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Travel: Cameron Lavender (Cameron Highlands)

April 18, 2015

Cameron Lavender, Cameron Highlands, Travel, Malaysia, Pahang, Tourist Attractions, Things To Do, Where to Go, Travel Blogger, Diplomat's Wife, Weekend Getaway, Flowers, Plants, Lavender, Roses, Strawberries, Mountain, Cool Weather

During my family’s vacation here in KL, we all went to Cameron Highlands for a quick getaway from the city and to catch a cool breeze. My mom and her boyfriend drove up first and we followed during the weekend when Alvin had no work.

Cameron Lavender, Cameron Highlands, Travel, Malaysia, Pahang, Tourist Attractions, Things To Do, Where to Go, Travel Blogger, Diplomat's Wife, Weekend Getaway, Flowers, Plants, Lavender, Roses, Strawberries, Mountain, Cool Weather

For those who aren’t familiar with Cameron Highlands, it’s Malaysia’s version of the Philippines’ Baguio. It’s a district of the state of Pahang which is high up in the mountains.

Cameron Lavender, Cameron Highlands, Travel, Malaysia, Pahang, Tourist Attractions, Things To Do, Where to Go, Travel Blogger, Diplomat's Wife, Weekend Getaway, Flowers, Plants, Lavender, Roses, Strawberries, Mountain, Cool Weather

Since it’s in the mountains, Cameron Highlands is pretty cold and can be a great escape from the rotisserie that is Kuala Lumpur. Seriously. What is it with the heat these days? I feel like I’m one of those Kenny Rogers’ chickens every time I’m out in the city streets. And if you start telling me that it’s already summer, I’ve got a comeback for you: Heavy. Afternoon. Rains! Climate Change right there, everybody.

Cameron Lavender, Cameron Highlands, Travel, Malaysia, Pahang, Tourist Attractions, Things To Do, Where to Go, Travel Blogger, Diplomat's Wife, Weekend Getaway, Flowers, Plants, Lavender, Roses, Strawberries, Mountain, Cool Weather

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in Asia, Malaysia, Penang, Travel

Travel: Sun Yat Sen Museum (Penang)

March 7, 2015

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A long overdue post that I should have written months ago. But alas, my crazy schedule got the best of me. And since I still intend to post about my solo walking tour of Penang while my husband was at a conference there, please bear with me on this little throwback. 😉

Sun Yat Sen is a name almost all of us have heard before. Usually from the history classes we had during primary school. A medical practitioner turned frequently exiled revolutionary then finally became the Founding Father of the Republic of China. He lived from 1866 to 1925 and was a key figure in overthrowing the last of China’s monarchs from the Qing dynasty particularly during the Xinhai revolution in 1911. This guy led a very interesting life and is actually one of my favourite Asian History characters.

But I won’t bore you by waxing poetic about his adventures. I just want to share with you this place I chanced upon in one of Penang’s most famous streets –  Lebuh Armenian – which is not only filled with quirky shops, temples, and cafes but is actually the location of a house that opened its doors for Sun Yat Sen and his party (Tongmenghui).

In the early 1900s, Sun Yat Sen travelled all over the world, gathering support for his revolution in China and he got it, obviously. One of his stops was Penang where a lot of Chinese people resided. After his first visit in 1905, he saw that it was a great place to promote his ideology and he then came back every year to invite more and more people into supporting his cause.

A house in Penang, which was the place where Sun Yat Sen launched the Kwong Wah Jit Poh newspaper and made one of his famous speeches that got him loads of financial support for his revolution, is now open to the public as a museum.

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Berjaya Hills: Christmas Getaway Pt 2

January 10, 2015

On Christmas day itself, Alvin and I drove around Berjaya Hills, the complex where the hotel we were staying in – Colmar Tropicale – was located.

I love, love, love the weather in Berjaya Hills! A bit cloudy with just the right amount of chill. Enough for a light jacket or a bit of layering right in the middle of December. And with that kind of weather, it’s so much fun to do some walking/exploring (as opposed to the extremely humid weather in the tropics paired with extra bright sunlight).

We took the car instead of opting for the transport the complex provides as they come in different intervals and will surely take much of our time. We also noticed that the lines waiting for them were pretty long. Holiday = More people.

