Exploring Krabi 13-17/6/2013 Day 1

It was several months before the Final Exam of my third year study when a bunch of friends and I saw cheap tickets to Krabi on Airasia website, and several clicks after that, although it was as random as it could be, there was finally something to look forward to after the hectic study weeks and Final Exam.  Since all of us were busy with preparation for exams, we could not really spend a lot of time to come out with a detailed itinerary to Krabi. We did not even realize that May and June was the cold period for tourism in Krabi due to the Monsoon season until several days before the trip itself.

On 13th June, the eight of us, coming from all around Malaysia, met up at LCCT before our flight to Krabi, Thailand.  It was not that uneventful for a short flight to Krabi, we had quite some frightening moments when Kent made it to the airport only several minutes before boarding due to delay of KLIA transit from KL Sentral.  Then, some of our stuffs got confiscated as a result of Airasia's policy which do not allow fluid of more than 150 ml to be brought in hand luggage into the cabin.  But after all the troubles, we manage to get ourselves into the departure hall and our flight to Krabi.  The time is 12.35 pm.

It was raining when our flight touched down at Krabi Airport, I remembered me tuning my watch to the local time, which is one hour later than Malaysian time.  Everyone was filled with anticipation despite the less-than-ideal weather.







First group photo in Krabi Airport, first thing to do upon arrival =D

Busy filling up the immigration form to be submitted to the immigration counter before we left the Arrival Hall.
We need to take a photo with the digital camera provided at the immigration counter and produce our passport with the filled immigration form before we are allowed to pass.












Once we were out of the arrival hall, we looked for transport to our hotel near Ao Nang Beach.  There was a row of counters providing a variety of transportation, from taxis to car rentals and vans, destinations include Krabi Town and the beach areas.  We settled for a van to Ananta Burin Resort at a price of 1050 Baht.  The van was very spacious and comfortable, able to carry around 10 passengers in a single trip.

Halfway through the journey the van will stop for some records at local travel agencies, and this is the chance the travel agencies use to promote their package to various tourist spots. However, if you are not in a hurry, it is better for you to wait until you have asked about prices for similar package around the area of your hotels, because most probably the prices provided there will be cheaper.




After quite some time spent on the van, we finally made it to our hotel.

Ananta Burin Resort.  It's kind of catchy when it is pronounced in Thai. We get this hotel at a very good price, one room only costed us RM 100.  It certainly is anything but a let down, friendly and helpful staffs, well-furnished lobby with wi-fi, spacious room with everything we need, and they serve apple tea when we arrived, so add another point for hospitality. The only downside may be the tap water which tasted salty. =)









It was around 3.30 pm when all of us had settled down in our rooms.  We headed out in search for lunch on the streets around the hotel.  There you go song-tam fans, we got our hands on some the very first moment we saw it sold on the streets.  Song-tam, also known as papaya salad, contain green papaya as the main ingredient, which is mixed with crunchy peanuts, dried shrimps, bean sprouts and lemon, blended to perfection by the sauce.  It is rich in flavour yet not oily at all, you will not get tired of eating this.

It was our first meal and everyone was eager to try out some traditional Thai cuisines.  Some of the delicacies we ordered include pad thai and pineapple fried rice.





Well, the fact that they serve the fried rice in a real pineapple impressed me quite a lot, but wait till you experience the taste of fruits and spicy rice all mixed nicely in your mouth, your taste buds will scream for more =)

For those from around Malaysia and Singapore, pad thai would not tastes that unfamiliar as it is almost the same as fried kueh tiao, with corn, bean curds, chicken, fish cakes and prawns being some of the common ingredients used.








After treating our stomach to a wholesome feast of Thai food, we moved on to our next objectives, searching for some tour package for the coming days in Krabi.  There are 2 things I learnt from the hunt for tour packages:

1. Ask around before settle down on one travel agencies.  Wait, do not jump into one travel agency so fast! There are so many companies offering almost exactly the same tours to the same destinations.  Therefore, the key determinant to our decisions will be the price, so make sure you had surveyed for several companies and had an ideal price in mind before you commit to one travel agency.

2. Bargain.  You might be surprised by the price difference before and after bargaining.  Some might find themselves too shy to bargain but the truth is, you might just be one question away from a way cheaper price, so at least ask the seller whether the price can be lowered.  Go in a big group because it is more likely to get a cheaper price when many people book the tour package together.  And thanks to our friend Wann Chiing with her good bargaining skill, we manage to get very good packages for our next 3 days in Krabi.

We then went to a sundry store to shop for some groceries.  The yogurt drink is extremely sweet and the beer is cheap in Thailand.  After that, we went back to the hotel for a short break before dinner.

We walked around the hotel after dinner, took some photos as well.  On the way back, we packed some so-called banana and mango pancake back to hotel.  It turned out to be almost the same as roti canai we had back in Malaysia.

After a short briefing by Yan Ming on what to do and what to bring tomorrow, we went to bed for a good rest.  Looking forward to tomorrow. =)

Photos coutesy of Yan Ming and Wann Chiing =D

Cameron Highlands (27-29/6/13) Day 3

It's Day 3!  Rise and shine to a beautiful sunny day in Cameron Highlands.  We would be going back later that day in the afternoon so everyone was eager to rush out of the apartment and start our third day trip. After checking out, we did not go straight for breakfast.  Instead, we stopped by the oldest hotel of Cameron Highlands, the Ye Olde Smoke House Hotel.

The Ye Olde Smoke House Hotel, though having limited number of rooms compared to other more modern hotels, was still serving travelers to Cameron highlands by providing satisfactory accommodation and hospitality to its customers.

