Highland Agro Tourism

In my last post I wrote about Agrotourism in Kuala Kangsar which focused on durians.This is the continuation of that trip in which I was one the 40 people from the media and various govt agencies.

 We left Kuala Kangsar and went up to the Cameron Highlands MARDI station.It was a short journey because we took the road from Simpang Pulai.

Our first pitstop in Camerons was the KCK Wang farm.To my astonishment,they have a vineyard.Their grapes are the species from Japan.Grapes seem to flourish in their farm and the grapes are for the local market.So we do have grapes! Besides the grapes,they also grow vegetables and flowers.The farm is very impressive and tourist are welcome to buy their product at a good price.

The second stop is the Sedia Homestay and here we were treated to lunch.The cafe at the Homestay served delicious scones.Well,a trip to Camerons would not be complete without scones.

The highlight
of our trip was the Taman Agroteknologi Mardi.

This station is situated at tanah rata and they have everything for everyone.Therefore it is an ideal family getaway.They have the English garden ,the fruit garden and the vegetables garden.You can pluck the strawberries and the tomatoes if they are ripe enough ,not forgetting the cabbages.The garden has an ice cream and tea shop for visitors to savour their strawberries with chocolate and their own ice cream.

Below is a picture of the waterfall at Mardi.

Surprisingly MARDI owns the oldest tea plantation which was founded by the British in 1927.Even the old equipment for tea harvesting are kept here.

•  We spent the night at their apartment.Mardi also have English Cottage for tourist to stay besides the apartment.The apartment is on a hill and there are jungle trekking activities for the adventurous tourist near the apartment.I would recommend tourist to visit and perhaps stay at Mardi because it is really a beautiful place and the price is cheap.

The next morning we departed but on our way back,the bus stopped at the Bharat tea plantation.The panoramic view of the plantation was spectacular.

After having our tea ,I must say that Bharat has the right flavour for me we then depart home. I left for Ipoh while the others went back to Kuala Lumpur.It was a good trip and I made new friends from the media world.My gratitude goes to Malaysia tourism Council with the backing of Ministry of tourism and Culture for including me in the road to Agro Tourism.

Ends

The road to Agro Tourism part 2

The road to  Agro Tourism which I joined was organised by Malaysia Tourism Council (MTC) with the  backing of Ministry of tourism and culture (MOTAC) and the Ministry of Agriculture. With  the help of MARDI this program is divided into 6 series.The objective is to create an awareness among the citizens of Malaysia as well as foreign tourist on the product of Agro tourism.I believe not many people are aware of MARDI.

What is MARDI?

MARDI or Malaysian Agriculture Research and Development Institute a government body formed in 1969 under Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry (MOA).

I joined their second series which is to promote  Duriotourism in Kuala Kangsar Perak and the English garden in Cameron Highlands Pahang.Since I hail from Ipoh,I did not get to join the 40 people from the media at the flag off ceremony. I also did not get to hear the speech by the President of Malaysia Tourism Council , Encik Uzaidi Udanis because I joined them in Perak.

Together with the bus were two caravans called CAM Caravan, the first in Malaysia and they were showcased during the expedition.It was their first time on the road and they are suitable for Agro tourism.The caravans can be parked at any MARDI station since MARDI is the only place that provides parking for Caravan.I suppose soon,there will be more parking space for caravans at other places.

This programme was sponsored by MTC,MOTAC,MOA and MARDI.Pleased to say that our adventure to the Duriotourism Park in Kuala Kangsar was a success. The first Durian Park in Malaysia owned by MARDI is about 100 acres and most are Durian trees,then mangosteen ,Pomelo and Rambutan.

The tram that took us around the plantation.

We were welcomed by the head of department and also the MP of Kuala Kangsar,Datin Mastura Yazid. Without  much adieu we were taken by a tram around the plantation and it was amazing. All the trees are short and we could easily touch the fruits.After some explanation we were taken to the picnic spot right under the trees and baskets of Durian were served and not forgetting lunch too.It was surreal, baskets of Durian which are so yummy!This Durian picnic is open to the public.Price is 50 RM per pax and you can eat as much Durian and they will serve lunch too.

From there we stopped at Roti Segar which is near the MARDI station.Tea was served and I must have gained a few kilos from all the eating.

