Visit Malaysia Year 2014 - Air Adventure Flying Club, Subang

To support Visit Malaysia Year 2014, I will be writing on various tourist attractions in the country. Let us work together to bring in tourists to our lovely Malaysia.

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At one point in my childhood, I did consider becoming a pilot. Maybe it was the idea of roaming freely up in the air or the limitless feeling attached to the job. However, the dream didn't pan out for various reasons which was ancient news. 

Cessna-172

Yet, I had the opportunity to live out my childhood dream late last year through Air Adventure Flying Club, a private flying club where you can take flying lessons here and become an official pilot. While my session did not lead me to becoming a pilot, it did give me a chance of seeing the aerial view of Kuala Lumpur. 

Flying with Captain Godric

Manning a small Cessna-172 with supervision of a licensed pilot, we flew around the city and what a view. Everything looked like stacked up Lego toys. We got to see the terrible traffic the city is famous for and mind you, it was still early in the morning, 2 hours before lunch break. 

 

Aerial view of the city

The best moment, however, has to be when we flew right next to the twin tower. I have seen the national landmark up close but not from this angle and this height. That was truly priceless. 

Up close and personal with the twin tower

Captain Godric, the pilot I flew with, told me how much he loves his job. I can definitely relate to that.

Info Box

Air Adventure Flying Club,
Light Aircraft Hangar Site, Subang Airport, 47200 Subang.
Their office starts from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. but if you want to catch sunrise or sunset, you can arrange with them.
For more information about the flying lessons as well as the prices, click here.

Visit Malaysia Year 2014 - 6th International Putrajaya Hot Air Balloon Fiesta, Putrajaya

To support Visit Malaysia Year 2014, I will be writing on various tourist attractions in the country. Let us work together to bring in tourists to our lovely Malaysia.

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It had been a long day of waiting. My enthusiasm was running thin as I watched the hot air balloons being inflated then deflated, inflated and deflated, for countless times, in the launching pad. I had been waiting patiently to see hot air balloons dominating the sky view but it remained clear all afternoon. 

One of the hot air balloon flying high up

Then, something changed. Slowly, one by one, the balloons began to inflate and rise. The crowd too noticed it as the sound of cameras clicking rapidly surrounded me. As the hot air balloons slowly elevated itself up in the air, so too were the thousands of cameras that followed behind. My wish had finally came true.

These hot air balloons - many of them are in various shapes and sizes - are the main attraction here in the International Putrajaya Hot Air Balloon Festival, the sixth edition coming next week, starting from 27th until 30th March 2014. An extravagant affair, this yearly event becomes hot property, one not to be missed.

Things to do in the fiesta besides the hot air balloons

The highlight of the day, besides seeing these hot air balloons taking up the sky, is the night glow, scheduled on Saturday night. These hot air balloons are transformed into light bulbs as the balloonists ignite their burners, creating a breath taking light show. Synchronized with pumping music, this is an experience worth waiting for.  

Night glow

Info Box

6th International Putrajaya Hot Air Balloon Fiesta,
Monumen Alaf Baru, Presint 2, Putrajaya.
The event begins at 7 a.m. onward. Hot air balloons freeflying shows are scheduled at 7.30 a.m. and 5.30 p.m. while night glow is scheduled at 9.00 p.m. on 29th March 2014.
There is no entrance fee. However, certain activities require tickets such as tethered hot air balloon rides and so on.
For more information, click here to visit the official website.

Visit Malaysia Year 2014 - Kuala Lumpur Bird Park, Kuala Lumpur

To support Visit Malaysia Year 2014, I will be writing on various tourist attractions in the country. Let us work together to bring in tourists to our lovely Malaysia.

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When we talk about Kuala Lumpur, our minds would just go straight to shopping centres and tall skyscrapers and in some degree, that is quite an accurate description. However, if you dig deeper in the city, you will find different side of KL, one where greenery and nature come into the picture.

KL Bird Park

So much green in the aviary

Visit Malaysia Year 2014 - 100 Doraemon Secret Gadgets Expo, Kuala Lumpur

To support Visit Malaysia Year 2014, I will be writing on various tourist attractions in the country. Let us work together to bring in tourists to our lovely Malaysia.

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The magical blue cat from the future is here in Malaysia for the 100 Doraemon Secret Gadgets Expo. Held in Viva Home Mall, Kuala Lumpur, it is a chance for all the Doraemon fans to be up close and personal with this robotic cat and his friends.

