miscellaneous: travel

travel

Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts

March always smells of travel. Doesn't matter the destination - be it international or domestic, the smell of travel is way up high in the blue sky. It's the time of the year where MATTA fair is held. And in conjuction with MATTA, generally all travel websites will have their own promotions.

I always look forward to MATTA fair but as time changed, travel fair promotions are now much easier and fun to find. Just look them up on the internet, if you don't already know by now. So I was going through March's promotional links and found Traveloka's "SALE-ABRATION". Here's the link to the promotion page, https://www.traveloka.com/en-my/promotion/saleabration-countdown although it's still a teaser. But hey, you KNOW it's gonna come soon and how can you NOT be so psyched about it, RIGHT?! Can you tell I'm already excited?!

If you've been living under a rock and this is your first time hearing about Traveloka, well, there's always a first for everything. On the plus side, you've stumbled upon gold at the right time! Traveloka is a one-stop flight and hotel booking platform for domestic and international destinations that makes searching, booking and managing your next trip hassle-free. Like all great websites, you can do your surfing & booking thru mobile app or website. And for additional information, check out their social media pages. On Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Google+.

What a good coinsidence that my best friends, Dahlia and Farah, share the same passion as I do. We have been talking about Traveloka's "Sale-abration" ever since we found this page. We are dreaming about Bali, how we are going to get tanned (as if we're not already) sitting by the beach and enjoy the beautiful sunset while the husbands probably just sit under a tree staring at their phones (boring!). We are sharing photos of hotels surrounded by the greens of Bali, praying hard and hoping that Traveloka "Sale-abration" is generous enough to give us a BIGGER sale so we can fulfill our dreams. Can't wait for Traveloka's "Sale-abration" to come by!

I am a person who prefers to have every travel detail planned under one roof, and so Traveloka IS my choice. I don't have to go to each airline's website to compare prices and then add it up to my hotel budget. I just let Traveloka find me the cheapest flight, then book my hotel from them as well. All I need is to register myself with Traveloka and all my travels are stored in their system. Saves you the trouble of finding your booking thru multiple sites, isn't it? And the prices are reasonable too! It suits my always-limited budget. And it's totally secure to save your card information on the site, so you have a better chance to grab that awesome promotional price! Rest assured the payment transaction is secured too. Of course you'd be able to manage your bookings through Traveloka. And if there's any problem that you'd need to contact them, you can DM through social media, email, chat or call and talk to a human being to assist. This is definitely a plus for me as I prefer to talk to a human being rather than just "talking" through texts in the virtual world like what some companies are doing now.

So what are you waiting for? Go Traveloka, guys! A BIGGER sale! This is your chance to find yourself the best flight and hotel deals for your next destination! Give yourself a break from the red website and check out this baby-blue one instead. I'm 100% sure it's not going to disappoint. 2 more days to go! Drop your email in at the page https://www.traveloka.com/en-my/promotion/saleabration-countdown to NOT miss out on Traveloka's BIGGER Sale-abration!

Jom!

View from the top of Mount Bromo. Took us quite some time to get to the top – we weren’t fit, so had to make a lot of breaks along the way. Didn’t wanna get down, but the hot sun was burning my skin. This was in 2009, I believe.

So we went to Tetbury again. This time, it's a complete do nothing holiday for me. For Mak & Makton, it's time to meet & have some bonding time with their elder sister, Mak Leha. And of course, her husband Uncle Tony.

More on the holiday later. Details of Makton's hospitalization @ Gloucester.

I'm flying to UK next month, InsyaAllah. It's going to be a 3-week holiday & I'm trying to settle off as much as I can on the 2 projects that will be going on during the period when I'm gone.

I'm also in charge of doing the currency exchange for all 3 of us. Buying & picking up items that we're going to bring over to UK for Mak Leha & family kat sana. I'd say it's a busy month for me.

So I have myself quite a number of lists:

1. List of things to do for work - handover.

2. List of items to complete for Project #1.

3. List of items to complete for Project #2.

4. List of things to do for UK trip.

5. List of things to buy (in Malaysia) for family in UK.

6. List of things to buy (in UK) for family in Malaysia.

Yep. Those are just the list. You don't want to see the breakdown of items in those lists.

