K M Cheng-Travel Journal: Malaysia (Pahang, Johor, Selangor & Kuala Lumpur) Oct 2017

Cuti Cuti (Vacation), Makan Makan (Eating) & Jalan Jalan (Walkabout) Malaysia Oct 2017

Lover's Bridge in Tanjung Sepat, Selangor

Tanjung Pial, the Southernmost Tip of Mainland Asia Continent, Johor

Sg Dua Waterfall, off KL-Karak highway, Pahang

" It's the friends we meet along the way that help us appreciate the journey "

" 1 universe, 9 planets, 204 countries, 809 islands, 7 seas and I had the privilege of meeting you "

" Monday is a happy friendship day "

Peninsula Malaysia (my home country)

Map of Peninsula Malaysia

State of Pahang, Peninsula Malaysia

Image result for map of pahang state malaysia

State of Pahang, Malaysia

" My Cuti Cuti Malaysia overnight trip from Klang to Bukit Tinggi, Bentong, Sungei Dua & Chamang Waterfall, Pahang (21-22/10/2017) with my travel buddies from Klang, Selangor "

All of our group members are not beer drinkers so no Oktoberfest mood for us to celebrate in my home country ! Instead for this October month, using Monday as the off day for my Klang buddies, we had in our leisure visited a few touristy places in and around the states of Pahang & Selangor. In addition, during the last 2-3 years, our group had also visited a number of nearby touristy places in various states (Perak & Kelantan) of Peninsula Malaysia and neighboring countries like Thailand & Laos and our group's next visit will be Cambodia in February 2018 after the Chinese New Year !

Though we are all in our twilight years, our friendship has blossomed ever since we come to know each other in recent years ! A fabulous friendship indeed multiplies the good in LIFE during our retirement or semi-retirement years ! Stay healthy and is our desire to travel as much as we can and make hay while the sun shine !

Travel itinerary : Kuala Lumpur > Bukit Tinggi > Bentong > Sg Dua Waterfall > Chamang Waterfall > Bukit Tinggi > Kuala Lumpur

Distance from Kuala Lumpur > Bukit Tinggi - 54km
Bukit Tinggi > Bentong - 38km
Bentong > Sg Dua Waterfall - 14km
Bentong > Chamang Waterfall - 10km

1) My Klang Buddies - Chim, Wong, Hui, Tee & Koh, together our group visited several touristy places in Pahang ie Bukit Tinggi, Bentong, Sungei Dua & Chamang waterfall. Each of our group member volunteered and chipped in to pay for our group dinner & lunch while Chim had kindly used his vehicle to drive us around and our co drivers were Wong & Koh. Tee & myself took the back seat so both of us just sit & relaxed and enjoyed the company !

Sungei Dua Warterfall, Pahang

2) Bukit Tinggi village, Pahang - 35km from the cool Genting Highlands Resort, an hour drive from Kuala Lumpur, located along the Kuala Lumpur - Karak Expressway, under the Bentong district, lies 2,500ft above sea level. Tourists heading to Genting Highlands or upon their return normally make a stopover for lunch at a number of restaurants or buy home some fresh produce ie guava, sweet corn, leafy vegetables, ginger powder etc in Bukit Tinggi !

3) Selesa Hillhomes & Golf Resort, Bukit Tinggi - located at the foot of Gunung Ulu Kali mountain, 22km from the Chin Swee Caves Temple in Genting Highlands

4) Morning scenery in Bukit Tinggi from Hui's rented apartment & Hui's auntie's durian farm located 500m from the Selesa Hillhomes; fresh, cool & clean air abounds here all year round !

5) Hui's auntie durian farm in Bukit Tinggi - now under bud grafting

the old durian tress are now undergoing bud grafting

6) Our group's breakfast at a coffee shop / noodle stall in downtown Bukit Tinggi

7) Bentong town, Pahang - located in western Pahang, 38km from Bukit Tinggi, the Bentong district also covers the Genting Highlands & Bukit Tinggi area

8) Our group's lunch (pork & beef fried noodles) at the old Lee Sung Kee restaurant in downtown Bentong before heading home !

9) Bentong ginger & ginger powder - this high quality ginger is selling for Rm18 per kilo !

