Hong Kong is well known as a financial centre and shopping mecca...but there is a lovely contrast if you venture away from the CBD to the more rural parts of Hong Kong you will be rewarded with stunning vista's and natural beauty. We were so lucky to be hosted by generous friends who not only were our tour guides but also made Hong Kong accesible for us on our meagre budget, by feeding us during our stay! We were able to experience Hong Kong's rich culture from a different perspective than most tourists. Of course, there is still a place for all the regular attractions. It would be a shame to miss a trip out on the star ferry...(although avoid during typhoon LOL). Ocean Park is a fun day out with sublime views out over the islands and Kowloon Park was a welcome treat with free aviary and flamingo's. And once the typhoon warning gets to level 8... stop taking selfies in the rain and head home!
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A huge sprawling city, Kuala Lumpur (KL) is also Malaysia's capital. KL is an easy city to navigate and has plenty to entertain visitors. The Petronas Towers and KLCC are a must see in KL. Completed in 1996, for 6 years it had the claim on the worlds tallest building. If you find the covered walkway from Bukit Bintang, you can leave the traffic, heat and maps behind and stroll in air-conditioned comfort above the city. You'll have to take your obligatory photo at the base of the towers and take a stroll around KLCC park. On the 4th floor at KLCC, you'll find the Petrosains science discovery centre, where we spent 4 hours of fun and learning. A well presented, fully interactive space, including a trolley ride to the entrance through a rainforest, 3D movie and plenty of staff to explain science along your way. A9 got to try chemistry experiments, while G7 loved the space centre and learnt all about living in a space station. Chinatown is always worth a visit In any big city. Great food and a few genuine fakes at the market. Make sure to visit the central market, with a great food court and to try your hand at batik painting. The Islamic arts museum is a stunning building showcasing fabulous Islamic architecture, ceramics, clothing, books and more. On top is a stunning blue tiled dome, and downstairs, our kids loved the childrens library and giftstore. A9 and G7 wanted to fill in the IAM activity books, which kept them entertained far longer than a museum normally would, giving us lots of time to explore. KL bird park, perched up at the botanical gardens has a huge open air aviary and plenty of exotic birds to see and feed. We found it overpriced but everyone enjoyed the walk through the waterfall enclosure and hand feeding the lories. The national planetarium is located right beside the botanical gardens and is a great educational (and free) world school activity. We learnt more about rockets, gravity and enjoyed the movie on the moon, sun and stars. Jalan Alor is street food heaven! A whole lane of ethnic restaurants and stalls. Try to figure out what meat you're being offered and taste a bit of everything. Dim sims, roti, and maybe some durian for desert? Kidzania is a childrens dream day. The children can try many different jobs within the kidzania 'city', earning and spending kidzo's. Parents are not allowed to help and have to wait outside allowing the children independence and control. check out our video of our day at Kidzania! We were incredibly lucky to be invited to lunch with our gorgeous friends in Putrajaya. We were treated to homemade Nasi Lemak and driven around the local area. Putrajaya is the administrative capital of Malaysia, purpose built over the last 30 years, with impressive bridges, mosques , the Prime Ministers offices as well as pristine roads and gardens. KL is the most affordable big city we've come across this year, with plenty to keep a travel family busy.
Malacca is a charming river side city, famous for the gorgeous architecture which reflects it's multicultural heritage. Malacca has previously been ruled by Portugal, Holland and Britain. Then add the Malay, Indian and Chinese cultures to the mix, for a vibrant town with fabulous food! Jonker walk is the heart of this historical town, with fabulous night markets to buy street food, souvenirs, henna tattoo's, then pick up coconut ice cream for the walk home. As you stroll the quaint streets of the heritage town, you can feel the life and charm from years gone by. The Baba Nyonya houses showcase colourful ceramic tiles, pagoda style rooves, open internal courtyards and intricately carved wooden door frames. Baba Nyonya relates to the descendants of the Chinese immigrants during the colonial era of the 15th and 16th centuries. Sadly, the Baba Nyonya homes are now more often than not, converted to high street shopping chains. A river cruise is a great way to explore the old town. The cafes and murals decorate the riverfront, and we loved the charming ornate bridges along the 40 minute journey. A new addition to Malacca is the loudest, most colourful and overpriced rickshaws I have ever seen. At night they light up in neon and blast pop music. The Malacca we visited 12 years ago has been engulfed with sky scrapers, shopping malls, and tourist attractions. The city growth over the next 10 years is expected to be immense . If you can zone out the 'new' and immerse in the 'old', you can still feel the culture of Malacca... but don't dally, it won't last forever. We choose to book accommodation using Agoda, and do our travel research using lonely planet guides. Kuala Tahan National Park (Taman Negara) is the oldest rainforest in the world, dating back 130 million years. The largest national park on peninsula Malaysia, it is home to many birds, insects and animals. Although it's a little tricky to get to, if you have time to spend a few days here, you won't be disappointed. Most tourists who visit the park buy a package deal from Kuala Lumpur including all meals, accommodation and a jam packed itinerary of activities. It is possible to just take the one way transport option and plan your trip yourself for a fraction of the cost. We made our own way with from KL to Jerantut (3 hours), then took the boat up the Trembeling river to Kuala Tahan (3 hours). The boat trip was an experience. Sitting low on the water, on the floor of a narrow boat with all the gear jammed in the front. Through the heat of the day, we travelled up the muddy river, seeing monkeys, eagles, buffalo and birds. Every time the boat rocked, we thought the bags might go overboard. Luckily, the daily torrential downpour waited until after we arrived safely in Kuala Tahan (with all our gear). Kuala Tahan is a rapidly growing hub with half a dozen floating pontoon restaurants on the river edge and a few places to stay up the hill. We stayed at the Mutiara Taman Negara which is the only accommodation right inside the national park. You just take the 1 Ringet boat across the river to the national park. Our cute cabin was around 5 minutes walk into the jungle. The smell of the rainforest was sublime. It was fun lying in bed at night trying to indentify the nocturnal noises. We saw plenty of monkeys, insects and a great hornbill. We had to watch out for snakes, scorpions and spiders, but mostly had been warned about leeches. We wore long socks, trousers and rubber soled shoes rubbed in salt and sprayed with deet. The Dutchman still managed to get 'leeched' on our last day wearing sandals down to the swimming hole. We trekked through the worlds longest canopy walkway, set high in the treetops. It was a fairly simple design, just rope sides, then ladders along the base with planks on top. An experience for the scrapbook! At the back of the resort were animal hides to spy on wildlife at dusk and dawn. It was genuinely serene, sitting in silence watching wild pigs and deer wandering through the clearing. Unfortunately, the Tapir eluded us throughout our stay. One night we took a jeep safari through plantations out of the national park. We were 5, sitting on the roof of a 4 wheel drive, on the open road, with just a 10cm barrier around us (OSH nightmare!). We did not to see very much, only a wild boar, a black leopard cub (in the distance) and an owl. Half way back to KL, we stopped in at the Kuala Gandah elephant sanctuary. They aim to relocate the critically endangered Asian elephants from where their habitats are being destroyed by development. Most are re-homed into the Taman Negara, but there are 24 resident elephants who are unable to be released for a variety of reasons. They range in age from 2 to 79 years. Many had scars from bull hooks, giving you a glimpse into their previous life. It's nice to see them now in relative luxury, swimming in the river and being well fed on papaya and sugarcane. Our stay in the rainforest was amazing. We all loved being back in nature and have made a plan for more jungle action when we visit Borneo in June.
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finding freedom with four backpacks
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