Appreciation Dinner

I appreciate the little things and gestures that anybody does for me. Especially from my sons. I just could not express my appreciation and thanks enough to Syafiq and Ikram who trailed with their mum to keep her company and making sure she was safe and well taken cared of. They were very patient, tolerant and humour my idiosyncracies and weirdness. When they asked me why I was doing this, I could not explain yet they respected my wish to look up these people who were once part of my life. Never once did they complained or grumbled about the waiting they had to do while I was catching up with my friends. They were my co-drivers, my mahram, my travel companions .... we talked a lot while travelling from one place to another. We sang songs that were familiar to us. We cracked silly jokes and Ikram being a sceptical and more often than not, quite cynical, was an interesting companion to exchange ideas and opinions. Thank you, Allah, for this time for us together. Just us. I could only recite Alhamdulillah. Thank you Allah.

Thus, in appreciation of what they had done for me (giving and spending their time with me), Wah and I took them out for a special dinner at Mesra Kelana restaurant in Kelana Jaya. Of course, they did justice to the food. We all did ... :-)))

Lemon butter chicken - Syafiq's request - a balanced sourish sweetness

The famous roasted chicken fried rice - nice

Black Pepper Beef - very tender with the correct dash of black pepper

Butter Prawns - yummy, fresh large prawns - not oily or too buttery

Simple mix vegetable with the balanced mixture of vege

We added white rice. Our drinks were kedondong asam boi - I liked it - Ikram had carrot with milk, Syafiq with his starfruit juice and Wah had hot honey lemon tea. A satisfying meal that was loaded with appreciation and thanks. Wah's appreciation to the boys for accompanying me home to her and the family. ... simple gestures but huge impact... :-)

Portuguese Egg Tart

I had never liked egg tart because of the eggy smell. I did not like egg so much. Just like caramel pudding when I was introduced to it by Yah, my housemate in Kelantan. Until I ate the one in Mecca, do I fell in love with it. Ever since I ate the layered egg tart in Kota Kinabalu, I loved it. After KK, I could not find an egg tart like the ones that we ate there. Since the bakery was next to the hotel, we always got the layered egg tart freshly baked from the oven. Another comfort food - nice, warm, delicious aroma, secure, love, kindness.....all the feelings rolled into one. Then, one day, back in Alor Setar, I saw this egg tart being sold at King's Confectionery at Tesco. It was hot from the oven and thus, I bought one to give it a try. Almost but not the same. Yet, it still reminded you of KK, ... the rain at the jetty while waiting for our boat to Sapi Island, ... the freshly baked smell of bread and pastry, ... the warm feeling of being with loved ones .... Thus, I bought for the others too. It was not easy to get as Tesco Mergong was way out of my area. I only went there if I had something specific to look for. Plus, they did not sell it regularly. It was only sold freshly baked so if I was lucky to be there at the right time, I would get it.

While in Seremban, Syafiq and I stopped over at Tesco for a bite and saw King's Confectionery. I went there just to see what they had and this young girl came out from the back with a tray of freshly baked Portuguese egg tarts. MasyAllah. SubhanAllah. Alhamdulillah. It brought a happy smile to both of us as we recalled the tarts from KK. So, we bought 6 to bring back to Kelana Jaya so Wah could enjoy it too.

The layered Portuguese egg tart from King's Confectionery. It has a halal logo from Jakim.

After a bite .... the egg custard filling - smooth, creamy and just nice sweetness ... hmmmmm  :-))

The box of 6 egg tarts inside

29th MAY 2013 - Seremban

Sham. My room mate of three years and the stable influence in my young, impressionable life. I was lucky for I met all these good people in my life. She was two years older thus, she had more sense than I did. Sham was a sort of person who was in a world of her own. We called it "blur" ... usually never got any jokes until we had finished laughing it off. Our friendship - Sham, Muna, Leha and I - we complemented each other. I had not seen her for almost two or three years. Hence, the next trail would be Seremban.

We left Malacca about 9:30am. Ikram had planned a rendezvous to meet up with some of his friends to go to their former school to settle some business. So, with Syafiq's GPS, we set off for the bus station. After dropping him off, I called Sham's house and Zul, her husband picked up the phone. Sham was not home as she had a class. I asked for the name of the school and Syafiq reset his GPS. When we reached the school, some students were playing games (it's a primary school). I asked the students if they knew Sham and one of them told me that she had gone home. Calling her on her handphone would be useless. Knowing that lady ... she had no e-mail, could not be bothered with anything, seldom read the papers, always in a world of her own ... so I called the house again and Zul insisted that I came over to the house. I asked for the house address. I had never gone to her house without Noor as he was my driver. Now, with the help of Syafiq's GPS, we managed to find the house.

