Stories From The Curious Mind-Chapter 5

(Official blog post for My Selangor Story Blogging Contest)


Goodbye, Homestay Sungai Haji Dorani! Goodbye, Pak Cik Tauhid! Good bye, paddy field!




Whenever there is a start, there is an end. But never did I expect that my stay in the homestay would end this soon. So long, Sabak Bernam!

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Sunway City

Leaving all the green, we finally made our way to the booming integrated city, Sunway. It is a usual “lepak” (hangout) place for my schoolmates and me. Sunway City and Subang Jaya town as a whole, exudes an unique atmosphere. It has the hustle and bustle of Kuala Lumpur but is free from the its chaos and crowdedness. Everything looks new here.

I had been to Sunway Pyramid countless times but Sunway Pyramid Tower Hotel where we checked in was indeed something new for me. Glitches happened on the way but nothing would spoil the spirit of all the 30 My Selangor Storytellers. Unexpectedly, I had gotten a new roommate, Alid. We got along really well since the first moment we met. What to do? We shared so many same interests, catching up with Hindi films and traveling.

One thing I liked about Sunway Pyramid Tower Hotel was its eye soothing deco.

After a brief freshen-up, we then happily went to the Mantra for lunch.

They served decent Indian cuisines here. Through the dropdown window here, we could enjoy a 360 bird eye view of the entire Sunway Lagoon.

The food served here were decent, too. I wouldn’t say that the Indian cuisines here are of top notch as I had tasted other nice ones (What to do? My roommates are all Indians.) But tasting roti canai in such a classy restaurant would surely worth your time albeit the only fallback was that the tarik wouldn’t go well with air-conditioner.

I took in quite a lot of food as I thought that we were going down soon for the theme parks. However, while I was having fun “nongkrong” (hanging out) with Citra, Sy Yuan and Fadli, bad news came. Due to some “unforeseen circumstances”, the trip to theme parks was postponed to the next day.  Everyone could not seem to hide that tinge of disappointment on his or her face. But come to think about it, we were given a break for this one whole day. Exploring Sunway Pyramid Shopping Complex in a way I had never done before might not be a bad idea.

My new Indonesian friends and I tried to catch some movies in the TGV Cinema here but too bad, the timing worked against us. It was only then I noticed that the cinema is right on the sky. I especially liked the clouds hanging on the sky. From certain angle, it looked kind of real. I guessed I was seeing only then because I stood from the viewpoint of a traveller and not so much a participator. It is always hard to really observe things around you as more often than not, we take them for granted. We thought we knew them so well that we don’t care to look deeper. Is it not the same case with life? We never really know ourselves, do we?

Sunway Pyramid is also the only shopping mall with its own ice-skating rink. Now, instead of skating inside, I had changed my role into an observer from top. From here, I saw people falling down, couple supporting each other and so on. It was really fun observing the pattern of people skating (sorry, geek talks here)

Wait, there was something new here. KTM had come to Sunway Pyramid!

     

Shopping is not really my thing. Aside from movies, bowling, archery and ice-skating, I really could find no place anymore. And so I “lepak” at Starbucks with Sy Yuan for its Wi-Fi.

Time did fly. It was already about time for us to go for the buffet dinner at the Sun & Surf. Finally, I had stepped into the Sunway Resort Hotel and Spa. Gorgeous it was. Too bad, we couldn’t stay here.

The dinner was really a satisfying one. What’s more, we had a really nice chat to add to the nice food. I already had great food and great friends. What’s more to be asked?

Here too, I had my first lesson on how to tackle oysters from Grandmaster Thristhan. The oysters served here was really fresh. Mixing it with Long Island sauce, I felt like I was in the heaven.

With food around and camera at hands, food presentation game was only natural. Good thing about buffet is that you could arrange your food in whatever way you liked. A test bed for creativity indeed!

Now, let’s turn our camera to people. First up, Dania who had just made me famous in her recent blog post. A graphic designer with loads of fun she is. Look how she indulged herself with her chocolate marshmallow.



Next, Thristhan in awe! The food must be awesome. And that explains his expression.

This guy really knows his stuff. If he says the food here is good, then it must be. Then, here comes Spectre who really enjoyed the dinner here. He is a really cute and funny. And he carries his HTC everywhere. 

