When you reach the entrance, you have to buy the ticket first. There are 4 levels in total. Level 4 is the longest distance and it takes about 4-5 hours to complete. Since it takes so long time to complete, there for the last trip is 10:30am.

Latest price as of 12th January 2019

*apologies on the photo quality as the waterproof camera lens got super dirty when doing the tour*

A proper briefing session was conducted before we started our adventure

We arrived in a group of 4 people but joined many others in a large group. We went for the Grand Tour or known as Tour 4 which would take at least 4 and half hours. Like other places in Malaysia, Gua Tempurung is one of the great wonders of nature to be appreciated. It is really worth a visit and also easily accessible. The caves are well managed and maintained its natural aura with simple lighting (not the awful rainbow colour lights you see in other places).


The views were beautiful in the cave as you got to see unique formations and shapes in the cave. The first part of the cave got some lighting so that was ok. After that it was pretty much pitch dark while relying on everybody's torch light.

Looks super scary but worth a journey!

The journey in the cave is challenging as you need to manoeuvre the uneven ground with many rocks, climb up slopes, duck under low areas and even crawl under narrow areas. So you need to be physically prepared for it. That's about most of the journey. Just support one another and it should be fine.



The tour takes over 3.9 km long. This largest limestone cave in Peninsular Malaysia is made up of five different domes. Each unique with different:
• stalactites & stalagmites
• water levels
• limestone and marble content
• temperatures

Before we knew it, we were shimming through small gaps, crawling through the rivers, jumping over gaps in the path and sliding on our bums up and down levels.

Two hours later we found light. It wasn’t where we entered the cave but the turn around point. We got a 15 minute break and this gave me a chance to see just how big the cave was..


How To Get To Gua Tempurung Caves

There is a large car park so you can drive there. The caves are located just south of Gopeng and 25km south of Ipoh. You may exit at Gopeng Exit and turn left and you can see the “Gua Tempurung” signboard over there.

What To Bring Caving Gua Tempurung

Fyi, helmets are provided

1) A spare change of clothes
Assuming you are doing the wet tour, you will get wet! There’s no avoiding getting wet. Also, there is a high possibility for your pants to get teared up during the adventure (like mine and some of us lol) so please bring spare pants/ leggings. There are showers available at the cave entrance for RM 1.

2) Proper shoes
I highly recommend Rubber Shoes I rented a pair of rubber shoes at the registration counter but you may buy rubber shoes prior visiting there. Rubber shoes works well compared to ordinary sneakers.

3) Waterproof camera/cover
If you don’t have a waterproof camera or phone case, don’t bring them into the cave. They won’t last very long in most cases. Cave photography is for the experts only anyway.

4) A head torch/flashlight
If you don’t have one, they’re available at the entrance for RM 5 (cheap low quality ones but they do the job).

5) A pair of gloves

6) Food and drink
You may bring some biscuits (to regain your energy back) during the wet tour. You can take a water bottle, but please don’t litter. There are a couple of rubbish bins on the concrete path you can use in the first 1 km of the cave. Food and drinks are available afterward at the shop.

There are lockers available for your stuff near the entrance for RM 5


Our Gua Tempurung caving experience was epic. There were around 20++ of us in the group and everyone had smiles hidden behind their exhaustion and wet clothes. I do highly recommend this tour!

Horas!

Horas is the traditional greeting of the Batak Toba, Simalungun and Mandailing people.

According to Google.com, the Mandailing is a traditional cultural group in Southeast Asia. They are found mainly in the northern section of the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. The Mandailing society is patriarchal, employing family names, or known as "marga" and my husband comes from the family clan called the Daulay.



Last weekend on the 23rd December 2018, #ArKadNikah takes on Mandailing wedding reception hosted by my in-laws particularly my mom-in-law. Being married to an Indonesian from Mandailing clan, I had a chance to experience the traditional yet cultural Mandailing wedding.

