Kota Permai Golf & Country Club, Shah Alam, MALAYSIA

November 29, 2007

The Team: Shahrul, Zack, John & Me

John Preston, the Country Manager for our franchised arm, UTS Group, booked us in a charity golf tournament at Kota Permai Golf & Country Club. The tournament is organized annually by the American-Malaysian Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM). The Ambassador’s Cup is the winner’s challenge trophy. The format of play is best ball. All 4 golfers hit their respective shots and pick the best one for subsequent shots. A boogey in this format spells disaster.

Getting ready to rock n roll

After donning our UTS Group’s team shirts, John, Zack, Shahrul and I proceeded to Hole 6 for shot gun start. It is a par-3 hole. Both Shahrul and Zack missed the green. John was on but miles from the hole. My shot ran all the way over the bunker to the green. It was a make-able birdie. Unfortunately all of us missed the short downhill putt. It was a good start for the team. Kota Permai’s green was fast.

John started the ball rolling with the first tee off

The 2nd. hole (Hole 7) was a disaster for us. We chose Shahrul’s shot lying in the rough under some trees as our best ball. It was the furthest. We argued for a while for the second shot. The plan was for 2 persons to go for the green and if they failed the other 2 to lay up. Zack & Shahrul went for the green but ended in the water. John and I laid up for our 3rd. shot. Again we missed the green, our best ball was found in the bunker. We had a boogey, which turned out to be the only one for the day.

I caught the photo of this caddy running across the fairway to retrieve a ball

I had a good round, contributing to quite a number of best tee shots for the team. Shahrul came in a few times to rescue us when all hopes seemed gone. He was our savior. Zack came back into the game after switching to the “royal” yellow ball. That was the turning point for the team. John holed in the last hole to give us a much needed birdie for a 4 under. It was good enough for the 3rd place.

The 3rd place team (minus Shahrul) getting our prizes

That was not the only thing that we won. In the lucky draw, Shahrul won a night stay in Langkawi, Zack got a hotel room at Carcosa Sri Negara, a pricey place and John got a RM100 dinner voucher at Outback Steak House. Of all the luck, I won a Motorola RZR hand phone worth more than RM1000 which was the lucky draw grand prize. Lucky me!
Prizes were given by the new US ambassador to Malaysia. I got my handphone.

Royal Palm Spring Golf Club, Port Dickson, MALAYSIA

November 25, 2007

It was a family weekend in Port Dickson. The golf club just happens to be right in front of Tiara Beach Resort where we stayed for the weekend. I could not resist. Furthermore, I had this Top Premier voucher, expiring soon, that gave me free green fee.

Palm Spring brought back some old memories to me. It was here that my group of golf newcomers in year 2000 came to play. We called ourselves the Millennium Golfers. We needed a not so busy golf course to hit or rather miss hit balls during our early golfing days. Palm Spring was the perfect place.

482m par 5 Hole 10. The palmtree-lined fairways remind me of Medan's Graha Helvetia

I decided to tee off alone starting from the 2nd. Nine. My uncle, Haji Rashid would be joining me in the 1st. Nine. It was Sunday evening and the course was quiet. I was moving very fast from Hole10 to 11 until I came upon a group of golfers, 7 of them driving 4 buggies playing together at Hole 12. It would be against club rule to play in a group of more than 4 golfers. I could not afford to wait and play behind them. I decided to skip the hole.

This green of 147m par 3 Hole 15 overlooks the Straits of Malacca

Palm Spring is a 5835 metre par 72 course. It is rather a flat terrain with water in play at a few holes. The greens were not really putt able surface. The ball would bounce off the surface and jumped up and down all the way to the hole. It made reading the line useless. The fairways were reasonably well-maintained. They reminded me of Graha Helvetia course in Medan, Indonesia, minus the caddies. The green of par-3 Hole 15 was the scenic hole overlooking the Malaccan Straits.

Haji Rashid looking for his par

Haji Rashid joined me for the remaining 9 holes. It was still early when we finished the round. I had 4 pars, blew 3 holes and had mostly double-boogey game. Haji Rashid had a reasonably good round despite registering only 1 par. We decided to return and play again the next morning.

