The medieval town of Bruges (or Brugge) in Belgium boasts a romantic, fairy-tale like atmosphere, beer and chocolates!
Read the accompanying post: ‘Picture Perfect Bruges‘
See other Velvet moments:
- Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Seminyak, Indonesia
- Lang Tengah island, Malaysia
- Angkor Wat, Cambodia
- Laguna Chaxa, Chile
The bus screeched to a halt, hurtling me out of my dreamy state. I looked out the window and saw a wide arc of glistening white sand and the gorgeous blue Mediterranean sea. I wondered where we were and my question was soon answered as I noticed a board near the traffic lights. It read: Peñíscola. I rubbed my sleepy eyes. “Penis-Cola?”, I queried out loud. My friends burst out laughing and corrected me: “It’s ‘Peh-niscola’!”. Oh right…yes, we’re in Spain!
Peñíscola is a stunning medieval town built on a rocky peninsula, complete with a lighthouse, ancient fortress, pebblestone alleys and panoramic views of the Costa Azahar, just north of Valencia. I later discovered that the name Peñíscola stems from the Latin word for ‘peninsula’. The peninsula was inhabited in ancient times by the Iberians, Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Byzantines and later the Arabs, who ruled the area from the 8th to the 13th centuries AD. In the 13th-14th centuries, the Templar knights built the castle on the rocky headland.
Today, the town is a popular seaside resort for both locals and tourists, with the palm-fringed beaches and the fortified town being the biggest attractions. On a recent blogger trip to the region of Valencia, we spent a memorable afternoon strolling around Peñíscola. I absolutely loved the gorgeous whitewashed buildings with splashes of colour to frame windows or walls, and the beautiful vistas of the beaches and the sea.
A balcony in Peñíscola
The cliffwalls of Peñíscola
There was a great variety of cafés and restaurants to sit at, quaint shops to explore and decks where we could enjoy the panoramic views. We entered the castle and climbed up to the top where we were treated to amazing views of the town’s step-like rooftops and the coast.
A colourful lounge right next to a blowhole
A typical street in Peñíscola
A gorgeous building with Moorish arches
Peñíscola's beautiful pebblestone streets. Whose foot is that? Clue: she travels solo. 
The Peñíscola lighthouse
The belltower of the Hermitage of the Virgin
The Plaza de Armas
The step-like rooftops of Peñíscola
The Hermitage of the Virgin of the Hermit
Peñíscola is a perfect day-trip from Valencia but is also a destination on its own. Visitors can spend several days wandering the town’s lovely alleys and absorbing the medieval atmosphere, and combine this with a lazy beach holiday full of sunshine, golden sands, paella and sangria! 
Read other Velvet Escape posts on the region of Valencia:
- Valencia in Five Restaurants
- The Treasures of Morella
- Behind the Scenes of the Valencia F1 Grand Prix
- An Architectural Marvel in Valencia
Note: my trips to Valencia was sponsored by the Land of Valencia.
Bayan Indah is a gorgeous villa tucked away in the small Malay community of Sungai Penchala near the Kuala Lumpur suburb of Damansara. Backed by dense, rainforest-covered hills and surrounded by gurgling streams, a large fish pond and aromatic herb gardens, the villa is a serene oasis just 30 minutes outside the centre of Kuala Lumpur.
Bayan Indah
Bayan Indah's herb garden
Run by the lovely Rohani Jelani, Bayan Indah is a beautiful retreat for those seeking to escape the hustle and bustle of the city. But Bayan Indah is more than just a retreat, it is also a place where guests come to experience and learn about authentic Malaysian cuisine.
Rohani is an avid proponent of cooking with organic ingredients. In a country where traditional cooking techniques are slowly making way for quick-and-easy solutions (like ready-made pastes and other concoctions), Rohani is an advocate of a back-to-basic approach to Malaysian cooking – many of the ingredients come from her backyard and everything, from the soup bases to sauces and herb and spice mixes for marinades, is made from scratch. Rohani aspires to rediscover traditional Malaysian cooking techniques, document them and pass these on to younger generations, and her efforts thus far command deep respect.
