I don’t like boring people and boring things in my life. I like heart-pumping exhilarating things. They make me feel alive, and I constantly look for things that gives me such feelings. I guess I am an Adreneline junkie after all. And speaking of being an Adrenaline junkie, I must share with you the perfect place you must go if you like all things fun and thrilling; the newly opened Skytropolis Funland in Resorts World Genting.

Skytropolis Funland  made it’s debuts in December last year. Since it’s  opening, it has attracted thousands of visitors to the resort. Previously known as the First World Indoor Theme Park, the attraction saw more than 20 million visitors walking through and enjoying the indoor theme park with more than 1,000,000 tickets sold a year before its closure in 2017.

Divided into Child, Family and Thrill categories, each of the rides has been specifically designed with a glorious andkaleidoscopic atmosphere. For children, things can start off merrily in the Ride ‘Em Round, a classic carousel of pastiche elephants, lions and horses, whirling around at speed. Pick up
the pace in the Whirly Bugs ride, where kids will be seated in pods rotating swiftly around a central spire. Boo Boo Bump provides a spin on the classic bumper cars, while Loop De Loop rotates frantically around an illuminated wrought-iron Genting Tower to shrieks of joy. Kid-friendly drop tower Jumping Spurs with mild drops and climbs will be added soon. Adults can get in on the fun as well, with rides meant for the whole family to enjoy.

Here’s me and my son, riding on the bumper car in Skytropolis Funland. I was abot reluctant to hop in cuz I’m a terrible bumper car driver and instead of bumping other cars, I keep getting pushed to the corner. But my son is a good bumper car driver, so I let him do the job.

Taking a ride at the carousel. More for kids, but hey, adults can give this a go too.

Taking the Space Cadet ride with my son. It’s not a fast ride and fits two person, so it is quite suitable for a pair of parent and child.

The Skytower ride was one of my favourite ride at Skytropolis Funland. This ride takes us up to the top of an Art Deco tower at a leisurely pace, only to drop us at thrilling speed to the base. I screamed really loud, when it dropped, I must say. It’s so exciting and I will definitely go on this again in a heartbeat in my next visit to Skytropolis Funland.

Here’s experiencing another thrill ride at Skytropolis Funland; The Disco. It spins really fast and gives such an Adrenaline boost. I must admit that I screamed really loud when it started to spin too. A must ride if you love those crazily fast ride.

But if you’re to ask me what gives me most excitement at Skytropolis Funland is this; the Zipline Eagle Landing.

Here’s yours truly, all geared up for the Zipline Eagle Landing.

Stretching 200 metres across the indoor theme park, four floors from the ground.

The zip line which is the longest in a shopping mall in Malaysia, offers a one-of-a-kind view of the indoor theme park for adrenaline junkies who will whizz through, high above everyone. It’s definitely not for the faint-hearted or those with phobia of heights, but perfect for thrill seekers and Adrenaline junkie like me.

Tickets for Zipline Eagle Landing are priced at RM31 for one rider, RM25 for two riders and RM19 for 4 riders.

Needless to say, this newly revamped indoor theme park is a portal to a new
dimension of fun, which will take guests on thrilling adventures and adrenaline-packed rides. From its entrance with actual moving gears, to the thousands of colourful light bulbs that deck out each ride, every inch of the indoor theme park promises extreme fun.

Ticket pricing:

Pay-per-ride tickets are priced at RM10 from Mondays to Fridays and at RM15 on Saturdays to Sundays, Public Holidays, Eve of Public Holidays and on School Holidays. For those looking for an unlimited experience based on the available rides, the Skytropolis Funland Preview Pass is available at RM60. Tickets for Skytroplis Funland can be purchased at the Ticketing Counters or at the Self-Service Ticketing Kiosks. Alternatively, Preview Passes may be purchased online at www.rwgenting.com.

Operating hours are from 10am to 10pm.

For more information and resort-wide promo and news, please call + 603 6101 1118 or visit www.rwgenting.com

Photographer: Jessy Ong, Terrence Lei and Adam Lau

Written by: Ellie Toh

Planning for an adventure in Royal Belum State Park in Perak, Malaysia? Royal Belum State Park or sometimes known as Belum-Temenggor is the largest continuous forest complex in Peninsular Malaysia. Geographically, it is located in the Malaysian state of Perak and crosses into Southern of Thailand. Belum-Temenggor is divided into two sections. Belum is located up north right by the Malaysia-Thailand border while Temenggor is south of Belum. The Royal Belum State Park is entirely contained within the forest complex.

Royal Belum is believed to have been in existence for over 130 million years making it one of the world’s oldest rainforests, older than both the Amazon and the Congo. In the heart of the forest lies the manmade lake known as Tasik Temenggor, covering 15,200 hectares which is dotted with hundreds of islands.