It was a wonderful, safe kind of feeling to be in her tight embrace. Sham had that kind of presence for me. Where Muna (a year younger) and I were always up to pranks and mischief (not trouble), Sham would be the stabling factor in our lives. Pulling us back to reality when we had to face a broken heart, the loss of my father, losing the stability of my childhood home, always trying to reject the guys attention in college ... she was always there to act as a chaperone. Always wise, kind, patient, loving and tolerated all our nonsense. Yes, I love these people in my life. We may be far apart but we never really distanced ourselves.

"Distance can't separate anyone,
  Being near can't bind anyone...
  If feelings are true and from the heart,
  Just close your eyes
  You can find the one that you miss...." 

We talked and caught up with the latest updates. I conveyed Muna's and Pitt's warmest regards to her. She was busy preparing for her daughter's wedding this coming August. She insisted that I must come. InsyAllah, of course I would make time for it. It was just wonderful seeing her again.

Poor Syafiq! He waited patiently until I decided we really had to take our leave. Sometimes, I wished that we could turn back the clock ... but it would never be the same. We had changed ... but our feelings remained the same. The bonding remained strong. The love was still in our hearts. Though we seldom meet - infact years at a stretch - the gap of absence was never there. This made me more determined to try to see Leha. Please, ya Allah, only with your grace, will I be able to see her.

Thus, we returned to our point of beginning - Kelana Jaya at Wah's house until Friday before we started the journey back to Malacca for the wedding of the year.....

28th MAY 2013 - Muar

The trail continued with a pit stop in Muar to find Muna, my house mate and soul mate. I finally managed to get the boys to be ready by 10:30am. We checked out of the hotel and thanked the staff for a warm and welcoming stay. Of course, food came first on the agenda. Ikram started driving along the Mersing - Kluang route of winding and hilly road. He thought he would be able to drive fast but not furious but along the way, the lorries coming out of the palm oil estates stalled and slowed him down which really tested his patience and my pressure of trying to relax him... :-0}  On the other hand, slowing down the speed helped control my motion sickness. We made it to Air Hitam exit in 2 hours. Me ... in one piece ... :-))   

Syafiq took the wheels until we reached Pagoh exit. After that, I continued while he navigated the GPS for Muna's address. We did not find our way correctly this time as Parit Sakai was not in the GPS list; but we managed to locate the road. So, I called Muna and she came to pick me up. It was so lovely to see her. Yes, I came down for her daughter's wedding last March but it was a khenduri...so we hardly had time for a chat.

We talked to our hearts' content. We giggled over little things. We laughed at old memories. We became nostalgic for a while. Amat (her husband and my college mate) left us alone. The boys had tea with us and they went to make themselves comfortable at the wakaf outside. We really caught up and had a heart to heart talk. We could always talk about anything personal. We talked about some of our friends, our husbands, an old friend, ...  I did not realise almost 2 hours had gone by. Syafiq and Ikram waited patiently for their mum while playing with their handphones!!!!! We finally said goodbye and hugged each other tight.

The same question arose as asked by Hafizah - why am I doing this nostalgic trail of Jalan 4 Juara (our house address)? I answered "I don't know but I just have to do it. It was just done without any planning or thinking. I just needed to do it. So, I did it. If my friends can't come to me, then I shall come to them."  They did not care for the reasons. They were just glad I did it because even though they wanted to do it, they had commitments and obligations. I refused to acknowledge my commitment and obligation. Her area - Parit Sakai - was not even on the GPS list!!. Sometimes all one needed was just a tight and close hug from someone one knew that she cared whatever little things happened to you. Sometimes, friends you never met for so long could understand so much with so little words....

We started to return to Kak Leha's house for the night. Thank you ya Allah, I am very grateful. Please allow me to see Sham tomorrow in Seremban. Thank you for Ikram and Syafiq. Thank you for their understanding, patience, tolerance and trying to do anything to make their mum happy. Thank you for the small things but great ones for me. MasyAllah. SubhanAllah. Alhamdulillah.

"Yang kita harapkan daripada manusia cuma dua  -  nasihat dan doanya.
  Itulah hadiah yang akan mengeratkan ukhuwah kerana Allah.
  Bertemu tidak jemu;
  Berpisah tidak gelisah.
  Kerana ada doa dan nasihat yang mengikat hati kita 
  ketika jauh dan dekat."   -  Uztaz Pahrol Mohd. Juoi

Other views of Mersing ....

