My Very First Blog

Continued from Part 1

The Curve did something different this year. Instead of the usual Chinese New Year decorations, they set up a fishing village!



Called the Xi Yang Yang Fishing Village, it comes complete with sampan boats, fishes and a seafood restaurant!



Yes, there were live fishes inside the man-made 'sea'.



I thought the fishing village theme was rather unique and interesting.



Wooden platforms and houses with zinc roofs made this looked like a real fishing village!







A seafood restaurant by the name of 'Prosperity'.



What do you think of the Chinese New Year decorations at The Curve this year?



I have to give The Curve top marks for this unique idea of a fishing village in the middle of the shopping mall!




Next, I went to Sunway Pyramid.



In line with the theme "Cheery Wooly Spring" there were lots of fluffy sheep in different sizes and colour!



I saw some recycled items from last year, but I guess that was to be expected. Check out last year's Chinese New Year decorations at Sunway Pyramid HERE.



I was not particularly impressed with the decorations at Sunway Pyramid this year.



The sheep may look cute and all, but I really think only kids and small children will like them. What about you?




Lastly, I checked out the Chinese New Year decorations at One Utama. I was a little apprehensive as I was still reeling from the shock and disappointment of their extremely poor Christmas decoration last year.



But I have to say, this year's Chinese New Year decorations were not too bad! Definitely can't beat the grandeur of Pavilion, or the uniqueness of The Curve, but I do think they are better than the sheep at Sunway Pyramid.



At the centre is the God Of Prosperity and he is surrounded by four other deities which symbolize the four different seasons.



A closer shot of the God Of Prosperity.



The decorations behind the God Of Prosperity.



The other two deities on the left and right of the God of Prosperity.



I thought the decorations this year were rather interesting but nothing too impressive.



It's too bad I did not have the time to visit all the other shopping malls in the Klang Valley. I did however visited Paradigm Mall and Tropicana City Mall but the decorations at these two malls were so bad that I did not bother to take any pictures.



You may want to compare this year's Chinese New Year decoration at One Utama with last year's HERE. Which one do you prefer?



Out of the five major shopping malls covered in Part 1 and Part 2 - Pavilion KL, Suria KLCC, The Curve, Sunway Pyramid and One Utama - which one do you think has the best Chinese New Year decorations this year?

This year, I am a little late in posting about the Chinese New Year decorations in the Klang Valley. But better late than never, right?

Even though the Chinese New Year holidays are over for most people in Malaysia, the celebration continues till the 15th day. As such, I don't think it's too late to take a look at some of the decorations this year.

However, I did not get to visit many shopping malls unlike last year, so this time I shall cover just five major shopping malls in Klang Valley.

Let's begin with Pavilion KL. The Chinese New Year decorations here were impressively stunning as expected. Lots of red lanterns adorned the main entrance of this high-end shopping mall.



As you step into the mall, you can see burgeoning flowers and red lanterns in front leading towards the Main Concourse.



From the top of the stairs, the sight of a giant Golden Goat took centre stage.



Dubbed the biggest goat replica in the Malaysia Book Of Records, this giant golden goat stands at 9.1 metres tall.



I marvelled at the LED-lighted peonies as I walked down the stairs towards the Main Concourse.



The theme for this year is "Peak Of Prosperity". Standing majestically, the Goat signifies triumph and opulence.



I circled round the Centre Court on higher floors to take different shots of the Goat and the beautiful red lanterns.







Is this God Of Prosperity?  So cheerful!



Lots of dazzling peonies!



There's a big prosperity cat - Maneki Neko - at the main entrance, welcoming visitors to the shopping mall. Hopefully, this big prosperity cat will bring in even more customers and fortune to Pavilion KL!



Overall, I think the decorations at Pavilion KL were pretty impressive! What about you?


Next, I went over to Suria KLCC.



I could not remember exactly the theme for this year but it definitely has something to do with drums.



Maybe it was 'Rhythm Of Prosperity' or something.






A closer shot of one of the drums at the front pillar.



Outside at the Esplanade, there was a tall circular structure with red lanterns hanging.



I love the view of the red lanterns with the iconic Petronas Twin Towers in the background.



Do you like the Chinese New Year decorations at Suria KLCC?



You may want to compare this year with last year's Chinese New Year decorations at Pavilion KL HERE and at Suria KLCC HERE. Which did you prefer?

In Part 2, I shall cover the Chinese New Year decorations at One Utama, The Curve and Sunway Pyramid, so stay tuned!

To be continued ....

After Ho Chi Minh Museum and the One Pillar Pagoda, the next item on our itinerary for the day was  the Temple Of Literature. It was quite a long walk from One Pillar Pagoda to Temple Of Literature but my friend and I managed it.

When we reached Temple Of Literature, our stomachs were rumbling non stop. We decided to stop by the famous KOTO Restaurant nearby for lunch first.



Located at 59 Van Mieu Street, KOTO Restaurant is actually a cafe cum restaurant that doubles as a hospitality training school for disadvantaged Hanoi youth. It serves Vietnamese as well as international fare.



My friend and I decided to walk up to the top floor of this four-storey restaurant so that we could sit at the open air balcony overlooking the green gardens of the Temple Of Literature.

As we climbed the stairs, we could see bricks on the wall. Each of the bricks has a name on it. I later found out that you can buy a brick as a sponsor for the KOTO project and put your name on it.



KOTO by the way, stands for "Know One, Teach One". Essentially it means learning should be passed on and knowledge shared. You can learn more about KOTO the restaurant, and the story and idea behind it HERE.



Luckily, there were still many empty tables at the top floor. I thought it was a great place to just sit down, have a drink and enjoy the scenery.



From this open air balcony, you can see the gardens of the Temple Of Literature opposite.



You can also see the view of the green surroundings further away from the Temple Of Literature. I would not say it's a very breathtaking sight, but it's good enough for a relaxing afternoon tea, or lunch in our case.



We started our lunch with a drink. We both ordered the same drink - the KOTO Smoothie.


KOTO Smoothie 50,000 VND (US$2.35)

I love this smoothie so much! It's made from a combination of banana, mint and passion fruit. What an awesome delicious drink! Totally refreshing on a hot day and it was not exactly a hot day in Hanoi. (I think the temperature was around 22 degree Celcius).

Both my friend and I also ordered fresh spring rolls with prawn and mango, served with delicious citrus dipping sauce.


Fresh Spring Rolls 90,000 VND (US$4.20)

The spring rolls were heavenly and the sauce was perfectly suited for them.

I have to say that this is the type of sauce I like to dip my spring rolls into. I wonder why Vietnamese restaurants in Malaysia do not use this type of sauce.



Lastly, I ordered the Bun Bo Nam Bo - fresh rice noodles with beef, mixed herbs, peanuts, lime, chili and garlic with marinated tofu and soy sauce. Look at the abundance of ingredients on my bowl of Bun Bo Nam Bo! The slices of beef were hidden beneath.


Bun Bo Nam Bo 110,000 VND (US$5.15)

This is how my bowl looks like after I mixed all the ingredients and sauce. I really enjoyed this Bun Bo Nam Bo. So yummy and delicious!



My friend ordered Bun Cha but I had forgotten to take a picture of it. Anyway, he said it was delicious!

My friend and I came away totally impressed with this restaurant. Although the price was slightly on the high side, the food was excellent and the staff were friendly and helpful.



I will definitely return to KOTO Restaurant again if I ever go Hanoi in future. It's the perfect restaurant to drop by if you plan to visit Temple Of Literature, which incidentally, is what my next post will be about!