Glamping in Sekeping Serendah

I just learned a new word - Glamping or Glamorous Camping. And I think our stay at Sekeping Serendah just fit the bill!

The instructions to get there seems clear enough, but even then, we missed the turning as the signpost were quite small.

Nevertheless, we got there finally and were taken to the Timber Shed 2, our abode for the night. Good thing we can park the car right next to the Shed as we had a lot of things to carry!

 

Our shed faces the swimming pool, and we could see that there's already a few people enjoying to cool water as it was quite a hot day. We were informed by the caretaker that there's a new pool that's just been built, so as soon as we've unpacked, we went to check it out!

 

 

Amazingly, we had the whole pool to ourselves - perhaps not many people know about this secluded, beautiful pool. It was such a bliss, the water is so refreshing on a hot day, the surrounding view is breathtakingly serene and peaceful.

 

 

 After the swim, we went for a walk around the area.

The accommodations are strategically located to ensure maximum privacy for the guests.

After the walk, its "lepak time" back at our shed.

We brought so much food that we did not have to go out for dinner. We had Swedish Meatballs & Salsa Chicken Wrap for dinner and TÅRTA MÖRK CHOKLAD for dessert.

After dinner, its family time. Story telling & card games. Being there with my family, everyone laughing and having fun, I thought, with all the uncertainties in life, some things are just as it should be. I'm truly grateful for my wonderful family.

 

 

 

 
Bedtime is a new experience for the kids. Having to sleep with mosquito nets and lots of bugs around as the shed is quite open with no air-condition.
It got quite cold in the middle of the night, although it was quite warm earlier because of the scorching hot day.

We woke up to the sound of nature. And the morning was just spent lazing around, packing while Zaher took the girls out to swim.

And soon enough it was time to leave. It was a short break, but a break nevertheless.

 

Timber Shed 2, our abode for the night.

Weekend Retreat in Janda Baik

 It was a last minute decision. It was a long weekend, and Zaher's birthday; and we didn't really want to spend it in a city.
Surprisingly we found this resort that still have rooms available so we packed out bags and make our way out of town.

It was a short journey to Janda Baik, and we took our time checking out several resorts before making our way to Seri Pengantin, where we had our reservation.

We were pleasantly surprise to find that the resort had a low occupancy that night, and that we practically have the place to ourselves! The kids were excited at discovering the swimming pool, especially when the river is right next to the resort.

As soon as we checked in, its time for a splash in the swimming pool, which pipes in water from the river, hence the greenish tinge to the water. We packed a lot of food staff, which is just as well, as there's no shops nearby and everyone was hungry after a cold swim!

We stayed at the Garden Villa, with its balcony overlooking the swimming pool. By dusk, it gets quite cool and we just stayed in and enjoy the peace and quiet.

It was quite late before we ventured out for dinner. The kids were fascinated at discovering frogs along the pathway from our villa to the car! We drove off to Genting Sempah for dinner (although we discovered that Bukit Tinggi would have been a better place to go.) We got back to the Villa,and everyone stayed up watching TV, waiting for the midnight strike which marks the start of Zaher's Birthday.

We all had a performance for the birthday boy, after which,  Zaher had to perform for us. Needless to say, he won the award for the night!

After the awards, we had a little treasure hunt for him.

And he managed to collect a few prizes!

The next morning, we woke up th breakfast by the pool!! What a life!

Too soon, it was time for us to pack up and go home :-(

It was such a short break, but we had a great time!!

Lover's Tryst

GoOMay 2013

Zaher & I make it a point to get away, just the two of us, at least once a year. Our usual getaway is Frasers Hill.

We arrived around 2pm. Very hungry! We didn't realized that the Rest House at the Gap has been closed. So, the first thing we did was to have lunch at Puncak Inn.

After lunch, we checked into The Smokehouse, our favorite hotel in Frasers    Hill. 

We spent the afternoon enjoying the beautiful weather, fresh air & the peaceful quiet.

It's just lovely to walk around the beautiful garden, or just reading a book in  the comfort of the English decor living room. 

 

And of course, indulging in their scrumptious English Scones with fresh strawberries & cream.

