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Penang Short Trip

Penang Rush Trip

Flew to Penang for 3 days as I have to attend to some matters there. Thus I took the opportunity to meet up some friends and get as much food that I craved for all the while in Hong Kong.
Travel type: Solo
When: 2018, September 19-21
Flight: Airasia [Kuala Lumpur (KLIA2) > Penang, 55 minutes]

Penang Road Laksa, Chendul, Char Koay Teow
I ate all these by myself! I was nearby and this is the place I could think of where I can eat so many good food at the same time.
Total amount: RM15.50 (Laksa RM5.50, Chendul RM3, Char koay teow RM7.00). Where can I find these awesomeness, both the food and the price in Hong Kong?!
**Psst: I like the small portion of food in Penang, so I can eat more varieties!  :lol:
penang-laksa-char-koay-teow-chendolpenang-road-chendul Continue reading →

Info: Hong Kong MTR Map

Hong Kong MTR Map

Save the Hong Kong MTR map in your phone for your travelling convenience. Hong Kong MTR system is pretty well connected and easy to understand.

hong-kong-mtr-mapSource: Hong Kong MTR

hongkong-mtr-rush-hour
The trains and stations are packed during rush hours, so it would be best to avoid 7:30-9:30am and 5:30-7:30pm. But if you like, you could try taking one at these hours for experience! I would recommend these stations for crowd watching: Central, Admiralty, Hong Kong, Tsim Sha Tsui. Enjoy the crowd!

Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia (2017 December)

Kota Kinabalu (KK), Malaysia

I have never been to East Malaysia. Since I wanted to go back to my family at Malaysia, and, AirAsia has Hong Kong-Kota Kinabalu route, we decided to give ourselves a short vacation here before flying back to west. We booked everything just to realise it’s going to be rainy season.

Travel type: Couple
When: 2017, December 9-13
Weather: Rainy
Flight: Airasia (Hong Kong >Kota Kinabalu, 3 hours)
Flight fare: HKD1900/2 pax, with one 20kg checked baggage (HKD150) & insurance (HKD60)

Our Itinerary

Day 1
We reached KK Airport around 1pm and took Uber (merged with Grab since 2018 April) which cost about MYR11 to Horizon Hotel in 20 minutes. Wanted to swim at the pool but it was raining. Nothing much in our plan, so we headed to have body massages at the hotel. Not good.  :-|
horizon-hotel-roomkk-horizon-hotel-view-dark-clouds
horizon-room-kk kk-horizon-hotel-washroom horizon-hotel-kk-massage

Dinner at Signal Hill Eco Farm. Uber fare, MYR11. Nice ambience, but Continue reading →

Vancouver & Yellowknife, Canada (2017 September) 1/2

What to do in Vancouver?

The main reason of this trip was to see the aurora! After checking the flights, the best, and cheapest route would be Hong Kong > Vancouver > Yellowknife. Thus, we take the opportunity to tour around Vancouver before our aurora mission. Because it was a family trip, we took things slowwwww and easy. So, what to do in Vancouver?

Part 1/2: Vancouver

Travel type: Family (4 pax)
When: 2017, September 14-18
Weather: Mild & clear skies, with rain occasionally. Temperature, 10-20°c
Flight: Hong Kong Airlines (Hong Kong > Vancouver, 12 hours)
Accommodation: Airbnb at Hamilton St.
Notes: Tipping services is necessary in Canada, about 10-20%

*Hong Kong is 16 hours ahead of Vancouver, BC, Canada

Our Vancouver Accommodation

Cool! Collected our keys at “Key Cafe” at 7-11.


Not that strategically located, but affordable, and stocked with food for us!vancouver-accomodation-airbnb

Day 1 – Downtown: Vancouver Public Library, Gastown, Vancouver Lookout

Vancouver Public Library, VPL is one of the hangout destination for the locals here. Outside, on the steps, some might be reading a book, some having a drink, some playing music, etc…. Also, it is a beautiful architecture building.
vancouver-public-library-vplvpl vpl-interior Continue reading →

rawa-cover

Rawa Island, Malaysia (2017 June)

Rawa Island, Malaysia

Pulau Rawa or Rawa Island is an island at the east of Johor, Malaysia. ……..

Travel type: Friends (Group of 4)
When: 2017, June 10-12
Weather: Sunny
Flight: Airasia (Kuala Lumpur > Johor, 55 minutes)

This is how we get to Rawa Island:
KL > Johor by Airasia (~1 hours)
Johor airport > Mersing Jetty by Uber (~2 hours)
Mersing Jetty > Rawa Island Resort by speed boat arranged by the resort (~30 minutes)

Our Accommodation
There are only 2 resorts on the island, Alang’s Rawa and Rawa Island Resort. We opted the latter. For guests’ convenience they offer packages that include meals and 2-way boat transfer. We took Hillside room for 4  people, 2 nights which costs us MYR983 per person.
rawa-resort-room rawa-resort-room-washroom

The Beach & Us

Took Uber from Senai Airport to Rawa Island Resort’s Reservation Office at Mersing Jetty.

