My sister has a cash voucher RM100 that can be used to dine in at the famous Ah Yat Abalone Chinese Restaurant. Don't be happy with the RM100 first because the food there isn't cheap and you must choose meals priced at 50% more from the voucher itself. For e.g. if you have RM100 voucher, you must get a menu with at least RM200 or above.

We took the RM338++ package (not including 10% service tax and 5% government tax). The menu including:

1) 6 Cold and Hot Snacks Platter

2) Shark Fins Soup

3) Yamashima Fresh Abalone and Mushroom and Vegetables

4) Deep Fried Freshwater Fish

5) Pork Trotter

6) Fried Rice with Anchovies

7) Almond Tea with Chicken Pie

The 6 Cold & Hot Snacks consists of chicken skin, eggs, fried chicken with chillies, tofu, pig's intestine, very sweet fried pork. After ate these snacks my stomach nearly full. The chicken skin is very crunchy, I like to fried chicken with chillies. I do not dare to eat the pig's intestine because it has a strong smell, my father like it very much!

Personally I like Ah Yat's shark fins soup because it is very different from the rest, the fins portion is big and it is not sliced too thinly like others. Next is the fresh Japanese Abalone, I find it is quite good of course it is better than those groceries stores. But it still can't beat the Mexican or African Abalone, of course the cost is much more expensive!!!

For the fish, I find the taste a little bland but it is very fresh. It should tastes better if taken for steam.

The pig trotter is rather a normal standard dish, the taste can be found at any restaurant. Fried rice is delicious even though I can't stomach anymore. Just tasted a tablespoon only. The desert is special yet delicious. The soup is made of almond and milk blend and the chicken pies are good! The first time, my mom praised the taste of those creamy chicken pies!

Total bill was RM310+ with tea after deducted from the RM100 voucher for 5 peoples. It's a little pricier but considering it is a fine dining, not much complain though. After payment, they gave another RM50 voucher this time, a good promotion strategy though.

For those who wanna try out this fantastic restaurant, there are two locations in Malaysia. One is at Kuala Lumpur, another is Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

Kuala Lumpur:
Ah Yat Abalone Forum Restaurant
M6-8 Mezzanine Floor
Avenue K, No.156, Jalan Ampang
50450 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Selangor:
Ah Yat Abalone Forum Restaurant
Lot 9B, Jalan Kemajuan
Section 13
Petaling Jaya
Tel no: 03-79604988/79604288

Posted by Evan | 3:18 PM | | 7 comments »

The history of the game of boules, otherwise known as pétanque, is perhaps the sport that is closest to French hearts. Similar to British lawn bowling or Italian bocce, the French version is traditionally played with metallic balls on a dirt surface beneath plane trees, with a glass of pastis at hand. The local boulodrome is a social focal point in southern France.

French Boule
The object of the game is to throw your balls — usually with somewhat of an arched back-spin — so that they land closer to the small object ball (cochonnet ) than those of your opponent, or strike and drive the object ball toward your other balls and away from your opponent's.




French Boule in Casino, Genting Highlands:
French Boule
This casino game is very fun and easy to play and the payout is a lot! You can find the game tables at Starworld, First World Plaza and Casino De Genting.

French Boule
How to play French Boule:
The game of French Boule is played with you playing against the House by betting House chips. The betting limits are displayed at the gaming table. Place your bet in the betting layout at the gaming table before the ball is being rolled into the numbered tray.The Dealer then rings the bell and announce "No More Bets". The game begins with the House providing you a rubber ball to roll into the numerously numbered tray arranged in sequence from 0 to 9. The winning number will be the number where the ball stops.
French Boule
French Boule

Currently Genting pays 8 to 1 for single number bet and 2 to 1 for any 3 Numbers Combination Bet.

Posted by Evan | 1:54 PM | , , | 5 comments »

It's a wonderful morning Saturday, for an early escape from the usual afternoon heat, I drove up to Genting Highlands to cool down for a short vacation 2 days 1 night. This cool hill resort with Casino is located at Pahang, Malaysia.


