Jakarta : The Duck King, Senayan City

It is always a pleasure to meet up with friends. Especially, those that you have not a single clue when you will meet again.

About four months ago, we bade each other au revoir in Copenhagen. Four months later, we meet again in Indonesia.

Such reunions are incomplete without a hearty feast and a perky toss of drinks. Since we are all not drinkers, we skipped the latter.

After heeding the advice of another friend, we decided to indulge into a meaty dinner at The Duck King, which sounded extremely seducing to our sudden call of carnivorous appetite.

There was no queue though many tables were occupied (Otherwise, we would have opted for another alternative).

Upon being seated, we were handed a large menu with pictures of mouth-watering dishes for us to consult upon. Without hesitation, the duck was the first pick. We ordered one whole duck for four - two ladies, two men.

Other dishes?

Those were secondary. Having the duck alone, had satiated our hunger for meat.

Dishes that we ordered: One whole roasted duck, Braised spinach bean curd with mushrooms and Hong Kong kale with garlic.

Needless to say, the star of the night was the duck. Honestly, I didn't expect it to be that good. Good is probably an understatement.

The sound of crisp rang through my ears as I sunk my carnivorous teeth into the duck skin. Before I recovered from the pleasant surprise, the rich flavour of the moist and tender duck meat started to dance its way into my tongue.

Every bite of the meat was well marinated and the duck was cooked perfectly (according to Asian standard - the meat was not pinkish but it was very tender and succulent).

Double thumbs up for the duck! What further surprised me was that, we could actually request the bones from the duck to be removed before serving it on the table. That was a bliss! We enjoyed the duck without having to lick the bones clean.

People always sing praises to Hong Kong's roast duck and China's Peking Duck. There is no need to travel to the North Asian countries to those dishes. The Duck King can offer equally good ones. 

Apart from the roasted duck, the Peking Duck was also in the menu. We didn't try that though. Just having the skin alone would not tame our carnivorous hunger.

We noticed that many patrons in the restaurant also ordered the same bean curd that we did. That confirmed our brilliant choice.

The bean curd was firm on the outside as it had been fried but remained soft on the inside. Topping it with sprinkles of finely chopped spinach, a bed of fresh mushrooms, and a tasty pool of sauce, the combination was magical.

Coming to the Hong Kong kale. It didn't outperform the duck but credit should be given to the chef for not overcooking the vegetable, while having the thick stem cooked to a perfect softness (for me, at least).

I will definitely come back again, if I am craving for a good platter of duck meat, one day.

The Duck King is located on the 4th floor of Senayan City Mall, Jakarta. It is right next to Sushi Tei. 

Excellent news for the Muslims : the restaurant serves halal food. My friends were excited when they saw the Char Siew(BBQ pork) dish in the menu. However, the disappointment came as quickly as the excitement when the waiter told them the dish was made of chicken instead of pork, due to the halal status the restaurant holds.

Switzerland: The rocky ridge of Pennine Alps (Gornegrat) and the lovely Interlaken

Third day had passed by and I was still loving Switzerland. We, however only managed to explore the German side of Switzerland. Would have loved to explore the Italian side too. Friends told me that you could feel the difference between the both regions - one heavily influenced by Italian and another, German. How interesting.

Here is the Day 3 itinerary:

Sa 23.04.11    Zermatt-Gornergrat-Zermatt-Interlaken

                     Swiss breakfast buffet at your hotel

                     To validate the ticket for today fill in the travel date on your Swiss Card, DAY 3

                     Zermatt-Gornergrat-Zermatt-Visp same ticket as yesterday

                     09.36 h dep    Zermatt

                     10.05 h arr      Gornergrat

                     Enjoy the marvelous view. 27 peaks to admire… Lunch optional

                     11.55 h dep    Gornergrat

                     12.39 h arr      Zermatt

                     Coffee break in Zermatt

                     14.13 h dep    Zermatt

                     15.22 h arr      Visp, platform 1

                     15.28 h dep    Visp, platform 4/5

                     15.53 h arr      Spiez, platform 4

                     16.05 h dep    Spiez, platform 2

                     16.28 h arr      Interlaken OST – not Interlaken WEST!

