Cameron Highlands - Tea Plantations & Strawberry Farms

Kaes, myself, and his parents drove 200 kms north to a place called Cameron Highlands last weekend. It took us about 4 hours to get there; 1.5 hours of it climbing in the car going 20 mph up the side of the mountain.... 

We stayed just one night at a place called Strawberry Park Resort that had an English Tudor feel to it and was perched high on a hill looking out at the dense forests surrounding the hotel.

Cameron Highlands is known for their tea plantations, honey bee farms, and strawberry farm that  are very pretty to see. The high altitude in the mountains had rainforest weather and was quite a bit cooler than what we were used to in the city of KL. 

We visited local markets, tasted local steamboat (soup with fresh vegetables and meat that you cook yourself), stopped at the BOH tea plantation, toured the town of Tanah Rata, and even got relaxing foot massages!

A few pictures of our weekend getaway are below.

Waterfall up the side of the mountain

Small cacti at a local market in Tanah Rata

Small plants at a local market in Tanah Rata

Local street market in Tanah Rata

Local street market in Tanah Rata - Rotisserie chicken Malaysian style :)

Rainforest in Cameron Highlands

Rainforest in Cameron Highlands

Acres of tea plantations in Cameron Highlands

Acres of tea plantations in Cameron Highlands

Beautiful view of the tea plantations in Cameron Highlands

Norma, Dirk and myself in front of the tea plantation - Cameron Highlands

It was a nice, relaxing getaway for the weekend with beautiful views and cool weather! 

Weekend Away to Phuket, Thailand

Kaes and I surprised Mom with a trip to Phuket, Thailand as a birthday present. I was so excited to see her face and she was thrilled that we were going. Phuket is one of our favorite places with great beaches, cheap food, and overall relaxation. 

Thursday after a half day of work, we flew the 1 hour plane flight via Air Asia to Phuket. We arrived around 6:45 and then had a 40 minute car ride to the main town and beaches. 


We stayed in a luxurious villa called Baan Pan Yaah Kalim that was on the pristine Patong Bay, not far from Patong Beach and the bustling town lined with restaurants, bars, and shops. It had a gorgeous view of the bay and beaches from the top master suite and we could hear the waves crashing against the rocks as we went to sleep at night. The other king sized room had a view of our private jacuzzi as well as the water.

View of Patong Bay from our balcony

Bay from our private beach

Patio outside of master suite overlooking the bay

Our private jacuzzi

Inside of the villa - living room, dining and kitchen

Cold Singha beer in the jacuzzi

  

We walked into town, ate the fresh local Thai coconuts and relaxed on the beach. It was everything we wanted to do and more!!!

Tuk Tuk with local veggies and homemade banana pancakes

Beautiful sunset over Patong Bay

Overall, we had a wonderful, relaxing weekend. I was so thankful that Mom was able to join us for a getaway vacation out of the hustle and bustle of KL. We cannot wait to go back soon for another visit!

Cherry Blossoms, Sushi, and Samurais - Springtime in Japan

Interesting Fact: Tokyo has 35 million people, granting it the world's most populous metropolitan area but has one of the lowest crime rates in the world!

Our anniversary has come once again, and what better way to celebrate it than to take a wonderful week and a half long vacation to a new destination. After postponing our first trip (due to the tsunami last in March 2011), we were finally able to make it to the ever captivating country of Japan.

Saturday morning we flew from KL to Tokyo (Haneda), 6 hour 45 min on Air Asia; got in at 11:30 pm and walked 2 km after taking a bus ride from the airport to Shinjuku for $50 USD for both of us. Subway closed, so we had to walk. Great weather and cool evening. Stayed at JAL City Yotsuya Tokyo

Sunday – first day in Tokyo, went to the Shinjuku Gyeon (gardens) to see beautifully landscaped gardens right in the middle of the city; traditional Japanese ponds and lots of cherry blossoms still in bloom. Golden Palace,

Monday – Tried to go visit the Tsujiki fish market; largest fish market in the world, but it was closed due to a national holiday (the whole week was a holiday)

Tuesday  - 3^rd day in Tokyo where we woke up and caught early train 7:30 to Mount Fuji. Stayed in traditional Japanese Onsen (bed and breakfast type place) that has a natural hot spring that comes from the mountains in the B&B. Traditional ryoken style tatami mats and pallet type bedding on the floor (no bedding) room about a foot longer than Kaes stretched all the way out. Exhausted when we got there and it was raining, so we took a nap. Woke up and had about 5 hours to walk across the bridge and around Lake Kawaguchi to look at the view of Mt. Fuji. Had a nice lunch, stopped for ice cream, and then had an early dinner from some pastries we picked up at the bakery. I tried to get in the Onsen, but it was ridiculously hot and almost unbearable (I really even enjoy hot water) I can now say I have tried the traditional route, but will most likely stick to “normal” hotel rooms in the future.

