Bit By theTravel Bug

Street Shopping in Ho Chi Minh City

2011-11-26T23:03:00.014+08:00

As the sun rises.
I'm not much of a big shopper when traveling abroad because my main focus is normally seeing old buildings, meeting people and experiencing the place through its' culture. However I do love the night markets or flea markets simply because of the hustle & bustle of people bargaining for good prices and the many local products sold.

That's why when my Client recommended Ben Thanh market I was quite thrilled because it sounded just like Chatuchak in Bangkok and just like the place, it is located in an indoor square market in the middle of town. Ben Thanh market sells everything from farm produce, vegetables, hawker food, souveniers, coffee, clothes and accessories each separated in their own sections.

I spent some time here in the evening around 4pm when the weather was not too hot, going through the rows of stalls deciding on what to buy. There's this saying that says when you want something it's normally not easy to find but when everything is there, you just don't know what you really want! I ended up getting these cute looking Vietnamese doll bookmark which had a woven dress cut out from excess of clothing material meant for the actual traditional costume.

The one thing I also learned is that the prices here are not doubled... but TRIPLED especially if you're not Asian. However, most of the people here can speak MULTIPLE LANGUAGES and you'll be amazed to hear them count, negotiate and appeal to customers in Hindi, Japanese, Italian, Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin and even Tagalog. I was walking minding my own business when a local girl out of nowhere asked me in Malay language "Ambik satu beg, sangat murah kakak." (Take one bag sister, it's very cheap!). I asked my friend how would they know whether I'm from Malaysia or somewhere else because her guess was so spot on. I didn't open my mouth at all yet she could still pin me as Malaysian. I didn't get anything from her stall though because I didn't feel like buying any handbags during this trip. For one I only had one small luggage with me!

Ben Thanh Market during the daytime.

The scent of fresh flowers greets you at the main entrance.

The wet market starts as early as 6am.

Everywhere you go you will be pulled into their stalls with attractive prices.

Anybody crave for anything nutty?

As the night falls... we still shopped!

The reason why I went to the market in the evening is because they close around 530p-6pm to make way for the night market just outside of Ben Thanh market. At 615pm I could see all the vendors waiting with their selling stocks & foldable tents at the corner of the road. I asked my friend Virginia what were they waiting for? She said that the authorities here are very strict and they would only allow the vendors to set up their stalls at 630pm sharp! Until then, not even one person can do anything but wait until the officer says okay. We waited with them and at 630pm they race began... everyone started pushing their carts & trolley so quickly and the tents were set up in 10 minutes flat! Some took longer but by 7pm almost all of the stalls were up and running. It was so quick! Make sure you're not in their way.

The night market sold the same thing as the day market inside Ben Thanh but there were a few stalls which were from nearby shops as well. There were stalls selling T-shirts, bookmarks, key chains, hand bags, shoes and even local coffee which was a hit amongst tourists like us. We decided on the middle stall approaching the owner, a young woman who immediately started to explain to us the different types of coffee from low end to high end version in terms of taste & smell. She was so persuasive that we decided to buy a whole lot of coffee from her with a good discount.

(Actually later on Virginia told us we could have gotten it for much much much more discount because they tripled the prices!)

But it's okay we were happy with the purchase since she was so nice and accomodating by giving us a sample drink! The coffee was really strong and had a roasted earthy smell to it... ahhh... So don't forget to bargain as hard as you can and if it doesn't work, try walking away. Sometimes they will call you back and give you the price you wanted. Well it worked for me! If you've shopped here feel free to share with everyone how it was for you...

Vendors preparing to set up their stall at 630pm sharp.

By 7pm every single stall was up and running.

Local Vietnamese coffee with cup filter to bring home as souveniers.

The lady with the coffee beans! She was rich that night I guess.. Lol

Where: Le Loi Boulevard, District 1 ( At the junction of Ham Nghi, Le Loi and Tra Hung Dao)
When: 6:00 am - 7:00 pm daily (Night markets will be set up along the road after 7pm)
How Much: Bring enough to shop!

War Remnants Museum - More History in Ho Chi Minh City

2011-11-25T00:39:00.017+08:00

This has got to be the most depressing & sad visit I ever felt in Ho Chi Minh City. Although going to the Killing Fields in Phnom Penh made me cry but this was a sadness that I just can't describe. Maybe it's also because the effect of the war is still happening even after it ended years ago.

The War Remnants Museum is a mix of aircraft display and stories of the war crimes commited by America during the Vietnam war. There are 3 parts to this Museum, the first one are the aircraft & tank displays which were all involved one way or another in the Vietnam War. I imagined myself in the big 'AirWolf' helicopter or the military tanks and decided to unimagine myself from there and stick to my day job instead.

After walking around the compound of the Museum, we saw this odd looking door leading into a prison and this prison was the actual one that was used during the war. My goosebumps started to act up and I had hair sticking from my arms to my legs. It was very creepy and full of pain. There was a room where the prisoners were beheaded and then there were also equipments used for torture purposes! I didn't go to all the rooms and instead decided to just stick to the reading the information board which turned out to be depressing as well. Why do people do this to one another when things could be resolved peacefully?

The War Remnants Museum is a hit with the tourists.

An American tank on display at the War Remnants Museum.

This was the actual prison during the war crime days.

The tiger cage where 4-6 people would squat or squeeze against each other with the cage placed over them. They would be placed like this for a few hours.

Quita a lot of information to read about the war crime and the prison. Some were too hard for me to swallow and some made me look away.

The room where prisoners were beheaded. There was also a photo showing the actual punishment taking place back then.

It was too hot outside and by the time we finished going around the prison, I was semi-melting. The inside was better as the whole display area was air conditioned cooling us down a bit after the heat of the sun. I wan's however expecting to see such a straighforward display of photos taken during war of the injured & dead which were very haunting & disturbing. The photos highlight the suffering of the Vietnamese people at the hands of the French & American forces up to 1975 especiall on the War Crimes and the Agent Orange effect.

For those who don't know what Agent Orange is (like me!) it is the code name for the one of the herbicides used by the U.S. Military as part of its herbicide warfare programme during the Vietnam War. Vietnam estimated about 400,000 people were killed or maimed and about 500,000 children were born with birth defects and these were seen in the photos. Even after 3 generations, the effect can still be seen in the children.

A mother showering her son outdoor. This is the only sunshine he gets in a day as he is unable to move much due to the Agent Orange effect.

By the end of the Museum trip, I was already super exhausted because we had hopped from the Palace to here in the hot sun and I got the dizzy bee already. My tips for this trip would be to drink loads of water, wear a hat to shade yourself from the sun and wear comfy clothes too, nothing heavy. This would probably save you some energy til night or the next day. I'd recommend this place to all history lovers out there like me who can't resist old stories from the past.

Where: 28, Vo Van Tan, District 3, Ho Chi Minch City
When: 8:00 - 11:30am & 2:00 - 4:30pm (Tuesday - Sunday)
How Much: 15,000 dong

The Reunification Palace in Ho Chi Minh City

2011-11-24T22:59:00.019+08:00

The Reunification Palace was formerly known as Independence Palace before the fall of Saigon to the communists. The Palace was home and command center of General Nguyen Van Thieu, head of military junta who came to power after the assasination of the first President of South Vietnam in 1963. It was the site of the Vietnam War during the Fall of Saigon in 1975 when a North Vietnamese Army tank crashed through its gates.

The entrance fee for the Palace is 15,000 dong and with additional 10,000 dong you can get their brochure which has comprehensive info about the Palace grounds. This palace spans across 80 meters covering an area of 12 hectares & has hundreds of rooms including a guest chamber which can accomodate 800 people.

Photo left: Standing on the Palaces' steps, you can see the beautiful fountain and the long stretch of trees lined up at the park.

The entire layout from an aerial view forms the Chinese character "Ji" meaning good or lucky. On its front, balconies on the 2nd & 3rd floors combine with the main entrance porch & two wood-paneled columns to create the character "Xing" meaning prosperity.

According to Fengshui belief, this palace is located in a dragon's head therefore it was also referred to as Dragon's Head Palace. The intricate designs of the dragon can be seen on the exterior part of the building along with other carved out features. I didn't realize that the locals were big on fengshui too but I guess since Buddhism is practised quite widely here it is not a strange thing after all.

It has four main buildings. The main-a T Shaped comparment was the Residence & command centre of Saigon's government. This are houses 3 floors, 2 mezzanine, 1 terrace, 1 ground floor, a basement with a total space of 20,000 square meters divided amongst 95 rooms, each devoted to a separate function.

The Cabinet meeting room with its' bright chandeliers and comfy cushioned chairs. I saw a lady standing at the door checking out the curtains. She loved the feel of the cloth that she went to other rooms and did the same thing. Feeling the texture of the curtains I mean.

The Presidents' National Reception Room has a huge horn type art piece behind the set of chairs (see above) which tells me how they managed to include art & design elements into the place even during the war.

There is also a war room where they would hold meetings with the army and discuss on which areas to conquer. There were a few old telephones at the corner in colours of black, white and even pink!

The building has four floors altogether and when we climbed up to the top, we came across and empty but spacious hall which was built for ballroom dancing. There's also a small bar in the corner and a helipad right outside.

What would a palace be without its' own cinema? The place is also home to the President, his close family & relatives as well as commanding officers therefore it wouldn't be complete without its' own entertainment centre. I wonder what was performed here? Opera? Classical jazz?

What goes beneath the grounds were also interesting as we walked in to a labrynth of corridors and bunkers. It was such a maze and I was lost for a moment because each corridor would introduce a set of rooms which goes into another corridor with another set of rooms making the whole area seemed neverending. The officers would also sleep down here in rooms built specially for them.

Where: 135, Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
When: Opens daily from 7:30 am - 11:30am & 1:00pm - 4:00pm
How much: 15,000 dong per entry & 10,000 dong for brochure
Useful tips: If you're staying around District 1 area, it's better for you to walk here rather than take a taxi as it's just 10-15 minutes away from Ben Thanh Market. After visiting the Palace, you could walk over to the War Remnants Museum as well as the Notre Dame Cathedral which all really nearby.