                    

Your hotel is in walking distance.

Hotel Carlton-Europe                                           phone 033/826 0160

Höheweg 92-94

3800 Interlaken

After bidding goodbye to my lovely apartment, off we go to Gornegrat.
The train and railing system in Switzerland is definitely one of the best in the world. It makes Switzerland a very accessible country even though it is full off mountains and alps. I truly appreciate it.

In less than half an hour, we reached Gornegrat from Zermatt!

There were many trains that frequented between Gornegrat and Zermatt. Do take note of the schedule at the train station to plan your journey.

The observation deck was located at a higher spot than we alighted from the train. Walk slowly on your way up because the oxygen level in the air lessens as you make your way above. If you are travelling with kids, it is a good idea not to have them running frantically up and down, despite I know how difficult it can be at times.

A friend's daughter actually almost knocked out because she was running about excitedly in the open space. So, stay cautious.

If you suffer from asthma, ensure that you have your inhaler with you at all times.

One of the spots to catch a good look at the alps. There were many people preparing to ski too.

 Love this spot!

 There was a chapel among the mountains and alps. In fact, there was a mass going on when we were there.

I imagine it would be stunningly beautiful to catch the view of sunrise or sunset here.
Despite it was not extremely sunny, the combination of serene white snow coating almost everything in sight, and rays from the sun hidden behind the misty clouds was rather glaring. Put on your sun glass for protection.

Here is the reward. If you reached Gornegrat at 3100 metres, you get to mark your presence on a huge board and take a photo with it so you can brag about it to your child(ren) or grandchild(ren) when you are rocking away on a rocking chair years later :p

There was also a souvenir shop next to this board. Grab some souvenirs for your family, friends, or yourself, if you like. However, do expect the standard touristic price for the items.

If you are heading to the next destination, like we did, perhaps it is a good idea to visit the washroom first. It was just next to the souvenir shop, if my memory serves me correctly.

Interlaken, here we come! I absolutely love the city. I couldn't really pinpoint which part of Switzerland that I dislike, among the German-Switzerland region I had been to. Perhaps, as a tourist, everything is dreamy and fairy-tale like. Ah, but then, that is the magic of vacation :)

 Picture taken from the train.

After the last hotel in Zermatt, I was looking forward to our hotel in Interlaken, Hotel Carlton-Europe.

It wasn't as fancy as Jägerhof, but it was lovely.
The facilities were suffice and honestly, more than what I expected. Its captivating surrounding (look at the scenery above) was also a huge plus.
There was a table tennis table right outside the lobby, some board games, free Internet access at the lobby, a very quaintly designed cafe for meals and a mini library for those who want some space to do the reading.

The bathroom was a little small but not the smallest I had ever been. So, it didn't bother me too much....

Especially, we had a balcony as compensation ;)

And a good view from the balcony.

After checking our rooms, we headed off to discover what Interlaken had to offer.

Every step we took in the walk worth all the time and calories burned as we unfolded the beauty of Interlaken.

Clear and cool blue-greenish waters.

Fresh crisp air.

Snow-capped mountains.

Clean walk-paths.

And...what the city people always forget to appreciate - Tranquility. Peace. Serenity that enveloped the place.

We could hear every chirping sound of the bird, every passing cars, the current of the waters slowing washing away into the mainstream of lakes or sea as we strolled in silence.

We continued working so long there were paths ahead of us, allowing Mother Nature to guide us to its heart of pride.

Soon, we reached a railway. As we were admiring the landscape surrounding it, a train passed by. The wind generated from the speed was felt metres before it approached and passed us by. That was pleasant but not the deafening sound that came with it.

