Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Tanah Aina Trip

On the 1-2 December, we made a trip to Tanah Aina Farrah Soraya or easily known only as Tanah Aina. Tanah Aina itself has many eco-resorts but Tanah Aina Farrah Soraya is the most famous one. So, when the name Tanah Aina is mentioned, it is actually referring to Tanah Aina Farrah Soraya.

Nineteen of us (the whole clan) made the trip. It was supposed to be a Khairul Shafee's family trip but we thought, why not bring the whole gang. The more the merrier. It was a place or the type of vacation that we rarely go for. We opted for the 2 days 1 night. I regarded this trip as exploratory. If it is good as people say it is, we will go for the second time. Trip was not good, it was EXCELLENT. Creek, camping, jungle, trees, green, great food and to top it all, friendly staff...what more can we say. I think the most that we can opt for is a 3 days 2 night trip if you really want to relax that is. I promised a friend to share my experience in Tanah Aina and this is what I am doing.

Tanah Aina management dah ada itenerary. Check in at 12pm. I suggest that we follow this. We arrived at the car park of Tanah Aina around 12:15pm. A tractor and a jeep carried us and our luggage to the resort. At 12:30 we reach at the resort. Siap ada welcoming drink. We checked in, leave our bags first near the 'lobby' and headed for lunch.The buffet table is just next to the 'lobby'. 1:30pm we put our bags in our tent. 2:30pm is the jungle trekking and leap of faith. It is advisable to wear wet clothing because when you get back from the jungle trekking you are going to get wet indefinitely....at least your pants are going to get wet. If you decided to jump from a 15m platform, then the whole you will get wet.

I brought my whole troop. Arissa, Aryana and Adel. Arissa is 6 years old...no problem. Aryana is 4...she is quiet in the whole jungle trekking. Thanks to the Abang guide who carried her especially at those extreme slopes. Adel is1 year and she is on a strap the whole time. The rule of thumb is that, if you have a toddler age below 4, it is advisable to have an adult to tag along. The guide will help you and I have to say they are a friendly lot. I even saw one guide holding a child who is I think around 2 years old. One guide put my 3 year old nephew on his shoulder. The staffs at Tanah Aina is really good and friendly. I carried Adel on a strap. They were two rivers that you need to crossed. The first river is just at your waist. The second river, which is  at the Leap of Faith area, is deeper. I have been told it is over your head. So, they use tyre tubes to transport you from the river bank to the Leap of Faith area. I, with Adel on me, boarded the tube and the staff push the tube with me on it, to the Leap of Faith area. I need to control my balance there. Risau jugak kalau jatuh but it turned out well. So, I think that you can bring your 1 year old if you have strap. I do not recommend 1 year old and below. Treknya bermacam macam...ada naik...ada turun...ada yang landai. Tapi penat jugaklah. The jungle trekking, pergi balik, took about 1 hour.

Petang is mandi time. The water at the creek was cool and refreshing. The best!. Night time was basically free time. There was a movie that they showed at the hall but we bunked in our tents instead. Penat!.

Day 2 - Morning walk to the peak of paradise. This one you do your own walking. No guide is necessary. However, it is advisable to go up early. Boleh tengok sunrise. Not that high. Tapi penat jugak lah nak berjalan ke atas tu. After morning walk is breakfast. After breakfast, mandi lagi. What else to do.

Overall, it was a good experience. I am impressed by the staff. Very nice always smiling despite most of them are foreigners. Bila nak balik, ada sorang siap minta maaf kalau ada salah silap.