I've done so much during the recent school holidays and will be blogging one story at a time about it hehe..

One week of unpaid leave was worth it - for a quality time spending with my beloved ones.. and also taking time to decor decor our new home..hehe..nda pandai siap2 ni...the excitement come and go..hmm..will only blog about it..perhaps later in life - haha..kidding.

Money can't buy Time. But i'm willling to bargain..hehe

Right..the best part of balik kampung mentua that i like will have to be mandi sungai.

who doesn't?

err..(^_^)

Mi hubbi refused to take me to a public swimming pool everytime, 

"bagus lagi mandi sungai," dia bilang.

ok bah bos..

so..to the little sungai we went..back at his home, and down hill..down..down hill. Where u need to go up up hill first before reaching the kampung.

And this time.. he brought me to a new trail. Funny how everytime we go mandi sungai.. ada sja jalan baru dia kasi tunjuk ni.. and THiS time..across the green paddy field.

Amazing.

As i have never walked or touched a sawah (paddy field) before. seriously.

Kesian kn..

A little cousin tag along  to "andi ungai.."- dia bilang.

The river is just in front of the paddy field.

Beautiful..isn't it.

I was left behind as i was busy taking pictures (with my Nokia only).

The best part was jumping from one level of sawah to another..i felt like i was in one of the Jackie Chan movie that has paddy field in one of the scene. Hehe..don't remember the title though..

And the river view from just nearby our home. 

Once you hear the rushing water.. you feel like you want to dip in ASAP.

Notice the water level? It's soo little now actually compared to the yesteryears..according to my family. Perhaps its the drought that caused it. But i sheepishly felt thankful.. as the water level is just nice to have a cool dip and never has the risk of drowning? hehe..especially for young kids.

And..we're there.

What a peaceful sight.

It's one of the hidden jewel of this small kampung.

A treasured spa and relaxation avenue only for the exclusive..haha..

There are a lot of spots along the river where u can have a nice dip and forget about everything.

And this time..it is HERE.

nc says: will be coming back for more.

I lost a bet with mi other half the last World Cup.

Yep, you guessed right.

A meal for two at Salut.
(and it's only the recent school holiday that we had the chance to go there.isk isk isk..)

..nasib bukan di Africa.

But, it's okay..i Love SaLut!

The seafood restaurant, of course.

If you want any more fresher seafood than this.. you have to catch them yourself.

hehe..

By the way, this post is also dedicated to my good friend Ervina, who wishes to belanja me there in the future? hehehe..

Bah.let's see some stuff here.

The surrounding and the inside of the restaurant. Peaceful..kalau time lunch..nda ramai org. Try going there at nite..bulih tahan.., not forgetting the mosquitoes bite as well.

What do you expect from a floating restaurant in a mangrove area?

I can never get enough of the beautiful boardwalk that reminds me of my growing up years in kampung Tanjung Aru before. Take a walk here..while waiting for your food. Relaxing..very serene view. I love the smell of the salty mist of the water. Everything just brings me back to my childhood.

And...the order of the day..

Kailan with mushroom and oyster sauce

Sweet n sour prawn

Steamed garoupa

Sup sayur masin n tomato n ikan

nyehehe..that's for the two of us eating.

Nda pa, kasi kanyang bos dlu.

Drinks of the day..

Air bandung n dragon fruit juice.

Nice colour kn? pink2 ni..

30 minutes and a few burps later.

And we had this all under the price of rm100.

Just nice for a seafood restaurant.

By the way.. where is SaLuT?

It's in Jalan Sulaman Tuaran..you can never miss it as there will be a BiG signboard of the restaurant on the road side.

Good Luck.

nc says: org cakap makan fresh seafood mahal. memang mahal juga la. but salut is just nice..the price and the taste. Come and you'll understand.

Yeshh..will be going on a short..very shot escapade soon.

That was THE DEAL - if mi senors amigos in the World Cup won.

And ole..ole oole..they did WiN!

Looks like somebody's paying for a round of jalan2 then..hehe

But that's not the thing that i want to share with you today :)

It's this: WHAT MAKES A VACATION A REAL VACATION?

A. Is it in the destination you're going?

B. How much $$ you're spending?

C. The many places you're visiting?

D. The souvenirs you're buying?

E. All of the above.

F. None of the above.

Ooopss..something macam terpelanting here.

Sincerely, i think it is in the person that you're going with.

Agree? :)

I remember a few days escapades that mi other half and i had recently. It was just in Sandakan. Itu pun sb ada business agenda di sana. We only stayed at budget accommodations..since we spent most times out doors. The time spent together with your significant other can never be replaced with any material gift in the world - i think. haha..but i'm sure you feel the same.

I also remember i accidentally booked a hotel room that was NOT equipped with a television set.

Yes. TV - less. It was at this jungle resort. Style jungle2 and eco friendly la kunun. And to make things worse..it was during the official opening ceremony of the FIFA World Cup. There was not a single television set in the lobby or dining area. Ya, truly jungle resort i guess.
I felt guilty. He was a bit frustrated.
Inda dapat tingu siaran langsung gia..

A television-less evening of the night of the world cup opening ceremony. What could be worse than that?

Nothing. It was amazing.

An amazing television - less evening, on the night of one of the most important event in the world.

You get to spend the time together (okay, i'm really careful in choosing my words right now since i think i know what's in your mind NOW)

Laughter and jokes, teasing and everything..it's a DATE. Heheh..

All said and done - i'm ready for the next escapade.

So..how do you know u had a good time during ur holiday?

Taking a picture at the Balin Rooftop Garden & Bistro, Nak Hotel Sandakan.
xie xie ni amoi michelle..for bringing us there.
Cheers :)

A view of the Rooftop Garden at day. Amazing.
(courtesy of Sabah Tourism Board)

nc says: unduiii gia..honey lemon bah. hehe..driving bah.