The Vast Life

All That I Am

2016-04-07T21:44:00.001+08:00

I’m writing to inspire others and to remind myself of the reason behind the person that I’ve become.

Honestly speaking, there is nothing great about me. I’m full of fears, worries and flaws; in short, weak. But I have Jesus who directs my life into the right track.

In this blog, I would like to address Jesus as God. In this way, everyone can relate to their own God and benefit from what I have to say.

God gives us gifts to nurture. Every person has his own unique talents. They will lead us to places, if only we are conscious about them. These seeds are planted into us – to take care and nurture. Each seed is very fragile; therefore we need to take extra care of them. It must be watered just right, otherwise, they will die. What I want to say is: grab your God-given gifts, protect and use them to the uttermost. It would be such a waste to just throw them away.

In addition, people and relationships are another gift to cherish. We can never live alone. Everyone needs a friend and/or a family to share their gifts with.

Praise God on every trial that you are in. In the natural, we will give thanks to God when situations are going our way. However, we must give thanks to Him even more when we are undergoing challenges. Refrain from complain, if you need, complain to God! Ask His wisdom to help us make good decisions. Ask His strength when we are weak. Ask him to supply us, let him help us. Beware that the outcome is always pleasing, when God has a hand in it. This is the good news!

Know that God loves us and watches over us. We all go through tests and trials as we walk through the valleys and when we climb the mountain to the top. And when the valleys that we are in gets very dark, remember that God is our light and he will lead our way. And friends, when we reach the top, it is a guarantee that we are stronger and wiser. By then, do not forget who has been with us through our difficult times.

May we always see God in every aspects of our lives.

Day 7: Emerald Pool and Hot Spring + Ao Nang Beach

2015-04-25T23:11:00.004+08:00

This is the last day of our Krabi adventure. After exploring the wonderful beaches, it is now time to head to its magnificent mountains and hot springs. We booked this trip from one of the travel agents in Krabi Town. As the tour does not include lunch, we bought packed lunch from 7-11 before the trip. The van picked us up from our hotel around 10 am.

It took around one and a half hour to reach our first stop, the hot spring. As it is peak season, the place is full of tourists. Since the place is not big enough for large crowds, tour operators allocate only 45 minutes to stay in this place. This time includes changing your clothes so it is advisable to wear swimming attire underneath so as not to waste time. Going to the hot spring takes 15-minute walk. In there, you could see small river and short waterfalls.

Hot Stream

Walk further will lead to Klong Thom Thermal Waterfall. The water is warm and relaxing. The small waterfall is approximately 5 meters high and 10 meters wide by an underground thermal mineral water source which surfaces in a manner similar to hot springs and joins to form a stream due to the sloping terrain. Up on top there are several ponds resembling bathtubs which visitors can take a relaxing dip. The average temperature is 42 degrees Celsius which is believed to be beneficial to good health like a natural spa. The surroundings are covered by forests, shady and quite, suitable for relaxation. We first took pictures around the place and then took a dip for 20 minutes before going back to our van.

Klong Thom Thermal Waterfall

A visit to the Hot Springs would not be complete without a trip to the nearby ‘Crystal Pool’ in Khao Phra Bang Khram Nature Reserve. Also known as Emerald Pool. After everyone in our group has entered the van, we proceed to our next destination, this is an astonishingly-hued and large natural pool that is filled with pure spring water – although at ambient temperature. Swimming is possible here.

It took another 30 minutes to reach the place. Upon arrival we were given directions on how to reach the pool. As food is not allowed in the nature reserve, we have to leave it to our driver. This time two hours is given for us. The emerald pool is a bit far from the entrance of the nature reserve, roughly 1 kilometer away. Along the way, you will see forest and few animals. The place is also full of tourists and also a number of locals taking a swim. As the name implies, pool is colored green however we find the water is not very clean.

Emerald Pool

There is also a Blue pool, 800 meters ahead but we have enough of walking for the day so we just stayed and relaxed a bit. We were feeling hungry already so we decided to go back outside to where our van was parked and had our lunched.

Time now is 2 pm. As some of the people in our group is going back to Ao Nang beach, we requested the driver to drop us also to the beach instead of back to our hotel. Since this will be our last day, we spend it exploring Ao Nang. Ao Nang is one of the most popular beach here in Krabi, having said that, it has a lot of hotels, beach resorts, restaurants and shops. We took some photos of the beach and did some shopping.

Tip: Staying here would be more expensive than Krabi Town but it is way more lively.


Ao Nang Beach

At about 5 pm, we ride Songthaew to return back to Krabi Town, fare is 50 baht/ pax. Please note that it only runs until 9pm, after that time you will need to hire an expensive taxi to return to Krabi Town. We were dropped by near Vogue Mall and Wat Kaewkorawaram Buddhist Temple is across it.

Wat Kaewkorawaram Buddhist Temple

We then had dinner at the market. Believe it or not, 2 rice meals (choose 2 dish) + appetizer at only 80 baht! Cheap! Also, the market sells some food souvenirs to bring back home.

cheap and delicious food

This is the end of our Krabi + Phuket Trip. Just a reward for you, here is a map of Krabi we took at the airport, to help you plan for your Krabi trip.

Krabi Map

Till our next tour!

Day 6: James Bond Island

2015-04-25T20:52:00.002+08:00

If you have watched the movie entitled "The Man with the Golden Gun", you should be familiar with today's main attraction

The Man With The Golden Gun

Phang Nga Bay is an impressive body of water at over 400 km² and is renowned for its many dramatic limestone islands. A long-tail boat tour is the perfect way to explore Phang Nga Bay. These distinctive sheer rock formations jut vertically out of the emerald green water and at low tide hidden lagoons can be found through exposed cave tunnels entered by sea canoes.

Phang Nga Bay

Our first stop for this tour is Khao Phingkan and Ko Tapu which are near each other. Khao Phingkan means (two) hills leaning against each other. In fact, the two islets (hills) forming Khao Phingkan are connected by a tiny beach. But one of them is split in two, with one leaning against the other.

Entrance to James Bond Island

Leaning against Khao Phingkan

Standing alone in the sea some 200 metres from Khao Phingkan is the tiny Ko Tapu, or Nail Islet. Looking like a spike driven into the sea, it is perhaps the most photographed object in the whole marine park. It has become a symbol of the park, especially since the Hollywood production -The Man with the Golden Gun, starring James Bond, was partly shot here.

Ko Tapu

The water was so incredibly clear and green in color. The surface of the water was so still, only disturbed by the ripples and small wake our paddlers created. It was so serene just slowly moving between, under, and around the cliffs. You have to be sure to take your camera during this part of the trip because there are many beautiful sights to capture and enjoy later. Don’t forget to bring your waterproof bag with you and keep it handy just in case. - See more at: http://www.thevacationwanderer.com/2012/11/05/travel-to-james-bond-island/#sthash.P2zaUeMv.dpuf

After then we went for a tour around the mangroves and caves with the long-tail boat, while others were sea canoeing. Tham Lot is a limestone grotto sculptured by weather and the sea water. The cave is large enough to allow two or three boats going through side by side. There are also stalactites hanging down from the roof, but not as beautiful as those found in a mountain cave, probably because their formation has been constantly interfered by forces of nature.

Mangrove and Cave

And while waiting for the sea canoes group, we have ample time to relax and have some refreshments on the boat.

Relax Mode = ON

A Phang Nga Bay tour may take you to Ko Panyi, a village built on stilts. The mosque and the graveyard are the only places which are built on ground. It's a tourist trap during the day as many tours also stop here. Some tours will give you the option of staying overnight, which is preferable to really experience the village as the village returns to normal in the evening. We had our lunch here.


Ko Panyi

After refilling our tanks, our next stop is Suwankuha Temple or Monkey Cave. It has a big reclining buddha inside the cave and a lot of monkey outside the temple. Here are some photos.

Monkey Cave

And last, but not the least, we were brought to a place to refresh ourselves as a treat. We visited Ton Tai Waterfall. The water is cold, perfect for a very warm and sweaty day! You may have your free fish spa in here :)

Ton Tai Waterfall

This ends our James Bond Tour. Tomorrow I shall be with you again for our last day of tour.

Day 5: "4 Islands" Tour by Long-Tail

2015-04-25T19:30:00.003+08:00

Today's activity will be island hopping in Krabi. This package is way cheaper and the island hopping experience outweighs yesterday's trip.

"4 ISLANDS" is a popular day trip from Ao Nang, taking in the group of islands closest to the coast – the ones that can be seen on the horizon from the beach. The four islands are Chicken Island, Poda Island, Tup Island and Mor Island. The tour will also pass by Phra Nang Cave Beach on the Railay peninsula. This beach, inaccessible by road, is considered to be one of the most beautiful strips of sand in the world.

We signed up for Barracudas Tour for our 4 islands tour by long tail boat. We got it for 400 baht/ pax which is 200 baht less the original price.

A wooden truck came to pick us up from our hotel at Krabi town around 8AM along with our group. We reached Ao Nang at about 45 mins and waited for the long tail boat.

The Wooden Truck

About 30 minutes or less, the long tail boat arrived. And we started our island hopping tour.

The Long-Tail Boat

Our first stop was the dazzling Phra Nang Cave Beach surrounded with impressive cliffs. On one side of the beach was the beautiful limestone cave formation which is famous for rock climbing and the sacred place which is worshiped. Being one of the most visited places of Krabi , it was over crowded with tourists and boats anchored on the shores. Other tourists with us on the long tail boat jumped into the water with snorkeling gear the moment the boat parked while we capture the beautiful scenery in our camera. FYI: They sell expensive snacks in this beach.

Phra Nang Cave Beach

Next stop before lunch is Chicken Island. The name is due to the strange formation of rock in the shape of Chicken (head and neck). Though we were not allowed to visit the island but our boat did stop for snorkeling near the island. There are a lot of fish that will surround you if you throw some bread.

Chicken Island

Our third stop was a small yet beautiful island named Tup island.The below pictures says thousand words. Near Tup Island lies the Mor Island connected with a sandy bar which makes it accessible to walk from one island to other during low tide. Less crowded and one of the smallest island we have ever visited but undoubtedly smashing.

Tup Island and Mor Island

And our last stop is Poda Island, where we had enough time relaxing on the shores after having lunch. The cliffs which have mushroomed all around the islands were impressive forming a striking picture and shallow sea perfect for snorkeling. We were in awe of the scenic beauty all around. We just enjoyed the moment because camera's battery died before our trip ended.

Poda Island

The tour ends around 3pm, and you can opt to be transferred to Krabi town for free or spend some time to explore Ao Nang Beach. There are a lot of shops in Ao Nang compared to Krabi Town.

Day 4: Phi Phi Island + Krabi Night Market

2015-04-25T19:22:00.002+08:00

We had a great time in Phuket but it is now time to go to our main destination for this trip, Krabi. This time around we will be taking a ferry ride from Phuket to Krabi. Along the way, we will make a short day trip to the majestic Phi Phi Islands.

Phi Phi Islands is roughly 1 hour ferry boat ride from both Phuket and Krabi. It comprises of two islands, Phi Phi Leh which is more secluded and free of human inhabitants and the other one is Phi Phi Don, the larger of the two. The islands feature magnificent limestone cliffs abounding with vegetation, a look-out point, and clear waters good for snorkeling. Not to miss in this side trip is Maya Bay. This was made more popular after the movie "The Beach" starring Leonardo Di Caprio was shot there. It is a amazing bay that's sheltered by 100-metre high cliffs on three sides. Within it are a number of small beaches, some only appears during low tide. The main beach is around 200 metres long with silky soft white sand, underwater colourful coral and exotic fishes.

"The Beach" poster

We bought the tickets to the ferry ride before our trip from AsiaWebDirect.com . A van picked us up from our hotel around 8 AM and took us to the pier. After getting our tickets from the tour guide, we proceed to our ferry. The ferry we rode was quite spacious. It could hold probably around more than 100 passengers. Upon entering we were offered biscuits and coffee as refreshments. There are also toilets inside if you need to relieve yourself. For this trip, our itinerary does not include setting foot on the beaches in Maya Bay. However, we were given around 15 minutes to take pictures from our ferry. Here is a panorama that we took.

Upon arrival in Phi Phi Don, we were asked to transfer to a smaller boat for our snorkeling activities.

Included in the tour package is the free use of snorkel gears but you better be careful as damage or lost will require you to pay 1000 Baht as penalty. After a short 20-minute boat ride, we reached our destination. Weather was good for snorkeling and after applying our sun screens we jump off our boat to see fishes and corals. Personally, I am not really impressed with the variety of fishes in the area, I have seen more colorful fishes in snorkeling activities I have done in the past. Our tour operator gave us 1 hour to swim around.

Snorkel at Phi Phi Island

After that we went back to Phi Phi Don for our lunch.

Phi Phi Don

It's 12 PM and time for lunch. Lunch is served in Hotel Phi Phi. They serve a variety of dishes with rice and pasta.

Lunch at Hotel Phi Phi

After lunch is free time to wander around the place. Here are some pictures of the town.

At Phi Phi Don

At 3 PM, it is time to take the ferry back to Krabi. It was another 1 hour trip to reach our destination. Upon arrival, outside the ferry terminal a guy offered to take us back to Krabi Town for 150 Baht. After a quick shower, we then went to visit the night market.

During Weekends including Friday night, Krabi Town comes alive with its 'Walking Street' market. People from Ao Nang and other places in Krabi visit the town. This is located in Maharat Soi 8, which is quite easy to find, it is just near the Vogue Department store. If you are not sure of the direction, you may ask your friendly hotel staff. It features local products, local food, cultural entertainment, activities for children and other programs. During our trip, it was Chinese New Year so we are treated to a Dragon Dance performance by the locals. You will also get to buy local souvenirs, taste local delicacies and buy shirts, shoes, bags and many more.


walking street

Day 3: Patong City tour

2015-04-22T10:28:00.000+08:00

We spent 2 nights in Patong, phuket. The plan for the second day is to just explore the vicinity as our hotel is at an excellent vicinity.

We stayed at Presley Guesthouse. The hotel is full of Elvis' - "The King of Rock and Roll" memorabilia, thus the hotel's name.

Presley Guesthouse

From here, the bustling Bangla road nightlife is 10 mins walk away, it is close but far enough away to avoid the noise. Most people are concerned that this town is a huge party town and you won’t get any sleep! It is true if your hotel is too close to bangla road and you will surely hear the loud sounds. It is a debaucherous party town by night with mostly lady-boy performances.

