Nature Park at Kuala Selangor and Padi field at Sekinchan

We visited the Nature Park at Kuala Selangor on 21st May 2011.  We arrive at the nature park around 8.45am. The first thing we noticed is that the nature's park is lack of maintenance. The signage’s to the park was broken and even the wooden bridge can't be use anymore. We had picnic at one of the booth. We packed nasi lemak, eggs, steamed cocktails and fruits.  Luckily the monjkeTook us two and half hours to complete entire walk. We saw wild monkeys along the way. Visited the mangroves area and saw the male and female crabs and mudskipper.  I don't recommend to visit the nature's park as nothing much to see and a lot of mosquitoes even we use the insect repellent is useless.  

Female Crab which is red in color.

Male crab which is blue in color.

Watch tower.

They don't even have notice to inform the maximum number of people that are allowed to go up.

View from the watch tower.

We saw wild monkeys everywhere. They would not snatch your things or disturb you. Therefore there is no need to be scared.

We completed entire walk at 11.30am and then we head to Kuala Selangor Fishing Village for lunch. We ate at Restaurant Jeti. Eight of us ate and the bill came up to RM192. We had 2 kgs of crabs which cost us RM45 per kg. We had steam crabs and another is salty egg fried crabs. We had salt and pepper deep fried squid, two vegetables, fried kam heong mantis prawn, lala fried mee hoon and lala soup.   The lala soup was disappointing.  Overall the food was not great.   Overall the rating is 2/5. Considering 5 is best.

After lunch, we head up to Sekinchan which is 45 minutes away from Kuala Selangor to visit the padi fields. A lot of couples come here to take their wedding pictures. The scenery was beautiful.

We drove around Sekinchan Fishing Village.

We head to Ijok for beggar chicken at New Beggar's Delicious Restaurant.  You got to order the beggar chicken in advanced.  We had beggar chicken which cost RM42, one plate of vegetable at RM10, sweet and sour crab at RM36 per kg( cheaper than Kuala Selangor and a lot nicer), Fish soup at RM32, Steam Telapia with Thai Style at RM20. Total bill came up to RM155. Overall this place is a lot better than Kuala Selangor.

Beggar Chicken - overall rating 3/5

Sweet and Sour Crab

Fish Soup - overall rating 2/5(too much starch on the fish)

New Beggar's Delicious Restaurant
Ijok, Selangor Darul Ehsan
Tel: 03-3279 1936 or 019 317 3687

Overall we had a great time and visited three fishing village at Kuala Selangor, Sekinchan and Sg Besar near Sabak Bernam.

The Banjaran, Wellness Spa and Retreat, Tambun, Ipoh

The Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat is only 15 mins away from Ipoh. Less than 5 minutes drive from Lost World of Tambun. I am glad that I was invited for a tour at The Banjaran Hotsprings. You could not imagine we had such a beautiful limestone’s, natural landscapes, surrounded by bodies of geothermal hot springs around the villas. You do not need to go overseas to enjoy such a magnificent view.

No words can describe this place. Pictures speak a thousand words. For more information of the Banjaran, do visit their web site at http://www.thebanjaran.com/

Inside the villa

Jeff's cellar - must visit.  You cannot imagine that a limestone cave can transform into a wine cellar. Jeff's cellar is open to resort guest.



Lost World of Tambun Hotel and Water Park at Tambun, Perak

The new opening of Lost World of Tambun Hotel, Tambun, Ipoh, Perak situated next to Lost World of Tambun Water Park.  The hotel room is clean and very convenient if you wish to spend time at Lost World of Tambun. At night you get to have a dip at the hot springs park at Lost World of Tambun which opens till 10pm.

Lost World of Tambun, back of the house tiger valley. Get up close and personal with the tiger cub. You need to make advance booking in order to touch the tiger cub.

You can visit their web site at http://www.sunwaylostworldoftambun.com/

Bangkok, Thailand April 2011

Went to Bangkok via MAS, got really great deal from MAS. My flight ticket only RM515 inclusive of insurance. Stayed at Novotel Fenix Ploenchit, 4 star hotel. The hotel room is huge and clean. This hotel only open early Jan 2011. The location is very convenient, outside is the BTS station (train). The hotel is located at Ploenchit which is one stop to Chilom where the Central World Mall, Pratunam Market is situated. The Erawan Shrine is also there. Siam Centre, Siam Paragon, MBK is only 2 stations away from Ploenchit. That's why is very convenient. The staff are very helpful and nice. I will defintely return to Novotel.

