1 Mountain, 9 Friends and Loads of Strawberries

A leisure trip that took place over the weekend.. In spite of my "kejap ok-kejap tak ok" state of health, it was a trip that I enjoyed. The pace of the trip was a slow one.. which was good when I was in the "kejap tak ok" mode.

The weather was cold, and there were moments I felt as if I wasn't prepared despite my layers of clothing.. The strawberry jams and scones were yummy.. and so were the fresh strawberries.. and not to mention the chocolate coated strawberries.

Played Taboo which was great fun (although to an observer, he would think we were playing Charades).

The hotel personnel were accommodating with my prayer room request -- they actually converted a normal hotel room into a prayer area.. and due to a power failure in the 1st prepared room, the housekeeping personnel went the extra mile and prepared a 2nd hotel room just for me! I was touched and impressed with the level of service provided.. which reminds me, I better drop a note to the manager.

The trip back was an out of an ordinary one for me.. Due to an unexpected pot hole, we ended up with 2 punctures and had to detour to get that sorted out. Our trip back was "delayed" by an hour or so.. but glad it all ended well. At least I know who to call should I end up with a flat.. hehehe.. but then again, I hope to not have to experience a flat.. so touch wood!

Thanks guys for putting up with me during the weekend. It was a great one.. 

Theme Song - Shontelle's T-Shirt

Out Of Africa

A total of 9 nights were spent on South African soil. Instead of boring you guys with the detailed itinerary, I thought I'd just summarise the whole thing here with the highlights of the trip!

The Journey - Flight, Bus
The journey began with a 10 hour flight to Johannesburg, 1 hour transit and then another 2 hours to Cape Town. A long long flight but I got to sleep most of the time. Other times were spent playing video games and watching the comedies. So it was quite pleasant.

The journey back to KL was another story altogether. I spent the 9 waking hours playing video games (thank goodness for that!). Didn't sleep at all, not even a wink!

In between the beginning and the end, we travelled a lot by bus. The bus drivers we had were friendly and helpful - Mahir and Gert.

Weather - cold.. and wet!

As it was winter, the cold weather was expected. The rain however was totally unexpected! (this what happens when you travel without doing research). We were not drenched (the closest we got to was during our run up to Cape Point!). But since I wasn't prepared to get wet, it added more to the cold.

Decided to invest in a set of thermals (since the ones I had were nicely laying at home).

Table Mountain - so near yet so far, remained elusively out of reach

No thanks to the weather, we did not get to the top of Table Mountain. The cable car service was closed for the 3 days we were there. It was open for operations on the 4th day but since our flight to Joburg was at 10:40am, our tour guide Benjamin decided not to risk it.

We did however console ourselves by going to the bottom cable station of Table Mountain where we posed for pictures (whenever the clouds cleared out).

p.s. pic is not at the lower cable station of Table Mountain.

Safari - Lion-less & Leopard-less too
The stay at Entabeni was best gile. To get a better idea on what I mean, go to http://www.safarinow.com/go/lakesidelodge/ (not the best of the sites, but this is what I got in the few minutes I allocated for search.. haha).

But anyways, back to the safari. Due to time constraints, we didn't get to visit the lions in the lower plains. And they were not adventurous enough to venture into the upper plains to allow us to get a glimpse of them.

The leopard.. well, what can I say, apparently it's not easy to spot them either. They like to hide in trees where they feel safe. Along the game drive, I didn't see that many trees that were strong enough to house a leopard.. so my guess is they have changed their hiding spot!

Nevertheless, during the 1st night drive.. I managed to see the following at close range -- giraffes, buffaloes (or was it 1 buffalo), rhinos, elephants, impalas (abundant), kudus and I did see 1 zebra during the drive into the resort.

The next morning, we spotted the following -- impalas, kudus, warthogs aka babi hutan, ostriches, baby elephant footprints, zebra footprints, rhinos at close range (this was the highlight of the day, yay!)

p.s. Next time, I'm aiming to spot the lions & leopards.

