Go Travel, Then Blog!

another article of mine is up on mombloggersplanet! it's for bloggers, and travellers and one who likes to mix up both those titles. so for travelling bloggers, enjoy my rhyming words for your reading pleasure!

to the far reachest of switzerland, or to the neighbouring thailand - make your travel-blog postings extraordinary. make it personal, or make it informative, or make it a picture-travel-logue - but never make it ordinary!

click on the picture to read my poem!


i've not been too long in this blogging business. i just started in 2008, when my life changes as we moved to dubai and i started becoming a stay-at-home-mom. so there were so, so many trips and travels that i didn't blog about.

i felt so rugi looking back at my holiday pictures because i forgot so many interesting details about that particular holiday. after korek-korek, i'd like to share with you some of my holiday destinations, with a few great memories to share.

with that i would like to thank my abah and my cookiedough for all the trips - i'm so lucky to have a father and husband who enjoy travelling!

* * *

where : great ocean road, victoria, australia
when : circa 2004
who : with abah and my youngest si azi
what : most beautiful, scenic coastline drive ever. sepanjang jalan nampak batu-batu besar di tengah lautan - grotto (caves in the middle of sea), the 'twelve apostles' (12 huge standing rock formations)
memorable moments : it was extremely cold, and we weren't prepared in terms of our clothings! however, the view was oh, so breathtaking. cantik ya amat!
tips : check the weather forecast first before going!

* * *

where : musandam, oman
when : jan 2010
who : with mr. khairul, my boys and in-laws
what : dhow cruise along scenic rock mountains, and the high possibility of seeing dolphins
memorable moments : hanging out on an arabic dhow, enjoying the magnanimous sight of the rock mountains. and the sight of the jumping dolphins were priceless! oh, and also learned a new word, 'fjord' which are rock mountains.
tips : don't worry if the dhow moves when it sees doplhins in a distance - they just want the dolphins to swim along with the boat!

* * *

where : melaka, malaysia
when : circa 2006
with : mr. khairul and khaleef
what : historical city which is listed as UNESCO world heritage sites, a magical place to go back in time during the malaccan sultanate period
memorable moments : our first full-fledged family vacation. also, got to know the BEST ikan bakar place in the world - sg. duyung.
tips : if you got lost, ask the locals for directions. very helpful. one of them actually rode his bike to lead us to sg. duyung!

* * *

where : sovereign hill, ballarat, australia
when : circa 2004
with : kak arin (driver), kak laily, and the rest of melbourne msia hall girls
what : an open air museum with a whole town re-created to look like scenes from the 'gold rush' era, where gold was first discovered in ballarat. the shops, furnitures, roads, people all look like they came from the past!
memorable moments : digging for real gold at one of the man-made creek in the middle of the 'museum'.
tips : nak jimat, bring your own sandwiches and drinks. also map your way well as you walk so that you cover every single stop including the comboy 'schools' and 'bowling alley'.

* * *

where : sky tower, auckland, new zealand
when : early 2005
who : with abah, syimot, syidot and azot. i think yong didn't join because she just had baby haqeem.
what : an observation tower in the middle of auckland CBD, the tallest free-standing structure in the southern hemisphere, the 14th tallest in the world.
memorable moments : the main observation level has a particular spot on the floor which has a 38mm thick glass section, giving a view straight to the ground! scary gile berdiri atas glass tu! also, met a group of 4 japanese girls who wanted to take pictures with us! comel diorang!

* * *

where : pulau perhentian, terengganu
when : early 2008 (first trimester with kahfi)
who : with mr. khairul and khaleef
what : white sandy beach, and crystal-clear water where snorkeling is one of the best experiences with beautiful corals and marine life.
memorable moments : well, for mr. khairul, it's diving into a 3-storey deep ocean sea-bed with baby sharks, 'nemo' and many more. also, finding out that turtles can actually swim really fast! for me, the boat ride to the pulau was super-scary - the strong waves made the ride extremely bumpy so i was very, very afraid that khaleef might get flung out, or i might have a miscarriage since it's quite early in the pregnancy!

* * *

where : sydney, NSW, australia
when : circa 2001
who : the whole family, including mak!
what : 'the harbour city' is the largest city in australia.
memorable moments : visiting sydney opera house, one of the most famous performing arts centers in the world, already named one of UNESCO world heritage sites because of its unique design. there's no mistaking when you see the bangunan cabang-cabang surrounded by water.

* * *

where : singapore zoo
when : 2007
who : mr. khairul and khaleef
what : personally to me, one of the most beautiful, cleanest zoos i've ever been to - and that's very important!
memorable moments : naik bas gi singapore! we drove to johor, parked our car and took a bus there. also the sight of the albino tigers and just being there with a very excited animal-lover khaleef!

* * *

so, any trips planned for the year? don't be selfish la - share your wonderful or klaka experience with your readers!