(This is a backdated post for 6th June 2010)

We arrived at Kovan Hub (was previously Hougang South Bus Interchange) at 7am to wait for the coach that would pick us up to A’Famosa Resort, Malacca of Malaysia. Administration was smooth and we even had time to go for a toilet break before our departure, after which we started filling in the ‘white cards’ for the immigration authority of Malaysia.

The coach headed for the Tuas Checkpoint and there was quite a jam at both the Singapore and Malaysia customs. By the time we left the Malaysia customs, it was already 9.30am, two hours after we had left Kovan Hub. So that was where the first two hours of our journey ended up at. ^^|

Zzzzz...

Darius had fallen asleep on our way to the checkpoint but was woken up when we alighted from the bus for the customs checks. Guess the power nap was sufficient for him as he stayed awake till we reached the stopover at Yong Peng. We grabbed a quick lunch before heading off and Darius dozed off on the coach some time later again.

Playing 'reading-the-word' game with Darius while he was awake~ ^^

At around noon time, we alighted at a toll station with four other passengers, where a small mini-bus picked us up towards the A’Famosa Resort. According to the travel agent at the Malaysia Fair when we took up this package, there is currently no direct bus service into the resort so the transfer is inevitable.

The ride was rather bumpy, with an enthusiastic driver behind the wheel. We soon reached our Resort Hotel and processed our check-in. We got the room pretty quickly but despite us asking for a room nearer to the lobby (there were such vacant rooms according to another staff I asked later on), they assigned us to a room that was furthest away… I requested for a change of room later on but they just refused, without a reason.

Not wanting to make a fuss over it, we headed to our room, which was facing an abandoned building. The interior itself was alright though, with two queen sized beds and the basic amenities in the room. Like in Langkawi, Darius was in a good mood upon entering the room, busying himself by exploring the beds, sofa, table and wardrobe and climbing all around. ^^

Making himself comfy~

Meanwhile, I had to return to the lobby as the resort staff needed some time to process our entry tickets for the various places of attractions and meals. According to the staff who served us earlier, this was because we had wanted a switch of date for the Cowboy Town Carnival. We wanted it to be on Day 2 (instead of Day 1) since it would make for a better finale to our trip (with fireworks etc). What we didn’t know was that the itinerary had actually been pre-fixed by the resort, since the travel agent had not told us about it.

When we had finally gotten our entry tickets and meal passes 30 minutes later, we set off towards the Water World. There is no transport provided at the Resort Hotel. Instead, we had to take a 5-minute walk to the Clubhouse, inform the receptionist there we need a transport and wait 10-15 minutes for it to arrive. How convenient is that…

The 'Banana Truck'

When our transport arrived, we could see that it was converted from a lorry/truck, which they nicely renamed it as a ‘Banana Truck’, probably due to its yellow paint coat. The ride was a bumpy one and a very noisy one; we could hear the engine rumbling loudly throughout the 10 to 15-minute journey.

As the truck turned into a paid carpark, we could see the Water World and Animal World entrances situated next to one another. We had arrived.

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