BWCA: My First Real Camping Trip

Okay so after a year I'm finally updating my blog. Not that I didn't travel much, I just didn't had the time (another excuse for procrastination) to update it. Hahah anyway let's not talk about my bad habit and get straight to my adventures!

As the title of this post suggests, I finally got a taste of a real camping adventure, not just one of those 'car-camping' or 'cabin-camping' where you have most of the civilization accessible to you. Thus to make sure we all still get to eat proper food while having a rather comfortable time there, we had to carry tonnes (literally) of items in our backpacks. And it was sooooo huge for me. Not even the mosquitoes and potty (you will know what this means later) scares me more than the huge packs!

My pack (ready to burst anytime) - in comparison to my 1litre Nalgene bottle and sandals.

Entry point at Mudro Lake off the Echo Trail 

 Spotted a loon, the Minnesota state bird

The canoeing part was great and relaxing. Crossing through portages with the packs was kind of tough though, especially when it was kind of hilly. Makes me wonder how I could feel nauseated from climbing the Broga Hill (Malaysia) without any packs and yet manage to do this today. Really thank God for the strength I've gained throughout the years. :O

After we've finally settled down at our campsites and have a look at our potty site, let me show you what it means by 'potty'. I have no idea what you call it but I'm just going to refer to it as 'potty' aka un-flushable toilet bowl. In other words, uhm...you got to see other people's cake in there. It's not that disgusting as it might sound, probably because I'm used to using those potties during tournaments.

The thing that looks like a chopped tree is the potty. Photo credits: Wil

Another not-so-luxurious part of the trip:

Me joyously trying to kill 1million mosquitoes in our tent

Nope, those aren't stars. Those are mosquitoes!

The itches continued to haunt me even 1 week after the trip. But of course, the fun part has to outweigh the uncomfortable times. Lol.

Tipped the canoe on purpose for you know...fun

Fellowship-ing

There were 18 of us and we were only allowed to have 9 people per site. So there's 2 sites. We managed to get sites which were opposite each other though! So whenever we get together, it's just so much fun.
But the best part has yet to come...

FOODDDDDDDD

SUNSETS

And my new found leisure activity (wouldn't call it a hobby yet)...

FISHING

Pictures of humans posing with fishes (Northern pikes and Wall-eyes).

To sum up this wonderful 5 nights camping trip, the best part is the fishing experience and worst....haha you guessed it. The heavy packs. Would I go again? Of course! (And I will bring Asian spices for the fishes next time!) It's totally worth putting my assignments and midterms aside for this (please don't tell my parents). XD

One thing that everyone hopes when they go for outdoor activities is good weather and we're so grateful that the Lord granted our prayers with that.  And nobody had any major injuries. It was such a fruitful trip. =)

To An Island: What to Pack and Expect

I'm writing this with the hope it might guide you a lil if you are going to any island in Malaysia, particularly islands in Terengganu. So basically this post is simply about what to look forward to -- what to pack and what to expect. I would like to highlight the word expect, because the journey there will be long, so it's not exactly pleasant especially for someone who's easily car sick/ sea sick/ air sick (like myself LOL)

So first things first, 

1. Clothes/Weather gear:

   □Shirts and shorts (you won't need long pants unless you are having trekking activities)
   □Underwear (remember to bring extra as they might get wet...)
   □Swimwear (trunks/ bikinis/ anything you wear to swim)
   □Sandals
   □Socks (for cold nights perhaps)
   □Sport shoes (only if you need it)
   □Sweater (if your bus decided to go cold mode while you are sleeping)
   □Sunglasses/ cap (you don't want to be caught squinting in every picture...)
   
