Malaysia Holiday – Rompin Malaysia Beach Resort Day 2

The second day of our Malaysia holiday in Summerset Beach Resort, Rompin.

A Malaysia Beach Resort

Today, we would be meeting up with the management of Summerset together with our master facilitator, Mr Martin Hahn, who is from BC, Canada to confirm the details for the “The Opening”, an awakening enlightenment guided meditation retreat that we would be holding here in March 2010.

Martin Hahn, facilitator of The Opening

The Opening

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The pool looks inviting but no takers

Ocean Images

Sunrise images

Sunrise Images

Beach scenery

A friend of ours advised us to keep a lookout for some pink dolphins which had been sighted over the last few days. Alas, it was not our fortune to see them during that visit.

Summerset Beach Resort is also known for its role in playing guardian to preserve its environment as nature intended. The Malaysian government's policy in encouraging eco-tourism has given Summerset the boost to unflaggingly promote nature conservation.

Here are some pictures of bee pollination and bird's nest that we came across whilst in Summerset.

By the beach... Do you spot the bees?

Here's a close up...

What are you looking at?

Bird's nest

The Terrace where you can dine outdoors

Enjoy the serene nature

Get in touch with nature...

We adjourned for breakfast at 0845 hrs. You could get decent breakfast foods of some variety from the buffet counter.

Bread, butter and jam corner

The breakfast buffet counter where you can get breakfast foods of quite a good variety.


Decor in The Dining Room Typical Malay kampung house

Our meeting with the management staff of Summerset started at 0930 hrs with the General Manager Mr Gopal chairing the meeting. It was over in an hour and we managed to have quite a productive session thanks to all concerned. Datelines were set for further information that was required.

As we had strict food requirements for the guided meditation enlightenment, the head chef and the Food & Beverage co-ordinator were kind enough to whip up a sample for Martin to comment on. Great synergy on their part. Kudos to them.

Yum Yum

Lionel & Lisa waiting for Martin

Sharing a moment together, Lisa & Kaed

We finally left at 1315 hrs and made our way to Lucky Valley, approximately 60 km from Rompin. However as we were unsure of the way and it was a one lane road, we finally found the place and arrived at 1430 hrs.

Lucky Valley is a retreat that is nestled amongst fruit orchards, vegetable plots and herb gardens. It is cultivated on what was previously virgin jungle, which still lines the perimeter of the land. The retreat was founded by a Taiwanese master who discovered that the energy in the area was unusually strong and could be harnessed for health and healing.

Thus, the retreat is frequented by many Taiwanese and local groups who organize trips to Lucky Valley for "energy-enriching" retreats. The retreat is not a religious centre but is suitable for any meditative or spiritual group.

Good friends

Lucky Valley signboard at the roadside

The magnificent entrance to Lucky Valley similar to Jurassic Park

Energy Magnetism Pyramid

In the centre of the pyramid, absorbing energy

Which way?

Rest place

We did a short tour of the place and visited the Pyramid which is ideal for spiritual retreats and any energy-enriching retreats such as the awakening enlightenment retreat that we plan to hold, except that the place was a little small for the number of people that we were expecting.

Upon departing Lucky Valley at 1520 hrs, we made our way to Segamat intending to have a late lunch. As none of us were familiar with the area, we made use of our Garmin global positioning system to guide us to Xin Waan Fish Head Restaurant in Segamat. By the time we reached our destination, it was already 1730 hrs. So we had an early dinner instead.

Xin Waan Fish Head Restaurant

Entering the Restaurant

The food was good and appetizing. They even had a special chilli sauce which almost all of us enjoyed.

Tea & the special chilli sauce on the left

Our group of 6 hungry people

FOOD! Hurry with the order!

Steamed prawns

Frog's legs (very tender)

Black Pepper Ostrich

Fish Soup Specialty

Bean Curd On Hot Plate

Beansprouts

Sambal Kang Kong

Oh! That was FABULOUS!

Oh Boy! I can't move anymore...

Total cost for the six of us was merely RM130 (USD38.15), awesome value for money indeed.

