The World is Awesome ; Vientiane, Laos P.D.R

I blamed entirely on BIG promo by AirAsia as well as my crazy sidekick travel mates for not knowing how to refuse a cheap bargain flight (well, it does apply to me too). Without further much a due, my fingers simply start keying all the details needed to purchase a flight ticket, for 3pax!

1 month later, with backpacks on shoulder, USD50 in pocket & passport in hand with one particular place to discover.
Next unknown destination : Vientiane, Laos People's Republic Democratic.

After 3hours of flying and a meal of nasi lemak Pak Nasser, we reached the destination. Went over to the forex counter and change my USD50 into few hundred thousand of KIP's. Took a taxi from the airport to Funky Monkey Hostel which cost USD7 one way per car. The taxi driver drop us off on the wrong road, but eventually we managed to find our direction. Checked in, clean up and start wondering in attempt to get lost.

Not all those who wonder are lost

Discovered small restaurant which serve delicious halal menu & mouth watering bakery shop. Only then we started to hunt for good delicious food. We walked towards Patuxay monument, only to be distract with street sellers, markets & shopping malls along the way. Crossing street here is not as crazy as in Saigon, Vietnam. One still can manage to cross and survived.

Patuxay looks pretty much alike with Arc de Triomphe in Paris. French influence can be seen almost everywhere here, particularly street name and road signage. We meet few other solo travellers for dinner later, Lorenzo from Italy, living in OZ and spending his time travelling through Indo China and Juan from France. Had local food and we walked along the famous Mekong Waterfront night market. The heat was unbearable, even for an average Malaysian who is used to humid & hot weather.

Day Two.

Start our morning with super awesome breakfast with two thumbs up local coffee! Being adventurous and guided by the two mat salleh we met earlier, we decided to take a bus to Buddha Park. Venture our way to the bus station and hop on one of the nice air-condition bus contribute by People of Japan. Met another uncle from Swiss going solo around Indo-China who sat beside me. He's heading to Friendship Bridge to cross into Thailand to renew his visa.  What we thought a easy ride to Buddha Park was actually not! We were dropped off on a different grid (again!), had to bargain with a tuk-tuk driver to drive us to Buddha Park and to town later. 

It was a hard bargain, and he agreed for KIP50,000 for 5 of us. 8km ride with bad bumpy road & dust everywhere and we reached Buddha Park. Paid the entrance fee + camera permit (for such a small amount in KIP). The park have about 200 Hindu and Buddhist statue carved by Luang Lu (a priest Shaman).

Can't stay long due to extreme heat from the sun. The tuk-tuk driver waited for us, and he manage to get more passenger going back to town, murah rezeki dia. We met with little Anthony from Wales, on holiday with his parents. Made few conversation with the little guy and he is fascinated with Lorenzo's tattoo! Finally reached town and we are all hungry since it is already 2pm. Pick one of the nice little restaurant in front of our hostel and Im settled with Pineapple Fried Rice extra spicy. 

Had a taste of local Lao cuisine - fish Laap with plain rice. The owner is Italian with French roots. It was a sin for not to try on dessert he has to offer. Ordered creme brulee and the next thing I knew, I was falling for Juan dessert - mousse au 2 chocolats!! At night, Juan requested to have sushi for dinner (sushi is expensive in France). They do have sushi restaurant few metres away from my hostel, an upscale one! Dine in, eat sushi and back to sleep since we need to catch an early flight the next day.

It was short, yet filled with amazing discoveries. Definitely will visit again, to get lost in Vang Vieng, Luang Prabang and other awesome places, while doing volunteering job. Insyallah~~~

Expenses burnt...
Return flight ticket : 20BIGGIES + RM135/pax
Accomodation : USD27/pax for 2N (3-bed ensuite aircond room)
All-in expenses : USD50

Bali : the island of Gods

It was rather a spontaneous last minute arrangement for a short island escape with a dear friend of mine. Bought the AirAsia ticket a week before, with promo rate! (lucky me). My flight to Bali were schedule at 2030hours, but was delayed 30 minutes. A 3hour flight with good weather, accompanied by a charming voice of the 1st officer. Reached Ngurah Rai International Airport Bali slightly after midnight. Get off from the plane, took the shuttle bus and reach the arrival terminal. We had a little trouble at the luggage clearance. What was look like a curious packet was actually our Malaysian famous instant noodle! As we walked out the arrival gate, I was greeted with a placard with my name on it, by Ceria Transport (provided by Tune Hotel Kuta). A one way transfer at midnight hour cost us Rp60,900 per taxi. (there are airport taxi as well -> http://www.baliairport.com/transportation). Check-in and we decided to call off the night!

