Friday, 18 October 2013

(Part 1) Malaysia - Penang 槟城 : Penang Hill + Kek Lok Si Temple

Penang trip Jan 2013


Do you know that Penang - George Town is now on the list of UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site? O.O Believe it is because of it's multicultural history as well as many well-preserved heritage buildings. Penang is also known as "The Pearl of the Orient 东方花园". 

We checked in to one of the boutique heritage hotels in George Town which is only 5 minutes walk to 1st Avenue shopping mall and 10 minutes walk to heritage areas. This hotel was very cozy and the service staffs there were very passionate and kept smiling to you like you are their friends.

Noordin Mews



Cozy as it is, isnt it? During my 2 nights stay, all I did before bed was to lie on the sofa, surf the net and enjoy the romantic setting by the pool. Maybe also because the wifi connection was the best at the pool area. lol

Lobby. Very Peranakan feel


Cafe area

Single room - interiors are inspired by old Shanghai of the 1950s

Behind the door is the shower room. Btw, the sofa is damn so comfy!

Family room - they have 2 double beds, 1 single bed, 1 living room and 2 toilets. O,O

Family room

Noordin Mews
Address : 53, Noordin Street, 10200 George Town, 10300 Penang. 
Phone no.+(6) 04 263 7125
Website : www.noordinmews.com 


Penang Hill 升旗山


Penang Hill is also known as Bukit Bendera in Malay Language and is one of the famous tourist attractions in Penang. It stands at 833 meters above sea level. You can have a mesmerizing and panoramic view of the whole penang. It is also a popular holiday retreat location for its cooling weather as compared to the city beneath it. I bet the view looks even more amazing when at night. 

I guess if you love nature or hiking, you would love to visit Penang Hill to enjoy the cooling weather, the nature and take scenic photos. Otherwise, you may want to miss this. 






Penang Hill 升旗山
Address: 215 Macalister Road 10450, Penang Hill at Air Hitam
Direction: Take cab or Transit Link bus numbered 1 or 101 to get to Ayer Itam Terminal.


Kek Lok Si Temple 极乐寺


Kek Lok Si Temple is the biggest temple in South East Asia and is located just next to Penang Hill. The main attraction is the huge bronze statue of the Goddess of Mercy. The best time to visit is during Chinese Lunar New Year where the temple is filled with pretty latterns and glittering lights. It is best not to drive up as it will be a mega jam starting from the bottom of the hill to the temple. We were jam-queuing for more than 2 hours ~.~ but totally worth it! 

Outdoor carpark



Outside view of the Goddess of Mercy status



 Wishing ribbons 

Magnificent night view from the temple of whole Penang


Kek Lok Si Temple 极乐寺
Address: No. 1, Tokong Kek Lok Si, 11500, George Town, Pulau Pinang Malaysia
Direction: Take cab or Rapid Penang Bus Route numbered U201, U203, U204, U206 or U502


Anyway, I will not recommend to take bus. Point 1 : the bus drivers were all not v helpful in giving direction or advising which stop to alight for our destination. Point 2 : The bus interval was very irregular. I think is see the bus driver's mood? And I do not think I will need point 3. Just take cab especially you have 4 people in your group or more. 


See you tomorrow, Penang.. 

Wednesday, 9 October 2013

Thailand - Koh Samui

Koh Samui Trip April 2013


Yays! Finally a beach trip after so long! Kind of impromptu trip and I were so excited about this holiday. 

Koh Samui airport was very small and it only has two custom counters and one luggage belt as you can see below. We felt like we were VIPs though. lol


Accomodation - Chaba Samui Resort


This resort location is really good. It is just next to the Chaweng beach (probably just 5 min walk from your hotel room to the beach) and it provides very good massages services by the beach!

Source: Chaba Samui Resort
When we first arrived to our hotel room, we saw this two elephants folded towels on the bed welcoming us. The hotel staffs are really talented in folding towels into their country animal. ^.^ Thank you Chaba Samui Resort for making us feel so loveeeed!

Breakfast at hotel. You can choose what kind of eggs you want. They have poached eggs, scrambled eggs, sunny side up, hard boiled eggs and etc.. you name it, they have it.  

They provided complimentary massages services for us! Bf really enjoying himself huh.. while I was eating grilled corn. 

Pad Thai for lunch

Chaba Samui Resort
19 Chaweng Beach Rd., Bo Put Koh-Samui, Suratthani 84320, Thailand 
Tel : (66 77) 230 407 -10, 422 135-7 


Songkran - Water Festival in Koh Samui


Yes! This is the festival of throwing water on people and they will not get angry over it. 

It normally lasts for a week or so in other parts of Thailand (eg. Chiang Mai) but they only celebrate for 1 day in Koh Samui.

The partying was all along the streets. Even tourists specially came to Thailand to experience this festival. We were so lucky that our stay here was in this period coincidentally. People stood by the street holding water guns and water buckets to "bless" people or cars that were passing by. 

