I had dinner with Jazz just now and recalled our white water rafting experience in Gopeng, Perak. The stretch of Kampar River that we went on is rated as Grade 2, which is very basic compared to the Class 4 in Pelagus Rapids, Kapit (about an hour from my hometown) and sea kayaking in Australia that I experienced last year.
However, it’s always fun to go white water rafting regardless of the skill level. I’ve even gone tandem white water rafting with no raft, Jackass style. Heh. I’m amazed at how skinny I was back then.
The white water rafting experience in Gopeng started with a safety briefing which goes through all the basics for beginners…
…an introduction to the feeling of being swept away by the rapids – all of us went off the first churning stretch feet first without a raft.
You basically let the current take you down for about 100 meters while a guy at the end throws you a line with a flotation device to rope you back in. I thought that was a great idea to introduce new people to how being in the rapids feel like.
I was sitting in front and it’s a rush to go over the rapids by not holding on to the side raft rope (not recommended for beginners – look ma, no hands) while swinging the paddle ala Darth Maul in Star Wars – learned this trick from one of the instructors. 😉
I fell out of the raft once but managed to get back in without any help. It’s a fun experience for all ages – you don’t even need to know how to swim (although that would be a plus) and if you go during the evening, I hear the rapids gets more intense.
Anyway, halfway through the course, me and the instructor got out heads together to throw Jazz into the water coz she was holding on to the rope the entire time. This effort was the reason I fell out of the raft myself as mentioned above – the plan called for him to signal me and we’ll both lean right to shift the center of gravity and flip the boat.
Unfortunately, I confused right with left. I leaned left while the weight was to the right and promptly fell into the water. Haha!
We did save someone who fell in and got swept away, but we did not get Jazz into the water except during two planned capsizes in totally calm waters so we can learn to set the raft upright and get back in.
Lina of Kosmo interviewed me about the experience so if you can read BM, here’s the link – it translates to Challenging the Rapids at Kampar River. I think. My BM is quite rusty.
I love white water rafting in Kampar River, Gopeng. It was fun for me since I didn’t hunker down or hold on to the rope when we went over the rapids. Instead, I swung the paddle overhead while making appropriate whooping noises.
This is Kellie’s Castle. It’s located in Batu Gajah in Perak (about 20 minutes from Ipoh) and it was built by a Scottish rubber and tin tycoon over a century ago. The construction of the castle never completed.
It’s quite a high structure as you can see from this picture. Here’s a vertigo inducing picture from the very top of Kellie’s Castle:
I strongly recommend you do not attempt to jump off unless you are decked out in BASE jumping gear. However, if you want to do the “Goodbye, cruel world!” thing, you can actually scare the crap out of a lot of people by jumping from the other side of the castle and onto a ledge.
You have to be quite accurate though coz if you miss the ledge, there’s nothing to stop you from really plummeting down. Heh.
I also did the Leap of Faith in Sunway Lost World of Tambun. This is quite a quirky experience – you wear a harness that connects to rope and it’s basically a controlled fall.
The interesting bit about this is that it’s purely manual. This literally puts the man in manual as there are two people down there to act as counter-weights as you jump off.
You climb up several ladders secured to the side of the limestone cliff and appear on a metal ledge 75 feet up. It actually takes three people (the third is a fail safe) to slow down your descent and your velocity actually lifts the two people down there as you stop in mid-air.
I wasn’t wearing anything under those board shorts and I highly recommend you do if you value your family jewels. 😉
I have written about some of the experiences I’ve had in Maxims Genting. Here’s the rest of it – the second and final post on the luxurious gastronomical and other adventures I had during my 2D/1N stay there. 🙂
Totally chilling in the Maxims Royal Suite.
There’s everything you could wish for in a suite – and probably some that you didn’t even know you want. 😉
I’m loving the jacuzzi!
