Botani Perdana

It had been a while since we went to the park. We hated going there mainly due to the traffic situation, often not finding a proper spot to park not to mention the aggro when there were a small lane opening while you were trying to pass.

The old Botanical Gardens, Lake Garden or Tasik Perdana has now been renamed Taman Botani Perdana. A lot of new infrastructure were being built, making the whole area - the Bird Park, Butterfly Gardens and Orchid Park seems more connected.

Irfan organising the drinksIdlan with his strap-on rubbery shoes ....Walking from the carparkLooking at the multistorey carpark from the groundFollowing our trip to the new Restoran Rebung, we learned that there was a new multistorey car park being opened. So, we parked there and walked across to the new area of the park where Panggung Anniversary used to be - there were renovations being done on the pavilion at the moment.

It was right pleasant and the place, being a Sunday afternoon was filled with joggers, cyclist and young families, some carrying picnic baskets and playing football.

Directions ....I want to roll down the hill on that grass ....Walking with dinosaursWalking onThe place was well kept and the walk across from the car park towards the children play area and the lake felt like a breeze. Pleasant weather and fresh air. We stopped for photos, quick drinks and fed the koi fish when we reached the lake, white people were running around having a good time.

Next stop, the lakeFeeding them turtles ...The crowd soon build up ....Ironic that people playing football by the sign ....Anita wished that she carried her picnic basket with her. But there were plenty enough seat for us to sit and have some ice cream while enjoying the surrounding.

The hard part was walking back to the car park - uphill mind - rushing there before sunset. But I must say we were pleasantly surprised with the day out and would definitely be coming again.

Enjoying the scene while doubling back ....Panggung Anniversary being rebuiltAlmost back to the carparkI was sure in the months to come, more attraction would've been ready, including the newly refurbished Panggung Anniversary. Looking forward to that.

Life Goes On

Sunday today and the atmosphere in the cancer ward was still down after the event on Friday. I didn't have any patients there - my cancer patients were parked in another ward this weekend.

Walking back to the car park after my ward round I had a quick peek outside. The sun was out. Life goes on. The mood will be subdued in the coming few days, but I was sure we would move on by the time the Chinese New Year break was over....

A Fruitful Afternoon

So, finally I test drove a couple of cars. The first was the GLC 250 and the second, the GLE 400 Coupe. The Coupe was a hit.

Although there were plenty of people there, the event was well organised with plenty of things to see and do while you wait for your turn to drive. The fact that we had a friend who worked for Mercedes helped to smooth things over and waiting was never an issue. We had lunch and sat around while waiting for our turn, and it was certainly worth the wait.

The first drive was pretty basic. The lady who took us around did the necessary sales pitch and within 15 minutes we were done. But when it came to the Coupe, despite being the only Coupe available for the test drive, we were given plenty of time. I had the chance to drive further than the first time as well as trying out the Drive Assist system at the car park. And it worked wonders. Unfortunately it only detected space for side parking for us. No reverse parking this time.

Let me take you for a ride!It's no Formula 1There were a few features which caught my eyes. Yes, it had the blind spot detector. Plus it had a 360° camera system which on display would give a bird's eye view around your vehicle.

The Eco-friendly system also stopped your engine when you were stationary and automatically start it again when you hit the accelerator. The brake locks when you were stationary, so that you would need to engage the handbrake when you stop. Handy if you were going uphill.

Then came the suspension. It tied up to the gear system and you have options of comfort and sports. The suspect ion would increase your height if you select comfort making going on bumps on the broad unnoticeable. You can switch it to sports mode, which would bring the car down - the lower the centre of gravity - for extra stability when taking corners at high speed. The changes were there to be felt.

The Coupe also had an anti-roll system which made taking sharp turns a breeze. And the 333 bhp, 3L V6 twin turbo engine certainly was no slouch. The only problem was it cost more than half a million Ringgit! A slight drawback!

We were back in one piece!More things to see insideIn the end, I must say that Mercedes did good job in organising the event. They took care of you from the moment you park - there were complimentary buggy to shuttle you to and from the car park. There were things for the kids to do to keep them occupied while you do some serious driving and of course there were food and drinks in the decent surrounding of KLPAC. You can't really neat that on a warm Sunday afternoon. A decent way to spend some time off!

Afternoon at KLPAC

One of my friend works for Mercedes-Benz and they were doing a test-drive event on some new models this weekend. They were showcasing three new models - the GLE, the GLC and the GLE Coupe.

It was a family orientated event, complete with plays and rides the kids while the parents do the test-driving. I drove the GLC earlier and was waiting for the Coupe over lunch.

I thought Anita wanted to try that ...Lunch. And it was really nice!Anita and her churrosIt was still empty when we arrived but people were trickling in while we were waiting. Anita as usual went to have a look at the food truck. Lunch were provided of course and the setting around KLPAC was just nice for chilling.

Weather was also pretty nice and warm, threatening to rain earlier. Not much breeze unfortunately.

More in the test-drive later as I was still waiting for our second go.

The KL Tower Mini Zoo

It was actually quite a a pleasant experience. Well, it better be for RM19 (RM16 for children and senior citizens) per pop! It was that expensive, but we can't say anything much as the kids were excited to go in.

The main attractions were the birds, the monkeys and the rabbits. They were really tame and we were allowed to handle them, without much of a fuss. The boys were especially attracted to the iguanas, and it was the first time that they had a first hand look.

It was a shame that it started to rain at the time we were about to play with the rabbits. A few things didn't make sense though. They had ponies and emu at the mini zoo. I wonder if they were let lose some of the time. There weren't enough space to keep those animals in such a small zoo! To deep a philosophical question for me to ponder at the moment ....

Would we come again? Certainly not at the price! We would be better off at Zoo Negara, but that would be another story ...