We were so carefully avoiding such water blessing that bf did not notice there was a guy hiding behind the walls waiting to splash on him. After a few seconds, he was caught off guard and being poured from his top of his head by a full bucket of water. I was standing behind my bf so I saw the whole incident. I laughed out sooo loud and pretty sure my tears came out. Then he decided to walk along the beach on the rest of the day. 



Activites to do in Koh Samui


1) Elephant trekking

The locals there asked if we would like to have our photo taken using their professional camera at shocking high price. Obviously, we rejected. Surprisingly, my elephant trainer offered to take our pictures using our own camera! How nice! Also also, my elephant's name is Jumbo. Lol


2) Horse riding

Romantic ride along the beach with two little boys leading the horses. lol 


3) Parrots talent show
LOL got bitten by the parrot but still want to pose nicely for the camera...



4) Snorkelling






By the Chaweng beach


I LOVE GRILLED CORN! 

And cheap! I think around THB 20 each. 



Banana boat

Jetski

Swing swing swing

chilling 

Sunbathing

seashellsssss

Fresh seafood. Did you see what I see? 

Romantic settings along the beach

many failed shots before the successful ones


Thank bf for being so patience lol 

First time I ever tried pleating and I LOVE IT! 


I was all sun tanned.. 

Now I was a little regret that we did not manage to catch Thai Boxing show there.. a little expensive.. around SGD50 per head for less than 30 min show. 

Good bye Koh Samui. Thanks for having us over~

Looking forward to another beach holiday~ ^.^

Friday, 4 October 2013

Taiwan Day 6 : Yang Ming Shan 陽明山 + Fisherman Wharf 淡水漁人碼頭 + Day 7 : How Sweet Bakery

7D Taiwan trip December 2012 : Kaohsiung + Taipei


First stop - Yang Ming Shan Tien Lai Resort & Spa 陽明山天籟渡假酒店


Hot spring is always on my winter-must-do list in Taiwan. Finally I have a chance to experience hot spring! ^.^
No photo taking within the hot spring area so have to grab these photo from the main website. 

Yang ming shan is famous for hot spring spa. When I was on the bus, I saw many elderly are heading same direction as me. I guess it is also quite a elderly sport during winter or oh yes the hiking as well! 

We headed to this highly raved Tien Lai resort & spa which is the largest bubbling spring paradise in northern Taiwan. There are basically split into two kind of hot spring spa - Blossom theme and SPA impact. Pay one money and enjoy two types of hot spring? Where to find such a good deal?  

Photo credit to Yang Ming Shan Tien Lai Resort & Spa


Beautiful scenery near the hot spring




We were so relaxed after the spa that we fell asleep on the sofa waiting for cab. *thumb up and like*

Yang Ming Shan Tien Lai Hot Spring 陽明山天籟渡假酒店
Address: No.1-7, Mingliu Rd., Jinshan Dist., New Taipei City 208, Taiwan (R.O.C.) 
Tel: +886-2-2408-0000
Direction: Take Royal bus number 1717 at Taipei main station (Public Insurance building, on Gongyuan road side
Travelling time: 75 minutes


Next up: Fisherman Wharf 淡水漁人碼頭


Tamsui Fisherman's Wharf is a very scenic spot at the western tip of Tamsui District. It is the best place to watch the view of sunset.

Fisherman Wharf 淡水漁人碼頭



The lovers' bridge
The lovers' bridge

Fisherman Wharf

The lovers' bridge
Sunset at Fisherman Wharf

Sunset at Fisherman Wharf



Fisherman Wharf 淡水漁人碼頭
Address: Guanhai Rd, Danshui District, New Taipei City, Taiwan 251
Direction: R26 bus from Danshui MRT Station to Fort San Domingo or Fisherman's Wharf.

Day 7 : Going back homeland


If you love egg pudding, you will LOVE this!! Egg pudding in egg itself!

Get this from How Sweet Bakery 幾分甜 - 雞蛋布丁 and bring back to home town as gift. Your families and friends confirm very surprised and happy to see this!

They have a branch at Taipei city hall station basement. So we grabbed this before we headed to airport.

How Sweet Bakery 幾分甜 - 雞蛋布丁
Hope to see you again, Taiwan....


Back to Taiwan Day 5 : Taipei 101 + Jay Chou's Deja Vu Restaurant
Back to Taiwan Day 4 (Part 2) : Jiufen 九份 + Shifen 十分
Back to Taiwan Day 4 (Part 1) : Yehliu Geopark + Nanya RockFormation + Yin Yang Sea + Golden Waterfall
Back to Taiwan Day 3 (Taipei) : Xi Men Ding 西门町
Back to Taiwan Day 2 (Kaohsiung) : Fo Guang Shan 佛光山
Back to Taiwan Day 1 (Kaohsiung) : Dream Mall + Liu He night market