Fireflies in Kampung Kuantan, Kuala Selangor

With my revision classes nowadays, we can't afford to take too much time off away from the city for any holidays. Well, at least until my exams are done. So, for the recent Labour Day weekend, we took a short drive to see the fireflies in Kampung Kuantan, Kuala Selangor. With the highway, it was only a 40-minute to an hour's drive from KL.

The last time I was there was when I was 13 or 14 for one of my school visits. Believe it or not, Hubs has never seen fireflies in their natural habitat. 

To start off, I suggest those intending to pay the cute fireflies a visit, try and get there early because you would want to avoid the tourists arriving in drones in tour buses. The ticket booth is only open at 7.45pm. So what I would recommend is for you to get one of your friends or family members to queue for the ticket and arrange for the others within your group to start queuing on the jetty. Why? Well, regardless of you getting your tickets first, tourists won't care and would go straight to the jetty. Furthermore, though having arrived late, many won't hesitate to jump the queue.

One boat would fit four persons and it costs RM53 per boat. So let's say it's only the two of you, you'd still have to pay RM53. Don't worry though, no one else would take advantage of that extra space in your boat. No free-riders. One ticket is for one boat.

Here's the ticket. 

This is us excited to see the fireflies. After one VERY RUDE group of tourists jumping the queue ahead of us and one them even dared to give me a look after bumping into me. You're lucky I was more keen to see the fireflies than making a scene dude. Hmpph... P.S. Manners and queuing are not foreign okay?

Due to the very low light, I could not take as many pictures and videos with my phone no matter how tech savvy it is. Only when the Pak Cik on the boat took us very close to the trees was I successful in taking some videos albeit not as great and awesome as seeing them up close and personal.

To make the experience even more special is that I got to come back to a place I had visited as a teenager with my husband to watch one of our country's natural wonders. In addition, this trip further solidified my plans to include more eco themed trips after my exams. 

Oh, being a typical tourist, I can't exactly leave without getting one of their magnets can I? Hahaha...

Here's to more eco-trips this year. Yay!

The Financially Conscious Traveller

For most people, saving money is always of utmost importance whilst travelling or vacationing. We're always looking for the best deals out there. Cheaper flight tickets, best accommodation and etc.

I personally love planning for holidays. So much so that even if there's a last minute plan to travel,  I have a default checklist in my head before boarding my flight or continuing on that unplanned road-trip.

Advanced planning goes a long way in helping to save money. It's not always the case whereby you have to sacrifice that experience you were really looking forward to for the sake of saving money. 

Here are my 7 tips from my own personal experience and observations in planning that awesome vacation, saving money where you can and directing that extra bit of cash to where it really matters:

Deciding Priorities

What is it that you want to achieve from this trip? 

Yes, this sounds basic and logical but you'd be surprised how far this simple question can lead to either that awesome holiday or a disastrous one. This question applies across a broad spectrum and will very much assist in your holiday plans. From picking that location suitable in meeting your holiday expectations and budget to deciding when to travel, which hotel to stay in and whether you need a tour guide etc.

For example, often observed for those travelling in groups (family, a bunch of friends, etc.), due to trying to meet everyone's expectations, the choice of hotel wouldn't be as strategic as it can and should be.

So what to do? What I would do is choose a common theme. If you and those in your group prefer to have plenty of shopping sprees and there's a hotel that is located in the middle of all the main shopping areas, that would be the best option. This was exceptionally relevant to my friends and I when we were in Bandung, Indonesia and Kelantan, Malaysia. 

By choosing the right hotel, you can also estimate transport costs. For example, if you can eliminate transport costs because one or two of the places you intend to shop at is within walking distance, all the better. Don't forget that since you'd end up eating out most of the time, having a hotel near that "back-up" restaurant in case you get hungry but too lazy to travel far would come in handy.

Nonetheless, by choosing that common theme does not mean that holiday expectations for the others would go unmet. It just means that time has to be allocated within your travelling itinerary with estimated costs in mind. For example, when my friends and I were in Bandung, though shopping was at the forefront of our plans, we still managed to sample the local fares as well as squeeze in visits to selected tourist trails along the way.

By deciding what to do and determining the main aim you or your party aim to achieve from the trip in advance, you can plan your trip's itinerary. For example, for travellers coming into Malaysia, if you would want to make best use of your stronger currency over the Ringgit Malaysia and satisfy your inner-shopaholic, Malaysia has it's Mega Sales three times a year so you can plan your holiday around those times. If you want to experience culture without being overwhelmed by the usual holiday crowd, avoid peak seasons e.g. one or two weeks after the holiday crowd have gone off. The latter was what we did for our Bali trip.

