Pengembaraan Ke Sempadan Vietnam-China

April 2015 – Sebahagian daripada kerja kejuruteraan subsurface & geologi adalah mengkaji pembentukan muka bumi, sistem pemendapan sedimen, peristiwa tektonik, dan mengkaji singkapan batu.

Saya bersama rakan-rakan sepasukan berkesempatan mengembara selama 6 hari ke utara Vietnam sehingga ke sempadan China untuk mengkaji formasi-formasi batu pergunungan dan pemendapan di sana. Kami mengembara merentas 2 provinsi: Ha Giang & Cao Bang, untuk mengkaji bumi Allah demi menyingkap secebis dari rahsia-rahsianya buat manfaat sejagat. Kawasan melintas 2 provinsi ini diiktiraf sebagai taman geologi negara & kesemulajadiannya dipelihara dengan baik & juga menjadi tarikan buat pencinta keindahan alam.

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Saya tak pasti sama ada sudah pernah ada orang Malaysia menjejaki pergunungan ini. Namun, dalam catatan ini, saya akan bercerita dari sudut pengembaraan, dan tempat-tempat menarik untuk dilawati biarpun bukan dari ahli kaji bumi. Mungkin akan ada lagi orang Malaysia yang tertarik untuk datang menikmati keunikan utara Vietnam ini.

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On The Banks of Chao Phraya (Bangkok)

_DSC3549 23-27 Feb 2015 – Alhamdulillah, we’ve finally arrived in Bangkok. We’ve been thinking about this trip for quite awhile & we’re so glad it has come to real. After googling around & asking friends with experience about Bangkok, we put together a family friendly trip suitable for ourselves with children & babies.

We spent some 5 days in Bangkok, with 3 full days getting around the city. We stayed at Waterford Diamond serviced apartments near the Philippines embassy in Sukhumvit.

We spent the first whole day resting at our hotel after long consecutive journeys the past few days. By sunset, we walked the streets around our hotel, just to experience a stroll in Bangkok. We initially planned to walk around Siam Square, but found that it was difficult to bring a baby stroller up the BTS Skytrain, so we continued walking within a 1 km radius from our hotel. We eventually stopped at Thong Lor night market to try out some local food. New favourites discovered were mango sticky rice & fried squid roe. We then walked back to our hotel, preparing for tomorrow’s rounds.

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Sapa: Sing With All The Voices of The Mountain

IMG_1748Winter, Feb 2015 – Travelling to north of Vietnam, our exploring intuitions brought my friends & I to the beautiful mountain city of Sapa. Sapa is located some 300 km north of Hanoi, near the Vietnam-Yunnan (China) border. The city is well known for its cool climate, beautiful sceneries and unique local ethnics. Traveling in February, we already expected the very cold winter, mountain climate that awaited us.

From Hanoi capital, travellers normally get to Sapa via train or by bus. We instead rented a car with a driver from Hanoi to be more flexible. It took 6 hours from Hanoi to Sapa, via the new Noi Bai – Loi Cai highway, including a rest break. The scenery along the way is beautiful, with rice fields, rivers, mountains and scenes of farmers plowing with buffalos & planting rice. On the way back, it took us 4 hrs 45 mins, non stop from Sapa town to Noi Bai airport.

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Sultan Kudarat

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Kami sekeluarga dihadapan tugu Sultan Kudarat di Ayala Triangle Garden, Manila

Sultan Muhammad Dipatuan Kudarat merupakan Sultan Mindanao dari keturunan Shariff Kabungsuwan, pendakwah ulung dari Malaya yang membawa Islam ke kepulauan Filipina. Baginda memerintah selama setengah abad dari 1619 hingga 1671.

Baginda seorang yang berani, bijaksana, pemurah dan terkenal sebagai Sultan Mindanao terhebat sepanjang sejarah.

Baginda telah menyatukan kaum Muslimin dari Lanao, Cotabato, Davao, Sulu, Zamboanga dan Borneo Utara.

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Kembara Berkeluarga Ke Manila

Alhamdulillah, kami direzekikan utk mengembara ke Manila, ibu negara Filipina. Kami merantau bersama 4 keluarga lain dan mengambil ejen pelancongan utk menguruskan aktiviti2 kami.

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Kerana kos yg kami bayar agak mahal, kami diberi banyak kemudahan dari mula kami sampai seperti airport transfer, bas utk membawa kami melancong, makanan halal yg mahal, dan beberapa staff tour guide yg setia mengikuti kami sepanjang kami di sana.

