Tanjung Piai

Tadi semua dok boring kat umah.
So memasing dok pk mana nak pegi.
Aku pun suggest la,jom pergi Tanjung Piai.Tanjung Piai ni lokasinya kat Pontian.Tempat paling selatan untuk Asia bg Mainland.
Aku tak kisah janji laut.Tak pernah lagi sampai sini.

Dalam kul 3 bertolak dari rumah.Berenti makan jap kat Pulai Perdana then bertolak.Sampai dalam pukul 5 camtu.

Parking kat sini memang banyak.Buka dari pukul9 sampai pukul 7mlm.Bayaran Rm5 dewasa dan Rm3 kanak2.
Tapi kawasan ni tak berjaga sangat.Banyak kemudahan dan rosak.Lampu toilet pun tadak.Toilet dahla dlm hutan.scary.
Pastu byk kawasan ditutup.Menara pun tutup maybe sbb titi kayu yg ada tu dah reput and diorang xbaiki lagi.
Aku rasa kawasan ni potensi tinggi as a tourist spot cuma kena perbaiki infrastruktur dia.
Kalau dia ada buat cam cafe dlm tu,lagi ramai org suka pegi kot.

Tapi yang sgt best adalah pemandangan kat tepi laut.Angin pun bertiup sepoi-sepoi bahasa je.Memang sesuai untuk bersantai.Tempat tu macam ada gazebo dan bench untuk duduk2.Masa aku pergi orang tak ramai,so kitaorg conquer the whole gazebo.
Makanan boleh bawak tapi yg penting simpan dalam bag.Sebab monyet banyak sepanjang perjalanan nak ke tgh laut.

Tempat ni sesuai juagk nak jadikan tempat photoshoot utk wedding.
Aku suka struktur jambatan dia dengan pemandangan awan dia.

Apakata korang datang sini?2014 tahun melawat Malaysia.:-)

New experience

Ahad lepas, aku membuka minda aku jap..join one journey dgn totally strangers.tp pastu takut ajakla student aku sorang teman(read is as klu pancit ada org tlg tunggu so tak malu sgt)
Kitaorg start berkumpul dekat shell tebrau..ada 3keta konvoi.total participant 10 org.pastu benti jap sarapan kat kota then gerak sampai kaki gunung panti.
Kitaorg naik kat barat sbb tanak bayar.lagipun ada dua org pendaki berpengalaman so xdelah cuak.
Bermula perjalanan yang berliku..ada 3checkpoint utama..masa second checkpoint tu aku dah mcm rs nak pancit.sib baik la ada student aku..dok bg air, makanan..risau kot aku pengsan..tp dengan berzikir dan setting mind yg ni cabaran cam aku buat phd, aku gagahkan jugak.alhamdulillah berjaya sampai kat atas.
This trip memang best sangat and inspire me a lot.walaupun ada beberapa cabaran dihadapi dan sampai la ni peha masih ada ketegangan, tapi aku rs ia merupakan pengalaman berharga dan sebuah trip yg bg kekuatan mental utk aku.thanx utk semua yg join, zana and brother,kak bell,atun, nizam, hafizal, medan ngan awek dan tak lupa student aku yg gagah perkasa..haha..looking forward to the next trip..yes jb climbers lets rock!!!!

El Conquistador Hotel

Room

Sunset from the ocean view room

I  had a booking at Garden view room but when we arrived and checked in, they upgrade our room to the ocean view room. The view from our room was amazing especially during sunset and sunrise.

The Marina from the upper block

The room was so clean, and prepared with all the basic toiletries. Coffee and Tea are prepared for free but we have to pay 3.50 USD for a small bottle of mineral water.The room was spacious and enough to accommodate a family of 3. The discounted price was 165 USD per night.

Service
Overall the service was good. They response to my complain efficiently.All staff were helpful and friendly.