Timing is everything

Avoiding peak seasons may be easier said than done. 

Peak season is usually where most can easily plan that getaway without interrupting with the children's school calendar etc. Frankly, this tip may not be suitable for everyone. 

For those who can though, it would be worth it. You'd avoid all that price-hikes caused by the high influx of tourists for that particular month. Sometimes, though not all the time, off-peak is due to the weather. However, in my case, I find it manageable. We were in Bali sometime in January, a few weeks after the peak season and everything was fine with a bit of rain here and there. In no way did the rain interrupted with our holiday plans.

As timing is key, so does picking the most suitable flight and route. There's no point choosing the cheapest just because your plane arrives in the wee hours but having to bear extra costs for airport transport due to your arrival time. Note, in most countries, there are extra charges for airport transport past 12 a.m.

A few of my relatives and friends also often opt for flight with stopovers. Not only it's cheap but you get to rest your feet at the airport, let's say in Dubai on the way to the UK. Personally, it's not something I'd prefer. You'd end up losing those precious time where you can recuperate your jet-lag at the hotel of your intended destination and the luxury of touring about without having to rush around wanting to fit all from your travel itinerary. Here, I'd say don't be afraid to spend a bit extra. 

One way is to buy the flight tickets months in advance or during promotions for cheaper flight tickets at rational hours. 

Be careful though. A few friends of mine bought tickets in advance to parts of Europe last year and with the unexpected weakening of the Ringgit, they couldn't back out of their holidays and were forced to go on ahead. They ended up just window shopping or spending most of their time in the hotel due to the limited budget. Yes, unavoidable. So, allocate extra EXTRA funds for destinations known to have higher and stronger currencies. Just be prepared and treat it as though that currency will increase further at the time you'd be travelling. 

Don't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone 

Let's say you are well aware that you'd be away from the hotel more often than actually staying in your room. You'd only be using the room in the morning and at night after going around town the whole day.

Rather than your usual comfortable or luxurious hotel, you can choose a moderate style accommodation or local boutique hotels, having regard to safety of course. Nowadays, local boutique hotels are inexpensive, covers the basic facilities and are usually located in busy areas and not too far off town. However, if opting for boutique hotels, check what type of facilities are covered as each country would define boutique hotels differently. A boutique hotel in Kuala Lumpur would be different from the ones in Paris.

That extra fund from where you usually spend extra on accommodation can then be directed to touring about your intended destination or just that extra cash for emergencies.

This tip also links to my first tip highlighted on deciding priorities. 

Research, Research, Research 

Know your destination.

How do I do it? Research. Yes, summon that inner-geek and extra enthusiasm to ensure things go smoothly during the holidays.

Where to stay? Things to do? Things to buy? Places to visit? Places to avoid? Staying safe? Time to travel? Monsoon season? Tax-refund procedures? How much is the airport tax? Hire a tour guide? Hire a supir/driver? Or not?

By getting as much information as possible, you get to manage your holiday better, save time and money. 

A recent example would be about staying safe. You can read more about what transpired recently to a fellow traveller here. I felt that if she had conducted a bit of research beforehand, she may have been able to choose a service apartment at a better location i.e. within walking distance of main shopping areas and places to eat and perhaps install a GrabCar/Uber app on her mobile thus avoiding the risk of being scammed by the taxi driver.

Another element of research is to compare prices for flight tickets and accommodation on various search engines. That way you can make the best decision suitable for you, your family and allocated budget.

Lately, circulating online, there are supposedly things you can do online in getting cheaper flight tickets. I cannot vouch for this as yet as I have not tried it. Maybe you can. Two examples which come to mind would be clearing your cookies before making that flight booking and to buy tickets online on Tuesdays or Wednesdays. Worth trying I guess.

All Hail The Latest Technology

Yes, with many free apps at your fingertips, travelling is much easier.

Before reaching your destination, install the appropriate mobile apps on your phone which you feel will be useful. For example, if you wish to know more halal food places at your destination, there are many versions of halal-travel related apps available with proper maps and guides. This way you get to ensure that the place you want to eat is within your budget and you get to avoid that extra costs from taking the wrong bus or routes to the intended restaurant.

I would recommend that upon reaching your destination, get a local SIM card. That way, you can access your mobile internet at a better range i.e. minimal to no network disruption at local package (price-wise). 

Get to know the locals

If possible, don't get caught in the tourist traps. 

Yes, I know, most of the time that said tourist trap is the whole reason for that holiday in the first place. Try to find an alternative. Be it alternative attraction or alternative time to visit. Get your people-trail in order ( Get the gist of "people-trail" from tip number six in this post here). The locals would know the best time and places to go to.

