KL Bird Park (1 September 2014)

As a part of our initiative to introduced the kids to nature, we've decided that our next "travel" destination would be to visit the KL Bird Park. I remembered visiting here eons ago with my parents though the details are mostly very sketchy. The KL Bird Park is said to be one of the world's largest free flight walk in aviary.

The tickets are priced at RM25 for adults and RM12 for kids- 3 to 12 years old (Mycard Holders). For more information on the park check out : KL Bird Park

At the entrance. The birds was literally over our heads. I was terrified that one might just pooped on us :p

This my dear is a lovebird :)

Ryan emulating the Emu pout and peacock wandering around freely in the park

That stork is RED. I mistakenly thought it was a replica or something but it was actually live and breathing. Pretty,huh?

Some of the more exotic birds like the horn bills, white peacock, parrots etc, were kept in cages for preservation, I supposed.

New hatch lings : these little chicks are too cute :)

Ryan saw this and started singing "Bangau oh Bangau". These birds was overly friendly, one even started pecking a makcik from behind. I think she was used to it or something because she seems oblivious to the intrusion. I would be screaming my head off if these birds were to come anywhere near me :p

We managed to catch the Bird show at around 12.30pm. Do check out the show schedules for various activities around the park 

Review: The park is big and hilly so be prepared to do a lot of walking and pushing (if you're bringing a stroller, which i recommend if you have children under 6 years old) and PLEASE wear comfy shoes. There's a variety of birds but younger children may be easily bored after a bit (Ohhh a bird... and another bird.. and another bird - if you get what I mean) The facilities such as toilet are clean, but the food kiosk in the park has limited seating and you may need to sit out under the hot sun. Parking is also limited, though you are allowed to park across the road near the Taman Kancil and Memorial Tun Abdul Razak. I'm rating our experience 7.5/10.

The Butterfly Park, Taman Kancil, Planetarium Negara and Pusat Kesenian Islam is also nearby and within 5 minutes walk of each other. InShaAllah, we're planning to make a visit to the other attractions soon. I love how my research for kids friendly attractions is showing me awesome places to be enjoyed within KL/Selangor area itself :)

Farm in the City (1 June 2014)

I was finding for some family activities for the kids for this school holiday. We did not want to travel and preferred visiting someplace in Selangor. As it turned out there's plenty of jewels to be discovered close to home and one which seems to be talked about frequently lately is the petting zoo called "Farm in the City" in Seri Kembangan. 

 Map Courtesy of Google  : How to get there :)

Seri Kembangan is fairly near if you live around Klang Valley. Around 30-40mins drive maybe?

 My son trying to read the map :)

There's bird show several times a day, where you can see the birds do tricks/fed. You can always check the timing at the entrance before coming in.

  The children can pet and observe the animals closely. The animals are used to humans so they're quite gentle and friendly. This is a picture of the world's largest species of rabbit. It is as big as a cat.

 The farm houses various types of turtle/ tortoise. Interesting variety

City kids probably never seen a reban ayam before, so a good place to introduce them to animals and nature. There's also "longkang fishing" if you want to try it :)

 There's an area filled with rabbits, where the kids can pet and feed the rabbits kangkung. Too adorable. The rabbits seems to be ok with little kids carrying them around.

 The pond where you can feed the fishes. The food are readily available at the counter and it is free of charge

 Savannah area: There's a few goats and ducks loitering around waiting to be fed.The caretaker is also nearby with food which they'll disseminate for you to give to the animals.

 Highlight of the day : Pony rides. The children have to be below 12 and above 90cm to get on the rides.

Certificate of attendance for the kids upon exiting the farm.

Review: All in all quite a good experience for the children who enjoyed themselves. The only downside was we came during weekend PLUS during school holidays so it was a bit crowded. There's a variety of animals and it is quite stroller friendly (but not for double strollers like ours). It also quite shady as there's plenty of trees around.

We opted for the family package (2 adults + 2 children @ RM109, actually it is free entrance for children below 3 but I brought my cousins around hence the extra charge).  Normal tickets are charged at RM38 for adults, RM25 for children and RM7 for a pony ride (show your Malaysian ID). The best part about family package is you get two free air kotak, two vitagen, RM10 food voucher and 2 pony rides. So I would say it is worth it. I rate our experience 8/10, and would come again but maybe on a weekday next time around. 

Check Timeout KL for more info and review

Avillion Port Dickson (10-11 May 2014)

I wanted a short gateway to celebrate my Birthday and Mother's Day. It was a tossed between Malacca, Cameron Highlands and PD and after an uneventful vote, PD won :) I think it is mostly due to the fact that we as family are just a bunch of beach bums which explains why we've been going to PD every year for the past 5 years heheh.

For this trip I've chosen to stay at Avillion PD. This is actually our second trip here, the first being about 4 years ago when Ryan was about 4 months old. I've always been fond of Avillion due to the many-many activities that is available within the hotel's compound. My children is easily bored and they need a lot of activity to keep them happy and I have to say our trip here does not disappoint.

THE ROOM

 Google photo
 

We stayed in the Garden Chalet. The room is spacey and the best part of the room is the day bed which Ryan ended up sleeping in. 

Another highlight is the HUGE bathroom. I love the separate loo and shower room. The kids is obviously attracted to the bath.

The kiddies chilling at our room's balcony

 

DAY 1 ACTIVITIES

Another plus point for the hotel is the private beach. There's 2 beaches available on both sides of the property called Riau and Tumasek. I find the view and the beach in Tumasek better for a quick dip and sand play. There's also boat rides available for sightseeing. 

Daddy joining in the fun :)

 

We had our dinner at the hotel restaurant called Crow's Nest. The food is not bad and there's kid's menu available. Ryan finished a huge bowl of spaghetti bolognese by himself. So that saying something about the taste :p

:) 

We made a quick stop at the kids cabin for a quick game of blocks. There's also PlayStation, Batik, Sand art activities available for the kids

Day 2 ACTIVITIES

 The Twins woke up super early so we took the morning walk by the Riau beach and stayed by the jetty to "people watch". We had our breakfast in-room to avoid the crowd and it was just so much easier for Lan and I to handle the kids there rather than the very busy dining hall :p

Right after breakfast the kiddies wanted to play at the beach some more. So we head on to Tumasek Beach again. On the way we stopped by the petting zoo and the munchkins "interacted" with the chickens and rabbits.

There's also a few peacocks roaming around freely at the gardens. One even showed off their beautiful feathers to us :)

 We dropped by the kids pool for a quick dip to wash of the sands. Since my children loved the water to the max, obviously they had fun :)

Final activity before going home? To the Kid's playground everybody :)

Alhamdullilah it was a good break. Totally loved our stay at the hotel. I'm rating my experience at Avillion 8.9/10. Don't mind staying there again, maybe with Atuk and Nenek the next time around :)