Traveling soon in Pahang for business, leisure, or vacation? Maybe you should consider going to Bukit Gambang Resort City, where you can find multiple attractions in one place. Yes! MULTIPLE ATTRACTIONS. And I’m really excited to share with you everything that I have seen and experienced in this amazing place.

Bukit Gambang Resort City is a premier integrated destination resort located inside a 727 acres of nature’s lush in Gambang, Pahang. This resort city offers natural and cultural attractions sought after by  local and foreign tourists.

MEE MAMAK (Price: RM18) Indian style noodles cooked in fragrant chili and tomato paste with chicken, vegetables, bean curd, prawn fritter, potato cubes and tossed with eggs. CHEF’S RECOMMENDATION.

TAH TARIK (Price: RM6)

When our group arrived in the place, we had a quick grab of refreshments and snacks at the Arabian Coffee House located inside the Arabian Bay Resort for briefing and quick introduction of the whole resort city. The said coffee house is also inside Bukit Gambang Resort City.

After that satisfying snack, we then headed to our assigned rooms in Arabian Bay Resort inside BGRC to freshen up a bit before we start our tour within BGRC. Wow! Our room looks great. Spacious, simple and modern. 

My view from our hotel room. 🙂 That pool looks very inviting. whew! If we only have time to swim.

Arabian Bay Resort is an all-deluxe suite resort with 546 rooms in it. It has 320 Famiy Deluxe Suites, 216 Studio Deluxe Suites, 8 Arabian Suites and 2 Penthouse Suites where each suite has its own private balcony, living room area, private bathroom for each bedroom. Dining and pantry area is also available for the Family and Penthouse suites.

To start our resort city tour, we were toured to some of BGRC’s M.I.C.E. facilities. M.I.C.E. stands for Meeting. Incentive, Conference & Exhibition where it offers venues suitable for meetings, concerts, events, etc. These facilities are said to be the best in East Coast Malaysia. BGRC also has the largest pillarless ballroom in the country that can cater up to 3,100 people.

Then we headed out going to Bukit Gambang Resort City’s Global Heritage area.Welcome to our new house… Hahaha! Just kidding. We wish!

If you are looking for a more private, house-like accommodation, you may choose to the following villas inspired by the typical iconic houses of cities like San Francisco, Amsterdam and Venice.

A video posted by GirlAndBoyThing.com (@girlandboythingph) on Sep 13, 2016 at 12:28am PDT

And our tour got a little more exciting as we tour around the Bukit Gambang Water Park. This 45.8 acres water park is something that you can look forward to. It was designed and built in a lush secondary jungle giving its visitors a tropical and more relaxing ambiance.

Upon entry, we were given this wrist tag to wear while in the water park’s vicinity. This prepaid wrist tag is the 1st of its kind e-value system in Malaysia, where all transactions are automatically deducted for the guests’ convenience. All you need is load it up. No need to carry cash anymore. Note: Unused credits can be refunded.

One of the attractions inside the Bukit Gambang Water Park… Aqua Play!

 #AirAsiainKualaLumpur #VisitPahang #Malaysia #WhenInMalaysia #MalaysiaTrulyAsia #PahangMalaysia #Pahang #GirlandBoyThingPh

A video posted by GirlAndBoyThing.com (@girlandboythingph) on Sep 13, 2016 at 12:38am PDT

Bukit Gambang Water Park is said to be the best water park in Malaysia, so its gonna be worth your while and children of all ages will surely enjoy even the kid-at-heart. 🙂 Try out the different water park attractions such as:

• Coco Beach
• Coco Wave Pool and Lagoon
• Penguin Island
• Aqua Play
• Glacier River
• Journey of Ice
• Tree Top Hills Slides

There are also some food stalls in the place just in case you and your loved ones get hungry while enjoying the water parks facilities.

Make your Bukit Gamabang Water Park experience more memorable with these memorabilias which you can buy at the park’s Gift Shop.

After our tour in the water park, we headed straight to Oriental Oasis located at the Arabian Bay Resort for late lunch and tried some of their Chinese dishes. So If you are craving for Chinese cuisines while you are at Bukit Gambang, you know where to go. 🙂

And for the most exciting part of the tour for me in BGRC… the Bukit Gambang Safari Park tour. So we rode this tram going to the biggest safari park in Malaysia where over 300 different species of animals resides.  Wow! 300!.

I believe one day is not enough to tour around this 138-acre safari park. Well, that’s if you would want to see and enjoy every attraction in this safari park.

So the first show that we watched was the Wonderful Birds Show at the Village Arena where different bird species were featured, including their tricks.

Watch the videos above to see how amazing these birds are during the show. It’s really amazing how they train these birds to perform tricks.

After the show, we headed to the tram again to go to the Wild Savannah area where animals are roaming freely.

If you are used to the zoos where animals were caged, in Wild Savannah, it’s the other way around. It’s the visitors who are caged in the tram(for protection).  Enjoy viewing different wild animals and learn a lot about them as you tour around the wild.

After our Wild Savannah tour, we went back to watch the Multi Animal Show at the Foreign Village. And then after the show, we toured around the following:

DISCOVERY CENTER

PETTING KINGDOM

LEMUR FEEDING

Sadly, due to limited number of time we just toured quickly to some. But still, I was really happy with what I have seen and experienced.

