Traveling Tips for Preggers :)

Hi lovelies,

Tahun nie x sempat nak post ape pun ek? So, here goes my first entry for 2012! Harini I nak share some travel tips for mommy-to-be. Rasanye ramai teman2 geng b2b dulu dh upgrade status jadi m2b pulak. So ape salahnye skali skala tukar topic kan? Well, after survey few websites I jot down laa some important tips yang I think worth to share with all of you. Member2 yang belum conceived pun bleh je bace, bleh jadi reminder di masa hadapan :)

For those yang planning nak travel long distance, the perfect time is during your second trimester. Sebab masa tuelaa most people dah pass through their “morning sickness phase” during first trimester, energy level will be higher and chances for miscarriage and preterm delivery are lower too. Tapi lain orang lain juga keadaannya. Ada yang second trimester baru nak start morning sickness. So depends jugaklaa kot. You’ll know your body better, so if rasa comfortable to travel.. just go ahead! Well, after some reading I come up with this short summary;

Top 10 things to keep in mind while traveling during pregnancy

1. Stay hydrated! Especially if you are traveling by flight because air humidity in the airplane cabins are kept low. Drink plenty of water and try to avoid caffeine. 
2. Try to move around as much as possible. Make sure you have rooms for some stretching. It will help to avoid getting stiff, cramping, inflammation and blood clots. You may do some vein pumping exercise too! If you are on a flight, try to get an aisle seat (plus, it will be easier for you to go to the washroom. Mommy-to-be tends to have urgency for frequent urination). 
3. Wear and pack comfortable shoes. Since you may need a lot of walking while traveling, it is best to opt for running shoes or ballerina type of shoes. To be more comfortable, you may add some console in your shoes so you will lessen the pressure on your feet. 
4. Bring some snacks or fresh fruits. It is important to keep up your strength. Eating will help you to maintain your blood sugar level and can fight off the nausea. 
5. Be comfortable – bring pillow, wear eye mask/ear plug, wear loose and comfortable clothes. Have plenty of rest. 
6. Consult your doctor. It would bring no harm if you make some effort to get “permission to travel” letter from your doctor. You should do some check up and make sure everything is okay. It also a good idea to consult your doctor first before traveling in case you need some medical attention during your trip. You sure don’t want to put your baby in danger by traveling long distance if your pregnancy considered as high-risk. Of course it is good to have some safety precaution right?
7. Bring your medical record. You may think this is not a good idea but keeping your prenatal record with you at all time might be convenience in case some emergency occur. Just be prepared at all time. 
8. Take things slower. You may prefer full packed activities or non-stop shopping on your trip. But since you are now pregnant, it is advisable for you to do things that are more relaxing. Avoid extreme sports such as snowboarding, scuba diving and water rafting. Try to avoid saunas or hot tubs too since it will not be good to your baby since the high temperature will raise your core body temperature (can lead to hyperthermia). Plus, the heavy sweating can cause dehydration and hypotension (low blood pressure). 
9. Wear seatbelts! Fastened the seatbelt at the pelvic level. Sit as far as possible from the dashboard to avoid hitting it during sudden braking incident. 
10. Watch what you eat and drink. Be extremely cautious on the hygiene to avoid catching infection like diarrhea. Diarrhea can dehydrate you and deplete you and your baby’s fluid and nutrient. Some precaution that you may take is by using disposable plastic or paper cups. Choose bottled or canned drinks and only pasteurized dairy products. Eat well cooked foods and avoid fresh fruits unless it can be peeled. Last but not least, always keep medication in hand.

Hope this might help those m2b yang contemplating whether to travel long distance or not during pregnancy. My advise, "listen to your body" :) 

p/s: tgh prepare for babymoon next month. hope sumenye berjalan lancar. visa pun x buat lagi nih.. huhu. can't wait :D

Till then.