Guoman Hotels, Port Dickson, MALAYSIA

November 24, 2007

Guoman Hotels, previously known as Guoman Resorts, Port Dickson, has a 9-hole golf course. I have never played there and decided to give it a try. It is a walking course.

While registering to play, I was approached by 2 golfers asking me to join them. They had completed 9 holes and were going for another round. Fadzlan introduced himself as a beginner in golf and Idris was the iron man.

Fadzlan drove into the water from the first tee box, giving me the impression of a beginner golfer. Idris teed off with 5 iron, all the way. Both of them made good playing companions. The only thing was that, sometimes Fadzlan respectfully addressed me as “Uncle”, making me feel like an old man. Somehow, this old man out-drove the 2 young men most of the times.
Hole No. 2. 480m par 5

Guoman is a fairly good 9-hole course. The greens offer reasonably good putting surfaces, they were well maintained. I was hitting boogeys all the way minus the elusive pars. The course was short, about 2,516 metres from the blue tees. That partly explained my unblemished score. This par 35 course has three par-3 holes, all three play over water.

It was a grueling task for me, walking and pulling the trolleys. I was panting for breath by the time I reached my ball to take up a shot. It was a good exercise. Fadzlan, the newbie, managed to post a par. Idris was the better golfer. The lack of people playing, it was a weekend, made it all the more enjoyable.

If you happen to be in Port Dickson and short of time, Guoman may be a good place to hit some balls and unwind your golfing blues. I just wanted to test a course that I have not played before. It was ok.

Tiara Beach Resort, Port Dickson, MALAYSIA

November 24 – 26, 2007

We learned about Tiara Beach Resort from our neighbours. They went to the place during the last Hari Raya. According to my neighbour, Kak Rose, Tiara Beach was better than the Australian Gold Coast. This we had to check out. We had been to the Gold Coast a few years back. This award winning resort carries a tagline,” The Place To Be” and claimed to be “Malaysia’s First of Its Kind Water Paradise Resort”.

Overview of the resort from our room

The place was jam packed when we arrived to check in. One had to obtain queue numbers just to register. It was one of the weekends during the school holidays. The welcoming party was lively with clowns and musicians giving the place the holiday mood.

Nina inside our suite

We checked into a family junior suite. It set us back more than RM500. Pricey! The room was big enough for the 4 of us with 2 single beds and 1 double. Nina is back on holiday from Perth. It looked very basic for a RM500 room. We had some problems with flushing the toilet. The job could be accomplished by lifting up the cover and pressing the lever. It was quite unnecessary hustle for staying in a suite. The toilet and shower area is separated only by shower curtain. It made the bathroom very wet after each shower. I hate wet bathroom!

Gang of 3 before Anas went for a dip

The main attraction for the place was the man-made beach 5 times the size of an Olympic swimming pool. That was the first thing that Anas wanted to go. It has water fall with slides. There were far too many people, mostly kids and accompanying adults, in a small pool. After about 1 hour of wading through the water and swallowing some, I decided to leave the family for a round of golf at Guoman, a 9-hole course nearby.

Anas coming down from one of the 2 slides

We paid an extra RM80 for a barbeque dinner at the Garden Terrace. As with most hotels in Malaysia, the food servings were generous. The place was crowded with holiday makers.

After dinner, there were some shows at the open air theatre/stage. It was located in the middle of the residential blocks. I was too tired from walking through 9 holes of golf and decided to stay in the room for some quiet reading. Somehow, the place at the parking lots below was turned into a karaoke centre. It was loud and the bad singers added insult to injury. So much for peace and quiet! Even Anas found it hard to catch his sleep.

We decided to extend another night at Tiara Resort. It was not so much about the place. I wanted to play golf at the Palm Spring Golf Club located right across from the place the following day, Sunday. Furthermore, we wanted to avoid coming back to KL on that Sunday as the city was expected to be very crowded with the Hindus from Hindraf Group trying to hold street rallies to demand compensation from the British government for bringing their forefathers as labourers to Malaya in the early days. The police had set up road blocks every where.