Then we were taken to Enggor Kraftangan Malaysia where traditional Perak craft are taught and sold.The labu Sayong and the Tekat Emas are synonymous with Kuala Kangsar.

The Tekat Emas at Enggor Kraftangan Malaysia.

After the demonstration ,we then left and headed to Sayong Resort where we spent the night.It was a long day and everyone was tired.Still we were entertained to a cultural show.

The next morning we left for Cameron Highlands,that I shall update in my next posting.

Ends

Picnic under the durian tree

Being a nature lover,I will never forget the day that I had a picnic under the durian tree

A few days ago,I was involved in a program called ' Road to Agrotourism' organized by MTC (Malaysian Tourism Council) and MARDI.There were of course other sponsors which made the program successful. About 40 people from the media including yours truly were invited.


This MARDI station in Kuala Kangsar is their new baby and it is called 'Duriotourism' with the concept of Durian as the main attraction for local tourist.It is the first of its kind in Malaysia and that should draw local tourist to the royal town.

So we arrived at lunch time and after some briefing we were taken by a tramp around the huge plantation.Besides durian,they have mangosteen and rambutans too.There are picnic spots under a few of the durian trees and the wooden table and bench are like what you see in movies.

The trees are scattered and they are are not huge or tall.They are short and one can even touch the fruits.It is a hybrid of two durian species and one is the durian kampung.The trees take five years to bear fruits and it is easy to look after because it is short.

Upon seeing the massive plantation and the fruits hanging on the branches,I get excited like a child.

After the tour,we then had our lunch of kampung dishes under the tree.It was surreal because I have never eaten in a plantation with a group of people that I just met for the first time.

Then come the best part.Baskets of durians were right under our noses and they were fresh fruits.The guys opened the fruit and we ate the yummy durian to our hearts content.

The Duriotourism in Kuala Kangsar is open to public.Entrance fee is 50RM and you can have as much durian as you like , picnic style

MARDI is innovative and has come up with other stations in Langkawi, Camerons, Cherating and now Kuala Kangsar.

My gratitude to MTC as the main organiser and MARDI for showcasing the King of fruits at their station.Having said that I hope that more local tourist will participate and indulge in the Duriotourism ,Kuala Kangsar.

Ends

Mother

Listening to John Lennon singing 'Mother', it brought back memories on how I felt losing my mother when I was a teenager at the age of 18 to be precised. 18 should be the best years of every young ones but not me. It's like losing a limb. I felt like a handicap. I cannot run to the woman you called mother when I am hurt. My father was away all the time. In fact he had another wife just before my mother left me. I became rebellious out of anger.

When my wedding day came, I don't have a mother to tell me what marriage is all about. I could not share the joy that others did with their mother when they marry. It was my auntie who prepared my wedding so it was like 'whatever '.I have no say about the preparation.

I never had a family home when my father brought his 2nd wife to live in his house. She hated me then and she hardly smile at me let alone speak to me back then. So when I gave birth to my first child, I was on my own with my husband. My in laws helped but I do not have a mother to tell me how to bathe a newborn and there was no such thing as confinement for me because no one cared.

Somehow I managed to bring up my daughter and when I had my 2nd child, it was my friends that helped me with sending and fetching my first child from school. My husband was working outstation at that time so I was alone looking after my girls. Their father only helped during the weekend. Still I managed but with lots of sacrifices. My life was totally focused on the girls. I do not have time for my own self but it was the best time of my life. Ofcos I wished that my mother could see me coped with the girls. Life is such.When it gives you lemons, what do you do?

Fast forward to now. I am a grandmother now and guess what?I still missed my mother. I still don't get on well with my step-mom and her children. My father is now unwell yet I don't have the courage to visit him at his house often because I do not feel welcomed by his wife n sons.

I am not sorry for writing all these. Hey I need to release my pent up emotion. It's been in my heart for too long. So whenever someone lose their mother, I feel them but I can't show my real emotion because I am a handicap where matters of the heart are concerned.

I am not really sure what my life is all about but I believe in being honest. So to all you young girls out there, cherish your mother's love before it's too late.

