant enlightenment in your next reincarnation – if you can squeeze thru’ the opening – hahah! not us – that’s for sure.