They still had the ladders out putting all these lanterns up earlier this week.
Thean Hou Temple is a Chinese Temple in Kuala Lumpur that is beautiful on any day of the week with its six tiers and great views over the city.But now, as they get ready to host their annual Lantern Festival to celebrate Chinese New Year, the sight of a sea of red is really just out of this world.
Beautiful views, and and incredible amount of lanterns all ready for CNY
We went up this week with preparations underway and the colours were just perfect against the bright blue sky …. but just imagine all this by night! If my information is correct, as of the 7th of February, these lanterns will be lit for a period of two weeks and I, for one, don’t want to miss seeing that! Just loving all these Chinese New Year festivities, hope you all are too. S x
If it looks this good by day, I can’t wait to see it lit up at night!
I know that my blog is about things to do in Kuala Lumpur, but I hope you don’t mind if I share a little something with you all from our recent trip to Cambodia. One of the first things that caught my eye as we drove to our hotel; such a great sight….
Not only is the city of Siem Reap just a two-hour direct flight from KL, it is also an absolutely amazing city that transports you to another time and allows you to experience a completely different pace of life. It felt like we’d travelled much further to be able to find such a contrast to the busy modern city life of KL and I can’t recommend it highly enough. The Buddhist monks that we met throughout our trip were the friendliest, happiest people ever… and loved asking for selfies with our twins!
Needless to say, we did this trip with our 5 year old twins and I wasn’t at all worried that the trip would be ‘too cultural’ or not ‘fun enough’ for them! They’re used to our adventures taking us to new lands and have done everything from climbing volcanoes by torchlight to swimming in seemingly bottomless waterfalls during our time in Indonesia so, I knew they’d do well
The playground at The Angkor Palace Resort & Spa in Siem Reap
Having said that, it was important for us as a family to have a hotel that had a decent pool so that after a morning of sight-seeing, they would at least be able to unleash their pent up energy within a resort environment! Fortunately you have a fair few options in Siem Reap and we found quite a few places via Agoda that offered family rooms or triple rooms and most had pools. The deciding factor for us was when I found a hotel with pool, children’s pool with slides AND a children’s playground! I couldn’t book quickly enough! So, The Angkor Palace Resort & Spa would become our base for the 5 days we were to stay there.
The children’s pool wirh slides at our resort. plus a kids menu at the pool bar.
Before we flew out to Cambodia we toyed with the idea of booking some tours with a travel company but thought we’d wait to see just how things were once we arrived – and I have to say it worked out perfectly!
The tuk-tuks (remorks) were a big hit with our children! an easy and cost-effective way to get around.
Every hotel has ‘tuk-tuks’ affiliated with their property so you know who you are dealing with and the receptionists are always happy to sort out a ride for you. Not only was it convenient, it was an amazingly cost-effective way to get around the city. Considering we were a family of four, an entire day of having the tuk-tuk and driver for ourselves (who would take us where we wanted, suggest lunch spots or just wait for us to finish at one temple before heading on to the next site) only cost $20! Add on a sunrise or a sunset and it would have been $25…. Now you can’t beat that! We had our freedom to stop and start when we wanted, we admired the streets and the views from our quaint little mode of transport and the whole experience only added to our Cambodian holiday.
The infamous Angkor Wat and my two children taking full advantage of the large space around it!
When it comes to sight-seeing, needless to say you have your choice of temples to see. But what is also good is that there are ‘circuits’ available that all the drivers know of so if you’re unsure, grab a map from the airport or your hotel and go with the flow.
So many temples, each one offering something different. the kids loved exploring everywhere!
Now doing all this with young children may not appeal to some but these amazing ruins gave our twins the most natural of playgrounds to explore; tunnels and doorways, little chambers to hide in and, on occasion, walls and rocks to climb all over!
The Bayon was one of our favourite temples and an absolute must!
They’ve tried to count the many faces of ‘Bayon’, mingled with monks at Angkor Wat, and turned themselves into mini ‘Tomb Raiders’ at Ta Prohm, the site where temples and trees entwine to give you one of my favourite temples of all.
Ta Prohm is another temple not to be missed.
If you ask them their favourite parts of the trip, they would both say ‘riding around in tuk tuks’ and I can’t say I blame them! They were great! Another great experience that tops their list was the evening that we went to the ‘Phare Cambodian Circus’, an acrobatic performance with music, comedy and theatre given by young Cambodians. This ‘show’ has become very popular so if you’d like to help support this fabulous cause of taking underprivileged youngsters and training them in arts/dance/acrobatics, buy your tickets online before travelling in order to avoid disappointment.(http://pharecambodiancircus.org) The Phare Cambodian Circus is a very popular attraction but is also for a very good cause.
