Travel

25th Birthday Getaway : Johor Bahru – Day 1

A quarter of century gone!
I’m afraid I have to agree to the saying that age is just a number.
I am still very much a kid at heart, my boyfriend knows best.

I guess the only part that makes me feel like a 25 is that I get tired more often compared to few years ago.
There are times where I used to conflict myself by very looking forward to my own birthday but at the same time dislike the aging part.
Then it strikes me, why am I dreading the aging part? It’s a blessing in disguise.
We should all feel blessed to have the chance to age and to grow, despite the number. It’s just a number after all.

Even if we look older, even if we have more wrinkles and what not we should all be grateful that we stand a chance at all.
I feel especially blessed to have another year surrounded by people I love, my family, my other half and my friends. :)

For this year’s birthday I actually planned for a getaway at Alang Rawa but I never seemed to get a reply from them after sending a few emails. Are they close during monsoon season or are they just that bad in replying? :(
I’ve been telling Fatty that I wanted to go to Alang Rawa since ages ago but it just didn’t happen.
I’ll just have to wait for my bff to be back next year and make this happen, pfft.

Fatty suggested Japamala Resort at Tioman and since I also wanted to go check out Johor Bahru because I’ve never really been there, my plan to Alang Rawa changed.
Johor Bahru and Tioman Island it is.

We occupied our time at Johor Bahru on the first day and drove to Mersing on the second.
Due to the fact that we’re gonna spend quite an amount of money at Tioman, I decided to choose a much more affordable hotel for our stay at Johor Bahru.

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#1 I am Jazz Hotel at Bandar Baru Permas Jaya for only Rm100 a night.

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#2 It’s a decent hotel with basic amnesties.

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#3 It’s not that bad for a Rm100 room isn’t it? Pictures are from their website by the way.

We arrived at Johor Bahru during noon time, almost evening.
First stop was IT Roo cafe to get our hunger fix at Johor Bahru Old Town.
Claimed as ‘Best Chicken Chop in Malaysia’, IT Roo is one of the oldest established Hainanese restaurant in Johor Bahru.

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#4 I ordered Grilled Black Pepper Chicken Chop while Fatty ordered Fried Chicken Chop in Mushroom sauce. Fried chicken chop was a lot better than the grilled one, it was crispy and crunchy with the batter mix which I quite like. Fatty however prefer Yut Kee’s chicken chop more than IT Roo’s.

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#5 Root beer float will always be the bomb no matter where.

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#6 Contrast, love the colours of the door and the grills. I also dyed my hair, violet brown or something like that and red ends.

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#7 <3 20131110-124403.jpg
#8 Took a walk around Johor Bahru Old Town after our late lunch.

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#9 How so true when we really have the ability to give. :)

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#10 A little reminder.

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#11 Second stop : Chaiwalla & Co, a container cafe.

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#12 Container is love! But I wish they sell better drinks instead of drinks like bubble tea.

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#13 Chaiwalla do sell desserts too.

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#14

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#15 :)

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#16

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#17 Cute saloon and rooftop cafe but the cafe seemed close, so we didn’t get to try.

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#18

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#19 Roost.

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#20 Roost Repurposed & Recycled that’s just few shops away from Roost. They mainly serve drinks, yogurts, and salads.

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#21 Fascinated by the fact that the shop owner built almost all the furniture himself, I made it a point that I have to at least drop by.

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#22 When I have a house of my own, I really do prefer doing-it-myself too instead of buying because that way I get to have what I really want. I only wish that Fatty will agree with me and we can get our hands dirty together in the future. :D

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#23 A rather different approach from KL’s cafes designs.

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#24 Don’t you agree?

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#25

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#26

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#27 Open air where you can gaze at pedestrians passing by.

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#28 How you can make full use of unwanted cups.

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#29 My Fatty who dreaded going to JB with me but it’s not so bad after all.

We were really full from all the coffees but my boyfriend has got this hope that we can actually eat some Johor Bak Kut Teh. Unfortunately Bak Kut Teh restaurants at Johor closes really early. Would actually love to try it.
I also secretly wanted to go to Danga Bay after I saw online that there’s a funfair over there but I kept quiet because funfair doesn’t sound so much like a Fatty’s thing.
To my surprise, he said he wanted to bring me over without me even mentioning anything about Danga Bay. :D

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#30 Yay!! Funfair!! :D

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#31 I was extremely happy like a little kid.

It’s a permanent funfair and I must say it’s a really good one. It’s big, filled with a lot of rides.
A really good place for family on a Sunday evening.

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#32

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#33 You gotta love a two tier merry-go-round. :)

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#34

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#35 Blur picture in the train. And yes, Fatty bought me a heart shape helium balloon. Hehehe.