0600 - sunrise! (though Kuala Lumpur sit in the same time zone as Bali)
Walked along the Kuta Beach street (Jln Pantai Kuta) and stopped at The Breeze cafe for breakfast (tune does not include breakfast in the room package). Nice cozy place with reasonable breakfast set (ranging from Rp 30,000 - Rp 50,000). Shops around this area open as early as 9am. Done with our breakfast, we walked to Kuta Beach. Beautiful white sandy beach, blue sea and quite a big wave slamming the beach. Few red flag had been raise to warn the public the danger of swimming. As most traveller/tourist a photo taken at the Hard Rock Cafe Bali is a must! Check-out from Tune hotel Kuta at 10am and waited for Irwan (recommended taxi driver from a friend of mine) to pick us up. We booked him for a good 10hours!

Tanah Lot - About an hour drive from Kuta. Entrance fee is Rp30,000 each and Rp5,000 per car for parking. From the entrance gate, we walked pass the locals market (selling all sort of gift merchandise). I don't bother to have a look since Im on a very tight budget (it was an adhoc trip - remember?) & tight schedule. After a few minutes walking, finally I reached at the epic Tanah Lot pura. The tide was high and tourist are reminded not to stand to near to the edge, though some of them keep ignoring these warnings. Strategically situated a few metres from the land, the view was simply amazing!

Kg Celuk - where the silver and gold jewellery handmade was being produced. As we entered one of it massive mansion shops, we were greeted by a boy. He opened our doors and show us the jewellery process. All item were sold in USD and it was not cheap either! However we managed to bought 2 rings (after about 15minutes trying on a few dozens of rings) at a very good discounted price. We learnt a new Indonesian word - 'gedek - gedek' means bigger.

Uluwatu Pura - It was nearly about 2hour trip from previous destination. Irwan the taxi driver, remind us to converse well in Indonesia slang to get a cheaper entrance ticket. And, yes we did! The ticket price is RP15,000 each. There were warning signs around the registration counter to keep your sunglasses and hair clips safe from the mischievous monkeys scattering around the pura area. The lady at the registration hut handed us a yellow sash, which are to be tied along your waist. For those wearing shorts they will ask you to wear sarong provided by them. Walked along the high bushy trees for few minutes and we were greeted with a stunning view! Uluwatu pura was situated on top of a high cliff with oceans beneath it. I did not stay longer to watch their famous Kechak Dance. We had to rush to Jimbaran for seafood with a sunset view. Don't forget to return your sash/sarong to the lady.

Jimbaran seafood - famous seafood spot among tourist. Irwan brought us to the Blue Ocean restaurant (there were endless of seafood restaurant along the beach in Jimbaran). A neighbouring restaurant was celebrating a wedding. Magical! May the both of live happily ever after. In a few minutes the sun has disappear behind the horizontal. The seafood was a bit too expansive if comparing with our locals seafood. Dine for two cost us Rp440,000 (total)! Had a short night walk along the Kuta Discovery area. Did not manage to go up till Hard Rock Hotel area due to the low energy, having spent the entire day moving from one places to another.

Roaming the little Kuta Beach area - I had the whole day to myself as my partner in crime where attending conference in Kartika Discovery Resort. Had breakfast at the Breeze cafe, again and set off to wander around. Met plenty of locals (ringan mulut sungguh depa ni) asking me where I am from, "Singapore or Malaysia?" As for being polite, I had a few minutes talking to these nice lovely people.

My flight bound for KUL was schedule at 1910hour. Asked the receiption counter for a booking, and manage to get it for Rp50,000 (instead of Rp76,000). In less than 10 minutes I've arrived in Ngurai Rai airport.  Walked in straight to security checking & passport clearance. Gate 9 is quite a walk. I bought a bottle water, and have to thrown it away as there was another security checking as you enter gate 9. My flight was right on schedule and reached KUL 3hours later.
*Remember to save Rp150,000 cash for airport tax (Rp40,000 for domestic flight)

These are few information that I manage to collect

• Learn to surf for Rp200,000 for 1.5hours (May is good time to learn. Big waves in June-July)
• Foot massage from Rp55,000 for 1hour
• Bali massage from RM65,000 for 1hour
• Diving for beginners either in Tembulan / Nusa Dua area
• shops at Krishna for cheaper souvenir gifts
• Nyepi day is celebrated in silence (nyepi - sepi)

And I will definitely visit this awesome island again, with longer itenary.

