Feeling particularly pumped up with adrenaline after our jungle night walk and unable to sleep after we went back to Han Rainforest Resort, the owner took pity on us and brought us for some midnight sightseeing with their 4WD and a nightcap after that.
We were then brought to the riverside for some midnight fishing.
A favourite fishing spot among anglers in Taman Negara.
Preparing the bait to angle in some fishes.
A closer look at the bait.
Pahang is famous for their Patin Tempoyak, and being a somewhat an urbanite, I never once dreamed that I would be catching one off the plate, but life is full of surprises and here’s a huge one, fresh from the river.
The fish is definitely huge and I was told that a Patin fish this big worth well over RM2,000 if we’re to sell it off but rules are rules. The fish is over 2kg and should you caught any fishes in Taman Negara that is over 2kg, you will have to release it to maintain a healthy ecosystem and a healthy food chain among the wild. You are only allowed to keep those below 2kg. And so, with a heavy heart, we released it back into the river where it belongs.
While I was a little disappointed that we won’t be having any Patin Tempoyak for lunch the next day, it was still a wonderful thing to experience.
Catching your own meal from the river is certainly not an easy feat and requires a lot of patience.
For those families that would like to experience some midnight fishing, you may have your trip arranged by appointment with Han Travel.
Our trip was sponsored by Han Travel/Han Rainforest Resort and MITA. Han Travel provides one of the best transportation and accommodation arrangement to Taman Negara, so look them up for fuss free experience in Taman Negara at an affordable price.
Apart from reading this blog, the updates on our trip can be looked up on social media like Facebook and Instagram by using the official hashtag #GoDomestic #dekatje #mitatourismfair and my personal hashtag #ellietravels#kembaradekatje and #kembarabayau.
We don’t need to build a time machine or a spaceship to travel back in time or to visit another world. All we need is just a torchlight and we can travel to 120 million years away from city lights and urbanisation into a buzzing nocturnal world.
As soon as the sun sets, Taman Negara, Pahang transformed itself into a strange but magnificent world, far removed from man’s dominance over the earth.
Having the opportunity to join the Jungle Night Walk Tour organized by Han Travel/Han Rainforest Resort, my family and I were introduced to weird and wonderful cast of characters who live together to create a grand ecosystem that would no doubt mesmerized every explorers who dares to explore Taman Negara in the still of the night.
Taman Negara Night Walk tours depart nightly at 8.30pm with an assigned guide. Raincoats and flashlights are not provided so do bring your own. Comfortable enclosed footwear and moderate fitness are required. It is not overly challenging as there’s wooden path all the way through but at some point during the night walk, you will need to be able to cope with slippery and uneven ground.
Briefing before the jungle night walk
Our journey starts at the jetty where the traditional boat awaits us to bring us across.
All geared up for our jungle night walk.
Many of the most fascinating residents in Taman Negara are nocturnal, so as the sun sets over the trees, the forest comes to life. During our night walk, we regularly encounter forest mammals, strange insects and many species of spiders and tree snakes.
If you’re lucky enough like us you’d stumble upon the wandering Tapir and can get up close and personal with it. Apparently the wandering tapir are rather tame and quite used to humans. We managed to pet one and snap some photos with the tapir. Photography tips: try to get the shot as fast as possible as sometimes overly excited tourists tends to hog the tapir and overwhelms them til they run away.
Some of the creature that we chance upon that night was poisonous, like scorpions and snakes.
Look closely. Do you see a spider? Pretty good at camouflaging, the spiders of this species is commonly known as The Huntsmen. As per the namesake, this spiders does not weave webs in order to trap it’s victim, but hunt them instead.
Another huntsmen spider.
Spot anything? There’s a stick insect here in the picture. Can’t see it?
How about now? The stick insect is hanging on the leaf.
Moving further into Taman Negara, just before we reach the Tahan Hide, we managed to find an army of termites, working very hard to bring food to their Queen.