It was very fun especially when Fatty agrees to go on rides with me.
It’s rare that he will agree to go on a merry-go-round with me you’ve got no idea. <3 But the bumper car which he enjoyed the most made me feel like I'm about to die. The collisions were so hard I actually felt pain. Pfft! Despite that, it was a lovely lovely day. I only wish that we could arrive at Johor earlier so that I can cafe hop more. 20131110-125559.jpg
#36 Days like this is what makes me happy. :)

I Am Jazz Hotel
Add: 122-124 Jalan Permas 10 (Bandar Baru Permas Jaya), Masai, Johor 81750

IT Roo Cafe
Add: 17, Jalan Dhoby, Johor Bahru, Johor 80000.

Chaiwalla & Co
Add: Lot 2810, Jalan Tan Hiok Nee (Wong Ah Fook), Johor Bahru, Johor 80000.

Roost Repurposed & Recycled.
Add: 1, Jalan Dhoby, Johor Bahru, Johor.

Time-4-Two at Thistle Port Dickson Resort

It was an impromptu short getaway.
I was craving for a holiday after I came back from Hong Kong mainly because I wasn’t in my happiest mood during my Hong Kong trip.
I was also desperate for a two-person holiday seeing that the last time we both had our ‘honeymoon’ getaway was during my birthday last year.
Hong Kong’s trip was not in the list seeing that we spend a lot of time being around friends and Fatty’s sister.

Opportunity came knocking on my door when Hari Raya Haji was just around the corner and I so happened came across an offer by Thistle at Port Dickson, so I thought why not.

We took their ‘Time-4-Two’ package which includes an accommodation in a sea view room, breakfast for two, welcome drink for two at Cumulus Beach Bar and one of the complement treat from below for RM495++.

-Unlimited 9-hole Golf including Club Hire
-One hour spa treatment for 2
-Unlimited Water Sports
-Dinner on arrival night

Cheapest rate starts from Rm425++ for a golf view room and the remaining treats are the same.

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#1 We went on Hari Raya Haji itself and there I was inside Fatty’s bathroom making sure I look fine with a selfie lol.

Fatty brought me to his site at Seremban and he took a look, making sure everything was fine before we went off for lunch.

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#2 He learned how to ride a bike during work and he make sure I hopped on it.

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#3 This is pai kia number 1.

For lunch, Fatty brought me to Asia Curry Laksa House in Seremban where he raved about their braise pork and curry laksa noodle.
Asia Curry House is located at Taman Cattleya (Jalan Berlian), it’s just where the locals eat.

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#4 Economy rice which consists a lot of vegetable dishes.

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#5 Couldn’t stop ourselves from gobbling down the rice while we wait for our curry laksa noodle, so here it is a picture of our half eaten rice. The braise pork was really good, with the right amount of fats to balance up the meat.

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#6 Curry laksa noodle which is a little too spicy for my liking. Not sure if so happen it was spicier that day or me being heaty but I’d say I prefer Baba Low’s curry laksa.

It took us about half an hour from Seremban to Port Dickson and along the way we saw quite a lot of Malays dressing up to celebrate Hari Raya Haji.

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#7 Santai Spa in Thistle Hotel and a bunch of buggies.

Among all the treats, we picked the one hour aromatic massage by Santai Spa. I figured one hour of massage in a hotel will at least cost us Rm150 and since there’s two of us it makes it Rm300 which makes it really worth it to pick a massage. Moreover, we really need one.

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#8 Thistle half open air lobby which is really airy.

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#9

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#10 I asked Fatty, ‘Can you get out of the frame or not!? Why must you always unintentionally appear in my picture!?’ and he decided to raised his leg up. Stupid boy.

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#11 I requested for a room change because the first room do not have a bathtub (sue me) so they gave me a room with bathtub and that’s higher off the ground. :)

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#12 The view from our room’s balcony, not bad lah. :)

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#13 Took a walk around Thistle and saw this human size checkers and snake & ladders. Look at that stupid boy appearing in my picture unintentionally again.

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#14 We walked towards the beach and saw a few cabanas but it was wet so we continue looking around.

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#15 Saw a very cute girl playing on a swing but at the same time I cant wait for her to be done so that I can hop on it haha.

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#16 Adorable is an understatement. :)

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#17 This is Cumulus bar by the beach and it is only open starting noon time, 3pm if I’m not mistaken.

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#18 It’s a really nice place to chill by the beach and we have two complimentary drinks, so Fatty ordered a draught beer and as for me, it’s always fruit juice.

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#19

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#20 Sigh, I just love this act-handsome-boy so much!

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#21 Other than the family pool that we saw from our balcony, there’s an infinity pool right beside Cumulus bar. A great alternative if you don’t like to be around kids.

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#22 We didn’t really walk on the beach though cause I was lazy and the beach doesn’t look too inviting.

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#23 After done checking out Thistle, we went for our aromatic massage at Santai Spa which we scheduled at 4pm.