The Maxims Royal Suite has guest rooms equipped with computers at the working table in addition to a huge dining table that seats 14 people! 🙂
It also has a balcony that’s even larger than my studio apartment at home. The “balcony” (patio) is actually located…
…right beneath the old Genting Hotel sign. How cool is that? 🙂
The newly refurbished Maxims looks nothing like the one I used to stay in as a kid. This is the floor area you’ll see in the Maxims Premier Room, Maxims Suite, and Signature Suite.
The suites are amazing and equipped with the latest in technology, like that huge 42-inch plasma TV there. This is standard in Maxims Suite and Signature Suite but the photo above shows the décor in the latter. There are two options to choose from – Modern or Arabian.
The other rooms at Maxims starts from RM 550++ for Maxims Premier – it’s their most basic room but it’s surprisingly luxurious. Here’s a video tour where you can see the amenities and services provided.
There’s even a bottle of Moet et Chandon champagne in the mini bar. How many hotels do you see stocking that? 🙂
Maxims is the place to stay in if you want the best experience in Genting. There’s accommodation for every budget – all the suites comes with a private butler (!!!) and starts from RM 1,320++ for Maxims Suite to RM 4,125++ for the Signature Suite. You can find the full list of features in each room/suite at rwgenting.com.
Anyway, after the grand tour of the Maxims Genting we headed to The Olive for a Continental fine dining experience.
The Olive is another award winning restaurant in Maxims Genting and there are private rooms where you can eat in relative…er, privacy.
Squid Ink Bread
The bread basket served up when you’re seated is filled with a selection of different varieties of bread. One in particular stood up – the squid ink bread.
It’s the irregularly shaped black bread that’s made with squid ink. It’s delicious when dipped in the vinaigrette of balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil.
Portobello Carpaccio
This is The Olive’s signature dish for starters and it’s a wonderful plating of Tartufo nero (black truffle), shaved pecorino (cheese made from sheep), grissini (breadsticks), aged balsamic, and truffle oil soft herb salad. The black truffle is the highlight of this dish and the flavor goes very well with the mushrooms. I had quite a few helpings of this. It’s delicious and it comes highly recommended from me.
Bruschetta Pizzetta
This mini pizza is made with semi-dried Roma tomato, sauteed mushrooms, Bocconcini cheese, basil pesto, olive oil and aged balsamic. It’s delectable but a bit heavy so small eaters would want to share this with someone.
Lamb Rack
This 3 pin lamb rack comes served with a white bean cassoulet, braised artichoke, carrot puree and rosemary juice. You’ll love this if you like mutton, I was half tempted to order this for my mains before deciding on beef.
Chilean Sea Bass
This is the signature dish of The Olive. The fresh Chilean Sea Bass is served with mushroom ragout, buttered asparagus, ponzu sauce and wasabi, providing a bit of fusion there. You can’t go wrong with this one.
Wagyu Sirloin Steak
I went with the chef’s recommendation of a Wagyu sirloin steak with a Grade 8 on the marbling scale. The beef was so fresh that I immediately regretted having it done medium rare. It’s a great cut of Wagyu beef and it should be treated with the respect it deserves.
I’ll recommend you go for extra-rare (also known as a blue steak) – the quality and freshness of the meat really shines through. I had a taste of the extra-rare Wagyu tenderloin and it practically melts in your mouth. The chef mentions that it takes just as long to properly cook a blue steak compared to one that’s medium or well done – it has to be allowed to “rest” before being served.
The Olive has different cuts of steak and marbling grades but if Wagyu is not your thing, they also serve Black Angus beef, which has been grass fed for at least 150 days in the Australian countryside. There are a lot of sauces you can choose to go with your steak, from Creamy Garlic to Truffled Morel.
Crème Brulee
This wonderful dessert comes in a trio – starting from left, there’s the petite apple (which actually is a very tiny apple), clove ice cream, and crème brulee with rhubarb and blackcurrant compote.
A petite apple with a slice of regular apple. Gotta love the presentation.