During day time, Phuket is a lovely, relaxing town. From bangla road, walk for about 5 minutes more, you will reach Patong beach. We walked to the beach very early that day to catch the sunrise unfortunately the sun didn't show up because it was drizzling. However, it is perfect for swimming! But on late mornings the weather was suddenly hot and we noticed tourists started to flock in. Most were sunbathing, while others were enjoying their massage. Parasailing, jet-skiing, wakeboarding, kayaking and banana boating are some of the watersport activities that may interest you. There are keen operators on the beach waiting to do business with you.

Patong Beach

After idling yourself along the beach, you can also check out for shops along the area.

Next stop is Jungceylon Shopping Mall. Just to clarify, I am NOT a mall person. I would never travel trans-Pacifically to spend my time in a mall. Every tourist town has a mall, but Jungceylon is an especially welcome respite from the humidity in Patong. Jungceylon is the largest shopping mall in Phuket. During our very short stay in Phuket we passed this mall a few times as it is just a 10 minutes walk from where we stayed. Jungceylon was a name used by Europeans for Phuket back in 1511 when it was a prosperous port and tin mining town & it probably has nothing to do with Sri Langka aka Ceylon.

Jungceylon Mall

Besides shopping, there are a lot other activities to do here. The mall is divided into four zones. "That's Siam" in the zone called Silang Boulevard sells all types of Thai arts and crafts and I like the ambience of this section most. It is on the basement floor and that's where you also find the massage parlors.

The open air section called "The Port" is a favorite hangout for visitors. There is a man-made lake with a replica of a Chinese Junk Boat and visitors are seen clicking away their cameras here. The musical fountain comes on at specific hours.

The Port

The 3rd zone is called "Phuket Square" and the two anchor tenants are located here. One of them is the Big C Supermarket and the other anchor tenant is Robinson.

The 4th zone is called "Sino Phuket" and it is made to look like a street. This may be called the food street as there are many restaurants and pubs lined along it. We ate at Cafe 101 Bar & Restaurant that day, we were very full after we ate the lasagna and steak. It was the best lasagna I have tasted in my whole life. But seems their pizza is the best seller.

Cafe 101

There is Shell World Museum & Shop is this street but you need to pay for some fee to enter. This place is a must-see for sea shell collectors.

At the junction of Jungceylon Mall to Presley Guesthouse, you will definitely not miss the Bangla Boxing Stadium. This stadium organizes kickboxing championship and attracts competitors from all over the world. We don't have an interior look at it because we can't tolerate violence and also tickets are expensive. You can easily spot this building because you will see Tiger statues all over.

Bangla Boxing Stadium

Opposite to the stadium is Banzaan Fresh Market. The building consists of 3 floors. The ground floor is where you find fresh market produce. On the 1st floor are some apparel stalls and a food court. The basement floor is the parking floor. On the outer part of the building are small shops selling a variety of goods. Cooked food and desserts are also sold in the market. Many people would just buy from this market and take them home to eat, and this is also what we did.

Banzaan Market

This ends our Phuket stay. Tomorrow, we will be going back to Krabi via Phi Phi Island.

Day 1: Hello Krabi!

2015-04-22T10:21:00.001+08:00

Now begins our adventure to peaceful and majestic Krabi. Krabi is a province on the southern part of Thailand. It is quite accessible with lots of flight from Bangkok and other major cities around the world. Compared to other famous beaches in Thailand, it is more family-friendly and far-less commercialized. There are lots of activities people can do whether you are an adventure lover or just there to relax in the beaches. Attractions include island hopping, hot spring, night market shopping, temples and many more.

We arrived at Krabi Airport around 3 pm. There are actually several options for transportation going to Krabi Town or Aonang beach. For this trip we rode a shuttle bus. Just after clearing immigration is a ticketing booth that offers trip to Krabi Town for 90 Baht per person. We hurriedly bought our tickets as the van was about to leave.

Shuttle bus to Krabi Town or Aonang

The van stopped at its office in Krabi Town. We have to walk for 20 minutes to our hotel. After a short rest, we had a look around the place and took few pictures.

Here is a picture of the famous Krabi town sculptor just nearby the river.

The Krabi Sculpture

At the background is Khao Khanap Nam. Serving as a landmark of Krabi province, it comprises two hills of 100 metre high one on each side of the Krabi River. It is accessible in 15 minutes by a long-tail boat from Chao Fa pier in the town. There are stairs leading up to the caves which contain stalactites and stalagmites.

Khao Khanap Nam

Also along the river is a sculpture of the White-breasted sea eagle called Nok Awk. It signifies comprehensive knowledge, self-sufficicency responsibility and consideration for others. It is marked with a large KM 0, the point from where all the provinces distance measurements are made. The eagle is displayed with its wings unfolded looking ready to leap into the air. There is a plaque on the plinth. The inscription describes the biology of these birds and states that there are a breeding pair of these eagles in the province. The statue was commissioned by the town government.

Nok Awk

We then had a quick dinner and proceed to visit some food stalls that sells desserts.

We needed to rest early as tomorrow is our Phuket trip by land.

Day 2: From Krabi to Phuket + Phuket Fantasea

2015-04-22T10:15:00.000+08:00

We had booked our minivan trip to Phuket in advance. A van picked us up around 11 AM in our hotel and took us to their terminal where we met with other passengers going to Phuket. There was delay in our departure time as we were only able to leave at about 12:30 pm. The terminal was hot and chaotic. There were irritated passengers who were waiting for too long. Operators were having some issues and shouting amongst each other.

Van Terminal

It was a 4 hour drive going to Phuket. Along the way we passed by forest, mountains and plantation fields. We noticed quite a large number of vans also going to Phuket as it is known as one of the most popular beach destination in Asia

Phuket is Thailand's largest island and visitors would have to decide where to stay among its several stunning beaches. The most popular ones are Patong beach, Karon beach, Kata beach and Kamala beach to name a few. Nearby these beaches are shops, restaurants, convenience store and hotels. A lot of locals offer different activities like parasailing, jet skis and surfing. You could also opt for a relaxing massage along the shoreline.

Upon arriving at Phuket, we thought that the driver would drop us at our hotel. However, he just stopped somewhere in the central part of the city and gave us direction to reach our hotel. Good thing we brought along a map with us and we are able to figure out its location. We took a quick shower and then at about 5 PM, a van arrived to take us to the Phuket Fantasea show. We had also pre-booked this discounted show via AsiaWebDirect.com prior to coming here. I advise that you pick the package with hotel transfers as it seems to be hard to find taxi after watching the show.

Phuket FantaSea is one of Phuket's must visit attraction. Phuket Fantasea is the biggest, most overtly touristy attraction in Phuket. I probably don't need to explain what it is - a huge theme park with a huge stage show, a huge buffet restaurant and plenty of shops to tempt people into spending more than just the entry fee. Phuket Fantasea opened in 1998 and is certainly one of Phuket's main tourist attractions..

At the entrance

About the show:

With hundred of cast members, including trapeze artists, it combines an exotic storyline and local tradition in a fantastic set piece. What makes it very special is the performance of trained elephants and other animals doing wonderful stunts and choreography. Show starts at 9 PM, so before that we spent our free time to have a buffet dinner, visit the white tiger attraction and play arcade games in their amusement center. Unfortunately, picture taking is not allowed during the performance. This is an overview from their website.

Instead, what we have are photos of the activities we had prior to the show.

About the Park:

The Phuket Fantasea park covers an amazing surface and appears even bigger once inside. The theme is a mix of Thai myths and legends and fancy variations of fun fair and traditional temples. It's impressive and your kids will love it... furthermore, all the classic fun fair games set in a fluorescent environment will give you the bragging rights of winning some stuffed animals. There are in fact only few games, but definitely a lot of tourist shops selling kids stuff or traditional artifacts, and not everything is made in Thailand but it's fun browsing while waiting for the show.

Shops and Games

Passed the bright and utterly colorful buildings, you should come to the end which is Palace of the Elephants. This building is where the show is held. Our show starts at 9pm so we decided to have our dinner first.

Palace of the Elephants

Just opposite Palace of the Elephant is Golden Kinnaree. The building is like a temple where people can have their buffet dinner before the show starts.

Golden Kinnaree Buffet Restaurant

Not to forget, you should also drop by Tiger Jungle Adventure. It takes visitors to a journey through a theatrical environment of 12 exotic and mythical scenes inspired by timeless legends and ancient folklore, starring many mythical animals and cutting-edge special audio and visual effects. For details of the different scenes and zones. Visit their fact sheet.

Tiger Jungle Adventure

Included in our tickets is the shuttle bus service to take us back to our hotel.

Phuket fantasea colorful shuttle bus

That's a wrap for our first day in Phuket.

Halong Bay

2014-10-22T11:05:00.001+08:00

Coming from the mountains of Sapa, the next stop of our adventure is a totally different place. We will now proceed to the majestic Ha Long Bay.

Halong Port

Our tour operator picked us up from our hotel around 8 AM. After picking up other tourist that will join our trip, we proceed to Ha Long Harbour. It took almost 3 1/2 hours to reach our destination which included a short 15-minute stop over for wash room break. We then rode a small boat to transfer to Lemon Cruise Ship.

Lemon Cruise

Upon arrival, the tour guide briefed us on the itinerary before we checked-in to our rooms.

Lunch was served around 2 PM as the boat started its journey to Ha Long Bay. Fresh seafood was served with vegetables and rice.

Ha Long Bay, in the Gulf of Tonkin, includes some 1,600 islands and islets, forming a spectacular seascape of limestone pillars. Within Quang Ninh Province, in the northeast of Vietnam, it is 165 km from the capital of Ha Noi.

Halong Bay

Halong translates as ‘where the dragon descends into the sea’, and legend claims the islands of Halong Bay were created by a great dragon from the mountains. As it charged towards the coast, its flailing tail gouged out valleys and crevasses. When it finally plunged into the sea, the area filled with water, leaving only the pinnacles visible.

Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994, a trip to Hanoi should never be without a visit to this place. The island's exceptional scenic beauty is complemented by its great biological interest. The mystical landscape of limestone islets is often compared to Guilin in China or Krabi in southern Thailand but in reality, Ha Long Bay is more spectacular.

Sung Sot Cave

Our first activity is visiting the Sung Sot Cave,which translates to "Surprising Cave" in English. During the walk, our tour guide shared different animal figures that can be seen around the caves. The cave was very big and well lighted, so pictures look great.

Light at the end of the cave

At the end of the walk we get to see top view of nearby islands.

TitoV Island

View after climbing 420 steps

Next we proceed to TitoV Island with white sand beach where people can go swimming. We also went for a short trek up the hill (around 420 steps) to get some more pictures of the islands. Warning: You need to be physically fit to go up the steps. Another warning is to be careful with monkeys around the area because they steal food and they may bite!

Our activities for the day isn't over! Up next we went for kayaking in nearby area as the sun is setting. It took a little bit of practice before we can move around with ease in our kayaks.

Cooking class

As it was getting darker, we went back to return the kayaks to the crew. After a short rest, we then had Spring Roll making lesson from crew members. They then cooked the finished products for our dinner.

Squid Fishing

After dinner, we tried squid fishing but sadly didn't get any catch. Other people went for videoke but since we are tired from our previous day's trip, we decided to rest early.

Breakfast

The following day we woke up early to get a picture of sunrise. We then had a simple breakfast of eggs, jam, butter, bread and fruit.

Pearl farm

We then went for a tour at the Ha Long Bay Pearl Farm where they showed us how pearls are being made. We get to see several types of pearls that they are selling.

Relaxing at Cruise deck

We then proceed to check-out of our rooms while we wait for lunch to be served. We had lunch while on a slow cruise back to Ha Long Harbour. Upon arriving, we then took the small boat to bring us to the harbour where the mini van is waiting to take us back to Hanoi.

Sapa tour

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After touring the busy streets of Hanoi, the next destination for our Vietnam adventure is a trip to peaceful Sapa. We availed of our hotel tour package (USD 75) which includes everything (food, transportation and accommodation).

Our hotel arranged a shuttle bus to pick us up in going to the bus station. We arrived at around 7:30 pm and after awhile we started to board the bus. It is our first time to try a sleeper bus where the seats are reclined.

Sleeper bus with wifi

Sapa lies in a beautiful valley near the Chinese border. It is the north's main drawcard for tourists looking for magnificent scenery and a diverse mix of ethnic cultures in the countryside inhabited by various hill tribes. It was autumn when we were here.

It was raining on our way to Sapa and we didn't get much sleep on the bus because of the motion. We arrived at Sapa around 6 AM and a taxi picked us up from the Sapa bus station together with 3 other people. Upon arriving at the Grand View Sapa hotel, we were told that check-in time is at 2 PM so we were not able to shower. We had some rest and breakfast at hotel before starting the tour. A warm soup is really delicious on a cold and rainy day.

Grand View Sapa Hotel Lobby & Restaurant

Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup and Sapa Honey Pancake

The first day of our Sapa adventure is a visit to Bac Ha Market. It takes around 3 hours from Sapa to the Bac Ha Market. This market is open only during Sundays where different people (Flower H'mong (Red H'mong), Black Dao, Tay, Nung, La Chi, Phu La and other minority groups) from Northern part of Vietnam come here to buy and sell stuff that they need for the week. There are a lot of colorful ethnic clothes, bags, jewelries that you can buy. People are also selling livestock, vegetables, meats and fruits. You can also try different Vietnamese street foods.

Bac Ha Market

We had our lunch at a restaurant nearby that was prepared by our tour guide. From there we were driven to Ban Pho village where we took a short walk around the village where Flower H'mong, Tay and Nung minorities live. We get to see how they cook their food, the places where they sleep and typical village life.

Ban Pho Village

Then we went to visit the Lao Cai Border Gate and Den Mau Temple. Lao Cai border gate is only 1 km far from the railway station. Here you'll see China (Yunnan Province) clearly, take pictures, have some drinks right at the Thuy Hoa park next to Red river.

Lao Cai Border Gate

Den Mau Temple

After the tour, it is now back to our hotel. Evening is free time to visit nearby shops. Dinner at hotel with tour group.

The itinerary for 2nd day is trekking to different villages nearby Sapa. We woke up early to try to catch the sunrise but it was foggy. We stayed at the topmost floor and we have a great view of fansipan when in the rooftop terrace.