Bruno Mars wannabe

Remember the Zumba video of a Bruno Mars song   which I posted on my previous blog? Well my tutor, Adeline was so kind, knowing that I love the song and dance version so today after our class she gave me the honour of dancing to that song with a few good friends plus her too and had it taped on video. So we have our very own Zumba video to the song by Bruno Mars. Hey, Bruno will be thrilled!

The best part about the whole episode is that we gained confidence which is important and we had lots and lots of fun.Not forgetting team work because one of the student willingly became the camera woman. It was my first experience dancing on video and my gratitude goes to Adeline for being a sport.

Let me give you a snippet of the girls from Groove Fitness Ipoh that are in the video .OK there's this lovely lady who is like a big sister  to practically all of Adeline 's students. They lovingly call her 'Ngor Cher' but silly me accidentally called her Ngar Choi which means 'taugeh '.I am sure that had it been someone else, I would probably receive a slap for calling that, literally but not this lady. She is bubbly and have a great sense of humour.

Wendy was the first girl that striked a conversation  with me at Groove and for that I am thankful. She's the girl with beautiful eyes and she speaks Malay well. She mixes with everyone regardless of race and of course she has a beautiful figure after all the years of Zumba.

Then there's my mate Wye Peng  who has been with me for more than ten years. Like me ,she is new at Groove but seems to adapt nicely and I can tell that she's happy with Zumba. Another girl is Joey. Fantastic dancer and  she is full of zest. I think Adeline gave out that aura and energy to us.As they said, if you want to know how good  the teacher is than you must look at her students.

Did I miss anyone that was in the video.Oh there is Josephine, the polite girl that loves Zumba. She is a good dancer too and I suppose all of them are well trained by Adeline.If I miss out a name of the others in the video, I am sorry  but if I am not
wrong the other charming lady is Ruby. I am not good with names, soon I will forget my own name!

I will be sharing the video of us doing our thing here and we hope to do more videos in the future. Hey Bruno Mars, this one is for you. 

What's your health regime?

So I wrote about my love affair with Zumba last week.This could be a continuation or it is not.Your choice.I was browsing through the net and noticed that many gyms are now available in Ipoh town.The MB called it the 'Hipster city'.Hipster is one thing but what about healthy city?

I do find Ipoh folks to be very health conscious ,yes it's not going to cost a bomb to exercise in Ipoh.In the morning you will see ppl of all ages running,walking or tai chi at the popular spot 'Polo Ground'Not only that but some may even go to the Kledang hill to climb.I used to climbed that beautiful hill almost every week cos I love the smell of nature.There are older ppl than me climbing that hill and the view from the top is magnificent.

Then , once upon a time I frequent the gym at the swimming club.Not bragging but I do weights before and oh before I forget my proud moment was when I climbed mount Irau through the mossy jungle.It was damn tough but I did it.I consider myself a fitness freak.Then there is my passion for yoga.Been practicing it for like ten years and I believed that yoga makes a person strong and agile.The health benefit for yoga is tremendous .

Have you heard of the insanity workout by Shaun T?I completed the whole two months and after that I stopped cos it's the same thing over n over.You need to find the right type of fitness that makes you happy. Therefore you have to try out and as for me I have found what makes me tick!

It's Zumba for me plus piloxing and Strong.All comes under one roof and my tutor is very good.I won't give too many praises cos you might think I want to 'bodek' her.Adeline you are the best!
Companions during our exercises plays an important role and at groove fitness Ipoh all the ppl are amazing.They come in all kinds of shapes,races and characters.There are funny ones,proud ones but at the end of the day,it's them that makes the class fun and ofcos credit goes to the tutor for giving us her time and effort.The wonderful songs and new steps that she chose for us.

The bottom line here is that Ipoh ppl are healthy ppl cos we have the time for exercise and so many places to go for fitness. I wish to say that Ipoh is not only a hipster city but a healthy city.

Let's groove to the beat

"Luly let's join Zumba at Groove Fitness Ipoh" said my friend since we wanted to lose weight.I was skeptical because I feel that I am too old but somehow the child in me won over and we enrolled.

My first impression of groove finess was  Wow very up to date!There are cctvs ,water cooler for us to drink ,our own key and a huge air cooler.Well ventilated.

