Sandy Beaches at Port Dickson, Malaysia

It is absolutely amazing how many travel enthusiast can swarm around favourite tourist hotspots  just to enjoy a small space of sand that they can call their own ‘private spot” in well-known beaches.

As for a person working in a metropolitan city, the last thing I want is to compete for my own sand space during a holiday that’s meant to get me away from the hustle and bustle of city life. All I want is  the peace and quiet that only a less crowded AKA less popular beach can offer.

Port Dickson is one of the oldest beaches in Malaysia which is situated alongside the Western Coast of Malaysia. The beach is 32 km from Seremban and 90 km from Kuala Lumpur. Port Dickson is located at the border of the Negeri Sembilan and Selangor state but is held under the state of Negeri Sembilan. The main attractions at Port Dickson are its beaches, seafood and water sports. Port Dickson beach was once coined as one of the most famous beaches in Malaysia,  offering an ideal hotspot for beach and water activities to tourists from Malaysia and around the world. However, over the years, other Malaysian beaches overtook the popularity of the Port Dickson beach due to heavier travel publicity on those beaches.

I visited the Port Dickson beach last year and enjoyed the serenity of the beach very much. Although I must admit that if I had visited the beach years back when it was much more popular, I would not have enjoyed myself at the beach so much because the beach would have lacked in ‘private space’.

My visit to Port Dickson was just a brief one day trip. Hence, I managed to enjoy sight-seeing with my then-boyfriend (now husband) at the sandy Port Dickson beach. We ‘wanted’ to savour some delicious seafood there but somehow our plan backfired.

During dinner time, we waddled happily to one of the seafood restaurants nearby the beach front. Unfortunately, the restaurant that we went to had really poor service. There were just too many patrons and too little staff to attend to the patrons of the restaurant.  As a result, nobody attended to us and I didn’t even get to order my food! After at least 1 hour of impatient waiting, with very hungry stomachs and a grumpy mood, my then-boyfriend (now husband) and I decided to abandone the restaurant and head to a food court nearby. At the food court, we finally managed to satisfy our hunger with a plate of  ’nasi lemak’ each. The ‘nasi lemak’ was very aromatic and delicious.

If you do not like to sun bathe (such as myself!) and would just like to enjoy the sea view and/or sunrise/sunset, just make your way to the beach during the respective times and don’t ever ever get out there at 12 noon! If you attemp to do so, make sure you put lots of sun block on your body and face. When you head to the beach, some of the stuff that you might consider bringing along are  a travel mat, an umbrella and  a good book to read.

During my time at the Port Dickson beach, I managed to observe that the favourite activities there were mainly playing with kites and having family picnics. I also saw a group of foreign tourists who were camping there. They were halfway singing songs and strumming the guitar when I was at the beach enjoying the sunset.

There’s a ‘pasar malam’ AKA night market held nearby the beach front. Souvenirs sold there are stuff made from sea shells and T-shirts with the Port Dickson name on it (that’s a classic). I bought a t-shirt for my sister at the night market . My boyfriend, however, decided to get me a sea shells ornament (stationary holder) from the Port Dickson supermarket.

Word of Caution: You can bargain your price at the pasar malam. But don’t bargain at the supermarket. They will give you a ticking off!

 

The Picture of the Port Dickson Beach - you pretty much have the whole beach to yourself!

 

I hope that you’ve enjoyed reading my article on Port Dickson.

Cheers,
Caroline

Reaching for the Skies at Fort Cornwallis, Penang

The Fort Cornwallis light house. Still can't believe I made it to the top!

Part and parcel of being a travel enthusiast means being willing to do things that you would not have imagined doing. Although with the many travel adventures that I have been through over the years, I have to admit that there was one factor that often hindered me from joining many travelling activities, which was my fear of heights.

With that being said, I still can’t believe I finally managed to overcome my fear of heights (at least for once!) with my success in conquering the Fort Cornwallis light house in Penang, Malaysia. 