Doraemon with his 100-shaped glasses

It is a fun-filled exhibition, full of nuggets of information on Doraemon as well as many cam-whoring opportunities what with all the statues of Doraemon and friends in various poses. Plus, the reenactment of the Japanese neighbourhood in the animated series, with all the houses and the playground, Nobita and his friends' hangout spot. It just screams, "INSTAGRAM!"

The tickets

I don't want to narrate another round of stories for my article on Doraemon has been published here in Virtual Malaysia. So, do click on it and have a go. Leave a comment or two if you will.

Instead, I'll just post photos here as a tease of what you will see when you're there yourself.

Friday's Newsflash - KL Fabulous Food Hunt 2013

After last year's successful run, the KL Fabulous Food Hunt 2013 is back for round three. Organized by the New Straits Times, the Tourism and Culture Ministry's KL-Putrajaya Office and Red Adventure, the event will be held on 26 October 2013.

Participants, in a team of four, will be racing against time and waistlines as they try to eat their ways towards the finish line. They will be running around KL, either on foot or by public transports, hunting for famous Malaysian dishes such as char kuey teaw, roti canai, nasi lemak, et cetera. While food will be the centre stage of the competition, there will be other non-food related tasks for the participants to accomplish, if anything to go by based on last year's race.

This competition is open to both locals and foreigners above the age of 18 with an entrance fee of RM 200 per team. There are prizes to be won, with cash totaling up to RM 18,000 as well as holiday packages in lucky draw. If you are interested, hurry up and sign up for only the first 150 teams will be accepted to take part. For more information, visit http://www.nst.co.my/ffh or call Red Adventure at 012-3551662.

I find this contest a good way to introduce our delicious food to the general public as well as tourists. If all thing goes well, you might even see me there with my team, fighting our ways to win the competition.

Kuala Lumpur - Marini's on 57

Last weekend, some of my school friends came up from Ipoh and we have a stay over in a rented unit in Sri Mutiara Apartment, about 3 km away from the city centre. The main activity for the night was to go to Marini's on 57.

Marini's on 57

Located on the 57th floor of the Petronas Tower 3 (hence, the name), Marini's on 57 is a high end establishment that boasts top notch view of KL skyline. Consists of a restaurant, a bar and a lounge, Marini's on 57 is definitely the 'It' place to be.

The twin tower as background

We made reservation for the bar as we just want to enjoy refreshments as well as soak in the awesome views. The atmosphere is relaxing and, as with most bars, the lighting is dim, with most of the light coming from the twin tower itself. Just imagine how close we are to the national landmark.

My friends are in awe with the skyline view

As for the drinks, we all ordered cocktails. Being cheapskates that we are, we went during Happy Hour (5pm - 9pm) to enjoy affordable alcoholic drinks. There are only five choices of cocktails listed for Happy Hour (Mojito, The 57 Sour, Marini's Sangaree, Bali Hali and Italiano) for you to choose from and all are priced RM 25.00. All of it are deliciously intoxicating.

Have to use Instagram photo as I failed to take a decent shot using DSLR

Comparison between Marini's on 57 with the KL SkyBar cannot be avoided. While I find the drinks in Marini's are better, the ones in SkyBar, especially during Happy Hour, are cheaper, albeit with much fewer choices. Atmosphere wise, the one in Marini's is simple and sophisticated while the pool in SkyBar offers an unique decor. As for the view of the twin tower, I still prefer the one from KL SkyBar.

We stayed there until around ten plus before heading back to the apartment for more fun and laughter. Seriously, good time + amazing friends = awesome memories!

Group shot!

With the twin tower as backdrop...

Me and the ladies...

More nights like this are seriously needed.

Kuala Lumpur - Fish Farm Thai Restaurant

Imagine having dinner by the fish pond, surrounded by thick lushes of greenery, with soft live musical performances to accompany your meals. Away from the hustling of city life, you can enjoy your food with Mother Nature as your dining companion. Now, what if I tell you that this restaurant is not too far from the city centre of Kuala Lumpur?

The huge number of cars is always a good sign

Located some 30km away from city centre in Hulu Langat, the Fish Farm Thai Restaurant is a breath of fresh air and it’s not just an expression. Nestled within trees, the temperature was cooling and mist was visible during my first visit last night for dinner. It is like dining in the jungle.

So photographic...

Our entertainer, all by himself, in a secluded hut...

The dining area is divided into two sections, one with open air and another under thatched roofs. We were seated on the open air section close to the fish pond, a great spot for photo taking. Materials used for constructing this restaurant are in sync with nature, with woods and bamboos being the main ingredients.

