After an educational and humbling time in the aborigines settlement, we board the houseboat again and off to our next destination; to the Sungai Kooi Waterfall. (Pronounced as ‘Ko’oi, which means beautiful) The journey from Kg. Aman Damai to Kooi Waterfall area takes about 1 hour via the boathouse that’s docked at Tasik Banding and another 10 minutes boatride to the entrance.

Here’s a picture of us riding the boat to the Kooi Waterfall entrance from Tasik Banding.

Kembara #dekatje: A Boatride to Sg.Kooi Waterfall Entrance

Uploaded by K Network Media on 2017-04-04.

A video of us riding the boat to the Kooi Waterfall entrance.

Family pic at the entrance of the Sungai Kooi Waterfall before trekking

To access the Kooi waterfall, about 30 minutes of jungle trekking is required.

Trekking to Kooi Waterfall was quite tough. Well, at least for me it was quite tough as the route to the waterfall was was pretty steep and slippery and my husband and son had to wait for me as I take my own sweet time walking, but I think we did quite fine nevertheless. My teenage son fared better than I did and helped me out quite a few times, especially when we were climbing up and down steep and slippery path.

We saw quite a few interesting things during our trekking. And here’s one of it; a huge 200 years old tree. This tree is actually hallow inside and once it is knocked, it will produce loud resounding sound that can be heard for kilometres in the forest. The tree is commonly used as a mean of communication among professional trekkers or aborigines who are out hunting to send signals to each other; more often than not, it is used to send distress signal. The huge tree is also commonly used as a resting place a place to hide from wild animals.

Me, taking a break for a little while at the tree.

I’m not a professional hiker so I find the experience pretty taxing on my energy reserve, with rocky and slippery path and all, but it was indeed a wonderful experience for the three of us.

The unique feature of the Kooi Fall is that it spreads like a shower. Breathtaking, don’t you think? It was getting late and quite dark when we finally arrived at the waterfall, so we did not take a shower underneath it and opt to head back instead. Such a shame, but I’m still glad we went there nevertheless. It was indeed worth all the troubles.

Note: Trekking to the Sungai Kooi Waterfall at Royal Belum State Park is part of the 2D1N Royal Belum Houseboat trip’s itinerary. The trip was organized by Caravan Serai Holidays. You may read the full trip experience HERE. For those who are interested to join the 2D1N Royal Belum Houseboat trip organized by Caravan Serai Holidays may hop over HERE for more information. Package for a 2D1N starts as low as RM199(+RM70 for two way bus transfer from Kuala Lumpur to Tasik Banding Jetty) per pax.

Ruok Waterfall is located about 18km away from Tasik Banding Jetty and it is one of the most visited waterfall in Royal Belum Rainforest. The journey to Ruok Waterfall area took about 2 hours boathouse ride away from our docking in Tasik Banding and another 5 minutes boatride away to the entrance.

Ruok Waterfall entrance. Unlike the Kooi Waterfall where we had to trek more than 30 minutes, the distance from the Ruok Waterfall entrance to the waterfall itself is surprisingly near.

It was just about 5 minutes of trekking away. But the path to the waterfall was much more slippery and steep than the one to Ko’oi Waterfall. It was a much easier trekking in comparison to Sg. Kooi Waterfall but a guide is compulsory should you enter this area.

One thing to note; the place is actually a freshwater fish sanctuary, any fishing activity is not allowed in the area. So you will find shoals of fish, either Kelah, Tengas or Temoleh swim around. Fish feeding or swimming with the fishes, however is allowed at Ruok Waterfall.

The Ruok Waterfall. It has 3 tiers of falls but the 3rd tier is closed to the public.

Ruok Waterfall’s other feature is that it has deep pool and therefore, swimming without a lifejacket over here is strictly prohibited.

If you want to take a swim, or even just a dip over here at Ruok Waterfall, please make sure that you are equipped with a lifejacket vest before you jumped into the deep pool of Ruok Waterfall.

Water has always been my element. I have no qualms in watery places, no matter how dangerous or mysterious they are.