Mersing is a small, developing town. It has the stretch of river along its town and facing the sea. It is just a pit stop for those taking the boat to the islands of Tioman, Sibu, Besar and others. We followed the river trail which led to the sea front and here were some of the interesting photos we took along the way. We did not venture to any of the islands as we were there only for a day. Yet, it was a fulfilling visit as I was there just to catch up with my old housemate from college.

Taken at almost sun down ...

Parking rates for cars - for those off to the islands

One of the many ticket booths to Tioman Island

Another ticket booth

One of the colleges available here - there's also Sekolah Integrasi, Sekolah Menengah Sains ...

The tower which can be seen from the beach ...

Ikram and Syafiq trying out the exercise machines along the beach front which acts as a recreation facility

Nightfall has begun to set in making the air chilly, crisp and refreshing after a scorching afternoon ...

The clock tower at dusk - the time seems forever to be 4:23 am or pm???

At one of the restaurants near the hotel - you are charged if you use it to charge your phone or laptop

I liked Mersing town. Slow, relax, still developing. Food was reasonable and almost the same everywhere in Malaysia. We did not try anything special. They boys decided on KFC as usual. Later, they went to the river view where the restaurants had put out tables and chairs for supper. It was a nice break with just us, our agenda, no rush, no hassle, no itinerary, .... I salute the patience and tolerance of the boys to humour their mum. As Ikram said - Mum is on a nostalgic trail .....  :-)

28th May 2013 - Mersing : The Breaking of Morn ...

After Subuh prayers, Syafiq and I went to the beach front again to catch the sunrise. It was magnificent and picture perfect ...

6:50am

6:52am

6:57am

6:59am

7:02am

7:05am  -  the morning has broken and the sun has started scorching the beach ...

After breakfast, we returned to the hotel. Ikram had slept after his Subuh prayers. Syafiq joined him. I managed to catch a movie from tonton.com and updating my blog. We planned to leave by 10:00am. By the look of these nocturnal guys .... it's lucky if we can leave by 11:00am!!! Next destination - Muar, if Muna is home.... ;-)))

27th May 2013 - Mersing (II)

After a nap, we decided to take a walk and watched the setting sun along the beach. We went along the river view behind the hotel and trailed the river until we reached the sea front. The sun was setting and it was getting darker. The weather was chilly and windy. I could not explain the feeling of taking a walk at night, along the beach, immersed in my own thoughts with the boys enjoying it with me. We took a leisurely walk, took photographs of the darkening night, stopped somewhere for dinner and walked back to the hotel. The boys entertained themselves with their laptops while I was busy updating my facebook and replying mails that needed to be replied. I started writing in my blog before I forgot all about the moment.  :-)) 

The LKIM jetty behind the hotel - the stretch of river leads to the sea ...

The fishing boats docking at the jetty ...

The view leading towards the sea ...

One of the many hovercrafts docking at the jetty

The starting of the setting sun ... about 7:00pm

The view of the slowly setting sun at the beach front

Getting darker ....

And darker ....

The night has come...

27th MAY 2013 - Mersing

I did not actually plan this seriously. The idea was just hovering at the back of my mind to visit Hafizah this holidays. The night before we left for Kluang, I was just surfing the internet for available rooms in Mersing. As it was meant to be, although most of the standard hotels were fully booked as it was the holidays, I managed to get a budget room through booking.com. It was always this way. If Allah wills it, everything will go as you wish, want, hope and more. You ask for so little yet He graces you with so much more. All I wanted was to see Pitt (her nickname in college) before anything should happen. I had the opportunity, the financial resources (thanks to Income Tax for refunding my overpaid taxes) and the boys.

Thus, we started for Mersing at about 9:00am from Kak Leha's house instead of Kluang as planned. It was a three and a half hour journey with winding and hilly roads all the 91 km (from Kluang) to Mersing. After some time, I began to get dizzy and Syafiq took the wheels. There was nothing much to see except oil palm estate.....

The clearing of the land and replanting

The lush, green palm trees...

The long road ahead ... winding and hilly ...and the palm oil estate as far as the eyes can see....

Finally, the junction to Mersing ... one long hour of winding road is enough to trigger off my motion sickness ...;-( 

With the smart phone and GPS from Syafiq's mobile phone, we managed to find the hotel after going round the roundabout a few times. By this time, Pitt was worried if we had lost our way. We checked in the budget hotel and performed our prayers first before proceeding to Pitt's house for lunch.