We went down to the 'Town Centre' for dinner. 

It was just before elections, so a lot of party flags around!

The next morning, we had our breakfast in the garden.

After breakfast, we went to look around the paddock.

After which, we went for a walk around Allan's Waters, where Zaher picked up a pet leach.

Went back to The Smokehouse to enjoy the rest of the morning before we pack up & head home.

It was a short trip, but much needed break for both of us.

Penang - November 2008

In November 2008, we made a trip to Penang. A trip down memory lane for Zaher's parents.

We drove to Penang on a Friday night and stayed in the heart of Penang town, which is a haven for mama, as that's her "playground" when the family lived in Penang some 30 years back.

The next day, we drove round the Island.  We stopped at the Penang Butterfly Farm but did not stay long as Babah was too tired to walk around.

We then proceede to Balik Pulau, in search of the delicous Nasi Kandar that  Mama & Babah had when they were here some years back. Unfortunately, we were there a bit after lunch, and there's not much dishes left.

On our way back, we stopped at the Balik Pulau lookout point. The view was spectacular and the breeze was exhilirating!

At Balik Pulau Lookout Point

Babah enjoying a snooze in the car. 

We then proceeded back to town to visit some relatives, before going back to the hotel to rest. In the evening, after dinner, we went for a walk at Padang Kota.

Zaher, Dinah & Kamil at Padang Kota

Babah, Mama & Jasmine at Padang Kota

The next day, we left Penang early and headed towards Taiping for a night. Babah was not feeling well, and rested most of the time, while the kids enjoyed the pool.

Although it was quite a short trip, it was a great trip, and we are glad to have Babah & Mama with us on this trip.

Dungun - June'10 - Father's Day Show - Part 2

The Program For the Night:

The show started with a performance from Dinah, Kamil & Jasmine singing "Summer holiday"

Followed by Azrin singing "Butterfly" accompanied by Amrin on the guitar.

Then, its back to Dinah, Kamil & Jasmine, belting out "Its My Life"

After which the girls took over with "The Climb".

Fireflies - By Che' Mat & Razif

Dungun - June'10 - Father's Day Show - Part 1

2 weeks earlier, I had also communicated with all the "kids" (i.e. the younger generation) -mainly via facebook asking them to prepare a surprise preformance for the "Father's Day Celebration". I have also prepared Dinah, Kamil and Jasmine for their performance. Some were quite excited and some responded:

oh no...
anyting will do right????

lgu nk bgi cd ke cmner...
kalau bg pndrive bleh..??

alamak! Nooo! I'm so nt prepared!

Anyway, by Saturday night, everyone was geared for "showtime"! The girls actually forgo their swim in the sea to "practice"!

The night started with the bar-b-q dinner.

An then the show begins!

FRIM - April 2010

The was a beautiful rainbow greeting us that morning

We've always talked about taking the kids for nature trails - but our weekends just seemed to be so full of activities that a trekking weekend always gets pushed down our "to do" list.

In April 2010, we finally got our act together, got up earlier and drove to FRIM. We got there around 8.30am and started our walk on the Rover Track.

At the start of the Rover Track

Dinah & Kamil taking a breather at one of the many little streams.

Entrance to the Canopy Walk

It was not a dificult track, but for yours truly, who is very very unfit - it was quite a struggle going uphill! By the time we got to the entrance of the canopy walk, I was already exhausted! So we took some time catching our breath there while enjoying the view. unfortunately we did not go on the canopy walk as it only opens much later and we needed to get the ticket at the FRIM office!

Exhausted!

By the time we got to the end of the track, we found a wonderful picnic area. They were already a lot of people there, enjoying the cold river water on a hot day.

Dinah enjoying the fresh air.
Kamil in the background dippinf his feet in the river!

Tired?

After the short splash in the river, we walked along the road looking for somewhere to eat. Thank goodness we found a "Malay Tea House" soon after as our stomach is already rumbling by then!

The Malay Tea House

Entrance to the Malay Tea House

The house is a beautifully decorated, with a lot of old paraphernalia that you can hardly see nowadays.

T

After lunch we returm home, tired, but happy! It was a good day!