The company
The whole group consisted mainly of my mother's friends. I was the youngest (if you don't count our tour guide Clive. If you counted him in, then he'll be the youngest). Everyone was jovial and friendly and we had good laughs throughout the entire trip. Most of the jokes were "you had to be there for it to be funny" jokes, so I won't even attempt to type it out.

Chocolates
I just love the chocolates there.. it tastes so different from the chocolates you get in Malaysia (although it's of the same variety). I somehow suspect this has something to do with the cow's milk used to produce these chocs. The milk there just tastes much better I suppose.

Toilets
Clean, clean and very clean. Makes me not hesitate to make a pit-stop whenever required!
Note: Malaysian toilets have a long long way to go!

The whole South Africa experience - from a tourist perspective
I liked what I saw and experienced. Definitely wouldn't mind going back there again.

Our memories will live

My first thought of him was "wow! does he have a good grip" -- turns out he was a climber. We first met in 2000, I was a student and he an IT engineer.

2 weeks later, Hanis invites me to join them for lunch. We jumped into his car as he was the designated driver for the day. He called me the "green girl" -- referring to the bright green baju kurung I was wearing that day.

He treated me to my birthday at Chilli's Bangsar. I ordered some weird dish that came with rice. We had a great time making fun of it.

He introduced me to the world of climbing. When I was based in Menara Maxis, we used to go climbing on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We'll leave KLCC at 6pm and go talk about everything under the sun during our drive out of KLCC to Sg Besi to Kesas and Summit. We'll arrive at about 7:30pm and we'll climb until the place closes for the night.

He got married. I was one of the 200 guests invited. I was honored to have made the list.

Things changed after that. I climbed less and indulged more with my other activities. Nevertheless we do keep in touch as best as we could -- the occasional lunches in KLCC, phone calls, emails etc. I would call him up when I wanted to b!tch about my problems, my life etc.

He called 2 weeks ago and suggested we meet up again, as it has been a long time since we last met. Last week, we were lunching in Chilli's KLCC. It was as if time did not move. We spoke about everything -- his family, his work, my social life, my work, his holiday etc. He returned my "figure of 8" which he borrowed a couple of years ago (I even forgot it was with him).

Last night when I received the SMS, I was in disbelief. I will miss him.
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Dropped by his parents' home tonight.. the eulogy given by his friends and family jogged my memory some.

I remember his silly jokes (he was doing it even during lunch), how he would change the lyrics to songs (You're so vain to You're so gay). I remember his funny usage of Malay words (e.g my parents cannot tidur nyanyuk unless all their kids are home -- he meant nyenyak).

I remember lamenting to him that I'm not ready to get married because I haven't done everything I wanted to do yet. He responded with when he got married to Kar Lai, he had done 75% of the things, and he knows he can do the 25% with her. I made a mental note that is something I should remember when it is my time to get married.

I remember his advise, that if you're going to move to another company, always ask for more as you are worth it!

I forgot he was a tae-kwan-do black belt holder. I forgot his love for drawings and animations. I forgot that his motto was "the best is yet to be" and he would sign that off with a fuzzy.

I forgot that once we (Liong, Andrew, Felicia and myself) drove all the way to Seremban to eat the cendol that I claimed was sedap.. only to reach there and find that it had moved to a location that I didn't know.. hahaha. we ended up eating in a food court instead.

I'm sure there are more things that I remember and I have forgotten. When the time is right for me to remember, there will be a smile on my face knowing that he will always be in my mind and heart.

My Sipadan Get-A-Way

The road to Sipadan was a long one - from financial constraints to leave constraints to crisis mode.. I eventually made it to Sipadan.

I LOVE every moment of it! Even if it meant I had to get up at 3am to catch the 4:30am bus to LCCT.