We then rested and had our delicious dinner at the Simba Hill Gourmet Hall, where it serves western cuisines that will surely satisfy your palate.

Plus, you will be able to get the chance to see this view(if they are out), which are the very first white lions in Malaysia.

After our very satisfying dinner, we watched the African Yabara Fire Show. Please see the video above. 🙂

And for the last show… the very funny story of Tarsan Adventure.

It was really a very tiring but fulfilling day for us. But it was really worth it! Actually there’s more attractions and activities that you can still try when you visit Bukit Gambang Resort City. Just like what I have said earlier, one day is not enough for you to experience everything there. 🙂

For booking, reservations and inquiries you may contact Bukit Gambang Resort City on the details below:

Bukit Gambang Resort City Address:

Bukit Gambang Resort City, 26300 Gambang Kuantan, Pahang Darul Makmur, Malaysia.

Tel:  +609-548 8000
Fax: +609-548 6158

GPS : 3.703174, 103.047905

Email: enquiry@bgrc.com.my

Website: www.bgrc.com.my

Bukit Gambang Resort City KL Office Address:

No. 56 & 58,  Jalan Dagang SB 4/2, Taman Sg. Besi Indah, 43300 Seri Kembangan Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.

Tel:  +603-8941 9898
Fax: +603-8941 4849

Email: sales@bgrc.com.my

HOW TO GET THERE? (Source: www.bgrc.com.my)

With easy access via the East Coast Expressway, BGRC is a mere 218km from Kuala Lumpur and just 35km before the famous beach town of Kuantan.

By air to Kuantan, the flight to Sultan Ahmad Shah Airport is approximately 40 minutes from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), 90 minutes from Penang International Airport and 65 minutes from Singapore Changi Airport. BGRC is just a 35 minutes scenic drive away from the airport.

If you are coming from the Philippines and planning to go in Malaysia, Air Asia Philippines will soon have Manila-Kuala Lumpur flights 3x daily starting Oct 29, and Cebu -Kuala Lumpur flights 4x weekly starting Oct 30, 2016.

For more information and inquiries about other destinations in Malaysia, you may contact Tourism Malaysia at:

Address: 9th Floor, No. 2, Tower 1, Jalan P5/6, Presint 5, 62200, Putrajaya, Malaysia

Telephone Number: +603-8891 8000

Email: enquiries@tourism.gov.my

Website: http://www.tourism.gov.my/

#VisitPahang2017 #MalaysiaTrulyAsia #TourismMalaysia #AirAsiaInKualaLumpur

This is what I love when I travel. I get to see and try new things, meet new people and learn about their culture. It was a different kind of cultural experience for me and our whole group when we arrived at our second stop during our 4-day Pahang, Malaysia tour. Where? It’s at Kampungstay Desa Murni in Temerloh, Pahang.

Kampungstay Desa Murni is a very peaceful place where you, your family and your friends can unwind and relax. Believe me, the place is really quiet and you can really detoxify your mind and your body from the stressful world outside.

Kampungstay derived its name from “Kampung” which means “small village” where it offers a very unique homestay experience for its guests.

According to Mohammad Iqbaal, Promotion and Marketing head of Kampungstay, Kampungstay Desa Murni offers two concept programs,  Homestay and Kampungstay. In Homestay concept, the guest(s) will stay and do the scheduled activities together with the host or “foster” family. There are about 80 host families within the Desa Murni village who actively participates in this program. Wow!

On the other hand, in Kampungstay concept, guest can have the privacy in their own Rumah(no host family) but has the liberty to choose if they want to join the activities with host family or villagers for additional fee(s).

In our case, what we experienced was the Kampungstay concept which I will share with you as you read more.

So we stayed at Rumah 3(there are 7 Rumah or “House” inside Kampungstay), just beside the swimming pool which costs RM650/night. Yeah! the swimming pool is that near from our house. But since we are quite tired and was scheduled to go out for another activity in the afternoon, we just rested first and freshen ourselves a bit.

This is my room. I chose the bigger bed because I move a lot when I sleep hahaha!

There are actually 5 rooms inside our Rumah and each is equipped with toilet and bath room, cabinet, ceiling fan, air conditioner and some has vanity mirror desk. The other three rooms has 2 double-sized bed and  2 rooms has queen-sized bed just like mine. Towels are also provided, so you don’t need to bring one, unless of course you want to use your own. There are no toiletries inside the comfort room, so bring your own. Wi-fi connection is also available.

Got wrinkled clothes? no problem. Kampungstay Desa Murni has a flat iron and ironing board just in case you needed to straighten up those wrinkles on your clothes.

Our Rumah has its own kitchen equipped with kitchen tools, utensils, refigerator, electric kettle, rice cooker, and gas range. Just in case that you wanted to cook for your friends and family, you can do it here.

The dining area. Awww… I remember. This is where our Mangosteen session happened. We all looooove Mangosteen hahaha! It’s very evident in the picture. 🙂

Step into our living room. You can just sit back, relax and chat with your friends or loved ones while watching whatever cable channel is available. Yes, the TV has cable channels. Plus the speakers got nice sound output.