The Charming City of Ho Chi Minh

2011-11-24T12:10:00.019+08:00

After postponing this trip twice and after much pondering on whether to go or not to go, I decided in the end to just go to this charming city of Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam. The first morning flight out via AirAsia was pretty packed and we were surrounded with groups of families & backpackers who were also making HCMC their next destination.

Ho Chi Minh City is also known as Saigon and it is the largest city in Vietnam and the former capital of the Republic ov Vietnam (South Vietnam). I was very confused with the name of the city as people sometimes call it Saigon and sometimes HCMC. However, only when we were in Vietnam dia I understand that the older generation would refer the city as Saigon and the younger as well as tourists would come to know of this place as HCMC.

Getting around the City.
Transportation is not a big issue here in the city. I was taken aback at how modern the Tan Son Nhat airport was with its' large glass windows and how shiny everything was. It looked like a mini KLIA! There were rows of immigration counters and the queue was quite short for us. From the airport, it is better to take a taxi but make sure you get either VINASUN, MAI LINH (meter taxi) or any official taxi from the airport. We went outside and found that there staff handling the taxis and we just chose one from there. The fare was US$10 or equivalent to 250,000 dong.

When we arrived in the city area (District 1), we discovered that there were many ways to take in sightseeing in the city. There were men on motorcyles offering to take us to any nearby destination for 20,000 dong and also men in reversed tricycle called cyclos inviting us for a ride for 35,000 dong per hour. Although the motorcycle can take up to 3 people at one go, the cyclo can only take one passenger at a time so if you plan to go from point A & B with your whole family, it would be better off to walk or take a taxi instead. We on the other hand decided to walk as everything was within walking distance (thanks to Google Map for pointing that out to us!).

There are 7 million people in HCMC and out of that total 5 million people travel by motorcycle everyday. We also learned that averagely 1 person will own 3 motorcycles at one time as the price is quite affordable here.

You definitely Charmed Me.
During the entire journey I can't help marvel at the imperfections of the city which made it more eccentric and charming. I love imperfections by the way as there's a certain curiousity to it. I'd wonder how did that dent get there or how long has the vines been creeping around the sundry shop. Things like that are just wonderful to look at and as we went around we saw many buildings old perched against the backdrop of new ones and buildings as thin as they can be. It is indeed a place for haven for photographers. I snapped away like crazy while walking, from the cab, eating, crossing the streets. There was just too many things to capture for memories.

A beautiful pagoda sits quietly inbetween two tall office buildings.

From the bus I saw this European looking garden in front of The Rex Hotel. This area is more high end and mostly frequented by expats or locals alike. There's even a few branded stores at the ground floor of The Rex.

"Untangle me so that I can be free!"
Electrical wires such as there were strewn across the streets in the city.

Some streets were old. Some streets were new. This street was colourful with its bubbly animal prints. I'd go to school here.

To save space, buildings were built tall and thin like this one above. It looked like a 4-storey house or office.

Standing tall at 262 metres, the Bitexco Financial Tower is such a beatuy
Bitexco Financial Tower is the tallest building in Ho Chi Minh City at 262 metres.

Bit By The Travel Buddy - Guest Blogger

2011-11-23T23:04:00.010+08:00

I sent out a social alert recently on featuring at least ONE featured blogger a month and am happy to share with you the first 'BIT BY THE TRAVEL BUDDY' - Malaysia by a Malaysian.

Who am I?

Founder of Audio Guide Malaysia, the writer is currently living in KL and was born in Ipoh. The website called Malaysia by a Malaysian tells tourist what Malaysia is about from a Malaysian perspective. It complements the main website http://www.audioguidemalaysia.com where the team provides the best and only audio guides for Malaysia. His three favourite places in Malaysia are KLCC, China Town & Central Market.

Featured Story : Tourism Malaysia: Petronas Twin Towers - Popular Culture

Almost any tourist guide lists the towers as a must see when visiting Malaysia. Even small models of the twin towers are sold in gift shops. The towers also provide a backdrop for many Hollywood movies; most notably in the film ‘Entrapment’, starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Sean Connery. Even Indian Bollywood movies have used the towers, for example in the film ‘Don- The Chase Begins Again’ starring Arjun Rampal. The British film Children of Men, starring Michael Cain and Clive Owen saw the Petronas Towers in flames, and many other films, TV series and computer games have used the towers as well.

On Sept 12th 2001 the towers were evacuated due to a bomb threat, but no bombs were found. The towers were evacuated again on November 4^th 2005 after a fire broke out in a cinema, but no injuries were reported, though the area was filled with smoke.

The French building climber Alain Robert, nicknamed the French Spiderman, attempted to climb the towers three times by bare hands. The first time was on March 20^th 1997, but the police stopped him when he reached the 60^th floor, just 28 floors away from the top. He tried again exactly ten years later on Tower Two but again was arrested by the police when he reached the 60^th floor. The third attempt on September 1^st 2009, was successful as he eluded the police and after 1 hour and 40 minutes, managed to climb all the way to the summit of Tower Two. He took out a flag- not a French flag, but a Malaysian flag- and waved it from the top.

There are a few important venues in and around the towers. Inside the towers, is the Dewan Filharmonik Petronas, home to the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra. Before the concert hall was constructed, the public had little access to classical music. Foreign performers mainly played to an elite audience, but with the concert hall now built, classical music is available to the masses. The hall is constructed in the traditional shoebox design of 19^th century European concert halls and has received much praise for its design and acoustic qualities. It is described by many as one of the world’s best concert halls, and has seen many performances by some of the biggest names in classical music. If you enter the hall, the first thing that strikes you is the magnificent Klais Pipe Organ, modelled after the traditional angklung instrument of Malaysia. It has 2,977 metal pipes of all sizes. If you’re interested, you can try your luck and get a ticket at the box office for a show, but of course, it really depends if there is a performance or if there are any tickets left.

As always, visit www.audioguidemalaysia.com for the best and only audio guides to Malaysia.

Koolred Travel Video Contest

2011-11-10T10:00:00.005+08:00

If you're like me who loves to travel and document every single moment using all the possible gadgets available, then you may want to check out this Travel Video Contest which is run by Koolred. For those who are new to Koolred, it is a website to unite people who share a passion for travel & lifestyle topics (www.koolred.com).

Contest Criteria
The contest is opened to Koolred members aged 18 and above. You can submit travel video of any destination between 1-3 minutes only and must include the "I ♥ Koolred & Tune Hotel" image as below. It's kinda cute!

What makes a good travel video?
A video on any destination in the world highlighting popular places to eat, places to go, things to do etc. It has to make a tourist want to visit the destination.

How to win?
Videos are judged based on creativity and votes. To vote, members can click the 'Kool' button on the video they like. This is one of the videos featured in the gallery which is a good example of how the video should look like. It definitely makes me want to travel to Singapore!

And the winners will get....
1st Prize: 3-night stay for 2 persons at Tune Hotels Double Six, Legian, Bali, Indonesia (WOW!)
2nd Prize: 2-night stay for 2 persons at Tune Hotels Downtown, Penang, Malaysia
3rd prize: 2-night stay for 2 persons at Tune Hotels Danga Bay, Johor, Malaysia

Start shooting your video!

So there you have it, a travel video contest which is quite easy to enter & win. Just make sure you keep all your videos for this submission! Visit www.koolred.com for more details on the contest and the website. Good Luck!

Bye Bye Birdie @ KL Bird Park

2011-10-26T20:09:00.031+08:00

I had a great day today at our local Kuala Lumpur Bird Park which is the world's largest free-flight walk-in aviary! I hate to admit that I don't really know the KL roads very well (I always get lost!) but following the directions on Google map and with the help of a friend, I managed to find my way to the scenic Kuala Lumpur Lake Gardens where the Bird Park was located.

Since it was a public holiday, I woke up late and didn't have any food in my tummy. Feeling excited always does that to me and I was relieved when we had lunch at the Hornbill Restaurant before entering the park. While I was going through the menu of local and western cuisines, I noticed how the surrounding of the restaurant gave me a very rustic & rainforest feel. We also had 'winged visitors' perching on the balcony longingly watching us go through the menu. They were really friendly creatures and didn't mind us taking their photos. I finally decided on char kueh teow and ate while watching the hornbills appear above us. It was like dining with the birds. The restaurant also caters to private functions such as birthday parties, seminars (wow meetings with the birds chirping? How cool is that?), private & corporate functions, barbeque parties and even product launches.

It rained while we we re eating but stopped right after we finished our food. We made our way to the entrance with our RM20 ticket on our wrists. If you're local/Malaysia then the price is RM20 for adults and RM10 for children but if you're not then the price would be RM48 for adults and RM38 for children. I'm lucky to be Malaysian! Hehe.

The entire bird park is sprawled across 21 acres of verdant valley terrain and divided into 4 different zones such as...

Zone 1 & 2 : Free-Flight Zone
The free-flight zone is a unique concept which allows these birds to roam freely and as natural as possible. I felt so free like them even though there were high ceiling nets covering us but these nets were as high as possible allowing them to fly in a comfortable space. I met the 'LoveBirds' at the Love Aviary and these tiny creatures were very colourful and in pairs. There was even a pair that was busy erm.. mating and didn't mind us taking photos of them. The name lovebird came from their strong, monogamous relationship with their partners and the long periods the spend sitting beside each other. The aviary is also home to the Indian ring-necked Parakeets, Eastern Rosella, Sun Conures and Green-Cheeked Conure.

As I walked further down, I saw two Indian Blue Peacock with their magnificent striking blue feathers perching on the branches of a low tree. These beautiful arrogant creatures strutted in front me, all tall & mighty unconsciously knowing how we're waiting for them to spread their feathers but they didn't!

I saw a big pond with tall & skinny legged creatures surrounding it and was delighted to see that the area belonged to the flamingo family. There were also the majestic pelicans with its enormous beak and heavy walk. You can also feed the them while they bask in the sunlight but make sure to keep their homes clean of litter.

Zone 3 - Hornbill Park
The hornbill is such a magnificent creature with its' huge bill & upward-curved casque in vibrant red. The Rhinoceros Hornbill lives here together with the Oriental Pied Hornbill (a smaller hornbill species), the Hill Myna, zippy Formosan Blue Magpie and also the Purple Swamphen (on the ground) harmoniously. There's also a Hornbill feeding session at 11:30am everyday!