When you landed to the airport, I will advise you to charter the airport limousine at AOT Counter. Airport transfer to and flo for 4 pax is only 2100  baht which is equivalent to RM50 per pax. It is a Van therefore you do not need to worry about baggage space.

We went on 31st March till 3rd April and it is their sales. Most of the shopping malls are having their midnite sales, therefore you can really shop till drop.

Places to visit are :-
1. Cruise cum buffet dinner cum pick up to Chaophraya Cruise for only RM140 per pax. Ask the concierge to book for you. When you reach the river city, you can also shop for thai silk which is RM50 per meter.
We got a very nice table in front of the stage. We enjoyed the performance by the singers and dancers and at the same time we get to burn our calories after our buffet dinner by dancing. Very nice ambient and also able to see the grand palace, RAMA IV bridges lit up and night view of Bangkok.

2. Chatuchak Market only opens on weekend. You can take the BTS from Ploenchit directly to Mochit. The BTS leads directly to Chatuchak's entrance.  This is where you can find souvenirs, home deco items, whole saler for swaroski crystal, clothings and etc.

3. Patpong Road for night market.  You can also walk pass the entertainment centre.

4. Grand Palace - to go there, take the BTS from Ploenchit to Saphan Taksin. Walk out from the BTS and you will see the pier, purchase the tickets to go to Tha Chang / Maharaj pier where grand palace is located. The ticket only cost you RM2 and you can cruise the river to see the grand palace and other temples. No need to join their canal cruise and tour which cost RM130 per pax. The actual floating market is 20KM out of bangkok. The old city floating market only opens on weekend which you can see few boats selling things.

Places to Shop :-
1. Siam Paragon at Siam BTS station
2. MBK at National Stadium BTS station, actually you can walk across to Siam Paragon, it is all link.
3. Central World at Chilom BTS station, opens from 10am onwards.
4. Central Departmental Store at Chiloms station
5. Platinum Mall at Pratunam, whole sale. You need to buy at least 3 pcs in order to get wholesale discount. No trying for clothes.
6. King Power is duty free shop near Victory Monument BTS station. You can get pick up outside Century The Movie Plaza which is free of charge.  When you purchase the cosmetics or certain items, they will send your products to the airport and you got to pick it up from the king power counter next to the VAT counter.  Only food stuff you are allow to take away when you purchase from King Power.
7. The Emporium Shopping Centre

Places to eat :-
1. Siam Paragon food court
2. Foodloft at Central World Departmental Store, Chilom BTS Station. Tried their duck noodle soup.
3. Kum Poon for aunthentic thai at Central World, Chilom BTS station. Must try their grill cat fish, chicken wings and fish salad. We ordered at least 6 dishes and the bills only came up to RM110.00.  Kum Poon is situated 7th floor of central world, near the Sizzler and Supermarket.

4. Ping Shark Fin Restaurant (http://www.pingsharkfin.com/) located at Asoke BTS station, you need to walk around 10-15 minutes. Famous for sharkfin but then you can eat their fish maw and goose web special. You can also have seafood.  At their wall of fame, we saw lots of HK celebrity patronise at the restaurant such as Edison Chen, Leon Lai, Eric Tsang, Anthony Wong, Jay Chou and even RAIN from Korea.  The food was great and good quality.

We did not have time to go to SPA and also the spa are fully booked. Suggest to visit Urban Retreat (http://www.urbanretreatspa.net/) which situated near Asoke BTS as recommended by hotel staff.

Bae Yong Jin, Top Actor in Korea - Wax statue at Madam Tussaud at Siam Paragon.

The Moon Speaks for My Heart - Charity Event

Kasih Foundation is organising an charity event "The Moon Speaks For My Heart", in mandarin known s "yuet liang tai piao wo de sin".  Everyone from age 3- 80 would know how to sing this song which is sang byTeresa Tang.  Time to contribute to the society. Kindly read the synopsis of the charity event!!!

Message from Pearl Thor, General Manager ,Kasih Foundation
Need your support for this foundation fund raising. This concert is at KLPAC on Sunday afternoon and the songs are from Teresa Tang album. Definitely you will enjoy the performance besides your valued contribution to this organization.
Details as follows :
Stage production entitled : The Moon Speaks for My Heart
Date : Sunday 15th May 2011
Time : 3.00pm to 5pm
Venue: KL PAC , off Jalan Ipoh , KL

Ticket Price
RM80 / RM115 / RM150 / RM185 / RM220 / RM255

Synopsis Dama’s production “The Moon Speaks For My Heart” pays tribute to the world acclaimed Chinese songbird of the 1970s-1980s –the legendary Teresa Teng, who despite her early demise remains truly an international icon. Teng’s fame extended across the boundaries of Asia – China, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and others – to the Western world. In commemorating Teresa Teng’s musical contribution to the world of entertainment, Dama’s latest concert The Moon Speaks For My Heart showcases her captivating evergreens.