Food
Since the breakfast was included in the hotel (Bed and breakfast), so we took our breakfast everyday.This is one way of saving.:-). The breakfast was prepared by La Brisas cafe. I gave 4/5 stars for the breakfast. Although they only served American breakfast here, but the varieties of breads, desserts and fruits was great.

Variety of breads

I enjoyed the fruits very much since we were served with tropical fruits.(Nampak sangat rindu Malaysia).In spite of the breakfast, I have ordered a dinner during the first night. I had Salmon and baked potato and also Chocolate Cake as dessert. The food was excellent even the price is a bit high.But I enjoyed my food so much and for me it worth the money.

Tropical fruits

Facilities

Water boat

1) Swimming Pool
I never had chance to swim, but from my observation this facility was very good. The swimming pool is open 24 hours everyday. And I didn't saw any restriction regarding the swimming attire. Even somebody going in with Tshirt. So no discrimination :-) 

2) Private Island

One of the souvenior shop at the island

This was the most beautiful places in this hotel. Palomino Island have a very beautiful beach. We can enjoy relaxing on the beach, or doing activities like Kayaking, Snorkeling, jet skiing and many more. From this island we can take a boat to Polaminino Island. A small island that been used as an ending scene in the Pirates of the Carrebean film(I didnt remember which one).Actually this island is owned by one of the richest person of Puerto Rico and rented to the hotel. 

Polamino island-breathtaking view

3) Private Parking
The hotel offer a private parking with fee. I think it was 15USD pernight for hotel guest. I didn't used this parking as I have complementary parking from the Enterprise company(I rent a car from Enterprise).

4) Car Rental
Enterprise offer in house car rental with free parking. The service was very good and the person in charge was very helpful. I paid 245 USD include CDW insurance and other fees for 3days. It is advisable to rent car since the hotel is quite isolated.And they doesn't have public transport other than taxi.The taxi price usually fix for each destination and its quite pricey.

5) Airport shuttle 

The airport shuttle was provided for those coming from Luiz Munoz Marin International Airport. But this service is not free. It cost 74USD per return trip.However this price is really cheap compared to taxi service. Usually taxi will charge 110USD per one trip.

6) Others,
There are a lots of restaurant and small convenient stores inside the hotel. But all things are expensive compared to other stores outside the hotel. If you have car, you can drive to nearest Plaza Fajardo (10 minutes from the hotel) to buy some groceries.

My favorite picture-the way

Cable car down to the Marina

Caution

Since this hotel is a resort, and every payment will be charged to the room bill, therefore we need to pay extra 150 deposit per night additional to the room rate during the check in.And we were never expect such of this since in Europe, normally the hotel did not take any deposit.Shocking!

One more thing that bother us is the tips. We don't know how much should we tips. Even for buffet breakfast, we have to pay tips for the person who serve us water and tea.Just imagine that you have to spent at least 20-25 USD per day just for tips.Pheww!

For overall review of this hotel, I give 4/5 stars because I enjoyed my stay.

Driving in Puerto Rico

It is kind of new experience for me to drive in Puerto Rico.I never thought that I will be given an opportunity to do this.Since Puerto Rico is a very nice island,the driving experience was really great.

The road condition
I think the road condition is similar like Malaysia but in some cases we have a better structure.In here,people are driving at the right side of the road and driver position in the car is at the left hand side. The exit of highway are not limited to the left side but you will also have an exit at the right side.So you should be careful and confirm where you are heading to.
Normal road has two lane,and in highway sometimes they have up to four lanes but roads inside a village and small town are usually narrow and dangerous since most of the roads are dark.
Amazingly,it is barely to see motorcyclist since most of the people didn't use motorcycle as a daily transport.So it is easier to drive compare to Malaysia.

The cars
I found that many people in here using Toyota.And most of the taxi using big cars like four wheel drive. We can also see nice cars like Maserati,Jaguar and Porsche strolling along the road.