Aside my initial reservations on the toilet facilities (it wasn't so bad after all), I'm glad that I'm one of those who can adjust pretty well to my surroundings.. once I got my groove, I was a pretty happy person.

Diving was fantastic, I didn't have my normal fears before my dives. I'm pleased. I hope this feeling will stay. Expected to see some big animals, but takde.. but it was alright, the small ones totally made up for it (didn't feel like that in the island, but when I was recounting what I saw.. banyak jugak!)

Although I have announced my retirement from diving (no one is taking me seriously on this), I'm already planning my next visit to Sipadan.

Sipadan Kapalai Resort...Here I Come!

Paddle or Die - 8th July Blog

This trip was suppose to take place last month, in June. However due to our hectic schedules, it was postponed to today.

Altho the initial list had 10 of us signing up for the trip, eventually only 4 of us made it -- Abg Taslim, Abg Syahin, Ikhwan and myself. It was an awesome trip. Due to us being the only group in the morning flight, we had some sort of a personalised program. There was no rush and we could take our time and enjoy ourselves. And enjoy ourselves we did!

The picture above shows the sequence of events before we capsized at the Rajah Corner rapids. It was the worst of all as we had 3 of us thrown out of the boat. It was fun!

My KK Escape

  I had a great time.. it was a much deserved break for me.. and I'm darn glad I made the trip (to think that I nearly gave it a miss due to some other issues). Everyone's so laid back in KK and since I was on a mission to relax, the fact that everyone's laid back worked for me well.

Met up with Salha on Wednesday night itself. Had dinner with Abul. We sat and chatted through the night.

Thursday was movie day for me! Hehe.. I mean what the heck? I'm on holiday.. i can do whatever I want. Watched Spiderman 3 in the afternoon and then Pirates of the Caribbean 3 that night. Watching a movie (or two) in KK is a different experience than in KL. The tickets are not only cheaper.. and you don't really have to book your shows in advance (except maybe POTC3 as it was opening night).

Friday was diving day. Initial plan was to do 2 dives but we decided to throw in another one since we were already there. Our first dive (at Suluk Manukan) were not that good - mine was horrendous. I couldn't see a thing! I had some trouble with my mask. Sal on the other hand was away from the diving scene for too long I guess.. she got sea-sick!

After recuperating at Mamutik.. we headed out to Rocky Point for our 2nd dive. This was a better dive for us. I didn't have that much problems with my mask and Sal felt much better after the 1 hour interval.

My 3rd dive was the best. I spotted a lionfish and a boxfish all on my own! I'm so proud. I also learnt, what I thought was a dead place (the sandy portions of the sea) is actually full of marine life! All camouflaging from my eyes. Upon closer inspection I could actually see it. I have decided to use this as part of my life lessons -- life is full of hidden treasures.. esp in places you think it's barren. Take your time and take a look, you'll be rewarded.

Had dinner with Fadzil, Norman & Nabila. Did some catching up (from Uni days). Had fun laughing and reminiscing. Oh yeah.. bought a top while waiting for dinner.. can't wait to wear it. I think it's sweet.

Saturday was lepak day. Initial plan was to get one of the guys to drive us up to tip of Borneo (in Kudat).  But the guys were not keen on a 3 hour drive and another 3 hour drive back just for a picnic. Slept in till 11am instead. Had lunch with Sal's friends (Faz, Lena, Sofia & Neil). Hanged out at Starbucks while waiting for Sofia & Lena get their massage. Bought a pair of shoes. Headed back to the hotel, rested a bit and dinnered at the North Indian Restaurant (sebelah Cock & Bull). It was later then to Cocoon until 1am or so.

Sunday.. another lazy day. Checked out at 1pm. Lunched at Peppermint (yummy) and later adjourned to San Francisco Coffee. Bought a book at Times and it was then off to the airport.

Flight was delayed by nearly an hour. Reached KL at 10:10pm. My brother picked me up and headed home. I had a nice time. Can't believe that 5 days flew by just like that..