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#24 The massage was very different from what I usually had, that was my first aromatic massage and I must say things can get pretty naked. Not really comfortable with that. :\

There’s a changing room where you can take a quick shower or go for sauna if you wish.
You may actually request to go for sauna with your other half and they will try to arrange it for you at 8pm when there’s no more guest.

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#25 No showering or swimming after the massage for at least an hour so we changed and took another walk before jumping into the pool.

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#26 Super fat thighs lah I don’t know why. Maybe cause I put my entire weight on my bottoms and thighs lol! Damn!

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#27 Serious one! Fatty don’t know how he should take the picture cause he said ‘Your thighs very fat lah’ fml.

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#28 Happy girl on a wooden swing hanged on a tree. :)

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#29 Fatty boom boom but he shed some fats right!?

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#30 Or maybe not if you look closely, haha.

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#31 ✌

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#32 Not bad hor the infinity pool?

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#33

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#34 Secretly took a picture when he was enjoying whatever he was enjoying.

I bought myself a waterproof camera case and now every time when I go swimming I can use it hehehe. :D

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#35 It was really fun except that the water isn’t clear enough for us!

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#36 Damn cute hor my merman. :D

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#37 I didn’t bother adjusting the case properly cause I was too eager which is why you see a black rim at the corner.

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#38

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#39 Am I the only person who think he’s cute? LOL!

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#40 Really really cute wan! HAHA!

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#41 My weird picture underwater.

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#42 Because there’s no way I can dive and open my eyes at the same time so this is the best I can do.

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#43 Also because I didn’t bother taking off my lens beforehand so it makes it all the more impossible to open my eyes underwater. Also if you notice, somebody is trying to pull off a handsome face. Aherm.

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#44 Did I spot Fatty right there?

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#45 We headed to Malacca for satay celup and I wanted Pak Putra after that but they wasn’t open for business. All the shops were close too, so it was a bad choice going down to Malacca. :(

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#46 I forced Fatty to take this picture for me, haha.

Fatty sent me to Seremban’s train station and I took KTM back to Bandar Tasik Selatan for only RM5 plus which is dirt cheap! We were reluctant to part ways but it’s a working day so there wasn’t really a choice.
Though short but we both had a great bonding time and we are now a little more in love than before haha.
That or maybe my pms has yet to hit me lol.

Time-4-Two package is made available until 31st of December this year and if you’ll like to book, do head over to Thistle’s website.
Thistle is a UK based company but maintenance and cleanliness wise, they really aren’t at their best.
The hotel and their room is nowhere near dirty but the lift has got this weird smell which I really dislike.
Addition to that, the infinity pool wasn’t very clean either and their pool table is really worn out.

Other than that, everything else was fine.

Thistle Port Dickson Resort
KM16 Jalan Pantai, Teluk Kemang, 71050 Si Rusa, Port Dickson 71050
Phone: +606 648 2828 /
Fax: +606 662 7999 /

Macau / Hong Kong Trip – Day 05

Took me a whole month to finish up my Hong Kong post it seems.
Too busy working and watching netflix, sleeping in and going out.

Our flight heading back home from Hong Kong was at 6pm so there was still time to walk around before we went off to airport.

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#1 For starters, we had a buffet breakfast at Hotel Icon. The ambiance was really comfortable, there were only few people and selection of food was vary.

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#2 Cakes.

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#3 And breads.

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#4 Smoked salmon and humus.

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#5 Bicher Muesli in a jar, how cute.

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#6 Dim sum’s a must in Hong Kong.

Breakfast at Hotel Icon was great, unlike Macau Sheraton’s breakfast.
If you have extra bucks to spend and extra space in your tummy, you might want to try their breakfast when you’re there.

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#7 After our breakfast, we went all the way back to Central to eat my beef brisket noodle but turns out they aren’t open yet. :(

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#8 We went to Duddell Street to check out gas powered street lamp and there’s only four left in Hong Kong, all located at Duddell street.

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#9 How historical right?

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#10 After a few snaps we went to the infamous Starbucks just a stairs away.

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#11 Is this the coolest Starbucks or what?

‘In June 2009, Hong Kong retail design store G.O.D collaborated with Starbucks and created a store with a “Bing Sutt Corner” at their store on Duddell Street. It is a concept that fuses the retro bing sutt, a Hong Kong teahouse style with the contemporary look of a coffeehouse.’

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#12 Old school Hong Kong style cafe.

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#13

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#14

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#15

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#16 Love instax. :)

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#17 Just showing off my floral shorts which I really like. Heh

 

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#18 After getting Chai Latte from Starbucks we met up with Fatty’s sister again for a quick lunch near Hung Hom. This is Fatty’s fish-something-something-noodle.

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#19 And this is my beef brisket which I super love because it was so goooood!

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#20 Then there’s more eating. See, that’s how I claim the title of an eating monster. Rawr.

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#21 Australia Dairy Co. is a really famous char chan teng.

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#22 Didn’t get to try this though.

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#23 Menu I cant seem to understand.

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#24 This milk was good! But Hokkaido’s better, heh.