I just noticed this when I entered our Rumah. Eventhough the place has centralized airconditioning units on common areas of the house, you will see a lot of open spaces and holes. Plus the place is mostly made of wood. But I really don’t mind at all. Actually, it adds up to the feel-at-home ambiance that the place is exuding. It’s like a mix of traditional old and modern house concept.

The wooden designs are really nice, and very instagramable material. That pretty much explains the picture above hahaha. Follow me by the way on Instagram: @Girlandboythingph.

Treat and pamper yourself. Book a schedule for massage, sauna, body scrub and other pampering services at D’Ani Home Spa by Homestay Resort Desa Murni. 

For activities, seminars, special occassions, etc., you may book for this gazebo at Kampungstay Desa Murni.

And so we were fetched by these two gentlemen for our afternoon and night activities. Meet Khairul Hakimin bin Dato Haji Sahariman, Manager of Kampungstay Desa Murni and his father Haji Sahariman, President of Malaysia Homestay Enterpreneur Association and also the Vice President for Malaysia Tourism Council. 

One of the activities that you can do in Kampungstay Desa Murni in Temerloh, Pahang Malaysia… Rubber tree tapping.

#AirAsiainKualaLumpur #Kampungstay #Homestay #KampungstayDesaMurni #VisitPahang2017 #PahangMalaysia #Temerloh #Pahang #MalaysiaTrulyAsia #TourismMalaysia #GirlandboythingTravel

A video posted by GirlAndBoyThing.com (@girlandboythingph)

For our first activity, we toured around the Rubber farm located just within the Homestay Desa Murni area. Our group  were able to encounter different trees planted in the farm such as Rubber trees, Palm trees, including the fruit-bearing ones like Rambutan, Durian, Coconut and Langsat or popularly known as Lanzones  in the Philippines just to name a few. We also witnessed Rubber tapping done by Khairul Hakimin bin Dato Haji Sahariman.

Just a warning, make sure that you put a generous amount of insect repellant all over your body including your face even on covered areas because there are a lot of mosquitos in the farm, As in a lot!.

After our quick farm tour, we headed straight to Haji Sahariman’s house to eat some light meals.  Just like us Filipinos, Malays are very hospitable and warm with their visitors. We did not feel so foreign, well, except for the language and food of course. But other than that, their ways and our ways are almost the same. They also do the “mano” as a sign of respect to elders.

For dinner, we drove to one of the villagers’ houses and we’re welcomed by Mohamed and Zauyah Malek. We shared good stories and good food! Gosh I really love authentic Malay dishes!

The next day, breakfast were served at Samsudin Mat Salleh and Zabidah Mohd Yasin’s home. The food was really good! I can really eat all of these food everyday!. That’s how I love their food.

Aside from the activities above, there are more things to do during your stay at Kampungstay Desa Murni such as follows:

• Cycling
• Batik painting
• Fishing at Patin fish farm
• Tour around the Sunday Market Night Market, Temerloh and Mentakab town
• Attend special classes like Cooking class, Dancing class, Martial art class.
• Elephant feeding
• Many more!

If you are looking for a place to stay in Temerloh Pahang at the same time want to have a different kind of homestay experience, then you should go to Kampungstay Desa Murni.

HOW TO GO THERE? (Source: kampungstaydesamurni.com)

• Kampongstay Desa Murni just located  10 minutes from Exit Temerloh Toll Plaza of East Cost Highway/Lebuh Raya Pantai Timur (LPT) and 45 minutes from Jerantut town. Located nearby the main road and clear signboard, you will have no trouble to find our location. Turn right after LPT Temerloh Exit and after 3 kilometer you will see BHP Station on your right. First Kampungstay junction is on the right before the BHP Station then there will be another three (3) junction with Kampungstay sign. Just 500 meter going to Kmpungstay. ( LOT 1674 JALAN HOMESTAY, KAMPUNG DESA MURNI SANGGANG, 28020 TEMERLOH PAHANG)
• Either fly to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) or via Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Airport,located at Kuantan, Pahang. Both of it will take approximately 2 hours to reach Temerloh Toll Plaza.

GOOD NEWS! Air Asia Philippines will soon have Manila-Kuala Lumpur flights 3x daily starting Oct 29, and Cebu -Kuala Lumpur flights 4x weekly starting Oct 30, 2016.

For more information, inquiries and booking, please contact Kampungstay Desa Murni, you may visit www.kampungstaydesamurni.com

Booking hotline -609-284 7949 / +6012-5534715
Look for Iqbaal or Hafiz 0125534715(SMS/WhatsApp)
Email- kampungstay@yahoo.com.my

For more information and inquiries about other destinations in Malaysia, you may contact Tourism Malaysia at:

Address: 9th Floor, No. 2, Tower 1, Jalan P5/6, Presint 5, 62200, Putrajaya, Malaysia

Telephone Number: +603-8891 8000

Email: enquiries@tourism.gov.my

Website: http://www.tourism.gov.my/

#VisitPahang2017 #MalaysiaTrulyAsia #TourismMalaysia #AirAsiaInKualaLumpur

It is sad to know that due to development and inevitable progress, the Asian elephants'(Elephas maximus) natural habitats are being disturbed and slowly destroyed. Imagine there are only 1,200 wild Asian elephants roaming around the Peninsular Malaysia and 40,ooo in whole Asia. And if their habitats are continously ruined, these poor elephants may face extinction as we know it and will be just a history that we can see in books, magazines and internet.