Thanks Sal for making my trip a great one. The fact that we planned as we went along was even better! hehehe..

p.s. I didn't take much pictures.. not much of a picture person.

Kinabalu -- the experience

It is said that a picture speaks a thousand words.. trying to be different, I've included a few pictures in my "slide show".. hehehe. of course there would be more pictures, but these are the ones that I've managed to save in my thumb drive. The others all in office.

In a nutshell, it was a wonderful experience. Although it was my 2nd time to hike up Kinabalu, the experience was totally different from my first. The first time, I had to "take care" of my mom. Yes, role reversal begins early. Last time my mom would take care of me, but these days it's the other way round. Anyways.. this time, I didn't have anyone else to take care of but myself (and didn't have to rely on others too that much).

The hike up, began quite well. As the official pace-setter (nominated by Surej), I managed to bring our group to distances in good time. As with all pace-setters, you're not expected to win the race.. I did the same. Haha. dunno whether it was co-incidence or I just didn't have enough steam to finish. Needless to say, in our little group I ended up arriving last. Haha. but it's ok.

Same thing happened on the way up to the peak from Laban Rata. At this moment, all I could think of "why am i here again? what's my main objective on reaching the peak this time?" It's a killer stretch for me. However I had the guider's support throughout (thanks to the mix-up in names). He was by my side throughout until Sayat-sayat (then he left me cause he made sure that my name and number matched). After that, everyone else left me. I had to make new friends pulak.. thank goodness I'm adaptable to all groups.. haha.. angkat bakul sendiri.

Anyways reached the peak before sunrise. Saw the sunrise. Everyone said it was beautiful, wonderful, fantastic, amazing.. but truthfully, i didn't think it was that great then. Only in KL after seeing the pictures taken by the others, I have to agree.. it was all as said. Such a shame I didn't feel it then. But then again, it was cold and cold and I had to pinjam gloves and the ski-cap from Faz and Surej respectively (thanks guys!).. I couldn't think of anything else.

The walk down to Gunting Lagadan was surprisingly fast (got accused of running some more).

As we spent an extra night at Gunting Lagadan, we had many hours to kill before the next day's hike down to Timpohon. The first few hours were spent recuperating by having our much needed sleep. Then I woke up due to hunger and the cold. Walked to the kitchen with my tupperware and instant soup & noodles. Was joined by Azrul, then Surej, then Faz and a few others. We all started to bring out our ration of food and shared with everyone. Shana delighted us by cooking maggi pooled from our rations.

As it was sunny outside, I took the opportunity to dry out my towel, hiking clothes and myself on the rock just outside our dorm. It was splendid (sunny but cold). Was joined in by the others. Decided to play charades before going to dinner. The guys beat us girls by one or two points (but we kasi chance.. haha). After dinner, we went back to our dorms and packed for tomorrow's departure.

The hike down the next day was surprisingly ok (don't know if the others would agree with me). Despite my 9kg load.. i felt surprisingly energized! I dunno why. To ensure we would not get bored during the hike down, we decided to motivate ourselves by thinking of the hot shower available at Kinabalu Park. To further motivate ourselves, Azrul, Shana, Izlan and myself decided to be part of Amazing Race. That was funny.. hahaha.. it would end with the hot shower, and reaching the Kinabalu Park office.

The other agenda of the trip was white water rafting in Padas River. The journey began with a 2 hour delay of the train. Apparently the engine was spoilt and had to be replaced. Upon arrival, we changed to our swimming attire, had the safety & technical briefing and we were on our way. Unfortunately the team members on my raft were skilled enough that we didn't capsize (much to some of our disappointment :p). and to think we were all raring to capsize!

After that it was BBQ lunch and back to KK.

Thanks guys for everything.. I had great fun! Can't wait for Bali.

*Note: Pictures that initially appeared in this blog were lost during the migration to blogspot.