Cherating 2018

What we did in Cherating

23 Dec 2018

Staying at The Legend Cherating
- cheap rate
- large swimming pool
- white sandy beach
* old amenities, CRT TV!
* only 2 plug points in the room
* old system hot shower, sometimes not working
* too long corridor

Hafiz Cherating activities:
KELIP KELIP
- two trips per day 730pm & 830pm
- RM35/adult (>11yo), RM25/child
* it was full moon,therefore seeing Fireflies isn't so easy. But we did see little fireflies though. Good enough for the children to experience

Pusat konservasi & penetasan penyu
- free entrance ~just small info boards and turtles plus babies
- title lay their eggs: Apr to Jul
- releasing baby turtles: Jul to Sep

Melaka-Muar-Senai-Cherating-KB

It's a long break off from the city..

On Monday night, me and kids we went to Melaka.. Google map routes me via Lukut and PD highway, which was omg scary, dark, raining and quiet.. Took us 2.5hrs to reach Sg Udang that night. Teach me a lesson not to trust GPS 100%.. And always choose the big highway i.e PLUS

We stayed at Herney's in Sg Udang on Tue & Wed.. Then left for Muar later on Wed evening. Arrived Muar at 830pm.. Checked in at Muar Traders.

There's a lot of stories I heard abt Trader this time.. Conclusion is, preferably not to stay there (but alhamdulillah we did not experience anything unpleasant). Plus, the 'free' breakfast sucks! Just bread, and some cheap food.

After 2 nights in Traders, we left for JB on Friday evening. Stayed at Impiana Senai.. Very nice hotel.. New furnitures, smart TV, good breakfast etc.

Kuching JJCM - Day 1

After merely 13 yrs, here I am again in Kuching, Sarawak. Kids were first timer though.

Our 3d2n were as follows...

Sunday 7am flight out to Kuching
Arrived at 9am

Took a GRAB, RM11 compared to RM20 by taxi. We head straight to hotel, The Waterfront Hotel. Left our luggage and had a stroll along the Sarawak River (Waterfront area).

There was a Regatta event and Sarawak Handicraft/Food fiesta. Road was mostly blocked and there we many people around here.

We had our Laksa Sarawak at Mom's Laksa at Jalan Haji Taha. I love the laksa and the ayam penyet looks good. Didn't try the mee Kolok but I'm sure it's not as bad.

Checked in at the hotel, kids have fun at the pool until maghrib.

Took a GRAB again to Top Spot food court nearby the hotel. We had awesome seafood fiesta at ABC restaurant. The lobster, tiger prawn, squid etc was marvellous. My most favourite was the salted egg soft shell crab!! Taste even better than HOMST.

We call it the night after enjoying the 10pm light show from Waterfront Hotel rooftop. Light show was held at DUN Swak building, which is only couple hundred meters from the hotel.

Tiarasa Escape, Janda Baik

Business Retreat QATS this year was held here

The Acacia Retreat, Janda Baik

It was a long weekend, Saturday to Tues.. Agong birthday, Awal Muharram and all.

We didn't plan any trip earlier because hubby's job sometimes requires him to work on the weekend.

But due to his long MC, we went for a short holiday anyway.

Hubs found this resort from Agoda search. It's Acacia Retreat at Karak@70km. Never heard of it before but it turns out a place of my dream.

There are several types of accommodation ranging from RM200 to RM500+.. The smallest is the Smurf type, which was made up of culvert!.. Then they have Wooden type. It's just opposite Simpleton, where our room was.

Well, let me just summarise from my view:

1. SMURF
- Cheapest, smallest, not suitable for kids, not sure whether the toilet is attached, quite far from main lobby area, kinda scary for me at night
- But it looks good during the day, unique

2. Simpleton
- Modern, simple, price range from RM250 to RM250, superb view of the foggy hills, nearby the main lobby and pool, own balcony

3. Wooden
- Wood design, sharing balcony, just opposite simpleton

4. Brick
- Furthest from the main lobby area, somewhat 'floating'

5. The mansion
- Most expensive with few bedrooms and living hall. Located on ground floor, no view except for the small man made lake

What are ethe activities here:
1. Jungle tracking with guides at RM5 per head
2. ATV at RM40/30mins for around hotel area, or RM80/hour for jungle trail
3. BBQ facilities rental at RM100 for 1 to 10 pax. Food for grilling not provided
4. Bicycle rental
5. Fishing rod rental

Hatyai backpacking trip

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Backpack with kids ke Hatyai dengan menaiki ETS (3H2M)

Day 1
Tren jam 7 pagi ke Hatyai
Tiba Padang Besar jam 12.30
Berjalan ke imigresen Malaysia
Naik van ke imigresen Thailand ( Sewa satu van TBHT 1300)
Van bawa kami dari Imigresen Thailand Ke Hotel di Hatyai
Check in hotel. Kami stay di Hatyai Meridien Hotel. RM180 sahaja dua malam. Ada kedai makan muslim dan kedai urut depan hotel. Memudahkan. Cuma, hotel tu..hotel lama.  
Lunch di Salma Restaurant. Sedap gilerr cuma harga agak mahal
Jalan-jalan di Lee Gardens Plaza. Cuci mata untuk kosongkan perut.
Menaiki tuk tuk ke Asean Night Market. (Seorang TBHT 16)
Shopping jersey dan makan-makan. Heaven. Street food at it best! Murah
Menyesal juga makan banyak di Salma.. sebab kat sini semua jenis makanan Thai ada. Murahhhh pulak tu.
Malam kami balik hotel dan berehat.