Thankfully, the Department of Wildlife and National Parks Peninsular Malaysia has been doing thorough efforts through the National Elephant Conservation Centre or also known as Kuala Gandah Elephant Orphanage Sanctuary in saving and relocating these displaced gentle giants including the orphaned ones.

Established in 1989, the National Elephant Conservation Centre has trained a number of elephants from Thailand and Malaysia for help in transfering wild elephants from their old dangerous habitat going to a newer and safer habitat within Peninsular Malaysia specifically in the protected natural habitats such as Taman Negara (National Park) and in Sungai Ketiar, Terengganu. Please do watch the video show to know more about how they save elephants.

According to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (NRE), “Protecting the Asian elephants help to safeguard thousands of other species within its habitat. The elephant creates vital natural pathways by knocking over trees, allowing smaller species to feed, as well as dispersing plant seeds via its dung. However, due to habitat loss, elephants are forced to hunt for food in areas surrounding forest such as plantations and orchards. This initiate human-elephant conflict when they started to raid crops on a massive scale. This is why the translocation team has such a dire responsibility to catch and relocate these elephants in order to minimize the damage and also to harm to the elephants.”

I love animals and I’m really thankful to AirAsia Philippines and Tourism Malaysia for bringing me to this place. It was actually my first super near encounter with the elephants and I really enjoyed the experience so much. So let me share with you my experience during my visit to the National Elephant Conservation Centre.

Upon arrival and registration at the centre, our group went straight to the video room because the presentation  already has started. Luckily, we were still able to watch the main points of the video documentary about Department of Wildlife and National Parks Peninsular Malaysia and National Elephant Conservation Centre’s joint effort for elephant translocation activity. The said video presentation was filmed year 1996 together with National Geographic to educate the public regarding the importance of  different species, how they are interrelated and habitat protection.

VIDEO SHOW SCHEDULE:

Just outside the video room, there’s a mini gallery(museum) about elephants, including a display of an elephant’s skeleton.

Here’s a short video before my very first elephant feeding experience.

So excited to feed the #elephants here at the National Elephant Conservation Centre. ? #AirAsiaInKualaLumpur #Malaysia #MalaysiaTrulyAsia #TourismMalaysia #TeamMalaysia #PahangMalaysia #Pahang #GirlandboythingPh

A video posted by GirlAndBoyThing.com (@girlandboythingph) on Sep 12, 2016 

Feeding elephants was really fun. Just a reminder, only feed the elephants with the official food being sold in the centre which is just a few steps away from the feeding area. For the sugarcane its RM 3 per pack and for the peanuts, it’s RM4 per pack. Or you can feed them with fruits like papaya and watermelon. There are 6 elephants that you can feed in the feeding area.

There’s another feeding opportunity with the elephants after the centre introduced each of the elephants’ background and ability to the visitors. They also prepared free chopped watermelons for everyone. Weeee! another feeding sesh. By the way, Do not forget to wash your hands after feeding the elephants. There are faucets nearby that you can use.

Just in case you get hungry after feeding the elephants, there’s a cafe there inside NECC where you can grab some quick meals.

Going back to the activities, have the opportunity to watch the cleaning and bathing of elephants. These elephants are soooooo cute! They’re like todlers playing in the pool. How I wish I could bathe them myself. Unfortunately, we don’t have the luxury of time. So maybe when I get back, I will. There used to be elephant riding activity for the visitors, but it is no longer available.

When you’re done with your activities at NECC, you may go to this elephant-shaped standee at the entrance and stick your visitor’s sticker to it. Join the fun guys hehehe!

Entrance is FREE. But it would be nice if you would extend your helping hand by donating any amount to the Elephant Trust Fund, so that the Department of Wildlife and National Parks Peninsular Malaysia and National Elephant Conservation Centre in Kuala Gandah can continously enhance their existing facilities for research and development. With these efforts, more elephants can be saved! You may contact NECC for more details.

National Elephant Conservation Centre (NECC)

Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP/PERHILITAN)

Kuala Gandah, 28500 Lanchang Pahang Darul Makmur

Tel: 609-2790391

Fax: 609-2790398

Email: kualagandah@wildlife.goy.my

Website: www.wildlife.gov.my

HOW TO GO THERE:

The National Elephant Conservation Centre at Kuala Gandah is a 2-hour drive away from the city of Kuala Lumpur.

From KL, take the Karak Highway heading towards Lancang District, passing the Karak Village along the way. Once in Lancang, you should be able to see a BP gas station by the side of the road. Turn left into the road before the gas station, then follow the ample road signs along the way and head towards Bolok. You will pass an Orang Asli settlement and at the end of that road, you will reach the Kuala Gandah Elephant Orphanage Sanctuary. The journey takes between 2 to 2 1/2 hours and is 160km from Kuala Lumpur. (Source: http://www.malaysia.travel)

(From L-R) Siti our tour guide, Kate from Air Asia, Cristelle of girlandboything.com(me), Rey of Lifestylebucket.com, Jolo the videographer and Elly our driver/tourguide.

I suggest, to prevent from getting lost is that you go there by joining or availing an organized tour.