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Our journey did not just end at Sun&Surf as the night was still young. A few of us were assigned a secret mission: to investigate the night life of Selangor. We drove to Hilton Petaling Jaya to watch live band performance. The performers were really cool. It was my first time to listen to the 80s rock songs but they had made me to fall in love with the lyrics and the tunes.

Music and dance are never mutually exclusive, are they? Here, Alid became our master for dancing. However weird his piano dance moves were, we were obviously having fun.

It was really a crazy night with crazy friends (especially Alid) and crazy dance. Good night, world. Or should I say “good morning”?

How to get to Sunway Pyramid?

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How to get to Hilton Hotel, Petaling Jaya?

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Stories From The Curious Mind-Chapter 4

(Official blog post for My Selangor Story Blogging Contest)


Hutan Lipur Kanching (Kanching Forest Reserve)

After leaving from the always dazzling Genting Highland, we then headed on to another escapade in Selangor, the Kanching Forest Reserve located between Selayang and Rawang. From our itinerary, it seemed like it was going to be  a day for us to “flirt” with the nature. The little explorer inside me could not seem to sit still upon hearing jungle trekking and firefly watching. As excited as I was, I still slept on the nearly 2 hour journey there to recharge myself.

At the moment we stepped on the ground of Kanching, we were already greeted by the monkeys here. Monkeys here seems not to be afraid of human at all. En. Fazli even warned us of monkey snatching tourists’ belongings. Wow, to achieve this level of notoriety means these monkeys have made quite an achievement, haven’t they? Warning aside, I thought they were the most photogenic monkeys I had ever seen.

Rain clouds was slowly forming in the sky. Rain was never a friend for outing. Then, our Papa for the trip, En Fazli announced that we could only climb up to the second waterfall, Lata Terentang. I have the pictures of the three higher waterfalls before. Red wooden bridge rests in the middle of white of the falling water and the green of the leaves. It really looked like a painting.

Putting the mild disappointment aside, I then followed up the hill with my sneakers (not suitable for this). The climb was easy if compared to other hills I usually went. The first waterfall was Lata Bemban. I could almost touched the falling water on the wooden viewpoint.

 

As the we moved further up, the trail became steeper and the water too splashed on the rock harder. The wider space of Lata Terentang makes it a picnic heaven. Amid the background seemingly taken from Chinese pugilistic novels, families, friends and couples have their fun immersing themselves in the cooling water.

From here too, I could see the starting point of Lata Bemban.



Little naughty explorer inside me prompted me to go further up to see how splendid the view up there was but the call for us to go back spoiled my plan. The shot closest to the next level I had was this.

I like waterfalls for its gorgeousness and for the splashing of water on rocks. With its strength strong enough to wash stones away, it can wash away all the unhappiness and tiredness you carry with you. If you wish to witness the even more awe-inspiring views up there before me, do come to Kanching Waterfall.

After having a quick lunch and watching a monkey fight, we then left for our foster parents in Homestay Sungai Haji Dorani in Sabak Bernam.

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Homestay Sungai Haji Dorani, Sabak Bernam

As always, I slept on the way again. After looking at all the awesome photos Fadli had taken, I kind of regretted doing so. Sabak Bernam is situated at the northwest of Selangor for its paddy field and scarecrows. At first glance, the place looked a bit like Kepala Batas, Penang where my old hostel was.

We were first greeted with kompang and kuda kepang performance presented by the locals. I particularly liked the kuda kepang performance, especially when the tarian barongan came in. The dance might seem repetitive but I could see how meaningful it is to the locals. It took me quite a while before I could catch up with the beat.

Kuda Kepang was not all that unfamiliar since it had been mentioned in our history textbooks for umpteenth times. Tarian Barongan was something I had never heard of before. Barongan who was once man became what he was now because of a spell casted upon him by the fairy whom he teased. The monstrous tiger, Barongan was danced somewhat like the lion dance. The clapping of his mouth was as loud as the roar of tigers.

I was happy today not only because that I got to experience Kuda Kepang but because that this traditional dance had already found its heirs. Wearing branded sneakers, these kids danced well. I could see how much they loved this traditional art. I was even more sure of this when Pak Cik Tauhid, my foster parent told me that they learn this out of their own initiatives.