If you know a local or a personal tour guide or driver, discuss with them on what's the best option in covering those tourist attractions scheduled in your itinerary. For example, I drafted an itinerary and then discussed it with our driver upon arriving at the intended destination. He then gave suggestions and after a fair bit of changes in the itinerary, we covered all those planned at a shorter time period than initially estimated. Before our holiday ended, we had an extra one and a half day for free and easy. With that extra time, we decided to cover more tourist trails further out from the capital.

Another benefit is that at times, when you buy souvenirs or local items with a local accompanying you, you'd get a better deal.

Try to blend in as much as possible. Having that local anchor helps.

Be Realistic

Finally, be realistic.

This final tip is merely a reminder in setting our expectations. 

You may have many things to do and places to see in your itinerary but not all can be met. Be flexible and don't rush to try and squeeze everything in. Being too regimented will totally ruin your holiday. That will just result in you being miserable throughout and regretting spending time and money for the trip. The itinerary is just there to serve as a guide. 

Also, don't set too high of an expectation in getting things cheap. For example, if you opt to stay at a luxurious hotel, don't count on getting it for the price you'd pay at a motel or 3-star hotel. Even those with loyalty points don't necessarily secure huge discounts.

Below is an infographic on financial travel hacks which I find very useful, courtesy of Personal Capital. It provides a quick and general overview on cheap destinations, ways to get cheaper flight tickets, alternative accommodations and others. This would especially benefit those intending to travel to the US. My fave bit is on the free spree. Definitely worth finding out if we have something similar here and other countries.

Shopping for seafood in KK

It was the day we were scheduled to fly back to KL.

So, after checking out the wet market nearby with the added information from our own surveying done throughout our stay, we decided to purchase our frozen seafood from this shop. It's located near the hotel and comparing the selection from other shops, we felt here was the best place with more choices and comparatively moderate prices.

We didn't get the lobster but opted for these giant tiger prawns. You won't get them in KL for the price you pay here in KK for sure.

Other assortment of frozen seafood.

Prawns, prawns everywhere.

We left the shop with two boxes of frozen seafood. Any purchases made here are packed according to airport restrictions so you guys don't have to worry. Also, you won't need to pay extra for the packaging services at this shop.

Oooh, something to point out here. All transaction are done in cash. Cash business only yer! They don't accept credit cards.

Of course we made sure we bought dried seafood too. 

Memang borong ikan bilis Grade A banyak-banyak, cumi kering and a bit of the ikan kurau masin.

They were just packing the udang kering. Of course I just had to buy them. Tried them in my cooking once we got home and was definitely happy with our purchase. They were fat and succulent and weren't overly salty.

This was the dude whose shop we bought the dried seafood from. All were good purchases. 

However, upon our return, despite all the extras he gave, we felt the price he quoted was slightly on the pricey side. Just slightly, nothing too drastic. Definitely still cheaper from anything you would get in KL. 

I would still recommend a visit to his shop. His is situated at the front part of the Filipino Market, near the main road. Somehow I felt that his shop had more good stuff and definitely more selection to choose from. Just look out for the Afro dude and you won't miss his stall. 

Maybe those visiting KK soon may want to try buying from the shops inside? Or bargain harder with the Afro dude?

Island Hopping - Mamutik, Manukan and Sapi Islands

We now get to the best part of our KK trip. To be honest, our island hopping session turned out to be far better than expected. 

We had no initial plans. Just a general idea that we'd like to go island hopping if we had the time, no pressure, a rough idea on mode of transportation to the islands (initial idea was to be thankful if we could even visit one of the islands) and seriously, with no advanced planning we didn't know whether the tour would be enjoyable in the least but worth the try I guessed.

I gave the office at the Jesselton Jetty a call that particular morning after breakfast to get the necessary info such as boat departure times and costs. They told us to come down to the jetty asap, which lucky for us was only within walking distance from the hotel. 

Here's Hubs looking flashy with my flowery Adidas bag. 

All the way to the Jetty he was complaining how ridiculous he looked carrying it. Only later that day he actually appreciated the fact how useful that flowery bag was with how much stuff could fit into it for our island hopping getaway.

On the way though, we got even luckier to have met Shah, the guy that we chartered a private speedboat for ourselves for the day. To boot, the price which was absolutely worth it, took us to to the main three islands of Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park namely Mamutik, Manukan and Sapi.  From KK, it probably took us 15-20 minutes to get to the first island.

