2013 Year In Review : Mid Year Hols Edition
Little by little, I will clear my backlogs on What's Up, Toks? June ~ December happenings. These past months we had been reminiscing our past years by looking through this journal and it had been thoroughly enjoyable. Keep it up, woman!!
All Ladies Vietnam Escapade
I am truly fortunate to have a strong and close friendship with these ladies. It's amazing how we, despite different backgrounds, religions, characters, are able to maintain and strengthen our friendship for 2 decades. I think acceptance and tolerance are the key ingredients. I am so glad the ladies are showering me with those ingredients generously, because I can be quite a pain in the neck at times. Keep it up too, ladies!!
All set to go for our escapade. No hubby. No kids.
Yippeee... ... freedom for us too!!!
It was a great trip. Laughter aplenty. Well coordinated, unbashful bargaining skills picked up over our "auntie-rize" years put in use. Carefree days of not having to think about when and what to feed the kids, not having to eyeball them. Ha... ...
Meanwhile, back home.... ...
Looks like they are pretty much well taken care of. =)
Sungei Lembing and Pulau Perhentian
June holidays... waterfall, hill, sea!
Getting ready for the adventures!
This time round, we travelled up north along the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia, 42km northwest of Kuantan, Pahang to get to a small little town called Sungei Lembing. A major underground tin producer in the yesteryears, Sungei Lembing is now a sleepy little town endowed with an amazing waterfall, which presents a beautiful rainbow every morning when the weather conditions are right and a hill that provides a good view point for a mesmerizing sunrise.
Together with our usual travelling kakis (Ah Gong, Ah Mah and the Wees), we had the Tans with us this time.
Late lunch at Sungei Lembing's hawker centre.
Noodles were yum-melicious.
We put up at a resort that has rooms in what used to be village houses. So there's a communal living room (with fan and air-condition) that we hang around chatting and watching cabled programmes on the telly. And by night, we head into the privacy of our own rooms for a good night's rest.
Outside our village house (still within the resort's compound), there is a huge ground for kids to run about and expend their energy. Love it!
The kids.
The "over-aged" kids.
The next morning, we woke up early around 5am to have breakfast, get onto a 4WD ride, go on an easy trek to catch the rainbow@waterfall.
Queuing up to buy niang dou fu. Delicious!
Busy eating.
All ready for the 4WD.
Take a break from the bumpy ride.
Exciting ride. Must stay alert to duck from the branches.
River crossing.
As it was in the month of June, the rainfall amount was not too high so the water level wasn't too high either. Plus, we went in mid-week, the number of visitors was pretty low too. Other than our group, there was only one other group. So we can very much say that we had the place to ourselves. =) Our guide told us that over weekends and peak period, there can be as many as 15 4WD vehicles bring visitors in at one time. 15 x 12... approximately 180 pax?!?! We were so fortunate!
Yea... we cleared the river.
A stream crossing.
Into the jungle, we go.
Don't worry. I can do it.
Approaching waterfall.
We have arrived!!
The magnificent fall.
Can you see the rainbow?
The weather conditions (cloud's density, sunlight's intensity, etc) were good enough for the fall to present a faint rainbow to us. If the conditions were more favourable, we would have been able to see a much distinct rainbow. Oh well, next time.
Waiting for a nice, hot cup of noodles.
And we are on our way back.
Exploring the small town in the afternoon.
In this sleeping little town, the only hawker center sells just breakfast and lunch. There are only a couple of coffeeshops around but they don't seem to be open as well. There is also 1 vegetarian coffeeshop but it was closed too. The alternative option for food will be to drive to the nearest major town (about 30min drive away).
Once again, fortunately for us, the cook of the eating place doubled up as a waterfall guide on his off days. And he spontaneously offered to open up the shop to cook for us. Just for us. =)
Waiting in the middle of the only road through the town
for the vegetarian coffeeshop to open.
Entire shop to ourselves with the cook serving just us!
Noodles was seriously very delicious!!
Early next morning, we trekked up Bukit Panorama in pitch dark to catch the sunrise.
Pant, pant, pant... ...
Beautiful...
Another peak with the Wees.
So this is how the route looks like when we trekked in the dark.
Stairs all the way.