And here’s me, at the deepest part of the Ruok Waterfall pool. I’m not sure how deep the pool is, but one thing for sure is that it has to be at least 2 or 3 metres deep as when I swam in the pool, my feet does not even touch anything.

Unlike the Tasik Banding where the water is calm, warm and soothing, the Ruok Waterfall is anything but that. The water temperature over here is very low and it felt as if you can bathing in ice cold water.The fall’s shower at this tier of the waterfall is stronger than the other and floating beneath this cold shower feels like getting a rough shiatsu massage. It pricks the skin almost painfully but at the same time, it feels so refreshing and strange enough, it soothe all the tense muscle knot. Instead of feeling pain all over my body after showering underneath, my body felt completely relaxed instead once I stepped out of the shower. It’s simply amazing. Mother Nature never cease to amaze me with it’s nurturing and healing wonder.

My husband and son showering underneath Ruok’s fall.

We wanted to stay longer at Ruok’s Waterfall to enjoy what it has to offer but the weather wasn’t really favourable that day. It started to get dark and we had to make our journey back to the boathouse before it rains but alas, it rained nevertheless and we ended up riding the speedboat in the rain. But all was still good. Our guide Uncle Joe made sure we arrived safely at the boathouse and this is definitely another new experience for me and my family.

Note: A visit to Ruok Waterfall at Royal Belum State Park is part of the 2D1N Royal Belum Houseboat trip’s itinerary. The trip was organized by Caravan Serai Holidays. You may read the full trip experience HERE. For those who are interested to join the 2D1N Royal Belum Houseboat trip organized by Caravan Serai Holidays may hop over HERE for more information. Package for a 2D1N starts as low as RM199(+RM70 for two way bus transfer from Kuala Lumpur to Tasik Banding Jetty) per pax.

Note: All the pictures in this article was taken with Nikon Coolpix W100, with minor watermark edits.

Going for an adventure in Royal Belum Rainforest has always been unchecked in my bucketlist until my family and I received an invitation by Caravan Serai crews to spend a weekend with them on Royal Belum Houseboat alongside with other adventurers. Exploring the virgin rainforest of Belum was part of the activities in the itinerary that I’ve anticipated. The one thing that I did not exactly anticipated to be included in our itinerary though, was swimming and bamboo rafting in the lake; Tasik Banding to be exact. Tasik Banding is a lake that surrounds the Pulau Banding, a 240 hectares man made island built to house an army camp at Royal Belum State Park.

Tasik Banding is one of the eco-tourism attraction in Royal Belum Rainforest and a home to plenty of expensive and highly coveted freshwater fishes like Kelah,Temoleh, Baung, Kelabau, Tengas,Loma,Tengalan, Sebarau and Lampam.

Although Tasik Banding is a protected area, fishing activities in Tasik Banding is allowed. However, a permit is required for each fishing rod that was brought in. The cost for one permit is RM5, a fair price for the expensive loot you might be getting from the lake.

Anyway, I mentioned that swimming and bamboo rafting in the lake was part of our Royal Belum Boathouse trip’s itinerary, didn’t I? I guess I did. And did I let the rare opportunity go to waste? Definitely not. I wouldn’t let this opportunity slide for anything else, at least not in this lifetime.

It was about 5.30 pm when we made our way back to the boathouse in Tasik Banding from our trekking at Sungai Kooi Waterfall for a free and easy time swimming and bamboo rafting in the lake. So without further ado, we put on the life jacket and join the rest in the lake.

Here’s my family and I, posing on the bamboo raft.

Me, making an attempt to navigate the bamboo raft.

But then again, I’m not a good rafter.

I usually get nowhere whenever I take the paddle. My husband is better at that than me.

Growing up by the beach, I’ve always been fond of water. I even named my son Adrian, after the Adriatic sea. Swimming is much more favourable to me than rafting.

And here’s me, completely in my element before I managed to persuade my husband and son to jump into the lake with me.

Kiddo, looking abit uncertain and doubtful about jumping into the lake.