Zone 4 - Birds are placed in different cages & there are mini aviaries

The Amphitheater is located here and everyday at 12:30am & 3:30pm, the KL Bird Park Bird Show takes place with appearances from Ringo & Popeye the parrots, Jerry the pelican, Mike Tyson the Asian Black Eagle, Shadow the eagle & his brother Hunter, the gray headed fish eagle named Rambo and Piu the Parrot. Did you know that parrots can age up to 40-60 years old and that the macaque has eyesight that's 7 times sharper than the human eyesight? I learned all of this while watching the bird show and it was quite entertaining to see these birds talk and do tricks.

After that, we wathed the flightless birds such as ostriches, emu and the Southern Cassowary have dinner in their homes. There was also a bird gallery & exhibition center where you get to see the incubation of the baby chicks & ducklings! You can also take photos with the Alberta and Boy-Boy at the feathered friends photo booth or enter the world of parrots and feed them for RM2. I even had one little fella on my head! I think he mistook my sunglasses for food!

For the price that was charged, I felt that it was absolutely worth it especially since the money goes towards taking care of these creatures. We don't need to go very far to enjoy the company of these birds as it's here in KL. If you have a spare weekend, I'd recommend spending time here with your friends or family as it's very educational as well. For more detailed info of the KL Bird Park, you can go to http://klbirdpark.com.

How to get to the KL Bird Park.

View Larger Map
Kuala Lumpur Bird Park.
920 Jalan Cenderawasih
Taman Tasik Perdana 50480
Kuala Lumpur.
GPS coordinates: N3 08.581 E101 41.294

Directions:
1) From Jalan Bangsar, head straight towards KTM Railway Station round-a-bout, turn left towards Masjid Negara.
2) From Jalan Mahameru, turn left into Jalan Parlimen. At traffic light, turn right towards the Kuala Lumpur Lake Gardens.

My One Night Stand With Singapore

2011-10-20T00:21:00.016+08:00

I'm back in Singapore again but this time it's only for a short while before I joined the MySelangorStory contest. I didn't get a chance to meet my good friend Ali G too. However my one night stand with Singapore proved to be an all food + a little shopping affair with my colleague Ganto.

I'm Feeling Lucky.
With a few hours in hand, Ganto was my tour guide for the night. Ironically he's from Indonesia but he knows the area quite well as he's been in and out of the country for quite a bit for the pass few years. It was peak hours when we got into the train and we had to skip 3 of them before we could hop in. Our first stop was Lucky Plaza on Orchard Road which reminds me of Sungai Wang Plaza back home with its' cafes, gift shops, fashion & accessories shops (the non-branded kind).

The reason why we came to Lucky Plaza is for one thing only. To have a good dinner at 'Restoran Ayam Penyet Ria' on the third floor. Ganto was 'fasting' and so I accompanied him to break fast with a selection of 'ayam penyet with rice' , 'soto ayam' and good old ice lemon tea. 'Ayam penyet' means crushed boneless chicken which makes it easier to eat while 'soto' is chicken broth soup with all the herbs & spices. It's my favourite local dish (back home) because my dad cooks it best!

Heading to Lucky Plaza on Orchard Road.

"Soto ayam" eaten with plain rice for dinner.

Things ain't cheap here...

Before we had dinner, we had walked for a bit next door to Paragon. For your info, major shopping malls are located along Orchard Road and all you need to do is get on a train and stop here to spend the whole day shopping (if you wish to spend some good money that is). From far I had already spotted big brands with blazing neon headboards on display. It felt like Pavilion Shopping Mall with Gucci, LV, Calvin Klein among others and the layout of the mall was more organized and squeeky clean. I was searching for and iPod touch (4th gen) here but the price seemed to be the same as Malaysia and at that moment Ganto adviced me to go to Mustafa Shopping centre instead to see whether the price would be lower there.

Posh. Classy. Big Brands.

See anything you like?

Cheap & definitely good!

Remember the 3 rules of marketing that we normally hear? In a triangle there's always cheap, good and fast and the rule states that one can never get all three but can be satisfied with two. Things could either be cheap & good (but not fast), or cheap & fast (but not good) or fast & good (but not cheap)! In the case of Mustafa Shopping Centre I would say that the items are cheap & good because of the wide variety of items that they have in those 2 buildings. Yes there's 2 of them and both are connected to each other. The mall is also opened 24 hours a day which gives tourists and locals time to shop after work or early in the morning before the crowd comes in. The mall also comes in many floors with each having its' own category from electrical gadgets, toiletries, souveniers, snacks, even a wet market area to buy vegetables, fish & meat alike. You could save some money by getting some local delicacies here instead of at the airport as they have loads of suggestions for you. All you need to is pick, pay and pack it back home. The iPod touch (4th gen) was definitely cheaper here and after a few mental calculations, I decided to take it back with me to Malaysia which made me a happy girl.

Deepavali was in the air.

These lights are so mesmerizing.

Useful Info

Purchase SGD$15 Metro pass which you can use for 5 years in Singapore, if you're always traveling here like me. It's quite convenient as you can top it off if the credit is low and you don't have to constantly go to machine to get your tickets for every stop.

Ganto also taught me to download the Metro app on my Blackberry which has all the transportation routes via trains & buses for all the cities around the world. You need to download the app, then download the cities and after that you can just click a city and key in the routes to your destination. You wouldn't need any internet connection for that.

The Cube For #MSS 2011 - Review

2011-10-10T19:30:00.012+08:00

Thanks to Celcom XPax, we got a chance to use the prepaid and try out The Cube during the #MSS 2011 tour. I've never tried Xpax but I've heard about the promo for The Cube in the papers and online videos of people with cubeheads shuffling around town. There was also a big red carpet event at Encorp Strand Kota Damansara a few weeks back which I heard caused quite a hit with the crowd!

Did you see this video?

Check out the video of The Cube shufflin' around town.

We actually had ours pre-registered by Amelia and with the pre-paid number that we got, we could actually upload our tweets & Facebook status via SMS. To activate the Twitter SMS, all we had to do was type 'T' and send it to '29800'.

So what is the Cube exactly? Yes we know the Cube is a square but it is also (in the context of an XPax world) a mobile content portal that gives you the hottest tunes, the latest buzz, the most fun games and many more! It's pretty cool (for cool people like myself & yourself..) . You'll be able to check out the best in music, sports, games, wallpapers and loads of other exclusive content for your mobile that gives you an experience that's simply out of the box!

For more of The Cube, log on to www.thecube.my !

Under the 'MUSICUBE', you get to download cool ring tones for less than RM5 and there's so many for you to choose from!

With 'PLAYCUBE' you can download fun games and play them wherever you are!

The 'FUNCUBE', give you funky screensavers, MMS comic, Tweet Talk & Voice Poke!

Finally with the 'FRENCUBE', you can use Facebook, Twitter and make new friends all from your mobile phone. You don't need to have a smartphone with The Cube because all you need to do is SMS at RM1 weekly for unlimited usage.

Find the latest release of music in English, Malay or Chinese language and games!

If you like this post, vote for me here!

The Morning After - #MSS2011 (Day 5)

2011-10-09T19:00:00.008+08:00

Holiday Inn Kuala Lumpur Glenmarie is about 15 minutes away from Kota Damansara. Therefore this place was not hard to find at all when I first came here. This is because when I was working on my Client's launch, we often have coffee break at this hotel, shading ourselves from the hot sun while discussing about the event details. The first thing that attracted me was the big fan on the ceiling which looked like big giant leaves. Apparently these leaves can move and fan the area if it's too hot but I've never had the opportunity to see it though. There's also a zen-like area near the waterfall & swimming pool which reminded me of Tokyo.

The hotel sits on a 350-acres of lush tropical greenery overlooking 2 world class 18 hole golf courses. The hotel has 260 guestrooms, an Executive Club Wing with private lounge, 6 restaurants & bars including an award winning Japanese Restaurant, business centre, 24hour room service among others. I found out something interesting about this hotel and that is they provide complimentary shuttle service to popular shopping sprees area.

Both Jard & I went around taking photos of the hotel and after that we headed for breakfast together with the troops. The breakfast menu could have been better but I'm still happy with their selection. I felt quite reluctant to say farewell to my new brothers & sisters but I know that one day we will meet again and chit chat more about our adventures after #MSS2011 tour.

Jard & I love the new home but too bad it's for 1 night.

You can choose either the soft or firm pillow.

The living area was so spacious & grand.

The artsy fartsy waiting area for guests like me!

The wide open space of the lobby area.

Don't go chasing waterfalls.

The Olympic size pool!

THANK YOU SPONSORS!

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all sponsors & partners who made our stay very welcoming and full of fun & adventure.

Organizer: Horizon Communications
Official Tourism Board: Tourism Selangor
Official Airline: Firefly
Official Hotel: Holiday Inn Kuala Lumpur Glenmarie
Official Resort & Spa: Golden Palm Tree Iconic Resort & Spa
Official Resort: Awana Genting Highlands Golf & Country Resort
Xpax: TheCube
Official Restaurant: The Mix
Official Camera: Pentax

My review on The Cube during the #MSS2011 Tour

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Returning to Holiday Inn KL Glenmarie - #MSS2011 (Day 4)

2011-10-09T10:46:00.004+08:00

THE TOUR COMES TO AN END

I can't believe that after 3 days it has come to this. How very quickly time flies and how I will miss everyone from this bunch whom I have started to have a special bond. It was time for us to head back to Holiday Inn KL Glenmarie and during the 2 hours journey I managed to take a nap all the way to our next destination. So did everyone else.

As soon as we arrived at Holiday Inn KL Glenmarie and was given our rooms key accordingly. My roomate this time was Jard who has a fascination for beach boys just like me. Hehe. We had our dinner back at The Mix and had a visit from En Fazly who came all the way from Melaka just to welcome us. He shared his experience in using social media to promote Tourism Selangors' activities thanking Dian for exposing him to Twitter. We also had this opportunity to get to know one another more, taking individual shots for our blog posts.

I love group photos and this was no exception.

Ms Segina of Holiday Inn KL Glenmarie welcoming us back to the hotel.

Dinner came with a tray of tiny cakes for dessert.

The bread butter pudding was so delicious!

Hijrah & I having a 'little secret' moment.

