Whirlwind hong kong: Day 2

Tai-O fishing village.

To continue from where i last left off, the bf and i had spent our first night in Yau Ma Tei area, choosing to stay at a mid-range priced hotel named Charitas bianchi hotel. For our second day in Hong Kong, we planned to explore Tai-O and Big buddha on Lantau Island, so we got up early to make a head start. 

Directions on how to visit Lantau Island and Tai-O can be found in the details below. 

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mishmash overdue picspam

Been neglecting this blog far too much! just a selection of pic-spam quickie to buy time for this week. Detailed posts to follow this weekend, promise!

barely awake at the airport 

If you follow my blog you'd know I went to HK the weekend before. The long-suffering bf finally managed to leave shenzhen to meet up with me in HK. 1 week of rest and he's now back in reservist, followed by shenzhen again next week. Poor boy. 

Me on the other hand - busy busy busy! 

Detailed posts to follow this weekend, promise!

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Packing your bags

image credit to featherandbranch

Last night I was packing my bag for this weekend’s trip with the bf and my sis in Hong kong. I tend to pack light because I don’t like to carry too many things around.  A not so long time ago, I tended to overpack, particularly for long work trips. I’d be bringing extra sets of clothes I knew I wouldn’t eventually wear, and extra things like accessories, facial products etc that I wouldn’t eventually get time/have the discipline to use. I always returned home feeling a little silly with 1/3 of the things in my luggage unused.

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Why hello, city of frustrated people!

If you follow my blog, you would know I had the fortune of winning 2 pairs of 1-way tickets to Hong Kong thanks to Scoot’s instagram contest. Though originally the flight for the tickets was slated to be on 15th Nov, Scoot somehow managed to kindly change the date to 30th November (next Saturday) instead. The catch is that it’s 1-way only, and you need to pay for taxes ($43 a person).

I was originally in a bit of a dilemma on whether to go or not, but the bf being in shenzhen, very skilfully persuaded me to go so that we could spend some quality time together in Hong kong over the weekend. Looking at my workload and schedule, it seemed ok so I just took a day off, then booked a return flight on tiger for $130.

image credit to investwithalex

So yes, I am going on a whirlwind weekend trip to Hong kong! :)

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A beautiful piece of history: Shamian Island, Guangzhou

Another whirlwind business trip brought me to china once again- this time, the busy city of Guangzhou. Famed as one of the up and coming cities after Beijing & Shanghai, Guangzhou is loud, busy and bustling with life. I knew immediately that I wanted a bit of peace and quiet in the loud place  so I jumped at the chance to stay at the lovely Shamian Island.

quiet park area near dusk

Shamian Island, or Shamin Island, is a small sandbank island in the Liwan District of Guangzhou. The island’s name means ‘sandy surface’ and it was once divided into two areas as concessions given to the United Kingdom and France in the 19th Century, during the Qing dynasty. The beautiful tree-lined streets, and colonial European architecture are reminiscent of a bygone era. 

How to go: refer to this article here, scroll down for detailed directions on how to go to shamian island. 

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My Iceland dream

Since my childhood days I've always been a kid with immense dislike for the heat. I can't stand the hot weather here!.. It wasn't till when I grew up and started working and had to travel to cold places did I realise I can't stand the cold weather even more... but so, anyway, as a child, somehow, despite not having a clue about what it's like in real life, I always wanted to go to Iceland.

image credit to thecoolhunter

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Explore bangkok: Erawan Shrine, Bangkok city hotel

The Erawan Shrine, or ‘San Phra Phrom’ in Thai, is a well-known shrine in located next to the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel, in Bangkok, Thailand. It is also known by Chinese-speaking tourists as the ‘four-faced buddha’ in mandarin, and is a must-visit for Hindu & Buddhist devotees.

How to go: It is located near the Bangkok Skytrain's Chitlom Station. If you exit the station via the elevated walkway leading from Chidlom to Siam station, you will see the shrine on your left before the Ratchaprasong intersection of Ratchadamri Road. It is also located near many shopping malls such as Gaysorn (5minutes walk) and CentralWorld (8-10 minutes walk). 

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Eating in Bangkok: T&K Seafood restaurant, Chote Chitr, KFC

Eating in Bangkok is no shabby affair- with a wide range of dining options, from cheap roadside stalls to fine dining establishments, one is spoilt for choice. In this post I review the food and dining experience the bf and I had at 3 establishments in bangkok: the famous T&K seafood restaurant in Yaraowat, Chote Chitr, a small 5-table establishment located in old bangkok, and the familar KFC.

First off is sprawling T&K seafood restaurant, located in the busy Yaraowat. Loved by tourists and locals alike for it's wide range of seafood available at wallet-friendly prices, the bf and I made the trip down from our bed and breakfast one weekday evening, between 7-8pm.

Those familiar green polo t-shirts beckoning you towards great & reasonably-priced seafood...

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Shopping in Bangkok: Terminal 21

If you're looking for a one-stop shopping mall offering unique designs by independent Thai designers, Terminal 21, a shopping complex opened in 2011, is your go-to.

How to go: Take BTS to Asoke station. Once you exit the station (Exit 1), the shopping mall is on your right. If coming by taxi/private transport, just tell the driver 'Terminal 21'. It is located on Sukhumvit Road, near Asoke intersection

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Alternative bangkok: Old siam plaza

Ranked by lonelyplanet at a modest #310 of 792 things to do in Thailand, the Old siam plaza seldom tops tourists' lists of must-go places in  bangkok. However, if you have a weakness for sweet things/pastries, and like retro-style things/architecture, this is the place for you. 

