Wednesday, October 20, 2004

Krabi, the land of many beautiful islands!

Finally... I have finished uploading all the Krabi's pictures!Hooray! :)


(Taken from Maya Bay, Phi Phi Lay)

Krabi... Nice place with plenty of beautiful islands to visit. It's simply beautiful.. I'm planning a trip back in Jan2005. This time to stay longer there so i can visit most of the islands which we missed this trip.

Day 1 15Oct2004
We depart Singapore for Krabi on 15Oct2004 @ 0740am on Silkair 732. Arrival @ 0825am.. Upon arrival, we went for a half day tour to places like Tiger Cave(buddhist temple), fish farm, Krabi Town shopping and lunch. It 's a bit waste of time. By the time we reached hotel for check-in is almost 3pm. After which, all of 4 of us chilled @ the Pool Bar, eating and swimming. In the nite, we went to Tanta Restaurant and had our dinner. Good food and cheap beer!! After dinner, Joel, Jennat and Gavin had Thai massage, whereas i had foot massage. We all retire early for our Phi Phi Island tour the next day.
http://KrabiDay1-15Oct2004.MyPicGallery.com

Day 2 16Oct2004
We woke up early and excited. Had our breakfast and met up with our Tour guide, Pern. Jennat bargained real hard on the 2 tours we are interested, 1250baht for our Phi Phi Island tour and 1150baht on our white water rafting tour. Total? 2400baht on 2 full day tours, approx S$100! Cheap! And it includes lunch.. We went to Ao Nang Beach(in front of Ao Nang Villa) to board our speedboat for Phi Phi Island tour. The speedboat ride took us 45mins to reach Phi Phi Island. The ride was fun(my 1st time on speedboat!) but rough. We also had a 'puker' in our boat, she couldn't tahan the ride and she puke! Ewwww.... 1st Bay, Maya Bay, amde famous by movie 'The Beach'! The rest? See the pictures and you will know what is white sands and turquoise waters! Snorkel was fun in the deep sea, the depth is approx. 3-5m. Saw alot of fishes and squids! Too bad we didn't buy any water proof cameras, if not i would have upload the pictures of us snorkelling.. When we are back in Ao Nang, Joel & Gavin went to rente the bikes for 2days, 2bikes @ 500baht! They were etremely happy and excited about the rental.. Guys.. *haiz*
http://KrabiDay2-16Oct2004.MyPicGallery.com

Day 3 17Oct2004
This morning, we woke up early, had breakfast and depart for our adventurous rafting day. The journey to the National Park where the waterfall and the rafting will take place, took us 2hrs! Upon arrival, we took the Land Rover to the waterfall and we trekked for 15mins before reaching the waterfall.. Joel attempted a jump from the cliff which stand about 2 stories high.. Then came the highlight of the day, white water rafting! Boy.. We had so much fun.. The rafters purposely hit our raft with all the rocks around and we spun! All 4 of us were also dumped inside the river and the river CURRENTS were very strong!Had such a good time doing the white water rafting! After lunch, i fell sick.. Gastric. So sick that i can't go for the elephant trekking (which Joel wanted to ride and i can't, i feel so bad)! The baby elephant show we attended is very touristic but all 4 of us loved the female elephant. Why? She loved to dance and played the harmonica at the same time.. Lovely girl! Last event of the day, ATV adventure.. Gavin was so excited about it that he rode the ATV like no other people's business. He came back muddy.. Me? Ride 1 round and came back.. Too sick to really enjoy it.. *haiz*
http://KrabiDay3-17Oct2004.MyPicGallery.com

Day 4 18Oct2004
Last day in Krabi.. Still recovering from the fever i had the night before... *haiz* Joel, Jennat & Gavin went galivanting around Krabi before returning to the hotel for check-out @ 2pm. They went to the beach where it's of walking distance to the island nearby when it's low tide. Cool! They came back to Ao Nang Villa, picked me up, checked out and had lunch @ the Ao Nang shopping area. After that, we make our way back to return the bikes and to wait for our coach to Airport for our flight. Lucky for us, our Silkair flight departs Krabi @ 625pm. I'm so sad that i have to leave Krabi but i told myself i will be back! :0
http://KrabiDay4-18Oct2004.MyPicGallery.com

Krabi is worth considering other than the usual Phuket and Bali!

Cheers!

Tuesday, October 19, 2004

We're back from Krabi!

Hello Hello Hello!

We are back from Krabi! Boy, Krabi................. A simple word to describe: FANTASTIC! :)

Cheap, Beautiful and Fun! There are so many places you can visit..You can go Phi Phi Island (which we did), Lanta Island, Poda Island,White Water Rafting (which we did) and other beached along Krabi.. So many activities but so little time..

We took alot of pictures, therefore i will need some time to upload the pictures. But for starters, here are some pictures for your eyes pleasure! :p


Ao Nang Beach, Krabi


Maya Bay, Phi Phi Lay



Monkey Bay, Phi Phi Don

Sunday, October 03, 2004

Kuala Lumpur (Cont'd...)

For booking of Kuala Lumpur trip, there are several ways to DO IT.