Kami tinggal di Makati City, pusat bandaraya Manila dan menetap di hotel Best Western Antel, betul2 depan A.Venue market di Makati Avenue. Jadi setiap malam, kami akan turun membeli belah dan mencuba makanan2 di pasar tersebut. Jarak dari situ ke Ayala Center pula dalam 2 km. Jadi, utk ke sana, boleh menaiki teksi atau berjalan kaki lebih kurang 30 minit dan melalui pelbagai tempat menarik seperti Ayala Triangle Park, Tugu Sultan Kudarat, dsb. Kami ke Ayala Center berjalan kaki dan mengambil gambar sepanjang jalan, tapi balik ke hotel menaiki teksi.

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Bandung Trip For Rock Stars

DSC_0221Feb 2014 – This past holiday season, my family & I traveled to the famous city of Bandung, Indonesia. It was also my return to Bandung since 1995.

Bandung is the third largest city in Indonesia, and is a city located in the highlands in center of Java. Being in higher ground, the city has a cool European like temperature. The city is also famous for the geological wonders that surround the city and have become a renowned knowledge center for geology & petroleum industry. The city is also rich in Dutch colonial heritages and is among the most popular tourist city in Indonesia.

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Tanjung Emas Muar

DSC_0369 Dec 2013 – Back when I was little, my father would always bring me to Tanjung Emas at the river mouth of Sungai Muar. Muarians simply call the place Tanjung. Traditionally, the area is a recreational park, with restaurants, rest houses, playgrounds. The beautiful Muar mosque is also located here.

Today, as Tanjung Emas continues to be the getaway location of the people of Muar, it also has transformed itself with more decorations, landmarks, proper side walks, developed boat tour services, and the most notably Tanjung Emas Square.

Our family also used to eat at the food court at Tanjung Emas. We found the food court to still exist, but with upgraded facilities & a nicer building. The shops, the stalls, the name of the stalls, are almost the same; at least in my memory.

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St Louis IX

stlouisI stand by a statue of St Louis IX at Sacré-Cœur basilica in Paris. He was the King that led the 7th crusade against the Muslims, mainly in Egypt.

During the end of the campaign, Egypt Sultan Salih Ayub died, and his widow Shajar AdDur took lead of the nation, streghtened the army under Mamluk command with heroes like Qutuz & Baibars (the ones who will be the first to defeat the mighty Mongol army at Spring of Goliath). This Muslim army defeated the crusaders at the final battle at Fariskur, captured King Louis, and ended the the 7th crusade campaign. King Louis was ransomed at a high price equivalent to a year of France’s annual revenue. It was reported that it took 2 days to count the gold.

Phuket: Hidayah Hidup Dicelah-celah

_DSC1574Phuket merupakan pulau percutian yg terkenal, yg sering dikunjungi pelancong dr serata dunia. Pantainya teramat cantik, paling cantik retina saya pernah jenguk sendiri. Byk benda menarik boleh dibuat. Menaiki ferry cruise, kita akan di bawa ke pulau2 lain di sekeliling Phuket, seperti Phi Phi Island, dan dibawa snorkeling bersama ikan di teluk2 kecil2 spt Maya Bay atau Monkey Bay, etc.

Saya amat tertarik dgn geology pembentukan pulau2 tersebut yg pd pengamatan saya nmpk sbg carbonate reef. Kelihatan juga garisan2 erosion dari tide levels yg berbeza. Nampak jelas karstification, caverns & fractures di outcrop tebing2 pulau. Saya rasa pembentukan pulau yg terpisah2 itu sendiri adalah kesan faulting event. Anyway, Subhanallah.. majestic view..

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Cameron Highlands

P1020881Mar 2011 – We took a short relaxing holiday to Cameron Highlands, Pahang. Taking the typical highway exit off Tapah, we also took the chance to stop by Lata Iskandar to enjoy the atmosphere by the waterfall.

We stayed at Equatorial Cameron Highland, in a 2 room apartment, although our family is relatively small. The place is suitable for a quiet family vacation. There are also some family games, such as pool, down in the lobby.

While our trip was more to just relax and escape the bustling city, there were plenty of activities up in Cameron Highlands to explore. We went to one of Strawberry farms for strawberry picking, Butterfly Farm, and Bee farm. We also stopped at a nursery to purchase some flowers for our home in Bangi. We also stopped by Bharat tea plantation to enjoy the beautiful tea tree scenery & buy some tea.

As adventurous as our family is, a cool, simple family getaway would still give us an experience to remember.

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