Dian had made a nice poster out of our 'mug shots'. Click on the photo for enlarged version.

THE MIX - REMIXING THE NIGHT

We're back at The Mix and this time we were entertained with the live band called Zynchro who performs here every night. They had such a good beat and all 3 singers can sing very well. The most interesting thing was that they were able to sing most of the songs that were requested! I chose Maroon 5 'Moves Like Jagger' and it was so good!

We had secretly planned a birthday song dedicated to Amelia and when the singer called her on stage, we knew she would have to sing us a song and she chose 'Tiada Lagi' which gave me giant goosebumps! Seriously she should cut an album or something because she's so talented. Happy Birthday Amelia and may you have a wonderful year ahead filled with happiness & laughter.

The night continued with more songs and us dancing to the likes of Jesse James, Black Eyed Peas among others. There was also a song which saw the lead singer Leslie shuffling to the beat. Andi Kus also shuffled and together they should form a shuffling team! This has got to be the closest bunch of people I've met even though this was my first time joining a travel blogging tour with people from Singapore & Indonesia. I hope this will not be the last time we meet as it has been great getting to know everyone. A reunion in the near future perhaps?

Go with the Flow. Groove with Zynchro

Lead singer Leslie singing requested songs from the audience.

Tian Chad watching the performance. I wonder what he was thinking at this moment.

Pretty Bella with Zaid in the background. Why-lah sit so far away?

A group shot taken with my camera while I was dancing to the music.

Amelia singing out 'Tiada Lagi' after we sang her a birthday song.

A photo with beautiful Pamela the scuba diving instructor.

Daniel & I enjoying ourselves on the last night here at The Mix. He later confused me with Bella.

Thanks to Bella, we got this photo with lead singer Leslie but the photo turned out to be pretty dark! Oh well at least it was a happy ending for all of us.

I had goosebumps listening to her sing this song.

After the party came "The Morning After" on Day 5.

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Tears of the Sun - #MSS2011 (Day 4)

2011-10-08T21:01:00.016+08:00

A MORNING SWIM

Our bootcamp session was called 'Tears of the Sun" and it started with a walk to a wide open field. It looked oddly familiar and when I spotted the goal post I realized that this was where we ended up last night after the blind trail activity. Haha. So there really was a goal post! For this activity, we were divided to 5 groups and I was in the last group together with Feeq, Suzan & Hafiz.. just us 4. We were briefed by En Zul on the obstacle course that we're supposed to go through and we all wondered where this obstacle course was because all we saw was a wide empty field. Hmm.

Before we started, we were told to cross hands with the opposite person and try to create a circle by untangling ourselves. We actually managed to untangle quickly and ran towards the small signage with an arrow showing us the way to the obstacle course. The whole journey started out as a walk and then it went uphill before going downhill again and that's when we saw another field with 9 different ponds waiting for us.

Feeq volunteered our team to start first and we climbed on top of the first obstacle, sitting on the deck before making our first jump into the pool. It was hard and I was scared at first but I made it. The second pond however had a 'visitor'. Suzan saw a water snake jump out from the pool making its way into the grass and we screamed loudly. It was pretty scary and I was afraid of what else might be in the pond with us but after the facilitator confirmed that everything was okay, we made our way again and continued the course to the end. I got stuck for a bit on one of the obstacle course and couldn't climb over. Suzan on the other hand had jumped into the pond and injured her leg. En. Zul managed to pull her out and relaxed her leg but she was determined to finish it and she jumped back in after resting her leg for a bit. She has such a strong spirit which I admire so much. Her never-say-die & never give up attitude kicked my determination up a notch. We finally finished and I never felt so happy even though my Nike shoes were totally ruined.

A balancing act on bamboo. (Photo courtesy of www.feeqsays.com)

I did say I went swimming but it was in a small swamp.. (Photo courtesy of www.feeqsays.com)

Jumping over the fence was the easy part.

Jumping into the pond was the hard part because we didn't know how deep it was.

Taking a break before jumping into the pond.

Photo op with Andi Kus & Dian. He didn't look tired at all after going through the obstacle course.

Team 5. We were grouped into the last team but finished first.

THE VICTORY DANCE

While we waited for everyone else to finish, the facilitator had pumped up the music and Macarena started playing in the background. Everyone started dancing to the beat and even went up on the small stage like podium to show off their dancing skills. I have it on video which I'll post up later but it was really amazing how everyone still had the energy to continue even though the obstacle was quite a challenge to complete!

The Macarena started while waiting for everyone to finish the obstacle course.

Bella & Hijrah pairing up for Macarena.

Participants from Indonesia sharing their experience throughout this tour (Dwi Andi & Suzan)

Then it was Malaysia's turn.. go Hafiz!

After the dance and all that fun, we sat around and had a quick sharing session about the whole trip and our stay here at Awana Genting Long House. For Hafiz, it was the first time he went sailing, canoe and even cycling! En Zul ended the session saying that this was the best bunch of group he's taken care of! We were so glad & happy to hear such compliments! He never said goodbye but rather "When will I see you again".

CLOSING CEREMONY.. AND MORE FOOD!

We went back to the long house exhausted and a little bit hungry. All the food that we ate in the morning was quickly burned during the obstacle course. We had a quick shower and walked back to the hotel with my slippers on. We had our lunch at the restaurant and also heard a few speeches from En. Najib & Dato' Ruddin Salim thanking us for coming here and promoting their eco tourism activities. I was also surprised to know that they had actually arranged a prize for the team who finished first and when they announced Group 5, we walked to the stage and took more goodie bags from Awana Genting. Thank you! I will definitely come here again and also invite my friends along to experience the eco activities that the resort has to offer. It will also do a lot of good in persuading people to take care of the environment.

Dato Ruddin Salim, vice president GM Awana Genting handing us a prize for winning the obstacle challenge.

Vegetable anyone?

This pudding made my mouth water by just staring at it.

Swirls and twirls for a girl who loves desserts of all sorts.

Each dessert is visually stimulating to the tummy and the eyes.

I'm not sure if I have room in my tummy for all these delicious desserts.

Kiwi and cupcakes go so well together.

Returning to Holiday in KL Glenmarie in Day 4!

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Meeting the Ancient Residents - #MSS2011 (Day 4)

2011-10-08T19:28:00.013+08:00

THE MORNING WALK

Good morning again peeps! I got up at 6am and raced for the shower before it got crowded. The water was cold that the first few drops woke me up immediately. I also had a shower last night before I went to bed because of the outdoor activities that we did. There was no way I was going to bed without a shower (I'm OCD that way).

Once everyone was ready, we came down from the long house for our morning walk trekking into the jungle before breakfast. The last person to arrive was Dwi Andi and he was given the most important task which is to lead us in the morning exercise. We did everything from head to toe and by the time we were done, we were prepared to go in to meet the ancient residents.

As mentioned before by En Najib, the rainforest surrounding Awana Genting is approximately 120 million years old and I felt so amazing walking amongst these ancient barks & leaves that stood high and mighty over us. The weather was suprisingly kind to us as we trekked downwards, amazed at different leaf texture, the sprouting mushrooms and carpet-like moss.

We're ready to rock and roll even at 7am in the morning.

Dwi Andi was our lucky coach for the morning exercise.

Walking amongst 120 million years of nature.

I had to take this photo while we took a break. It was such a refreshing walk.

Carpet like moss moving gently with the wind.

What goes down must go up again. Making our way up to the long house.

Taking a quick rest while waiting for the whole gang to return from the walk.

BREAKFAST AT PASAR IKAN BAKAR

Some of us were lucky to have leeches crawling into our socks & shoes. Lucky that didn't happen to me if not I might have fainted. Maybe my blood wasn't sweet enough or I ate too much onions the night before. Hmm.

We headed back to Pasar Ikan Bakar for breakfast and related the blind trail stories again. This time it was funnier because there were different versions from different people. It's nice to have different observations especially when we didn't have a clue what went on when our eyes were closed. We were told to prepare ourselves for the bootcamp and afterwards we would be heading back to Awana Genting Highlands Golf & Country Resort for lunch. Would you like to know what happened during the bootcamp? It's in my next post.. stay tune!

I love shadows especially when it makes me look taller than usual.

Breakfast was served.

Having a lighter option because I didn't want to be too full during the bootcamp activity.

Enjoying the outdoor bootcamp during Tears of the Sun.

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We Used Our Senses - #MSS2011 (Day 3)

2011-10-07T10:27:00.010+08:00

AWANA GENTING LONG HOUSE

We made it to our new home after the repelling activity and I couldn't help but smile at being back in a long house after staying in one during our company trip 2 years ago. We were briefed that our dorms would be very basic and that we shouldn't be expecting too much but for me, I'm okay and happy as long as we have a place to sleep from the hot sun & rain. My eyesight glimmered at the sight of the lush greenery surrounding our new home. The clean & fresh air gave me more life suddenly.

We were all segregated to 4 dorms, 2 for girls & 2 for guys. I was in the last dorm, number 4 which happens to be my lucky number (yes I know it's not good in Chinese but it's been good for me..so far..), together with Pamela, Andi Gita, Rizma, Hanis & Jard. The rest of the girls were in dorm 3 and just like in one of the P.Ramlees' movie, we were able to hear the laughter & chatter from next door. "Hoi orang di sana.. orang di sini nak tidur!" Haha. That was from the movie and this place reminded me of that.

The Awana Genting Long House is made of wood and at night it was very cooling for us so much so that to take a shower without a water heater gives us the trembles. The bathroom & shower area was a few steps away from the dorm (alamak!). I got acquainted with the place and as soon as everyone got their bags in the room, they started looking for a power source to plug camera batteries, phones, itouch & laptop to last the night. Even in the remote area, we needed some modern facilities to keep us going.

Our new home came with natural air conditioning.

Once awhile getting out of your comfort zone gives you an appreciation of life.

New roomies & new adventures at the long house.

Check out the power source with plugs, charging batteries for our gadgets.

DINNER AT PASAR IKAN BAKAR

When En Zul told us about Pasar Ikan Bakar, I thought to myself how weird is it to have a pasar in the middle of the jungle and what did the place have anything to do with our outdoor activities? Would we have to search for our own food there and bring it to a campfire for during a BBQ session? But after noticing the bright neon lights from our dorms, I realized that it was a restaurant with a very homely interior decor, with warm yellow lights made from rattan, comfy cushion seats on the ground and the most delicious spread of food 1,000ft above sea level.