Tiara Beach Resort is just an expensive family weekend retreat. It is far from being close to Australia’s Gold Coast. If not for the golf, I would have a hard time spending 3 days 2 nights at the place. A’Famosa in Melaka would be a better alternative.

Wave Rock, Hyden, AUSTRALIA

October 18, 2007

We checked out from our hotel, Good Earth Hotel located at Adelaide Terrace, at 11am. That was the latest checkout time allowed. We decided to go on tour outback to Wave Rock in Hyden, about 340km from Perth. The journey took us along the wheat belt of West Australia.

We drove for more than 2 hours passing through wheat fields like this

From Perth, we drove on the Great Eastern Highway which took us to Midland and York. From York we took Great Southern Highway to Beverly and Brookton. We headed east to Corrigin, Kondinin, Karlgarin and finally Hyden. It was already dark when we got to Hyden, after more than 4 hours on the road. These are sparsely populated area. Karlgarin has less than 50 people. The population of Hyden, a tourist town known for its Wave Rock, had increased from 400 to 600 people.

It was already dusk when we got to Hyden

From Beverly, it was wheat lands all the way to Hyden. The farms stretched to as far as the eyes could see. There were not many cars on the road. The road narrowed at some stretches between Corrigin and Karlgarin. When there was another car coming from the opposite direction, we had to make way by driving partly on the gravel road shoulder.

By the time we arrived, there was no more room available at Wave Rock Motel. We were lucky to get a cottage at Wave Rock Resort, near to Wave Rock overlooking Lake Magic. The lake base is made of gypsum and the water is salty. It was like staying in the Australian bush. It must have been a scary experience for Anas. He kept asking me about the sounds coming from outside the cottage. The cottage was big enough to sleep 8 people. It was pricey too at AUD160 a night.

Anas at the Wave Rock

Wave Rock was the feature attraction of our outback tour. This granite cliff, is 15 metres high and 110 metres long.. Its rounded wave-like shape has been caused by weathering and water erosion which has undercut the base and left a rounded overhang.

There were other interesting features to see in the area, such as Hippo’s Yawn, the Breakers, the Town Dam, the Humps and Mulka’s Cave. The Lace Place claims to have the largest collection of lace on public display.

Hippo's Yawn, a rock formation that looks like the mouth of a yawning hippo

It was quite a long drive for the unique attractions. To me, it was not the destination, but the journey that I enjoyed the most. The vast wheat fields were quite a sight. It was a good Australian outback experience.

Joondalup, AUSTRALIA

October 16, 2007

As a golfer, I heard so much about Joondalup Golf Club. I felt, I must pay the place a visit, just to check it out. It’s about 25 minutes drive north of Perth.

From Perth, it was a breeze driving on the Mitchel Freeway North. When the highway ended, we turned left onto Hodge Drive to Club House Road and then onto Spyglass before we reached the club house. The parking lot was full with cars. It must be a very popular course considering that it was Tuesday, a low day in golfing diary.

Since I didn’t plan on playing (I didn’t bring my golf set), we went to check out the pro shop. The prices of items in the pro shop were beyond a Malaysian golfer’s normal range. A logo shirt ON SALE went for AUD60 (RM180). We could get 4 or 5 similar shirts in Malaysia for the same price. Considering that the golf club carried a big name, I bought some souvenir items; 3 logo shirts, a leather folder, a cap, a miniature buggy for Anas and a logo ball. The bill came to almost AUD300 (RM900). What the heck! There was always the credit card.

This 27-hole course was designed by the world renowned Robert Trent Jones, Jr. The layout cuts across dense bush lands, steep limestone quarries, and lakes. It claimed Australia’s No. 1 Resort Golf Course 3 years in a row (2003/04, 2005/06 and 2007/08). The 18-hole green fees on weekdays start at AUD115. For comparison, other courses cost much less. The 27-hole Collier Park Golf Club located near Curtin University charges only AUD20 for 18-hole round. The Burswood Resort Golf Club, part of the casino group, costs only AUD25 per round.

The club house did not appear as grand as I would imagine of a topnotch course. From the outside, it looked like another club house. The courses looked stunning and inviting. May be on my next visit, I would certainly make a date with Joondalup Golf Club.

