Cleffairy's Blog, page 76

Resorts World Genting Offers Lifelong Career Opportunities Through Hotel Career Day

I’m in early 30s and being an entrepreneur by day and a novelist at night, I’m past the painful horror of job hunting stage, but when I heard Resorts World Genting is recruiting talents for their F&B outlets and is showcasing some of their kitchen secrets and stuff through demos, I knew I had to drop by and check it out. It was an open day after all and knowing that the secrets of their kitchen and their elusive chefs are off limits, there’s no harm dropping by. I thought I could learn something and I was absolutely right.

Resorts World Genting Hotel and F&B Career Day was held at Grand Millennium Hotel, Kuala Lumpur.

Some of the hopeful talents who walked in for the interview. Unlike conventional career fairs where candidates are only provided with brochures and infos, Resorts World Genting takes things literally higher by providing insights on what the talents will be hopping into and inspiring them to reach a higher level by actually showing them what they will learn and achieve in Resorts World Genting should they be shortlisted.

Demo area were brilliantly set up to mimick the real working environment at selected F&B outlets in Resorts World Genting, and actual staffs were there to show you the things they do on daily basis. I was quite in a rush so I only managed to visit two booths.

And here’s dropping by at Cafés Richard’s booth. I’ve patronized the actual Cafés Richard in SkyAvenue, Resorts World Genting a few months back, and I thought that their coffees are fantastic.

Here’s one of their barista, showcasing his skills in brewing coffees. Not an easy feat, and I’m sure aspiring baristas learned a few things from him during the Hotel and F&B Career Day.

Visiting the Chef’s Lightly Cooking booth is not only enlightening but filling as well. This is where aspiring talents are shown the glimpse of what they will learn in the culinary industry should they choose to pursue their career in Resorts World Genting.

The chef has taken the trouble not only to cook for aspiring talents but show them a few kitchen tricks as well.

Here’s Poached Prawns with Spicy Pesto being prepared and plated by the chef.

Chef’s very own creation; Poached Prawns with Spicy Pesto, finally done.

And here’s a very happy me, cuz well, obviously, because I get to sample an exquisite dish made especially for me.

Overall, dropping by at the Resorts World Genting Hotel and F&B Career Day was really worthwhile. I was showered with an overdose of hospitality by everyone there and I get to see not only how things actually works behind the scene, but I was also inspired on how the staff carried themselves; with poise and grace. With great turn outs of walk-in applicants who are interested to pursue their career with Resorts World Genting, I’m surely looking forward to more great experience with new faces during my future visits to Resorts World Genting.

The Resorts World Genting Hotel and F&B Career Day is already over as of writing, but for latest updates on career opportunities at Resorts World Genting all year round, you may refer to the links below:

http://bit.ly/Genting_Careers

And

http://bit.ly/Genting_Executive

For resort-wide news, ongoing promotions and exciting updates, hop over to www.rwgenting.com instead.

Les Néréides Showcased Pas De Deux Collections at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur Outlet

I’m a huge fan of costume jewelries and all things bling blings, so when I heard that Le Néréides, a French

high soulful jewellery designers with a unique savoir-faire since 1980 is opening it’s second outlet in Malaysia at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, I knew I had to check it out.

Founded in 1980 by Pascale and Enzo Amaddeo, Les Néréides is named after the Greek mythology nymphs; the daughter of Nereus; the Old Man of The Sea. Les Néréides is now a renowned international company presents all over the globe.

Les Néréides counter being officially launched at Pavilion KL. This is the second outlet after the one in The Gardens Mall, Kuala Lumpur.

Ballet performance in conjunction with Les Néréides anniversary and counter opening.

Les Néréides signature collection, Pas De Deux, which is also known as the Ballerina is being showcased by a young ballerina.

This classic line is inspired by the feminity and grace of the ballet dancers of the opera de Paris.

Some of the Pas De Deux delicate necklace.

Dainty Pas De Deux bracelets

Pas De Deux intricate earrings

A closer look at the signature collection’s necklace.

Exquisite workmanship, I must say.

Every piece of jewelry is made and painted by hand in the workshops of Les Néréides with extreme attention to details and beautiful sense of refinement, making each piece is uniquely soulful on its own with a story worth telling.

For more information on all things Les Néréides and outlets details, refer to the information below:

Facebook: http://fb.com/lesnereidesmalaysia

Instagram: @lesnereidesmalaysia #lesNereidesMalaysia

Website: www.lesnereides.com

Career Opportunities with Resorts World Genting at Hotel Career Day 2017

Hotel Career Day at Grand Millennium Hotel, Kuala Lumpur will be held on 13 April 2017 from 10am to 6pm, beckons those who believe in leading a meaningful life where they get to carve out a career in a world-class environment surrounded by the most talented professionals.