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Family Trip 2011: Langkawi Island

Hi lovelies,

Actually nie cerite agak basi tapi rasa cam worth sharing. Especially for those yang interested nak visit Langkawi. Hmm, ade tak yang seumur hidup tak pernah jejak Langkawi? Ish..ish.. kalau ade tue maknenye sekapal ngan saye. Hehehe. Sadis je kan bunyinye.. Orang lain dah dua tiga kali pusing Langkawi tuh. Ni dh 26 taun hidup baru 1^st time nak jejak kaki. Tapi xperlaa, at last sampai jugak! Syukur Alhamdulilliah. Ni pun banyak lagi tempat belum pegi. Usahkan Sabah ngan Sarawak, yang kat Semenanjung pun belum habis tawaf! :p

Anyway nie antara trip yang i anticipated giler. Dekat setahun tunggu after I bought the flight tix. Finally, berjaya jugaklaa menjejakkan kaki ke pulau Permata Kedah. But then sadis sketlaa sebab tak berjaya gather all of my family members since my along and angah x dapat join last minute because of work commitment. Well, ibunya tak dapat join, tapi bapak dan anak2nye kami angkut aje :p Jadinye tinggal just 10 of us. We ols dah booked homestay beforehand. Sampai kat airport we rent a van for 4 days + chartered a boat for 1 day island hopping @ RM600 je! Kire murahlaa tue kan? Selamat tak pegi time LIMA, kalau tak sure mencanak2 price naik. 

Anyway, here’s some of the place I think worth visiting/activity worth trying: 

Island Hopping

This is the most exciting and fun activity! We went to three islands, Pulau Dayang Bunting – Pulau Singa Besar – Pulau Beras Basah. Pulau Dayang Bunting was very fascinating. You can see the shape of the pregnant maiden clearly from the back side of the island. Lagi satu yang menariknya, there’s a freshwater lake in the middle of the island. Terasa kejung juge kaki especially masa climbing up the stairs to reach the lake. Masa sampai sana tuh tengah panas terik, so memang takdelaa nak bermandi manda. Just celup2 kaki ala2 buat fish spa :p After that we all singgah kat sangkar ikan tengah2 laut. Sempatlaa tengok2 dan bagi makan ikan yang besau2. Then, we went to Pulau Singa Besar to feed the eagles. Seronok bila dapat tengok eagles tue makan dari jarak dekat . Tapi kat sini tak lama pun. Dalam 5 minit je kot. Then stop by Pulau Beras Basah. We had our brunch there. Bawak bekal siap2 before gerak from jetty pagi tuh. Pulau nie memang very clean and beautiful. Terasa macam kat private island pulak. Sebabnye xde orang sangat pun. Memang puas hati mandi kat situ. Ombak pun tak kuat. Cuma satu jelaa downside pulau nie. There’s no proper facility to shower or change your clothes. Kena pandai2laa berdikari ye. Ala2 survivors gitu :)

Oriental Village (Panorama Langkawi/Cable Car)

This part is very challenging especially for those who are acrophobic (just like me). It was the steepest ride for me. At one part, the cable car was climbing 42 degree vertically! But then, bila lagi nak cabar diri sendiri kan? So I gave a try and I did it! :) The view was spectacular (especially when you’re at the Skybridge). Even though bride tue shaky every time kena tiup angin, pakse jugak diri nie jalan sampai the end of the bridge. Rasa takut and cuak nie tak payahlaa cakap.. Tuhan aje yang tahu. But still, when you looked at the beautiful view around, you'll know it’s worth the journey up to the hill. Ape pun, make sure bring lots of water ye sebab jauh jugak nak berjalan ke Skybridge from Middle station. For more info, you can click HERE

Under Water World

For me biase je, just like Aquaria KLCC. Cumenye yang menarik kat sini sebab ade penguins! There are so adorable. Rasa nak je cilok bawak balik rumah. Lagi satu my fav dier punye coral tanks. Very beautiful! I thought kat sini adelaa underground tunnel yang enable us to look into the sea. Tapi takdelaa pulak :(

