5 AROUND THE WORLD

One evening last week we decided to walk to the train tracks for some pictures. On our way back to the hotel, I followed behind with the Team Umizoomi backpack on my back.  In a split second I felt the backpack's weight shift and something in my gut immediately told me I was being robbed.  In an instant I spun around, the water bottle flew out of my pack and punched the guy as hard as I could and started pushing him away.  My frantic yelling alerted everyone nearby and my husband who immediately jumped in not knowing why I was yelling at the man.

He was yelling "$@ck you woman" at me like I did something wrong.

In a matter of 15 seconds the whole incident was over with.  The man quickly jumped on the back of his buddy's motorbike and they sped off.  A very scary moment!

Lesson learned to never carry the backpack on our backs.  Thankfully, we don't carry anything of value in our packs.  So joke would have been on him since all he would have gotten is some diapers and wipes.

That was our second mugging attempt in Vietnam. Someone tried to pickpocket Nick in Saigon on the day we arrived.  Being robbed or even an attempted robbery shakes one up quite a bit.  I'm brushing it off with a beer in the safety of our hotel room now!

Ok, well, maybe they're not open just yet, but by the end of the year 2013 the water park will be open and hotel will open early 2014.  How perfect is that?  Fun amusement rides one day, a water park the next and a hotel that is attached to the front entrance.  As we walked around I constantly looked at the hotel and thought how perfect it would be to sneak back there for a quick nap!



When we first entered the park we immediately went left to the first big roller coaster we saw.  The Project X coaster is closest to the entrance.  Our kids were so excited to ride it, but once we got there our son was a few centimeters too small.  So while Nick and Miss C waited in line to ride, I took the boys around to explore.  We walked through Miniland which features Asia's best known landmarks built with over 30 million Legos. The boys were mesmerized. We were all impressed by the incredible detail and our kids loved running and exploring the different areas.

From Miniland we walked toward Lego City where the little ones could drive cars, ride boats and play on a big outdoor boat play area.  We immediately went back to pick up Nick and Miss C and headed back to the play area.  When you go to the park head right first. Avoid the first roller coast as everyone seems to queue up there first and head towards the driving school.



The park has a medieval themed section towards the back that is not to be missed. Our son kept wanting to go back on the Royal Joust and must have rode it 10 times during the day. Our daughter's favorite ride was the big Dragon ride nearby. B-man loved the Dragon's Apprentice ride, which is a roller coaster a little more suited for younger kids but still a total blast.











This park could not be more perfect for our kids.  There are plenty of rides including roller coasters for the little kids and lots of things for them to do.

Who else has been to a Legoland?

 
The kids have been so excited all week for our trip to the Lost World of Tambun Theme Park.  All the rides, the petting zoo, the water park, there is just so much to do the kids were bouncing off the walls with excitement!  When it was finally time to leave our hotel room and walk to the park I thought the kids might pass out with excitement overload.  Thankfully, the theme park is only a 5 minute walk across the parking lot.

Our host, Shamila, once again met us right as the park opened for a quick tour.  It was so nice to be shown around and see everything they have to offer.  It is incredibly big!  After we got our our bracelets we headed out past the water park area and the amusement rides (we would be playing there soon enough) towards Tin Valley.  We stopped along the way to view a beautiful natural limestone cave that would be perfect for business or party functions.


Once we viewed the cave we headed past the Tiger Valley and got to witness the tigers swimming.  Did you know tigers love to swim?  I didn't and it was very cool to see.  The Lost World has 5 tigers however only 2 are out at a time.  The Siberian tigers are amazing creatures.  They also have tiger feeding times, but we could not get our kids away from the water long enough to go see them.  Hopefully, next time.


After Tiger Valley we made our way to Tin Valley.  Tin mining is one of the oldest industries in Malaysia and Tin Valley helps to educate on Malaysia's mining heritage. Tin Valley also leads to the entrance of the team building area.  This is also where we did one of our most favorite things while at the Lost World, zip lining!  It was so much fun.  They have this huge zip line across a beautiful lake surrounded by lime stone cliffs and lush green forest.  We felt completely lost from the rest of the world.  First Nick went zip lining and he made it look like a breeze.  Next was my turn.  Had it not been for our 5 year old daughter going after me I might have chickened out.  So glad I went because it was AWESOME!  Miss C went last and loved it.  So proud of her, she did amazing!  Unfortunately, the other kids were too little go.