At Rooftop terrace

Banana-chocolate Pancake and Vietnamese Pork noodle soup

Around 9 am, our tour guide fetched us from the hotel. She is a member of Black H'mong tribe which is one of the largest ethnic group in the region. They make up one third of the district's population. H'mong women are commercially minded, selling their embroidered bags, hats and jewellery to tourist. She and her tribe accompanied the tour group to their village - Lao Cai village. From here we passed by a stretched of buildings/stores with European feel, then we enjoyed the stunning views of rice terraces and had lunch with the ethnic minorities when we reached their village.

Trek to Lao Cai Village

After lunch, we toured around the village and our guide explained to us how they make their clothings and shared us some stories while heading to Ta Van Village.

When in Ta Van Village, we visited the home stay accommodation before going home. To our surprise, it is not a place where you sleep on the floor / dirt and eat with your hands. It is actually a decent place to stay with proper mattresses, electricity and even wi-fi. We tried their so called "Happy Water", this is what they call their alcohol because it makes them happy after drinking it.

Drinking "happy Water" at homestay

The bus picked us up from the village and sent us to the hotel.

Please check out the video of our trek.

We came back to the hotel around 3 PM. Now it is time for downtown Sapa self-exploration. We get to see a lot of shops selling trekking gears, Winter wear and shoes. They are very cheap but we aren't sure of its authenticity. Walking around we see churches, some statues and a big lake. We then headed back to our hotel for dinner.

Sapa Market

Church

After dinner, a taxi took us to the bus station for our trip back to Hanoi.

7 Days Northern Vietnam Tour

2014-10-18T19:55:00.002+08:00

Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. Hanoi served as the capital of French Indochina from 1902 to 1954. From 1954 to 1976, it was the capital of North Vietnam, and it became the capital of a reunified Vietnam in 1976, after the North's victory in the Vietnam War.

We were not exactly sure what to expect of Hanoi until we visited the city, we found it was a quaint, chaotic and full of life city with such an enthralling street. Although Hanoi doesn’t have the nightlife of Bangkok, or the trend culture of Tokyo, it has a distinct flavour and energy of it’s own, it has the atmospheric charm of French colony. The cluttered streets of the Old Quarter are filled with swarms of motorbikes and on every corner there’s boiling pots of street food and vendors selling Vietnamese drip coffee. Lots to see, lots to do, and lots to eat.

Itinerary

- no title specified

Date	Time	Place

Oct 3 (Fri) - Day 1	1:00 PM	Arrive at Noi Bai Intl Airport
	1:30 PM	Waiting for minibus to depart
	2:30 PM	Checkin at Hanoi City Hostel
	3:00 PM - 4:00 PM	Lunch near hotel
	4:00 PM - 6:00 PM	Hanoi City Tour: Old Quarter Don Xuan Market Hoan Kiem Lake Ngoc Son Temple
	6:00 PM	Dinner
	6:30 PM	Water Puppetry Theater
	7:30 PM - 9:00 PM	Night Market
	9:00 PM	Home Sweet Home

Oct 4 (Sat) - Day 2	6:30 AM	Breakfast and Checkout, leave things at hotel
	7:15 AM	Taxi to Ho Chi Minh Museum
	7:20 AM - 2:30 PM	Hanoi City Tour 2: Ho Chi Minh Museum Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Ho Chi Minh house Presidential Palace Flag Tower of Hanoi Vietnam Military History Museum Lenin Statue & Park Temple of Literature Hoa Lo Prison St Joseph Cathedral Turtle tower Trang Tien Plaza
	3:30 PM - 4:00 PM	Rest at Hotel
	5:00 PM	Early Dinner then back to hotel
	7:30 PM	Hotel Pickup to Sapa Bus Terminal
	8:00 PM	Bus Departs for Sapa

Oct 5 (Sun) - Day 3	5:00AM	Pickup from Sapa Bus Terminal
	6:00 AM	Checkin at Grand View Sapa Hotel
	7:00 AM	Breakfast
	7:30 AM - 8:30 AM	Drive to Lao Cai bus terminal to pickup other passengers
	8:30 AM - 10:00 AM	Proceed to Bac Ha Market which is only open on sundays.
	10:30 AM - 12:30 PM	Bac Ha Market tour (On our own)
	12:30 PM - 1:30 PM	Lunch
	1:30 PM - 2:00 PM	Tour at Hmong houses
	2:00 PM - 4:00 PM	Drive to Lao Cai Chinese Border and take photos
	4:00 PM - 4:30 PM	Drive to Lao Cai Bus Terminal to drop other passengers going to Hanoi
	4:30 PM - 6:00 PM	Back to hotel
	7:00 PM	Dinner

Oct 6 (Mon) - Day 4	7:00 AM	Breakfast
	9:00 AM - 11:30 AM	Trek with Black Hmong to Lao Cai Village
	11:30 AM - 12:30 PM	Lunch with villagers
	12:30 PM - 1:30 PM	Tour around Lao Cai Village
	1:30 PM - 2:00 PM	Ta Van Village
	2:00 PM - 3:30 PM	Van to hotel
	4:00 PM - 5:30 PM	Sapa City Tour (on our own)
	6:30 PM	Dinner
	7:00 PM	At Lao Cai Bus terminal to Hanoi

Oct 7 (Tues) - Day 5	4:00 AM	Arrive Hanoi
	8:30 AM	Hotel Pickup
	12:30 PM	Arrive Halong Port and transfer to Lemon Cruise
	1:00 PM	Check-in and lunch
	2:00 PM - 6:00 PM	Suprising Cave, Beach Swimming, Kayak
	7:00 PM onwards	Spring Roll Making, Dinner, Squid Fishing, Karaoke

Oct 8 (Wed) - Day 6	7:30 AM	Breakfast, cruising to Pearl Farm
	9:00 AM	Pearl Farm
	11:00 AM	Checkout and lunch
	12:30 PM	Back at Halong Port
	5:00 PM	Back to Hanoi City Hostel
	6:00 PM	Dinner at 69 Café
	7:00 PM Onwards	Souvenir Shopping

Oct 9 (Thurs) - Day 7	8:00 AM	Walk to Airport Shuttle Terminal
	10:00 AM	Arrive at Airport
	11:00 AM	Checkin to fly back to Singapore

Transport

Airport minibus - cost 5 USD per head from airport to your hotel in Hanoi city

Vietnam airline minibus - costs 2 USD per head from airport to Vietnam Airline minibus terminal in hanoi city, you may need to walk from here to find your hotel

Stay

Few months before our travel date, we search thru Agoda for hotels in Hanoi and contacted them via email to inquire about tour packages.

Among them we found Hanoi City Hostel offers the best travel package and excellent service. We stayed here for our first and last night, the rooms were great and most of all the service is excellent no wonder it tops 2014 Trip Advisor list. They helped us arranged for tours to Sapa and Halong Bay and we frequently seek their advise on going around the city. A room costs from 14 to 18 USD.

See

Old Quarter

Old Quarter – If you only do one thing while in Hanoi, take your time to wander the busy, hectic and utterly charming old quarter. The maze of streets are filled with tiny shops, each street dedicated to a single type of merchant, it’s utterly riveting walking around all day and felt relatively safe to do on your own (although, as usual, keep your wits about you and be careful of vehicles).

Don Xuan Market

Don Xuan Market - is a market in the center district Hoan Kiem of Hanoi, Vietnam. Originally built by the French administration in 1889, it has been renovated several times with the latest in 1994 after a fire which almost destroyed the market. Nowadays, it is the largest covered market of Hanoi where the wholesale traders sell everything from clothes, household goods to foodstuffs. If you like markets and haven’t been to any others in Vietnam yet, definitely go. But for souvenir shopping, there are better places elsewhere.

Overview of Hoan Kiem Lake

Hoan Kiem Lake – (Vietnamese: Hồ Hoàn Kiếm, meaning "Lake of the Returned Sword" or "Lake of the Restored Sword", also known as Hồ Gươm - Sword Lake) is a lake in the historical center of Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam. The lake is one of the major scenic spots in the city and serves as a focal point for its public life.

Ngoc San Temple

Welcoming Morning Sunlight Bridge

Ngoc Son Temple - or The Temple of the Jade Mountain, is located on Hoan Kiem Lake in central Hanoi, Vietnam. From the shore, the Welcoming Morning Sunlight Bridge (Cầu Thê Húc) leads to the island. Buildings of the temple include the Pen Tower (Thap But), the ink-slab (Dai Nghien), the Moon Contemplation Pavilion (Dac Nguyet) and the Pavilion against Waves (Đình Trấn Ba), all of which have symbolic meaning.

The temple is a popular spot for visitors to Hoan Kiem Lake.

Turtle Tower (Tháp Rùa) - also called Tortoise Tower is a small tower in the middle of Sword Lake, Hanoi, Vietnam

Water Puppet Show

Thang Long Water Puppetry Theater - water puppetry art is a special traditional art of Vietnam which is performed by artist of this theater in 57b Dinh Tien Hoang. The puppets are made out of wood and then lacquered. The shows are performed in a waist-deep pool. A large rod supports the puppet under the water and is used by the puppeteers, who are normally hidden behind a screen, to control them. Thus the puppets appear to be moving over the water. When the rice fields would flood, the villagers would entertain each other using this form of puppet play. Ticket priced at 60000 VND

Night Market

Night Market - Since it was a Friday, there was a large night market right on the street in the quarter. It is setup on the very street vehicles passed through on busy days. For the night market, this street was blocked off to motor traffic (a very good idea), and the market flowed for several blocks up to the Dong Xuan market building. The market was mainly made up of vendors selling under a line of tents pitched in the center of the street. On both sides, vendors were also there and stores were selling their stuff, making for a very lively scene.

Ho Chi Minh Museum

Ho Chi Minh Museum - It is a museum dedicated to the late Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh and Vietnam's revolutionary struggle against foreign powers. It was constructed in the 1990s. The museum is often regarded by some as a propaganda tool of the Vietnamese Communist regime, used to whitewash both the Communist Party and Ho Chi Minh's legacy and historical image. It is conveniently located in the Ho Chi Minh complex. It can be combined in your day trip to visit Ho Chi Minh mausoleum, One-pillar Pagoda, Ba Dinh square and the War Memorial. Admission is 25000 VND.

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum - The building is dedicated to house Ho Chi Minh’s preserved body and a place where visitors can express their admiration and gratitude towards the national hero. It is closed on fridays and mondays.

Ho Chi Minh's Vestige in the Presidential Palace Area

Ho Chi Minh House

Ho Chi Minh house - For most of his tenure as President of North Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh lived in a modest stilt house behind the grandiose Presidential Palace in Hanoi. It sits along a tiny lake in the wooded park. He lived and worked here in incredible simplicity from 1958 to 1969. Built of tek, the little house is an architectural gem, and many of his personal things remain on display. Admission fee is 25000 VND

Presidential Palace- is a three-storey structure located on the north of Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. Presidential Palace stands as a memento of French contribution to the architectural splendor in Indochina. This mustard-yellow palace was built from 1900 to 1906 to function as the living and operational bases of the governors-general of Indo-China. Located on Hung Vuong Street and Hoang Van Thu Street, the designs of this palace were conceived by Auguste Henri Vildieu, the French architect officially appointed for Vietnam.

Flag Tower of Hanoi (Cột cờ Hà Nội) - is a tower in Hanoi, which is one of the symbols of the city and part of the Hanoi Citadel, a World Heritage Site. Its height is 33.4 m (41 m with the flag).This place was built between 1805 and 1812 under King Gia Long and is over 2 centuries old. It resembles an old stone fortress and has steps leading to the top where one can get a good view of the city. There are old cannon sitting at the base of the place at grand level.

Vietnam Military History Museum

Vietnam Military History Museum - This repository of Vietnam's military history includes rooms full of war propganda, photographs and documents from wars against China, France, and the United States. The grounds feature several captured aircraft as well as a central structure build from the wreckage of French and American planes. Visitors may climb the flag tower, with great views from the top. Admission is 40000 VND

Lenin Statue (Behind)

Lenin Statue & Park - located at Dien Bien Phu St, across from the Army Museum. One can always feel the diversity and liveliness of Hanoi there.

Temple of Literature

Temple of Literature -was founded in 1070 and established as the country's first university six years later. The courtyard features numerous stone tablets, each mounted on the back of a tortoise, with the names of graduates over the centuries. On the bottom right of the photo is Jon's photo bombing graduates photo session. Admission is 20000 VND

Hoa Lo Prison

Hoa Lo Prison - First built by French Colonialists to house political dissidents and then used during the Vietnam war to hold captured American POW’s, this prison has a chequered past. A museum has been built in what was the gatehouse and it’s an interesting insight into the history of the place and the city itself. The seemingly happy coverage of the POW’s while in prison (note all the smiling American servicemen) seems to be at odds with accounts I have read elsewhere, but see what you think when you go.

St Joseph's Cathedral

St Joseph's Cathedral - this beautiful neo-Gothic building is the centre of Catholicism in Hanoi. Built in the early days of the colony at the expense of a revered pagoda that was demolished in the name of France's mission civilisatrice, St Joseph’s opened its doors to worshippers in 1886. Many of the buildings in and around the area were built in the service of the cathedral in the late 19th century.

Trang Tien Plaza (Behind)

Trang Tien Plaza - is a shopping center located in the downtown of Hanoi, Vietnam. The complex's construction began on April 30, 2000 when Vietnamese people celebrated 25th anniversary of The liberation of the south of Vietnam. The complex was finished after 18 months of construction.

Eat and Drink

The streets of Hanoi are full of sidewalk food stalls, and mind you it is not limited to Pho and Spring rolls. Here are some food we've tried in Hanoi (FYI: names of dish from Vietnamese friends as some don't have menu, i hope they are right)

135000 VND

Pho - Vietnamese noodle soup

Bánh bột lọc - Vietnamese clear shrimp & pork dumpling

Bánh bèo - Vietnamese Savory Steamed Rice Cake

Bánh Ít Trần - Vietnamese sticky rice dumplings

Location: Opposite Vietnam Airlines airport minibus terminal

Bánh Xèo Tôm Thịt (Nam Bộ)

Bánh Xèo Tôm Thịt (Nam Bộ) - Fried Rice Pancake with Shrimp & Pork - 45000 VND

Chả Giò Tôm Thịt

Chả Giò Tôm Thịt - Deep Fried Spring Roll - 12000 VND/piece

Bún bò Nam Bộ

Bún bò Nam Bộ - Sauteed Beef & Onion served with rice noodle - 50000 VND

Bún chả Ha noi

Bún chả Ha noi - Specially marinated pork pieces BBQ over coals and served with fresh herbs, rice vermicelli and grilled pork - 119000 VND @ 69 Cafe

Che Ha Noi

Che Ha noi - Hanoi sweet soup. In hanoi streets you can buy a glass of Che (ingredients of your choice) for 15000 VND. Common ingredients are: beans, glass jelly, red beans, sweet corn, coconut, sweet pea, and etc.