Making the call is Resorts World Genting that is on track towards becoming a leading integrated resort operator in the world. Hotel Career Day is an invitation to all ambitious people out there who are keen in joining the company as it continues on its amazing journey in providing excellent service in the leisure and hospitality business covering theme parks, hotels, restaurants and entertainment.

Highly anticipated is the new F&B outlets soon to be opened at Resorts World Genting, Sky Avenue including the world’s first 20th Century Fox World Theme Park (Outdoor), the new Indoor Theme Park and Genting Highlands Premium Outlet —and this is the chance for talented workers to pursue opportunities at these new spots.

Those with relevant work experiences such as restaurant manager, chef, sommelier, barista and mixologist—may be keen to take their career to the next level by joining Resorts World Genting.

Sommelier Kevin Yee, Culinary chef John Pathmanaban, Mixologist Pranill Saam, Barista from Cafés Richard Emmanuel and Assistant Outlet Manager Supri Jinal are the “masters” who will answer to your questions and provide pointers on the hows and whys of getting into F&B. This is the Awareness and Educate segment of the career fair that allows the new concept of face-to-face interaction with the experts, where even the uninitiated can expect to come away wiser as they are introduced to the world of hotel F&B.

Next up, in the Business Chat segment, you can seek further enlightenment by engaging in conversation with some of the resort’s F&B and HR personnel. This is where you can have all your questions answered as you find out more about the many career paths you can pursue at the resort. 

Look out for Hotel Career Day which will be held in Grand Millennium, Kuala Lumpur this Thursday 13 April, Millennium IV, V & VI at Level 2.

For latest updates on career opportunities at Resorts World Genting all year round, you may refer to the links below:

http://bit.ly/Genting_Careers

And

http://bit.ly/Genting_Executive

But ir you’re interested for resort-wide news, ongoing promotions and exciting updates, hop over to www.rwgenting.com.

Jasa Kita Berhad Collaborates with Metabo to Power Up Malaysia

Malaysia is well known for being a developed country that offers not only cultural diversity to tourists and travelers alike but also unique modern architecture that’s often described as the wow factor. Among the well known modern architectural icons in Malaysia is it’s majestic twin skycrapers located in the heart of it’s capital city of Kuala Lumpur; the Petronas Twin Towers.

We have seen and heard stories on how beautiful and modern Malaysia is, but we know very little about those who works behind the scene and actually ‘built’ and ‘powered up’ the nation throughout it’s developing years.There are countless of individuals and companies who contribute to literally ‘build up the buildings’ in Malaysia, but here’s one I recently discovered that’s been contributing alot but remains mostly invisible; Jasa Kita Berhad.

Jasa Kita Berhad was established in 1975 and is listed on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange since 1993. Jasa Kita Berhad’s core business is in distribution of premium quality power tools, electric induction motors, hand tools, air tools, automotive battery and other industrial supplies. Jasa Kita Berhad is the authorised distributor in Malaysia for renowned brands such as Devon, SATA, Kuani, Brook Crompton, Toshiba, and GP automotive battery. Excel& Feima Electric Motors were also developed as house brands. So, what does this mean? Well, simply put, Jasa Kita Berhad has been supplying tools and equipments that’s essential not only in the automative industry but construction industry as well. Without them, a lot of things in the automative and industry would not run smoothly and buildings cannot be built.

Jasa Kita has earned a reputation of reliability and trust among its customers and business associates, and this year (2017), Jasa Kita continues to move forward and power the nation ahead by securing the distributorship of Metabo power tools, a leading German brand as part of its portfolio of brands.

Anyway, I had this opportunity to check out Metabo’s products during Jasa Kita’s business networking session in Marriott Putrajaya recently and I thought the products that has been brought in by Jasa Kita Berhad are highly impressive.

Recognising the importance of battery operated power tools in various industries, Jasa Kita Berhad has brought in a vast number of Metabo’s battery operated power tool models to help users work with maximum efficiency and productivity. In the picture above are some of the the power tools products that has been brought in.

Some of the products that caught my attention. Sleek and edgy.

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Metabo offers an extensive range of professional tools and accessories that can be used in various industry, mainly woodwork and construction and here’s getting my hands on some of the tools.

Upon inspection, I pleasantly discovered that the tools are reasonably mobile and light. While these tools are for professionals, they are easy enough for end users to use, so if you want one of this for your DIY home improvements thingie, go ahead and grab one or two. Personally, I think this would be a useful addition for the toolbox at home.

Here’s a closer look at one of the battery operated power tool on display. Besides being light and easy to operate, Metabo products is equipped with safety features as well. This is in line with Jasa Kita’s aim to continuosly lend it’s support to the nation to continue to develop and provide users with premium quality products.