Cenang Beach

The most happening beach in Langkawi. Kat sini macam2 water sports ade. Nak jet skiing ke, parasailing ke, macam2 ade. Facilities tuk mandi ke tukar baju ke pun ade. So senang sketlaa kalau nak bermandi-manda. Kat sini chalets pun banyak. Kalau nak merasa menginap tepi pantai bolehlaa try. Harga pun affordable. Cume kat sini foods a little bit pricey. 

 sunset at Cenang

 souvenir wajib! mcm nak giler borong coklat..nie br half :p

Kuah Town

This is where most people shop for chocolates and duty free items like perfume and cigar. Great bargain! Memang rambang mata membeli especially kalau stok2 yang giler pinggan mangkuk or perfumes. Memang rasa cam nak angkut satu kedai bawak balik! Same thing happened to my mum. Selamat kitaorang x beli banyak luggage so terpaksalaa dia berpada2 nak bershopping :p If nak cari souvenirs like tshirt and fridge magnet pun bleh dapat kat sini. Another place yang best tuk beli souvenirs is at Beras Terbakar.

Other that these place ade jugak tempat lain yang we ols visit like Makam Mahsuri and Dataran Lang. Tapi rasanya cukuplaa cerita takat nie je. Kang pening uols nak bace panjang2 (tue pun kalau ade yang sudi nak bace :p) Okaylaa, ade masa kita cerita lagi ye :)

p/s: lame dh post nie dok simpan as 'draft' rupenye.. asik lupe nak publish.. hari ni br ade kesempatan. hehehe :D

Till then.

Regards,

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The Lost World of Tambun & Kellie's Castle

Hello!

Holiday plan on last weekend memang paling spontaneous and giler punye ad-hoc! Tetibe je on Saturday morning tue my parents cakap boring nak spend weekend kat rumah. So diaorang ajak gi jalan2. Mula2 terfikir nak pegi Melaka or PD but terfikir pulak about my along yang dah gerak to Taiping pagi tue. Dia nk attend wedding her friend but after that she planned to visit Lost World of Tambun. Nak bawak hero2 dia main air. We ols rase cambest je nak menyelit skali. Finally semua pun setuju nak pegi Tambun. Last minute cari homestay. Hotel definitely dah fully booked. Habis satu2 homestay kitaorang call. Sampai nak give up pun ade dah. Masa tue I cakap kat my alang “Takperlaa, nie nombor last kita call. If xde, kita tukar plan”. Alhamdulillah ada rezeki kami. Ade orang baru cancel booking, so we ols dapat the house. Dahlaa rumah tue dekat sangat ngan Lost World of Tambun! Seronok2! Hehehe. Once dapat je homestay terus kitaorang packing. By 6pm selamat sampai Tambun :)

 surroundings

On Sunday morning tue lepas breakfast we ols terus siap2 tuk terjah Lost World of Tambun. Sampai sane dalam pukul 10 lebih, masa tue line queue dah panjang giler. Luckily my along sampai awal so my brother in law dah halfway beratur. But still, dengan panas teriknye memang mencabar giler nak tunggu dapat pass masuk. So if uols plan nak pegi sane on weekend or public holiday, make sure you arrive before the counter opens at 10am! You will be given a wristband which will be use as your “wallet”. You can top up a min amount of RM10 at any available kiosk. The ‘cash’ will be used for equipment rental or when buying foods and drinks. If there’s any balance available, you will get the refund after you check out/return the wristband. 

 inside the park..we had a blast! :)

After dapat masuk tue terus kitaorg tukar baju then serang segala pools yang ade. Hehehe. My favorite is the hot spring! Very refreshing…dahlaa tengahari tue hujan pulak. So sedaplaa berendam dalam air panas, siap berpayung lagi! Almaklumlaa, I always carry an umbrella in my handbag. KL kan ujan hari2. Hehehe. Overall, I gave 8/10! Anyway, haritue banyak jugak berjalan. Rasanya habis satu kawasan tue we ols pusing. Orang lain naik tram yang disediakan, we ols jalan kaki je. Lagi puas hati :) Some of the attractions are the Wave Pool, Water slides (Cliff Racer & Tube Raiders), Tiger Valler, Petting Zoo and Hot Spring & Spa. After dah penat berjalan and tah berapa kali dah baju tue basah kering, basah kering.. finally we decided to went back around 5pm. Selamat tak sunburn. Before masuk tue dah apply siap2 sunblock. Tapi tue pun rasa tak cukup sebab spf30 je. Tapi bolehlaa kan daripada takde lansung. Kalau tak konfem balik KL terus rentung kulit nih :p

 other attractions

 