Just to share my experience in climbing up the light house (promise me you won’t be alarmed with what I have to say because this experience of mine is a totally subjective one) – I found my experience climbing up the light house quite scary.

With creaky and wobbly steps leading to the peak of the light house, my heart often skipped a beat whenever I attempted to climb the steps of the light house. Throughout my journey up to the light house peak, I couldn’t help but doubt about the stability of the steps and fear of having one of the steps break while I was climbing up. I guess these ‘stupid’ thoughts cropped up my mind because of my fear of heights. I tried not looking down when I climbed the light house, but somehow when you have climbed a certain amount of steps you would have  figured out that you’re pretty much above the ground!

The outcome of my success in conquering the light house - a happiness that cannot be explained. Overjoy. Pure overjoy. =) Perhaps this success would encourage me to join more of such activities in the future and help me to not shy away from such activities…Yay!

Sorry folks, I wasn’t able to capture any photos of the scary steps of the light house. I think I was concentrating too hard not to fall down back then to think of snapping photos.

Besides the light house, if you intend to drop by Fort Cornwallis, you can also visit the old chapel, wild horses and pay a visit to the exhibition centres at the fort. You can also check out the old canons at the fort. The fort is a good area to take photographs especially if you are into photography. 

I highly recommend a visit to the fort if you plan to head yourself to Penang, Malaysia.

Cheers,

Caroline

Does A(H1N1) Vaccine Really Work?

After the wake of the A(H1N1) scare sometime this year, almost the whole worldwide population have been waiting eagerly for a prevention against the deadly disease.

There have been so many stories on the A(H1N1) disease that I have heard about so far – some from the media, some from friends and some from my family members.

The two story versions are:-

No. 1 - A(H1N1) is just another type of seasonal flu and that even normal flu can cause deaths if the flu patient has already had health complications before he/she contracted the disease. Hence, the A(H1N1) disease was just hyped up because it was a new disease and not really because it was really ‘that’ deadly.

No. 2- A(H1N1) is a deadly disease and that there is no 100% cure for the disease. There was even an apparent forecast stating that the A(H1N1) disease is expected to mutate and hence, may develop a more dangerous strain of the A(H1N1) disease in future.

So the question now is - how do we really prevent the A(H1N1) disease?

People living in developed countries have started going through their national immunization programmes – i.e. getting vaccinated against the A(H1N1) disease. This is a really good step if you want to prevent yourself against contracting the disease…or is that really so?

Being a new vaccine, very often many questions goes in my head – i.e. Does the vaccine really help me prevent A(H1N1)? Is the vaccine safe for usage or only safe for ‘really’ healthy people? Does the vaccine cause side effects?

As an avid traveller, I have to admit that I have been toying with the idea on whether or not I should get vaccinated against A(H1N1). However, for a person who loathes the presence of injection needles, naturally, I have not gotten vaccinated yet.

So the thought continues…

Cheers,

Caroline

An Insider’s View on Historical Taiping, Malaysia

Growing up as a humble country pumpkin in the small historical Taiping town, never once did I think of my hometown as a unique heritage town that offered a spectacular experience for anyone who decide to call it their home or for anyone who decide to visit it. It was even more bewildering for me when I found people naming Taiping as their choice holiday destination!

If you were born and bred in a small town, you would probably have had the same feeling as me during your childhood – the want to experience the glitz and glam of a metropolitan city.

True confession – I had that feeling real strongly, especially when I was in my teens. However, when I left Taiping to experience the bright lights of Kuala Lumpur while continuing my studies and subsequently to work, I began to realise how good a life I had in simple Taiping town.

Taiping is a beautiful medium-sized town that is situated amidst rolling hills. The town is structured in such a way that allows people to easily travel on foot. It’s not easy to get lost in Taiping as everything is close within reach. Just give it an evening, and you would have conquered the whole of Taiping town!

From an Insider’s Point of View, here are some of the places that I found most interesting about Taiping. Please feel free to leave your suggestions/comments to update other readers on the other Taiping attractions that are not mentioned here.

TAIPING LAKE GARDEN:

The beautiful Taiping Lake Garden in its full glory.

