Saturday, July 30, 2011

Perth Part III

From previous post, it was visit to Pinnacle Dessert, Cervantes. After the dusk, we needed to have one night stay in Toodyay, Western Australia due to booking made. Unfortunately, Ms. A did all the driving since I was contactless and visibility was a major issue. It was total darkness, no street light at all. Oh my, the night driving was even worse. Fast flying insects were coming to us, attracted to the car's light, crashing themselves and judging by Ms.A way of driving up to 140km/h, the sound of the poor animals body splattered on the windscreen was quite horror. The car outer body was in a total mess.Add Image


We got lost on our way again. I was tired and slept some minutes. The only thing I could do besides listening to Ms.A cursing on the damned GPS's misleading instruction was to feel sorry for her, for being hopeless. There was no Tomyam stalls at all in this foreign land for us to stop by asking the direction. It was a long drive, almost 240 km of journey.I think we were cursed.


The only highlight of the night was this full moon, big and round, coming near from the hilly part of the freeway, somewhere around Gingham. Big and beautiful, never in my life I could see this phenomenon cause Aussie lies in the southern hemisphere so I thought all the position made the moon to be like that....


So we arrived safely at the homestay after some instruction by the friendly police man. The night was chilly enough, almost 10 degrees and I could listen to the owner's dogs barking outside before I lulled to sleep. Slept couples of hours and woke up exactly at 6 am. The sun ray coming from the window was bright enough to wake me, as usual like I had in Kota Kinabalu Sabah...

Our chalet... very nice!


The breakfast provided...some i bought at the baker shop, kebuluq tak hengat!


This pantry reminded me those days kat army quarters... i menyorok dalam ni takut kat mak yang tengah hot!

The house is so spacious, it can fit like 10 people including the beds, good value for AUD90/night


Amber, the dog who followed me, pagi pagi dah menunggu aku keluar!

Amber and the pony, Max...I love them very much.....

Saying goodbye to Angela, the owner.. she has been in Malaysia 9 years ago....

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

First Langkawi Visit Part II

Boat Ride (Island Hopping)

Aye captain, to no man 's have gone before




I think that was the best trip ever for exploring our Malaysian jungle. We had this boat ride (project & TPM) and ours was the liviest one, i guess. The boys would moved front and back, happily as if they never had a boat ride before and luckily it didnt capsize.

The first place was the Gua Klawar. Bats were hanging at the cave wall and the smell of guano filled the dampened air.

The tourist guide brought us to this mangrove place. Boy, I was amazed how it look so cool but it did serve many purposes. Monkeys were playing at the top of trees, as if they knew we are going to take load of photos, but unfortunately i already deleted mine.

Out from the cave to Mangrove Trees...



So we continue our journey to a fishing farm where they were many unique species of fish. One of them was this sharp shooting kind where you stick banana pieces on this wooden pole, and the fish could just spit directly to these tiny pieces , where they would fall down into the water. Cool huh!

There were barracudas, friendly sting rays that fed from people's hand by opening itheir big mouth and lot of fish that fought with each other for food. Hmm..... I began to see stingray as a potential pet since it looked quite cute! With mixed feeling of hopelessness and pity (still deciding to eat stingray or not to eat since ikan pari bakar is my favourite) , we left for another sight seeing place.




Duhh.. wish that I had longer optical lense..






Amazing site, and amazing birds. That what Langkawi is named for, eagles (Helang) as they were many of them and busily flying across the river looking for food. It was such a beautiful sight and never in my life I could see more than one (it was about 10-20 of them), so I did feel so excited. That was quite funny and ironic at the same time, of not being able to find any souvenir that resembles this bird (apart from those cheap looking t-shirt or kain batik) . After a short stop at this remote island (not sure of the name since langkawi got hundred of tiny island), we went back to hotel for a lunch,with a feeling that this was the best trip ever and I shall return again someday .


Hurry up... we are going to miss our ride, boys...


For the past two days (minus the bus journey) I think this is the best thing that happened during our stay in Langkawi. No doubt that there were many other activities such as jet skiing, banana boat riding, but in every places that you go, there must be some special or unique things that couldnt be found in any other places.

