Thursday 27 September 2012

My 1st ever Teaser...

Photos courtesy of wikitravel.org

Well...by looking at those two photos, anyone can guess where am I going for the upcoming trip? Since i saw a lot of my friends gave tokens to those who could answer correctly..so, i pon nak jugaklah... The 1st person who can give me the correct location, will get something bought from that place... Obviously something small and memorable la..coz, I, luggage allowance pon x belik..berharapkan 7kg from AA...

Till Then...


Tuesday 25 September 2012

GUA TEMPURUNG

The trip to Gua Tempurung or Tempurung Cave was way back in 2011. If i'm not mistaken, there were 60 of us altogether. Actually, this was my second time entering a cave. The 1st time was in Pengkalan Hulu back in 2004. Frankly speaking, i don't really fancy caving but what to do... dah kena paksa...hu..hu... masok jugakla... dan selamat melepasi all the 4 levels...he..he...

A little info about the cave:

Gua Tempurung (Tempurung Cave) has existed since early 8000 B.C. and it is one of the larger cave systems found in the scenic limestone hills of Perak. In fact, it is the largest natural limestone structure in Peninsular Malaysia. The cave measures 1.9 km in length and 120 metres in height. The cave follows a direct course through a mountain range called Gunung Gajah-Tempurung, located south of Ipoh towards Gopeng and Kampar. It is a cavern inside Gunung Tempurung (Tempurung Mountain) standing 497 metres high and is about 250 million years old. This means Gua Tempurung is even older than the mountain that rises majestically like a karst tower. Visible from the North-South Expressway near Gopeng, the mountain is an erosional remnant near an ancient coastline. Years of mineralisation of the limestone rocks yielded deposits of tin, with some tungsten minerals and other minor ores. In several locations inside the dry upper chambers of the cave, vein deposits of tin (cassiterite) are evident in walls and ceilings. Within the karst tower, there is a river-cave system. The river, Sungai Gua Tempurung runs about 1.6 km. It originates from the north and south outlets of a small catchment derived from the granite upland area to the east. Excerpt taken from here.

Before the expedition. At the entrance of the cave

If u sign up for the tour course, there are a choice of easy (golden flawstone), moderate (top of the world) and challenging (Top of the World & Short River Adventure) courses. And, there is one grand tour where you need to undergo a complete journey of about 3.8km from the entrance to Golden Flowstone, Top of the World and to the end of the cave and return through the underground river. And....out of all the tours, We proudly chose the grand tour [sigh...] The fees vary depending on the type of tour u have chosen.


I've purposely blurred everyone's face so as to hide their identity.. Come, let's explore the cave...

Going in...

layers of limestone
While waiting for the others....Near the end of tour one. Tour one is just
climbing the staircase to the top and looking at the  stalagmites and stalactites
on walls and ceilings. 

Posing jap... By then, you would have climbed 640 steps!
This is where u need to slide down the slope... Eeee..
ngeri2... Guide2 nih expert betol. They can go in and out of the cave using
secret entrances. 
Weeeeee....... Look at us, waiting for our turn to slide...
The small hole: Towards the end of level 2...  Yang ini, tangan bersimen pon
still bersemnangat waja...

We started to crawl after coming down form the loop hole
Crawling in the water
Stalagmite n stalagmite

230 steps and wet in the underground river..
Look at the water level... We had to wade through the underground river
that reaches chest level at certain stretches and duck-walk at other times.
All of us
Tasty dinner...
We stayed at eco-style house @  MyGopeng Resort. Besides the trip to the cave,
we also went for a night trekking and river trekking. 
Tea Time...
This was the house we stayed. This particular house can accomodate
2-3 people. We had our own private bathroom but it's outside the house
(just like the old  'kg' house)
If u prefer to camp, there are ample camping spce for u to put up your tents. If I'm not mistaken, the resort also have tents for hire.


