Trip to Bukit Tinggi Part Deux (Two)

A continuation of my trip...

After a hearty lunch, we could not get into our room as housekeeping didn't have it ready yet. So, we decided to visit some of the attractions around Bukit Tinggi.

There are a few ways to get around the attractions, you either drive or take the shuttle or.... if you're really really up to it.. walk. We both decided to wait for the shuttle.

Being the school/public holidays, the resort was just filled to capacity with day trippers. There were not enough shuttles to go around and we had to wait 20-30 minutes before we can get on board one. AND... as usual, with typical Malaysian KIASU gusto, you will see throngs of people rushing to the shuttles to get on board with total disregard for safety... (imagine, seeing people jump up into the shuttle when the shuttle has not stopped properly...)

We took the shuttle to the Japanese garden and really looked forward enjoying the scenery there.

When we reached the signboard, I noticed something very interesting...

Me: *sniff sniff*... Uggghhh.. What is that smell?
EV: Toilet-la...
Me: o_0

Yes, there were so many people that you can smell the toilet as you walk towards the Botanical Garden as you pass the souvenir shop. Ugghh..

Within the Botanical Garden, lies a small Japanese restaurant. I looked at the prices and it is pricey to eat Japanese food in the "mountains". However, due to the big crowds, the restaurant was pretty packed with some patrons enjoying a late lunch or some dessert.

It was a relief to walk around the garden as it had been quite hot and humid after the showers which came down during lunch.

I did not go down the hill due to my knee problems and so, stopped halfway to enjoy the cool breeze and scenery around.

Besides the Botanical garden, there was a small Japanese garden at the other side of this "village".

The Japanese garden is designed in the manner of the Japanese style, using a lot of natural elements of water, wood, stone and earth in order to beautify the surroundings. The feeling you get as you walk around the garden with the tea house is one of being "united with nature".

I wanted to take a photo where I could "freeze" the movement of water and was glad that I experimented with the shutter speed settings of my camera. It is still not quite perfect but I understand the concept of using the shutter speeds to capture movement.

It is a joy to photograph in these gardens and I did wish that I had some macro lens or a superzoom to capture some of the more detailed elements. Oh well...

We left the Japanese village at around 5:30pm as we wanted to catch the last few shuttles back to the resort to rest in our room. Again, we had to face the mayhem of getting a seat on the shuttle when it came...

Now... what was there to do at night in Bukit Tinggi...

Do You Want To Know A Secret?

It was a very tiring Sunday last week as I spent the entire day out of the house. =.=

However, it was a great day for me to exercise my hobby. After doing all the grocery shopping required, while having a short break, I turned to my friend and said, "We should try looking for that secret garden".

She asked, "What secret garden? I thought the Rainforest was the only garden here?"

One of my friends told me about this new garden and I was curious about it. It was by luck that we saw the signboard by the lifts while moving the grocery around that I finally knew how to get there.

We took the lift up to the highest level of the shopping mall. Once the lift opened, we were greeted by the lush greenery...

We dropped by the garden just 30 minutes before closing time. We were concerned that the place would be warm but with all the de-misters spraying mist, it made the air cool. Besides, we chose the right time to visit when the sun was about to set.

I was excited and quickly setup my camera to take some shots of the plants around. The air was cool and surroundings quiet. You were just transported to a different location... in a shopping mall.

We expected the garden to be small but it turns out that there are many small sections around the garden. Each section showcases specific type of plants which made the walk a gem for photographers.

No garden is complete without tropical plants and there were plenty of orchids planted. I can't name the orchids as I could not see the names of the plants.

I was surprised to find roses blooming in the garden especially during our recent hot weather. There were roses of many different colours and I had wished I have a nice macro lens to showcase those soft petals.

The layout of the garden is neat and planned very well. There was a small waterfall and some small ponds where some water plants were placed too. I couldn't find any fish but since the garden is placed on the rooftop of the mall, it would not be conducive to place fish here as the garden can get quite hot during the mid day.

I couldn't photograph all the flowers there and would like to return to the garden in the morning to take more photos.

The Secret Garden at the UR (Upper Roof) of the 1Utama Shopping Mall is opened during the weekends from 10am to 6pm. The garden is limited to 100 persons per hour and so, you will need to get tickets from the Information Counter before you head up to the garden. ;-)

After all that walking, we got thirsty and hungry and decided to adjourn to another "secret" Garden at the lower ground level of the shopping mall.

We both ordered drinks with some lemon in it and it was refreshing after a walk around the roof top garden.

One of the more basic salads - Caesar Salad with sprinkles of bacon and toasted croutons. The sauce was light and not too cheesy.

As for the mains...

We ordered one of the specials of the day which was fried dory fish in ginger butter sauce. The portion was just nice as we were not too hungry.

I ordered the Seafood Marinara Spaghetti. Don't let the picture fool you. The portion is much larger than expected as the pasta settled at the bottom of the bowl.

What a way to spend Sunday afternoon... (^^)