Blogging Break

Just a quick post to let you know that I'll be going to Singapore for a short getaway so I'll be taking a brief blogging break.

Hopefully the weather will be fine and I'll be able to take some decent photos worth sharing.

I apologize that I have not been able to reply to your comments and visit your blogs.

Thank you for your love and continuous support.

RT/WW - All Packed and Ready to Go

This is it! The one we've dreamed about, diligently planned, researched, frequently talked about. Woohoo! The much awaited vacation has finally arrived and we'll be heading to Dubai, Europe and Moscow leaving behind work, family and friends for 24 days. It has been a hectic week of trying to get all the loose ends wrapped up before we leave.

We've been preparing so much for this trip and hope everything will go smoothly without any hiccups at all. Nevertheless, this huge vacation promises to be another great experience with wonderful memories.

Most likely, I won't be posting anything during my absence. So people, don't miss me too much. Please pray for a safe journey for us.

PhotoHunt - Rock(s)

During a business trip to China a few years ago, I made a brief visit to Huangshan after reading that it had become a favourite getaway for hikers, trekkers and nature lovers. Huangshan or Yellow Mountain which is located in the southern part of Anhui Province, is a fascinating place of attraction that is worth anyone's time. From the unique rock formations to steaming hot springs, ancient pine trees to endless sea of clouds, I was totally captivated by the wonders of this place.

Climbing up the mountain can be a challenging yet daunting task which takes about 3 hours. As the hike up was incredibly long and strenuous, we took the cable car to the top of the mountain, stayed overnight and walked down the mountain the following day. Alternatively, you can take the good old-fashioned way depending on your level of fitness and tolerance for crowds. Trust me, the hike wasn't the easiest thing in the world, with lots of steep pathways.

No matter what route you take, you will discover amazing rocks, beautiful pine trees and wonderful views. I felt content for having seen as much as there was to see in Huangshan.

Apparently, the scenes from the Oscar award movie 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' were partly shot here.


There are a total of 72 peaks in all. Interestingly enough, these mountains with unique rock formations are given fanciful names after some creature or figure they resemble.
It was just an amazing experience being able to see so much beauty in the unexpected.



Have a great weekend and happy photo hunting!

First Commenter - Sue

Roadtrip to New Zealand

When a friend of mine, Melissa came back from her New Zealand trip recently, she was absolutely thrilled to show me all her beautiful captures and I guess she made the right choice of going to NZ for a vacation. Being an avid traveler, she couldn't stop telling me about her lifetime adventures, as usual trying to bring back those wonderful memories to me, so I could share her excitement and discovery.

As expected, she has spent a great deal of time with her camera to get all of the breathtaking and scenic shots of the country. And of course, I can't help but share some of her amazing adventures with you. So thanks to Melissa, I'm able to post some captivating shots for your viewing pleasure.

Having been to Europe before, most of the things you see here resembles NZ in so many ways and it almost feels like a part of me was there. It's incredible to find such places as pure, pristine and beautiful as this. Perhaps, I'll get to visit NZ too someday, so in the meantime, I'll have these spectacular pictures to make my dream vacation a reality.





















If you've heard of Bungy jumping, the world's first and most famous of leaps, this is one of the bungy platforms where you jump off and free fall from the top of the bridge

It's really mind boggling to think of it! I'm not a risk taker by nature so there's no way I would put myself through this terrifying ordeal.

First Commenter - Julia

A visit to Strawberry Farm

We made a quick stop at the Big Red Strawberry Farm which was located just next to the Cactus Valley. It appears that the farm isn't really big as the name implies. I had thought that it would be some huge strawberry field but this place was a small nursery where strawberry plants were grown hydrophonically, ( in nutrient solutions and not in soil).

Hydroponics method is being practised for cultivating some crops aside from strawberries which include tomatoes, capsicums and other herbal plants since they adapt well to the cool tropical highlands weather. Strawberry farms are practically everywhere in the highlands as the weather here is suitable for its cultivation. These farms are opened for visitors making them one of the popular tourist attractions in CH.

It is believed that over 40,000 pots are grown here in this farm. Some strawberry farms offered self-plucking berries and you need to pay accordingly to the amount you've plucked. We didn't go to one of those farms though.

unripe berries dangling from the stems. Although these berries seem to be slightly smaller than the ones in Europe, they are just as exquisitely sweet and juicy.

Rows of lettuce (Red coral, Green coral, Butterhead, Romaine) being grown hydroponically on this farm as well.



Aside from the hydroponic farm, there were abundance of potted plants and cactus available for sale at the nursery.

