More Coffee Please

Once the sucess of Old Town Franchise, there were many high class coffee shops had popped out everywhere across the country. There's this Old Taste, Kluang Station, Uncle John and many more! Coffee had became a fad. It's a trend now and it's a lifestyle.

Was strolling around in a near empty Batu Pahat Mall. There wasn't much to offer. Seems like the economy is really bad in this area and there were many empty slots up for rent. We came to a cafe which the name was quite foreign to us.


The Dagan Rengit Coffee house. I'm not very sure weather the Dagan is the brand name and Rengit Coffee is the company name or vice versa. Never really asked in detail. The waiter who serves us also can't tell us much.


According to the waiter, it is an indonesian brand. The coffee beans are basically imported from Indonesia, brewed here and serves here. ^.^" The difference between the coffee there and the coffee there? Nobody can tells. I guess coffee just taste the same way like coffee always do! ^.^


We sat outside the interior part to watch the flowing traffic outsides. (Actually is because my cousin wanna smoke). Things were slow in BP. The day were cloudy. Nothing special in there.


It seems like the coffee house doesn't have much customer either. You can see all the tables and chairs neatly arranged, untouched. Come to think about it, the settings are actually not bad. Chairs are made from those rattans, coloured with dark brown green. The tables are also in dark green made of solid wood.


Serving time was okay. Not too fast nor slow either. Their packaging were similar to those Starbucks, Coffee Bean type kind of serving. All prepacked in a plastic cup nicely with a cap on.


The taste? White coffee taste lor! It's not black coffee so obviously it taste milky coffee. ^.^ I still prefer Nesspresso and Cappucino!

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Back to Nature Adventure

Running on more adventures... There weren't much things to do in town. Except for shopping malls, the rest of the place are either industrial areas or greeneries. So me and couz decided to run around and do some exploration.


Shot this scene when I noticed this pack of woods are so tall up and grow together. As they say, birds of a feather flock together, trees of the same species grow side by sides. ^.^"


We went to the town outskirt to explore and we came to a its recreasional area. Can't really remember its name. It's something like a Gunung something Recreasional Park. They have a water park right beneath the hill foot. But we aren't here for swimming we decided to pass it and walk up the hill.


Yes, jungle tracking. The area wasn't actually well maintain. But they sure have many facilities there.


There's this air walker equipment prepared by the local council for people to exercise. This scene reminds me of my couz naming himself Jonathan Skywalker after being inspired by the Star Wars Trilogy. ^.^ There's another photo which portray him working hard on the machine. But then I did not upload it coz it's kind of repetition. You know why he gotta work so hard? The reason is the thingy at his left hand. Click on the photo and look closer and you will understand why... ^.^


They have this hanging bridge connecting across the mountain. As you can see, all not well maintained with fungus and algae growing on. There's even doodads as well. What a great piece of artwork!


Yup. That's my couz. He's doing the monkey stunts again. I guess staying in the jungle really turn you back into nature isn't it?


The bridge is long connecting to the other side of the hill. Below there were only a small stream flowing by. It wasn't anything to shout about. The water wasn't really clean either. There were alot of rubbish thrown in and it's really sux!


Travelling further up, the water is much clearer but it's still small. This picture that you see is only 3 feet wide! You can see they actually connected a black PVC water pipe up. I didn't travel up further since it was so tiring and the weather had began to turn hot. I wonder if the stream is man made, and the stream water is actually the water connected from the pipe! ^.^"


When you saw this picture, what would you have thought? That I'm standing on the edge of a dangerous cliff, doing some photography stunt, risking my life to take a smooth picture of a big waterfall for you guys to see? And probably win some National Geography Photo awards and join the professional photographer guilds? Nah! Dream on~ :P This is actually a macro shot! The so called waterfall was actually as big as your hand. And I'm really clinging on to a branch not to get my precious baby LX3 wet!


On our way back, saw this spider hanging on to some leaves. It suddenly strikes me that Robin had some fetish on doing such posts! Maybe I should take some and consult the master... ^.^ Show me the way master...

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Have you been to Kluang Rail Coffee?

Everytime I passed by Tesco Melaka, I'll always see numberous people sitting in the Kluang Station Coffee drinking coffee and eating laksa. Then I would wonder, coffee and laksa are just so common in Malaysia. Why are people paying such a premium price for such a simple food in Malaysia?!


Travelling down south, I sure have to passby this place. If not I couldn't say I've been to Kluang! Yes! It's the Kluang Rail Coffee! The one that you and I saw it in Tesco Melaka? That's a copy cat shop. The original Kluang Coffee comes from here!