So my first class began with a teacher called Anie.She is the sweetest thing,grooving to the beat with her hair flowing and I was panting! Hey it's my first class.Anie is good but I have yet to try Adeline's class.

Adeline is the founder of groove fitness Ipoh and for Zumba 'kaki' Adeline was the pioneer in Ipoh.So I went for her class and understood why ppl are attracted to her.The minute she goes up everything seems to light up.She is de bomb.Clad in a fancy and up to date Zumba outfit she is full of swag.She is a fantastic teacher and I fell in love with Zumba because of her.

With 10 certificates of Zumba technique she does it out of passion.I now joined her piloxing and recently she introduced Strong to us.

I never feel my age when I am with Adeline cos she never treated me like an oldie.I supposed I am the oldest woman doing Strong in her class which goes to show that age is just a number.

I could go on and on about Zumba by Adeline but I will save it for another day

Drink and be healthy

I find it odd that the society are competing to look trendy and fashionable but they forget that health should come first.What is the point of wearing the prettiest attire when you are not healthy inside.It's like carrying a thousand ringgit handbag with five ringgit in it!

You may argue that you exercise at the best gym or you practice yoga with the best teacher.That is good,well done,but do you realise that a healthy regime consists of good eating habits,exercise and enough sleep.

Being humans we cannot resist the temptation of delicious food especially desserts.Maybe there are those with strong willpower but I am guilty of being easily succumbing to cakes and chocolate!

At my age those are health hazards then I realized that although I practice yoga and aerobics,I am still not healthy.

I was lucky to be introduced to the Gaharu Tea Valley during my assignment as a reporter two years ago.I learned about the benefit of the gaharu tea and oil when I did my research.

Fast forwad to now,I had the opportunity to try the new Gaharu drink known as GOGA.(Gopeng Gaharu)I am not going to explain about why Gopeng Gaharu because it's widely known that Gopeng has the largest organic Gaharu plantation.The rest you can google it up.

So I started drinking my new health drink as a supplement.Guess what?I feel healthier,I sleep well and I don't get stress up easily like before.

It is costly,well gaharu is the most expensive commodity in the world.Since it made me feel good,I decided to share it with friends from my exercise class.None of them showed interest.They prefer to  indulge in expensive handbags,make up and clothes.Why?

Not many are willing to spend their ringgit on healthy supplements because it cant be seen.Superficial?Yes.

So there you go.Aging comes with a price.The hospital bill or health supplement.Think about it.

Cruise the Royal Belum with Style.

Get on board the Casuarina@Temenggor 1 Houseboat and cruise into the wilderness of the Royal Belum Rainforest with style.'Uncle Sam' have the Alaskan forest, the Amazon is said to be the largest forest in the world but we have our own Royal Belum State Park to be proud of.The largest in Malaysia and is said to be older than the Amazons.

The Casuarina 1 houseboat,together with Casuarina@Meru and Casuarina Cempaka Sari are under the wings of the government body PKNP.The houseboat has been in operation  for three years.Besides the boathouse that belongs to the Royal Belum  Resort,Casuarina 1 is another one belonging to a hotel.Among many other boathouses at Temenggor ,it is the only one equipped with two speedboats and two floating boats incase of emergency.There are  ten twin bedded cabins made comfortable with  airconditioning.The first  two bottom decks are cabins  and each deck has four clean restrooms.The lowest deck are the galley where food are prepared and saloon where guests can karaoke  plus the cabins.The 2nd deck are cabins  and the cockpit. The third deck is where meals are served and guest can relax and enjoy the view of the lake which is embraced by the oldest rainforest in the world. 

The Temenggor lake is a man made lake that used to be a valley which is part of the old rainforest. It was said that the valley was flooded by using the many rivers there and the Perak river being the main one in the early 70s to combat the communist in that forest.The main island  here is Pulau Banding. Royal Belum State Park is a huge park in the northern parts of Peninsular Malaysia.It is part of the even bigger Belum-Temengor Forest Complex encompassing 117,500 hectares of jungle.It was declared as the Royal Belum State Park by His Royal Highness Sultan Azlan Shah on July 31,2003. Together with Taman Negara National Park it is one of the oldest rainforest in the world, dating back to 130 million years ago.Eco tourism is promoted here albeit in a controlled manner.

