Zoo Negara Kuala Lumpur

Just about 12 miles from Kuala Lumpur is the Negara National Zoo. It just happens to be on the way to the Ridge Hike. I went there early in the morning and it was definitely the right time to go. There was no one around for the first hour I was there. As far as zoo's go, it was pretty good. They had lots of animals in a large area. The hardest thing was figuring out what was what because not everything was readily marked. Good thing I know my animals, but there were still some that came as a surprise.

Hippo basking in the morning light. I found it sad that his water mud hole was dry. The only reason he was wet was because he just got doused with the hose.

Big turtle eating a leaf. It always amazes me how strong they must be to card there home around with them.

Beautiful pink flamingo's. I love they way they stand on one leg when they are resting.

I could have spent all day watching the chimps. There were three, two males, and one female. It amazes me that they have so many human characteristics. The female is in the front playing with her nipple.

This cute fellow is the world's largest RODENT! He did look like a huge rat! This was about the size of a small pig, but there were much larger of his kind hiding in the shade.

This beautiful graceful swan reminded me of the swans near Island Park, Idaho. They really are beautiful.

This pelican was very interested in making sure that he was presentable to the lady pelicans. He groomed himself the whole time I was there.

Not sure what type of flamingo this one is, but they had hundreds of them. They'd fly if you got too close and boy was there a lot of s_it around their area! You had to walk carefully, especially in flip flops.

They also had lions, tigers, bears...Oh, my! Camels, giraffe, zebras. Really, just about every animal you'd normally see. It was a nice way to spend an early morning.

Hike to Klang Gates Quartz Ridge - Malaysia's Longest Rock Ridge

I found a great website for Kuala Lumpur (KL) - Nature Escapes. They have things to do within 1, 2, 3, and 4 hours of KL. So, I thought it would be a good idea for Van and I to try out one of the closer hikes for fun and exercise. Van hates the fact that I have an affinity for steep hikes. He can just about guarantee that if I find a hike it's going to be some sort of test in human endurance (not to mention the knees). Boy, were we in for a treat!

For those of you who have never been hiking in the jungle, it's an experience. Not only are the sounds different, the fact that it's 90 degrees with 87% humidity, lends a whole new perspective to perspiration. My Mom always said that women perspire, animals sweat. Let me tell you, there was no dainty lady-like perspiring on this hike, I was sweating like a man! It was running down my face, back, chest, legs, arms...everywhere! When Van and I were done, we looked like we'd taken a dip in the pool our clothes were so wet.

The hike was up to the top of the ridge line which you see in the below photo. It wasn't a stroll. The website says it's "a bit of a scramble." The trail was rutty, muddy, slippery, rocky, root encrusted, almost vertical in spots, and had head clearance for the average Asian. Naturally, Van hit his head a couple of times on low branches only because you had to stay focused on where you were putting your feet. Several times we almost turned back, but we talked each other along and made it to the top. The big draw was the view of KL from the top of the ridge.
Here is the beginning of the hike. We ended up on the top of the ridge you can see through the trees to the right. The last part of the hike went through a gully between the two peaks. That's where we seriously considered turning around.

Here is the view of the Petronas Twin Towers from part of the way up. It was amazing to be surrounded by jungle and see a city through the trees.

Here's Van about two-thirds of the way up. Notice the sweat slick hair. I'm surprised he was smiling!

For those of you who hike, you'll know that the flora and fauna changes as you increase in altitude. There are just some plants that don't grow higher, that flourish at lower levels. At the ridge top, there was this beautiful carpet of green moss that was no where else on the hike.

Here is a view of the ridge line looking towards the east. Van was wondering when I wanted to go to the top of the peak in the photo. I told him no time soon. I think he was relieved!This is the reason for making it to the top. The panoramic vistas of KL. You can see the Twin Towers and the KL Tower to their right. It was really great to get an overview of the city.

One of the happy hikers at the top pausing to put on more mosquito repellent and drinking the last of our water.

Here's the view to the north of KL. It's amazing how many hills there are. You really don't realize that when you are downtown looking at the sides of sky scrapers.

The website says it's a challenging, enjoyable, and exhausting outdoor hike. We felt that was an accurate description. We stopped for more water at the first store we saw, cooled off in the pool for an hour, and then went to lunch. Would we go again. Absolutely not. It's one of those do it once to say you've done it kind of hikes.

Golfing Palm Garden Course at IOI

Okay, so Malaysia is pretty much a stickler for rules on the golf course and driving range. Van and I tried to hit balls on Friday in preparation for golfing on Sunday, but we weren't allowed to because his shirt didn't have a collar. Now, it had a collar, just not the collar they wanted. So, we did some shopping and came back the next day with shirt with a collar, but they didn't like the button down part, but they let us hit balls, just this one time, but next time "no wear shirt without collar." So, totally confused as to what their definition of collar really was, we hit balls and went home. On Sunday morning, we brought two shirts for Van. Both had collars, but one was acceptable and the other was not. I had a collar on my shirt, but they would not let me play in it. I had to run to the Pro Shop and buy a shirt so I could play. Their sizing is for miniature people and I had to get a men's shirt. It is safe to say, I may never wear it again unless I'm golfing! What their definition really is of a collared shirt is that it has to be a "golf shirt." It can't button all the way down the front. It doesn't have to have a pointed collar, it can be a mock turtle neck collar, but it has to be a golf-type shirt. Ridiculous! Van, in protest, changed into his "not acceptable" shirt after the first hole. He's such a rebel!