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#25 Scramble egg that looks so simple yet very fulfilling and satisfying.

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#26 Mine’s with ham.

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#27 Milk tea with Fatty on the background enjoying our spaghetti.

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#28 D: The amount of food we ate, my goodness.

That was kinda the last meal in Hong Kong before we leave except for a quick meal at the airport.

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#29 That’s where I found out this is the best milk in the world but it was so expensive! HKD20 for one, pfft. Let me know if I can find it here in KL, I WANT IT!

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#30 Ending my post with a picture of my luggage bag that I bought from Zhu Hai for only Rm90. That’s the best deal! :)

Hong Kong is a great place and it somehow feels close to heart because I’ve been watching TVB dramas almost all my life but it is also a very expensive place to go.
Don’t think I’ll be going back to Hong Kong anytime soon and now, where’s the next destination?

After serious calculation, total damage to my savings account is Rm4000. /dead

‘Bing Sutt’ Starbucks
Address: Shop M2, Mezzanine Floor,
Baskerville House, 13 Duddell Street, Central
Tel: (852) 2523 5685

Australian Dairy Co.
Address: G/F, 47-49 Parkes Street, Jordan
Tel: (852) 2730 1356
Opening Hours: Mon to Wed & Fri to Sun: 07:30-23:00
Closed on Thu

Macau / Hong Kong Trip – Day 04

You can’t blame me for taking this long to finish up my Hong Kong post, I’ve been working a lot I almost couldn’t catch up on my sleep.

We moved from 99 Bonham at Sheung Wan to Icon Hotel at East Tsim Tsa Tsui, another side of Hong Kong.
We choose Hotel Icon for aesthetic reason and also the distance between Belinda’s (Fatty’s sister) hostel and our hotel.

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#1 Hotel Icon is a very new hotel built in 2011, founded and owned by Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

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#2 Not only does it look nice and clean, Hotel Icon smells really good too.

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#3 Vertical garden growing along walls that will make you stop, stare, and admire.

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#4

Service was A plus, friendly and helpful.

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#5 We booked Icon 36 Harbour for RM980 including breakfast and they upgraded our room to Club 36 Harbour for us. :)

And here’s what you get if you book a Club 36 Harbour room :

*36 square metres *Satellite, i-cable and NOW TV channels *Twin or King bed *Blu-ray disc player *Complimentary in-room bar & snacks (replenished daily) *Nespresso coffee machine *Complimentary WiFi within hotel area *BOSE sound dock *WiFi phone with free local calls *3-in-1 printer *40” high definition flat screen TV *Complimentary digital newspapers and magazines on personal tablet or smartphone (Choose from 2,000+ newspapers and magazines)

Everything from the bar is free, including beers and snacks! They really know how to win their customer’s heart.

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#6 Si Pendek.

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#7

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#8 The only thing I dislike about Hotel Icon is their room carpet. That jigsaw carpet really really looks ugly to me. Not ugly meh?

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#9

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#10 Mad love their toilet design!

It seems like a bad idea after all when Fatty created this interest in me to try out hotels because I will always end up saying ‘Next time our toilet we do it this way ah!’ or ‘I want our house to look this way next time.’
But of course, he cant really be bothered about all my next-times and I-wants.

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#11 The best damn thing? Watching tv while bubble bathing!

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#12

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#13 Room’s harbour view.

After checking out our room, we met up with Fatty’s sister for lunch.
We were supposed to have our lunch at Caprice, Four Seasons Hotel but turned out people who lives in Hong Kong do their lunch at a 3 Michelin star restaurant like it’s a kopitiam or something. It was fully booked on a Monday lunch time. Mmkay.

We were actually deciding between Caprice and L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon because both were given 3 stars but since Caprice was full, we headed to the latter.

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#14 There’s a distinguish difference between the two restaurants. L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon setting is more to casual and contemporary dining while Caprice has a grander setting.

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#15 Complimentary bread, they were really cute and mini.

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#16 Amuse bouche that whet my appetite.

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#17 My main; lobster risotto.

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#18 Really really good apricot dessert. I don’t normally go for dessert during fine dine unless it comes with a set and even if it does comes with a set, a rarely like it. This was different, it was really good with cinnamon and vanilla ice-cream without being too sweet. Just perfect.

Belinda and I ordered three course each while Fatty ordered four course.
Three course set lunch is price at HKD568 and four course is priced at HKD668. I think the bill came up to about Rm900+ for the three of us.
Although the food was good (as per all the fine dine I’ve tried), I sincerely do not think that what I was served that day deserve a three Michelin star. Bistro a Table was just as good, in my opinion.

After trying Hong Kong’s one Michelin star dim sum and now three Michelin star French fine dine, I’d say the Michelin star given to these Hong Kong restaurants cant really be trusted. I’d expect a 3 Michelin star to give me a wow factor but that wasn’t it.
Belinda went to her class after our lunch while Fatty and I went back to our hotel to enjoy the most out of it.

