THE BUKIT TINGGI ADVENTURE (PART II)

Before I begin, I would like to wish all the readers (I'm not really sure if there are any) a happy new year. Hopefully 2014 will bring forth prosperity and success to whatever field you're in. As for me, I will try my very best to become a better husband and a loving father. The plan is to spend more time with the family, not just travelling but in everything. As for blogging, I'll try to write more on my recent travels, bringing more adventures (and try to be funnier in the posts) and with a bit of luck, increasing the number of readers.

Colmar Tropicale: I took this photo on the top of the tower I mentioned. I had to crop the photo to eliminate unwanted distractions. (Nikon D90, 10 - 20mm Nikkor lens)

Now back to Bukit Tinggi. In my last post, I'd mentioned about Colmar Tropicale, a place my family and I stayed during the visit to Bukit Tinggi. Colmar Tropicale was built based on a town called Colmar in Alsace, France. The place looked (how do I put this?) European. The entrance was extravagantly built as a castle with huge gate (yes, like the ones in Disney's fairy tales), complete with a bridge going into the small town (yes, like the one Joan of Arc stormed in the movie Joan of Arc). The buildings inside were built in an old European fashion, painted in different colors making it interesting rather than that gloomy Gothic feeling one would feel in certain European town (yes, like the one in Sleepy Hollow).

Girls in 'France'. The family woke up a bit early. As you can see the 'town' was almost vacant. Too many people will make the photo overcrowded. (Nikon D90, 18 - 55mm Nikkor lens)

Adding to the European feel were the brigs pathway as opposed to the usual tarmac. There were also a rustic looking fountain in the middle of the small 'town' and at the end of the other side was a tower, overlooking the whole town. One can also see the whole Bukit Tinggi on top of the tower (the climb up was a bit tiring, but no worries, you can use the elevator). 

Having fun! A normal shot out off boredom. (Nikon D90, 18 - 55mm Nikkor lens)

The designs and the cold weather does add to the overall European feel, however the compound was too small (30 minutes top to witness everything) thus after the 30 minutes, you'll be back to square one (meaning you got bored very fast). So staying for more than two days is not advisable, unless you're a honeymooning couple who can't afford to go to the city of love (France) but still want to experience the feel. 

What's up Doc? Another normal looking shot. However it's always great to be able to capture the moment. (Nikon D90, 18 - 55mm Nikkor lens)

The girls (actually it was me who got bored first) lost interest after half an hour and I decided to make their day. The next stop was the Rabbit Farm (a few minutes drive from Colmar Tropicale). And I tell you, the girls had a blast! (I got bored again after half an hour. But hey, it's for the girls). There were rabbits, rabbits and more rabbits on the Rabbit Farms (hence the name Rabbit Farm). There were fat rabbits, not so fat rabbits, ugly looking rabbits, cute and cuddly rabbits (in shorts there were a lot of 'em). We bought the rabbits' munchies for RM3 and the girls started feeding the rabbits (at one time throwing the munchies on the air like some kind of billionaire). The rabbits were more than happy (if not full) and followed the girls while they ran and jump and ran and... you got the point. There were also deer on the farm (I'm not commenting on this. But I tell you what, read this paragraph again and change the word rabbits to deer. Seriously try it, it's fun!).

Bambee! This is what happened when a subject get too close to a wide angle lens. It's quite fascinating isn't it? (Nikon D90, 10 - 20mm Nikkor lens) 

We spent quite a while there and I decided it was time to end the rabbits madness. The girls were a bit annoyed when I told them that we're leaving. But when I told them my next plan (ice cream), they straight away went inside the car (without even saying good bye to the rabbits).

I'm actually out of words. So I'll stop now before I bored you to death. But as always, I'll leave you guys with something to ponder. Cheers!

"Life is a travel hence travel is life. So travel more often as you'll live your life" (it makes sense doesn't it?)

Thanks.

