Kenyir Day 1: With Pandragon Marine Cruise & Bewah Cave

(18/07/2015) Tasik Kenyir or Lake Kenyir, as we know is the largest man-made lake in South East Asia. It is the home to freshwater fishes (Kelah, Lampan sungai, Toman, Kelisa and Kawan) and exotic wildlife including Asian elephants and Malaysian tigers. Dubbed as paradise for the adventurous and a haven of calm and serenity for discerning travels. Being born in Terengganu, I have never been to Tasik Kenyir so I took this one and only opportunity to go with Ck Pa and family during the Hari Raya holidays. It is a 3 days and 2 nights short trip.

 

Map of Lake Kenyir

Just an hour and half drive from town, Lake Kenyir feels like a world away and before we knew it, we were face to face with the colossal Kenyir dam. Instead of sleeping in the comfort of a resort, we went on cruise with Pandragon Marine Cruise. With 8 experienced boat crews on board, we were whisked away for a truly memorable experience. With a capacity of 40, we have just enough space for all the 25 of us. Different from the operated houseboat, the boat comes with air-conditioned, perfectly cleaned and comfortable rooms and also a chef whose specialty is Malay cuisine.  

 

Their service is too good to not recommend to friends

 

Pandragon Marine Cruise

The spacious living room with TVs and karaoke player

 One of the two rooms in the lower deck

Middle deck room which comfortable fits 2

There are about 6 rooms of this size

 

A BBQ area on the top deck

After a hearty breakfast that was prepared for us once we boarded, I went off for a three hour nap to recharge my life battery. It was about that long to reach Bewah Cave from Pangkalan Gawi. Bewah Cave are estimated to be 270 million years old and is known for many artifacts, Neolithic axes, flints and human skeleton of some 3000 years of history.

 

We were being transferred to a speedboat as the main boat are unable to enter the narrow passageway

 

 Entrance of Gua Bewah

 

Climbing up the fleets of steep steps is a challenging task

 

The spectacular sights of towering limestone

The cave itself, surprisingly was cool and roomy. At the entrance of the cave, a whiff of guano assailed our nostrils. Relying on our puny torchlight and phone's torch, we could only hear the bats shrill calls but not see them. 

 

A photo of our boatman

 Excavation works that were being carried out

Exhibits found are displayed here

 

The box is where the 'Bewah Man' unearthed which is said to be between 13,000 and 16,000 

years old, oldest ever found in the country

The skeleton was unearthed in December 2009 was believed to be a skeleton of a teenage girl 

 

A very deep cave

  Being rewarded with this magnificent scenery after the tiring climb

After the cave exploration, it was another long hour of cruise to Lasir Waterfall, where we will be spending our night there. The barbecue dinner that night was finger-licking good. Fish, sotong and stingray wrapped in aluminum foil, cooked to perfection with the chef's secret recipe that is passed down from his grandma. 

 

Listen to the breeze and hear the ripple of the waves as the boat glides it way through 

keeps me away from the hectic chores for a while

 

The ikan bakar was so delicious

The upper deck was an open air affair but surprisingly, no buzzy-wuzzies bothered us at all. It was an experience eating in the middle of the jungle, right nowhere with night sky full of blazing stars. While we were enjoying our meal, lightning and thunder stroke at a distance but didn't keep us away from enjoying our meal. Night in the jungle ended early as there is no means to internet access or communication.

 

Link to:

Day 2: Lasir Waterfall

Day 3: Kelah Sanctuary & Soak Waterfall

 

 

Thanks for reading

Be back for the rest of the adventure 

p/s: For more information on the cruise, you can head off to their official FB page to check out

Impacts of ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

I found my written speech for Oral Communication presentation and decided to save a copy here for future references. For our first presentation, we decided on the viral ALS Ice Bucket Challenge that everyone is talking, doing and posting about.
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A very good morning. I look at the camera, hold a bucket of ice water over head, tip it upside down, post the video on my social media and then nominate three others to do the same. Along the way, my nominees and I use the opportunity to donate to the ALS Association, a charity that fights amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a total neurodegenerative disease. Unless you've been living under an igloo, you know that the Ice Bucket Challenge has become not only the social media phenomenon but the new bench mark for how peer-to-peer fundraising can create massive impat. So, today, we are going to talk about the impacts of ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.