The famous Taiping Lake Garden is one of the most beautiful and astonishing attractions in Taiping. The lake garden was built by the British settlers from ex-mining pools and features a beautiful blend of mini-islands and natural looking landscape.

The lake garden offers visitors with endless panoramic view, ideal jogging tracks, a romantic getaway for couples and picnic spots for family outings. A famous activity here is boating.

TAIPING ZOO:

A photo taken at Taiping Zoo

Part of my sweet memories of Taiping was listening to birds chirping by my window seal every morning when I wake up. In Kuala Lumpur, you can hardly hear birds chirping, except if it was a tape recorded sound of birds chirping!

Apart from the natural bird chirping sound, Taiping offers people with the opportunity to view various species of animals in the famous Taiping Zoo.

What I like about the Taiping Zoo is that the zoo is structured in such a way so that you can see the animals in their natural surroundings.

The Zoo was recently extended and the amount of animals in the zoo has increased. Hence, it would be very ambitious if you would want to walk you way to tour the entire zoo. For those who lack in stamina, there’s always the train ride!

Taiping Zoo is no inferior to the Zoo in Kuala Lumpur, and that I can assure. My sister recently went to the Zoo in Kuala Lumpur and told me that the Taiping Zoo still beats the Zoo in Kuala Lumpur hands down.

*Special tips: If you bring along your Taiping friends, you get discount on your entrance fee!

PERAK MUSEUM:

To be very frank, this museum is not really very informative. What attracts me the most about this museum is its beautiful Colonial architecture . The Perak Museum was once the residence of Sir Hugh Low, the British Resident of Perak during the English settlement.

Through touring this museum, you can actually get a pretty good sense of what life was like in the olden times living as a wealthy and upper class person. I encourage you to take a look and discover this beautiful mansion because it would be very worthwhile.

*The Perak Museum is currently under renovation and would probably be ready next year. So don’t go there till 2009 ends!

TAIPING CLOCK TOWER:

The magnificent Taiping Clock Tower.

When you visit Taiping Town, you will find that right smack in the heart the town is a beautiful Clock Tower. This is the famous Taiping Clock Tower.

There isn’t really any facilities to climb the Clock Tower but you can admire the beautiful architecture of the Clock Tower from outside.

The Clock Tower has not been ringing for many years since but I was little. But recently, the Clock Tower seemed to be revived. So yes, you can now get a feel of what life was back ‘then’ with the ringing Clock Tower.

TAIPING RAILWAY STATION:

The ancient Taiping Railway Station.

Ever wondered what a ‘cowboy’ town railway station looked like? Well, step back in time to the previous era as you visit the famous Taiping Railway Station as you will be stepping in an old country style railway station.

This railway station has not been modified since it was built; hence, giving you a rustic kind of feel to your visit. If you are lucky enough, you may even see some really old trains parked there occasionally.

I mean, hey! This is even better than visiting a museum when you can see the real thing, right?

TAIPING TOWN:

Eventhough there isn’t any big malls in Taiping town itself (there are a few in the outskirts of Taiping town), who cares?

The whole Taiping town itself can be your own gigantic mall! Yes, this is extremely true because Taiping town itself has a number of delicious eating places, boutiques, entertainment arcades and grocery stores…enough to be called a gigantic mall if you place them all together!

Just walk the entire Taiping town and you would be mesmerised by its beautiful old and charming shop houses. This is indeed a chance in a lifetime to experience a meganormous museum come to life!

Taiping town is unlike ‘hot’ tourist destinations, that needs you to push your way around to see famous tourist attractions. Instead, Taiping provides tourists with a peaceful surrounding.

People here are very friendly. However, most of them speak in Hokkien and Mandarin. Thus, it would be pretty hard if you want to move around when you do not know these two languages. Fortunately, there are the occasional few who can speak in English and Malay Languages.

Transport to move around Taiping town is cheap because you can walk around the entire town – so transport is free!

Food portions here are very small. Hence, you have to get two plates of food before you can get full if you’re a big eater. However, the plus point is you can try more types of food.