Budget
AA return flight RM280++
1Night stay in Tune Kuta Rp413,000 per room
one way shuttle airport RM60,900 per car - midnight rate (http://www.ceriatransport.com)
1day taxi hire Rp350,000 per car
Tanah Lot entrance Rp30,000 per person
Uluwatu entrance Rp15,000 per person
one way taxi from Kartika Discovery Resort to Airport Rp50,000
airport tax Rp150,000
** and I only have Rp1,000,000 for this short trip

Borneo Part 1 : A walk in the clouds

14th April 2012, me and other seven of my mates made it to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah with a mission to conquer Mount Kinabalu (highest in South East Asia) and Low's Peak Circuit (World's Highest via Ferrata). We were schedule to arrive in Kota Kinabalu with three difference flight by AirAsia. Most of us got a cheap dirt bargain price from AA during their sale back in May 2011, which was RM12.20 for a return flight from Kuala Lumpur.

After 2.5hours easy flight, five of us reached Terminal2 Kota Kinabalu airport. Had breakfast at KFC while waiting for other two of my team to arrived. and we took a taxi to our hostel. 4pax taxi is RM30, while 5-6pax taxi is RM42  and luggage might be charged separately. Check-in at the Rainforest Lodge and got ourselves 1x 6-bed dorm for the guys and 1x 4-bed dorm for the girls, A/C included. We spent the day walking around the city centre window shopping and bargaining. After a long day walking we stop for dinner at the Philipines Market, just in time when our last team member reached KK. Had a short walk at Kampung Air Night Market and back to the hostel.

Sunday morning market in Gaya Street is just behind our hostel. The sun rise early on this side of Malaysia, compare to Kuala Lumpur. 0700hours felt very much like 0900hours! Walked around the market while waiting for our ride to next destination, Kundasang. Luckily in front of our hostel is a huge supermarket. Bought plenty 1.5L bottled drinks from less than RM2, and stock up chocolate bars for the climb. Urvan 3.0 finally arrived and we are on our way to Bayu Homestay with a few pit stops. 1st stop is the Rumah Terbalik (Upside down house) in Tamparuli. Next is the Desa Dairy Farm, beautiful nature with Mt Kinabalu as it backdrop. Check-in at Bayu Homestay (honestly, the place need a lot of improvement), located about 500m from the Kinabalu Park entrance. In the evening, we visited the Kinabalu Park office to settle all related procedure for the climb tomorrow.

The ascend to Laban Rata starts at 0840hours. A bit late though, and we got about 7 hours to make it before cut off time for Low's Peak Circuit briefing. Hopped on the bus and reached Timpohon Gate (about 4km from the Kinabalu Park entrance). Together with us is our two mountain guide, Richard and Sapinos. They gave us a short briefing and off we go hiking. From Timpohon gate, the distance is 6km to Laban Rata.  As for the journey up, you will need to experience it for yourself. 

Since my group had made a booking with Mountain Torq (MT), we stayed in Pendant Hut instead of Panar Laban Hut. MT trainee conduct the practical safety briefing for Via Ferrata activity, and later had buffet dinner in Panar Laban Hut. It was drizzling at first, but later its getting heavier, and we get to witnessed the Laban Rata waterfall with a perfect view. 

By 8pm, most of us were already tucked in the sleeping bag provided by Pendant Hut. 0100hours, all of us are already wide awake, had our early breakfast and start ascending the next 2.7km to the Summit of Low's Peak. Short distance but with thin layer of oxygen, the walk felt like forever. Lucky me, Im doing great with minimal AMS symptoms. Due to my slow walk, Sapinos suggested that I remain on the plateau to get some rest before Via Ferrata activity which need all participant to be there at 0700hours. We descend down to the KM7.5 mark where the trainees wait for us.

With awesome weather we kick-start our most awaited activity, the Low's Peak Circuit. The view is just magnificence and breath-taking! The whole route will take about 3-4 hours to complete. We start of descending along the rocky surface for about 600m, then a rest before jungle trekking for another 20minutes and finally walk horizontaly for another 300m before arriving near sayat-sayat hut. Its quite exhausting but everything is OK with a view from 3776m above sea level.