The place is simply simple! With two shop lots located just in the railway station of Kluang. That's why it's called Kluang Rail(way) Coffee. Above is the kitchen where they make your coffee, tea, milo or whatsoever drinks that you ordered.


Here's the counter and food storage. They prepare your bread and mee siam or nasi lemak here. Simple isn't it? But look closely! They are using an LCD cashing machine to keep track of collections! High tech right in such a lowly shop. ^.^;;

The menu are pretty simple too! They offer all the usual coffee shop drinks: coffee, coffee-O, Tea, Teah-O, Milo, Milo-O.... The foods are basically, white toast bread with kaya and margarine, white toast bread with kaya and butter, brown toast bread with kaya and margarine, brown toast bread with kaya and butter. Period. That's all.


This is your teh-sii(milk tea with alot of milk) and this is your white coffee. Nothing grand and it cost you RM1.50. Cheap right? Compare to the one you drink in Tesco Melaka, definately!


And this is the settings. Nothing grand either. The place are tightly squeezed. Everybody have to be tolerance, give and take.


The other side. Tables are limited but plastic chairs are abundance. The main customers there are mostly Malays. Civil servants especially who stop by for a drink at around 3 something before going back to work.


Here's the brown bread with kaya and margarine. Two slices of brown bread cut into havles before served. The taste? Not bad actually! It's quite crispy and the kaya made it sweet~


And here's the white bread. Yeah, it doesn't seems white right? Well it's more like a bun bread actually. Inside is white that is. ^.^ Toasted crunchy before being swiped with juicy sweet kaya and tender-oily margarine. Yum yum~


Alright, I know some will say, "Wah! This will make me fat man! It's gonna add more colesterol to your blood vein!" >.<" Geez! Who cares, it's good food righ?! ^.^ Yummy! Itadakimasu! :P

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Kopi-O Adventure

Previously I blogged about my visit to my cousin's place. Continuing on the journey...It was too boring staying in the palm oil estate. So we decided to tunnel out and find for what the local is famous for.

First up was this coffee house. Our eldest uncle had called up my cousin a few time to order some coffee power! So we end up in this coffee factory which was regard as SUPERBLY GOOD by my uncle.


Kluang Kopi-O Cap TV! Yeah who would ever thought of a TV brand right? ^.^" Nevertheless, it's actually quite popular not only within the locals, but we also saw Singaporeans and Taiwanese dropped by to buy!

When we went in to the shop, the manager there mistaken us as some reporters because I brought my LX3 inside. They gave us a CD inside with all the photos and history and some promotional materials for write up. I think they had pre-arrangement with some magazine or newspaper for a write up. We returned them after clarify that we are just their customers. ^.^ Hey couz! We should go into the factory and take a tour right? It would be cool to do so! Kekeke...


They prepared their coffee mostly in instant packaging. I guess people now is either too lazy to make their own drink or have less time for it. But I would say, you can only differentiate its quality and taste if only they do it for you isn't it? ;)


Still, if you prefer the traditional way of brewing your own coffee. You can opt for the coffee power! ^.^ Noticed that all its packaging written Kopi-O? Yup. They are famous for its coffee without milk or creamer. Otherwise it wouldn't taste like its famous Kopi-O isn't it? ^.^


I noticed that alot of small towns in the southern region are famous for their coffee powder. People would purposely travel/ordered their coffee from these township. But you don't usually hear or order such brands of coffee in big cities. I think city guys prefer Starbucks, Coffee Beans, Arabian Coffee (McD), etcs which are so westernized and expensive! ^.^


Yeap! That's the big logo sign there! TV Brand. I guess the founder likes to watch television or he got inspired when he noticed people who watch TVs at that time likes to drink coffee or who drinks coffee likes to watch TV. Have you seen any coffee brand that's LCD or PC? ^.^"

P/S: Dear colleagues. I've placed 1 bag of kopi-o in the cabinet intended to share with you guys. Please don't be shy to take it if you want to try. No harm changing taste from the usual nescafe? ^.^

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Palm Oil Estate Adventure

During one of the weekends in a not so distant time ago, I was on my way driving south to visit my cousin, Jonathan. He's working there in an palm estate following his father's footstep. Being a caring cousin, I happend to get some time off to visit him.


On the north-south highway driving south. There weren't many traffic on the way downwards to Singapore. Mostly are express buses driving at 130kph shooting to the southern tip. Really Bo Kia Si!


The skies is clear... so is the road. Yeah. I'm doing one of the stunt again: driving and snapping photos at the same time. Along the way there were mostly rubber estates and palm oil estate. Nothing much to see.