I loved the creamy crème brulee with an almond biscotti on the side and I couldn’t stop eating the clove ice cream too.
Hot Chocolate Ravioli
Good things comes in threes and this dessert is no different.
There’s the black cherry gelee topped with orange blossom pashmak (a type of Persian candy floss).
Pistachio ice cream which has the consistency of pudding, a wonderful texture from the ingredients and a delightful taste that tantalizes the taste buds…
…and as the star of the show – the chocolate ravioli. It’s rich and sweet and the oozing hot chocolate from the ravioli would have you clamoring for more.
The Durian
This is the signature dish for the desserts menu of The Olive. It’s easy to see why. The aptly named dessert has The King of Fruits served as ice cream in a caramelized meringue with fresh strawberries.
Durian is a fruit you either love or hate. I’m a huge fan of durian and this beautifully made dessert (spiked to look like a durian) had me at first bite!
Chef Daniel Sheen took time off to chat with us and the question on how he created the chocolate ravioli popped out. This is actually the second version he’s come up with. He was in the kitchen attempting to fuse pasta and chocolate – essentially creating pasta made out of chocolate and out come the chocolate ravioli.
It’s always interesting to hear the chef talk about how his creations came about. 🙂
The Olive is also featured in Must Eat – it’s in Mandarin but a really interesting watch even if you don’t understand the language. The video tour and awesome food shown transcends linguistic processes. 😀
We adjourned to The Olive Lounge after the heavy dinner. There’s a live band playing in the background and the drinks menu features quite an extensive single malt Scotch whisky and wine list.
The sommelier recommended two bottles of wine…
…while Eiling chose the third bottle, being a bit of a wine expert herself.
I smoked one of her cigars while the entire group talked over wine and cigars. The Olive Lounge is a great place to relax and chat with soft music playing in the background. It was the perfect ending to one of the best dinners I’ve had in a while. Pure decadence. 🙂
Breakfast at Coffee Terrace the next day never tasted so good. 😉
Coffee Terrace has six different cuisines ranging from Chinese to Western and we all had a huge breakfast before heading back to KL.
Thanks for the experience Chloe, Irene, Dee Lin, and everyone at rwgenting.com! I totally enjoyed my stay at Maxims Genting and all that fine dining. 🙂
Those crappy fun fairs you see in small towns – FUN!
I met with this bunch of people this trip to Ipoh and on the very first night, Jazz wanted to head out for drinks. I was super tired but thought it’ll be fun to go along with them. I saw Anas downstairs and asked him to come along.
Thus, our group comprised of me, Jazz, Anas, Nicki, Jotunn, Li Wei. Anas and Li Wei wasn’t drinking though.
Anyway, we saw this fun fair from the hotel and the plan was to get some beers from a 7-Eleven and then walk to the fun fair. There was no 7-11 so we detoured to a Tesco and got our ethanol there.
It was fun to actually go to one of these small town fun fairs. I spent RM 24 on tokens trying to fish out a prize…
…and later shoot with a compressed air gun.
It actually kinda worked. Kinda being the key word. Jazz with the haul.
Tonight, we’re at the designated party room…for the second round. This time Emily is with us!
I’ve been to Genting quite a few times and when I was told we’re going to be staying at Maxims for an overnight experience I immediately set my alarm clock to 5 am so I could arrive early the next day for the trip up. Heh.
The luxury treatment started when we met up at Wisma Genting in KL. There was a Toyota Alphard complete with a driver waiting for us. The vehicle was equipped with water, candy, and everything you’ll need for the 45 minute drive up.
…so this is what being a high roller feels like. 🙂
We were whisked away to lunch at Imperial Rama the moment we arrived in Genting. We had a private room with a dining table, couch, and karaoke system. Imperial Rama is a fine dining restaurant specializing in authentic Thai-Chinese cuisine.
