Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Golf in Jakarta, INDONESIA



We booked a tour package to Jakarta comprising separate arrangements for air tickets by Air Asia and ground handling by Aneka Kartika Tours , our regular tour arranger in Indonesia. There were 5 of us including my regular traveling, golfing and business partner, Zack; Shahrul, another partner; Shah and Ayob, our Sarawak and Sabah Regional Managers respectively.

DAY 1 (23-5-2007)

As usual, clearing immigration at Jakarta Airport had its own thrill and adventure. The officer demanded some “oleh-oleh” (gifts) referring to money from both Shahrul and I. We pretended not to understand the meaning of the request. Shahrul even indicated that we would certainly buy some “oleh-oleh” on our return trip. Tired of our pretense, the officer asked bluntly for some Rupiahs. We just told him we had not changed the currency yet. He asked for Ringgits. We bluntly told him that we were not about to give any money. He gave up and let us through. Welcome to Indonesia!

We were met on arrival by Pak Ambo, our tour guide and Pak Sofian, our driver. I got to know both of them from our previous trips to Indonesia. We were driven straight to our first golf course, Riverside Golf & Country Club located in Cimanggis, Cibubur, Bogor. We decided to stay and play in Bogor just to avoid Jakarta’s traffic chaos. We had, during earlier trips, spent many hours getting stuck in the jam.

We reached Riverside just in time to tee off at 1.30pm. As we were unloading our bags at the club house we realized that Zack’s clothes bag was missing. He must have forgotten (what I normally teased him as having his “senior moment”) it at the airport when everybody was busy with a lot of bags to carry. Each of us carried a clothes bag, a golf bag and a carry on bag. He had no choice but to buy whatever things needed to enable him to play golf.


The caddies at Riverside



Playing at Riverside was a true challenge. This 6536 yards (from blue tee) par 72 course designed by Greg Norman was never boring. The course was well maintained, the greens were undulating and difficult. We could reach the greens in regulation but 3 putts were common. Except for the scores, we had a very satisfactory introductory first game in Bogor. As in most other courses in Bogor, the caddies were pretty and good at their jobs. Anak, my caddy, was no exception and without her help, my score would be horrendous.




Greg Norman got a double par at this challenging hole. I tripple boogeyed.



This above average golf course had one setback. We stopped at a drink hut for a few drinks and snacks. We missed our lunch and Shahrul was uncomfortably hungry. For 3 bottles of mineral water (for the 3 caddies), 2 Gatorades (energy drinks), a can of nescaffe and 2 boiled bananas we were charged Rp 220,000 (RM88). Even at the best and most expensive golf course in Malaysia, that kind of a treat wouldn’t cost more than RM30. It was a slaughter house. The tough course took tolls on our scores. Zack, Shahrul and Ayob reported above 100 scores while Shah and I barely managed to get 98 and 99 respectively. Shahrul also had a bout of flu that was bugging him for the past few days.

On the way back to our hotel we stopped for dinner at a Sundanese restaurant called Pondok Bambu Kuring. The food was good and we really enjoyed our meal probably due the fact that we missed lunch. After dinner, we decided to shop at Giant for some groceries (energy drinks, fruits and snacks) for tomorrow’s game. We felt cheated by the exorbitant price charged for refreshment at Riverside and did not want to go through the same experience again. Then, we proceeded to check into our rooms at Novotel Coralia Bogor . I shared room with Zack. By 9.30pm, we were already asleep. So much for Jakarta night life!

DAY 2 (24-5-2007)

We were up by 5am. It must be due to the early bed time and longer sleeping hours. Everybody was really looking forward to playing at Klub Golf Bogor Raya , famous for its pretty caddies.





This is the golfing mecca for Malaysians.



No Malaysian golfer would miss playing at this club while in Jakarta. It is widely known in the golfing circle of the high standard imposed by the golf club in selecting its caddies. It worked for business. The golfers keep coming back.



They are pretty and they are good caddies.



The golf course itself was ranked as the 4th best course in Indonesia by Golf Digest Indonesia in November 2003 and won the Indonesian Tourism Award in 2006 as “the best service on golf”. This 5970 meters (from blue tee) par 71 course was designed by Graham V. Marsh.



18th Hole, Bogor's signature hole.



Its locker room looked exquisitely grand set in true Balinese style. It boasts as the largest in Indonesia with 242 lockers. Of course, you could find pretty girls everywhere; pro shop, drink huts, restaurants.

