Hard Rock Cafe World Burger Tour - Kuala Lumpur

It has been a trend this last three years, started with burgers followed by hipster cafés. Despite hipster café doesn’t spell burger out loud, it’ll pop out on the menu one way or another. Always. Without fail. 

I have seen uniquely creative tasty burgers, from soft shell crab burger to nachos burger, then there’s our local Ramly burger feast such as burger epal, burger kahwin, I Love You burger and the list continues. The fanciest I am yet to try but forever curious still is nasi lemak burger. The name itself says a lot.

It is no surprise when Hard Rock Café in conjunction with their 25 years presence in Malaysia is having the World Burger Tour food truck that is currently touring South East Asia to stop in the first Malaysia Hard Rock Café establishment, right here at Hard Rock Café Kuala Lumpur, Jalan Sultan Ismail. Riding with them from down south is the Harley Davidson of Singapore. A total of 73 bikers rode through Malaysia on 55 Harley Davidson motorcycles in the “Freedom Thru Weekend 2016 Ride to Malaysia”. The convoy of the iconic big bike brand started in Singapore, entering Melaka and Kuala Lumpur before returning south to the Lion City.

The World Burger Tour will be showcasing international Local Legendary Burgers; Big Little Italy Burger, Kimchi Burger, Hollywood Burger and Golden Gate Burger among others, each with its unique, distinctive, authentic and ethnic flavour that is recognizable worldwide by burger lovers. You can try these delicious burgers from all over the globe at Hard Rock Café Kuala Lumpur from now until 31 July, 2016. In spreading the burger vibe around, Hard Rock Café Kuala Lumpur gave out free mini burgers to the first 100 public that visited the iconic World Burger Tour food truck during the tour (Kuala Lumpur - 15 May, 2016). 

Many travelers is embarking on overland mode of traveling let it be via bus, train, campervan or motorcycle, and motorcycle holiday specifically is fast becoming a popular trend thus I’ve seen alot of local attractions and accommodation catering for these needs; promoting Malaysia as a perfect motorcycle holiday destination. It is also a know fact that one can do an overland trip from Tanjung Piai in Johor; the southern most tip of Peninsular Malaysia, and also southern most Asia continent/Eurasia to Europe. Of which many has tried and succeed, and often complimenting our Malaysia well-connected highways, scenic countryside, historic places, delicious food that every state got to offer and colourful culture for them overlanders to enjoy.

Let’s eat burger and travel, shall we?!

Ramadhan rezeki came early – Cyberview Resort and Spa

When I had my first serving of the delicious steam pomfret with chili sauce and yummy salted egg prawns, my friends kept telling me that I MUST also try the venison in black sauce (daging rusa masak hitam). Apparently I will not regret it, and they were obviously right, it was not only tasty, it was tender and cooked to perfection. I am not surprise why some of us took a second helping.

I paired the venison in black sauce dish with lemongrass rice (nasi serai) and grilled lamb which obviously made a great combination, this is aside from the second helping of the steam pomfret.

You read it right alright! It's durian Tiramisu cake by Chef Imran right here at Cyberview Resort & Spa, Cyberjaya. I took a second look when I saw the word combination – durian + tiramisu. Curious on how it’ll taste, and when I highlighted to Chef Imran, he asked “have you tried the durian ice-cream?”, nonchalantly I replied “Why, its normal durian ice-cream right?”. His eyes gleamed, with a cheeky smile he said “you haven’t tried?”. My subsequent question was obviously “Homemade?”. And you know what this humble chef did, he personally walk over to the ice-cream counter and scoop one for me, insisting I should try is homemade icecream. “You tell me what you think of this ice-cream”, eyes still gleaming… I tasted and all I can say is – go to at Cyberview Resort & Spa and try it for yourself. It is like the durian heaven and ice-cream was the dessert. I was in durian cloud nine, and what best was -  I don’t even fancy durian. I will make an exception for this. Durian tiramisu is just the tip of the iceberg, wait till you see it for yourself…

It is a known fact to many of his team that crafting menus and new recipes has always been Chef Imran's favourite task, wanting to be different while challenging and out-beating himself is the main reason that made him create Cyberview's to-die-for menu for this coming Ramadhan. Knowing the Ramadhan is a popular time to dine at hotels, Chef Imran decided to do something unique, knowing very well that most hotels and restaurant will have either a region, state of food theme, he went totally different – serving ‘fresh and live fish’. I was shocked as well upon being informed on the ‘serving live fish’, then only I learnt that the guest can choose his own ‘catch of the day’ and decide how he wants it to be cooked. Cool huh!

