Quicktake: The Perfect Fête and Fit

After jostling with our bags and stroller in and out of the train to Den Haag Centraal, we checked in into our room at the hotel near Centrum area. We were famished and exhausted from packing and cleaning the house prior to leaving.

The next day – Sunday – was hubby’s birthday! Following breakfast (‘ontbijt’) at the hotel’s brassiere, we proceeded to the Malaysian embassy for a taste of local fare at the weekend ‘Food Fair.’

The embassy was located close to the Peace Palace from where we got off the tram and snapped some photos outside the Palace’s compound. Other early-bird tourists also posed at this historical site. I was interested by the presence of some banners and makeshift booth at the left corner of the compound. Also lining up the same corner were five or six people of Asian and European descent, sitting lotus-like on the concrete pavement. It was apparently a peaceful sit-in, to demonstrate against the so-called human atrocity, the lack of democratic process and its ilk in China.






We were wondering as to why the Palace was closed from the public. Was it because we chanced upon it on a Sunday? The Palace’s expansive gardens, purportedly spectacular and breathtaking, surely must be open for public viewing, we presumed. How much is the entrance fee, I thought aloud to which Hubby quipped that a ‘Peace Palace’ shouldn’t charge a fee! That would indeed be a travesty! ;-)

With our track record of getting lost again, we ambled cautiously towards the direction of the designated road on which the embassy stood. Upon hearing and smelling the familiar Malay music and aromatic Malay cooking respectively, it is duly confirmed we are on the right track!

We purchased coupons – a minimum of Euro5 for each set – in order to buy the food and beverage on offering at individual booths. Since Nasi Kerabu was off the menu this year, we settled for Nasi Dagang which was quite good. Authentic to the last grain of pulut rice.

Roti canai and curry gravy as well as kuehs such as karipap, ketayap and koci followed suit. With Sadia’s tearfully signaling for her nap, we took the cue and left for the hotel. The food was a nice departure from our everyday menu and made for a great transition before we scooted off back to Malaysia. Oh yes, we were busy scarfing down the food that we had forgotten to take any photos of the premise. Darn it!

Later in the day, I treated hubby his birthday gift that came in the form of a new pair of jeans! He was of course on hand to select the suitable style and cut! We’re practical like that.

My hubby thereafter had to spend about four hours slogging away with the rest of his teammates for a group thesis presentation. He then excused himself for a dinner date with his ‘two girls.’

We decided on Dudok café with a cozy, relaxed atmosphere, and none of those pretentious, formal trappings. It is like my answer to the absence of TGIF or Chillis in The Netherlands. The entrees – ‘garden’ (vegetarian) burger and grilled fish – were of generous portions and the nutty cappuccino tasted like Ferrero Rocher chocolate!


And Sadia’s face lit up when her Donald Duck Head encased strawberry-vanilla flavoured ice cream arrived. Like a typical tyke, she however lost interest after a few spoonfuls.

To help burn off the calories, we sauntered the Paleispromenade after dinner, looking at some interesting clothes being displayed on the windows of long-established shops.

It was a pleasant change to be able to stroll on the relatively empty cobblestone streets, as if the whole place belongs to us. We could immerse in window-shopping, gawking and scrutinizing for as long as we want. The boisterous Sadia also had fun exploring the wide, seemingly endless, open space.

Just the ideal ending to start off a two-week session of classes and presentations. All the best dearest!