LANGKAWI ~ here we go

DAY 1

We arrived around 1.15PM, ignored most of the touts for rental cars and all of them for accommodation, but one tout seemed OK, so we went with him to his nearby office and rented a car from him.  This was a small orange Perodua Viva automatic – Mrs Tropical Expat’s requirement.  It was RM10 extra for the automatic, so it cost RM60 per day – 24 hours. The car was a bit battered but seemed OK for Langkawi. As usual I took multiple photos to attest to the dents already on the car.

 the Perodua Viva – it looked OK, but turned out not to be

We struck out for the roughly half hour drive to Cenang, stopping off firstly to buy petrol as rental cars are always empty, and then stopping on the way again to see the Big Sea Cucumber Oil Bottle, and indeed buy some product.

big bottle

And we checked in to the NR Motel on the Pantai Tengah Road, actually staying in the same room we did last time.

It seemed a good idea to drive into Cenang and buy the beverage supply for the stay, and a few snacks from one of the duty-free stores.  At that time of day Cenang was quiet and parking was easy.  After the early start we didn’t really bother doing anything more, and just had a nap and read for the afternoon.

DAY 2

We decided to swap cars as we didn’t think it was safe not to have a working horn.  While the next car was being cleaned we walked into the nearby park and looked at the big eagle.

Lankawi’s symbol

When we returned to the car rental office we picked up Sam the Nissan Sentra. Again the cigarette lighter didn’t work – no power for the GPS still. Have to rely on an inadequate map.

Sam the Sentra

we drove up to the government agricultural farm. It only took about 10 minutes drive.

Government research fruit farm

They insisted we pay the much higher tourist price to enter rather than the local price.  I am not impressed. When we’d been here a couple of years ago we enjoyed the visit.

tour bus that drives around the farm

Last time a guide rode with us on a small bus (pictured) and explained the farm to us.

dragon fruit trees

We stopped a few times and the guide talked about the project and the trees.

fruit buffet

Halfway around there was a fruit buffet.  And then we continued back with the guide still informing us. At the shop they sold seeds so that you could grow things at home.

view of some of the farm from a tower that only I climbed

This time there was a guide who sat with the driver and only guided us onto and off the bus, but otherwise told us nothing.  And back at the entrance the shops no longer sold seeds – perhaps you can buy them at their KL HQ, we were told. This place is such a disappointment now – RM50 for both of us is a lot to pay for some commonly available fruit, and there were no durian or mangosteen although they are in season.  Their statue shows a big durian and a big mangosteen, too.

The statue shows durian and mangosteen – but even though they are in season they weren’t served.

We won’t return here.

Tanjung Rhu beach

We continued up the road to Tanjung Rhu beach – about 15 minutes drive from the fruit farm.  It turned out that the cloudy sky was an advantage as we didn’t get sunburn. But as there was no sun we also spent most of the time in the water.  It was funny watching the tourists from China who’d arrived on a bus – they had no swimming costumes and just paddled in the water a little and took hundreds of photos.

time for fish and chips

After swimming and sunbathing it was time for Scarborough Fish ‘n Chips.

nice setting on the beach

There is a shower, and then we lunched.  This is also reviewed here.

Galeria Perdana

From Scarborough Fish ‘n Chips it is about a 10 minute drive to Galeria Perdana, a museum where a previous Prime Minister displays many of the gifts he was given.  I believe he was the one who made Langkawi duty-free – and removed this status from Penang.

local price – which they won’t charge you

Again they charged us double the local price – the sign in Bahasa says that adults are RM5, but the sign in English says Adults are RM10.  However, I note there is a senior price.

Jake Blues was there?

my favourite were the cars

I enjoyed this museum the first time, but this time it was exactly the same, so a quick visit was enough, and not so exciting.

night market – which starts late afternoon

It was now about 6PM, so we headed over to the night market that is not so far from Cenang and our accommodation.  This was about a 30 minute drive, or would have been if we had a better map.  We bought durian, mangosteens, bananas and cooked chicken.  All delicious.

Well, back to our accommodation to eat.  That was enough for the day.

DAY 3

For our last day we headed to the west.

