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Osaka/Kyoto 2014 : Day 1

April 2, 2014 | Leave a Reply

I never thought that I’ll get to go to Japan this soon because a place like Japan is way out of my budget.
There’re always pros and cons in every decision made and like I said my brother being a pilot tends to make me feel paranoid but one of the perks is of course, very cheap air tickets.

My brother works in AirAsia and by right, he can only get us free tickets to nearby places aka short-haul flights destination.
Destination operated by AirAsia X is out of the story but it was very kind of the company to give out free tickets to 6 long-haul destinations.
My family decided on Osaka!

I only paid RM200+ for airport tax and there I was, in Japan! Even my domestic flight tickets costed more than that!
We only managed to explore Japan for a total of 3 nights and 4 days because my brother couldn’t get anymore off days but that alone is a blessing to me.
As for accommodation, we booked a 2 bedrooms apartment via Airbnb and the total damage is only Rm200+ per person for 3 nights. There were 4 of us; my mom, my aunt, my brother, and me. Luck was with us too when Airbnb decided to give discount for first timer. :)

So all in all, flight plus accommodation in Osaka only costed me about Rm500! Nothing gets cheaper than this!
I was too tired and lazy to go around the house snapping pictures but here’s how the place looks like (took these from Airbnb).

airbnb2
#1 Living area with filled with travel guides. There’s also a tv for you if you’re bored. A double bed in one of the two bedrooms which can surely accommodate more than two.

airbnb3
#2 Dining area and a kitchen, fully equipped with pans, pots, and even a coffee machine.

airbnb1
#3 A tatami room as the second room whereby can sleep up to 3 people.

airbnb
#4 Bathroom separated from washroom and because it is separated we tend to save up more time.

Zebra house is kept really clean and tidy, fully equipped with whatever you will need. Hosts are a Taiwanese and a Chinese, so it makes communication much easier for us. They are extremely friendly and caring. Walking to the nearest train station takes about 10 minutes and they will offer us a ride from station to house whenever they’re available.
Highly recommended for it’s price, cleanliness, and hosts that will not disappoint.

As for transportation in Japan, cheap is not something you will get but buying rail passes is the best way to go in order to save up as much as you can.

We stayed at Amagasaki area and the train that operates around that area is Hankyu Kobe line.
It is all very confusing to me at first because there are two many lines and you’ll be unsure of which type of passes you should buy.
Different line actually means different train company (kinda) and if you buy JR pass, you won’t be able to use that pass on a subway. It really depends on the area you stay and which type of line you’ll like to use.
Japan’s train line is very very confusing (to me) and to make things really simple, I went to Hyperdia website. Hyperdia is a website for you to look at train timetables and to search for routes.
For example, if you’d like to go to Amagasaki Station from Osaka station and is unsure of the best route, you can key in the said destination on Hyperdia and automatically they will come up with a list of different routes, trains, and time for you to decide on. You can even key in the exact time you want to board a train and see which is the closest to the time you want. Hyperdia will also break down the price for you if you’re taking more than one type of train so Hyperdia is really the way to go for tourists who find Japan’s train line all too confusing.

Most tourists will opt for JR passes but because we have to take Hankyu Kobe line (which is not JR), we decided on Kansai Thru Pass instead. Kansai Thru Pass is only available for tourists.

Foreign visitors to Japan can purchase the Surutto Kansai 2 Day and 3 Day Ticket inside the Kansai Region, across Japan and outside of Japan at any time of the year. This version of the pass is called “Kansai Thru Pass”.
Points of sales inside the Kansai region include Kansai and Itami Airport and information and transport bureau centers in Osaka, Kyoto and Nara, as well as several hotels in the Kansai Region. In the rest of Japan and outside of Japan, the ticket is available through major travel agencies.

Kansai Thru Pass includes all the trains, subways, and buses except for JR train around Kansai region (Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Kobe, etc) and in my opinion it seems more flexible this way.
For a 2 day pass, you’ll have to pay 4000yen and for a 3 day pass the cost will be 5200yen.
Here’s the ultimate guide to Japan rail passes to make it easier for you.