SOME TIPS FOR CAVING & SPELUNKING

1. Dress comfortably (consider T-shirts and long pants) and wear comfortable shoes with good grip.
2. Bring water.
3. U will get wet, so camera is at your own risk! But, the guide will provide u with plastic bag to put your camera and they will keep it safe for u.
4. If u have kneepads and gloves. please wear them.
5. Wear headlights to know your way better.

Thursday 13 September 2012

TIKI VILLAGE INTERNATIONAL, GOLD COAST

Before getting the confirmation at Tiki Villge International, i had aimed a few other apartments at Gold Coast. Sememangnya, my plan was to rent an apartment with full cooking facilities as to save budgets on food. Al-maklumlah, expenses in Gold Coast was very expensive and my purse was getting slimmer day by day. My previous choice was an apartment in Carrara which required me to rent a car as it was a bit outskirt. However, a few months after i made my booking, the person in charged of my booking called and she said that they had changed my reservation to Tiki Village International which is in Cavill Avenue. Melompatla kegembiraan.. pasal this choice was definitely a better one.

I had no regrets, complains whatsoever staying at Tiki Village International. It might not fulfill some people's expections but it definately fulfilled our expectations. I also read from trip advisor beforehand and most of the reviews were positive. We arrived at the apartment around 9.30am and the receptionist already had our apartment ready even though check in time was at 3pm. Our lot was at the corner of the 3rd floor. Security was tight as u need to use yr key card and a special code number in order to get the elevator working. The front door (yg dekat receptionist tu) will also need a key card and code number after 7pm at night. I was once trapped outside when i forgot the code number. Luckily, an old couple let me in with them. Kalau x, sejuk bedi la kat luar...

Reception tutup waktu malam but the receptionists are actually inside. SO, if anything, u can just ring the bell.

LOCATION: Very central. Next to Moorings and adjacent to Chevron renaisance. Bus stop is just about 150m from the apartment. Surfers is just opposite the road. Behind the apartment is a river (lupa plak namanya).Jadik, bila surfers is just opposite the road, maksudnya all the shops are within walking distance. HRC, Woolsworths, food, etc, all within walking distance.

Turun apartment, belah kiri jumpa duck tour...Jalan depat sikit, terus bus stop nak ke theme park. Kalau nak ke surfers,
cross the road and just walk straight.
Chevron Renaissance just opposite Tiki Village International
When we opened our door in the morning, this was what we see: View of the front
View from the living n dining area.
Night view from the apartment
APARTMENT: Our apartment was a one bedroom apartment with full cooking facilities. Everything is complete except that they do not have a washing machine and a dryer. However, they do have a few coin operated laundry machines at almost each floor. Dryer pon ada (harga berasingan).  Jom tengok dalam rumah...

Ini dapur...Semua ada... Pinggan ada yg jenama pyrex..Kelas gitu... Dishwasher pon ada. Ini scenario
masa baru sampai, Keadaan waktu nak balik, dah x cengini..chaos! 
Ini ruang tamu/living hall. At the other side is the dining table with 4 chairs. Can u see the TV mounted on the wall?
There's another set of tv inside the bedroom.
This is the jacuzi...Favourite Faris n Farah. Every evening, after coming home from our visits,
they will play in the jacuzzi for an hour or so. Sempatla si mama nak masak. By the time, they finished playing,
dinner was served. 

Captured from the living room...
I cooked most of the time when we were in GC. I seldom cook back home, but here in GC was the time for me to show my cooking skill...ha..ha..! We shopped for groceries at Woolsworth...Mcm2 ada.... Alhamdulillah, all the food items that i brought from Malaysia went through without any difficulties. satu bag jugak bawak makanan..We brought rice, soy sauce, brahim (makanan wajib), perencah nasik goreng, perencah tomyam, ribena, pepper, salt dan mcm2 lagiklah....

Jom masak...

Saya memang paling suka seafood marinara nih...