The Royal Belum Rainforest is relatively untouched by unscrupulous development and is home to a wide variety of flora and fauna including 14 of the world’s most threatened mammals including the Malayan tiger, Asiatic elephant, white handed gibbon,Malaysian sunbear and tapir.

Royal Belum Rainforest have plenty to offer to adventurers and nature lovers alike and here’s a little guide on the ‘must do things’ if you happen to plan an eco-escapade in Royal Belum Rainforest:

1. See Rafflesia in Bloom

Royal Belum Rainforest is a home to plenty of exotic plants. Among them are the Rafflesias. Rafflesia is a genus of parasitic flowering plants. The plant has no stems, leaves or true roots. The only part of the plant that can be seen outside the host vine is the five-petalled flower. The flowers look and smell like rotting flesh, hence its local names, ‘bunga bangkai’ or ‘bunga mayat’ which translate to “corpse flower” or “deadmeat flower”. The foul odour attracts insects such as flies, which transport pollen from male to female flowers. Most species have separate male and female flowers, but a few have hermaphroditic flowers. The Rafflesias are dubbed as the biggest flower in the world and can be found in plenty of sites in Royal Belum Rainforest. One of the more well known site are Sg. Dadong and nearby Ruok Waterfall. The Rafflesia flowers can easily be spotted at these two places but they are not always in bloom. A guide to these sites are needed, so do hook up with a guide prior your excursion.

2. Trekking to Sungai Kooi Waterfall

Trekking to Sungai Kooi Waterfall is another must do thing if you are ever in Royal Belum Rainforest. The route to the Sungai Kooi Waterfall is a little bit challenging with slopes and slippery river stones, but it’s nothing a novice or a first timer cannot accomplish.

Trekking to the waterfall takes about 45 mins before you will be rewarded by a showering piece of heaven.

The tall waterfall shower of Sungai Kooi Waterfall

A guide is needed to trek to this place, so do hook up with an experienced guide prior to your excursion.

3. Visit Kg. Aman Damai and spend a day with the Jehai Tribe.

If there’s one thing that you should not missed doing while you are in Royal Belum Rainforest is to spend a day at Kg. Aman Damai getting to know the people of the Jehai tribes.

The place is located about 2 hours boat ride from Tasik Banding Jetty and offers plenty of cultural insights on how the aborigines goes about their daily lives. And as a bonus?

You get to experience some of the things they do yourselves too. Eg: Trying out the traditional blowguns made from bamboo (sumpit).

Bringing some tidbits for the Jehai tribe’s children is highly recommended as a courtesy and token of friendship, but it is not compulsory.

A boatman is needed to reach this place so do make arrangement with your tour guide/boathouse captain or resort should you want to visit Kg. Aman Damai.

4. Visit salt lick area in Sira Papan

A naturalist and loves all things the flora and fauna could offer you? Well, take it a notch higher and head over to the salt lick area in Sira Papan.

If you are lucky, you might be able to see some wildlife like deers or mousedeers licking salt.

But if you are not very lucky, you’ll get to see just the insects and bugs.

Granted, there are tiger sightings in the salt lick areas too, so whatever you do, follow your guide’s instruction obediently and don’t make loud noises during your excursion.

5. Visit the Sungai Ruok Fish Sanctuary and swim at Ruok Waterfall’s deep pool.

Another major attraction for eco-tourists in Royal Belum Rainforest is the Sungai Ruok Fish Sanctuary and the Sungai Ruok’s Waterfall deep pool.

There’s a small stream in Sungai Ruok that is a sanctuary for fishes. You can see shoals of fishes like kelah and whatnot swimming around over here. Fishing is absolutely prohibited but feeding and swimming with the fishes? No problem. You may go ahead and do just that. The fishes are used to human’s visit, so they are quite friendly and usually will happily surround you whenever you take a dip in the water.

Sungai Ruok Waterfall on the other hand offers refreshing deep pool for you to swim in.

The Ruok Waterfall’s natural pool is more than 3 metres deep, so swimming without life jacket over here is strictly prohibited.

So if you plan to swim over here, do make sure that you are well equipped with lifejackets at all times.

Most boathouses, boatmen and resorts in Royal Belum Rainforest offers a day trip excursion to Sungai Ruok Fish Sanctuary and Waterfall, so do make enquiries should you want to visit this place.

6. Bamboo rafting in Tasik Banding

If you are the adventurous lot, another highly recommended thing that you can do while you are in Royal Belum Rainforest is bamboo rafting in the Tasik Banding. Plenty of tour operators offers a package with the bamboo rafting activities, so check it out. It would be an interesting experience. And don’t worry about the waves or anything. Tasik Banding is a very calm place. Unless it rains, nothing is going to rock your boats, in this case, bamboo rafts, of course.