A budget hotel with 20 rooms - right in the town of Mersing

The entrance ...

I had no expectations and were ready to accept whatever came my way. Alhamdulillah. I had booked a family room for 3 adults. The room was small with a double bed and a single bed. It had basic amenities like air-conditioner and TV with Astro. It did not matter as the boys had their laptops. Wifi service was available. No frills like coffee/tea making facilities or even a cupboard. What was important was the toilet was clean and the room was reasonable. So, we settled for the night in Mersing. :-D) 

SUNDAY, 26th MAY 2013 - Aliff's Wedding

Hamid came yesterday to finalise our plans for today. We decided to convoy to Baba's house in Kluang, Johor for Aliff's wedding. Aliff is his second son. Aliah got married last year and I could not come down for her wedding. She already had a child about 3 months old. Another grand nephew... :-)) 

We left in 3 cars. Kak Hajar and Abang Zul, Kak Leha, Zul and his family went in the VellFire. Wah, Syafiq, Ikram and I went in my car. Hamid and his family in his car.We reached Baba's place at about noon as expected time of arrival. When did I last met Baba and family? Two years ago at Kak Ti's house for Raya. Now, Aliff is married. Aliah, who got married last year, had blessed us with another grand nephew. The family is extending and we always try to make it a point to meet up every year or two. We will try not to miss out on weddings, sickness or any invitations for a gathering since we lived so far apart. We stayed for an hour as they were busy attending to guests. Thank you, Allah for strengthening and further bonding of ties.

We left for Malacca but at our own pace. Imagine having to keep up with their two cars! Syafiq drove the return trip and we dropped by Bukit Rambai to visit their grandmother. Later, we went back to Kak Leha's house and had tea of epok-epok (vegetable curry puff) and kueh koci pulut hitam before Kak Hajar, Abang Zul and Wah departed for Kelana Jaya. We always hoped for a good day yet Allah was testing us with His tests and trials.

Faqih (our 1 year+ grand nephew) spilled some drink on the tiled floor. Thus, Kak Leha mopped the floor. Khalisya (the sister) was running to get something and slipped on the wet floor hitting her head at the edge of the elevated floor. Her forehead was bleeding profusely and she was screaming at the top of her lungs out of fear of the blood. Thank goodness her mother was a former nurse. She picked up the child and tried to stop the bleeding with a towel. Whatever was available. Her brother, Epiz, immediately took the car out and they went to Putra Medical Centre. We, the grand aunties and Kak Leha, the grandmother, were astounded and shocked. We just hugged Kak Leha to give her moral support. While waiting for their return or any news, we took care of Faqih and Wafiq, his brother. Wah, Kak Hajar and Abang Zul finally left for Kelana Jaya.

Kak Leha was worried and guilty as she was the one who mopped the floor. While she fed Faqih his dinner, I got the boys to entertain Wafiq, the 5 year old brother, who was a live wire. I cleaned up the house and washed the clothes. When Nooraini, the mother came back from hospital, we learned that Khalisya had to be admitted. Since the cut was very deep, she had to go through minor surgery to stitch up the inside of the cut. Kak Leha insisted that she took care and slept with Khalisya tonight. Her daughter in-law was equally adamant and so was Rina, Kak Leha's daughter. Finally, I just had to get involved. I told Nooraini very nicely that Kak Leha was very worried and unless she could see the grandchild tonight, she would be very unhappy. Besides, Faqih was still breastfeeding and would need his mother especially at night. Rina was working tomorrow and besides, her children had classes tomorrow. So, they finally agreed to let Kak Leha spent the night at the hospital although they were worried that she might be uncomfortable. I told Kak Leha not to worry and go. That night, we still had the rice that Baba had given us for dinner. I cleared out the kitchen and cleaned the house before the rest came back from hospital. At least I knew Kak Leha was happy.  :-))  

What a day!!! A happy day with a testing ending. It was meant to happen and would happen. A small fall yet for a small sized child (7 years old) ... she took quite a hit and she was admitted for a night's observation of her head or any internal injuries. Unless she vomited tonight, she would be ok. InsyAllah, everything would be alright. How the day started may not be how it ended. He had given so much so I guess He was just seeing whether we had the tenacity, patience and tolerance to face just a small test from him. Allah tested us but He made it easy for us - we were home, Nooraini was a nurse, Epiz, her brother was around as Zul had gone off for a meeting and it was the school holidays. So, take a deep breath, istighfar and Alhamdulillah.

