Hyundai Sonata

 Just last week I got my new car, the Hyundai Sonata which is Hyundai's sedan model. Before getting it I was hoping to get the Peugeot 3008 but in the end, I had to agree with the need for more space in our next car. This is my review on the car. First,

The Good:

  "This is a sexy car". These will be the first words you say when you see this car. It's body is simply elegant and aerodynamic. Usually, when thinking about getting a sedan, you think of a long car which is ugly and dull. It is not the same for the Sonata. It is shorter then other sedans which makes it easier to park and if you look at it from the front, it sticks out from the rest. 

  This car also has a lot of space. It is shorter then the new Accord but yet I feel there is more leg room in the Sonata. You will be surprised at how much space you get in it. The car trunk is massive! If you were in the mob and could not afford a BMW, you would get a Sonata. You could easily fit a body in there and drive of. (Dear me I tried it with my sister) It is deep and long. The back chairs can also fold down if you need to fit more things into that trunk. 

  The interior of the car is also very nice. The seats feel like they were maid just for you and the radio is simple to use. You can connect you ipod or any MP3 player to it but I am not going to write about that since a Myvi can do that to. I am going to write about the sun and moon roof. First let me make sure you are not confused. The sun roof is above the drivers seat and the moon roof is above the back passengers seat. Now why they have two names is because the sun roof can open up to see guess what, the sun while the moon roof cannot be opened but is used to see the moon. So make sure when you are out in the morning to look out the Sun roof and not the moon roof. These roofs let in tons of light which makes the car feel more roomy. It also gives you a different perspective to look at something. Say bird dung. You have seen it from the side and top but have you actually seen it from the bottom. I have yet to investigate this matter. 

  This car is full with power. I got the 2.0 but it is still faster then my old Accords 2.4. Most cars these days are but still, that is very good news. You would think with power comes a very noisy car. Well no. Before I could hear my parents coming home so I could go and turn off the tv and pretend to study but now they come in and there I am watching the CSI kill Justin Bieber. 

The Bad:

  It reminds you that it is still a Hyundai. Lets start with the horn. It is the gayest horn I have ever heard. It's like they took the horns out of the lame Matrix and decided to put it into their Marilyn Monroe Sonata. Totally destroys it. Next is the plastic on the back of the front seats. Now a Honda or Toyota would have leather at the back of the seats but this is just plastic. It is just sad. Also the seat belt seems like it was from a proton. 

  Don't expect to many compartments in the car. They are a few in the front but none in the back. You only get a cup holder on the hand rests. Nowhere to keep your DSLR, PSP or food. Just have to put it on the seat which is difficult when you have 5 people in it. 

Conclusion

  All in all, the Sonata is a very good car. It's sexy, spacious and young. I would give it a 8/10.

Taman Negara

   Last weekend, during the labour day holiday, me and my family took a trip to the National Park in Pahang. This is my review. 

   Our destination in the National Park was Kuala Tahan. To get there, you have two choices, you can take a car which would be around one hour, or take a boat ride which would be around 2 1/2 hours. We took the boat ride. I have to say, never take the boat ride. It is uncomfortable and there is not much to see on the way there. You get so bored that 15 minutes in I had my ipod out which defeats the purpose of the ride, that is to connect with nature and forget tech.

   So anyways, we stayed at a resort called the Mutiara Resort. It is the only big resort there so if you are a picky city boy, thats the only place they got for you in the National Park. The rooms are decent and big. There is not enough lighting in the room, so may it be morning or afternoon, it still feels like it is the evening. It can make you a bit depressed, just a bit. If you go to that hotel, you can take a package which gives you a guided night walk, jungle track, canopy walk and a trip to a river to swim. We took that package.

  Around 8 pm on the first night, we went for our night walk. It was one of the best night walks I have ever been to. We saw snakes, spiders, scorpions and more. It was around 2km and at the end, we planned to go into a Hide.( a structure which you can go in and it faces an open piece of land in the forest in which you can see many different animals) The problem was, everyone wanted to go into the hide. In the end we went there around 11 pm. That was scary. The hide is in the middle of the forest and you are out there at 11. We saw dears and stuff which was good, but still, very scary.

  For meals, we stayed at the hotel because with the package, you get all your meals for free. There is not much selection but the food is really tasty. (buffet style meals) For breakfast, you would get your eggs, fried rice and pancakes. There would also be deserts and bread plus other things. During lunch and dinner, you mainly have local food. The only western food they have is the spaghetti which does not taste that great. I think just stick with the local food as it is tasty and filling. 

   Early on the second day we went for a guided jungle track. We were taken up a hill to 2 lookout points where you could see a lot of the National Park and also Gunung Tahan. The walk up there is tiring. It is around 4km up hill. The first 3km up is very easy and you get it done in less then 30 minutes, but it is the last 1km that really kills you. During this walk, you get to see all types of plants and insects. It is really beautiful and once you reach the top, you feel proud of yourself. 

   On your way down, you will pass by the canopy walk. If you want to go on it (and you should) be ready to wait at least 2 hours as the lines are very long. The way they know who is next is by taking your names like they do in Chilies. Since we had a guided tour, our name was put early on so once we got there we could go up straight away. Maybe you would also want to do that because the canopy walk is so nice you would not want to miss it. 

   In the evening of that day, we took a boat out to a river where we could swim. This boat ride was around 30 minutes. Do you remember how I said the boat ride to the Hotel was not that great, well this is not the same. The boat ride was simply magnificent. The river was beautiful and the trees would cover you from above even if you are in the middle of the river. There are even rapids. Once you get off the boat, you have to walk about 1.2km to your swimming area. The swimming area is located next to some huge rocks and you will have to be careful on your way down. For those who do not know how to swim, you better not because there are rapids near to the area you swim. If you get caught in it, well you better have 7 lives. In that one day, I managed to walk 11km. Man was I happy. 

On monday we got ready to go home. Nothing much really happened on that day. For those who are thinking of going to the National Park, this is what you could expect:

1. Beautiful sights

2. Hot water

3. Good food

4. Wildlife 

5. Fun

6. A big projector to watch football matches 

What you will not get:

1. Free internet

2. Cellular network

   One thing is for sure, we are blessed to have such a beautiful National Park, and it should be your duty to visit it but remember only take pictures, and leave only footprints. I mean it, if you take a rock or something and you see a ghost the next night, don't get angry at me.