Hong Kong, Dec 2013- Victoria Peak

Ahhhhh, Sundays.

My Sundays are usually routine. Today was no different, except I don't 

have to prepare for work tomorrow morning!

Yes, its Hari Raya.

Selamat Hari Raya! :)

*

A place I really miss and absolutely MUST return to is.. The Oriental Manhattan, aka Hong Kong!

My last and first visit was in December 2013.

This trip is even foggier than my previous posts because this was almost 2 years ago, so I will just blog as per the photos I took on my camera.

We went to Hong Kong around mid Dec 2013, and stayed in Mini Hotel in Causeway Bay, which was an excellent location! Shopping malls and public transport are within walking distance.

Times Square

December called for beautiful Christmas deco!

On one fine day, we went to Victoria Peak.

The Tram up the Peak

 You have to pay to go up the tram up the mountain, called Mount Austin. 

From Google:

Victoria Peak (Chinese: 太平山, or previously Chinese: 扯旗山) is a mountain in the western half of Hong Kong Island. It is also known as Mount Austin, and locally as The Peak. With an altitude of 552 m (1,811 ft), it is the highest mountain on Hong Kong island, ranked 31 in terms of altitude in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (Tai Mo Shan is the highest point in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region with an altitude of 957 m).

At the peak, there are several shops, as well as a Madame Tussauds! There is an entrance fee of HKD 300 per person (approx $52 BND), which was pretty steep (geddit) but it was my first visit to a Madame Tussauds, so it was all systems go.

Naturally, Madame Tussauds HK was mostly comprised of Hong Kong stars and legends. I'm not that big on Hong Kong movie/ music industry, largely because I don't speak Cantonese. It was bad because everyone speaks Cantonese there.

Andy Lau

The Duke and Queen of England. Can I please have my cup of tea?

Aaron Kwok and his shiny get up!

Malaysian Pride, Michelle Yeoh

The incredible Donnie Yen's fort

There was a whole section dedicated to the legendary Donnie Yen!

I remember being most ecstatic about this because I love Donnie, and his amazing films. If you haven't seen them, you simply must. Especially IP Man. Start with that!

Chillin by the Hall of Donnie Fame

If music be the food of love, play on!

Shakespeare! I took English Literature in high school, and aced it, and grew to love the masterpiece we studied, which was Twelfth Night.

Just me chit chatting with Deng Xiao Ping, leader of China from from 1978 until his retirement in 1992

Founding Father of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew

Hong Kong game show host, Eric Tsang

Needs no introduction really, this Smooth Criminal!

I get by with a little help from these friends

Under no Pressure with Mr. Mercury!

Radio GAGA over Lady Gaga

The Incredible Hulk :)

During that time, they had this Monkey King gig set up, to promote the movie when it wasn't released yet. I was so excited for the film, but it turned out to be a flop. You can skip this movie that Donnie Yen was in.

After that, we had lunch at Bubba Gump (FREAKIN LOVE FOREST GUMP), and then we went to the top to have some killer breathtaking views of Hong Kong island!

Part 2 of Thailand, Dec 2014 in Bangkok

Crazy strong wind and heavy rainfall in Brunei today! Trees falling and being uprooted, roofs peeling off and scaffolding falling from rooftops, hitting trees! My senior keeps warning of the End coming, but I really hope it doesn't before September, when I go to England and Europe!

Just watched Return to Sender, starring Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl). My advise if you're planning to watch it: Don't.

Thailand 2014! Yet again in no particular order because my photos are all over the place (and missing) and I have very selective memory of what happened.

I remember our trip was not planned properly for the trip to the ever-epic Chatuchak (or JJ) Market. This Market is huge and has everything you will ever need, from bags and clothes to pets and little trinkets, and lots of food! Unfortunately, we had other things planned for the day and Chatuchak Market is only completely open on Sundays. Some stalls are closed on Saturdays, and the Market is closed on weekdays.

It was such a gem for us to stumble upon. It was the most delish mango sticky rice I had in the entire trip. And trust me, I had a LOT of this stuff!

Coconut ice cream on a hot day! There is another famous one with the flags but we couldn't find that one. This one sufficed.

Perf on a hot day (which it was!)

This Italian man and his Paella seem to be very popular in Chatuchak. Unfortunately we didn't get to try it. Next time! Stay there k, Mr. Italian man.

We had lunch at this pretty run-down looking place but as expected, food was cheap, and incredibly authentic, and it was good! We were so proud of ourselves for pulling it off. But I guess its not that big a victory when there were simple English words and.. you can see westerners eating there too. Hahaha

I always feel incredibly awed at the love and affection Thais have for their king. The locals have nothing but praise when it comes to King Bhumibol Adulyadej. He rose to throne at a very young age and he did a lot for his country and his people. I wish him good health.