A video of the termites gathering food and bringing it back to their Queen.
We reached Tahan Hide after almost one hour in the jungle. But it was too dark and my camera is not equipped with nighy lense and therefore there is no pictures at Tahan Hide, where we managed to see deers and some nocturnal creatures licking salt from afar.
The night walk was certainly educational and both my husband and son enjoyed it as much as I do.
While I brought my son for the nightwalk, I personally would recommend only children age 8 years old and above to join the tour.This night walk is not recommended for children under the age of eight years old as the quieter you are, the more you will see.
The Taman Negara Jungle Night Walk is about 1.2km and you will take about one to two hour to complete the tour, depending on your pace.
For those families that would like their children to do a private jungle walk and you have little ones then a shorter journey may be arranged by appointment with Han Travel.
Our trip was sponsored by Han Travel/Han Rainforest Resort and MITA. Han Travel provides one of the best transportation and accommodation arrangement to Taman Negara, so look them up for fuss free experience in Taman Negara at an affordable price.
Apart from reading this blog, the updates on our trip can be looked up on social media like Facebook and Instagram by using the official hashtag #GoDomestic #dekatje #mitatourismfair and my personal hashtag #ellietravels#kembaradekatje and #kembarabayau.
Han Rainforest Resort is located about 10 minutes drive away from Mawar Floating restaurant which is the river crossing point to the Taman Negara, Pahang.
Mawar Floating Restaurant
Crossing the river to the entrance of Taman Negara costs merely RM1 per pax and is just a mere 2-3 minutes ride away.
Han Rainforest Resort is the largest resort in Taman Negara.The place is located quite far from town area but it is highly convenient to stay here as there’s a cafe, convenience shop and even a spa in the vicinity of the resort.
Han Rainforest Resort
The reception. Apart from being a place for receiving guests, this is also is a place where you gather with your groups or book your tour.
Mr. Kenny Ng, our host and also the owner of Han Rainforest Resort, personally overseeing everything when we arrived at the resort.
Our room was pretty basic, with two single beds. As usual, I shared one with my husband while our son gets the whole bed to himself.
The vanity table. Sockets can also be found for all your electronic needs.
The shower
Our 3D2N stay here was all right. While you can’t expect lavish or overly modern amnesties like in-room high speed internet or room service, it’s proven to be comfortable with relaxing environment, perfect for those who really wants to get up close and personal with nature but still wants all the worldly comfort of a regular resort.
Our trip was sponsored by Han Travel/Han Rainforest Resort and MITA. Han Travel provides one of the best transportation and accommodation arrangement to Taman Negara, so look them up for fuss free experience in Taman Negara at an affordable price.
Apart from reading this blog, the updates on our trip can be looked up on social media like Facebook and Instagram by using the official hashtag #GoDomestic #dekatje #mitatourismfair and my personal hashtag #ellietravels#kembaradekatje and #kembarabayau.
Taman Negara is located in Jerantut, Pahang and is well known for it’s well preserved flora and fauna and is offering a full blown eco-escapade experience to outdoor activity lovers.
As mentioned in my previous post where I summarized the things that my family and I did in Taman Negara during our 3D2N eco-escapade, getting to Taman Negara can be quite tricky for tourists as there is no direct express or intercity transport to Taman Negara. The most common route to Taman Negara is via Jerantut, the nearest town to Taman Negara or via the only river route available, which is Sungai Tembeling by taking a boat from Kuala Tembeling jetty.
Our sponsor, Han Travel wanted us to have the full blown eco adventure experience, hence, instead of bringing us to Taman Negara via land route by bus, we were given the opportunity to ride the boat all the way to Taman Negara from Jetty Kuala Tembeling, Pahang.
The journey from Jetty Kuala Tembeling to Han Rainforest Resort in Taman Negara takes about 3 hours.