Another last minute plan was our visit to Kellie’s Castle. Since the journey from Tambun only takes about 30 minutes, why not singgah je kan? Lagipun ntah bila lagi nak sampai ke sane. So dapat jugaklaa nak tengok seni bina yang jadi pujian ramai ni as well as the infamous ‘Bear Tree’. Yang menariknya masa pegi tue tengah panas terik tapi bila masuk dalam Kellie’s Castle tue trase sejuk je. Maybe sebab bahan binaan ngan lubang angin yang dibuat kat bangunan tue. So air ventilation dalam tue memang bagus. I think the management should took extra care of the building especially on the cleanliness. Well, pape pun memang sangat puas hati ngan trip kali ni. Maybe next time bleh buat ad-hoc family trip lagi. Hehehe :) Okaylaa..hope uols had a great weekend ahead. Maybe bleh plan trip gi mana2. Xpun pakat plan for Christmas holiday!

 exterior

 interior

p/s: saje selit few wedding photos taken at Kellie's Castle tuk tatapan para B2B :)

Till then.

Regards,

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Perth-fect Holiday! Part 3: Rottnest Island

Hi lovelies,

Hari ni nak sambung cerite trip Australia. So, this is the finale of my Perth report...and of course --- the best part of the trip! It's about Rottnest Island -- Western Australia's premier island gateway and very popular for its picturesque sceneries, fine beaches and spectacular bays. Doubt it? Let the pictures do the talking......

Okay.. gambar kat atas cilok from website.. yg bawah nie baru snap sendiri.. hehe.. almaklum, kamera bukan DSLR.. kalau quality kureng sket harap maklum ye :)

pristine bay and white sandy beach

The name of Rottnest came from Quokka. The person that found the Island mistakenly took Quokka as a big rat. Hence he named the Island as - "Rat's Nest" or Rottnest in Dutch language

Back to the story! 

We departed from Fremantle Northport Terminal to Rottnest Island by taking Rottnest Express. You can choose to take day tour or hire snorkeling gear and bicycle before you depart (this will be included in your ticket fares). Since we are not good at snorkeling, we just took the bike (yelaa... dia bagi goggle je, no flippers, no life jacket. so x yakin benor nk snorkel kat situ... huhuhu). Our tickets to Rottnest + bike hire cost us total of $170. Oh ya, please bear in mind that there is no car on Rottnest Island. To explore the island, you need to take their tour bus/tram or use bike. If you love challenge, do experience biking! Just make sure you bring lots of water, hat, sunglass & SUNBLOCK!

We arrived at Thomson Bay and our bikes were given there. We never thought that we need to cycle uphill and downhill along the circuit road. It's 24km round trip!.. and to make it worse, there is no drinking facilities outside the settlement. We were totally unprepared and unaware of the route but luckily we managed to get to the places we wanted to visit (i.e Parker Point, Salmon Bay and Wadjemup Lighthouse).

at Parker Point

Wadjemup Lighthouse. 

The lighthouse was our turning point, i think we already cycled about 5km when we reached there. We was very exhausted and we don't have much water left to continue our ride. Plus, if we continue till the end point of the island, we will be running out of time to get on our ferry back. Overall, we cycled more than 10km that day! We were satisfied enough to get to the lighthouse and enjoy the scenery since there were few times that I nearly gave up (dahlaa i ade asthma, pastue lame giler tak workout. tup2 kena bawak mountain bike kayuh naik turun bukit.... dengan panas terik, air x cukup, kaki lenguh, punggung pon sakit..manelaa x rase down kan.. huhu)

On the way back to Thomson Bay, we passed through few lakes (i.e Herschel Lake and Pearse Lake). We spotted few wind turbines. The scenery was nice since the water look pinkish (it is salt lake.. i think the reflection from the sunlight made the water look pinkish). Sadly the water didn't turned out pink in our camera.

