Food, Thoughts and Adventure
Hey guys!
I feel like I haven’t been posting as much as I’d like to since coming back from Japan. Mostly it’s coz I’ve had so much sht to do, and when I did have free time I was just bumming around without any motivation to blog. 
I actually have to work on my Australia story and I have no idea where to start coz I left it lying around for too long lol.
Here’s a little something to break the monotony. Humpday playlist!
My last trip to Lost World of Tambun Hot Springs and Spa was earlier this year. H & I were invited to experience their newly opened pools as part of a media trip. It was a blast, since they closed it off to the public and we had the whole place to ourselves.
This time around, I came with my fam over the weekend. It was a far cry from ‘relaxing’ – the place was so crowded we barely had space to move around, let alone enjoy anything..
Since it was Halloween month, fun and spooky decos peppered the theme park – from paper cut outs of clowns and zombies to a Carnival-esque atmosphere and props.
We went straight for the hot spring pools after putting our stuff in the locker. I didn’t want to get my phone wet, so if you want to see more photos of how the hot spring pools look like, you can read my previous review here.
….Let’s just say I prefer coming here when it’s quieter. With so many people the pools got dirty and there really isn’t much relaxation to be had when you’re crowded into a small space with like 20 other half naked people. .__.
Don’t leave after soaking though – walk a little further and you’ll come to the Petting Zoo, which is also open for visitors at night.
Greeted by the sight of a couple of fat raccoons running around in their enclosures and up on the branches which are very close to the walkways – visitors can reach out and touch them but be careful since these are not fully domesticated animals: they might bite !
The fish in the little stream seemed to glow in the dark, thanks to the lighting.
Fluffy guinea pigs in an enclosure. There were also hamsters running around in a very large hamster cage with dozens of ‘rest stops’ and play spaces.
Wee little wabbits. One came close enough to the side for me to touch. So soft and warm I wanted to take it home. .__.
These…. can’t be touched
Iguanas keeping warm under the lights.
A fluffy cockatoo. Didn’t touch it because that beak looks painful.
Tortoises hardly move and they live for a really long time.
That’s a lesson for all of us, innit?
Out of nowhere, a chicken.
Over at the reptile area were some really huge snakes, such as the reticulated python which is the second largest snake in the world after the green anaconda.
I know some people who can’t even look at snakes out of fear, but I think they have very pretty skin. They also feel nice to touch.
What does the Tapir sound like? Ever wondered?
We found out first hand when this guy started screaming at us for no apparent reason. Maybe we looked at him/her wrong. It sounded very screechy, a cross between a trumpet and someone trying to clear their sinuses.
Did you know that tapirs are wonderfully well-endowed? Don’t google it, you will be traumatized.
The Zoo also has Fennec foxes, which are very rare in the wild and also very very pretty. Mum says they look ‘haughty’ and I agree. I mean, if you’re this beautiful, why shouldn’t you be a little haughty, right?
We walked over a bridge across the crocodile enclosure, which was home to a number of smallish crocs and a big ass labi-labi (softshell turtle).
Although the hot spring was crowded, we still had a lot of fun exploring the mini zoo – but I would recommend visitors to come on weekday nights instead to avoid the throng of visitors. All in all, the facilities are well maintained and it’s very value for money. Great place to take the kids.
LOST WORLD OF TAMBUN HOT SPRINGS AND SPA/THEME PARK
No.1, Persiaran Lagun Sunway 1, Sunway City Ipoh,
31150 Ipoh, Perak Darul Ridzuan,
Malaysia
Operating hours: 6pm – 11pm (closed on Tuesdays)
Theme park tel: +605 542 8888
Hotel tel: +605- 540 8888
Email: lostworldoftambun@sunway.com.my
IT was late afternoon after our visit to the California Academy of Sciences, but a little too early for dinner. E and I decided to hang out a bit at the Music Concourse, a large, open air plaza located just across the street. Built in 1894, the place has lots of shrubby trees and a bandstand where many prominent musicians and bands have played before.
There are three fountain features from one end to the other. Only one was on during our visit because Cali is having a drought and they are trying to save on water.
Seats facing the bandstand, which is done in a Roman/Grecian style with fat pillars.
Some naked ladies with trumpets.
This is the dome above the focal point of the plaza, called the Spreckels Temple of Music (also called the ‘Bandshell’) which was built in 1899. It has served as a stage, from classical performers such as Luciano Pavarotti to the Grateful Dead.
The weather was rather cloudy and cold, but the trees and flowers were all blooming in a soft, green spring. This is one thing I like about parks in the US (and Europe, for that matter) because they have such beautiful scenery and its nice and cool to walk around even in the afternoon. In South East Asia, people don’t really go to parks because it is so hot nobody feels like doing anything other than hide in air conditioned buildings.
The Japanese Tea Garden from the outside. We only took pictures from the outside on that day because it was late and they were closing.
Academy of Sciences view from behind the bandstand.
MUSIC CONCOURSE
50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr San Francisco, CA 94118
Getting here:
The #44-O’Shaughnessy bus which goes directly to the California Academy of Sciences. Walk opposite to the Music Concourse.
The #5-Fulton bus stops at 8th Avenue and Fulton Street, just outside the park. From 8th Avenue, walk into the park and turn right on John F. Kennedy Drive. Then turn left onto Music Concourse Drive.
A good place to relax in between visiting the many attractions inside San Fransisco’s Golden Gate Park 🙂
Eris Goes To 