I would definitely recommend chartering a private speedboat to skip all the waiting time and queues. It saves time and you won't get stressed when you decide to go off to the next island. Queues tend to be very long and we could see the many dissatisfied faces as well as frustrated parents with their kids in tow when we went straight ahead to our chartered speedboat. Unlike us, they had to go through the hassle of waiting for their turn to get on their respective speedboats with hoards of people aboard. Even to push off, those boats which took in groups won't leave until all those in the group are aboard. So more waiting time i.e. wasted time when you could enjoy skipping off to the next island.

Island- HOOOOOOOO!!!

Here we are, at our first stop for the day, Mamutik Island.

The water was so clear you can see all the cute fishies. This was just at the jetty alone.

There's a guide to the type of fish tourists may encounter at the Marine Park. Oh, for adults, entrance fee is RM3 per person upon which you'd get access to all three islands.

Here's a map of the Marine Park.

My most decent picture in Mamutik without exposing too much to my readers. :p

A view from the jetty at our second island of the day, Manukan Island.

This was taken in Sapi Island. Our last stop for the day.

What I discovered, and this is my personal view, is that each island has a different shade of colour. This in reference to their waters. All are clear and clean mind you. However, the shade of colours are either mainly green, mainly blue or a mixture of blue and green. So pay a visit to the islands and discover it for yourselves. Definitely worth exploring our beautiful Malaysia.

Ohh, don't forget to bring your snorkelling gear. We went ahead without any but managed to rent two for ourselves for the trip.

Seafood at Sri Selera KK

In KK, choices for seafood are aplenty.

We were recommended a few including Welcome Seafood but we opted for the one where a local mentioned there would be more choices and that is Selera KK. Selera KK is just 10-15 minutes walk from the hotel. There you will a find a few restaurants all located under one roof i.e. a giant foodcourt where the locals refer to as Selera KK. 

For two nights straight we dined in Selera KK at the restaurant of our choosing and didn't even bother going elsewhere. Service was excellent and the food was great!

Seriously, I think this lobster was keen at continuing our staring contest!

There were plenty of sea creatures where most I've never seen or attempted to eat. However, at the risk of posting too many pictures for this post, I am only posting those that I ate as well as other interesting ones.

Above is a mantis shrimp. 

This differs from a boxing prawn. Though they look similar, boxing prawns are smaller, have a thinner shell and they have those blade-like hind legs. When we chose the boxing prawn, we saw that the boxing prawns were kept separately in individual plastic bottles to avoid them slicing each other or the hands of the restaurant workers.

The lobster we chose for dinner.

Mmmmm...what to do with this lobster?

Cook it in butter sauce of course.

To go with our lobster, we opted for kailan garlic to complement our dish.

And here's a picture of our fried butter garlic boxing prawn.

Comparatively, seafood is cheaper than Semenanjung. However, I've heard that if compared to Sarawak, it might be cheaper there. Not so sure about that. Nonetheless, a testament to us enjoying and being satisfied with the fare in Sabah by having dinner at the same place two nights a row speaks for itself.

Filipino and Handicraft Market- Kota Kinabalu

First stop, the Filipino Market.

The Filipino Market is situated right opposite Le Meridien. It's basically a long stretch of stalls by the riverfront, beginning with stalls selling snacks and fruits, then tents for the night market, with those selling handicrafts and souvenirs in the middle and dried seafood at the other end.

From T-shirts, beads, bangles, weaved baskets to keychains, you can find all sort of interesting things to bring back home either for yourself or your loved ones. 

Of course the most popular and sought after item would be pearls if you're travelling to KK. They look ok if you want to buy them here. Another option and one place I was recommended to buy pearls is this particular shop not far off from our hotel specialising in pearls call Jamilah, I think. I can't exactly recall the name of the shop. 

Above are some beaded bangles displayed for sale. Aren't they colourful?

These were bangles designed using the inner part of shells.

We bought some of those colourful bangles from this Mak Cik. One important thing here is to bargain, bargain and bargain.

Look at dem' pearls.

Again, housewares using the seashells as part of their design. Not sure what they're called.

Saw these before in Sarawak. They sold them here in Sabah as well. A species only available in East Malaysia I guess. Kayu Tas is supposedly used to ward off wild animals. Those whom are more familiar with them use it to domesticate their pets but I wouldn't dare try using it on any of mine. If you hit your animal wrongly with it, it will die or get seriously sick before eventually dying.

Here we surveyed for dried seafood to bring back home. It was still our first day in KK and it was a good time as any to do some surveying before deciding to bring some back home. 