10) Bean curd drink, taufu fa & taufu puff are Bentong's favorite food to taste and buy back home !

RM1 for a glass of hot bean curd beverage

11) Bentong Pasar (wet market) - closed on Monday, where I normally buy the white & brown taufu & taufu puff !

12) Sg Dua Waterfall, Kampung Sungai Dua, Pahang - off the Karak highway, 14km from Bentong town, access road not easy to locate, ask the local residents or orang asli for directions, ideal for camping & family outing during the weekends, my first time visit !

Chim & Hui volunteered to drive us around. Wong & Koh were co-drivers. Tee & myself took the back seats !

Orang Asli wooden house

13) Taman Eko Rimba Chamang waterfall, Pahang - 10km from Bentong town, small entrance fee for drive in cars, a popular tourist spot for urbanites & families to picnic or go for a swim near the waterfall, takes a casual walk on the canopy bridge, again my first time visit !

The State of Johor, Peninsula Malaysia

State of Johor Map , Peninsula Malaysia

" My Cuti Cuti Malaysia 3 days 2 nights family visit from Subang Jaya to the state of Johor, Peninsula Malaysia (7-9 Oct 2017) together with my brother Weng & sister Mei "

Our group stayed for 2 nights in Johor Baru and did some spring cleaning to my brother Yuen's low cost flat in Taman Daya, Johor Bahru and also visited government agencies to pay up water, electricity and land assessment bills etc. My 1st brother, Yuen passed away in mid-2014 at the age of 62 due to lung cancer.

On the way back from Johor Baru to Kuala Lumpur, our group made a brief stopover in Pontian Kechil (my birth place & hometown 1950-1968), Kukup fishing village, Tanjong Piai / Taman Tanjong Negara & the Muar town.

Travel itinerary : Kuala Lumpur > Johor Bahru > Pontian Kechil > Kukup > Tanjong Piai National Park > Muar > Kuala Lumpur

Distance from Kuala Lumpur > Johor Bahru - 329km
Johor Bahru > Pontian - 50km
Pontian > Kukup - 21km
Kukup > Tanjung Piai - 11km
Pontian > Muar - 154km

1) The flag of Johor & Malaysia

2) Ayer Keroh rest house along the North- South Highway - our first stop for toilet run & coffee break !

Brother Weng & Sister Mei

3) Pontian Kechil Town, Johor (my birth place & hometown during my schooling years 1950-1968) - once a fishing village, near Kukup, a fishing village famous for seafood & Tanjung Pial, the southern most tip of the Asia continent, just 50 km from Johor Bahru, Pontian Besar is a few km away but a smaller town, Pekan Nanas, famous for pineapple growing is 10 km from Pontian town; try the tomato sauce wonton noodles - you will love it ! Pontian town is better developed now and the reclaimed land near the seafront area is worth a visit !

4) Downtown Pontian Kechil - I was born in a pre-war shop house located in the main street of Jalan Alsagoff !

5) Kukup Fishing Village - located 21km from Pontian Kechil, popular place for seafood and a weekend holiday for locals & Singapore tourists ! Tourists like to stay in this village built on stilts over the water, there are regular ferry services to Tanjung Balai in Indonesia !

6) Tanjong Piai Johor National Park - entrance fee Rm3 for seniors, an interesting & educational visit to this southern most tip of the mainland Asia continent ! So if you are taking the main trunk road from Johor Bahru to Pontian, why not drop by to Kukup fishing village for a seafood meal and continue your journey to visit Tanjung Piai - a short & sweet visit especially for first timers !

Tanjung Piai National Park & Taman Negara Pulau Kukup, Johor

Tanjong Piai is located at the Southern most tip of the mainland of Asia Continent

7) Mangrove Swamp, Tanjong Piai Johor National Park

8) Muar Town - my father had a photo studio shop business in Muar town during the early 60's managed by my uncle - so I used to accompany my father to Muar town during my schooling years ! Muar has now developed as a tourist town and declared a royal city of Johor by the Sultan Ibrahim. Many of their old buildings dated back to the pre-war days and have a strong historical character ! I enjoyed eating the local food in downtown Muar so if you are driving along the North South Expressway - try to make a detour and stop over for a quick bite on local food & enjoy a cup of local Muar coffee !