Arrival at Jetty Kuala Tembeling, Pahang
Our boat. Each boats can fit about 10-15 person.
One of our Sahabat Media delegates and her children, all cozy and ready to go.
Off for a wonderful journey
Our view
Picturesque, don’t you think?
Boathouses spotted along the way
The weather was not exactly in our favour.
It was just 3pm but was already dark and gloomy. According to the weather forecast, it will rain that day.
Managed to record a short video of our ride for my Kembara #dekatje travelogue.
We were hoping that it wouldn’t rain but it did, albeit just lightly along our journey.
The rain was not enough to make the river dangerously ferocious or rock our boat badly.
Honestly speaking, it was still an enjoyable ride even though we got wet a little bit.
After about 3 hours ride, we arrived at the floating restaurant where we all disembarked before heading to our crib for the weekend; Han Rainforest Resort.
Han Rainforest Resort is just about 5 minutes drive from the floating restaurant.
More about Han Rainforest Resort in the next post, so keep your eyes peeled for more exciting adventure.
Our trip was sponsored by Han Travel/Han Rainforest Resort and MITA. Han Travel provides one of the best transportation and accommodation arrangement to Taman Negara, so look them up for fuss free experience in Taman Negara at an affordable price.
Apart from reading this blog, the updates on our trip can be looked up on social media like Facebook and Instagram by using the official hashtag #GoDomestic #dekatje #mitatourismfair and my personal hashtag #ellietravels#kembaradekatje and #kembarabayau.
One common perception among people in general about eco-escapades is that it is rather extreme and not suitable for families or young children. For most, if you are to go on a holiday or a getaway with families or young children, you need to go somewhere lavish and cozy.
I beg to differ. Going for eco-escapades and getting up close and personal with nature is just the thing that you need when you are living in the modern world and leashed with gadgets on daily basis. It gives you the perfect opportunity to put away your gadgets and whatnot and bond with your loved ones, gadget-free.
Many would argue that going for outdoor adventure is not exactly safe, but I assure you that it is safer than you think, when done right.
New year is usually rather slow paced and unproductive for me and my family, but we kicked off 2016 differently. Unlike the previous years where we had slow and mundane start to the new year, this year we kicked it off with a short 3D2N getaway to Taman Negara (National Park) in Pahang with our media friends and their respective families.
Taman Negara is located in Jerantut, Pahang and is well known for it’s well preserved flora and fauna and is offering a full blown eco-escapade experience to outdoor activity lovers where you can opt to trek the jungle, explore a cave, cruise the river with a boat or even visit the indegenious settlement.
Getting to Taman Negara can be quite tricky for tourists as there is no direct express or intercity transport to Taman Negara. You can get to Taman Negara by driving or by bus from any cities or towns in Malaysia. The most common route is via Jerantut, the nearest town to Taman Negara or via the only river route available, which is Sungai Tembeling by taking a boat from Kuala Tembeling jetty.
After about 1 hour of bus ride, you will reach Kuala Tahan, Taman Negara. The bus stop is located at the central part of Kampung Kuala Tahan. Most of the resorts, guest house, chalets and hostels in Kuala Tahan are located within the walking distance from the bus stop. But some resorts would require a short boat ride before you can reach the place. Do check you resort’s exact location prior to arrival.
Among popular cities or towns in Malaysia where you can depart by bus to Taman Negara are: –
Jerantut
Kuala Lumpur
Kota Bharu
Mersing (Jetty to Pulau Tioman)
Kuala Rompin (Jetty to Pulau Tioman)
Penang
Kuala Perlis (Jetty to Pulau Langkawi)
Malacca
The public bus services is the cheapest way to get to Taman Negara, but if you want a full blown experience, I would recommend you to ride a boat from Kuala Tembeling to Taman Negara. The boat ride will take about 3 hours before you can reach Taman Negara.