As for internet, they do not really sell data sim card like most countries do and instead they will rent you pocket wifi. They cost about 900yen+ for a day if I remember well and in my opinion, it’s really quite expensive but you probably just have to because they don’t really have wifi around. If you really want a data sim, you’ll have to buy in advance from b-mobile on the net and have them send it to your hotel or airport. Japan is such a technology advance country and yet they make it so hard for us tourists. I did not rent my pocket wifi from Kansai airport. I rent from our Airbnb host instead because for the entire stay he only charged us 900yen. :)

We arrived in Kansai Airport around 3 in the afternoon and we headed straight to Namba station and not to Zebra House because our host, Ian suggested that we walk around Namba area in order to fully utilize the time we had. Going back and forth will take us too much time as the shops closes about 8 plus.
Quite a good idea actually and don’t worry about all the luggage, they actually have lockers at their train stations that fit different sizes of bags and luggage.

“Namba is a district of Osaka, Japan. Namba is regarded as the center of so-called Minami (“South”) area of Osaka.”
There’re a lot of shops, boutiques, restaurants and stalls around Namba area, so it’s really quite a nice place to walk around, shop a little, eat a lot, and to look at some local Japanese.
After sorting out our luggage at the locker room, we headed to Dotonbori direction which is one of the main tourist destination in Osaka.

It is a single street, running alongside the DÅtonbori canal between the DÅtonboribashi Bridge and the Nipponbashi Bridge in the Namba ward of Osaka. A former pleasure district, DÅtonbori is famous for its historic theatres (all gone now), its shops and restaurants, and its many neon and mechanised signs, including snack/candy manufacturer Glico’s giant electronic display of a runner crossing the finish line.

#6 The first ramen shop we came across while walking towards Dotonbori.

#7 The ramen was 600yen (1000 yen = Rm33 more or less) and we ordered it via their vending machine. Me mom was seriously enjoying that bowl of ramen haha.

#8 Right after a bowl of ramen we randomly walked into a yakitori eatery. The shop is really small and cozy.

#9 It was so random but so good!

#10 Unlike most yakitoris that normally taste the same be it beef or chicken (because they use the same sauce), the yakitoris we had there tasted very different. Me and my brother enjoyed our yakitoris a lot because it was really really good.

#11 When you spot Glico Man, you’re right at Dotonbori. Dotonbori is a very fun street to explore besides the food, their signage is extremely large. Quite a way to attract attentions.

#12 Huge ass crab which you definitely will not miss. Fatty insisted that I try their crab and so I did.

#13 It was quite pricey…

#14 …but super delicious!! The crab was really sweet and to be frank I haven’t tasted a crab this sweet before. It was so good I ate it again 2 days later.

#15 Cheap gyoza! 6 pieces for 200yen only!

#16 Want a piece of sushi? Sushi is what I most look forward to!

#17 My all time favorite, sweet shrimp sushi! Satisfied my cravings a whole lot! What I like about Japan’s sushi is that they’re very generous with the size of said raw seafood unlike what we have here in Malaysia.

Not much pictures were taken because all we did was just to eat and eat.
To conclude my day one in Japan, we were actually extremely cold (8 celcius) and tired but beyond happy too.

Bangkok with Tays : Day 4 & Day 5

February 26, 2014 | Leave a Reply

Someone needs to smack my lazy ass!!
Sometimes I dislike doing travel posts, I always have too many pictures!

I’ve been really busy during Chinese New Year, busy enjoying the festive season hehe.
Lotsa this and that. Now that I’m slightly less busy (I guess or I hope) I can finally continue updating what’s needed to be update.

I do blame Dayre at the same time too because I update my Dayre really often instead of my blog. :(
Dayre makes blogging or rambling a lot more easier which explains why.

So back to my last Bangkok post, I requested for a room change from wood element to metal element because when I showered, water leaked out from the door.

#1 Here’s the metal element room that we changed to.

Everything’s decent, clean and the room was really comfortable.
I do highly recommend Sofitel So hotel for everything that it is. Attentive, clean, smells and looks good. Even their employees look good, they have quite a number of pretty Thai ladies working on the front desk. ;)

#4 Fatty’s mom was craving for breakfast buffet so we had it at the hotel that morning.

