Wander-Eat-Click-Post

Who would think that a short getaway to Malaysia would turn out to be one of the most rewarding road trips of my life? This calls for a post because many people I spoke to after the trip did not even know that such places exist. Perhaps, thanks to the fact that the places are not popular and not easily accessible, they are retained in the most natural and in original condition (without tourists spoiling them). The road-tripping gang My sister was visiting us from India with her daughter and they wanted to see Legoland. We had visited the theme park about 5 years ago when it was initially opened and were not quite impressed by it (many rides had not opened then). So trying to maximise the journey, we decided to visit the theme park and also head down to Desaru for an extended getaway. We booked a 4 days trip and split it as follows: Day 1: Sg-Legoland  Day 2: Legoland Day 3: Desaru Day 4: Desaru - Sg Distance between SG to Legoland is an hour by road and Tuas Checkpoint. Distance be...

December is the most favourable holiday season globally. It is a time when people take things slow, enjoy festivities, make time for one another and celebrate the hope of a new year dawn bringing new opportunities and positivities in life. Many of the offices are closed, children get school holidays, and with the occasion, the travel fares and tariffs increase worldwide. We narrowed down our December holiday plans to Kota Kinabalu, a small town in the state of Sabah (Malaysia). There were multiple reasons behind the choice.  1) It is not a common or a popular destination. People have been swarming to Europe / US post covid to fulfil travel fantasies. This leads to lesser crowds even in the most touristy locations. 2) Because of its low popularity, the airfares and hotel tariffs were comparatively lower. 3) It was winters! I am a big fan of enjoying cold weather, and I cant resist wearing winter wear and enjoying cool breeze on my face. Temperatures dipped to 10-12 degrees in the ni...

Traveled - Apr 2019 Having just discovered that I was pregnant once more, it was a time of jubilation. At the same time, the news brought along with it the realisation that flights would be a no-no, for at least a year. Though flights are permitted during pregnancy, I chose to be extremely careful and to avoid flying. Notwithstanding my self-imposed restriction, the eagerness to travel and explore new places was very much alive, within me. I was consumed by wanderlust to such an extent, that even crossing the border would suffice and qualify as a trip. My parents-in-law were visiting at the time, which gave us the scope to plan a big family road trip. We decided to travel to Desaru, situated in the eastern coast of Malaysia, by road. It is a small town surrounded by pristine beaches. A new integrated resort — the Adventure Waterpark Desaru Coast — had opened recently. It consists of three resorts — Hard Rock Hotel, The Anantara, and The Westin — surrounded by a common water-park fa...

Traveled - March 2020 Travelling is now ingrained in our DNA. There is a lifestyle shift in this millennium and travelling is an integral part of that lifestyle. Little did we know that a short trip to Ipoh would be our last for the next few months to come. As always, there was a desperation to explore a new town and so we set off to plan a trip to Ipoh. After all, we needed to celebrate our 11th wedding anniversary. This was when the world had still not accepted the Covid situation and people were moving around freely. Borders were not sealed and travelling was deemed normal. So we set off on another journey to Ipoh (leaving my youngest one, Ivaan, at home with entrusted grandparents). Iyana was excited to explore another place and was looking forward to the 3 days of family fun. For those who don't know, Ipoh is a small city in the Perak state of Malaysia. Surrounded by million years old limestones, the city offers a very natural and scenic look to its residents. We took a ...