We bought some strawberries home and this is exclusively the right dessert to end this post on a sweet note. Bright ruby red, juicy, berrylicious and packed with flavour, I savoured every berry, especially as it has been months since my last eaten berry. They serve more than just satisfying the sweet tooth. :)

First Commenter - Buzzing J

Sungai Palas Tea Plantation

tea plantations are the main tourist attraction of Cameron Highlands.

During the holiday season, it was not surprising to see many bus loads of people coming from all over the country. It's quite the norm to be caught in traffic jam around town and the tourist spots during the peak season. So, instead of covering the usual tourist attractions, we decided to take a less traveled path which was leisurely hiking up to Gunung Brinchang, the highest peak in CH. Since it was only a 2D 1N short trip, we only managed to visit the Sungai Palas Tea Plantation, Cactus Point, the famous morning and night market and Cameron Valley apart from the farm visit.

It was notoriously not an easy drive to the tea plantation with the winding, narrow mountain roads filled with sharp bends at some stretches. There is ample parking space here along the road though and this is also a great spot for taking photos. You can turn off your car’s air-cond and experience the cool natural air- cond on the highlands. Unfortunately, we missed the opportunity of visiting and enjoying our cuppa at the Boh Tea Center as the visiting hours ended at 4.30p.m. :( So we ended up taking plenty of photos all the way up, admiring the breathtaking views, enchanting mountains while soaking in the cool, fresh air of the highlands. FYI, the tea center is closed every Monday and visiting hours are from 9.00am to 4.30pm.

Plans were made for us to dine for a specially prepared steamboat dinner later in the evening. After dinner, we explored the Brinchang night market where it comes alive every Friday and Saturday nights. Apart from the usual fruits and vegetables, lovely souvenirs are available and not to mention the tempting aroma of freshly cooked snacks and I just couldn't resist buying some of those yummylicious satay, nasi kerabu, to name a few.

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First Commenter

Farm Tour

For our recent holiday, I booked an apartment for one night at Tringkap, Cameron Highlands (CH) through our good old friend Andrew. The apartment has three bedrooms and is well furnished with ceramic flooring, a fully fitted kitchen complete with dishwasher, fridge-freezer and all basic utensils. The dining hall is equipped with a TV as well as a very comfortable three seater sofa and a two seater.

A visit to CH seemed like the perfect kick off to our family getaway. I was more than thrilled when Andrew graciously invited us to visit his fruits and vegetable farms at Tringkap. So, with no time to lose, we all piled into his vegetable truck and trundled up the hill. It was a rough ride through the curving, narrow and undulating roads that passed through the farms which has resulted an epic pain in the butt for all of us.

Anyway, it was a rewarding experience having to see the vast expanse of vegetable farms with a stunning landscape. Incase you are wondering, many such farms across CH welcome visits from tourists everywhere. Those farmers that welcome visitors will normally advertise, either in the local media, or through adverts in local shops. In this case, I happened to be visiting my friend Andrew last weekend and stopped in to meet his family and toured his farm. They are leasing around 20 acres of some of the most stunning farm land in Tringkap. They have lush green meadows, big trees, a small creek and a pond, a few barns and a pretty farm house.

Suffice to say, the farm visit was quite an eye-opener and definitely worth visiting. Before we leave the place, Andrew generously offered us an abundance of free fresh produce from his farm. I just want to thank him again for his kind generosity and hospitality throughout our entire stay in Tringkap.

Here are some snapshots for your viewing pleasure.

it was incredible seeing rows and rows of vegetables as far as the eye can see.

Vegetable farms are located throughout the highlands and you will see numerous farms all the way from here to Tringkap and beyond.

Everywhere I turned, I noticed varieties of green or something just as satisfying to the eye. I just couldn't resist taking pictures. They are so eye catching.
Most farmers will either walk up the hill (they can really walk), driving old Land Rovers or taking bike rides as means of transportation to their respective farms.

we went for a stroll within the farm. The main fruit and vegetable crops grown in the farm include mustard green, cabbages, maizes, butternut pumpkin, green peas, oranges, french beans, tomatoes and some herb plants.

butternut pumpkin

a corn field

unriped tomatoes

machinery used in farming. the field was rather thick mud, making it difficult to walk

a small creek

orange tree

This is Andrew's adorable daughter, Kim. Now, do you have any idea what she's pointing at?

Look, it is an icky, sticky, creepy crawlie. You should have seen me screamed inside. Ewwwwww

my little princess with Kim and her brother, Ken sitting in the vege truck

First Commenter