Well, I couldn’t exactly blame the kid being doubtful about jumping in. After all, I’m the sort of mum who go nuts about my son jumping into the swimming pool or playing in the waterparks. I almost never allow it. Insane, right? You can say that my priorities is all screwed up, but I’m the sort of person who gets a bit scared about letting my son play in the waterparks. Why? Well because they are man made and have flaws. Not to mention that they are usually urine infested. But this is not. The lake is God-made, and unlike human constructed things, things that God made is nothing but perfection. And how can perfection be dangerous? Nature can only be a threat when you are a threat to them.

My husband finally jumps in and my son decides to finally follow suit.

My husband, slowly getting his fins

My son, finally in the water

The dynamic duo

And here’s my brave boy

I was swimming quite a distance away so it took quite a bit for him to reach me.

Managed to snap this pic as he was reaching out for me

Here’s us

And here’s a selfie to celebrate the little display of courage

My son and I, swimming in Tasik Banding. My son may hesitate at first but trust me, after gaining his fins, he was the hardest to persuade to stop swimming while we were in Tasik Banding. In this sense, I guess my son takes after me, after all. Water is his element and he is a natural swimmer.

A selfie with my husband

Happy times with my husband and son at Tasik Banding.

Swimming and bamboo rafting in Tasik Banding may not be a 5 star resort experience to some. But I wouldn’t trade it for anything else in the world. Moments with family like this is priceless and as a mum to a rapidly growing up son, I would advice all parents out there to take some moments off from the rat race, bring your children to explore the great outdoors and make some beautiful memories with them. Time is irreversible, after all and before you know it, children are all grown up. The world is a book. Those who doesn’t explore, reads only one page.

Note: Swimming and bamboo rafting in Tasik Banding at Royal Belum State Park is part of the 2D1N Royal Belum Houseboat trip’s itinerary. The trip was organized by Caravan Serai Holidays. You may read the full trip experience HERE. For those who are interested to join the 2D1N Royal Belum Houseboat trip organized by Caravan Serai Holidays may hop over HERE for more information. Package for a 2D1N starts as low as RM199(+RM70 for two way bus transfer from Kuala Lumpur to Tasik Banding Jetty) per pax.

Note: All the pictures in this article was taken with Nikon Coolpix W100, with minor watermark edits.

Malaysia is a developed country where the people are pretty much modernized, living in the city and trapped in the rat-race and such. But as modern as Malaysians goes, indegenuos tribes living in the forests of Peninsular Malaysia still exists. There are about 30 indigenous tribes living in the forests of Peninsular Malaysia. About 5,500 of them are scattered in forest reserves of Malaysia, still living their ancestral nomadic ways of life.

My family and I were given the opportunity to get up close and personal with the indegenious people from the Jahai tribes who lives in Royal Belum Rainforest (Royal Belum State Park) during my 2D1N trip with Caravan Serai Holidays crews to Royal Belum Rainforest recently and I thoughy it was quite an eye opening experience; to learn their culture and their way of life.

The journey to the Kg. Aman Damai, the indegenious settlement of the Jahai tribes took about 2 hours from Tasik Banding Jetty via the waterway.

Gateway to another world

The village might lack worldly things but the place is so picturesque.

A beautiful sight to behold

A wefie with my family at Kg. Aman Damai

The huts in the village are 100% from the forest’s produce and they are located pretty near to each other.

Beautiful, isn’t it?

The Jahai tribe’s hut.The Jahai tribes practices communal living and every family here maintains close relationship with each other. Their men hunt for food while their women are left behind to take care of their children at home and only the head of their tribe will stay behind as the protector while the rest goes hunting.