All of us manage to finish earlier than targetted time, had out late lunch and start to descend to Timpohon Gate. On our way down, it was raining heavily. I wouldn't mind as we had the perfect weather for summit and LPC on our first visit. However as for me, the descend is more challenging than the ascend. Had a good rest in Bayu Homestay (despite of the feverish feeling) and the next day, we are off to Sandakan...

**From Kinabalu Park, you can stop a minibus to Kota Kinabalu with only RM15 instead of booking a taxi at RM150. However the bus might not be on schedule, and it may start the service after 10am.

Expenses :
RM52.20 return ticket AA ticket + luggage
RM28 per pax in Rainforest Lodge
RM35 per pax for van ride KK - Kundasang one way
RM25 per pax Bayu Homestay
RM1.3K Low's Peak Circuit package with Mountain Torq (package varies from different agency)
RM35 Kinabalu Park - Sandakan express bus one way

Borneo Part 2 : Unsung RocTrip

Vietnam & Cambodia : Siem Reap (Pt3)

Another seven hours bus ride from Pnom Penh to Siem Reap. Soon we were on National Highway 6. Had a short break at Kampong Thom. We only bought kerepek pisang (the only food edible for us). About 7.30pm I saw the sign "Siem Reap Province" by the roadside, which took us about an hour later to reach the town. Along the way, we stumbled upon seven army tanks on the road. I was excited to see the tanks, despite of not knowing what actually happen at the Thai - Cambodia, Preah Vihear. As requested, our tuk-tuk driver waited for our arrival. He hold a paper with my name on it. His name is Panga. In the darkness, he drove his tuk-tuk to Golden Mango Inn. Wann the family owner greeted is with welcome drinks & wet towel. Hand us our room key (106) and brief us about the service & facilities provided by the hostel. Freshen ourself and had dinner at the hostel restaurant.
The Angkor

They are three different passes to enter Angkor. Passes are sold in 1day (USD20), 3day which valid for a week (USD40) & 7day which is valid for a month (USD60) block.You may purchase the pass at the Angkor Wat Conservation Center from 0500 till 1800. As for us, time is short so we decide to purchased the 1day pass. We reached Angkor Wat as early as 5.30am. It was cold & dark. Luckily our tuk tuk driver offer us an extra torchlight (I had my headlamp). Still dark and most of these keen tourist we flocking the very best spot to wait for the sun to rise behind Angkor Wat (silhouette effect at it best). About 0700 the sun finally arises behind Angkor Wat and the view was breathtaking, the same exact view when the Khmer first build Angkor Wat thousand years ago. The water reflection makes it perfect.

We went back to our hostel for breakfast and we decided to cycle around Angkor. We were on a budget and besides the hostel offer free cycle. The roads of Cambodia are almost the same as scary as Vietnam. I had never been this scary while crossing to the other side of the road. My sense of direction is still in shocked mode (traffic comes from your left). Survive the first crossing! The road was less busy until we turn into Charles De Gaulle road. Cycle for about 7km and reached our first destination. 7km and my butt hurts! It has been long since I rode one.

Angkor Wat

I stood in awe looking over the three story massive building made of entirely huge rocks. Im in a dreamy state,believing that I finally foot my step onto the most historic building in the world after which I had been planning since 2007 (the plan has been cancelled since). The weather was perfect blue sky,dry hot! Angkor Wat on its own covers 1kmarea. In one corner, the magnificent carving of ancient war tales tells its story. Inside Angkor Wat, the walkway having high ceiling with huge stones as steps. Surprisingly the stones were cold, and it was breezy. Sanskrit writing are still visible to the naked eye. We spent about an hour here, mesmerized by it scale & the symmetrical of the carvings.

*beware of the kids selling souvenirs, books & drinks. They tend to bug you till you buy something from them.

Bayon

About 1km away (cycling) stood the South Gate with huge human carvings as the bridge railing. The gate is only wide enough for a car to pass through. Then we reached Bayon which is located 2km from Angkor Wat (the road is abit bumpy here). Bayon is known for its huge stone faces of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, with one facing outward and keeping watch at each compass point (NSEW). We had our lunch snack here. Luckily we brought sandwiches (tuna mayo & Gardenia bread all the way from KUL!) because none of us had no idea what lunch will look like here in the Angkor. Lunch by the faces of Bayon, before I was attack by an army of huge red ants!

