Inaugural Chapman's Challenge at Pangkor Laut Resort

13th to 15th May 2016 @ Pangkor Laut Resort

It all started with a friend casually asking if we're interested to take part in this challenge and get to stay at Pangkor Laut Resort (PLR). Soon enough there were 14 of us who confirmed, registered and paid for it.

We drove our way up to the jetty and the hotel arranged for a private boat transfer for us to the island. How nice of them.

We're here!!

#wefie before #checkin

We were warmly greeted by the staffs and were immediately escorted to a hall where we were briefed on the hotel surroundings, shuttles, dining areas and facilities. And to top it all, every room were provided with a Yes 4G Hotspot Device for our usage during the stay.

After the briefing, we went straight for lunch and collected our race kit and room key.

One of the staffs led us to our rooms and WUALAH! The room was awesome! Huge spacious toilet with an open roof bathtub and 2 basins so I don't have to share with my wife. The bed is so comfy and cozy that I can roll in whole day long. The best part is the personalized goodie bag waiting for you right on your bed!

My goodie bag has a Reebok shoebag, Reebok toiletries bag, iPanema slippers and TYR goggles

We still have plenty of time to kill before dinner so we decided to take a dip at the Emerald Bay to 'test water' before the actual challenge on the next day.

Beautiful Emerald Bay

Chilling by the bay

Hornbills are common sights around the island

Dinner was at Uncle Lim's and we went for the challenge briefing at 9.15pm and headed back early to rest and prepare for the challenge the next morning.

The Chapman's Challenge consist of 3 parts:
- 3.8km road run around resort private grounds
- 2.4km jungle trail hike through the 2 million year old rainforest
- 1km swim at the Emerald Bay

I was pretty nervous on the challenge as I have never swam in the open sea without a life jacket before. And part of the challenge is to swim 1km in the sea. YES, FREAKING ONE KILOMETER!

The challenge started at 7am from the jetty with the run around the resort. It was quite an easy run.... Until we reach the most dreadful Steroid Hill. I couldn't run all the way up as the slope felt like it's almost vertical.

Still can smile before reaching Steroid Hill

The next part of the race was a little tricky as the trail is kinda narrow and some parts are really steep. But when you get to the top, the view was breathtaking. Well, it's a race, so we didn't really stop to enjoy the scenery.

After the trail hike, all of us hesitated for a long time on whether to go for that 1km swim. Jane and I psyched each other up and we decided to attempt the swim together. At least we can look after each other if anything happens in the water.

Surprisingly, the swim was rather relaxing. The water was super calm and no jellyfish sighted (though I felt little tiny stings on my body). Both of us did a slow breaststroke swim all the way and sprinted the last few meters in the water. That was the dumbest decision ever which resulted the both of us having muscle cramps and limping our way towards the finish line. Brilliant!

Official Results

I was so proud of myself (and Jane, my swimming partner of course) for completing the challenge in 1 hour 42 minutes, even though our timing was horrible. Hahahaha... 

Neh Neneh Neh Neh~~ Finishing tee and medal with my name engraved

Fun photobooth by Fotobox which turns your photos into Gifs

It was a long tiring day. We headed back to our rooms to clean up and rest while we wait for the BBQ dinner by the bay. That's when they announce the Top 3 results and we had a feast after that.

Dressed to Kill

The night didn't end there as we continued to rock the night with our own booze in the room.

I thoroughly enjoyed myself throughout the trip including the race, the stay and most importantly the company. With so much fun and goodies by Reebok, I wouldn't mind taking part in the next Chapman's Challenge on 12th to 14th May 2017. Billy, out.


Photo Credits:

• ToughASIA - https://www.facebook.com/ToughAsia/
• Running Malaysia Magazine - https://www.facebook.com/RunningMalaysia/
• Pangkor Laut Resort (YTL Hotels) - http://www.pangkorlautresort.com/the-chapmans-challenge.html

My First Visit to the Cat City [Part 2]

22 Oct 2012 @ Kuching

Kolok Mee breakfast at Sin Lian Shin is a must if you're in Kuching. The shop is located at Jalan Green, Kuching.

Wilson went work as we're left with our car to explore the rest of Kuching. First stop, Semenggoh Nature Reserve to take a peek at the Orangutans.

The Orangutans here live in their natural habitat and the people there will feed them with fruits every morning.

They're free to roam around the place and even get close to the visitors. But we're not allowed to touch them, only see them from afar.

It's interesting to see these gigantic apes swinging through the branches and doing stunts from tree to tree so effortlessly. And they are not shy to even pee in front of the visitors. Hahaha...

After seeing something so tame, we drove to the crocodile farm to watch the fearless animal in action.

At the entrance, there's a pond with lots of baby crocs.

We quickly wiggle our way to the main lake where the feeding time was about to start.

The staff will hang a slab of meat on the hook and roll it to the the middle of the lake. And we wait....

