Kepong Metropolitan Park / Taman Layang-Layang, Kepong / Taman Metropolitan Kepong

We had meant to leave right after breakfast and head to the Kepong Metropolitan Park.

We only managed to leave the house at 11am, thankfully, the weather was not too hot (cloudy).

Packed some water bottles, chips, mat and teepee for toddler, all chucked in her wagon.

Once we reached the park, we were able to secure a great parking spot within the parking compound.

Normally there would be vendors using the parking space to set up shop and the place would be congested.

You'll see a long line of vendors selling kites of various shapes, sizes and price too.

On the day we were there, only vendors selling food and drinks were available.

We walked approximately 2 minutes from our parking spot to reach this playground.

There are other playgrounds available too so it's just a matter of preference.

There weren't that many kids around so our toddler was able to freely play and  roam the area.

Our teepee and toddler's wagon ... ready for a picnic!

We set up our picnic spot right in front of the playground, just be mindful of ants, don't land yourself near an anthill and risk spending your picnic with ants crawling all over!

 It drizzled a bit so we managed to take cover in the teepee ... it subsided after a couple of minutes ... a good thing too since our toddler was adamant to get out of the teepee and rush to the playground!

It was also our lucky day as hubby came across this:

Bubbles, anyone?

A closer look at the equipment needed, there are tools for both adults and kids

https://www.facebook.com/BubblesMadness

-Giant Bubbles Madness-

Check them out on FB ... they're also available for hire if you need them at your kid's birthday party or any events ... super cool!

Hubby had been wanting to play with these giant bubbles for quite some time now so he was super happy to see these items on sale. 

As this place was windy where people would normally be flying kites, both hubby and toddler were playing with the giant bubbles.

Daddy doing the demonstration

Initially, they needed to move around at a certain angle to ensure that the bubbles were produced as per the picture above. 

Not long after, all they had to do was stand still and let the wind take care of it ... ;)

I was left with the task of snapping pictures so am super glad that the pics turned out well! 

I can tell you that it wasn't easy to take pics of our toddler playing with the bubbles initially as she couldn't really grasp the mechanics of using the tools. 

After much practice and guidance from Daddy, she was able to produce the ones below: 

Ummi is soooo proud of you, baby girl! <3

We spent close to four hours in the park and of course, all of us were tanned by then! :D

A great way to spend your time outdoors with your family. :)

GETTING HERE

The park is located just next to the MRR2 highway.

If you are from Petaling Jaya or Damansara, take the LDP (Lebuhraya Damansara Puchong) towards Kepong. 

You will pass by 1 Utama and Mutiara Damansara (on your left).

Drive towards the direction of Genting Highlands / Batu Caves where you will reach a toll plaza and pay RM1.60. Take the ramp towards MRR2.

Go straight all the way. 

Once you see the park on your right, make a U-turn as you exit the highway. 

You will pass by a petrol station and McDonalds on your left.

Look for the signboard "Taman Metropolitan" before turning left into the park. 

You will encounter a signboard "Kawasan Permainan Layang Layang" before the park. 

Areal view of the park courtesy of another blogger

PARKING

Parking is free.

The best times to visit the park would be in the mornings or if you must come in the afternoon, from 3.30pm onwards. 

Parking space inside the compound is limited if you go any time later and you'll find cars parked by the roadside. 

Do bear in mind that not only is it illegal but extremely dangerous since it is located right next to the highway and oncoming cars are driven at high speed.

ENTRANCE FEE

This is the best part ... it's FREE! :)

KL Street Art Festival 2013 @ 1Shamelin Shopping Mall, KL

I just realized that I had not uploaded pics from the 2013 KL Street Art Festival. 

Firstly, we were fooled ... literally. 

We were under the impression that artists would be drawing on the streets whilst the flea market was going on and the crowd could watch the artists draw / paint.

We soon realized that the flea market was indoors and the artwork were painted on shutters. 

The only activity on the street was skateboarding ... within the vicinity of the mall's main entrance! 

Secondly, the parking in 1Shamelin Mall is a hassle ... you'll need to drive ALL THE WAY UP as they had cordoned off parking spaces at the lower levels ... then you'll need to go ALL THE WAY DOWN to visit the flea market.

Not only that, despite the mall being somewhat new ... the parking bays look really run-down, as if it was not maintained properly and had poor lighting, let alone CCTVs.

We pushed this disappointment aside and spent time checking out the booths and artwork ... hoping to capture great shots to make up for the disappointment.

Here you go ...

The flea market: 

To find these artworks, it's like a maze ... think of long narrow halls with shutters on both sides ... you could literally run around without anyone noticing or play hide-and-seek with your toddler (exactly what we did ...) ... of course, one parent was with her the entire time.

More artwork:

Weekend Flea Market @ Publika, Solaris Dutamas

Hubby and I simply LOVE Publika @ Solaris Dutamas!

Firstly, super easy to reach Publika via the DUKE Highway. 

Super efficient and ample parking space with security guards making their rounds timely.

Spacious walkways in the mall to accommodate families, especially parents pushing strollers.

Fantastic vendors from both the retail and F&B industries.

Excellent activities planned for the crowd which caters to people from all walks of life.

The crowd? I don't know but for me, personally, the people whom you bump into at Publika are friendly or proper in terms of being courteous and polite to others. Well, maybe it's just me. 

We checked out the flea market they had one weekend. 

I really admire creative & artsy people, you know? 

They can come up with all sorts of cool things that I can only dream of!  

Good thing is, I'm married to one superbly creative & artsy man so if I need help in the creative department, I'll just outsource the task to him ... hahahahahaha ;)

I'm hoping that his creative & artsy streak would go to our 2-yo daughter. 

As for me? Hopeless! 

I always get a 'C' or 'D' in Arts Class back in school ... I produce useless and pathetic looking drawings / artwork which always ends up in the bin once the teacher had graded it!

Nope, no artwork hung on the wall or the fridge door ... It would end up being my "Wall of Shame" ... 

My toddler was excited to see these miniature alligators.

Sheep in a Jar

They look like they toppled the jar and are attempting an escape!

Hahahaha ... taking a bath with the ducks!

Publika also has their own team of creative people, based on the sculptures you could see in the mall:

We went into this 'Infinity' showroom ... with our toddler who got all excited seeing the lights!  

Cool eh?

There are actually MORE vendors which we did not manage to capture each and every one of them but hopefully, this would give you a rough idea on what to expect when you happen to visit the weekend flea market in Publika. :)

On another note, please be mindful of your toddlers / kids when they look at the items on display. 

During our visit recently, a 4-yo girl broke one of the items (believe it was made of glass), and the girl panicked as the mother was checking the girl's hands to see if she had injured herself whereas the father was busy picking up the pieces of the broken glass.

I remember seeing the face of the vendor ... full of disappointment ... I guess she could see that all her hard work had gone to waste, as how the broken glass pieces were ...