We had to skip the Elephant Terrace and King Leper Terrace due to time constraints. Sugar cane drinks look so tempting under the hot weather. We cycled pass the Victory gate making our way to Ta Keo when suddenly my bike brokedown (the chain slipped out). The situation was saved by Shahrin. Ta Keo located about 3km from Bayon (literally I cant really sits on my butt now). Ta Keo known in its time as the mountain with golden peaks. Suits to its name - mountain, Ta Keo stairs were steep & narrow. Climbing up is easy but not when coming down the huge block of stairs. I decide to just walk up to the 1st floor.

Ta Prohm

Parked our bike and walked about 200m towards Ta Promh. Along the way, you'll be entertain by the groups of mines victims. The famous Ta Promh serves as a shooting set in Tomb Raider movie. Great trees tower above Ta Prohm, may be as wide as an oak tree. You'll need to be there to see how huge those tree were. Wonder how the tree grows wrapping around the building. Ta Prohm is extensively ruined, so the ruins are basically everywhere. Its like a maze. You enter a room at the other end, and you'll end up on the other parts of the temple. Just follow the tourist trail, and you'll be fine. Taking pictures with the amazing background was not an easy task, when you have tourist all over the world flocking into one place.

Its almost 4pm, and its time to go back. Its a long cycle back to our hostel. All three of us manage to complete the rounds, despite of Fifi's initial plan was to hire a tuk-tuk. Give yourself a pat on the shoulder for completing a 27KM rounds in a day with 3 major temple covered!

Shopping & Khmer massage

I only manage to cover the Old Market area while my stay here. I dont do much shopping here as my budget were limited. bargain starts at 25% off the retail price. But definitely we went for a massage. Tips for cheaper massage price is to go between 12noon - 3pm (consider as off-peak time) You may get discount about $1 - $2 from normal price. We had foot massage/body massage + manicure for $7. It was awesome after all the cycling and walking on the day before.

Pub Street (once I told the tuk tuk driver, Temple Street. Silly me!)

Its a stretch of pubs & international cuisine restaurant along Pub street. You can find Mexican, Italian, French, English & Irish pub/restaurant here. If you are looking for Khmer traditional cuisine, explore the alley behind Pub street. We spend three nights just hanging around Pub street (tgk mat salleh mabuk are very entertaining indeed). Drinks are cheap here. For eg: local draught beer during happy hour is selling from USD0.50. Cocktail from USD1.50. Coke and such sold at USD1. For USD5, you could get a decent meal & drinks. One of the pub, the Red Piano is famous for its Tomb Raider Cocktail which was initiated by Angelina Jolie while shooting Tomb Raider back in 2000.

The ride back to Siem Reap international airport are complimentary from our hostel. Unfortunately, i don't get to see our kacak, tampan & macho tuk tuk driver, Panga for the last time before heading back to reality. Our flight REP - KUL is ETD 0835.

USD 8 per night per person in Golden Mango Inn Hostel

USD20 for a one day pass into Angkor

USD11 entry fee into Cambodian Cultural Village

USD2 per tuk tuk each time to get back to hostel from town

USD25 airport tax fee

Part 1 : Saigon
Part 2 : Pnom Penh

Vietnam & Cambodia : Saigon (Pt1)

Flight AK880 KUL - SGN (ETD 0910). The one way ticket only cost me RM35 when I bought 8 months earlier (really loves the tag price when Airasia do their zero ticket fare sale).

0730 hours reached LCCT (international check-in counter opens two hours before and closes 45 minutes before boarding time). Now travelers can opt to wrap their check-in luggage at the airport for a small fee (RM10 per bag). The lady at the counter was polite & being very helpful towards us. She helped us to reduced all our check-in fee from RM80 to RM60.

The flight went well and reached Saigon at 1035 local time (-1 hour difference with Kuala Lumpur). Immigration was fine, despite of the officer in charge 'ketat' face. Approached one of the taxi booth (we decide to get a taxi instead of hoping on the bus 152) and was given a markup price of USD10 for one trip to our guesthouse which located in district 1. No way that we are paying that much for a taxi. As we walked a way, the lady again approached us offering USD7. Much better bargain and we walked to our taxi. The airport was clean & clear from any 'ulats'.

