Monthly Archives: December 2016

MH124 PER-KUL Business Class

October 2016

After 10 nights in Perth/Western Australia, of which 7 days on the road, it’s time to return to Kuala Lumpur. Although we flew Economy into Perth, we flew Business on our return. On this flight, there were 16 passengers out of the possible 27 in Business. The check-in was a matter of walking up to the counter and be attended to immediately. Our MAS A330-300 flight departs at 3.50 p.m. and arrives Kuala Lumpur at 9.30 p.m. Perth & Kuala Lumpur is in the same time zone.

Business class check-in, Perth T1 airport.

On-time departure.

Mind your business.

A short while after airborne, lunch is served. It starts with MAS signature dish, satay. Coming from a family in the satay business ourselves (previously), the chicken satay was tender and good. The peanut sauce can definitely be enhanced. For appetizer, poached prawns was served followed by the main course, pan-seared chicken breast with mashed potato and vegetables. Dessert was ice-cream (very nice), cake & fruits. And in-between, there were nuts and endless fruit juice.

Lunch menu.

Fruit juice and plain water served in glassware. No plastics.

MAS signature dish, chicken satay, cucumber and peanut sauce.

Appetizer, selection of bread and fruits. Foods served on real plates.

The main course, chicken breast with vegetables.

This mango ice cream originating from Australia was really nice.

Business class seats towards the back. You get a sort of ‘mini cabin’ to yourself.

The leg room that goes under the seat of the front passenger. This allows you to fully stretch in ‘flat bed’ position. The pillow is there just to get it out of my seat. On a A380, there will be a side ‘bin’ the pillow can be stored in.

A 1-2-2 configuration on some rows and a 1-2-1 on others. Note the leg room.

Lights dimmed, seat fully reclined flat and time to doze off till we arrive in KUL.

Credit:Malaysia Airlines

Goodbye Western Australia. Perth aerial view.

Priority luggage tagging. Luggage was already on the carousel in KUL when we came to pick it up.

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Lancelin Sand Dunes, Lancelin, Western Australia

October 2016

On our return trip to Perth from Cervantes, we stopped by Lancelin sand dunes. On the way, about 45km (30mins) from Thirsty Point beach to our left, take a quick stop at the lay-bay for a panoramic view of the Wanagarren Nature Reverse. It’s a couple of minutes stop for photos and selfies. Nothing much but has a nice grass trees landscape to photograph.

Wanagarren Nature Reserve lay-bay on your left heading to Perth/Lancelin. On the far end, there is a white sand dune similar to the dunes in Lancelin.

Location of Wanagarren Nature Reserve.

This part of the reserve is just beside the Indian Ocean Drive.

The Grass Trees.

The panoramic expense of the Grass Trees at the reserve.

Lancelin Sand Dunes is Australia’s premier sandboarding destination. It’s 36km from the Wanagarren Reserve lay-bay and 9.2km off the junction of Indian Ocean Drive Highway. The dunes are nestled inland North-East of the township, while to the West, lies the picturesque coastal backdrop of the Indian Ocean.

Welcome signboard to Lancelin. The sand dunes are still far off from here.

Tourist information board.

If you are interested to sandboard, hire your boards from ‘Have A Chat General Store‘ (aka Lucky 7), 104 Gingin Road at $10/2 hrs (refundable deposit apply) and then drive up to the dunes via Beacon Road. Heading towards the sand dunes, the general store is to your left.

‘Have A Chat General Store’ aka ‘Lucky 7’ is where you can rent sand boards.

Route to Lancelin Sand Dune from the junction of Indian Ocean Drive Highway. Note location of ‘Have A Chat General Store’ aka Lucky 7 for renting of sand boards. Click to enlarge map.

The dune’s pure white sand looks like a snow landscape. It rises three storeys high and is suitable for 4 wheel driving, trail bike riding and quad biking among others. Entry to the dunes is free and opens every day from sunrise to sunset. You can drive your ordinary 2WD right up to the edge of the sandboarding sand dune.