Another unforgettable moment was finding myself , chilling out at the beach with my favourite drink, alone like I always did back in Penang. Though stars never seemed to appear that night, the soft background music filled the breezy air and soft candle light in coconut shells along the pathway did make the place to look so peaceful. I wished that someone would be beside me ......heheheheheh. Yeah, it is kinda nostalgic thing and I definitely will come back for more...


The author and the ferry... time to go home


First Langkawi Visit Part I

Mr.Cheong, our CTO, still in R&D mood...





So, after waiting for almost a year, this is the getaway that most people talked about - company trip. We left Subang at 10.00 pm , heading towards Kuala Perlis, before boarding for a ferry ride to the legendary Langkawi Island. I never have the chance to visit the place, so this is the opportunity that shouldn't be missed for people like me (free stay, free food and free holiday, yippee).

Boys will always be boys!!!!





We arrived in wet attire, it was drizzling raining day but we still had to visit a few places like Dataran Helang, minyak gamat factory and Makam Mahsuri. I wished that we can just check into our hotel rooms for a fresh shower and I could just recharge my dying battery or else no picture!








So that was quite nice of knowing we mass produced gamat oil for oilment and other. Huhu, if you a "real" man, then no need any potion for making you good in bed, nyeh nyeh....




Dataran Lang in Raining Moonsoon.

What i can say, Dr.M perhaps spent millions to make this place as a tourist spot. I wonder this Dataran Helang really had this island myth. They said sometimes it turns into a real bird at nite Whoa... creepy.




And i thought that's it. The tourist guide mentioned that we were going to have lunch in Restoran Kampung Siam, then to Underwater World and the most awaiting time for ladies, duty free shopping!.


This aint a colouring contest!


There were more challets, hotels, beach resorts, as we headed to our beach resort and it makes Langkawi to be a a fast growing tourist attraction. Talk about commercialisation, this is the best place to study tourism, not eco type one of course! You can see people still flock this place despite the high number of people polluting this island, sad to say, these idiots still dont know how to throw rubbish properly!


View from my room! Did it look so romantic?


We finally checked in around 4 something, with our bag and shopping bag, of course. It was a big relief to find out how spacious our room was. I was sharing with Usun, and we have this balcony which I would be able to smoke my cuban cigars! So cheap maa..cannot resist buying that thing...

Anyway after that sumptious buffet dinner and karaoke activity (we saw more Andy Lau, Arron Kwok or Sandy Lam than Awie or Ziana) , I dozed off to sleep for next day activity which would be Island Hopping! Till the next episode!

Fireflies @ Kampung Kuantan, Kuala Selangor

I dedicate this post to Mr. Apollo from Philipines. During the Q&A section, he came forward asking the director, on how Kuantan Municipal Council wanted to develop the swamp area in Tanjung Lumpur as a tourist spot? It was a shock to me when he mentioned Fireflies Attraction in Kampung Kuantan, Kuala Selangor for comparison. Bila masa plak dia ni mai backyard rumah aku ni? It was amazing that Mr.Apollo used to come to Malaysia, and he totally in love with this spot.



The sampan guy apart being beefy, macho and friendly, sang them all in Tagalog. Ahhahahahah. Patutla Apollo dok teringat.....who says my house backyard is just a backyard? Sometimes the hidden treasure is there to explore...



It is just my backyard, why not? 15 minutes of journey and I have no toll to pay.




One of the attractions in Kuala Selangor is fireflies spot in Kampung Kuantan, couples of kilometre from the town itself. It is known, if not mistaken, only two spots in this world have such species and proud to say one of them is just in my area. Very rare huh?

Kampung Kuantan besides having this glittering wonder, ironically situated near to Subang Terminal Three Airport, the hub for another national low air fare carrier, Fireflyz.. hehehhehehhehe. So you can see some bigger "flies" too, especially at night.




To ride a boat, or we called it "sampan", you need to have a maximum of 4 person for the price of RM40. I would recommend you to come a little bit earlier, around 6 pm, due to many tourist busses arrive within the same time. Or else, a long waiting line for tickets and some mosquito bites during dusk is not desirable, isn't it?