Yanchep National Park, AUSTRALIA

October 16, 2007

From Joodalup, we took Wanneroo Road to Yanchep National Park. The drive along the road fringed by bush lands was relaxing. There were places to stop and shop for country fresh vegetables and fruits. It was a good 20-minute drive.

When we got the park, we headed to the visitor’s centre. We booked a tour to the underground cave scheduled to start in an hour time. Meanwhile we walked around the place looking at more koalas in the wild sleeping on top of gum trees. We had lunch inside the car while waiting for the tour to start. There were far too many flies outside.

Ton in front of the Visitor's Centre

We were joined by an old couple from London and a mother and daughter team from Germany. That made up our group. The English couple has been on the road in their trusty old caravan since April. They had not fixed any return date. They had been to Malaysia and planned to go to Pakistan and Iran. However, they said President Bush made their Iranian travel plans uncertain.

Anas with some native plants called "black boy"

Crystal Cave is an underground limestone cavern. It was carved by the running underground stream that eroded the limestone and formed caverns. Christie, the tour guide was very knowledgeable when it came to her favourite subject, caves. Knowing that we were from Malaysia, she even asked whether we had been to Mulu Cave in Sarawak. It was embarrassing to tell someone that you had not been to the world famous cave right in your backyard when you had traveled all over the places.

Anas entering the cave

Christie told us about the problems of the cave drying up. Scientists would be pumping water into the cave in a few months time.

On the way back, we ran into a group of kangaroos by the roadside. It was a good photo opportunity to capture wild kangaroos instead of those in captivity. We stopped to buy some fruits along the way and reached Perth around 2pm.

Perth Zoo, AUSTRALIA

October 15, 2007

According to tourists, brochures, “Perth Zoo is a world class zoo, offering quality exhibits in beautiful natural setting”, we could not resist. It is conveniently located in South Perth, quite near to Nina’s house. Instead of turning left from Canning Highway, the way to Nina’s house, we turned right. It led to Mill Point Road which took us straight to the Zoo parking lot. Mill Point Road fronts the scenic Swan River.
The entrance tickets by Malaysian standard, was on the high side. For the whole family, it set us back AUD60 (RM180). I guess when you are overseas you can’t convert into RM, otherwise everything would become very expensive. Sausage Tree found in Perth Zoo

Perth Zoo is divided into several attractions; Australian Wetlands, Reptile Encounter, Australian Walkabout, Asian Rainforest, African Savannah and Nocturnal House. It also had a picnic area where we had our lunch. The curry puffs that Ton cooked in the morning made good lunch.

Ton, Nina & Anas at the entrance to the Asian Rainforest

We learned from our visit that it is important to keep the enclosed animals active and happy. They are given things like toys to play with to keep them from being bored. The orangutans didn’t look too happy.

We chanced upon these jolly parakeets having a ball bathing themselves

The koalas are nocturnal by nature, spending most of their time on gum trees. They hardly ventured to the ground and had almost no need for water. Koala in aboriginal language means “no water”. Their foods are strictly leaves from gum trees. They will not survive on other diet. We spent about 2 hours around the zoo. It was a good family outing.

Armadale, AUSTRALIA

October 14, 2007

We took Albany Highway 30 to Armadale, about 40 minutes drive from Perth. We came to the place the day before but it was a bit late to visit any attraction. Armadale is just a small rural town founded in 1831. This region known as “Heritage Country” includes the nearby townships of Kelmscott, Rolleystone, Bedforddale and Forrestdale. It is a scenic Australian rural backdrop with a touch of English countryside.

Since we had no idea of where to proceed, we dropped by the information centre. The lady was very helpful in recommending us the Heritage Country Tourist Route 205 that would take us to Araluen.

We drove past the Elizabethan Cottage, a place built to reflect the Elizabethan era. It has a bed & breakfast, a pub, William Shakespeare’s centre and all things Elizabethan. The visitors are greeted by a walk through entrance under a canopy of plants grown on a pergola. We made a quick photo stop.