#6 I love how they put in effort into decorations.

I love seeing nice decorations and designs, it makes me happy. :)

#9 First stop for the day was Erawan Shrine or Four Face Bhuddha, that one place I’ll go back to every time I visit Bangkok.

#10 Second stop was Siam Centre. I kinda love Siam Centre because they have a lot of awesome boutiques with great interior designs.

I don’t get to buy anything from Siam Centre cause there’s nothing cheap from there but I love looking around at decos.

#11 So inspired!

#13 Third stop was Mr.Jones Orphanage, a cafe inside Siam Centre.

Ashely Sutton is the man behind this quirky pastry venue. It was established in 2012, while its name was based on a children’s book of the same name. His newest creation, Mr. Jones’ Orphanage, is a Milk Bar featuring age-old recipes from Ash’s own grandmother, Amy Hipkin. The entire interior are made of the light color of wood, which give you a warm feeling and relaxed atmosphere. Its fairy-tale-like design and decoration with fluffy teddy bears, vintage prints, and toys also gives you a feeling like you’ve have experienced the moment in your childhood once again. Some people say it was like you are in a kid’s toy store.

#14 The Jones Orphanage at Siam Centre is based on choo-choo train and the seating is really cute. The only downside is that with these seating they cant accommodate a very big bunch of guests.

#15 Love the train tracks. They should make these train tracks move like a conveyor belt and have their cakes move around like sushi. It’s gonna be so cute haha.

#16 Spoilt for choice.

#17 I ordered a piece of carrot cake which was pretty good.

#18 And here’s our mini chocolate drink.

#19 So cute right!? One’s not enough for Fatty so he ordered another mini milk lol.

#20

We shopped around at Siam Centre for a few hours and headed back to hotel later on to take a short rest.
We only had one massage session during the trip and to help ease the pain on my leg, I filled our bathtub with hot steamy water and dipped in my feet in it.

#21 Felt so much better after dipping my feet into the hot bathtub.

#22 We really needed it.

#23 Like really. Okay the water was too hot for me for a moment.

#24 :)

#25 Dinner was at Thip Samai for Pad Thai and Thip Samai is one of the most famous Pad Thai restaurant in Bangkok.

#26 Their Pad Thais’ are cook using charcoal and when you hear the word charcoal you know it’s gonna be good.

#27 There’s a few versions of Pad Thai, some with eggs wrapped around, some with crab meats and what not.

#28 It was really good and I’m really craving for a plate right now!

They’re open around 5pm and when we were there about 8.30pm it wasn’t really pack.
I’m so gonna go back the next time I”m at Bangkok!

#29 Because Fatty’s dad love eating (that’s the only thing he wants to do during this trip haha), we went to the restaurant few shops away from Thip Samai and eat for another round. Nothing much to shout about, just a random restaurant.

The next day, we didn’t do much except for some last minute shopping at Platinum Mall and we had some desserts and drinks at a cafe because we’ve got a flight to catch at 9pm.

#30 Here’s the cafe that Fatty’s sister picked, it’s called Un-Fashion cafe. Love the rustic look on this weird shape building.

#31 It’s located at Ekamai and along the way, there’s a lot of nice shops and exteriors for us to take a good look at.

#32 There’s nothing to not love about it.

#33

#34 It’s a little small inside the cafe but small means cosy.

#35 Cosy right? I can imagine spending the entire afternoon here catching up with friends or catching up with notes if I’m still a student.

#36 Could possibly just turn this thing into a cosy house, how frigging nice.

#37

#38

#39

#40

#41 Thai ice tea.

#42 Bye-bye one of my favourite city, I’ll see you again.

Once again, a big thank you to Tay’s family for having me with them throughout this trip.
I hope they enjoyed it as much as I did.

MR.JONES ORPHANAGE
Address: Seenspace Thonglor 13, Siam Center, Bangkok, Thailand

THIP SAMAI
Address: 313 313 Thanon Mahachai, Phra Nakorn
Hours: 5 pm â€“ 3 am daily
Phone: 022216280

UN-FASHION CAFE
Address: Ekkamai Soi 10, Bangkok

Bangkok with Tays : Day 3

January 19, 2014 | Leave a Reply

Sorry for taking my own sweet time to update posts on Bangkok trip, I don’t even know what I’ve been up to lately.
Tired, restless, and really lazy like all I want to do is just sleep. So much so that I feel like I want to just sleep forever LOL.