My family and I had a blast during our 3D2N adventure in Taman Negara. I will be sharing and elaborating our experience in detail in future posts but here’s sharing the chronicles of our experiences during our little escapade:
1. Boatride to Taman Negara
2. Jungle nightwalk and animal watching at Tahan Hide
3. 4×4 off-roading trip
4. Midnight fishing
5. Batik painting at Kuala Tahan
6. Canopy walk
7. Rapids Shooting
8. Riverside walking
9. Visit the Bateq Tribe in the Indegenious Settlement at Kg. Dedari, Kuala Tahan, Pahang
Our trip was sponsored by Han Travel/Han Rainforest Resort and MITA. Han Travel provides one of the best transportation and accommodation arrangement to Taman Negara, so look them up for fuss free experience in Taman Negara at an affordable price.
Apart from reading this blog, the updates on our trip can be looked up on social media like Facebook and Instagram by using the official hashtag #GoDomestic #dekatje #mitatourismfair and my personal hashtag #ellietravels#kembaradekatje and #kembarabayau.
Want to travel but a little tight on the budget? Fret not. Just go domestic.
Organised by the Malaysian Inbound Tourism Association (MITA), with the support of Tourism Malaysia, the fair will be held between January 29 and 31 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre to encourage domestic travel.The three-day fair will be opened to public from 9am to 9pm.
MITA Tourism Fair is expected to attract participation from more than 140 industry players and 20,000 visitors.
In my humble opinion, wth the fall of the ringgit, the timing of the fair could not have been better as with the terribly low exchange rates, going abroad seems to be quite an unfavourable idea.
Locals can get more value simply by travelling within Malaysia.
In line with other domestic campaigns, including the popular “Cuti-Cuti Malaysia” and “CC1M Dekat Je!” campaign with the hashtag #cc1m and #dekatje, MITA came up with their own social media hashtag, #GoDomestic for social media enthusiasts to share their domestic travel experience.
Domestic movement is measured by travel of 50km or more, with at least a night of lodging.
#GoDomestic campaign attracted both locals and foreigners to visit popular attractions and tourist spots nationwide.
The fair will offer attractive discounts for domestic travel and other interesting activities, entertainments and lucky draws, so what are you waiting for? Let’s make your travels a planned experience and #GoDomestic!
If there is one place that never disappoint me and my family when it comes to festive season dining is Utara Coffee House, Armada Hotel PJ. Not only the food surpassed my expectation but the staff is also attentive towards your needs as well. Bonus brownie points? Utara Coffee House is not only affordable but it is also a Halal certified eatery, making the restaurant perfect for gatherings with Muslim family and friends during festive season.
It is almost mid January 2016 as of writing and Chinese New Year is fast approaching. I have yet to prepare for reunion dinner and stuff, but dining out with family is the least of my worries right now as Utara Coffee House is offering bountiful buffet and set packages for Chinese New Year 2016.
There’s plenty of things you can enjoy in the buffet spread, but here’s sharing with you what my family and I managed to sample during our media preview.
Executive Chef Chew, posing with Utara Coffee House Chinese New Year 2016 offerings.
Interview with Executive Chef Chew on the Chinese New Year’s specials in Utara Coffee House.
Prosperity Yee Sang (Butter Fish). There’s a variety of Yee Sang offered by Utara Coffee House, but we tried the Prosperity Yee Sang with Butter Fish variant of it. Creative presentation in the form of a colourful turtle, signifying wealth and prosperity will surely appeal to you visually as it would to you palate.
Chinese New Year Cold Cuts makes a good starter, definitely. The cold cuts are all flavourful and yet not too heavy that you’d be complaining that you’re to full to try the next dish.
Braised Seafood Soup. The soup was aromatic and full of oceanic goodness. A bit heavy on the fish side, in my humble opinion but it’s nothing that can’t be remedied with black vinegar provided.
Glutinous Rice with Smoked Chicken was sensational, to say the least. The glutinous rice was not mushy and was generous with meat stuff fillings. I’m guessing it’s chicken and some sort of nuts and dried shrimps.