We were joined by a Malaysian friend, Masri who works in Jakarta. I played a good round of 43 for the 1st nine helped by my beautiful caddy, Yune and good putting. I managed to chip in a birdie from the apron and sunk several long putts. I wish I could do the same for the 2nd nine and ended with a 92.





Yune, my caddy.



The course was well maintained and the workers were extremely friendly. The greens were a lot easier and flatter compared with Riverside and other courses that we played after. Anyway, we got good companies.

We stopped for lunch at a restaurant called Restoran Bale Kabayan. The food was ok. We were scheduled to play 36 holes today. So we proceeded to Sentul Highlands Golf Club . It was previously known as Mentari. I decided to take shower when we arrived at Sentul Highlands just to refresh myself before the next 18 holes. This 6041 meters par 72 course may not be as famous as Bogor Raya (at least to Malaysians) but it was nevertheless very challenging.





Sentul Highlands' caddies.



We were perplexed by the small plots of paddy field flanked by the 15th and 16th holes. We came upon an “island” green on a par 3 hole surrounded fully by bunker designed to wrap around the green. We had a hilarious time on the green of 17th hole. I inadvertently gave out several big farts as I was putting for par and I holed the putt. The caddies were reeling with laughter and called it “par kentut” (fart par).

We had dinner at a restaurant called Bakul Bakul. It was not as good as the restaurant the previous night. Again, the 36 holes of golf in a day took tolls on us. Zack and I went for a traditional massage at our hotel and it was not that good. Zack was already asleep as I was writing my travel stories and soon I followed suit. It was barely 9.30 pm.

DAY 3 (25-5-2007)

It was 4 am and I was already wide awake. I stayed in bed trying to force myself to sleep. By 5 am Zack was up and I decided to get ready for another round of 36-holes golf. We looked forward to playing at Rancamaya Golf & Country Club since we heard so much good comments on the club but never played there.


Rancamaya's 1st Hole tees off from an elevated position.


Rancamaya is a private golf club for the Jakarta’s elite. Somehow, our travel agent managed to slot a space for us to play. Later, we discovered that the club is now affiliated to our club in Malaysia, Staffield Country Resort. Playing at Rancamaya in the future would be easier.

As expected, it turned out to be a class of its own. The course was well manicured and maintained. It was not as crowded as the others. The fairways were quite narrow at some holes and the greens were real killers. They were small, undulating and definitely tricky. Somehow I lost my swing this morning and struggled most of the time with my shots. I managed to post a score of 96. Each hole carried its own name such as Volcano for Hole 1, Terraces for Hole 2, etc. It was a truly satisfactory experience to play at such a magnificent course.


You got to go under the water fall to get onto the 9th green.



On the way to the next golf course we stopped for lunch at a restaurant called Warung Gumati. The service was slow and the food below average. It was Friday prayers time and Pak Ambo excused himself to go to the mosque. We boarded Masri’s car to Bukit Pelangi (Rainbow Hills Golf & Country Club). To get to the club we drove on meandering rural road which by Malaysian standard was very small.

Bukit Pelangi Golf Club is located in the hills of Desa Cijayanti, with a very scenic rural backdrop. This 27 holes-course was designed by J Michael Poellot Group. We tested the 5895 meters par 72 eighteen holes and they were full of challenge and troubles. The greens were undulating and 4 putts were strong possibilities. I was paired with Shah and Masri, the 2 long hitters in our group. Fortunately, I managed to get back my swing. After 2 holes and several solid shots from the 3 of us, my caddy was asking whether we were single handicappers. I told her to wait for the score and see for herself.



Bukit Pelangi's Club House at the back of this magnificent hole.

The 463 meter par 5 hole 4 is listed in Jeff Barr's “1001 Holes You Must Play Before You Die”. I hit into the fairway bunker and hit another bunker out of the first. The fairways branches into 2 and dogleg left reaching a small elevated green. I got away with a double boogey.



One of the 1001 holes in the world you must play before you die.



The par 5 Hole 13th was another memorable hole. The straight fairway breaks to the left by crossing a pond. After a good drive, you have the option of putting it on in 2 for an eagle try. That was what Masri and Shah did. Masri’s shot found the pond and Shah managed to get on the green in 2. I just lay up before sending my 3rd shot into the greenside bunker. Both Shah and I par the hole.

We decided to go back to Bambu Kuring for our dinner.

DAY 4 (26-5-2007)

We checked out from our hotel rooms and by 8.30 AM we were on our way back to Jakarta. Shahrul wanted to go to a place selling imitation leather products called Pasar Ular. It turned out to be more of a run down bazaar in make shift huts of a shanty town. There were some good leather stuffs and I bought 2 pairs of “branded” shoes.