Scary road of Saigon! We were on the right side of the road (Malaysians drive on the left). Motorcycles are everywhere! 30 minutes later, we reached Ngoc Thao Guesthouse. Complimentary welcome drinks. The staff helped us to buy Saigon - Pnom Penh bus ticket (USD12) and booked Cu Chi tunnel tour the next day (USD5).

Freshen up and we start venturing around Saigon. Surprisingly most people get excited when I told them I am from Malaysia. This is due to the fact that we nailed their football team during the recently Suzuki cup match. Congrats to team Harimau Malaya! Went into one of the tailor shops, to make a tailored dress/blouse. A blouse from USD13 & a dress from USD25 (siap overnight!).
We walked towards Ben Thanh Market located about 10minutes walk. Alot of things could be found here (am not in the shopping mood yet) t-shirts, souveniers, food, fabric & jewelry. Its a long walk from Ben Thanh - reunification place - water puppets theatre - and back to our guesthouse. Near to my guesthouse, there is a halal Indian restaurant (had our lunch & dinner there).

Next morning, breakfast served from 0600 - 1000. Had breakfast baguette (the second best baguette I've ever ate) & telur dadar. The tour guide came and pick us up from the guesthouse at about 0745. Journey to Cu Chi tunnel took about hour and a half to reach. We stopped by a handicrafts center for a 20-minutes break. Expensive but amazing piece of arts.

Entrance fee is VND80,000 (USD1 = VND20,000). My tour guide name is Hai. He used to be in the army and lives under the ground inside those tunnel! He brings us around the area. Vietnam people are slim & slender, that is why they can fit into those tiny holes. There is also a bobby-trap exhibition (scary ok!) and a target-shooting range. I was so determined to try one of those bad boy toys. A minimum of 10 bullets per purchase are required. I split the 10bullets with my friend. I Choose to shoot with AK-47 (USD1.50 per LIVE-bullet). The experience was truly new to me. Im glad that I tried (a must do if you step foot into Cu Chu Tunnel). Hai also told us that the lady selling coffee by the entrance was born in that tunnel!

Next to do list is to crawl inside one of those tunnel. The tunnel was about 100m long, the height is barely my height and the width has been widen two times the original size to cater for mat salleh to experience. Those having high-blood pressure, pregnant, cardiac history & claustrophobia are advise not to enter the tunnel at all. It was dark and dusty inside. This is the the moment to see the lights at the end of a tunnel.

We were also served with ubi rebus (tapoica) there. The half day tour ended at about 1330 and by 1500 we were back in town. Hunt for good halal Vietnamese food, and we manage to stumble upon Un-Halal restaurant within walking distance from our guesthouse. As expected, plenty Malaysians was having later lunch here. We order egg rolls, beef noodle soup, fried egg noodle seafood & grilled beef noodle. AWESOME~~~

Weren't able to go to the night market near Ban Thanh area due to all the tailors appointment. If you are looking for cheap affordable rejected backpacks (deuter & the north face) Saigon is the place. U can bargain a 30L TNF for below USD8! There is also TNF goretex windbreaker, but you must inspected the inner part weather it is sealed-tape or not. The most promising TNF goretex I've seen having the price of USD60 (about RM190).

Budget :

USD7 per taxi from airport to town district 1

USD5 per person Cu Chi tunnel tour (guides & return transport)

USD4 (80,000VND) Cu Chi entrance fee per person

USD10.50 per person per night @ Ngoc Thao Guesthouse, District 1 (breakfast included)

USD12 per person bus ticket Saigon - Pnom Penh

Our bus to Pnom Penh was at 0900 ETD on 31.1.2011.

Part 2 : Pnom Penh
Part 3 : Siem Reap

Crossing Selat Tebrau into the old Temasek

It was midnight and having late supper at McDonald's just before the Sg Besi toll. Here I met with the rest of the team from KL, and we are heading down south to Danga Bay, Johor. Along the highway we stopped at R&R Pagoh for a quick stop and had a one hour nap at R&R Machap. All of us arrived at Tune hotel, Danga Bay at 6am and crash into room 211 for a quick freshen up.
We took the first Odyssey shuttle bus from Tune Hotel towards Resort World Sentosa at 7am (return ticket @RM25 / RM18 when purchased online. The seats are upon first come first serve basis. You'll need to register first at the Odyssey counter located in Tune Hotel itself.) The bus took the second link route into Singapore. It was a quick scan on the Malaysia border, but there was a long que on the Singapore border.