The course was really nice (once we got out there) but it was so, so hot. We were off early, but all of us have never been hotter in our lives. The only thing that really cooled us down were the drinks and the breeze when the golf cart got going between shots. We had rivulets of sweat coursing down our faces and bodies. That is the most time we've spent outside without the ability to cool off. It will definitely take some more getting use to.

We played a scramble between the two groups and the winners were Sandy, Joseph, Bob, and Jerad! We smoked the other team of Van, Carlo, Jamie, and Jerry, but they seemed more intent of having a good time than playing serious golf. At one hole, Van snuck in and stole our cooler. He took all our beer, ice, gin, tonic, and snacks. It just so happened that he did it on the hole that had the following sign:

We should have realized that the sign meant the team playing in front of us, too! Honestly, though, have you ever seen this sign while playing golf in the States? We thought it was so funny!
Golf must be big here. It looks like they are expanding the already huge course they have.

Their water hazards were amazingly beautiful with the lily pads and beautiful flowers. It made it hard to find any balls that were hit in the water, but there was always the chance it would bounce off a lily pad and some how find land.

Here we are getting ready to tee off. Jerry is talking with his hands, Bob is in the middle, and I'm getting ready to go!

It was a beautiful hot day, with great people, and I truly believe that fun was had by all. There isn't a better way to spend the day than doing something fun with really fun people.

Weekend in Kuantan and Visit to Cherating

We spent a fantastic couple days with Jerad and his lovely wife Jamie (both co-workers of Van's) in Kuantan on the eastern coast of Malaysia. We were surprised that in just 2.5 hours you can be on the beach. It was great to have fellow adventurers with us and it made it all the more fun. I found some reasonable accommodations at the Swiss Garden Hotel. It was about ten years old, but maintained reasonably well. As soon as we checked in, we hit the pool with our cooler of fixings for Whiskey Sours. The heck with lunch, we were just thirsty, and the water felt great. After several hours of sun (which was way too much for those who work and can't lay-out every day like others can) we took a drive to Cherating to check out some of the hotels that were on the website. We drove in and got a tour of Club Med. I can't believe we live 2.5 hours from a Club Med. Amazing! The coolest thing about Club Med was they have a full size trapeze and bungee trampolines that you can get instructions on. It looked like some really fun activities for the whole family. You can see the bungee trampoline pictured below. We found out that they will allow you to come and enjoy the facilities without staying there overnight for about $200 per day. We might just do that sometime for fun.

Here is the pool at our hotel. It wasn't quite the Club Med, but it was much more reasonable. We had balconies overlooking the pool and you could see specks of the ocean/beach through the trees.

When we went into Kauntan on Sunday, Van and I spotted this "interestingly" named restaurant and all of us laughed really hard. We will spend the rest of our time in Malaysia looking for a sister restaurant named "Fook Mee."

We also walked along the Kuantan River walk watching the fishermen. We were wondering what the catch was and it seemed to be catfish. Below is a fine specimen that was still moving as it was weighed on the scale. It was interesting to watch. A man on a scooter rode back and forth picking up and weighing people's catches to sell later we assumed. It seemed that each fisherman had a number on their rod that told them who to credit for the catch. It was all very interesting. I wished I had a pole. Fishing is always fun for me.

On Sunday I woke up early and got a photo of the sunrise. It wasn't that spectacular, but it's the first time I've been on the right side of the peninsula or island to actually see the sunrise.

Van, Jerad and Jamie at dinner. We were absolutely starving. Unfortunately, the dinner was not that good. They had a large group that was having a buffet and we think the cooks were distracted getting ready for that event and didn't do as good of a job with our meals. Sunscreen is a must here, but even with slathering it on, these three look a little pink to me.
On our way back from Cherating, this beauty of a storm system moved in. Surprisingly enough, it didn't actually rain until later that night, but it "really" rained hard. It was running off the roof like a waterfall and didn't let up for hours.

On the way home when we were just about to Kuala Lumpur, the clouds opened up and the rain fell so hard that the wipers couldn't keep up. The traffic was bad and every time a bus passed in the oncoming lane we couldn't see because of the wall of water that splashed over the guardrail. We had a near fender bender when the car in front of us slammed on his breaks, but Van's defensive driving kept us safe. Way to go, Van!

Yes, it is monsoon season in Malaysia and it rains hard. The best thing is, it doesn't rain hard all day. We still manage to have some sunshine most days and some days are overcast, but it isn't continuous yet. Locals say it has changed so much from what it used to be that no one can predict how it will be.