Langkawi Island

Our last trip to Langkawi was kinda unplanned. It was not in our travel radar for this year but we kinda made last minute plans with my in laws. Since we didn’t have anything planned in May, we agreed to go. I did some comparison between MAS and AirAsia and to my surprise, ticket prices for MAS to Langkawi is very competitive. So, MAS it was. But before that, I tried to book our seats through their call centre as it cannot be done online. It was REALLY difficult getting thru, to my dismay I had to make numerous calls (okay it was 3 calls) to get it done. Different person answering the phone were giving different answers / solutions. What I don’t get is that when u travel with an infant with MAS, you’re kinda forced to take the bassinet, even if u don’t want to. To me, passangers should be given a choice as not all babies like to be in a bassinet, like our Q for instance. She would rather sit on my lap than sleeping in the bassinet. We got it solved at the airport when we checked in our luggage. 

Our inbound flight was a new aircraft, im not sure which model. But it had tv screens even in the economy section! The new cabin lightings were quite exclusive with different moods. Take-off and landing was not that smooth, I wonder if it’s a pilot in training.

I booked the Langkawi Seaview Hotel, where we stayed last year. The newly renovated room was pretty nice.. It was clean and spacious and the bed was comfortable. Breakfast has also improved a lot. The last time I stayed here breakfast was terrible. Nasi Lemak was quite delish and Q loved the porridge.

newly renovated room

Since I’ve been to most of Langkawi’s attractions, I was not that much excited to go sightseeing. The weather in Langkawi in early May was HOT. Blistering hot.. We went to the Bird’s Paradise and Wild Life Park anyway for the kids to have fun with the animals. Upon entry the staff will request to take pictures of you. If u don’t intend to buy the overpriced framed pictures at the exit point, do not waste ur time and skip the process. The Bird’s paradise is recommended for kids. Don’t forget to buy animal feed upon entering the park. Other attractions can be referred to this website http://www.langkawi-info.com/attractions/10-things-to-see.htm. The list differs from the one in trip advisor though. 

 

Our trip this time is a bit adventurous I would say. We went to the Telaga Tujuh Waterfalls and did island hopping to Pulau Beras Basah and Pulau Dayang Bunting. To get to the Telaga Tujuh Waterfall is quite very challenging. It involves climbing steep flight of stairs to get to the site. But it felt really good since it was a really long time since I last did any climbing. The waterfall are itself to me is quite small, so go on a weekday to avoid the crowd. 

However, the highlight of the trip was the island hopping. Man, it was the adventure of my life, in a bad way. I’ve taken so many boat rides before, but this was the WORST, EVER. It was unlucky for us to do the island hopping activity at this time cos it was not the right season at the Andaman Sea. The current was really strong probably because of the wind. I know for a fact that it’s the rainy season in Thailand, but it is a hot season for us.  The journey to Pulau Beras Basah was not so bad as it was sheltered by several small islands. Pulau Beras Basah beach has nice powdery white sand, it’s a shame we were not able to swim at the beach as the waves were high and strong. After one hour , we departed to the next island – Pulau Dayang Bunting.

Eagle Feeding on the way to Beras Basah Island

the resort was closed down

u can see the white waves from afar - its really choppy out there. that's the open sea (Andaman Sea). 

The boat ride to Pulau Dayang Bunting was really rough as we had pass through the open sea  - needless to say it was a VERY bumpy ride. At one point, our speed boat almost tipped over (FOR REAL), the waves were 3 meter high – I was shivering in my pants. Thank god that we managed to get back to the Jetty safely. I will not be able to forgive myself if anything happened to our Q.

I think it would be quite a while for us until we’ll be hopping on our next boat ride. I think I’ve lost it. I’ve always think of myself as a beach not so babe, but in this trip, part of the beach babe in me has died. I used to feel at one with the sea… Drama, haha. But seriously, I think I’m terrified thinking about the safety of our daughter. Even if we did go on a boat ride, it would have a been a thoroughly researched one.

Our next activity was shopping. Since Langkawi is a duty free island, it is a shopping heaven. Locals normally shop for table and kitchen wares, chocolates, cigarettes, perfumes and other duty free stuffs here. I was eyeing the limited edition Rayban Wayfarer – there was a 20% discount, but did not actually get it. A notable acquisition from the shopping trip was a pink Tefal wok which i got for RM75. As usual, can't resist Tefal, especially when its in pink. :P

I also would like to share a couple of places that we had dinner which is worth to try. Jai Island Cafe is one of the well known restaurants situated in Pekan (City) Kuah. It specialises on fusion cuisine with an affordable price. Do come early (before 8.00pm) as people will start coming after 8. However, do take note that it can be quite stuffy as there's no air-conditioning and limited fans. It would be best if u could sit by the river. Another worthy place to check out is the De Baron Bistro Cafe. It is very spacious with a lot of seating which is located by the sea and a cool place to hangout. There's a lot of food choices here ranging from asian to western. Best time would be during sunset as you can enjoy the view from the cafe.