The Jahai tribe is a sub-group of the Negrito. They are generally short, dark skinned with tightly curled hair. Although today most of the Jahai population live in settlements provided by government, there are families who still retain their forefather nomadic lives outside these settlements. Some of the Jahai tribe’s people settled themselves at one place for a couple of years, and only leave when something bad happened at their village. One of the things that commonly prompt them to be on the move to search for a new spot to live in again is death. It is believed that when a person in their community died, the place that they are living became contaminated and cursed by bad luck, and so the place became inhabitable. Their funeral management is rather mystical in my opinion. Instead of burying their dead, they place the bodies high up among the trees. Uprooting the village is just the start of a hugely elaborate burial ritual, in which the body is brought by procession to a hut, similar to the ones in the village, but constructed in a tree some 50 metres high. The body is covered and left with its possessions alongside it, together with food for the spirits. It is then left undisturbed for two to three years, upon which time the village returns to procure a bone from the skeletal remains. This is then buried, so returning the family member to the forest.

Apart from the complex culture and ritualistic nature that they subscribed to,they lead an unbelievably very basic lifestyle and have very fierce family bond. Being nomadic, they do not practice any agriculture activities, enabling them to move from one place to another easily, but I was told by our guide Uncle Joe that these days, the Jahai people are very much modernized, especially those living in Kg. Aman Damai. They are not that nomadic anymore and they no longer abandoned their village once death occurs in the village.

Anyway, we get to mingle around with the Jahai people for a little while. Their women and children can be quite shy but most of them are very friendly and accommodative towards the visitors.

Their youngsters are quite modernized and these are the superstars of Kg. Aman Damai. They usually entertained the visitors by singing traditional songs.

Our hosts showed us around the village and even taught us how to use blowpipes.

Trying the blowpipes.

Visitors being shown the Tongkat Ali tree.

My animal lover son playing with the cat who were found roaming about in the village.

I learned quite alot of things during my visit but if there’s one very important thing that I learnt from the people over here is that sometimes, money can be quite immaterial in comparison to family bond. Definitely a timely reminder for me who is constantly stuck in a neverending rat race.

Note: A visit to the indegenuos settlement in Kg. Aman Damai at Royal Belum State Park is part of the 2D1N Royal Belum Houseboat trip’s itinerary. The trip was organized by Caravan Serai Holidays. You may read the full trip experience HERE. For those who are interested to join the 2D1N Royal Belum Houseboat trip organized by Caravan Serai Holidays may hop over HERE for more information. Package for a 2D1N starts as low as RM199(+RM70 for two way bus transfer from Kuala Lumpur to Tasik Banding Jetty) per pax.

My family and I were invited by the good folks in Caravan Serai Holidays to experience the great outdoors of the Royal Belum Rainforest (Royal Belum State Park) in Perak last weekend during the school holidays and I immediately said yes to their invitation. Explore Royal Belum Rainforest? Spend 2D1N on a houseboat? It’s an opportunity of a lifetime and I wouldn’t pass that opportunity for anything else in the world. Plus, it’s been on my bucket list for a very long time.

Despite being almost an unplanned trip, we packed our bags and went for a 2D1N adventure in Royal Belum Rainforest, Perak. I intend to write a series of in depth article for our little randezvous last weekend, but first, here’s summarizing our chronicles of adventure in Royal Belum Rainforest in Perak on the Royal Belum Houseboat with the Caravan Serai crews and other adventurers:

Day 1

We started our journey at 11.30pm on 24th March 2016 from Bandar Tasik Selatan via Caravan Serai Holidays’ bus.
The journey from Kuala Lumpur to Hentian Royal Belum Amanjaya Jetty in Grik was about 8 hours drive.

Hentian Royal Belum Amanjaya

The weather was really good that day.

Houseboats are seen docking from afar at the Tasik Banding Jetty. Ours was the middle one; Royal Belum Houseboat.

Our houseboat looks small in comparison to the other luxurious cruiser houseboats, but don’t let the look deceive you. The houseboat have 8 large rooms, 4 bathrooms, 1 kitchen and a hall. The Royal Belum Houseboat can accommodate 30-40 pax of guests at one time.

The kitchen

Attached at the rear of the houseboat are two speedboats and two bamboo raft.

