6th Trip To Cameron Highlands: Review By An Avid Chill Traveller

This will be the 6th time that me and the fam went to Cameron Highlands in 10 years. 

1st trip: 2012 when we just got married

2nd trip: 2013 when I was pregnant with Naila

3rd trip: 2014 when Naila was 6 months old

4th trip: 2016 when I was pregnant with Hassan

5th trip: 2018 when Hassan when 1 year old

6th trip: 2023 now. 

Although covid was the only reason we didn't return from 2020-2022. 

So this is a dedication to Cameron Highlands, a place that we love so much. Alot of people wonder why do we go back time and time again. Some even comment "what to do in Cameron Highlands?" 

First of all, you have to understand what kind of family we are :D We love going to the park every week. We've been to almost all the parks in KL/Selangor. We also love Penang Botanical Gardens & Taiping Botanical Gardens. Our kids idea of adventure is hiking sunrise hill and they get excited whenever we mention hiking. 

So our idea of holiday in Cameron Highlands is a slow paced, enjoying the hilly town scenery and cold weather, eating fresh veggies & fruits from the farm, walking but never getting sweaty and playing with fluffy animals. 

Normally, we'd spend 2 or 3 days staying in Cameron Highlands. 

This time, we spent 3 days and 2 nights, choosing to stay in Snooze Hotel, Brinchang. Two reasons, because this holiday isn't supposed to be stressful. Second, it's not supposed to cost alot. 

Brinchang Town

Staying in Brinchang gave us the freedom to walk to many places. As you would hear from many accounts, Cameron Highlands is JAM CITY with capital J on weekends. A simple 3km drive would take one hour at peak jam. We are a family of 5, therefore it's the car or walking. 

So for those wondering, this is our itinerary: 

Saturday

12.00pm   drive to Cameron Highlands from KL

4.00pm     arrive in Cameron Highlands 

4.30pm     arrive at Agro Technology Park MARDI, Tanah Rata

6.00pm     dinner at Restoran Ferm Nyonya (Steamboat)

7.30pm     night market

Sunday

8.00am     Kea Farm morning market/breakfast 

9.00am     Sheep Sanctuary

11.30am   Back to hotel, R&R 

3.00pm    Lunch/Dinner at Pizzarella Misokimchi Brinchang

4.00pm    Walk around Brinchang shops (rain heavily)

5.00pm    Ice Cream/Cake/Hot Chocolate break at Cado Cafe

6.30pm    Back at hotel

Monday

7.30am     Breakfast at food court Kea Farm

9.30am     Check out from hotel

10.00am   Cameron Highlands Flora Park

1.00pm     Head back to KL

So on the way up, we took the Tapah road. Hassan vomited at the very last minute when we're about 15 minutes to Tanah Rata. The rest were okay. I missed Cameron Highlands! We wind down the window the feel the fresh jungle smell and cold air. It wasn't too congested when we arrived at 4pm. Most of the people on day trip were already heading down.

When we arrived at MARDI Tanah Rata, first we had to wash off the vomit. MARDI had a nearby 

We did all the things we didn't do before in Cameron Highlands. Believe it or not, so much has changed since we last came 4 years ago! Also, the kids are a little bit older and they can enjoy the attractions more..

Annual Krabi Trip

First it's what you look for in a holiday. Is it peace of mind, new adventures on the off beaten path & food heaven? Then YES, that's why we go back. In fact this place has more variety than our east coast islands, although those are heavenly too. 

KRABI FOR THE SECOND TIME

*This is a backdated post from March 2017*

We’ve actually been to Krabi twice since I first wrote about it. I can be considered a Krabi family holiday expert now.

I personally enjoyed the first time we went more because Naila was 2 years old and we get to do more things. The second time around, we also brought along 7 month old Ibrahim and I was 4 months pregnant. It was a bit tiring compared to last time.

But I think the most question I get asked is “why go to Krabi again?” To answer this, I have to tell a story about one guy me & hubs got to know about in Bali. The guy was from Germany. He was treated like an old friend at the villa. And we found out from the owner that he returns every single year. Because he loves it there. It was so simple and profound.