Imperial Rama is one of the most awarded restaurants – it’s one of the prestigious winners of the 2011 Malaysian International Gourmet Festival (MIGF). They also use organic food where they can – they own vegetable farms and source their chickens from Ipoh. I hear the free range chickens sells for RM 30 per drumstick…and that’s in stalls in Ipoh!
Lily Bulb with Emperor Sprout Orange Salad
This is the appetizer and I like the usage of lily bulbs in this dish. It’s an unusual twist and the tangy citrus flavors from the orange works very well with the emperor sprouts. It even had flowers inside it, and I ate some of them. Delicious!
Shaggy Mushroom with Truffle Oil Salad
The second appetizer to come out of the kitchen, I was mesmerized by the intensity of flavors absorbed by the mushroom. It’s practically bursting with truffle oil. Very nicely done.
Thai Fish Crackers
The third appetizer was an interesting interplay of textures with fresh fish crackers and a peanut based dipping sauce.
Stewed Chicken Essence Soup
I’m not a huge fan of soup but this had me scraping the bottom of the bowl. The chicken is made into a mousse like consistency. It’s one of their signature dishes and I highly recommend it just so you can taste the chicken mousse.
Steamed Marble Goby Fish with Crispy Ginger and Garlic
I’m sold. The steamed fish is my favorite dish in Chinese buffets and I love the freshness of the marble goby fish.
The topping of crispy ginger and garlic adds a different texture to the dish and it’s good to see that they keep the traditional spring onions on top – it goes very well with the soy sauce base.
Australian Abalone Braised in Curry Sauce
This is one of the Thai-Chinese dishes that Imperial Rama is so famous for. The curry is rich and full-bodied and almost overwhelms the palate…
…until you eat it with the bread stick and side dish. This is one of their flagship dishes as well and I can see why – it’s challenging and different.
Twin Flavored King Prawns
This is king prawns done two ways – one of them is deep fried with a salted egg batter that tastes awesome but the one that steals the limelight is the cheese king prawn. It’s dipped in a melting cheese batter that enhances the natural sweetness of the prawn and seals all the crustaceans juices inside. Totally recommended.
Pork Ribs topped with Black Current Sauce
Now this is something that I can really appreciate. Pork ribs with a twist on the sauce. The black current sauce adds a wholesome sweetness to the pork ribs and the lightly fried rice served on a crab goes well with the pork ribs.
I was very full at this point but I couldn’t help finishing all the rice. It’s really good – not too heavy, with judicious use of premium ingredients.
Durian Tempura with Lemongrass Jelly
Now this is a dish that you’ll either love or hate – it all depends on whether you like durian. I love durian and the durian tempura is a relatively new creation using D24 durian. The batter coating the durian cracks open and piping hot durian oozes out. I could eat it all day long!
I ate Lee Ming’s portion as well. It’s just that good. Check out this video, the host agrees! 🙂
The lemongrass jelly is sipped from a straw and the consistency and palate cleansing properties makes it an ideal finish after the decadent durian experience. Do not miss this if you love durian! Best. Dessert. Ever.
Anyway, after that huge lunch, we went down to Goh Tong Jaya to walk off all those calories. We used the Genting Skyway cable car.
Chloe got us into the RWGenting WorldCard line. You can skip the queue if you have a Silver WorldCard and above.
I have a lot of fond memories of the cable car ride from when I was a little kid and my parents brought me up to Genting.
I felt like a little kid again, being on that cable car. 🙂
There was a red vehicle waiting for us – it’s the Genting Strawberry Leisure Farm transport! The shuttle bus departs every 20 minutes and you can catch it at the Genting Skyway exit.
Genting has a Strawberry Farm in Goh Tong Jaya.
There are rows and rows of strawberries covering the wide expanse.
You can go in with a basket for a small fee to pick your own strawberries.
It tastes really good too.
I had a couple and they are practically bursting with juices when you bite into it.
