Kokret/Kokred- A getaway from Bangkok

I first heard about Ko Kred was earlier this year when my Thai friend posted about it and she mentioned that she didn't know the existence about this island although she was born in Bangkok. This information triggered my interest somehow as it is definitely not touristy for sure. I've learned from travelling in SEA that there's a lot of leeches which try their best to suck your money. It's a rude comparison but it's true.

How to get there?
Take bus 32 from Pra Atit Road/Khao San road and stop at the KFC near Tesco Lotus at Pakred. You can also take any bus which goes to Pakred. I think you can also take a van from Victory Monument to Pakred too. From the KFC, turn into the junction and go straight and then turn left and you will see a temple on your right later. Go into the temple until you see the boat to Kokred. The cost is only 2 Bath. If you stopped at a private harbour, you need to pay 50Bath to cross the river.

At Kokred, you can easily rent a bicycle at 40 Bath whole day or travel on foot which we did as I don't know how to ride a bicycle and I also read that the pavement is quite bad. Hence, walking is the best! We went there on Tuesday as we understand that it will be very crowded during the weekends as the locals will flood this little village. Hence, to avoid the crowd, we went there on weekdays instead. But, a local company brought all their staff there and it was flooded with people. Although only a few shops open for business but it was happening enough. I was expecting a quiet and peaceful village. But, they left very soon so no complains.

I personally think that it is a nice village to walk around and take pictures. Or at least feel thes
village which I love. It's very interesting to see. I'll show a few snapshots which I like from the village.

 

Since it is a pottery village, you should not miss drinking from this cute cup which only cost 25 Bath and you can bring the cup back after that. Well, I didn't buy it as it will be very troublesome to carry  around. 

If you happen to have extra time in Bangkok, do drop by at this place. It's easy to get around. Well, I didn't explore the whole island as I didn't know how to cycle. *facepalm* There's a lot of snacks and dessert around and it's nice. We didn't take much picture about it because we ate everything before it's too late. The potteries sold at KoKred is slighty cheaper than those sold at Chatukchak market. Hence, it will be a good place for shopping too.

Medan 5D4N transportation guide!

Hi peeps !
Sorry to keep you waiting.
Here's the guide for the 3rd largest city in Indonesia -Medan.
I realize that there's not much guides about how to get to one place from another. So, let me help! I'll be doing reviews about the places later.

Day 1
Update: The new airport is at Kuala Namu which is 45 minutes away from the city center.

Arrive at Polonia Airport. Note: They are going to shift the airport to a new place which is located an hour away from the city center.
Our friend fetch us to the Padang Bulan Bus Station but generally you can get a taxi at the Petronas Petrol Station which is located opposite the airport. The airport is so small and you don't have to walk that much. From Padang Bulan Bus Station, you can get to Berastagi at Rp 10,000 only in a minibus (2 hours ride). The best seat is located next to the driver. At Berastagi (B), you can walk around the tugu Berastagi or use their angkot service. We went to Gundaling (G) by "Bintang Karo" angkot at the fee of Rp 3000 (B-G) and Rp 2000 (G-B). I've no idea why the fee is cheaper when we travel from Gundaling to Berastagi.

Day 2
We left Berastagi by local transportation again. Someone quote us Rp 450,000 for a car but we didn't take the deal as we think it is expensive as there's only 3 of us travelling together. Instead of a private car, we travelled from Berastagi to Kebanjahe (Karya Transport -Yellow van; Rp 3000- 30 mins) & from Kebanjahe to Siantar (Sepadan-blue van; Rp 20,000 -3 hrs). From Siantar, you can either travel by local minibus (Rp 10,000 -30 mins) or a shared taxi (Rp 15,000) to Parapat. We chose the later one as we are tired of smoking secondhand smoke.
From Parapat, we took the ferry (Rp 7000) to  Tuktuk.
You can also travel from Siantar to Parapat by "Sejahtera bus".

Day 3
We rented a private van with driver at Rp 450,000 (RM 50) near Liberta Homestay as we don't know how to ride a motorbike. Motorbike rental is available at Rp80,000 or Rp 200,000 with driver. But make sure that you tell your driver where you want to go and make sure that he promise that he will take you the places you wish to go. It's good to survey about the places first & know where you want to go first before talking to the driver.

Day 4
We left Tuktuk for Parapat by the ferry. (Rp 7000) and shared the taxi from PT Bagus (near the Jetty) at only Rp 65,000 per person for a 5 hours journey. We didn't ask the minibus/local bus as sitting in the bus for few hours is not so comfortable.

Day 5
We travelled mostly by becak around the city. Price should be around Rp15,000 to Rp 20,000. If they charge more, take the bluebird taxi instead! The town is very very small and you can reach most places by foot. Don't let the map fools you.

That's all from Medan and hope you enjoy your stay there! I'll do a review about the places there! :)

We're back and kicking!

Hi all! Have you been missing us?
Fred not, we are backkkkkk!
The last few months was a "nightmare" ! But, we are almost done with studies!
Graduation, here we come!
Some of us are travelling now! How does South Korea sound to you?
Please keep watching this space. It's going to be awesomeee!

Travel often, getting lost will help you find yourself =)

They said 'Travel often, getting lost will help you find yourself.'I believe that many people will agree with this statement.
But, have you taken your first step to realize this little dream of yours?
People often reply 'I don't have enough money.'
Money shouldn't be an issue.
I read this story from a 20 y.o girl who traveled Europe in 6 months with 300 Euros. She only brought that much of money to Europe and she thought she will only be there for 1 week. And yet, she made it!
Sometimes, it is not the end of the road yet.
We are the obstacle of our own issue.
We just need to figure out a way to sustain ourselves.
What are you waiting for? Start it small, be comfortable with the idea and start extend your boundaries.
The world is our playground.
Trust me, the knowledge and experience you gained through travelling is very valueable.
A soul searching journey it is ! =)

Good luck everyone!