Drive to Genting:
ALTERNATIVE 1 : CHERAS WAY

1.At Sungai Besi Toll, proceed straight, keep left, enter exit to Cheras heading up the flyover.
2.Follow Cheras direction, go straight.
3.Pass by Makro on your left, go straight.
4.Follow Ampang direction
5.Pass by Ampang, go straight and you will pass Zoo Negara and Melawati (on your right).
6.Go straight, follow Kuantan direction.
7.Exit Kuantan flyover. Go up the flyover and join Karak Highway.
8.After the Karak Toll, proceed on till you pass the Genting Sempah tunnel. Exit to Genting Highlands after the tunnel.

ALTERNATIVE 2 : BATANG KALI WAY

1.At Sungai Besi Toll gate, proceed straight (heading towards city), do not take the left fork heading to Petaling Jaya or the Sultan Abdul Aziz 2.Airport on your left.
3.Take the left fork heading to the North-South Highway. You will see the Istana Negara (Agung's Palace) on your left. Proceed on and you will see Landmark - Muzium Negara on your left.
4.Exit to Jalan Duta, (see Landmark) at this exit Parliament House). 5.Keep going straight, passing Jalan Damansara exit.
6.Join North-South Highway (green signboard), and head north (Utara) towards Ipoh.
7.Exit at Rawang. Proceed towards Rawang town.
8.Pass Rawang, Sungai Choh and Serendah towns.
9.Next town is Batang Kali. Turn right to Genting Highlands (signboard shown).
10.At the next T-junction, turn left to joint road to Genting Highlands.
11.After about 10 or 15 minutes, you will see Genting Skyway Station and Awana Horse Ranch on your right. Proceed and follow directions to Awana and Genting.

ALTERNATIVE 3 : BATU CAVES WAY

1.At Sungai Besi Toll gate, proceed straight (heading towards city), do not take the left fork heading to Petaling Jaya or the Sultan Abdul Aziz 2.Airport on your left.
3.Take the left fork heading to the North-South Highway. You will see the Istana Negara (Agung's Palace) on your left. Proceed on and you will see Landmark - Muzium Negara on your left.
4.Exit to Jalan Duta, (see Landmark) at this exit Parliament House). 5.Keep going straight, passing Jalan Damansara exit.
6.Keep going straight on Jalan Duta, (do not take exit to North-South Highway). You will come to a small roundabout. Take 12 o'clock, and you will come to another big roundabout. Take 9 o'clock to join Jalan Kuching (heading towards north to Ipoh).
7.Pay toll at Jalan Kuching. Proceed straight heading up the flyover towards Selayang. Go straight, follow Kuantan direction and go up the flyover on your left.
8.Make a right turn (follow Kuantan).
9.After passing Batu Caves (on your left), exit left (follow Kuantan) to Karak Highway. Proceed on till you pass the Genting Sempah tunnel. Exit to Genting Highlands after the tunnel.

ALTERNATIVE 4 : GOMBAK / SETAPAK WAY

1.At Sungai Besi Toll, go straight, pass the old airport (on your left), proceed straight on to Jalan Tun Razak.
2.Keep on Jalan Tun Razak, pass Jalan Ampang and the National Library (on your right) and the General Hospital (on your left). Keep left and take a 3 o'clock at the roundabout and join Jalan Ampang.
3.Go straight heading towards Jalan Genting Kelang / Setapak. After toll gate, proceed on towards Setapak, and go left to Jalan Gombak.
4.At around 4th mile, Jalan Gombak, make a left turn to Kg Bandar Dalam, proceed on, then take a right turn (follow Kuantan) to Karak Highway.
5.After the Karak Toll, proceed on till you pass the Genting Sempah tunnel. Exit to Genting Highlands after the tunnel.

