Bon Odori Festival in Malaysia

Background: Bon Odori refers to a Japanese traditional dance, associated with the celebration of the remembrance and appreciation towards the ancestors, in relation to Buddhism-Confucianism. 

In Malaysia, the celebration focuses more on Japanese culture and less on the religion. Held in the summer, some time in mid-July, Bon Odori festivals would be held in Selangor and Penang. Some said the same are also held in Johor Bharu and Sabah.

Johor Premium Outlets (JPO)

Johor Premium Outlets, or JPO in short, is one of the latest shopping attractions in Malaysia. This is an avenue for people to shop for branded items at relatively cheaper prices. Located in Kulai, within the state of Johor, it's deemed to attract both locals and tourists from the neighbouring country of Singapore. 

Pulai Springs Resort

The Place 

Pulai Springs Resort is located at the foothill of Mount Pulai in Johor. A place with 5-star facilities, the patrons are here for recreation and events, most of the time golf and maybe some seminars or courses. 
As for me, I was here for a wedding reception. Anyhow, my family first discovered it during their journey to send my brother off to UTM Skudai, which is just next door. Nowadays, there's the Johor Premium Outlet (JPO) and Legoland which are not far off to add to the reason to spend your weekend here. 

Bukit Tabur (West Side)

Background: Bukit Tabur is part of the Klang Gates Quartz Ridge located within the area of Taman Melawati, Selangor/Kuala Lumpur. Some may call it Bukit Tabuh, some Bukit Hangus, though I haven't met with any that referred to the latter. 

The entrance to the hiking trails are near the Klang Gate Dam. There are two tracks (that I know of) around Bukit Tabur. This post will cover the hike entrance from the western side.  

Gunung Datuk

Background: Gunung Datuk (or Gunung Dato') is part of the Hutan Lipur Gunung Datuk (forest) in Rembau, Negeri Sembilan. 

The summit is at 2,900 feet above sea level, with hiking difficulty at upper intermediate level. The terrains were similar to those at Kinabalu, at least a quarter part of it so for folks who are practicing to climb Malaysia's highest peak, you should find some time to come here. 

Grand Dorsett Subang Hotel

The Place 

Formerly known as Sheraton Subang, the hotel was recently taken over by the Grand Dorsett group. Hence the renaming to Grand Dorsett Subang Hotel. This is a 5-star hotel, targeted mostly at business travellers who appreciate style and quality service. 

Fraser Place KL

The Place 
Fraser Place Kuala Lumpur is a part of the Frasers Hospitality group. Previously, it's an office building (Lot 163) and a serviced residence building within the same compound. Currently there are construction work in progress to convert the offices into more service apartments. Some units are occupied by permanent residents, but it's open for temporary stay booking.

Hyatt Regency Kuantan Resort

The Place 

Hyatt Regency Kuantan Resort is situated along the beautiful beach of Teluk Chempedak, Kuantan, Pahang. Overlooking the South China Sea, this is one of the high-end accommodation options available at one of the most popular beaches in the state. From an outside front view, the hotel may not give so much of a striking pose (it's kinda dark I think, totally my opinion only). Just give yourself a chance to experience the facilities offered while enjoying the scenic view and you'll probably gonna love your stay there. 

Bukit Gasing

Background: Bukit Gasing forest park is a greenery haven in the middle of Klang Valley. It encompasses a 100-hectare area that borders Pantai Dalam, Kuala Lumpur on one side and and Petaling Jaya, Selangor on the other. The strategic location enables the city folks to escape the bustling urban jungle and turn to some natural therapy.

Sentosa Island

So yeah, this post was supposed to come out before Universal Studios Singapore (USS) but then again I got a whole lot of backdated adventures to share that I took the liberty to pick and choose...some say prioritise.


Sentosa Island was the main entertainment spot in Singapore, more so when USS came to town. Me and my friends..we explored anything and anywhere. Life's an adventure, kan? ;-) 

Universal Studios Singapore

The Universal Studios Singapore (USS) is the hottest attraction in Singapore at the moment. Well, aside from the obvious Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) that houses the casino hotel there in the Sentosa Island, and the Marina Bay Sands commercial area at the Singapore city center.

