Catamaran Sailing in Club Med Cherating, Malaysia

Two things I always wanted to do in Cherating.
1. To stay in Club Med Cherating (I heard it's  the best)
2. To experience catamaran sailing

And I did both last year (striking out my checking list gleefully).

I am not going to dwell on how great Club Med is yadda yadda yadda, I mean who doesn't know what or where Club Med is right, so I just going straight to my point (read : bragging) - Zailing Ze Catamaran! Gitewwww... Oh yah! This was an office trip, so I wouldn't know the cost per pax, you might need to google for more info on this.

When I know I get to come here, I have set my mind to do 2 main activities which is catamaran sailing and archery, the rest... I will do as and when I manage to get out of the bed (katanya holiday kan kan kan). Guess what, little did I know everyone have the same brilliant idea as mine; like "what....?????". So, I have to skip sailing on the first day since the queue was long (eyes rolling, upset ok!) and plan for the next day. Yup! No difference on the queue but this time around I was smarter, I lepak at the area in case I can jump queue (kiasu tahap dewa dah nih).

While waiting for my turn, I surveyed the instructors that will be handling these catamarans, and I decided that I want him (see pic above) to be my instructor. MINE. Only MINE. #eh (Yes, I have to queue for him too apparently. Arghhhhh!!!! Tak pa, saya akur dengan nasib).

Jodoh adalah rahsia Allah, kita cuma boleh merancang, Tuhan yang menentukannya. So, I got him (see pic below) instead. Boleh lah....

Ok. He is macho too so I guess I am ok, but I was in for a surprise as he was kind (there were 4 of us on the catamaran [saya bukan berdating di lautan bersamanya, harap maklum, hahahhahah...]) and generous as he took us for an extra spin (must be my charm lah kot kan [fliphair]).

All we did was just sitting and enjoying the breeze and get tanner than necessary (sampai tak rupa orang dah) but I was very satisfied. Next round must try those on the Carribbean or Mediterranean Sea huh, I bet the feel would be more syok (high)!

My archery attempt failed with flying colours, the Spartans, the Ronins, even Katniss Everdeen would NOT want me in their team (Sebab bakal mengubah sejarah dunia dan movie kalau I masuk team dia orang. Hahhahaha.....). Seriously.

PS : Main archery pakai ballerina shoes (tepuk dahi).

My colleagues (Mak-mak, bapak-bapak kan? Sebab tuk I manja kat opis kot).

Some nice spot to chill-out.

Love this spot the best.

Few other activities you can try on this beach.

Done this in a few countries, decided to skip it.

This is the water sport beach, the accommodation is on the other side, you can either walk or take the tram here. This was my 'adventurous' activity in 2013 and I have even more and fun thing in store for 2014. Curious? *wink*

Models at Dalat Train Station, Vietnam

Vietnam Next Top Model

Who's gonna be on top?

A must visit place, we make sure Dalat Train Station or Crémaillère Railway Station is included in our sightseeing list and to our dismay, it was raining. Not only that, there is another problem we faced, it have to hit minimal headcount for the train to operate, the station master will wait for 10 committed travelers/riders for them to operate the train and we only have 8 at that point of time. So, no, we did not ride on this old locomotive. Sad.

You can read more about Dalat Train Station here in Wikipedia or Tracing The Forgotten Path To The Lost Shangri-La.

So, what did we do instead? We played model-model, photog-photog, drama-drama, poyo-poyo, kira kes balas dendam sebab tak dapat naik train.

Enjoy them pictures (this was taken using Olympus Dramatic Tone).
(PS : Do you do the same in your trips sometime, have fun with the camera?)

Sila salahkan photographer, awat ada enter frame???

It's a wrap. Gitew....

Dalat Train Station
Address : Street 1 Ð Quang Trung, Dalat, Vietnam
Time : 6.30am - 5:00pm
Telephone : +84 63 383 4409

Duration : Approximately 30 minutes

Frequency : 5 times per day - 7.45am, 9.50am, 11.55am, 2.00pm, 4.05pm

Ticket : Dalat - Trai Mat at VND 106,000 for foreigner and VND 72,000 for Vietnamese

Entrance Fee : Free

*** There must be a minimum of 10 travelers/riders for them to operate the train

Fairy Stream? Yes, in Mui Ne, Vietnam

 

We soon set sail in this tiny stream where the earth divide; 

sand dunes on the left, foliage on the right,

mysterious hues in a fairy tail like sight. 

Wading through like princesses, we followed this tiny red stream, 

hoping to find a pot of gold, or perhaps princes at the end.

This was before reality hits us; a stream is a stream, 

us is not princesses and there is no princes nor pot of gold at the end. 

However, to dream is free and we agree,

the six of us, embraced this curious journey.

Enchanted 'forest'

Whimsical  'fairies'

Flower power

Merry tourist

Is this the fairies?