Traveling in South East Asia

Sorry for the lack in updates. We were busy with our final year projects. =(

Traveling in South East Asia is never easy. You will get the picture when you start doing your research. When I was reading the forums, I felt depress because what people shared was the scam they encountered. And people try hard to get as much as money they can from the tourist. It doesn't matter where you are from, as long as you are not a local, you are rich to them.
Here are some guides to travel SEA countries.

1. Read more about transportations.
In Thailand, you have railways, motor taxi, bus, taxi and tuk-tuk. It's very difficult to know what's the reasonable price for a tuk-tuk ride. It seems cheap to us as our currency is higher. But, the best thing is to take a bus/taxi especially when you are travel in a huge group. Bus fare is very cheap in Bangkok. You can use the river transportation too. After a few trip to Bangkok, I think bus is the cheapest option around. The buses are very frequent and it is way better than skytrain. However, the red non-air-con bus cost 6 Bath while the air-conditioned bus cost 13-20 Bath. If you are on budget, take the red 54 bus rather than the white 54 bus!

In Vietnam, you have motortaxi, bus and taxi.
One trip by motortaxi might cost USD 1. It sound cheap isn't it? But, if you have a partner with you, it might be cheaper to take a taxi (Proven in Saigon). But, I can't deny that motor taxi is faster than other mode of transport when there's a massive jam. As for their public bus transport system, you need to recognize the place/a local to guide you. Everything is in Vietnamese language and they don't announce the stops. So it is near impossible for a foreigners to use the bus service unless you can speak their language or you met someone who can speak English. Some buses will stop as early as 8pm. So, better check your timetable! When you are at the bus station, people will approach you and tell you that the bus service has ended. Double check it yourself as most of them are motortaxi driver and they just want money from you.

In Cambodia, you have only long distance bus and tuktuk. There's not much choice isn't it? There's nothing much to do with long distance buses as the price are quite standardized. I used the local bus company from Phnom Penh to Siam Reap and it was quite an experience. The ticket cost me USD 5 instead of USD 11 (for Mekong buses) but you can only see local on the bus. The pictures shown look very nice but trust me, I was like 'what the hell? This is not the bus I saw from the picture!'. Yeahh. you get the picture. When you are getting into a tuk-tuk, make sure that you haggle the price first and be firm. For example, a trip from Old market to your hostel/guesthouse should cost only USD 1 per trip. Ignore them when they said 'USD 1 per person'. You can find better one. Just keep looking.

***Tuk-tuk driver or motor taxi tend to charge foreigners at a higher price compared to the locals.

In Indonesia, I can't give you much advise on this as I only took angkot and the local train. When someone offered to help you with your luggage at the train station, tell them nicely that you can do it yourself. They are willingly to carry your luggage for you and charge you later.

If you are travelling around Medan or from Medan to Berastagi/Lake Toba, the mini van fare will cost 10,000-20,000 Rp. We wrote a separate post on Medan-Berastagi-Toba-Medan. Go read naoo! But, it is a non-air-conditioned and people are allowed to smoke in the mini van. Air-conditioned car will cost more but it's smoke free. Always ask for price before paying and remember to ask around! Never ever pass your luggage to anyone unless you agreed that you want to use their transport.

p/s: The driving in Indonesia is not meant for faint-hearted. You will get what I mean. =)

2. Always bargain. At least 70% of the price offered.
I will pay for what it's worth for because they are trying to make a living too.
Don't believe when people say 'We are chinese, so I will give you a good price'. The price they offered is always higher than others. Do some research on where the locals do their shopping. Then, you will know where to get the cheapest souvenirs. For example, Pasar Beringharjo in Jogjakarta is a very good place but you need to walk to the other side to search for very cheap and nice souvenirs. When they tell you that it is very cheap, don't believe that. For example, if they offer you USD 1 for a magnet, bargain for 3 for USD 1 and etc. Do ask a few shops before you buy. And always pretend that you are not interested in their goods and walk away. If you show your interest in their goods, they will mark up the price as high as 300% but you will still feel that the price is reasonable. =)

3. Accommodation
It depends on your travelling style. If you like posh hotels or at least 3-star accommodation, you can always book with the hotel website or try Agoda. But if you are backpacking, always check for guesthouse reviews and compare a few Guesthouse before making decision. Some Guesthouse do have promotion for off-peak season where they only charge price for 2 nights for 3 nights and etc. When I was doing my research for Phnom Penh, it was very difficult as most of the bad GH have very bad reviews. Go for your safety instead of the price. We paid around USD 17 for a room but it was worth it because of the security. A lot of travelers complaint that they were robbed in the middle of the night when they were sleeping. Avoid paying the room rental in advance as the room might not turned out as you want it to be or you can't really predict your schedule if you travelling by land.

If you like to make new friends, do try couch surfing. I tried it and I loved it very much. It is the best way to experience the culture of the local and know their lifestyle. In my opinion, that's the most important part when comes to travelling. I made new friends and learnt a lot about them.

I will stop here today and will continue another day.
If you have any enquiries about travelling in SEA, do leave us a comment and we will get back to you asap. Perhaps cover it in our next travel guide! have a good week ahead!

Iuhnix