Blerrrggghhh!

Apa pun, I hope my trip goes well. Selamat pergi, selamat kembali & selamat dalam perjalanan. Dan I hope my projects will go through smoothly because I do NOT want any of my bosses / colleagues to call / text me during my holiday.

2 more weeks to go! I can do this! :)

I had a short trip to Indonesia (again) in November. Was planning to go alone, visiting my cousin who was stationed to work in Senayan for 2 weeks but ended up making a “fun family trip” with my Mum & uncle along.

Managed to get Pak Chechep from Bandung to drive us around. He’s a friend of my uncle’s, and a driver. A nice man who recommends good places to eat, shop & sightseeing. If you’re visiting Indonesia & wants to hire a driver, drop him a line on his Facebook account, here.

And so he brought us to Bogor, as Mum wanted to visit her friend who lives there. They served awesome local food, in which I ate all & did not manage to snap a shot of ’em and of course, forgot the name. Afterwards, we went to Kebun Raya. It was awesome for somebody who loves trees like me. There’s all sorts of trees, mostly old.. and HUGE! It’s like giving a shopaholic a gold card & shop at KLCC.

I went crazy.

So that’s a shot of me, feeling happy surrounded by trees. If I could hug all of ’em in one giant hug, I would. And below is just a sample shot of a tree among thousands others.

Here’s the link to Kebun Raya Bogor’s website. Entrance fee is at Rp 25.000 per person & Rp 30.000 per car (around USD 5 for a total of both).

It’s a nice break from the busy & hectic Jakarta, to be close to nature in Bogor.

Sarawak State Legislative Assembly building, located in Kuching, Sarawak – the capital and most populous city in Sarawak.

Went there with my family in 2009. We stayed in Harbour View Hotel, just opposite Kuching Waterfront. So finding food and a place to hang-out was no problem to us.

There’s a boat service that takes you across the river, which only takes about 5 minutes or so. On the other side, there’s a big food court where you can find great Sarawakian food like Sarawak laksa & Kolo mee.

The people of Kuching are very friendly. They are very generous when it comes to smiling. Didn’t go exploring the forest, “rumah panjang” & all the authentic features of Sarawak. Maybe we’ll go again next time.

Had an opportunity to go to Bukit Tinggi, Indonesia in March of 2013, with a very dear friend of mine. Landed as early as 8am @ Minangkabau International Airport, greeted by another dear friend of mine, Ade.

The drive from Padang to Bukittinggi took around 2 hours. Along the way, lush green trees are seen. There’s 2 mountains here – Mount Silanggang (non-active) & Mount Marapi (still active).

It was a relaxing trip, just the 3 of us friends, chilling out eating, drinking & sightseeing. Food was good, the sights are awesome.

Thanks to Ade, we had the chance to drop by a local wedding. Met a few locals, experiencing the Minangkabau culture.

Ever since I saw Anthony Grey's book "Saigon" on my cousins' book shelf, about 20 years ago, I've always wondered what it means. And when I know what it meant, I've kept it in my heart that one day I will set my foot in that foreign land. Of course, thanks to AirAsia and adulthood, I have achieved what I set for. Even if it takes me 20 effing years!

And I have to say, I enjoyed it very much. I enjoyed my companions, I enjoyed the food, the culture, the language (although I was cursed every second I spent in their markets) & most of all, I enjoyed the drinks.

We spent 4 days 3 night, which to me was not enough. Should've stayed there for a whole month so we can go to Hanoi or go bicycling at the countryside & maybe take a flight out to Pnom Penh for a while. But then again, I don't have a gold card. So I should just shut up & suck it up.

Anyway, the first thing you'll notice when you enter Ho Chi Minh City is of course, the motorcycles. There's not an inch of the road which is not occupied by these motorcycles.

And get this - they have the cutest helmet ever! It's like a cap, protecting your head from scratch and not from having it crushed to the ground. It's adorable.

And the second thing you'll notice is the wires. Oh my goodness I can't even begin how to describe the complexity of the wiring in Ho Chi Minh City. I truly believe it is the most complicated in the world.