Cooking courses at Bayan Indah
Rohani explained the many herbs used
Rohani conducts a variety of cooking courses at Bayan Indah which provide guests with fascinating insights into traditional Malaysian cooking. I attended the course on Malay ‘kampung’ (village) style cooking and it was an amazing sensory experience that certainly opened my eyes to the finer points of Malay cooking. Rohani took her time to explain the various herbs and spices and what they could be used for. Everyone was invited to touch, smell and taste each ingredient before being ushered into one of the prettiest tropical kitchens I’ve ever seen!
Traditional Malay recipes were introduced such as ‘Nasi Kerabu’ (aromatic, herb-filled rice), ‘Ayam Percik’ (chicken in a spicy coconut gravy) and ‘Kerabu Jantung Pisang’ (spicy banana flower salad). We were divided into teams of two and were given three recipes: two main courses and a dessert.
The kitchen opens into the tropical rainforest!
It’s not until you attend Rohani’s course that you start to appreciate the amount of work that goes into Malay cooking – for instance, I spent 45 minutes slowly stirring grated coconut in a wok above a very slow fire just to get it to look golden brown (not black) and create a light, smoky (not burnt) flavour!
Stirring the grated coconut...
Rohani also taught us how villagers roll herb leaves (small leaves are packed into a large leaf) into a tight ‘cigar’ before chopping it up – this method creates a blend of herbs which bursts to life when they’re sliced very thinly; the aromas that emanated from that ‘cigar’ of herbs were absolutely gorgeous. Rolling it up tightly into a ‘cigar’ also makes it easier to slice into very fine pieces.
Rohani demonstrates a traditional fold-and-slice method
It was a noisy affair: laughter mixed with the whirring of blenders or the pounding of pestles. Rohani fluttered around the kitchen, inspecting the groups and making sure we knew what we were doing! She would stop us occasionally to explain a certain ingredient or technique, or tell us an anecdote. Everyone had a brilliant time!
Rohani tells us the story of a banana flower
Inside a banana flower
Everything was made from scratch, even this pandan essence
Rohani taught us how to finely chop ingredients
We made a lovely spicy salad from these pucuk paku ferns
A mortar and pestle were used to pound spices and herbs
We pounded, chopped and blended herbs and spices to create aromatic marinades. Shallots, ginger, garlic and turmeric were stir-fried while chicken pieces were carefully grilled. The waft of spices that filled the kitchen was simply gorgeous. It was a lovely, fun-filled and not to mention, highly-educational afternoon. The result, as shown below, was a series of mouth-watering Malay dishes!
Aromatic Nasi Kerabu with 6 different herbs
Prawns and pineapple in coconut milk
Kerabu pucuk paku - fern salad
The series of completed dishes
Dessert: Onde Onde - glutinous rice balls filled with palm sugar
Dessert: Serimuka - glutinous rice with a green pandan top-layer
We sat down to a delightful lunch while Rohani kept us entertained with stories of her culinary adventures around the world. After lunch, she took us on a tour around Bayan Indah – guests can stay in any of the four beautiful, spacious rooms upstairs, with views of the forest.
I had an absolutely wonderful time at Bayan Indah. A huge thank you goes to Rohani Jelani for being a great inspiration and for teaching us how it’s really done! If you’re looking for a fascinating culinary experience in a unique ambiance, or if you’re keen to learn the finer points of Malaysian cooking, I highly recommend a stay or cooking course at Bayan Indah. Oh, and please send Rohani my love!