Way to the sand dunes off Beacon Road. Credit:lancelin.com.au

No problem for ordinary car to drive right to the edge of the dunes.

Sand boarders up on the dune.

Naturally, anything that goes down must come up.

View of the dunes from the entry point.

Seagulls near the beach wanting to join us for lunch.

I rather look for kangaroos than sand boarding.

We did not participate in sand boarding but rather watch others doing it. We did take a break at the nearby beach for lunch before continuing to Perth, a drive of another 161km. This concludes our 5 days road trip of Western Australia and 2 days within Perth & Fremantle. We had travelled a total of 2,177km and for the first time, actually enjoyed the long hours of drive due to the diverse landscape and good roads. Notable mention to HERE WeGo (formally HERE Maps) offline Maps & GPS App that NEVER took us to a single wrong turn.

Final leg of our road trip to Western Australia. Tomorrow we bid farewell to Perth.

Starting Odometer reading

Ending Odometer reading

Our entire 5 days of Western Australia Road Trip. If we knew the drive wouldn’t be boring, we would have covered Esperance too.

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The Pinnacles, Cervantes, Western Australia

October 2016

A visit to the Pinnacles Desert was a road trip we did from Perth. It was a day trip with a stop over at Lancelin sand dunes on the way back. A 2 hours drive north of Perth, 195 km away, takes you to The Pinnacles Desert, situated in Namburg National Park. The Pinnacles is one of the most famous natural wonders of Western Australia.

Welcome board at Pinnacles Desert, one of the attractions in Namburg National Park.

Entry fees as at October 2016

The Pinnacles desert covers an area of approximately 190 hectares containing thousands of limestone pinnacles, some up to 3 meters high rising up out of the sand. The variation in colours is due mainly to the soil types. It is best visited in the early morning or during sunset when shadows of the pinnacle creates patterns and shapes over the sand. Entry fees to the park is $12.00 per passenger vehicle payable at the gate. Caravans and trailers can be left in the car park as the loop is not suitable for these vehicles.

o—– The Pinnacles Desert —–o

The desert accessible by cars, has a 4km loop track around the pinnacles. Its route is marked by rocks in the sand that would not allow you to deviate. You can stop your car at the designated parking spots along the way and get out to take some photos or go for a walk.

The sand is hard and compact to drive on by any ordinary car. A 4WD is not necessary despite the desert like terrain. Any ordinary car can handle it just fine and as you drive on the sand, the steering feels firm.

In the background are white sand dunes.

This is about the average height of the pinnacles.

Driving along the Pinnacles loop track, gives you some good views of the landscape. You can wander around the Pinnacles Walk Trail or admire the desert views from the Pinnacles Lookout. The Pinnacles Desert is not really big. It’s actually more like a large, barren clearing and you won’t easily get lost.

A lookout point in the Pinnacles Desert. Ample parking area here.

The Pinnacle Desert from the lookout point. More like a lunar landscape.

Boardwalk to the Desert View walk trail.

Way to the Pinnacles Gallery.

Part of a display in the gallery.

Finished touring the Pinnacles Desert, we headed to Cervantes about 22km away for lunch at the much written about Lobster Shack. We had half grilled lobster, chips & salad costing $38. Very disappointed that the lobster’s meat was ‘dry & stiff’. Nothing to write home about, at least for me.

Had lunch at Lobster Shack, Cervantes.

There are open-air and enclosed eating area.

Menu and prices.

Half grilled lobster, chips & salad. Dry, not suculent.

Before returning to Perth, we stop at Thirsty Point beach a short 3km drive from Lobster Shack. A wooden boardwalk through the sand will lead you to a lookout point. The lookout point offers spectacular panoramic views of the Indian Ocean. People come here to swim, wind surf and fishing.

At the junction turning into Thirsty Point beach (Seville Street), we noticed Island Cafe at Liberty petrol station serves Crayfish. You may want to try this as an alternative. While lobsters live in saltwater, crayfish live in freshwater and smaller in size,