Thresher Sharks in Malapascua Island, Philippines

Mention Malapascua Island and two words come to mind - Thresher Shark. This is the only place where divers are able to consistently spot thresher sharks with a 99.7 percentage. That's pretty high considering sharks actually swim and the ocean is a huge ass place. Monad Shoal is the dive site to be in to view these magnificent creatures.

It's quite a bitch to travel to Malapascua from Kuala Lumpur. Thank God for the newly opened Air Asia 3 hour direct flight path from Kuala Lumpur to Cebu. Three hours to fly to Cebu.

Cebu Island Have someone from the Malapascua Island dive centre pick you up from Cebu International Airport and drive you back to the island. This land journey is exactly 4 hours through 2 lane roads , construction and pesky lorries complete with jeepneys.Do tell your driver stop at a petrol kiosk convinience store and buy snacks because it's a long road ahead

San Mig. The scenery along the way is meh.

By the time you arrive at the pier (sunset), you need to take another 30 minute bangka boatride to Malapascua Island. If the timing is right, a nice sunset hue will emerge as the bangka sails along the open sea.

Ride towards Malapascua Island

Before I continue on, the worst job anyone can have is probably the van driver from the pier. He's got to travel back and forth on a daily basis. How crazy is that???


Anyway, we arrived at had dinner. Generally, Pinoy food ain't the most delicious food on the planet. Be it their local or Westernized food - it's bad.

Bad to the bone

There are many dive centres on Malapascua Island. We chose a locally based Dive Centre. While the main highlight are thresher sharks, there are a good amount of critters found here as well especially the one and only rare psychedelic frogfish.

Apparently, there are a lot of frogfish species here. You must not miss diving at Gato Island.2 hours away from Malapascua and the diving there is quite good especially the swim throughs and encountering sharks.

Gato Island cliff jumping spot

It's freaking high. At least a 5 second freefall duration.

Wear clothes while jumping off the cliff because you'll be stung by jellyfishes

Pee on my arm !!!
Here's a video of the magnificent thresher shark :

NEW BEEF NOODLE IN TOWN

Currently Ranking No.1 Beef Noodle

For the past 25 years, the ranking no.1 beef noodle is held by by Lai Foong. For your information, I have been consuming their fabulous beef noodle for at least 10 years now. About a year ago, their regular beef noodle guy seems to be irregular. And because of his irregularity, someone took over the helm. And that someone literally destroyed a much loved decades old beef noodles. The soup is so diluted now and the internal beef parts isn't as tender as Priscilla Presley's thighs anymore. I decided to abandon eating at Lai Foong in protest.

Lai Foong

You broke my heart Lai Foong

Coz I don't wanna miss a thing

It's So Hard To Say Goodbye ..To Lai Foong
About 3 months ago, I read in a blog of a recently opened new beef noodle stall that's making waves amongst beef noodle lovers in the Klang Valley. Hidden in a narrow road around Jalan Pasar (the electronics haven), all you can see is a typical stainless steel hawker cart. Behind the hawker cart is an equally steely chef. This chef hails from Hong Kong and he makes the meanest beef noodles. I tried it and was blown away by the soup, the tenderness of the beef, the varieties of the beef parts and most importantly - they also offer wagyu beef.

Tripe at right with the special beef sauce to dip it in

I call this dish -The Gym Pope because of it's beefy holiness
The restaurant's name is Kwai Chup. Parking can be brutal. The wait can be brutal. Here is the Standard Operating Procedure when you are there - Park, arrive, sit on the table and wait for you someone to come over to order from you. DO NOT GO NEAR THE BEEF NOODLE STATION OR YOU WILL BE THE RECEIVING END OF THE GRUMPY HK CHEF's BEEFY ANGRY BULL GLARE. You can order in English but it's best to know your beef lingo - tripe, brisket, striploin, tendon, beef ball, wagyu, kobe and stomach.
Price List

RapidKL's New Puchong LRT Line

I'm a big fan of public transportation because it frees me from the maddening traffic jam which everyone hates. Sure, I'm not the only one who hates traffic jams but I hate traffic jams with a vengeance. It's like Dr Bruce Banner turning into The Hulk, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde situation.
When I first meet a woman and I think she is quite interesting but the moment she tells me she lives in Bdr Sri Damansara or Sg Buloh/Kajang, I'll be disinterested because I have to drive to where she lives and where she lives has got no trains. She may be Emily Blunt but sorry I have to decline.