7. Swimming in Tasik Banding

Apart from bamboo rafting in Tasik Banding, you can also have a swim over there. With lifejacket intact, of course. Swimming is allowed in Tasik Banding, but strictly with lifejacket on.

As mention earlier, the lake is not wavy and therefore no current will sweep you away. But do take precaution not to swim too far away from your boat or houseboat should you decide to jump in.

8. Enjoy the sunrise

Wake up early and enjoy the beautiful colours the dawn will bring. It is always very picturesque during sunrise in Royal Belum Rainforest.

9. Enjoy the sunset

Dusk in Royal Belum Rainforest is always instagram-worthy, so if you are located where you can see the sunset during your stay in Royal Belum Rainforest, do make sure you capture the serenity with your camera lense.

10. Fishing

Fishing is allowed in Royal Belum Rainforest; specifically, fishing in Tasik Banding is allowed, but a permit of RM5 per fishing rod is required before you enter Royal Belum Rainforest.

If you are into fishing, you’d be pleased to discover that there’s plenty of exotic and rare fishes in the lake. All you need is a fishing rod, a good bait and a whole lot of patience.

Royal Belum Rainforest can be likened like a treasure trove, especially for adventurers and environmentalists, but remember, every single thing that is residing in Royal Belum Rainforest plays an important part of the ecosystem, so if you ever go to Royal Belum Rainforest, take nothing but the memories and leave nothing but footprints behind.

After our snorkeling and kayak-ing session in Renggis Island, Tioman, my family and I embarked on a yet another fun adventure before returning to our chalet in Berjaya Tioman Resort.

We hopped onto a Glass Bottom boat and cruise around in Renggis Island towards the sunset.

The Glass Bottom boat is usually used to cater to people who wants to see what the underwater world has to offer but does not want to get wet.

The see-thru glass. It is blurrish for awhile but we get better visibility afterwards.

And here’s what we managed to see during our short trip to the sea. The Glass Bottom Boat showcases the marine life that naturally inhabits Tioman. Colourful fishes and corals can be seen clearly through the looking glass.

Apart of of the marine life, we also get to see beautiful Renggis Island closely.

And was treated to a beautiful sunset

Beautiful underwater view in Renggis

Here’s a video of our Glass Bottom boat ride.

Seasports like snorkeling, diving and kayak-ing in Tioman Island can be a little daunting for travelers who are not really adventurous or with little children in tow and therefore I highly recommend the Glass Bottom Boat ride to those who wants to enjoy a leisurely cruise with a beautiful view in Tioman.

For more information on the activities that you can do while you are in Berjaya Tioman Resort, head over here: https://www.berjayahotel.com/tioman

If you would like to experience the beautiful underwater view during your stay in Tioman Island but swimming and snorkeling in the deep blue sea somewhat makes you feel nervous, you can always go for kayak-ing instead.

Kayak is a small, narrow boat which is propelled by means of a double-bladed paddle. Traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each seating one paddler. But the one I used only have one open cockpit and was pretty much modern in design.

That’s me. Kayak-ing towards the sunset in Renggis Island, Tioman with my husband and friends tagging close behind.

Kayak-ing to Renggis Island

Personally, I prefer snorkeling more than kayak-ing. Snorkeling makes me feel that I’m part of the underwater kingdom while kayak-ing makes me feel, well, just human and it is definitely more tiring than snorkeling as pedaling takes up much more energy than floating around while you snorkel.

Pedaling and navigating the kayak is much more difficult than swimming. I was so scared that I will drop the pedal, but luckily for me, I didn’t.

Kayak-ing is great for non-swimmers who wants to to enjoy being close to the marine life, though. It is another must do thing when you are in Tioman Island. But still, kayak-ing has it’s charm. Both my husband and son seems to enjoy kayak-ing more than snorkeling. One great thing about kayak-ing is that you not only can enjoy the view underwater when you pedal the kayak in Tioman, but you can enjoy the abovewater view as well.

View of coral garden in Renggis Island while kayak-ing

Underwater view while kayak-ing

The abovewater view of Renggis Island while kayak-ing.

And here’s the sunset view from Renggis Island while we were kayak-ing. Magnificent, don’t you think?

I was really bad at navigating my kayak. Hence, I did not enjoy it as much as I did snorkeling. I ended up with a nasty cramp on my arms after that but it was an amazing experience nevertheless. Will I do again? Well, yes. But perhaps, next time around I’d take the one with double pedals where I can have someone else share the pedalling load with me.

Wanna experience this yourselves but have no clue on how to pedal and navigate the kayak? Fret not. The dive centre in Berjaya Tioman Island Resort has instructors who will instruct you if you are a first timer, so if you are ever there, just give this a go.

For more information on seasports activities in Berjaya Tioman Resort, head over here: https://www.berjayahotel.com/tioman