Sa-wa-dee-ka!

My friends are endorsing the menu...

The service here is speedy. After giving our orders, I went to explore the around and by the time I came back, 3 of the 5 dishes we ordered already arrived. I was away for less than 10 minutes, 15 minutes top.

Grilled seafood seems to be a hit here...must try it someday...

As for the food, it is simply delicious. Thai foods are supposedly a perfect mix of sweet, sour, salty, spicy and bitter and what we ate are testament to it. If I had to say something less glowing, it has to be the white tom yam that we had. It is more like a plain soup, missing the fiery taste often associated to the classic tom yam. Maybe we should have order the normal one instead of this white tom yam.

Thai style steamed talapia with lime juice - RM 30.00

Kangkung belacan - RM 8.00

Mango salad - Rm 10.00

Squid fried with garlic - RM 12.00

White tom yam seafood - RM 18.00

I will definitely come back again to try its other dishes, especially the traditional tom yam. Thanks, Stefanie, for the recommendation.

Night time

Sharing is caring. A word of advice and a piece of information.

The Fish Farm Thai Restaurant is located along Jalan Ampang, Hulu Langat (GPS location: N03’07.783/E101’48.300) with big signboard indicating the exact location of the restaurant. Business hour is from 11.00 am to 11.30 pm, open daily and pork free. You can call Eugene, the owner, at this number, 019-2606493, for enquiry and booking purposes. For more information on their menu, visit their website http://www.fishfarmthai.com/index.htm.

Kuala Lumpur - SkyBar, Traders Hotel

One of my resolutions for 2013 is to explore Kuala Lumpur more. Honestly, I have been living in the city for more than a year now and the only places that I have been to the most are the shopping centres in the capital city. Well, not anymore for this year, I'll be exploring KL and see what the city can offer.

SkyBar @ Traders Hotel, KL

The first stop of the year has to be the famous SkyBar. If you are looking for a great spot to enjoy a drink or two with the Petronas Twin Tower serving as your background, look no further for this lounge is the place to be. Located at the 33rd floor of Traders Hotel, SkyBar offers unparallel views of the two maizes.

After many failed attempts last year, finally, I had landed my feet on SkyBar itself together with two of my friends last Saturday. And boys, was I not disappointed.

SkyBar is best described as followed: a narrow stripe of space with one side providing unarguably the best views of the tallest building in the country (the other side offers nothing to be excited about), a shallow-looking pool dominating the central ground, the room beautifully lit by neon colours, the music not too loud, not too soft, just perfect to the ears. In short, just the right spot for chilling out and sipping a cocktail or two.

Window seats, with the pool in the centre

The bar

We made no reservation but still, we managed to secure a window seat rather quick. All you have to do is to  put your name in the waiting list and once there is empty table or a cancelled reservation, you will be called. We waited at most 30 minutes.

The Petronas Twin Tower

The left side

The right side

You can even see the water fountain show in KLCC Park

The drinks that we ordered:

Mai Tai (RM 19++)

Well, all of us had the Mai-Tai (the Happy Hour drink) because, however fancy the place may be or well-dressed we are, we are still very poor, financially speaking. Once we moved to the window seat, we ordered one of their snacks, Sticky Nachos.

Sticky nachos, which according to my friend, addictive...

We took photos, we chatted, we drank (very little, unfortunately), we ate. By the time it was 10.30 pm, we left as we had satisfied our hungers for all things beautiful.

How can there be no group shot???

Well, in my opinion, SkyBar is worth a visit as the drinks are reasonably priced and the atmosphere is amazing. The service is rather good and even though you do not have any reservation made, you still can have window seats. The only drawback is that not everyone adheres to the dress code (if there is one). I saw people wearing shorts and sandals. A shame, though.

All in all, I will definitely come again for nothing but relaxation.

One cocktail is not enough for me X-D

p/s I'm procrastinating, I know, I know. I will end my Vietnam post soon. This statement appears far too often, giving off nothing but hollow ring, but I will wrap it up if it's the last thing I'll do.

Sharing is caring. A word of advice and a piece of information.

SkyBar at Traders Hotel is easily accessible even by public transportation. Just take the Kelana Jaya line to KLCC and walk for 5 - 10 minutes to the Traders Hotel which is at the other end of the KLCC Convention Centre, the one furthest from the Suria KLCC. If not, a quick call to the taxi and all your worries will be gone. Their Happy Hour lasts until 9.00 pm everyday and the Happy Hour drinks differ from Mondays to Sundays. Refer to their official website here for more details.