Japanese Garden

When Alvin told me that we can actually participate in a Japanese tea ceremony near the hotel, I was over the moon. I’m crazy over Japanese history and culture so it was only natural for us to give it a go. 😀

Colmar Tropicale, Hotel, Bukit Tinggi, Berjaya Hills, Japanese Village

Before all that, #OOTD! 🙂 Jacket is from Balmain (a gift), white cami from Forever 21, jeans from Next Jeans (Brand in the Philippines for teens – yes, I can shop still in teens and kids’ sections. Haha!), and sandals from Forever 21. 🙂

The garden was stunning. Not perfectly manicured but that’s what makes it seem natural – real.

Colmar Tropicale, Hotel, Bukit Tinggi, Berjaya Hills, Japanese Garden

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Colmar Tropicale: Christmas Getaway Pt. 1

January 7, 2015

For Christmas, Alvin and I took a short drive outside the city to a place called Bukit Tinggi in Pahang, Malaysia. It’s a place en route to the Genting Highlands and is known for a couple of hotels and family-friendly attractions. We stayed there for two nights – one of which was Christmas Eve. We stayed in Colmar Tropicale, a French themed resort-hotel and explored other attractions in the area during our short trip.

Our trip to Colmar Tropicale was the result of my husband’s tireless research for places near the city where we can spend Christmas eve as it was our first away from family and friends. He was able to book the place long before invitations from our friends here in KL to join their families on Christmas Eve. So sweet of them! So we promised them we’ll come join them next year. 🙂

The drive took about an hour from KLCC. It is quite easy to get to with the help of our car’s GPS and Waze. Getting there is also far from boring as the drive can be quite scenic with lots of mountains and lush greenery.

French-themed resort hotel

Located 2,700 feet above sea level and surrounded by acres and acres of trees, the place is definitely cooler than KL and its surrounding areas. At night, it can even be chilly enough for a sweater or a light jacket.

The hotel’s complex is a replica of Colmar, a 16th-century town in France preserved to look the same up to this day. It’s not a perfect replica, of course. But stepping into Colmar Tropicale does feel like going back in time to a small European village where a Disney princess is expected to just come out and belt out a song at any time of day.

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in Asia, Malaysia, Penang, Travel

Food: Wheeler’s Coffee (Penang)

November 4, 2014

Penang is a foodie’s version of heaven and gaining weight while you’re there for a couple of days is inevitable. Well, unless you have the self-restraint of a Buddhist monk then maybe you can resist overeating. But for me, it was just too hard. I even dropped by the hotel gym at some point just to work out because I was feeling a bit guilty.

The trainer told me that I’m actually pretty thin and I could use a couple more pounds but to stay healthy and to get stronger, I should workout around 3 times a week and eat healthy (READ: veggies and fruits). My first question was: How many cheat meals am I allowed then? Lol, typical Carol. He told me I could have as much as 3-4 as I’m still quite frail-looking. But to be honest, I only get to do a maximum of 3 healthy meals a week. And that’s a HUGE improvement for this junk-food loving carnivore. 😉 (RELATED POST: Travel+ Food + Photos: Getting to Penang, Penang Hill, and some Food Worship)

While Penang is known for its Chinese food, the influx of expat workers brought in different kinds of cuisine from all over the world. It’s easy enough to spot a Middle Eastern diner where they serve authentic Naan and Chicken Masala that will make you think twice as to where you actually are – Malaysia? Saudi Arabia? Yemen??? The last day of Alvin’s conference ended at around 1 p.m. and since our flight back to Kuala Lumpur was scheduled the next day, we had a whole afternoon to ourselves. We decided to eat in George Town just so Alvin can walk around and see it as well (I’ve been doing my own sightseeing while he was attending the conference). We got off at Lebuh Chulia and ended up in Lorong Love (Love Lane) which is a backpacker and cafe area of George Town. We wandered into Wheeler’s Coffee for that afternoon.

Wheeler’s Coffee along Lorong Love in George Town.

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Travel: Langkawi Island Pt. 3 (Kilim River Cruise)

November 3, 2014

Doing a bit of backtracking today to share with you one of my favourite parts of our anniversary trip last October – the Kilim River Cruise. Personally, I think it’s a must see in Langkawi.

The sights are just too beautiful that it will literally make you stop for a bit and appreciate mother nature.

So to make this quick, here are a couple of snaps from that leg of our trip:

The Kilim River Jetty.

You can take a cab from anywhere in the island to get to Kilim Geoforest Park where the Kilim River is. The River Cruise is a great way to see the sights around the park. It’s also lovely to sit on a boat and go through calm waters while breathing fresh air and taking in all the sights, don’t you think?

You will be asked how long you want your tour to be – 1, 2, 3, or 4 hours. You will be given your own private motor boat (for your group of up to 15 people) with the guy operating it as your tour guide.