9) Lunch in downtown Muar

Dried noodles - Rm4.50

Bought home a loaf of Hainanise bread - Rm3.50

State of Selangor, Peninsula Malaysia

" My Cuti Cuti Malaysia day trip from Klang to Sepang, Bukit Pelandok, Tanjong Sepat, Morib, Bukit Jugra, Carey Island on 2nd Oct 2017 together with my Klang's travel buddies "

Travel itinerary: Klang > Sepang > Pelandok Fishing Jetty > Tanjung Sepat > Morib > Bukit Jugra > Carey Island > Klang > Subang Jaya

Distance from Subang Jaya > Klang - 21km

Klang > Sepang - 69km
Sepang > Bukit Pelandok Fishing Jetty - 10km
Bukit Pelandok > Tanjung Sepat - 36km
Tanjung Sepat > Morib - 16km

Morib > Bukit Jugra - 22km

Bukit Jugra > Carey Island - 26km

Carey Island > Klang > Subang Jaya - 53km

Chim, Wong Tee & K M Cheng having our light lunch in Bukit Jugra

1) Bukit Pelandok Fishing Jetty, Selangor - near the southern Selangor & Negri Sembilan state border

Chim used his vehicle to drive us around for this Selangor trip .

2) Tanjong Sepat, Selangor - located in the Kuala Langat district, 50km from Klang and it is on the Straits of Malacca, a popular seafood town, local tourist enjoy coming to visit the Lover's bridge, recently re-built after the old wooden bridge collapsed in 2013 ! the town is also famous for abundance planting of dragon fruit - a nutritious table fruit pinkish in color !

3) Pantai Morib (Morib Beach) Selangor - 10km from Banting, this quiet seaside tourist attraction is popular to locals during the school holidays & festive season, during the 2nd World War in 1945, the beach served as the first landing point for the British & Indian army liberation forces

4) Bukit Jugra, Selangor - the 146m lighthouse built in 1976, an ideal spot for paragliding & juggle trekking, great view from the top

Bukit Jugra Lighthouse

A panoramic view of Klang Valley & Klang River from Bukit Jugra

5) Carey Island, Selangor - located south of Port Klang & north of Banting town, a large flat island (32,000 acres, 1/5 the size of Singapore), the island is named after a British coffee & rubber planter called Valentine Carey who cleared the land 100 years ago, now wholly owned by Sime Darby Plantations with neat rows of oil palm trees dominating the island landscape

6) Lunch at a seafood restaurant in Bukit Jugrau

Happy Halloween - a "holy" evening outing with my family members at Sunway Pyramid Shopping Mall on 28 Oct 2017 (actual Halloween day falls every year on 31 Oct)

Sunway Pyramid Shopping Mall - Bandar Sunway, Petaling Jaya, Sealngor

Sunway Pyramid Shopping Mall

Sunway Lagoon, Petaling Jaya, Selangor

Sunway Pyramid Hotel

Sunway Clio Hotel - a newly opened 4 star hotel in Bandar Sunway, Petaling Jaya, Selangor

My evening dinner with my family members in Go Noodle House & Kafe Snowflake, Sunway Pyramid Shopping Mall

Celebrating Mid-Autumn (Moon Cake) Festival at Zhineng Qigong center in USJ 19, Subang Jaya - buffet dinner (27/9/2017), over 100 of our Qigong members attended !

MATTA FAIR organized by Malaysian Association of Tour & Travel Agents at World Trade Centre, Kuala Lumpur on 8-10 Sept 2017 - visited on Day 1 & 2 and had my lunch with KC at Sunway Putra Mall

Sunway Putra Mall, Jalan Putra, Kuala Lumpur - took a LRT from Subang Jaya to Putra World Trade Centre - had my curry Laksa noodle lunch at a Food Court in Sunway Putra Mall with KC after the 1st day MATTA FAIR visit.

Masjid Jamek LRT Train Station, Kuala Lumpur - to visit the MATTA Fair, it is now much more convenient to take a LRT train from Subang Jaya to Masjid Jamek and transit to Putra. Using the KTM train from Subang Jaya to Putra World Trade Centre station is time consuming and less convenient !