There will be Mandarin, English, Japanese and Indonesian Songs. There will be 3 singers in the programme with Tan Soo Suan heading the cast .

Tel: 03 - 7960 7424
Fax:03 - 7956 6442
Website: http://www.kasihfoundation.org/

Kindly contact Kasih Foundation or visit their web site for more information and to purchase the tickets.

Penang

I  have not been to Penang for 2 years. The hawker food price has increased to RM3.50 per plate, even the famous assam laksa at Ayer Hitam. Quite a number of new shopping mall such as Times Square, One Avenue, Straits Quay.

Visited Straits Quay developed by E&O, very huge township comprises shopping mall, commercial and residences.  The price for residences is not cheap as it states luxury living. :)
You turn in after Island Plaza and go all the way straight you will come to Straits Quay.

You can enjoy a nice walk at the sea front. Quite a number of restaurants, bistros and cafe in this area.
We ate at Aqua which serves Mediteranean food and it was superb. We had a great meal!!

Tapas top with mushroom

 Greek pita with beef

 Fish with cream sauce

 Seafood Paella for 2 pax at RM95

Night View at Gek Lok Si Temple. It only lit up during chinese new year. We got to walk up the hill in order to see the Kuan Yin statue. Not easy to walk up all the way...:)

We stayed at B-Suite hotel at Bayan Lepas. The room is clean and huge. Per nite is only RM160.

Taiwan - Round island trip

We joined Nan Fang Holidays to Taiwan. Travel via China Airlines on 15th January 2011. Arrived to Tao Yuan Airport approximate 7.00pm.Weather was cold. It was drizzling. We took bus to Taoyuan Night Market before we check in to Tao Yuan Hotel. The night market got nothing much to eat there, they are selling mostly winter clothing.
Itinery are :
Day 1
Visit to Taoyuan night market. Overnight at Tao Yuan hotel.
My comment : Nothing much to eat at the night market. We ended eating grill pork chop at one of the coffee shop.
Day 2
Take high speed rail from taoyuan to taipei, take MRT, visit to chiang kai shek memorial hall, marty's shrine , national palace museum, handicraft centre, 101 shopping mall, Wufenpu Fashion District and feng chia night market- staying at In One Hotel

My comment : the high speed rail is same as the bullet train in Japan. Saw the changing of guards similar to Birmingham palace. The guard is not allowed to blink their eyes and believe me, they are trained. I still don't understand how you can not blink your eyes for 1 hour.

Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall

Changing of Guard

Guard on Duty - not allow to blink the eye

101 Taipei

We were lucky that when we went to National Museum it was not a lot of people and able to see the famous treasures.

The "Jadeite Cabbage": A piece of jadeite carved into the shape of a cabbage head, and with a large and a small grasshopper camouflaged in the leaves. The ruffled semi-translucent leaves attached is due to the masterful combination of various natural color of the jade to recreate the color variations of a real cabbage

The "Meat-shaped Stone" @ tung poh meat. A piece of jasper, a form of agate, the strata of which are cleverly used to create a likeness of a piece of pork cooked in soy sauce. The dyed and textured surface makes the layers of skin, lean meat, and fat materialized incredibly lifelike.

The "Carved Olive-stone Boat": A tiny boat carved from an olive seed. The incredibly fully-equipped skilled piece is carved with a covered deck and moveable windows and people inside. The bottom is carved in minute character the entire 300+ character text with the date and the artist's name.

You can see how talented are those artiste. Today with our new technology, I don't think we can do it.

101 Taipei is similar to IFC mall in Hong Kong, most of the top brands are there. Adjacent to 101 Taipei is Grand Hyatt Hotel. Please visit this hotel. It is a must!! Once you visit the hotel then you will understand why so special of this hotel. Look at the interior design properly at their main lobby.

Interior design in Grand Hyatt Hotel

Inside Grand Hyatt Hotel - Main lobby

Feng Chia night market, you can find sausage wrapping in glutin rice and many more. Even their drinks got alot of flavours and very cheap. A lot of shops for you to shop.