Next we went to Mangga 2, a famous shopping spot in Jakarta. Ayob wanted to get a telekung for his wife. This place was a lot better than Pasar Ular and the items on sale were reasonably priced. At least we had air conditioning. I bought Hard Rock Café t-shirts to add to my collection. We had lunch at a nearby nasi padang restaurant.

We made our way through the traffic jam to Jakarta Airport. Our flight was delayed by almost an hour.

After so many trips to play golf in the region, golfing in Jakarta is highly recommended. Head straight to Bogor and skip staying in Jakarta. You may miss the night life but you can play more golf. Like other places it has its pluses and minuses.

+ The courses are all well maintained with their own characters.
+ The club houses are luxuriously designed, huge and the locker rooms are grand.
+ The caddies are very pretty, professional and not demanding but can be playful.
+ The courses are well patrolled by security guards. Each hole has at least one guard stationed there. They also look out for your balls in case of errant shots.
+ The weather is a lot cooler in the high lands of Bogor.
+ The hilly area is very scenic

- There are peddlers of all sorts (golf balls, fruits) at the tee boxes.
- Drinks and foods at the club houses and half way huts are ridiculously priced. It is a good idea to bring your own.
- The authorities at the airport like to demand for pocket money. Try to ignore.
- Jakarta is a heavily populated city. Traffic jams and congestions are quite normal.

Whatever the minuses, I would still come back for more golf in Jakarta.

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Perth, AUSTRALIA















In early February this year we had to send our only daughter Nina off to Australia to pursue her studies at Curtin University in Perth. She had finished her diploma at UITM in Shah Alam and would continue her bachelor degree in Curtin. Perth happens to be the nearest place for us to send our daughter. The fees looked affordable.

On 8 February 2007, we took a Malaysian Airlines (MAS) flight to Singapore for a connecting flight on Qantas to Perth. That was the most economical arrangement for our trip at that time. Taking MAS direct flight would cost a bomb. Upon arrival in Singapore at Terminal 2 we had to catch a sky train to Terminal 1. We had about 2 hours before our flight.

The Qantas flight was almost full with Aussies returning home from holidays. It was a pleasant 5 hour flight. We were served Muslim foods. We arrived at Perth Airport almost 2AM. After going through the immigration and custom, we reached Good Earth Hotel at almost 4AM. Since it was late, we went straight to sleep.

The next morning after breakfast, I went to check around to rent a car. It’s cheaper to drive in Perth as taxi will cost about AUD20 per short round trip as compared to AUD30 car rental per day. I met another Malaysian, also looking for a rented car. Later I found out that he was a deputy minister from Sabah.

Since we had a few days before Nina had to register for her classes, we decided to go on tour around Perth. Rottnest Island was on top of the list as it was ranked number one attraction by Yahoo. So we drove to Fremantle to catch a ferry to Rottnest. The island used to be where the early settlers produced salts for consumption. Now, it is more of a rustic place for the local people to come and unwind. We hired bicycles to go around the places on the island. After about one hour of riding we decided to call it quit and waited for our ferry back to Fremantle.

By now I was getting good at driving around Perth. After all, Perth is not a big city. If I thought I was lost I just headed towards the tall buildings in the city centre where I would get my bearing back. Australian drivers were much more tolerant as compared to Asians. They would stop in the middle of the road just to yield to you to change lane. How’s that KL drivers?

We went to Harbour Point where the factory outlets were. There was nothing much to shop. We bought some stuffs for Nina’s use later. We also went to Fremantle Market. This place is good for shopping for local produce. I liked Australian mangoes so much that I bought them all the time. The flesh was succulently smooth and non fibrous. It was very sweet and I swear that it was the best mango I have ever tasted. It was also cheaper at around AUD5 per big fruit as compared to RM20 in Malaysia.

We also visited AQWA, Aquarium of Western Australia. It is located 20 minutes north of the city at Hilarys Boat Harbour. It is Australia’s largest aquarium and underwater tunnel. It is just like the Underwater World in Singapore and Sea World in Langkawi. It was worth the trip. Hilarys Boat Harbour is also a very scenic place.

One late evening we drove to Swan Valley where the wineries and vineyards of Western Australia were mostly found. It was a bit late in the evening, they were closed. We also took a drive up north to Jondaloop looking for Australia’s number one golf course. Again it was a bit late, we couldn’t find the place. I wanted to buy some golf souvenirs.

