Escape Hunt Bangkok: Guidelines for the Murder Mystery

If you prefer to play the Murder Mystery by your own, do not continue reading these guidelines. Here goes.....
 

1. Look under the furniture. Don't leave anything unturned.
2. Nothing is on the ceiling. Don't bother looking for clues in places which are unreachable.
3. The belt is for wrapping around something to show the codes. That something is made out of cardboard.
4. There are 4 pieces of domino blocks to be found in the first 2 rooms. It gives the clue to one of the books.
5. One of the book's page contains important information. Look through that page properly for subsequent clue.
6. There are 3 rooms in this game before you find all clues.
7. The 2 telephones holds vital clues. One of the clues is in the phone.
8. The small torchlight is essential. Find the batteries!
9. Some clues appear in the dark. Use the torch on the wall.
10. There are many codes to be found. The codes are to open the numbered padlocks.
11. The murderer will be found in the last room.
12. Know your world map well. It's the key to open the brief case that contain the key to your freedom.

 

All the best, players!

Escape Hunt in Bangkok, Thailand

 

During our weekend getaway in Bangkok, Thailand, dear hubby suggested we try out this live escape game called Escape Hunt. If you're into the popular online Escape Room games, you're sure to enjoy this.

 

Escape Hunt is very much similar to the online Escape Room games where players have to find clues and solve the mysteries before finding their way out. In Escape Hunt Bangkok, there are 3 types of game scenarios to choose from, namely The Murder Mystery, The Robbery and The Bangkok Bomb. The latter is not contained within a locked room and players have to find the clues within the building.

 

Since dear hubby and I dislike running around looking for clues, we chose The Murder Mystery. We managed to escape the locked room within 58.1 minutes. A close shave indeed!

The Murder Mystery storyline involves a famous Thai lady who was murdered years ago but the murderer was never found. Obviously our task is to find out the murderer and clues to escape the looked room where the Thai lady was murdered.

 

Each game duration is 1 hour, with a minimum of 2 players. Each player pays 900 THB but price is cheaper with more players. If player is stuck, he may request for clues, with each clue costing him 1 minute being deducted from the 1 hour play time. No bags, mobile phones and cameras are allowed in the room so I couldn't snap any photos during the game. Nevertheless, it was a very fun game and I highly recommend it.

 

Currently, Escape Hunt has 9 outlets around the globe. The 10th outlet is targeted to open in Singapore next month. Yay! We are definitely going to try out the Singapore outlet when it opens.

 

For The Murder Mystery game *guidelines, click here.

 

*Note: I'm not going to spoil the game by stating the clues locations. Guidelines stated are just to prep players.

 

Equarius Hotel @ Resort World Sentosa, Singapore

On our wedding anniversary, dear hubby booked us into one of the hotels in Resort World Sentosa. Equarius Hotel has impressively large 51 sqm deluxe rooms with a touch of modern luxury decor. The price was rather reasonable, slightly below SG$300 including tax for a 51sqm deluxe room. It was on offer with huge discounts on olotels.com. On any other weekends, the same room with breakfast is going to cost at least SG$500.

The hotel offers free shuttle connecting all other hotels in Resort World, thus it's rather convenient. Hop on and get off at Michael Hotel to go to Universal Studio or get off at Hard Rock Hotel for some boozes and live band at night. The free shuttle operates from 10am till 10pm (extended till 12am for weekends), with every 15 minutes intervals.

The impression was good until we checked in. The front desk staff at the reception was a chinese lady. She wasn't smiling and she was rather harsh in her tone when asking dear hubby for his I.D. Since it was only 5 minutes to 11 in the morning but the hotel standard check-in time is at 3pm, we left our luggage at the concierge and wandered off to Universal Studio.

When we returned to the hotel (close to 6pm) to collect the room keys and our luggage, the reception couldn't find our room that we have checked in earlier. And she wasn't apologetic at all. We waited about 15 minutes throughout the process of 'finding us a room' and there wasn't a single apology from the staff. Coincidentally, another hotel guest who was checking-in at the next counter, was also facing the same problem. Apparently, she had checked in earlier in the morning, and she has been allocated 2 rooms right next to each other as per her request. When she returned to the hotel to collect the rooms keys, the reception gave her 2 different rooms located on different floors, separating her room from her family's. The last sentence I heard from her to the hotel staff was "This is the beginning of my holiday and you sure know how to ruin it!"