Sausage wrapping in the glutinuous rice

day 3 - tai chung/nan tou -sun moon lake, peacock garden, wenwu temple, formosan aboriginal culture village and staying at Goya Hotel and also can enjoy hotspring in the room or at the outdoor hot spring   pool.
My comment : When you visit the wenwu temple, dont stand infront of the red lions to take pictures, it is no good. According to the tour guide, it seems the lion is eating you @ so called bad luck.  Opposite the temple you can buy souvenirs e.g. key chains, fridge magnet and etc. Key chains which feature sun moon lake.

 Wen Wu Temple, Sun Moon Lake -- this is the red lion i'm referring to

Wen Wu Temple, Sun Moon Lake

Sun Moon Lake

Must try to eat their tea eggs cos is different from Malaysia. They boil using ling zhi.  Also must eat their sour sop and apple custard. Very sweet.

Apple Custard - must eat!!Make sure you bring swimsuit and swimming cap when you go for hot spring. The swimming cap applies to man and women. You are not allow to enter the hot spring area without swimming cap. Anyway you can get the swimming cap at feng jia market but you got to look out for nike / addidas shop.

day 4 - tai chung /kao shiung - meinong hakka village, fo guong shan temple, take boat ride along love river, new jyuejiang business district and stay at hotel sunshine

My comment : Nothing much in meinong hakka village, is a small theme park. You can take cable car for sight seeing,

Fo Guong Shan temple is really huge, they got their own television broadcast station and radio station.  We spend 2-3 hours there.  

I like Kao Shiong better than Taipei. I felt Kao Shiong got more things to shop.  Must try their famous banana milk drink.

Fan Guong Zhan Temple

Store that is famous for papaya milk

Famous for white bittergourd with honey drink

Deep fried squid - not really nice..very chewy

day 5 - hualien - taroko national park administration, ling zhi tea art house, chinsing tan, eternal spring shrine and marble rock factory, stay at shin kong chao feng ranch and resort. You can enjoy hot spring in this resort

My comment : Hualien is very beautiful, a great place for sightseeing. When you visit the ling zhi tea art house, those ling zhi are wild ling zhi that's why it is so expensive. You can alo purchase royal jelly here. Small bottle cost RM150.  For me i can't stand the taste therefore i got to mix it with honey to eat.

We stayed at Shin Kong Chao Feng ranch and resort, we need to rent buggy to move around the resort as their zoo is too huge to walk. The chalet is very nice and room are huge with four single beds.

famous for its bamboo rice in hualian

Hualian

Taroko Gorge

 Taroko Gorge

Taroko Gorge

Shin Kong Chao Fen Ranch

Shin Kong Chao Feng Ranch - cow ranch

day 6 - take train from hualien to taipei, visit to jiu fen and yeh liu. Night visit Shilin Night market.Stay New Continental Hotel

My comment : Visited jiu fen where you can shop for your souvenirs and snacks. You can also eat their local food such as beef noodles, fish balls, yam and sweet potatoes dessert all at jiu fen. It was raining heavily therefore we are unable to shop. If you like to drink almond tea, you can purchase the almond tea powder at jiu fen.

Yehliu  is a cape on the north coast of Taiwan in the town of Wanli between Taipei and Keelung.

A distinctive feature of the cape is the hoodoo stones that dot its surface. A number of rock formations have been given imaginative names based on their shapes. The most well-known is the "The Queen's Head", other formations include "The Fairy Shoe", "The Bee Hive", "The Ginger Rocks" and "The Sea Candles.".

Yeh Liu

The Queen's head at yeh liu

Yeh Liu

Shilin night market - i felt that the food are oily. The famous shilin fried chicken was long queue therefore did not try. You can drink the white bittergourd with honey drink. A lot of shops where you could shop for food and clothes.

The tour guide took us to Vigor Kobo, one of taiwan's premier bakeries. Famous for its pineapple cake. One box for 10pcs cost RM35. Where you can get it at jiu fen at RM10 for one box. The cakes stuffings are made with fine ingredients. It also taste different in terms of the texture. Vigor Kobo can help you to pack into a box where you could check in at the airport.

day 7 - leave hotel at 5.30am to airport

Overall Taiwan is ok but not so much on shopping. I prefer to shop in Hong Kong rather than Taiwan. Facial mask in Taiwan is really cheap. Their bamboo rice is very nice where you could eat it at Hualien. I will visit Kao Shiong rather Taipei. I felt Kao Shiong more happening.