* Try to have one of 'em short circuited & have it on fire, see what will happen.

We pre-booked our hotel through AirAsiaGo.com, selecting Saigon Hotel Mini 6 as our shelter for the whole 4 days. The price was RM63 per night, and on top of that, there's a 20% off the total price. Thanks to a promotion period they were having.

The hotel is located in Bui Vien Street, somewhere in District 1. This district is the central urban district of Ho Chi Minh City (information thanks to Wikipedia). This street is rather calm during the day, and turned hectic at night because of the bars, pubs, clubs & seriously cheap booze.

Room @ Saigon Mini 6. Yes, I am a mess.

All of us don't drink alcoholic beverages, so we found a small stall along a busy small lane that sells a helluva good, refreshing fruit juice. A large cup costs up 20.000 VND which is equivalent to around RM3. We had this drink about 2-3 times a day, and by the end of our trip we became best friends with the auntie that sells the drink.

Bui Vien Street

Mango fruit juice

Our hotel is about 10 minutes away (by foot) from the infamous Ben Thanh market. Crossing the road, at first, was a super hard task. There's screaming involved. The thing about crossing the road is, you just have to brace yourself & cross. They will honk at you, but just to warn. Chances are, you won't get hit at all - they go by at a slow speed, and they are very skillful at avoiding pedestrians crossing.

Crossing the street on an easy traffic

Traffic at night

Just opposite of Ben Thanh market is Nguyen An Ninh Street, a.k.a Malay Street. They don't speak Vietnamese or English here - they speak Malay. And yes, majority of Malaysians who love to shop at Ho Chi Minh will stay here. There's 2 halal food restaurant, side by side. The most famous one is Hjh Basiroh. We experienced our first Pho here. It was to die for! The meat was tender, the chili was hot, the portion was generous. Price is around 75.000 VND.

Kampung Melayu, a restaurant next to Hjh Basiroh, served more choice of food, with a protected & air-conditioned environment in which you have to pay for by their expensiveness in food & drinks.

For Muslims, I would say that you'll have to spend more on food. You'll be spending around RM15 per meal, for food and drink. So I am thankful that we have a Circle K across our hotel & auntie's fruit juice back in Bui Vien Street.

The only HALAL instant noodle in Circle K

Ben Thanh market - my first impression : oh my, a whole lot of shops! Whatever things you wanna look for, you'd probably find it in this market. Well, except for electrical goods, I guess.

Directory of Ben Tanh market

The best coffee is found in Ben Thanh market, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

We went lost, of course, the first time being in the market. There were pulling & touching involved once you enter. At first I was kinda angry with people constantly touching me, but after some time I got used to it. Bargaining is difficult. Sometimes they don't understand you & most of the time you don't understand them. The language barrier.

There is another market, Binh Tay, located around 20 mins away (by car) from Ben Thanh - in Chinatown. Much cheaper, much more aggressive pulling, touching & cursing involved. I don't see any westerners here, probably to them Ben Thanh is already cheap.

Cho Binh Tay

So Farah & I, the ones who do most of the bargaining, are being cursed by them at all times. Yes, I'm pretty sure they curse us for bargaining too cheap & walked away when we don't get the price we wanted. Us girls are interested in the materials. They sell mostly cotton. From English to Japan, from viscose to chiffon. Only half day in Vietnam & we've bought ourselves at least 3 - 6 pairs.

Cotton from 1st shop @ Ben Thanh, RM21 each

Cotton from 2nd shop @ Binh Tay, RM20.50 each

Cotton for Omar's family

Chiffon + lining for RM20 each

Cotton for RM20.50 each

Above are only some of the materials that I bought. Mind you there's another 12 pairs that is missing from the picture. Those costs me RM23 each. And the picture below, I took from a shop that sells ready-made baju kurung with a heavy duty beads going on.