It was a mental shift both of us went through in our one month old marriage at the time. So the answer to that question we get so many times is because we love Krabi the first time we went.

This time we decided to go by flight. I’m not sure which one is more tiring because on one hand, we arrived in Krabi within 1.5 hours. But the waiting in the airport took a few hours.

Naila was excited about the plane ride but Ibrahim couldn’t be bothered. I think more than anything, he was annoyed that we disturbed his sleeping time.

We arrived early in the morning at 6 am. We went straight to our hotel because we’ve requested for an early check-in beforehand. That morning, we took a rest for a few hours before heading out to eat. We’re so happy to eat at May & Zin again. Love it. The food is as tasty as it was before.

Our hotel has 2 pools and they’re empty most of the time. So we had fun playing at our ‘private pool’ that afternoon.

It was Ibrahim’s first time in a pool. He was 7 months old! He loves it!

One for the camera!

The second day, we decided to go island hopping. Just If you opt for the normal boat, there could easily be more than 15 people on the boat and you would have to follow their schedule.

Since we’re totting a 3 year old and a 7 month old, we decided that private boat is the way to go.

One of the stops was Hong Island. The kids loved playing in the sea. They enjoyed the sand. The limestone hills were magnificent. 

At Hong island is also where we swam with the fish. Naila was a bit spooked out by the fishes following and poking her. I think it was the flowery swimming suit that attracted the fish.

Ibrahim’s first boat ride. He was behaving so good. Totally enjoyed the wind blowing his hair. We spent the whole day outside on the boat. Luckily the boat was shaded and we brought some snacks on board.

Towards the end of the day, we were all so tired. Just going with a baby is a lot of work. Add that I was pregnant. I wouldn’t do it again under those circumstances. I really won’t. I’ll revisit the possibility when the kids aren’t in diapers anymore at least.

Here’s Naila really SLEEPING on the plank. Baby Ibrahim was also sleeping on our way back to shore.

On the third day, we hung out at the hotel. We ordered hotel food in the afternoon. Sunda Hotel food is good. The breakfast buffet is good, ala carte is also good. No complains there.

Hubs went on a diving trip to Koh Phi Phi island. This time around he said the water visibility is great, unlike the last time. It’s supposed to be one of the best times to dive when we went in March.

 

Ibrahim ready to spend the day in Krabi. That night, we went to the night market in Krabi Town riding a tuk tuk. The drive to Krabi Town took about 30 minutes. The tuk tuk was just a motorcycle connected with a contraption that allows 4 adult passengers to be seated. It was very windy to say the least.

Upon arriving at the market, I carried Ibrahim in the carrier and Naila was strapped in the stroller. The market had lots of interesting trinkets as should a Thailand market have. And tasty street food.

The best thing about being in Krabi is the HALAL FOOD. You can eat anything because they’re halal and cooked by muslims. Halal everywhere. I love it! One of the reasons we LOVE Krabi.

The market itself is small size. You can make a round within 30 minutes. We went back after having our snacks. (sweet potato balls yum. Come to think of it, I’m ganna make it for my kids)

So on the final days in Krabi, we strolled along the beach alot, enjoying the sea, sand and sun.

Krabi might be an annual thing for our family, because it’s just super friendly for us muslims. It’s different, you get to be in another country, enjoying the beautiful scenery and the food is superb. Last but not least, Krabi is very affordable. I guarantee it will not break your bank.

I think that’s the end of my 2nd trip to Krabi story! Thanks for reading! Till next time.

How to Entertain Toddler on a Long Distance Drive or Long Flight

A short break from Krabi posts to talk about something really important. So important that if you weren't prepared, the whole road trip will be a disaster. It's how to entertain the little monstah during a long distance drive. 

1. TIMING

Timing is everything! The best timing is when the toddler is asleep! Me & hubs always choose to wake up really early in the morning to travel long distance. For Krabi we started the journey at 4am. For trips to Kuala Terengganu, for example, we woke up at 3am. You can also travel through the night, but we aren't really night owls.. so we prefer to catch some snooze before starting on a long journey. 