By the way, Air Asia Philippines will soon have Manila-Kuala Lumpur flights 3x daily starting Oct 29, and Cebu -Kuala Lumpur flights 4x weekly starting Oct 30, 2016. So plan your trip and #VisitPahang the soonest!

I really enjoyed going to this place. Hopefully, in the near future, I can go back again to try other activities and donate as well to save more elephants. Hope you could include National Elephant Conservation Centre in Kuala Gandah  in your itenerary when you visit Pahang, Malaysia.

For more information and inquiries about other destinations in Malaysia, you may contact Tourism Malaysia at:

Address: 9th Floor, No. 2, Tower 1, Jalan P5/6, Presint 5, 62200, Putrajaya, Malaysia

Telephone Number: +603-8891 8000

Email: enquiries@tourism.gov.my

Website: http://www.tourism.gov.my/

#VisitPahang2017 #MalaysiaTrulyAsia #TourismMalaysia #AirAsiaInKualaLumpur

When I was a kid, I used to fear going to cemeteries. Maybe it was a result of watching too much horror movies and documentaries on television during halloween, where they usually use cemeteries as a setting. And even if i’m an adult now, there’s still a very odd feeling whenever I pass through funeral parlors and cemeteries.

And just lately, I was invited to the weirdest and interesting blog event I have ever attended to hahaha!… the Phoenician Memorial Chapel & Crematory (Phoenix)and Centennial Garden in Sta. Rosa Laguna, where a Necro-tourism site will rise very soon.

So we first toured around Phoenician Memorial Chapel & Crematory Inc. (Phoenix). Equipped with modern facilities and amenities. Upon entering the main lobby, you would already notice a hotel-like look. Actually, you would never think that it is a funeral place, unless of course you already knew about them.

Phoenix guarantees qulality funeral services that can cater all their client’s funeral needs. Yes, they truly mean “quality funeral services”. Just like what I mentioned earlier, Phoenix has modern facilities which came from US and I have seen their “working” area and it was really clean. Sterilized equipments, no foul odor inside, professional embalmer, it’s like i’m inside an operating room. Knowing these things, you will know that your departed loved one is in good hands.

Cremation services and packages are also available at Phoenix. This is the crematory room. The family also has the option to view the whole process if they want to. 

Phoenix also has very nice viewing chapels that can accommodate up to 300 guests each. Each viewing chapel is  fully air-conditioned and equipped with purifiers for the comfort of Phoenix’s clients and their guests. These chapels has sound-proof partition as well that gives clients the freedom to chat with their guests without worrying that they are disturbing the other guests. Phoenix also made a way to at least easen that heavy feeling. Instead of passing the coffin from the main door, down the aisle which causes attention and adds a sorrowful ambiance to the family and guests, they created and placed back doors for the coffin to pass through.

Phoenix also offers funeral cordination services where they will handle all funeral needs and programs depending on the family’s preference.

Some viewing chapels offer family rooms and bedrooms that are equipped with cable TV, DVD, WIFI, refrigerator, microwave oven water dispenser, dining table, chairs, King and Queen size Bedroom so that the family can rest well. We all know how exhausting it is physically, mentally and emotionally having this kind of moment and with the facilities above, family members don’t have to travel back and forth just to rest. Unless of course they needed to get something or run some errands.

Even though the facilities are very high-end looking, to my surprise, their services are pretty affordable. Phoenix can also adjust service packages that are tailored-fit on the financial capability of their clients—starting with a PHP20,000.00 for residential and Proximity viewing.

Service Package includes:

• Transfer of the body to our care which include embalming and other preparations
• Casket
• Viewing & Visitation Facilities
• 24-hour assistance from the Funeral Director and Staff
• Securing all the necessary permits
• Registration of Death Certificate
• Funeral Hearse for Interment

On the other hand, Centennial Garden will change how you perceive and feel about cemeteries. With the construction of its first-ever leisure memorial park, specifically the necro-tourism part, Centennial Garden will not only offer a best place for quality-time among friends and relatives but also can walk on one of the famous phases in World History.

The Centennial Garden is nestled on verdant natural surroundings but is bordered by hallmarks and a touch of modern Greek architecture that exude an aura of comfort, serenity and beauty. This leisure memorial park has a very comfortable facilities for visitors, 24/7 security, and regular professional service maintenance.

Pardon for my photos, since it’s quite dark already when we started touring around the place. There are a few mausoleums already in place, and of all the mausoleums there, the 2nd photo(Hannah’s Place) has a very touching story. Hannah was a 7-year old girl who dreamt of going to Disneyland. Unfortunately, she got sick and died without being able to visit her dream place. This is the reason why her mauseleum looks like a castle. Her parents decided to build a disneyland-like place in memory of their loving daughter.

There are more facilities and amenities to see inside the Centennial Garden such as follows:

Centennial Garden Ecumenical Chapel

Centennial Garden Water Plaza

Centennial Garden Park Shed

Centennial Garden Playground

Centennial Garden Bone Crypt Olympus

Centennial Garden Acropolis

Eventhough it’s a bit ackward touring in a place like this, but surprisingly, I was really impressed. I hope we also have this kind of affordable services and facilities in the metro.