Look at all those ikan bilis! Already fried some of those Grade A ikan bilis we brought home and the Hubs couldn't stop munching on them. I, on the other hand, couldn't get enough of it to go with my warm porridge and jeruk for breakie or emergency lunch.

Le Meridien- Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

We now move on to our KK trip. 

As our end year trip focused on just travelling locally, we decided to go gung-ho for the week and cover both the Peninsular and East Malaysia within one week. Not all the states mind you. Just Malacca and Sabah. In total, we spent only half a day in KL for that week.

It's my first time to Kota Kinabalu (KK). Hubs had been here twice before but for work. We decided to take it slow this time around and focused on simple itineraries, of which one had to be abandoned at the last minute due to repair works needed for the train.

Hubs was totally in charge of accommodation and I was particularly happy he chose Le Meridien, KK. Its strategic locale gave us the advantage of not having to rush about around town as much as everything is just right in front of our hotel.  

Look how spacious the room is...

The bathroom is just as big.

One pet peeve I had was the loud creaking whenever you open the glass door to the shower. Other than that, everything was just perfect. We couldn't wait to start our KK trip.

And this is the breathtaking view from our room. 

You see those tin rooftops and white tents? That is where the Filipino Market is situated and traders are setting up the night market for the evening.

This is me looking to the right.

And this is to my left. 

You can see the islands from here!

Before we get started, tea time! Their private lounge on the 12th Floor serves finger food and drinks and was very much welcomed as we wanted to save room for dinner. Enough to sate our palette whilst we explore the markets before dinner.

Spa Village Majestic Malacca

Wow, just a few days since we greeted 2016 and Alhamdulillah, the year has started off great for me. Insya Allah, things will be more awesome.

To continue where we left off from my short getaway to Melaka, as we had ample time sans the usual touristy spots, we both opted to enjoy our time in the hotel. Husbie opted to chill and finish one of his books whilst I chose to explore the hotel's spa.

How cute is the door stopper to the Spa?

Spa Village Malacca is definitely one of the must tries in Melaka. It's the only place that I know of that offers Peranakan inspired therapies. Those interested are advised to call for reservations especially if you want to try one of their Peranakan Signature treatments.

In my case, I opted for the Suam-Suam Panas Experience. 

Through these turquoise lined doors and ornately designed entrance, we started off my experience with a complimentary hair massage supposedly Nyonya brides would receive the night before their ceremony. The complimentary hair massage lasts about 20 minutes or so. The TV mounted on the ceiling will entertain you with old P.Ramlee movies whilst you're getting your scalp blissfully massaged.

We then moved on to my body massage.

The package I elected for mainly focused on products with Bird's Nest as their main ingredient. The whole session lasted up to three hours. Their body massages were excellent and their Pandan-Coconut hair mask was so effective that my usually dry hair was so sleek and shiny throughout our stay in Melaka as well as the better part of our trip to KK. 

The spa session was definitely a memorable experience. It's definitely nice to be pampered once in a while and a nice way to disconnect and just relax.

The Majestic, Malacca

Hello Peeps! We just got back from our hols and I couldn't wait any further to write in my blog again as well as do some catching up on my lappie.

For end 2015, we opted to travel locally. In one week, we went to Melaka and Sabah and both trips turned out to be excellent. 

The last time we were in Melaka or Malacca was two years ago for a day trip. This time around, we opted to just eat and chill and stay over for a few nights. We've gone to the usual historical tourist spots before so we decided to give those a miss, eliminating the need to walk and queue as much under the blazing sun.

We stayed in The Majestic Malacca. Among our initial ideas for this year's trip was to have a staycation in Majestic KL. Since that didn't pan out, might as well opt for the one in Malacca. 

The hotel boasts an old worldly charm with a colonial atmosphere. It is situated right across Kampung Morten where guests get to enjoy the river front from the privacy of their own rooms, cross the bridge to visit Villa Sentosa, the living museum or take the river cruise from Taman Rempah. It's a bit far off from the main tourist trail but with an umbrella and a pair of comfortable walking shoes, you'd get to cover a lot of ground heading towards Stadhuys. 

In our case, we're a bit manja and being local has its perks with the ability to drive around town as well as get stuck in traffic jams during this busy holiday season.

Hotel guests are given complimentary drinks upon check-in. I love how they present tea in a cute basket with the traditional Chinese tea set.

The view from our room.

Our lovely room. See that four-poster bed. Arghhh...I had to hold back from jumping straight into bed!

And that lovely clawed bathtub.

Had to conduct a brief inspection on whether I fit. The usual "I fits I sits" policy.

All nice and cozy for the next few days.

The view of our hotel at night. All prepared for Christmas.