2. A CAR SEAT TRAY

Also known as a snack & play tray. You can get it from Lelong.my for a cheap knockoff or look for the real thing at baby specialty stores. I got mine for RM20 off Lelong. The table is sturdy but not hard. This is important in case of an accident, the tray won't hurt the toddler. You can use the tray for activities, and for food. Very handy. 

3. STICKER BOOKS

I scoured the internet for ways to entertain a toddler in the car or flight. For kids above 5 years old, loom bands are a favorite. For 2-3 year olds, It's sticker books. I went to a few shops looking for sticker books, and I found one in Aeon Big for RM10. Sticker books kept Naila occupied for 30 minutes at a time. 

Mickey mouse sticker books does the trick! 

4. TABLET WITH SOME NEW MOVIES & OLD FAVORITES

This works the longest. Naila has very limited screen time at home, so she's usually very excited for more. No complains when we let her finish a movie in the car. That's 1.5 hours off our hands. We wanted to bring headphones for her but forgot at the very last minute! 

5. SNACKS

When traveling, we allow things we don't usually allow, like eating chips and lots of biscuits. And kerepek. Or kerepet as Naila calls it. Plenty of milk cartons. Food saves the day when we were stuck at the Thai border for 3 hours. 

Also make sure to stop by for toilet breaks and freshening up every 2-3 hours. Makes all the difference in the world. Any other tips for long distance travel? 

Driving From KL to Krabi with a Toddler

We started the journey around 8 am. We had breakfast, all was good. The plan was to drive all the way to Alor Setar and spend the night there before heading to Krabi. Having done many long distance drives with Naila previously, it wasn't too difficult, luckily.

We arrived in Alor Setar around lunchtime. We checked into the hotel room first, and took a nap before heading out sometime around 4pm. We looked up popular places to eat. Having stayed in KL all our lives, it felt funny that most of the eating stalls in Alor Setar only opens up in the evening! One place we went to seems to have open for business. Turns out only Nasi Ayam is available. Their popular char kuey tiow kerang can only be ordered at 6PM.

Feeling a bit flabbergasted, we decided to go to a popular mamak stall in Alor Setar named Restoran Mikamal. I ordered their mee rebus. Very hearty, worth trying.

Naila finally falling asleep at Restoran Mikamal. 

After that, we went to Alor Setar's famous landmark to take photos. You know, typical Asian tourist stuff. 

Naila was feeling crabby for travelling the whole day, so we took her to the playground afterwards. 

What a driving day. 

We returned to the hotel after running around at the playground. That's the end of the first day. How easy and straightforward was the journey. 

Little did we know what was waiting for us the next day. 

The following day, we left the hotel around 5am. Headed straight for Changlun to obtain Thailand border pass. The passes are RM1 each. We spent almost 45 minutes here, despite arriving early. Turns out this place was popular with busses and they usually bring a big crowd to get border passes. Maybe we should've gotten the passes the day before or wait until we get to the Immigration office. 

For more details on crossing the Thailand border and documents needed, please visit here. 

We chose Bukit Kayu Hitam crossing, thinking this was the big gate, therefore it's efficient. Not efficient enough for a Chinese New Year holiday I suppose. By the way, don't bother stopping at the Malaysian free-trade zone unless you're looking to shop for perfumes and stuff. It's really not worth it. There's no surau or eating place. Even the toilet is located OUTSIDE the air conditioned building, and not that clean either. 

We were greeted by the LONNNNGGG queue at Thailand Bukit Kayu Hitam border.

Halfway through the queue, I got down and queue on foot for the Malaysian side. Then walked about 500 metres to the Thai immigration all the while thinking it will speed things up. Oh yeah give way to the pregnant lady.

Annnddddd I was greeted by this queue at the Thai border. It was very confusing, people were short on temper, the guards were like tigers. They growl in Thai if you ask questions. I wasn't even sure if they spoke Malay or English at all. I made sure to look extra pregnant to gain sympathy but unfortunately there's no pregnant mommy lane here.