Battery packs are not only light and mobile but packed with high output power, ensuring long hours usage per session. Here’s a bonus tidbit for users who purchase these batteries: Jasa Kita will be providing a remarkable warranty period of 36 months for the batteries.

Metabo Powertool Demo

Uploaded by K Network Media on 2017-04-10.

Product demo in session

Metabo Powertool Showcasing

Uploaded by K Network Media on 2017-04-10.

Another product demo in session

Metabo products are available in over 500 dealers and wholesalers throughout Malaysia, including hardware and machinery outlets, modern retailers and engineering product supplies companies.

For more information on Jasa Kita and Metabo products in Malaysia, hop over to this website: www jasakita.com.my

Visit Perak 2017: Experiencing the Sg. Ruok Waterfall

Ruok Waterfall is located about 18km away from Tasik Banding Jetty and it is one of the most visited waterfall in Royal Belum Rainforest. The journey to Ruok Waterfall area took about 2 hours boathouse ride away from our docking in Tasik Banding and another 5 minutes boatride away to the entrance.

Ruok Waterfall entrance. Unlike the Kooi Waterfall where we had to trek more than 30 minutes, the distance from the Ruok Waterfall entrance to the waterfall itself is surprisingly near.

It was just about 5 minutes of trekking away. But the path to the waterfall was much more slippery and steep than the one to Ko’oi Waterfall. It was a much easier trekking in comparison to Sg. Kooi Waterfall but a guide is compulsory should you enter this area.

One thing to note; the place is actually a freshwater fish sanctuary, any fishing activity is not allowed in the area. So you will find shoals of fish, either Kelah, Tengas or Temoleh swim around. Fish feeding or swimming with the fishes, however is allowed at Ruok Waterfall.

The Ruok Waterfall. It has 3 tiers of falls but the 3rd tier is closed to the public.

Ruok Waterfall’s other feature is that it has deep pool and therefore, swimming without a lifejacket over here is strictly prohibited.

If you want to take a swim, or even just a dip over here at Ruok Waterfall, please make sure that you are equipped with a lifejacket vest before you jumped into the deep pool of Ruok Waterfall.

Water has always been my element. I have no qualms in watery places, no matter how dangerous or mysterious they are.

And here’s me, at the deepest part of the Ruok Waterfall pool. I’m not sure how deep the pool is, but one thing for sure is that it has to be at least 2 or 3 metres deep as when I swam in the pool, my feet does not even touch anything.

Unlike the Tasik Banding where the water is calm, warm and soothing, the Ruok Waterfall is anything but that. The water temperature over here is very low and it felt as if you can bathing in ice cold water.The fall’s shower at this tier of the waterfall is stronger than the other and floating beneath this cold shower feels like getting a rough shiatsu massage. It pricks the skin almost painfully but at the same time, it feels so refreshing and strange enough, it soothe all the tense muscle knot. Instead of feeling pain all over my body after showering underneath, my body felt completely relaxed instead once I stepped out of the shower. It’s simply amazing. Mother Nature never cease to amaze me with it’s nurturing and healing wonder.

My husband and son showering underneath Ruok’s fall.

We wanted to stay longer at Ruok’s Waterfall to enjoy what it has to offer but the weather wasn’t really favourable that day. It started to get dark and we had to make our journey back to the boathouse before it rains but alas, it rained nevertheless and we ended up riding the speedboat in the rain. But all was still good. Our guide Uncle Joe made sure we arrived safely at the boathouse and this is definitely another new experience for me and my family.

Note: A visit to Ruok Waterfall at Royal Belum State Park is part of the 2D1N Royal Belum Houseboat trip’s itinerary. The trip was organized by Caravan Serai Holidays. You may read the full trip experience HERE. For those who are interested to join the 2D1N Royal Belum Houseboat trip organized by Caravan Serai Holidays may hop over HERE for more information. Package for a 2D1N starts as low as RM199(+RM70 for two way bus transfer from Kuala Lumpur to Tasik Banding Jetty) per pax.

Note: All the pictures in this article was taken with Nikon Coolpix W100, with minor watermark edits.

Happier and Healthier Skin with Neutrogena

Keeping my skin hydrated, smooth and supple is a daily struggle and almost a mission impossible as I have dry skin type. On top of that, despite of almost never seen without makeups or in my jeans during my professional hours, I usually moonlight as a Lara Croft wannabe on weekends, galivanting around doing extreme outdoor stuffs. More often than not, I will be exposed under the sun or soaked in some weird lake or waterfall pool somewhere.

The description me is not so ladylike, no? Well I suppose it is not very ladylike at all, but deep down, I’m just like any other vain women out there who is vain enough to dress up just so that I could admire my own reflection whenever I passed by any mirror at the mall or something. Yes. I’m a typical woman that way.