Boarding the houseboat with Caravan Serai Holidays’ crews and other adventurers, we’re off for our 2D1N adventure in Royal Belum.The first thing on our itinerary was visiting Kg. Aman Damai in Royal Belum where the Aborigines of Jahai Tribe resides. The journey to Kg. Aman Damai from Hentian Royal Belum Amanjaya took about 2 hours via the waterway

A pic with my husband and son on the deck.

Getting all hyped up

Picture of me and my newfound friends. Having left with nothing much to do as the houseboat started moving, we took a wefie together.

Dipping my feet into the lake and playing with the water at the side deck as the houseboat was moving. Don’t worry. It’s completely safe as the houseboat speed was not fast enough to throw anyone off the deck.

Sceneries throughout our journey was soothingly green. Here’s abit about The Royal Belum State Park; The Royal Belum rainforest is located in the Gerik area (Hulu Perak). Coverage area is about 290.000 hectares with more than 146.000 hectares of virgin forest. The forest is divided into two sections: the upper Belum area (Royal Belum State Park) and the lower Belum (Temenggor Forest Reserve) which is mostly covered by the Temenggor Lake. Some of main attractions within the area are wildlife observation, Rafflesia flowers, salt licks, aboriginal villages & waterfalls. An entry permit for every visitor into Royal Belum area is a must and will only be issued in advance. Royal Belum Rainforest is bordered by Thailand on the north, the state of Kelantan to the east, and Sungai Gadong in the west. The East-West Highway runs along its southern border, bisecting the forest complex and separating the park area from Temenggor Forest Reserve to the south. It is contiguous with Thailand’s Bang Lang National Park in Yala Province to the north, and the Hala-Bala Wildlife Sanctuary in Narathiwat Province, to the north-east. The only human inhabitants within Royal Belum right now as of writing now are the indigenous Orang Asli, mostly of the Jahai tribe.

After about 2 hours journey, we arrived at the Kg. Aman Damai where we visited the Jahai tribe.

You may read more about our experience in Kg. Aman Damai HERE.

After an educational time in the aborigines settlement, we board the houseboat again and off to our next destination; to the Sungai Kooi Waterfall. (Pronounced as ‘Ko’oi, which means beautiful) The journey from Kg. Aman Damai to Kooi Waterfall area takes about 1 hour via the boathouse that’s docked at Tasik Banding and another 10 minutes boatride to the entrance. Here’s a picture of us riding the boat to the Kooi Waterfall entrance from Tasik Banding.

At the entrance of the Sungai Kooi Waterfall.

To access the Kooi waterfall, about 30 minutes of jungle trekking is required.

Trekking to Kooi Waterfall

I’m not a professional hiker so I find the experience pretty taxing on my energy reserve, with rocky and slippery path, but it was indeed a wonderful experience for the three of us.

The unique feature of the Kooi Fall is that it spreads like a shower. You may read more about our adventure to Kooi Waterfall HERE.

It was about 5.30 pm when we made our way back to the houseboat in Tasik Banding for a free and easy time swimming and bamboo rafting in the lake.

Me, swimming in Tasik Banding

You are reading that right. We jumped and swam in the lake.

My son swam in the lake with us too. You may read our experience in detail HERE.

Nightfall came too soon.

I have to say that I haven’t had enough swimming and bamboo rafting in the lake but as the sun sets in the west, we were called back to the houseboat for a sumptuos BBQ dinner.

The guys BBQ-ing

Preparing for the night activity after our BBQ dinner.

Ice breaking session with the rest and free and easy time.

My husband and I; participating in the activities organized by Caravan Serai Holidays’ crews.

Anyway, everyone was tired and decided to call it an early night after the ice breaking session. We had the option to sleep in the cabin or anywhere that we like in the houseboat but my family and I wanted to enjoy the soft breeze and the stars above, so we decided to unpack our sleepingbags and crash at the main hall instead of the rooms. But alas, our plans were somewhat twarted. We didn’t even stay awake past midnight. It was really cold at night in Tasik Banding, and we were lulled to sleep almost immediately under the stars. We may not spend the night in a 5 stars resort, but the experience beats anything that we experienced in a luxurious resort. It was the most relaxing sleep I’ve had in a long time, I kid you not. This was definitely billion stars hotel’ experience, literally.