Bayan Indah
3343, Kampung Palimbayan Indah,
Sungai Penchala,
60000 Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia
Tel: +60 3 7729 0122
Read other Velvet Escape posts on Cuisine:
- Valencia in Five Restaurants
- Brooklyn: New York City’s Foodie Paradise
- Opulent Gastronomy in Shanghai
- Culinary Journey: Castellar del Riu, Catalonia
- A Glorious Day at Da Adolfo
Turkey has significantly increased in popularity as a holiday destination in the past year. That’s great news as the country has so much to offer – from the exotic charm of Istanbul to the gleaming white beaches of the Turquoise Coast, and from the majestic beauty of Mount Ararat to the archeological gem of Ephesus, Turkey has some of the most stunning attractions I’ve ever seen. If you’re thinking of a holiday in Turkey, I recommend a visit to one of these places. Some are off-the-beaten path while some are well-visited – either way, these are some of my favourite places in Turkey for an unforgettable walk.
Sumela, Trabzon
Sitting pretty at an elevation of around 1,200 metres, the Sumela Monastery might be a hike to get to, but it’s certainly worth it for the views. A major attraction of the Altindere National Park, the monastery is as fascinating as it is beautiful, as it is steeped in history reaching back all the way to 386 AD.
Aspendos, Antalya
Aspendos boasts the best preserved Roman amphitheatre in Turkey and arguably amongst the best in the world. Follow in the footsteps of ancient Roman actors and gladiators as you absorb the atmosphere. Something I enjoyed doing was sitting at the top ring and eavesdropping on the conversations of people below – the acoustics are incredibly good! Alternatively, stand in the centre of the ring and clap your hands!
Karaca Mağarası, Gümüşhane
The cave network of Karaca Mağarası in Gümüşhane is a breathtaking set of natural cave formations divided into several chambers that house remarkable crystallised rimstone pools. If you know your stalagmites from your stalactites, or are at least keen to find out, I recommend taking the tour and walking where ancient peoples once took shelter. The formations are some of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen.
Truva (Troy)
Whether you’re a classical literature buff and have read Homer’s Iliad, or you just liked the 2006 epic film Troy, then a visit to the ancient site of Truva is for you. Truva, or Troy, was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1998. While little of the famously romanticised city of antiquity remains, parts of the legendary walls still stand and a massive replica of the ‘Trojan Horse’ has been completed. I’m not sure why it’s called a Trojan Horse since it was full of Greeks that hid in it to gain entrance to the city. It really should have been called the ‘Greek Horse’… one would think . I guess names have a habit of sticking!
Nemrut, Adiyaman
Mount Nemrut is a stunning UNESCO World Heritage in eastern Turkey. In the 1st century BC, King Antiochus built a tomb-like monument for himself atop the 2,150 meter-high mountain. He actually added a further 50 meters to the height of the mountain by constructing a mound or tumulus on the peak! From afar, this artificial peak is unmistakable – an incredible engineering marvel. Flanking this tumulus are giant statues of himself (in their original upright state, they would have been eight to nine meters tall), lions, eagles and various gods. The parts of the statues and the busts are now scattered throughout the site but they are nonetheless impressive.
Grand Bazaar, Istanbul
The Grand Bazaar is one of Istanbul’s greatest attractions. One of the oldest covered markets in the world, the Grand Bazaar houses more than a thousand shops along 58 covered streets. It’s a fascinating place for history buffs as well as shopaholics (look out for gorgeous carpets, silverware, jewelry and pottery). For the first-time visitor, a stroll around the Grand Bazaar will be an intriguing experience that will not easily be forgotten.
Note: this post was…
Read other Velvet Escape posts on Turkey:
A gorgeous sunset at Echo Beach, Canggu in Bali.
Read the accompanying post: ‘Enchanting sunsets in Bali‘.
- Millau Viaduct, France
- Masaai Mara, Kenya
- Valle de la Luna, Chile
- Positano, Italy
- Lang Tengah island, Malaysia
- Perito Moreno Glacier, Argentina
- The Great Ocean Road, Australia