This doesn’t ends with creative food and fancy theme, to add to the uniqueness, Cyberview Resort & Spa is also running a weekly lucky draw whereby a winner will be selected for a 1 hour sensational ride in a hot –air balloon, the location is at Putrajaya. There’s more to come… They are also doing an early bird promotion voucher at RM95nett per adult applicable on 1^st and 4^th week of Ramadhan while RM108nett per adult is applicable for the entire Ramadhan month. The early bird voucher is available for grab up till end of May, 2016. As for walk-in guest, per person is at RM138nett meanwhile RM69nett for per kid.

Cyberview Resort & Spa

Persiaran Multimedia

63000 Cyberjaya

Selangor

Early bird voucher enquiry : +603-8312 7091 /7092

This Ramadhan buffet review is made possible by Bilut Extreme Park.

A complete natural experience - Valley Agro Farm, Bentong

The fun part of traveling is rediscovering new places. Where one is able to try out new activities, pick-up a new language, make new friends, sample local food and experiencing new culture. And best is if it is at our own backyard.

That was what exactly happened to me, rediscovering new places one after another. In Bentong, Pahang.

I always say that Pahang state is very fortunate; blessed with wondrous nature; from its lush greenery, mountainous waterfalls, colourful marine life, to delicious food spread; such as To’ki Lemang, tasty Kow Po homemade ice-cream, the famous Bentong spicy ginger and not to forget its yummilicious durian. Of course then there pisang wap, masak lemak tempoyak and all. And as if this is not enough, I was surprised with extreme activities and eco tourism that is mushrooming in Bentong municipal; ATV ride, archery, mini Viper challenge course and archery laser tag (to be launched by end of September, 2016). I was introduced to Bilut Extreme Park recently as well as Valley Agro Farm, where we get to experience archery and ATV ride around palm oil plantation, and agriculturally grown vegetable.

The integration of aquaculture with livestock or crop farming provides quality protein food, resource utilisation, recycling of farm waste and economic development. This is what Mr. Sing; owner and founder of Valley Agro Farm is focusing on, at the same time educating the locals and visitors on what they have and do, a farm surrounded by mountains, visitors were greeted with a vast green landscape and fresh air – experiencing a complete natural experience.

Producing organic food & fruits such as passion fruit, banana and papaya, Mr. Sing supports go green efforts by integrating of aquaculture with livestock or crop farming which help to provide clean air, soil fertility and ensuring pure clean water. Side from this, stingless bee or madu kelulut farming is one of the activities here whereby Valley Agro Farm produces honey by-product for export.

A visionary man at heart, Mr. Sing did not stop there. Now, a proud owner of nature eco stay is happy to share his range of accommodation available couple with activities for his nature lover guest.

Activities offered :

• Valley Agro Hill sunrise + picnic
• Streamlet/Waterhall hike/swim
• Vegetable gardening
• Miniature Animal Park
• Tree House rest area
• Fishing - catch and release (From 1pm to 8pm)
• BBQ (RM 25 per pax, a minimum of 6 people may use the barbeque area)
• Camping
• Karaoke

Valley Agro Farm

PT44, KM13, Mukim Tras

27600 Raub

Pahang, Malaysia

Contact : +6019-228 9152 ( 11:30am - 09:30pm )

Website : http://www.valleyagropark.com

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/valleyagropark

Youtube : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpoOeWFj95_U XPNcVqiVkhA

Map: https://goo.gl/maps/uqxRbiXvkZR2

This activity/trip is made possible by Valley Agro Park.

ATV Ride - Bilut Extreme Park, Bentong

Bentong.

What is the one thing you associate Bentong with?

Homemade ice-cream at Kow Po Coffee Shop,

Lemang To'ki,

Or perhaps Bentong ginger?