Antara food yg dibeli di sana...
Antara masakan chef kat sana..ha..ha...
Woolsworth: tempat kami shopping groceries
There are other facilities here like laundry room, swimming pool, poolside cafe, boadr games, library, game room, free tours, tour counter and many more.
the pool
There was this one experience that i will never forget as long as i live: One evening, when i was frying salmon, suddenly the alarm went buzzing... Panick gila i... what came to my mind was.."habislah aku kena bayar denda aud300...bla..bla..bla.." It seemed that i forgot to switch on the cooker hood and the smoke triggered the alarm... habis satu rumah berbunyik.... panik2..., we opened all the windows and door. x boleh jugak.. i called the reception... baru ja i ckp "hello.." mereka gelak..."is it because of the alarm, mam...?" "he..he...yes..yes.."  The reception instructed us to switch on the hood and open all the windows which i already did... lama2 bunyi tu pon stop... " do i have to pay the fine?"  die gelak lagik...tak perlu, katanya.. Selamat aku... Jenoh jugak nak nunggunya stop.... After that incident, i jadik fobia nak menggoreng2... sampai bunyi fridge tak tutup pon, i ingatkan alarm kebakaran... at the apartment, fridge mereka, kalau x tutup rapat, akan ada satu bunyi halus mcm alarm tu, tp perlahan aja... puasla dkt sejam mencarik, manalah datangnya bunyik ni... rupa2nya pintu fridge x tutup rapat....adoila!

The kids' activities at night.

TOTAL EXPENSES OF MY SHORTENED OZ (GC) TRIP

1. FLIGHT: RM630 x 4 = rm2520 ...for food and baggage, i used my AA voucher courtesy of Citibank (redeem point bonus ahhh...)

2. ACCOMMODATION: Tiki Village International = RM155 per night x 7 nights = rm 1085

3. THEME PARKS: rm 1450 for the 4 of us. I bought this at MATTA Fair last March (inc. of Movie world, Paradise country farm, dreamworld, observation deck, and seaworld).

4. TRANSPORT: Kami naik bas aja: AUD350 (4 pax) = rm1095

Ape lagik ek...? Itu ajalah kot... Souvenir ngan makan x kira ahh kan...? So, total altogether dalam... RM 6150 for 4 pax which is RM 1537.50 per person for a week holiday in GOLD COAST, OZ.

Monday 3 September 2012

MOVIEWORLD-GOLD COAST



I don't think it is too late to wish everyone a Happy Raya! I stop blogging for quite sometimes as to concentrate on my routines and jobs. Just submitted all my papers last Monday. So, now i have more time to blog..:)  As referring to the title, Movieworld was the last place i went to when I was in GC. Will go back to KL tonight... a week was so short when u were full of plans and plans and plans... Anyway, IMO, Movieworld is quite small compared to the other theme parks that I went to when I was in GC but the rides were amazing. They had categorized the rides into three categories: thrill, family fun and Children. As usual, we were there by 10am. We already had our pass, so we just went straight in. Quite a number of people today as the day was so fine and sunny... Our first stop was Batman Wing. I refused to go onto that giant drop machine but my kids forced me. Hubby had saved himself by sneaking out and hid behind the batmobile. He told us to go ahead as he was the cameraman (what a lame excuse...)

Us on the BatmanWing
Batmanwing was fun! I had no regret going on the ride. Then, we checked the Green Lantern out. It seemed that the green lantern was out of order that day..."Thanxs goodness...the GL was out...ha..ha..," I told myself. Faris had been dreaming to go on the GL ride... He was a bit frustrated but when he looked at other rides, GL was already a history.

Tipah Tertipu...
















Spooky Scooby Ride... don't be cheated by the cuteness of scooby...! Well, I did..!Even hubby was cheated too. We thought scooby ride was a child's ride. So, dngn senang hati, hubby and I accomponied the kids to go on the ride... Mula2 still OK...later, bila masuk lagu disco dance tu....mak aiii..berpusing2 mcm nak jatuh ke bawah.... Patotla attendant tu pesan, letak kamera kat bawah kaki... Habis tercampak2 semua brg dek lajunya berpusing2...keh..keh.. Nasib baik, mak selamat...! That was the last time I saw my husband went on any rides in Movieworld...Ha..ha...fobia dah dia... After Scooby ride, I checked the indicator labelled inside the pamphlet, and Scooby ride was categorized as thrill ride..patotla pon.... Faris requested for another Scooby ride...X PAYAH...! Once was enough....