ALTERNATIVE 5 : FROM NORTH

1.From Ipoh (North-South Highway), exit to Rawang Interchange. 2.Proceed towards Rawang Town.
3.Pass Rawang, Sungai Choh and Serendah towns.
4.Next town is Batang Kali. Turn right to Genting Highlands (signboard shown).
5.At the next T-junction, turn left to joint road to Genting Highlands.
6.After about 10 or 15 minutes, you will see Genting Skyway Station and Awana Horse Ranch on your right. Proceed and follow directions to Awana and Genting.

ALTERNATIVE 6 : SHAH ALAM WAY

1.From Kuala Lumpur International Airport, proceed on towards Shah Alam.
2.After passing Shah Alam Stadium (on your left) go up flyover by following Kuala Lumpur direction, join the New Klang Valley Expressway..
3.Go straight on the highway, till you see Damansara / Petaling Jaya Interchange.
4.Exit at Damansara / Petaling Jaya flyover, you will see Damansara Toll. Proceed straight till the end of Damansara Highway, turn left to Jalan Duta.
5.Keep going straight on Jalan Duta, (do not take exit to North-South Highway). You will come to a small roundabout. Take 12 o'clock, and you will come to another big roundabout. Take 9 o'clock to join Jalan Kuching (heading towards north to Ipoh).
6.Pay toll at Jalan Kuching. Proceed straight heading up the flyover towards Selayang. Go straight, follow Kuantan direction and go up the flyover on your left.
7.Make a right turn (follow Kuantan).
8.After passing Batu Caves (on your left), exit left (follow Kuantan) to Karak Highway. Proceed on till you pass the Genting Sempah tunnel. Exit to Genting Highlands after the tunnel.

Road map to Genting Highlands:
Genting Highlands Road Map

For those who like to take public transport to Genting, you can take a bus or train to KL Sentral, Terminal Putra Gombak LRT station, Pasar Rakyat or 1 Utama. There is a coach to Genting from KL Sentral. The price is around MYR7.60 to MYR8.50 depends on your depart location but remember it will only stop at the Genting Skyway station, you need to take the skyway to the top which cost RM5 per person one way. But you can save more if you purchase the package whereby you will get the outdoor amusement park ticket too but you have to return to KL in the same day, but since you plan to stay overnight, no need for you to return to KL.

For best deal, it's recommended you choose the Go Genting package, I have always purchase the deal from Genting to take advantage of the cheap price. It's only RM42 per person. If you buy the items separately, the total cost will be more expensive.
1- Return Genting Express Bus transfer from Terminal Putra-Gombak or KL Sentral or Pasarakyat or 1 Utama
2 - Return Genting Skyway transfer
3 - Genting All Park Theme Park Day Ride Pass or Buffet Lunch at Coffee Terrace

Separate tickets:
Genting All Park Theme Park Day Ride Pass: RM51 for adults, RM36 for children

If you consider the theme park pass itself already cost RM51!

Several coach locations at Kuala Lumpur that you can take:
Go Genting

Genting counters:
Terminal Gombak: 012-236 9611
KL Sentral: (603) 2279 8989 / 8990
Pasarakyat: (603) 2148 4300 / 6300
1 Utama: (603) 7725 8211

Bar Interior Design Be A Star Karaoke
It's hungry, time to eat lunch at a cosy karaoke lounge, Be A Star Karaoke located inside Genting Highlands Resort. There is ongoing promotion where you only need to pay the meal and you entitled to 2 hours of room usage and free drinks. The good thing is there is no room charge! The food was reasonable, the total bill came up about RM35 only with the enjoyment of meal plus singing in front of a big projector screen. The sound systems was great too, it's like you are singing in front of thousands of fans!

Daytone Racing Game
When I look at this, I remember how good the feeling of driving a fast car when I was young without a driving license.