However the sky is filled with white clouds. There were bunny cloud, mickey mouse cloud, donald duck cloud, Woody Woodpecker cloud.. Ops wait! I'm in cloud 9! Better come back to reality... ^.^''


When I finally reached the estate after 3 hours of driving, the sky had turned sour. Although the rain wasn't heavy, it had made quite a mess in the estate road. Lucky the estate was in high ground and it doesn't soak up the place into a marshland. But netherless, the road was orange muddy.


After leaving my bags at his house, me and my cousin went patrolling the area. Everywhere were green. Dark green, light green, yellow green and red green. Do you actually have a red green? ^.^"

While this is not my first time going into a palm oil estate, it certainly refreshing since it's been long since the last time I step into one. Stepping into an estate makes you feel like you're going into a jungle. You can see spiders webbed around everywhere, squirrels doing their acrobatic stunts among the trees. And if you're lucky, you can see snakes sunbathing across the road or herd of monkeys sitting along the road watching you!


I'm a pure Malaccan Boy. Dad's from northern part of Melaka and mum's from the southern part. Both worked in the central town of Melaka and I was born. Whenever I go back my mum's or dad's hometown, they people there would call us City Boys. But whenever I go to KL, people there called us Kampung Boys. So I really wonder how do we actually wanna categorize ourselves as... Halflings? Lolx..


But it really doesn't matter since our lives are much better than kuli above. Look at these estate workers. Poor them, they can only use newspaper to shade them from the rain. Comparing their life with mine, most people would say I'm lucky. But! But then again, if I'm comparing my life with those who are driving Ferraris, I would say the table had turned against me.


But it doesn't really matters if you're sitting a bullock cart to work, or driving a Myvi, or riding on a F1 Red Horse. What really matters is being happy on what you're placing your butt on. Some people don't mind placing their arse on poo because they feel warm. As for me, I am happy sitting on a cushion. No doubt, if I have some leather seat on top gears, that would be even much euphoric!!! ^.^


Barren area. Palm oil generally have a live span of 25 years and above. But according to my cousin, they would usually replant the tree after 25 years because it won't be that productive anymore.

So if you have a land and planned to plant palm oil, basically you would only need to plant them twice. The first time is when you're 25 years old after school graduate. And when you're 50 years old to replant them again. When you're 75 years old, you won't want to replant them again because you have already retired! A job that you only need to work TWICE a life time! I think I interpret this correctly right? :P


The rain wasn't going to stop any sooner, so most of my journey are in the car looking out the window. The estate consist of the plantation area as well as the mill factory. Basically they were around 100 people living in the community.


Yup! I was in IOI Pamol Mill Camp. The place is actually self contained with their own auxiliary police, church, mosque, temples (both indian and chinese), community hall, etcs. It's just like a mini city in here without any shopping malls but palm oils!


Life is kind of "easy" here. You work, play, eat, shit and live at the same place. This is where you call your Life! Not home mind you.


The company provide lodging for you. Your mum stays with you, your dad stays with you, your granny stays with you, your kids stays with you. Everybody is living under the 10 x 15 roof. Electricity and water is provided for you free. If you want to online or a telephone line, you will need to call the TM Nuts (Net) or Maxis. If you think this is too bored for you, you can subscribe to Astro!


However, having working here for long and working your way up from general worker to certified techinician (or equivalent). The company would provide you a much bigger house with compound. Then you could have your lovely garden, plant your favourite flowers or build your special tree house.


As you work harder, and get promoted higher, so does your house get bigger. Am I right couz? If you're reading this. ^.^ Having a land here is so nice! You don't have to own it, but you can do BBQ here every night. If you feeling lucky, you might wanna sleep under the stars (and feed the mosquitoes)!


I got up the next day to snap some morning photos! It was 7.30am at that time. I don't feel like wonder out far into the "woods" so I decided to just shoot around the compound. The air was refreshing! The morning glory just started to peek in between the trees.


This is the bangalow that was provided for my cousin. Yes, It is a BUNGALOW. I spelt right. How many jobs would provide you such a big bangalow with such a big compound? Definately not Audit! ^.^"

But considering the fact that you're staying out of town, away in the middle of "jungle", ALONE. I think I would pass the idea.


This is the light that wakes the whole world up! This view gives you the feeling of living in an enchanted wood. Did you spot any elves around here? ^.^"


On way back. Take a few more picture of the scenery. The skies are bright again. This is the place where old trees are being cutoff and make way for the young ones.


While this adventure doesn't seems like any of your adventure in all those luxury trip like going to Cameron Highland or Genting. But it does feel like one since you're owning the place "all by yourself". ^.^


When I saw this stop sign. I just couldn't resist to take it. It gives you the feel when you're in somewhere barren and there weren't any transportation passing by. Then you're just standing on the road side. Thumbs up! Hitch hike!




So do you have any experience staying in a jungle or anywhere near that?

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