Getaway in Terengganu

Local holiday again, this time to Terengganu. Decided to try FireFly airline this time. Very convenient for me, as it is in Subang airport. Just 15 minutes from my apartment.

Fly High! Proudly sponsored by SP Setia

Destination is YTL's Tanjong Jara Resort. It is between Kuala Terengganu and Kerteh (where all the petroleum refineries are). From Sultan Mahmud airport, it is about 1 hour to get to the hotel.

As with all YTL resorts, there are some familiar touches reminiscent of Pangkor Laut. Lots of leafy trees, wooden architecture, lavish bathrooms, thoughtfully placed decor items etc. Tanjong Jara is smaller in size compared to Pangkor laut but almost as comfy. A facility to wash your feet to avoid sand getting into your room, umbrellas in your cupboard for a rainy day, bath salts for your bath tub, 2 sinks, ceiling fan + air conditioning, the list goes on and on...

Freshly house kept whilst you are out for dinner

Double sink, and a dressing table!

Bathtub!

A water pot with water to wash your sandy feet before entering your room.

We went during Hari Raya period, so as a welcome treat, they gave us a box of Dodol sweets. There was also an open 'tent' where they served Hari Raya goodies like keropok lekor, Nasi Minyak, Rendang Tok etc.

The card looks handwritten too. That's a nice personal touch.

Decorative shelf in your room. Wine sold separately.

I was worried this place may be boring for kids, but I was wrong. The hotel manager got a trained monkey and handler to help pluck young juicy coconuts from the trees around the hotel. The fallen fruit is chopped up and straws placed inside and served to you on the spot. That was really fun for the young kids to see.

There are also lots of animals in the resort. We saw squirrels, iguanas, monkeys, many kinds of birds. Heck, I didn't know iguanas climb trees, but I saw one do so at the resort.

Hammock anyone?

The sand on this beach is quite rough, but the beach and water is clean. We saw schools of colourful fish swimming really close to shore. The beach is private, in a bay. So no other people crowd the beach. I flew a kite for the first time in years, and totally crashed. My cousin had to teach me again how to fly it. I got the hang of it in the end. Also made sand castles as well. Got tanned after doing this.

Sunset beach

The package we got is a full board package with 2 spa sessions each. The food here is above average. There is a credit limit, but you will never hit it. The main restaurant (Di Atas Sungei) has a different concept. A Menu Master staff comes over to your table to ask you what you'd like to eat. If you say fish, she will recommend the cooking style for you. This is somewhat like Chinese restaurant style, but in a Malay setting. The breakfast is also served here.

A morning view above the river (Di Atas Sungei)

There are also 2 different pools provided. One is for general adults and children. This one has a portion for jacuzzi jets, and the pool floor is shallow and shaped like a reclining chair! You can lie down with support for your back and knees... how cool is that!



There are also fish ponds with some tortoises by the reception. Kids can get free fish food to feed the fish. Alternatively, knick some bread from the breakfast table and feed the tortoises.

Gardenia, so good you can event feed tortoises

We had a very special outing in Terengganu. We managed to release baby turtles to the sea, see them hatch from the ground, and also catch a mother dig its nest and lay eggs! This was a real experience, and I've not tried this before. We are very lucky to be able to witness all of the different turtle activities. At this time, it is the end of the egg laying season, so much fewer turtles come on shore. It was no easy task to wait for the turtle to lay its eggs. We left the hotel at 9pm and returned at 3:30am! Some kids that joined us couldn't stay awake, but most of us made it. Turtles are indeed a special kind of creature. We managed to see green turtle during our trip. The more iconic black leatherbacks have all but gone from Malaysia. But we are still very thankful for what we did see during our outing.

Look at them go! All the best little ones...

The babies are attracted to light. Our guide showed us how they followed the torch.

It's climbing on my hand! So cute!

The spa sessions were really good too. I think the masseurs were very skilled, but the oil and tea drinks at Pangkor Laut are still better. In Tanjong Jara they specialise in Malay style massage. Again, I surprise myself because I really enjoyed the massage. Never really had these before, but the 1 hour flew by before I knew it. They also give you a pretty sarong after you're done with your session.

Lack of staff due to the holiday season resulted in long waiting times at the restaurants. But besides this, not much complaints. We also played tennis, and I went to a gym. So we were quite activity filled throughout.

I did not manage to try snorkelling at Pulau Tenggol (off the resort beach). I hope to try this one day. There are also boat cruises, waterfall excursions, cooking classes, visits to local markets as optional chargeable activities you may opt for.

I will be sure to try coming back to this place soon.