Well, for one, we all know that ALS Ice Bucket challenge is a charity stunt to raise money for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The original idea was that when the gauntlet was thrown down in the ice bucket challenge, you either dump ice water over your head or donate $100 to ALS Association if you failed to do so within 24 hours. Millions of people have shivered and screamed while dumping buckets of ice over their heads and the sensation felt at that split of second gives them the idea of how those with ALS feel each and every day.

Since the first ice bucket fell in the name of ALS, the challenge has gone viral, inspiring nearly $100 million in donations to the ALS Association. A big Internet sensation like this naturally brings criticism. But there are reasons to why the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge is awesome. First and foremost, it raises money for the ALS Associations. Most people seem to be opting for both, donate and getting soaked. The bulk of money made from the ice bucket challenge will help offset the astronomical costs of living with the disease. The cost of an individual patient can be tens of thousands of dollars to a quarter million dollars in care per year. Power wheel chairs, gracing, respiratory equipments. We're not even talking about ventilators. We're talking about non-invasive things, so people can sleep at night.

As you can see from the slide, 27% of the funds are allocated for research. Research is another part of the funding equation to find new treatments for ALS and to increase the number of scientists working on ALS. As is the case for most rare diseases, progress in ALS research has been severely hamstrung by funding shortages. The funds allocate for the research has been identified as critical to finding cure and effective treatments for ALS.

 

The efficiency of the campaign, for one, is awe-inspiring. It encourages people to donate to charity in general especially younger generations. The power of social media and technology plays a large part in young people's fundraising efforts. In addition to the fundraising campaign's convenience, its popularity among friends and high profile celebritis plays a large role in the strength of the millennia's involvement. From Facebook's founder, Mark Zuckerberg to talk show host, Oprah Winfrey, footballer Christiano Ronalso, singer Justin Timberlake and to our very own local celebrities, Lisa Surihani and supermodel Amber Chia, they have all been ice-bucketed. These high profile celebrity figures helped seed the idea that it is 'cool' to donate to charity.

It proves that the Ice Bucket Challenge has been the perfect blend of accessible, fun activity, understandable, compelling cause and networked social proof. In other words, it's something easy that people want to do. It encourages younger generations like us to become more engaged in charity while having fun. It is a win-win situation. This is also a step to build a stronger culture of generosity. 

Did you do the Ice Bucket Challenge?

Thank you for reading

=)

p/s: This is only the good part of the challenge (the part that I am responsible for). Others of the members are doing on the negative impact of the ice bucket challenge especially when people die from doing the challenge

Krabi Day 8: Ao Nang Beach

Link to:
Day 1: Krabi, here we come
Day 2: Hong Island
Day 3: Phi Phi Island
Day 4: Tree Top Adventure
Day 5: Day 5: Elephant Trekking, Tiger Cave Temple, Hot Spring Waterfall & Emerald Pool
Day 6: ATV, White Water Rafting & Monkey Cave
Day 7: 7 Islands Sunset Tour

(8/6/15) Our 8th day in Krabi begins late with some shopping along Ao Nang Beach. After 6 days of non-stop stretching our muscles, we decided that it was enough. We wanted to enjoy the best our villa can offer before going back. So we made use of our complimentary tuk-tuk to be at Ao Nang beach.

Busy buying T-shirts, beach shorts, bikinis and souvenirs

The street at this time is usually empty since everyone is out in the islands

At night, this street comes alive with tourists and music

I bought an elephant printed backpack for THB 450 after hours of bargaining and also some key chains for friends. There are lots of shops selling bikinis, backpacks, beach shorts, T-shirts, snorkeling masks and also waterproof phone case.

From Ao Nang Beach

Here at the jetty.

If you want to save on tours, you can buy boat tickets here at the jetty

at a much cheaper price without the guides

 After shopping, we returned to our Villa.

Mainly, to enjoy the pool and the massage to ease the aching body.