By now, Nina had already registered for her classes. She had moved to her house in Bentley, within walking distance to campus. Nina managed to get a room with attached bathroom. From that day, we had to commute from hotel to her place driving our rented car. By then I had known several routes to go to her place from the hotel.

Foods were not a problem in Perth as there were several halal restaurant, some run by Malaysians. We tried almost all of them during our 10 day stay.

Finally, the day came when we had to say good bye to our daughter and left her in Perth on her own. On 17 February, we took the 12 noon flight back to Singapore and reached our house that night. We brought back some nougats and of course, Australian mangoes.

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

SEA Cruise, SINGAPORE



Cruise Vacation, SINGAPORE

Recently we decided to take a cruise vacation for a change. We have traveled on other modes of transportation but never on a real cruise ship. So we booked a berth on Superstar Gemini that traverses between ports in South East Asia. We chose Port Klang – Singapore – Port Klang for a 2 day/2 night cruise given the low promotional fares and short duration of the trip.

Day 1

Since it was our first cruise, we were naturally very excited. We arrived early at the Star Cruise terminal located at the West Port, Port Klang. Soon the place was crowded with other fellow travelers. There was one other Malay family, an Indian family and the rest were all Chinese. I reckoned, cruise holidays have yet to catch up with local vacationers.

By about lunch time we were ready to board the ship. The welcoming party was truly international and portrayed a sense of merriment about the place. They were singing and dancing as we boarded. Welcome drinks were handed out as we stepped on board. The crews even snapped our pictures which were later put on sale at the reception lobby at higher than normal prices, of course. There were many other passengers, mostly Mat Sallehs (westerners) already on board.

Our berth was slightly above the water line. We paid a bit more to get a pothole view of the ocean. There were 4 beds from 2 double decks. The room was small but comfortable complete with normal hotel amenities.

The cruise package came with 5 meals per day. You just couldn’t go hungry. The meals were lavishly sumptuous. There were 2 places to have your meals. One was a buffet style restaurant and the other was a full serviced restaurant that came with waiters just like a 5-star place. We had our lunch at the full serviced restaurant. After lunch we retired to our room.

Before we knew it, the ship was already pulling out of its berthing dock. We really wanted to watch how a big ship pulled out of its dock but it was too late. We went up to the upper deck and watched as the ship made its way to the open sea. Strait of Malacca is a busy sea lane. We could see a lot of big ships passing by.

We took a quick tour on the many decks of our ship. There was a gymnasium, a library, karaoke lounge, theater, swimming pool and all the comfort of a 5-star hotel. Just before dusk, we went on the deck to wait for the sun to set. We didn’t have that beautiful tropical scene of a sunset as it was a cloudy day.

After dinner, we went to watch a show at the theater. There was a performance by dancers from South America and acrobats from China. There was even a casino on board where the official currency was Singapore Dollars.


DAY 2

We cruised into Singapore harbor as we were having breakfast on the open deck. We had one full day before sailing back to Port Klang. The pier where cruise ships docked was close to the cable car station to Sentosa Island, Singapore’s main tourist attraction. So we decided to go to the island by cable car. First we took a ride to Mount Faber. We just strolled around the area and checked out the souvenir shop there. Then, we took the cable car to Sentosa Island. The cable car passed over our ship on the way to Sentosa. There were a few other cruise ships at the pier and they were huge. We took a tour bus to the Underwater World. This was one of the best displays of marine and aquatic life in South East Asia. We had a thrilling time at Sentosa 4D Magix, a cinema like attraction where our seats moved in tandem with the action from the movie. Our guide pointed us to a place where a casino would be built in the near future. We had to cut short our visit to Sentosa when the rain started to fall.

The place where our ship docked happened to be a large shopping mall called Vivo. Since we had plenty of time on hand, we walked around the mall and had our lunch there. We met some of the ship’s crews at MacDonald checking mails from their laptops. Then it was time to board our ship for the return journey.

I would recommend a cruise holiday anytime. It was more relaxing compared to the normal whirlwind tour that we were used to. The foods were worth coming back.

Saturday, May 19, 2007

MACAU/HONG KONG

MACAU/HONG KONG
18 – 21 APRIL 2007


We left our house early to the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) to catch our flight at 1.30pm. Even though it was a mid week flight, it was full. The crowd was also a bit different compared to the usual travelers on other Air Asian flights. It was very noisy. People got in line waiting at the departure door one hour before time despite an announcement made on a slight delay. People were really rushing to board the plane as Air Asia doesn’t provide seating arrangement. We were the only Malay family on board with one Mat Salleh and an Indian. The rests were Chinese. Having Anas with us enabled us to get priority boarding for family with children. Even this didn’t stop some people from overtaking us as we were walking to board the plane.

