Alustil's Secret?

Went there last year looking for a sofa and ended up talking to the owner for like an hour. He sources most of the hardwood from Pahang, not imported stuff, which is why the grain looks different from what u see at the usual furniture malls. Also they do repairs on old pieces even if you didnt buy from them, my mum got her 20 year old teak chair re-caned there for rm180.

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alustil is on jalan sultan ismail right? near the asia jaya building. i walked past it for years thinking it was just another expat markup showroom. then i actually went in and the teak stuff is no joke. prices are high but if you compare to what you'd pay shipping something in from bali its actually not bad.

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The trick with that stretch of Jalan Sultan Ismail is that most of the good stuff is tucked on the upper floors, so people walk right past. I'd also check the row of shophouses along Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman if you like that style, a few of them carry similar solid teak pieces for less, though the finish isn't always as clean. If you're actually buying, go on a weekday morning when the owner's around, he'll sometimes knock a bit off for cash.

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the back area past the hornbill enclosure? i've heard keepers call it the quarantine row. new arrivals & sick birds go there first before they get moved into the main aviaries, so the "sad" look is often just stress from transport or treatment. some of those rare ones are on loan from perhilitan for rehab, they rotate out once they're healthy. if u go on a weekday morning you can sometimes catch a keeper near the gate, they'll usually tell u what's in there if u ask nicely

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tbh that hidden section is prob the old breeding block, not quarantine. they used to run captive breeding programs there for hornbills and some pheasant species back in the 2000s, and when funding dried up they just kind of left the structure standing. the birds u saw are likely the last few residents of that program, too imprinted to release so they stay put. if u want the real story ask for the head keeper at the main office, the front desk staff usually don't know much about it.

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oh that area near the back ponds right? i think those are confiscated birds from the wildlife dept, smuggled ones that got seized at klia. they keep em there quietly cos some are protected species and they dont wanna draw attention. not a retirement home, more like a holding spot.

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