Deep Fried Whole Fish with Cheong Cheng Sauce. I’m not a fan of fish, as the fishy smell and the tiny bones puts me off. But this dish is good, and the sauce was even more exceptional, making me wish that there was a bowl of rice to go with this.
Vegetarian Treasure Hot Pot (Poon Choy). One of the wonderful dish offered for Chinese New Year 2016 in Utara Coffee House, Armada PJ is the Vegetarian Treasure Hot Pot or in Chinese, the Poon Choy. The meat version usually includes all sort of seafood and meat and is usually richly flavoured. Catering Muslims and vegetarians, this version of Poon Choy is as satisfying as the meat variant of it. The whole thing is bursting with flavour and will warrant you for more helpings.
Wok Fried Lamb Steak with Honey Perrin Sauce was finger licking good and I was absolutely tempted for a second after trying one piece of the wok fried lamb steak, but refrained due to the fact that my body does not always react well to lamb meats and always gets heaty and feverish after consuming them.
Baked Salt Fried Prawns was all right. I have no complaints whatsoever about them and my husband and son seems to find them addictive.
Chinese Longevity Noodles. This dish was served with thick, clear gravy as oppose to dark gravy considering that it is meant to be a Chinese New Year’s dish where everything must be bright and vibrant. The noodle was smooth and not the springy or chewy kind. Quite pleasant to slurp down and it is definitely comforting to the growling tummy. Great to be consumed on rainy days, I reckon.
Rainbow Tong Yuen was served in hot herbal syrup. I gave this a miss as I’m not a fan of all things herbal and I find this rather overwhelming on my palate. My husband however, polished three bowls of the Rainbow Tang Yuan. One needs to have an acquired taste to be able to enjoy this dessert, I guess.
The Chinese New Year Reunion Buffet Dinner is priced at RM78 per adults, RM55 for senior citizens and RM39 per child.
Prosperity Set Menu (minimum table of 10 pax):
Blissful Longevity Set Menu: RM978++
Everlasting Success Set Menu: RM1088++
Bountiful Treasure Set Menu:RM1198++
Good Health and Prosperity Set Menu: RM1308++
Yee Sang Selection (Priced at RM65 per portion):
Fruity Veggie Yee Sang
Salmon Yee Sang Yee Sang
Hokkaido Scallops Yee Sang
Soft Shell Crabs Yee Sang
Butterfish Yee Sang
For reservation or enquiries on Utara Coffee House Chinese New Year’s special, please call: +6 03 7954 688 ext. 4557 or email: [email protected]
Ten Years dining experience brings together Malaysia’s most famous and popular street foods under one roof.
Developed and wholly owned by Horsemen Group Sdn. Bhd., Ten Years is created with the dream to preserve The Malaysian Food Culture by passing it on to the next generations.
The main concept of Ten Years Restaurant is to provide and promote Malaysia’s most famous street food in a comfortable ambience at their convenience. Each dining area will represent each decade from the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and 90’s to allow customers to indulge themselves with the retrospective themes which each different generation will appreciate.
Chinese New Year is just around the Corner and Tenn Years has introduced ‘Smoked Salmon Fruit Yee Sang’ to their customers from 15 Jan – 29 Feb 2016.
To create a new flavor and trend of Yee Sang, their chef has put aside some standard ingredients but added in kumquat, strawberry and pineapple plus the uniquely made Tangy Strawberry dressing for you to drizzle them up togethe.
With the special presentation inspired by Ten Years logo, it’s definitely one of the unique prosperity toss you won’t want to miss in the Year of 2016!
Priced at RM29.90 (with smoked salmon) & FREE Ang Pow with mystery gift voucher. Serves 2 -4 pax, available for dine in and takeaways.
