Langkawi Trip: Experiencing SkyCab

Cable car is one mode of transportation that transport passengers to uplands and mostly for recreation purposes. Langkawi island in Malaysia has one.  The cable car here is not for the faint-hearted. Not only it has the longest cable, a total length of 2.2 km (1.4 mi), it holds a world record of the steepest incline at 42 degrees!

Beach getaway: Rawa Island Resort

       

In the few islands that I have been to in Malaysia for holiday, Rawa Island is one that I can say clearly defines an island paradise. It has a white powdery sand and gentle lapping waves beach. Rawa island is a small island with no inhabitants and private. To enjoy the island you need to book at least for an overnight stay. Package rate includes accomodation, food, and boat fare. The booking need to be in advance and walk-in is not allowed.

Weekend in Malaysia

 Last month I crossed over to Malaysia for a two days one night short trip because I have to accompany a blogger friend who wanted to visit Malaysia before he goes back to the Philippines. The trip was done by land, as we had to pass by Malacca before heading to Kuala Lumpur for a night stay. Instead of taking bus from Singapore, we crossed the border and took a bus at the Johor Bahru's Larkin bus terminal as it is cheaper. We arrived Malacca by lunch time and leave for Kuala Lumpur at 3:00pm. For three hours we managed to cover famous landmarks in downtown Malacca, being my friend's first time visit I knew he had the same experience I had when I visited the place for the first time.

Booking a hotel room

In every travel that I made, I am particular with the hotel room I will be staying. Midrange hotel is always a good choice, not only that it is within the budget but you can be assure of comfortable stay. 

I maximized my time exploring the place, and visited more if not all the attractions in the place I went to. So at the end of the day I will be tired and exhausted. So the need to have a hot dipped at the bath tub is always a welcome respite, and especially if I still have to explore the night life after that. Choosing a nice bed and room comes handy online, and hotel bookings online is reliable and always deliver. I always rely on agoda for my hotel bookings, not only the hotels on their selection is true, but they offer discounts that hard to resists.

Weekend Indulgence : Overnight in Johor Bahru, Malaysia

 It came out as a last minute decision. Though I was looking for a diversion to break the restlessness of the monotonous week days, going out of Singapore did not cross my mind at first. I was thinking of visiting a local place that I was aiming to visit but none appeals to me and my body was longing for a change environment. So I thought I have to go out somewhere that is just a short travel and just chill out and do nothing to clear out and be freed of my present state of restlessness. Beach bumming was the option but I don't want to travel far since it will just be an overnight option.  So I decided to stay in a hotel in Johor Bahru with a pool and a health club and within the city center. Although the room rate is much cheaper compared to Singapore hotels, the rate of the hotel I intend to stay is out of my budget. So I explore other areas outside  of the city center, and boy I was lucky to find one. It has jacuzzi right inside the room! 

Colmar Tropicale in Bukit Tinggi Malaysia

My first foray of working overseas was in Malaysia. I was hired by an international civil and structural consulting firm based in the US with a local office in Kuala Lumpur. My job description is to oversee the site development and eventually the construction of a resort hotel at the heart of a virgin forest 45 minutes from the city of Kuala Lumpur. The project followed the next phase of development where a golf course and clubhouse and residential development has already been in placed.  

Kek Lok Si - The Temple of Supreme Bliss

One of the main tourist attractions in Penang Malaysia is the Temple of Supreme Bliss that sits majestically at the hill of Ayer Itam about 6 kilometers from downtown Georgetown.

Entrance to the temple is a bit complex  as the path that is leading up to the temple is actually alleys of stores selling dry goods and souvenir items. It is quite frustrating because aside from you don't know if you are traversing the right path, the hawkers were quite persistent and noisy offering their goods. You will know that you are on the right track when you reach a murky pond full of turtles, named liberation pond. The Chinese believes that turtles set free in the pond is an act of spiritual liberation.

Exploring Georgetown

The main attraction in Penang is the old town district of Georgetown. The colonial era straits architecture is evident here. Other than the Georgian buildings and shophouses scattered around town, there are chinese mansions, Indian temples, mosques, and churches  to due many ethnic groups who settled in Georgetown.

My Trip to Penang Malaysia

My first travel this year happened last weekend to Penang Island, Malaysia. For four days I got to explore and experience the island's unique cultural, historical, and natural scenery. Penang has plenty of sightseeing opportunities scattered around the island. Aside from the attractions they have their on unique food not to be miss while in Penang.