So after our half day trip at Maeklong Train Market and Amphawa Floating Market, we headed back to city and checked into Sofitel So hotel.

Sofitel So is located near Lumphini park and station is just few minutes walk away.

Situated on the corner of Sathorn and Rama IV Roads Sofitel So Bangkok is an intrigue-steeped 5-star hotel with a resolutely contemporary outlook.
At the heart of it all The Tree of Life – an emblem designed by famed couturier and design legend Mr. Christian Lacroix – combines the five elements of Water Earth Wood Metal and Fire into uniting icon.
Discover these elements reflected in the design themes of the hotels luxury rooms and suites. Four leading Thai interior designers each bring to life Water Earth Wood and Metal with their own inspired vision.

#1 Greeted by a Mini Cooper that is full with lighted present boxes. Oh wait! I just realised this Mini Cooper is mimicking a reindeer. -_-‘

#2 A very welcoming lobby with a dare-to-be-different-Christmas-tree.

#3 Even their welcome drinks look exceptionally pretty! Love the colors.

#4 What looks like a blue welcome drink is actually a purple welcome drink after your stir it. Attention to detail, I like.

Hotel rooms are separated into four different elements ranging from water, earth, metal, and wood.
Each pair picked a different element for a different experience.

#5 Situated on the 21st floor, Belinda and Bernice picked earth element.

#6 Among all the elements, I like earth the most although I don’t know why their feature color is blue. Very confusing at some point because isn’t blue suppose to be water?

I’m not a person who fancy blue color that much but I just really like Sofitel So’s shades of blue.

#7 Love love love love.

#8 Earth element’s room door and sleeping area is separated by a bathroom and when one is showering, there’s no way you can pass through the bathroom without walking pass a naked person lol.

Walking pass a fat naked man, I lagi love. HAHA!

#9 Fatty’s parents went for water element and this is the walk-in wardrobe area.

#10 Really really comfortable and this is Fatty’s favourite element.

#11 Oh, for each room you can also surf the net through the television with keyboard provided. How convenient.

#12 I really like water element too for their bathtub.

#13 SEE! OMG!!

I love bathtubs since I was young and the only thing I looked forward to when staying in a hotel was the bathtub.
When I was young, the first thing I will check upon entering a hotel room is their bathroom.
Once I saw a bathtub, I will smile and deep in my heart I was jumping with joy.
As for now after so many years, my heart still jump with joy especially when there’s unique bathtubs involve.

#14 For the both of us, we choose wood element. I also really like their unique designs for door numbers.

#15 Very mature and steady kind of design. A little too steady for me haha.

#16

#17 When I showered, that glass door was too weak to stop water from flowing out so the floor was really wet after showering. Which is good because after one night sleep, I changed to Metal room. Hahaha.

#18 Scale for Fatty to weigh himself after all the food he consumed.

#19

#20 After checking out all our rooms we went to have a look at their pool. I don’t know, this above to me is such a brilliant design! I was like, ‘OMG Bay look at this, look at this. So clever one the design!’ and he totally ignored me fml. Okay lah maybe it’s just me LOL!.

#21 Fatty’s dad was tired so he rested in his room while the remaining five of us waste no time. Then we came across a street protest outside Terminal 21.

#22 Experiencing Bangkok’s protest first hand but it was peaceful, nothing major.

#23 Fatty and his babes, haha.

#24 Everyone was craving for cakes and coffees so we randomly walked into Farm Design.

#25 Farm Design sells Japanese cakes and drinks.

#26 Lots of flavors to choose from.

#27 Green tea cheesecake and I-can’t-remember-what but both was really good.

#28 I ordered Hokkaido milk frappe or something because I really wanted to taste Hokkaido milk again but this taste nothing like it. Was really disappointed. :(

#29 Dinner was at Sra Bua, Kempinski Hotel. We initially wanted to have our dinner at Nahm, which is a very famous restaurant for fine dine but they were fully booked for 2 weeks wtf. Fully book for 2 friggin weeks!?