From a shop @ Nguyen An Ninh

Haggling is fun, but when you have to deal with 3 different currencies, it becomes a headache. We haggle in Ringgit Malaysia, but we only have Vietnamese Dong & USD. So you have to have a calculator for the conversion of currencies. And there'll always a plus minus price over what you've settled for. Apart from buying materials, you can also make suits. It is said to be nicely sewn & comfortably worn. See sample below:

The bold tailor & the 3 businesspersons

We didn't only shop, we did some sightseeing & touring as well. Mekong river was done on my birthday, after a surprise birthday party the night before. I was seriously caught off guard, and so below are the only pictures that's appropriate for public viewing, if you know what I mean.

The "room service" lady & her friends. Notice Rahmat's hair?

My cakes & presents

So back to Mekong river trip, it costs us USD35 which includes pickup at hotel, breakfast, boat ride & tour with English-speaking guide, lunch, market stops & return to hotel. To me the price was OK, considering the food are all halal & there's only 6 of us in the group, so we're comfortably seated. Our Mekong tourist guide, I believe is a friend of Jack Dorsey's. She should be the blue bird representing Twitter.

Tuwet (pronounced Tweet), our Mekong river guide

Big motorboat @ Mekong river

Small boats to raft through the canal

The boys must've been tired paddling the sampan. Yeah, right!

The next day we walked through the city. The sun, I believe, was just an inch over our heads. We were sweaty, thirsty. We got burned, and yet we still walk. I enjoy walking, so I would say that I enjoy our walk through District 1 very much. Along the way we stopped at an air-conditioned mall to shop (again), bought stamps at the post office, buy drinks, take pictures, get cheated by the coconut-drink seller & get our sweat on.

I enjoy getting lost in the city of the unknown.

Rahmat and the coconut man who did not cheat us

One of the parks in HCM city

Park nearby Ben Thanh market

And by the time we reach the back of the Notre Dame Cathedral, everybody was super tired. I'm actually afraid to ask them to walk with me around the corner (because I want to look at the cathedral from the front), they would chop me up & eat me for lunch. So we took a cab home.

When we got back to the hotel, one of the girls from reception knocked on my door & handed me a birthday cake. They are the sweetest! So I took pictures with them :)

The girls of Saigon Mini Hotel

The next morning, Farah & Rahmat went to Ben Thanh early to do some last minute shopping. I stayed at the hotel, waiting for our tailor to come. The thing about Vietnamese is, if you make an appointment with them, always put at least an hour early of the time that you want. Because they will be at least an hour late. This happened 50% of the time.

So while waiting for Lan, the tailor (a woman), Omar & I had some alone time. Finally. Nah, just kidding. We went out to get breakfast at Highlands Coffee. It was difficult to find a halal place to eat in Bui Vien area, so we just entered & ordered tuna sandwich.

Notice the ring on his finger? My best friend's married & I don't know it.

My iced coffee is, again, to die for!

So after our morning runs, we settled down in 1 room to wait for 6pm to go to the airport. 4 of us, 3 of which is big-sized. 7 bags, excluding handbags. Cramped in 1 small room. So us girls stayed on the bed while the guys in whichever positions they were comfortable in.

Omar on the floor

The married couple organizing their bags

And thank goodness we did not run out of money & luggage size is not over the limit. Mine & Omar totaled up to 41.5 kg while Farah & Rahmat was around 37kg.

Safely arrived in Malaysia with smiles on our tiring faces. Thank you to my 3 friends who threw me the party & helped me throughout the journey. I love you guys!

We'll be back, Ho Chi Minh. That is a promise.

Kuching was superb!

Hotel a bit mahal, considering takda breakfast.. but maybe cuti sekolah kan peak season, so mahal la kot. Tapi the location, tilam & katil.. sangat best. Memang puas aku qadha' tidur!

We didn't go into mountains ke rumah panjang ke... just pusing2 around town je. And I kinda like their Waterfront tu. Barang2 murah, makan pun ok la... and it's just a minute away from the opposite kampung which sells kek lapis halal & makanan yg sedap.

But the most important thing is, Kuching is filled with cute guys! If I were to move permanently there, it'd be because orang kat sana comel2 dan oh-so-friendly! And the city is surprisingly clean! Memang jauh la nak compare to KL. Even Singapore pun I saw ada sampah sikit la, sana sini.. but Kuching memang bersih gila. Thumbs up for Kuching!

