Desaru/Kota Tinggi

19 Feb 2010 - Fri

Our last holiday outing for the CNY period. This morning, we begun our trip with a drive into Msia again. We were going to visit the much talked about Ostrich Farm, Fruit Farm & see fireflies.

With compliments of http://www.etour-singapore.com/johor-tour.html

We sourced thru the website & found the above link which we literally followed for directions. Our first stop was the crocodile farm which opened at 9am & that's exactly the time we arrived. The admission fees was RM8/adt & RM4/chd.

We had a guide with us who took us on a tour ard the farm. We saw baby crocodiles, huge ones & even one without a tail. According to the guide, it was born without one, so it stayed by itself in an enclosure. Poor thing, It must hv felt handicapped without its tail for crocodiles fend off enemies with the help of their strong tail.

They even sold crocodile meat which of cos we did not buy any. Next stop was the famous Desaru Fruit Farm. Admission was RM20/adt & RM10/chd. We gt 4 boxes of fresh fruit given to us. The only disadvantage to us was that not all the fruits were in season at this time so we cld only see very limited.

Dun ask me what trees, plants, fruits or flowers these were. I had totally forgotten to note them down. But there might be a few which u wld know. We saw sugarcane, bananas trees, papayas, pineapples, chillies, laksa leaves, basil leaves, some herbs & spices which u wld used in your cooking & rose apples which the guide gave some to us FOC.

We even saw a mini animal farm, where they had ostriches, rabbits, goats, owls, monkeys, etc.

Lionel & Rachel cld not resist feeding the goats so we brought them a pkt of fresh grass & hay to feed. Rachel was a little afraid the goat wld bit her fingers so she did not really dare to hold onto the grass while the goat munched. But Daddy was beside her to guide her thru. Lionel, on the other hand, was feeding the goats fast & furious & asked for more.

After the tour, we were given an introduction on their self produced honey. We did some shopping & brought honey, tea leaves, juices, etc. We wanted to buy some honey mangoes as well but we were afraid that the mangoes wld be spoilt by the time we reached home. Its a long day ahead & under the hot sun & inside a humid enclosure (car), the mangoes wld be in heaven soon.

Our 3rd destination for the day was the Ostrich Farm after we had lunch. Lunch was at a recommended restaurant by our local channel U program, hosted by ( i cant remember), something like " 美食好介召" We spent abt RM103 for 3 dishes - fish which cost RM45, prawns which cost RM30 & claypot tofu which cost RM15. Then there were those miscellaneous items like rice, drinks & even their hand towels were chargeable.

Restoran Makanan Laut Yoou

55, Jalan Pantai, Sungai Rengit,

81620 Pengerang, Johor

07-8263071, 013-7049971, 019-7222755

Admission at RM12/adt & RM8/chd. We were there just in time for a guided introduction on the farm & the kids had a chance to balance themselves on the ostrich's egg. We even saw a baby ostrich just hatching from its egg. "Welcome to the world" , the keeper quoted. One ostrich egg can feed 25 people when cooked. We bot the kaya & had ice cream. Rachel was a little tired & nt in the mood for a 'run ard the farm'. I was hestitating to ride on the ostrich. There's even a cert presented to certify that u hv rode on an ostrich.

The guide told us that no one will know if the ostrich is a male or female when born until it has grown & changed feathers. And when the ostrich show signs that it can submerge its head under water, it means that they are ready to stay out there with no shelter, be it rain or shine.

The drive to Kota Tinggi Waterfalls was approx 1.5 - 2 hours from Desaru. This was the time for both kids to have some nap. We called up to book the firefly cruise which was RM20 per head. Children below 3 FOC.

We arrived at Kota Tinggi way too early, so we asked for directions to a waterfall. Follow the below directions:

From Jalan Niagra ( Plaza Kota Tinggi - the tallest building in KT), turn right at the traffic junction to Air Tejun. You shd bypass Hotel Mayres. Then go straight all the way. You wld arrived at Kota Tinggi Waterfalls Resort. Admission is at RM10/adt & RM5/chd & RM5/car.

We spent abt an hour or so & proceeded for dinner. I did not go down into the waters initially but upon seeing that Daddy & the 2 kids were having tremendous fun, i decided to join them. We were js at the bottom of the falls & there were alot of rocks & boulders, slippery ones too. Most people wld js sit ard & enjoy the coolness of the waters. We did free fish spa, haha, cos the fishes wld come & snap at your feet if u wld sit still.

Rachel almost had an accident. She wanted to join Daddy & Lionel who was on the other side & so she stood up to walk across. Opps! She slipped & fell into the waters. Luckily for her, i was only 2 steps away & so i managed to catch hold of her. Else she might hv knocked her head on the rocks below her feet. So darling, u did not listen to me. You were being notty. See what wld have happened to u if i was nt there.

We had dinner at Pizza Hut ard 6pm. We were told to wait at the jetty at 7pm. Skies were still bright so the boatman told us to hang on for a little while more. It must be dusk before we can set off, otherwise, we wld nt be able to see the fireflies.

We were nt able to see anything as our boat slowly cruise along the river. Then, there were "wows", "aaas", "woos", etc. There were many twinkling lights by the bushes, trees tops & across the river. How superb to see the fireflies gliding along the waters. I was nt able to capture any of those lights on camera as they were too tiny. Even our flashlights wld scare them off. Video-ing also did not show anything ( i do not have a superb camera cum video on hand).

It was late by the time we arrived back into the city of Johor. We went into Tesco to buy milk powder & headed straight for customs.

This concludes our CNY holiday for 2010. I hoped you have enjoyed reading as much as we have enjoyed our outing.