For more information and inquiries about Phoenix Memorial Chapel & Crematory and Centennial Garden, you may contact them at:

CENTENNIAL GARDEN

Telephone Number: 861-4063 to 64

Fax No: 861-6152

Mobile Numbers: 0917-8838372, 0918-8888884, 0917-8838354

Website: www.centennial.ph

PHOENIX MEMORIAL CHAPEL & CREMATORY

Telephone Number: (049)534-1000

Mobile Number: 0918-9111114

Email: phoenixmemeorialchapels@yahoo.com / phoenixmemeorialchapels@gmail.com

Website: www.OnePhoenix.com.ph

I’ve been to Malaysia once when I fetch my sister who came from Australia, where she had a 22-hour layover before flying back to the Philippines. Since we had limited time to tour around, we just picked some locations that are much accessible to us either by train or bus. We went to Batu Caves, Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur Gallery, Jalan Alor, and Genting Highlands. It was a very tiring but fulfilling day. That was about 3-4 years ago.

And now, I’m going back again in Malaysia. My 2nd time to be exact. This time, on a different location, specifically in Pahang. Thanks to AirAsia Philippines and Tourism Malaysia for sponsoring our trip.

One quick photo before take off. 🙂

#TeamPahang Rey, Kate, Jolo, and me!

TOUCHDOWN! Woot! I am really excited for this 4-day trip to Pahang, Malaysia. New places to visit, new food to try, new people to meet, and of course new culture to learn about. 🙂

Since we arrived quite late in Kuala Lumpur, around past 9 o’ clock and we are quite hungry. We looked for something to fill our tummy first. There are a lot of food establishments inside Kuala Lumpur International Airport  2 and we found this foodcourt style dining area named Quizinn by RASA food court, where different cuisines are being sold like Middle East, Chinese, Korean and Japanese food to name a few.

Eating late dinner here at KLIA2. My 1st meal… Ramen!!! ?Hahaha! Where am i? ? ?Using @Asus Zenfone Max #Malaysia #KualaLumpur #ASEAN #Ramen #Foodtrip #Dinner

A photo posted by GirlAndBoyThing.com (@girlandboythingph) on Sep 11, 2016 

And my first meal in Malaysia… Ramen! hahahah! Well, for sure I will be eating Malaysian dishes for the next few days, so I will give in to my cravings first. 🙂

Headin’ at @TuneHotels to stay for the night… Busy day later. Need to recharge! ?? #AirAsiaInKualaLumpur #Malaysia #MalaysiaTrulyAsia #TourismMalaysia #TeamMalaysia #TuneHotels

A photo posted by GirlAndBoyThing.com (@girlandboythingph) on Sep 11, 2016 

After eating dinner, our group headed to Tune Hotels which is just walking-distance from the airport proper. Actually, it is just within the vicinity of the KLIA 2 so it’s very convenient to go there.

Entering @TuneHotels in KLIA 2 Sepang. Wow! First time to see this hotel. Super nice and cozy lobby! More details soon in my blog www.GirlandBoyThing.com @Malaysia.Truly.Asia #AirAsiaInKualaLumpur #TuneHotels #TeamMalaysia #Hotel #Accommodation #BoardAndLodging #TourismMalaysia #KLIA2 #GirlandboythingTravel

A video posted by GirlAndBoyThing.com (@girlandboythingph)

I love the Tune Hotels’  main lobby. The interiors are so modern and the fixtures looks cozy. Even though the color motif of Tune Hotels is white, red and black, it is still pleasing and not straining to the eye.

Hallway going to our room. Tune Hotels is a budget hotel so please, don’t expect a 5-star hotel like look. But surprisingly, the place is really well-maintained.

Our room has the basic room fixtures like comfort room, comfy bed, LED television, safety deposit box, and cabinet(just in case you will unpack). We will just stay there for just one night so we just needed a place to sleep and rest before the busy day tomorrow.

This is the view outside from our hotel room. Eventhough we are so near the airport, we did not hear any noise coming fom the airplanes. Nice!

Before we leave going to Pahang, we had our breakfast first at The Glasshouse Kafe at the ground level of Tune Hotels. Of course, I wouldn’t pass on Chef Elle’s Nasi Lemak for breakfast. Super fave!

There’s also a computer area outside the Glasshouse Kafe where you can have access to the internet and beside it is a very cute little coffee area.

After checking-out, it’s now time to go to Pahang, Malaysia. I’ve never been to that place before, so I’m really excited! It will be another 1st for me. But before I tell you where we are going for the next few days, let’s know some facts about Pahang, Malaysia.

Pahang, the largest state in Peninsular Malaysia, is endowed with a diverse range of attractions. Nearly two-thirds of the state is enveloped in verdant rainforest, making it a magnificent enclave of lush greenery, exotic wildlife and an abundance of natural attractions.

Kuantan, the administrative capital, is an interesting discovery of modern buildings and charming cottage industries. Pahang’s majestic nature, beautiful beaches, bustling townships, quaint villages, friendly people, unique craft and delicious food make for mesmerising and unforgettable vacations – (Source: Asiatravel.com)

Wanna know where we are going? It’s a 4-day trip, so our schedule is kinda hectic and tight. But surely, it will be so much fun!