I never expected this kind of spread from Awana maybe because I had a different perception of Genting Theme Park as opposed to Awana Genting. The buffet table had inviting traditional nasi lemak bungkus (my favourite!), sup ayam rempah, ayam goreng rempah, ikan bakar, sotong bakar, ayam panggang, a table of different types of cili & sambal, fruits, ulam and desserts of traditional kuih-muih. We had a nice acoustic performance, a speech by Mr. Christopher (Awana Genting) and a song by Amelia. I can tell you that I was quite blown away by Amelia's voice. It was so unexpected. I wonder if she'll sing again for us during our last night of this tour. :)

The Pasar Ikan Bakar was actually a restaurant, parked nicely in the middle of the jungle.

Who needs chairs when we have comfy cushions as our seats.

The fishes, chicken, lamb being barbequed for the night.

I initially thought that we could select the meat for dinner but it was just a display & not meant to be cooked!

My all time favourite!

I ga-gaed over the selection of traditional sauces. Which goes with what dish?

The lovely desserts tasted good with a hot teh tarik.

We were entertained with live music from acoustic performers and from Amelia.

BLINDTRAIL

After our tummies were full from the awesome dinner, we were briefed on a night activity. Here I was thinking that we could hit the sack but the team had something else in store for us. We were told to prepare ourselves for a night walk which turned out to be a BLIND TRAIL night walk cum activity. Yikes! The last time I did this was during my UPM days in the remote jungle of Kelantan. This certainly brought back memories of that day. This time we were asked to sit in 2 rows and blindfolded with a white cloth before the activity began.

One by one we waited for our fate, to be chosen and taken to a string which we need to hold on to and follow til the end. I had to wait awhile for my turn but when it did, I tried my best to keep calm and control my heart from pounding itself out of my chest. Someone held the torchlight (which I think was mine because I passed it to Dian for her hold on to), and I held it. As I was being led, the person asked me my name, whether I did this before and I even jokingly told him that I hope I would not be touched inappropriately. He said I looked like a Chinese, I said no I'm a Malay and somehow these little back & forth chat kept me calm until I heard him say "Good luck!"

Holding the rope for dear life, I walked slowly and focused sharply on my ears, catching sounds of the night. At one point I felt leaves tickling me but I pushed it away. There were also screams, laughter and also of footsteps running behind me which I totally ignored. You never know who is near you in the jungle so normally it's best to just ignore it. Towards the end I had some help because I couldn't figure out where the string went and as I neared the end, I heard someone asking "Do you trust meeee..." in a creepy kind of way (Hehe). I replied "No because I don't know you and I'm supposed to hold on to the string." This person which I suspected was Fy asked me again, this time pulling my hand. I hugged what would later be a goal post and didn't want to let go until I heard Dian's voice telling me "Part of this journey is to trust so you have to let go and trust yourself." I could already hear giggles and when I opened my eyes, I saw everyone sitting on the ground in front of a big bonfire. Boy was I relieved! It didn't turn out to be as scary as I thought.

Nigel was the last person to enter the jungle and as he was nearing, we prepared a cake to suprise him when he opened his blindfold. He was surprised alright! We sang him a happy birthday song and in true spirit he thanked everyone and said that this has been a wonderful journey because he didn't expect us to be such a friendly bunch. He wasn't feeling well that night but we could tell that he was happy with how the night ended.

Nerves took over us as we prepared for the blind trail. (Photos by Tian Chad).

We looked like prisoners! (Photos by Tian Chad)

Walking the trail and relying on touch, smell & sound only. (Photos by Tian Chad)

Happy birthday to Nigel who turned 21 that night (hehe).

Read here for "Meeting the Ancient Residents" in Day 4 of #MSS2011

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From The Sea To The Highland - #MSS 2011 (Day 3)

2011-10-06T18:48:00.026+08:00

FAREWELL @ GOLDEN PALM TREE RESORT & SPA

Today is the day we begin our journey to the highlands and we had a free & easy morning, chilling out, eating our last breakfast at Bila-Bila Restaurant. The word 'Bila-Bila' (in case you were wondering), means 'anytime'. In other words, the guests are welcome to come here at anytime whether it's just to enjoy the view or catching up with their family & friends (like us). Before we left, we took our last photos at the resort before heading out to a restaurant outside nearby the resort for a quick mee goreng and air kelapa and a group shot at the lobby area with The General Manager, Mr. Pascal Prigent. It was so nice of him to sit with us and for hosting us at the resort. I would definitely want to come here again sometime.

Packed & all set for our next pit stop!

OFF TO THE HIGHLANDS!
We're off again this time to Awana Genting Highlands & Golf & Country Resort! Yippeee..! As soon as we arrived, we headed straight for the welcome speech by YB Elizabeth Wong & Senior Vice President of PR Communications Genting Malaysia Berhad, Dato' Anthony Loke. He gave a good introduction of Eco Tourism attraction in Genting sharing with us the Awana Genting Longhouse accomodation (where we'll be staying) and the outdoor activities that we will be engaging. He also explained that Awana Genting is located 3,000 ft above sea levels & surrounded by rainforest area that are 120 million years old. When he said this, I was quite surprised that this resort offered Eco related activities & are very into nature conservation as I always known Genting as a Casino Resort and nothing else. His speech definitely gave me a different view of Awana Genting... in a very good way.

A 3,000ft above sea level outdoor adventure awaits us.

YB Elizabeth receiving a token of appreciation from Dato' Anthony Loke.

TREKKING UPWARDS
After the speeches, we were briefed by En Najib on our next set of activities which happened rather immediately. We would be jungle trekking our way to our accomodation followed by an absailing activity and a good dinner. He joked about how we would have to be ready to get dirty on our second day here. He introduced En. Zul who would be our Chief Facilitator during our stay and that we should obey his instructions at all time. Thank goodness this is an obedient bunch!

En. Zul split us to 2 groups and we made our way up to Awana Genting Longhouse. As we went up the flight of stairs, I felt heart jolt & beat a little faster. At least the air is much cooler here and walking upwards would be tiring yes but it won't make me sweat buckets like the other day.

Walking behind En. Zul to our second home.

A lake with an obstacle course only for the tough & mighty.

Such a cute display of mushrooms at a random spot along our path.

REPELLING DOWNWARDS

After 15 minutes we arrived at the repelling area which had an 80ft tall & 45 degree angled wall propped up by the main road just like that. We were briefed on how to hook ourselves to the rope and what equipment is needed. Poor Hafiz had to change his hip gear because the one he took in the first place was small! I as nervous at this point because the wall looked pretty steep. But I thought to myself that I oughta try something new here on this tour. If not I would be just talking about where I went instead of what I did. Bella,

Dian & I went up first, climbing the steep steps again and once on top, we were briefed on how to go down the rope the proper way. I went down with Rizma who was really afraid of heights until her legs shook. The only way to distract her was by asking questions so I asked if she had been to Malaysia and she said yes but only in Melaka. Then I recommended the cendol pulut durian at Jonker Street and we chit chatted a bit more until we made it to the bottom. She was extremely happy. It wasn't that scary after all.

I passed my helmet to Ridha and watched everyone else come down one by one, each looking like they're having such a blast! A few minutes later, Dian asked me to try coming down the Australian way which is frontwards and I said no no no no but she said yes yes yes yes and we went up again to try. Going forward is scarier then going backwards but both of us made it down without any problems. I am just glad that I got the chance to do such activity because it's my first time learning about repelling.

The 80ft wall awaits.

We tried to make repelling look sexy. He he.

I had to chit chat with Rizma as she was quite nervous.

First we repel backwards but the second round we did it Australian style by facing downwards as we went down. It was scary but entirely fun!

Happy happy joy joy... we're not afraid of holding onto the rope until we reach.

En Zul posing with the troops. He is super friendly.

A goup photo at repelling area. Can you spot En. Zul?

Enjoy this quick video of the whole repelling downwards experience that we had.

How to get there?
Address:
Awana Genting Highlands Golf & Country Resort
KM13, Genting Highlands.
03-6436 9000 ‎
awana.com.my

For more Day 3 Stories click here "We Used Our Senses"

Another outdoor activity in Awana Genting.
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A Malaysian Dinner - #MSS2011 (Day 2)

2011-10-05T22:01:00.026+08:00

After our cycling adventure, we went back to our rooms and I slept for a bit til dinner time. Rizma & Olivia came over to our room & played Uno with Suzan & Ester but I couldn't hear a single laughter, shriek nor chatter when I was asleep. I only heard Siti calling my name about 630pm and asking me to get ready. I know it's not good for us to sleep after Asar but the excitement got to me and I knew that if I didn't get enough rest, I wouldn't be able to enjoy the next activity at our next pit stop tomorrow. It was a great nap by the way thanks to the comfy pillows in our sea villas.

From dawn til dusk the adventure never ends.

SHOOTING WITH PENTAX CAMERA
We did not dine at Sepoi-Sepoi or Bila-Bila restaurant this time but headed straight to the ballroom for the Malaysia Dinner Night. Before that I forgot to mention that each of us received a PENTAX camera on loan during the MySelangorStory tour. The camera that I got was a Optio P80 which is designed for the effortless capture of well-proportioned faces with beautiful skin tones. It has 12.1 megapixels (awesome!) and weighs only 105g, very lightweight for my pocket. Besides the Optio P80, we were also loaned the Optio WS40 (waterproof camera) as well as a multi-reatured, entry-class digital SLR type camera called the Pentax K-r which come in white, black & pink! Nigel even got an Angry Birds Pentax RS1000 camera to play with! (Maximum jealous! hehe).

Mama mia! Pentax camera on loan for the tour! Pentax K-r (left) & Optio P80 (right).

The Angry Birds made an appearance too.

MALAYSIA DINNER NIGHT @ GOLDEN PALM TREE

Waking up from my slumber earlier made me hungry. Actually to tell you the truth I'm always hungry every 2 hours and that's why I have to actively burn them. I was happy that the food which was served had a mix of Malaysian flavours such as ayam rendang, mushroom soup, ikan bakar, asam pedas fish, kerabu fried rice among others. My tummy growled louder at the array of food awaiting us. After walking back & forth trying to decide what to eat, I took the prawns, the kerabu fried rice, asam pedas fish, the soup, a small plate of delectable desserts, and some kuih muih. Yes, the diet will have to work itself out once I return from the tour.