After we took our lunch (and definitely few bottles of water), we decided to go at The Basin which is one of the best beaches there. We spotted Bathurst Lighthouse and group of quoakkas along the way to The Basin.

The Basin

where most people swim

what about us? we do sunbathing! hehehe. swim sket2 je. tak tahan panas terik

We spent some time soaking ourselves in the water and enjoyed sunbathing at The Basin. After we took our shower and changed our clothes, we went back to Thomson Bay to take our ferry. Lepas sampai Fremantle terus terbongkang kat apartment. huhuhu. Pape pun, Rottnest Island definitely the best place we visited throughout our Perth trip! 

beside the sweet memories, we went back half burnt! blame me, i forgot to bring the SUNBLOCK! :p

Despite of the ups and the downs throughout the trip, we are looking forward to visit Perth again. Perhaps we can explore other places like Mandurah and Rockingham where we can get to see the dolphins! hehehe.. :D Anyway, if you need more information on Rottnest Island or Perth.. feel free to visit HERE (Perth's official tourism website).

Till then.

Regards,

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Perth-fect Holiday! Part 2: Fremantle @ Freo

Hi lovelies,

I am very sorry for not updating this blog as often as I used to. Since I have some free time today, let’s continue with my Perth Trip report (padahal amik cuti sebab exam, hbs exam trs ngadap blog! hehe.. rindu giler!). Today's post is going to be about Fremantle’s attractions. Well, it doesn’t take me long before I decided to stay at Fremantle (also best known as Freo by the locals). Why is that so? It is easy to commute between Freo to Perth City & Rottnest Island using public transport (no need to hire a car!). Since I don’t have much time to explore further to Northern/Southern Perth, I focused more on exploring Freo.

Anyway, I think by highlighting few attractions would be enough. I'm going to be very straightforward ya. Takde ayat bunge2 nk dikarang.. huhu 

E-shed Market

This is where I splurge on the souvenirs! Lots of stuffs to bring back for the loved ones. You can find t-shirts, caps, fridge magnets, pens, mugs, key chains, bags & lots of other stuff there including local crafts. The price is reasonable enough (I have to keep in mind not to convert the currency to MYR while shopping, or else I might end up going back empty handed! Huhu)

Cappuccino Strip

The only place to enjoy breakfast and night life! Offer varieties of delicacy to try on including local’s famous San Churros. This is the only place where you can see how local people spend their night life (besides staying at home -- what do you expect to do at night when most of the shops close before 6 PM?)

Fish & Chips

Best place for fish & chips! The fishes are very fresh. Not to forget to mention about the big portion! (need 2 ppl to finish up 1 meal). The price is affordable too. Plus point? Nice view facing the sea. Must try fish and chips at Cicerello’s Seafood :)

The Esplanade

A nice park with lots of friendly bird. Very peaceful and relaxing! (even though it is just beside the road) Good place to spend your evening. Most locals spend time picnicking at the park.

Sunny Corner Apartment

Fully furnished 1 bedroom apartment. There are portable air-conditioner, TV, fridge, microwave, washing machine, dryer machine, bath tub, hairdryer etc.. etc (too many to be listed here). The amenities are great and well kept. The location is very centralized. Very near to shopping mall, City Hall and Fremantle Train Station. It is much better than staying at the hotel. Comfortable and hassle free! The price is very reasonable and the owner, Patricia (known as Pat) is very friendly and helpful. Overall, we really enjoyed our stay there.