It’s nice to see the animals in Langkawi

Past the airport turnoff is a bridge I like.

I like bridges – this one heading west

We bought some more petrol.

Petronas petrol station – with a mosque-like dome

And then we went into the Berjaya resort.

the road into the Berjaya Resort

Berjaya resort is nice, and the price of a coffee or beer is reasonable, considering.

useful advice

Today the weather was perfect.

the beach at the resort

river that joins the ocean at the centre of the beach

Next stop was Oriental village – a couple of minutes drive back east.

Entrance to Oriental Village

There is a duty-free shop there – good for a cold beer.

duty-free

lake at the village

In the evening we went to Pantai Tengah, very near where we were staying, to watch the sunset and paragliding.

quite a few paragliders

you seem to put on a harness, and are accompanied by an expert

one flight around the bay lasts about five minutes

sunset was more or less the end of the paragliding

Day 4

Before returning the car we thought we’d drive to the top of Mount Raya.  It’s only about 15 minutes drive to the turnoff to the mountain road, but it seems to take forever to reach the top. We got to about 6KM from the top, but calculated that we didn’t have the time to get to the top and make it to the ferry in time, so we had to turn back.

We returned the car to their office, they returned our deposit, and they dropped us at the ferry – very close, but we had our luggage.

We made it to the ferry about five minutes before departure, and the ferry departed five minutes late.  Even so, we wouldn’t have made the ferry if we’d gone to the summit of Mount Raya.

the ferry

Our bus was leaving Kuala Perlis at 3PM, so we had about 45 minutes to find somewhere with air-conditioning while waiting. KFC seemed best.

HOW TO OPEN CAN BY USING SPOON

CRAVING SASTIFIED

You know when you can’t get something, you want it even more than you ever have. HIGH 5 GUYS!!!! I feel you. Whenever I’m at my college, all I want is food from home and from the restaurants I love oh so much. So, a while ago when I was still there (now I’m at home btw, which you would know already if you follow me on Instagram), I had a sudden crave for spicy food. Anything spicy at all will put a big big smile on my face. So I kept bugging my parents to send me food whenever they can. They came with five different dishes. Bless them. *lots of heart emojis in every colour there is* They probably did that to shut me up more than anything though..

I obviously couldn’t eat all five dishes in one day! So I ate four, hehe. But not all alone ok. If I did, you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between Shrek and I. Amelia helped spread the Shrek fat out between the two of us. We had a lovely romantic date together. I kept the last one, which is my most favourite out of all the dishes for a different day in case I crave for more spicy food.

I’ll rate their spiciness from 1 – 5, 5 being the spiciest.

I love Paprik anything and this has everything apparently so, just imagine how happy I was! Had

Top Left: Paprik Campur (2)

some tissue on standby already.

Top Right: Siakap Masak Pedas (3)

Huuuuge portion. This made Shrek 1 and Shrek 2 (Amelia and I) both feel like exploding after. But no doubt, it was so good. First few sheets of tissue, gone.

Bottom Left: Ayam Masak Merah (4)

I love love love prawns. Everyone I’m close to would know. Apparently you can develop allergies as you grow and guess which I developed. Obviously it had to be prawns. But it isn’t so bad though, it’s just that my eyes become watery, I get an itchy nose and I get like a red lining around my mouth and sometimes on my jaw or/and cheeks. I bet you’re like “ok, so what?” I don’t know actually. I just thought it was pretty sad so I should share it with someone. Sorry you had to be the victim. Anyway, the dish! Easy, it had prawns. Lots of prawns. I loved it.

Bottom Right: Udang Masak Pedas (5)

*throws tissue and takes towel instead* Shall I say more?

  

A few days after, I craved for more. See, I know myself too well. Hahaha. So I heated my most favourite Tom Yam Campur up and had it for lunch. I LOVE TOM YAM. I love most Thai food actually. You love it too, deep inside.

KUALA LUMPUR TIME LAPSE

NUTELLA!!

CHEESECAKE RECIPE

The quickest and easiest cheesecake I have ever made. I prefer to leave mine plain or you can add your own flavouring, such as lemon, lime or even orange to your own taste.