   

2. Toiletries/Medications:

   □Towels (preferably two. One for bathing, another to cover up yourself after snorkelling/diving/kayaking)
   □Shampoo, conditioner, shower gel (you can always share this if you want to travel light)
   □Toothbrush and toothpaste 
   □Lipbalm and lotion/moisturizer/aloe vera gels (you'll need this after hours under the hot sun, unless you don't mind skins cracking)
   □Sunscreen lotion (at least SPF 50! If it's lesser than that, don't even bother bringing 'em.)
   □Insect repeller
   □Comb (my top 1 forgetten item. Hahaha you'll need this as the saltwater will make your hair easily tangled)
   □Contact lenses (this is especially if you don't want to pay extra RM20-50 for snorkelling goggles with power)
   
   

3. Toys and Games:

   □Mobile phone, iPad, iPod
    (anything to keep you entertained in the bus)□and their chargers □Card games
   □Volleyball, frisbee disc (to play by the beach during free and easy hahahaha)
   □Waterproof camera (if you have one. Or else, some resorts/travel agencies do rent digital cameras with covers for about RM50/day)
   
   

4. Miscellaneous/Uncategorized:

   □Snacks (to omnomnom whenever you're hungree)
   □Water bottle
   □Book (to read while in the bus)
   □Ear plug (the little spongy thing you can get from Daiso. This is to prevent water from entering your ears or to block out your roommate's snoring noises!)
   □Inflatable pillows (those U-shaped ones)
   □Empty bottle to capture the island's air/sand/sea water
   
   
   Packing wise, a back pack is enough for a 3-4 days trip. Also, get enough sleep the day before as the journey might wear you out. Although you would be sleeping in the bus, most probably it won't be a quality one. And bathe before you leave your home. Have lotsa fun in the sun and take lotsa pictures! :D And pray for good weather.

Jac-Pot

Welcome to my much-procrastinated first blog entry! =D So once upon a time weeks ago, I was at the opening ceremony of Jac-Pot. TO EAT FOR FREE! My parents know the owner so yeah, that's how I got in. Lol. 

So basically, its a double-floor buffet-style steamboat restaurant where you just take whatever you like, and put it in the pot and wait for it to cook (must I say that?). There are some that are already cooked though, like fried food and Nyonya cakes which is a must-try. But recently I dropped by and saw that the Nyonya cakes had became very very thinly sliced, so take more; it's free anyhow. But be sure to finish it. You will know why.

The pot is divided into two; spicy and non-spicy. It was quite some time ago that I ate there, so I can't remember what the flavor was. The soup was just alright, nothing special. So lets skip the soup and see some good food picturess!

But take note, they have this policy where you will be charged RM5 for every uneaten 100g of food, like what most buffet-style restaurants would do. We didn't waste any, thus I'm not sure if it was really implemented. But I'm guessing not, 'cause I ain't see no weighing machine XD

So back to the food! The prawns are pretty good I must say. And meatballs too! Spammed those actually. Hehe. Sad to say, it was the eve of my piano exam, so honestly I wasn't exactly adventurous 'cause I was afraid my stomach and the food won't blend well and uh... you know what happens next. ANYHOW, I asked my other's opinions. So rest assured, my credibility is unquestionable :P 

More close-up pictures of the food...

     

Fun fact #1: This place is non-halal and has no WiFi. #justsaying

Fun fact #2: The reason behind the name of this restaurant Jac-Pot: The owner's name is Jacquelynn (I hope I spelled it right). And hence, Jacquelynn's pot! Lol. My mom (left) and Jacquelynn (right). 

So will I go there again? Yes, especially when I'm really hungry and ready to slam the food! Here's the address anyway: No. 12A & 12a-1, Jalan KSB 1 (Taman Kota Shahbandar), Kota Laksamana, 75200 Melaka. It's a new building. Roughly speaking, it's between the famous Bei Zhan and the beach aka the reclaimed land (Malaccans will know what I mean). 

If you plan to visit this place on a weekday, be sure to come for dinnertime only because they only start operating from 5pm to 11pm on weekdays. Weekends: 12noon to 11pm. But of course, it's cheaper on weekdays, that is RM19.90+ per person. Oh, kids below 3 gets to eat for free by the way. Haha!