The 4D/3N familiarisation tour of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, particularly on agro tourism destinations and attractions wrapped up with a bang in the form of a showdown between metal legends XPDC and Cromok live in concert at MAEPS, Serdang on 3rd Feb.
Yours truly was humbled to be invited on the tour organised and hosted by Malaysia Tourism Council (MTC) to receive first hand experience to better promote agro tourism in both Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya.
The trip was in conjunction with Federal Territory Day, which is observed on 1st Feb annually, and received staunch support from the Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-based Industries (MOA), Ministry of Tourism and Culture Malaysia (MOTAC), and Ministry of Federal Territories (KWP).
Of course, this fam trip wouldn’t have been successful without the support and cooperation of product owners, such as Mardi Maeps Sdn. Bhd. and Universiti Putra Malaysia, just to name a couple of them.
Day 1
This 3rd series of Road to Agro Tourism was filled with activities from the get-go, beginning with the launch of the programme by YBhg Dato’ Affendi Zahari, Chairperson of Kampong Bharu Development Corporation (KBCORP) at a dinner event hosted at the new Tamu Hotel & Suites.
speech by En Aminuddin Mohamad, ExCO Malaysia Tourism Council
For your information, Road to Agro Tourism, a product of MTC, was launched in September 2017 with a road trip to Johor (Southern Zone), followed by its second series in Dec 2017 to Cameron Highlands (Central Zone).
There are a total of ten series, to cover the entire country, including East Malaysia. Besides promoting agro tourism both domestically and internationally, the main objectives of Road to Agro Tourism are to discover unique accommodation options, local food, ethnic culture, and other interesting aspects.
silat performance by Persatuan Dunia Seni Silat Melayu Malaysia
The evening was graced by local celebrities Maria Tunku Sabri and Chef Liza. Also invited to the event were members of Persatuan Dunia Seni Silat Melayu Malaysia and Persatuan Pelancongan Sejarah dan Warisan Malaysia to promote local arts and culture such as silat and traditional costume.
group photo during Acara 10,000 Langkah Berbusana @ Kg Bharu with Petronas Towers as backdrop
After the formalities were done and dusted, it was time to walk off the calories, via Acara 10,000 Langkah Berbusana @ Kg Bharu, a night walk around Kampung Bharu, to discover the neighbourhood on foot.
I have to admit that having visited Kampung Bahru on different occasions, it looks different when visiting on foot, at night. It’s called seeing things in a another light, literally.
my room for the night at Tamu Hotel & Suites
After sweating out in the 10,000-step exercise, it was time to call it a day at Tamu Hotel & Suites, our accommodation host that night. This is a new icon in that section of town.
Read about Acara 10,000 Langkah Berbusana @ Kg Bharu
Read about Tamu Hotel & Suites
Day 2
The day began early! The fifty strong entourage made up of members of the press, bloggers and social media influencers boarded the Hop On Hop Off Bus to head to Putrajaya.
President of Malaysia Tourism Council (MTC) Uzaidi Udanis and Dato Mohamad Khay Bin Ibrahim Group Managing Director Tamu Hotel & Suites flag off the convoy
Flagged off by President of Malaysia Tourism Council (MTC) Uzaidi Udanis and Dato Mohamad Khay Bin Ibrahim Group Managing Director Tamu Hotel & Suites, it promised to be an adventurous day ahead.
Also part of the convoy was members of All Bikers Club Malaysia and two units of CAM Caravans. You can imagine the attention we attracted!
Maria Tunku Sabri and her daughter feed a goat at House of Kambing, MAEPS Serdang
Before arriving at Putrajaya, though, we made a stop, a lengthy one, at MAEPS Serdang. I have always wanted to visit but without my own transport, it didn’t seem that viable.
You can imagine how grateful I was of this opportunity to get to know MAEPS better, and experience their many newer attractions at the same time. By the way, its House of Kambing has gone viral on social media. Stay tuned to this blog for my write up on it!
Rumah Getah at Taman Warisan, Putrajaya
Slightly after lunch, it was time to proceed to Putrajaya, where our first stop was Taman Warisan Putrajaya. The rain caused some changes to our schedule but it was OK with me.