Not long after, you'll see the crocs jumping up from the water and "THUMP!" taking a huge bite on the meat. I never knew that crocodiles can jump out of the water to such height. It takes anything to get to the food I guess...

Around the farm were some animals too. Didn't post all of them but I particularly like this playful little Sun Bear all by himself.

We headed back to town before dark to catch a sampan ride over to the opposite bank to buy Kuih Lapis.

Sarawak is very famous for their colourful layer cake which comes with assorted flavours. The choices of cake flavours were so many that you can't even count with your fingers (and toes).

In the evening, we went to our hotel bar to redeem our free drink. At the same time, celebrated Cheryl and MengChew's birthdays. We bought 2 slices of cake as a surprise for them.

23 Oct 2012 @ Kuching

The last day of Kuching. We checked out of the hotel and walked along the streets.

Found this little Chinese Museum and decided to see what's inside. There was a mini movie clip on how Chinese from Mainland China settled down in various parts of Malaysia.

Then we walked around the mini museum to see the origins of different dialects. There's even a voice clip for you to listen to the way they speak their dialect.

Out of curiosity, I pressed on the FooChow button and heck, I understand NOTHING! Hahaha...
But I'm still proud to say that I'm a FooChow decendent, with no understanding of the dialect at all.

Other than that, there were some displays of Chinese schools, Chinese musical instruments and the common Chinese surnames.

A little down the road sits the oldest temple in Kuching - Tua Pek Kong Temple.

Although it's not a very big temple, but the architecture and carvings of the building was amazing. I always love to see beautiful structures.

While waiting for the time to board our flight, we went to a coffee shop for a drink to chill and relax. Some of them even went to buy kolok mee to bring home, seems like they really loved it.

For me, if I'd want to taste Kuching Kolok Mee again without having to travel that far, I'd go to Bangsar Lucky Garden for it. Taste wise is as good as the originals.

All in all, had a great time with my buddies and I've visited all the states in Malaysia! Woo-Hoo!! Billy, out.

My First Visit to the Cat City [Part 1]

20 October 2012 @ Kuching

Before I begin writing, I shall apologize to my mates as I have lost all the photos in my camera due to my own carelessness - deleting the photos thinking that I have already backed them up into my hard disk. We lost most of the group shots but I'm glad we still have some remains in my friend's camera.

Sarawak was the only state I have not been to until this trip to Kuching. Aside from my maiden trip to the cat city, it was also my first holiday with my secondary school buddies.

We touched down the airport and rented a Proton Saga for the whole stay in Kuching. First thing up, of course to pay a visit to the reputable Cat Statue in the heart of the city.

We walked around the town and trying to get ourselves familiarized with the roads so that we don't get lost driving around.

Right after checking into our hotel - Lime Tree Hotel, I made a call to Wilson to ask if he's free to meet up. And he suggested to have dinner at Top Spot Food Court.

 

Top Spot Food Courts seems like a Hot Spot Makan Place for the locals!

We made it there in just minutes and Wilson has already done ordering food for us. A+ Service as a tour guide. Hehe...

Some of the dishes were an eye-opener for me but all of them tasted heavenly-delicious.

Paku-pakis

Big humongous prawns

Kuching's version of Oh-Chien (Fried Oyster)

Ayam Pansuh - A local delicacy

Dinner was very satisfying. We took a stroll around town but there wasn't much to see or do after dark in Kuching.


21 October 2012 @ Cat Museum & Cultural Village

Wilson agreed to take us around the next day and we started the day early by visiting the Cat Museum.

Inside the museum, you'll see everything and anything that can relate to a cat. You'll need to pay a fee if you'd like to bring along your camera.

Even the catwoman?!

Guess this is the only group shot I have

Me, Cheryl, Immanuel, Wilson, MengChew, JooLi

Next stop: Sarawak Cultural Village

Our student cards came in handy again, got a 75% off normal ticket price for students at only RM15!

We reached just in time for the cultural show to start. Got ourselves a nice cozy spot and enjoyed the performance.

It was a very colourful and vibrant performance, with each ethnic group showing off their very own costumes and dances.

Towards the end of the show, the men used a sumpit (blowpipe) to burst the balloons on stage. They even roped in a girl from the audience for the stunt.

After the show, we started walking around the village. Each ethnic group's traditional houses were built and visitors were allowed to go in.

Inside each house, there will be instruments, handicrafts, food and all sorts of stuff related to that tribe.

You can even purchase the products there and then if you really like them!

Halfway through the village, the rain started pouring heavily. We had no choice but to hide at the house we're at.

While waiting for the rain to stop, one of the tribe members started playing on his instrument. The music being played was unique and I really enjoyed it.

The rain didn't stop for some time and we decided to head out to the car to get more umbrellas. Then, we moved on to the other parts of the village.

One of the new things I learnt at the village was that sago is not a fruit and it's not round in nature! Gosh, I feel so jakun...

The day ended with a lousy dinner and a walk at the night market in the rain.

Quite a day with a lot of rain. Billy, out.