Like most women, I have vanity concerns. While most women my age have concerns about getting their ideal body weight, I have concerns about my skin instead as I’m an outdoor person and I’m exposed to all sorts of skin hazards all the time.

As mentioned earlier, I have dry skin type and my concern is keeping my skin healthy and hydrated. I’ve tried plenty of skincare products but they are not exactly effective, and therefore when I was introduced to Neutrogena range of products, I was a tad skeptical. But still, it’s unfair to judge without giving it a try. I tried the products below for about 2 weeks;

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Neutrogena Deep Clean Hydrating Cleansing Oil To Foam, Neutrogena Deep Clean Black Head Eliminating Scrub and Neutrogena Deep Clean Hydrating Foaming Cleanser.

Neutrogena Deep Clean Hydrating Cleansing Oil To Foam. This product contains cucumber extracts that has proven hydrating properties, helping dry skin stay soft and moisturized.

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Neutrogena Deep Clean Black Head Eliminating Scrub. This blackhead eliminating daily scrub doesn’t just fight blackheads but it helps eliminate them for clearer, smoother skin as well.

Neutrogena Deep Clean Hydrating Foaming Cleanser. The Neutrogena Deep Clean Hydrating Foaming Cleanser is an effective moisturize balancing deep cleansing facial cleanser with long-lasting oil control and 2x moisture boost for cleaner, softer, suppler skin with every wash.

Overall, the products are not bad. The products are gentle on the skin and does not clog the pores.They do have hydrating effects and gives me the clean feel after using them, especially Neutrogena Deep Clean Black Head Eliminating Scrub, but if you’re to ask which one is my favourite, I got to say Neutrogena Deep Clean Hydrating Cleansing Oil To Foam is my absolute favourite. It suits my skin type and my lifestyle the best.

Neutrogena Deep Clean Hydrating Cleansing Oil To Foam. Neutrogena has specially formulated this Deep Clean Cleansing Oil To Foam that provides effective cleansing for busy women like me. It is basically a dual cleansing product that effectively removes makeup on your face, and by gently massaging it, it transforms into foam to remove any leftover impurities that’s stuck on your face. I was quite surprised when I first tried this product. The cleansing oil acts like a magnet, where it draws out all makeup and dirt on my face. And by massaging my face, the oil dissolves the makeup, and slowly transforms into soft foam upon contact with water. The soft foam then acts like a regular cleanser by removing any impurities left on my skin. The best part? It is not drying and my skin feels freshly hydrated afterwards. Definitely a product for busy and active person like me. It’s basically an all in one cleanser. I may feel skeptical about Neutrogena products when I was first introduced to it, but now, I guess I won’t travel without them. At least not without this Neutrogena Deep Clean Hydrating Cleansing Oil To Foam.

Neutrogena have been keeping my skin happy 24/7 these days and I bet it’s going to be that way for quite a long time. So, what’s been keeping your skin happy? Care to share?

Curious and wanna know more aboit Neutrogena skincare products? Well then, Neutrogena, check out below for more information:

https://www.facebook.com/myneutrogena/



https://www.instagram.com/neutrogenamy

Visit Perak 2017: Swimming and Bamboo Rafting at Tasik Banding

Going for an adventure in Royal Belum Rainforest has always been unchecked in my bucketlist until my family and I received an invitation by Caravan Serai crews to spend a weekend with them on Royal Belum Houseboat alongside with other adventurers. Exploring the virgin rainforest of Belum was part of the activities in the itinerary that I’ve anticipated. The one thing that I did not exactly anticipated to be included in our itinerary though, was swimming and bamboo rafting in the lake; Tasik Banding to be exact. Tasik Banding is a lake that surrounds the Pulau Banding, a 240 hectares man made island built to house an army camp at Royal Belum State Park.

Tasik Banding is one of the eco-tourism attraction in Royal Belum Rainforest and a home to plenty of expensive and highly coveted freshwater fishes like Kelah,Temoleh, Baung, Kelabau, Tengas,Loma,Tengalan, Sebarau and Lampam.

Although Tasik Banding is a protected area, fishing activities in Tasik Banding is allowed. However, a permit is required for each fishing rod that was brought in. The cost for one permit is RM5, a fair price for the expensive loot you might be getting from the lake.

Anyway, I mentioned that swimming and bamboo rafting in the lake was part of our Royal Belum Boathouse trip’s itinerary, didn’t I? I guess I did. And did I let the rare opportunity go to waste? Definitely not. I wouldn’t let this opportunity slide for anything else, at least not in this lifetime.

It was about 5.30 pm when we made our way back to the boathouse in Tasik Banding from our trekking at Sungai Kooi Waterfall for a free and easy time swimming and bamboo rafting in the lake. So without further ado, we put on the life jacket and join the rest in the lake.

Here’s my family and I, posing on the bamboo raft.