The next morning, we went for the complimentary breakfast and I found that the restaurant staff wasn't well trained. I was having my first serving of toasts halfway when I decided to get myself some juice. Upon returning to the table, everything on my table was cleared, including the cutlery! I went over to get more food and asked the staff for another set of cutlery. The staff, who was a middle aged chinese lady, replied me in Singlish (Singaporean English), "Your table don't have knife and fork ar? Where you sit??"
I pointed at my table and upon seeing the empty table, she continued, "Wait, wait... I take for you." It was kind of funny to hear it coming from a 5 star hotel staff. I wasn't feeling mad or anything but unfortunately, the few incidents are telling me that Equarius Hotel is not up to the 5 stars standard in terms of service level.

Reception & lobby area

Hotel bar

Blue pools and private cabanas

The Deluxe Pool Suite with direct pool access

View from our room's balcony

Brown Equarius Hotel building overlooking the Dolphin Lagoon.

We were lucky to catch the dolphin in action.

Dolphin Lagoon offers Swim with the Dolphins Package at SG$170 per pax.

Jumbo Seafood Chilli Crabs in Singapore

The famous gigantic chilli crab.

Its claw is almost the size of my palm!

Scallop partially wrapped in crunchy deep fried yam ring.

After almost 12 months living in Singapore, finally, I managed to try the famous chilli crab! One gigantic crab weighting 1.6kg shared by dear hubby and me. It was more than enough if you ask me. We were so stuffed at the end of the meal.

This whole 'must-try chilli crab' is a hoopla, in my opinion. It doesn't taste as good as people say, well at least to me. Perhaps, it's due to the fact that I was born and raised in Penang for 17 years, my Penang tastebuds are a tad too fussy. Moreover, I dislike the fact that we were allocated 75 minutes (from the moment we're seated on our table) to finish the meal, including waiting time for our orders to be served.

Nevertheless, chilli crab gravy goes well with man tao (chinese plain bun made out of flour), either fried or steamed. I prefer the fried ones. It has more flavour, and it's crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.

We also ordered the recommended scallop with yam as appetizer. A must try for yam lovers like me, of course. Sweet and savoury combination in a platter, a small serving comes in 6 pieces.

The bill came up to SG$146 for a 1.6kg chilli crab, 6 pieces of scallops, 6 pieces of man tao and 2 drinks. It's inexpensive for a standard seafood meal in Singapore but, if I do a currency conversion to ringgit, phew.... it's sure expensive. At that price, I can have a seafood feast back in Malaysia.

Jumbo Seafood has 5 outlets in Singapore and 1 outlet in Shanghai. The one that we dined in is at Riverside Point. Reservation is advisable, unless you love lengthy queues.

Address:

JUMBO Seafood Riverside

30 Merchant Road # 01-01/02
Riverside Point, Singapore 058282
Tel : +65 6532 3435

Lunch : 12pm – 3pm (last order at 2.15pm)
Dinner : 6pm – 12am (last order at 11.15pm)

Nuts about nuts

 

 

 

Honey coated almonds, garlic cashews, roasted pine nuts, coffee pecans, unsalted peanuts, cheese macadamia, plain walnuts, earl grey chunks, soy mixed, assorted mixed, dried mangoes, jumbo raisins, dried cranberries, strawberry mixed, cherry mixed, turkey figs, pitted prunes, lychee plums, olive plums, dried apricots, organic mulberries, mixed berries, dried orange peels and the list goes on. Not a fan of nuts and dried fruits? They even sell home made plum candy! 

 

If you're in the vicinity of Marine Parade, you can check out Pat's Oven in Parkway Parade mall. You got to look hard enough for this store because it's partially hidden next to a wine outlet (where the tables and chairs of the wine outlets are). This store is such a brilliant, I can get all I want to go with my breakfast cereals or some healthy snacks to munch. Nice, really nice!