Friday's Newsflash - Matta Fair 2012 is Back!

If you do not have anything planned this 7 September till 9 September 2012, maybe you should drop by at PWTC for Matta Fair 2012 is back! This is the time to realize your long awaited vacation and search for the best vacation deal at the fair.

I have not been to the KL Matta Fair before but I went to the one in Ipoh last year and it was not very exciting, to say the least. There is nothing worth looking at, but maybe it was because the venue itself was small and that not many people in Ipoh would chunk out money to go for travel.

Anyway, I doubt I'll be doing any purchasing at the KL Matta Fair but I will definitely go to have a look. So, if you want to buy tour packages, safe these dates now. For more information, click here to the website.

Friday's Newsflash - Win Trips to Paris from Accor Hotels

Fancy yourself a 4 day/3 night trip to Paris for free? Well, all you have to do is check into one of the 20 participating Accor hotels in Malaysia, Singapore, Bali and Lombok and stand a chance in becoming one of the two lucky winners getting a trip of the lifetime absolutely free.

Simply go to this website and make a booking from 1 August 2012 until 31 December 2012 for stay up to 31 January 2013 to be qualified for the lucky draw. There are other monthly prizes up for grab as well such as Samsung Galaxy SIII, iPad3 and free stays at Accor hotels in these three countries. Grand prize would be the trip to Paris with accommodation in an Accor hotel and flight courtesy from KLM airline or Garuda Indonesia.

For guests in the Malaysia hotels chains, they are entitled for a 25% discount on rooms with free breakfasts as well as 24 hours WiFi access. Other than that, they will also receive a RM 50 dining voucher (for minimum spending of RM 100) or a spa voucher at any one of its hotels in Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya or Kuching.

Pullman Putrajaya Lakeside

Meanwhile, guests in the Singapore hotels will get, besides free breakfasts and 24 hours Internet access, a free city tour. As for the Bali and Lombok packages, guests will receive free breakfasts, airport transfers, and a one-time dinner experience for two for a minimum of two night stay.

Other than that, if you are Le Club Accorhotels or Accor Advantage Plus members, you are entitled for triple points on stay before 31 December 2012 as well as double the chances of winning that free trip to Paris for every booking of the Fly Me To Paris promotion. Continue reading to find out the list of participating hotels in these three countries:

Kuala Lumpur - Daidomon Japanese BBQ Restaurant

So, few months back, I saw a GroupOn promotion for Japanese lunch buffet at Daidomon Japanese BBQ Restaurant worth RM 104 for the price of RM 45. I gathered a few friends of mine and we decided to grab the offer and went for it yesterday. 

Daidomon Japanese BBQ Restaurant

Great Eastern Mall

The decoration is quite nice, with red lanterns lighting up the room and sake bottles decorating the shelves. They have a few private rooms for those big numbers or VIPs while for the less VIPs, there are plenty of tables so I doubt it will be hard to get one. When we arrived, we were the first customers.

The interior

Sake bottles as decoration

As for the food, the choices are rather limited in term of the selections available in the menu. A rather odd rule is that each customer can only order two pieces of scallops. I mean, seriously, they are restricting the amount of scallops per customer in a buffet restaurant? Plus, unagi (eels) was unavailable on the day we were there. Another disappointment. 

The limitation on scallops

Our table

Sizzling prawns

Other than that, it was quite decent. I had a lot of shasimi and salmons which were amazing, especially grilled, or in this sense, barbequed salmons. Sushi wise, I didn't eat a lot for I was trying to make my money worth by taking in as many pieces of salmons as possible. I guess you can say the sushi is OK. Desserts are scoops of ice creams. 

Variety of sushi

Platter of sashimi

Though the time period stated on the voucher is from 11.30am to 2.30pm, their last call was around 1.30pm and by 2.00pm, the cleaning process began while there were still peoples sitting. Feels like trying to kick the customers away, in my humble opinion. So, the my verdict is that for the price I paid (RM 45), it's quite a catch with the arrays of salmons for my pleasure but for RM 104, sorry, but no thanks.

Us four...too bad the photo is a bit blurry

P/S My Vietnam post will continue after this entry.

Sharing is caring. A word of advice and a piece of information.

Daidomon Japanese BBQ Restaurant is located in Great Eastern Mall which is about 15 minutes walk from the Jelatek LRT station for those who are without cars like us. There's not much signs to direct to the complex but it was a pretty straight road from the LRT station. The restaurant is at the third floor.