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Me, making an attempt to navigate the bamboo raft.

But then again, I’m not a good rafter.

I usually get nowhere whenever I take the paddle. My husband is better at that than me.

Growing up by the beach, I’ve always been fond of water. I even named my son Adrian, after the Adriatic sea. Swimming is much more favourable to me than rafting.

And here’s me, completely in my element before I managed to persuade my husband and son to jump into the lake with me.

Kiddo, looking abit uncertain and doubtful about jumping into the lake.

Well, I couldn’t exactly blame the kid being doubtful about jumping in. After all, I’m the sort of mum who go nuts about my son jumping into the swimming pool or playing in the waterparks. I almost never allow it. Insane, right? You can say that my priorities is all screwed up, but I’m the sort of person who gets a bit scared about letting my son play in the waterparks. Why? Well because they are man made and have flaws. Not to mention that they are usually urine infested. But this is not. The lake is God-made, and unlike human constructed things, things that God made is nothing but perfection. And how can perfection be dangerous? Nature can only be a threat when you are a threat to them.

My husband finally jumps in and my son decides to finally follow suit.

My husband, slowly getting his fins

My son, finally in the water

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The dynamic duo

And here’s my brave boy

I was swimming quite a distance away so it took quite a bit for him to reach me.

Managed to snap this pic as he was reaching out for me

Here’s us

And here’s a selfie to celebrate the little display of courage

My son and I, swimming in Tasik Banding. My son may hesitate at first but trust me, after gaining his fins, he was the hardest to persuade to stop swimming while we were in Tasik Banding. In this sense, I guess my son takes after me, after all. Water is his element and he is a natural swimmer.

A selfie with my husband

Happy times with my husband and son at Tasik Banding.

Swimming and bamboo rafting in Tasik Banding may not be a 5 star resort experience to some. But I wouldn’t trade it for anything else in the world. Moments with family like this is priceless and as a mum to a rapidly growing up son, I would advice all parents out there to take some moments off from the rat race, bring your children to explore the great outdoors and make some beautiful memories with them. Time is irreversible, after all and before you know it, children are all grown up. The world is a book. Those who doesn’t explore, reads only one page.

Note: Swimming and bamboo rafting in Tasik Banding at Royal Belum State Park is part of the 2D1N Royal Belum Houseboat trip’s itinerary. The trip was organized by Caravan Serai Holidays. You may read the full trip experience HERE. For those who are interested to join the 2D1N Royal Belum Houseboat trip organized by Caravan Serai Holidays may hop over HERE for more information. Package for a 2D1N starts as low as RM199(+RM70 for two way bus transfer from Kuala Lumpur to Tasik Banding Jetty) per pax.

Note: All the pictures in this article was taken with Nikon Coolpix W100, with minor watermark edits.

Visit Perak 2017: Trekking to Sg. Kooi Waterfall

After an educational and humbling time in the aborigines settlement, we board the houseboat again and off to our next destination; to the Sungai Kooi Waterfall. (Pronounced as ‘Ko’oi, which means beautiful) The journey from Kg. Aman Damai to Kooi Waterfall area takes about 1 hour via the boathouse that’s docked at Tasik Banding and another 10 minutes boatride to the entrance.

Here’s a picture of us riding the boat to the Kooi Waterfall entrance from Tasik Banding.

Kembara #dekatje: A Boatride to Sg.Kooi Waterfall Entrance

Uploaded by K Network Media on 2017-04-04.

A video of us riding the boat to the Kooi Waterfall entrance.

Family pic at the entrance of the Sungai Kooi Waterfall before trekking

To access the Kooi waterfall, about 30 minutes of jungle trekking is required.

Trekking to Kooi Waterfall was quite tough. Well, at least for me it was quite tough as the route to the waterfall was was pretty steep and slippery and my husband and son had to wait for me as I take my own sweet time walking, but I think we did quite fine nevertheless. My teenage son fared better than I did and helped me out quite a few times, especially when we were climbing up and down steep and slippery path.

We saw quite a few interesting things during our trekking. And here’s one of it; a huge 200 years old tree. This tree is actually hallow inside and once it is knocked, it will produce loud resounding sound that can be heard for kilometres in the forest. The tree is commonly used as a mean of communication among professional trekkers or aborigines who are out hunting to send signals to each other; more often than not, it is used to send distress signal. The huge tree is also commonly used as a resting place a place to hide from wild animals.

Me, taking a break for a little while at the tree.

I’m not a professional hiker so I find the experience pretty taxing on my energy reserve, with rocky and slippery path and all, but it was indeed a wonderful experience for the three of us.

The unique feature of the Kooi Fall is that it spreads like a shower. Breathtaking, don’t you think? It was getting late and quite dark when we finally arrived at the waterfall, so we did not take a shower underneath it and opt to head back instead. Such a shame, but I’m still glad we went there nevertheless. It was indeed worth all the troubles.