Traffic
Similar to Malaysia,the traffic is quite heavy in cities like San Juan and they have a very bad traffic during peak hours as well.Usually traffic is smooth in the morning during weekend.

People
The drivers here can be said as kind.They will give you lane when necessary and it is nearly impossible to see they driving so near behind you.Especially when you are following the speed limit.What I can see,if they want to overtake you,they will use the right lane instead of making you panic or beaming to you.This is really rare condition in Malaysia.People in Puerto Rico sometimes didn't like to use signals when they make a turn,so be careful.

Regulation
In highway the maximum speed is 65 miles per hour which is more and less 110 km/h.And the maximum speed limit in the normal road is 50 miles per hour.In highway you have to pay toll and similar to Malaysia,they have the express lane,cash lane and automatic lane.You need to have a certain device to use in express lane.The que at the cash lane were very long especially during holidays.And at some of the booth they didn't provide you the change.Instead they will provide you a prepaid card which you can use if you have enough money in it.And also if you have some change when you pay,they will put the change in this card.

Important words
Words like velocidad maxima which mean max velocity,salida:exit, pare: stop, solo: turn, entrada: entrance are the most important words you have to remember when you are driving here.This words are in Spanish.

Road name
It is easier for you to remember the road name since all the road are named after a numbers.So when you study a map, you just need to remember the road numbers to your destination.

Gasoline stand
There are a lots of gasoline stand along the road.The price is not fixed but it is about 85 cent per litre.The rule here is you have to pay before you can refill your tank.So just do the estimation.They will give you back the change when you are done.For 900 km ride i have refilled my tank in about 49 dollars.By the way I am using Toyota Yaris, automatic gear.

Be careful
Be careful especially during the holidays night since there are a lots of crazy drunk drivers.Avoid a late night drive if possible.

Over all,it was a nice experienced.I'm get used with the road within one day.And the most important thing:this is the easiest and cheapest way to move between cities since they didn't have cheap public transport between the city.

St Andrew 2

Jom kita sambung cerita..
Lepas dah ambik gambar kat castle..menikmati keindahan lautan nan indah, aku terus menyusuri The Scores untuk menuju ke St Andrew Cathedral ruin dan St Rule tower. 
Cathedral ni tempat tinggalnya St Andrew Bishops pada zaman dulu. Ia dibina pada tahun 1158 (sgtla ancient kan) dan tidak digunakan lagi setelah berlakunya reformasi. Pembinaan Cathedral ni mengambil masa lebih dari 100 tahun.
St Rule tower pulak pada mulanya sebahagian dari Cathedral ni.Kiranya one of the important part in the Cathedral.
Kawasan ni kebanyakannya dah runtuh..tapi ada sebahagian bangunan dan tembok masih lagi kekal..sekitar tempat masuk penuh dengan kubur...tapi takde nampak scary langsung.Boleh selamba jer lalu, tepi2 tu.masa kitaorg sampai tu, adalah pengantin baru lepas selesai majlis kat situ.tengah dok sibuk2 nak bergambar.Disebakan cuaca yang sangat baik, memang best bergambar.

Pandangan dari luar

Kubur lama

One of the biggest structure left

Pengantin tu siap pandang lagi

St Rule Tower

Read the info here

bawah tu yang nampak macam lubang tu adalah lubang kubur yang dah dikorek hoccay. aku selamba jer panjat2.nasib baik tak kena sampuk hantu scottish.

Kesan runtuhan yang ketara

Padang yang cantik

Gedik + Tembun = GEBUN!!.Thank you!

Tembok sekitar

Cathedral entrance

Jalan sebelah Cathedral.Tak pasti kemana

Keluar dari kawasan Cathdral kitaorg jalan menyusuri kedai2 dekat South street. Ingatkan nak makan ice cream kat satu kedai yang famous ni. Sekali mak aih, tgk beratur mmg rasanya setengah jam pun tak dapat lagi kot.Dahla cuaca panas terik walaupun tak bahang. Heheh.kitaorang kaki dah ala2 sakit. So teruskan perjalanan sampai kawasan Holy Trinity Church. Sbb kat situ ada public toilet.Hahahha..sambil tunggu adik ipar aku buang air, kitaorang lepak2 kat kerusi. Pastu tinjau2 flea market depan church.