It prides itself with its beautiful garden, which was why we were there that morning.  The hotel building with English Tudor architecture blends perfectly into the surrounding sea of flowers.










A blooming white lily bathed in the morning sunlight.

Dad posing in the garden =)
The hotel served English breakfast and noon tea. Customers can chose to have their meals outside the hotel in the garden.





















Meet Johnny, which I had little doubt is the hotel star.  This 10- year-old dalmatian is as friendly as it gets, or at the very least, not camera shy.  He got all of our attention from the moment we saw him until he left.  My uncle and I were like fans having the rare       chance of taking photographs with our idol!


After a simple breakfast, we went to a place called the Time Tunnel.  The adults did not want to enter, saying that what exhibited there probably had been part of their lives before.  So off went the 4 kiddos into the tunnel for a history class at a price of RM 5 per person.  Well, the name depicted the place accurately.  It indeed had all the criteria fulfilling the definition of a tunnel: long, narrow, dusty, lighted by only dim yellow lights.


                                                                                 
Some of the exhibits: A baby chair, a piano, a cashier machine, some porcelain cutleries in the Chinese community, and the toothpaste showing important transformation of DarKie into DarLie, the face looked fierce

Some serious role play by the barber chair

More serious role play by the chinese chess table

One of those records gotta be Elvis Presley.

A game of mahjong anyone?








After getting out of the Time Tunnel, we continued our journey to the Cactus Point.

A good place to buy some plants for our backyard landscape before going back.


We did remember to buy some souvenirs before starting our journey back.  If you ever come here to Cameron highlands, do remember to try out other strawberries products.  These include:

                                                                                                        The pickled ones
The dried ones

And the processed-into-pastry ones

And that drew an end to our Cameron Highlands trip.  A great place indeed, will certainly come back here in the near future. =)

Cameron Highlands (27-29/6/13) Day 2

Waking up to voices around the apartment, realizing I was among the last to wake up, as always.  The chilly atmosphere reminded me where was I, and I could not hide my smile, cold weather is always, always far better than a room temperature approaching 40 degree in this tropical country.  Consider this a getaway not only from the urban hustle and bustle, but also the scorching weather at lower altitudes.

After everyone was ready, we went to the town area nearby for breakfast.  Some of us had Chinese food, while the others, me included, found roti canai and tosai with lamb curry in an Indian stall the perfect treat to a starved stomach.

Our first destination, after a satisfying breakfast, was the BOH tea plantation in Sungei Palas.

It is worth mentioning that BOH has 3 tea estates in Cameron Highlands, one in Sungei Palas, the other 2 in Habu, and Farlie respectively.  We spent a long time there as there were a lot of activities going on.  Here are some photos of what we did there:

Group photo is a must! =)

Quenching our thirst at the well furnished cafe after walking through tea estates, all the way to the tea centre building uphill.  The tea leaves for the tea we drink come from the very estates surrounding the cafe, you can imagine the freshness and the aroma.   There are roads for vehicles to reach the tea centre building, as climbing up the hill can be tiring especially for the elderly.  Parking lots are provided as well.

Shopping in the gift shop of the tea center is a good experience.  The tea leaves are packed in beautifully decorated cans, stacked up into pyramids in the shop.  Samples are provided for customers to appreciate the aroma.  I chose Palas Afternoon Tea after sampling the tea leaves, though it was not one of the highly recommended.  I personally think that this is the best place to shop for souvenirs if you are searching for something found only in Cameron Highlands as tea leaves like the Palas Supreme, Palas Afternoon Tea and Bukit Cheeding are only sold in Cameron Highlands.


Tour to the factory that processes the tea leaves harvested is free of charge!  It was an eye opener, and the factory smells of the aroma from the tea leaves. =)





It was almost 12 pm when we left the tea estate.  Our next destination: The Lavender Garden.
We were too enthusiastic that we forgot to take a photo in front of the entrance, but it looks like this (Picture from the web)

The entrance fee is RM 5 each for adults and RM 3 each for children, free admission for elderly.

The lavender (above) has yet to bloom since it was first grown in Cameron Highlands, unlike the lavender mona (below), another breed that was having its full bloom when we visited.

After we left Lavender Garden, we had our lunch at a restaurant in Tringkap, before heading to the Rose Valley.  

 Beside being the home for a variety species of roses, it also, like any other garden in Cameron highlands, contains other types of plants rarely found elsewhere.

   





That thing in the photo is not some handicrafts made by the natives like the labu sayong from Perak.  It is the fruit of a living plant!  The size alone amazed me. We could not figure out what can be made from this fruit, but there is a row of these things beside the pond nearby, decorations perhaps?

Our next destination is the Bee Farm, where we only stayed for about an hour.

Bees are reared in this kind of container and honey can be harvested from them.










It happened to be a Friday, and there was the local night market along the road around Brinchang.  We decided to check that out and see if anything is worth buying.  We did get some souvenirs from the pasar malam before going for dinner.

After dinner at a nearby restaurant, we went back to our apartment.  It is time for dessert, and guess what do we have?

We got our hands on some fresh strawberries at Kea Farm on our way back to Tanah Rata.  Strawberries are sold at a jaw-dropping cheap price here, we got those in the photos at a price of RM 10 for 4 packets. Of course, there are better quality ones (bigger size) that we got at RM 15 for 2 packets.  And by melting several bars of chocolate over the stove with the pot, we succeeded in producing our own, not-so-classy strawberries chocolate fondue! ^^

That was the idea of my sister, and it took us quite some time to assemble everything on the plate, for the sake of a nice photo.  By the end of our dessert sessions, I had consumed as many strawberries as I had in the past 10 years of my life!

We headed to bed after that.  What a day we had, looking forward for tomorrow. =D