LGK turned me 32: Fly me to the moon clouds

The only reason for my visit to the Oriental Village was solely for this:

The bare package would be the cable car and indoor 'roller coaster' ride. Ticket prices are cheaper if you purchase using your MyKad. You can also skip the queue by paying extra.

Since we were el cheapo on a holiday and had much time to burn, we decided to be civilized and queue up. Not that it took a lot of waiting.

Much to my surprise, they do have a system in place. Visitors go in batches as indicated by the alphabet. Maybe it was the low peak season so we only had to wait 30minutes. Also, our timing was almost impeccable.

This reminded me of my sole visit to Sunway Lagoon. Each and every frigging ride had a minimum waiting time of 15minutes. Of course, it was arse luck that my company decided to have a family day there. So did 3 other companies on the very same day. As to why that guy was looking at me with that look, God knows. He wasn't cute enough for me to grow balls and ask.

If anything, the place reminded me of the hills around the highway to Ipoh. Quite boring =\

The indoor roller coaster was unexpected. I was thinking it would be a straight forward trip of queuing up for the cable car ride, hop onto the cable car, look see across the ocean, hop back into the car.

This ride is set in a sci-fi motion. Sort of like exploring Mars. Unlike those rides which promises 6D with moving chairs and mists, this one is pretty static. The draw comes from the almost full view. The seat is tilted in such a way that it does disillusion you into thinking that you are on an actual roller coaster ride. For someone who hasn't been on any, it was quite surreal. Some of the patrons were shouting ahh even though it was pretty evident that it wasn't real and they aren't in any risk at all of being thrown off (which I wished it did so that they'll shut up).

Then, it dawned on me. That experience is like masturbation. You know that it ain't real and just an illusion but heck, you can still get the high.

After the ride, time to queue again for the cable car ride. They have binoculars if you are into people bird watching.

One particularly amazing thing that they say you can spot is a toad. Like really?

As again, I was pleasantly surprised at smiling faces who managed the crowd pretty well. Yes, I was half expecting half assed customer service.

Luckily, it was a rather clear sunny day.

The view got better as we ascended.

Though occasionally, you get greeted with nothing but green and green and green.

Luckily, it didn't rain, slightly cloudy to make the heat bearable.

Lo and behold, the Geopark.

After hearing much about this tourist attraction, it was nice to be able to try it myself. On my birthday to boot.

As we got higher, the air got cooler. The wind was good since there was no air conditioner in the car.

There is a waterfall nearby available for picnic if that's your thing.

The ocean was a nice shade of blue. Pardon my brutal photo editing skill.

Since it was just the two of us, we shared it with another group of Malay youngsters. I know the convenience of mobile phones but the pictures are generally sucky. In order to render an acceptable picture, you need very good lighting. Like super awesome lighting.

Yes, it does make a heck lot of difference when you view it on anything bigger than a puny 5" screen. Try a decent sized laptop. Say 14".

But, mobile technology has certainly replaced how we consume information but is that a means of slacking? Or should I just catch up with times and not be such a purist with pictures?

I don't care what Instagram-ers or social media influencers tell you but my camera kick ass.

Although it's close to half a decade now, my camera has served me quite well and still do. Of course, it isn't as compact or small as any mobile phone but that is a drawback I am happy to overlook in return for awesome pictures.

Finally reached the top. The ride took about 15minutes.

It is amazing how clean the ocean looked. Port Dickson, on the other hand, .... but it has been awhile since my last visit there. General feedback on the place has done enough to make me forget about going there.

This is the first stop over. Cooling breeze amid lush greenery, yes, I am running out of things to say.

Turquoise. Blue. Green. One thing for sure: so clean.

These things move at a small pace to allow you to enjoy the scenery. But if you are stuck in one with a bunch of obnoxious, loud mouths, you'd probably wish it went faster before you jump out. Not that I'd recommend it as you would either die or wish that you did.

Clouds were gathering but thankfully, no rain.

The higher we went, the mistier it became.

It is strange because one minute, everything's blurry. The next gust of wind just clears up the view.

Quite like Genting minus the really cold temperature. Or maybe that is because I was up there in the dead of the night.

There is actually a radio tower there. Maxis has pretty good reception up there. UMobile could barely manage any signal.

No, he didn't jump.

On and off, the area was shrouded in fog. Almost mystical.

The weather wasn't that hot, thanks to the altitude.

You get a rather good aerial view of the Geopark. On the other side, go closer to mother nature with lots of tree.

If you have a fear of heights, stay away from the edge. But, it didn't feel that scary. Coming from someone who prefers high rise, you probably shouldn't take that too seriously.

It was money and time well spent. Just not something I'd repeat.