Upon saying our goodbyes to the others, we then left at 1915 hrs to make our way back to Singapore. As it was raining heavily, traffic was slightly slow and we only managed to speed up a little upon turning into the North South highway.

We hit Gelang Patah at 2100 hrs and stopped to top up petrol before going through the customs and immigration on both sides of the Second Link. As there were not many vehicles, we managed to clear both the Singapore and Malaysia end by 2120 hrs. This was great timing.

After dropping our friend Kaed off, we finally arrived home at 2200 hrs. A wonderful, though short, Malaysia holiday but great because we had awesome company as well as a productive meeting for the awakening enlightenment meditation retreat to be held at Summerset Malaysia beach resort next year.

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Malaysia Holiday – Rompin Malaysia Beach Resort 24 Oct – 25 Oct 2009

Summerset Beach Resort

Sat, 24th Oct, 2009.

We left home early on Saturday at 0520 hrs for our Malaysia Holiday drive to Rompin. For this trip, we had an agenda to meet up with the management of the Malaysia beach resort Summerset Resort to firm up the arrangement for the awakening enlightenment retreat that will be held in March 2010.

Awakening enlightenment meditation retreat

Before picking Lisa, another of our partners for the enlightenment meditation program, we stopped by the petrol station to top up the petrol tank to keep in line with the ¾ tank ruling for all Singapore registered vehicles driving into Malaysia. We arrived at West Coast McDonalds to meet a convoy party that was driving up to Kuantan for the weekend. Since Rompin is just before Kuantan, we thought it would be a good idea to a) network, b) make more friends with those who love driving into Malaysia and c) get to know some new areas in Malaysia.

Filling in the immigration form at McDonalds

Briefing at the carpark at McDonalds

After the briefing by the convoy organizer, we left McDonalds at 0645 hrs and headed for the 2nd Link at Tuas Checkpoint. As the coast was quite clear on both sides of the 2nd Link, we were in Malaysia at 0725 hrs, very good timing. We turned off at Gelang Patah R&R and stopped at the Esso station for those who wanted to top up their petrol tanks and meet some who were joining us over in Malaysia. After a briefing, we were finally on our way at 0800 hrs.

At the Esso station

Harley Davidson group

Pasting the car stickers to identify the convoy

Another briefing at Esso

Following the North South Highway, we took the Pasir Gudang exit and regrouped again just after Perling Toll, a RM3.60 (USD…) toll, at 0815 hrs.

Breaks along the way


It was a leisurely drive with another two stops along the way for everyone to empty their bladders and still, we arrived in Mersing at 1045 hrs. Stopping by Timotel Hotel for our buffet lunch, we spent just over an hour getting to know the other diners at our table during the lunch break.


Timotel Hotel, our lunch stop

Orderly queue for the food

Lunch time

Our new friends

Another briefing before take off

Lobby

After lunch, there was another briefing before we finally set off for the keropok (crackers) factory just 700m down the road from the hotel with a right turn at Sekolah Kebangsaan Mersing Kanan. Make a left turn at the first turning and you can't miss the sign which is on the opposite side of the road.

Perusahaan Keropok - Keropok Factory in Mersing

It was interesting to see how they made the cracker paste, weighed, boiled, cut and dried it. This was a real eye opener as we have never realized that there were so many steps involved in the making of the simple cracker that we have always enjoyed as snacks.

Getting the paste ready

Weighing it

Cutting into shape

The shop we patronised

Keropok sausages? Did not look too appetising

Salted fish

Keropok galore

Keropok to try

Time to purchase...

Salted fish being dried

Salted fish packed & ready for sale

Mother hen & baby chicks

There were quite a few varieties of crackers to try as well. Of course, we could not resist buying some crackers home.

After purchasing the crackers, we bid farewell to our fellow drivers as we would be turning off to our destination, Summerset Hotel in Rompin whilst they would be carrying on into Kuantan which is approximately another 2 hours from Rompin.