Bánh cốm and Bánh Đậu Xanh (170000 VND)

Bánh cốm - Vietnamese dessert made from rice and mung bean. It is made by wrapping pounded and then green-coloured glutinous rice around sugary green-bean paste. - 5000 VND/piece

Bánh Đậu Xanh - (mung bean cake) is a type of Vietnamese cuisine banh. It is a specialty of the Hải Dương Province

For Sapa Blog

Camsur Watersports Complex + Haciendas de Naga + Panicuason Hot Spring Resort

2014-02-11T20:09:00.002+08:00

We have gone island hopping, snorkeling, food trip, and city tour. Now it is time for another adventure...

Feb 1, 2014: Let's face it... If you are not into churches, Naga has not a great deal to see in the city itself. It made into the tourist map due to the success of Camsur Watersports Complex (CWC) in nearby Pili. It is nearer to Naga airport than in city proper. They offer free shuttle at SM Naga mall but the schedule is unreliable and caused us delay. It was around 11 AM and the shuttle haven't arrived yet. We then decided to charter tricycle for PHP 200 and reached there after 30 mins. The wake boarding course have been major tourist destination. There is a beginners' winch park, where you can practice standing up on a straight run. It is also possible to use a kneeboard on the main course. The main course involves 6 turns and assortment of ramps and rails for those who wish to do stunts.

It is recommended to register for a whole/half day wakeboard activity instead of hourly. Half day rate is PHP 370 and additional PHP90 for rental of equipments. They also offer a range of accomodation, from tiki huts to villas. Pls visit their website for the rates and packages.

From CWC, you may take a tricycle to the highway which costs around PHP40, then take jeepney to Naga which is only PHP 10/ head.

This is our photo after finishing the wakeboard course :)

Wakeboarding videos:

Candidate #1: Pao

Candidate #2 : Pheng

Candidate #3 : Steph

Feb 2, 2014: This is the last day of our Naga trip, we decided to experience Pili picking and dip our sore muscles into the hot spring.

At 7:30 pm, we walked towards the jeepney terminal going to Panicuason which is situated near the Naga City People's Mall near P.Caceres St. /Padian Street. We reached there and inquire on the directions on heading to the hot spring and learned that it is better we alight at Carolina instead and from here hire habal-habal or motorbike to the resort.

Also, we learned that from somewhere before the last stop of Barangay Carolina, the jeepney could drop us where we could walk towards the Haciendas de Naga for pili picking. Jeep fare is PHP 24/pax.

Haciendas de Naga used to be just a huge piece of land in the uptown area of Brgy. Carolina, for housing development. Today, Haciendas de Naga is not only a huge piece of land for housing, but a huge piece of adventure. This is the entrance to the adventure park.

There are different activities to enjoy: ATV, pili picking, zip line, climbing, rappelling, etc... Admission is PHP 300 consumables, you will be given coupons and you may pick on various activities.

First, we became farmers for a day and picked pili from the trees. FYI: You should only pick those black fruits and not the green ones.

We also get to taste our harvest after.

After then we went for ATV ride and picture taking... Sorry we didn't go to other parts of the park as we need to hurry to next destination.

Then we bid goodbye to Haciendas de Naga and walked to the highway. We took jeepney to Brgy Carolina at PHP 8/head and hired habal-habal to take us to Panicuason Hot Spring. The habal-habal driver charged us PHP 150 to bring us to and from Carolina to hot spring and vice versa.

Barangay Carolina is full of resorts both on the left and right side of the road. Few of the noticeable resorts are, Kayumanggi Resort on the right side, Penafrancia Resort and Casa Ofelia on the left side of the road. But I think there is only one resort that has hot spring and cold spring and I'm talking about Panicuason Hot Spring Resort.

Entrance Fee is PHP 200/ pax. Rates of Cottages ranges from PHP200 to PHP500. Beware of sand flies and mosquitoes though because their bites are really unpleasant.

Normally people would come to visit here after trek from Malabsay Falls and Mt. Isarog National Park. Tucked away at the bottom of one of Mt. Isarog’s river ravines in Naga’s East Highland Tourism Zone, the resort is designed around the Inarihan River, which is a tributary of the Bicol River, so visitors can choose to take a dip in the cool waters of the river and then later move on to the hot spring pools.

Here are some views of their cold pool.... The water is really ice cold!!!

There are actually several natural pools, whose hot spring waters are at temperatures ranging from a refreshing 20 degrees Celsius to a relaxing 39 degrees Celsius. People come to the Panicuason Hot Springs Resort to take an invigorating dip in the therapeutic geothermal hot springs of Mt. Isarog set within a rainforest gorge.

After a filling lechon manok lunch we bought from Naga, we spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing in the hot spring pools surrounded by riverside cottages. The different geothermal and river water pools are fed by volcanic rocks. The warm water instantly relaxed our tense muscles. At first it was scorching, but after a while, our bodies got used to the heat. As we simmered in the relaxing warmth of the pool, I couldn’t help but hope there is hot spring to visit in Singapore whenever I feel stressed.

There are other activities aside from swimming by the way... The resort also offer zip line, climbing and rappelling for those who are adventurous.

Then the habal-habal driver fetched us from here to where jeepney terminal to Naga. Jeep fare is PHP 24/pax.

Naga City Tour

2014-02-09T22:06:00.000+08:00

Jan 31, 2014: Our trip doesn't end in Caramoan Islands. Our van from Sabang to Naga arrived past 12 nn. We went to SM Naga mall and drop our luggages with them before looking for lunch. We saw Kakanon Bikol Eat-All-You-Can buffet for only PhP 165 nett per person which is super-dooper cheap especially for hungry mouths. The buffet selection offers the typical Filipino and Bicolano food (spare ribs, bicol express, laing, lechon paksiw, etc). The food was OK, nothing spectacular, but also not bad. Most of the viands were already cold. The restaurant is opposite bus terminal and beside CBD Plaza Hotel.

After lunch we went to scout for food souvenirs a.k.a "pasalubong". There are souvenirs being sold at Naga Bus Terminal and also at SM Naga. Famous "pasalubong" would be products made out of Pili nuts. After shopping, we claimed our luggages and chartered tricycle to Palm Vivo Inn, which is PHP40 (normally is PHP8 only per passenger).

This is our room from Day1 and Day 3-5. We booked this room at agoda website. The location of this place is not bad but I would prefer to choose hotel near bus / van terminal if ever. Staff is very friendly and accommodating. Room is clean with fresh towels, but beds and pillows are hard. There is no shower heater.

We rested for a bit because it was still hot to explore the city by foot. We started the walk tour around 4 PM.

Walking along Elias Angeles Street, we visited Porta Mariae ("Marian Gate"). The Porta Mariae is a triumphal arch in Naga City commemorating the tercentenary of the devotion to Our Lady of Peñafrancia.

Inside is Naga Metropolitan Cathedral and Holy Rosary Minor Seminary Museum.

Naga Metropolitan Cathedral is constructed in 1816 to 1831, the Cathedral was the seat of the Archiodecese of Caceres which encompassed the six Bicol provinces, it is the biggest church in the Region.
It is also known as the Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint John the Evangelist and informally as Naga Cathedral) is a prominent Latin Rite Roman Catholic cathedral located in Naga City, Camarines Sur was erected of Padia-an when the Diocese of Nueva Caceres was created by a Papal Bull of August 14, 1595.

Holy Rosary Minor Seminary and Museum is the oldest seminary in the Bicol Region, it houses the old paraphernalia, and items used by the old Catholic Church, including the documents of Our Lady of Peñafrancia’s verified devotion, and coronation.

Going towards "Centro", you shall passed by E-Mall, which is short for "Everyday Mall". Nearby eateries are ChicBoy, Jollibee, Bigg's Diner (where we dined on Day 1). San Francisco Church and Plaza Quince Martires are just on-sight.

San Francisco Church was established in 1578, San Francisco Church is the first church in the region built by the Franciscan Friars. The surrender of the Spanish forces to the Bikol revolutionaries took place here.

Originally of bamboo and other light materials, the church was built in this present site on a north-south orientation. Its puerta mayor faced its parish, the pre-colonial pueblo of Naga which lay across the Naga River that at that time curved from its southerly course to a westerly direction before winding southward again alongside present-day Elias Angeles Street.

Plaza Quince Martires was built in honor of the fifteen Bicol martyrs who were executed by the Spanish authorities on January 4, 1887 at Bagumbayan (now Luneta). This monument-cum-park ideally located at downtown Naga was built in honor of the national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal. This is known locally as the center for public debates and discussions as well as family picnic gatherings.

Then moving on to intersection of Elias Angeles and Gen. Luna St is Plaza Rizal.

Walking further Gen Luna Street, you will see Oragon and Naga People's Mall. This place is very busy and is called the "Centro".

And it started to rain so we weren't able to locate Ateneo de Naga. We bought toasted siopao for dinner which is PHP 8 for one mouth-size piece. You will definitely ask for more...

There are still other churches and museum that you can visit in Naga City. However, you may need to ride tricycle to reach those places.

Surviving Caramoan...

2014-02-08T21:27:00.004+08:00

Before I bring you to our latest trip to Caramoan Islands, please allow me to give a brief overview of Naga City, Camarines Sur first.

Naga City is an independent component city in the Bicol Region of the Philippines. Naga is nicknamed as the "Heart of Bicol" for its geographical location near the center of the Bicol Peninsula. It is the second largest city in the Bicol Region (Region V) in terms of population and the religious, financial, educational, trade,and commercial center of the Bicol Region.

Naga City is the Bicol Region's top tourist destinations not only because of "Peñafrancia Festival". It lies on the Southern part of Luzon Island and is the largest among the six provinces in the Bicol Region. Home of the muscular Mt. Isarog (with Mayon Volcano being the female counterpart) and the smallest commercially-harvested fish in the world, the Sinarapan (Mistichthys luzonensis) found only in lake Buhi. Today, with advent and unregulated culture of Tilapia fish in the lake, Sinarapan was kicked out (literally) from the main lake and being cultured in the smaller lakes around Lake Buhi, to avoid the specie from extinction, with the supervision of the BFAR. And recently the Camarines Sur Watersports Complex (CWC) @ the Capitol Grounds, Pili, Cam. Sur and the Caramoan Islands & Gota Beach Village Resort were added to the menu.

Quick facts:
- With a total land area of around 8,000 hectares, Naga is a relatively small city compared to Cebu or Davao.
- The name Naga is said to have come from an abundance of narra trees (“naga” in Bikolano).
- Naga is surrounded by plains, save for Mount Isarog. The borders of six municipalities in Camarines Sur (Goa, Tigaon, Ocampo, Pili, Naga, and Calabanga) converge at the peak of Mount Isarog.

How to get there:
Bus: From Cubao, it’s an eight hour ride to Naga. Ordinary fare is P600 per person, while an air-conditioned ride will set you back P900.
Train: From Manila, you can take the Philippine National Railways’ Bicol Express. The night ride departs at 6:30 PM and arrives at 5:00 AM—book a sleeper cabin for P800 to P1000 and get a good night’s sleep. But beware - the ride is a bumpy one!
Air: Watch out for seat sales from budget airlines like Cebu Pacific Air. You can get a one-way flight to Naga for as low as P500, exclusive of taxes.

Now let me guide you through how we explored this beautiful city...

Jan 29, 2014: It was around quarter before 1 AM that we boarded plane from Singapore and reached Manila City after approximately 4 hrs trip. We planned to take the free shuttle bus to Resorts World Manila just opposite the NAIA Terminal 3, but to our despair they no longer provide the free shuttle to non-members. Someone report this to their management!!! So instead of enjoying buffet at RWM, we dined at Jollibee at NAIA instead, while waiting for our next flight to Naga.

Due to airport terminal traffic our plane was delayed for about half hour. And when our time came for boarding, we were surprised that it was a SMALL plane with PROPELLERS. Anyways, we were still thankful that the plane had arrived, little did we know that it will again be delayed by almost an hour.. haiz... To cut the long story short, we arrived Naga at around 12:30 PM, then we rode taxi to Palm Vivo Inn. Please note that taxi charges flat fare of PHP 350.

After check-in, we walked to Bigg's Diner for lunch. Bigg's Diner is the biggest food chain in Bicol Region. We had Pork Cordon Bleu (PHP 159), Baby Back Ribs (PHP 225) and Salisbury Steak (PHP 125). After then we spent the afternoon exploring nearby attractions and looking for the van terminal for the next day. So after Bigg's Diner, we passed by San Francisco Church then walked all the way to SM Naga mall. The van terminal is just beside SM Naga.

More of Naga City tour on my next blog...

Jan 30, 2014: Surviving Caramoan (A Budget Friendly Guide)

Caramoan Island - Famous because it is the favorite venue for the reality-TV series SURVIVOR, among the countries that chose Caramoan islands are Serbia, Israel, Bulgaria, Sweden, France, India and just recently USA.

Very little is known about Caramoan. Caramoan gives 'island hopping' a new meaning. Enjoy its beauty in many ways. Great ocean adventures for kayakers, snorkle and scuba dive to experience the diverse marine life, trek and search for the enigmatic lagoon, rock climb the limestone cliffs, explore the caves or just star gaze at night.

Isolated from the rest of Camarines Sur, it is no surprise why Philippine's Secret Paradise remains unexploited from commercial tourism unlike Palawan. I am not discouraging you from going to Palawan. In fact, I would like you to visit both of them, because both of them has different activities to enjoy... However, I just want to warn you ahead that reaching Caramoan requires commitment and you shall know why soon.

