Category — travel

We did a lovely drive trip up to the Cameron Highlands last week. Did a side trip to Kellies’ Castle on the way up and continued on to Cameron thereafter. The weather at Cameron is really refreshingly cold or cool depending on time of the day. We likes it lots!

Climbing the neverending slope up to get a panoramic view of BOH tea plantations

The undulating terrain & water flowing through the tea planation at Bahrat where I bought Strawberry tea! *yums*

Us posing, before trying to sneak into Ye Old Smokehouse for scones and tea

Outside Equatorial hotel enjoying some cold nightair

Such postcard perfect scenery at Redang…really enjoyed the place.

       *all pics taken by olkgal with her new cam.

Weekend was spent in Bangkok.

3 things on our agenda was fulfilled:

1) Buy lots of Wacoal underwear- check!

2) Massages- check! (I even snoozed through a leg massage)

3) Eat mango sticky rice- check, check, check! (ate every chance I got)

The apartment that my sis booked was really nice! highly recommended especially if you are going in a group (cheaper than hotel), bring ur swimsuits please, the infinity pool with its urban skyline view is really a sight to see and enjoy.

Fraser Place Urbana Langsuan (Bangkok)

We went with 1 check in luggage and we came back with 3 check in luggages (testimony to the power of shopping in BK).

We did a last minute family holiday trip to Perth. It was a drive trip to see the sights, and the only agenda was to drink wine, eat good food and just relax.

Perth is really pretty…clean, beautiful beaches, friendly people, lovely landscapes. I could learn to live there!

     Will be adding in more pics in my photo album as and when I have time.

Had a couple of request for our travel plans and how we moved around etc, so here’s the itinerary that we did up a day before our trip.

Tokyo Free and easy itinerary

The hotel we stayed in at Hakone had an attractive and cosy little library! Such a treat to see such a pleasant room filled with attractive books, audio visual materials for all ages.

After reading Josephine, QQ, some other friends & my sis’s raving testimony about their experiences in Japan, we decided that it would be great to visit the land of the rising sun for a much needed vaca. It was our first trip ever to Japan and we were a bit apprehensive about language and navigating the complex public rail transport systems etc.  

However, armed with advice from friends and family, we decided not to take up any tour packages and do a free and easy  to Tokyo instead with a 1 day trip out to Mt Fuji and 1 night stay in Hakone. Must say though, the public transport system in Tokyo is really comprehensive, timely and truly world-class. In this trip alone, we travelled by taxi, bus, boat, cable car, rail, shinkansen and they were all like clockwork! Exact to the very minute! We were impressed and really depended on the rail a lot to bring us out the various locations conveniently…we even ate dinner inside the train station at Damon , trying out the coupon styled ramen cafe and really enjoying it.

I must say though, that my fave meal of the trip was at Tsukiji Market, block 6 at a little shop called DaiWa. Can you believe we had to queue to get in even way before 8am!!!! But the sushi i tell you is fab and really worth getting up early and navigating ur way there. Here’s a pic of HL in the cold looking hungry and miserable heheheh(It was 1-6 degree during our stay there)… check out the queue!

Changed my blog’s theme so that I could incorporate a picture of Nha Trang’s Beach that was taken during the Vietnam trip. Drats, I miss that beach with its endless clear sands and water.

Since we were on a budget and the place was fully booked! We didn’t get to stay at the uber luxurious Ana Mandara. However, we did go there for long lunch (which was fab) and a wander around to get a feel of atmosphere etc…the place is beautifooooo! Next time! We will go back to Nha Trang in STYLE!

One of the transportation methods while touring Vietnam.

check out the strategic leg positioning for maximum comfort!

*all motorbike pics taken by LG from another bike!

Did I mention that Vietnam was wet, wet and wet?

It was the start of the monsoon period and there was lots of light, intermittent rains that were more irritating than disrupting. So in order to waterproof my bagpack, camera etc and still be mobile, I bought a poncho.   

Not just any poncho though…it HAD to be a neon bright orange poncho, full length no less! I call it the CWO poncho. The poncho was marvellous! It not only came with a hoodie and cap, it had velcros all around as fasteners to facilitate easy on-off. Oh and it also has a nice practical bag to keep it after use! Check out the investment:

While walking around town in light rain

In a small boat heading back from turtle island to Ho Chi Min and it was pouring!

In a tiny small boat that was being rowed by 2 old ladies in part of the Mekong delta as it drizzled.