The flight to Macau took about 3 hours 40 minutes. I met the captain, N.S. Chin on board. I had long conversation with him during my flight to Chiang Mai two weeks earlier on a golfing trip there. He still remembered me. We reached Macau at about 5.15pm. We hailed a cab to our hotel but the driver seemed to have some problems in understanding our hotel name in English. He called his company and let me talk to his colleagues and then his colleague told him the hotel name in Chinese.

We checked into our hotel, Hotel Golden Dragon upon arrival. The hotel was located close to the ferry terminal to Hong Kong, Yaohan (the latest and biggest shopping complex in Macau), the Fisherman Wharf and Sands Casino. As with other big hotels in Macau, it has several floors of casino.

After taking a short rest, we decided to check out the nearby attractions. We walked to the Fisherman Wharf. The place was nicely done with buildings fit for photo taking. Then, after a short walk, it was dinner time and we settled for some Thai style seafood. It was the safest way to eat for us Muslims in a non Muslim country. Since it was still early, we checked out Yaohan which was within walking distance from our hotel and the Fisherman Wharf. It was the latest and biggest shopping outlet for Macau. There were not much interesting stuffs on offer. Only the usual departmental store stuffs. They were very expensive compared to KL.

When every body had settled down nice and easy at the hotel room, it was my turn to hit the casino trails. A visit to Macau wouldn’t be complete without experiencing the gambling atmosphere of a casino. The casinos were everywhere. I went downstairs where the hotel casinos were located but there was not much action there. So, I decided to check out the Sands Casino, one of the biggest and latest gambling attractions in Macau. It was full with gamblers, floors after floors of them. I spent most of the time watching the big stake gamblers at the roulette table throwing away their money.

DAY 2
We decided to go to Hong Kong Disney Land on our second day in Macau. There was not much to do in Macau except for the casinos.

After breakfast, it was already after 10am, we walked to the ferry terminal which was quite close to our hotel. We got our tickets to Hong Kong and boarded the next ferry available, the Jet Star. We arrived at Shung Tak Centre Ferry Terminal on Hong Kong’s side after about one hour ride. We took the MTR, Hong Kong’s equivalent to our LRT, the subway, from Sheung Wan Station to Disney land.

Hong Kong Disney Land was quite small compared to other Disneys. It was made up of 3 main attractions, the Adventure Land, Tomorrow Land and Fantasy Land. We finished the whole area before dark. We tried the ride at Adventure Land and I went on the Space Mountain just to travel down memory lane. I had uneasy feeling of nausea and headache after the ride. Perhaps I was too old for this kid stuff. We spent the rest of the tour taking photos especially of Anas and the Disney characters.

We took the MTR to Mong Kok to check out Hong Kong night market. There were too many people at the night market area. After buying some souvenirs and t-shirts, we took the MTR back to the ferry terminal. It was after 11pm when we got to our hotel rooms. It has been a long walking day and everybody was tired.


DAY 3

It was tour Macau day.

We took a cab to Senado Square, where the Macau tour started. It was here where you were supposed to walk around Macau’s historical places that included mainly old Portuguese buildings, churches and temples especially the A Ma Temple. We walked to the ruins of St. Paul and in between sneaked out to the street markets nearby to buy some souvenirs and of course t-shirts. We had lunch at Anas’ favorite MacDonald. The tour was short and we decided to go back to our hotel. Again, we decided to go on a full walking tour of the Fisherman Wharf in the evening. We walked from one end to another. There were not that many people around. It was quite a nice place to take a stroll.

We had dinner at the same place on our first day but different menu. After dinner, another visit to Yaohan and the family was ready to call it a night.


DAY 4

On our last day in Macau we decided to check out early and go for another walk at the Senado Square. Where else could we go? It was Saturday and the hotel did not allow late check out. Our flight was at 5.50pm. Anyway, the hotel allowed us to leave our bags there and off we went on another historical walk.

When we arrived at the Square, there was a group of tourism students offering free walking guides to tourists. We signed ourselves in and took photos with the group. It took a while for our guide to explain things and she looked very nervous. Ton and I decided to break away from the group and started our own itinerary, street shopping. Again, lunch was at MacDonald. It was about 2pm when we got back to our hotel, and by 3pm it was time to go to the airport.