At around 5:30 am, we hired tricycle from our inn to Naga Van Terminal which is about 15 mins ride (PHP 40). From there we boarded the white aircon van to Sabang (PHP 100/pax). FYI: The van needs to be filled before it shall depart to its destination. The travel from Naga to Sabang takes around 1.5 hrs. Towns that you'll be passing by: Pili, Ocampo, Tigaon, Goa, San Jose, Sabang

Once you are in Sabang port, we registered our names and waited for the go signal to board the big boat that will bring us to Guijalo Feeder Port at Caramoan. There are porters who will offer you their service to carry your luggage to the boat. It was low tide and the boat couldn't get near the shore, so the porters built a floating bridge and carry the passengers to the boat. They charge PHP10/pax.

The boat fare is PHP120/pax, the boat ride from Sabang port to Guijalo Port takes around 2 hrs subject to water current. Enjoy the sea side trip with a lush green scenery on the left and blue waters on the right side. When you arrive Guijalo Port, you need to pay PHP30 for environmental fee. FYI: The boat to Guijalo starts at 6AM and departs hourly until 11AM. But sometimes the time is not reliable because it depends on the volume of passenger. So the suggested time is as early as possible (6AM-9AM) to ensure your travel. If you miss the last boat trip, then you will need to charter your own boat which will cost you from 2000 - 3000 php depending on the size of the boat and your haggling skills.

The weather was gloomy but the sea was calm. Even though the colors are not as bright as the photos we always see on travel blogs, we were excited as we don’t know what to expect in Caramoan. We passed by Aguirangan Island but wasn't able to take good photo of it from afar...

A month before the escapade, I tried to contact different hotels to canvass for their room rates and packages. And we decided to go for Hazel and Ala's Beach Resort. The resort is at Zone 4 Paniman, Caramoan, Camarines Sur. We chose this resort as it is beach-side and it is where the island hopping starts. The room rate for 3 persons is PHP1100/night (aircon and private t&b). They also arrange boat for island hopping tours and pickup at port. Island hopping short trip PHP1200 (includes matukad, lajos, cadbalinad, tinago, busdak island), while PHP 2200 (includes sabitang laya, cotivas, manlawe-sand bar, tabgon statue of our lady of peace 557 step). We booked the short trip only because we only have half day for island hopping. I also arranged for a tricycle that will pick us up when we arrive at the port at PHP250. You may contact them through facebook or text them at +639204016888. Please note they require 50% deposit for reservation as with other hotels or resorts.

Since this is just a 2D/1N escapade we have no time to lounge around. We had lunch at the resort before heading for island hopping tour. We ordered Bicol Express, Sinigang fish and rice for only PHP 400. Afterwards, we changed to our beach attire and started our island hopping trip. The boat ride to the islands was fun and adventure ride - strong breeze and water splashed our faces. We visited the nearby islands like Matukad, Lajos, Cadbalinad, Tinago, Busdak and Gota Village. We posed for some photo souvenir with the beautiful scenery. By the way, our boatman told us that there is a secret lagoon that can be reached by climbing among the cliffs in Matukad island. Unfortunately, we don't have the proper footwear to check it out. We hopped to another island and enjoyed swimming and snorkeling. There was no fish during that time because of very strong current. :(

Our last stop was Gota Village Resort. There were some props of SURVIVOR TV series in this resort. Our boat guide toured us around and showed us the cabanas that the SURVIVOR crew stayed whenever there is TV shooting. Lucky to know about this...

Then we went back to our hotel and bathe. At night, the sea breeze was very cold and strong, such that the owner needed to cover the restaurant with tarpaulin. We had 1 big crab, Laing and rice for dinner for only PHP 600. FYI: the crab was caught during lunch time and was especially cooked for us...hehe..

Jan 31, 2014: We really enjoyed Caramoan islands. It truly is a nice place to take a break from the hectic and monotonous days. Rooster crowed early but there was no sunrise since it was cloudy. We prepared for checkout and booked tricycle to take us to Guijalo Port. From there we take boat to Sabang then take van to Naga.

Day 4: Bangkok City (Last Day)

2013-12-09T14:08:00.003+08:00

November 6 is my birthday and last day of our Bangkok trip before we fly back to Singapore at night. Before anything else, remember to always check your plane ticket schedule if you don't want to screw things up. Coz what happened was i thought our flight was 2 hours earlier than actual departure time... Just imagine if I thought it was 2 hrs later???

So what happened was we checked out at Aravinda Home Living with our luggage by 9AM to go to MBK Centre. Why MBK Centre? It is because they have baggage drop counter at 6th floor Zone B! To get here, we took BTS from Ekkamai to National Stadium station, and walked to MBK Center.

MBK Center actually stands for "Mah Boon Krong". This shopping mall is actually popular to tourist, hence prices are steep, but you can always attempt to use your bargaining skills. :) You may buy souvenirs, clothes, gadget, or simply dine in here.

As for us, we dined at Sizzler for lunch. Sizzler invented this ‘casual dining’ concept where diners can choose their own Soup, Salad, Pasta, Fresh Fruit and Dessert Bar unlimited for every main course ordered. We ordered only 1 pork chicken combo and shared between the both of us :)

Then we had sundae for desserts at Swensens :)

If I have verified flight schedule, we could have spent our time to checked other malls nearby - Siam Paragon and perhaps had dinner and watch Muay Thai at MBK... *wasted*. FYI, there is free Muay Thai Show at MBK every wednesday nights from 6 - 9pm.

Anyways, so by 3 PM, we took BTS from National Stadium to Phaya Thai. Then we walked to Airport link Phaya Thai to go to airport. We looked for the check-in information as soon as we reached there and learned that flight is scheduled at 9 PM... @_@ Luckily, my partner has iPad and we just watched TV series while waiting for the check-in counter to open...

This ends our Bangkok Trip... Thanks for reading and till the next travel destination :)

Breakdown for Day 4:

- no title specified

Day	Time	Directions	Details	Cost (BKK)
Day 4: Wed (Nov 6)	9:00 - 10:00 AM	Checkout Aravinda Home Living to BTS National Stadium		42
	10:00 AM	MBK Center
	12:00 NN	Sizzler	Pork Chicken Combo - 385 baht Sundae - 69 baht This is birthday treat, so I'm free :)	227
	3:00 PM	National Stadium to Phaya Thai		25
	3:15 PM	Phaya Thai to Suvarnabhumi Airport	Airport Link	45
	4:00 PM	Suvarnabhumi Airport
	7:00 PM	Checkin for flight to Singapore

			Total	339

Day 3: Bangkok - Ayutthaya Day Trip - Bangkok

2013-12-04T12:57:00.002+08:00

Hello again readers! After 2 days of exploring modern Bangkok, it's now time to see the ancient city of Ayutthaya. There are actually alot of ways to travel to Ayutthaya, by bus, train, taxi, boat and minivan. We chose to go there via minivan. To know more about getting to Ayutthaya, please visit this site, and to know about various ways on exploring Ayutthaya, please visit this site.

Going there by minivan is easy, from our place we rode BTS from Ekkamai Station to Victory Monument Station. We arrived at the station around 8 AM. After tapping out, just turn right towards Exit 4 and go down to go to the minivan terminal. Minivan costs 60 Baht per person and travel time is approximately 2 hours depending on the traffic condition. Some passengers may opt to alight along the way.

We (my partner and 2 other caucasians) don't know where exactly we were dropped off by our van driver. But upon arriving, a guy (with his red tuktuk) immediately offered to take us around the major attractions in Ayutthaya. He was showing us photos of temples and showing his notebook with package quotations in japanese <he thought we are japanese...haha>... Seems we really look like tourists afterall!!! He was initially charging 2000 baht, but after some negotiations, we agreed to pay him 1000 Baht for 1 day tour.

First a brief history Ayutthaya. Its name originated from the Hindu "Ayodhya", city of the Hindu god Rama in the Ramayana. It was the ancient capital of the southern Kingdom of Siam from 1350 until 1767. Founded by King Rama Tibodi I. Ayutthaya absorbed Sukhothai, the older Thai kingdom, and destroyed much of the Cambodian Khmer kingdom. During the time of its greatness, it was known as one of the largest and most beautiful cities in the world. In 1767, however, a final Burmese invasion destroyed the city and carried off most of its treasures and population to Burma. The city was left destroyed but the remains of the temples and palaces, which are now covered in plants and dirt are restored and still looks breathtaking.

Our Ayutthaya journey began with a visit to Wat Yai Chaimongkon. Also known as "Great Monastery of Auspicious Victory", it was built in the 1357 in the reign of King U-Thong, the first ruler of Ayutthaya. A large chedi was built in 1592 to celebrate King Naresuan's single-handed defeat of the then Burmese crown prince in a duel on elephants. We went up to see spectacular view of the surrounding area. Make sure you don't miss the Reclining Buddha, sadly in our case we weren't able to find it. We toured the place for 30 minutes and then went on to our next destination.

Our next stop is the Ayutthaya Floating Market. On the way we passed by Elephant Village. Here you can take a trip around the area on top of the elephant for 1500 Baht per person. The main attraction in this area is the floating market which is situated in a large pond with land mass in the middle. Here we see shops selling clothes, thai delicacies, and different souvenir items. It also has massage parlours if you want to have a Thai massage. It's now 11:30 AM, time to find something to eat. Good thing this place also have lots of food stalls to choose from. We decided to try Thai food this time.

After our delicious lunch, we have recovered our energy to explore more temples. Just a close distance from the floating market is another temple, Wat Mahathat. This temple complex is mainly in ruins and there are many impressive sites nearby that aren’t so damaged. The main attraction here is the Buddha’s head that has a tree growing around it. We walked around the area and explored the ruins which are still magnificent to look at. The place is so big infact most of our pictures are from this place.

Our tour guide next brought us to Wihan Phra Mongkol Bophit. This place is famous for its massive seated Buddha. Entrance is free, and you need to leave your shoes outside.

Nearby is Wat Phra Si Sanphet, which according to travel guides is the main attraction of Ayutthaya with its three stupas most often featured in postcards. However, we decided to skip this place since we have reach our limit of temple ruins for the day.

Our last stop for the trip is Wat Lokkayasutharam which features a 42 meter long Reclining Buddha. The statue is outdoor and there is no entrance fee.

Just nearby is another temple, Wat Thammikarat. We saw Buddhist monks around the temple area praying. It has a chedi which is encircled by a large number of lion figures (singh). And there are also rooster statues..

We then ask our tour guide to take us to the train station. Upon reaching we paid him the fee and thanked him for his services.

Train going back to Bangkok is relatively cheaper at 20 Baht per person. Train departure time is 3:00 PM so we waited awhile for the train to arrive. As soon as we saw the train coming we quickly went to the platform to be able to get good seats on the train. Journey was longer compared to mini van, around 2 hour and 45 minutes to be exact. It's because on some stations the train stops for 10-20 minutes. The last stop is Hua Lamphong railyway station.

We then took MRT going home but we made a short stop at Terminal 21 shopping mall since it is nearby Sukhumvit MRT station. Terminal 21 brings the dream of traveling the world to downtown Bangkok, with its cutting-edge concept that places several world-famous cities under one roof. Find yourself wandering around Rome (Ground floor), Carribean (LG floor), maze of shops in Tokyo City (1st floor), sauntering down London’s Carnaby Street (2nd floor), bagging a bargain in an Istanbul (3rd floor), and San Francisco (4th and 5th floor). They also have food court on 5th floor called Pier21. It is perhaps the best food court in town in terms of price, taste and variety. We ordered prawn fried rice, fried oyster, spaghetti shrimp sauce and coke, all for only 150 baht. For more info visit this site.

Ground and LG Floor


1st floor


2nd floor

5th floor

Breakdown for Day 3:

- no title specified

Day	Time	Directions	Details	Cost (BKK)
Day 3: Tues (Nov 5)	7:30 AM - 8:30 AM	Aravinda Home Living to Victory Monument	BTS Ekkamai to BTS Victory Monument	42
	9:00 AM	Minivan to Ayutthaya		60
	11:00 AM	Tuktuk tour around Ayutthaya	1000 baht foe whole day	500
	11:05 AM	Wat Yai Chaimongkon		20
	11:30 AM	Elephant Village and Ayutthaya Floating Market	Lunch -370 baht Deep Fried Tilapia w/ Sweet & Sour - 250 baht 2 rice - 20 baht Pork balls w/ chili sauce - 100 naht	185
	12:30 PM	Wat Mahathat		50
	1:30 PM	Wihan Phra Mongkol Bophet and Wat Phra Si Sanphet
	2:00 PM	Wat Lokkayasutharam
	2:30 PM	Wat Thammikarat
	3:00 - 5:45 PM	Train to Bangkok		20
	5:45 PM	Hua Lampong Station to Sukhumvit Station		27
	7:30 PM	Dinner at Pier 21	Dinner - 150 baht	75
	9:30 - 10:00 PM	BTS Asok to BTS Ekkamai		25

			Total	1004

Day 2: Bangkok City (Temple Tour, Grand Palace, Khaosan Rd, Siam Niramit Show, Sukhumvit)

2013-12-02T21:40:00.001+08:00

Welcome back! Today we continue with our Bangkok adventure. Our first stop for today is Chao Phraya River tour. From our place, the most convenient way to start with the tour is by going to Saphan Taksin BTS station. There you will find the first stop of the Chao Phraya tourist boat. The tourist boat cost 150 baht per person and it is ride all you can for one day. You can find more information from their website: Chao Praya River Express.

We boarded the tourist boat at Sathorn Pier. We then alighted at Tha Tien Pier for our first stop, Wat Arun. To go to Wat Arun, you need to take another 5-min boat ride for 3 baht to cross the river. Also known as Temple of the Dawn, Wat Arun is one of the most famous temple in Bangkok. With its beautiful architecture and intricate detail, it is a must see. It was envisioned by King Taksin in 1768 and is named after Aruna, the Indian God of Dawn. We climbed the central prang to see the view from the top. A disclaimer to those not very fit, it can be very hard to climb since the steps are very steep so be careful and climb slowly. The temple is open to the public daily from 8.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. and cost 50 baht for foreigners.

After spending an hour taking pictures, we continued to our next destination. To get to Wat Pho, we had to go back to Tha Tien Pier. From there it's a 5-min walk to Wat Pho. Wat Pho or Temple of the Reclining Buddha, is famous for its giant reclining Buddha that measures 46 meters long and covered in gold. It's feet measures 5 meters long and is decorated in mother-of-pearl illustrations. All visitors must wear appropriate clothing; this means no exposed shoulders or skin above the knee and shoes are not allowed inside. We also walk around the large temple complex which has alot of other Buddha statues and sculptors. Entrance fee is 100 baht and opens daily 08:00 - 17:00.