It was almost 9am when we reached Sentosa Island Resort. As we hopped off the bus, we went to the first stop, which is the Universal Studio rotating globe. Took plenty of photos here. The were about eight ticket counters but unfortunately, all were closed with sign saying "todays ticket entrance into Universal Studio were sold out". Advised to buy those tickets way ahead online. All of us decided not to enter Universal Studio Singapore (USS) few weeks ago, when we get to know that the roller coaster ride was closed due to maintenance (undergoing till late Sept'10). Besides the Madagascar & Transformers were not yet open for public. Next year, we will definitely give USS another visit once all attractions are open.

We were left lingering around Sentosa Island. Took the free monorail service from Waterfront station to Imbiah station (it was less than two minutes ride though!). Drop off here and we took the free blue line bus towards Underwater World from Imbiah just in time for the dolphin show @ 11am. The tickets into Waterworld was SGD22.90. Since I printed the Great Singapore Sale (GSS) card, all of us got a 15% discount on entrace fee. (One GSS card can purchased max of 4 tickets).

Head straight to the dolphin pool to get our best seat in the house, somewhere under the shades away from the hot sun(still it was hot!). The dolphins entertain us for 15 minutes. It was a good show. We spent the next 30-minutes inside the waterworld looking at various fish, crabs & squids.

It time to surfaced and enjoy the walk along Siloso Beach (still very hot sunny day). Beautiful white sandy beach, but the view was spoil with all big ships docking nearby the Sentosa Island. I would't dare myself to take a swim here. From Siloso Beach, we took the free beach tram towards Palawan Beach for lunch at one of the foodcourt located there. (from Siloso to Palawan, you'll need to change trams at Beach station) Based on the Sentosa Island map, there is a halal food stalls in Palawan, but sadly enough only vegetarian food were available. (the halal food by choice is only Coffee Bean & Delifrance) Had our so called lunch and next stop is Vivo city.

As we walked in Vivo city, the only thought that came into my mind is "should have lunch here instead!". Found Ben & Jerry's outlet and straight away ordered the double belgian waffle for $14.90!!! (thats even expensive than the one I usually bought in UK for £3.90.. damned Singapore! over price dessert) Cant remember which flavour I choose.

After wondering around in Vivo City, we took the train into Sentosa Island for $3.00. Stop at the waterfront station and we just linger around while waiting for Song of the Sea (SOS) performance (two shows a day @7.40pm & 8.40pm) The entrance fee is $10.00 for SOS. The best popcorn I've ever eaten was the one purchased from Garret Popcorn shop. There is Hershey's outlet as well. Universal Studio souvenir shop are located just in front of the USS main entrance. My energy level is very low, so I decided to skip SOS and head back to Danga Bay, alone. Took the 1930hours shuttle and reached Danga Bay in an hour.

The next day, we took the public transport no.170 from Larkin bus station to Queen Street (RM2.10). This time we used the Tambak Johor gateway into Woodlands checkpoint. It was 39km ride to reached Queenstreet which located near to Bugis Street.

Bugis Street, which more like Petaling Street in KL. Souvenirs are cheap here (4 magnet for $10, 5pack of keychain for $10, and much more cheap stuff) You can find almost everything here. Here in Bugis Junction MRT station, you can purchase the visitor daily pass. Unlimited ride for $8 + $10 deposit. (Advice : these card can only be return at certain MRT station in order to get back your $10 deposit - changi airport, orchard, chinatown, city hall, raffles place, ang mo kio, harbourfront and bugis)

From Bugis junction, we take a stop at the Russel Place. Stroll along the Singapore river, pass by Maybank Tower, Asian Civilization Museum & Fullerton hotel towards the Merlion situated just across from Esplanade. Plenty of tourist flocking the Merlion, taking pictures of different styles. We decided to go behind the merlion where less tourist and start to have fun on our own.

The latest 'gah' attraction of Singapore can be seen from here, the Marina Bay Sands. The highest swimming pool recorded in the world. The even have a look out point to see the entire Singapore up to Bartam Island. Of course all this won't come in FOC. Pay $20 just to be on top of the building. Currently not everything up there is accessible, just like their USS.

There is a connected underpass near the merlion, where starbuck open a franchise there. We took a break from the heat and quenched our thirst with White Chocolate Mocha frappucino (not sold in Malaysia, by the way).