Apart from the jetty and the souvenir shop, there is a mosque for prayer, food stalls and a playground for kids nearby.









Flash for camera is prohibited and I am not sure whether those type with super sensitive to low light can do wonders capturing this magical moment? Never try before. but if you are too frustrated with the image, I suggest you to visit I-City in Shah Alam ahahhahahahahhaah.





Kampung Kuantan, at dusk.




All images were taken using Olympus ยต-550WP Tough Series.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

A Whole New Look

New bunch of friends from some countries



I need to separate some content of my previous blog.

The reason? Some new found friends around this world wanted to read my travel stories, so I have to do it....






So by doing this, I can promote Malaysia as one of the best place to visit apart frommany places... sokong industri pelancongan negara.... nyeh nyeh nyeh....



I will be doing some cosmetic touch up, rearranging my previous post and many more to come.... banyak tak update trip lagi ni. Pelan-pelan kayuh. Byk masa nanti....



On the other hand, I am looking forward to upcoming Vietnam/Bangkok Getaway December 2011 and Korea- Jeju Trip (Spring 2012). Salah satu angan tak sudah, memasuki North Korea through DMZ...huhu, kalau boleh......



Oleh kerana kursus MTCP baru baru ini akan menyebabkan kemusnahan wang simpanan yang serius, kad kredit atau mana mana sumber kewangan, maka perlulah ditimbang tara secara berhati hati kali ini.



Panggilan Encik Ali Ashirov dari KLIA sebelum beliau berangkat pulang pagi tadi sangat mengujakan....



"Min, I wanna see you in Tashkent sooner, and both of us to Moscow yeah."
Sungguh tempting sekali, bak cerita spy James Bond ahahhahahaha....insya allah aku sampai!


Recent rewang-rewang................




Universal Studios, Singapore.






Daily Pass @ Club Med, Cherating



Tawau, Sabah

Stay tune!






Bak koleksi lense aku, pelan-pelan kayuh!

Post Party @ PD

Lepas abes event, conpem la ada post party, right? Haruslah kan.... tader glam sangat pun. Antara staf-staf perempuan yang sudi bertandang. Pool party. Memang happening. Banyak water games kitaorang main, tapi sorry la aku tak dapat tunjuk. Menghormati staf-staf aku yang sangat menjaga aurat mereka. So, like promised, aku upload gambar bilik hotel kami dan kawasan persekitaran untuk rujukan korang mencari tempat next time....








Molly dan Bavani datang bertandang






Kasut selut-selut aku punya...







Pool view




Model pool tak berbayar. Budak kecik ni terpaksa ikut....




Pemandangan pool sebelah malam



Pemandangan bilik





TV LCD 32 inci. Dalam siap ada mini bar dan juga DVD player



Bilik Mandi/ powder room. Got 2 bathrobe, 2 towels, and 2 lovely umbrellas.




Suka toiletries dia.... Yang Best, sabun Serai Wangi dari Tanamera.




Pemandangan Lobby Hotel. Buggy car provided to load guest to their rooms




Lepak Lobby. Ni lobby hotel adik-beradik Legend Water Chalet, sementara menunggu depa main to check in. Bezanya, water chalet dilengkapi dengan private pool.




Hotel Lobby International Water Homes




Pemandangan di Pool luar Yang Menarik






Jalan-jalan xplore bilik-bilik atas air . Buggy car disediakan for loading.





Bilik kami downgrade dari Sky Pool Villa ke Grand Garden Villa sebab satu staf tarik diri nak check-in. Harga without tax sekitar RM535, cukupla ikut peruntukan claim kan? Facilities memang banyak. X sempat nak explore, ada gym, sauna, padang futsal pasir, spa centre, wifi connection, standard 5 star. Duduk satu malam tak cukup dek non. Nak pun 2 malam jadi la....



So far, sangat puas hati! Masa aku tengah upload ni, Azah call, merajuk sebab tak ajak. Next time kita pegi ya, ajak kenkawan baek buat private pool party.