Along with zip lining they have a leap of faith, high rope course, abseiling, and many more great team building activities.  All looked so much fun I only wish we had more time.  I do have a new love for zip lining.

Next we finished our tour of the property and it was time to play!  We started off with the roller coaster and rode a couple more of the amusement park rides before hitting the water park.  The kids loved all the rides and we actually kept going back to them throughout the day.  The spinning swings were my favorite.



The water park was the most fun!  They have several different areas for all different ages.  Our kids hardly left little kids area which had a really cool pirate ship and lots of different slides.  The are lots of seats for the adults and the little kids area is also shaded which is a big plus so kids aren't in direct sunlight all day.

There is also a wave pool that you can rent floats for and a lazy river too.  Unfortunately, our kids only wanted to stay in the kid area.  We did manage to go down a couple of the bigger water slides which were fun.  The only downside was our 4 year old was too little to ride down them.  He loves riding down tall water slides.



Before we left for the day we stopped by the petting zoo.  They have loads of different animals there like snakes, birds, goats, lizards, raccoons, deer and even monkeys came down from the forest to visit.  Remember to watch your belongings around monkeys.  The cobra took a liking to our son.

After the petting zoo we grabbed a quick bite before we left.  Food is very reasonably priced.  There are some great hawker stalls near the kids water park.  And, of course, plenty of ice cream stands all over the park!

There is so much to see and do at the Lost World of Tambun Theme Park that we really needed two full days to experience it all.  The kids were sad to leave, but we all had an incredible time and hope to go back soon!  The Lost World of Tambun and Ipoh should be on anyones travel list when visiting Malaysia.

Anyone else visit the Lost World of Tambun?

The train ride from KL Sentral to Ipoh was fairly uneventful.  Aside from the kids asking "Are we there yet?" or saying "I'm hungry" every 5 minutes, it was a smooth ride.  The train played Mr. Bean cartoons (sans volume) so the kids were thrilled.  Cam squirmed the entire ride so we took 20 minute tag team turns holding and entertaining him.  Luckily, we are only a 5 minute LRT ride from KL Sentral where our train to Ipoh left so it took us just over 2 hours to arrive in Ipoh.


We arrived in Ipoh and had our smiling driver waiting for us.  If you don't want to deal with cabs I highly recommend scheduling your ride in advance.  We were swarmed by cab drivers that gave us a quote of 30RM. The ride from the train station to the Lost World of Tambun Resort took about 15 minutes.  As we neared the resort we were blown away by all the lush greenery and limestone mountains.  Absolutely stunning!


We were met by our wonderful host, Shamila, and shown to our room.  The suite we stayed in was huge and modern. It was nice having a separate living room and bedroom with lots of room for the kids to run and play.


The resort also has connecting rooms which has been a rarity during our travels.  Nice bonus to have the kids in a separate room.


The rooms and bathrooms were very clean and spacious.  The suite had a full side fridge and complimentary water was provided.  The beds were comfortable and the pillows were the perfect consistency of not too hard or too soft and support your head just right.  The air con worked great and the water pressure in the bathroom was excellent.  We did have a slight problem with the air con when we first arrived but maintenance came up to fix it right away and no problems after that.

The view from our room was beautiful.  We could see the theme park surrounded by the thick, green forest blanketing the limestone mountains.  Our kids could not stop staring and dreaming about what they were going to do there.  The rooms also had a coffee/tea pot with packets of the famous Ipoh white coffee.  The coffee mugs are large too just like we used to have back home.  The resort also provides beach towels for use over at the Lost World Theme Park.

Breakfast is served across the street at the Lost World Tambun Waterpark.  The buffet is huge with a mixture of Asian and Western fare.  We loved the roti the most and the kids enjoyed watching the chef make it.  There was an egg station with omelets, scrambled and fried eggs.  Other Western fare was fresh fruit, cereal, toast and unlimited brewed coffee.  All very good!







