Road to Agro Tourism #3

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 Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang (MAEPS) on 3rd Feb.

Yours truly was humbled to be invited to participate in 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), as well as the Ministry of Federal Territories (KWP).

Of course, this fam trip wouldn’t have been successful without the support and cooperation of product owners: Kampong Bharu Development Corporation (KBCORP), TAMU Hotel & Suites, Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang (MAEPS), KL Hop-On Hop-Off, C.A.M. Caravan, Dunia Seni Silat Melayu (DSSM), NafasCube @ Mardi, Rainforest Theatre @ PICC, Urban Farming Community Presint 9, Cyberview Resort & Spa, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Jabatan Warisan Negara, Taman Warisan Pertanian Putrajaya, Marina Putrajaya Sdn. Bhd and Pulse Grand Group.

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) during a dinner event hosted at the new TAMU Hotel & Suites in Kuala Lumpur.

For general information, Road to Agro Tourism, a product of MTC (with the tagline Make Tourism Champion), 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.

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 costumes.

After the formalities were done and dusted, it was time to walk off the calories, via 10,000 Langkah Berbusana @ Kg Bharu, a night walk around Kampong Bharu, to discover the neighbourhood on foot.

I have to admit that having visited Kampong Bharu on several occasions, it looks different when visiting on foot, at night. It’s called seeing things in a another light, literally.

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 10,000 Langkah Berbusana @ Kg Bharu
Read about TAMU Hotel & Suites

Day 2
The day began early. The fifty-strong entourage comprised of press members, bloggers and social media influencers boarded the Hop On Hop Off Bus heading to Putrajaya.

Flagged off by President of Malaysia Tourism Council (MTC) Uzaidi Udanis and Dato Mohamad Khay Bin Ibrahim, Group Managing Director TAMU Hotel & Suites, it was undoubtedly an adventurous day ahead.

Also part of the convoy were members of All Bikers Club Malaysia and two units of CAM Caravans. You can imagine the attention we attracted!

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.

Shortly after lunch, it was time to proceed to Putrajaya, where our first stop was Taman Warisan Pertanian Putrajaya. The rain caused some changes to our schedule but it was okay with me.

I have covered many Putrajaya attractions previously. However, Taman Warisan Pertanian 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 via Cruise Tasik Putrajaya.

Disembarking the catamaran named Kelah, we had the opportunity to view a Putrajaya icon, the Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin Mosque, also known as Masjid Besi.

It was then time for dinner, which was at Putrajaya FoodTrucks Hotspot, before checking in at NafasCube @ Mardi, located within MAEPS Serdang.

Read about Top 5 Agro Attractions at MAEPS
Read about Taman Warisan Pertanian 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 NafasCube @ Mardi

Day 3
It was another early day for us on Day 3, and our first task was to look for breakfast. Just a short drive from NafasCube @ Mardi is a ‘warung’ which serves appetising food, judging from the crowd early in that morning!

Once refuelled, 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 Putrajaya Equestrian Park again.

After a whole day in the sun, it was delightful 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.

Nonetheless, it was a hotel that I expected a good night’s rest from! However, before I could lie down, there was evening entertainment. My friends and I headed out to Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC) for the much-acclaimed live theatre performance, 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.

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 note the work being put into the project, making life easier for farmers, especially in large scale farming.

Before we knew it, we had to depart for our next destination, which was Cyberview Resort & Spa. Again, this was a property that I have heard much about but never found the chance to visit. Well, thus far, I never had a reason to explore that side of the town. Stay tuned to this blog regarding my visit to this 5-star boutique resort.

What a serene ambience to indulge in. Nevertheless, the life of a traveller is always on the move. Therefore, our next stop was to Universiti Putra Malaysia in Serdang for edu-tourism. Boy, it has been ages since I set foot on campus to learn again, this time about the veterinary, human digestive system, as well as anatomy.

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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