Happy memories at Tanjong Jara.

Bali Hai.... Bali Hai

Some months ago, some of my colleagues invited me to join them on a trip to Bali, Indonesia. Since I love travelling, I said "Count me in".

We didn't count on the Swine Flu now permeating all corners of the globe. Indonesia however has not officially declared that it has any confirmed cases of the disease. Well, whether this is knowingly true or not, only God knows I guess.

So just to be safe, I donned a face mask in KL's LCCT and in the plane going to Bali.



So Bali is known as "the ultimate island". It's got nice beaches and seas, hills and volcanoes, and remains largely rural. The busy tourism business however makes the locals quite globalised: many Balinese are multi lingual, know the value of foreign currency in relation to their own, and lots have satelite tv.

Here is my room mate buddy, Chien Hui with me at Kintomani, a hill area close to the Bali volcano. I am doing a "kawaii" pose. Don't I look charming?



Here's June, our other travelling mate. She thought she looked kawaii enough by herself.


For the most part, Malaysians need to be aware that Bali is more expensive than Malaysia. A simple lunch of rice at a roadside stall can easily cost you US$1.50 (more than RM5.00). Back home, a similar plate of rice costs RM3.50 or RM4.00. To save costs, I highly suggest you stay at Legian or Kuta, which, while being the more touristy area of Bali, is also very centrally located on the island.

We did take a trip up north, to Lovina Beach, which is famous for its dolphins and black sand. However, the statue erected on the beach, is unlike any images of dolphins I am familiar with. They look rather beastly and frightening instead.

I aM tHe FRieNdLY DoLPhiN oF BALI!

No Bali trip will be complete without enjoying some fun on the beach. Here are my two smiley friends on an inflatable raft called "Big Mabel". This raft is dragged across the water by speedboat. We also spent some time snorkelling and diving. All this was done in Nusa Dua, south Bali.

We are lucky June had an underwater casing for her camera. We had some fun taking shots like the ones below.




We also had our first taste of Balinese food, called "bakso". Basically it is pork or beef mixed with flour to form meat balls. We must have been a bit unlucky, because the one we tried was not good at all. But we had other food which was okay, so that's fine... can't be roses all the time right?


One of our visits was to an art factory. In there, there was a piece I absolutely fell in love with: a painting of golden padi fields with some farmers. I am told it is done by a famous artist and is a limited edition piece. The asking price? US$100... which was out of my budget. I do pine for it sometimes... At least I have this digital photo for a keepsake.

So beautifully simple and stunning

We went to other places as well, like Hard Rock in Kuta. This hotel is really pretty. The bar has a raised stage in middle, the pool has an area with sand to simulate a beach, and the hotel walls are lined with electric guitars. Cool, cool, cool.


We spent 5 nights in Bali, blew our spending budget out of the water, two of us had slight fever (gasp!), but all in all, it was a nice trip. I may think of coming back here again in the future.

Bali Hai... Bali Hai...

Pavarotti and Pangkor Laut

Back from work... quite tired, but thought i would type a little blog post of my Pangkor Laut trip. Heaven knows I enjoyed it lots. Only fair that I give it some blog space.

The opera tenor Pavarotti once visited this island more than 10 years ago. He declared it one of the most beautiful place on earth. He gave a very exclusive performance to a handful of VIPs during Tan Sri Francis Yeoh's official opening that time.

Cousin Vivian and young An-An boarding the plane.

Went via Berjaya Air to Pangkor Island first. It was a modest plane, but highly convenient because it left from Subang Airport instead of KLIA or LCCT. Then onto a ferry to the exclusive Pangkor Laut island. It is wholly owned by YTL Corporation and only has 1 hotel. One of the world's best spa resorts and small luxury hotels.

This is a special hotel indeed!

Comfy bed and room

I cannot do justice to the beauty of the place no matter how many photos I place on the blog. I just want to say, if you ever have the chance to honeymoon or just relax at this place, you will love it to bits. Incredibly well maintained, never overcrowded, excellent dining and recreation options... *sigh* just a fantastic place to stay and let your worries slip away.

my humble attempt to create a romantic photograph for my folks :)

A night shot from the island jetty of the hotel.

The beautiful infinity edged pool just beside the sandy beach.

Such a lovely setup at the spa village

I had a massage for the first time in my life. It was included in the package for this holiday. It was bliss. The spa "village" is away from the main hotel area. Quiet and peaceful, only spa guests may enter the village.