Day One

National Elephant Conservation Centre in Kuala Gandah, Malaysia

Kampungstay Desa Murni

Day Two

Bukit Gambang Resort City in Kuantan, Pahang,  Malaysia

Bukit Gambang Water Park inside Bukit Gambang Resort City in Kuantan, Pahang,  Malaysia

Bukit Gambang Safari Park inside Bukit Gambang Resort City in Kuantan, Pahang,  Malaysia

Simba Hill Gourmet Hall

Day Three

Sungai Lembing Museum in Pahang Darul Makmur

Sungai Lembing Tin Mines in Pahang Darul Makmur

The Zenith Hotel in Kuantan, Pahang.

Day Four

Teluk Cempedak Beach in Kuantan, Pahang.

Mangala Resort & Spa in Gambang, Pahang.

I’m suuuuper excited to go to these places! Will give you more details about each location soon here in my blog. So visit my blog www.GirlandBoyThing.com for updates. 🙂

How To Go To Pahang? (Source: asiatravel.com)

• Pahang is accessible from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) via a 40-minute flight. By the way, Air Asia Phiilippines will soon have Manila-Kuala Lumpur flights 3x daily starting Oct 29, and Cebu -Kuala Lumpur flights 4x weekly starting Oct 30.

• There is also a good road link from Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Kota Bharu in Kelantan. Express air-conditioned buses and taxis to Kuantan, the state capital, are available from Kuala Lumpur.

• The state is also accessible by rail through the towns of Mentakab and Kuala Lipis from Kuala Lumpur and Kota Bharu.

Tip: For your convenience, you may also arrange your tour to Pahang with your chosen travel agency(if they offer Pahang tour packages) to lessen the hassle.

#VisitPahang2017 #MalaysiaTrulyAsia

Planning on where to go in Hong Kong? You should include Madame Tussauds on your HK travel itenerary. I really had fun visiting the place. It was really worth it for me.

Madame Tussauds Hong Kong is located on the second floor of the Peak Tower at the Victoria Peak, same building where Sky Terrace 428, the highest 360° viewing terrace in Hong Kong is located.

Madame Tussauds Hong Kong is a wax museum founded by Madame Tussaud, a known artist in France,London, exhibiting different life-size wax figures of world famous people and characters. There are also other branches in other parts of the world which are located at:

• Amsterdam
• Bangkok
• Sydney
• Las Vegas
• Shanghai
• Berlin
• Washington, D.C.
• New York City
• Orlando
• Hollywood
• Singapore

Luckily, when I went to Hong Kong I was able to squeeze in to my itenarary this amazing place. Madame Tussauds Hong Kong is divided into different sections which I will show you as you read along. I will also include some photos(not all), just so you know slightly what to expect to see there.

Hong Kong Glamour

You can have your photos taken together with Hollywood A-list stars and celebrities from other countries like Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Kelly Chen, Nicole Kidman, Li Bingbing, Ethan Juan, Johnny Depp and many more!

Johnny Depp

Nicole Kidman

Robert Pattinson

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt

Bruce Lee

Marilyn Monroe

Audrey Hepburn

Music Icons

In the Music Icons section, you can pose and sing a song with your favorite musical stars, like Lady Gaga, Maddona, Michael Jackson and a whole lot more.

Lady Gaga

Maddona

Michael Jackson

The Beatles

KPop Star Zone

Do you love Korean series, music, movies? Get a chance to meet some of your favorite Korean stars in Madame Tussauds Hong Kong.

Nichkhun Horvejkul

TVXQ

Bae Yong-joon

Leon Lai

The Champions

At the Champions exhibitget the chance to meet some of the greatest sport athletes and personalities like Tiger Woods, Yao Ming, Liu Xiang, Lee Lai Shan and many more.

Yao Ming

David Beckham

Maria Sharapova

Muhammad Ali

Look Tiger Woods is teaching me how to play golf!

Action Figure and other Fun Characters

In this section, you will get to see different fictional characters seen in comics, big screen and even television.

Ironman

The Hulk

Wolverine

Tow Fomes Pig

Hello Kitty

Historical and National Heroes

 Meet world leaders from the past and present and some important people in the history of mankind.

Lee Kwan Yew

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip

Princess Diana

Saddam Hussein

Adolf Hitler

William Shakespeare

Mahatma Gandhi

Albert Einstein

I was really amazed on how these life-size wax figures were made. They seemed very real and really looked-alike with the real ones. So cool!

Get to see all of the above personalities and more from 10:00a.m.10:00p.m. at Madame Tussauds Hong Kong for only:

• HKD 215 for adult
• HKD 145 for child (aged 3 to 11)
• HKD 145 for the elderly (aged 65 or above)

For ticket packages, you may visit Madame Tussauds official website www.madametussauds.com for more details.

HOW TO GO: (source- discoverhongkong.com)

• Take bus 15C from Central Pier 8 or walk from MTR Central Station Exit J2 to take the Peak Tram from the Peak Tram Lower Terminus on Garden Road; or,
• bus 15 from Exchange Square bus terminus (near MTR Hong Kong Station, Exit D); or,
• minibus 1 from the public transport interchange at MTR Hong Kong Station, Exit E.

So there you go. I hope that you enjoy your trip to Madam Tussauds the way I enjoyed mine. 🙂

When I was young, I only see Banaue Rice Terraces or Hagdan-Hagdang Palayan of Banaue in books, magazines, postcards and TV. I never thought that I can visit and see the place in my lifetime. Look how beautiful it is. No wonder UNESCO included it to their world heritage list.

