Family Holidayat Lexis Hibuscus, Port Dickson

We had three days of fun at the Lexis Hibiscus in Port Dickson. We participated in a number of activities like water sports - the 'Bandwagon' (second pic)was a lot of fun as we requested the boat to go fast. I really had to hold tight in the bends or risk being thrown into the water.

 All the seafront suites has a mini private pool. The one featured below was in the larger suite thus the pool was maybe triple the size and has a sauna too.

There were lots to do for both young and old - we rented bicycles - they had tandem bicycles too, self-balancing 'Segway-type' electric rides, archery, helicopter ride and more. For indoor fun we let loose in the karaoke room. The food was good too and I especially liked the nasi lemak.

WWOOFing on an Organic Farm

After our Bentong farm experience I decided to volunteer on an organic farm for a few days. On December 8, I emailed Kenny Ng of Green Wish Vegi Garden which is located in Chenderiang, a small town 14km from Tapah in the state of Perak. I received a positive reply from Kenny the same night.

I decided to begin my *WWOOFing experience on December 17 and began making a list of essentials I needed.

D-Day and I depart for Chenderiang, about 166km north of Petaling Jaya. The drive was smooth and weather was overcast. Splendid! I exited the expressway into Tapah town and as I neared Chenderiang - I lowered my window. Lovely clean, fresh air. The small town had one main road with rustic pre-war shop-houses.

After another 8.8km passing through kampung (village) houses I arrived at my destination. At this moment I had not decided on the length of my stay. I reckon it will be the 3-day minimum and if I could I'd aim for five days.

I was greeted by Lee May, Kenny's wife at the main house. Minutes later Kenny emerges from the farm at back to welcome me. After I had stowed my kit away in the guest room I followed Kenny to the area where three other volunteers are busy weeding the plot. I am introduced to Romy, a young German lady and Mike and girlfriend Alle from Boston (short for Alejandra), who just arrived the night before.

My first task was to scoop compost with my bare hands from the wheelbarrow and spread it onto the raised bed. The compost comprised of weeds and goat dung - totally no smell. Next was our break and we feasted on juicy papayas in the dining area. I learned that the water was sourced from the mountain stream and it was safe for drinking even without boiling. 

The sheeting we installed is on the left. Compare to the weather-beaten one at right.

After the break we replaced the sheeting on a hoop house. It was quite challenging to get the UV sheet over the structure and down on both sides as it was about 12 feet high I guess.

Oh, did I mention that my hosts were vegitarians? It means I will for once in my life will not be eating any meat. Over lunch I learned that all the three other WWOOFers also do not consume meat. Romy, is the lone vegan. WWOOFing work hours are from 7.30 am to 12.30 pm, thus the afternoon I spent chatting with Romy. As for the Americans, well they were still recovering from jet-lag.

My alone time in the afternoon was to take a ride on my mountain bike. I must say that time really goes by quickly when I'm farming but the afternoons and nights dragged by slowly as the other WWOOFers preferred to retreat to their quarters. Between listening to music, reading and playing with the dogs (all nine of them), there isn't anything else to do.

Day two saw us uprooting the old okra plants and rebuilding the raised-bed which over the months had been eroded by rain. The entire work-day was spent doing so and boy my back was aching now. Lunch was a delight. We had a salad with over ten vegetables picked fresh from the garden. I never thought I'd hear myself say, 'being vegetarian is not that bad after all'.

After another night of inactivity I had decided tomorrow would be my last day. Also the fact my arthritis had flared up with my right knee and left ankle both swollen.

Day three was the most difficult as my knee and ankle pain is now further aggravated with backache shooting up my spine. I trudged on and we complete rebuilding the bed and planted bitter gourd seeds. Mission accomplished!

I may want to go on another WWOOFing stint at another farm. This time I will get in shape before I begin.

Last day_with Romy from Germany

*WWOOF - World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF, /ˈwʊf/), or Willing Workers on Organic Farms en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WWOOF

Happy Farm Day Trip

Sunday morning and we set off to rendezvous with my old buddy Martin, his wife Vanis and their son Jesh (cheeky little guy). It is about quarter past nine and we meet near the iconic Batu Caves. Traffic was smooth and soon we reached Bentong town and the streets were packed with cars from KL/Selangor.

After breakfast we headed to the farm. Nicole was excited to play with the seven puppies and it has been two weeks and they have grown. The little critters chomped on the dog kibble we brought.

The remainder of our two hour sojourn we spent chatting with brothers Gan, Caleb, Robert and Tim.

Farmstay in Bentong, Pahang

I was scouting for a farmstay holiday the past month and after much reading online I decided to contact a permaculture farm in Lenggong, Perak named Ladang Teh Lenggong (Lenggong Tea Plantation). Apparently it used to be a tea plantation until it shut down in the 80s.

Plan had a change after a friend informed me about a farm in Bentong. I attended their talk in town and turns out they just launched a 'mini land lease' scheme. For a small fee which includes ten 2D1N stay one gets to rent a tiny piece of land to farm on. 

