Aceh with Alyah

Earlier this year I had a chance to visit the beautiful Banda Aceh in Indonesia. The trip was pretty short; just 4 days but we had so much fun and there were so many beautiful places to visit! 

The best thing was, we had one of Malaysia's beloved songstress on the trip -- Alyah, who is super friendly and one of the most easy-going person I have ever met.  

In case you don't know, Banda Aceh is located in the island of Sumatra. It is the capital and largest city in the province of Aceh. The city is also dubbed to as the "porch of Mecca" (Serambi Mekkah). This is because during the days when the hajj pilgrims travelled by sea, hajj pilgrims from all over Indonesia would make a stop over in the city before continuing their journey to Mecca. 

Let's check out some of the places we visited:

Upon arrival, we visited the Kuburan Massal, where 46,718 bodies were buried after the 2004 Tsunami.

The local tourism body arranged for us to have our photoshoot at Masjid Raya Baiturrahman, which is the Icon of Aceh. It was built in 1400 and I love the architecture (reminds me of Masjid Zahir in my hometown, Alor Setar!). 

We were lucky, had the chance to perform Friday prayers in the beautiful mosque. 

A very colorful traditional Aceh house

Alyah checking out the interior of traditional Aceh house 

Some of the many delicious local cuisine! 

Totally unexpected : Aceh is an awesome place to fulfill your shopping needs! Quality fabrics at a very affordable price!! 

This is another historical place to visit - the old palace. The unique white building is literally a traditional spa. It was built for the queen. And the queen was a Princess from the state of Pahang, Malaysia. 

We also visited Masjid Rahmatullah, the only structure within that area that survived Tsunami

On our third day, we went to Iboih beach at Sabang island. 

The view was simply breathtaking! 

It's an awesome diving spot! 

White sandy beaches, great place to chill out for the entire family

And more shopping! 

Crystal clear water! 

A must : group photo by the beach!

This was one of the ship that landed on someone's house during Tsunami. I was told 26 people survived by holding on to this ship.

Banda Aceh is beautiful in so many ways. It was a great trip, and I will definitely go back there with my family. 

PS : AirAsia is the only airline that flies direct to Banda Aceh! 

Tianjin in Photos

Sometime at the beginning of March this year, a group of regional media and I embraced winter in Tianjin, China. 

It was freezing cold but the atmosphere was simply magical. 

Sunset in Tianjin 

Can't resist a selfie! 

Pick a face

We had dinner at a nice halal restaurant and they had this military vehicle parked at the entrance

Frozen river

Halal food in China is pretty easy to find. Whenever in doubt, go for veggie! 

Sahabat

Walau jauh mahupun dekat

Dihati kau erat tersemat

Mahu jumpa selalu tak sempat

Diminda ku sentiasa ingat

Creating memories.

If we choose to sit sown and wait for something to happen, I am pretty sure we will end up with similar photos in our phones (and a whole lot of selfies!). This is because memories don't just happen by itself --they can be made. 

We have the ability to celebrate family and friends and create powerful memories so they grow with us. Doing things together sends a strong message of love -- it can be as simple as a dinner. With a little bit of effort, a weekend getaway can be pretty memorable too. 

Everyone is always busy. It can be difficult, but not impossible. Let's find time, and make memories. They live forever. 

p/s: im gonna try to make it a habit to blog about my wonderful memories. Hopefully one day i will be able to go through it and relive the moments.