De Baron Bistro Cafe

All in all it was an okay trip for us. Q enjoyed very much being with her cousins and that’s what mattered. On our way back home, we did talk on our next trip. Bandung or HCM maybe? We’ll see :P. 

On another note, we’ve secured our alternative destination to replace the now cancelled China Trip. I've read somewhere that the H7N9 flu is under control, but im not taking the risk. I’ve managed to get a refund on the hotel, but the flight fare is a lost case. Where to? Will reveal it after we come back :P. All I can say I’m psyched and keeping my fingers crossed hoping that everything will go smoothly. :) 

Still Alive

I have not said much about politics and the recent elections, but i just have to let this one out of my chest. I'm really happy that the general election is over-regardless of whatever the result was. I really hope that now everybody can just take a step back and just chill a bit. As a citizen, i really really appreciate that we were able to live in peace and carry on with our daily lives as we please and without any fear in our own country. and i pray hard that fellow citizens shares this value as well regardless on which side we are on. Full stop.

On another note, 2013 seems to me like not a good year to travel.. Why la, when i have all my travels planned out for the whole year up to early 2014.... With the bird flu and all, natural disasters etc. hmm. My china trip in June will have to be cancelled. I'm still mulling on whether should i cancel or should i postpone. I have a feeling that the bird flu thing is in for a long haul.

I can still recover the accomodation cost, but with regards to the tix, its a lost cause. I did enquire AA about this, but they said that, bird flu or not, their flights still runs as usual. So no refund or credit shell whatsoever. Kinda unfair, to me. I think its not a wise decision to risk ur health like this-especially when ur travelling with kids. I have learnt that, next time when u book ur tickets, DO NOT pre book ur seat, meals and luggage just yet. Wait until u are really sure that ur going on with the trip. Or otherwise, your hard earned moolah will just go to waste.

Since the captain has applied for leave, he insists that we still carry on with our plans with an alternative destination. We are still undecided. If its up to me, i would love to go on a snorkelling trip, but the captain hates being in the sun. and the sea. Argh... Hope we are able to make up our minds soon so that I we can start preparing the necessary. I'm not one to go on a trip unprepared, kiasu, i know :P

Our next trip later this week is to up north. This time we will be travelling with our extended family and hope everything will go smooth. I've started packing bit by bit since saturday to avoid last minute chaos. keeping my fingers crossed for an uneventful week in the office..!

Birthday / Weekend Getaway @ LMKL

Last weekend we decided to celebrate the Captain's birthday with a weekend getaway. After much considerations made, we picked Le Meridien KL as our destination. We got quite a reasonable rate on Agoda.com. Perhaps because of the school holidays, last weekend's hotel rates were quite high. We had actually zeroed out a few places but the LM's pool won us (me) over.

When we arrived at 4 pm, our room was not ready. I was quite disappointed but the wait was bearable because of the huge and comfy lobby with lots of seating space. Not long then our room was ready. The room was quite small for the price, but the view compensated that. We were located on the 22nd floor which gave us a clear view of the surrounding. We were able to see as far as the Berjaya Times Sq. Located opposite of the building is a new hotel called Aloft. It looked like a pretty cool hotel and i made a mental note to try out that hotel in the future. 

It rained heavily in the afternoon and we thought we did not have the chance to try out the pool. Luckily, the rain subsided at 6 pm and we quickly head down to the pool. The pool was reasonably big and it's landscape was designed such as you still can get your own privacy even though they were quite a number of ppl at one time. There is also a slide for bigger kids and a wading pool which Q loved very much as she is quite afraid of the deep waters. However just one problem is that the pool water was really really REALLY cold.. Even when it was sunny the next morning, it was still cold. So we can't really spend much time in the pool.. Perhaps because it is shaded by the building. However, it would be just perfect if u wanted to just lounge around the pool area and soak up the atmosphere.

pool time! yeay!