Day 2
Breakfast di Dimsum Chadbura.
Makanan super sedapp! Seat penuh kedai sesak, so kena datang awal. Kedai buka seawal jam 6.00pagi

Nora Plaza. Banyak barang kulit dijual disini dan souvenier juga macam T-shirt, keychain dan sebagainya. But harga quite mahal. 

Cashew Nut Factory (5 minutes walk from Nora Plaza)

Solat Zohor di Hatyai Central Mosque.Masjid ni benar-benar dekat dihati saya kerana suka melihat keramahan penduduk setempat serta ahli qariah masjid yang duduk bersama-sama menunggu hujan berhenti😍

Naik grab ke Floating Market. Rate dia dlm TBHT 120 untuk ke sana. Sebab lokasi dia jauh sket dari town. Cuaca masih hujan renyai-renyai. Jadi kalau boleh standby payung atau baju hujan. Travel dengan budak kecil mmg banyak kena standby peralatan lebih-lebih lagi backpack begini. Floating market ni memang best gilerrr! Makanan authentic semua ada. Cuma kena berhati-hati pilih peniaga yang bersih dan terjamin muslim. Time kami pergi orang memang ramai sangat. Jadi tempat duduk sesak sket plus ada banyak anjing liar mintak makanan. Scaryy!
So, kalau nak shopping souvenier.. here is the place. Tshirt Hatyai murah dapat TBHT 80 JE….

Dinner at Klonghae Seafood Buffet. Makanan super murah TBHT 300 SAHAJA! Boleh makan apa sahaja dari pencuci mulut, lauk-pauk sehingga ke pelbagai jenis seafood stimboat and grill. Nyumms.

Day 3
Kim Yong Market. Cuci-cuci mata tengok barang basah dan cari gula kabung.
Breakfast kedai makan muslim depan hotel je. Makanan simple tapi sedap oii😋😋
Naik Van bergerak ke Station Kereta Api Padang Besar.
Tren back Kuala Lumpur.

Total perjalanan kami 4 beranak ke Hatyai 3 hari 2 malam termasuk tiket ETS pergi balik, hotel, pengangkutan dan makan minum dalam RM1600.

Kat sini saya share phone number van yang kami guna. Orangnya ramah dan servis bagus.
Riddhuwan - ‭019 342 3362‬

Trip ke Hatyai ni manis sangat. Dapat backpacking sama-sama with my sister and family, kak fae and family. Kids extremely happy. Makanan semua sedap dan murahhh. Xpuas makan dan memang kena datang balik. Public transport di Hatyai mudah sangat, kami banyak pakai Grab sebab lebih murah dari tuk tuk. Plus, travelling with ETS and kids sangat menyelesakan. Kids boleh party all the way. Ada kemudahan tandas, surau dan kantin. Kami banyak refer tip dari facebook, terima kasih sangat-sangat pada sudi share. Sangat membantu. So, I wrote some here too. Maybe boleh bantu yang lain juga. Will repeat this trip again one day. Love Hatyai.

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Me and twin, we took a weekend off and went to HCMC for "coffee".. well, that was the original objective.. until we got lost in bundles of beautiful scarves - duck, ariani, telekung SK etc.

Let me list down few tips from our trip:

1. From airport, can take taxi (Vinasun or Malinh), cost VND120,000 ~ RM24
Can take bus also, but i didn't check the price. You can see a short bus waiting outside the little airport.

2. Along Malaysia street, and in Ben Thanh market, RM is accepted. And in fact, cheaper rate using our money. So pls bring RM next time.

3. People here speak Malay language mostly. Even the little children selling souvenirs by the roadside

4. Never trust the trishaw man. He told us one trip cost "15 thousand".. but ehrn we arrived Saigon Mall (from Ben Thanh), he forced us to pay VND1,500,000!!!

5. Halal restaurant are easy to find, especially along Malaysia street.

That's all i can think of right now. I'll add if i came across more tips.

Day 2 Krabi

1) Oceanlife rehab and research center near Reiley beach club

2) Elephant jungle trekking

3) 1 hour travel by van to Morakot pond (Emerald pond). Very nice lunch at Marakot Restaurant (included in package).

1pm - 3.30pm Walk to Emerald pool (1,400m) via concrete trail. Blue pool is closed from May to Oct due to bird pairing.