Ingredients

• 250 g digestive biscuits
• 100 g butter melted

Filling

• 600 g cream cheese
• 280 mls double cream
• 150 g icing sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla essence

Equipment

• 1 23cm non-stick springform pan
• 1 baking paper
• 1 wooden spoon
• 1 electric mixer

Method

• STEP 1Butter and line a 23 cm loose-bottomed tin with baking paper.
• STEP 2Crush biscuits and mix with melted butter.
• STEP 3Tip them into the prepared tin and press firmly down into the base to create an even layer.
• STEP 4Chill in the fridge for about 20 minutes to set firmly.
• STEP 5Filling: Place cheese, icing sugar and vanilla in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth.
• STEP 6Tip in the cream and continue beating until the mixture is completely combined.
• STEP 7Spoon the cream mixture onto the biscuit base, working from the edges inwards and making sure that there are no air bubbles.
• STEP 8Smooth the top of the cheesecake down with the back of a dessert spoon or spatula. Leave to set in fridge for 1-2 hours.

Notes

Bring the cheesecake to room temperature, about 30 minutes before serving. To un-mould, place the base on top of a can, then gradually pull the sides of the tin down. If you find the cake difficult to un-mould, then either let it sit for a little longer, or wipe the outside of the tin with a warm cloth. This heats the edges and should allow you to remove the tin easily.

My Life Sweet Serenade ~AsPer

Assalamualaikum dan selamat sejahtera. Terima kasih kawan-kawan se-batch sebab beri aku peluang untuk join “The Next Stage”. First of all, aku ucapkan tahniah untuk calon-calon SPM 2014 yang telah berjaya mengharungi cabaran dan rintangan semasa minggu-minggu peperiksaan dijalankan. So apa cerita korang sekarang ? Dah terfikir untuk sambung belajar ke mana ? 

Aku calon SPM2014 dan sekarang belajar kat Universiti Putra Malaysia. Top 5 university di Malaysia. Aku budak jurusan Asasi Sains Pertanian atau dikenali juga sebagai ASPER. Actually UPM ada dua tau, satu di Serdang Selangor yg menempatkan budak degree dan asasi, satu lagi di Bintulu Sarawak. Kat sini aku nak fokuskan kat UPM Serdang je lah ea memandangkan aku pun tak pernah pergi Bintulu tuh.

Pintu utama Universiti Putra Malaysia.

UPM nii dikenali sebagai kampus hijau. Banyak ladang-ladang ternakan, ladang tanaman dan juga kawasan rekreasi yang sangat cantik. Serious tak tipu. Aku banyak kali jugaklah terjumpa pasangan pengantin or family yang bergambar kat UPM nih. Even UPM nihh pun jadik pusat tarikan produksi filem tau, macam ceritaa Lagenda Budak Setan, Magika. Akibat pencemaran di bumi kita nihh semakin buruk, UPM sangat-sangat mengalakkan penggunaan basikal serta berjalan kaki berbanding penggunaan kenderaan bermotor. Lorong untuk berbasikal juga disediakan untuk keutamaan dan keselamatan pengguna. Jangan risau, UPM menyediakan kemudahan bas untuk kemudahan pelajar dan staf. Hujung minggu kalau nak keluar pun ada disediakan bas. KTM Serdang tak jauh pun dari UPM nihh. So korang boleh jer berjalan ke mana pun korang nak pergi, nak balik pun senang. Syok ah. 

ASASI SAINS PERTANIAN. 

Aku confirm korang mesti fikir,

“PERTANIAN??? Kenapa pertanian ?? Nak jadi petani ke ? Penat je belajar pepandaii. Kami nak jadi doctor, engineer taknak lah jadi petani. “

Haa nii yang aku nak cerita sikit pasal ASPER inii. Sebenarnya Asasi UPM nihh sama jer macam asasi kat universiti lain cuma tambah satu subjek jer, pertanian. Lepasan ASPER nii tak semestinya waktu degree akan ambil course berkaitan pertanian jer. Actually banyak course yang ditawarkan untuk budak ASPER, medic, engineering, veterinar, architecture, education semua ada kat UPM nii. Kalau korang pilih UPM ini korang dah selangkah masuk ke universiti wehh. Pemilihan budak untuk ke degree UPM pun mereka akan utamakan budak ASPER paling kurang pun korang tercampak masuk ke diploma UPM. Lagi satu, nak join course pertanian nihh bukan mudah tau. Pertanian UPM nihh dikenali kut kat dunia nihh, jangan pandang sebelah mata jer.