Want to find out more about Taiping? Leave your questions in the comment section! =)

Combating the A(H1N1)

I guess all of you are wondering a lot about the latest A(H1N1) hype just like myself…

Sad to say that due to this disease outbreak, I have recently decided to cancel my trip to Macau and Hong Kong (I know, what a waste, right?).

I have to admit that there are no ‘full proof’ techniques to combat this disease. However, there are several preventive measures that you can take to avoid being infected by this disease.

From my reading and understanding, here are some of the ways to avoid the A(H1N1) disease:

1) Always wash your hands

2) Close your nose and mouth when you sneeze or cough with a tissue and dispose the tissue immediately

3) Don’t touch your mouth, nose or eyes

4) Stay away from people who are sick

5) If you are sick/not feeling well, stay at home.

6) Delay your travel trips, especially overseas travel trips if you are not feeling well

7) Avoid using the same cutlery and glasses with others

8) Avoid going to crowded and enclosed areas. If this cannot be avoided, wear a mask to cover your nose and mouth.

9) When attending to a sick person, also wear a mask to cover your nose and mouth.

10) Use hand sanitizers as frequent as possible.

I hope these tips will be useful to you.

Cheers,
Caroline

Planning Your Overseas Vacation (DIY)

Planning for an overseas vacation can be very daunting to some. Ironically, this same activity can hike the adrenaline of others. Ever wondered why?

Well, coming from a person who has planned her own overseas travel vacation (DIY)(yours truly!), I can tell you that planning for an overseas vacation is a really wonderful, fun and thrilling experience!

This is because when you plan for your own vacation (DIY), you are the ‘king’ who decides exactly where you want to go, what you want to do with your time, where you want to stay and what you want to eat.

What’s even more exciting is that you get to eat what the locals eat at their favourite food haunts(unlike ‘tourist’ food) and travel around like the locals with public transport (unlike sitting around in a tour bus with other tourists). Basically, you get to experience a life that’s pretty close to what a local person would experience.

I can assure you that a bountiful of rewards always await those who take up the challenge in planning their own overseas vacation.

Here are some travel tips that worked for me when I planned for my own overseas vacation:-

Before you travel:

1) AFFORDABILITY – Be frank with yourself about your travel budget.

You can go to www.xe.com to check out the exchange rates of your country as compared to other countries.

From there, narrow down your travel destination choices.

You can also speak to a friend who has travelled/lived in the destinations that you have in mind. Ask them about the food and transport prices there.

2) LIKES and DISLIKES – List down what are you looking out for the most in your overseas vacation.

Would you like to be close to nature, go for a romantic holiday getaway or indulge yourself with some modern or ancient architecture?

What types of places are you hoping to visit during your vacation? Historical sites, water activities,parks or wildlife areas? Are you there for a shopping or dining adventure? Or are you there to experience a unique culture?

Remember to list them all down before delving further in your vacation planning. You won’t want to going to somewhere you would regret.

3)RESEARCH – Conduct enough research on the place/s that you wish to visit.

You can visit the special government websites, individually built websites or online travel forums to learn more about your holiday destination.

You can also read travel magazines or watch travel tv shows to learn more about your holiday destination.

*A good travel website that I used a lot when I planned for my overseas trip was www.lonelyplanet.com

4) LOCAL LANGUAGE – find out what language the locals at your travel destination normally speak. It would be better if you can speak the same language as them.

However, if you don’t it is very important that you learn up some of the local language to help you get here and around your destination.

5) AIR TICKET – visit your nearest travel agent to check out the air fares to your destination. Ask them when is the off peak seasons. It is always better to book the air tickets during the off peak seasons because you can save so much more money to use during your vacation.

* Before booking your air ticket, it is important for you to be sure about your travel dates.

Many budget airlines do not normally offer refunds or change in flight dates, especially if you are booking their promo tickets.

6) ACCOMMODATION – you can visit accommodation booking agent websites or go directly to the hotel websites to book for your accommodation.