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Cherating Beach, MALAYSIA




Recently, we decided to hit the road to the east coast of Malaysia.

Day 1


We left Kuala Lumpur after office one late Friday evening. It was easy drive to Kuantan on the East coast highway. We stopped to fill up the petrol tank as well as had dinner at Temerloh rest area. There we found one stall selling all the kampong food. The specialty was ikan patin, the fish that made Temerloh famous. My wife opted for the patin buah, a slightly more expensive patin fish. I had a bad experience with patin fish before in Kuala Kangsar rest area, I went for other river fish. Any way, the patin buah didn’t have the mud taste and smell that I hated.

We continued our journey after dinner. I was not that familiar with driving at night to Kuantan. A few times I had to call my friend who lived in Kuantan for the best way to our hotel, Swiss Garden Resorts located at Balok beach. We reached our hotel at almost 10pm. Then, I found out that at the rate we were charged, there was no breakfast. No big deal as breakfast would be more tasty and cheaper outside than the hotel. Since it was late we retired early, looking forward to a fun day tomorrow.

Day 2

We woke up early the next day. We went for a walk on the beach and did some exercises. We just turned into health freaks! Then we went for breakfast at one of the many stalls nearby. We had nasi kerabu and our son had his roti telur. One thing about the stalls was that hygiene was lacking. I had to change my glass of nescaffe tarik because a fly took a dip into it. You just had to keep yourself busy fending off the flies while having a meal.

We were not very happy with the room at the hotel. The sink was blocked and the TV was not working well. The English League players looked like midgets on the screen. We checked out the swimming pool and found that it didn’t fit into our requirement. The shallow pool for the kids was too shallow at 3 feet and the rest at 5 feet was too deep for us non swimmers. So my wife and I decided to scout around for another place to stay. Legend was top on the list. We stayed there before and liked the huge swimming pool.

We decided to drive to Legend Resorts to find out whether there was any room available. On the way we stopped at a few other places but they just didn’t fit in. We got ourselves a room in Legend. It came with breakfast for two. We went back to Swiss Garden and checked out. Since it was still early, we decided to drive to Kuantan town.

We drove over the bridge towards Tanjong Lumpur side of town. We were looking for the keropok lekor stall that we had tried during our earlier trips. We overshot but managed to finally find the place. They had cut down the trees to widen the road and without familiar landmarks it threw us off our sense of place. We had our lunch at the stall consisting of keropok lekor, sata and otak-otak. It was a nice light lunch. We drove back to Legend Resorts which we had obtained the room key earlier.

The keropok lekor at this stall is very tasty

After a short rest we hit the swimming pool. The pool was huge and met our requirements. I met someone from Johore Bahru and we spent time chatting by the pool side. By then I noticed that something had bitten my right hand and it started to get real itchy. I didn’t pay much attention thinking that it was another harmless insect bite. By night time it started to swell. My hands and legs were red and itchy. I consulted my doctor friend in Kuala Lumpur before taking a pill for the itchiness. I always carry a load of medicines in my travel pack. By morning the next day, my hand was swollen, red and itchy.

The huge swimming pool at Legend Resorts

Day 3

I got a call from a friend living in Chukai, Terengganu. He invited us for lunch. Considering that it was only 20 minutes drive to Chukai, we accepted. Chukai is a border town between the states of Pahang and Terengganu. It is an oil town. When we arrived, our host had called in several other guests. Lunch turned out to be another business proposal meeting.

We drove back to the hotel. My wife and son went to the swimming pool and I went out looking for a clinic for my itchy and swollen hand. I managed to find one in Chukai. The doctor told me that I had a strong allergic reaction to something. That night, I was in no mood to go out and we had dinner nearby.

We left for Kuala Lumpur the next day.

Monday, May 14, 2007

Golf In Chiang Mai, THAILAND

Day 1 (3 April 2007)

We left KLIA at 8.50am on board Air Asia flight AK896. The departure was on time. It was about three quarter full and this was supposed to be a low season. Zack, Datuk and I managed to find seats next to each other. The flight to Chiang Mai normally takes about 2 hours and 50 minutes. This time, we arrived 20 minutes earlier.

The Custom and Immigration clearance at Chiang Mai Airport was a breeze. I spoke a bit of Thai and that went well with the officers. We boarded our waiting transport and went to check in at the hotel first. The driver’s name was Num. Our hotel, Central Duangtawan was a reasonably good hotel. This 4-star hotel is located next to the night bazaar. After changing to our golf attire, we went to have lunch at a Muslim’s restaurant in front of the mosque. It was just ordinary Thai food.