Vintage shop

Read it yourself

Lepak sambil tengok map(Read as berlakon)

description regarding the church

Habis berqada hajat masing2, kitaorang pun merayau la kat kedai2 charity. Kedai charity ni kadangkala boleh dapat barang first hand yang berjenama dengan harga murah. Aku dah tak larat masuk kedai, aku pergi lintas jalan, tengok2 kawasan Madras College.Depan padang Madras College ni ada satu bangunan.Macam runtuhan la.memula aku ingat apalah kan..Rupa rupanya, chapel..ala2 surau gitula.Nama chapel ni Blackfriars Chapel.Tapi aku ada nampak tangga turun kebawah tau dalam kawasan chapel ni. Malangnya kawasan ni dipagar.Sedih mak..

Blackfriars Chapel

The history of Madras College

Dipenghujung South Street ni ada satu pintu gerbang .Diorang panggil  kawasan ni West Port.West Port adalah pintu masuk bagi St Andrew sebenrnya. Ia dibina pada 1589 dan diubah suai pada tahun 1843. 

The West Port description

The whole view of West Port

St Andrew Golf Place

Dah habis South Street, kitaorang patah balik. Kali ni nak menuju pulak kat kawasan orang main golf. Takde maknanya kitaorang nak main.Cuma nak menikmati keindahan laut. Pulak tu dekat kawasan tu ada satu kawasan padang boleh melepak dan baring. Dah kawasan tempat main golf kan, nama jalan pun direct jer dia bagi Golf Place. hahahha..ok selain dari padang golf terbuka, kat sini ada satu monument dipanggil Martyr's monument.Ia dibina bagi mengingati reformasi yang diadakan oleh kumpulan Protestant.Monument ni dibina pada tahun 1842. Banyakla nama pejuang2 reformasi Protestant yang dilakar kat monument ni which is tak kuasa aku nak tengok. Hahahha..Sekarang diorang tengah kumpul dana untuk restore the monument.Kiranya bagi mengekalkan kawasan ni kot.

Disekeliling monument ni la ada padang yang amat la besar dan berbukit. Memang boleh buat filem la kat sini. Scene bercinta sure hot.Erh gatal!!!hahah..

Martyrs Monument

Adik ipar aku, dok lepak sini, tapi kitaorang pergi ke kawasan batu batan sebelah laut.Laut sangat sangat sangat cantik. Tak terkata. Pastu from this part boleh tgk kawasan atas bukit, Pemandangan memang menakjubkan. Kalau nak ukir nama atas batu pun boleh.

See there

Pemandangan dari tepi laut

Berakhir sudah...perjalanan mencari cinta.eh!eh! tetiba kan..actually this is the last stop kat St Andrew. Alkisah kaki pun dah tahap macam nak patah. Berapa byk agaknya kan kalori dibakar. So sekian::P

P.s: Lovely place, nice weather!

Scotland day 1

Perjalanan kitaorang bermula 23 december.sebab tanak terlambat,aku plan tidur di rumah junior aku di Mannheim. Kitaorang kena naik bas ke Frankfurt Hahn airport which is 1 jam 40 min masa perjalanan dari Mannheim. Station bas di Mannheim tu, just 5min dr rumah junior aku.Tapi takdir menentukan segalanya. Aku bangun lewat dan tak sempat nak naik bas. Puncanya adalah telefon aku yang biol tu mati. Jadinya alarm aku tak bunyi. Aku bangun pada waktu aku bangun setiap pagi 6am. Punyalah cuak aku time tu. Kejut syamil, then cepat cepat bersiap. Sambil sambil tu aku try cari connection yang seterusnya. Bas dan keretapi takde untuk aku sampai airport sblm kaunter check in tutup. Punyalah panik masa tu. then aku terfikir nak cari bas dari frankfurt main airport ke frankfurt hahn airport(tempat aku naik aeroplane).