Yours truly,
Kaz
3 Jan. 2014

  

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THE BUKIT TINGGI ADVENTURE (PART I)

I've been writing on my visits abroad of late and come to think of it, I've been to a few interesting places in my beloved country as well (Yes, Malaysia is one of the best travel destination in the world). One of the place my family and I visited was Bukit Tinggi (I'm naturally drawn to mountains, have no idea why). We took the trip a while back, but we've created lovely memories on that particular visits. Before I forget, we drove to Bukit Tinggi, from Bangi (not that far, it took us around one an a half hour).

Now, there are a few interesting places in Bukit Tinggi including the Japanese Garden, the Botanical Garden, the Rabbit Farm and the main attraction (for me) the Colmar Tropicale. Colmar Tropicale is a replica of a small French town of which housed the hotel and a few restaurant. I'll talk about that later.

The Small Pond: I used a slow shutter speed to create the effect of water flowing. By doing so, I had to use the smallest possible aperture (big number) and low ISO. (Nikon D90, 10 - 24mm Nikkor lens)

The first place we went to was the Japanese Garden (personally Malaysian prefers a Korean Garden nowadays due to the popularity of K-Pop culture that spread like virus especially among young adults). It was a beautifully well kept garden with small streams, ponds, Japanese style huts and a small trail connecting the places together. In short, it makes a picturesque scenes for photographers. There was even a Japanese tea ceremony (which you have to pay quite a lot. I lost interest due to the monetary factor). But still, it was pleasing and my family and I had good times there with tonnes of photos as prove.

The Hut: I focused on the hut on the top of the small hill and creating 'bokeh' to the subject nearest to the camera, which is the grass. (Nikon D90, 18 - 55mm Nikkor lens)

After spending quite sometimes in the Japanese Garden, we decided to go to the Botanical Garden, which was only a few paces away (it was actually quite a distance, my armpit was sweating like hell). The garden boasts its flora and fauna with more than hundred species of trees. Of course there were labels on each tree consisting its name and scientific terms (a hard to pronounce name that no one hardly ever used). It might appeals to those with forestry major which I'm not, but nevertheless it was still informative. The pathway was a bit moldy and slippery, so if you're with children you might want to be a bit careful. A nasty fall might spoil the whole trip (magically my two girls stayed on their feet! Even with all the running around leaving me with a probable heart attack). 

Lost: I used my wide angle lens to capture this area, but personally the composition was way off. I used small aperture (big number) to capture the details. (Nikon D90, 10 - 24mm Nikkor lens)

The girls had a lot of fun running around as mentioned earlier (I had a lot of 'fun' chasing them around). The only setback was it was not as cold as I imagines it would be (which was a waste as I brought my favorite Camel Active jacket and had no chance of putting it on). I was really hoping for a colder weather, but one can only hope and Allah will take care of the rest ; )   

Cheeky Lil' Girls: A normal shot, but I purposely place the subjects on the left and not in the middle.

The stopover at the Botanical Garden wrapped up the day and all of us went back to the Colmar Tropicale. The girls were fast asleep after five minutes in the car, tired of all the running and jumping (and whatever they did that I hardly noticed) in the gardens. I was also tired having to chase after the girls while carrying the quite heavy D90 camera bag and my wife's handbag and the burden of being a good Dad (watching over the girls while screaming on top of my lung: "DON'T RUN! DON'T RUN!"). The plan was to get a decent rest, and then have a family dinner (steak & lamb were my favorite after the long day) and start early the next day.

The Moldy Steps: I took this photo because of the color and the lights through the trees.  However, it was hard to balance the lighting which was overexposed on the tree lines but darker on the steps. (Nikon D90, Nikkor 18 - 55mm)

Before I sign off, I'll leave you guys with something to ponder, cheers!:

"Time is always the greatest adversary, so use it well to see the world with the loved ones even if you only have a jiffy."

Thanks.

Yours truly,

Kaz

30 Dec. 2013 

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