It’s quite rare for my wife, Tina to go out on a Sunday particularly when the following day isn’t a public holiday. I love her dearly and completely understand that she prefers to spend the first day of the week at home to gather all energies to prepare for another work week. And the first Sunday of March this year was not an exception. So instead of attending to an important and supposed-to-be life-changing appointment alone, I brought along my mom with me to keep me company and to provide me that much needed support.
Because we left our place in Butterworth at daybreak with nothing on our tummies yet, my mom and I were the first diners in our favorite Indian cafeteria, Kapitan at the corner of Little India and Lebuh Chulia in George Town, Penang. Egg prata, two orders of tosai with tasteful dips in varied flavors that burst in the mouth were our breakfast. We all washed it down with mango lassi (mango juice with yoghurt).
An hour after, we reached this awesome place…
No, the venue wasn’t a jungle or a park. That man-made hanging bridge, waterfalls and kois with rich foliage were all actually part of a hotel.
Before I appreciated the lobby and took those shots, the first thing I did after hopping off the cab was to go to tandas (bahasa melayu for toilet) for a bladder break. Just like any five star hotel, the toilet’s almost spotless.
Tucked on a hillock at around 150 meters above sea level, one of the branches of Hotel Equatorial in Malaysia is located few minutes away from Penang International Airport. This golf and convention resort reminded me of Shangri La Mactan Hotel back home that I and my mom got to visit ages ago. It has a vast and open-air lobby that welcomes every guests with luxurious warmth and splendor.
Punctuality runs in our blood so expectedly, we arrived earlier than scheduled. No worries because Hotel Equatorial’s ambiance was more than enough to keep us busy.
Then sunshine turned to rain but the beauty remained the same…
Whatever that day will yield, I leave it to the Almighty. With hopes and spirits high, two hours after, we went home with a smile. 
Lovely pics
thank you!
i love your photos of the bridge and stream with kois…a relaxing place.
i hope that the result of your appointment here would be something that will be good for you and your family.
you really have an eye for beautiful places, luna.
thanks! we hope so too.
love the day out with Mom….good luck and God bless for whatever the results will be..:)
thank you, carmen.
i really appreciate that!
btw, welcome to my blog.
kala ko park na talaga. ganda very relaxing.
tumpak! sobrang sarap sa mata ng lugar! ang sarap pa ng hangin.
I am so glad with this post, who will say I am 60 years old sa pictures na shot mo. Is it because you’re a good photographer na or tsamba lang. LOL.
60? mukha ka lang 59, mamy! hahaha!
The hotel looks amazing! I’d love to stay there one time. Hoping for the best regarding the results.
thanks!
i really appreciate that despite being a grown up you showed that we always need our mothers for support.
here’s hoping all the best. lipat na kayo dito sa cali?
lipat sa california? we wish! haha!
tina has visa screen valid until 2014 as she already registered with board of nursing-california. but she still needs to fly there, apply for SSS and claim her ID as USRN-Ca.
visa at contract na lang wala. we’ll see. we don’t know yet. God provides!
What a perfect flower you have chosen to post. Carnation, especially pink, is given on Mother’s Day, symbolizing her undying love.
A suggestion, with the angles and series of shots, you can do a vertical panoramic merge of the “forest” photos. Try it.
Hope everything went well.
i didn’t notice that! your comment reminded me that my mom loves carnation! i used to give her a bunch from dangwa flower shops back home. hehe!
advance happy mother’s day, ms. ebie!
your blogging is inspiring. i am a fan!
yung foot bridge di mo akalain na nasa isang hotel sa isang mega city. ey doc magkakaroon daw ng lego land sa malaysia pero medyo mas malapit daw sa singapore pag pumunta dun.
yup! i posted a map last week on fb and twitter. legoland will open end of 2012, located 30 min from johor bharu, 3 hours from kuala lumpur and 55 min from changi airport in singapore.
thanks, dom!
My visit here is always a visual treat! I looooooooooooove your photos! I envy that artistic eye of yours!
salamat!
Doc, nang makita ko ang photo ng mom mo, then your photo, I saw Gabby in you. Maybe it’s just me, I feel like a little boy everytime I’m with my mother (same feeling seeing photos with this kind of scenarios). I suddenly dream of spending more weekends with my mom. Happy weekend.
whatever you went there for, i hope it went well!!! =)
nakakarelax naman sa hotel na yan. love the stream!
It’s good to see you and your mom taking time to bond. She must be enjoying her Malaysian vacation much.
she’ll be here with us in penang for as long as she wants and until we’re here. (God knows until when.)
Lovely photos as always, Doc!
Anyway, ganda ng hotel. Love the hanging bridge and waterfalls with kois. Ang refreshing sa mata 
http://thepurpledoll.net
thanks, sumi!
those naan breads looks so soft and fluffy and perfect with those curries!
they’re tosai, ms. elna.
naan here are thicker but more flavorful! we love cheese naan.
wala pang lutong naan pag breakfast e. nonetheless, tosai and prata are nice options too!
o, i thought it’s just plain naan bread, hehehe…magkakamukha kase sila