My New Year @ Swiss Garden Hotel & Spa, Kuantan

While others splashed around at the beach despite the monsoon tide, I decided to spend my 1st day of 2011 in the Samsara Spa @ the Swiss Garden Hotel & Spa, Kuantan, Pahang. Why else should I do otherwise when I'm in a hotel with spa fascility?

Set in a traditional Balinese environment with lolling background song, dim lighting, spice - infused air... To tell the truth, I was half - asleep most of the time minus except during the Balinese massage. Nevertheless, the Samsara Royale package was worth my RM 280. The package consists of a body scrub made from spices, a  Balinese massage (mild but still lots of kneading) and a soak.

My chamber

Happily barbequing at Fraser's Hill...

It's so cold that it's perfect to start the grill! Not me cooking anyway, just helped to chop up some vegetables for the accompanying roasted vegetables side dish. The colours were so vibrant that I couldn't help but snap a photo ^_^ The water was ice - cold so I abandoned the kitchen after a while and let my friends continue the rest...




The finished product... Roasted chicken with lemon - butter sauce, pan - roasted vegetable, fruit salad and toasted naan bread. LOVELY!!




And for dinner, there was roasted cow tongue with some left - over roasted vegetable. The tongue was amazing despite the appearance, so fatty that the fat was oozing out during the grilling and while served. I love cow tongue! Not many parts of Peninsular enjoy such thing, only Kelantanese and Malacca Malay folks so far that I know eat such part of the cow.

It's cold! It's SOOO cold in Fraser's Hill!!

My recent visit to Fraser's Hill left me numb with the temperature being 18 degree C. It's all fog and mist day and night... I had on a T-shirt, a sweater and a wind - breaker to brave the cold everyday during my daily walks to the heart of the town.

The Smoke House looking "smokey"...

Some lovely flowers that I couldn't help but snap...

Kelantan and en route

There are many en routes to Kelantan. One of my most recent encounters is the Cameron Highland (Pahang) – Perak route where we manage to stop by at a tea plantation for a cuppa on our way back to KL.

The café where we stop to rest. The strawberry tea and scones are pretty OK I guess. I forgot what's the name of it already.

The view of the plantation.

The tea shop.

Sometimes we took a detour to Fraser Hill (Pahang) too.

Most buildings are maintained as they are since the earlier days.
Lush greeneries and cool air. A nice day for a walk. This is why we love stopping by here for a night.