Same here. But when I received an invite saying there is more to Bentong than meets the eye; its famous ginger, durian, ice-cream or lemang, it triggered me. You surely got my attention here. How can I say no to that, right? This can very well be my ‘love at the first sight’ (at Bentong), who knows?!? Hemmm… *wink*

I have to be honest, when you throw in outdoor extreme activities into the itinerary, lump in good food and couple it some agro stuff… I. Am. In.

I am not gonna bore you with how we start our journey, the bus ride, yadda yadda yadda… let’s start where the fun begins. We were told that that 2 activities are available for us to try (wish I can repeat over and over again though), and the activities are… jeng jeng jeng….

• ATV ride
• Archery

#TravelTips 1 : Bring additional attire/clothes, small towel and perhaps a toiletry set. This way, you can refresh yourself after the ride.

#TravelTips 2 : Proper shoes, long pants or shorts, cap and sunblock would be all you need. Glove is provided.

Those of you that have been following my blog would realised that I have experienced a couple of ATV ride, at least four at the very minimum but I have to admit, this might just be the most fun I had…. Like seriously. First of all, the ride was at the oil palm plantation, proper rugged road paved for us (note the word rugged), secondly, it was a 30 mins ride (wish wish wish it was 1 hour) that took us uphill and downhill, and last but not least; we rode to the highest point (or at least that was what I thought at that point of time) and get to see the whole plantation area (rasa macam nak jerit, tanah ni aku punya!!! Not). Oh yah! The best part (and yet I did not capture it on camera – no proof of execution lah pulak), we rode across the stream. I would love for it to be river but it is too shallow to be called one, well, it’s good enough for me.

#TravelTips 3 : If you plan to bring along a GoPro, place it on the ATV as you approve the river/stream (or whatever you wanna call it), the effect will be nicer and better.

#TravelTips 4 : The best is to have 2 GoPro of course, one on the helmet and another on the ATV. If you have drone, that would be great too.

The terrain was tough but bearable, no one fell and no ATV toppled. And the scenery was fantastic! I never knew Bentong offers such great activities aside from the food.

Archery is something I don’t mind trying or playing but will never be good at. I even joked saying that I usually do it while horseback riding thus I can’t play well on stable and flat land (the Jack Sparrow Syndrome. Got it?). Six person can concurrently play at every round, they will be a person to show and guide you on how to handle the bow, how to aim and shoot. It is rather easy, the only difficult part is to hit the bullseye.

#TravelTips 5 : Bilut Extreme Park has an approximately 20+ ATVs for guest usage, if the crowd is more than 20pax, then I would suggest to split the group into two and rotate the activities. Ie: some starts with ATV and the second group proceed with archery.

Upcoming new activities

Yup! ATV and archery is not the only thing they plan to offer, they have great roadmap for 2016 and the two that I am looking forward to is the Archery Laser Tag and Mini Viper Challenge. I am keen on the Archery Laser Tag, this is where one can show and enhance their skill in becoming The Hunger Games’s Katniss Everdeen *wink*. This two activities are targeted to be ready and fully operated by September 2016. Do plan a trip here and try all the activities.

#TravelTips 6 : Allocate one full day if you plan to visit after September as then you get to experience all 4 activities. Even if you plan to play just 2 types of activities, it might take half a day to one full day. But it is definitely worth it.

I found out that Bilut Extreme Park also offers teambuilding package for companies as well as schools/varsities, where one can easily pick a desired activity and its duration, and get the park to manage the lunch portion. I thought this was a good move as the company/schools/varsities can easily enjoy their time playing, strengthen their teamwork and bond amongst colleague.

So, what are you guys waiting for?

Go! NOW!

Bilut Extreme Park

Lot 6776 Jalan Bilut-Raub

Lurah Bilut, Bentong

Pahang

Malaysia

Contact : +6016-2076881 or +6014-9382290

Opening Hours : Monday to Thursday from 9.30am to 6.00.pm, Friday to Sunday & Public Holiday 9am to 7pm (Close on Wednesday)

Email : bilutadventurepark@gmail.com

Facebook : www.facebook.com/bilutadventurepark

This activity/trip is made possible by Bilut Extreme Park.