Then, we left for Highlands Golf Club. It took about 40 minutes’ drive to get to the golf course. I noted that the area was dry and very hot. Even the grass by the roadside turned brown. We happened to come to Chiang Mai during its hottest month of the year. Highlands GC was Chiang Mai’s latest addition. This new course was well maintained and a nice course. We walked during the 18-hole game and it was really hot day. I played a round of 98. My caddy was a young girl and new to the job. She was not of much help other than carrying the bag. The club house was huge and nicely built. The driver, Num told us that the golf course belonged to Thaksin’s sister.



This new course was a pleasure to play. From left, myself, Datuk and Zack.

We decided to go for a massage and asked Num to take us to a good massage. He took us to a place called Sawasdee something. The entrance to the place had running water at the entrance. You had to walk on steps surrounded by this water. Good idea for an entrance. The place was run by middle age masseuses and I had quite a good 2-hour massage. By then, it was already late and we went for late dinner at a restaurant located next to a river. It was a nice restaurant and we settled for sea food.

After the meal, we went back to the hotel. Zack was tired and went straight to the room. Datuk and I decided to check out the night bazaar. We bought shirts and I bought some CDs. The bazaar stretched along the street in front of our hotel. It branched off to other streets. There were a lot of stuffs on sale, mostly Thai stuffs like shirts, souvenirs, the things you could find in Thailand. There were vendors wearing hill tribe costume selling souvenirs. I bought 2 bracelets from them. By the time I reached my room, Zack was already asleep. I had stomach trouble and spent quite a while inside the toilet. I went to bed at almost 1am.

Day 2 (4 April 2007)

We woke up quite early today. I didn’t have much choice. Zack was up by 5am and the TV was turned on. We had breakfast and by 6.30am we were ready to leave the hotel for Gassan Khuntan Golf Resort. The journey to the golf course took about one hour, enough for me to catch forty winks. The golf course was situated in a valley about 50 km south west of Chiang Mai.

That's me at Gassan's final hole (18th). The club house is at the back.


The fairways were long and narrow. Water was everywhere. Every hole was unique and offered a different challenge. Some common features included teeing off over water, island greens, narrow and elevated greens and severe doglegs. Even the bunkers were distinctively Gassan’s, 3 small and deep fairway bunkers with similar rounded shapes. After nine holes, Zack was asking everybody to tee off from the white tee boxes as the fairways were too long for comfort. I played a good round of 88. Gassan Khuntan now ranked as one of the best golf courses in South East Asia that I have played.



Zack and I (right) from the club house with a view of Gassan's 10th. Hole.



After the game, we asked Num to take us to a better Muslim restaurant than the previous day. He brought us to a nicely furnished place called The Whole Earth. Sure enough it was a pricey place. We paid about 10 times the price of yesterday’s lunch. Then, we dismissed Num as he would charge extra for taking us to dinner or any other place. We figured Chiang Mai was not big enough for us to need a guide. Then we walked around the night bazaar and had dinner at the place called the Market. It had 2 Muslim restaurants. We tried out one of them that looked a bit more Thai than the other which looked more of an Arabic one. The food was just ok but the price was reasonable.

After dinner, we went around the night bazaar and bought a few things. We went to look for a place to have a good massage and ended up next to our hotel. The massage was not that good but enough to ease the muscular pain. It was already late. I had a drink at the hotel lobby and went back to sleep.

Day 3 (5 April 2001)

We left at about the same time to play at Chiang Mai Lamphun Golf Club. It was more of a trip down memory lane for Zack and I. About 7 years ago, when we first started to play golf, Chiang Mai was our first golfing trip outside Malaysia and Lamphun GC was one of the two courses that we played. The club house was not as grand as Highland or Gassan. The changing room looked more like high school locker room. Every body was a bit tired after 2 days of golfing so we decided to take a buggy each this time.

Lamphun golf course was quite an old and matured course. The fairways were narrow fringed by tall trees. Having the buggies enabled us to finish the game in a very short time. I was not hitting well and lost a lot of balls. I decided to quit the game and not continue with the remaining one hole which we skipped because of slow walking flight of golfers at that hole. The rest decided to join me at the club house. It was there that we met the club sales lady named Khuon. She was quite friendly and we took photo with her and exchanged business cards. After shower, we drove back to Chiang Mai looking for a place to eat near the mosque. We had lunch at a restaurant called Sophia and Sophia happened to be a lovely Muslim lady. The food was surprisingly good and the price was reasonable.