For me, the highlight of our holiday was a half day boat trip to Lake Tonlé Sap. This again was something we booked once in Siem Reap although this time we reserved a hotel car and driver. It worked out at a great rate of only $35 for what would have been a 4/5 hour trip and we were extremely happy with the service.
Taking in the views as we make our way down through to Lake Tonlé Sap
Only an hour’s drive from Siem Reap we then had a private boat for the four us (which we paid for separately once there – children were free, and we paid $20 at the time per adult) which took us up the river through the floating village. The floating village was an eye-opening experience. Truly amazing to see life on the water’s edge.
This itself was amazing, but then we stopped and went ashore to walk through the village and had the opportunity to visit a local school and donate some art supplies. Absolutely magical. The school that we stopped at within the floating village.
These children who have so little gave us so much in their smiles, laughter and endless questions – it was truly beautiful. These children were brilliant… and charming and full of smiles and poses. A sheer joy
Other attractions on any trip would have to be the night markets and the ‘infamous’ pub street where you’ll find an array of bars and restaurants, clubs and pubs as well as street sellers and shops.Pub Street which comes alive at night and is worth a visit
Something that should be seen once, even if you decide its a bit too crazy to return the next evening!
This little lady captured our hearts with her constant big smiles as we passed her on the street.
Cambodia and its people left an ever-lasting mark on us. It really was such a fabulous trip and showed us the true beauty of a country that I had never thought I would get the opportunity to visit. Another day, another sight; elephant rides are availble to walk you around the historic sites.
Here, I shall just say, if you haven’t yet been to Cambodia, please do. You will love it…. Hopefully just as much as we did. S x
You will probably never associate Kuala Lumpur with beaches and coastal walks, but if you’re feeling like a change of pace, a day trip to Port Dickson is definitely doable!We decided to drive down this weekend; it took about an hour and 15 minutes and as it’s mostly motorway is very easy to do. The view over the beaches as we stopped at the town of Port Dickson
As you follow the signs into PD you’ll soon see the sea on the horizon so then it’s just a case of deciding where to stop. There are many different beaches to enjoy each with ample parking areas, but I have to say that all of them that we saw were extremely clean, and near deserted!
The beaches were not only clean, but there was no one there!
With the exception of a few people offering water sports or relaxing in the shade of the palm trees, we had the place to ourselves! With it being low-tide, it seemed a massive space for us to enjoy paddling in the sea, chasing crabs and building castles. On a hot day dont expect the water to cool you down – it was so warm!!! (but just how I like it!)
If all that wasn’t enough, there’s even playgrounds built on the sand near each car park so children are definitely kept entertained! There’s street stalls selling everything from kites and inflatables, to swimwear and ice creams. Cafes and eateries line the coast road as well so you are never short of options. Next to every parking area that we passed there was a play area on the beach.
Before leaving we went a little bit further along the coast to where the lighthouse is. Look out for roads signs for Tanjung Tuan and you’ll be right on track. This was inside the reserve at Tanjung Tuan and gives you an idea of the wildlife you may run into.
The lighthouse itself is within a recreational park where you can enjoy nature walks, do some bird watching and take in the views. They charge a minimal fee of just 1RM for adults to enter so it’s not a costly activity! It will then be about a 20 minute climb up a moderately steep hill to discover the lighthouse itself. The stark white walls of the lighthouse looked stunning against a perfect blue sky
Spotting squirrels and monkeys along the way, the little ones loved seeing the workings of the lighthouse and if nothing else, the views over the bay are stunning! When you walk around the light house there are some beautiful views over the bay
So, if the feel of the sand between your toes is something you miss, Port Dickson is a nice little escape and while there are a number of hotels and beach resorts available, it’s also possible to make the trip in just a day. S x The light house standing proud up on its hill…
Kuala Lumpur has been transformed by red and gold lanterns as the malls, streets, and even the apartment buildings pull out all the stops for the run up to Chinese New Year. The Bukit Bintang entrance to Pavilion
As this is our first CNY in Malaysia we want to make the most of being in the heart of it all and that meant taking the children to see one of the Chinese performances happening around the city. Fortunately for any of us wanting to see lions and dragons dancing, most of the malls offer us the opportunity to delight in such festivities. The stage is set and with front row seats, we are ready for show time!
The shopping centres have already installed a stage and have little markets selling all kinds of Chinese goods dotted around their atriums. Stop by the information desk to pick up the schedule of their events to know when to bring the little ones in to catch the action; from Suria KLCC and Pavilion, to Fahrenheit 88 and 1 Mont Kiara, everywhere will have a little something to add to the celebrations. The lion as he jumped and danced his way along at great heights!
