Amidst Fascinating Feathered Friends @ KL Bird Park

I took leave yesterday to treat my mum and sister to the KL Bird Park using the voucher I got from Groupsmore. My mum loves visiting parks and since I could use a break anyway, yesterday was well spent walking around KL Bird Park.

For those who are not aware, the KL Bird Park is apparently the world's largest free-flight walk-in aviary. Conveniently located in KL Lake Gardens, the park is divided into 4 zones which can take up to 3-4 hours to cover (not including the bird show). I think the best part about the first three zones is that all birds are free to roam around in this HUGE aviary. 

These colorful birds were in cages (as they're quite rare and expensive I think) and man, are they vain! They would literally hang there with different poses every few seconds - knowing there are tons of people snapping their pics!

NOTE: Click the pics for a larger view!

Imagine walking in and seeing colorful birds fly around you, peacocks casually walking beside you and pelicans flying everywhere. It's a gorgeous scene to just walk in and hear these cute birds squeaking singing. There are also plenty of fish ponds for you to throw fish food in (fish food capsules cost RM1 each). Don't be surprised if you see a fish pond with a pelican perched on the side, looking very still. The first time I saw this, I thought the pelican was just a painted-on rock but then it's head moved!

The flamingo pond was something I was excited about but when we got there I was quite disappointed as it was well, not exactly like how I imagined it. I mean the waterfall looks good and all but I thought there would be a variety of flamingos - as in different colors. In here, we only saw white/black ones and slightly pinky ones :(

Another thing I was looking forward to, was the Photo Booth where you get to take pictures with miscellaneous birds (for a mere RM30) and that was probably the best thing in the park :) Check out our best shots.

On my sister, were a parrot and some other bird planted on her shoulder (not sure what). As for my mum, she got to have the Hornbill and at close-up, that is one gorgeous bird. She also got to have this cute little red parakeet on her head who was busy grooming itself. I on the other hand, got this HEAVY parrot on my wrist. The parrot kept trying to hold on to my wrist coz I'm quite bony and it's claws are much wider. LOL!

All in all, the birds are very tame. At least, none of them moved or made sounds loud enough to startle us. If you look behind us, there's an owl, hawk and some kind of eagle sitting on the branch - all equally real.

After the Photo Booth, we moved on to the Parrot Aviary in which my sister and mum got to feed some of these birds with milk+honey (RM2 each bowl). It was good when 2 or 3 of them drink at a time but when a whole flock of birds come towards you, it can be quite scary overwhelming!

We moved on towards the end of the park where the Waterfall Aviary and the Amphitheater are located. The waterfall was gorgeous and cooling - just what we needed after walking around in the heat. There's an area right behind the waterfall where you can see the water falling in front of you (without getting wet of course!) and from there you can spot peacocks, pelicans, flamingos and ducks flocking about. We even spotted a few pelicans eating at the top of the waterfall.

We didn't feel like waiting for the Bird Show which will be conducted at the Amphitheater, coz we were quite hungry by then, so we made our way out. On the path to the Exit, we passed the Flightless Birds cages and a Nursery. Flightless birds are ostriches and emus who looked content just lazing about. Then again, if I were an ostrich, I can't do much in a confined area and since I can't fly, it's just lazing around I guess!

The Nursery had these baby chicks and ducklings where anyone can just pick them up and steal pet them. It was quite a sight, looking at these chicks and ducklings huddled together. My sister got attached to this one :)

All in all, it was worth going to the KL Bird Park. It's relatively well-maintained (the birds looks well fed) and most importantly, clean. There are plenty of resting areas at every corner which are convenient for elderly people like my mum. Plus, we covered about 90% of the park and that took us about 2 hours (which is good considering the variety of birds to see).

If you're going, go early about 10-10.30am as you'll get to go for various bird feeding and weekdays (non-school holidays) are best, as there's not many people - only the occasional tourists. There's also a Hornbill Restaurant near the entrance of the park, but the food is super-duper expensive so I wouldn't eat there unless I want to spend RM18 for Nasi Goreng!

Wondermilk @ Damansara Uptown

If you're a cupcake-loving person, you should check out Wondermilk cafe, located in Damansara Uptown. I've heard about this place from a number of people and being a die-hard fan of Cupcake Chic @ Curve, I just had to check out Wondermilk.

In addition to cupcakes, they also serve sandwiches and hot dogs but I have to admit, they've got a very different take on cupcake flavours. I noticed they had a lot of flavours that involved cheese - sadly, I'm not a fan of cheese. So I opted for the Chocolate Orange cupcake (think that's what it was called) and a cup of Hot Vanilla (RM6).

The cupcake tasted good (Note: Not great but just good) - it had a thin layer of marmalade at the botton so that added to the flavour. And it went well with my Hot Vanilla. But let me just say that I was disappointed with the size. For the price of RM4.50, the cupcakes are really small. Cupcakes at Cupcake Chic are the same price but twice as big with a generous amount of icing.

But Wondermilk is known for its custom-made, novelty cupcakes (from what I hear) and as you enter the cafe, there are shelves displaying cookies and boxes of tiny custom-made cupcakes.

Probably the best part of Wondermilk is the cafe itself. It's like something out of Alice in Wonderland. No, you don't see the Cheshire Cat or Mad Hatter lurking about or even the White Rabbit for that matter, but from the quirky decor you get the feeling that you just might eat or drink something that can alter your size. LOL.

Actually the place has a very whimsical feel to it. The one song that came to mind when I first sat down, was Owl City's Fireflies. If you've seen the music video for the song, then you would get what I'm talking about. Also, there are stuff on sale, such as T-shirts, bags, pouches, mugs and other odd knick knacks.

On the whole, I would say that Wondermilk cafe is a nice place to hang out. They've got an indoor and outdoor area but I suppose judging from the heat these days, you would probably want to sit in :)

3 Pints of Kilkenny for RM50 @ Artista

This was my first time at Tropicana Mall and I was quite disappointed. On the outside, the mall looked huge but it only had 3 floors and nothing really attracted me. Anyway, the only reason I was there was to meet my friend at Artista - this bar & restaurant tucked in the far corner of Tropicana Mall for Happy Hour (3 Pints of Kilkenny = RM50).

It's a very nice concept bar - slightly La Bodega-ish. Although I think high tables would have been more suitable in this case.

On one part of the wall, there are paintings by low-key artists, up for sale. Apparently, if you would like to exhibit your work of art, you could speak to the manager about having your piece up for sale. There are also live bands that play every other day from 10pm onwards. For those who frequent Waikiki (PJ) and Miracles (PJ) a lot, you would probably recognize some of the bands.

I like the fact that Artista is pretty secluded so if you're looking for a nice spot to read and just have a quiet drink, this would be a good place. I would probably try the food the next time I'm there. Plus, Tropicana Mall does not seem to packed to the brim unlike One U and Mid Valley. Therefore, parking shouldn't be a problem :)