Destinations: Negeri Sembilan

Dogheh Kito TeghojahNismilan!

Text by HAIFA HASIM & FARIDAH DAHALAN Images by KAMIL AZIM

Negeri Sembilan, the land of rich culture and unique traditions united by nine charming districts is no stranger to many Malaysians. To promote the charms of this beautiful state to the public, Negeri Sembilan Tourism Board, also known as Lembaga Pelancongan Negeri Sembilan (LPNS), collaborated with Gaya Travel Magazine in organising a media familiarisation trip participated by selected media representatives, bloggers and social media influencers.

A whirlwind of fun and enchanting jaunt to Seremban, Kuala Pilah and Port Dickson, participants were introduced to many Negeri Sembilan gems such as authentic Negori dishes, thrilling activities and riveting cultural performances. On top of that, the royal town of Seri Menanti, which is located 70 kilometres away from Kuala Lumpur, boasts captivating touristic spots and scrumptious culinary experience perfect for city dwellers who long for a short staycation filled with local flair!

We had so much fun that we would definitely sign up on the trip to Negeri Sembilan again! Here is the story of the dazzling and colourful Negeri Sembilan we experienced during the four-day and three-night trip.

VISIT

Tuanku Ja’afar Royal Gallery (www.facebook.com/gdtjns)

A beautiful portrait of His Royal Highness Almarhum Tuanku Ja’afar with his cricket bat.

Built to commemorate the legacy of His Royal Highness Almarhum Tuanku Ja’afar ibni Almarhum Tuanku Abdul Rahman, the gallery exhibits the life of the monarch from his younger days in school to the time of his rule. Upon entering the gallery, be in awe of the massive painting of Istano Basa Pagaruyung, the defining point in the early makings of Negeri Sembilan. The gallery spans three floors for visitors to admire the esteemed monarch’s strong leadership and his personal collection of trophies that showcased his talent in sports such as golf and cricket. Do you know that Tuanku Ja’afar is also a talented artist? He often made time to paint during the Holy Month of Ramadan and you will get to see a few of his beautiful paintings at the gallery!

Operation Hours: Tuesday – Sunday | 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 pm. Entrance Fee | MYR10 (50% discount for students, senior citizens & disabled) T: +6 06 761 9102

Kg JKIN Extreme Park (www.facebook.com/atvkgjkin)

Try to touch the sky with the extreme swing at Kg JKIN Extreme Park.

For extreme sports buffs out there, you might fancy Kg JKIN Extreme Park with all of the dirty gritty outdoor sports it offers! Surrounded by lush tall trees and sounds of nature, you can ride through the mud on ATVs, speed through the trees on flying fox and touch the sky with the extreme swing! If you prefer to tone down the adrenaline rush, go for a guided hike up Bukit Putus or do rubber tapping. Besides its variety of thrilling activities, this place also offers the chance to be closer to nature by opting to stay in its tree house or go camping at the designated campsites. So pack your best sports attire and immerse yourself in nature at Kg JKIN Extreme Park in Seremban.

Operation Hours: Daily | 8:30 a.m. – 5:20 p.m. T: +6 011 2089 3883 ( Julie)

NS Dairy Farm (www.facebook.com/NS-Dairy-Farm-425561510943091)

An array of delicious fresh milk that comes in sixflavours at NS Dairy Farm.

With a massive 120 acres of land, Juasseh Agro Park at NS Dairy Farm is offering so much more than just dairy products. Managed by Dato’ Mohd Nor Abdul Wahid and Datin Khaidar Khairuddin who are fondly known as Pak Lang and Mak Lang respectively, you can tour around the farm to get an educational insight about how milk is produced, from the type of cow breed to the diet so that they can produce the highest quality of fresh milk. The best part of it all, you get to drink fresh milk that comes in six delicious flavours: original, chocolate, strawberry, corn, yam and date. Other than that, the farm also offers a farm stay (with air-conditioning in all rooms) for team building or events. You can also try sports activities such as monkey walk, hiking and flying fox!

Operation Hours: Daily | 9:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. T: +6 019 321 7652 (Datin Khaidar)

Teluk Kemang Observatory (https://bctkpd.com/)

The universe has always been a captivating topic for me because of its infinite possibilities and getting a peek of this infinite space literally send me over the moon! At this observatory, realise your childhood dreams of looking directly at the sun and watching the moon and stars with the assistance of telescopes. A suitable place to learn about our universe with educational guides, this beautiful observatory overlooking the sea also house the largest telescope (24 inches) in Malaysia. In line with the observatory’s tagline “365 days for Astronomy”, you can come to admire the beauty of the universe every single day!