This is Lee Ming at the area where they were planting flowers. Yes, it’s the very same flowers that was in our salad at Imperial Rama for lunch. Now that’s low food miles for you – they grow it themselves!
There’s also a place where you can sit down and browse the strawberry related merchandize or eat and drink strawberry flavored food (strawberry coffee anyone?) right before the exit.
Mmm…strawberries…
We basically spent the better part of the hour at Genting Strawberry Leisure Farm before heading back up the cable car to check into Maxims Genting. I couldn’t wait!
Maxims Genting is the newly revamped Genting Hotel. It’s the first hotel ever built and houses the main casino. Maxims commands a rate of at least RM 550++ for a Maxims Premier Room. There’s even a dedicated floor for high rollers which is by invitation only. It is the most exclusive hotel in Genting.
This is where all the celebrities stay when they perform in Resorts World Genting. More about that and the wonderful award winning fine dining restaurant The Olive in the next post! 🙂
I always get reminded of my trip to Bali to visit Tanah Lot when I listen to the song. The vocals evoke an emotional response that elevates it from a mere song to something a lot more. Walking Like a Dream is the latest Yuna single – it is groundbreaking in a lot of ways.
I wrote a post about Yuna creating music history by having the first online concert in Malaysia. Well, I was one of the 10,000 who got the SMS invite and I logged on to watch her perform.
It was amazing. There was actually a media event at twentyone.tables+terrace in bsc but I elected to use my home connection to watch it.
In hindsight, I wished I had gone to the media session – for one, the screen is much bigger than my notebook and I bet the sound system is more awesome too.
Nevertheless, I had an awesome time watching Yuna perform her new single…
…and after a campaign to get the public to star in the music video via Hotlink Yuna Music Booths nationwide (it was in a lot of cities and towns around Malaysia) the final production is complete!
Her single (which was untitled at the time) was also done the same way – the winning entry (crowd sourcing FTW) turned out to be Walking Like a Dream.
It really is a great song, I’m loading it into my iPad when I travel to Thailand. I bet it’ll be amazing to listen to it by the beach in Phuket!
You can listen to the awesomeness that is Walking Like a Dream by surfing over to www.nowyoucan.my/yuna – the music video is also there and if you’re a Hotlink or Maxis user, you can download the single from Music Unlimited and listen to it wherever you go. 🙂
It’s a mellow and chill song that’s perfect for anything from beach vacations to stressful drives during rush hour.
These things are popping up like mushrooms. I’m currently in Johor and staying at Zoom Inn Boutique Hotel in Danga Bay for a night. I got it online for about RM 90+ and realized that the walk-in rate is only RM 78. There are three shoplot hotels within the area (not including Tune Hotel) and from looking at all (the room wasn’t available until 3 pm) this seems to provide the best price-comfort consideration.
Ill omens and portents. (!!!) Game Over all over the room. I’m not sure I want to see that whenever I open my eyes. However, it is pretty creative, each room is has its unique theme and decoration…and the repeating game overis tethered to a quasi picture frame of someone playing a console game. Very artsy fartsy.
Either-Or sliding door for toilet and shower.
The large LCD TV right at the foot of your bed is awesome though – it has all the premium channels but I only watch Discovery Channel or National Geographic variants/spinoffs. I’ll be happy with those channels.
Pros:
Cheap
Pretty comfortable for a night
Good selection of cable channels
Friendly and apologetic staff
Creative rooms
Cons:
Weak to non-existent WiFi
Room is dark
No writing desk
It also has stains on the duvet that looks suspiciously like blood. I can only imagine what the previous occupants were doing but since their hairs are still sticking to the pillows, a multitude of entirely unwanted vivid scenarios come into mind.
I’m still waiting for housekeeping to change the sheets.
Speaking of creative, MilkADeal is having an awesome deal for novelty 8 GB USB drives in a variety of designs.
I got this t-shirt at Temple Street in Hong Kong. It’s a tourist trap of epic proportions but hey, I reckon you’ve gotta go there at least once. There are fortune tellers and stalls selling all sorts of merchandise, including a Hong Kong statement tee.