After lunch, everybody decided to go for another 18 holes at the nearby Green Valley Golf Club. The golf course was surprisingly well maintained but it was more of a flat layout. We truly enjoyed our rounds here better than Lamphun. After the game, we had completed 4 rounds of golf in 3 days, quite a fete for a bunch of old men. I wasn’t even feeling tired.

We decided to go back to Sophia for dinner but Sophia was not there. We had good meals anyway.

My stomach was already in trouble. I got back to the hotel room just in the nick of time. After spending quite sometime in the toilet, I got an SMS from Zack to see whether I was interested to go for another round of massage. I said ok, after I settled my trouble first. We had another massage at the same place near the hotel. I retired immediately after the massage, getting ready to leave Chiang Mai the next day.

Sunday, May 13, 2007

Genting Highlands, MALAYSIA




GENTING HIGHLAND, Malaysia

We decided to spend one weekend in early March 2007 in Genting Highland. We were attracted by the numerous advertisements in the local newspapers of the cheap hotel rates available. Being budget conscious traveler, room that costs less than RM100 a night seems like a good bargain. We tried online booking and to our frustration, we discovered that the promotional rates only apply on low seasons and weekdays only. Nonetheless, we decided to proceed to book a deluxe room in First World Hotel (FWH) at RM169 a night inclusive of breakfast.

Upon arrival we were impressed by the huge size of the hotel lobby. After all, FWH is the biggest hotel in the world. We were more impressed by the even bigger weekend crowds. We had to get queue number just to check in.

We got our room, a deluxe room. The room was a lot smaller than what we were used to. There was no view as it faced another building real close. It looked directly into someone else’s room. For privacy, we had to close the curtain all the time. There was no refrigerator, no coffee making facility, no complimentary bottle of mineral water and no closets for our clothes. The bathroom was small, and there was no shower curtain. One shower was enough to make the whole bathroom real wet and I hate wet bathroom.

We decided that it was time for us to check out the outside facilities. Genting boasts of outdoor as well as indoor theme parks for entertainment. There were a lot of people. Some were foreigners. I could tell from their lingo that they were Indonesians, Filipinos and Thais, all eager to lose money at the casino. There were a few Mat Sallehs. Somehow, being Malay Muslims, we were forbidden to enter Genting Casino by a decree laid in June 1983 by the Sultan of Pahang. That could have saved us a lot of money indeed. Most rich Malays go overseas anyway to gamble away their easily earned millions.

It was time for lunch and our 10 year old son decided that pizza should be the choice of the day. Since his word is final when it came to meals, we the parents had to oblige. Actually my wife and I wanted to try Torcello, an Italian restaurant. It opens for business only in the evening. Pizza Hut was the closest thing to an Italian restaurant. For a set menu of pizza for two and an extra order of garden salad and iced milo, the bill came to less than RM50. Not bad for a place like Genting.

After lunch it was time to check the outdoor theme park. After getting the entrance tickets, we walked into the park past the latest attraction called the Flying Coaster. Genting has a few signature attractions and of course you have to pay separate charges for some of these attractions. We tried Pirate Train since it was the first one that we came across. It looked very adventurous from the outside. While inside, we waited and waited for things to happen, they never came until we exited the place. The pirates must have gone away on their looting trips. Next we tried the Spinner. It was just a spinning swing and it was quite a ride. With our heads still spinning we decided to get out of the place for a drink. The tickets enabled us to enter and exit anytime until 10pm for that day.

You can’t go hungry in Genting. Eating places are everywhere. The only thing is they cost you many times more. The trip uphill must have contributed to the increase in cost significantly.

Next, it was time to check the indoor theme park. SnowWorld looked like a worthy venture especially for our son. Tickets cost RM17 for adults and RM14 for children. That was the price we paid to get the taste of freezing winter.


We stopped by a shop selling toys promoting up to fifty percent discount. My son picked a miniature car toy that carried a price tag of RM22. Since it came from the 50% discount lot, it would logically be RM11. Was I wrong! The discount was applicable to certain merchandise only.

Then it was dinner time. We decided Kopitiam looked like it’s worth a try. We ordered very light dinner indeed. After dinner, we went back to the outdoor theme park again. After a few rides, we were ready to call it a night.

Genting as I discovered, is a perfect place for weekend escapade. It may be a bit expensive, but you can experience the vibrant atmosphere by just going around the place. You have the choice of whether to go on the rides at the park, the casino or even be selective in places to have your meals to suit your budget.