Operation Hours: Daily (including Public Holidays) | 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. & 10:30 p.m. – 12:00 midnight T: +6 06 648 7888

Pd Ostrich & Pets Show Farm (www.facebook.com/pdostrichshowfarm)

Experience feeding ostriches at PD Ostrich & Pets Show Farm.

Do you know ostriches can run up to 70 kilometres per hour, making them the second fastest animal on earth? And the best part about PD Ostrich Farm is you can try outrunning these flightless birds by racing with them! Win or lose, you’ll get a certificate of participation. But if you’re not up for that challenge, snap photos with the ostriches or tour around the farm to explore the other interesting attractions: Cat Park, Herbal Oasis, Dinosaurs in the Jungle, Extreme Jungle Park, Seashell Museum, and PD Dream World Upside Down & 3D art gallery!

Alive 3D Art Gallery (www.facebook.com/alive3dartgallery)

Capture quirky and fun photos at 3D Art Gallery.

Infuse a little fun into your photos at this quirky threedimensional (3D) art gallery! With interesting installations and eye-catching paintings, this gallery is far from your textbook definition of an art gallery. Designed to trick the eyes, you are encouraged to pose a certain way to become one with the whimsical paintings! However, if you are in the dark about how to fit yourself into the installations, there are photo guides to assist you. Also, the gallery pinpoints the exact angle from where the photo needs to be taken to get the perfect ‘real-life’ shot. An engaging and interactive gallery, you are sure to come out with your smartphone memory full of peculiarly delightful photos!

Operation Hours: Daily | 11:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. Entrance Fee | MYR25 (Adult) MYR20 (children, senior citizens, disabled) T: +6 06 651 5400

Colours Of Malaysia, JKKN Negeri Sembilan (www.facebook.com/JKKN-NegeriSembilan-114549831910802)

Aiming to preserve the diverse cultures in Malaysia through arts, Jabatan Kebudayaan dan Kesenian Negara Negeri Sembilan presents a stupendous set of performances that reflect the absolute beauty of multicultural Malaysia with an enchanting hour-long medley of Malay, Chinese, Indian and Borneo traditional dances. Witness the charms of Malaysia’s diversity with the beautiful musical sounds of Cak Lempong, the Malay Bongai Hitam Manih dance, the Chinese Yun Nan Hua Deng fan dance, the Indian Koyil Kolattam dance and more. By the end of the show, you will definitely appreciate the wonders of Malaysia as a multicultural potpourri!

Operation Hours: Tuesday & Saturday | 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. T: +6 013 628 9700 (Salbiah)

X-Park Sendayan (www.xparkmalaysia.com)

Ever dream of becoming a race car driver? Well, you can almost fulfil that dream at X-Park Sendayan with its sixlap go-kart race with friends! With an array of fun-packed activities, you can easily spend the whole day here by testing your focus on archery, feeling your adrenaline rush when playing motocross and paintball, or even conquer your fear of heights via wall climbing and flying fox. Our experience here was nothing short of amazing that we even lost track of time.

Operation hours: Daily | 9:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Entrance Fee | MYR15 (Adult) MYR10 (Child) T: +6 06 662 7496

T: +6 017 447 3913

Makan Berselo at Muzium Negeri Sembilan (www.lmns.ns.gov.my/en)

Malaysia is blessed to have various races, tribes, religions and cultural background, all reflected through the differing dining etiquettes. To learn about how the Malays traditionally dine, travellers should try Makan Berselo at Muzium Negeri Sembilan. It is common for Malays to sit cross-legged on mats laid down on the floor during a feast. Dishes of food – typically rice accompanied by three or four side dishes – are presented at the same time on a square piece of cloth. The dishes are normally spicy such as gulai lado api ayam (chicken cooked in spicy yellow curry), sambal gesek (spicy condiments) and sambal ikan sembilang (spicy catfish). Before eating, travellers would first wash their hands using ketor (a jug filled with water and big bowl). Our foreign travel companions found the traditional experience memorably unique. Makan Berselo has four packages ranging between MYR12 and MYR25 per person. Those who like spicy food and wish to experience traditional Malay dining should this experience this!

T : +6 06 763 1149

Benteng Walk Seremban (www.facebook.com/Benteng-WalkSeremban-2129985643950455)

Malaysians love their night market. It is the place to source for a wide range of snacks, beverages, toys and apparels. Benteng Walk is a typical Malaysian night market on a long stretch of Jalan Dato Abdul Rahman in Seremban. Locals who are tired of cooking usually get their meals here. As soon as travellers step onto this street, the aroma of street food fills their nostrils. Feast your taste buds with Benteng Coconut Rice (Nasi Lemak Benteng), fried eel (Belut Goreng) and tauhu bergedil (deep fried potato patty), all at affordable prices. Travellers can munch on hot snacks on the spot since the night market have seating areas in front of Bazaar MAINS. Stuff your cheeks while relishing in street performances by talented locals.