Fun Fair Merry-Go-Round
The fun fair here is exciting too, buy a game card, EziCash from the dispenser machine and you can play hundreds of game arcades, fun fair, and many more games.
Take a nostalgic trip back to memory lane with an all time fun-fair favourite. There are 2 merry go round, one is located at lower ground Genting Hotel and another at First World Plaza.

Eiffel Tower Genting Highlands
You do need to go to Paris to see the Eiffel Tower, you can find it at First World Plaza too :)

Rock Climbing
I did not try this because I scare of height, haha. For those who are extremely adventurous and you have the guts and the spunk, try the indoor Rock Climbing at First World Plaza. It's only RM4 per climb. See if you can climb walls like Spidey! It's fun and easy to climb and there are rock climbing professionals that can assist you to climb to the top.

Archery Range
Instead of rock climbing, I chose the Genting Archery Range. I took 10 arrows for only RM10.

Fertility Statue
Ripley's Believe It Or Not has come to Malaysia! The ticket price is RM18 per person. It was so lucky, that day which I've visited, the fertility statues are there! Don't simply touch the statue or you will get pregnant! These world famous fertility statues from the Ivory Coast of Africa have generated interest throughout the entire world. Dozens of women have claimed that as a result of touching the statues, they have been able to start a family! Surprise, No?

Ripley's Believe It Or Not
One of the weirdo statue inside the museums, actually there a lot more such as the once the tallest man in the world, the man with horn and the man with double eye balls but I did not really upload to here because it might cause copyright infringement.

Hou Mei Chinese Restaurant, look at the queues - evidence that tells you it is one of the famous restaurant in Genting Highlands that you can't be missed.
Hou Mei Chinese Restaurant Hou Mei Chinese Restaurant Hou Mei Chinese Restaurant

She had a nice chicken chop for RM18 and I had the fiery curry Tom Yam noodle for RM15. The price is quite reasonable considering dining in a hill resort where lack of fresh food and vegetable supplies. Both meal's portion are quite big though.
Chicken Chop Curry Tom Yam

Posted by Evan | 12:29 PM | , , | 0 comments »

Cameron Highlands located in Malaysia and it is one of the biggest hill resort in the region. This place offers great views of tea and vegetable plantation, comfortable weather and sizzling food.

Fruits and vegetables like tomatoes, cauliflowers, cabbages, oranges and strawberries grow fresh and healthy in the cool climate and fertile soils of the highlands. You can buy them either at the various markets or the farms which are located throughout the highlands.

To get there:
1) By Air:
Book your air tickets at Airasia for budget price or Malaysia Airlines. The hill is located on the North of the airport. Once you reached the airport, take local taxi or coaches to Cameron Highlands.

2) Bus
Buses to Cameron Highlands operate daily from Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh and Penang. Buses from Kuala Lumpur depart from the Pudu Raya Station and KL Central. Buses from Penang depart from Prangin Mall / Komtar.

Express bus service from Singapore is now available. Unititi Express leaves Beach Road Singapore at 10.00pm daily and arrives in Cameron at 7am the following morning.

Bus schedules and details

Call the following bus companies for the latest bus schedules and fares.

i. Kurnia Bistari @ (KL) 016-3033330 (Counter 87 Puduraya) (CH) 05-491-1485
ii. Kinta Omnibus @ (IPOH) 05-254-0124 (CH) 05-491-1200
iii. Unititi Express @ (KL) 012-2150044 or 016-5058776 (CH) 05-491-4181 or 05-491-1452

3) Taxi
Taxis from Kuala Lumpur are available at the Pudu Raya Terminal. There are also daily taxi services from Tapah and Ipoh to Cameron Highlands. For services from other locations, please check with the local taxi terminal. Visitors coming from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) will be able to get a taxi from the KLIA limousine service (normal taxi) but the cost will be higher.

4) Self Drive:
For those familar with the roads in Malaysia, you can drive there using North-South Highway. Last time, you could only get to Cameron Highlands from the south via Tapah but since the opening of the new Simpang Pulai road, traveling to the highlands has become much more easier from the north. You can also get here from the east coast via Gua Musang in Kelantan but take note that this road has yet to be gazetted by the authorities.