Waiting for our boat at the resort's office

Waiting for our boat at the resort’s office

Continue reading →

cape-manzamo-okinawa

Okinawa, Japan (2017 April)

Okinawa, Japan

Okinawa is Japan’s southernmost prefecture, is the portal between Japan and the tropics. Okinawa’s climate is subtropical, with temperatures around 15 degrees in winter. The beaches, the seas, are just amazingly beautiful!

Travel type: Couple
When: 2017, April 1-9
Weather: Though sunny, it was cold with strong wind blowing occasionally
Flight: Peach (Hong Kong > Okinawa, 2h 45m)

Day 1: Hong Kong > Okinawa

Naha Airport LCC Terminal 
Reached Naha Airport Low Cost Carrier (LCC) Terminal in the evening. Passengers arriving at this terminal have to take a free shuttle bus to the domestic terminal. There’s no other way to leave other than the shuttle.

Car Rental with Paradise 
Some car rental company have their own shuttle bus, which will take you to their office. Our car rental was with Paradise, which doesn’t have a counter at LCC Terminal, so we proceeded to their counter at the domestic terminal. It was about 10 minutes for another bus ride from Naha Airport to Paradise office. Continue reading →

kenting

Kaohsiung and Kenting (2016 December)

Kaohsiung and Kenting

Travel type: Sisters/Family
When: 2016 December 24-29

Day 1-3: Chiayi & Alishan
Day 3-5: Tainan

Day 5 : Kaohsiung

Train Tainan to Kaohsiung: NT$106 (MYR14), 40 minutes. Will be enjoying the remaining days in Kaohsiung and Kenting with my other sister and her family.

Kaohsiung Pier 2 Art Centre, Hamasen Museum of Taiwan Railway
A very nice public open space. It seems like an ideal hangout spot for the locals here especially the families.
kaohsiung-upside-down-housekaohsiung-upside-down-house-2  Continue reading →

sicao-green-tunnel-3

Tainan, Taiwan (2016 December)

Tainan

Travel type: Sisters
When: 2016 December 22-24

Day 1-3: Chiayi & Alishan
Day 5-9: Kaohsiung & Kenting

Day 3 : Tainan

Train Chiayi to Tainan: NT$139 (MYR20), 41 minutes.
Met up with my elder sister in Tainan, and off to Wusheng night market for dinner. Do we look alike?  :roll:
tainan-sisters

Day 4 : Tainan

Tainan is the oldest city in Taiwan. It has always been recognised as a city with deep culture and history.

Anping Walk Tour
Anping Old Street Walking Tour Map 1
Anping Old Street Walking Tour Map 2
 Continue reading →

alishan-01

Alishan, Taiwan (2016 December)

Alishan

Travel type: Solo
When: 2016 December 20-22
Weather: Mild
Flight: China Airlines (Hong Kong>Kaohsiung)

Day 3-5: Tainan
Day 5-9: Kaohsiung & Kenting

Day 1 : Kaohsiung to Chiayi

Taiwan Sim Card
You can buy sim card at Kaohsiung Airport. Two to choose from, Chunghwa (中華電信) and Taiwan Mobile (台灣大哥大). There was a long line for Chunghwa, so I decided to skip that and opted for Taiwan Mobile, which worked just fine for my whole journey, and the prices were the same. ;-)
taiwan-sim-card-kaohsiung-airport

How to buy Taiwan MRT ticket from the machine
1. Check the fare map on top of the machine
2. Choose that fare on the screen
3. Buy!
taiwan-mrt-ticket-machine-fare-map

Kaohsiung Main Station Luggage Storage
Luggage locker storage available at Kaohsiung Main Station. Rate as below: Continue reading →

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Hokkaido, Japan (2016 September)

Hokkaido, Japan

Travel type: Company trip
When: 2016 September 2-7 (7 days, including 2 days transit at Bangkok)
Weather: Mild with some rains
Flight: Thai Airways (Penang>Bangkok>Sapporo)

Visiting Japan for the 2nd time, and Hokkaido was the destination. Both my Japan trips were with the company  :-o

Day 1 

Transit at Bangkok
Had a very very nice somtam (green papaya salad) during this short stop at Bangkok.
bangkokbangkok-food-somtam

Day 2 

Kirin Beer Factory
Kirin Brewery Company, is one of Japan’s four leading beer breweries. Continue reading →