The river and the mountains surrounding it are just so picturesque. Make sure your camera’s memory card has a lot of space.

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in Asia, Malaysia, Penang, Travel

Travel + Photos: Purrfect Cat Cafe (Penang)

October 28, 2014

Penang’s 1st and only cat cafe can be found in Jalan Muntri, a street connected to the famous Love Lane (Lorong Love), George Town.

The last stop of yesterday’s walking tour of Penang’s capital, George Town was Purrfect Cat Cafe along Jalan Muntri. I’m putting this one up first so I can link to it once I do the full walking tour post. Oh, and because the cats deserve a post of their own. Don’t you think? I’ve always loved animals, sometimes more than most people. If you watch the news on a regular basis, you’ll probably get me why I feel like this.

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in Asia, Malaysia, Penang, Travel

Travel+ Food + Photos: Getting to Penang, Penang Hill, and some Food Worship

October 26, 2014

Hello from Penang! 🙂 It seems we haven’t been spending a lot of time at home in our condo in KL. When my husband told me that he’s got a conference to attend on this island and that he’ll pay for my fare if I wanted to tag along, I was actually having second thoughts about going.

Yes, really! Carol, with the crazy levels of wanderlust and the constant travel whims! I guess after going to Sabah then to Langkawi (we even have a scheduled weekend trip to Singapore a couple of weeks from now!) in just a span of weeks then attending events in between, I just felt like we were never home anymore (and I am honestly in love with how cosy our condo is) and I know I have a ton of posts to write (all the traveling has given me quite a backlog). I honestly felt that I wanted to just stay still for a bit – preferably on our couch, watching  Gossip Girl re-runs or baking.

But hey, I couldn’t pass on the chance of seeing Penang with my husband. I knew I would be jealous if I was left at home. And though I’m missing the ASEAN Ladies’ Circle Coffee Morning this week (one of the events I’ve been looking forward to for a while!), I’m glad I went with him. Penang is just so beautiful! From the moment we spotted the island from the air, I knew I’d have a special relationship with this place.

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in Asia, Travel

Travel: Langkawi Island Pt. 2 (Oriental Village + Cable Car)

October 21, 2014

Here’s a quick post while I wait for my homemade cheesecake to chill. 😉 Still from our anniversary weekend, I wanted to share with you a couple of photos from the Oriental Village and the Cable Car ride to the highest point in the island.

Short side story first: When I first told one of the people I knew back in college that my husband was going to be posted in Malaysia, her first reaction was “Aww. But there’s nothing to see there!” While I told her that my husband’s gonna be going out of the country for work and not just sightseeing (and Malaysia, a neighbour country, is a great assignment where my husband will be trained extensively by the amount and importance of work here and his extremely smart bosses), I could also have told her of all the islands we could visit here but I didn’t waste my time anymore because I knew was talking to a girl who wore heels for a sight seeing/shopping trip in Hong Kong and Taiwan so she was clearly an inexperienced traveller and not that well-read. 😉

So. One of the islands to visit in Malaysia is of course, Langkawi. To all my Filipino friends, it’s like their version of Coron+Boracay. Beaches, rivers, and a long list of attractions.

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in Asia, Travel

Travel: Langkawi Island Pt. 1 (Getting to the Island + Sunset Dinner Cruise)

October 16, 2014

I’m still on an anniversary high despite the worst possible kind of flu I had to live with the past couple of days. I was at my worst last Tuesday but the good news is I’ve been feeling a lot better since yesterday due to my husband’s care. Still coughing and sneezing though.

So. Langkawi island. One of the top tourist spots here in Malaysia. My husband kept our anniversary weekend getaway a secret for weeks until the night we had to leave.

We had dinner at home, exchanged gifts, and left for the Puduraya Bus Station at 10:30pm. Our bus left at almost midnight (It was originally scheduled to leave at 11). My husband booked our tickets in advance through Easybook.

The journey via the Sri Maju bus was rather pleasant. It’s an executive coach that costs RM 90 (Php1235, EUR21.73, USD27.55) for two people to the Kuala Perlis Jetty. The seats were roomy and my legs did not feel tired at all because of the leg and foot rests the seats were equipped with. However, if you plan to take the same bus, do remember to bring a jacket as it can be very cold.

We arrived in Kuala Perlis a little past 7 in the morning and boarded a ferry to Langkawi at 8:15. The ferry ride took about hour and 15 minutes and we arrived in the Langkawi Jetty. It was pretty crowded despite October being part of their low-season.

The side entrance to Jetty is lined up with private cars and cabs that can be hired to take you to your hotel.

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