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#19 Meet up again after that to eat MORE at Hung Hom area.

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#20 Mammy pancake (kai tan zai) at Hung Hom, heard it’s famous among the students.

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#21

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#22 It tasted really good and crispy, I sometimes crave for it.

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#23 We then head over to a famous dumpling shop called 上海飽餃店 for some hot and steamy dumplings.

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#24 Menu on the wall. It’s really nice to have a boyfriend who can read chinese or else I’ll be so lost.

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#25 Scallion pancake, not quite my thing.

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#26 Xiu long bao.

The ‘sang zin bao’ was really good but Fatty told me that day it wasn’t as good as the first time he tried it.
Sometimes we have our bad days don’t we.
I wanted to go to Avenue of Stars after our meal so off we went.

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#27 Lots and lots of meat and the uncle asked Fatty if he’s visiting his mother in law and if he wants to add any dishes lol.

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#28 Avenue of stars.

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#29 I watched Symphony of Light while the two Tays waited for me cause they weren’t interested haha.

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#30

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#31 Oh why so blur!

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#32 Demonstrating how robot stands, haha. Awkward, awkward.

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#33 The Tays.

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#34 You just cant stay away from food when you’re in Hong Kong. Or in my case, I can never stay away from food wherever I am. Mak’s Noodle, famous for wantan mee.

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#35 Oh hi there.

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#36 Wantan mee with wantans hiding underneath the mee.

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#37 Shrimp roe noodles or ha zi mee as the Hongkies call it.

Never had such an expensive wantan noodles, about Rm20 per bowl. T_T

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#38 Last stop for the night at Aqua Spirit for drinks.

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#39

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#40 Fatty’s drink and my Bailey which I shared with Belinda. I drank less than one third and passed it to her because I don’t want to get tipsy. Sometimes I wonder, why cant I drink? Why my body cannot tolerate alcohol pfft.

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#40 :)

Hotel Icon

Address: 17 Science Museum Road
Tsim Sha Tsui East
Kowloon, Hong Kong
Tel:(852) 3400 1000
Fax:(852) 3400 1001
Email:info@hotel-icon.com

L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon
Address: Shop 315 & 401, The Landmark, Central, Hong Kong
Tel : (852) 2166 9000

Mammy Pancake
Address: Shop 2A, G/F, Whampoa Street, Hung Hom, Hong Kong.

上海飽餃店
Address: G/F, No. 6 Ming On Street, Hung Hom, Hong Kong.
Tel: (852) 2802 2266

Mak’s Noodle 麥奀記雲吞麵
Address: G/F, 77 Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong.
Tel: (852) 2854 3810

Aqua Spirit
Address: 29 & 30 Floors
One Peking Road
Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
T: +852 3427 2288
E: aqua@aqua.com.hk

Macau / Hong Kong Trip – Day 03

Most of the time, people think we’re crazy for always choosing different hotels during our vacation instead of just one.
To them, it’s a hassle having to check in and out of hotels everyday and not to mention travelling from hotel A to hotel B with more than one luggage.
I know all these hassle can be quite a turn off but I’d say a little hassle is always worth it.

Besides visiting new countries and places, learning their culture, savoring local foods and what not, experiencing different hotel is one of the many things I look forward to.
Other than the good experience, staying in different hotels gave me a better idea on how I want my future house to be IF I’M LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE A HOUSE WHEREBY I CAN CONTROL THE WAY IT LOOKS.

On the third day, we moved from Mini Hotel at Central to 99 Bonham at Sheung Wan.

Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel and Partners envisioned a sculptural form for 99 Bonham, using sleek proportions that resemble the scale of an industrial design project. The monolithic glass façade and reflective tiles bring an almost abstract quality to the building, like that of a desirable object.

It was a very good stay equipped with high quality furniture that exudes a sense of elegance.
Shower amnesties were from Locitane, bed sheets from Frette, just perfect.
There are three different rooms to choose from, standard suite, premier suite and deluxe suite.

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#1 I booked deluxe suite because it has the highest floor zone from Agoda and I was charged at Rm540 for a night. It was supposed to be Rm700+ but my Agoda rewards managed to give me a better price.

But my suggestion is this; just go for standard suite (the cheapest choice) because there isn’t a point staying on the highest floor zone without a good Hong Kong view. Might as well save some extra bucks.

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#2 Dining area. 99 Bonham can make quite a perfect place for a honeymoon staycation.

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#3 Bathroom with mirrors everywhere.

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#4 Mirrorception.

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#5 There are rooms with bathtub and there are rooms without and if you’re a bathtub freak like I am, you need to make your request.

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#6 Kitchenette area with stove, microwave, mini fridge, and all the utensils you need.

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#7 View from our room which totally explains why you don’t have to stay so high up.

After checking in 99 Bonham, we took MTR to Mongkok and waited for Foon and Victor at Langham Place.
Both of them went all the way back to Tung Chung after clubbing which is really really far away.