When we were there, it was his birth month, so there were tributes to him in literally every corner of Bangkok and Hua Hin.

An important thing to note about Bangkok is that there are a lot of cunning con artists out to get tourists.

My trip to Bangkok had a terrible experience because of that, where we were conned by local Thais.

It was on the day when we planned an entire day to see the Sleeping Buddha in Wat Pho and the Grand Palace. However, before we could walk up to the entrance, we were encountered by a seemingly friendly Thai, who told us it was closed. We were bummed and he suggested to us to visit Wat Arun instead, and that he knew people who very coincidentally consisted of a tuktuk driver and a boat driver. I guess we should've known better, but thankfully my bf felt something was weird so he told them we only wanted to visit Wat Arun, instead of the entire tour around the river.

The tuktuk driver took us to a textile shop, as well as a jewelry shop. Obviously was a completely planned trip, where they received commission for any purchase. We didn't have to buy anything but we were uncomfortable with the hoarding from the sales people, especially at the textile shop. We managed to come out without purchasing anything. Deals were good, but we did not need textile. We wanted to see some temples.

I did purchase a ruby pendant for my best friend as a wedding gift.

I feel really angry thinking back on the first man we met. He was so cunning like a fox that it disgusts me to my bones now thinking about it. He kept saying things like, we are clever people and he is just helping us to go around. Freakin SOB.

Boat ride to Wat Arun. It was crazy expensive compared to a normal non-con job boat ride.

Tuktuk driver who was part of the scam. We did not really blame this man as he seemed to be making an honest living with his life, doing what he had to earn money, so we tipped him. And he was nice, albeit looking like the clown from AHS: Circus. Lol.

On the bright side, Wat Arun indeed was a beautiful temple. (Wat= temple)

From Google: Wat Arun Ratchawararam Ratchawaramahawihan or Wat Arun (Thai pronunciation: [wát ʔarun], "Temple of Dawn") is a Buddhisttemple (wat) in Bangkok Yai district of Bangkok, Thailand, on the Thonburi west bank of the Chao Phraya River. The temple derives its name from the Hindu god Aruna,^[1] often personified as the radiations of the rising sun. Wat Arun is among the best known of Thailand's landmarks and the first light of the morning reflects off the surface of the temple with pearly iridescence.^[2]Although the temple had existed since at least the seventeenth century, its distinctive prang (spires) were built in the early nineteenth century during the reign of King Rama II.

We managed to get to the top. P/s you also have to be properly covered here. I went in jeans, so it was ok. I think for this Wat, you have to pay for renting the cloths.

Going up was the easy part. Coming back down, was no easy feat. I have a fear of heights, so I think it took me a while to finally accept it and not to make myself go so high up and end up feeling terrified out of my skull. Haha.

We managed to get back down safely. It was really scary because the stairs were really, really steep.

Majestic!

To get to Wat Arun, you must cross this river. There is also an entrance fee, which I cannot remember but it wasn't a lot.

Me by the river, waiting for the boat to bring us back

p/s It was crazy hot the entire time we were in Bangkok!

The "tour" also included a visit to this temple which for the life of me, I cannot remember the name of :(

Beautiful interior of the roof inside the temple

That is about all about my trip to Thailand because I cannot find my other pictures. But let me tell you about where we stayed. :)

We stayed at the Ibis Bangkok Siam hotel, which was decently priced and more importantly, right next to BTS National Stadium. BTS is the very efficient and very convenient sky train, and is one stop away from the Siam shopping centre. Like all Ibis hotels, it confirms the basics you will need at a hotel, and was reasonably clean and had good service.

Good night, and happy weekend x

Dec 2014- Hua Hin, Thailand

Today marks the day of me returning back to blogging!
I figured I'm going to lose my gist and passion for writing if I don't start... writing so I guess the only outlet for me is through Blogging.

And also the fact that its my 3 years and 2nd monthsarry with my boyfriend! Yea, we do get to that level of corny where we track monthsarries and anniversaries. Well, we don't really track it- it has kinda turned into a competition of who wishes who first every month on the 5th. I normally win. Today, I wished my bf and he replied with an, "oh yeah hor". OH YEAH HOR.

We actually have Sungkai dinner later on at Anjung Saujana, at BIA so I have around 10 minutes to blog before I start getting ready.

So I've decided to start my big comeback (snort) with a Travel Blog post from my trip more than half a year ago to Bangkok and Hua Hin in Thailand! I didn't know it was that long but I guess numbers do not lie.

So, we went to Thailand last year around early December.
Our itinerary included our favorite and regular Bangkok, as well as a new venture for us to Hua Hin!
I cannot remember our days and what exactly we did in chronological details, so I will just split what I can remember, with no relation to chronology.