Ton, Anas & Nina in Heritage country

The Heritage Country Trail passes through bushes, farms and dams. From the advertisement along the road, I conclude that it is an ideal retirement hideout for the locales. We stopped at a shop in Brackenridge Village advertising antiques for sale and bought 2 old Aussie coins. Since we came during spring time, there were galleries of beautiful wild flowers along the way. The problem with the Australian roads is that they have concrete kerbs at the side that prevent motorists from stopping at the road side. The only option is to stop on the road to take pictures. It was a calculated risk considering lack of traffic on the road.

Kangaroo Crossing sign, I didn't run into any kangaroo

From Brackenridge Village, we took Brookton Highway and Croyden Road to Araluen Botanic Park. The park started as a holiday camp in 1929 had been transformed into an idyllic nature retreat complete with shaded walkways, extensive water features and flower-lined picnic sites. We had our picnic by the huge pergolas that served as a walkway. The roses at Araluen are worth the trip. Beside, it has other exotic and native plant species. We had a field day taking photos of the flowers.

Ton in a rose garden

On the way back, we stopped at Fremantle, Western Australia port city. We stopped at the Fremantle Markets, its most famous attraction. We bought Anas a leather belt to replace the one we bought from the same place when we first came to Perth. Many old buildings have been restored making a walk or drive around the place a pleasant experience.

Anas at the entrance of Freemantle Market

To us, Fremantle reminds us of 2 things; good fish and chips at the Fishing Boat Harbour and E Shed Markets located at Victoria Quay where we would go to buy nougats. Interestingly, the shop owners where we bought souvenirs and nougats were Malaysian Chinese.

Kaili's Cafe claims to serve the best fish & chips

Hari Raya in Perth, AUSTRALIA

October 13, 2007

Today is our Hari Raya, Eid Fitri, a glorious end to the fasting month of Ramadan. The family had lemang, nasi himpit, rendang and the usual Hari Raya stuffs for breakfast. Then, everybody except Anas (as usual) dressed up for the morning Eid prayers. It was to be held at Kings Park, a 400 hectare recreational park in the city area.

Me at the prayers congregation

The place was already piling up with arriving Muslims of all nationalities dressed in their traditional costumes. Anas and I proceeded to the front row. The congregation was led by some Arabs. The prayers started slightly after 8am.

Anas, the odd guy in the congregation

The weather in Perth was equally glorious, in the low 20s during the day and teens during the night, just like having prayers in a big air-conditioned place. It was a bit chilly in the early morning; jacket was a must for me. The Imam delivered a very good sermon. The first half was in English with deep Australian accent and the second half in Arabic. The contents of the sermon were more contemporary, unlike in Malaysia which were very much predictable year in year out. He touched on the duties of Muslims living as a minority in a foreign culture.

The family after the prayers

After the prayers, we walked around the park. It was spring and there were some leftover wild flowers still blooming. Perth is also known for its wild flowers.

Mother & Daughter at Kings Park

We dropped by Nina’s place at Farnham Street in Bentley area. The girls treated us to their Hari Raya cookings. Anas and I stayed behind to do our laundry while the girls went out for their house visits. I took a nap.

That was the highlight of our Hari Raya in Perth.

In the evening we decided to drive to Perth Hills to look for more wild flowers. We headed towards Armadale and stopped at Cohunu Koala Park. It was 4pm and the park ranger told us that it took at least an hour and a half to go around the park. We decided to come back some other times. We drove back to Perth since it was a bit late for the local attractions. They closed pretty early.

Journey to Perth, Australia

October 11, 2007

We decided to celebrate Hari Raya in Perth, to be with Nina. We could not get tickets with the commercial airlines like MAS, Qantas or Royal Brunei. So, we decided to go on budget airlines. It would be Kuala Lumpur-Johor Bahru–Singapore-Perth round trip. The journey that normally takes 5 hours would now take 13 hours. Celebrating Hari Raya with our only daughter was worth the long journey.

We took the first Air Asia flight to JB, just to make sure it would be on time. Normally, Air Asia would not have any delay for the first flight out of LCCT. We could not afford to miss SIN – PER flight at 3.50pm. We had a comfortable six hour gap.