We loved the Lost World Tambun Hotel.  Everyone who worked at the resort was incredibly friendly and the rooms very comfortable.  We would definitely stay here again and hope to make it back sometime.

After settling into our hotel , we headed over to the Lost World Hot Springs right at 6pm when they opened.  We were given a quick tour of the hot springs by our host, Shamila, and then the family fun began. The pools are incredible!  There are 7 pools to choose from.  Our kids mostly stayed in the main pool area while we took turns exploring the others. Temperatures in the pools varied from 37° - 43° C (99° - 109° F).  The water is so soothing and easy to relax in.

The main pool was a perfect height for our one year old to walk around. He absolutely loved following his big brother and sister under the waterfall.  All the pools are centered around the main pool which also plays some great music.




There is a circular foot spa lined with reflexology pebbles. Supposedly, walking around three times with the hot spring water soothes your feet and provides maximum therapeutic benefits. I must admit that the foot spa was a bit too intense for me and I barely made it around once. Fortunately, the nearby Steam Cave was the perfect spot to soothe my bruised ego!



The Steam Cave was my absolute favorite.  The cave is enclosed by two waterfall entrances which creates a natural steam room.  Although too hot for our kids, I went in here several times and enjoyed the solitude.



Of course, what is a fun evening without some great snacks.  We sipped on fresh coconuts, a fry basket and enjoy some Tau Fu Fah which is a type of soy custard.  It was creamy and the sweet syrup they used was excellent!  There were lots of food choices, but the kids were too busy playing to really eat.

After the kids went to sleep I escaped back to the Lost World Spa to do a little me time and get a hot stone massage at the Crystal Spa.  The Lost World Spa is located behind the hot spring pools.  I was lead into one of the cabanas and was offered disposable bra and panties to change into.  The enclosed cabanas are dimly lit and beautifully decorated.  I then laid down on the massage table and proceeded to have one of the best massages of my life.  The hot stone massage started with a full body oil massage and then hot stones were rubbed all over.  The warmth from the stones shot through me and was incredible relaxing.  The massage made me feel so rejuvenated I think I actually fell asleep at the end.  It was amazing!


The Crystal Spa offers several types of massages, but hands down the hot stone massage is my new favorite.  After the massage I got to enjoy the hot springs by myself and soaked in all the bliss.  The massage and hot springs made for a perfect ending for a perfect day.

Anyone else experience the Lost World?

Finding an affordable and decent hotel that can fit our large family is always a challenge while traveling.  We were lucky enough to find this hidden gem in Hanoi's Old Quarter.

The rooms are large with two queen beds and a separate sitting area.  We love having a separate sitting area.  This is where we put the baby so we have the rest of the room to play in while he naps.  The beds were comfortable and the linens were fresh and clean.  The bathroom had a shower in the bathtub but no shower curtain so the floor gets wet.  Not a big deal since it dries fast.  Water pressure and hot water worked great.


They offer a small, but filling buffet breakfast.  They had watermelon, vegetables, fried eggs, rice, noodles, toast and terrible instant coffee.   Fine way to start our day.

We stayed in a front room with windows facing the street.  The street noise was minimal and there was no government loud speaker near by to start our morning.

The wifi worked great which made us happy.  Over all the hotel is a little dated, but was a really nice stay with a great location.  For $25 a night it was a great deal. We would stay here again!

I needed to get my eyebrows threaded so we headed to Bangsar Village II.  There are several threading place that surround the mall all which run around 5RM.  After I promised the kids some playtime so we  headed to the 4th floor of BVII.  Kiz Sports has a big open play area for the kids.

They offer a variety of enrichment programs for the younger kids.  The facility is very clean with hand sanitizers mounted at the entrance/exit.  The staff is very friendly.  They offer a drop off service for parents who want time away.  The staff not only watches them they actually play with the kids.




Food is available to order from a separate restaurant.  Prices are a bit high.  We brought our own.  They also have a baby changing/nursing area and tiny toilets for the tots.




Prices are about 25RM during the week.  Classes once a week run about 140RM for the month with free play time before or after.





Remember, socks are required for all ages, even babies!  Our kids had a blast, but that is typical of them.  Anyone else have a fun play area they can recommend?

Yes, there is free wifi that works great!