If it's your Virgin trip to KL, Look here!
2D/3D Free and Easy Package
Travel Agents like Transtar, Gunung Raya, Five Stars and Konsortium offer 2D/3D Kuala Lumpur trip with extension allowed. Package normally includes return coach/flight and hotel stay with/without breakfast. Check out 'my recommendations' on the left.

If it's NOT your Virgin trip to KL, Look here!
Coach from SIN-KL and back
You can book your coach seats to Kuala Lumpur with the Travel Agents in Golden Mile. Please take note that some of the Travel Agents do not sell the sector back from KL to SIN at all. Therefore, please check with individual Agents before any decision made.
Alternatively, if the Agents run out of seats, you can try the container office at the Queen Street's bus interchange(where SIN-Johor Express bus departs) for seats but beware that their coaches maybe a bit run down.. Another alternative, go to Johor's Larkin Interchange (where SBS bus 170 end its route) to buy seats to KL, same thing, coach might be a bit run down..
As for KL-SIN sector, you can buy from PuduRaya Bus Terminal upon arrival if you can't find/buy any KL-SIN trip from SIN.. Check out all the counters in the bus terminal and opposite of the terminal.

Train
Never taken a train to KL before, so no adequate information provided. You can check with the Tanjong Pagar Train station for the cost. But advance booking/purchase is recommended.

Flight
For flight, you can go to Changi Airport Terminal 2 to queue for the so called 'Airport Shuttle' to KL with Malaysia or Singapore Airlines. Seats are based on 1st-come-1st-served basis. Or you can book in advance with Travel Agents for this service where seats are guaranteed with full payment.
Alternatively, AirAsia which fly to KL can be booked online. It's much cheaper compare to Malaysia or Singapore Airlines.

Hotels
As for hotels, you can book online with Asiatravel.com where they offer bookings for worldwide hotels. For me, i will normally 'hunt down' the cheapest offer i can grab. These 'hunts' will include one of my favourite Travel Agent, Jetabout Holidays. They have the best offer you can ever find in the market. Promotions that will include a free 1Night stay or Free upgrade to the next catergory of rooms available! Don't believe me?? Here's why you should believe what i said..
My planned trip to Bangkok in Jan'05. I could have booked Meritus Suites Bangkok at a special price with someone we know.. But when i checked on Jetabout and i realised that the hotel (which i'm staying) is offering the 4th Night free, without any hesitation, i booked and paid for my room.! "Nothing special what.. Some Travel Agents also give free 1Night lei.." Yes, some Travel Agents do throw in free 1Night if you book with them but ultimately, their free 1Night doesn't motivate me to book with them at all. Why??? After much calculation from the information i gathered, i realised that i will end up spending more with them! :)

Transfer to Hotel
Taxis! Choose a spot, flag and hop in...!
Warning: Please make sure that you check with the driver the fare 1st before getting in the cab.. Or you can insist on meter if you want but some drivers may not entertain you! :p

For my case, before i booked anything, i will normally do my research on the best promotion i can find in the market. Compare what you've got on your own with what the Travel Agent can offer. If your arrangement is more expensive, go for the Travel Agent's package. Don't lose out any best offer you can find! :)

Saturday, October 02, 2004

Kuala Lumpur

City
KUALA LUMPUR

Distance
approx. 330km away from Singapore.

Transport
By AIR
You will arrive in Kuala Lumpur Int'l Airport (KLIA), which is approx. 1hr away from Kuala Lumpur. The easiest and cheapest way to KL city is by express train from KLIA to KL and then, a cab to your destination/hotel.
Let me give you a breakdown how and why this will be exhausting.. With a minimum 1hr pre check-in require at Changi Airport, 20mins boarding time, 45mins flight, 30mins immigration and customs clearance, 30mins train ride to KL city, your total time spent BY AIR? Approx. 3-4hrs in and out.. By the time you reached your hotel, you will be exhausted by carrying your luggage up and down..
Express Train to KL: Approx. 28 mins/ RM$35 for one-way.
Taxi to KL: Approx. RM$100 to your KL hotel door-step.
By Car. Travelling at 100km/hr to KL, the whole journey will take approx. 4hrs with toilet breaks. Usually, when you drive up, you will go for more than 1 toilet break. If you do not want your car to overheat, take a short break of 10-15mins every 100km travelled. If you do not know your way up, look out for signboards to KL and do not speed.
Malaysia Toll: Approx. RM100 a way.
Petrol: Depends how much you pump but it's definitely cheaper than Singapore.. Travelled light with half tank filled.
By COACH. Most of the coaches from Singapore and back to Singapore will arrive/depart from/at Puduraya Bus Terminal. You can buy your return bus ticket from the counters in the terminal or opposite the terminal. Tickets will be cheaper than Singapore but seats run out very fast.. Therefore, purchase your tickets back to Singapore the first thing you arrived in Puduraya. You can also purchase Johor Bahru tickets if coaches to Singapore are full. And arrival in Johor Bus Terminal, you can take SBS Transit bus 170 to Woodlands Immigration.
Cost: From Singapore, SIN-KL-SIN Approx. S$60. SIN-KL Approx. S$30.
From Malaysia, JB-KL Approx. RM30. KL-JB Approx. RM40. KL-JB Approx. RM50.
By TRAIN. If you want to try something new besides coaching, you can take a train. But please be warned that a non-express train will take approx. 8hrs to reach KL! And it will stop at most of the stops along the way to embark and disembark passengers. Not recommended unless you don't mind the long hours..
Cost: Not very sure because i don't take train.. Journey too long!