 

We had dinner at the Latest Recipe, one of the hotel's restaurant. It had a birthday promotion where there is a discount of 50% on the total bill if u dine with a birthday boy/ girl. FYI, this promo ended on 31st March 2013.  I was really excited to actually have dinner here as i have heard all the good things about it. Im especially excited about their japanese section. However, i was quite dissapointed to say that it was actually not as i expected. There were only minimal selection of Japanese cuisine - limited to a few types of sushi and and shashimi. I also do not have much to say about other sections. I think ive had better food at Concorde, Marriott Putrajaya and Pan Pac KLIA. 

After dinner, we decided to take a train ride to KLCC just to kill time. I had not taken the LRT for quite some time now. and i cant help but notice that the train was making really loud - rusty steel kinda noises which is actually quite scary. Q was also quite freaked out that she closed her eyes and covered her ears during the ride. The paranoid me cant help but thinking that a catastrophe could sooner or later happen if no proper maintenance is being done on our LRT systems. hmmm..

 

We arrived at KLCC at 10pm sharp and all the shops were closed :(  So, we went to hang out at the waterfront for a bit. Surprisingly, the place was still crowded with ppl just hanging out enjoying the night view. You can see all walks of life here and it is a good spot to do ppl watching :). Not long after that we head back to our hotel and get a good nights sleep as we were exhausted.

10 pm - still crowded

The next day we hang out at the pool again before saying goodbye to the place. All in all it was just an OK experience for us. But id have to say their customer service is top notch and the staffs are very helpful. I'm not sure if ill be coming back, but it was a good getaway for us nonetheless.

Happy Birthday Papa!

My Fav Hangout Places in Putrajaya / Cyberjaya

I consider myself living at the edge of the earth since its located really on the outskirt of the city.. However, thanks to MEX highway, i can reach the heart of the city within 30-40 mins. My fastest record would have been the 45 minutes drive to Mutiara Damansara via MEX-Kerinchi-Penchala Link :) However, on weekends when i dont feel like going into the city, i just love to hangout and chill at these places which are very near to my place. The most important criteria of the places that i choose to hangout that the place must be reasonably big/spacious and not that crowded with a comfortable ambiance where my daughter can do what she wants. I'm sharing the places with you so that u can check out these places whenever u happen to be in the area.


Shaftsbury Square

If i have to pick a favourite place, Shaftsbury Square has to be my #1. It is a residential and commercial property located in cyberjaya. i think the residential apartments are still in construction but the commercial area is already open to public. You can check the list of tenants here but among the outlets i frequent are starbucks, chatime, kenny rogers, ko hyang (korean) and the steamboat restaurant. There are also banks (hsbc, maybank, affin) and a farmacy (Guardian) here where u can stock up on ur essentials. the place is definitely packed on weekdays but at night and on weekends, u can have the place almost to urself. Cyberjaya is definitely growing fast and there are a few other aparments (including high end apartments) and malls which are in construction. It definitely has changed since i first set foot to the place 10 years ago.

shabu-shabu restaurant

Dataran Maybank

Dataran Maybank would be the place for me to hangout at night. It has a huge field which is well lit and the place is quite windy and comfortable. U can bring a ball and let ur kids roam freely on the field. Nowadays you can find a few kiosk selling drinks and tidbits but it closes quite early at 8/9 pm i think.. Recently it has been a popular place for wedding photography where newly wedded couples in their wedding outfit flock to the place every weekend..

 

Mangiamo Cafe

Mangiamo Cafe is located at the Putrajaya Equestrian Park. I found out about this cafe quite
some time ago, but again, only recently had the opportunity to actually go there. It has easily
become one of my favourite spots as the place is spacious, clean, has ample parking, not too
many ppl, food is delish and reasonably priced - 15% discount available for govt staffs (bring
ur IDs).  I would come back to this place anytime! it has an indoor area with a/c (important :)) 

And an outdoor area perfect to just chill in the afternoon. It is open daily at 7 am if im not
mistaken and they also serve breakfast. I was informed by the staffs that you can actually go
and look at the horses however im not sure if the stables are within walking distance..
You might have to drive a bit to get to see the horses.