Finally, we had come to a cul-de-sac, unless we swam or cruise across the lake by a boat. It was a great spot for picnic, for painting, or to lay on your back for a quick afternoon nap.

We saw someone fishing on a boat on the lake.
That, too, could be an option for you, if you have the patience and the liking for it.

Many locals living nearby had canoes or boats parking by the shore or the garage - a similarity I observed in Denmark too.

Taking a look at the time, it is yet another mission to hunt for dinner. Of course, after we made our way out from this dreamy-fascinating world.

Apparently, there was a casino at the heart of the town. Except, it didn't look like casino. I thought it was a museum until I saw the sign "Casino Kursaal" above the entrance of the building.

Interesting.

But we didn't pay any visit into the casino.

We were more interested in what was for dinner.

Next, laid Hooters, right in the same town as the casino. Just a few hundred metres apart.

I couldn't remember what we had for dinner but certainly not in the Hooters. Probably nothing spectacular since neither of us took any photos of the dinner!

Or maybe, we were just too hungry?

It was time to greet Interlaken good night and get prepared for the next adventure - Jungfraujoch!

Cheers to Indonesia's 68th Independence, with a blue sky

It seems a number of South East Asia countries achieved independence in the month of August - my home country Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia, with Singapore celebrating it 2 weeks ago. Indonesia, just the Saturday that had passed (17th August) and Malaysia, 31st August.

"What do you usually do during Independence Day? Do you go out and see the parade?", I asked hubby.

His answered with a flat, and a slightly embarrassed "No".

That pretty explains what I did on Saturday - chilling indoor.

However, I did catch glimpses of the parade and the event on TV. The day started with raising the red-white Indonesian flag (there was a group of people even flagging the national flag proudly underwater!), followed by many colourful and energetic activities.

During the late afternoon, the flag was then drawn down.

Cheers to a blue sky and a sniff of independence in the air, that still lasts after 68 years.

Switzerland: Journey to Zermatt via Glacier Express!

The second day of our Swiss trip was an exciting one! We would be taking the famed Glacier Express! It is an express train connecting railway stations of the two major mountain resorts of St. Moritz and Zermatt in the Swiss Alps. The train is operated jointly by the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn and Rhaetian Railway.

And....

A 3-course lunch was included in the train ride, plus 3 reserved seats in the panorama car!

It was my favourite day of the trip.

Here is the itinerary of Day 2:

Fr 22.04.11     Bad Ragaz-Glacier Express-Zermatt

                     Swiss breakfast buffet at your hotel

To validate the ticket for today please fill in the travel date on your Swiss Card, DAY 2

Additonally a railticket Visp-Zermatt-Gornergrat-Zermatt-Visp is provided in your

travel documentation.

10.47 h dep.   Bad Ragaz, platform 4C

11.02 h arr.     Chur, platform 4

11.15 h dep.   Chur, platform 10CD, Glacier Express, reserved seats in panorama car

12.15 h 3 course-lunch, voucher is in your documentation

16.52 h arr.     Zermatt

Hotel taxi is waiting for you

Hotel Jägerhof                                                                phone 027 966 38 00

3920 Zermatt

We took an earlier train to Chur so we could explore the town.

Spring is a beautiful season. In fact, I like all the 4 seasons! Each is beautiful in its own special way.

Flowers were blooming to welcome the colourful spring. My hubby called these flowers "Lion head" because of the colour tone and the shape of the petals - especially, the yellow ones.

Ah,....everything has the alps as the background view. Stunning. Any picture taken in Swiss can very well be a desktop screen saver.

As we walked up a slope, we found a quaint chapel sitting elegantly at the top.

Again, alps was the background view.

Another look on the alps. More to come later :p

After warming up our cameras for the day, we hopped onto the train and off we set to Zermatt!

Glacier Express is designed with transparent tops and side windows, enabling its passengers to enjoy the panoramic view the nature has to offer and of course, to capture the special moment for memoirs.