We were doing well on our timing, too well in fact. We took a cab to Singapore’s Changi Airport Budget Terminal. There was nothing much at the budget terminal, except for the cafeteria. It was the 28th day of fasting that made our 6-hour wait more agonizing. The check in counter only opened 2 hours before departure.

The queue started way before the 2 hours check in time. As it got longer, we decided to get in line. After obtaining our boarding passes, then only we could get to the waiting lounge inside. At least, there were places to hang out.

It looked like a full flight. We thought of trying to be among the first to board to make sure we got to sit together. To our embarrassment and disappointment, unlike Air Asia, Tiger Airways had all the seats assigned to the passengers as we checked in. We were so used to Air Asia, we thought it was free seating for any budget flight. A Malay stewardess pointed us to row 23, our assigned seats.

The flight was full with returning Australians, Singaporeans and what looked like 2 Malay families. When things were settling down, a baby from row 21 left started to scream at the top of its voice. It lasted for a good one hour. Then, when it appeared to be a brief respite, another baby from row 21 right continued the wailing contest. I tried to dig myself deep into The Chicken Soup for the Golfers’ Soul to pass the time.

There were a few bald headed Australian ladies dressed in Buddhist monks’ attire in row 22. I was impressed with how they become so deeply religious in a religion alien to the western culture. The lady in front of me caught my attention. She was literally snapping her head left to right as she was reading.

We broke fast when it appeared dark outside. The Malay stewardesses were kind enough to bring our foods when it was time to break the fast.

We reached Perth International Airport before the scheduled time. We got full clearance by the strict Australian Custom officers. It meant that Nina and her friends would get to taste the dodol, lemang, nasi himpit and various other goodies that we brought along. It was a gamble on our part and we got through. Nina and her friends were already waiting for us. It was a moving experience to see the way Anas rushed to Nina’s waiting arms and embraced his sister.

It was worth everything coming to Perth to see our 2 children together again.

Kuala Gula, Perak, MALAYSIA

September 29, 2007


It was another “balik kampong”, going back to our village, for the weekend. It happened to be on a Saturday of the fasting month of Ramadan. I decided to venture out to a place called Kuala Gula.

A fisherman returning home

Kuala Gula is located at the estuary of Kerian River, about 50 km from Taiping. From the old Taiping – Butterworth trunk road turn left at Simpang Empat traffic light. The signboard says Kuala Gula is about 25 km from there.

It was a leisurely drive on flat lands. The area along the road is mostly planted with oil palms. There are Hindu Temples indicating a sizable Hindu community in the oil palm estate. As the road comes closer to the sea, the names like Kampong Lean Seng suggest Kuala Gula is predominantly of Chinese community.
Cockle shells being dried on the road side

The place is pretty much a small, laid back fishing community. I hit a dead end after missing a left turn towards the Kuala Gula Resorts, a chalet type accommodation built at the fringe of the Kerian River. Even the police station operates from one of the houses in the neighbourhood. The resort is Kuala Gula’s main attraction. It was closed for the month.

The chalet at Kuala Gula

Kuala gula is also a bird sanctuary. Across the river from the resort chalets, I could see flocks of birds including eagles hovering above the mangrove forests. At the small jetty by the chalet, there were a few fishing boats moored. Some people came to buy fishes, some fishermen were packing up, calling it a day and some kids were playing inside the sampans.

Fishermen calling it a day

Bakau (mangrove) logs being unloaded at the charcoal factory

On the way back I stopped at a place producing charcoals. There were 2 hut-like factories with 4 to 5 kilns each. I was told by a worker that they belong to 2 different owners.

The logs stacked and ready to be roasted

Producing charcoals from the mangrove logs is a tedious, hot and stuffy job. Each kiln takes about 1 month to complete the job producing about 10 tons charcoals each. The workers just have to make sure to keep the fire burning for the 1 month period. Then, there is a cooling off period for about 10 days before the charcoals are sold off to middlemen at about 80 sen per kilogram.

The kiln at work

The charcoal end products take the shape of the mangrove logs when they are sold. They are then cut and packed for export. The ones sold at the local sundry shops are rejects, so I was told.