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#8 We agreed on having dim sum and nothing attracted me more than this one Michelin star dim sum joint. (But meh.)

Tim Ho Wan has a few branches and only two were given one Michelin Star, the one at Mongkok and another one at Sham Sui Po.

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#9 The one at Mongkok shifted to Olympus plaza. I’ve been hoping to go to a very old scool Hong Kong dim sum joint but turns out it was the total opposite.
There were long queues when we arrived, so we waited for about 20 minutes to half an hour.

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#10 Hong Kong style ‘Loh Mai Kai’ which was huge!

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#11

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#12

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#13

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#14

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#15

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#16 Fried lobak or ‘zin lobak gou’ which was the best because it was full with lobak.

Not that the dim sum we ate at Tim Ho Wan wasn’t good, quality wise it was really better than what I had in Malaysia (the cheap dim sums) but it really wasn’t THAT good that they deserve a one star from Michelin.
Fatty told me the dim sum joint he usually goes to was better and it’s the old school dim sum restaurant type that I wanted to go to. :(
Tim Ho Wan definitely is not the best so don’t bother trying and queuing up.

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#17 After dim sum we went over to K11 Mall for Paul Lafayet.

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#18 I mean how can I not try Paul Layefet’s creme brulee, they are so so goooooooooooood!

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#19 We then rushed back to Sheung Wan for a tea break but it turned out to be another eating session. Classified is really famous among the gwailos as you can tell from the picture, and also among the hipster I assume.

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#20

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#21 That’s where they store all their cheeses.

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#22 Ordered ravioli, burger, and pizza to share among us four. Food was okay but I’d much rather keep my tummy space for some real Hong Kong food.

I cant remember the price but everything was expensive. A plate of this is for HKD88 and a plate for that is about HKD98 so you do the math.
After our early dinner we went our separate ways, so Fatty and I followed our itinerary to No.9 Central Pier.

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#23 One of my Hong Kong’s trip highlight was Aqua Luna BUT THEY WEREN’T OPERATING ON THAT DAY BECAUSE THEY WERE BOOKED FOR ASTON MARTIN FUNCTION! Really screw this Aston Martin. A glimpse of Aqua Luna was the only thing I had, pfft.

Aqua Luna is a traditional hand built Chinese junk which has been restored and is now serving as a bar.
There are different packages offered by Aqua Luna.
One day unlimited pass from 12pm-5pm is HKD100 for adult and HKD80 for children.
For evening cruises starting from 5.30pm, ticket is price at HKD195 for adults and HKD155 for children.
The package that I initially picked was ‘Symphony of Lights Cruise’, priced at HKD260 for adults and HKD210 for children.

Symphony of Light Cruise starts sailing at 7.30 from Tsim Sha Tsui pier and other than enjoying the sailing, guest will get to enjoy Symphony of Light too, on a junk.
Imagine my disappointment.
Okay, keep it for next time and my Ngong Ping too which Fatty successfully talked me out of it.

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#24 Took pictures at the pier and off we went.

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#25 Walked around Sheung Wan area.

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#26 And we came across TenRen!! OMG I miss TenRen ever since I came back from Melbourne.

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#27 Walked all the way to tram stop because I requested Fatty to bring me for a tram ride.

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#28 I actually quite like taking trams. Heh.

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#29 Tram driver offered to take a picture for me. :)

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#30 Love how old the tram looks.

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#31

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#32 We both were really full but I wanted to try Butao Ramen so badly I didn’t care. There were 4 flavours to choose from and I picked Pesto Ramen. If Fatty weren’t that full he will go for original. He always likes his ramen in its most original flavour.

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#33 That’s how you choose your ramen, flavour, with eggs or without, with seaweed or without and so on.

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#34 Butao Ramen shifted to two streets away from it’s old location and it does look a lot like a ramen bar in Japan.

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#35

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#36 Pesto ramen with two extra eggs.

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#37 Eggs were cooked perfectly and the ramen was good too.

After eating, we headed to Mongkok for a walk before calling it a day.
We went to Ladies street and I was hoping to buy a thing or two home but it turned out to be too expensive.
About Rm100 for a bag at a place like pasar malam, that’s quite a joke. Haha.

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#38 Love the horizontal street lights.

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#39 For the male.

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#40 Polo bun which I almost forgot to eat.

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#41 Stuffed half a polo bun before going to bed with a very full tummy.

99 Bonham
Address: 99 BONHAM STRAND, HONG KONG
Tel: 852 3940 1111
Fax: 852 3940 1100

Tim Ho Wan 添好運
Address: Shop 72, G/F, Olympian City 2, 18 Hoi Ting Road, Tai Kok Tsui
Tel: 852 2332 2896

Paul Lafayet
Address: K11 Mall : G23, G/F,18 Hanoi Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon
Tel: 35869621
Business hours: Mon-Sun 12pm-11pm

Classified
Address: Shop 1, G/F, 108 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong.
Tel: 852-2525 3454
Fax: 852-2525 3445
Opening Hours: Daily 8:00am – Midnight

Butao Ramen
Address: 69 Wellington Street, Central​​
Business Hour:Mon – Sun, 11:00a.m. – 11:00p.m.