Extra Tips:

• Fremantle is known for the historical buildings. So don’t forget to walk along the roads and enjoy the scenery. There are also The Roundhouse, old Prison, War Memorial, Shipwreck Galleries, Army Museum as well as Maritime Museum that worth visiting.
• You can get FREE bus service within Fremantle area (known as CAT Bus
• Don’t forget to try SUPA SHAKE or BROWNIES CHILL milk! Super duper yummy! Lagi2 yg perisa Honey comb! Sedap sangat2. Rase cam nak bawak balik 10 dozen je, biar minum sampai sebu.. huhuhu :p

 

Last but not least, jumpe billboard on Sabah! Bangge seyh… hehehe :D

Till then.

Regards,

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Perth-fect Holiday! Part 1

Hi lovelies,

It has been ages since I last wrote here. Seems like my life turn to be a little bit hectic nowadays. Siang busy kat office, malam attend classes pulak. Memang dah takde masa sangat nak online. I’m so sorry for that. Anyway, let’s proceed with my Perth trip report! (hehehe.. eventho citer agak basi, tapi layankan ajelaa ye). It’s going to be very short and brief (fingers crossed! hehehe). But fret not; it will be loaded with pictures! In order to make this entry a very simple one, I will point out few attractions that I think worth visiting while in Perth. I will write about Fremantle (where I stayed) and Rottnest Island later okay. Kalau entry nie panjang jugak, harap maaf laa ye.. penat dh simplified sedaya yang mungkin.

Kings Park

Actually I don’t have much time to roam around this Park since I went there on my last day.

There are 3 things I love most about this park:

• ü  The beautiful scenery
• ü  The fresh air
• ü  The soft grass! Enjoyed walking on it :)

Some facts to share:

• ü  It’s a beautiful botanical garden and serves as war memorials too.
• ü  Very huge park, need A LOT of walking
• ü  Nice view overlooking Swan River

For more info, click here.

 view of Perth City from Kings Park

nice carpet grass

Harbour Town

It’s a shopping outlet. Some brands are well-known here and some are not. But who really cares especially when you can get a nice dress at price as low as AUD7! Giler rambang mata okeh. But again, I don’t have much time for shopping. Bear in mind, most shops there open at 8.30 AM and close at 5.30 PM! As for Harbour Town, it open at 9 AM and close at 5 PM. Macam office hour pulak kan? No kidding! It’s a disadvantage for those who used to shop till late hours like me (most shops in KL open till 10.30 PM kot.. kejutan budaya gi sane). Kelam kabut giler bershopping. 5 PM sharp kedai tutup. Tension betul! (tapi jimat duit gak.. sebab xleh nk splurge sane sini :p). Disebabkan kalut shopping, amik gambar pun tak sempat.

surrounding @ 6 PM -- empty!

HarbourTown Website

Caversham Wildlife Park

just like a baby.....

It was quite challenging to get there. When I asked the way to go to Caversham, most people advised me not to go there since it’s quite far and hardly reachable by public transport. But then, I insisted to give a try. Luckily I manage to get there as I planned. I took Family rider ticket @ AUD8 per day (for my husband and I – unlimited ride: Perth's train and bus service). It’s not as difficult as people said. The ride was easy but it took some times to get there.

Tips using public transport:

• ü  Take train from Perth City to Bassendean (Midland Line – Platform 9)
• ü  Take bus no. 956/955 at the Bassendean station to Ellenbrook and get off at Whiteman Park
• ü  Take shuttle bus at the entrance of the Park to get to Caversham

Things I enjoyed most:

• ü  Feeding the kangaroos (very friendly and kuat makan! Haha)
• ü  Touching the koalas (super duper cute! rasa nak je cilok masuk dalam bag bawak balik sini :p)
• ü  Watching Farm Show (very interesting - especially the sheep shearing)

Admission fee: AUD22 per adult

Operation time: 9 AM – 5.30 PM

For more info, click here (I think they already updated their website. Last time when I visited the page, there’s not much info provided)

Before i end this part...


Some glimpse of Perth City.....

 London Court

The most important TIP is.....

to collect as much information as u can before you prepare your itinerary! :)

Enjoy!

Regards,

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