The horror. 

Hubs and Naila arrived half and hour later. 

Thankfully she was in high spirits and find the whole thing quite amusing.

I was sweating in fear of queuing up at the wrong line. That would set us back 1 hour. But earlier I've inquired from the insurance booth on the Malaysian side as to where to queue up, and luckily I was in the right lane. 

Make sure to prepare a few Ringgit per person for 'tips' when they chop your border pass. Hubs put in RM1 in each passport and we were growled at. Ok rude. It's pretty cold up here, compared to KL. I dunno what they're complaining about.

All in all, we spent 3 hours at the border for Malaysian passport clearance, Thai passport/border pass, and for car grant/information of conveyance. It does *(#*)% on your driving morale. 

By the end of the ordeal, we were so tired even though it was only 9.30am. One word for the border experience: grueling. The border is where I felt regret for agreeing to undertake this 'adventurous scenic travel'. 

Although, I don't think it's as bad on normal days. Maybe it's just our timing. 

Welcome to Thailand, finally. 

The drive from there is again, pretty straight forward. Just do note that our Waze started showing weird routes to Krabi, almost doubling travel times so we decided to switch to Googlemaps. Thailand trunk roads does not have tolls. The roads are spacious and free of pot holes. It was a pleasant drive overall. 

For most of the journey you'll be looking at plantation. Only till you enter Krabi province will you start seeing tall limestone hills. 

After another 4 hours, we finally arrived at Ao Nang, Krabi. 

As a conclusion, the travel from the border to Ao Nang took 7 hours including the border crossing and the total distance is 800KM from KL. Is it worth the trouble? I'd say if you were without children, yes, why not cross it off the bucket list. If you're with children, you gotta be extra patient, and employ strategic planning especially at the border. 

Next post: Ao Nang, KRABI 

KRABI, THAILAND IN A NUTSHELL

I meant to write all these posts in February but oh well. Here goes :)

Our recent Krabi trip was very enjoyable, filled to the brim with activities and we wished we could’ve stayed for longer! So many islands to visit! So much food to try! So many things to do! With only four days to spare (2 ½ days if you minus the travel times), it’s a case of too much to do, so little time.

On the first day arriving there, we were kinda tired from the long drive. But seeing the tall limestone hills, the green and the crystal blue sea made the drive so worth it. As we arrived at our resort, we were welcomed by somebody wearing scarf!

THE SUNDA RESORT

Sunda resort is a muslim-owned resort, which I googled after hearing about muslim resorts in Krabi. There are a few actually, but the sparkling reviews of Sunda Resort on Trip Advisor made this the winning choice.

The walk towards our room is surrounded by lush greenery.

Why a muslim resort? First is the convenience of halal breakfast, and also the feeling of being home listening to the 5 times azan. They aren’t intrusive or loud, but more like a background sound, very soothing.  

We decided not to drive in Krabi. To be honest, in the beginning we were a bit put off by how far the resort is to the beach. It could easily be 2-3km to Noppharat Thara beach and more so to Ao Nang Beach. But they told us there’s a complimentary van to and from both beaches, so that’s settled!

The rooms are generously big, overlooking the canal and little jungle as we call it. There’s a small sitting area at the back where I like to spend the mornings before both hubs and Naila woke up. The bathroom is also huge, with an open roof so you can hear crickets at night while showering. The bed is big enough for the three of us.

We love our resort and will not hesitate to come back here again!

FOOD

One the best things about being a muslim in Krabi is that you’re actually spoilt for choice of food. What a refreshing change compared to other retreats outside of Malaysia. Before going to Krabi, I surveyed the internet for Halal good food in Krabi and people mentioned the area in front of the Ao Nang mosque is a good place to look for halal food.

Truth is, you can find food anywhere you are in Krabi. The streets are lined with food vendors, restaurants, shacks—you name it, they have it. If you want to have a nice dinner at an upscale place, you can try the restaurants at the big name hotels, they’re mostly halal.

Another thing about Krabi is that, you can choose a stall at the side of the road and their food would be so good! The choice of delicious food is plenty.