We went to Pasar Satok to buy some ikan, yg kata nya glamer kat sana, but don't ask me lah. Forgot the name already. Hehe.. Saw the Sarawak Museum, but didn't go. Crossing the river was interesting. Everybody takut nak naik sampan tu. But of course lah, kita kan semua gemuk2.. dan, diaorg tak biasa kot.. orang tua & budak kecik mah. Semua muke saspen je dalam "penambang" tu. Tapi kita cross twice! 50sen je tambang per person, so we went in the morning to buy kek lapis, then again at night to check out their night scene @ the foodcourt.

Memang happening! And boy, I tell ya... cute guys really made me dizzy lah. I did NOT want to go back, but I HAD to. Shucks!!!!!!

And now, I'm in the deepest shit ever @ work. Ok, I'm going to die now. See ya in heaven.. i hope!

Ok, Penang 31st January - 2nd February 2010 confirmed; cousins trip. Jakarta 9th - 13th April 2010 pun confirmed; family trip. If only I can get some friends for Kota Kinabalu some time in July... Hmmmmm....

Anybody? IMU reunion probably? RM98 return per person. Ok what.. very cheap one! Hehehe.. Jomla jomla jomla!!!!

Langkawi tu sekelip mata jek dah kehabisan tiket yg murah2 pada time yg best. Semuanya dah mahal. KK banyak lagi beb.. dan flight time pun best2!

Factory Outlet SANGAT banyak. Jalan Dago, Jalan Riau, Jalan Setiabudi... dan pelbagai jalan lagi! Bandung memang champion dalam bab barangan branded yg tiruan, mahupun yg original tapi dah reject dan masih elok.

My favourite is Merdeka FO, opposite Bandung Indah Mall. Pakaian wanita bersaiz besar, original imported brands, sangat lah banyak dengan harga yg sangat membuatkan jantung aku berhenti. Murah!! Maka aku telah menyambar 2 pants & 2 shirts dengan harga lebih kurang RM68.

Jalan Dago memang champion lah. Berderet2 sampai tak larat nak masuk. Jalan Riau ada The Summit yg pada aku best jugak. Jalan Setiabudi ada Rumah Mode yg sangat glamour dan mahal tu. Since kami datang waktu cuti sekolah, maka manusia sangat ramai di sekitar kota Bandung.

Pasar Baru adalah satu2 nya tempat di mana kami semua mendapat hasil tangkapan paling banyak. Kain batik & telekung. Rambang mata! Murah, tapi since duit limited dan digunakan lebih kepada makan... makanya terpaksa aku menggunakan khidmat kad kredit. Terima Kasih, CIMB! =)

Kami semua orang Malaysia yg ngga banyak uang, trus hang out di mall aja. First day malam ke Cihampelas Mall, lepak dan mentakedarah kat JCo Donut. The next day, petang, lepak di Paris Van Java. Di sini terdapat 2 perkara menarik yg perlu di highlightkan:

Nampak Samuel Rizal!!! Actor yg belakon dalam movie Eiffel, I'm In Love. OMG he is one VERY HOT human being! Gambar curi2 dari jauh telah diambil dari camera canggih Encik Khairul.

Tengok wayang di Blitz Megaplex. Memang tak salah la dinamakan the largest cinema in Indonesia. Besar gila dan spacious, obviously! Kami menonton movie Indonesia bertajuk Punk In Love. SANGAT lucu, sampai gelak tak cukup nafas dan keluar air mata. Takda manusia yg control gelak dalam cinema tu. Semua terbahak2. Oh, kecuali Encik Khairul yg membayar Rp27.000 hanya untuk tidur. Jet lagged balik US tak habis2. Hehehe... Btw, movie tu sangat recommended ya. If korang terjumpa kat black market Msia or download online, sila lah tengok. Thumbs up!

Dari segi makanan, Indonesia memang tak kalah. Kami memilih untuk makan makanan Sunda lebih banyak. 1st day ke Karamba. Kami makan Nasi Timbel, Nasi Liwet dan Gurame kicap? Gurame tu sejenis ikan. Ape-ntah-please-dont-ask-me-nama-ikan. Two thumbs up for gurame.

