MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

After the initial hiccup (punctuality issue) the whole trip went smoothly according to plan. The first stop was the dragon fruit orchard. The panoramic view of the whole orchard can be seen from the upper floor of the Barn. With a prevailing breeze it was a nice cool place. Unfortunately the stench from the chicken manure stored uncomfortably close by was just too overpowering. The dragon fruit was not in season but nevertheless we had a bountiful harvest of the passion fruit growing at the fringe of the orchard. The place would be a lot more attractive if there were more variety of fruits growing.

It was past noon when we reached the UK Agro Farm and there was already a sizeable crowd of visitors. The conducted tour would take 2-3 hours and the frozen pre packed lunch available was not attractive compared to the beef noodle awaiting us in Kluang. Even the queue for the horse ride was an hour long. So after a quick look around, and we managed to catch the sheep dog in action, we were on our way to Kluang.

We were in a convoy of 6 cars, so tailing each other in fairly heavy traffic condition was quite difficult. It ended up with 3 of the cars losing their way. Getting lost in this small town can be quite embarrassing especially when this is our home town. On the other hand, it shows that Kluang has developed, expanded and changed significantly.

The highlight of the trip was to climb Gunung Lambak and the weather cooperated beautifully. It was a good workout for all. Some managed to reach the foothill, some managed to the mid station and 7 of us managed to climb to the summit. With hardly any time to train, it was a difficult climb. Hence, the feat could be considered a great personal milestone, an achievement to be proud of. So despite the bruises and aches and pains all over, it was well worth the sacrifice.

The other highlight was of course the gastronomic binge or eating frenzy in Kluang. Within 48 hours we consumed in total 76 cups of coffee, 53 sets of roti bakar, 38 bowls of beef noodles and 26 bowls of Tung Yuan and not forgetting the wild boar curry and fresh water fish we had in Kahang. Even when we had rush back to KL on Monday, we managed to squeeze in breakfast at the Kluang Railway Station at 9:00AM and Tangkak Beef Noodle for lunch at 10:00AM. The car was definitely a few kilos heavier on the return journey than when we left Subang Jaya on Saturday. It looks like I will have to skip a few lunches this week.

All things considered I think it was a good family bonding trip.

simon 29 dec 2010