SATURDAY, 25th MAY 2013 - second day

We woke up early and bought breakfast of the usual nasi lemak and kueh. Our plans for today was going shopping at Kg Jawa. The boys wanted to catch a movie or two. We planned but everything happened with Allah's grace. It was raining cats and dogs. So, we waited out the rain while entertaining the 3 grand nephews and niece. Finally at about 10:30am, the rain decided to stop and it was blazing hot again.

I sent Syafiq and Ikram to AEON Jusco near Melaka Sentral for their time out on their own. Kak Leha, Wah and I proceeded to Kg. Jawa in Melaka town. Wah wanted to get her material for Nadia's patchwork blanket. There was this one big shop at Kg. Jawa that sold materials for blankets and curtains. She always came down to Malacca to get her materials here. Kak Leha wanted to find cookies cutter. We dropped by the goldsmith to check out the latest price and models. :-))  Price of gold had gone down so it was a good time to check it out. It's not that we were going to buy any  :-DD  Of course we proceeded to the "satay campur" stall for our fix of mee rebus and rojak. Later we went around Jalan Bunga Raya and finally left for home. Wah wanted to get her air kelapa muda and sukun goreng. So, we stopped by the famous "Air Kelapa Batu Berendam" and drank together at one table with the Chinese, Malays, Indians and potpourri of races Malacca was known for.  :-D)  1Malaysia without pretensions or suspicions.

At about 5:30pm I went to pick the boys up. They watched 2 movies back to back -"Iron Man 3" and "Fast and Furious 6". They got to watch what they wanted to watch. Alhamdulillah, I was a satisfied person today for I managed to help achieved whatever they wanted, with Allah's grace.

Later, after maghrib prayers Zul took us to eat ikan bakar somewhere at Ujong Pasir near Semabok area. We ate the usual grill fish, sweet sour fish, chilli crabs, grill squids, butter prawns, kailan ikan      masin, otak-otak and sweet sour lala. It all came with nasi lemak instead of white rice.  A fitting ending to a good day. How could I not be grateful? Alhamdulillah.

              

FRIDAY, 24th MAY 2013 - The start of the first term holiday

It's the holidays.... ;-)  I really needed to get out of Alor Setar. I was tired all the time due to lack of iron, rest and the pressure of my job. I was fast losing my cool, my temper and my sanity. I needed time out.  ;-(

I had completed my task in the exam department. The first term exam went well enough with a few glitches due to some unprofessional attitude of the administrators. I had completed marking my exam papers. I had cleared out my house and with the two boys in tow, we packed our bags and left after Subuh prayers on Friday. We planned to drop by Simpang Pulai to visit my college mate but due to the extra heavy traffic, we decided to continue straight on to Kelana Jaya. We were grateful that the journey south, although heavy with traffic, were smooth. The cars heading north were caught in a massive traffic jam from Tanjong Malim until Sungai Buluh. It was not moving at all!! ;-0  The sun was scorching hot, the vehicles kept coming and the traffic jam was as far as the eyes could see. Syafiq checked his twitter and there was an accident along the highway heading towards Ipoh. When we saw the Kelana Jaya exit, we could just exhale a breath of huge relief to be out of the highway. It was a long weekend with Wesak Day today. Hafsah was waiting for us for lunch.

After lunch, we sent the boys to the mosque at Wah's area for their Friday prayers. Wah and I went around Kelana Jaya getting our errands settled. By the time we completed our errands, the boys had completed their Friday prayers and we picked them up near the mosque. Kak Hajar and Abang Zul were down from Cameron Highlands. Shaun was also down here from Kulim. They were in Bangi, Nadia's apartment. So, we decided to meet up for dinner at Bangi after maghrib. They had bought dinner - a little of everything :- nasi goreng, satay, burger bakar, otak-otak, mee goreng, fish and chips and buah berangan (roasted chestnuts). Dinner was relaxing and we did justice to the food. Wah and I decided to leave for Malacca that night to avoid the heavy traffic expected. So, finally, about 10:30pm we left for Melaka with Ikram driving the car. The journey was smooth although traffic was still heavy. Maybe other people were also having the same thought as ours about departure time.  :-))  We reached Kak Leha's about midnight and went straight to sleep. Hmm ... first day of the holiday. Bless, bliss and grateful Alhamdulillah.

The Mammogram ...