Chefs ready to fire away at their wok station.

Some like it hot.

Pretty in pink. The dragonfruits.

Tempting desserts.

My eye were only on the desserts!

We were all admiring the spread of food when we heard the music playing and performers started lining up the stage. Oohhh a dance! One by one, everyone took their camera and left Siti & I sitting there continuing our dinner. A few seconds later, not wanting to miss out taking some photos I decided to join in and *click click* before continuing dinner. Suzan had actually joined the performers on stage dancing and I could tell she had a great time with the dancers. I think it's a good idea for the resort to hold a Malaysian Dinner Night once a week for the visitors so that they get a sample taste of what Malaysian food has to offer without having to search for it. It's pretty convenient & tasty too. I'm going to spend the night sleeping happily now after a full tummy knowing that this is our last night at Golden Palm Tree Resort & Spa. Good night folks!

A special performance by the hotel just for us.

Our Day 3 adventure starts here .. "From the Sea to the Highland"

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Eco Adventures! - #MSS2011 (Day 2)

2011-10-05T18:17:00.024+08:00

WET & WILD

We started our outdoor activities in the morning, for an hour followed by a cycling tour around the mangrove area. The night before we were briefed on being prepared to get 'wet' so I was torn between wearing my swimming suit inside or just a t-shirt and shorts. In the end, I just chose a t-shirt and shorts so that's it's easier for me to hit the bathroom if needed. :)

We headed to 'Smiley Beach' and started signing up our names for the water activities. For your info, Golden Palm Tree Resort offers non-motorised water sports activities which is good for the environment. As soon as we hit the water, like a scene from Baywatch, I watch Pam run on the sand towards the windsurfing equipment. Within minutes she was in the water trying to get it upright and balancing herself at the same time. It looked quite challenging and I saw her fall down a few times & get back on, determined to try to windsurf at least for a little bit.

A few minutes later, slowly we started to try out the water sports such as canoe & sailing. I decided to try canoe-ing for the first and asked Dian to join me. I thought since she's stronger, she would make a better teammate and lucky for me I chose the right person to be on the canoe with me. Since it was my first time, Dian (who was sitting at the back) taught me how to push the canoe forward, right & left. It took some getting used to but we managed to go one round before paddling ourselves back to shore. My arm muscles must have flexed more than the usual after the paddling activity & I had a feeling it would hurt the next day.

We were told we had 1 hour to try any water activities because the tide might be lower in mid afternoon and since there was a bit of time, I decided to ask Hafiz along to sail with me in the waters. He said yes despite him being awfully afraid of not being able to swim. We didn't navigate the sailboat on our own (thank goodness) and had a sailor with us. Well he used to be a sailor but now he manages the water activity here. I noticed that most of the employee here at the beach has nice 6-packs body, very Baywatch. No wonder the beach is called 'Smiley Beach'.

Besides water sports, there's also land sports available at Golden Palm Tree Resort & Spa such as beach volleyball, cycling, beach soccer, and frisbee. There's also activities which will be 'coming soon' such as canopy walk, kite & stunt kite and golf & mastergolf. If you're not a water sports or a land sports person, you can choose to hit the gym or sofa for a good workout.

The walk to 'Smiley Beach' took forever because of the beautiful view.

Couldn't decide whether to canoe or sail so we took a photo first.

Choose water sports, land sports or fitness on 'Smiley Beach'.

My first time sailing & it was incredibly fun. Thanks Hafiz for doing this with me!

Ahh... as far as beach boys are concerned.. he's an A++. Service with a smile & very friendly.

CYCLING TOUR

The last time I cycled was when we went to Bukit Cerakah with a group of friends and I was pretty glad that we're going to be cycling around the resort for 45minutes or so. My concern had been the timining because it was 2pm, the sun was just above our heads and me being so clever in wearing an all black outfit, I knew it will be a challenge for considering my history of generating headaches at noon but I was determined to make this happen!

Batch 1 went ahead first with the instructor and us, who waited for our turn stopped the ice cream man and got us some ice cream which cooled us off immediately! The ice cream Uncle made quite a bit from us and Fy even told him to wait for the first batch to return so that he would be able to pocket more income today. It helps to help others you know?

When it was our turn, I put on my safety helmet, got on my bicycle, took a group shot before we headed out. There were 2 types of Tour, Beginner & Advance. Apparently the first group went on the Beginner's tour which only tok about 25-3o minutes around Kampung Sg Pelek area but ours was the Advance tour which took a longer time. Olivia was in front of while everyone else was behind me. By the time we had cycled into the palm oil tree estate, I was exhausted but happy because I made it this far. Entering the estate, we met a heard of cows having a walkabout and I was glad that I decided not to wear my red t-shirt that day. The rows and rows of palm trees seemed neverending and this plantation was part of our country's biggest export.

Livia looked as if she does this everyday.

I was kinda pumped out by this time.

They brought us in the jungle where there's no light nor fan.

Spot the bright orange crab! (Top, far right)

After what seemed like eons, we finally stopped at a mangrove area and parked our bicycles in a neat row on the tar road. Everyone got off to see the colourful crabs in the swamp. If you can see from the photo above it's on the top right corner. There were blue & bright orange crabs, crawling about, not bothered by us watching their every movement. At this point my head was throbbing & I had the biggest headache ever. I sat at the side and just started counting & breathing to avoid from myself from passing out as I felt in coming. The rest of the group went further in to see the mangrove area while I waited for them to come out. I did feel a bit better and was glad to continue the journey back to the hotel. But cycling at 2pm-3pm was seriously challenging and if it was done in the evening or early morning we would have enjoyed the Sepang Gold Coast breeze but I still had fun and was burned by the time we arrived back at 'Smiley Beach'.

Besides cycling tour Golden Palm Tree Resort also offers a 'Low Tide' Tour where you get to walk along the coast spotting crabs or clams and other sea creatures. I didn't get a chance to do this one but I think the first batch did. I wished we had more time to do everything but at least I managed to participate in the activities that was slotted for us. Thank You Golden Palm Tree Resort & Spa for this amazing day! I wonder what's in store for us tonight... I can't wait for the dinner.

I'll leave you with a random clip of what we did on the beach. More to come. :)

For my next Adventure "Malaysia Dinner" read here.

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Sweet Dreams Are Made of These - #MSS2011 (Day 2)

2011-10-05T15:44:00.010+08:00

GOLDEN PALM TREE ICONIC RESORT & SPA

Selamat pagi semua! (Good morning everyone!)

I had a dream that I was on the sea with beautiful homes stretched out for miles on sea, timid sunbeams saying hello atop the roofs... and then I woke up to this view...

It wasn't a dream after all?

I'm still here and blissfully so surrounded by good people & good food. This villa that we're staying in costs about RM1600++ a night, a price I couldn't afford on any given day. Even though the price is rather luxury but with all-star facilities, it's really quite a good package altogether. The sea villas can fit 4 - 6 people so that rounds up to how much per person? RM200++ perhaps? You get to use the gym, be chauffered to your room and back, swim in the infinity pool, eat good food everyday, batik painting, spa and karaoke at night (okay this one must check with the resort because if not you'll be waking up every Tom, Dick & Harry at the with your rendition of Abba's 'Dancing Queen' and such).

One of these sea villas belongs to key card in my hand.

A wonderful morning view outside our door.

Sea villas on stilts with alang-alang roof. You don't have to travel far to experience this.

What I like also about Golden Palm Tree Resort is that it is touted to be the first eco-friendly sea hotel in the world. The villas are designed with high ceilings to allow natural ventilation into the room and built with minimun impact to the environment. The resort also offers convenience such as buggies to shuffle guests back & forth to the rooms.

How often do we get to be chauffered back & forth from the lobby to our rooms?

With such gorgeous pool facing the open waters, I'd rather wade and enjoy the view.

Just relax.

The lounge chairs at the lobby area made me feel like I'm a Princess because it gives us our own space and I can bring my entire entourage here to sit with me and fan me when I'm hot. Hehe. Just kidding. We waited for everyone to arrive at the lobby before heading to 'Smiley Beach'.

Just like me, he didn't want to leave this place. "Betul tak Andi?"

A photo from above taken from Golden Palm Tree Resort website.

Finally I got this view from above from their official website. I was chatting with Hafiz before we headed back to our room and mentioned how we can actually bring more people here and create an awareness without comprising nature and its' surroudings. If only there was a tall tower of some sort or a very tall viewing deck where we can go up and view the entire layout from above. That would be awesome don't you think? By having this tower, you can get the local and foreigners to visit this part of Selangor. It could be chargeable for maintanence purposes but it would be pretty amazing.

You're probably wondering what we did on this day... and that would be in my next post... titled 'Eco Adventures'.

Keep reading and voting..!

Exotic Treats - #MSS2011 (Day 1)

2011-10-04T21:39:00.029+08:00

and the wheels of the bus go round and round..."

Due to lack of sleep for the past few days, I tried my best to sleep on the best but failed. The excitement was too much and I felt that if I closed my eyes, I would miss out on the little moments that matter. Along the way, our guide Farhana told tales of Selangor and our country. There are 9 districts in Selangor and we are heading to Kuala Langat which is home to Morib, Tanjung Sepay, Pulau Carey and Sepang Gold Coast (our destination). It was nice learning more about this place I call home.

GOLDEN PALM TREE ICONIC RESORT & SPA
After riding on the bus for almost 2 hours, we finally hit home. Walking down from the bus, I could already sniff the scent of salty ocean and feel the sticky air surrounding us. The Golden Palm Tree Iconic Resort & Spa is a stunning 5-star water villa resort which stretches out nearly 1km into the sheltered waters of the Straits of Malacca. From above, the resort looks like the local palm tree with its 5 branches stretching out from its' branch.

I was distracted by the 'feel' of the place that I didn't hear the announcement to gather around the lobby area. I shuffled over with my lemongrass drink in hand just in time to hear Amelia announcing the names and room numbers for our 2 nights stay here. I ended up in the same room as Siti from Malaysia, Suzan & Ester from Indonesia!