Nahm just went into my must try list the next time I’m going to Bangkok and I will book 3 months in advance pfft.
We ordered 3 sets to share and additional entree.

#30 Nibblings; Soy roasted cashew nut meringue, Kaffir lime leaf scented lotus root, and Prawn cracker with Chili Tomato.

#31 Fried mullet with tamarind, lemongrass, and crispy prawn.

#32 Food did not impress much although presentation did. It’s good to be innovative but you must really hit the right note.

There’s a lot to try in their set menu but I really wouldn’t recommend them to you guys.
They’re not that bad but just really not worth the money and time.

#33

#34

#35 After dinner, we all headed to Lebua at State Tower because Fatty wants to bring his family over to have a look.

#36 Breeze.

#37 Headed back to hotel and the two of us went up to Sofitel So’s sky bar. Everyone else was too tired for another round. The lifts are separated into four different elements too.

#38 I kind of like their bar, I like how they look really different from the usual sky bars.

#39 And really comfy too because they have day beds for me to just sit and do nothing.

Sometimes it’s nice to try out the not so famous sky bars and you might be surprise how enjoyable it can get.

Sofitel So
Address: 2 North Sathorn Road, Bangrak, Bangkok 10500, Thailand
Tel: +66 2 624 0000

Sra Bua
Address: Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok, 991/9 Rama 1 Rd., 10330, Thailand
Tel: +66 2 162 9000

25th Birthday Getaway : Japamala Resort â€“ Day 2

November 11, 2013 | Leave a Reply

On the second day, we both have to wake up at 5am in order to catch our 7am ferry at Mersing jetty to get to Japamala Resort.
It was about an hour and a half drive from Johor Bahru to Mersing Jetty and it is not advisable unless you really want to / have to stop at Johor Bahru.
Roads are bumpy, full with holes and most of the time there’s only one lane. All of these drive my boyfriend crazy haha.

From KL, you probably need about 5 hours of drive to Mersing Jetty and another one hour plus of ferry to Tioman or you can just fly to Tioman’s airport through Berjaya Air for only an hour.
Fatty swear to never drive to Mersing again (LOL) and claimed that he did it just because I wanted to go to Johor Bahru.
Okay I give him extra 50 points lah for being such a sweet boyfriend as he claimed to be.

There’s only one ferry company and it’s called Bluewater Express. Ticket is RM35 per way for an air-conditioned ferry which if were to compare is far from Macau’s ferry.
Not to mention they are also very bad at their services because on the day we left, they were behind schedule for more than one and a half hour.
What’s worse is that they are not even apologetic and kept shouting that they can only fit 50 passengers right there and then.
So what about the others who waited at the jetty for about 2 hours?
Lucky us we were among the 50 passengers or else I don’t know how Fatty will react. But then again you’ve got no choice because this is the only ferry company that operates which is why flying to Tioman is no doubt the best choice.

#1 Mersing jetty.

#2 How the ferry looks like from the inside.

There’s a few stops and to go to Japamala Resort you’ll have to get down at the first stop, Genting.
At Genting jetty, Japamala Resort had a speedboat ready to send us to Japamala which takes only about 5 minutes.

#3 You will of course have to inform Japamala on your boarding time at Mersing Jetty so that they’ll know what time they have to pick you up at Genting’s jetty.

Japamala charges Rm30 per way from Genting jetty to Japamala which I think is quite ridiculous.
Guests spend so much a day at Japamala Resort and they feel the need to charge us Rm30 per way, per person for a 5 minutes distance.
Well, that’s not very sweet of them.

You rent their room for at least about Rm500 per night, you are force to eat at Japamala too because it’s a private beach so there’s nothing else and it’ll cost at least RM30 per dish (lunch & dinner) and then you’ll most likely go for a massage for at least Rm150.
Hotel Icon at Hong Kong gave us free upgrade, free minibar and free shuttle bus lor okay.
It’s not that I don’t have the money, it’s just that why don’t they be a little kind/sweet instead of erm say money minded? PFFT! Okay lah actually this is my only complain and I only got angry like now when I blog. It didn’t occur to me when I was there that they shouldn’t charge the guests, guess I was too happy to give a shit lol.