1. Hua Hin

Hua Hin is approximately a 2-hour car ride away from Bangkok. We went in a group of 5 people, so we got a private van from Bangkok. I went to http://www.huahincarservice.com/ and emailed them, and got them to pick us up from our Hotel to our resort in Hua Hin, and back. The service was good, so I would recommend them. :)

Our resort that we booked online was a quaint little privately-owned resort by the beach called Baan Talay Dao. It was recommended by a Thai friend of ours.

It turned out to be a little gem! It was very affordable, and was right next to the beautiful Hua Hin beach. Although, it is to note that the tides were pretty strong when we were there so we did not have much shore-area to play with. There is a pool, however, where you can go for a splash as well as tan yourself!

Baan Talay Dao, Hua Hin entrance plaque

Me by the Pool :)

 We were placed in the Duplex Suite, if I am not mistaken. The rooms were nice, and more importantly, the toilets were very spacious!

 Me again, by the Pool! All you have to do is walk down the stairs and you're at the beach. You can just sit there and enjoy the windiness, day or night. The breakfast spread is next to where this was taken. Breakfast views were great and food was basic enough to fill our tummies :)

Breakfast w a view! Stolen from my Bf's IG!

It is also interesting to note that this resort was a Christian resort, which was something new as most Thais are Buddhists.

The resort is no Hilton, but it was exactly what we wanted. Quaint, quiet and not too extravagant, it was a perfect getaway for us! Beach, pool, amazing views, and close enough to everywhere you need to be at Hua Hin, with excellent service and help (from the Boss, but that will be another story to tell another day :)). So yes, we highly recommend this resort if you happen to visit Hua Hin.

We also got around Hua Hin with the help of a lovely Thai woman, who drove us around. We could give her a phone call and she would turn up in less than 15 minutes. Unfortunately, I lost her contact number but it was a woman and she drove a van. You can ask the resort reception to help you call taxis.

A visit to Hua Hin would be incomplete without a visit to Santorini Park!

I read somewhere Thais are confused. They are very much infused with Western culture, and I love it! Santorini Park is a replica sort of theme park of the beautiful Santorini in Greece. (I am still hoping to go there one day! *hints strongly at Boyfriend :))

Entrance fee to Santorini Park is 50 baht.

It was a very hot and sunny day, which was bad in general but so good for photos! But photo taking is all you do at Santorini Park because its so beautiful there!

Santorini Park is also kind of a shopping centre, with shops inside selling things from shoes, food to souvenirs.

Through the Looking Glass..

In front of the iconic ferris wheel!

 We went on the ferris wheel ride. And me being me, I was too afraid to look down. Haha, I swear I keep doing this to myself. The ride has a fee, but I cannot remember how much it was. The wheel spins twice. We were the only ones on the ride at the time, so it felt kinda grand to have the entire thing operating just for us!

View from the top of the Ferris Wheel!

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Everything in Santorini Park was basically either very white, or very blue. If this replica is already so pretty, I just know the real one is going to BLOW my mind! Hint hint boyfriend! Ha!

We also went to Plearn Wan. It was like an old-skool wooden area for shopping and for food.

My description sucks so I took the initiative to google the below:

Not just a themed open-air mall, Plearn Wan feels more like a living museum where you can experience a slice of life in 1950s Hua Hin. Plern Wan’s two-storey courtyard-style building, an architectural statement in itself, houses a community of period-style shops selling everything from liquor, inexpensive plastic-and-tin toys, snacks as well as a beauty salon, photo studio, outdoor cinema screen and a 20-room guesthouse or ‘Piman Plern Wan.

:D

Obladi Oblada, Life goes on ;)

Other places of interest in Hua Hin includes the Railway Station!

"Hua Hin's station is one of the oldest in Thailand and its main feature is The Royal Waiting Room that used to welcome King and his court when they were visiting the town."

We went to this historical site and took lots of pictures! Well, we did but I seem to have lost many of them :(

Like I mentioned, Thailand is a large population of Buddhists.

So when in Rome, we visited Wats!

In Hua Hin, the Wat Khao Takiap is the Wat to be at!

It has a big standing Buddha statue by the sea and a breathtaking view from the top! 

 Obviously, we HAD to go to the top! I overdid it a little with the covering up over here, as I later realized. Many only covered their legs. They have cloths laid out on a table right below the stairs.

Its important to note that there are a LOT of monkeys running around so its best not to make any eye contact or to hold onto anything that might make them wanna snatch away from you... Basically a handbag or FOOD!

I cannot remember the names of the places we had dinner at in Hua Hin, but one was by the pier and the food was amazing! Food was amazing in general from Hua Hin. And Hua Hin is by the sea, so seafood is crazy fresh and affordable! Here is a collage of photos I stole from my boyfriend's IG am lending from my Bf:

fish, prawns, clams, the whole lot!!

Will blog about Bangkok soon x