Never a dull moment when you're with #MSS2011 batch. :)

THE NIGHT TOUR IN GOLDEN PALM TREE.

Okay so it may not be the official night tour but we still got a chance to tour the resort a little bit. It was very late and my camera had begun to 'yawn', snapping photos ever so slowly but I was still excited for being here. Since it was dinner time, we headed to Sepoi Sepoi restaurant which offers extensive menu of traditional Malaysian with local favourites and snacks.

While we waited for our food, I studied the resort map & leisure information which was very useful for someone like me (who doesn't know how to read the map). I skimmed through the map & spotted 'Smiley Beach' as well as the infinity swimming pool. The brochure also listed activities for Sports & Entertainment, Escapade Spa, Boutique, Escapade Discovery and Dining. Would we have time to do it all?

Settling down we were mostly sleepy but still laughing about during dinner getting to know each other a bit more. I met Bella earlier at The Mix and as it turns out she went to the same school I did. During dinner, she said that Fy (remember I mentioned Fy in my earlier post?) was also from the same school and here we are the 3 of us meeting up again... the 3 generations of Convent Kajang girls on MySelangorStory tour. What a small world eh?

With full tummies, we walked back to the lobby area and walked all the way to our room even though they are designated buggies to take us there. Along the way we noticed the different textures of the wall, the floors and the ceilings with its' eco friendly designs. The infinity pool twinkled with sparkles under the dark sky, sitting quietly near the sea villas.

All rooms come with a splendid view.. even at night.

The patterns make me dreamy, very whimsical like even.

Is there room for anything else besides play, eat & swim?

Embracing Golden Palm Tree with open arms and hugs.

OUR NEW HOME.

After what seemed like 10 minutes, we finally reached our rooms and I was very happy, grinning from ear to ear like a Cheshire cat when we opened the door. There's a total of 392 luxuriously appointed water villas in Golden Palm which are raised on stilts, covered with alang-alang roofings, complimented with large folding French doors opening out to a private deck. I know you can't really imagine what it looks like but maybe this might help...

Can you understand why I'm grinning so widely!

Now that's just the living room area. We haven't gone to other parts of the villa yet. The one we stayed in was called Canary Palm Villas with 2 rooms we took the master suite which comes with a vaery spacious marble bathroom with a sunken bathtub! I rolled onto the giant bed immediately together with Siti and we started taking photos of everything and every corner of the villa enthusiastically. Our new home also came with a flat screen TV, a daybed, 24-hour-in-room-dining and a working desk among others.

I could definitely live here. Could you?

Those soft sheets. Those willowy pillows. The spacious bed.

There were also 4 other types of villas available such as the one bedroom Travelers Palm Villa, Premier Travelers Palm Villas, Ivory Palm Villas & the three bedroom Royale Palm Villas. You can find out more about the rates on their website. I hope you've enjoyed the photos and stories I've shared about our first day of this tour and I have more to share tomorrow when we head to 'Smiley Beach'!

Location Address:

Golden Palm Tree Iconic Resort & Spa.
No. 67, Jalan Pantai Bagan Lalang,
Kg. Bagan Lalang,
43950 Sungai Pelek.
Tel: 603-3182 3600
www.goldenpalmtree.com
Golden Palm Tree FB Page

Read about my next adventure on
#MSS2011 Day 2 - Sweet Dreams Are Made of These

Vote for me If you Like this Story!

This Is Where We Meet - #MSS2011 (Day 1)

2011-10-02T21:07:00.039+08:00

I am finally here.

After arriving from Singapore late at night, packing late at night, sleeping late at night with butterflies of excitement in my tummy... I am finally here at Holiday Inn Glenmarie for the start of MySelangorStory competition created by Horizon Communications for Tourism Selangor the Official Tourism Board.

It's been awhile since I joined a group of strangers who were here for the same reason... that is to promote Selangor in our own unique way. For those who are still wondering what MSS2011 is about.. here let me tell you in a short summary. MSS2011 is Malaysia's first ever tourism blog competition by Tourism Selangor inviting 30 bloggers from Malaysia, Indonesia & Singapore to tour Selangor and experience its' hot spots & its' people.

Arriving at The Mix (our Official Restaurant), I was greeted by Fyruz so that's me 'Fie'... and there's 'Fy'. All that's left was 'Fo' & 'Fum' and we'd be a complete set! When I entered the Mix, the first thing I noticed was the colourful banner hanging down from the wall in its' artistic beauty followed by the set of drums showered by a single spotlight. The stage looked ever-ready for a rockin' performance.

THE MIX @ HOLIDAY INN KUALA LUMPUR GLENMARIE
I braved myself to make the first step to say hi to Zaid, Jard & Hanis. We were quite early and had a chance to chit chat before a few others arrived. Our press conference was held upstairs overlooking the whole stage area and when I went up, I met other fellow bloggers Nigel & Hafiz. Being a professional photographer, Nigel had already started snapping up photos of the venue while waiting for everyone else to arrive. I on the other hand, went around to say hello & introduced myself before the event began.

Right before the event started, the remaining group from Indonesia & Singapore arrived and we were greeted with happy chatter, smiles & laughter. We finally got to meet after reading & following the Twitter & blogs!

I've always loved any views from above such as this one in The Mix @ Holiday Inn Glenmarie.

THE PRESS CONFERENCE.

Once YB Elizabeth Wong arrived, we took our seats and waited patiently while Amelia (Horizon Communications) played host to this session by introducing the VIPs followed by an introduction of the competition. She joked about how none of us ever asked her what the prizes were and when she asked most of us why we never posed this question, she said that most us said that "Joining this tour, we are already winners."

I couldn't agree more. Nevertheless when Amelia announced the prizes our ears perked attentively. The list of prizes include:
- cash prizes.
- free trips by Firefly airline.
- free accomodation in the 3 locations we'll be going (Golden Palm Tree Resort, Awana Genting & Holiday Inn Glenmarie).

And as a last minute bonus, two people from this group will have a chance to be Tourism Selangor's 2012 Online & Community Ambassador! How cool is that? My eyes blinked a million times when I heard this.

The VIP seats for the #MSS2011 Press Conference.

The intro was followed by a speech by YB Elizabeth Wong who thanked the partners & sponsors such as Horizon Communications (organizer) & Firefly (Official Airline), Golden Palm Tree Resort (Official Resort & Spa), Resort World Genting (Official Resort), Holiday Inn Kuala Lumpur Glenmarie (Official Hotel), Pentax (Official Camera) & The Cube for arranging the accomodations and activities related to Eco Tourism. Yes, we will be getting down & dirty in the outdoors and camp for a night under the stars. They did say it would be fun but they didn't say it would be easy. :)

After that, Dian, the winner of #MSS2010 welcomed us to the competition (with both arms in the air) & shared with us her journey throughout the competition last year. She's such a positive and happy happy joy joy character which inspires me to be happy happy joy joy too!

Wonderful speeches by wonderful people.

The spread of food was simple but beautifully arranged.

Even from the get-go, we were up and about taking group photos such as this one.
Bottom (L-R): Feeq, me, Dian, Tian Chad, Bella. 1st Row (L-R): Zaid, Shale h, Ester, Olivya, Suzan. 2nd Row (L-R): Hanis, Andi Gita, Nigel, Rizma, Hijra, Daniel, Helga, Hafiz, Jard & Siti.

The food was all I could think about after the event and I had a feeling that we would be eating well and playing well during this trip. This and a group photo was the official start to the tour! Our next pit stop was 2 hours away at the Golden Palm Tree Resort so stay tune for the continuation of our Day 1 there, in the next article.

Directions to The Mix @ Holiday Inn Glenmarie:
1] Head towards Subang via NPE, and exit at Subang Jaya.
2] After paying the RM1 Subang toll, keep left and go all the way straight.
3] Turn right to Subang Jaya but exit to the right again when you see the Holiday Inn Glenmarie signboard.
4] This is u-turn and you need to go straight and turn left at the first junction.
5] Follow the road and take a right when you see the Holiday Inn Glenmarie signage.

If all fails, use GPS or call them up:
Holiday Inn Glenmarie.

Jalan Usahawan, Kawasan Perusahaan PKNS,
53300 KL
Tel: 603-7803 1000

To read about my next adventure, click here..

#MSS2011 Exotic Treats Story!

Vote for me If you Like this Story!

or click here for #MSS2011 Exotic Treats Story!

MySelangorStory Adventure Begins!

2011-09-28T14:08:00.007+08:00

I'm writing this while waiting for my ride to the first meet-up of #MSS2011 tour in Holiday Inn Glenmarie and I can't tell you enough how excited I am to meet up with all the other bloggers and to enjoy the whole experience.

I don't even know what the prize is at this point. And I don't really care (for now..) because this is a stepping stone to the direction I've set myself. This direction is the passion and what I've always wanted to do for quite some time. Traveling + writing + sharing it with everyone else.

Opps my ride is here!

I'll be writing again on Monday (3rd October) and posting up our daily adventures on this tour! But meanwhile you can follow my adventures on twitter (fienuts) on our whereabouts!

See you soon!

View MySelangorStory for more info on this contest and interesting places in Selangor.

The Tasmania In Me - Part 2

2011-09-25T23:36:00.007+08:00

MT WELLINGTON

Our first climb up to Mt Wellington was quite a journey but it was not through hiking. We took the easy way up by driving ourselves about 30-45 minutes to the first peak of Mt. Wellington and took in this amazing view. Even from the top we could see the whole Tasmania looking ever so tiny but protected by the mighty waters.

Mt Wellington is also known as 'The Mountain' or 'kunanyi' and it sits in the heart of Hobart. We didn't manage to go all the way to the peak as it was too cold and we were not sure if our vehicle could make it's way up the winding road. There are quite a few activites which you could do in the park such as bush walking, cycle, horse riding, dog walking or rock climbing. When we parked our car at the first pit stop, we were just in time to see a group of people making their way down from the sheltered BBQ area. It was really too cold for me then and I was ready to get back in the car to gather some warmth before we headed down the hill again.

Can you see the tiny homes on the hills from here?

The sky was misty even from above.

