Our family took a holiday to Malaysia together.
First, we drove up to Gopeng and stayed at Adeline’s Villa for 3D 2N. It was a wonderful place to rest and relax and also to allow the children to enjoy nature.
We met Ashley, a very nice and warm lady, who always made sure that we were comfortable where we were – whether it was food or stay or play. Then there was Adeline, the owner of the resort, who made sure that little Li-Ann got a bowl of porridge even when she had to take breakfast late. Finally, we were introduced to Andrew, the guy who answered all my emails and told me what the resort could offer me. Have you noticed something in common? Their names all start with ‘A’!! Of course my curiosity prompted me to ask if they were related – there were no blood relations, just good working colleagues.
The reception area was cozy, nicely decorated and sculptured with a mix of furniture for the different personalities; they were carrying out improvement works when we were there. It doubled up as a place for supper at night. We also spotted two cats that would hang out then. This inspired Rebecca to write 2 Kittens. There was usually music playing – to suit the day and night. We particularly liked this swing (yellow colour) near the slope – although there were 3 of them; it was really enjoyable to sit in and swing around. We would all fight to sit in it.
The dining area was huge but had its comfortable corners to allow free flow of chit chats to continue even after food ran out. The makan was superb!! Although the different dishes were placed on modest serving platters, they were SCRUMPTIOUS, especially the crunchy vegetables – they were fresh and lightly stir-fried. The spread for the dinners were EXCELLENT too. There was a good balance of meats, seafood and vegetables. Seafood and meats could also be done BBQ style and most compatible with the rustic feel of the resort. We all LOVE the bamboo soup; very sweet and interesting flavour. We miss your soup, Aunty Adeline!!! The chilli was shiok!! And it was homemade. You have to try it to know….O…O…am I drooling??!!!
You should see us lifting our heavy tummies after the dinners…and then there was supper…..never ending food ah…..All meals were served with piped-in music, perhaps to help increase appetite (now you know why our tummies had to be supported) and digestion….so we would be ready for more yummy food the next day…HURRAY!!
Adeline’s Villa offered many activities. We picked 2 activities we felt would be more suitable for our family- a night walk to a palm oil plantation and a day trek in the jungle.
We began our night walk after dinner and we had 2 Malay guides with us. They were locals and were very familiar with the area. With a mixture of excitement and apprehension and a few relatively powerful torch lights, we ventured forth – our first adventure in the dark, not certain what to expect. We began our ‘exploration’ as soon as we stepped out of the resort. After walking for some distance, we reached the palm oil plantation. We heard many sounds, saw some fireflies, interesting insects and spiders, marvelled at fungi that glowed in the dark and even spotted a few small durian plants. Li-Ann was afraid of the dark and we had to take turns to carry her. It was on our way back that she was more warmed up and motivated, especially after she spotted a few insects herself. She continued to shine her torch for us as we proceeded back to the resort for supper and shower.
After a good night’s rest, we were eager to go jungle trekking the next day. Thankfully LA cleared her bowels before we left. A satisfying breakfast gave us energy as we followed one of the Malay guides, Ari, who also took us for our night adventure, on the jungle trail.
He led us on paths which were safe and passable. He had made a point to check them out prior to our hike. Ari offered to take care of LA as he walked ahead of us. We were grateful that LA was willing to let the young man take her hand. This poor guy ‘attracted’ leeches but didn’t removed them properly, hence there was some bleeding. Many occasions when LA froze, he correctly assessed that LA was uncomfortable because she noticed the blood on his toes. As soon as he wiped it away, LA was ready to go. I praised God for his sensitivity which had not only allowed us to enjoy our trek, but also in motivating LA to move forward. John wrote a poem about Lousy Leeches.
Our LONG and ‘leechy’ walk was rewarded with a quick ride on a truck to the waterfall.
We were greeted by the sound of the refreshing waterfall and a most beautiful and appetizing picnic lunch. I was very impressed with the unique way it was put together – a simple fare yet so elaborately presented. Truly an Asian affair out in the country. Such a bliss! The food was so delectable that my mouth waters even now as I recount this. My favourite was the spicy squid (I don’t usually fancy squids but this dish had a unique taste); I believed hubby and I were trying not to fight over the last bits of it. I had wished that I could sit there the whole afternoon and slowly savour my meal. Unfortunately, I did not have four stomachs like the cow so I had to call it quits after I had my fill.
We LOVE the waterfall. It was a picturesque sight – huge sturdy trees towering above lush greens as a waterfall sat majestically in its midst. Torrents of water roared thunderously as it dipped rapidly over the edge, forming cool splashing pools before finally settling into an inviting meandering river. Butterflies fluttered freely as the waters chorused in a melodious rhythm that soothed even the most fatigue soul. The heat and stickiness we felt disappeared almost instantly even as we behold this. All these prompted John to pen his thoughts on the Royal Rajahs.
The children were cautious at first but got braver and slowly inched themselves to the foot of the fall after a while. They played in the water, on the rocks and had fun on the natural water slide too.
Even LA was persuaded to move around in the shallow areas when she saw her siblings splashing gleefully in the clear water. After spending a whole 2 hours frolicking and relaxing in the waters, we had to leave. Everyone was reluctant to part with the heavenly hangout.
Adeline’s Villa was a wonderful resort for a family holiday. It’s one place we all hope to go again.
Now, on to our next destination…Ipoh…
PS. Read about our whole holiday…
A Break to Bond Part 2: Ipoh
A Break to Bond Part 3: Penang
A Break to Bond Part 4: KL/Seremban/Malacca
Enjoy the children’s writings here…
2 Kittens
Lousy Leeches
Royal Rajahs
Fantastic Malaysia
I Can Do It! 