Day 2

I’m not a morning person. I’m usually cranky and not always human before 1pm, but waking up to this? Well, this is worth waking up in the morning for. I could practically see the sun rising in the east and it was breathtakingly beautiful.

Funky morning excercise at the deck

Breakfast at the deck as we enjoyed the beautiful scenery.

Our itinerary on the second day was as interesting as our first day. It includes trekking to Ruok Waterfall. The journey to Ruok Waterfall area took about 2 hours boathouse ride away from our docking in Tasik Banding and another 5 minutes boatride away to the entrance.

Ruok Waterfall entrance. Unlike the Kooi Waterfall where we had to trek more than 30 minutes, the distance from the Ruok Waterfall entrance to the waterfall itself is surprisingly near.

It was just about 5 minutes of trekking away. But the path to the waterfall was much more slippery and steep than the one to Ko’oi Waterfall.

One thing to note; the place is actually a freshwater fish sanctuary, any fishing activity is not allowed in the area. So you will find shoals of fish, either Kelah, Tengas or Temoleh swimming around.

The Ruok Waterfall. It has 3 tiers of waterfalls, but the 3rd tier is closed to the public.

You may read more about our experience at Ruok Waterfall HERE.

There’s also a Rafflesia flowers site in the vicinity of Ruok Waterfall which is 10 minutes hike away. You may read all about it HERE.

Our trip to Ruok Waterfall were cut short as the sky was getting dark and before we know it, it was raining cats and dogs before we even managed to get back to our houseboat. But thanks to our guide, Uncle Joe, we made it back safe and sound.

All good things must come to an end and our journey in Royal Belum Rainforest ends after our little excursion to Ruok Waterfall. We departed back to Tasik Banding Jetty shortly after and headed back to Kuala Lumpur.

Traveling and exploring has always been a balm to my free-spirited soul. And I’m lucky enough that both my husband and son share the same passion with me. I got married at a very young age and I noticed many others who are my age prefers to travel with friends or travel solo, but I prefer traveling with my boys. To me, the world is a huge classroom and we learn alot from our travel as a family. But as much as we love traveling and exploring as a family, especially in Malaysia, we come to realize that not many people appreciates the concept of bringing the children to explore the great outdoors. Children these days are mostly gadget dependent and chained to their desks in preparation of taking exams and such. Not quite my idea of how my son should spend his childhood and growing up years, I must say and I don’t intend to force him to participate in the never ending rat race. I may not be able to change the rest of the world and how things run, but at least I could change ‘my world’.

Our 2D1N trip to Royal Belum Rainforest on the Royal Belum Boathouse with Caravan Serai crews is something I would always remember for the rest of my life. We not only had fun throughout the 2D1N but we learned alot from the trip too. Overall, it was one of the most memorable weekend getaway for me and my family.

Here’s a checklist for you to refer to should you ever decided to embark on this adventure:

*Raincoat
*Mosquito repellant
*First aid travel kit with personal medicine
*Slippers
*Sports shoes/hiking shoes
*Sleeping bag (in case you decided to sleep outside in the hall or at the houseboat’s deck instead of the cabin)
*Small pillow
*Torchlight/headlamp
*Sufficient clothes for 3 days
*Dry bag to keep your equipments eg: camera, phones, powerbanks etc. (permit for camera is required. RM5 per camera)
*Fishing rod if you plan to fish (permit for fishing rod is required.1 rod-RM5)

Those who are interested to join the 2D1N Royal Belum Houseboat trip organized by Caravan Serai may hop over HERE for more information. Package for a 2D1N starts as low as RM199(+RM70 for two way bus transfer from Kuala Lumpur to Tasik Banding Jetty) per pax.