1330 hrs saw us arriving at our destination, the Summerset Resort. Also known as the Summerset Colonial Hotel & Villas, the 4-star deluxe resort facility at "summerset at Rompin" is an integrated resort, leisure, recreation, adventure park and holiday home development.

Boasting an eco-themed environment, Summerset is the latest holiday destination on the east coast of Malaysia and is positioned and conceptualized to provide an array of fun adventure within nature, in luxury and comfort.

Upon checking in at the reception, we met a few of our friends who were either participating in the current Enlightened Warrior Camp or helping with the staffing. It was good to be amongst our warrior community once again. AHO!

Summerset Resort Rompin

As the sun was making its presence felt, we took a short nap before enjoying a dip in the pool in the late evening. Again we bumped into more friends and managed to catch up quite a bit.

For dinner, we drove approximately 15 km back towards Rompin town and adjourned to Rompin River Seafood, our favourite place for seafood when we are up in Rompin. Our order of oyster omelette, steamed prawns, marmite crabs, black pepper ostrich, sweet potato leaves and almost a dozen drinks cost us RM109 (USD… ) for the three of us.

Rompin River Seafood Malaysia

The Rompin River Seafood Restaurant is situated just next to the Kuala Rompin River Chalet. Many people make a trip to Rompin to go sail fishing and stay at the Chalets.

Kuala Rompin River Chalet

Typical chalet

Boats for hire





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Holiday Cruise Ship 2 Oct – 4 Oct 2009 Day 3

An antique phone in Bella Vista on board the Star Cruise Virgo

Day 3 on this holiday cruise ship, Star Cruise Virgo, also popularly known as a casino cruise ship.

In the morning, we managed to get some beautiful sunrise images as we watched the sunrise from our balcony.

Sunrise images

More sunrise images


This morning, because mother likes toasted bread for breakfast, we once again headed for Bella Vista. You can get to taste breakfast food of Asian, Western or Chinese styles. Today for the Asian menu, there was nasi lemak (coconut rice) and grilled beef for the Western menu. The fruit selection was good today and there were longans at the buffet counter. The waiter also managed to get some lovely bananas for us.

Breakfast in Bella Vista on board the holiday cruise ship, Star Cruise Virgo

Whilst waiting for the holiday cruise ship to arrive at port, we had a chat and started discussing our next holiday cruise on star cruise lines, this time intending to go for the 4 days and 3 nights’ trip with stopover in Phuket, Thailand and Penang, Malaysia. At the same time, here are some harbour pictures as we got closer to port.


Harbour pictures

We had made arrangements with the Reception for assistance with mother in her wheelchair during disembarkation. They came to assist mother at approximately 1105 hrs and all wheelchair passengers on the cruise were allowed to disembark before the other passengers. It seems there were a total of 15 – 20 passengers on wheelchair on this cruise with 1400 other passengers.

Staff of Star Cruise Virgo pushing the guests on wheelchairs out for disembarkation


Wheelchair passengers on the Star Cruise Virgo waiting in line for the elevator to proceed to the Singapore Immigration and Customs



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Holiday Cruise Ship 2 Oct – 4 Oct 2009 Day 2

Grand Lobby of Star Cruise Virgo

Day 2 on this holiday cruise ship or also known as casino cruise ship, Star Cruise Virgo

Today is the 15th day of the 8th month in the Chinese calendar and it is also the mid-autumn festival, mooncake festival or also known as the moon festival. This is the day when the moon is at its fullest and we managed to get snap some full moon images. On this day, the Chinese celebrate by giving away mooncakes to their friends and family members and they all gather to watch the moon and enjoy the mooncakes.

Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as Moon Festival

Mooncake Festival

Upon waking up and getting mother ready, we proceeded to Level 8 Private Member’s Club. This club is basically for Star VIP88 Platinum members, also known as the member’s casino.

There are various casino games that you can try your hand at. These include Baccarat, Roulette and Black Jack amongst others. The group decided on Baccarat which is their favourite game. Instead of going to any of the food and beverage outlets for breakfast, they ordered some sandwiches and char siew (barbequed pork) fried rice. The toasted ham/egg and ham/cheese sandwiches were nice and crispy. The setback with toasted bread is that they do not remain crispy for long. The fried rice was fragrant and very scrumptious just that it would have been even better if the pieces of pork had less fat.