…but that’s not what I wanted talk about.
Look at this photo. Scrutinize it. Think of it as one of those Where’s Waldo images. What is wrong with the picture?
…..
………
………….
I’m still standing.
Okay, okay, I know, I’m totally hearing the groans all the way over here. That’s really cheesy even by my standards.
There was a typhoon (same thing as a hurricane) warning that went from a T1 tropical cyclone advisory to T3 in a couple of hours. I was concerned my flight wouldn’t even take off.
Anyway, it did, and I managed to came back from Hong Kong in one piece. I was there for a vacation and it is interesting to note that this particular typhoon went up to T8 (which is very strong – all schools and offices are closed) just after I flew back to KL.
However, I was quite surprised that the warnings are made over the radio and using paper signs at all MTR stops. Granted, a lot of people use public transport in Hong Kong but I would have thought that digital would be the way to go.
I’ve recently heard about an email service called myemail. It dubs itself as an email service for every Malaysian, but that’s not all it does. I mean, there are heaps of email providers out there like Gmail so what makes this so special?
Well, the major feature I think would be the killer app for this email service is eBilling. This is made possible by the fact that your myemail address is tied to you, as a citizen of Malaysia. It would have information about you to simplify your life – push email billing for one.
I have to admit, I am notoriously tardy when it comes to paying bills. Myemail would help remedy this by pushing the bill to me as a secure email attachment and allowing me to pay it there and then. It doesn’t just work on PCs, but on all your smartphones and tablets so you can literally do this while you’re out and about.
Myemail will also have user authentication, encryption and tracking features to make sure that security is covered. You can opt to be billed from every single service that you use by customizing it on myemail – stuff ranging from your broadband subscription to your PDRM summons.
Myemail is partnering up with PDRM, DBKL, JPJ and EPF and it’s free for all Malaysian citizens so sign up now at myemail.my.
All this can only be done after authenticating yourself using your fingerprint matched to your MyKad at any of the Tricubes authorized centers so it’s a secure communication channel for government services.
It doesn’t matter if you’re an organization wanting integration with Microsoft Office Web Application or an individual looking to get things done fast, there’s something for everyone and you’ll get to save some trees while you’re at it!
Myemail uses your name as your email address so you can use it on your resumes and such. You know why you haven’t been getting callbacks? It’s coz of that prettygal4ever@yahoo.com and devil666@gmail.com crap that you’ve been putting on it. Human Resource Managers throw resumes like that away. Seriously.
Get with the program and register a proper email address at myemail. It’s based on variations of your real name. 🙂
Hey, when this takes off, I bet you’ll be the first one to know via push email on your smartphone in the unlikely event there’s a typhoon in our country. 😉
How does breaking your fast with royalty sound? Warong Saga has been operating for decades near the old cemetery in JB. The proprietors running it are the second generation and contrary to popular belief, it’s named after pokok saga instead of Proton Saga. 😉
Anyway, Warong Saga’s main claim to fame is their lontong kering. JB makes the best lontong kering in the country, or so they’ll have you believe. Lotong kering is a breakfast meal of nasi impit (compressed rice), a potpourri of vegetables (long beans, leeks, potatoes) and a piece of chicken rendang.
The entire dish is then doused with a generous amount of peanut sauce. It’s a pleasure to use the nasi impit to wipe the gravy from the plate before devouring it. The multitude of textures and flavors in lontong kering makes it an ideal breakfast.
The walls of Warong Saga is adorned with sultans, prime ministers (both ours and Singapore’s) and other people of historical importance and it attracts a healthy local crowd for breakfast.
This place is a bit hard to find for non-locals but if you follow the old royal cemetery and watch out for a small shop by the road you’ll see it. The lontong kering and the chill, relaxed atmosphere in Warong Saga makes it well worth the trip! 🙂