Best choice of transport: 1) Driving 2) Coaching

Shopping Malls
* Lot 1
Where Istean, Mango, Fish & Co, TopShop, Esprit and Olio Dome stands. Must try the Fish & Co, damn cheap.
Hotels nearby: Coronade Hotel(formerly known as Fairlane Hotel) and Grand Plaza ParkRoyal(revamp recently, very beautiful hotel).
LRT is about less than 5 mins away.
* Sungei Wang
One of my favourite malls in KL with Vincci, Metrojaya and alot of handphone shops(which is an unplesant sight). Must try the Noodle Shop at the main entrance, cheap and nice! Must buy the Famous Amos cookies, cheaper than Singapore by 10-20%! Must try the "GuiLingGao" on the 2nd floor near the tattoo shop, traditional ones!
Hotels nearby: Capitol Hotel(Best budget hotel in BB, behind Sungei Wang but rooms are small). LRT is about less than 5 mins away.
* KL Plaza
Biggest FOS store found here! FOS is also known as Factory Outlet, where they sell genuine defected goods. Good buys here. Tower Records, Coffee Bean, Starbucks and Planet Hollywood are in this complex too.
Hotels nearby: Berjaya KL Plaza Suite (service apartment, good for more than 4 people).
* StarHill
CK Tangs in Malaysia! Housed alot of branded like Louis Vuitton, Esprit, Gucci, Prada, etc. It's the Palais Renaissance of Malaysia.
Hotels nearby: JW Marriott (nice rooms anad part of the complex) and Regency (decor a bit old).
* KLCC
Ngee Ann City of Malaysia. Kinokuniya, Mango, Isetan, Armani, Versace, Topshop, Adidas, Mambo and many more. Major attraction of KLCC is the visit to the Twin Tower observatory deck. 1500 tickets are given away daily at 0830am but the queue up starts very early and while stock last.. Must eat Singapore-extinct Baskin & Robbins ice-cream here! Must eat Singapore-almost-extinct A&W on B1! And a big Scotts foodcourt on mid-level but it's always crowded.
Hotels nearby: Mandarin Oriental (5* hotel ,very nice and expensive) and The Ascotts KL (5* service apartment, good for more than 4 people).
* Mid Valley Mega Mall
Outside of KL in Bangsar, about 1/2hr away. Adidas, Mango, Surf and Splash, Metrojaya and many more.
My thoughts: Don't like it. What you can find here, you can find it in KL. Nothing special.
* Berjaya Times Square
New mall near Sungei Wang. Very big mall with an indoor amusement park and a service apartment.
My thoughts: Big mall with very sleazy shops. Don't like it..

Food
Must eat the Maggi Mee Goreng. Me always frequent the stall behind Concorde Hotel after clubbing at Atmosphere. It's a whole street of makeshift stalls selling food for the clubbers nearby.. Cheap!For RM10, you can get 2 packet of Maggi Mee Goreng with a drumstick each and 2 canned drinks! As for which store, i don't know how to describe to you.. As long as you see drumsticks and gravies display outside the stall with long bench and tables, that should be the one, i think... :)
Must go to Jalan Alor (Nova Hotel) for the food stalls along the street. Must try the frog leg porridge, cheap and good.. Chicken wings also.
Must go to Overseas Restaurant (Cantonese Seafood Cuisine, Very famous in KL, most of the taxi drivers will know where it is) behind GrandPlaza ParkRoyal, about less than 5 mins walk away. Try the dessert shop opposite the Restaurant, it's a corner shop.
Never try the famous Ampang Leong Tau Fu because no time to go all the way to Jalan Ampang to eat. :p

Clubbing
Only 2 "HOT" spots to recommend, Zouk and Atmosphere. Good music! No where else...
Hotels nearby: Concorde KL (next to Atmosphere and walking distance to Zouk, LRT is less than 5mins walk away) and The Renaissance (nice hotel, Twin Tower view rooms on request).

Genting Highlands
You can purchase tickets up to Genting for a day or 2, from Puduraya's Genting coach counter. 2 way tickets will cost you less than RM$10 each. Coaching will take approx 1hr or slightly more. Or simply bargain with any of the taxi drivers standing near the main entrance of Puduraya Bus Terminal. Please refer to Genting for more of its destination info.

Your additional updates are welcome.. :)

Friday, October 01, 2004

Destination Guidance

I'm preparing some destinations' information for easy guidance for people who wants to go holiday, places to which i have been.

Hopefully it will be useful to you.

All information will be updated accordingly when i'm given the time.

All information gathered are based on my visits there and are in my own opinions.

Any additional information for updates are welcome.