I grew up by the beachside in Penang and as a child, I was quite tomboy-ish. I can still remember those times I got into trouble with my parents for skipping school and whatnot, but I wouldn’t trade these memories for anything. One of my fondest memories is going fishing and digging for little clams after school with some friends and cooking them to enjoy by the beachside as snacks before I go home for dinner. They were the freshest seafood I have ever eaten and when I grew up, I got really fussy when it comes to seafood, as not all seafood that I could find in restaurant tasted as if they were freshly caught from the sea, especially in Kuala Lumpur. And it is even harder to find cooks who could handle cooking seafood in a way that does not ruin the original taste of the seafood.

But lucky me, the team of chefs in TEMPTationS, Renaissance Kuala Lumpur has never disappoint when it comes to creating delicious delicacies, and preparing delicious seafood is part of their expertise.

It so happens that TEMPTationS, Renaissance Kuala Lumpur is currently having a celebration of crustacean and seafood and I decided to pay them a visit and indulge a little bit on all things seafood.

Here’s sharing with you some of the highlights of their Sensational Seafood promo;

Diners can revel in the cold selection of seafood on ice such as green and Chilean black mussels, fresh tiger prawn, slipper lobster, clams, half-shelled scallop, bamboo clams and freshly shucked oysters accompanied with a choice of shallot vinegar, cocktail sauce, lemon wedge, tabasco, horseradish and sriracha sauce.

Chilean black mussels

Green mussels

Fresh tiger prawn

Slipper lobster

Bamboo clams

Flower crabs

Freshly shucked oysters

Another thing that you need to check out is the Live Action Station, where you can select the raw seafood that’s being offered and get the chef on duty to cook them up for you as you like. You may have it BBQ-ed, grilled or even cooked in the sauce of your choice.

This is what I had during my visit, the Slipper Lobster cooked in a special sweet, sour and spicy sauce. Simply put, this is sensational.

Grilled Tiger Prawns are a must have. They’re simply fresh, juicy and flavourful.

Also from the live action counter; the Squid Ink pasta. I was feeling a tad adventurous that day and I wanted to try something exotic. And I had the chef made this for me. Being a pasta lover, I must say that this Squid Ink Pasta in Marinara Sauce surpassed all my expectations.

Some of the piping hot dishes with seafood element in it.

A variety of seafood based rice; Seafood Paella, Chinese Fried Rice and Nasi Goreng Kampung. These are a must try if you are the sort of person who can’t do without rice in your daily meals. They are simply delicious and are worth every single calories, I assure you.

Also spotted at the buffet, fresh Salmon Sashimi.

If you are a fan of sashimis, you definitely would want to get the chef to slice a plateful of this for you.

If you are a fan of Japanese food but raw sashimi is not your cuppa tea, no worries, there’s a selection of sushis for you to pick from as well. These should satiate your cravings for the food that comes from the land of raising sun.

Noodle station features plenty of Laksa and Noodles.

But if you ask me what’s worth your calories, it would be this bowlful of steaming hot Prawn Noodles.

Do remember to make room for desserts as the pastry chef has lined-up an array of colourful and delicious desserts.

A must have from the dessert counter is these freshly made all time Malaysian’s favourite pancakes; Apom Balik. They’re filled with sweetcorns and crushed peanuts and are sweetly addictive on the palate.

And if you have sweet tooth, these wide array cakes and puddings will definitely not disappoint you.

Now, if you happened to be in Kuala Lumpur and is craving for some seafood and get together with your family and friends at TEMPTationS for an enjoyable dinner buffet enhanced with a succulent selection of fresh, prime seafood.

The ‘Seafood Sensation’ Dinner Buffet is priced at RM111nett per person and half price for children between 6 to 12 years old. Every 3rd diner
gets to enjoy the Dinner Buffet at RM22nett till 18th July 2018 in conjunction with the hotel’s 22nd
Anniversary.

For more info or to make a reservation, call 03 2771 6692 or email
[email protected].

* Prices are inclusive of 0% Goods & Services Tax (GST).
** Terms and conditions apply.