I was told to change into a sarong, and sarong only. I was quite self conscious of course due to my skinny physique hahaha! No cameras allowed, so no photos from me... sorry about that. A personal spa attendant will lead you all the way through your spa session. Mine was a young lady from Bali. Then had a brief foot massage first, before a spray of ice cold water on my body and a wading pool session. The pool was also cold water, then I was told by told to wade across the pool. Oh dear I thought, but I did it anyway. Then walked up to a small landing area with 4 steaming columns of aromatherapy steam. "Breath in each one slowly, and relax", she says. They smelt divine.

Then was a bath session. Old fashioned malay style, with a 'cedok' (small scoop), more aromatherapy toiletries and warm water. I forgot how refreshing this kind of bath was, and enjoyed it immensely. They had a very interesting banana shampoo too.

Then was a body scrub session. This was quite an eye opener to me too. I was covered in some exfoliating paste, rubbed down, then had warm water splashed on me till I was squeaky clean. Then came a short session for warm ginger tea. I was left to drink and relax for a few minutes.

Then the main event, my Balinese massage. I was lead to a massage room, with soft lighting and Enya music in the background. I chose one of three massage oils, and was rubbed down with "Medium" strength. I was ticklish in some parts, and tried my best to control myself. My attendant was so good. I really felt relieved and relaxed. The massage was almost 40 minutes, and she did my whole body. Oh my goodness... how I miss it!

every night, they give you a fresh aromatherapy candle in your room!

All around the place you can see how YTL cares for the establishment. Amongst the daily routine of the hotel staff:

• Fresh flower petals are laid near decorative jars around the hotel.
• The sand in all ash trays are pressed with a decorative motif
• All decor are gently dusted and cleaned... even the big pots that are used to stored umbrellas!
• All guest rooms are cleaned only during breakfast time when the guests are NOT IN THE ROOM so that you are not disturbed
• The beautiful bath tub in the room is provided with bath salts
• A fresh fruit is provided to your room everyday: mango, papaya, apples
• When you are out for dinner, the staff come to your room, turn on the dim lights, and set the air con to low, turn on the classical music radio station, so that when you return you arrive in a confortable, welcoming room for rest!
  

look at this gorgeous bathtub!

When I get hitched, I am going back to this place for sure!

Back from Australia

Got back from Oz a week and a half ago. Went to Sydney & Canberra during the Hari Raya break. Had a tonne of work to do before I left, and it was in a sorry state of organisation when I departed from the office.



Anyhow, I had planned this holiday and gave up front notice 2 months in advance. Yet somehow, I am still roped into help with a new, fast paced project on the eve of my holiday. Work in my organisation is sapping my strength and spirits at time. Did not even get into a holiday mindset when I left. Although you have all the well-meaning "don't think too much about work" talk from the colleagues, you know in your heart it will not be possible.



Well, instead of dwelling on spilt milk... Oz was a good trip. Sydney is a truly beautiful city full of activity. Darling Harbour, Sydney Tower, the many parks, the Sydney Fish Market are all great places to visit. Canberra is akin to Malaysia's Putrajaya, which means its really dead in the evening. But the new and old buildings are well maintained, signage is obvious and informative, parks are well managed. This is the season of spring, and the weather is sunny with cool breezes.



The food portions, are well, not all it is cracked up to be. Maybe holidaying increases your appetite, but I managed to finish all the regular Aussie portions of food with no sweat. Think that inflation plays a role. The Aussie dollar in Oz is stronger than US Dollar when I was there. But the greens are so fresh and tasty, and the meats are juicy. The cooking only lightly flavours the food, which is very healthy and I love this style of cooking. Malaysian food tastes great, but to be honest, it is not healthy at all. Coconut cream, ghee, lard.... you guys know what I mean *wink wink*. Also love the many gelato stalls all around. My favourite flavours are still Rum Raisin and Macadamia Caramel.



Locals are a little unfriendly at times, except when you are doing business with them. Case in point... I asked a waitress of a cafe for directions, and she looked at me like she was reading a quantum physics textbook. My question seemed to cause her a headache, because her eyes narrowed, the brow furrowed and other signs of discomfort showed. The truly warm people are the ones in the tourist attractions or in hospitality service.



I really love the smaller towns too... I passed by Dickson and also Wollongoong and Katoomba. The lifestyle is slower than the bigger towns, but the places are so beautiful. They are all by the blue blue sea, and being there just makes you feel so refreshed. Passing by all the quaint and curious shops, watching kids play in the park, oggling and surfer chicks heheheh. What I wouldn't give to have a place in one of these towns.

Isn't Wollongong beautiful?

As I sigh a wantful sigh, here I am back in the thick of work. Till the next holiday!