#MuseumWeek | Discovering Malaysia's Painted Heritage

In conjunction with Museum Week 2016, a series of activities is going on on several social platforms around the world; one that is trending now is #MuseumWeek2016 or #MuseumWeek on Twitter from 28 March to 3 April. As for the rest of us that is not active on Twitter, the International Museum Day is celebrated on 18 May, 2016 coordinated by the International Council of Museums (ICOM), and the theme for this year is Museums and Cultural Landscapes. The main objective of International Museum Day is to raise awareness to the public on museum being an important means of cultural exchange, enrichment of cultures and development of mutual understanding, cooperation and peace among peoples.

In line with this prestige world event and its objective, Tripovo has invited a few bloggers from all genre to participate in “Discovering Malaysia's Painted Heritage” held in National Museum of Malaysia in collaboration with Textile Museum's Head, Miss Rosidha Abdullah where we learn and experience on batik canting and painting.

Having been to Muzium Negara (National Museum of Malaysia) during my school days, I was surprised to see the huge changes made and I was truly fascinated with the showcases displayed in the galleries, namely Pre History, Malay Kingdoms, Colonial Era and Malaysia Today. One that caught my attention was the history on Perak Man, Lembah Bujang and Malay Kingdoms. This definitely calls for a repeat visit. The Perak Man skeleton showcased currently in Muzium Negara is a replica as the original skeleton has been returned to Lenggong Museum in Lenggong, Perak. Having said that, one can still read the history, its excavation and its relics, artifacts and working tools, and learn how the supervolcano LakeToba eruption impacted Malaysia.

Here, at Muzium Negara, one can also learn about Lembah Bujang or Bujang Valley; a new rediscovered historical complex located near Merbok, Kedah is currently the richest archaeological area in Malaysia. Find out on civilization evidence on the existence Hindu/Buddhism trading and administration center in Southeast Asia from the 3rd. to the 12th century AD.

Gallery C covers Colonial Era, where I felt tourist and travellers can understand better of Malaysia culture diversity. Taking place from 1511 to 1945, this educates tourist and travellers on the arrival of Portuguese, Dutch and British colonialism in this country. Beginning from 1511 when the Portuguese seized Melaka and colonize Southeast Asia trading centre that ends the Melaka Malay Sultanate, until the Japanese Occupation. It also inform on how British administration help build our education system, transportation among others.

We later were highlighted on local famous craft – Batik canting. Canting or canthing/tjanting, is a pen-like tool used to apply liquid hot wax in the batik-making process, more precisely batik tulis or written batik. Where else batik is a technique of wax-resist dyeing applied to whole cloth. A tradition of making batik is found in various Asean countries, such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, India, Sri Lanka and Philippines. The Malaysian batik making is very different from the Indonesian Javanese batik. Malaysian batik can be found in Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang, whereby the pattern and design is simpler with a bigger motifs and it rely on brush painting method to apply colours on fabrics in which pastel colours are emphasized. Batik canting is a traditional culture and art that is being preserve, one can learn more on local textile making and types in National Textile Museum, a 5 minutes walking distance from both Dataran Merdeka and Sultan Abdul Samad Building.

All in all, it was a very education trip where I relive history and reminded me how we suffer, fight for our independence, and establish our country. This indeed triggered the need for me to visit other museums around Kuala Lumpur. Below are the few museums that I (and you can too) plan to cover within this few weeks.

• Islamic Art Museum
• National Textile Museum
• National Museum of Malaysia
• Bank Negara Malaysia Museum & Art Gallery
• Royal Malaysian Police Museum
• National History Museum
• Maybank Numismatic Museum
• Tun Abdul Razak Memorial
• Kuala Lumpur's science museum (or National Science Centre)
• Royal Malaysian Air Force Museum
• Biomedical Museum
• Malay-World Ethnology Museum
• Music Museum KL
• Kuala Lumpur Craft Museum
• Art House Gallery Museum of Ethnic Arts
• Kuala Lumpur City Gallery
• Galeria Sri Perdana

This “Discovering Malaysia's Painted Heritage” activity/trip is made possible by Tripovo, Textile Museum and National Museum of Malaysia.