Follow TEMPTationS on Instagram at:

@renaissancekualalumpur and @temptations_kl

Or like them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RenaissanceKL and www.facebook.com/TemptationsKL

Planning a holiday in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia? Kuala Lumpur is a heaven to tourists and adventurers alike. Apart from the iconic Petronas Twin Towers that’s located in the city area, there are plenty of family friendly attractions that you might want to drop by when you are touring around in Kuala Lumpur. Among the must visit and not to be missed are the National Mosque, National Museum, KL Bird Park, KL Gallery, Kuala Lumpur Islamic Museum, the Planetarium, Lake Garden and many more.

But if you’re into taking instagram-worthy photos and up for some crazy fun, you might want to consider visiting the Museum of Illusions.

Located in the heart of the Bukit Bintang, which is the Golden Triangle area of Kuala Lumpur, the Museum of Illusions is nestled at Ansa Hotel. The place is just about 5 minutes walk away from Bukit Bintang MRT station and in the vicinity of major shopping malls in Kuala Lumpur like Pavillion, Lot 10 and Sungei Wang.

The museum offers exhibits that are made of trick art illusions that will definitely make your mind work overtime. I’ve had the opportunity to visit the newly opened museum a couple of days ago with my friends and here’s sharing some pictures taken with you:

A picture at one of the exhibit in the museum, the Vortex tunnel. This is one of my favourite picture, but taking a picture here can be quite tricky as the vortex actually spins and can be quite disorienting if you stay in the tunnel too long.

A picture underneath a starry sky. Beautiful isn’t it? The picture were not taken under any night sky, though. It’s just an illusion.

A picture of yours truly with colourful shadows.

There are plenty of mirror illusions in this museum, but this is among the more unique one.

This picture certainly reminds me of a scene in Alice in Wonderland.

There are plenty of exhibit in this place that plays with angle. Be sure to take some creative and interesting pose.

Walking on the ceiling is also a must in this museum. Don’t worry. It’s completely safe. You won’t end up breaking your neck attempting to be a Spidey.

Ever wonder how you’d look like being served on a plate?

The Kaleidoscope is also another interesting exhibit that allows you to take a pretty picture like this.

Apart from mind-boggling exhibit that does tricks to the eyes, the exhibits also includes some challenging puzzles.

You may get your hands on the puzzles and try solving them, but solving puzzles is not easy. I gave up on most after my third try.

The museum also features souvenir shop selling puzzle games, so if this is your kind of thing, just grab one or two to challenge your mind with.

The museum is children friendly and definitely worth a visit and I recommend you to spend more than 1 hour exploring the exhibit here. The staffs here are helpful and very friendly. Should you need assistance on taking pictures, just hand over your smartphones or cameras and they will be pleased to help you take some photos.

More info on Museum of Illusions, please refer to the information below:

Museum of Illusions
Ansa Hotel,
1st & 2nd floor,
101, Jalan Bukit Bintang,
55100 Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia.
Phone: 03-21102654
[email protected]

Opening hours:
Monday till Sunday 9am – 11pm

Ticket Price:
Adult RM35 (MyKad) / RM45 (Non-MyKad)
Children RM25 (MyKad) / RM35 (Non-MyKad)
*Family Ticket: RM90 (MyKad) / RM120 (Non-MyKad) admits 2 adults with a maximum of 2 children (5-15 years).

Fancy visiting the museum soon? Join my giveaway and stand a chance to win a pair of Museum of Illusions Entrance Tickets, worth RM70 per pair. Here’s what you need to do:

Museum of Illusions Tickets Giveaway:

1) LIKE Museum of Illusions Kuala Lumpur
2) FOLLOW https://fb.com/OverACuppaTea
3) COMMENT why you’d would like to explore Museum of Illusions and tag 1 friend that you’d like to visit the museum with.
4) SHARE this post on Facebook with the hashtag #museumofillusionskl #museumofillusionsklwithellie

Prizes : 5 Winners ( Each winners are entitled 2 Adults Entrance Tickets to Museum of Illusions Kuala Lumpur)
Giveaway period : 28 June 2018 – 05 July 2018.

Winners will be contacted via Facebook messenger.