Whilst in the casino for about an hour, even looking at how they played the Baccarat, at SGD200 (USD 143.20) a bet, it is not a game for the faint hearted or those who live from hand to mouth.

After leaving the casino, we passed by the Activity Room where we saw a sign for the Instant Win SGD18,000 (USD 12,885) Jackpot Lottery Draw to be held at 2300 hrs that night.

Instant Jackpot Lottery

Passing by the Parthenon pool area, there were some passengers swimming and some soaking themselves in the Jacuzzi. The sun was not too hot today so it is nice to be out in the open.

Parthenon Pool in the background

On Deck 7 where the Grand Lobby is located, you could have your photograph taken and placed against a backdrop of sun, sand and sea or even with President Obama. Or you could have it with other props like the giant teddy bear.

Teddy bear props


Screen backgrounds

At the gift shop, you could also purchase some interesting souvenirs of your memorable times on board the Star Cruise Virgo.

Souvenirs

And more souvenirs

Crew at work washing the deck

Passing a container

Upon returning to the cabin, sister-in-law gave us a piece of the strawberry cake that was presented to them since tomorrow is their 30th Wedding Anniversary. It was a light and spongy strawberry cake and not too sweet.

30th Wedding Anniversary

Since the main group was still in the casino with mother, we decided to have a Chinese lunch in Bella Vista. As we had a friend with us and she did not fancy lamb for lunch, we opted for the Chinese food. The lunch menu included deep-fried crispy bean curd with cuttlefish paste and minced pork, double boiled pork ribs soup with red bean and dried octopus, deep-fried fish fillet with garlic and oyster sauce, braised pork belly with preserved mui choy ‘Hakka” style, sautéed Szechuan vegetables with shredded chicken and fish cake as well as chilled herbal jelly with almond bean curd for the dessert.

Lunch in Bella Vista on board Star Cruise Virgo

The soup was nice and hot and it was flavoursome. The fish was slightly touch whereas the Szechuan vegetables was not too bad. Overall lunch was alright although the dessert was too sweet and the almond bean curd did not taste like what we had expected.

After lunch, we went to take a look at the origami session where they were showing how to fold a paper crane. It was a hands on session and you could have a go at folding one or two yourself.

Paper crane

Origami lesson

Crew showing the art of origami

Next was a game of Celebrity Heads which is somewhat similar to charades.

Originally we wanted to attend the Laughter Yoga but because mother was done with her gambling and had gone back to the cabin to rest, we stayed in the cabin to accompany her.

Due to the bad weather, the BBQ Party scheduled for 1800 hrs was cancelled.

Singapore passport holders can settle their outstanding bill and collect their travel documents between 12 noon to 2230 hrs today. All other passport holders will only be able to collect their travel documents after immigration clearance tomorrow.

Collection of passport signage

Bella Vista again had the honour of serving us dinner. This time however, we tood the Western set dinner. The bread was great as most of us are bread lovers. The food however was alright since most of our group members are not fanatics of Western food.

Dinner at Bella Vista on board the holiday cruise ship

Today being the exact date of the mid-Autumn festival, also known as Mooncake Festival, or Moon Festival, there was a Mid-Autumn Festival Celebration. Originally slated to begin from 2100 hrs at the Parthenon Pool area but due to poor weather, it was shifted to Galaxy of The Stars and was scheduled for 2115 hrs – 2145 hrs.

We made it a point to attend the Festival Mooncake celebration. There were 3 games:-
1. Mooncake eating competition
2. Passing the tennis ball using chopsticks
3. Arranging the mooncake pieces competition

Mooncake eating competition

Game #2

Arranging the mooncakes

Galaxy of The Stars

Adding a little fun for the night, there was a good crowd there to participate. After the celebration, we went to Parthenon Pool and managed to snap some full moon images.

Full moon images

More full moon images

Another full moon image





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