Macau / Hong Kong Trip – Day 02

The night before was a long day, I did my usual bathtub-thing and fall asleep on the bed later on while the guys went to casino.
The next day, we ate hotel’s buffet breakfast before heading out and to be frank their breakfast sucks.
So if you ever choose Sheraton as your hotel in Macau, stay away from their breakfast. I’d much rather pay and have much better food in Macau.

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#1 The only bowl of noodle which can keep my mouth shut, not that it’s really good but the beef soup keeps my tummy warm.

I wasn’t in my best-est mood because I had food poisoning right before my trip (meh) and I wasn’t entirely recover when I was at Macau.
After breakfast we were on the move to the place I most look forwarded to, Macau Giant Panda Pavilion at Coloane.

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#2 Panda!!! I was really excited and happy because that day was the first (and currently the only) time I saw a real panda right in front of me. I couldn’t contain my happiness, I just kept smiling and omg-ing cause panda is pretty irresistible.

If you’re planning for a Macau trip and you’ve never seen a real panda, this place is definitely a must go. Or a must go if you simply just love Panda.
My friend went to Ocean Park in Hong Kong and waited for the panda for an hour and all she could see was the cctv hahaha!
Kesian her.
Another reason why Macau Giant Panda Pavilion must be put in your itinerary is because the entrance fee is so cheap you can’t pass this by. It’s only MOP10 per entrance which is lesser than RM5. #saywhat!

I also heard that Malaysia is gonna loan two pandas from China and the entrance fee will be like Rm100+ and although I don’t know how true this is but I figured Rm5 for an entrance do me no harm.

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#3 See!!!!! I literally died of it’s cuteness.

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#4 I wish I could have the panda as my pet, then I can lay it on all day all night like a beanbag. :D

Here’s a little tip : The best time to visit according to my research is during morning because that’s when the panda eat their breakfast.
For the entire time, this panda was just eating and eating and munching on the bamboo leaves.

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#5 If you come at another timing, I don’t know what you’ll get but probably this. Sleeping far far away.

There are a few more animals around like monkeys and all that which makes the MOP10 I paid even more worth it than it already is.
After ooh-ing and aah-ing over the pandas, we head back to Taipa and went over to Venetian.

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#6 Venetian is really big and spacious but I wasn’t very much interested because first, I cant shop and second (I don’t know why) this somehow just kept reminding me of Genting’s First World.

Venetian was also themed on Venice which from what I remembered look nothing like Venice so…..
Big space, expensive shops, just really not my thing.
There’s one thing that impressed me though, the gondoliers were real (unlike the one in Genting) and they will serenade you with a song or two.

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#7 Lord Stow’s was the reason as to why I want to go to Venetian.

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#8 I so want one right now!!

Lord Stow’s is very famous for their Portuguese egg tart and once you take a bite, you can clearly see why there’s a queue right outside.
After Lord Stow’s we took a ferry to Hong Kong and that’s when shit happened.
Rain happened I mean.

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#9 For the first night we booked Mini Hotel at Central (there’s two) and it sure does live up to it’s name, mini.
Of course, I’ve expected it to be that mini from the beginning, we only paid HKD550 (RM250).

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#10 Mini Hotel’s waiting area.

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#11 Though the room is very small but I like the idea that they put in effort into decorating their lounge area making it as comfortable as possible.

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#12 It’s just nice.

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#13 Stayed on the 10th floor.

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#14 What you see here in the picture is the entire room, hahaha!

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#14 This is mini-er than mini! I’m fine with small rooms since I’m very petite so the size of it doesn’t really bother me. If you’re big size or claustrophobic you might want to reconsider. And yes, the washroom/bathroom is covered only with glass aherm. I guess this will be fine for couples (let’s be real here) but if you’re travelling with your bff I don’t think glass-covered bathroom will make you feel comfortable.

Also if you look at the toilet bowl, you can’t sit on it and close the glass door unless you sit side way (which is what I did HAHA) BUT my fat boyfriend couldn’t sit side way so he did his ‘business’ without the door close while I was sleeping. I woke up suddenly prolly because of the smell and he gave me this innocent look and said ‘sorry sorry, I can’t close the door and I cant sit side way like you did. sorry’.
I wanted to kill him right then but thinking back now I feel like laughing at his reaction hahaha!

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#15 Though small, the room has everything you need. There’s tv, hair dryer, and a boiler. Oh wait there’s also a safe underneath the bed.

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#16 If you’re fatter than fatty, I suggest you not book Mini Hotel at Central because the shower area might not fit.