Trapped in human bodies

Or just silly ladies

In their twenties

Doing a Trio. Crazy. Selfies.

Not much for me to write

Of this stunning sight

And I've tried with my might

up till midnight

Still no ideas of any bright

So, good night and sleep tight.

(Don't let the bed bug bite *wink*)

Colours of Siti Khadijah Market, Kelantan

My eyes twinkled. My lips curled.
My heart dance with merriment.
The colours of Siti Khadijah Market.

Named after Prophet Muhammad SAW's wife Siti Khadijah, a successful merchant known for her entrepreneur skill, fits this famous market perfectly as it is run mostly by women. Bragged for being one of the most photographed market in Malaysia and must visit place when one is in Kota Bahru, Kelantan, Siti Khadijah Market or Pasar Siti Khadijah used to be called Buluh Kubu Market which was later changed as a sign of utmost respect to the female traders there.

Traders, retailers, mothers and tourists all clutching their shopping bags and cameras bustling in this beautiful Siti Khadijah Market, the heartbeat for Kota Bahru every morning.

Authentic famous Kelantanese dishes are available for sampling, such as the delicious nasi kukus, the blue coloured nasi kerabu, the tasty nasi kukus, nasi tumpang, ayam percik, budu, laksam and solok lada. Distinctive to Kelantan, these food are sought after for local and international travelers as it is not readily available in the west coast.

Noted for being a sweet-tooth population, their assorted delicacies or kuih-muih like tahi itik, kuih kartun, puteri mandi, buah tanjung, sira pisang, lidah buaya, jala emas, serabe, butir nangka etc are famous for being super sweet and colourful.

For those ignorant of how a salted egg looks like, this is it, made from duck egg soaked in brine or salted charcoal.

Quill Egg.

Eggplant.

Banana flowers or banana blossoms (edible).

Bird's eye chili.

Cendol Kelantan contains white and green cendol, red sago and buah kabong mix with ice and caramel syrup.

Not just food, shoes, toys, bags, cloths and clothes are also sold here. Nothing was spared, I even bought a few for Idul Fitr. 

Siti Khadijah Market
Address : Jalan Pintu Pong, Kota Bharu, Kelantan
Working days : Sunday - Thursday (weekday), Friday - Saturday (weekend)
Opening hours : 6:00am - 7:00pm (close for 15mins during prayer time)
How to get there : 30mins from Sultan Ismail Petra Airport (RM40 per way)
Entrance Fee : FREE

Love at the First Sight. #ILoveOkinawa, Japan

You can say it as love at the first sight for me.
(The video explains everything)

Portraying the greatness of both world; the subtropical weather and an ancient culture, Okinawa have everything to offer, from water sports to longevity diet to friendly islanders, what is not to like here.

It has always been my dream to visit Okinawa and this increases after I passed by diving license last year, including the earlier 2 visits to Japan. Enchanted by their history, culture and custom, I set to search for other interesting places in #Japan narrowing it down to flower power Sapporo and obviously the beautiful island of Okinawa. Boasting the title of having the most centenarians is a street, island and country, I embark on a knowledge cruise to seek their fountain of youth (read: Okinawan diet formula).


Okinawa Food

Critical to their famous healthy diet, Okinawans practices 'Hara Hachi Bu' or 'stop when you are 80% full' which resulted in eating lesser calories. Aside from this, their main intake is vegetable, low-meat diet, rice, tofu, bamboo shoots, seaweed, pickles etc pair with Japanese green tea.

Every prefecture in Japan have their famous food for the soul and made from 100 percent wheat flour, Okinawa soba is the clear winner for Okinawa prefecture. Being told that it is usually homemade and serve with love, travelers can visit the 'soba-kaido' area where more than 60 soba shops can easily be found.


Longevity Formula

Do you know that Okinawans are more likely to reach above 100 years old? It is believe diet, exercise and lifestyle that blessed the Okinawans to have life longevity. How I wish to experience their lifestyle, and one do not even need to drink water from the fountain of youth, adopting their lifestyle might do the trick and you'll live to be a centenarian.

Coupled with having an Okinawa gene and a healthy life style are two of the contributing factors for longevity. Family upbringing, daily activity, weather etc plays an important role in their living life quest.


Lifestyle

Grow old gracefully is widely practiced here, fortunate to live in a non-stressful surrounding and having a positive attitude, great social support group and Japanese strong spiritual beliefs help keeping their youth intact. As an islander, the Okinawans are accorded with the typical fresh island air and sunshine year round thus making exercise easy.

For you traveler out there, you might just go ‪#‎iloveokinawa‬ like me after learning their culture and visiting this beautiful island. There are a contest running where the prizes are unique and brought to you all the way from Okinawa. Visit https://beokinawa.net/my today to participate.



Step by step

‘Like’ Visit Okinawa MY -> Select 3 photos out of the 20 -> Click 'like' on the 3 selected photos -> Winner will be picked and announced through email at the end of the contest