Thinking about ..... Teluk Kemang

Can't help but thinking of the beach when I got to work today. Maybe it was reverse psychology thinking about the amount of work to look forward to, I instead focused on relaxing thoughts. For some reason it reminded me of the walk I had in Teluk Kemang during my recent visit to Port Dickson. Imagining how crowded it will be come this weekend, the long Chinese New Year weekend. I honestly can't imaging the rows of cars snaking towards the beach front with the narrow roads leading up to it, taking hours to drive the stretch of road.

The soon-to-be-crowded beachfront during quiet times.Rows of deck chairs to lay on ..... under the shade of courseLast year, we spent the CNY weekend in PD and the queue along the beach road was about 5 miles long. We turned back as soon as we hit the tail end of it and changed our plan. The beach was not really fantastic when compared to say Bayu Beach Resort where our apartment is located. The sand was not as good and fluffy. The beachfront was rather narrow and cramped. Anyone can get in - if you can find a parking space of course, unlike Bayu Beach where excess can be a problem as only hotel patrons and apartment owner had easy excess in. Hence it can get too crowded for a family holiday. 

Good clean fun but can be expansive during holiday weekends. The operators were known to charge through the nose. Negotiating skills essential here.Alternatively you can bring your own gearHowever, I like crowd. More to the point I like to observe crowd with a camera in hand. Unfortunately in Malaysia people get suspicious when you got long lenses in your hands unlike in Paris and London, or Kuala Lumpur for that matter. Even though you were taking pictures of buildings rather than people. Another feature that I love about the Teluk Kemang beachfront was the rows of colourful shops they have there, selling local artwork and gifts. Food was never a problem as there were many stalls nearby. Another pus thing is the public toilet there was very clean - at least it was when I was there, not during peak hours of course.

I don't think I will ever be keen to stay here, but this converted beach villa now offers toilet and shower facilities for a small fee.For all my apprehension, the day went without much drama. Day Care was busy but as many of the patients deferred their chemo until after the Chinese New Year, the ward duty was rather light. I was occupied with some Departmental and teaching duties in the afternoon, so the day just breezed by. Hopefully tomorrow will be the same. And I can look forward to another weekend break in PD in the not too distant future. My usual excuse is our apartment needed cleaning again ......

A Simple Birthday Lunch

The plan was to have a party this weekend. It will still go on on Saturday but since I was at home, everyone insisted that I came along for lunch. We took Irfan to Delicious at Dua Residency along Jalan Tun Razak. Anita's parents were also there. We brought out Irfan's present and we did have a great time.

We also brought along a cake to school for Irfan to celebrate. According to Idlan, everyone sang and Irfan blew off the candles. Cake was gone in record time. As for this Saturday, everything was booked at Fit For 2. We were not planning for a big one. It will be Idlan's turn for a big party this year. That has already been booked even though his birthday is not until May. It's good to plan .....

Delicious was empty when we got there but it soon filled up. Anita wanted to try Full House at Jalan Yak Kwan Seng but they were doing some construction work there today. Never been there but from what I heard it is a good joint. Maybe next time. As you can see, he got the Lego set he always wanted although it certainly not for his age. I spent the whole afternoon fixing it up for him ... and it was now in pieces again .... I've given up since ... 

Happy Birthday Irfan

Beachwalk 0110, originally uploaded by Haris Abdul Rahman.

It's Irfan's 4th today. Unfortunately since I was out of commission, the preparation was rather slow. Will definitely taking some time to big it up today!

Off the chart

Have not been well in the last few days and had to take some chill time. My vertigo came back and for the first couple of days I was mainly in bed. It was a lot better since yesterday an I was told by my ENT colleague to rest. Unfortunately I will be kinda busy with the upcoming Chinese New Year. I will on call this weekend as well. Rest will just have to wait.

Afternoon at Sunway Lagoon Wildlife Park

RM 35 for adults and RM 20 for kids. Let's start from there. And my advice, don't head to Sunway Lagoon just to get to the Wildlife Park without enjoying the other attraction. It was just not worth the entrance fee. Saying that, that was how much I spend to get my kids in last weekend. The initial plan was to see the dolphin show at the nearby Pyramid shopping centre but we took a wrong turn. We ended up walking towards the Lagoon and when we reached there, everyone was excited to go in to see the animals.

The trail beginsThe porcupine ....... Run!Since we reached there at around 3.30 pm right after lunch at Atrium Cafe and we did not bring any change of clothing, we decided just to pay for a single park entry. Hence the rather high price. For an extra RM 10 per pax, we could have enjoy the waterpark as well. After entering the Lagoon compound we headed straight to the WIldlife Park. The park was essentially a minizoo with many exotic birds, monkeys and other furry things. It was certainly more interactive than your usual zoo, where the visitors can join in on feeding and petting.

The pond at the entranceThe park was very clean and well maintained but we were disappointed at the lack of variety of animal on show. Certainly for the amount we paid to get in, we have a cause to complain. It was not just the entrance ticket we paid premium for, everything there was expensive. Food, T-shirts and other goodies were just ridiculously priced. The park security made it a point that no outside food can brought in. A family beside us got a lot of hassle for bringing in baby food.

At the VillageSleeping iguanaAn albino monkey

The main hit with my boys were the tortoises. By the end, Irfan was carrying them around. Idlan was a bit scared and spend time just running around. The more adventurous visitors were playing with snakes and monkeys. There were essentially 2 parts to the park. A path going round, through the aviary, snaking up a small hill and back down, and the village, where the pet shows and theaters were situated. There was also a small pet village down the path along the waterfront, but the animals there were not very exotic. Spending an hour and a half there was more than enough. We missed the time for the train rides and theatre though which we a shame.

The boys running around by the waterfrontIrfan's new friendWould we go there again? Not if we have to pay the amount we did. However should you have a day pass into the Lagoon, why not. It will get the kids excited especially if you enter at the right time, during feeding hours and showtime.

Th slideshow for the event can be found here.