Ada satu bas, tapi bila tgk jadual keretapi,tak sempat nak kejar. Then aku pun plan naik taxi jer sampai Frankfurt am main airport, tanya punya tanya, harga perjalanan adalah 110 euro. Memang dah takde choice, so terpaksa jugak ambik.

Kemudian bila bual2 dengan pakcik taxi, dia kata why not aku amik jer sampai Hahn, sbb nanti katalah bus dah jalan, takkan nak amik taxi lagi.Harga dah jadi tripple.so lepas habis fikir aku amik taxi jer ke Hahn. Kena 180 eu. Mmg nak menangis bayar tp sbb syamil dah excited nak pergi scottland, aku pejam mata je.

So sampai hahn airport, alhamdulillah sempat check in dan dapat naik flight and dapat rebut tempat duduk yang best.tapi rupanya siri malang belum habis lagi, bila sampai di edinburgh airport scottland, aku baru perasan yang aku takde alamat adik aku..matila..sbb kita mesti ada contact address yang complete untuk diisi pada entry permit. Aku try call adik aku guna number yang ada dalam phone Syamil sbb phone aku kan sakit,tp nombor tu nombor lama..so tak dapat...masa ni memang dah cuak sangat.yelah kalau dok lama2 sure orang ingat kita ni ada masalah ke, takut ke..ni masuk UK so memang xblh main main..belek punya belek, alhamdulillah Allah tolong kitaorang.ada no phone member kitaorg yang kat uk.so aku calll dia, dia pun terus call adik aku. Within a minute aku dapat address adik aku.

Dah lepas cop pasport tu, dah rasa lega la kununnya, rupanya tak jugak..tiket bus aku tertinggal kat kaunter masa nak check in kat airport hahn td.masa ni dah nangis dah aku..yela, dari satu ke satu..sbnrnya boleh jer print lagi tapi nak cari printer kat mana kan kalau di airport.nasib baik harga tiket cuma 9pound.so aku belila yg baru.dapatlah kitaorang naik bas.

Dh naik bas, nak menuju ke train station.alhamdulillah.tapi boleh pulak, skrin yang tunjuk stop tu rosak.di edinburgh ni kalau kita duduk kat tingkat atas (bus dua tingkat), dia akan ada satu skrin untuk bagitau kita stop mana. Tapi skrin tu tak function. Nasib baik aku perasan ada bangunan tulis haymarket(tempat untuk tukar ke train) masa bas berhenti kat traffic light.so bila tanya pakcik bas tu, pakcik bus kata mmg kena berhenti kat situ. Alhamdulillah sempat nak turun kat situ.pakcik bus siap tunjuk mana train station. So kitaorang pun jalan ke station keretapi.

Bila dah sampai station, nak beli tiket, tetiba kad aku reject..cuak lagi, then pergi kat kaunter, alhamdulillah dapat beli tiket over the counter. Kitaorang beli return tiket ke dundee dengan harga 37.20 untuk off peak bagi seorang dewasa dan sprang kanak kanak. Tiket return valid pada tarikh kita beli (outward date) dan return bila2 dalam masa sebulan dari outward date) bila nak validkan tiket, tetiba tiket tu tak diterima. Aku pun pergi kaunter balik, tunjuk kat orang tu. Rupanya aku dah salah masukkan.aku termasukkantiket perjalanan Dundee balik ke Edinburgh.ceh!buat malu jer kan..tulah, asik kalut jer.

So now im heading to Dundee. Hopefully, no more bad days. And hope for another lucky series pulak. Till then peeps.

Ps:Entry berkurun..hihi,aritu xblh nk upload pixies