T : +6 017 652 2494

ADWA Char Kuey Teow (www.facebook.com/seleghonegori)

Kuey Teow is undoubtedly one of Malaysia’s most favourite street food. Some people prefer their Kuey Teow dry, some like them generously covered in gravy. Thank God, most of our travel companions love the latter, which made our next eating adventure even more pleasurable. Adwa Char Kuey Teow has charms of its own – their version of Char Kuey Teow is darker and wetter with burnt taste and couples of prawns plus a giant squid on top. Every bite of the smooth Kuey Teow has just the right taste with fresh seafood to give it more flavour. Adwa Char Kuey Teow distinguishes themselves by incorporating two types of soya sauce that make their gravy extra special. Oh, even writing about this made me salivate!

The Street Crab & Lala Restaurant

Savour an appetizing Sweet & Sour Crab at The Street Crab &Lala Restaurant.

This Chinese seafood restaurant is the place to have fresh seafood in Seremban. Diners can choose a wide range of selection of seafood cooked in different styles. We savoured stir-fried garlic clam with curry leaf, sweet and sour crab and black pepper with fresh milk cheesy crab. Most mums would say that cooking crabs are a challenge because it is no fun to wrestle with live crabs but the chefs here made it look effortless. The crab meat is sweet since only fresh crabs are used. The restaurant certainly lives up to expectations since we cleaned our plates. Another trademark of Chinese delicacy here is the Cantonese style noodles (noodles covered with egg-based slimy sauce). This restaurant is highly rated in Seremban and always busy so make sure you make a reservation before arriving!

Operation Hours Daily | 12:00 p.m. – 12:00 midnight T : +6 012 236 3213

STAY

Klana Resort Seremban (www.klana-resort.com.my)

Situated within the capital of Negeri Sembilan, Klana Resort Seremban is great for a family staycation. The gorgeous resort combines local lifestyle with tranquillity surrounded by trees and a large lagoon-style pool. Klana Resort Seremban is ideal for adventurous teambuilding programme, corporate events or even family day. The resort has spacious rooms and a great view of lush tropical greenery. We gasped when we looked at the view from our Premium Room in Main Tower: the scenery of trees and the lights reflected from the lagoon are simply mesmerising! Klana Resort Seremban provides all sorts of games for all to enjoy, including darts, carrom, snooker and congkak (a count-andcapture board game of Malay origin).

T : +6 06 766 7888

Tasik Villa International Resort (www.tasikvilla.com.my)

This intimate 5 star resort is iconic to Port Dickson, being only a short drive away from Kuala Lumpur and featuring personal swimming pool within its charming water chalets and villas. All of its 220 guestrooms possess luxurious and stylish character, making it one of the most picturesque resorts in Port Dickson. What makes the resort more special is that guests can take a dip in their private jacuzzi on the balcony inside the Deluxe with Jacuzzi rooms while enjoying the scenery. Nights at Tasik Villa International Resort is also never dull. We advise that guests relax at the balcony of their rooms and enjoy the musical fountain show at 9:00 p.m. daily. Every staff is attentive, helpful and polite. At the lobby, the concierge and tour desk are ready to assist you, and you can always hitch a ride on the everreliable buggy whenever you don’t feel like walking. You can also treat yourself to a great massage at Thai Odyssey Massage. Not too far away from the resort are Alive 3D Art Gallery, Teluk Kemang Observatory and PD Ostrich & Pets Farm to name a few places of interest that travellers can visit.

T : +6 06 644 8888

Homestay D’Pelanduk Best (www.facebook.com/ homestaytelokpelandok)

For those who love kampung stay should give Homestay D’Pelanduk Best a shot! This well maintained traditional wooden kampung homestay overlooking the sea is both peaceful and pleasant. Relax and take a break from typical hotels or resorts and appreciate the traditional activities that Pak Mistam, the owner of the homestay, has lined up for you. For craft lovers, take part in the basket weaving activity, a handy hobby that can brighten up your home. Another ancient art to try out is mencanting batik on a white cloth using canting (pen-like copper tool filled with hot wax) whereby the wax will be trickling from the tiny spout at the end of it to trace the batik patterns. Your hand needs to be steady as you do swirling motions.

T : +6 013 6206 708 (Mistam)

Clockwise from Top Left: Experience feeding ostriches at PD Ostrich & Pets Show Farm; An array of delicious fresh milk that comes in sixflavours at NS Dairy Farm; Capture quirky and fun photos at 3D Art Gallery; Savour an appetizing Sweet & Sour Crab at The Street Crab &Lala Restaurant.