Why must you stay in Bandar Sri Damansara Miss Emily Blunt??
In a way, the trains determine how my life will turn out to be. Trains are important....very important.

Currently, you live in miserable ol Puchong but now, you can rejoice because finally, after 5 years , the LRT is here, literally at your doorstep.

The oh so new trains

Look at the space ...So clean

Only 3 passengers today .... FOUR..plus me
A lot of thought went into building the stations as well as determining the most optimum route for Puchong dwellers. Another plus point - LRT station car parks. Each station will have a carpark with substantial parking(up to 130 slots). Impressed yet? I've changed underwear twice already.

Parking bays !!!!! Puchong Train Stations
1. In front of Bandar Puteri Puchong
2. In front of Tesco Puchong
3. In front of IOI Mall

IF YOU WANNA GO TO KLIA/KLIA2
Yeah yeah...Puchong is so near to KLIA/KLIA2. The person who you ask to drop you off at KLIA/KLIA2 secretly despises it. "It's only once a while" so they say. Get on any of the above train stations, take the train all the way to Sri Petaling. Along the way you will pass by Kinrara BK5, Awan Besar, etc. Get off at Sri Petaling because the new trains don't go beyond Sri Petaling for now. Interchange with the 20 year old but still reliable STAR LRT to take you to Bandar Tasik Selatan.

Kunta Kinte
Disembark and cross to another building about 500 metres away for your last leg to the airport. The amazing ERL has a station at Bandar Tasik Selatan (KLIA Transit). Hop on that and you're on your way to KLIA/KLIA2.

In 3 swift steps :
Puchong LRT - STAR LRT - ERL - KLIA/KLIA2

and the driver who always have to send your bum to the airport will remain your ever loving friend/spouse/partner.

Impressed blogger

No rush hour crowd

Spic and span

Really impressed blogger

Like Singapore MRT level
Are we on our way to rivaling Singapore's MRT and Bangkok's BTS..........................
YES WE ARE
The question I keep asking myself is ...........How the hell do I know Puchong so well???????

Bangkok Food Guide If You're There For Only 2 Days

That's How You Drink A Fanta
I'll get straight to the point. Don't go to Yaowarat or Bangkok's China Town because it's a tourist trap. It's not that near to the city either , so scrap that.Instead , go to Som Tam at Siam Square. The food is Isaan based and it's authentic. If CNN says you should eat at Som Tam, you eat at Som Tam.

We ordered fried fish, chicken wings (their signature dish) and pork shoulder (signature dish as well) Every dish is infused with Thai spices with chopped up bits of onions, garlic, parsley, etc. Amazing

Next, if you're in Bangkok on Saturday or Sunday, be sure to visit Chatuchak Weekend Market. How to get there. Take the MRT lazy bums. Don't worry, on your way back, you will take a cab and I will tell you why later. Chatuchak is the world's largest market selling all sorts of stuff. I mean it....EVERYTHING !!! From sex toys to sushi, you find it there. They may even have Hitler's underwear for all I know. Be smart and dress as little and skimpy as possible because it will be hot hot hot. Walking under corrugated zinc roof will definitely drive you nuts. JJ Market as it is also known sells food and drinks - enough to keep your energy going and remain hydrated. Like the first photo at the top of this blog, you must drink your Fanta in a plastic bag or you will be thrown in a Bangkok prison.
Here are some photos of Chatuchak Market

The only way to drink a Fanta

Pork stewed rice - So damn good. Please order this

Now that's you're done browsing around for the past 4 hours, take a cab back to your hotel because taking the BTS after that ordeal is just torturing.
Now, for the ultimate authentic Chinese - Thai street food cuisine, you have to go to Pochana 55 in the Thonglor district. Don't ask the cab drivers where it is. Have them drop you off at the Thonglor BTS and find your own way. Live a little would you? It's only 1 minute from the BTS.

Omelette oyster and seafood tom yam-Too delicious and too authentic. Pochana 55 only opens from 7pm until 4am catering for night crawlers.


Lastly, for the ultimate ultimate food of any form, you must have the Shibuya Honey Toast from After You. It's the dessert from heaven because the moment you cut out a piece of buttered toast plus whipped cream and ice cream, you'd melt with happiness.