I took leave today. I had already fixed an appointment with KMC (Kedah Medical Centre) to do my mammogram. Finally, after putting it off for so many years. Adik discovered cysts in her breasts. Although stable and non-growing, the doctor monitored them. Wah had her wombs removed due to cysts that spread all over it. Kak Leha had hers removed due to fibroid. Thus, due to family history, I knew I had to check mine. I had the endometrium hyperplasy checked and the doctor found it negative of cancerous cells.

The LPPKN (Family Planning and Development Unit) came to our school to give students their HPV injection for cervix cancer immunisation last week. They were offering vouchers for doing a mammogram test at KMC for breast cancer screening. It was on for RM50 instead of the RM180 - RM220 per screening. I took up the offer and fixed today as the appointment date. I was apprehensive and afraid but I knew I had to get it done. I went alone as usual.

It was painful but a bearable kind of pain. The girl or radiographer was very calm and professional. I had to wait for half an hour for the results. I thought everything was cleared but nothing was ever easy. Not for me, anyway.  ;-{  The doctor or Radiologist wanted to have another screening of the left breast. By now I was already afraid of the results. The radiographer was cheerful so I thought everything was alright. Hmmm ... never trust cheerful hospital staff.  :-}   Anyway, I waited for the result again. By this time, whatever I was reading in the newspaper did not make sense.

She finally called me to hand over the results. The doctor explained that he saw some abnormal cells and wanted to confirm whether it was benign or malignant. He told me it was just cells at a benign process. I could only take a deep breath and Alhamdulillah. I then went to the LPPKN clinic to submit my report. I was so thankful because honestly, I would not know how to react and accept if it was malignant.

Thus, to further fully utilised this day, I went to Omayah's office and took Nawal and her out for lunch as my treat over the good news.  :-))   Now, for some rest before I proceeded with the next agenda for the day - tutoring Ain. Thank you Allah, for a day which started with little things I could do for people - Kakak Kamariah (Naim's sister) called early in the morning and asked for Kak Haj's phone number as she could not get through to her. So, I called Kak Haj and arranged for her to call Kakak as she wanted to book an apartment in Camerons. Then, my GK called asking confirmation about the set classes I was teaching in Form 1. Although it was my off day, I answered whatever queries she had. Well, just to make her work easier rather than checking out the main time-table. Then, at the parking lot at the hospital, a car was looking for parking so I showed him my car and he followed me to take over my lot. Little things but I know it means a lot to these people. May today be a better day than yesterday. May the little things be big things for me. InsyAllah.

It is advisable for ladies above 45 years old to have the mammogram to detect anything abnormal and for early prevention or monitoring. I am glad I went as it was always at the back of my mind what if .... just go and get it done. I think this campaign is all through Malaysia. Just go to any LPPKN clinic and apply for it. All you need is your Identity card. Go for it. As a colleague said when I asked her why was she taking so many types of supplements - Health is Wealth.  :-)))

Tasoh Lake Resort and Recreation - 17 & 18 MAY 2013

Here are some of the photos taken at the resort while taking a walk out of the briefing or on the way back to our rooms or conference hall. A simple place. Good for resting the tired souls and bodies. Very quiet and tranquil. Nothing much to do here although we saw canoes. I guess one can have it arranged at the reception. Across the lake, the hills represent the borders of Thailand. No restaurants so I guess one would have to order food in advance. One can always check out the internet for more details. Very private actually - good for lakeside wedding, family recreation - the cabins can be used for barbecue functions, long walks along the lake or just sit at the cabin to enjoy the panoramic view and commune with nature.

A sharp turning to the left or you will miss it ..

The view from the first level in the rain

Surprisingly, there were cows grazing and we thought they were horses ...  ;-D))

The path leading to the edge of the lake ...

The view of our semi-D chalet on the second level of the hill resort

Our chalet for the night - 031. Very cosy, quite spacious and comfortable.

One of the cabins by the lake in the early morning walk ...

The cabin is enshrouded in mist due to the rain the night before ...

Some of the smaller cabins by the lake - the hills across the lake act as the border between Thailand and Perlis

The view of the cabins in the early morning - one of the teachers did her tai-chi in one of them

The 2-room apartment enclosed by trees and shrubs 

The conference hall where we spent most of the time ...

The early morning view from our second level chalet - the breaking of morn

The misty breaking of morn - as Melody said - we should get out earlier ..

One of the species found dead on the road - I would not want to have come across  a live one  ... it was large !!!!

One of the cabins overlooking the lake - serene tranquil, refreshing and invigorating