From the South via Tapah
Cameron Highlands is about 300kms from Kuala Lumpur and it takes less than 3.5 hours to get here via the North-South Expressway (NSE). If you are driving from Kuala Lumpur, get find your way to the NSE by following the sign to Ipoh. Once you're on the expressway, keep on driving north until you reach Tapah which will take about 1.5 hours. Watch out for the sign that indicates the Tapah and Cameron Highlands exit (Exit 132). Once you have passed the toll booth, turn left at the traffic lights. From here onwards you will be on the long winding road to Cameron Highlands which is about 60 km's away. If you're driving from the north just take Exit 132 at Tapah and follow the same direction. It takes an average of 1.5 hours to reach Tanah Rata from Tapah.

Driving Tips :
The road from Tapah to Cameron Highlands is narrow and has a lot of sharp bends. If you have passengers who get motion sickness, its time to get those plastic bags out (just in case).
The roads have been upgraded recently so the drive up can be quite pleasant. There will be lots of heavy vehicles going up and down this road so be careful especially when you are overtaking. Most local heavy vehicles will give you the signal to overtake when its save so be patient. Its also common courtesy to let the vehicle behind you overtake you if you're driving slower that vehicle.

From the north via Simpang Pulai / Ipoh
Now that the new road from Simpang Pulai is open, more people are traveling to the highlands via this route. The road condition is much better here than the Tapah route and it only takes about 45 minutes to get to Kampung Raja from Simpang Pulai.
Take Exit 137 (Simpang Pulai) and turn right at the traffic light right after the toll booth. Turn right again at the next traffic light about 200 metres away. You are now on the way to Cameron Highlands. Eventually you will see signs to Kampung Raja or Cameron Highlands along the way. After about 1 hour, you will reach the Kampung Raja junction where you will have to turn right from the new road into Kampung Raja town. You're now in Cameron Highlands and you can just follow the main road to your destination. Brinchang & Tanah Rata is about 25-30kms from here.

Driving Tips :
Driving up this road is definitely a pleasant experience because it gives you some great views of mountains. Since the roads are less winding, people tend to speed here but watch out for the sharp bends at some stretches. There is NO mobile coverage along this road.

For more information on the NSE (North-South Expressway), please visit www.plus.com.my

Getting Around Cameron Highlands
It will be very convenient for you to get around Cameron Highlands if you have your own transportation. There are no car rental services in Cameron Highlands.

You can still get around with the local bus and taxi, but you will not have the flexibility you get from driving in your own car. Alternately you can also get on one of the many tours organized by the local tour companies in Cameron Highlands.

Some guest houses do provide motorbike rental services which you can use to get around. Bicycles are not here popular because of the terrain and the high traffic.


Local Taxi Rates


Distance between major towns in Cameron Highlands

i. Ringlet to Tanah Rata - 13km
ii. Tanah Rata to Brinchang - 6km
iii. Brinchang to Tringkep - 8km
iv. Tringkap - Kuala Terla - 5km
v. Kuala Terla - Kg.Raja - 3km

Accomodations:
I prefer to stay at Hotel Equatorial because of best deals available. I only paid for RM198++ (excluded %10 of service charge and 5% of government tax) with RM88 F&B voucher. The food & beverage credit can be utilised daily or accumulated for redemption at any food & beverage outlet. If you don't spend the voucher, it will be refunded at 50% (RM44) of its value in upon check out.

There are also many nice hotels and apartments for rent. Strawberry Park Resort is also recommended but its location a little remote from the main attraction places.

There are very high class resorts available too such as The Lakehouse, The Smokehouse.

For those traveling with more than 4 peoples, you might considering renting an apartment, like Star Regency.