Admittedly this wasn't originally in our itinerary, but had been included as a nice-to-have when I realised the our Bangkok lodging was located a mere 10 minutes walking distance to it. Coincidentally i also have a huge weakness for desserts and all things sweet, so on a late weekday morning we made the visit.

How to go: The nearest train station is Hua Lamphong MRT, after which you need to take a cab ride lasting about 10 minutes, or public bus. You can consider visiting the plaza on the same day as Wat Pho and the grand emerald palace, which are located in the vicinity. For a map, refer here

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Alternative hotels: The Asadang, Bangkok

If you've been following my blog, you'd know I visited Bangkok this June with the boyfriend on a short 1 week trip. During our trip, we stayed at the lovely Asadang, a small quaint bed and breakfast sitting by the side of a canal, a mere 10 minutes away from Wat Pho. Though I'm not paid to write this review, the staff and our stay was so lovely that I am compelled to write a review on it. And here it is, along with a couple of photos of our stay there.

Sao, one of the lovely staff in the dining area of the Asadang

Aside from the cheap food & shopping, the main draw of bangkok to me is really Thai hospitality. It is unassuming, gentle, thoughtful, and sincere.
That, in essence, is exactly what the Asadang is.

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The sweetest corn can be found in Cameron Highlands

Aaand! I"m back from the land of fresh air, mozzies, satisfying steamboat, amazingly sweet sweet corn and sour strawberries. Believe it or not but our gang of 8 actually lugged 40+ sweet corn back to SG. And I proudly declare it was worth it (well I had n=3 worth only).... 

For a detailed review of CH you can check out this, I visited with the boyfriend a year back. This trip was more of cheap and cheerful since it was with the gang and we all had different budgets. We did 4 a room (each had a bed! attached bathroom and balcony included :)) and it cost us only 40++ RM for 2 nights each... Great for families and large groups of friends! Leave a note if you want to know where. 

We also visited the Mossy forest- my shoe got stuck in the mud a grand total of n=3 times, and our friend CT (almost) got lost and got the rest of us pissed off because of his irresponsible behaviour but oh well, it all ended well and fine. 

Here are some photos I've shamelessly nipped from friends whilst I buy some time (mine aren't developed yet, and didn't shoot digital this time). 

On our coach awaiting the dreary 8 hour ride 

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Alternative London- things to do/see in London - Part 1

It's starting to become a habit, beginning a post with an apology... In any case, yes, finally! The post that should have been up last weekend is here. Looking back I've been to London 4 times now...some places are so familiar now it sometimes feels like home.
I guess when people think of London it's typically icons like Princess Diana, the Queen, Paddington bear (?), Thomas the train, and really touristy things like Big Ben, Buckingham palace, London Bridge and maybe the London Eye that first come to mind. Well, there's Prince George, and also the shard now, to add to it...

Big Ben, what else?

These things, aside, there are plenty of attractions in London. Here's a short post on some of them: 

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Hello, August!

Hello! 

I'm fairly excited because I'm really busy work-wise this month, and also because a couple of friends and I have planned a trip overseas over the National day long weekend.

I admit I really am not updating this blog as much as I should- a detailed review post on somewhere will definitely be up this weekend, I promise! In the meanwhile, (to buy some time) I've gotten some photos back from the lab and here they are:

cat, Houtong cat village

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A secret place just 3 hours away from London...

It was much, much, much more beautiful in real life, I promise. 

I do a bad job taking photos with my film camera, and an even worse job with a digital one, so if the digital photo looks like this, you can imagine how breathtaking this is in real life.... 

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Explore Taipei: Houtong cat village- For all cat lovers out there...

Sick and tired of the regular Taipei stuff, last last weekend while i was there for work, I explored a small village/area called Houtong, or 侯硐. If you're not a cat lover you should stop reading here and go watch Youtube, because this place is for cat lovers, really! But if you're a cat lover, you're in luck! 

How to go: Take TRA from Taipei Main station to Badu Station (八堵車站), then get off the train and change to another platform to take the train direct to Houtong Station(侯硐車站). Once you reach Houtong station, exit and turn right, crossing the 'cats bridge'

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Week of 1st Jul, on film

7788 done with packing of my luggage for London. Because I've still got a summary report to write (thanks to watching movies on the flight back instead of working!) no detailed reviews yet but here's a picture post:

Shamian park, Guangzhou

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Picture post: Bangkok

The last 2 weeks has been a bit of a whirlwind...
If you're curious, I'm currently now in Seoul, but after my full day of work tomorrow I'll be flying back on Friday evening... only to fly off to UK on Saturday! Talk about being a jet-setter...
The bf is pretty miffed at having to settle for skype for now, so will have to spend more quality time together when I get back...

Anyway enough of my mumbling and let these outtakes from our Bangkok trip do the talking:

the amazing Ratchabopit room 

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7 Days of Bangkok- Day 7

Yes! Le Boyfriend and I are returning to Singapore today. And I am flying off to Guangzhou for work tomorrow :( Wish we had more time to dwindle... 

Krispy Kreme, Siam Paragon Basement 

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7 Days of Bangkok- Day 6

Heard that this place has shifted- we'll be checking this out at the new venue today if we have time. 

Vintage train market/Talad Rod Fai 

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