Seeing a place like this is priceless. You cannot see this kind of scenery in the metro. The view itself is so relaxing and very pleasing to the eye. OOOH! Just look at that! the color of nature plus no hint of pollution. I am really amazed how Ifugao people were able to create something like this using their bare hands or maybe with the help of few primitive tools. Imagine how hard it was back then. I salute their hardwork and passion.

Banaue Rice Terraces is just one of the places we visited during our Cordillera trip. I have huge fear of heights and most of the time during our Cordillera travel from one place to another, I was really nervous because there were roads with aftermaths of landslides. Plus lots and lots and lots of cliffs,  pretty scary. But all those fear were taken away with a pituresque like this. I must say, It’s all worth it.

For 2,000 years, the high rice fields of the Ifugao have followed the contours of the mountains. The fruit of knowledge handed down from one generation to the next, and the expression of sacred traditions and a delicate social balance were maintained. They have helped to create a landscape of great beauty that expresses the harmony between humankind and the environment. – (SOURCE: whc.unesco.org/)

The Banaue Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras is an outstanding example of an evolved, living cultural landscape that can be traced as far back as two millennia ago in the pre-colonial Philippines. The terraces are located in the remote areas of the Philippine Cordillera mountain range on the northern island of Luzon, Philippine archipelago. While the historic terraces cover an extensive area, the inscribed property consists of five clusters of the most intact and impressive terraces, located in four municipalities.  They are all the product of the Ifugao ethnic group, a minority community that has occupied these mountains for thousands of years.- (SOURCE: whc.unesco.org/)

Sir George Tapan using his great skills in photography. Thank you sir for tagging me along in this trip. 🙂

You can view this man-made beauty perfectly at the Banaue Rice Terraces View deck.

If you are looking for souvenirs or pasalubong for your family, friends or for yourself, there’s a souvenir shop located at the roofdeck area. You can also rent an Ifugao costume there and have your picture taken with Ifugao locals for a certain amount. There are also several souvenir shops along the road so you’re pretty covered with the pasalubong thing.

Just like what I said earlier, I’m really glad that in my lifetime, I was able to see Banaue Rice Terraces with my very own eyes. I hope you too can see it for yourself and include it to your travel list. 🙂

Finally, our last stop for our Northern Mindanao leg of Organic Agriculture farm tour… The Mt. Kitanglad Agri-Ecological Techno-Demo Center (MKAETDC).

Mt. Kitanglad Agri-Ecological Techno-Demo Center is a 22-hectare upland farm located at Sinaburan, Imbayao Malaybalay City in Bukidnon. Owned by, again, a husband and wife tandem Mr. & Mrs. Benjamin Maputi.

Compared to the other organic farms that we visited in Bukidnon, you will feel a very laid-back ambiance in the MKAETDC. But I like it! it is so natural. I feel like i’m one with the nature.

So this is where we were supposed to sleep that night. There’s no need for electric fan since it is cold in the place. Malaybalay City is said to be the “South Summer Capital of the Philippines”  so there’s a natural cold air circulating around us.

This is Mt. Kitanglad Agri-Ecological Techno-Demo Center learning site where we had our short briefing and had our sumptuous organic lunch.

For our refreshment, the center made us this freshly-made passion fruit juice. It’s the best! Too bad I was not able to ask how do they make one.

After our lunch, Sir Benjamin took us to a guided tour around MKAETDC(well, not all the 22-hextare land hahaha, just a portion of it). He’s really a very simple and humble man.

Going back, Mt. Kitanglad Agri-Ecological Techno-Demo Center is very active in protecting Mt. Kitanglad and promotes sustainable upland farming systems in the area which covers different organic farming activities such as:

UPLAND FARMING SYSTEM

RAIN FORESTRATION

A century-old tree

HONEYBEE CULTURE

Actually, this is not the actual Honeybee culture site. Wasn’t able to see the area. Just saw this beehive hanging in the tree while we were touring the area.

NURSERY OPERATION

LIVESTOCKS

Cattle Raising. Me not Included. Hahaha!

Duck Raising

Fish Raising

ECOLOGICAL WALK AND CAMPING

Imagine, I’ve already seen so many things within the center’s vicinity which is actually just a part of the whole property. Tiring but rewarding. Actually there’s more.

Mt. Kitanglad Agri-Ecological Techno-Demo Center also raises frogs which also helps in insect control.

The center also makes essential oil like Citronella which they actually sold for Php100-P120 pesos. Not sure for the exact price.

Lastly, I love how disciplined organic farms are when it comes to waste segregation. How these farms practices zero-waste just to protect and conserve the environment.

Too bad, we have to cut our stay in the center due to unforseen situations. But I really learned a lot from our short stay at Mt. Kitanglad Agri-Ecological Techno-Demo Center . I am really amazed how Organic Farmer like Mr. Maputi manages the center with a big land area. Such a rewarding experience.

For more information about Mt. Kitanglad Agri-Ecological Techno-Demo Center, you may contact Agricultural Training Institute:

Address: Eliptical Road, Diliman, Quezon City( Near North Avenue)

Phone: +63-2-9298541 to 49

Email: ati_director@yahoo.com

Website: http://www.ati.da.gov.ph