Living in the crowded city of Kuala Lumpur, we sometimes find it difficult to set some time to go on a vacation. The reality is, we can’t a afford to set aside 1-2 weeks of vacation every 2-3 months HAHA. So, what do we do?

Staycation.

1-2 (or 3) nights anywhere in Malaysia. In fact, we have even simply stayed within Kuala Lumpur and simply enjoyed the nearby attractions. Last December we went to Avani Resort Sepang.

Recently however, we went to Lost World of Tambun, Ipoh, Perak. It was my previous company’s event, and a great opportunity to bring the kids out for some fun. We stalked the website, and our initial expectation was that there were many different parks there.

Ipoh is the capital city of Perak. It’s not as big and as busy as KL but it’s still vibrant with activities and culture. This would be our first time having these kind of staycation as opposed to our usual beach destinations. It’s always either beach or big cities for us.

They had several parks such as water park, petting zoo, amusement park, adventure park and few others.

However, once we got there, it turns out that all of these parks are integrated into one, including the hot springs and spa. I thought it’s such a wonderful idea, because that means, there’s always something for everyone!

Sara riding a donkey at the Petting Zoo.

Last Sunday, I attended Skytrex with Bloggers event organized by Salam Media. Skytrex is a forest challenge where you have to complete a series of challenges high above the ground. So, since all participants are adults, Salam Media opted for the most challenging one, consisting of 34 challenges and up to 22mtrs high.

We arrived at Taman Bukit Cerakah at 1.45pm. It was a beautiful sunny day, clear sky, Alhamdulillah. After waiting for everyone, we took a bus to get to the skytrex. There is a shuttle bus exclusively for skytrex. Azlan, the person in charge for Skytrex brought us there. After going to the loo, signed the release form, and get everything else sorted out, we went ahead to get our harnesses on.

There were several staffs there to help everyone get  into their harnesses. I really appreciate that they paid careful attention and ensuring that everybody’s harnesses are worn correctly and secure. Next, it was the safety briefing. We weren’t allowed to do anything else except paying attention, as when you are 22mtrs high, safety is indeed, number one priority.

Mini course to practice before the real deal.

The second day was the island hopping day! We bought the tour for 700baht each. It’s called Hong Island longtail boat tour. There’re several speed boat tours, but longtail boat is the only pregnant-friendly option (other than ferries). Although, I wouldn’t recommend if you are close to 6 months or over.

If you are 4-5 months pregnant like me, I suppose it’s fine. But do not let the tour company knows, otherwise they won’t take you in although it’s perfectly safe. They just don’t want to get sued in case of an emergency. For us, we had to ask a few agents that would allow a pregnant lady to join.

Anyway, we had to wait for the pick up at 8.30 in the morning at our hotel lobby and this is our ride! It was like a modified pickup or something, but man, was I thrilled. hahaha.

That morning, the weather was so clear, it was so nice!  Look at the longtail boats behind me. We took the smallest one, which seats about 20-25 pax.

Climbing the boat needs an extra care and effort. Now, this is the reason why I wouldn’t recommend if you’re too pregnant. I was able to climb in and out of the boat with no problem. With a lil’ help of course, but only to avoid falling. Having a dry bag would help too. We didn’t, so we had to be extra careful not dip our bags in the water.

The boat ride was very smooth. It’s not bumpy like speed boat. Granted, it is slow. but it is pregnant friendly and it doesn’t cause me any motion sickness. and I do get motion sickness in the car (because of the pregnancy thing, otherwise I won’t).

I have been neglecting this blog again. I meant to update it, I swear. But I’ve been slumped with work, which I will tell you about later. However, in the midst of setting up business, my husband and I managed to find a time to take a time out and flew to Krabi, Thailand.

Oh dear, this will be a long post with lotsa pictures. And food porn. Bear with me here.

Day 1

It was an early flight and we arrived at our hotel, Aree Tara in Ao Nang, Krabi approx 9 am. We weren’t able to check in yet so we rented a motorbike for 200baht (RM20) for 24hours.

We took a bus to the hotel. It was just 300baht for both of us, and they dropped us right in front of our hotel. Getting a taxi would cost 600baht, but whats the point if you have a lot of time at hand, hey?

That’s me. On the scooter. No, I didn’t drive. Just posing. But I did learn riding a bike on the third day. :p

With the motorbike, we went to the Ao Nang center, got some massage (200baht), lunch and bought data plan for just 109 baht (see Noktahhitam’s post for more info on this).

Finally, it was time to check in to our hotel. The room was exactly as advertised.

I stole this picture from my Noktahhitam’s blog. haha. On our way back to hotel, we bought sticky mango rice on the street.