The crew from the TV stations of RTM 1,TV3 and the media including myself were guest of the houseboat for two nights and three days.It was the first time in a boathouse for all of us and it was also the best media trip for us and an unforgettable one.After embarking the boat, we were given a 'prep talk' by the professional guide who we fondly called Joe.Johari Zulkifli,35 has been a guide for the Casuarina 1 for two years. He made sure that none of us had any chronic illnesses and  he also advised us on the rules of the jungle. To go into the Royal Belum Rainforest, we need permits which in our case was prepared by the Casuarina Meru.

The cruise inside the State Park and the virgin forest of Royal Belum  took about five hours from the jetty which was an adventure of a lifetime for all us.Beautiful would be an undestatement.The lake which is three times the size of Singapore is mysteriously gorgeous. There are many islands dotted on the lake and all are pristine rainforest which looks like a watercolour painting of red,orange,blue and green.The idyllic scene took my breath away.Mothernature is kind to give us this legacy and who are we to destroy them.The State government did the right thing by preserving this forest.Perak is set to be the main player in eco tourism by showcasing Royal Belum to the world. 

The Chef served us their signature cucur  udang for tea and then we were introduced to our first activity which is called 'water confidence activity'.We experienced bamboo rafting  and swimming in the lake.Unleashing the child in us,with our life jacket on we paddled our rafts and jumped inside the lake.It was surreal,  floating in the lake  which is lukewarm and not cold.

Come nightime, it was eerily quiet and the houseboat was parked at the Sungei Kooi area.The lake made no sounds and there was no coverage so we could not get the wifi like we used to.So instead we enjoyed each other's company and the next day after a sumptuous breakfast prepared by the Casuarina chef, we were taken by speedboat to the jungle of Sungei Kooi to see the waterfall. 

It was our first jungle trek and it  took about half an hour to reach the waterfall.There were restrictions here and a ranger followed us to make sure that we did not litter the jungle.The trees were like skyscrapers and huge while the rocks were old and mouldy.Be prepared to fight with leeches for we were attacked by leeches. The jungle is not for the faint hearted ones because of these leeches and unusual insects.It was not an easy climb but we managed by holding on to roots and ropes.

Then we were greeted by a 'shower waterfall' from 50 metres high above.It does not cascades like other waterfalls and to think that we were looking at the rock that is more than a million years old with waterfall  was unbelievable. The huge roots of the trees were our seats and there were rare plants and rare insects.This part of Royal Belum is home of various birds and animals.

There are many species of hornbills in this forest and other kind of birds too.It is the animal kingdom here at Royal Belum and so there are 'Salt Licks' for the animals to get their minerals.Joe called it Hospital binatang and we did get to see it but there were no animals in sight.The salt Licks that we went to was at Sungei Papan. On our second night,the boat parked at an area called Simpang Empat.

To think that mankind intruded the animal's habitat by going to their Salt Licks made me feel uneasy.This is their Kingdom and we have ours so it's only  fair to give the animals some respect and privacy so to speak .Men should not poach these animals out of greed.The same with the Jahai tribe in the middle of the lake.We should just let them be. Our help towards them should be in the form of medication and education. 

So we visited the Jahai tribe at Kg.Aman Damai and that is part of the package activity.Are they being commercialised? It depends on how you want to see it.In a way,yes they are because we are so curious about them that their little village has become a tourist destination.

Then we were taken by speedboat to another waterfall called Ruok waterfall.It is also a fish sanctuary and this time it is not a long trek but the trail is rather slippery because of the stones.The fishes were swimming all over the stream and and ready to be fed.Such a beautiful sight to see fishes near a waterfall and some of them would bite our feet.We  often see fishes being fed in a pond but at a stream with a waterfall is out of this world.It is really a great experience and we spent about an hour there.

That was the last activity.We were then served lunch the Casuarina way and after resting in our aircond cabin for an hour,we reached the jetty.We left the Casuarina Temenggor 1 with hope that we shall see it again.The only way to be part of nature is to stay in a boathouse so that we get to be one with our surrounding. For those who want to be in the wilderness yet comfortable, the Casuarina 1 is the best for accommodation and transportation all in one.