Shibuya Toast From After You

We loved each other more after having this heavenly dessert
Bangkok awaits you .........................

Gerehang Falls

After a long hiatus with the country’s No.1 waterfall expert, we finally teamed up again to visit a not so known waterfall in the area of Tanjung Malim. Nobody would really know the place of this waterfall unless they spent copious and copious amount of time on Google Earth which I believe No.1 did so. He told me that he has zoomed, panned and tilted every inch of the Peninsula Malaysia Google Earth map to look for unknown waterfalls. Took him 2 years for that effort. Everybody - take a moment to salute this outstanding gentleman and that is why he is the No.1 Waterfall Hunter in Malaysia

Malaysia's No.1 Waterfall Hunter(Left) Tanjung Malim is pretty near to KL. It is only a half an hour’s drive from Damansara. The Proton factory is there as well as a university too. I would say Tanjung Malim borders Selangor. But do not let the close proximity to Damansara fool you. The Tanjung Malim interior jungles actually has some of the wildest animals roaming around.
No.1 and I parked where most people park when they visit Strata Falls. Prior to this space, there is a housing area called Diamond Creeks whereby individual bungalows were built more than 10 years ago. Some units are occupied but majority are not. It lies in disrepair and looks quite creepy. But the solitude..oh the solitude and the close proximity to nature is so alluring.

I feel like buying one. But I reckon there’s no Internet or cell coverage in that area.

Anyway, we parked and started walking and within 45 minutes, we saw our first wildlife - a family of wildboar which bolted straight into the jungle the moment our eyes locked. I could also see No.1’s right hand on the handle of the parang already.
Nearly a quarter way in, we had to river trek and from afar, we could see some sort of a natural crossing made by animals from one bank to another. As we inched closer, we saw ….TIGER PAW PRINTS on the sandbank. Imagine the fear as we continued our journey. These big cats could lunge from the side and suprise us. Scary !!!

Look at the size of the paw

Mulitple tiger paw prints The trek took us close to 2 hours when we finally reached the Gerehang Falls.

No.1's camera had a 30 second timer function

The upper falls

Just arrived

Making coffee

No.1 climbing to the peak

I love going to waterfalls with No.1 because we are able to talk about anything in the world from microscopic lens, satellite networks, beetles and more but ultimately, we would always talk about location and characteristics of waterfalls. We are geeks !!!

Sg Gumut Falls

A few weeks ago, the Godfather of Waterfalls, Mr Jan Stuivenberg invited me for a waterfall trip to a relatively unknown waterfall called Sungai Gumut Waterfall. He has never been there before but another waterfall enthusiast, Mr Eddie Yap visited this waterfall 2 years ago. Without much thought, I offered to drive us there. Getting an invitation from Jan is like Christopher Columbus inviting you to captain the Nina while Columbus captained the Santa Maria. Such a privilege.

Jan Stuivenberg
We met up with Rani at Damansara Perdana and he was to hop into my car as well. Before he could do so, his car’s locking mechanism remote failed on him and while attempting to bring life to the device, it rained heavily. He tried for 15 minutes but to no avail and Jan called Eddie to prompt him that there could be a possibility of a cancellation. Never wanting to miss a waterfall trip with Jan, I drove Rani to a hardware shop at 915am and lo and behold, he got it fixed there and by 10am, we were on our way to Kuala Kubu Bahru. After passing the Rawang toll, Jan and I got into a conversation of concentration camps. It was still pouring heavily when all of a sudden, the car in front of us hit the brakes and I in turn, pressed on my brakes as well. Because of the wet road and the sudden loss of traction, my Ford Ranger started to skid at first to the right and then to the left ...narrowly avoiding the car ahead of us. What we saw after that was a slight carnage (pun intended) whereby 3 vehicles were already in a pile up. Phew...I picked my heart up from the floor and continued our journey. Having said all that, I could have summed up the description with one word : Aquaplaning. We arrived in Kuala Kubu Bahru to meet up with KKB resident explorer , Mr Eddie Yap. 25 minutes later, we parked and began trekking to the Sg Gumut Waterfall. It was an easy peasy lemon squeezy trek (1 hour 58 minutes) and a short distance of river trekking. Below are some photos of the Sg Gumut Falls :

No.2 best waterfall hunter in Malaysia

From L-R : Rani, Jan , Eddie
NEVER STOP EXPLORING