So off we went on Saturday, November 8th for Bentong (slightly over 80km away). Traffic was light and we drove at a somewhat leisurely speed. We reached the farm, GY Happy Farm about 2.30pm and the coolness was a welcome reprieve from the humidity and pollution back home. This is what 'greeted' us. Looking good so far.

I like!

 Gorgeous Nicole and Lavenders

Papaya Trees

Drip Agri System

Next we drove out to the Chamang waterfall about 5km away to hook up with Pastor Caleb and the main party. The site is a popular haunt for both locals and out of town folks too.

Check-in time into the little chalet. Spartan but it will suffice. Next to the canteen for a welcome and introduction to the farm's vision. The owner, Mr Gan's vision is to emulate the Israeli kibbutz way of life - sounds like a plan from my heart. Well the way prices of daily necessities are rising there may come a day not too long where a communal farm is the wiser option. Brings to mind a 70s song that goes, "a piece of bread could buy a bag of gold".

Day Two and I slept well. We got up at six am and gathered at 7 am to take a 15 or so minute trek up to the Prayer  Mountain. The view from up here was awesome. We stood in the clouds. Worship began soon after and Pastor Phillip and entourage from Kuala Lumpur arrived bringing with them half a dozen shofars and banners. Far out!

Next agenda - the goat farm. The farm enquired and were gifted forty Boer (South African) goats by our Agri Dept. The children had a blast playing with the baby goat. 

 (above) Specimen from prawn farm (below) Red Tilapias

Nic planting a Roselle sapling

Overall we had a great time. Granted that the owners are newbie farmers I think they are on the right track. I dream of the day the kibbutz becomes reality. I shall return. Hopefully very soon.

I'm city born but I love the country life

Island Holiday

Hard Rock Hotel Penang

China House 

 

'Black Dawn'

Pangkor Laut

Just back from  three days and two nights at the Pangkor Laut Resort courtesy of Susan's employers. Pangkor Laut Island is just south-west off the main island of Pangkor. As it is a private island development has been kept to a minimum unlike the main island which is too commercialized. However it has not stopped the rubbish from the big island to wash up onto the shores here. All day the resort staff are busy cleaning up the beach.

It was a pleasant break despite the humidity and heat. Nicole definitely had a blast on the beach, in the pool and riding the banana boat.

Waiting for the boat

Where's the skipper?

 

Upper deck view

Almost there

Dina and Nic

Group photo

Zoo Negara

Today we visited the national zoo in Ulu Kelang. Nic invited Ashleigh to come along and her parents allowed her to. I think our last visit was over 12 years ago. The weather throughout was mild (thank God) and I also met Mosses, an old friend there. He works there so he gave us tips on which exhibits to check out.

Catching up with friends at the park

The sky was overcast but the rain did not fall the whole time we were at the park. Nicole met her friends Aishah (age 11), Siang (6) and Jia Jia (6). Aishah was glad that I allowed her to handle the camera and here are some pics she snapped.

Nic, Aishah, Wayne and Eva

I usually take Nic to a playground in SS2 and today was no different. There were the usual 'suspects' - Aishah, a 12-year old girl who lives a couple of blocks away and Eva, (pic) a boxer-type of dog that belongs to Wayne (pic). Turns out that Nic remembers him from two years back when they were kindy mates at Honey Bee.

Timeout At The Park

We went to the Lembah Kiara park in Taman Tun this evening. Brought along some bread to feed the fish and turtles. The catfishes here have evolved from bottom-feeders as they'd swim to the surface to compete for food. We only spent an hour there as it started to drizzle. We got some freebies from the Hitz.fm Cruiser crew (Camellia with the funky hair color) that had just arrived at the parking lot. Nicole managed to get a canned drink, a pen and an energy bar.

We did not stay for the Black Eyed Peas "contest" (tix up for grabs) as it was getting dark.

Visit to the KL Bird Park

Nicole woke up all excited this morning as she'd been looking forward to our trip to the KL Bird Park . We arrived at the park at 1pm and bought tickets (Malaysian citizens rates are RM15 adult & RM6 kids). The park was opened in 1991 and is a vast 21 acres home to over 3000 birds of 200 local and foreign bird species. It is also the world's largest free-flight walk-in aviary.

The first birds we came into contact were some parrots and cockatiels. They were quite tame and would playfully dive at us. Next up were the proud peacocks and one of them did not disappoint (pic). We had fun at the Parrot Kiosk where we fed the birds with sunflower seeds and milk purchased from the staff for RM2 a cup. As soon as the seeds and milk were in my hands a dozen or so parrots would fly onto my shoulders and arms and begin a feeding frenzy.

We doubled back to the Photo Booth and posed with a delightful group of macaques, owls, hawks, parrots and a cheeky hornbill. see pic above

Nic also enjoyed the Nursery where she spent a lot of time playing with the young chicks. There was also a single duckling among the chicks and everyone took turns petting it. We sure had a good time. Former US President Bill Clinton was just here last month (Dec. 5, 2008).