One food stall I’d like to mention that became our favorite is May & Zin. Hubs dubbed their Siakap sweet & sour as 5 stars and I agree!

A Trip Advisor favorite, and we decided to try it! 

We also tried the Malaysian favorite Bamboo restaurant, and sidewalk stalls selling the famous Krabi pancakes in a variety of flavors!

ACTIVITIES IN KRABI

Krabi is not an island. Yup, it’s actually a peninsular reachable by road transport. That explains how we got there by car. But, Krabi is surrounded by numerous islands, too many to count. Activities mostly covers water sports, there’s elephant riding, hiking, rock climbing, horse riding, island hopping and sight-seeing.

A few operators organize ‘sunset cruises’ whereby they take you around the vicinity of Krabi’s islands, go snorkeling, cliff jumping, then you’ll be served with dinner while watching the sunset. If you ask me, there’s so much to do. With only 4 days to spare, we cannot possibly cover everything we wanted to do, plus the activities we choose had to be suitable for Naila who’s only 2.

So we did kayaking in Ao Tha Lane (6KM in 2 hours!), and spent the day relaxing in one of the most beautiful beaches in Krabi which is Railay Beach. Hubs also snuck in a scuba diving trip at Koh Phi Phi. Seriously, I WISH I had 10 days in Krabi at least. That’s not even counting the bigger islands people were talking about like Koh Phi Phi and Koh Lanta.

Like I said, we had to pick and choose the most suitable things for Naila and for that amount of time. It was sooo hard!!!! 

BEING BABY FRIENDLY

I was very surprised at seeing how many families there are in Krabi. I had a feeling that we’d be the only one toting a toddler but boy I was wrong! I didn’t bring a stroller (the horror) because of how wrongfully I judged Krabi before going. For the record, the sidewalks were so smooth and generous, perfect for strolling around Ao Nang or any other beaches. I even saw strollers on the beach!

Babies were everywhere! I love it. The place felt relatively safe, the people were polite; it made the trip so much easier and comfortable. So comfortable that, on the third day, I took Naila to Railay beach on my own by long tail boat! I’ll talk about our activities in Krabi in a next post. 

Weekend Getaway: Port Dickson

Once upon a time, I did not believe in short vacations. Then reality kicked in. Between family, work and other commitments, we just ran out of time! So much to do, so little time!

Last weekend, I posted about packing for the beach. We went to Port Dickson for one night only! We stayed at a homestay in Corus Paradise together with our friends and their 3 year old. Our unit was facing the sea. It was perfect!

That night we had barbeque on the balcony. Yummy.

Early next morning, we went to the beach. Our favorite beach in Port Dickson is in front of the Regency. The water is really shallow, so the little ones get to enjoy the sea as well. When I was little, my parents used to take me and my brother there. Awww good old times. Can’t believe it’s been more than 20 years!

The getaway was short and sweet. Just nice to escape the city for a short while. For now, this is our getaway style. Close to the city, affordable and short. Us parents enjoyed the chill out time, the kids enjoyed each other’s company and everything else!

All’s good.

Packing For The Beach

We’re taking a weekend trip to Port Dickson! So excited! The last time we were at the beach was in Pulau Perhentian last February. Feels like a loooong time ago. I miss the beach!

I’m more excited this time because we’re going with friends. Naila will have a playmate thank goodness.

Staying at home is getting really claustrophobic with the haze and everything. Thankfully nobody got sick, yet. We won’t escape the haze by going to PD.. but it’s just nice to be out and about… at the beach!

On to packing!! Packing is boring really, except for the beach bag!

I’m taking:-

1. A mat: standard jute mat we’ve had for decades

2. Sand play toys: mix of Ikea toys and sand toys

3. Goggles: we got a Speedo toddler goggles for Naila, and same for me & hubs

4. A beach ball: might wanna toss the ball around

5. A float: We’re using Ogival baby float. I bought arm floats for Naila but it’s too big for her.

6. Waterproof camera case: trusty DiCaPac

7. Wet bag: Arena brand, gift from MIL

8. Ikea bag: to dump everything in. The offical beach bag

Did I forget anything? I hope not!

