ATV Adventure Ride with Tourism Selangor

 This would be my third trip with Tourism Selangor and this time our destination is Kampung Kemensah for the fun ATV Adventure Offroad Ride. This ATV Adventure Park is the largest in Malaysia offering various jungle trails for all the outdoor enthusiasts. Kampung Kemensah is very easy to be found. It is just located behind Zoo Negara in Kuala Lumpur. We arrived there at 10.45am and it was already quite warm but it definitely didn't put us off from having fun.

 We had to park quite a distance away from the entrance as the car park was already full. Well, a little walk kick-started our metabolism.

                  'WELCOME TO ATV ADVENTURE PARK KUALA LUMPUR'

 Spotted a beautiful 'graffiti' on a big rock and I already felt overwhelmed and excited.

 Upon riding the ATV Bikes, we were given some briefings on the dos and don'ts and also how to handle the big 'guys'. Looks simple but not exactly simple. Loads to remember... I was very impatient while waiting for the guide to finish explaining. I forgot to mention that we had to sign a letter of consent too.

 I wasn't expecting a big bike but there you go.. this is what we got.

 Bags have to be tied at the front of the bike. Bags are not allowed to be held onto as they might distract us from concentrating in riding the bikes. I was wondering... WHY couldn't I hold my bag?

 This is Calvin whom I just knew from travelling together. Our guide trying to give a hand riding up the steep trail.

 One of the jungle trails which might look very calming and easy. Trust me, this is not what it looks like. I don't know how the pictures turned out to be so kind but in fact, the jungle trails were very CRUEL to me.

 I went to Kampung Kemensah with a few other friends but were spilt due to the difficult climb. Never mind, I made 2 new friends. This one was taken 1/4 into our 2 hour route but I don't know where. A little flat land where we could take a picture.

 Another CRUEL trail.

Nigel , the official photographer for Tourism Selangor was enjoying his ride downhill.

After about one and a half hour ride uphill, we arrived at the Kelang Gate Dam. A beautiful 'lake'. I never forgot to snap a pic of myself there.

My friend Lam took a jumping photo. By looking at this photo, you know how excited he was to be on this trip.

After resting , time to leave. Have you ever seen traffic jam in the jungle? Not always...but I have!

Phew, late lunch at Breadties and been drinking water like a fish.

After lunch, as usual Fazly announced the 6 best photographs taken by the participants. Congratulations to all the winners!

There are 5 packages to choose from in this ATV ride:
A)  Half hour ride in the base training track                          RM50

B)  One and a half hour offroad ride to 7 tiers waterfall.             RM100

C)  Two hours offroad ride to Sofea Jane Waterfall.                    RM150

D)  About three hours ride uphill and downhill to Bukit Tabur
    and Kelang Gate Dam.                                               RM200

E)  A four hour offroad to Bukit Tabur, Dam, Liza river, Dataran Mas,
    Bukit Lalang.This is the ultimate amongst all the above and
    requires confidence and teamwork.                                  RM300



My remarks based on my experience:

I think it's advisable for those faint-hearted to take packages A and B only maybe C. Package D is quite intense and difficult for the first timer as the bike is quite heavy to handle with especially with the hours I had to hold onto the brakes. Not advisable to do it after a heavy downpour as the trails might be very slippery making it more difficult to control the bikes. Don't expect to take a lot of photos because you would be too busy concentrating not to fall down than to take photos.

What to bring :
 1) Mosquito repellent
 2) Cap
 3) Water
 4) Camera
 5) Extra clothing ( there is a bathroom there for showering )
 6) A pair of gloves for palm protection purposes
 7) Towel
 8) Wear trainers
 9) Sunblocks

TSDAYOUT - Kuala Selangor

On the 17th March 2012, I was so happy to have the opportunity to visit Kuala Selangor with Tourism Selangor.

Kuala Selangor is an old royal capital of Selangor. Kuala Selangor is the hidden gem of Malaysia and one will fully enjoy themselves there. Our trip with TS was so well-planned that all of us were fascinated with the itineraries.

Firstly, we were brought to Kuala Selangor Nature Park also known as Taman Alam which is a large mangrove sanctuary about 200 hectares in size.It is also a habitat to various types of birds, monkeys, insects, and floras too.