Note: Trekking to the Sungai Kooi Waterfall at Royal Belum State Park is part of the 2D1N Royal Belum Houseboat trip’s itinerary. The trip was organized by Caravan Serai Holidays. You may read the full trip experience HERE. For those who are interested to join the 2D1N Royal Belum Houseboat trip organized by Caravan Serai Holidays may hop over HERE for more information. Package for a 2D1N starts as low as RM199(+RM70 for two way bus transfer from Kuala Lumpur to Tasik Banding Jetty) per pax.

Visit Perak 2017: Getting to Know the Jahai Tribe in Kg. Aman Damai, Royal Belum Rainforest

Malaysia is a developed country where the people are pretty much modernized, living in the city and trapped in the rat-race and such. But as modern as Malaysians goes, indegenuos tribes living in the forests of Peninsular Malaysia still exists. There are about 30 indigenous tribes living in the forests of Peninsular Malaysia. About 5,500 of them are scattered in forest reserves of Malaysia, still living their ancestral nomadic ways of life.

My family and I were given the opportunity to get up close and personal with the indegenious people from the Jahai tribes who lives in Royal Belum Rainforest (Royal Belum State Park) during my 2D1N trip with Caravan Serai Holidays crews to Royal Belum Rainforest recently and I thoughy it was quite an eye opening experience; to learn their culture and their way of life.

The journey to the Kg. Aman Damai, the indegenious settlement of the Jahai tribes took about 2 hours from Tasik Banding Jetty via the waterway.

Gateway to another world

The village might lack worldly things but the place is so picturesque.

A wefie with my family at Kg. Aman Damai

The huts in the village are 100% from the forest’s produce and they are located pretty near to each other.

A beautiful sight to behold

The Jahai tribe’s hut.

The Jahai tribes practices communal living and every family here maintains close relationship with each other. Their men hunt for food while their women are left behind to take care of their children at home and only the head of their tribe will stay behind as the protector while the rest goes hunting.

The Jahai tribe is a sub-group of the Negrito. They are generally short, dark skinned with tightly curled hair. Although today most of the Jahai population live in settlements provided by government, there are families who still retain their forefather nomadic lives outside these settlements. Some of the Jahai tribe’s people settled themselves at one place for a couple of years, and only leave when something bad happened at their village. One of the things that commonly prompt them to be on the move to search for a new spot to live in again is death. It is believed that when a person in their community died, the place that they are living became contaminated and cursed by bad luck, and so the place became inhabitable. Their funeral management is rather mystical in my opinion. Instead of burying their dead, they place the bodies high up among the trees. Uprooting the village is just the start of a hugely elaborate burial ritual, in which the body is brought by procession to a hut, similar to the ones in the village, but constructed in a tree some 50 metres high. The body is covered and left with its possessions alongside it, together with food for the spirits. It is then left undisturbed for two to three years, upon which time the village returns to procure a bone from the skeletal remains. This is then buried, so returning the family member to the forest.

Apart from the complex culture and ritualistic nature that they subscribed to,they lead an unbelievably very basic lifestyle and have very fierce family bond. Being nomadic, they do not practice any agriculture activities, enabling them to move from one place to another easily, but I was told by our guide Uncle Joe that these days, the Jahai people are very much modernized, especially those living in Kg. Aman Damai. They are not that nomadic anymore and they no longer abandoned their village once death occurs in the village.

Anyway, we get to mingle around with the Jahai people for a little while. Their women and children can be quite shy but most of them are very friendly and accommodative towards the visitors.

Their youngsters are quite modernized and these are the superstars of Kg. Aman Damai. They usually entertained the visitors by singing traditional songs.

Our hosts showed us around the village and even taught us how to use blowpipes.

Trying the blowpipes.

Visitors being shown Tongkat Ali tree.

My animal lover son playing with the cat who were found roaming about in the village.

I learned quite alot of things during my visit but if there’s one very important thing that I learnt from the people over here is that sometimes, money can be quite immaterial in comparison to family bond. Definitely a timely reminder for me who is constantly stuck in a neverending rat race.

Note: A visit to the indegenuos settlement in Kg. Aman Damai at Royal Belum State Park is part of the 2D1N Royal Belum Houseboat trip’s itinerary. The trip was organized by Caravan Serai Holidays. You may read the full trip experience HERE. For those who are interested to join the 2D1N Royal Belum Houseboat trip organized by Caravan Serai Holidays may hop over HERE for more information. Package for a 2D1N starts as low as RM199(+RM70 for two way bus transfer from Kuala Lumpur to Tasik Banding Jetty) per pax.