I have covered many Putrajaya attractions previous but Taman Warisan Putrajaya was one that slipped me until now. Well, thankfully, the rain stopped shortly after that, so we could continue to enjoy the sights and sounds of Putrajaya in the form of Cruise Tasik Putrajaya.
cruising Putrajaya Lake on the Kelah catamaran, heading towards Putra Mosque
Disembarking the catamaran named Kelah, we were then given the opportunity to check out another Putrajaya icon, the Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin Mosque, also known as Masjid Besi.
Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin Mosque is a stainless steel mosque, hence it is also known as Masjid Besi
It was then time for dinner, which was at Putrajaya FoodTrucks Hotspot, before checking in at Nafas Cube @ Mardi, located within MAEPS Serdang.
dinner at Putrajaya FoodTrucks Hotspot
Nafas Cube
Read about MAEPS Serdang
Read about Taman Warisan Putrajaya
Read about Cruise Tasik Putrajaya by Day & Cruise Tasik Putrajaya by Night
Read about Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin Mosque
Read about Putrajaya FoodTrucks Hotspot
Read about Nafas Cube @ Mardi
Day 3
It was another early day for us on Day 3, but our first mission was to look for breakfast! Just a short drive from Nafas Cube @ Mardi is a ‘warung’ which serves appetising breakfast, judging from the crowd early in that morning!
breakfast of toasted bread with fragrant beef curry
Once refueled, it was time to make a move to Taman Ekuesterian Putrajaya. As a horse lover, the equestrian park is not new to me but I was glad to revisit. If not for Road to Agro Tourism, I don’t know when I will set foot in at Putrajaya Equestrian Park again.
En Aminuddin Mohamad, ExCO Malaysia Tourism Council (L) and blogger Racheal (R) try out horse riding at Putrajaya Equestrian Park
After an entire afternoon out in the sun, I was delighted to have the chance to check into our hotel for the night: the 5-star Pulse Grande Putrajaya. For your information, it was formerly known as Putrajaya Shangri-La.
Apart from its name, I noted that nothing has changed during our inspection of the property, and I can still recall my stay there five years ago.
Pulse Grande Putrajaya
Nonetheless, it was a hotel that I expected a good night’s rest from! However, before that could be done, it was time for evening entertainment; we headed out to Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC) for the much-acclaimed live theatre performance, Fantasy Rainforest.
a scene in Fantasy Rainforest
Read about Putrajaya Equestrian Park
Read about Pulse Grande Putrajaya
Read about Fantasy Rainforest
Day 4
If you thought that the last day would be more relaxed, you couldn’t be more wrong.
urban farming workshop at Presint 9, Putrajaya
Under the sweltering sun, we were at Presint 9, Putrajaya to learn about community urban farming and automation in agriculture as researched by Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM). It’s heartening to see the work being put into making life easier for farmers, especially in large scale farming.
Cyberview Resort & Spa
Before we knew it, we had to depart for our next destination, which was Cyberview Resort & Spa. Again, this was one property that I have heard much of but never found the chance to visit. Well, I never had a reason to visit that side of town before this. Stay tuned to this blog for my visit to this 5-star boutique resort!
attending a lecture on the human digestive system at Universiti Putra Malaysia
What a serene ambience it was but the life of a traveller is always being on the move, so the next stop for us was to Universiti Putra Malaysia in Serdang for edu-tourism. Boy, has it been ages since I set foot on campus! It was time to learn again, but this time about the veterinary, human digestive system as well as anatomy.
Metal Legends Live in Concert
After all these lessons, it was time to let our hair down – well, at least some of us did, by rocking it out at Metal Legends Live in Concert that night, to wrap up the fruitful Road to Agro Tourism 3rd Series (RTA3).
Phew! What a long journey it was. Now it is time to share about the trip! Stay tuned…..
Read about Urban Farming in Presint 9, Putrajaya
Read about Cyberview Resort & Spa
Read about Edu-Tourism at Universiti Putra Malaysia
Event: Road to Agro Tourism 3rd Series
Venue: Kuala Lumpur & Putrajaya
Date: 31st Jan – 3rd Feb, 2018
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