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Featured Food & Outing

Why Perhentian Island is Better Than Bali, Lombok, Krabi and maybe Melbourne Great Ocean Road.

YES IT IS.

Ok, maybe I’m being a bit biased hear but here me out.

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The past week I finally got a chance to visit Perhentian Island after all these years (I wanted to go there since 2003). I love beach. The sand slipping through my fingers, the fierce waters and that annoying pebble stuck in between your feet and sandals. I don’t care. I love it.

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Over the past few years I went on many adventures. Melbourne Great Ocean Road (2011), Krabi (2013), Bali (2015), Lombok (2016). They were all awesome, but when I reached Perhentian Island, I can’t begin to compare with others. I effing LOVE IT!

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Advertorial Aisyah and Me Featured Food & Outing

I Never Thought Jungle Trekking Was Hard, Until I Tried SkyTrex

I am big fan of outdoor activity, jungle trekking is nothing more than a stroll in park for me. #SkyTrex hit me, how hard can it be? It turns out, it was really hard.

Few months back I PM-ed Azlan, the marketing manager for SkyTrex and asked him to accommodate bloggers. In return we will blog about SkyTrex. So he agreed to give SalamMedia (my marketing startup) some free passes to the Extreme challenge, the most difficult route. I did call in last minute to downgrade to Big Thrill, but Azlan insist we have ‘fun’. His definition of fun is definitely messed up.

Here’s some pictures of the awesome activity.

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Safety first! The harness does hold up the sack really well.

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I went first. Flying fox looked easy, yeah because this is the practice version. I spotted a couple of fawns near the bushes and wished I had my AR-15 upper receivers.

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There’s a limit to number of people per platform. 1 monkey per tree.

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This is about 20m from the ground and we had to climb that!

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Flying into nothingness. I did imagine what if I stopped half way. That’s my fault for having a fat lazy bum. Thankfully it was one of the most memorable flying fox I have ever done in life.

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or what if I missed the platform, slipped and fell?  I can feel the movement in my bladder when I saw this picture taken by Abdus

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One of my favorite route, I call this the hammock. Reminds me of Sara’s baby hammock.

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Monkey bar, only for the weak. I took the easier route, glide on the ropes. Haha

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This V shaped string requires a lot of balancing. I did mess this up while trying to do too much in a single leap. I ended up almost loosing my head when the rope strangled my neck. Thankfully a hero doesn’t give up easily. I pulled myself up and retraced the step. For the moment, it did feel like defusing a timed bomb.

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Ammar decided to sleep, programmers sleeps at dawn. Can’t blame him for being sleepy all the time, their sleeping habits is all over the place!

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This was the easiest, if you know your way around the ropes. Noticed one glove? Yeah, I dropped one while trying to fart.

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The pulley is made in France, land of Peugeot and Zidane, it’s very sturdy for flying fox. The carabiner is also solid.

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Some camwhoring with ‘le wife.

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Every time I took a challenge, I enjoyed the scenery. It was breathtaking and downright beautiful. The guys at SkyTrex really planned the route well.

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Aisyah nearing the finishing line. I was a bit sad to see end. I really wanted another hour.

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The monkey swing was the last challenge and it almost broke my back!

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They even provided a hashtag for SkyTrex.

If there’s one complain from me is the plastic pipes which are being used extensively in the challenge. I guess because it’s cheap and strong hence the extensive iterations of it. Those pipes are slippery and sometimes too big to hold. It does require and additional effort just to grip it properly. Despite that, I am still giving SkyTrex a 5 star.

The SkyTrex Brochures

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Conclusion

Overall, SkyTrex nothing but awesome. I could feel my adrenaline rushing up and down my veins while writing this blog post though it happened sometime last March. The greenery was perfect, the staff were really helpful and playful, which was good. They gave moral support and never wanted us to quit half way (but some participant did, age is really a factor).

My best recollection of #SkyTrex was the flying fox. It was the only avenue for me to be lazy, to enjoy the scene and for the first time, it felt like I kicked my acrophobia in the nuts that day (fear of height). I walked out a taller person, knowing that I’ve conquered my fear. If there was a stress meter, I’m sure it was down to zero.

Who is this for? Young executive, students, family, couples, Ranjits, Kumars, Chins, Alis or whoever wants quick escape, nerve wrecking, eyes squirming, lose bladder control or scream your lungs out, this my friend is for you. My advise, do wear long pants to avoid blister, bring your own gloves for better grip, and seriously, take your time doing the challenge, enjoy the scenery and don’t focus on completing it soonest.

If you want more information, check out the official site.

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Aisyah and Me Family Food & Outing Sara

You Don’t Have To Be A Hero

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It was drizzling when we arrived at the fast food chain to get our fix on cheap caffeine. As much as I hate to admit, Sara is slowing us down, we had to be really careful when extracting her from the car. We don’t want her to get wet. Thankfully we had a huge umbrella enough to cover us three.

I deliberately left my red semi-broken umbrella outside because it was wet and someone might need it.

A family of was trying to get to their car which was on the opposite side of road, calculating the possibility of getting drenched by the monsoon. I wanted to offer my umbrella, but the father decided to take the leap of faith. He ran into rain towards his car. He’s taken care of, I told myself as I walked in and ordered our cheap caffeine.

Soon I saw the mother ushering the kids into the car using the umbrella. She was the only one outside the car, trying to fold the umbrella and put it where she found it. I dashed through the entrance and got the umbrella.

“Maam, let me walk you to the car.” Like any polite being, she refused the offer, but I insisted with my foot already in a puddle.

Everyone in the car waved goodbye. Doing good sends shivers down my spine. It’s like getting a customer to agree on a deal. It felt good.

We had our drinks and took turn to play with Sara till the rain stopped. We left the fast food chain soon for the following appointment and forgot about the umbrella. My wife will be mad if she finds out about this.

ps: Which reminds me about the yellow umbrella incident years ago.