Other thing that Bangkok is famous for are its street food. Before continuing with our tour, we saw a lady selling hot noodles on the street. We bought one bowl each since we it's already lunch time. After having our lunch and taking a short break, we walked to our next destination.

A trip to Bangkok won't be complete without going to one of the most beautiful attaction in the city, the Grand Palace. Built in 1782 - and for 150 years the home of the Thai King, the Royal court and the administrative seat of government - the Grand Palace is a large complex made up of several impressive architecture including the Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha), Chakri Maha Prasat hall and many other Royal Reception halls.

Wat Phra Kaew (officially known as Wat Phra Sri Rattana Satsadaram) is regarded as one of the most important Buddhist temple in Thailand. This temple houses the Phra Kaew Morakot (the Emerald Buddha),a Buddha image in the meditating position in the style of the Lanna school of the north, dating from the 15th century AD. A brief history, the construction of the temple started when King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke (Rama I) moved the capital from Thonburi to Bangkok in 1785. Other attractions surrounding the temple include a model of Angkor Wat, and Prasat Phra Dhepbidorn (The Royal Pantheon).

Tickets sold from 8:30 - 15:30 and cost 500 baht to visit the whole of Grand Palace complex.

Time check, it's now 2 o'clock. Just near the Grand Palace is Maharaj Pier where we took another boat ride to go to our next destination. For the last stop of our Chao Phraya river tour, we alighted at Phra Arthit Pier. In this stop we will visit a famous place for tourist and backpackers, Khaosan Road. From wikipedia, "Khaosan" translates as "milled rice", a reminder that in former times the street was a major Bangkok rice market. It has alot of hotels, backpacker's inn, bar and restaurants. You can also book tours to different places in Bangkok from travel agents stations around the area. Most probably it would get busy on late afternoons...

We are now done with Chao Phraya River tour. Our last agenda for the day is the Siam Niramit cultural show. To go there we must take another boat ride and then a train ride. We went back to Phra Arthit Pier and this time alighted at Si Phraya Pier. From here, we had our first and only Tuk Tuk ride. Before taking a ride, do remember to negotiate first with the driver and bargain for cheaper fare. The driver quoted 80 baht to take us to Hua Lamphong MRT station. From Hua Lamphong MRT, it's 9 stops to Thailand Cultural Center MRT. We asked directions to Siam Niramit and we were informed that a Shuttle bus will be available to take us to the venue. We waited for about 45 minutes and around 5:15 PM, the Shuttle bus arrived.

Upon arrival at Siam Niramit, we were greeted by two huge elephants. People can feed them or they can take an elephant ride around the compound.

We then went on tour of the replica of different villages around Thailand.

After taking pictures and walking around, we proceed to have our buffet dinner which is inclusive of the ticket we purchased. It was a mix of International and Thai cuisine. There were a lot of variety. In the middle of the room stands the salad and desserts station. In the corners are those cooked food.

At around 7 PM, the outdoor pre-show started with several dance numbers. In one of the segment, they asked for volunteers to join them in the dance.

Gates to the Siam Niramit show opened at 7:30 PM. Please note that digital cameras and tablets are not allowed inside, so you have to leave them at collection booth.

Siam Niramit is spectacular show of Thai arts and culture with great special effects. It has a gigantic and stunning stage listed in the Guinness World Records and it features over 100 performers with beautiful designed costumes. One of my favorite scene would be when they created an illusion making the whole stage an ocean floor, and a man dove to harvest a pearl. I don't want to spoil everything, you have to see it for yourself. Show duration is 80 minutes without intermission and starts at 8 PM. After the show we proceed to get back our cameras and waited for the shuttle bus to take us back to Thailand Cultural Center MRT Station. From there, it's going home time.

Breakdown for Day 2:

- no title specified

Day	Time	Directions	Details	Cost (BKK)
Day 2: Mon (Nov 4)	8:00 AM - 9:00 AM	Aravinda Living home to Saphan Thaksin BTS Station	Walk to BTS Ekkamai Station, then train to BTS Saphan Thaksin station	45
	9:00 AM - 9:30 AM	Chao Raya River Express to Wat Arun	Chao Raya River Express - 150 baht Boat to Wat Arun and vv - 3 baht/way	156
	9:30 AM - 10:30 AM	Wat Arun		50
	10:30 AM - 11:30 AM	Wat Pho		100
	11:30 AM - 12 NN	Pork Noodle Soup		50
	1:00 PM - 3:00 PM	Grand Palace, Wat Phra Kaew, Chakri Maha Prasat hall		500
	3:00 PM - 3:30 PM	Khao San Road
	3:30 PM - 4:00 PM	Khao San Road to Hua Lamphong MRT Station	Tuktuk - 80 baht	40
	4:00 PM - 4:20 PM	Hua Lamphong MRT Station to Thailand Cultural Center MRT		34
	5:30 PM - 9:30 PM	Siam Niramit	Siam Niramit Show + Buffet	1500
	9:30 PM - 10:30 PM	Thailand Cultural Center MRT to Aravinda Living Home	Thailand Cultural Center MRT to Sukhumvit MRT - 20 baht Sukhumvit MRT to Soi Cowboy BTS Asok Station to BTS Ekkamai Station - 25 baht	45

			Total	2520

Day 1: Bangkok City (Floating Market, Chatuchak Market, Jim Thompson's House, Baiyoke Tower)

2013-12-02T18:38:00.000+08:00

Today, we travel back to Nov 3, and revisit Taling Chan Floating Market, Chatuchak Weekend Market, Jim Thompson’s House, Baiyoke Tower and more.

Taling Chan Floating Market is the nearest floating market and most accessible from Bangkok without joining a tour. However it is not as famous as Damnoen Floating Market where tourists would flock to for wonderful photos. To reach there, you can ride the BTS until the last station 'Wongwian Yai' then ride a taxi for about 30 minutes. Please note that taxi drivers might not know where this is, so please prepare your map or even better if you bring Thai directions on how to go there.

The taxi driver will drop you at Taling Chan District Office, from here it is a short walk to the entrance of the market. You will pass by stalls selling plants and gardening stuff but beyond is the real market with all kinds or sweets, fruits and fun snacks you should really try. Traveling without eating is missing half the pleasure.

Past a small bridge, you can't miss all the wooden boats moored along the riverbank, most of them cooking huge prawns on small barbecues, blue crabs, large fish, and other seafood. Eating by the river is such a fun experience, you should really try it. The food here is cheap!!! We ordered 1 grilled sea bass (180 baht), grilled prawn (200 baht), rice (20 baht), and cockles (40 baht) for brunch. Look at this photo, this whole meal is only 440 baht and we were really full!

After eating and looking around the floating market, we went back to the entrance and raced against other tourists for taxi to Chatuchak Weekend Market (ตลาดจตุจักร). Feels like amazing race huh! Chatuchak (Jatujak) Weekend Market opens only on weekends from 7 am to 6pm, it is Bangkok's biggest and most famous market. Below are maps of the market.

You will find everything here, whether clothing, handicraft, Thai style décor and furniture, plants, exotic pets, collectors' items, art, used books, souvenirs and literally anything you can dream up – all at bargained prices.

We tried their famous Mango Sticky Rice and Coconut Ice Cream while shopping. Perfect for a dry and very hot day!!!

From here, we visited the Chatuchak Park before we hopped on to BTS Mo Chit Station to go to BTS National Stadium. When you exit this station, you will see the Prathunam Stadium, this is Thailand’s main arena for soccer and other sporting events. MBK Center is also nearby; it a 8 stories high shopping mall in Bangkok connecting Siam Discovery and Siam Paragon shopping mall by elevated walkways.

With National Stadium on your right, walk along Rama I Rd and turn left into Soi Kasem San 2. Jim Thompson’s house will be on your left at the end of this narrow laneway. It is open from 9am to 5pm daily, guided tour compulsory and no photography in some parts of the house. In the tour group they will roughly introduced you the owner of the house and the different artifacts and design in this house. Jim Thompson, the owner of this house, was born in Delaware, USA in 1906. He had worked as an Architect in New York before coming to Thailand in 1945 as the Bangkok head of the Office of Strategic Services. In 1948, he founded the Thai Silk Company.

After here, we went to MBK Center to buy grocery for breakfast and dinner before we headed home to rest a bit.

After freshening up, we headed to Baiyoke Tower to meet with my dear teacher for catch up. We took BTS Ekkamai to BTS Chit Lom, then walked towards Baiyoke Tower. Baiyoke Tower II is an 85-storey, 304 m (997 ft) skyscraper hotel at 222 Ratchaprarop Road in the Ratchathewi district of Bangkok, Thailand. It is the tallest building in the city, and comprises the Baiyoke Sky Hotel, the tallest hotel in Southeast Asia and the fourth-tallest all-hotel structure in the world. We had complementary buffet dinner at 84th floor if not mistaken from my dear teacher. Thanks a lot!!! :) Unfortunately forgot to take photos of food... :(

After dinner we went to the observation deck and took fantastic view of Bangkok’s skyline.

There's more! Check out other floors in the building where you can snap up good photos.

Breakdown for Day 1:

- no title specified

Day	Time	Directions	Details	Cost (BKK)
Day 1: Sun (Nov 3)	7:00 AM - 8:30 AM	Aravinda Living home to Taling Chan Floating Market	BTS One day pass - 130 baht BTS Ekkamai to BTS Wongwian Yai - approx 1 hr Taxi from BTS Wongwian Yai to Taling Chan Floating Market - approx 30 mins - 115 baht	187.5
	8:30 AM - 9:30 AM	Brunch at Taling Chan Floating Market	1 grilled sea bass (180 baht), grilled prawn (200 baht), rice (20 baht), and cockles (40 baht)	220
	9:30 AM - 10:30 AM	Taxi to Chatuchak Market	Taxi - approx 30 mins - 120 baht	60
	10:30 AM - 1:00 PM	Shopping and snacks at Chatuchak market	coconut ice cream - 35 baht orange juice - 20 baht mango sticky rice - 50 baht shopping - ???	52.5
	1:30 PM 2:00 PM	BTS Mochit to BTS National Stadium	using BTS One day pass
	2:30 PM - 4:00 PM	Jim Thompson House	admission fee - 100 baht	100
	4:30 PM - 5:00 PM	BTS National Stadium to Aravinda Living home	using BTS One day pass BTS National Stadium to BTS Ekkamai then walk
	6:30 PM - 7:15 PM	Aravinda Living home to Baiyoke Tower	using BTS One day pass BTS Ekkamai to BTS Chit Lom, then walk for 20 approx mins
	7:15 PM - 10:30 PM	Baiyoke Tower
	11:30 PM	Home Sweet Home	using BTS One day pass BTS Chit Lom to BTS Ekkamai, then walk to Aravinda Living home
			Total	620

4 Days 4 Nights Bangkok Tour

2013-11-27T21:12:00.001+08:00

Bangkok is the capital of Thailand and, with a population of over eleven million inhabitants; by far it’s the largest city. Its high-rise buildings, heavy traffic congestion, intense heat and naughty nightlife may not immediately give you the best impression — but don't let that mislead you. It is one of Asia's most cosmopolitan cities with magnificent temples and palaces, authentic canals, busy markets and a vibrant nightlife that has something for everyone.

For years, it was only a small trading post at the banks of the Chao Phraya River, until King Rama I, the first monarch of the present Chakri dynasty, turned it into the capital of Siam in 1782, after the burning of Ayutthaya by Burmese invaders but they did not take over Ayutthaya. Since then, Bangkok has turned into a national treasure house and functions as Thailand's spiritual, cultural, political, commercial, educational and diplomatic centre.

Bangkok is served by two airports: Suvarnabhumi Airport and Don Muang Airport. Suvarnabhumi Airport is used by almost all airlines in Thailand. For our case, we departed Singapore by 5:30PM and reached Bangkok at 7:00PM. From Suvarnabhumi Airport (สุวรรณภูมิ, pronounced "soo-wanna-poom"), there are different ways to go to the city. You can take taxi, airport link or minivan. But taking the airport link is the fastest and cheap way if you are on budget, but if you are a bunch of 4 then taking taxi is reasonable.

Upon touchdown at Bangkok, we went to Immigration section. To our surprise, there are a lot of tourists who just arrived. We were able to clear immigration after an hour perhaps. Then we proceeded to buy ticket from Airport Link to Phaya Thai.

It is actually a token where you tap on the station gate and drop it when you arrive at your destination.

Then we took BTS Skytrain from Phaya Thai to Phra Khanong, actually Ekkamai is nearer to where we stayed during our trip.

We stayed at Aravinda home living, it is not actually a hotel but a type of what I would refer as inn. The room is 115 SGD for 4 nights (2 pax). It is cheap but I wouldn’t recommend this place because it is not near the city area and you will need to walk to the BTS for at least 15 mins.

Breakdown for Day 0:

- no title specified

Day	Time	Directions	Details	Cost (BKK)
Day 0: Sat (Nov 2)	5:30PM - 6:55PM	SG - Bangkok	10 kg cabin only Suvarnabhumi International (BKK) Airport
	8:00 PM	Airport to Phaya Thai	Airport Rail Link	45
	9:00PM - 9:30PM	Phaya Thai to Phra Khanong	BTS Skytrain	42
			Total	87

3 Days 2 Nights Puerto Prinsesa Tour

2013-11-10T22:02:00.001+08:00

This blog has been long overdue, nevertheless it is better late than never… :)

Puerto Princesa — one of the cleanest and greenest cities in the Philippines, dubbed as The City in a Forest. It is home to the famous Underground River, to the beautiful islands of Honda Bay, and to a lot of other unique and wonderful sights.

It’s a famous tourist destination among locals and foreigners alike. The only problem is that visiting the sights can sometimes get too costly. Although the prices for the tour packages are more comfortable and hassle-free, a cheaper alternative is to do it the backpacker’s way. Of course this means roughing it out! I shall share with you our itinerary and experiences we had on our trip.

My sister and I went to Palawan (Puerto Prinsesa) trip on February 7-9, 2013. We took Cebu pacific flight via Cebu and reached there almost noon time, and took flight back around noon time on the last day. So basically, the trip is around 1.5 days only.