Places I have visited in 2010

Five countries, eight new places, three times in one place, in one whole year.

2010 is almost over, and at this time of the year we usually  review things that we have set to do the entire year  whatever task that we set and planned. In my case I would be like to look back the year on my travels. I set goal of traveling once in a month to any Asean destination. Thank you Jetstar and Agoda for being instrumental in achieving this goal.

Why my blog is inactive lately?

Its been awhile since this blog has been updated. In the past I made it a point to at least write an entry one in a week and I always have time to do so. But these past days I had a hard time to update not because I have nothing to say but because its just that I don't have the urge anymore to make one. Sorry but its just that the interest in me to blog was no longer there. This kind of situation happened to me before. If you will backtrack my entries there are long gaps of in between entries, and this is happening to me again. Lately I have been trying hard to gain back the interest in blogging and slowly conditioning my mind to once again become active to blogging.

Weekend in Malacca Malaysia

Last weekend my itchy feet brought me to Malacca for an overnight of cultural sightseeing, though I have been there before it was nice to come back since the place is just awesome. Visiting Malacca is like transporting to distant past with the remnants of once prosperous town with the evident of the old buildings still intact at present time.

My Trip to Bukit Tinggi, Malaysia

I spent three days during the chinese new year holidays in Kuala Lumpur and Bukit Tinggi in Malaysia. As the trip was not a planned one, I was having difficulty booking for a trip ticket and the hotel room.  The trip is to check the Colmar Tropicale in Bukit Tinggi in Pahang Malaysia, I bite the price for the late booking, and the land travel. The resort online booking site says there were no more available rooms for the holidays, but when I checked Agoda, where I usually book hotel rooms for my travel overseas, I was able to get a one bedroom room. I might consider myself lucky to be able to book a room on the last minute and be able to secure a bus ticket. I travelled in the morning of Sunday and arrived Kuala Lumpur at around 2:00 in the afternoon. Spend the afternoon at Bukit Bintang, and KLCC until the evening. I purposely waited until the evening at the KLCC to take night shoots of the Petronas Twin Towers. I was literally entertained by the kabayans who were there doing pose well for me is entertaining. Then I went back to the hotel to refresh and spend the rest of the evening at a bar in Bukit Bintang.

My trip to Tioman Island, Malaysia

As mentioned on the post preceding, I spent overnight at Tioman Island in Malaysia. As Malaysia is just a causeway away from Singapore, it is easy to take a short trip to Malaysia from Singapore, and this time I decided to finally push my long overdue plan to explore the island.

For my trip plan, I will leave Singapore early in the morning, catch a bus at Larkin bus terminal in Johor Bharu to Mersing, and from there I take a ferry to Tioman Island. My initial travel time input were: travel time from Singapore to Johor Bahru to Mersing is about three hours and Mersing to Tioman by boat is two hours, so its going to be at least 5 hours travel time from my place for me to be in Tioman.

I woke up late that day so I arrived Larkin bus terminal almost just in time for the 9:30 bus to Mersing. If I was not able to catch the bus, the next trip will be at 2:30 in the afternoon. Luck was with me as I was on the right spot where the dispatcher was standing and giving last minute instruction to the bus driver. I paid directly to him and did not give me the ticket, it was only when I already seated and the bus started to leave that I realized I don't have ticket. I got scared when the bus conductor started taking the passengers ticket. But then he did not ask for it so it turned okay. I arrived Mersing bus terminal 12:15 in the afternoon. Upon arrival I asked for direction to jetty port, I have no idea that the jetty port was quite far from the bus terminal and it takes around 10 minutes by walk. And the bad thing the boat is scheduled to leave 12noon, but the ticket seller at the terminal booth told me to run as I might just be able to catch the boat. I have no idea where it is located, she gave me direction vaguely : go straight, cross rotunda, corner money changer and white building. Like what I said luck was with me so I was able to catch the boat!

I arrived Tioman Island past three in the afternoon because the boat has to stop 20 minutes after it leave the jetty to wait for two lady passengers, they must be VIP i guess.

I did not book a resort beforehand since I thought it would be best option just to check the place first so I can choose a good place to stay. Initially I made a booking for Paya beach resort in Paya Lebar, but was fully booked for the weekend as the resort is a favorite of Singaporeans. So instead I opted a resort in Ayer Batang village. From the internet, Ayer Batang is one of the most popular villages on Tioman. having a wide choice of accommodation and restaurants. I set my mind to Nazri Place because it claims to have one of the best stretches of beach on Tioman.

The Village jetty port