Plants, animals and land have been disturbed as little as possible. It’s been our goal to build around nature – to respect and preserve the inherent beauty of this destination; to coexist with all who dwell here. Great care has been taken to minimize any environmental impact. No rocks were moved, no trees were cut down. As a result no two Villas are the same. Each is unique – taking on the character of the land upon which it is built.

Truly appreciate their love for nature that instead of building what they want, they decided to build around the nature and adjust to it’s shapes and forms.
I heard there were monkeys, sometimes dipping themselves into one of Japamala’s pool early in the morning. :)

#4 Walking towards the lobby from Japamala’s jetty.

#5 It was drizzling when we arrived cause it was monsoon season. Pfft!

#6 Breakfast is included and because we have to leave real early the next day due to the stupid Bluewater Express’ schedule, we had our breakfast on the day we arrived instead.

#7 It’s a small breakfast buffet with ala-carte that you can order.

#8 Right next to Tamarind Restaurant, where we had our breakfast.

Japamala Resort is owned by Samadhi Retreats and so are Neo Tamarind, Tamarind Springs, and so on.
We didn’t get to check in until 12pm because I requested for Room 16 which has the best view among the Sea Cliff Chalet.
so we just walked around, checked out the places and took a nap at one of their cabanas.

#9 We had to climb a number of stairs in order to reach our room. I was panting every time.

#10 Gosh I miss this!

#11 Rm660 were charged for a night stay at Sea Cliff Chalet and this is the price for non-peak season due to monsoon. Full rate will be Rm890 per night.

Tips: Must request for Room 16 if you’re taking Sea Cliff Chalet, it has got the best view.

#12 Spot my balloon! Yes, I brought my balloon all the way. :D

#13

#14 Every time we go to nice hotel or resort I’ll tell Fatty, ‘Bay, next time we put this in our house’ and obviously for this time, I want THIS in our garden. So demanding haha.

#15

#16 If not for the monsoon, the sea will be a lot bluer than this. I was actually surprised that Tioman is included in a ‘Island-you-must-go’ kind of list.

#17 One of the Sea Cliff Chalet opposite ours. Don’t know how they see the sea lah, surrounded by trees.

After settling down, Fatty went for his massage while I took a shower and rest in the room.
There’s only one masseuse so we have to take turns and it’s quite a turn off when couples cant do their massage together.
I was like, ‘HAR!? :( :( :( ‘ because we’re left with no choice. Definitely time consuming.

#18 Different types of massage will have different venue and this is one of the venue.

#19 While this is the second, a room for Thai massage.

Fatty’s massage was RM150 and as for mine, I took Head and Shoulder massage for Rm125 which lasts both of us an hour.
The masseuse was so good I actually fell asleep and that is rare for me cause I hardly sleep during massage.
We also book a Jacuzzi for two for RM100 and while they take their time to prepare and heat it up, we went off to take some pictures.

#20

#21Â I love this picture the most! It is now my Facebook cover picture and Iphone’s wallpaper heh. :B

#22

#23 <3

#24 This is the jetty and Mandi-Mandi Restaurant that serves Italian food for lunch and dinner.

#25 This is the best! The backrest is 45 degree angle that is perfect for you to rest on and just do nothing.

#26

#27Â Spotted crabs.

#28Â And a cute bird. :)

#29 Then it’s jacuzzi time! Jacuzzi that was filled with bubbles and two pots of hot tea by the side for us to enjoy.

#30 The jacuzzi was ze bomb! There was bubble everywhere and it smells so good!

Due to me being the cheapskate me, I was in the jacuzzi for about half an hour even though I know I shouldn’t.
When I get out of the jacuzzi, I almost fainted. I couldn’t stand the dizzyness I dropped on the floor. T_T
Dahlah got low blood pressure, still want to put myself in a hot tub for that long. Haha, I hate myself sometimes.

#31 Hahaha stupid boyfriend tried to used bubble to make himself look like a santa claus.

#32 Went off to snorkeling after Jacuzzi. My first time snorkeling with Fatty and my first time wearing flippers too. It was fun!
Snorkeling equipment can be rent for free.