The 2nd day, for lunch kami ke Kampung Daun. Terletak di kaki bukit, tempat makan adalah di dalam hut dan duduk bersila di atas bantal. Disertakan air terjun dan angin dingin... memang sangat best tempat tu. Kami order Ayam Penyet, Nasi Goreng Kampung Daun, Nasi Pepes Daun Kemangi Sambal Pete & Nasi Kukus Kampung Daun. For dessert, we ordered Surabi pelbagai jenis - pisang, pisang keju, keju & kinca. Surabi ni macam lempeng.

Malam tu kami makan di De Cost Seafood. Makanan 5 bintang, harga kaki 5. Memang betul kata2 tu. Kami berempat makan cumi (sotong) mentega, cumi sambal padang, udang goreng, gurame goreng, ikan patin stim & ketam black pepper. Pak Ade, our driver makan nasi goreng dan tahu goreng. Masing2 beserta air jus dan Aqua sorang sebotol. Nasi unlimited, selesai sepinggan kami tambah lagi. Total hanya Rp203.000, bersamaan dengan RM58 lebih kurang.

3rd day kami lunch di Restoran Simpang Raya. Makan nasi padang pulak. Sambal ijo, dendeng, alpokat... peh! Kelas giler. Murah pun ya. Malam tu kami takde duit dah. Jadi kami lepak di Bandung Indah Mall dan makan Pizza Hut sebab dia leh terima credit card. Kesian kan? Tapi bila bil sampai, tak perlu credit card. Murah je, sorang RM8 lebih kurang. Dapat sorang 4 keping pizza, garlic bread yg banyak dan secawan air berlapis, tak ingat nama. Last layer kaler pink rasa stroberi, middle layer air coke and top layer susu. Syok gak.

Penginapan pula, memang macam kat rumah. Kami tinggal di Evi Guesthouse. Ramai sangat orang Malaysia yg dok kat situ, sebab dalam forum Cari, semua promo tempat tu dan Kak Aina, orang yg bertanggungjawab book kan kami bilik dan transportation. Nyaman udara kat situ, ada kolam ikan koi dan tempat berehat. Bilik ok, selesa dan murah. Makanan breakfast pun sedap. Ibu Evi friendly orangnya, rajin bersembang2 dengan semua tetamunya. Anak Ibu Evi, Irvan, hensem ada iras Yem. Kami duduk bilik berlainan jenis. My room besar, ada 2 katil, cermin dan almari besar dan air-cond. 3 malam di sana harganya Rp600.000 iaitu tak sampai RM200. Bila dah dibahagi 2, lagi ler murah! Recommended jugak guesthouse ni sebab dekat dengan bandar.

Tapi apa je yg tak dekat dengan bandar? Bandung tu compact gila. Dekat2 je semuanya.

Tempat wisata, kami ke Tangkuban Perahu. Ramai sangat penjual barang souvenir di sana. Tapi pemandangan tak secantik Danau Toba dan Bromo. Sejuk pun tak se-sejuk. Tapi ok la. Ambik2 gambar kawah gunung berapi dan lepak2 bersembang dengan penjual souvenir merangkap cameraman.

Kesimpulannya, if tak banyak duit atau nak cari tempat yg banyak culture atau pemandangan cantik2, takyah la gi Bandung. Airport pun kecik dan sempit giler babas. Tapi untuk sapa yg iman tak kuat dan suka bershopping, atau tujuan bisnes... iya, silakan ke Bandung. Memang syok!

Hati aku, seperti biasa lah. Memang tertinggal lagi di Indonesia.

* Catatan Encik Kerol disini

miscellaneous

Traveloka SALE-ABRATION!

Superhot morning @ Mount Bromo

A Small Family Get-together

Of lists and whatnots

Bogor

Sunny @ Sarawak

Breathtaking Bukittinggi

Saigon

Meoww ~

Ayuh Cuti-Cuti Malaysia!

Kalau Takda Duit, Jangan Ke Bandung

Profile

Popular Posts

Archive