Travelling Solo

I never thought of doing solo backpacking this year.
However, after listening to my friend's experience in Japan, I have the courage to do the exactly same trip as her.
The opportunity came as MAS was having promotion and I booked the ticket on the very last day!
The trip won't be a success without the help of ryn and my friend.

So, how was it?
It was great! *Except that nobody will be there to help you take picture*

My friends were telling me how great it is to have the courage to travel alone. It wasn't difficult until you finally do it. Frankly speaking, I met a more girls  who travelled alone compared to guys during my trip. I think girls nowadays do have more courage than guys ;)

One thing about travelling alone is you have the flexibility of changing plans all the time. I don't know what will I be doing the next day until late evening when I have time to do some research about it. Moreover, you will find it easier to listen to the advice of other travelers and make changes to your plan. Anyway, the only person you need to ask is yourself.

Another thing which I enjoy very much about travelling alone is the absolute freedom. I get to follow my rhythm, desires and my pace.  I think I'm already addicted to the feeling of it. <3

Trust your gut feelings all the time! If you feel like going to the park today, you should just do it. I learned a lot about trusting myself and my gut feelings. I always find something awesome by trusting my gut feelings.

However, it is always good to take safety measure especially when you are a girl.  It's good to check out hostel reviews and some feedback from Trip Advisor beforehand. Imagine arriving in the city at late night without pre-book accommodation, it is always wiser to have a few backup plans in hand. I have learned my lesson well in Vietnam last week. If you are planning to visit during the peak season, always book your accommodation earlier.

Remember, always keep a low profile. You won't want to attract unnecessary attention from pickpockets and etc. Safety should come first before anything else.

Tell us why do you like about travelling solo!


P/S: If you are still thinking if you should travel alone, just do it! You will be glad that you make the decision =)

Trip planning 101

I'm not sure if this is something to do with age. But, I can't handle tedious planning anymore. I hate reading the same information again and again (because everyone is writing about the same thing) while hoping that someone has a totally different experience. It's nice to have their advice in mind but I would prefer to write my version of stories.

I tried to plan for my first solo backpacking trip but it didn't work. I managed to find some information about Kansai and book my accommodation. I didn't know where I was going until I reach Japan. One thing about travelling during peak season is that always pre-book your hotel beforehand unless you have extra cash to spend.

Here's one you can do to avoid disappointment
#1 Read and have a brief idea on places which you can go

#2 Talk to travelers at your guesthouse.
This is very useful if you are visiting during spring or autumn. They will tell you where are the places worth going.

#3 Talk to the tourist information center.
I meant the official one but not the tour agency. It's always better to refer to Trip Advisor compared to the tour agency.

#4 Read up blogs from people who has similar interest as you.
As for most people, they might think that visiting a tropical fruit plantation or the Orang Utan sanctuary is interesting because they don't have it in their country. As for a Malaysian like me, I have seen all of these since young and I don't really bother going to these places.

#5 Check the weather
It is very important to have the correct outfit especially the weather can be quite different throughout the country or region.


What are your planning tips?

Blue Fire at Ijen Crater

Hey guys!

Sorry for lack in updates.  I just came back from Indonesia and I initially wanted to post this video on FB. Then, I realize that "Hey, why not blog about it and let everyone know about this?" According to Hendra (Indonesian), blue fire is a rare phenomena which only happens in Ijen Crater and Mexico.

Blue fire is resulted from the combustion of liquid sulphur with fire. The molten sulphur burns after it drips from the stone and ceramic pipes that have condensed the sulphuric gases from the volcano into liquid. This will then cool down and harden to yellow block so that it will be collected by the miners.

We realize that it is a very good opportunity to do the blue fire trip together with the sunrise trip. The only down side is we have to start the journey at 1am in the morning! We reach the base at around 1:40am and start hiking. You will definitely need a good pair of shoes and lots of clothes and the temperature is pretty low. You might need a walking stick to gain some support as the slope is pretty steep. To witness blue fire and sunrise, you will need to hire a local guide as it is pretty dangerous to hike in the dark. However, no guide is needed if you decide to hike during the day.