SALAMANCA SQUARE / MARKET

We headed down to Salamanca Square to visit the local fruit market and coffee shops surrounding a very artistic fountain featuring modern type sculpture. You could also have a pastry (24 hours a day!) at one of the local bakery shop, go shopping for the latest designer fashion or enjoy some fine Tasmanian dairy products at this cute shop called 'Say Cheese'.

Choose an activity from shopping to eating here in Salamanca Square.

The beautiful fountain in the middle of the Square.

ELIZABETH STREET PIER

The Elizabeth Street Pier is a few walks away from Salamanca Place, Battery Point and it has a nice view of yachts owned by the rich & famous. We decided to enjoy the sunset here and took a walk along the pier before choosing on which restaurant to have our dinner. Most of the restaurants here were docked at the pier and have such cute names related to the underwater residences. We chose Marko Seafood and made our orders of fish n' chips as those were the only ones on the menu. But the portion was bigger than the ones we had in Melbourne! Lucky for us we shared our portions but there weren't any chilli sauce for us to eat with so we had to make do with mustard and tomato sauce. I think most of the people here don't really take spicy food hence the lack of chilli sauce usage in any of their cooking. We did have a great day and it was quite laid back, enough for us to enjoy the places and scenery in Hobart.

Is there a parking fee for this?

Restaurants were docked by the pier just like the yachts/boats.

Do you smell something fishy here?

This fish n' chips was bigger than the ones in Melbourne!

The Tasmania In Me - Part 1

2011-09-15T01:32:00.001+08:00

After spending a week in Melbourne, we made our way to Tasmania via JetStar. I was dozing off in the plane when I woke up to the view of the great ocean where everything and everywhere was just so blue. When the plane made a sharp turn onto this island, I saw a glimpse of the runway which faced the sea! That scared me a bit because it was okay for us to land into the island but when we leave the island, the plane would have to make its' way up before the runway ends and that will take a lot of pilot skills!

HOBART

We took a car around Hobart and headed for our hotel. Along the way we absorbed the view which was a contrast to what we saw in Melbourne. The green hills, houses on those green hills, the sheeps grazing in the field and the sea. This was my kind of place. I've always loved the countryside compared to the city and I had a feeling I'd love Tasmania just by seeing the view.

The people here are more laidback and friendlier. They seem to be able to spot tourists as the community is quite small here. Most of the people who live here either have their own farm, vineyard or local businesses. We took a quick breakfast stop in McDonalds Cafe where I ordered the pancakes and it turned out to be huge portion enough for 2 person. It was also slightly different than the one back home where the serve cappucino, espresso and latte.

The hills are alive with homes...!

The bridge leading us into Hobart.

The biggest pancakes I've ever seen in a McDonalds Cafe.

BRIGHTON
We stayed at this little inn in Brighton which looked like a motel from one of those movies. But the inside was quite lovely and we had adjoining rooms so that we could peek at each other whenever we wanted. Hehe. Although we'll only be staying here for 2 nights and 3 days, we plan to maximize these days with all the sights and for this trip I don't have a specific itinerary so I'm relying on what Michelle has in store for us. Based on the Melbourne trip, I know we're not going to end up in boring places. :)

There's no need to fight for parking.

I've always loved huge beds.

BONORONG WILDLIFE PARK

After a quick unpacking and freshening up, we headed up the hills and discovered the Bonorong Wildlife Park. I thought we were going to be sitting in a park with a picnic basket but this was much cooler! The word Bonorong actually means injured & orphaned wildlife in Aboriginal meaning and I suspect most of these animals were in need of a good home. They don't call themselves a zoo by the way, but more of a shelter for these animals.

We entered the massive ranch and made our way to the left where a peacock appeared out of nowhere flocking her colouful feathers in grandiuer. Then there was the Tasmanian Devils who were running in and out of their home chasing each other as though they're playing a game of 'tag'. Just like the Tasmanian Devil cartoon, they have very sharp teeth, sharp enough to bite my hand off if I wasn't careful. Unlike the cartoon, they're black in colour with a patch of white underneath their necks and they look very cute. The ranger had one propped on his shoulder but we never touched the fella for fear of being bitten.

I finally got to meet the Koala Bear! After walking around in Melbourne trying to get a glimpse of either a Koala or a Kangaroo this was the best pit stop for me. Koala's spend most of their time sleeping and there was even a Do Not Disturb sign on one cage signaling us to be quiet as we passed its' cage. However we were lucky because the ranger decided to bring one out and we got to touch him. I got to touch him and he felt so furry and soft! He didn't seem to mind being patted or touched and just continued to sleep not caring about us or anyone in the world.

As we walked along, I notice this fence which said 'please keep fence closed' and I was curious so I opened the fence to see what was on the other side. The view was an amazing one. The fence led us to a very large open space for Kangaroos! There they were sitting underneath the trees, hopping about very freely and us standing there not really sure what to expect next. But since we were given a bag of nuts each when we entered the park, we used them to feed the roos and it was quite fun. I was afraid at first because some of them were taller than me and when they stood upright, I had to take a step back for fear of them kicking me accidentally. They would make good boxers you know. I had the kangaroos eating from my palm which was something that I never expected to be doing. But it was the most fun I've ever had in Australia so far.

This of course is not the end of my Tasmania travels. :)

Finally we get to meet some wildlife residents!

Tasmanian Devil with his proud pose.

Meet more residents of Bonorong Wildlife Park.

How Malaysian Are You?

2011-09-14T11:11:00.002+08:00

I saw this from a friend of mine on Facebook today and decided to take the quiz. Recently I asked my fellow friends "How much do they actually know about Malaysia" and most responded with a casual

"Yes I know where to take my friends for shopping"
"The best food is the nasi lemak"
"I slept while I was in history class in primary school"
"Who is Tun Teja again?"
"This is our 5th Prime Minister of Malaysia"
"Don't really know much about the past but I know quite a lot about the future."

It's such a shame if we as Malaysians can't even remember a little bit about our history especially how Malaysia had earned its' Independence Day. Heck it's the least we can do for her, to understand how she came about since we've been living on her land for years.

But if you're Malaysian, you would already have known that we are a diversified bunch with many roots, culture, languages all living under one roof. It can get pretty crowded but without one another, our home feels quite empty and mundane don't you think?

I love Malaysia and have always will and will always do. The thought of abandoning her never came to mind regardless of the political, economy, social situation. This is still my home.

Try out the quiz and see how Malaysian are you! I scored 90%! Not bad eh? But it doesn't stop me here from learning more about my home. Let me know how you fared in the test! I'm quite curious.

Click here!
I just took ChurpChurp How Malaysian Are You Quiz and I'm 90% Malaysian! Take the quiz to see How Malaysian Are You.

It's the Final 30 Countdown!

2011-09-09T19:36:00.022+08:00

It's such a good day today. Especially as I had eagerly waited for the Final 30 results of the MySelangorStory competition via Twitter & Facebook. I didn't even know they were going to announce it today because from the Twitter & FB timeline it seems they were trying to keep the momentum & suspense by teasing us with an announcement and then retracting it seconds later.

Don't you just hate it when that happens? Haha.

When the first batch was announced, I skimmed through and didn't see my name but it was okay because I thought even if I didnt make it to the Final 30, I was happy that I pushed myself to try this even though I may be older than most of them (ack...!).

Then the announcement for the second batch came and I saw my name and I started stomping my feet excitedly but because... because.. because.. I was in the office. So this was how I expressed my delight when I found out that I would be in the Final Top 30 of #MSS 2011...

It's like a tiny kitten meowing but with no voice! Hehe. You can see the mouth open wide screaming for joy but there's no voice. Yeay. Later on before I was driving home, I did a little jiggy dance in the carpark. Luckily there were no audience!

Thank you to everyone who voted... I just decided to enter this competition out of fun because I love promoting Malaysia (my country) and Selangor (where I live) and it's always good to uncover new places everyday or every weekend.

I think the tour happens end of the month with 29 other contestants from Indonesia & Singapore. I can't wait to meet & make new friends and we've been spying on each others' blogs & writings since this started. Hehe.. Hey it's always good to eye the competition.. that's where you learn the most and I can't wait to learn and explore!

Here's a list of the #MSS 2011 Final 30 participants! You should check out these talented people whom I think will be tough competitor (for me! yikes!) but I don't mind spreading the love! Sharing is caring after all... Congrats Everyone! :) Oh but let me know if there are links which are incorrect and there were some that I wasn't able to detect! Give me a buzz on your blog!

#1 Danial Hermawan - Life is a Book
#2 Dwi Andi Listiawan - Tourism and Cultural Ambassador of Yogyakarta
#3 Hafiz Rashidi Ramli - That's the Thing
#4 Hijrah Saputra - Piyoh! Dan Daerah Di Sekitarnya
#5 Zarah Naumal - JARDNESS.com
#6 Arietta Olivya Ohmar - Livya's Weblog
#7 Low Hon Wai - Paradox of Life
#8 Pamela Lim - Pumpkin's Pitch
#9 Chakkiyath Rosemarie John - Travel and Beyond
#10 Shahrul Hairy Shahruddin -Shahrul Shahruddin Daily Diary
#11 Suzan Oktaria - Jurnal Suzannita
#12 Yafieda Md Jamil (hey this is me!) - Bit by the Travel Bug
#13 Chen Tian Chad - "Look at the brightsite, my site!"
#14 Andi Kusmianto - Lick Andi!
#15 Shaleh Muhammad Drehem - Shaleh Drehem
#16 Muhammad Firdaus Hasmuni - FeeqSays
#17 Nurhanis Kamis - Hxnis.com
#18 Siti Syahida Mohd Yasin - Aku Anak Malaysia Merdeka
#19 Ester Yuliyanti - Grace Alone
#20 Rizma Adlia Syakurah - The Joy of Being Ma
#21 Andi Gita Fitri Martasiyah Dala - A Dream of an Amateur Writer
#22 Helga Indra Rumana - HaloGaga
#23 Mohd Zaid Othman - Aku Cuma Insan Biasa
#24 Fadhlul Fahmi - From Banda Aceh with Coffee
#25 Ridha Yusardi - Ridha Yusardi's Blog

I've made a quick thank you video and a note from Bit by the Travel Bug for #MSS2011... Check it out (it only lasts like 10s I think). Cheers!