Wednesday morning we decided to leave Mt. Fuji early after it had rained all morning. After getting back to Tokyo we had to catch the next high speed Shinkansen bullet train to Kyoto (2 hour 45 min - back in the same direction we came from) It was still drizzling a bit in Kyoto, but we were able to use rain gear and walk around the town find the best sushi dinner with largest and freshest pieces of tuna we have ever had. 

Happy Anniversary to us!!! Thursday was our 4 year anniversary that we spent in Kyoto. It was a really nice day where we went to 

Friday – headed back to Tokyo at 3 pm; stayed at Hundred Stay serviced apartments and hotel in Okuba that was 1 minute walking distance to the train station. Got upgraded and had very nice room with comfy bed and large bathroom. Best hotel we stayed at in whole trip of Japan.

Saturday – Full day where we went in search of a Samurai Sword (insert pic) and went back to Atakusa on the north east side of Tokyo in a traditional old town and found a sword.

Overall, we had a very memorable 4 year anniversary trip. I knew that I would really enjoy seeing Japan and its beautiful countryside, but was quite surprised at how friendly the people were, the cleanliness of the largest city in the world, and the sheer beauty of the countryside.

Kim & Kelly Go to Thailand - Our Girl's Weekend Getaway to Koh Lipe, Thailand

My friend from work (and we knew each other from Houston) Kelly, and I, decided to take a girl’s only trip to Koh Lipe, Thailand to get away for a MUCH needed weekend of rest and relaxation.

Thursday after work we flew 50 minutes to Langkawi, on the west coast of Malaysia, where we stayed the night. Friday morning, we went to the Telaga Harbor Ferry Terminal to catch a 9:30 ferry to Koh Lipe, Thailand. While waiting for our ferry, we got to see these precious monkeys eating their breakfast. I couldn't believe how many there were and how they didn’t seem to be bothered by humans coming close to take a picture.

Telaga Harbor Ferry Terminal

Langkawi Yacht Club

Look at the tiny baby!

Are you looking at me!?!?

On the ferry heading to Thailand

 We arrived in Koh Lipe at 9:30 am (they are an hour behind our time in Malaysia) and were amazed at how beautiful of an island could be so close to KL! Overall, it took about 1 ½ hours to get to Koh Lipe from Kuala Lumpur.

Immigration in a small little hut on the beach :)

Our home for the weekend was at Sita Beach Resort & Spa, a beautiful hotel right on the water of the pristine Pattaya beach on the south side of the island. 

The entrance to our resort

The water and sand couldn't get more perfect

We decided to first walk around the town and see what it had to offer We didn't realize that it was Thailand’s New Year’s celebration, and there were many kids and even adults, running around with water guns spraying anyone in their paths as well as painted the faces of passers-by with white chalk (at least I am assuming that was what it was!!!) We had a delicious local lunch of Thai green curry, pad thai, and Chang beer all for $9/USD. After lunch, we decided to take advantage of the many massage places in town and had an hour full body massage for $10 USD! Kelly and I were so relaxed and enjoyed having no real agenda. As the day progressed, we decided to sit on the beach people watching and marvelling at the breathtaking sunset.

Paradise

Sunset on the beach

Saturday morning we woke up and had a wonderful full buffet breakfast at the resort, then decided to enjoy the quiet beach and get some sun. The water was so clear and there weren’t many people around, so it was perfect for us to lie out and enjoy the peace and quiet. After another delicious local Thai lunch at the resort, we had to indulge in more massages. We were so relaxed after an hour massage; we both agreed that we should stay longer for an hour foot massage.

Kelly quenching her thirst with a cold Chang beer

Beer, massage, and vacation...

The small town

After our massage, we ventured further into the island and stumbled upon quite an interesting bar called OMG! Bar. They played good music and had some big screen TVs to show a football (soccer) match that attracted quite a few people. We hung around for a few beers and enjoyed the comical people that came into the bar. One couple in particular could not keep their hands off each other, even while sitting at the bar!

The weird couple at the bar that couldn't keep their hands off each other...

After a few beers, it was time for dinner and we opted for a small, but delicious looking pizza stand that was busy every time we passed by. It smelled wonderful and was even a bonus since they served real pepperoni (we don’t get much pork in KL as it is a Muslim country) If we had known how great it was, we probably would have eaten there every meal just to get great tasting (real) pizza!!!

The day had been long and with both of us getting more sun that we had planned, we watched the sunset over the beach and headed in for an early night.

Sunday we woke up early and decided to try and get an earlier ferry back as we were both pretty tired and burnt. Our flight wasn’t until 11 pm that night, but luckily we were able to catch an earlier flight home so we would get in at a reasonable time to start the work week on Monday.


Overall, we had a wonderful, relaxing weekend. It was exactly what we had hoped for and cannot wait for our next opportunity to return for another visit!