For more info, refer to the details below:
TEN YEARS RESTAURANT : TOP RATED MALAYSIAN CUISINES UNDER ONE ROOF (PORK-FREE)
Business Hours : 0800 – 2300 (daily)
Address : No 1, Jalan Radin Bagus 6, Bandar Baru Sri Petaling, 57000 K.L
Tel : 03 – 9054 9688 / 010-966 8862
Website : www.tenyears.com.my
Facebook : www.facebook.com/tenyears.my
Instagram : https://instagram.com/tenyearsmy/
Sungei Wang Plaza is all geared up for the upcoming Chinese New Year 2016. To celebrate the year of Fire Monkey, the mall is all fired up with a thematic celebration, ‘A Union of Hundred Lions, Centuries of Prosperity’
The launching of Sungei Wang Plaza’s Chinese New Year 2016 celebration with special appearance of local artists.
Single high pole lion dance performance.
Fan dance performance
The celebration commence from 9th January 2016 to 14 February 2016 with a lot of exciting performances and event line up, including the Chinese New Year Carnival, somewhat a long run initiative to give back to the society where a charity bazaar will also take place during the carnival. The charity bazaar will be held on 16th January 2016 starting from 11am to 9pm. Handmade products, food and beverages by senior citizens will be on sale.
Shoppers will be pleased that there’s plenty of promotions in Sungei Wang Plaza for Chinese New Year 2016. Shoppers can redeem a set of exclusive angpow packets from Sungei Wang Plaza every week (4 designs)with every RM150 spent.
Shoppers with minimum spendings of RM388 and above are also entitled to a chance to bring home an exclusive decorative lion head via Prosperous Pull &Redeem at the Customer Service Counter at LG floor.
Auspicious decorative Lion heads up fot grabs.
Shoppers can also redeem a kiddie train ride around Sungei Wang Plaza for their children with every RM150 spent at any outlets in Sungei Wang.
Interview with Head of Marketing Communications, Mr. Joseph Teo on what Sungei Wang have to offer the shoppers this festive season.
For latest information about the events and promotions at Sungei Wang Plaza, kindly visit: Sungei Wang Plaza website at https://www.sungeiwang.com or Sungei Wang Plaza Facebook at www.facebook.com/sungeiwangplaza. For All Kinds of Everything!
I’m not really into partying or anything loud. I have always preferred a quiet quality time over anything else but my husband and I decided to do something different to usher the new year this year instead of staying home and watching fireworks display from the privacy of our balcony.
Living in Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia, there were plenty of places throwing a huge party and firework displays that we could go to on the new year’s eve but we opt to celebrate in MaTic with our media and friends from the tourism industry instead.
MaTic, an abbreviation for Malaysia Tourism Information Centre. MaTiC is a one-stop tourist centre, driven by the vision to place Malaysia on the global map as one of the finest tourist destinations in the world. The various services and facilities offered by MaTiC include the Tourist Information Counter, Tourist Police Counter, Internet access to its tourism e-portal, Saloma Bistro & Theatre Restaurant, Saloma Retail Centre, ATM Machine, Money Changer, Karyaneka and Hop On and Hop Off Ticket Counter and etc.
New year eve at MaTic.
It was nothing short of spectacular, with beautiful decos set up to attract tourists and local visitors alike.
My co-host for Kembara #dekatje travelogue, Kos Serani and his friends taking the opportunity to have fun. Picture credit to my husband who moonlight as photographer that night.
Breathtaking setting, don’t you think?
Cute darlings spotted at MaTic
Busker performance
Tourists spotted dancing to busker performance.
Counting down with Datuk Rashidi
Firework display to mark the arrival of 2016.
Time to celebrate
Cultural performance right after welcoming the year 2016.
And here’s our Kembara #dekatje co-host, Kos Serani wishing you a happy new year.
My family and I welcomed 2016 with a bang and I have a feeling that 2016 is going to be fantastic. How did you celebrate your new year? Care to share?