For budget accommodation you can consider bunking out at a backpacker hostel.

You can get unbiased reviews from other travellers about the hostels that they frequent from travel websites.

Two good websites for accommodation are www.hostelworld.com and www.lonelyplanet.com.

7) TRAVEL SEASON – Check out what season you will be travelling in. Make sure to prepare the suitable clothing for your visit according to the season.

8) LOCAL MONEY – Go to the money exchange counters (normally situated in malls) to exchange your local money to the local currency of your holiday destination.

You can also carry a traveller’s cheque (you can obtain them from commercial banks)….or bring along your credit or debit card.

If you plan to use traveller’s cheque, credit or debit card, I would still advise you to bring some cash along. You will find them handy.

9) FIND A TRAVEL PARTNER – It’s good to travel with a friend/family member who is familiar with your travel destination. If you can, ask around if there’s anyone who is keen to join you on your vacation.

At your travel destination:

1) MAP – you can find the map of your travel destination online at google search engine.

Even better still, you can get a more detailed map at the airport or hotel for free once you reach your travel destination.

After you get your map, list down your target travel places in categories. Group the places that are located nearby each other and visit them on the same day. This way, you will save a lot of travel time and cost.

2) SPEAK TO LOCALS – Try to speak to the locals at your hotel. You can talk to a friendly receptionist and ask him/her about the nice places to visit, eat or buy at your holiday destination.

3) TRANSPORT – Also, ask the receptionist about the transportation culture. Find out the peak travelling times so that you can avoid travelling during that time.

Find out what time shops normally close at your travel destination so that you can get back before it gets dark.

Find out where you can buy your bus/train tickets. Also, find out the bus/train schedules and stops.

4) Once you’ve lined all your itenaries down and found out about the local transport, just stick to them, travel and enjoy!

So…are you ready to plan for your own overseas vacation (DIY) now? I hope the answer is ‘YES’!

Cheers,
Caroline

Getting Here & Around for Free in Melbourne, Australia

A picture taken at Yarra River,Melbourne

Having a holiday at a metropolitan city can be very expensive if you do not know how to maximise your holiday expenditure.

Having this thought in mind, I did a lot of research on the total cost that was needed if I were to take myself on a vacation to Melbourne, Australia.

Besides surfing the internet on the entry fee of the major Melbourne attractions, I also contacted my best friend who studied in Melbourne to ask her about the cost of food and transport in Melbourne.

I was surprised when she told me that Melbourne actually provides free bus and tram services to tourists wishing to visit the attractions and landmarks in and around Melbourne’s business district! To tell you the truth, when I got to know that, I was so relieved to find out that part of my transport cost would be taken care of by the Melbourne government.

The free tram services:-

For free tourist tram services (called the City Circle), you can catch the tram at any of the specially marked stops on Flinders Street, Harbour Esplanade, Docklands Drive, La Trobe Street or Spring Street.

The City Circle offers its passengers with a historical tram experience. During the tram ride, an automated audio commentary will announce points of interest along the route.

The trams are also staffed with employees to assist passengers with any questions about Melbourne and the tram network.

The trams operate approximately every 12 minutes between 10am and 6pm from Sunday to Wednesday and 10am to 9pm from Thursday to Saturday.

They operate every day of the year except on Christmas Day and Good Friday.

The free bus services:-

Melbournes’s free tourist bus services (called the Melbourne City Tourist Shuttle) travels around the city to Melbourne’s favourite atractions and popular landmarks.

Tourists are free to hop on and off to visit these attractions along the bus route or sit and enjoy the ride. Like the free tram services, the free bus services also have an automated audio commentary that announces points of interest along the route.

During my trip, I took the free tourist bus and it helped me to save a lot of money! Also, the bus stop was near the hostel where I lived (nearby Queen Victoria Market)

For more information on the free tourist tram and bus services, you can visit http://www.metlinkmelbourne.com.au/using-public-transport/explore-melbourne/free-city-services/#2

Hope this information will help you in your upcoming trip to Melbourne!

Cheers,
Caroline