Me by the pool

Love this shot

Another one of me

 Lunch at Thai Rasoi

Kurma chicken with garlic naan here is to die for

Food is so good that we came here twice

 

Opt for the famous Lae Lay Grill for our last dinner in Krabi

 Beautiful interior design

 

Their famous Roasted Duck in Red Curry

Definitely thumbs up

Crab Meat in Curry Powder

What is the more convenient way of eating crab?

There are whole lots of chunks of meat in there

Lae Lay in Thai means 'look at the sea'
The pieces of arts are magnificent

I would recommend Lae Lay to all seafood lovers out there

They have the best out of the best

It is sad that it was our last dinner

 

 One last photo in our tuk-tuk

When we decided to go to Krabi for 9 days, never would have we thought that there are so many exciting things to do there. Even after our 6 days of adventure, there are still activities like rock climbing, kayaking, sea fishing, thai cooking class that we did not have enough time for. It would be more fun and exciting to be back in future when we could para-sailing and jet skiing at the beach. According to our tour agent, they are preparing for it.

The whole Krabi experience would be most memorable if Kevin and Dylan can be there. Looking forward to our next trip. 

 Thank you for being with me throughout our Krabi vacay!

See you soon on our next adventure!

Krabi Day 7: 7 Islands Sunset Tour

Link to:

Day 1: Krabi, here we come

Day 2: Hong Island

Day 3: Phi Phi Island

Day 4: Tree Top Adventure

Day 5: Elephant Trekking, Tiger Cave Temple, Hot Spring Waterfall & Emerald Pool

Day 6: ATV, White Water Rafting & Monkey Cave

 

(7/6/15) We begin our 7 Islands Sunset Snorkeling Tour at 12.30 pm today. The tour cost us THB 650 per person and it comes with a BBQ dinner at Poda Island.

Here we are at Ao Nammao Pier to get onto the boat

At the jetty

The beautiful scenery  



Another scenic view

First island of the day, the Railay Beach

Phra Nang Cave for some great photo

Locals believe that it is the home to a princess spirit

Our first snorkeling session today

Feeding those fishes with crumbs

Arriving at the beautiful Tup Island

Still need to shed another few kilos

Thou this picture is quite blur, it will be waste not to post this up

I just don't understand why some of the pictures turn up blur

When the tide is low, you can walk from one island to another for these 3 islands

Water is crystal clear

This is all I need, relaxing life with picturesque view

Another blur shot

Is it the camera or the memory card? 

Showing off my chubby, fat legs

Posing for a picture

Candid of a china lady posing for the camera

Our newly made friends from Brunei

Our second snorkeling stop is at the famous Chicken Island

Chicken Island is named after the shape of its unique limestone jutting out into the sea

We passed by Poda Island early in the afternoon

Arriving at Poda Island for our barbeque dinner on the beach and the highlight is the sunset

Feels like in China with the sight of Chinese junk sailing

The small island behind is the Taming Island

Amazing

Namaste

Me and Brenda

Red is the color of love and romance

The most beautiful sunset I have ever seen

As the sun sets lower, the sky gets redder and redder

The sunset is so fantastic and unforgettable.

We will surely return for the beautiful sight.

We were supposed to enjoy our first Bio-Luminescent Swimming but the spot near to Railay Beach that the guides brought us to is too shallow to dive. A few minutes after a couple dived down, they went up the boat with one leg full with sea urchins spikes. We were terrified that we decided not to go down at all and straight head back to the jetty. Early on, almost all on our boat was stung by jellyfish that swam to near. The guides should have warned us beforehand.

We paid for this!!

Quite disappointed with Mariam Tours. Firstly, when we took the tour with them, we were promised a big boat and not a longtail boat. The only reason we decided to go on shared tour was because they can't provide a barbeque dinner for private tour. I failed to see the reason behind that because the food and the barbeque satay sticks were already prepared on the beach. Food are all packed and brought along since we boarded the boat. I don't recommend taking tours from Mariam Travel & Tour. Not that they gave us a smaller boat, their guides are also rude. It was a nightmare to begin with. The only thing that made it better was the sunset.  

Link to:

Day 8: Ao Nang Beach

Thank you for reading.

Please come back for more

;)