Being an Airbnb Host in KL

September marks the day me and hubs have been Airbnb hosts for one year and five months. It felt just like yesterday that we hosted our first Airbnb guests. Today, we have hosted guests from 20 different countries and we don’t feel like stopping.

We didn’t decide to become hosts right away. We toyed around the idea while waiting to get the keys to our apartment. We did a lot of internet research. Finally in April 2014, me and hubs decided to commit ourselves to being hosts. We actually decided to give it a try for 3 months, then if it didn’t work out, we would rent it out on a normal lease term; or we would move in.

We never looked back.

Why did we decided to become hosts? Believe it or not, it wasn’t for the money. We couldn’t make up our minds if we wanted to stay in the house we bought, or to rent it out a minimum two years. We already had a rental home in the same building.

So we decided to rent it short term, which, if we changed our minds, we could stop immediately. Plus renting out short term would allow us to take care of the house better.

We also thought that it would be an awesome experience to host travellers and tourists from other countries! We genuinely didn’t think that we could earn much more than a long term lease, but we’re proven wrong.

One of our early guests from France, stayed for 3 months with us.

Hosting Our First Guest

Back in April 2014, I remember getting our first confirmed booking. We were ecstatic! We worked on the house for almost 2 months and finally we were hosting our first guest! It was nerve-wrecking! Our guest was an American family staying in Pahang, with a toddler and a baby.

We greeted the family at the ground floor, took them upstairs and chit-chatted the whole way. Thoughts were swirling in my head, all not very positive. I was sure they’ll hate the place! Maybe the curtains were not dark enough or it was too noisy! We made sure to check on them in the middle of their stay. On the check-out day, we told them to leave the keys in the house. Then I waited for the review.

A few days later, I received an email saying that my guest have left a review. That was it. Our first good review to keep us going.

 

Tyler from USA having a good time in KL.

Keys to Hosting Success

Over the year, we learned a few secrets to running a smooth short stay.

1. Create a keyless system for check-in and check-outs.

2. Limit turnover times or better yet, hire somebody to do it for you.

3. Create a guide book to the city. The guests will thank you.

4. This goes without saying: install the Airbnb app on the phone.

The Good and Bad

Overall, we definitely had good experiences, save a couple slipups, but that’s to be expected. Nothing goes well 100% of the time. Most of our guests were courteous, independent and adventurous. We never got our house trashed or anything like that. The worst was having a RM5 mug broken and a locked room occasionally. If anything, most of them left the house as clean as the way we prepared it for them. Some even emptied the trash before they left.

I think in the beginning it’s important to let our guests know what to expect. Someone who’s never used Airbnb before have high expectations of your place being like a hotel so that’s gonna be a problem.

The general consensus among the other hosts in KL is the same. The best thing about using Airbnb is that you get to filter your guests. You can have a conversation with them before allowing them to book. Whenever I encounter someone a little bit rude or weird (it’s up to you how to define weird), I immediately declined to host them. This saves you from the headache of having to deal with a difficult guest.

Being a host is not easy, especially when you’re doing it while having a full-time job. Or when you’re a mommy. Sometimes being hospitable requires more than a message and a phone call, and you have to rush to help them out.

And don’t get me started with sheets. If you’re a housewife, you know laundry is our greatest enemy. And it never stops coming. Imagine having to handle another load—and we run a 3 bedroom.. with three beds topped with duvet.

I don’t know how long we’ll keep this up, but right now, minus the sheets, we love hosting on Airbnb. There’s nothing more refreshing than meeting people from so many different countries and backgrounds with different languages! We’ve even hosted a group who knew almost no English. You never appreciate technology until you realize you could communicate in a foreign language without actually knowing how to, thanks to Google translator.

So yeah, if you’re an Airbnb host, do say hello! And if you’re interested to book our charming apartment in suburban KL, go here.

If you would like to host in KL and get an extra RM214 for your first hosting gig, use my referral here to get started!

xoxo