Jan 21, 2014

9 Through the blue skies I soar ...

...with the help of an aeroplane..zooOOmm!

Auto-Awesomed by Google+
It wasn't snowing, of course. I was still in sunny Malaysia. When I uploaded this photo onto my blog, it was auto-awesomed by Google+ (a feature that does cool things to your photos).

Home is a two-hour+ flight away. Lucky me was blessed with the window seat. The view is always amazing up here. Imagine seeing fluffy clouds this close!  I snapped some pics because I wanted to remember the feeling.

It looks like a blanket of snow

Above fluffy clouds

How nice if I could fly....winged like the bird. Nah..wingless like Superman.

Jan 17, 2014

10 Port Dickson : Grand Lexis Resort - A "stay-indoors" holiday!

Aaahhh..reflect and relax
2014's been fabulous so far. People are back in the office with a renewed spirit. School has started with a traffic vengeance. The weather is gloomy but I'm still in that season of festivity. That's because we have many Capricorns in the family. Mom, dad, aunt, cousin... me. Hah! See how many Birthdays we're celebrating. We also make a big-do about Chinese New Year.

So, for us, the party never really ends until February. After that, it's many months of serious business.

Anyway, all this frequent traveling and meeting up with friends and family has not allowed me to blog as often as I wished but hey, I found time today. And so the story begins..

For that occasional "love-myself" reason, I booked a night at Grand Lexis Port Dickson to usher in my 40th Birthday. The unique thing about this resort? Every room is equipped with a private pool.  Whoa.

I had such a great time that I cannot not share this amazing place with everyone.

From the moment we (hubs and I) stepped into the resort, we were mesmerised. The resort staff attended to our needs with such grace and welcomeness that it felt like we were being surrounded by warm hugs.

After the checking-in paperwork was done, we were taken to our rooms in a buggy. Photos tell a better tale, don't they?

The hotel, the reception area and onto the buggy!

Here I am (below) at the Executive Pool Villa above the sea. I've no regrets paying the extra charge for the sea view. Rooms with a good sea view is limited. I had to make arrangements directly with the hotel via a phone call since there was no option available for me to select what I wanted on the online hotel booking sites I visited.

The room is huge and comfortable. A typical classic design with dim lights. On the floor is a glass panel where I could see the gentle waves of the sea passing under the room .

My room!

This is my favourite spot - the indoor pool! The first thing I did after unpacking was jump ....no, ease into the pool ~ it was c-o-l-d. After the initial brrr, I frolicked for hours....hours!

The main attraction - the private pool!

You can walk out to the pool area from the bathroom and the kitchen windows too

I love the pool so much that I've taken more shots than I should have.

It's 4ft deep which is perfect for 5ft me.

Two pool floaters were provided. I had massive fun bobbing in these with my back on the water and the sun on my face.

We only popped out for food once and then, we were back in the pool again.

It was so beautiful to watch the sun set before us as we lay floating in the water.

This room is a corner lot located at the far end of the resort and away from prying eyes of neighbouring units. The extra privacy is a plus!   


Our pool looks out into the open sea. Funnily, there is no balcony designed into the unit. So, there was no place I could sit and chill to enjoy the scenery. I wish they would remove the open shower area at the end of the pool and convert that into a sunbathing area instead.

Sea view
There were a couple of small huts built along the edge of the resort for sunset viewing. It's a gorgeous spot to laze in the evening.

The path to our room

A nice stroll around

At the end is what I call the "sunset viewing hut"
I snooped around and am happy to report that Grand Lexis Resort has garden themed units too for those who don't fancy the sea. There are two types - one which is built in a single-storey row (I think the pools are open-air in these units) and then the other, which looks like double-storey terrace houses. The ground floor rooms of the double-storey units are perfect for anyone who wants to enjoy the pool in private and out of the sun. The upper floor units are open and accommodate sun loving folks.

The hotel tower houses sky pool villas with private indoor pools. If you like it high, then this is where you should aim for.

Top : Garden Villas, Bottom : Sea Villas

These are some of the things you can do besides swimming - archery, fishing, games, segway rides, karaoke with friends, eat!  

From top-left, clockwise - Segway rides, Restaurant,
Games room, Archery, Public pool
Well, that's the end of my Birthday bliss but not my traveling adventure. Two days later, I jetted off to my hometown, a small island off Borneo.

Note:

~ There are no sandy beaches for romantic walks or beach activities - this place is wharf-like.

~ Food is expensive and the variety is limited. Good thing - A microwave oven, electric kettle and fridge is provided. You know what to do *wink* OR you could take a short drive into town and try some local food.


Jan 7, 2014

11 Putrajaya : The Bridges I saw

Putrajaya ~ Malaysia's federal administrative centre is a beautiful place to visit. I often imagine picnicking on the grassy grounds beside the lake, munching on sandwiches, sipping tea from a thermos.... 

It would sadden me if Putrajaya fell into the standards of eyesore Kuala Lumpur. A lot of love has been put into the landscaping of this new city of ours, with trees and flowers lining many paths. I would move here if I weren't tied to the convenience of doing business in our old, established capital city.

Picnics aside, I also find Putrajaya magical because of its majestic bridges.

It is said that the Seri Wawasan  bridge (picture below) is a stunning design of a futuristic sailboat, a representation of us steering to meet Malaysia's Vision 2020 goal. Wawasan means vision in our local language.

On second glance, I think it looks like an angel in a flowing gown. This is the most elegant bridge I have ever seen.

Seri Wawasan Bridge ~ From the car

Seri Wawasan Bridge ~ From afar

The Seri Saujana bridge (below) is a stunning structure that looks like a bookend. It also reminds of a pair of slingshots pulled back. I take that it's telling me to "shoot for the stars". I couldn't find any information on the inspiration behind these bridges. I guess I'm not such a great googler after all. 

Seri Saujana Bridge

Seri Saujana Bridge up close

On the Seri Saujana Bridge

Then there's the more down-to-earth Seri Gemilang  bridge. It stands proud against the modernity of the above-mentioned two bridges. Gemilang  means excellence. There is an air of traditionalism in this design.

Seri Gemilang Bridge

Three bridges was all I had enough time for. Perhaps another trip is in order.


For a full list of bridges in Putrajaya, visit this link.

Jan 2, 2014

5 Happy 2014!

A great start to the year. I skipped the street countdown parties again. I passed over the clubs, the obnoxious spray can hooligans, the manic dinners. Instead I spent the night with people closest to me.

We watched the fireworks. At the stroke of midnight, flares of colourful lights danced in many corners. You see, I live way up.


Above, my neighbour lit his own firework - small rockets shooting out, challenging the sight before us. The little popping sounds struggling to make a Katy Perry mark. We felt for him.

We cheered with sparkling red wine, gourmet popcorn on top of vanilla ice-cream, mince pies and .....satay in the wee hours.

Cheers to a new beginning!

Spirits remained high the next morning but lethargy soon kicked in.... not before I finalised my Facebook page. Big grin.

Link : https://www.facebook.com/elephantsandmangoes


I thought ~ why not?

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I wish you Happy 2014!

Tomorrow, is the first blank page of a 365 page book. Write a good one.
~ Brad Paisley

 

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