The Bunny Zone (Free Entry) @ Langkawi Sky Cab [Malaysia]

Tourists visiting Langkawi should have heard of Langkawi SkyCab. Ranked the top attraction on TripAdvisor, i knew i had to go, especially when the recommendation came with a strong endorsement from a friend.

While there were many things to do aside from taking the cable car, most have an entrance fee and a particular one stood out for having free entrance; the bunny zone! 

Kids would love it as they could play with bunnies in a huge compound that didn't come with barbed wires, fences or any barriers! It's literally an up-close experience although barrier free may not necessarily be a good thing.

The rabbits might not like to be held and some kids (adults even) could mishandle them by pulling their ears or just being rough in their bid to 'catch' one. Staff members were around to assist but there were only so many of them. Hence, enter the bunny zone at your own risk! 

There were many rabbits of different sizes, colours and patterns. However, as the zone was large and dotted with greenery, you don't find the numbers overwhelming. As it was already close to the end of operating hours, i didn't actually stop into the zone even though i took some photos from the outside.

No smell in my opinion but it might be a different story up close. Don't play with the black pellets on the floor and do stop your toddlers from putting them in their mouth; the pellets are, in fact, the poo of the rabbits. 

Playground for the kids in the same compound; a short gate restricted access to the free-roaming rabbits. Since it was already late, the place was largely deserted. 

Good life for the rabbits; apart from the spaciousness of their 'cage', there were a few sheltered areas in events of wet, stormy weather or a sunny day.

Some were enclosed in typical cages that i thought were too small for their sizes and wondered if they were too because they were ill / needed protection from the unknowns in the open space. Don't be surprised as snakes could be rather prevalent in the area. 

My prayers go to those who remained outside then. On second thought, what would be the survival odds between the one who stays in the cage and the other one who is outside? Well, i guess it depends how big the snakes are! 

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Location

Within Langkawi SkyCab.

Click here for a summary of my trip to Langkawi, with a day trip to Alor Setar.

Eagle Feeding at Pulau Singa Besar - Part of the Langkawi Island Hopping via LV Island Travel & Tours

As part of the popular langkawi island hopping tour, the boat brought us to Pulau Singa Besar where an activity awaits us; where we wouldn't have to step off the boat.

It stopped a distance away from shore and in the midst of the boat rocking with the waves. Now, it wasn't exactly a cool day and i am super prone to sun burnt and seasickness. 

Just as i was wondering; i heard the shrills from up above and looking up; there were at least a dozen of the magnificent birds of prey soaring freely against the backdrop of cloudy sky! 

Yes, it's the eagle feeding activity although you don't really partake in feeding the eagles directly. In addition, there were quite a number of boats and it might not be good for the wild eagles to depend on humans for food.

A few would throw food into the water to attract the eagles to dive in; i didn't know what it was but in the Natasha 4 Hours Private Tour (Kilim Geoforest Park) on day four, i had a whiff of it and almost fainted from the strong stench that's like a mix of vomit and decayed meat. 

Hence, on hindsight, i was glad to stay a distance away. It's one thing to take a close up photo of the eagle and another to have your shirt and pants splattered with the foul feed. 

In just a minute or two, other speedboats joined us and while it might appear that the eagles would fly away with the noisy crowd; the opposite happened! Guess they sense the delivery of more food! 

The eagles' roosting tree! Many eagles flew out from this particular tree and returned to it. Look closer and you can see a few of them standing on the tree branches. 

Despite the many photographs taken and included in this post, do you know that we only stayed there for about five minutes?! Boy did it feel like an eternity as the weather was too warm for my liking and i got bored from watching the eagles circling in the sky with the occasional dive down for food. 

It didn't help that the distance from the eagles and constant rocking due to the stationery boat made photo taking even harder for an amateur photographer like i! 

Even though seemingly abandoned, i thought it would be great to stop over at the nearby jetty, as above, to explore the rest of Pulau Singa Besar and be closer to the majestic eagles for ease of photo taking. Maybe next time. 

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Information

Part of the Langkawi Island Hopping Tour via LV Island Travel & Tours that cost RM 35 an adult or RM 25 a child for about 3.5 hours. 

