Cuti-cuti Johor – KOREF

After checking out from the hotel and having a bak ku teh breakfast, we started our 2.5 hours drive to the Kahang Organic Rice Eco Farm (KOREF).  We reached KOREF at about 12.30pm, and signed up for their standard 3-hour package which included a simple lunch.  As everyone was still full from bak ku teh, lunch was kinda wasted but we packed the omelette and fried chicken, just in case the children got hungry later.

As we had to wait for the guides to finish their lunch break, we took a walk around the farm.  It started to rain so we took shelter under a large shed near some chalets.

Passion fruit, a type of gourd which is a source of loofah, poisonous grapes

Passing time by posing for photographs 

After the rain stopped, two young chaps took us on a tour of the farm, starting with the little goat pen.

We were then brought to the padi field, where we could try our hands on planting padi.  We were so not prepared (we should have came in our old tees) so none of the adults stepped into the field.  The children hesitated for a bit but slowly but surely, everyone gingerly stepped into the muddy field.  And once inside, they had a wonderful time squashing the mud with their feet J

Since they were all wet and dirty already, we let them have a go at the water obstacle course.  It was quite fun really, and I would have gone in myself if I were appropriately dressed.

Lastly, the children tried their hands at rafting, and didn’t want to leave even when it started raining again.

Luckily we had drove from JB that day, and our luggages were in the car so the children had a quick shower at KOREF and changed into clean dry clothes before we headed to our hotel in Kluang.  The packed food came in handy as the children were starving and finished the food in no time.

KOREF is quite a cool place for children and teenagers to chill and have some fun.  This place has sooo much potential as a teambuilding or outdoor leadership camp but their facilities (chalets, showers, toilets) need some serious upgrading.

Cuti-cuti Johor – Legoland (Theme Park)

We started Day 2 with breakfast at Storia Café, which serves typical Malaysian breakfast like nasi lemak, mee siam, etc.  But what’s unique at this café is the freshly grilled otak-otak.

We headed to Legoland after that, reaching at about 9.30am.  We had some leisurely time for some photographs before the theme park opened. 

We started at the Lego Technic, and our first ride was the Technic Twister.

Next up was Project X, and this time, Yan Yan is tall enough for all the rides so all four of us went.  Bad choice of first “daredevil” ride for Yan Yan – poor girl was terrified at the steep drop from the top, and it took her a while to regain her composure.  She even refused to go on the Aquazone Wave Racer so I went with Yiu Yiu.

Yan Yan fooling around while waiting for us to complete our Aquazone Wave Racer

Next we went to Lego Kingdoms and our first ride was the Dragon’s Apprentice.

Guard caught sleeping on the job 

Bumped into her kindy mate once again

The girls then got their hand painted with henna, before we then went on the Dragon roller coaster.  I started with Yiu Yiu first, and went for 2-3 rounds before Yan Yan gathered enough courage to join us.

Yan Yan gathered enough courage to go on the Dragon ride with us, and she loved it :-)

After all the excitement, we took a break with Merlin’s Challenge, a mild carousel ride.

We moved on to Imagination, where we all went on the Kid Power Towers, Yiu Yiu with Yihao and Yan Yan with me.  Next was the Observation Tower for a bird’s eyes view of Legoland, before catching a 4D show at the Lego Studio.

Wefie in the Observation Tower ride

It was threatening to pour by then so we quickly moved to the Land of Adventure.  We all made it for the Dino Island ride, which we missed the last round, before it started pouring and all the rides were stopped.  

Dino Island ride - we came prepared with ponchos so we didn't get too wet

It rained for about an hour and when it stopped, we grabbed a late lunch at Burger Junction.  The family meal which consisted of burgers and fried chicken with fried was surprisingly good.

Fooling around waiting for the rain to stop

After lunch, we went on the Beetle Bounce, followed by the Lost Kingdom Adventure ride.  

We then went fire-fighting at the Lego Rescue Academy.  

The kids wanted to go to the Driving School but the queue was long so the two smaller children, Yishen and Yan Yan went to the Junior Driving School first.  They were overaged for it actually but the attendants didn’t stop them ;-)  Next we went boating at the Boating School.

We eventually went back to the Driving School – the queue was still long so the kids waited about 40 minutes for their turn – our longest wait.

We went on the Legoland Express to wrap up our visit to Legoland.  Since we have another 45 minutes before the park closes, the children wanted to do the Project X and Dragon roller coaster rides again.  We rode and rode till the park closed at 7pm J

We were pleasantly surprised that Yiu Yiu won a Friends lego set in a lucky draw contest.  We had filled up some forms in the morning and dropped them into the contest box, only to see Yiu Yiu’s name on the winner’s board at the end of the day J

Yiu Yiu with her prize

Cuti-cuti Johor – Legoland (Water Park)

We spent a couple of days bercuti-cuti Johor for the family year-end holidays.  First stop – Legoland.  Our first trip to Legoland was in early 2013, and the water park was still work-in-progress at that time.  So this round, we bought the 2-day combo parks ticket for both the theme park and water park.  Prices for Legoland have increased a fair bit…the one day theme park ticket now costs RM 180 compared to RM 140 just three years ago…that’s close to 30% increase!!!

We drove from KL early in the morning, and had a pit-stop at the Seremban wet market for beef noodles breakfast.

Beef noodles and cuttlefish noodles

We arrived at Legoland close to noon, and the kids couldn’t wait to start playing in the water.  It started raining at about 3pm, and the park authorities had to stop all rides soon after when lightning started.  The rain and lightning stopped at about 4pm, and the kids continued playing for a bit before we decided to call it a day.

Yan Yan bumped into her kindy classmate :-)

My verdict: the water park doesn’t seem as huge as Sunway Lagoon, and there seems to be less variety of rides/slides.