Upon arriving at Puerto Prinsesa airport, we took tricycle to our hotel which is approx 15 mins drive and cost PHP 60. Inform tricy driver to bring you to Aniceto Pension in Roxas St, Corner Reynoso St. We stayed at Aniceto’s Pension House, I sent an email to the owner, Ms. Tess, asking for any vacant room on the date of our tour. We reserved a standard fan room for 2 which costs PHP 550 only, and later she upgraded it to aircon room for free. Yey! And take note, no down payment is required!

Aniceto's Pension House
No. 71 Reynoso St., Puerto Princesa City, Palawan
Contact Person: Ms. Tess Lacao
Telephone Number: +63(48)4346667
Mobile Number: +639272059782
Email address: arc_tess@yahoo.com.ph

DAY 1: Honda Bay – Baker’s Hill – Hotel

We negotiated with the same tricycle driver to take us to Sta. Lourdes Wharf for Honda Bay Island Hopping and Baker’s Hill afterwards. We agreed on PHP 600. After checking-in and securing our things, then off we start our tour.

The boat rental price ranges from PHP 1,300-1,800 depending on the seating capacity and motor power. The maximum number of people the smallest boat can carry is 6 while other boats can carry as many as 12-14 people. In our case, we actually do not mind sharing the boat with other tourists, but then we can’t wait to get to the waters to start the tour! Hence, We shared the 6-seater boat which is PHP 1300 with 1 Caucasian men. If you already have the assigned boat, proceed to the cashier and pay for the boat rental. On the adjacent window, pay for the terminal fee for PHP 45.00/head. And environmental fee of PHP 10.00/head

Then you are ready to go island hopping!

So, we only spent PHP 805/head for the island hopping tour and tricycle, while booking for tour package will cost PHP 1600/head. It would be cheaper if you are 6 people in the boat.

Take note that the following entrance fees are on top of the mentioned fees (as of this writing):
     Pambato Reef: PHP 50/head
     Lu-Li Island: PHP 60/head
     Pandan Island: PHP 125/head
     Star Fish Island: PHP 50/head
     Cowrie Island: PHP 75/head

You will pay these entrance fees at the island itself so it is up to you if you go down from your boat and visit all 5 islands or not. Your motorboat rental comes with two boat men: the captain who is in-charge of the navigation and the one acting as the tourist guide who will be in-charged of you in the islands.

HONDA BAY

First stop is Pambato Reef.

Pambato Reef is for snorkeling only. You can easily recognize it because of its floating cottage with a giant pawikan/sea turtle roof. According to our tour guide, it is best to take the Pambato Reef snorkeling first (in the early morning) when the waters are still. At the cottage, all snorkelers will receive the instructions on how to use your snorkel set and the do’s and don’ts of the Pambato Reef snorkeling activity. You don’t need to worry if you can’t swim. Your tour guide has their life rings so you can just hold on to the ring and snorkel while he moves you around!

Second stop is Lu-Li Island.

Lu-Li Island or the Lulubog-Lilitaw Island was named as such because it cannot be seen during high tide (lulubog) and can only be visited during low tide (lilitaw). The island is mainly for swimming and fish feeding.

Last stop is Cowrie Island.

Cowrie Island is definitely good for just for lazing around and swimming. It’s very clean shoreline, and turquoise to sky blue to deep blue waters is very tempting that you just wanted to jump off the boat. But we decided to just take photos of this beautiful island.

After taking some photos of the Cowrie Island, we texted the tricycle driver so he can start driving to the port to fetch us while we head to the wharf. We ended the island hopping at around 5 PM.

After saying thank you to those men who kept us safe across the bay and who made our Honda experience informative and fun, we are ready to head to Baker’s Hill.

BAKER'S HILL
Entrance Fee: free

As the name implies, it is home to one of Puerto Prinsesa must -taste: Baker’s Hill Hopia. Well apart from their hopia, every food they sell is really addictive! Their chocolate crinkles really brought out my sweet-tooth! If you come here, make sure to allocate a generous budget for food because the place just makes you want to eat, and eat, and eat! Apart from their food and restaurant, their landscaped gardens and playground makes it perfect for a family hang out.

We had dinner at restaurant and cost us PHP 347

After dinner we bought hopia at the bakery before tricycle driver bring us back to hotel. Hopia is around PHP 35/ box of 10.

DAY 2: Hotel – Underground River – Mangrove Tour – Ugong Rock Caving and Spelunking – Hotel

Today we booked via tour because you need permit to visit to Underground River. We actually seek Ms. Tess to help us find a tour. The Underground River Tour + Lunch is PHP 1500/head and the tour guide brought us to even more places but admission fees at our own expense. Other places include Mangrove Tour, Ugong Rock Caving and Spelunking and Zipline.

The tour guide picked us up 7AM at our hotel and also picked up other tour participants. It was approximately an hour and a half van drive to Puerto Prinsesa Underground River (PPUR) from the city.

When we got there our guide reported to the Tourism office before we boarded a motorized pump boat to the Underground River cove. We passed by many beautiful limestone cliffs along the way. The waters are a deep blue and light green close to shore and easy on the eyes. That boat ride is only about 15 minutes long.

We then landed in a cove with a large limestone cliff and it was a short walk to the next cove through indigenous trees

Along the way you might be lucky to see one of huge monitor lizards, locally called "bayawak". Then you will board a small paddle boat and a boatman who will do his best to amuse, entertain and educate you to the treasures of the PPUR. The waters outside the cave are usually a beautiful turquoise blue. The entire tour inside the river cave takes 45 minutes.

One person will be assigned to hold the very large flashlight and will be directed where to point it by the canoe (banca) guide. Just when you begin to focus on one great stalactite or stalagmite, he will be on to the next one. Digital cameras have a hard time focusing in the dark cave with only the flashlight as light source.

It's dark and humid in the cave and there are bats and starlings flitting about. The guide explains you can't swim in there because the water is brackish, which is to say, the fresh water mixed with the sea water. Watch this youtube video for some idea of the tour

After the underground river tour, we went back to Sabang Wharf for buffet lunch and more photo session...

Then the tour guide brought us to the Mangrove Paddle Boat Tour. To get there, one will need to make a 15 minute trek from Sabang’s port area through Sabang beach resorts. And arriving at the starting point, one will need to register and pay PHP 200 to join the boat tour. The tour offers an educational tour by boat through Sabang’s mangrove forests.

The highlights of this tour is to try woodworms or ‘tamilok’ as they are called locally. Tamilok is favorite dish of the locals. It is not actually worm but a type of mollusk. It lives inside dead woods and best eaten raw with vinegar. Look the Chinese tourist happily gulp in the tamilok... brave!

Then last stop of our tour is the Ugong Rock. Ugong Rock, found at Brgy. Tagabinet, North part of Puerto Prinsesa has taken its name from the echoing sound of the rocks produce when tapping it. Ugong Rock Adventures offer a different kind of experience. You would climb up through steep rocks, pass through narrow passages and cry your heart out at their zipline, where they boast of to be the fastest zipline in the country. Entrance is another PHP 200.

After a full day of sight-seeing and adventure, our tour guide drop us off at our hotels.

DAY 3: Last Day

We just head for brunch before heading to airport. If I recall correctly, we had bistek, caldereta and mango shake. The meal was about PHP 420.

Day 10: Melbourne City Tour III

2013-09-25T20:13:00.003+08:00

This is the last day of the Australia Winter Trip, time indeed flies so fast when you're having fun. My partner went to Queen Victoria Market after breakfast to buy souvenirs for his family. Then we left the hostel together as soon as he returned to hostel. We went to buy packed lunch at Queen Victoria Market before heading for Docklands. For your info, this famous market is not only home for souvenirs, fresh vegetables and fruits, fresh meat but they also sell cooked food. We bought roasted chicken with fries and Kangaroo meat marinated in red wine and garlic and they offered us to roast it for free. We waited around 5 mins before we were able to get our food.

Then we boarded the free shuttle bus on Stop 8 - Queen Victoria Market to Stop 9 - Harbour Town, Docklands. Docklands is unique to Melbourne. The huge area is a short trip from the inner CBD area and is surrounded by stunning water views. There's lots to do at Docklands - wandering around the shopping area, watching the Southern Star Observation Wheel being mended! You can get a free cup of tea or coffee here in the Tourist Lounge before about 3pm - it's a great place to relax for a bit.

Walk a bit and look at the great modern architecture, see statues of famous Australian showbiz people at Waterfront City and find art exhibits. Look for the inverted cow outdoor art exhibit, it is the icon of Docklands Park.

Opposite Docklands Park is Etihad Stadium. Etihad Stadium is one of Australia’s leading multipurpose venues, designed to cater for major sport and entertainment events hosting up to 55,000 fans. In the heart of Melbourne’s Docklands precinct, the stadium was formerly known as Telstra Dome and is the only football stadium in the Southern Hemisphere with a fully retractable roof. All up, it takes only eight minutes to close. Etihad Stadium not only hosts AFL, cricket and rugby, it’s also staged shows by some of the entertainment world’s biggest names, including U2, Robbie Williams, Barbra Streisand and Bon Jovi.

Next we rode free shuttle from Stop 10 - Etihad Stadium and Victoria Harbour to go to Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). MCG is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria, and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth-largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light towers at any sporting venue. Unfortunately, Stop 3 - Sports precinct wasn't part of the bus route that day since there was a scheduled match that day between the Brisbane Lions against the Richmond Tigers. Instead we were asked to alight at Stop 2 Federation Square, from there we walked to MCG. It wasn't hard to find as group of people were walking towards the same destination to support their favorite cricket team, with the Lions fans wearing red and Tigers fans wearing yellow. There were statues of famous players outside the stadium but we are not fans of the sport, we don't even know the rules, so we don't have idea who those people are. Cricket is more famous on Commonwealth countries around the world.

From MCG, we walked towards Stop 4 - Chinatown precinct to ride free shuttle to Melbourne University. Along the way we passed by Melbourne Museum, the Little Italy, then finally Melbourne University.

Melbourne University is an Australian public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Commonly considered to be Australia's most prestigious university, Melbourne is currently ranked as Australia's best university by Times Higher Education, Academic Ranking of World Universities and National Taiwan University Rankings. Times Higher Education currently ranks Melbourne as 28th in the world, while the QS World University Rankings places Melbourne 31st in the world. I like the ambiance of this university, it should be inspiring to have group study session inside the campus. The buildings of the campus have very unique classical designs, it looks like you are being transported back in time.

From here we took shuttle back to Stop 8 - Queen Victoria Market, with that we were able to took full circle of the free shuttle bus. Basically this was shuttle tour day. We rested a bit in the hostel before visiting Aldi Supermarket to buy some local snacks for souvenir. Little did we know that this supermarket is so environmental friendly that they won't provide you with any plastic / paper bag. So we tried to put as much of them in our backpack and some we hand carried.

The most unique food we bought was the lamington. It is a dessert of Australian origin. It consists of squares of sponge cake coated first in a layer of traditionally chocolate icing, then in desiccated coconut. Should have bought more of it.

This is our last night at Australia, so we drop by the hostel lobby to book for Starbus shuttle pickup to airport, unfortunately Starbus office is already close. And just to let you know, we weren't able to book shuttle the following day as it is full. So please note for all of you to book the shuttle days before. As it was our last night, we visited the rooftop to enjoy view of the city...

Till our next travel adventure!!! Hope you had enjoyed spending time with us! :) Do leave us comments or share anything :)

Day 9: Mount Buller Snow Trip

2013-09-20T22:07:00.002+08:00

Have you ever witness snow fall from the sky? Have you ever hold snow flake in your palm? This is one of the things a person may dream of once in his life...

It was around 5:15 AM, we left the hostel and walked towards 260 Swanston St to meet our tour group for Mt Buller Trip. The sky was very dark, there was rain and the wind breeze was very cold. The weather was unpleasant but we tried to be optimistic. We hoped if there is rain and if temperature up in Mt Buller falls below 0, then definitely I shall have my first snow experience.

By the way, we booked this tour online with Extragreen Holidays. The online rate for adult 1 day tour is 69 AUD which includes transport to and from city to Mt. Buller, entrance fee and sightseeing chairlift - NORTHSIDE EXPRESS.. Rental of jacket, pants, boots, ski, snowboards, and others could be done online too. Meals could also be pre-booked online.

At 5:45 AM, we boarded the tour bus and left the city. There was nothing scenic to see while traveling since the streets is covered by darkness. Then after an hour, we made 15 minute stopover for those who needed toilet break or snacks. Then we resumed the trip once everyone was inside the bus. The sky was still gloomy and rainy by this hour. Looking out by our bus window, landscape includes green fields with flocks of cows or sheep.

It was this whole stretch of fields and trees for more than an hour and we made another stop to get our boots and equipments before entering Mt. Buller. Around 10AM, when we finally saw the surroundings were covered in white. I got really excited, "Alas! Mount Buller we are almost there!!! :) "

When we reached Mt. Buller, our tour guide gave us some tips on how to go around Mt. Buller and requested that we return at 3:00 PM. So we just have 4 hours to enjoy. Luckily, we didn't book for Snowboarding or Ski else there was not ample time to learn and enjoy. From bus stop, we placed some refundable deposit to leave our things in their locker, then we headed to Northside Express.

We happily hopped in to the Ski lift as we didn't want to wait minutes for the Gondola. It was a very thrilling ride, not to mention the chilly temperature and the height! Luckily, we braved ourselves for this ride before snow fell.

Then we reached the place where people were happily Snowboarding and Skiing. We took few photos then seek shelter because our hands and body were starting to get numb. So we went in Spurs restaurant...

After a few minutes we decided to take the 20 minute walk towards the shuttle bus stop. It was worrisome to walk in the path covered with snow and destination that seems obscure, yet we took more photos. Well, we love to capture moments so no objections!!! ;) Alas we rode the shuttle that brought us to the village.

Once we reached the Mt Buller Village, we were scouting for restaurants to dine in. The meals are pricey because visitors will need to eat. We decided to eat at Pats Italian. We shared one pizza and ordered 2 hot choco drink. The couple besides us offered us their pizza as they had leftover. We were grateful but we were already full.

When our bodies recovered from coldness and hunger, we went out and took more photos. I felt happy and fortunate to experience snow for the first time, but snow turned to hail in a while.

Then we rode shuttle bus again to where our bus is. But we were an hour earlier, so we decided to head back to Northern Express and ride the Gondola.