The bloggers and fans of TS listening attentively to the briefing of the 'DOs and DON'Ts'

Entrance fees is RM4 for adult and RM1 for children.

The beautiful pathway.

One of the many beautiful flowers in Taman Alam.

From September to March every year, avid birdwatchers may go birdwatching at this special time as a host of migratory birds stops over before continuing their way.

Observation tower for the wildlife enthusiasts to view the wildlife from a higher point.

The muddy mangrove bed reveals at low tide countless holes in the ground, with plenty of big and tiny crabs scurrying around (including the King Crab).

Colourful fungus, rare!

Okay, we went down the mangrove swamp/forest for 20 minutes during low tide to pick up rubbish brought in by the tides. I didn't know that the mangrove trees act as the 'nets' to trap rubbish.

We successfully collected 116KG of rubbish mainly plastic and polystyrene products.

There are also a fresh water aquarium and an aviary in Taman Alam itself. I was fascinated by the many species of freshwater fish there unlike the aquariums out there with the same 'ol fish.

Bukit Malawati is a historical hill with the lighthouse overlooks the Melacca Strait. To go up the hill, we had to take the colourful train and the driver's skill was good!

It's worth a visit to this museum, it's not very big and there are some interesting and genuine artifacts in it so it's not very time consuming.

A silver leaf monkey was seen grabbing a man's shirt asking for food. So cuteeee!

It was posing nicely for me :D

Further uphill of Bukit Malawati , there is a 200 year old Angsana tree which bleed red sap whenever the bark is cut. It has a very fascinating story/myth behind the bleeding tree. According to the locals, a palace maiden was beheaded on a rock 'Batu Hampar' and her blood was scattered around this hill. Since then, this Angsana tree has been bleeding.

We also visited a pottery factory. I always wondered why a pot would cost so dear to buy. Now I know, all hand made and take a week long from making to sale.

Have you every wondered how people the olden days make pottery ware?

A non-electrical spinning wheel.

A seafood dinner proceeded with great view. YUM!

A complimentary sunset view.

Our final stop was to Kuala Kuantan Firefly Park.

The picture below was taken from Tourism Selangor because my camera was not good enough to capture nice photos of the fireflies. The 'kelip-kelip' on the trees make it the nature's very own illuminated christmas trees. I was glad that I went!

Y B Tuan Dr. Haji Dzulkefly Ahmad was also there to promote Kuala Selangor.

The six winners of the best photographs taken.

Thanks to Tourism Selangor for this awesome trip!

Tourism Selangor - Pulau Ketam

Thank you Tourism Selangor for taking us to Pulau Ketam for a day trip. This is how it went.

The boat ticket to Pulau Ketam cost RM7. Nice air-conditioned boat.

The journey only took about 25 minutes and it was a pleasant ride. It's easy to get there. Take KTM to Klang and the port is right opposite the station.

Juli, Jess, me and Sharon.

The first view of Pulau Ketam.

These 'crawling fish' are seen everywhere when the tides are low.

There are 3 modes of transportation available on this island - by foot, by bicycle , by small moppet.

I chose bicycle of course but some others preferred to walk as they could see the surrounding clearer. It cost RM5 per bike per day.

The locals make a living by selling local products to the tourists who visit the island daily. The 'lollipop' above are known as '麦芽糖' or maltose in English. Taste super nice and SWEET! Available in various flavour too.

We were lucky enough to see some islanders mending fish nets. Most of the locals are fishermen too.

There are a kindergarten, a primary school and a secondary school on this island. The population here has increased over the year and there are about 6,000+ people who are still living here.

One might not bring enough money when they are out but do not worry as there is bank right in the centre of the island. Well done Maybank!

There are many temples in Pulau Ketam but this one I went to is well known for keeping a big python and a few huge terrapin. I didn't manage to capture the python as it was hiding under the water. The renovation which was going on didn't help either so I just took this. According to the locals, if you are lucky you might be able to see a few number on the shells. I didn't.

Food that you must try. I can't remember the name of this shop but I think it's the only one serving ‘面粉根’.Well, it not Pulau Ketam for nothing. Ketam = Crabs. Now you see?

So yummylicious!