Me and my friends, we paid a visit to USS in December 2010 (wow! that sounds like a long time ago :o) ...when some of the rides weren't open for public yet. Sighs~~ Despite these setbacks, we enjoyed ourselves thru-n-thru. Here's my review of our funtastic day :)

Singapore

Background: Singapore is a state island, located southern of Malaysia and to some extent the north of Indonesia. It is a city, an island and a country all rolled into one. The size of Singapore is about 25km running North-South and 48.2km running East-West.

Patrioting Around KL

I had a very enriching experience today, and I feel compelled to share it with fellow Malaysians, at the very least. Me, my brother and my colleagues signed up for the Cabaran Pahlawan (a.k.a. Pahlawan Treasure Hunt) in conjunction of Malaysia's Hari Pahlawan (Warriors' Day). As reflected in the title of the event, the whole program of the day revolved around Angkatan Tentera Malaysia. 

A Day at KLCC

Travel the whole world I may be, yet my heart remains fond of the place I call home (or in this case, office). Folks, let's explore the potentially fascinating Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC). 

Sightseeing around Jeju

The day tours around Jeju island are normally packaged into two options. Tourists could choose either to spend the day at the east area or the west area of the island. Our group opted for the east area tour, as it covered most of the major attractions we've been planning to see. It's okay to pick and choose your itinerary items as long as those are in the chosen routes and within the 8-hour time limit. Surcharges apply on extended tour duration. 

We didn't manage to secure an English-speaking driver to guide us through the  tour. Amazingly, we got through the communication barrier with little English mixed with bits of Korean...I laughed at myself thinking about the sentences that I tried to construct while talking to the ahjussi. No, it wasn't that awkward..I think. It's remarkable how all of us and the driver got through the day. 

Jeju, South Korea

Background: The island of Jeju is a famous tourist spot for both locals and foreigners. Located at the southernmost part of the country, Jeju enjoys the warmest climate and experiences the most rainfall. As a volcanic island, Jeju hosts many amazing geographical features that hail it as one of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

Nice to know: 'Jeju' can be one of these three places - 'Jeju-do' (the province), 'Jejudo' (the island) and 'Jeju-si' (the city i.e. the island's capital).

All Around Seoul: Insadong, Namdaemun, Dongdaemun, Gwangjang, Myeongdong

Please forgive this writer for the long leave of absence. I was enjoying my spring vacation, of which the experience shall be shared in due time :) Now, back to my ramblings! 

This post is really about shopping. More often than not this refers to the open markets that we visited in Seoul. We skipped the shopping malls most of the time, except for Lotte Shopping Centre and Shinsegae Mall.

Insadong was more of the high-end type of the open markets. Nice the displayed stuffs may be, but you could bargain for better price somewhere else. My advice is to take note what you might wanna buy and get them at Namdaemun :P However this should not stop you from purchasing anything, in case you'd think that you won't get those cute little things again later. Better to be safe than sorry. 

 

All Around Seoul: Everland

♫♪ Everland! Everland!♫♪  

OMG! The sound of Everland theme song kept haunting me many days after our trip there. And it's playing in my head as I write this post. Sounds crazy? Believe me, if somebody claims that they've been to Everland but cannot quote this tune, perhaps that somebody has never been there ;-) 

Note: There's a visitor discount coupon available for Everland tickets. Check out the nearest Tourist Information Centre. 

All Around Seoul: Gyeongbokgung, N Seoul Tower, Teddy Bear Museum

The day was set for more Korean escapades. 

First stop, back to the Joseon Dynasty glory days at the Gyeongbok Palace (Gyeongbokgung). Located in Jongno-gu, it's the largest among other palaces such as the Changgyeonggung or the Changdeokgung. The admission fee was 3,000 won. The palace is closed on Tuesdays.  

Recalling that day, the "palace feeling" had started to seep through the atmosphere as we stepped off the train into the Gyeongbokgung station. The design of the hallway towards the exit and the decorations placed alongside the wall indicated that we've arrived at the correct destination. 

All Around Seoul: Nami Island

Background: Nami Island (Namiseom) is the filming location of the ever popular Winter Sonata. I knew about the drama, though I wasn't really a fan. During the airtime I thought I watched the episodes here and there...and then later I just checked out how the ending went. Well, sad dramas aren't really at the top of my list. Still, it'd be really crappy if I don't know anything about the storyline and characters. What kind of a kdrama fan would I be? ;-)