After the adventures in forested areas, we headed for the sea!! Pulau Perhentian!!! Well, I shall let the pictures of happy faces do the rest.
All Ladies Vietnam Escapade
I am truly fortunate to have a strong and close friendship with these ladies. It's amazing how we, despite different backgrounds, religions, characters, are able to maintain and strengthen our friendship for 2 decades. I think acceptance and tolerance are the key ingredients. I am so glad the ladies are showering me with those ingredients generously, because I can be quite a pain in the neck at times. Keep it up too, ladies!!
All set to go for our escapade. No hubby. No kids.
Yippeee... ... freedom for us too!!!
It was a great trip. Laughter aplenty. Well coordinated, unbashful bargaining skills picked up over our "auntie-rize" years put in use. Carefree days of not having to think about when and what to feed the kids, not having to eyeball them. Ha... ...
Meanwhile, back home.... ...
Looks like they are pretty much well taken care of. =)
Sungei Lembing and Pulau Perhentian
June holidays... waterfall, hill, sea!
Getting ready for the adventures!
This time round, we travelled up north along the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia, 42km northwest of Kuantan, Pahang to get to a small little town called Sungei Lembing. A major underground tin producer in the yesteryears, Sungei Lembing is now a sleepy little town endowed with an amazing waterfall, which presents a beautiful rainbow every morning when the weather conditions are right and a hill that provides a good view point for a mesmerizing sunrise.
Together with our usual travelling kakis (Ah Gong, Ah Mah and the Wees), we had the Tans with us this time.
Late lunch at Sungei Lembing's hawker centre.
Noodles were yum-melicious.
We put up at a resort that has rooms in what used to be village houses. So there's a communal living room (with fan and air-condition) that we hang around chatting and watching cabled programmes on the telly. And by night, we head into the privacy of our own rooms for a good night's rest.
Outside our village house (still within the resort's compound), there is a huge ground for kids to run about and expend their energy. Love it!
The kids.
The "over-aged" kids.
The next morning, we woke up early around 5am to have breakfast, get onto a 4WD ride, go on an easy trek to catch the rainbow@waterfall.
Queuing up to buy niang dou fu. Delicious!
Busy eating.
All ready for the 4WD.
Take a break from the bumpy ride.
Exciting ride. Must stay alert to duck from the branches.
River crossing.
As it was in the month of June, the rainfall amount was not too high so the water level wasn't too high either. Plus, we went in mid-week, the number of visitors was pretty low too. Other than our group, there was only one other group. So we can very much say that we had the place to ourselves. =) Our guide told us that over weekends and peak period, there can be as many as 15 4WD vehicles bring visitors in at one time. 15 x 12... approximately 180 pax?!?! We were so fortunate!
Yea... we cleared the river.
A stream crossing.
Into the jungle, we go.
Don't worry. I can do it.
Approaching waterfall.
We have arrived!!
The magnificent fall.
Can you see the rainbow?
The weather conditions (cloud's density, sunlight's intensity, etc) were good enough for the fall to present a faint rainbow to us. If the conditions were more favourable, we would have been able to see a much distinct rainbow. Oh well, next time.
Waiting for a nice, hot cup of noodles.
And we are on our way back.
Exploring the small town in the afternoon.
In this sleeping little town, the only hawker center sells just breakfast and lunch. There are only a couple of coffeeshops around but they don't seem to be open as well. There is also 1 vegetarian coffeeshop but it was closed too. The alternative option for food will be to drive to the nearest major town (about 30min drive away).
Once again, fortunately for us, the cook of the eating place doubled up as a waterfall guide on his off days. And he spontaneously offered to open up the shop to cook for us. Just for us. =)
Waiting in the middle of the only road through the town
for the vegetarian coffeeshop to open.
Entire shop to ourselves with the cook serving just us!
Noodles was seriously very delicious!!
Early next morning, we trekked up Bukit Panorama in pitch dark to catch the sunrise.
Pant, pant, pant... ...
Beautiful...
Another peak with the Wees.
So this is how the route looks like when we trekked in the dark.
Stairs all the way.
After the adventures in forested areas, we headed for the sea!! Pulau Perhentian!!! Well, I shall let the pictures of happy faces do the rest.