Hokkaido, Japan - Day 2 (Winter Time)

Always and forever, the first night away from home is the most difficult night to sleeping. In fact, this matter to sleeping while travelling has always and I think will always be a code non cracker for me. Hammer house of horror scariness mostly is the main reason, thankfully, during this Hokkaido/Sapporo travel venturing, I had my other half-half, the love of my life with me. That pretty much calmed me down from ghost haunting playing on my mind and of course, on the other hand, for winter snazzy cuddling, warmth lovey-dovey bed time. Still, when you have to sleep over in a bed which is not your familiar home bed, it will I guess, no matter what, be an interrupted sleeping rhythm. Most to most, I reckon both of us slept for maybe 4 to  hours. Up by 7.00pm for showering and believe me, layering yourself in winter clothes can eat up on your time as well. To the dining area by 8.00am, we tucked into the favourable spread. Great meal. My kinda meal of all sorts. My-My! Utterly satisfying Western, Asian and Japanese food goodness. 

Bread Pizza

Pizza making from a scratch? I am not the person. Don't ask me. Ask someone else please? But if you want to ask me what can we do with leftover bread slices or store bought bread by itself, you are definitely speaking to the right person (Malaysian Style Sambal Sandwich, Asian Egg Mayonnaise Sandwich, Grilled Fish Sandwich & Vegetarian Sandwich). Maybe thrown in burgers as well. Burgers made from store bought burger bun (Tuna Burgers & Lamb Burgers), but please, do not touch the subject of making pizza dough. If you still insist, I can show you where you can buy ready made pizza dough and of course, today, happily I am going to show you how can we made pizza from bread. Not a complicated matter actually. In fact, not at all for this tuna (Tuna Thoran & Tuna Cutlets) bread pizza. So easy, yet, mouth and tummy filling like superman delighfulness (Bread Sardine Rolls). 

Chitose & Hokkaido (Japan) - Day 1

Time obviously, as far as I can sense has flown by. As if so quickly at the glimpse of my body, mind and soul. Looking back now, I feel, I must actually, feel proud. Unlike our current generation who start travelling even when they are sleeping together without strings attached, I legally tied the knot and waiting patiently for almost 12 years before my love marriage travelling sparked. Touch wood. Trust me, when you are married to a man who is married to his business, I guess your patience is tested beyond. Really beyond until you start questioning yourself if you will ever get a chance to travelling together. Then again, in all fairness, I agreed, I understand and I accept the fact that no money, marriage can rock and fall apart too. Additionally, compared to travelling, building our financial stability for our retirement I believe should be our priority. Basically, its the "Catch 22" marriage reality for women like me in our fifties age era. Nevertheless, call me selfish if you like, I didn't sit around and feel sorry for myself. I actually moved on. On my own towards my solo travelling bucket wish (Colombo Sri Lanka). 

Colombo - Sri Lanka (Nava K Seen)

Final league. Final road travelling league for our 2 days in Colombo from Galle. Miles and miles already on the road, starting from Negambo, Kandy, Nurwara Eliya and Katagarama, today, its the final loop. Another road loop. Thankfully. Frankly speaking, if you are asking for my opinion how it has been so far,  let me be out-rightly blunt. Basically, honest to goodness, listen, I must agree and I must salute Sri Lanka as haven paradise. But the thing to hours from one place to the other I think made us the losers to time. I really couldn't get it. Road mode of transport literally taking up our time instead of more on sightseeing. According to our tour guide, he kept telling us there is nothing to see for this route we have opted for. Beats me. We still sense this lazy bum of a fellow is taking us for a joyride. Maybe not his fault. He is we concluded merely a driver, not a tour guide. Nevermind. But he is another person who love to sulk and complain. Like the worst one in our tour group, the rest were not too bad, this fellow is only interested in safe guarding his interest. Sulking about sightseeing spots due to lack of parking, so little knowledge on Sri Lanka and coming with it attractions, additionally, his Sri Lankan ascent, through his thick and thin birth. By the third day, we sort of knew. His tricks definitely didn't work on us. So much so we literally forced him to thirst for sightseeing spots we wanted to visit. Imagine ending up this sort of person? Whatever said, he knew he had to pull up his socks. Good. On our route to Colombo, he made it a point in stopping us at the beaches, monuments and he slowed down to driving as well so that we can peep at the whatever which attracted our attention along the way. 

Malaysian Banana Flambe

Banana Flame and obviously from my Malaysian kitchen. Of course, me the Malaysian home chef who somehow will coin even a dessert from our Malaysian ingredients. I suppose the Malaysian in me can't be erased forever and for a fact, I love it that way too. After all, if we are not proud of our mother land, who else will (Malaysian Style Sambal Sandwich) and this is the halal version banana flambe. Meaning, without alcohol, nevertheless, if you feel you want to pour in, go ahead towards the end for flaming up before removing from heat. Ingredients for our Malaysian Banana (Banana Chocolate Cake) Flambe? Clearly listed below (Malaysian Banana Pancakes & Kuih Kodok). Naturally, our local ingredients for this our Malaysian affordable and without compromising on the key crucial dessert delight which is I believe is not sinfulness or guiltiness. Go ahead. Make yourself sugar happy (Easy Banana Bread & Bingka Pisang). 

Galle - Sri Lanka (Nava K Seen)

Bags packed and loaded into the van before our morning meal in Katagarama. The daily standard routine I suppose unless you are staying put in the same hotel. We in fact, from day one, have been packing daily for heading to one place from the other and from one hotel to the next for the past 3 days (Nurwara Eliya, Kandy & Negambo). Mind you, I was already feeling it. Bags packing daily, the long hours to road travelling and sleeping while travelling, like I have already told you, is not my best friend. Let alone during this trip, gosh, the group I was with? The senior citizens and their dramas. Not a shocker actually. I have encountered such people before. But this group, by far, is the worst lot. So claiming they have travelled the horizon, over and over speaking about how extensively they have travelled, yet complaining non stop. One moment this, next minute that, blah-blah-blah, so on and so forth, tipping every Tom, Dick and Harry for no apparent reason, as though trying to show off, feeling sorry for every person we came across and trust me, a whole more stuffs I don't think I should waste me telling you. God! The worst part of it all was, two of them shouting and screaming at each other because they couldn't decide which room to opt for, for their night together. Lesson learned from these people? Not everyone is made to travel, it really matters who you travel with, you can have the money, but if you don't have the right attitude, you will ruin other people's travelling joy, maybe its age and grumpiness too and never ever, if you still must share room, make sure you know the person well. 

Kataragama - Sri Lanka (Nava K Seen)

Morning, like every other daily, must, yes, be broken by breakfast. For this Nava K, call her a nut case or whatever. I'll leave it to you. Its entirely up to you how you wanna address people like me who give reasons like laziness and crisis to time managing for skipping breakfast instead of accepting the fact to, of course I am aware breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Yet? Pathetic right? Skipping breakfast for lame excuses? But strange or peculiarly, I really look forward to breakfast while travelling. I make sure I pack my tummy with food. Well, what can or should I say? Breakfast is included in tour packages, breakfast is needed for energy me primarily on my legs and breakfast is served, instead of me preparing a morning meal for myself at home. I guess breakfast is also one of the perks to travelling I yearn for by virtue of my hard earned money.