After scooby ride we tried to catch the 1st show of the stunt driver but unfortunately we were 15 minutes late and the worker didn't let us in as it was the policy. Once the door was shut, we couldn't go in due to safety reason. We could hear the bombing sound from the outside and it made us fascinated to come back for the 2nd show. Melepas stunt driver, x apalah..kami pun jalan2 la nak ke Looney Tunes Show plak... On the way to Looney Tunes Show terjumpa Musolla a.k.a surau. Cantik suraunya...

Tu...prayer room.. betul2 depan dewan looney show
The Looney Show... 
After Looney Show, kami jalan2 kat Wild2 West nih...

Ride ni pon best tp kuyupla...

We brought some food. Rick's Cafe was under renovation at that time.

Lepak2 after Lunch... People were flocking in fast. By noon the place was already crowded with people.
The stunt show was superb. We missed the 1st show, so we waited for the 2nd show in the afternoon. The show is on twice a day. Once in the morning, and the other one is later in the afternoon. Kalau x tengok stunt show while in MW, memang x sah masok MW.


Hari ni memang panas betul... rasa mcm kat Pantai Morib jer...
Tengah merewang2 tanpa arah tujuan, tetiba we saw a lot of people at the main street... Rupa2nya Batman show nak start...So, we joined the crowd and waited for Batman...Memang best..mcm real aja scene tu... Sound effect pon superb! Farah whispered to me..."mama, ni betol2kan...? benda ni betol2 terjadikkan..?" I nodded and whispered back, "iye... baik adik duduk diam2..kang joker tangkap kang...." And she sat still until the end of the show...:)

The Batman Show...
Salah satu adegan Batman Show
After the show, we went to the Loony Toon Town..Penuh dengan kanak2... Farah was fascinated while Faris was bored to death... "huh...kids stuff...!"he complained..As if he's not a kid... Sampai dalam tu, die yg beria naik roller coaster sampai 4-5 kalik..naik sorang2 pulak tuh....

The happiest girl... There's nothing more valuable than to see the happiness on your child's face.
Bosan2 pun, 4 x jugak naik roller coaster nih...
Other scenes...

Scooby Doo Show
We also waited for the parade at 5.30pm. We missed the parade at seaworld as it was cancelled due to unpredictable weather. Parade was fun, not so dragged... All the characters paraded and we got the chance to see the performers and their equipment too. The coolest was the stunt cars...




Before we exited the place, we bought some discounted items at the main entrance. I did ask the worker there,"why are these items are so much cheaper? Are they of a low quality/torn?" "No, we wanted to clear the stock...,"he said. Well, fair enough! I bought myself a t-shirt and Farah bought a bugs bunny toy half her height and she called it Lola instead of Bugs (this girl is getting weirder...) I also bought the giant tumbler with the word movieworld printed on it like the one in seaworld and universal studio.

Papa & Farah...
Lelong...lelong...
The proud owner...
We got back to the apartment and ate early dinner. I had packed everything last night, so i still had time to relax a bit. The bus stop to the airport was only across the apartment. Checked out was smooth and we got free ride to the airport as the drivers did not charge us the tickets to the airport.

At the airport, the Q was very long...No..no..it was not long...it was very very very lonnngggg... I thought not only u need to Q long for the rides in GC but u also have to Q endlessly at the counter. Bosannnn....

Bye Bye GC...
I have one last post to write about my GC trip... COMING SOON: Special Edition Tiki Village International & Total Expenses...

OVERNIGHT AT THE BERBER DESERT CAMP

Selepas lunch, kami teruskan lagi perjalanan yang panjang sampai lah petang.  Look at the view.. Magnificent!  We crossed the High Atlas Mou...

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