Bukit Tinggi (A great place to take visitors from KL)

A few weeks ago, Joe and I went to Bukit Tinggi.  I first heard about it from this blog post from Happpy Go KL, a blog I follow and enjoy.  We were looking for something to do, and off we went!

It took us less than an hour to reach Bukit Tinggi.  It was a really pretty drive, through some forests and jungles.  Most of the time, when driving through Malaysia, one sees lot of palm tree plantations.  This was jungle.  This picture was taken not far from the parking lot, on a path to the Japanese garden.  You could feel the 'cooler' temperatures and hear the sounds of the monkeys.  I thought this would be a really nice place to bring your visitors to KL, when one gets tired of the city.

Colmar Tropicale is a "French-themed" village and hotel located in Berjaya Hills Resort, Bukit Tinggi, Pahang, Malaysia.  It is located 2,600 feet (790m) above sea level on 80 acres of natural forestland.  The development is inspired by the original town of Colmar in Alsace, France.

This information came from one of the websites about the area.  Bukit means 'hill' and so Bukit Tinggi is the whole area.  There are several hotels, restaurants, zip lining, paint ball, a Japanese garden and tea house, and the Alpine village.  We went on a Saturday morning, and there was ample  parking.  There is a shuttle bus that takes you from the parking lot of the Japanese garden to the Alpine Village. 

The Japanese garden

Joe and I ate at the restaurant close to the garden.  It was a little tricky to find because you had to look down from the path to see it.  We ate on the deck and felt like we were in a treehouse!

This was a 'set' lunch, popular around here.  There was soup, beef teriyaki with salad, steamed rice, and fresh fruit.  It was tasty.

This is the Alpine 'village' patterned after Colmar, France.

This is near the entrance to the village.

We saw a couple of swans.  More on that later.

Among the several restaurants and small hotels in this area, there was a theater

and some carnival games, along with an arcade.

We climbed up the clock tower and soaked in the beautiful views.

Looking back at the entrance from the clock tower.  Notice the roofs on the right.

Well, it so happens that I went to the real Colmar, France, two years ago!  Below are some pictures I took.  

Swans!  I have done a crazy amount of traveling in the last three years.  This is one of my all-time favorite pictures!  I was in a small boat in the water, so I could get close.

And here is a patterned roof, that was replicated in Bukit Tinggi.  So, what do you think?  How did BT compare?

While I am speaking of places to take visitors, let me throw out this restaurant.  It is Tamarind Springs, not to be confused with Tamarind Hill, another location.  Although I have been to both and they are both excellent.  Tamarind Hill is a little more refined.  This location at Tamarind Springs overlooks the Kelab Darul Ehsan (or KDE) golf course in the Amapng section of KL.

If you drive down the street from the restaurant (which was a little tricky to find so look for a red door frame), you see lots of monkeys playing along the road.  The entire restaurant is open-air, so we had this visitor!

We had delicious Thai food under the thatched roof.  The whole time we were there, we kept saying that it really felt like we were on vacation!  Great place!

Our view of the golf course and playing monkeys.

So, if you want a short and convenient break from the city, try Bukit Tinggi.  If you just want a good meal, give one of the Tamarind restaurants a try!

You probably won't hear from me again for a while.  Heading off to the States tomorrow for six weeks!!!  Family, fun, and shopping!!!

Austin gets a Malaysian Driver's License!

My son, Austin, has been waiting forever to get his driver's license!!  That was one of his big disappointments about moving away from the US.  There, he could have his license at 16.  Here, you have to be 17.  Well, he did it! He got his license.  I will let him explain the steps.  And for the record, these are not the pictures I wish I had.  I was not around for most of it.  The one picture I wanted and did not get was one of him in the car, where he barely fit.  Speaking of pictures, the one on his license is a two-year-old passport picture I had laying around.  He is cuter than that.  :) Now I will pass the computer to Austin:

Hey y'all, this was what I have been working towards for about six months. It feels good to finally have a license, especially after all the challenges of getting the darned thing. I apologize for the small number of pictures in this blog post, but that is due mainly to my lacking of the ability to take a picture of myself in a car [because Austin barely had room to move] or while driving. 

The first lesson was all about theory. This was expressed to us in an eight hour class in broken English. I was known as "Mr. America" because apparently "Austin" is too hard to spell and pronounce. The nickname suited me very well! After the class I had to wait a couple of weeks before the theory test. To take this I had to travel to a remote strip mall type place is a shady part of the city. Fifty question in Bahasa Malay. That's right, the test was not in English. Luckily, most of the test was in pictures with questions easily answered because I inferred the question from the pictures. It was administered on an archaic computer. I passed in eight minutes. 

The next step was a series of lessons in a car approximately the size of kitchen toaster. It was a manual car with the gear shifter on the wrong side! This caused a bit of confusion in the first couple of lessons. My foot could push the gas, brake, and clutch all at the same time. 

The third step included driving to a practice course that was an hour out of the city. I had to do this in order to take the test before I left for the summer. I had to drive out to this course three times before my test. 

You may be able to notice that I'm about a foot taller than everybody else. 

There was quite a bit of waiting....

More waiting but, fear not, my time is coming! 

The test consisted of a practical road test and a circuit test. A full day in hundred degree weather for an hour of testing. That's the way of the world, I guess. It's okay because I passed! Now I just need to go to the DMV and turn in my results. 

This picture is of the Malaysian DMV. More waiting culminated in my number being called and my turning in of the test results. Twenty minutes later I had my license. Watch out Malaysia, Austin Holmes is loose out on the streets.

This is Wanda again.  I will tell it from the mom's view now.  It all started with a recommendation on a driving teacher.  Her name was Anna and her number is 012 388 7145.  I got her name from a Canadian friend of mine.  I am not sure if Malaysians go throughout the same process.  This whole process began in January, so I am trying to remember the details.  We had to work our schedule around a broken ankle, spring break, and school.  I know we had to pay for the first theory class.  Then for the several driving times Austin spent with Anna.  Then there was a fee for the test, and a fee for the license.  All in all, I think it was around 1200 rm, or $333.  And Austin Holmes is not quite loose on the streets.  :)  Our two vehicles are owned and insured by my husband's employer.  Austin is not insured to drive one of those vehicles.  We will have to get him one of his own.  We are looking for a used car, one that he can actually fit in!

I have to say I am at peace with it.  I know lots of moms are nervous when their teenager first gets his license.  Now imagine that kid driving on the 'wrong' side of the road, in a crowded city known for crazy drivers.  But Austin will be fine.....I hope