We caught an ‘Acrobatic Lion Dance’ show this past weekend at Pavilion and while drums banged and cymbals crashed, lions danced above our heads. The lions were so fun and played with the crowd throughout.
The performers also came into the audience and threw mandarin oranges into the crowd only helping us to get even more drawn into the sound and sight of Chinese New Year. As well as throwing mandarin oranges to the audience he also gave out toy monkeys to a lucky few….
Guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser, the kids will love it so make sure you catch a performance (or two!) over the next couple of weeks! S x Getting up close and personal with our new friends 😉
“Farm in the City”. Ok, well, it’s not exactly ‘in the city’ as it took us a 30 minute drive from KLCC (but I get what they mean!) and it is certainly more than just a farm (so don’t go there expecting sheep and cows!) but enough about analyzing its name, let me tell you about our trip!
The deer and their big beautiful eyes were gorgeous and roam around in one of the enclosures that you can enter.
Located out in the direction of Cyberjaya, FITC has recreated a Malaysian-style village to showcase its plants, fruits and its wildlife. Now you won’t find beautifully landscaped gardens or perfectly laid pavements but that isn’t the point behind the centre. Instead it’ll be a bit rustic, a little muddy, with partial paths in need of a little bit of tender loving care. But what I can guarantee you is probably one of the best ‘hands on’ experiences available in KL!
These colourful guys also roam around!!
This is not a zoo so the majority of animals are either in specific large pens that you can enter, or are roaming around freely. The petting zoo area with rabbits and guinea pigs was a BIG hit with my two!
Each enclosure has a dedicated member of staff who gives you the appropriate food to feed the animals and also instructs you the correct way to hold the animals which was nice to see.
And the giant tortoises that we first encountered were great! and loved munching away on the leaves we gave!
To say that we have been up close and personal with an array of animals would be an understatement ; my children have fed and held more animals in 4 hours at FITC (yes, we spent a whole 4 hours there!!!) than they have in their entire lifetime!
These were my personal favourite – so cute and so playful!
Unlike the majority of zoos and parks that charge an entrance fee and then $5 for a photo with a parrot etc this is nothing like that. My children will be talking about these chicks for the rest of their lives! An absolute highlight
My daughter has sat and caressed a baby chick in her lap for a whole twenty minutes. They’ve returned numerous times to feed giant turtles, deer, and rabbits.
And while the little ones had cuddles with cute chicks and little rabbits, hubby and I got to play with a scorpian!
They’ve been encouraged to touch a snake and a lizard and even helped when it came to feeding time for the raccoons! And when they’d done all that…… we did it all again!
Being involved at feeding time for rhe raccoons (12 noon) was too adorable for words! they way them came and grabbed your hands to get the food was amazing.
There’s a bird show daily, there’s feeding times that you can participate in and there’s pony rides which, although short, were a welcome change of activity during our time there. There’s a small bird show daily at 11.30am
Pony rides for the little ones are also available.
So, if your little ones love animals and you think they’d like to get involved as much as FITC allows, then this is the place to go and they’ll even get a certificate at the end to say they participated with the whole thing! S x
Maps are available at the entrance and we received these free badges when purchasing a family ticket. The certificates were given upon leaving the farm.
This weekend we got back on track with the challenge I set myself months ago and continued trying out child-friendly cafes! ‘For Goodness Cakes’ is a lovely little place in Sri Hartamas. A little bit hidden down a one-way street (Jalan 27/70a, Desa Sri Hartamas) this isn’t necessarily somewhere you’d just happen across but I do suggest popping in.
The inside of ‘For Goodness Sakes’ in Sri Hartamas
On arriving we received one of the warmest welcomes by Sheila, one of the owners, who treated us like old friends even though we’d never met.
The cafe prides itself on its home-made cooking and serves everything from all day breakfasts to soups, sandwiches, burgers, pasta dishes and some Asian favourites. Everything is made fresh on the premises and we were lucky that a batch of sausage rolls had just come out of the oven as well as a lovely banana cake that was still warm as we all tucked in!
Just out of the oven! Fresh sausage rolls, scones and cakes!
If you’re not stopping for a big meal, they have fresh juices and a wide selection of teas/coffees and needless to say they offer a large range of sweet treats; from cupcakes and scones, to gluten-free brownies and cookies.
A big part of trying out this cafe came down to the fact that they have a play corner in the cafe itself. This was equipped with a little kitchen, soft toys, robots, cars and a very well-stacked bookcase which we made full use of with a couple of stories while waiting for our order.
The little play area in the middle of the cafe. The books were great while waiting for our food to arrive.
