It has been three years in a row that I celebrated Christmas at Genting Highlands.

Before Year 2006, the last time I went to Genting Highlands was when I was a kid. Of course, a lot of things had changed ever since though some things never did… like the Antique Car ride, to name one. 🙂

Two years back, I spent more time indoors. If you were there then you would remember that it was much colder up in Genting at that time (13-15 degree Celcius). The year before, I attended the Life Changing Party at Awana Genting Resort thus I spent a brief moment up in Genting Highlands during the wee hours with my friends. Temperature was warm though.

And this year? I revisited Genting Highlands for the third time and I came with my mom. Ashley didn’t join this time because she preferred to stay at home. We were in the outdoors more often this time around and great… the weather was misty and cooler than the year before! 🙂

22nd December: Checking in First World Hotel

Although Mom and I arrived at 1:30 PM, we waited for 3 and a half hours before we could finally check into the hotel. (read: PEAK season)

The crowd was huge and we were annoyed and disturbed by slow moving families, queue jumpers, you name it. I really should be taking full advantage of my flexible schedule and pick a non-peak season for a vacation next time. 🙂

23rd December: Chin Swee Temple

We missed the free shuttle bus service by a split second, so Mom and I hired a cab driver to take us to the Chin Swee Temple, 15 minutes down the road.

My Mom said it reminded her a lot of her trip to Beijing, China – the temple, the scenery… more like ‘mini China’.

The wind was strong that standing still was difficult, really!

Outdoor Theme Park

I had always wanted to go into the Outdoor Theme Park for the last 2 years but I kept coming at a wrong time! But not this round. 😉 I bought us an ‘all park’ access for a whole day.

I also missed riding the Antique Car – can’t believe it is still around even after more than a decade! 😀

The Arcade

I probably would never get tired of the arcade. 🙂 But if you’re an arcade fan like me, there are a couple of things I discovered that you might want to be aware of:

1. NEVER, EVER PLAY AT FUNTASY WORLD!
This is the arcade place near the K-Box, and just a level above “Ripley’s Believe it or Not!” There’s a good reason why this place doesn’t receive as many visitors as Vision City even though it’s situated in a busy location. I wanted to play “Ghost Squad” and all the 3 machines I tried were all spoilt! The first machine had a problem with the gun’s aiming (just go iron-sights and you’ll know). The gun on the second machine had the Action Button pulled out (how the heck was I going to save hostages and defuse bombs without it?) and the third machine had no sound. RM9.00 down the drain. 🙁

2. HOUSE OF THE DEAD III
The shotgun is often spoiled – probably due to rough handling by the players. Also, it’s EASIER for YOU to die in this game. Unless you’re truly exceptionally skilled, this game works exactly like a casino: it’s designed for you to lose. I’ve seen skilled players get killed too easily in this game, even in the early round (read: Chapter 0).

Ripley’s Believe it or Not!

While I was prohibited from taking photos inside the premise this time (no idea why, I pulled that off just fine two years ago) – here’s a video you should see. Believe it.

More Photos on FaceBook

Click here to see more photos from my FaceBook photo album.

On a side note, I realized that I have been wearing the same long sleeve shirt for the past 6 years. I really need to get new clothes…

Who would have thought that Gemas makes a good place for a short retreat, even if it’s for only a couple of days? 🙂

I read an article about Gemas earlier this month and like many people, the only impression I knew of Gemas was the KTM station every time the Intercity Train passes by.

After pulling off a lot of online projects and not to mention the countless hours I spend behind the computer, I decided to call for a time-out as I was in dire need of a good mental break. So last week I packed off for a one man adventure in Gemas, Negeri Sembilan.

14th December: Arriving at Gemas

I arrived at the sleepy town in the ‘deadest’ time of the day – afternoon.

I was lightly packed; I ditched my laptop, work, you name it. Even my note book where I would scribble my ideas down. I needed to put my mind away from business for at least 2 days. So all I had were enough spare clothes for a day, wallet loaded with liquid cash (because I wasn’t sure about finding ATM machines in the rural area) and a printed article from the online newspaper.

Since I came alone, I took very few pictures of myself. However I couldn’t pass up posing near the old train, that has been sitting in the off-track since almost forever. Good thing I learned how to use the ‘self timer’ feature. I can be such a noob with technology. 🙂

Exploring Gemas Town

Life here in Gemas is slow pace. And veeery quiet.

It really felt like I was going back in time. Interesting to note: I saw a few computer shops but they were all closed down. I guess computers are not really a popular thing over here.

As I could use some exercise, I started exploring Gemas – the off roads, quiet neighborhoods and wherever the roads lead to.

There are many old folks and senior citizens but I saw very few young people.

After spending most of the day walking around, doing self reflections and of course marvel at nature – I bunked in at a hotel 5 minutes from the Gemas station.

I also had my late night supper at the Gemas Station canteen and tried out the RM1 nasi lemak that was raved about in the newspaper article.

Granted it’s cheap, but there’s really nothing to it. However most of the items on the menu are easily RM2 and below, the most expensive being an alcoholic drink for RM7. Most of the things sold here are cheap too.

By nightfall, all of the old pre-WWII buildings in town were covered with birds. Literally. On every roof, fence and electric cable. I’ve never seen so many birds in my life. Perhaps a good scenario for a horror animal movie? 🙂

15th December: The Journey Continues

I woke up unusually early today – 6:00 AM. Very unlike me. 🙂

After having breakfast at the nearest mamak stall, I set foot for a path I was saving from the day before.

I wanted to visit the Kelemah River War Memorial – which was about 10 kilometers away from the hotel. However the taxi driver I talked to told me that while he could send me there, there are hardly any other taxis passing by so going back would be difficult. Thus I passed up the chance. Maybe some other time.

So I spent the next 2 hours in the morning walking along the winding road, which I wonder where it would lead me to. 🙂

After the long hours of walking about and using a good exercise, it was time to check out of the hotel by noon and leave for home.

Granted, there’s nothing hip and cool about Gemas. But it makes a good retreat for those who are mentally drained. 🙂