 

Maritime Cafe 

Matitime Cafe is located in the Maritme Center which houses an indoor swimming pool and a water sports centre. It has been there for quite some time and i have been meaning to visit the place but only got to do so a couple of months ago. The best thing about this place is that its located by the lake and u can have a view of the lake and enjoy the breeze while having ur cup of coffee / tea. Food is delish and reasonably priced. However, one thing about this place is that service can be really slow when its packed. The management should do something to increase the number of their staffs or otherwise it can be really frustrating for the customers  to have to wait for quite sometime before being served. However, i would still come back to this place to enjoy the lake view. 

the compound

Starbucks Alamanda

This is the go to place if i happen to be in the area and had nowhere to go and had some work to finish off. I think this place need no more explanation, just the usual coffee place. Recently starbucks has opened 2 other outlets in cyberjaya and i love the one in shaftsbury sq as its comfy and not that crowded. But if u prefer a place where u can have the place to ur self it would be the Dome Cafe. it is at the far end of the mall and there are hardly anyone at the place at any time. I'm not sure how long the place can last but i dont think it will be missed if its gone. and owh, San Francisco coffee will opening its door in Alamanda very soon.. Cant wait!  

self explanatory

starbucks drive thru cyberjaya

San Francisco Coffee. soon. yeay!

Inang Park Putrajaya

There are a lot of parks at putrajaya. But i especially pick this one as i think it is less popular than the other ones.. If you come early perhaps at 4pm ish u can have the place to ur self. U can even bring ur picnic basket and just enjoy the lake view under the shades :) There is also a small playground up ahead but it is quite full in the evening.. So do come early to avoid the crowd. The place is best for ur kids to run around or ride a bike. Or u can can just simply walk / jog  by the lake and enjoy the wind in your face :)

I miss those times when Putrajaya is a deserted place and u can go anywhere and have the place almost to urself. But i guess, its only fair that this gem to be enjoyed by everybody from all walks of life. u just have to be smart and know the place and time to go to avoid the crowd.
 

  
Padi House Putrajaya

Padi House Putrajaya is located in the Galleria PJH Building in Presint 4. The building also houses a number of other restaurants such as Secret Recipe, Killiney Kopitiam, Rasa Utara and Al Dente (Italian Rest.). Among these establishments Padi House is at the top of the list for its ambiance and reasonably efficient service. There's also variety of choices available and food is quite good. The place is very popular during lunch hours on weekdays. come early to secure a table!    

Johor Premium Outlets, Kulai Jaya, Johor

Our local destinations has always been towards the north i.e. Cameron Highlands, Langkawi, etc. The furthest we would go is to Malacca Town. However, since we visited JPO last year, JB has moved up the ranks. So proud that the FIRST Premium Outlet Center in South East Asia is in Malaysia! :)

Getting there, its easier if u have ur own car (best to update ur GPS s cos its a very recent addition) - the place is really out of nowhere and theres not even a petrol station or other buildings in sight around the area. Certain hotels provide shuttle busses such as the Pulai Springs Resort.i did saw taxis queing up ready to take passengers out of the place but i do not know how much it costs from JB (probably a bomb). So i guess its more convenient to stay at hotels that provides shuttle busses or stay and shop packages. Normally these hotels also offer packages with Legoland trip.

One good advise that i can give is that (as usual) its better to visit JPO on a working day - it really makes a difference cos from my experience, JPO is very crowded on weekends. Some of the stores can be really crowded such as Fossil and there will be a que at Coach if there is a promotion going on (even though its still much more expensive than buying from on9 blogshops). It will be quite difficult to move around especially if you have kids with you.

Theres not much activities for the kids here except that u can 1) rent a kiddie car stroller at RM30 (deposit RM100-refundable) - its quite bulky and u cant really go in the store with the stroller as its crowded (so the hubs has to stay outside :P) or 2) bring the kids to the small outdoor playground - which can be really hot during the day. Hope more facilities for kids will be provided in the future.

Among the outlets that i think is worth to check out in JPO are:

1) GAP - basic tees are really cheap. i once bought a trench coat less than RM200! such a bargain!
2) Fossil - woth to buy - full on weekends
3) Body Shop - so cheap , u can stock up on ur bath  & body care
4) Charles & Keith - up to 60% off
5) Padini Group - kids wear - MIKI, Seed, etc
6) La Senza - good bargains
7) MichaelKors, Levis, & Pedro - worth to buy
 
I have not been able to check out all the stores though. Will update in the future if i am able to. in terms of dining, there are not much choices available here - there are only a few dining outlets. Given a choice, i would prefer to eat outside. Sorry, not much pictures cos i think i have lost them? hmm.. i really thot i have taken some pictures but i couldn't find them. oh well, will upload them later if i manage to trace them..

almost deserted. but its totally different on weekends..

Johor Premium Outlets^®
Jalan Premium Outlets
Indahpura
81000 Kulaijaya
Johor Darul Takzim
Tel: (607) 661 8888
Fax: (607) 661 8810

GPS 1°36'11"N , 103°37'17"E
http://www.premiumoutlets.com.my/center-information