Attractions

Here are all the places of interest:
Multicrops Central Market
Honey Bee – Ee Feng Gu
Sungai Palas Tea Plantation: except Monday 9:00-4:30
Boh Tea Ria Shop @ BohPlantation
Cameron Valley Tea House
Ee Feng Gu Honey Bee Farm
Butterfly farm
Butterfly Garden
Green Farm
Vegetable Market @ Kea Farm
Multicrops Central Market
Orchid Farm
Rose Centre
Rose Valley
Cactus Valley
Cactus Point
Healthy Strawberry Farm
Kasimanis Strawberry Farm
Kok Lim Strawberry Farm
Big Red Strawberry Farm
Raju Hill Strawberry Farm


My Suggested Itinerary for 3 days 2 nights trip:

Saturday
12:00pm : Lunch at T-Café or Yong Peng (Tanah Rata)
1:00pm : Go to strawberry farm, Tanah Rata – Kasimanis/KHM/Raju to strawberry
milkshare/ice-cream
3:00pm : Check in Hotel
3:30pm : Tea time or Cactus Point/Valley
4:30pm : Go to Rose Center (Kea Farm)
6:00pm : Steamboat Dinner at Highlands/OK Tuck/Golden Win Restaurant/Country
Lodge’s (Brinchang) – steamboat
8:30pm : Night market, Brinchang

Sunday
9:30am : Breakfast at hotel
11:00am : Go to Sg. Palas Tea Plantation, Brinchang
12:30pm : Lunch at Uncle Chow/ Palm Leaf Garden (Brinchang)
2:00pm : Go to Butterflies Farm, Kea Farm
3:00pm : Go to Vegetable Market/Farm
4:00pm : Tea time at Tanah Rata
7:00pm : Dinner at Mayflower/ Roselane steak house (Tanah Rata)

Monday
9:30am : Breaskfast at hotel
10:30am : Go to Multicrops Central Market
12:30pm : Lunch at Cameron Valley/ Restaurant No. 14 – southern Indian food?
2:00pm : Free & Easy / Sam Poh Temple - Brinchang
3:00pm : Tea Time @ T-Café?
4:00pm : Leave Cameron Highlands
5:30pm : Visit Lata Iskandar Waterfall

Cactus
 This is an unique Cactus that you can find at Cameron Highlands




Cameron's Corn! It's so delicious even you can eat it raw! The size is very big and the taste is irresistible, you only can find this Fat Corn at here. It's only RM10 for 7 corn, so cheap! The vegetables are also very fresh and cheap, I bought 10 packets of vege only cost RM10, can you believe it?CornCameron Vegetables


Cameron Highlands This is a morning view of the hill.

This is the hotel where I've stayed in.
Hill Resort

Maps of Cameron Highlands:
Cameron Highlands MapCameron Highlands MapCameron Highlands MapCameron Highlands MapCameron Highlands Map

Plant has been abused
I can't understand why the peoples wanna abuse such a nice plant?

Strawberry Chocolate Ice cream
Yummy....what a delicious ice-cream, you only can find this at Cameron Highlands. Go to Raju's Strawberry for this lovely desert. Although the strawberries were not very sweet but it was fresh and juicy.

Rose CentreFlowers
Rose Centre, located at Kea Farm just a little walk outside of Hotel Equatorial. The Entrance Fees: Adult - RM4.00 / Child - RM2.00. The place name is not really related because I can't find more than 10 roses there! There are many other plants instead of roses!

White Flower
Can anyone tell me what is the name of this flower? Seriously I do not know the name of it. Hahaha...

Tea Plantation Many tea plantations around at the hill, this is taken while going to the Boh's Tea Plantation.

Tea RollerThis is the first time ever I'd to see this old machinery at the Sungai Palas Tea Plantation. According to the locals, it is used by the workers as a roller to process the raw tea back in the old days. Now, they would use a much bigger machinery to produce more teas.

Posted by Evan | 3:26 PM | , | 1 comments »