Visit Perak 2017: 2D1N Family Adventure with Caravan Serai Holidays at Royal Belum Rainforest

My family and I were invited by the good folks in Caravan Serai Holidays to experience the great outdoors of the Royal Belum Rainforest (Royal Belum State Park) in Perak last weekend during the school holidays and I immediately said yes to their invitation. Explore Royal Belum Rainforest? Spend 2D1N on a houseboat? It’s an opportunity of a lifetime and I wouldn’t pass that opportunity for anything else in the world. Plus, it’s been on my bucket list for a very long time.

Despite being almost an unplanned trip, we packed our bags and went for a 2D1N adventure in Royal Belum Rainforest, Perak. I intend to write a series of in depth article for our little randezvous last weekend, but first, here’s summarizing our chronicles of adventure in Royal Belum Rainforest in Perak on the Royal Belum Houseboat with the Caravan Serai crews and other adventurers:

Day 1

We started our journey at 11.30pm on 24th March 2016 from Bandar Tasik Selatan via Caravan Serai Holidays’ bus.

The journey from Kuala Lumpur to Hentian Royal Belum Amanjaya Jetty in Grik was about 8 hours drive.

Hentian Royal Belum Amanjaya

The weather was really good that day.

Houseboats are seen docking from afar at the Tasik Banding Jetty. Ours was the middle one; Royal Belum Houseboat.

Our houseboat looks small in comparison to the other luxurious cruiser houseboats, but don’t let the look deceive you. The houseboat have 8 large rooms, 4 bathrooms, 1 kitchen and a hall. The Royal Belum Houseboat can accommodate 30-40 pax of guests at one time.

The kitchen

Attached at the rear of the houseboat are two speedboats and two bamboo raft.

Boarding the houseboat with Caravan Serai Holidays’ crews and other adventurers, we’re off for our 2D1N adventure in Royal Belum.The first thing on our itinerary was visiting Kg. Aman Damai in Royal Belum where the Aborigines of Jahai Tribe resides. The journey to Kg. Aman Damai from Hentian Royal Belum Amanjaya took about 2 hours via the waterway

A pic with my husband and son on the deck.

Getting all hyped up

Picture of me and my newfound friends. Having left with nothing much to do as the houseboat started moving, we took a wefie together.

Dipping my feet into the lake and playing with the water at the side deck as the houseboat was moving. Don’t worry. It’s completely safe as the houseboat speed was not fast enough to throw anyone off the deck.

Sceneries throughout our journey was soothingly green. Here’s abit about The Royal Belum State Park; The Royal Belum rainforest is located in the Gerik area (Hulu Perak). Coverage area is about 290.000 hectares with more than 146.000 hectares of virgin forest. The forest is divided into two sections: the upper Belum area (Royal Belum State Park) and the lower Belum (Temenggor Forest Reserve) which is mostly covered by the Temenggor Lake. Some of main attractions within the area are wildlife observation, Rafflesia flowers, salt licks, aboriginal villages & waterfalls. An entry permit for every visitor into Royal Belum area is a must and will only be issued in advance. Royal Belum Rainforest is bordered by Thailand on the north, the state of Kelantan to the east, and Sungai Gadong in the west. The East-West Highway runs along its southern border, bisecting the forest complex and separating the park area from Temenggor Forest Reserve to the south. It is contiguous with Thailand’s Bang Lang National Park in Yala Province to the north, and the Hala-Bala Wildlife Sanctuary in Narathiwat Province, to the north-east. The only human inhabitants within Royal Belum right now as of writing now are the indigenous Orang Asli, mostly of the Jahai tribe.

After about 2 hours journey, we arrived at the Kg. Aman Damai where we visited the Jahai tribe.

You may read more about our experience in Kg. Aman Damai HERE.

After an educational time in the aborigines settlement, we board the houseboat again and off to our next destination; to the Sungai Kooi Waterfall. (Pronounced as ‘Ko’oi, which means beautiful) The journey from Kg. Aman Damai to Kooi Waterfall area takes about 1 hour via the boathouse that’s docked at Tasik Banding and another 10 minutes boatride to the entrance. Here’s a picture of us riding the boat to the Kooi Waterfall entrance from Tasik Banding.

At the entrance of the Sungai Kooi Waterfall.

To access the Kooi waterfall, about 30 minutes of jungle trekking is required.

Trekking to Kooi Waterfall

I’m not a professional hiker so I find the experience pretty taxing on my energy reserve, with rocky and slippery path, but it was indeed a wonderful experience for the three of us.

The unique feature of the Kooi Fall is that it spreads like a shower. You may read more about our adventure to Kooi Waterfall HERE.

It was about 5.30 pm when we made our way back to the houseboat in Tasik Banding for a free and easy time swimming and bamboo rafting in the lake.

Me, swimming in Tasik Banding

You are reading that right. We jumped and swam in the lake.