4) 3.45pm leave sa Marakot, to Tiger cave. 4.30pm arrived tiger cave

5) Walking street Krabi (night market)

All about $$$ || Krabi edition

Airport trip (one way):
- Hotel charging THB700
- Local agents std price is THB150 for airport bus, THB500 for private van

National park fee:
- THB300/adult, THB100/child

Options for island tour:
- By speedboat (sharing, faster than longtail) or longtail boat (cheaper than speedboat, smaller capacity, open concept)
- Cost per person from THB350

There are several options for island tour. Those includes Hong island, 4 islands, PhiPhi (far), James Bond (very far)

Other attractions are Emerald lake, elephant trail, Krabi Walking Street, the famous night market down town, available Fri to Sun only.

Tuk tuk from Phu Pi Maan hotel (near masjid) to Ao Nang beach is around THB100/trip.

Motorbike rental is THB200/day.

Thai massage from THB200/1 hour (no oil)

Krabi tour || Day 1

So we took a tour via a friend (local Krabi-an who married a Malaysian). It's a two days tour for THB13,000

Our package includes Hong Island tour (Day 1), Emerald pool & elephant trail (Day 2) and Krabi walking street (weekend night market. It includes also transfer and pick up to/from hotel.

Day 1
8.15am Pick up at hotel to Krabi town/jetty. Register and pay National Park fee (this trip is inclusive).

9.00am Speedboat to islands starts now
- 1st checkpoint is Hong lagoon. Beautiful view from the boat. A unique formation of rocks/island where you can walk around during evening time (low tide)
-2nd checkpoint, ? Island. 40 mins stop for sunbathing, snorkeling and relaxing. Small beach with too many people. Not perfect, but ok. There's a small lagoon nearby with fewer people.
- 3rd checkpoint, ? Island. 30 mins break for same activity as the second pitstop. Nicer one with beautiful scenery and white beach.
- Final 2 hour pitstop at Hong island. We had box lunch here. Halal nasi goreng ayam and daging cincang. Kids had fun at the beach. There's a restaurant here, you can buy hot coffee or freshly blended smoothie. 600m jungle tracking trail is also available for trekkers.

2.30pm Head back to Krabi and arrived within 30 mins.

~~~

No need to bring passport. They don't check at the registration desk

Bring little money. You might want to buy some food at Hong Island. A standard cup of coffee cost around THB80

Wear sunblock. It's very hot out here

~~~

Hoping for coral or fish? Not here obviously. But the water was super clear.

~~~

Day 2 tbc

Krabi trip

Been ages since I've updated my blog. We didn't travel much lately as Syasya is going to sit for her UPSR soon.

But for a quick break, we are now heading to Krabi, plus celebrating hubby's birthday.

Suggested itenary from a friend:

Day 1
- Pickup dari airport
- Melawat pantung Black crap (tanda Krabi) amik gmba kenangan
- Bawa sarapan pagi
- Hantar ke Hotel
Day 2
- Pickup dari hotel ke Hong island ( join tour speedboat)
- Enjoy your trip
- Lunch box d pulau
- Balik hotel relax
Day 3
- Pickup dari hotel ke Emerald Pool ( private van for your family )
- Lunch set menu at Ruang Morakot
- Visit at Tiger cave
- Elephant trekking 1 jam
- Visit jalan ke Krabi night market
- Bawa massage and spa **not include**
- Hantar balik ke Hotel
Day 4
- Pickup dari hotel hanta balik airport

Package like this cost THB15,000 (~RM1,800)

Quite costly huh.

So we didn't book anything just yet. Hoping for cheaper deal in Krabi itself.

Well, catch u in next post.

Note: Malaysia marked the biggest history last night #ge14 BN lost to Pakatan Harapan. Waiting for not-so-new PM to report duty. Chill..

Assalamualaikum

Perhentian Island revisited

23 - 24 Mar 2018

It's school holiday and we decided to visit Pulau Perhentian again. It's going to be the first time to TT and family though.

Due to peak season, hotel price shoots up. We got Perhentian Island Resort at the price if RM891 (including taxes) for two premier beach front rooms.

The room was nice, connected (room 107 & 106) and with free breakfast. Beach was just outside, and within walking distance to Coral View Resort, Mama chalet etc.

Oh, before that, the boat ride from Kuala Besut jetty was pretty rough. Monsoon isn't really settled yet, i guess. This time we took a return boat tour from Safe Park company, costing at RM70/adult and RM35/child. We also booked snorkeling trip from them, which i think cost about RM60/adult.

At the resort, they also provided snorkeling trip at RM40/adult and other activities like kayaking etc. Othe activities are jungle trekking, yoga, wayang pacak (movie by the beach), and crafts making which are all FOC for the hotel guests. Diving trips are payable.

Our snorkeling trip took over 2 hours. Remember to bring breads to attract fishes and fresh water in case u got dizzy.

I guess that's some of great memories from our 2d1n trip. We will be back for sure.

Insyallah