Next stop is the most famous shopping street in Singapore, the Orchard Road. From Russel Place, we take a stop at Orchard station which is inside of ION Orchard. We walked from ION Orchard to Orchard Central (about 500m walk) just to find out the North Face outlet has closed down and were told that the nearest one located inside ION Orchard!! To go back towards ION, we decided to get the MRT at Sommerset (one stop away - dont forget Im holding a day pass).

There is another Hard Rock Cafe here on Orchard Road, besides Hard Rock Cafe in Sentosa Island. We had to ask our way to go to HRC. It was located beside the Four Season hotel & Hilton hotel. As we looked at the time, it was 6pm! Time to go back to Danga Bay. From Orchard we head towards Jurong East and stop by Ang Mo Kio to return the tourist daily pass and get back our $10 deposit. Bought a one way ticket towards Kranji ($2.90 with $1 deposit) and took the 170 bus to Woodlands checkpoint. We took the wrong 170 and ended in Kotaraya instead of Larkin (apparently there is blue & red 170 which go to either Kotaraya or Larkin). Taxi is the only mood of transport that we knew to go Danga Bay.

Overall budget :

RM200 petrol + toll

RM28 two night in Tune Hotel + return shuttle transfer into Sentosa Island

$19.50 Underwater World Sentosa

$10.00 Song of the Sea

$3.00 Vivo city into Sentosa

$8.00 tourist daily pass unlimited ride

As for me, it was another enjoyable short break with awesome friends. Still, Singapore to me its more like "indah khabar dari rupa"...

a visit to FINE city

I was a fulltime Camp5 crew for about three months (it was between England and Intel). For those who wonders what exactly Camp5, here's a little bit info.Camp5 is an indoor climbing gym located in L5 One Utama. It was once the biggest indoor climbing gym in asia (the famous tagline for us crew to remember) before PutraClimb take over the title.


It was back in September that I visited Singapore for the annual climbing competition, ClimbON! located in Pasir Ris. Bought the Air Asia flight tiket a month earlier, with amazing price of RM85 for a return ticket and booked a room in one of the resort in Pasir Ris. Special discount as we get helped from Li Zhen, a Singaporeans.

Depart from LCCT and reached Cha/ngi airport after about an hour journey. Different by one time zone. Was greeted by my oldmates, and then when I split from my groups. Check-in the resort, and start to wonder around the city. Changi to Pasir Ris (the very last stop) took about 15 minutes. Free shuttle service from the MRT to the resort. The travel time from Pasir Ris to Bugis station was roughly about 45 minutes.

There was a Halloween celebration in Bugis Junction. Too many of the ghost lingering around the area. We continue walking around Esplanade cross the bridge to the Merlion. We did went to Sunrise, and few linked shopping malls. I was looking for Ben & Jerry's stall. Craving for the belgium waffle + baked alaska ice cream + chocolate syrup on top. Nowhere to be found, but still manage to had a lavish ice cream.
It was late night and decided to crash at Suhana's crib in Yew Tee (at the moment, I have no idea where that was). Besides, it has been long time ago since I last met her parents. It was an early Christmas celebration here. The deco is everywhere, and its only September. Safely reached her place, and her dad still remembers me. He used to called me the 'tokong girl'. I used to carpool with Suhana after band practice, and he will eventualy dropped me at the tokong which nearby my house.

Sunday come and its the day for the big event! I had breakfast in A&W treated by Suhana's mom. Lovely woman indeed. I came from Yew Tee and promise to meet the rest of the team around 11am at the event place. It was a long walk from the chalet towards the event place. Everyone is in orange, bouldering as much as possible. I was After awhile, I followed Zul to BorderX in Orchard Central for a reason. We had a bit of detour, walking around sightseeing... having crazy ice cream moment with ben & jerry chocolate fudge brownies. Updates on the game, Zam won 1st (as he always does it) and his team got 3rd place. Congrats to him & the team!!!

Next morning we had to que to use the toilet. (7 of us with 1 toilet!) Knowing that we need to check-out by 1030 hours, everyone try to be as fast as possible. Hakim was the last, and he returned the keys. Luckily no extra chargers for the late return. next flight home to LCCT is at 1615 and I was praying hard that the flight will not delayed since my next flight to PEN is at 1935! Thank God it didn't.

It was an awesome trip with the crew.