 

Pat's Oven

• Parkway Parade B1-83N
• Vivocity L2-133
• Citysquare mall B1-K3

Opening Hours: 10 a.m – 10 p.m

Food!

Where: Ippudo @ Mandarin Gallery
Address: As above
What to eat: Pork ramen
Price vs. Portion: Quite expensive. One bowl is definitely not enough to fill my hungry tummy. You might want to order some side dishes.
Verdict: Good to try at least once. 

Where: Space @ My Humble House
Address: 8, Raffles Avenue, Esplanade Mall, Singapore
What to eat: Mama Leong's chicken rice. Chicken is so SO tender and juicy!
Price vs. Portion: Reasonable.
Verdict: A must try!
P.s:- For alcoholics like Dear Hubby, it might not be wise for you to order their Tiger draft beer. It cost $12 per glass (which is even more expensive than MBS theater beer price!)

Where: House @ Dempsey Road
Address: 8D, Dempsey Road, Singapore
What to eat: Shaved Pear Salad, Red Snapper & Pandan Jelly Sponge (in pic above)
Price vs. Portion: Can be quite pricey, depending on what you order. Shaved Pear Salad ($16), Red Snapper ($28), Pandan Jelly Sponge ($6).
Verdict: A great place for desserts.

Alcoholic mooncakes by Sze Chuan Court, Swissotel The Stamford

Calling all mooncake lovers (like myself!), Takashimaya Singapore is having mooncake fair till 12th September 2011. You might think what's so different with all those mooncakes on sale but they ARE different. You can find exotic varieties (think chestnut fillings, red dates fillings, Musang King durian fillings) as opposed to the common ones sold in K.L. Our favourites (more like Dear Hubby's favourite) are the alcoholic ones sold by Swissotel The Stamford. I personally find the Rum & Raisin Chocolate Truffle mooncake really good! Bitter sweet with a strong taste of rum.

The Lion King, Marina Bay Sands Singapore

I was in Singapore over the weekend for Lion King. It was quite a good performance, and they even incorporated some local jokes into it. Tickets can be quite expensive but you can get 30% discounts if you own the Marina Bay Sands Premier Advantage card. Application is FOC and the card application booth is just one floor down from the theater level, in front of Guardian pharmacy if I'm not mistaken. Food is strictly prohibited in the theater but bottled H2O is allowed, which can be purchased at $3. Beer and wine is going for $10 - $12 each. They also sells snacks like popcorn, chocolates and chips. I can't wait for the next one, Wicked, which will be showing from 8th December onwards.

Besides the show, this trip was all about makan-makan before my delivery in November. Obviously I'm taking advantage of eating for two and worry about my pregnancy weight later, until after delivery. Hopefully my gyne doesn't drop her jaw again when I step onto the weighing scale tomorrow.

Kurma Bateel - Dates worth trying

I have always been a big fan of dates. Both dates. From the one that involves cute guys to the one that's edible. Before I got to know Bateel (no, that's not his name), I usually go for loose dates sold in supermarkets but it's kind of hard to find them unless it's near Ramadhan (fasting month for Muslims). When I was living in Jakarta and lead sort of, almost tai-tai-dom life which involves lots of malls strolling, I discovered Bateel, a gourmet dates store which sells varieties of premium dates. The store might not sell all types at once (listed here in their catalog) but here are some personal favorites that I can vouch for.

Agwa is probably the most expensive one sold in the store because it's called kurma Nabi. If you like semi-sweet ones, go for Khidri or Safawy. Silaj and Sifri have slightly sweeter tastes. If you like a more exotic taste, go for lemon or orange peel ones. I find that the taste of orange peel is a tad too strong since I prefer the original taste of dates. Khidri, when paired with caramelised nuts can be too sweet for those who doesn't have a sweet tooth. But Khidri with roasted almond is ... just perfect!

With the word premium tagged to the dates carry by Bateel, you can expect the price to be quite expensive. E.g. The Khidri with Caramelised Almond or Pecan is sold at RM23.40 per 100g. That's about 7 to 8 pieces of dates.

Although Bateel stores can be found in 15 countries, unfortunately there's only one available in Malaysia and two in Indonesia.