In Mandailing culture, there will be 3 couple sitting on the dais, the bride & bridegroom together with parents from both sides greeting the guests

Our reception took place at Level 5 at Sahira Butik Hotel, Bogor and was attended by 200 pax (almost 40 pax from my side joined as well to commemorate the event).



We, (me and Weatherman) had a chance to try on the exquisite Mandailing attires. With shades of gold, and red were blended harmoniously to represent the traditional colors of Mandailing tribe. The most exciting for myself, is being able to wear the headgear known as "Bulang Mandailing". It's quite heavy but the experience is totally worth it..stuff that you will not be able to experience that in Malaysia.

Me wearing the Bulang

For our "grand" entrance, we were greeted by the Tor-Tor dance during the reception. It was indeed a memorable and meaningful procession. According to Google. com, the dance symbolises how the husband protects the wife and the wife provides harmony, while they both work on loyalty and sincerity together".

Here's some snippets taken during our reception:

Makeup session

According to my mom-in-law, female bride will be receiving this beaded basket with the bride & bridegroom's name written on it as a gift from the groom's side and this "basket" to be carried by the bride during the wedding ceremony.

Photoshoot session

Family portrait with my in laws

6 of us on the dais

6 of us stood and greeted guests who attended the reception

Mak & Abah

My family from Tedong side

My family from Jijan side

Lastly, a photo of the 5 Musketeers

I’ve been taking photos of my cat, Momo for a few years which luckily works for me.

Some people have asked me how I get my cat posing good on camera. Snapping a great picture of your cat can be quite a challenge. Often the cat is moving so fast the shot is blurry, or he’s looking in the opposite direction, or he darts out of range and all that’s captured is the tip of his tail.

Here are 5 tips to help you take better pictures of cats :

1. Photograph your cats a lot

Some of you have some camera shy cat. For those who have that, photograph him step by step. You can photograph him, for example, first once a week, then twice a week and then four times a week. This will help him getting used to the camera.



2. Keep the background simple

Your cat should be the focal point of the picture, so opt for a backdrop that is not busy. Pull your cat forward and away from the background to make him stand out more.



3. Be patient and respect them

This is one of the most important things to do while photographing cats. If you’re not patient, they won’t be patient to you too and could run away if they want. Also, respect them. They’re living things and not just easy subjects.



4. Call their name

You can call their name, knock on the table, whistle & etc. When making sounds you should know that you only have a few seconds. They will look at you for about 2 seconds before doing other things.



5. Candid shots at its best

For some of you this may sound weird, but it’s mostly a good thing when they don’t look into the camera. If they don’t look into the camera the photos say more than when they look into the camera.

In Malaysia currently, when people think of Street Art, they will immediately think of Penang Street Art. Of course Penang pioneered its Street Art in Malaysia but upon my visit last November 2018 to Armenian Street, Penang..I find some murals are not being well-maintained and I cant even see the murals clearly (maybe it was being made long long time ago).

Penang Street Art, “Little Children on a Bicycle” Mural, Armenian Street, George Town, Penang (source from Google.com)

My friends posed at the same worn-out mural in November 2019

Nevertheless, I discovered a town which also produces quite similar to Penang's Armenian Street but its newer and I find it more attractive &beautiful murals compared to Penang ones.

Situated at Jalan Meriam, Muar, Muar Cultural Walk offers attractive murals showcasing Malaysia's culture, people & activities. Here are some snippets that I took during my visit at Muar Cultural Walk:

The red-marked sign denotes Jalan Meriam where Muar Cultural Walk is located

1 Malay kid, 1 Chinese kid, 1 Indian Kid & I @swing

Me and Banana tree

Train mural (?)

Demonstrating Ice Kacang machine

Posed at this classic bicycle

Demonstrating lion dance with 3D sticks

Classic movie posters and 1 classic bicycle

Dunno what this guy is doing

Great setting for #OOTD pose

Pushing a 3D cart

Kopitiam scene..common scenery at Muar. Land of Kopi 434

Satay stall

#throwback

The result:

Me admiring the colourful mural painted by my best friend