Pak Cik is a nice guy. He had hosted countless groups since he joined the homestay program. He actually kept on feeding us his kuih raya and syrup. The scenery here was refreshing. I could not see the green of paddy as Pak Cik just ploughed the field but that did not matter. I particularly enjoyed the breeze here. Air was fresher, too.

I could tell that Mak Cik and Nenek have taken care of the house well after looking at the flowers they plant and food they cook.



After an hour of rest in our comfortable guestrooms, we then made our way to the highlight of the day, Firefly Watching!

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Kampung Kuantan Fireflies Park, Kuala Selangor

Lights on Wings

Little lights seems talking to the sky,
To laugh at the city light that won't feel shy.
Oh fellow men oh fellow men why?
We chase away lights no money can buy.

Sincerely yours
10.39pm Kampong Kuantan Fireflies Park.

I am sorry but this is going to be post without picture as flashes too bright or whispers too loud could kill the fireflies at anytime. I failed to capture them with camera but I did keep those images in my heart. Now, with a keyboard, I wish to work the wonder of words so that you, too, can see the picture.

Even before we reached Kampung Kuantan, we had been repeatedly warned not to use flashlight and not to make noise. I could sense the quiet excitement of everyone at the moment when we put on the life jackets. For a kid growing up in a city, fireflies only appeared in songs. To see them face to face is to witness miracles. Sampan, too, was foreign to me.

Together with Citra, Dania and Spectre, we skidded through the river. I really loved hearing how oar gently pushed against water. It felt like how mother combing her daughter’s hair. The sky was dark. There was no star in the sky. Only moon light was to be seen.

Why, the stars had landed on to the berembang trees. Thousands of them were right in front of us. Their lights were so tender. I couldn’t help but to reach out my hand, to touch them, to feel them. One quietly landed on my palm. Oh gosh, it was so small, not much bigger than a rice. Then, another landed on Spectre’s hand. There were two on his hand, both shining at different rhythm. One slow and steady. Another quick and flickering. “Must be a male and female”, I whispered to the rest.

Aren’t they beautiful? Each shines with its own tune. When all of them gathered, it became a symphony of all sorts of rhythms. A unique voice I would call it. If it matches with yours, then it will be yours. We didn’t speak much, worrying that we might disturb them. And time passed by without us knowing.

The sampan slowly drifted away from the berembang and moved towards the shore. This little “flying lantern” still lingered on my palm. I would very much wish to bring it home but I chose not to. I whispered to it, “Go home, where no lights are shone.” And it flew.

So long, fireflies.

The journey ended with a documentary screening session in the TNB sponsored auditorium. Even for a not-so-big-fan for documentary would sit down quietly and learn more about these tiny bugs with such bright yet frail light. I might have not captured you with camera but who cares? You are already in my heart, the best photo album I have.

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Surprise! Satay Hut, Tanjung Karang

Tourism Selangor was really full of surprise and so we were brought to Tanjung Karang for the Satay Hut. It was claimed to taste even better than Satay Kajang. I could not tell whether the claim was true as I had not yet tasted any Kajang satay yet. One thing I was sure, however, was that Satay Hut was probably the best satay I had ever tried.

It was cooked evenly. The inner part was chewy while the outer part was crispy. The paste was mouth-watering, too.

Oh no, I am really spoilt with all the yummy food! Next time, whenever my friends want to “belanja”me satay, I wouldn’t take unless it is nice than Satay Hut.

And so, I ended my day 3 with a stomach full of Satay Hut. Fully packed with energy coming from satay, tomorrow will surely be a nicer day.

                                                                                                                                                                  

Comments are welcomed and encouraged on ZewSays.com, but there are some instances where comments will be edited or deleted as follows:
1) Comments deemed to be spam or questionable spam will be deleted. Including a link to relevant content is permitted, but comments should be relevant to the post topic.
2) Comments including profanity will be deleted.
3) Comments containing language or concepts that could be deemed offensive will be deleted.
4) Comments that attack a person individually will be deleted.
The owner of this blog reserves the right to edit or delete any comments submitted to this blog without notice. This comment policy is subject to change at anytime.

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