Bateel Malaysia 
The Bangsar Shopping Centre (BSC)  
Lot G3, Ground Floor
Jalan Maarof, Bukit Bandaraya
Bangsar 59000 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: + 603 2093 0478

http://www.bateelasia.com


Bateel Indonesia
Plaza Indonesia 
L1#115
Jl. M.H. Thamrin Kav. 28-30
Jakarta 10350
Tel: +62 21 3199 0765

Senayan City 
Lower Ground L-55
Jl. Asia Afrika Lot 19
Jakarta 10270
Tel: +62 21 7278 1293
http://www.bateelindonesia.com

10 more days to go

.....before I'm back to Kuala Lumpur.

Most airlines restrict carriage of women who are 35 weeks and above in their pregnancies. That means I'm not allowed to travel anymore and since I'll be delivering on the 39th week via cesarean, I've to be home in K.L till post delivery. Add in 1 month of confinement, I'll be back to Jakarta only in July.

After 5 months of living in Jakarta, I'm starting to like it here. There're two things that I'm going to miss most about Jakarta: The self-service frozen yogurt bar called Yogulicious and Cold Stone Creamery ice cream. Yogulicious serve varieties of yogurt flavours, from plain to unusual flavours such as pistachio and green tea, with over 40 types of toppings to choose from. They even sell alcoholic yogurt. It's self service so I get to load as much toppings as I want! For none fat-free days, I'll go for Cold Stone Creamery ice cream. My favourite is the rich matcha (green tea) ice cream mixed with chocolate chips or Oreo cookies. Their 'mixing counter' looks like a thick layer of frozen stone which explains the name Cold Stone Creamery.

Besides, the fact that Dear Hubby will still be in Jakarta alone makes it harder for me. Before I leave, I'll be stocking up breakfast cereals, boxes of milk, fruit juices, biscuits, instant noodles and frozen food for days he doesn't feel like eating out.

33 weeks & still counting.....

Pesan Antar a.k.a Delivery Order in Jakarta

I've just noticed that everything (well almost) can be ordered either through phone or website in Jakarta, ranging from the most basic necessity, e.g. bottled water (for use with water dispenser that has hot & cold features commonly found in offices around Malaysia), food items to massages & mobile spa. 

Back in Malaysia, only certain companies that are selling the water dispenser also sell the bottled water. And the dispenser rental doesn't comes cheap. In contrary, here in Jakarta, you can find the water dispensers being sold everywhere, even in Carrefour. Any toko-toko (shops) by the roadside sells the bottled water at Rp12,000 each. People says tap water in Indonesia is unsafe for consumption even if it's boiled so bottled water are commonly used for drinking and cooking in every households .

Delivery order for food - they have japanese, western, local indonesian and even north indian food. Even J.CO Donuts and Bread Talk can be delivered to your doorsteps. 

Here're some numbers to dial when you're hungry:

McDonald, Tel: 14045

KFC, Tel: 14022

Pizza Hut, Tel: Go to their website for delivery numbers according to locations.

Hoka Hoka Bento (Japanese fast food), Tel: 500-505

Kinara (North Indian cuisine), Tel: 021-7192677

Solaria (local fast food chain that serve varieties of food), Tel: 14099

J.CO Donuts & Bread Talk, Tel: 7996060

Vin + Arcadia (Wine), Tel: 57901477

Another thing that I really love about Jakarta is home spa! Mobile Spa offers body massage at Rp.100,000 (equivalent to US$11 or RM35) for 2 hours. Other services include manicure & paedicure (Rp.75k each), body & face treatments (Rp.115k - Rp.230k), prenatal & postnatal massages (Rp.100k each) and massages for infant /child (Rp.50k). 

The best thing about their service - they're available 24-7 in the comfort of your home. Even 7-11s in Malaysia don't open 24-7! 

Mobile Spa, Tel: 021-32768794, 021-94756891, 081-8695486

JR Studio, Tel: 021-26353378, 08-5692165213

Note: JR Studio also offers hair treatments (Rp.50k -Rp.75k), rebonding (Rp. 175k - Rp.250k) and colouring (Rp.200k) at your home. Cool, huh?