Good food, extremely pleasant staff, and a play area so we were already very happy….. But then came the personalised ‘crêpe’ order for my son who was stunned when he saw his name written on his plate in raspberry coulis!! What a touch! When we placed the order, we were asked for our son’s name….. and this is why! Impressive!
Ten out of ten for making our visit very memorable! Safe to say, we will be back when in the area! Thank you, S x
I’ll be honest, Kuala Lumpur Butterfly Park had always been on my to-do-list, but I’d read a couple of fairly bad reviews about the place and it had put me off. Little pathways that meander around the beautifully maintained Butterfly Park.
Well, I am very happy to say that we went….and it’s LOVELY!! Not only are the gardens beautifully maintained with little paths, bridges and water features, but from the minute you walk in you will be surrounded by thousands of butterflies fluttering around and the sight is really quite amazing. A little friend who stopped by to pay me a visit.
Located at Perdana Botanical Gardens, and reasonably priced this makes a nice little outing if you have a spare hour or two. Wander around at leisure and enjoy spotting as many butterflies as you can. There’s an array of different coloured butterflies to be seen
The size of some of them was really impressive and they certainly weren’t camera shy so you get some nice photos too. These butterflies were enormous!!! and were very good at staying still fir photos!
Also in the park you’ll see fish (you can buy fish food at the entrance upon purchasing your tickets) turtles and geckos. There are tanks in the garden with fish, turtles and geckos….
Then once you’ve finished the tour in the garden you make your way to the exit but automatically pass through their Educational Display Room where you’ll be able to discover lots of bugs (alive or otherwise!) in showcases. Once you are inside, you can see a lot of bugs up close!
From beetles and tarantulas, to millipedes and stick insects – they’re all there and I guarantee you that the little ones will be fascinated by it all!
Display cases of some of the prettiest butterflies I’ve ever seen….
This is far from a day trip, but will keep you busy for an hour or two and you could easily combine it with one of the many other places in the vicinity. Either way, if you’ve been or do end up going, let me know what you think – I’d love to hear your opinion. S x
“Easy like a Sunday morning” Out cycling with the family at Titiwangsa Park.
We used to go cycling as a family every single weekend when we lived in Bali and we’ve really missed it since being in KL. Bike rental places are set-up in a number (not all!) parks and offer a wide rangevof bikes, scooter and ride-ons for younger children.
But, thanks to a lot of the parks here offering bike rental services, we finally got our Sunday fix! With an array of colours and sizes, you can hire everything from adult bikes and scooters, to roller-skates and motorized miniature cars for the kids! The views and colours today as we toured the lake were just perfect!
We were out at Titiwangsa Park today (and at FRIM and Kepong Metropolitan Park yesterday) and all of these parks have bicycles for rent at just 10RM for the first hour. The park is relatively flat for the most park so it makes it a safe place to cycle with the children.
Depending on the place, subsequent hours are charged at as little as 2RM so it’s a nice little activity to do at not a great expense.
My two were little so, so happy to be back on bikes!
And what a beautiful day for it at Titiwangsa Park today, with a tour of the lake and, of course, a stop at the playground! Just one section of the amazing children’s playground that they have here
My daughter exclaimed that she loves cycling and wants to go back next weekend – and why not?! It was a lovely way to start our family Sunday and we’ll definitely be doing this again 😉 S x
The entrance to the library – this is the sign you’re looking for opposite the golf course.
Being in Shah Alam last weekend finally meant I got the chance to visit the Raja Tun Uda Library. Located just opposite the Club House for the Sultan Abdul Aziz Golf Course, it was very easy to find.
The children’s library has it’s own entrance on the right-hand side once you enter.
The children have their very own library on the ground floor which is surprisingly large and the entrance is bright, modern and very enticing! They put a basket of cloth bags at the entrance so you can take your shoes off and then carry them around with you in the library.
It’s an impressively large library with books in several languages
Inside, bookcases stretch as far as the eye can see but the most original feature is the large ‘reading tree’ in the middle of the space where you can sit, relax and enjoy a book or two. The ‘reading tree’ …. sit and relax and read away!
They have books in a number of languages (including English) and a lot of seating areas from big couches and bean bags to chairs and tables. Plenty of seating, with sofas all around the library
In keeping with its modern feel, their ‘Creative Zone’ includes computers, Wii, and I-step. They also have a little stage where they hold story-telling sessions as well as a cosy corner with a television. Bean bags and a cozy corner
I have to say that it was very busy on the weekend and wasn’t the ‘quietest’ of libraries I’ve been to as it doubles as a play space for the children! However, there is a separate room that is for anyone who wants to really sit and read/work and people were very respectful of the peace in there. Becoming a member is free and you can borrow books for two weeks at a time. So, if you live in the area, you now know where to take all your little bookworms 😉 S x
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