#33 HAHAHAH! So ugly!

‘
#34 “Why did you take picture of my ass!?’ Haha cause I can’t really see the screen and I just randomly snap whatever I could.

#35 Fatty was so busy swimming and snorkeling, he didn’t help take pictures of me snorkeling. Meh, so I have to self layan and take my fingers instead.

#36 There were lots of fishes swimming around and I was particularly drawn to this colourful fish. I also saw sea cucumber and sea urchin.
Showered after snorkeling and off we went for happy hour.
From 6pm to 7pm everyday, Japamala will have happy hour and offers free drinks and snacks for guests.

#37

#38 The boy suggested that I sit on the bridge. :)

#39

#40 Heaven on earth.

#41 It just keeps getting better.

#42 Tomato soup.

#43 Beef carpaccio.

#44 Beef.

#45 Lobster tagliatelle.

Food was really decent and up to standard. I especially love their beef carpacio and lobster tagliatelle.
I didn’t want to order their soup but Fatty always tends to order a lot. Something he totally inherited from his dad, over order during meals.
Total damage done was Rm341 excluding tax.

I asked Fatty, ‘You didn’t get me cake ah? You didn’t ask them to prepare cake for me meh?’ with puppy eyes and he said he did not.
So I replied, ‘WHY? :( :( You can just ask them for cake they have it one!’ and Fatty beh tahan me so he had to screw up his surprise and said ‘Got lah, got lah. Aiyo this girl’. HAHAHA!

#46 Yay! The type of cake that I dislike the most, chocolate cake. HAHA!

#47 I couldn’t be happier, really. :)

#48 Thank you baby for celebrating yet another birthday with me. He somehow promised that for my birthday every year, we’ll go for a getaway. As the Chinese says, ‘listen first lah’ (teng ju sin). Hehe. :)

#49 Despite the monsoon season, the sea was really blue the next morning when we woke up. Imagine normal sunny days, this will be your paradise.

I only wish that we can stay for another night cause I’m a greedy girl like that. Haha.
I had the time of my life, relax, fun, and lots of laughter on my birthday.
Despite being the oldest I have ever been right now, this year’s birthday is one of the best.

Great getaway and I also finally have the ability to get myself a birthday present that I’ve wanted all this years.
The latest Iphone! Hehehe.
Don’t want to jinx it but God has been very generous to me this year, I cant thank God enough. :)

P/S: My blog just turned 7 too.

Time-4-Two at Thistle Port Dickson Resort

October 27, 2013 | 1 Comentary

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.

#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.

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

#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.

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

#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.

#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.

#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.

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

#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.

#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. :)

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

#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.

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

#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.

#16 Adorable is an understatement. :)

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

#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.

#19

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

#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.

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

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

#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.

#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.

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

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

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

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

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

#31Â âœŒ

#32 Not bad hor the infinity pool?

#33

#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

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

#36 Damn cute hor my merman. :D

#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.

#38

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

#40 Really really cute wan! HAHA!

#41 My weird picture underwater.

#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.

#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.

#44 Did I spot Fatty right there?

#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. :(

#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 â€“ Day 04

September 29, 2013 | Leave a Reply

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.

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

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

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

Service was A plus, friendly and helpful.

#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 *40â€ 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.

#6 Si Pendek.

#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?

#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.

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

#12

#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.

#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.

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

#16 Amuse bouche that whet my appetite.

#17 My main; lobster risotto.

#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.

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

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

#21

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

#23 We then head over to a famous dumpling shop called ä¸Šæµ·é£½é¤ƒåº— for some hot and steamy dumplings.

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

#25 Scallion pancake, not quite my thing.

#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.

#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.

#28 Avenue of stars.

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

#30

#31 Oh why so blur!

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

#33 The Tays.

#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.

#35 Oh hi there.

#36 Wantan mee with wantans hiding underneath the mee.

#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

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

#39

#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.

#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 JoÃ«l 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.

ä¸Šæµ·é£½é¤ƒåº—
Address: G/F, No. 6 Ming On Street, Hung Hom, Hong Kong.
Tel: (852) 2802 2266

Mak’s Noodle éº¥å¥€è¨˜é›²åžéºµ
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

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