Sadly, we weren't able to make our own Snow Man. But anyways, we boarded the bus and slept for 4 hrs. Then we reached the city around 8 PM and ate at Nando's Peri-Peri Chicken because my friend said the portion is bigger in Australia, nevertheless it was a satisfying meal...

Tomorrow will be the last day of our City Tour, hopefully it won't be as rainy as today.

Day 8: Melbourne City Tour II

2013-09-20T21:53:00.000+08:00

Welcome back everyone! The Day 8 half-day trip was only a preview, today we officially begin the tour of Melbourne. Nobody visits Melbourne without dropping by one of the it's most famous place for shopping, The Queen Victoria Market, lucky for us the hostel we were staying was just 5-minute walk. It started its operation since 1878, the Market's seven hectare site is the largest open air Market in the southern hemisphere. It has variety of items for sale like fruits, vegetables, meats and also souvenir items like T-shirts, hats, jackets, magnets, keychain and many more. The market also sells exotic animal meat, but this is a story for another day. (Day 10 to be uploaded soon)

Do note of its schedule and plan accordingly:

9.00am to 2.00pm Tuesday and Thursday,
6.00am to 6.00pm Friday,
6.00am to 3.00pm Saturday,
9.00am to 4.00pm Sunday.

Not to be outdone by its bitter rival Sydney, Melbourne also offer tourist a free shuttle bus ride around attractions inside the city. (Update: Bad news guys, starting Oct 1,2013 it will now cost $5 for one day ride all you can. Visit the website for more info: http://www.thatsmelbourne.com.au/visitors/transport/shuttle/Pages/VisitorShuttle.aspx) The shuttle operates daily (except Christmas Day), departing every 30 minutes from 9.30am to 4.30pm and the full trip takes 90 minutes. What makes it better than the one is Sydney is that the buses here includes on-board commentary with interesting trivia of places you pass by.

We were really glad we were able to find the bus stop just before the first bus arrived. After waiting for a bit, our shuttle bus is now ready to take us to our next stop, the Shrine of Remembrance. We boarded on Stop 8 - Queen Victoria Market. Alot of tourist alighted and we took their place on the bus. On the way to our destination we passed by several places like Docklands, Victoria Harbour, and many more. Don't worry, we will explore more of these places in coming days. Finally, we reach Stop 13 - The Shrine and Botanical Gardens.

The Shrine of Remembrance was built between July 1928 and November 1934 in remembrance of those 114,000 men and women of Victoria who served and those who died in the Great War of 1914-1918. 89,100 of them served overseas and 19,000 did not return. It is open from 10am to 5pm daily, except on Good Friday and Christmas Day. After arriving, we took several photos of the Shrine. We see several statues on the sides. We then went inside the Sanctuary, and on the center we saw the Stone of Remembrance which has the inscription "GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN". This is actually part of a Bible verse from John 15:13 which says "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends". We also went up the Sanctuary to see the top view of the Shrine. Some parts are still under construction for redevelopment plans by Melbourne government.

Now, we then proceeded to our next stop, the Royal Botanic Gardens. Are you seeing the trend here? Melbourne also has its own Royal Botanic Gardens, just like Sydney. Both are really competitive because they want to be the best Australian city. Established in 1846, the gardens extend over 36 hectares and display an amazingly diverse collection of over 50,000 plants from around the world, including rare and threatened species. Considered one of the finest examples of Victorian-era landscaped gardens in the world, the Royal Botanic Gardens hosts year-round events, picnics, weddings and tours. The garden is open 7.30am – 8pm everyday. Due to time constraint, we were only able to see 1/4 of the Gardens, and we decide to proceed with the next stop, the National Gallery of Victoria.

Founded in 1861, the National Gallery of Victoria is the oldest public art museum in Australia. Its collections range over European, Asian, and Australian art of all periods. The NGV Collection contains over 68,000 works of art and approximately 87% of its records are available for viewing. During our visit we were able to see Asian and European artworks. 2 artworks really caught our attention. Just near the entrance was a beautiful artwork of a deer made in diamonds - PixCell-Red Deer by Kohei Nawa. On the center of the hall is the artwork, clinamen by Céleste Boursier-Mougenot. It composes of porcelain bowls floating in a pool of sky blue water. The bowls float in circular motion and produces nice sound when it hits each other. Better to see for yourself when you can visit.

Up next for today's tour is a visit to the oldest station in Australia, Flinders Street Station. Constructed on 1910, it is the busiest suburban railway station in the southern hemisphere and its 700 metre main platform is the longest in the country. The term "meet me under the clocks" would refer to the clocks above the main entrance which is a famous meeting place for locals.

Just across Flinders Street Station we can see one of Melbourne's most famous tourist attraction, the Federation Square. It is a unique cultural precinct which brings together a creative mix of attractions, museums and galleries, and the finest of dining with its many restaurants, cafes and bars. We also entered the nearby Melbourne Visitor Centre (MVC) and got ourselves free brochures and maps of tourist sites around Melbourne. On the Square is a big TV screen that shows video of people walking around. We can't help but take pictures of us starring in the TV since this is our only chance of fame!

Just across the street from Federation Square, is St. Paul's Cathedral. The Cathedral is built in the neo-Gothic transitional style, that is, partly Early English and partly Decorated. It was designed by the distinguished English architect William Butterfield, who was noted for his ecclesiastical work. The foundation stone was laid in 1880. More recently, and completed in 2009, extensive restoration works were carried out.

If you are a fan of street arts, we recommend you guys to visit Hosier Lane. It's just walking distance from Flinders Street Station. The whole place is covered with colorful works of art by different people. We were really amazed at the details of the paintings that covers the walls, windows and even garbage bins.

We then took the free tram ride Elizabeth St-Flinders St to South Wharf to get to our next destination, the Southbank. We started our walking tour at the Melbourne Exhibition Center. Just nearby was DFO, it's a mall that sells clothes, shoes, bags from different brands. Since it was winter season, summer fashion styles were on sale. Walking along the Yarra river, we took pictures of several brightly colored buildings and watched the sunset. We also passed by several steel statues along the bridge.

That is it for day 8, join us tomorrow for adventure in Winter Wonderland!

Day 7: Goodbye Sydney - Hello Melbourne

2013-09-14T09:34:00.000+08:00

Yesterday, we have arranged shuttle pickup via the receptionist and informed them that we shall check-out early this morning.

We woke up early, checked-out and waited for shuttle to fetch us at 7:00 AM from hostel to airport. The shuttle fare is 13 AUD which is cheaper than taking train or taxi. We could have saved on fare, however we forgot to claim our key deposit :( This is another lesson learned, next time we will need to add reminder.

Today we bid Sydney goodbye and hello Melbourne. The plane departed 10:00 AM and arrived Melbourne at 11:35 AM. After claiming our luggage, we proceed to Bus Zone M, where we took Starbus. It took around 30 minutes and will drop you us off at Discovery Melbourne. Tickets are 13 AUD per person however it was refunded on check-in since we stayed for more than 3 days. Don't forget to ask the bus driver for receipt. :)

Discovery Melbourne is a large international youth hostel conveniently located right in the heart of the city. They offer free guided tours, some events and parties. I love this hostel. They give FREE breakfast which is available every 7 to 11 in the morning. There are bread, cereals, spreads, coffee, milk and tea. Our daily breakfast favorite was toasted bread with peanut butter and strawberry jam. I completed it with fresh milk, while my partner preferred coffee. Another nice feature in this hostel is their swipe card key for our room, toilet, bathroom and to any doors there is in the hostel.

After we checked-in and settled our things, we headed out and looked for something to eat. The Borek Bakehouse caught our attention since a lot people were buying. It is located at 481 Elizabeth Street. They serve traditional Turkish breads and snacks, including lamb gozleme, spinach and cheese borek, and Middle Eastern dips and sweets. Borek is a family of baked or fried filled pastries made of a thin flaky dough known as phyllo (or yufka). It can be filled with cheese, often feta, sirene or kasar; minced meat, or vegetables. We ordered 2 Lamb & Zucchini Borek and 2 Chickpea borek which costs 10 AUD and is delicious and filling.

From here we passed through strip of mostly Asian restaurants until we reach the #35 free city circle tram stop. The City Circle tram service operates within Melbourne's central business district. It operates in a circular route passing major tourist attractions, as well as linking with other tram, train and bus routes in and around Melbourne. Trams run in both directions approximately every twelve minutes between 10am and 6pm Sunday to Wednesday and extended hours, 10am - 9pm Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Clockwise service: Flinders Street > Harbour Esplanade > Docklands Drive > La Trobe Street > Victoria Street > Nicholson Street > Spring Street > Flinders Street.

At 2:00 pm, we took this tram to Parliament Station (St. Patrick's Cathrdral). St. Patrick's Cathedral is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia, and seat of its archbishop. The building is known internationally as a leading example of the Gothic Revival style of architecture.

From here we can walk towards Fitzroy Garden > Old Treasury Building > Parliament House > Parliament Station. Let us guide you...

Head east on Cathedral Place towards Lansdowne Street and Fitzroy Gardens awaits you. The Fitzroy Gardens are 26 hectares located on the southeastern edge of the Melbourne CBD. The gardens are bounded by Clarendon Street, Albert Street, Lansdowne Street, and Wellington Parade. The gardens are one of the major Victorian era landscaped gardens in Australia and add to Melbourne's claim to being the garden city of Australia. Set within the gardens are: an ornamental lake, Conservatory, Cooks' Cottage, Sinclair’s Cottage, Model Tudor village, Fountains and sculptures, Band Pavilion, the Rotunda and the fairy tree

From the gorgeous flower filled conservatory, head south, turn right toward Treasury place and Turn right into Spring St.then you shall reach The Old Treasury Building. This is a famous building, designed by a 19 year old and housing the original Melbourne gold vaults. There's a lot to see here including seeing a copy of the biggest gold nugget ever found in the world (found here in Victoria), and there's also a lot of history about Melbourne. The Old Treasury Building closes at 4pm by the way and isn't open Saturdays so plan accordingly.

Walk few meters north of Old Treasury Building towards Macarthur St. and visit the Parliament House. It has been the seat of the Parliament of Victoria, Australia, since 1855 (except for the years 1901 to 1927, when it was the seat of the Federal Parliament of Australia). There is the Queen's Hall where you can find statue of Queen Victoria, Legislative Council, Legislative Assembly, Library and more. They offer free tours, just join the queue or walk right in if there isn't a queue. Tours are available 9.30am, 10.30am, 11.30am, 1.30pm, 2.30pm and 3.45pm........ Get to experience the virtual tour here.

Then we headed towards Parliament Station and met a friend and his wife. It was raining!!! Well, as they say, they experience four seasons in a day in Melbourne. From nearby there is free circle tram stop, we hopped in towards Flinders St. but we were asked to alight the tram at Docklands. It was raining and it was freezing, and we were anxious whether there was still tram service as it was already 6PM. We waited quite a long time before the next tram arrived. We alighted at Flinders Street Station and walked towards Swanston st.

We had dinner at Pho Bo Ga Mekong Vietnam at 241 Swanston Street. We had Chicken Special, Beef Special and some Spring Rolls. Dinner was perfect for winter season and we walked out very full.

It is time to head back home and have a good rest! Till tomorrow :)

Day 6: Bondi Beach Tour

2013-09-13T22:00:00.000+08:00

Today is the last day of our Sydney tour and we feel we haven't had enough of the city. Our itinerary for Day 6 is another popular beach here in Sydney, Bondi beach. After our bad experience in taking bus from Spit Bridge going back to city in Day 5, we now have fear of taking another bus ride. However the only way to travel from CBD to Bondi beach is via bus so despite our new fear, we still push through with our plan.

Before leaving the hostel, we first asked the hostel receptionist where to take the bus and how to buy tickets. Most of the bus stops in CBD area are prepaid so we need to purchase tickets before boarding the bus. We now proceed to look for a convenient store near the bus stop to buy tickets. After we bought our round trip tickets, we looked for the bus stop and waited for the bus that will take us to Bondi beach. If from CBD, the bus to take is 380 or 333. This will pass by Bondi Junction which has a mall nearby.

It took us approximately 30 minutes to reach Bondi Beach. Upon arriving, we went directly to the beach to take lots of photos. Bondi Pavilion is where you can hangout for free WiFi.

Comparing to Manly, Bondi beach is smaller from end to end. Just beside the beach is the Bondi Park where we see people jogging, eating their lunch, reading books and sunbathing. We also saw alot of birds, that we think are seagulls. They were just walking around looking for food. When one girl offered them food, they flocked to her like a piranhas eating their prey.

Time check it's 12 noon. We decided to try Australia's local fastfood chain Hungry Jack's. Wikipedia says, Hungry Jack's Pt Ltd is the exclusive Australian master fast food franchisee of Burger King Corporation, a privately held company owned by Jack Cowin. No wonder it tastes similar to Burger King and seems like Jack is always hungry huh! Since it was a Tuesday, they were offering a buy one get one burger deal! We had really been wondering why alot of restarants and fast food chains in Australia are offering this kind of deals during Tuesdays. If you guys have any idea, please share by commenting below.

After a very tiring trek yesterday, we decided today is going to be a relaxed one. We took a stroll on nearby areas along the beach. Then, we saw the Bondi Icebergs. This was actually a swimming club which origin dates back to 1929 and owes its origins to the desire of a band of dedicated local lifesavers who wished to maintain their fitness during the winter months. It has a swimming pool, restaurants and bar facilities. Full club membership can only be attained by swimming 3 Sundays out of 4 from May to September (winter) for 5 years! (O_o)

Just ahead of Bondi Icebergs we sighted beautiful rock formations and on the edge of the land mass is Mackenzies Point. The view of the South Pacific Ocean is amazing. We also viewed Bondi Beach from a different view.

Just above is a small hill, and on top we found Hunter Park. It's a very peaceful and tranquil place, very good for relaxing and meditating. We just sat in the grassy fields under the tree. After sometime, people started arriving with their dogs, and one dog even tried to tackle us.

It's now 4pm, time for us to go back down to the beach. Before going home, we tried to look for the Bondi Market. After looking around for 10-20 minutes, we weren't able to find the place. We decided to ask for directions and we were told that it's only open on weekends. With no place else to go we took the next bus back to the city and started to pack our things for the flight to Melbourne the next day. We also arranged shuttle bus pickup with the hostel receptionist.