Click here for a summary of my trip to Langkawi, with a day trip to Alor Setar.

Chinatown Festive Decoration for Lunar New Year 2019 - Year of The Oink Oink (Pig) @ Singapore

It's the official light up today to welcome the upcoming lunar year of the pig but knowing how terribly crowded Chinatown would be; i purposely took afternoon leave last Friday and made my way down for some photo-taking! 

As documented in quite a number of blog posts, the best place (that's also open to the public) to take top-down photographs of the centrepiece for the festive decorations in Chinatown would be level six of the People's Park Centre (opposite Chinatown Point). Click here! 

Here it is - the family of eight that took over the iconic centrepiece in between New Bridge Road and Eu Tong Sen Street this year! As it's the zodiac of the pig, be prepared for the display of everything that's piggy!  

I am a bit confused over the height of the struture; sources mentioned either 9.6 meters or 12 meters. Nevertheless, the two humongous hogs would draw attention from those walking or driving past. 

Another 180 small, little pigs were placed along the 600-meter passage separating New Bridge Road and Eu Tong Sen Street. It's too far from this angle; hence, we should proceed to the ground floor for more photos! 

Centrepiece from different angles! Designed by 11 students from the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) and handmade by 42 craftsmen from China, feedback for the pig lanterns this year has been rather negative.. 

To be frank, even i commented that the pigs appeared 'dirty' and not quite adorable when i first saw the photos on the web. Thankfully, the negative reviews provided an opportunity for clarification which i thought is essential given that many people, keyboard warriors inclusive, are just laymen. 

You need wires to shape the pigs and we have to admit they look rather fit for slaughter. With their purpose as lanterns, you would also require the shade for the pigs to turn pink at night. If they are already showing a light pink in daylight, they would literally turn white when lighted up! 

Pretty legit reasons although we could only confirm at night. I thought i would have to come back another day to take photos in the evening but my dad decided to join me after his work and being the filial son; i waited for him at Chinatown.

The 180 little pigs along the 600-meter, non-accessible passage; honestly, they are cute (one has a graduation cap on its head) and it's a real pity people can't, easily, take photos next to them.

Other lanterns that made up the 2,688 in Chinatown included those hung across the main roads; the simpler coin and flower kind. After the backlash from the Disney-themed Christmas decorations along Orchard Road last December, it's best to go back to the basic. 

Weirdly, the festive street bazaar started on a different day from the light up ceremony and on the day of my visit last Friday, there were a number of media companies conducting interviews and taking videos for the start of bazaar. 

I am always looking forward to the overhanging lanterns along the parallel South Bridge Road after the darn impressive one during the year of the snake. Sadly, it was utter disappointment that greeted me.

Dad met up with me and i brought him around the bazaar to soak in the festive atmosphere. If i recall correctly, he has not been to the Chinatown Lunar New Year bazaar for a long time and i am glad to be his company! More on the street bazaar in another post.

There are two bridges cutting across New Bridge Road and Eu Tong Sen Street and i would strongly you check out the one connected to People's Park Complex from Pagoda Street! 

Aside from being way wider, it doesn't feel like an overhead bridge and for the purpose of the upcoming lunar year, you can find a number of adorable pig statues for photo-taking! 

As mentioned before, dad makes a good model although he would demand the same from me. I would accommodate as i know he wouldn't upload my photos to anywhere else. 

The lanterns started to light up and the illumination from the lanterns resulted in an atmosphere that's prettier and more sparkly than daytime. 

For those naysayers, do pay a visit at night as the pigs actually look way better, lighted up. Yes, father and mother pig could have smiled more but with constant provocation from our neighbours up north; it might be good for us to remember to be defend ourselves in the year ahead.

On a lighter note, dad giving a thumbs-up for the piggy lanterns! 

Since it's his first visit in a long time, i had to bring him up to the best place for top-down photographs of the centrepiece and also an amazing view of the modern skyline behind the historical district. 

Last picture showing a closer view of the lighted up centrepiece! 

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Period for the Street Light-Up

Until 06 March 2019

Website 

http://www.chinatownfestivals.sg/programmes/#street-light-up