Asasi Sains Pertanian UPM ini mempunyai 3 semester setahun. Satu semester 3.5 bulan, kalau mak kau mengandung pun tak nampak lagi perutnya membesar. Satu semester korang akan mengambil 5 subjek wajib dan satu subjek elektif. Subjek wajib matematik, kimia, biologi, fizik, pertanian dan subjek elektif sains computer dan bahasa inggeris. Perlu diingatkan bahawa untuk masuk ke asasi nih korang kena ada basic biologi. Maksud aku kat sini, time SPM korang dah spend time dengan biologi, so baru ada tempat kat asper.

Okay aku nak cerita pasal subjek pertanian sebab yang lain semua sama jer. Subjek pertanian ini adalah subjek yang paling senang (seriously senang) dan dapat membantu korang untuk mendapatkan 4 flat. Kalau pointer korang kurang memuaskan dalam subjek sains hah ni la masanya subjek pertanian menjadi hero. Speciality dalam subjek pertanian ialah amali dia. Amali pertanian ini paling best dan dapat menghilangkan stress belajar. Dalam amali pertanian semester satu korang akan dibawa explore seluruh kawasan UPM dari ladang-ladang sampailah ke Hutan Simpan UPM. Time semester dua korang akan didedahkan pula dengan dunia makanan dari fakulti sampailah ke kilang-kilang. Semester tiga korang akan didedahkan dengan dunia keusahawanan. See?? Menarikk bukan??

Amali pertanian semester satu kami dibawa melawat ke ladang buah-buahan and buah yang dipetik tuh free untuk dimakan. hehe.

Kilang yang dilawati semasa amali pertanian semester dua.

“Life has no remote, get up and change it yourself.”

Pada pandangan aku lah, pembelajaran kat sini kurang stress lahh nak dibandingkan dari tempat lain. Jadual belajar korang tak pack pun. Sehari korang belajar paling banyak dalam 3 subjek gitu je. Gap antara kelas paling sekejap 1 jam so korang sempatlah nak buat persediaan sebelum masuk ke kelas seterusnya. Satu semester korang akan menjalani 2 ujian dan 1 peperiksaan besar iaitu final. Tapi korang jangan risau lah, lecturer and staf Pusat Asasi memang daebakk. Dia orang suka membantu tapi korang kenalah mulakan langkah untuk bantu diri korang dulu sebelum mengharapkan orang lain untuk bantu korang. UPM nihh sangat bebas, dari segi pemakaian, pergaulan dan etc. Nak berjimba bagai boleh tapi korang jangan lupa tujuan utama korang datang ke UPM nii. Okay ??

Sorry aku lupa nak mention, kalau korang bernasib baik dalam percubaan SPM, korang boleh join Asasi Sains Pertanian tau. Korang akan join Program Laluan Pantas dan dikenali juga sebagai FAST TRACK. Kebaikan korang join Fast Track niihh korang akan masuk degree awal dari budak asper yang sebaya umur dengan korang. Kira macam senior lahh wehh. Tapi for those yang nak jadi doktor, fast track nihh tidak sesuai untuk anda yaa. hoho.

Sampai sini je lahh kutt cerita aku. Jika ada apa-apa permasalahan bolehlah nyatakan di ruangan komen dan saya sertakan laman sesawang ini untuk rujukan anda.
http://www.asasi.upm.edu.my/
Akhir kalam, harap entry ini dapat membantu awak-awak kat luar sana untuk membuat pilihan yang bijak.  Good Luck. Wallahualam. 

“Bila kamu tak tahan lelahnya belajar, maka kamu akan menanggung peritnya kebodohan.”

-Imam Syafie-