Mini Hotel at Central though small but the location make up for it. 3 minutes walk to Lan Kwai Fong, 5 minutes walk to The Peak Tram station, 10 minues walk to IFC, and 5 minutes car ride from Macau Ferry Terminal. How great is that?

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#17 After settling down we headed to Sing Heung Yuen (勝香園), one of the very few dai pai dongs left in Hong Kong for a quick lunch.
Sing Heung Yuen is just right opposite the all time famouse Kau Kee beef noodle.

It was suppose to be an enjoyable walk from our hotel whereby I explore the streets of Hong Kong for the first time but it rained. Mtfk. Haha sorry for the rudeness but damn!

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#18 The simplest tomato and beef noodle, HKD26. From what I’ve noticed, Hong Kong’s food portion is huge! Two person can definitely share a bowl.

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#19 Crispy toast that turned out to be too crispy for my braces.

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#20 Walked around Soho for a bit and I definitely like it there. Soho and Sheung Wan is love.

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#21 Went into Abercrombie and Fitch to look at chandeliers and muscular guys. One minute I went in these guys were wearing their denim shirts and the next they weren’t wearing any shirts. I mean what kind of job is that, showing off muscles haha! But at least they look good, their muscles match their height and it’s not overdone. Guys who overdo it looks like they’re gonna tumble any minute lol.

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#22 While walking towards The Peak Tram station.

Two way tram ticket to The Peak costs HKD75 (RM32) which is not expensive at all.
We went up on a Saturday night and the queue going up and coming down was long. I cant quite feel my legs then.

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#23 I have a thing for trams.

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#24 Since the weather isn’t at it’s best, I was afraid I couldn’t get a clear view from The Peak but thank God the view was quite clear that night.

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#25 Super pale me and fatty. I wasn’t feeling too well, it was raining and The Peak was cold and windy due to the rain. Walking the whole day mostly under the rain didn’t help.

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#26 Cold die. How am I suppose to go to a place with 0 degree Celsius.

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#27 The boys and a umbrella from Circle K which is a very lousy umbrella I must say.

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#28 Because it kept flipping and flipping it gets so annoying!

Had dinner at Tsui Wah after The Peak with Foon before the night really begins.

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#29 Fatty’s champagne milk tea.

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#30 Cutest cup ever for my nai cha.

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#31 So I heard Tsui Wah have very good Hainanese chicken rice and when it comes to chicken rice, I can’t quite say no. But damn, it wasn’t half as good as what we have here in Malaysia.

Tsui Wah is overly price and the food was mediocre so don’t bother.

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#32 Changed and headed to Lan Kwai Fong which to me is KL’s Changkat.

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#33

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#34 As usual I was the only one who wasn’t drinking.

After one round of beers at Lan Kwai Fong, my man wanted to try Hong Kong’s club so off we went. We decided on the club called Play.
Clubbing in Hong Kong is extremely expensive! Cover charge is price at around HKD300 to HKD400 per person without drinks and a glass of alcohol costs about HKD100. Clubbing in Malaysia suddenly became so much cheaper.

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#35 Play was pretty awesome. There were lots of pretty people there that night, most looked like models. The gwailos were all tall and handsome, Foon and I couldn’t stop staring.

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#36 But my Fatty also not bad lah.

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#37 So she said Play was the best club she went to in Hong Kong and it was really pretty good. I’d say a lot better than Butter Factory, so go figure.

I was having fun until I became too tired and cant wait to hit the sack.
It was a very very long day.

Macau Giant Panda Pavilion
Address: Seac Pai Van Park, Coloane, Macau
Opening Hours: 10:00-13:0o, 14:00-17:00 (Close on Monday)

Lord Stow’s Bakery & Cafe
Address: Shop 2119A, Marco Polo District,
The Grand Canal Shoppes, Venetian.
Opening Hours: 10.00am – 11.oopm
10.00am – 12.ooam (Friday & Saturday)

Mini Hotel Central
Address: 38, Ice House St, Central, Hong Kong.
Tel: (852) 2103 0999
Fax: (852) 2536 9719
Email: stay@minihotel.hk

Sing Heung Yuen 勝香園
2 Mei Lun Street, Central
Tel: (852) 2544 8368
Opening Hours: Mon-Sat: 08:00-17:30; Sun: Closed

The Peak Tram Station
Address: Central’s Garden Road St Joseph Building
Tel : (852) 2522 0922
Fax : (852) 2849 6237
Email : info@thepeak.com.hk
Opening Hours: 7am – 12 midnight

Tsui Wah
Address: G-2/F, 15-19 Wellington Street, Central
Tel: (852) 2525 6338
* There’s a lot of Tsui Wah branches so I’m not quite sure if they taste all the same.

Play
Address: 1st Floor On Hing Building, 1 On Hing Terrace, Lan Kwai Fong, Central
Email: info@playclub.asia
Operation Hours: Every day from 6pm till late

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