My son swam in the lake with us too. You may read our experience in detail HERE.

Nightfall came too soon.

I have to say that I haven’t had enough swimming and bamboo rafting in the lake but as the sun sets in the west, we were called back to the houseboat for a sumptuos BBQ dinner.

The guys BBQ-ing

Preparing for the night activity after our BBQ dinner.

Ice breaking session with the rest and free and easy time.

My husband and I; participating in the activities organized by Caravan Serai Holidays’ crews.

Anyway, everyone was tired and decided to call it an early night after the ice breaking session. We had the option to sleep in the cabin or anywhere that we like in the houseboat but my family and I wanted to enjoy the soft breeze and the stars above, so we decided to unpack our sleepingbags and crash at the main hall instead of the rooms. But alas, our plans were somewhat twarted. We didn’t even stay awake past midnight. It was really cold at night in Tasik Banding, and we were lulled to sleep almost immediately under the stars. We may not spend the night in a 5 stars resort, but the experience beats anything that we experienced in a luxurious resort. It was the most relaxing sleep I’ve had in a long time, I kid you not. This was definitely billion stars hotel’ experience, literally.

Day 2

I’m not a morning person. I’m usually cranky and not always human before 1pm, but waking up to this? Well, this is worth waking up in the morning for. I could practically see the sun rising in the east and it was breathtakingly beautiful.

Funky morning excercise at the deck

Breakfast at the deck as we enjoyed the beautiful scenery.

Our itinerary on the second day was as interesting as our first day. It includes trekking to Ruok Waterfall. The journey to Ruok Waterfall area took about 2 hours boathouse ride away from our docking in Tasik Banding and another 5 minutes boatride away to the entrance.

Ruok Waterfall entrance. Unlike the Kooi Waterfall where we had to trek more than 30 minutes, the distance from the Ruok Waterfall entrance to the waterfall itself is surprisingly near.

It was just about 5 minutes of trekking away. But the path to the waterfall was much more slippery and steep than the one to Ko’oi Waterfall.

One thing to note; the place is actually a freshwater fish sanctuary, any fishing activity is not allowed in the area. So you will find shoals of fish, either Kelah, Tengas or Temoleh swimming around.

The Ruok Waterfall. It has 3 tiers of waterfalls, but the 3rd tier is closed to the public.

You may read more about our experience at Ruok Waterfall HERE.

There’s also a Rafflesia flowers site in the vicinity of Ruok Waterfall which is 10 minutes hike away. You may read all about it HERE.

Our trip to Ruok Waterfall were cut short as the sky was getting dark and before we know it, it was raining cats and dogs before we even managed to get back to our houseboat. But thanks to our guide, Uncle Joe, we made it back safe and sound.

All good things must come to an end and our journey in Royal Belum Rainforest ends after our little excursion to Ruok Waterfall. We departed back to Tasik Banding Jetty shortly after and headed back to Kuala Lumpur.

Traveling and exploring has always been a balm to my free-spirited soul. And I’m lucky enough that both my husband and son share the same passion with me. I got married at a very young age and I noticed many others who are my age prefers to travel with friends or travel solo, but I prefer traveling with my boys. To me, the world is a huge classroom and we learn alot from our travel as a family. But as much as we love traveling and exploring as a family, especially in Malaysia, we come to realize that not many people appreciates the concept of bringing the children to explore the great outdoors. Children these days are mostly gadget dependent and chained to their desks in preparation of taking exams and such. Not quite my idea of how my son should spend his childhood and growing up years, I must say and I don’t intend to force him to participate in the never ending rat race. I may not be able to change the rest of the world and how things run, but at least I could change ‘my world’.

Our 2D1N trip to Royal Belum Rainforest on the Royal Belum Boathouse with Caravan Serai crews is something I would always remember for the rest of my life. We not only had fun throughout the 2D1N but we learned alot from the trip too. Overall, it was one of the most memorable weekend getaway for me and my family.

Here’s a checklist for you to refer to should you ever decided to embark on this adventure:

*Raincoat

*Mosquito repellant

*First aid travel kit with personal medicine

*Slippers

*Sports shoes/hiking shoes

*Sleeping bag (in case you decided to sleep outside in the hall or at the houseboat’s deck instead of the cabin)

*Small pillow

*Torchlight/headlamp

*Sufficient clothes for 3 days

*Dry bag to keep your equipments eg: camera, phones, powerbanks etc. (permit for camera is required. RM5 per camera)

*Fishing rod if you plan to fish (permit for fishing rod is required.1 rod-RM5)

Those who are interested to join the 2D1N Royal Belum Houseboat trip organized by Caravan Serai may hop over HERE for more information. Package for a 2D1N starts as low as RM199(+RM70 for two way bus transfer from Kuala Lumpur to Tasik Banding Jetty) per pax.