It felt like a moving green house!

Ah....the "dining table" had already been set nicely. We were definitely ready for lunch. The menu made us salivate.

The appetizer was bread and salad. The main was beef steak. It was a shame that I do not eat beef. So, I asked for another option instead. Fortunately, they had fish and chips, which was equally good!

The dessert was the star!! It was a strawberry ice-cream cake. Absolutely delicious and the texture was a good combination - soft, fragrant, refreshing, smooth and creamy. I am now salivating at the thought of it.

Once you looked up from your meal, you would be greeted with an astonishingly awesome scenery.

I must say, it is the perfect atmosphere for romance - stealing a kiss or two or just gazing into each other eyes....

But don't gaze for too long. Remember, the scenery outside is equally awe-inspiring :p

Finally, we arrived at Zermatt. Our hotel, Jägerhof was located in the lower part of the hill and the hotel had pick-up service, like most hotels here. There were many skiers with their gears, awaiting to be picked up by hotel staffs.

The waiting place for hotel pick-ups right outside the Zermatt train station.

We were welcomed by a pleasant surprise. The hotel management upgraded us to an apartment with 3 bedrooms! It was a shame that we only stayed for a night. I would have loved to stay there for weeks or even months or maybe forever! It looked like my dream home!

The apartment was spacious and very well equipped.

Don't you just love the kitchen??? There was also a coffee machine for coffee-lovers. Everything looked brand new and sparkling clean. I was very impressed with how well maintained the unit was.

Being the youngest are always given the advantage to be spoiled (well, not always. Once in a while. Like this time!). I was given the master bedroom with en suite bathroom :p

An ablutomania, I quickly inspected the bathroom. It was H.U.G.E and extremely clean! There were options for rain-forest shower or the bathtub. Not a fan of bathtubs, I went for the rain-forest shower instead.

One thing I had to remind myself before showering was to lower the blinds as there were other units across ours. Actually, the blinds were kind of transparent. At least when I looked from the inside. But from the outside, it was all right.

The view from our unit.
OK, I want this apartment right now!

It didn't look very impressive on the outside but do not be discouraged by its exterior, Jägerhof definitely had more to offer.

If you have all the time in the world, lay back and watch the sun rise or sun set at the balcony.

And probably with some beers.

And snacks.

And a dog.

Or maybe a cat. Whichever you prefer.

....And a lover.

The balcony is surely big enough for a small party ;)

Turn your imagination mode wild. I mean creative...

After admiring enough of the apartment, we went out to hunt for dinner and to walk around Zermatt.

Zermatt was filled with people. Mostly skiers.

Despite there were many restaurants in the town, it took us an hour or more to finally pick one :p

I wanted to try the Swiss specialty - Cheese fondue! My other 2 friends were very kind to accommodate my wish. Perhaps, that was the reason why we spent time searching for restaurants who served that (not too challenging) but at a reasonable price amidst the touristic spot.

Interestingly, the restaurant had a book with the flags of the different Swiss states. What an educational session during meal time.

"The smarty" snapped a photo of me while I was chewing the bread coated with rich creamy cheese :p
Do watch out for burned cheese. If you would like to take the delicacy slowly, blow off the fire and request it to be lit up once you are ready again, to avoid the cheese mixture thickened and eventually burned.

Recommended for cheese lovers - the cheese fondue came with loads of bread and cheese, and the portion was surprisingly huge. So, you must L.O.V.E cheese (and probably bread) enough to have just them for dinner.

When we walked back to the hotel, we saw Matterhorn stood before us, kilometres apart, complementing the arrival of twilight.

Several attempts to capture the mighty Matterhorn failed miserably. Unsure to blame it on the photographer or the unsophisticated point-shoot camera. Never mind, though. It was enough to capture with just the naked eye and hopefully, the photographic memory.

The night ended with the movie Harry Potter, dubbed into German, in our very own cozy apartment.

Geee, I really want that apartment....