Up the Twisty Road! Practicing Corners at Genting Highlands | My Happy Place!

The view of Genting Highlands

Hello my lovely adventure friends! Oh dear, my heart is feeling a little bit restless today! Do you know that feeling? Like your feet want to dance and your spirit wants to fly? That is how I feel when I miss riding my big motorcycle for too long! VROOM VROOM! 

Riding makes my happy-juice flow! That adrenaline buzz! It makes you feel free, happy, and… something else! It is hard to explain, like tasting sunshine! Hehehe.

So, What Do I Do When I Miss Riding?

Well, sometimes, I take my cute little car for a special practice drive! Up, up, up the twisty-turny mountain road to… Genting Highlands! Why Genting? Because the road going up there is like a giant, sleeping snake! Curve left, curve right, curve left again! 

Wheeee! It is the perfect place to practice being a super skillful driver, especially around corners. This practice helps me get ready for other amazing roads in Malaysia, like the Karak Highway, the twisty road in Grik (that's the East-West Highway!), or the curvy bits near Gua Tempurung on the big PLUS Highway. 

My little car is just a normal car, no fancy changes! But it loves dancing around the corners! I just need to be good at leading the dance!

Is the Road Nice Now?

Guess what? A few weeks ago, I went up to Genting, and the road was super nice! Smooth like butter! No bumpy bits! It was so much fun, especially driving down! Wee! Down the snake we go! And the weather was perfect – a little bit rainy, windy, and super cold! Brrr! Best feeling ever!

Why Do I Love Corners So Much?

Hehehe, let me tell you a secret! I wasn't always good at driving corners! A long, long time ago, in 2009, it was my very first time driving on a super long trip. We were going to Kedah, and we had to drive on that twisty Grik road. My poor husband was sitting next to me. 

And he was… shouting! Aaaah! Why? Because every time we reached a corner, oops! My car would eat the other lane! Like saying hello to the cars coming the other way! Double oops! We almost kissed a few cars! Wakakakaka! So scary for him, but so funny for me now! That scary-funny trip made me fall in love with corners! I wanted to learn how to dance with them properly! 

Making sure the engine stays put and the wheels roll happy.

Rainy, windy, super cold... LOVE IT! Genting bliss!

My Old Practice Roads | Sweet Memories!

When I moved to Putrajaya around 2009-2010, I found new roads to practice my corner dance! I loved driving the quiet roads from Putrajaya, through sleepy villages like Jenderam Hilir, to Nilai, and sometimes all the way to the beach at Port Dickson! 

Oh, Port Dickson! I had a favourite secret spot there called Blue Lagoon. So quiet! Just me, the wind, the coconut trees, and the calm water. Perfect for daydreaming.

Bye Jaja! You were the best car! Only memories now.

Sometimes I would drive further, past little villages like Linggi (so pretty, like a movie set!) and Pengkalan Balak in Melaka. There was a lovely little prayer spot (surau) right by the beach at Pengkalan Balak, with swings under the trees! So peaceful!

Pengkalan Balak Beach in Melaka with swings

So you see? Driving up Genting, even alone, even at night sometimes, is my special way to practice and feel that happy driving feeling! (Yes, I'm a little bit crazy like that!) 

My Daddy once joked that maybe he buried my baby cord (uri) too far from home, making me love wandering so much! Hehehe. Actually, my Daddy wasn't very happy when I started riding motorcycles!

Kuala Linggi Beach, Melaka (Courtesy rompin77.blogspot.com)

My big brother and sister weren't happy either! Only my late Mom and my older sister cheered me on! Alhamdullillah! Now, my little nieces and nephews think their Che Su (that's me!) is super cool and want big bikes too! Aww! My advice to them? 

Study hard, work hard, save money, be kind to elders... then maybe you can get your big bike dream! Alhamdulillah (Thank God), so far, Allah has made my journeys easy and safe. 

My little tip? Always try to give a little charity (sedekah) before or during your trip. Say the special travel prayers. And always, always try to remember Allah in your heart while driving or riding. Think good thoughts, even if you get a little lost! Beep beep! If we remember Him, He remembers us, right?

Funniest mirror award goes to... my old Z1000! 😄😂

Okay, Okay... But What About Genting Highlands Itself?

So, I go up there to practice driving corners. But WHAT is Genting Highlands really? It is like a city on top of a mountain! Super high up (about 1,800 meters!), so the air is always cool and chilly! Brrr! It is famous all over the world! People come from everywhere to visit!

How Did It Start?

It all started with one man's big dream! A very clever Malaysian Chinese man named Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong. A long, long time ago, in the 1960s, he was working on a hydro-electric power project in the hot, steamy Cameron Highlands. 

He thought, "Wouldn't it be nice to have a cool mountain resort closer to Kuala Lumpur, where people can escape the heat?" He found the perfect spot, Gunung Ulu Kali, the mountain where Genting is now!

But back then, it was just thick, wild jungle! No roads, nothing! Building it was super, super hard! Like building a giant LEGO castle on top of a giant tree! Workers had to cut down trees, build steep roads, carry heavy things up... It took lots of hard work, lots of money, and lots of bravery! But Tan Sri Lim never gave up on his dream. Finally, the first hotel opened!

The "Casino Malaysia" Name | Why Is It Famous?

One big reason Genting became super famous is... it has the only legal casino in Malaysia. A casino is a place for grown-ups to play games with money. You might win, you might lose! Because it is the only one, many people call Genting "Casino Malaysia". This brings lots and lots of visitors, from Malaysia and all over the world!

• Good for Money | Economy: The casino and all the hotels and shops create many, many jobs for people. Good! It also helps Malaysia earn money from tourists. Good!

• Good for Fun | Tourism: Genting is not just a casino! It has huge theme parks (indoor and outdoor!) with rollercoasters and fun rides! Whee! Lots of hotels, yummy restaurants, shopping malls with cool shops, places to watch shows... It is like a giant playground in the clouds! Fun for families too!

• The Tricky Part | Gambling/Judi: Playing money games (judi) can be fun for some grown-ups. But it can also be a big problem if people spend too much money they need for their families, or if they can't stop playing. For Muslims, gambling is not allowed by our religion. So, the casino part is a bit tricky. It helps the country make money, but we also need to be careful about the problems it can cause. It is a place with two faces; fun and games, but also risks.

So, Why Does Kak Mawar Go?

Hehehe, like I said! I go for the amazing road! The cool air! The practice! That happy feeling of dancing with the corners! The bright lights and noisy fun of the city on the mountain are not really my main reason. My adventure is on the journey up!

Genting Highlands is a special place. It started from one man's big dream. It was built with lots of hard work. It brings fun and jobs to many people. But it also has its tricky side. For me, it is my favourite practice playground! A place to feel the joy of the drive and dream of my next big VROOM VROOM adventure!

What about you? Have you been to Genting? What do you like best? The cool air? The rides? Or maybe the twisty road too? 😉