We were told that the entrance fee is Rp 27,000 but they made us pay Rp50,000 each. I'm not sure if this is a tourist scam or we have to pay extra because of the blue fire. By the way, we are already paying Rp200,000 extra per person in addition to the tour (Rp500,000). The tourist who joined 3D2N Bromo+Ijen tour paid only Rp650,000 (Transportation and hotel included). I definitely paid extra than the rest but it was worth it!

I didn't get to take good pictures as the sulphur smoke keep coming out from the lake. But here's a short video taken by using Canon Ixus 100.


More sunrise post will be coming up next! I promise!

What to do in Bangkok?

I was frequently asked over the past few months with the same question, and had to give the same lengthy explanation over and over again.

'WHAT EXACTLY SHOULD ONE DO IN BANGKOK?'

Well, perhaps you can start off by reading these and these (written by the bear).

My first trip to Bangkok was in year 2010. After spending 5 days in Bangkok, I realize that it wasn't enough to fulfill my curiosity. Given that, I return for another visit in which I stayed for 2 weeks last year. My friends were curious as to how I could spend such a long time just in Bangkok. I personally think that one could easily be distracted and stray off path from the initial plan as there so many things to discover in Bangkok, this coming from my personal experiences. 

On my second trip, I opted to stay out of the city for a week. I stayed at Banglamphu area where all the major attractions are situated at. Believe it or not, I did not meet any Malaysians during my stay away from the city. During my last 2 night in Bangkok, I moved to the city for a different experience. When I first stepped into the shopping mall, I could hear 'Manglish' all over the places and manage to meet people from KL and etc. It is then that I discovered that the main intention of Malaysian visiting Bangkok is solely to shop. Surely, Bangkok is like a shopping paradise for everyone. Even the non-shopaholic will go crazy because you can easily find unique handicraft or souvenirs along the street at affordable prices.

In order to guide you about Bangkok, you will need to asked yourself about the type of traveler you are. Are you someone who are into culture and the local lifestyle or you are someone who adores city life as well as the shopping scene? Generally when I travel, my itinerary will be focus on culture and attractions. However, I could be the later type of traveler depending on the cities. Personally, Bangkok is just not about the city or cheap shopping deal. In my opinion, Bangkok is not as dangerous as Malaysia and possessed unique culture worth taking an interest in.

There's so much to see and learn in Bangkok if you have the time to do so. If you want to do a quick culture tour, you can go to Ratanakosin gallery which is located near the National Monument. This place can give you an overview about the country and the people. I was there in August and the locals were surprised as to why I would asked  directions to go there. They assumed that tourist will only be interested in places like the Grand Palace,Wat Pho and Wat Arun. To my surprise, all visitors were locals and my sis and I were like the "farang" there. An interesting info about the place is that there's a mini library inside the gallery where you can browse books and surf the internet for free. But, you need to show them the entrance ticket for admission. I personally enjoyed the library very much as it was very cozy and comfortable. I'll blog about the library later. *finger crossed*

If you are on a tight budget, don't worry as there's a lot of things to see and it's free. I think I will need to write a separate guide on this. For people who love the city, I think you can spend at least a day exploring the cultural things and the rest of your trip exploring the city as well as well as enjoying the night life and city lights. There are few nice cafes and restaurant on Phra Atit road which is frequent by the locals but not the tourist. I really like the settings there.

Maybe, instead of visiting the Skybar everytime you visit Bangkok, if this is what you have been doing all the time. Why don't you spend some time discovering the local culture? Then you will have a different story to tell your friends other than what you have purchased from your trip. Your friends might be impressed with your newly discovered places and maybe you could explore a few good cafes for yourself to share with us. Perhaps it's time to change your ideas about Bangkok and be different for a change.

I know a lot of you will probably be interested to know how much money is need for a trip in Bangkok.

If you ask me, spending one week in Bangkok can be as low as 200 USD to 500 USD depending on how luxury want your trip to be and how much shopping you intend to do.

I'll be writing new guides on this lovely city soon. Then, you can decide on the places do you could visit for your trip there. Drop us a comments if you wish to know on anything in particular. 

xx

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.