Bangkok, Thailand - August 2018

Snapshots from Yogyakarta, Indonesia - March 2016

It was my first time in Yogyakarta. Had a very relaxing massage on our first day and booked our tours.

On our 2nd day, we woke up at 2:30am and picked up at 3:30am to see the sunrise.

We waited for about 1 or 2 hrs for the sun.

Going down from the view point, I saw these beautiful flowers. Flower photos are always good to look at. I feel like a pro when I look at them haha. It would be nice to know the name of these flowers.

Snapshots from Gyeongbukgung Palace in Seoul, South Korea - November 2015

All of our palace tours in Seoul were free. You can book yours ahead of your visit to Seoul at http://www.visitseoul.net. It is highly recommended. The guides were all knowledgeable, friendly and can speak English very well.

The first palace we visited was the Gyeongbukgung Palace.  It was the main royal palace of the Joseon dynasty ( WIKI ).

Here are just some of my snapshots from the palace.

This is the main entrance of the palace.  

Resort in Batam, Indonesia : Batam View Resort

It was a declared public holiday in Singapore last September 11 as it was the polling day. We took the chance to relax on that long weekend. We wanted somewhere near so we immediately looked online. Batam, Indonesia seemed to be the most affordable option for us. So off we go!

The resort is quite old and I do not know if it was off peak or people just really don't go to this resort anymore. 

We requested for the pool view and I am glad we did because there was nothing on the other side of the hotel. Below is the view from our room.

Maldives snapshots - June 2015 - PART 2

Maldives snapshots - June 2015 - PART 1

Snapshots from my recent trip to Maldives. Was there to witness my friend's beautiful wedding. Photos taken mostly at the resort where we have stayed.

Flight from Singapore to Male, Maldives takes about 4 and a half hrs. Also, Maldives is 3 hrs behind Singapore time.

Some tips :

1. Book a flight that will arrive at daytime. Fully charge your camera/smartphone or whatever you use to take pictures and request for a window seat. The view is stunning when reaching the Male airport!

2. There's burger king at the airport, eat/grab something to eat first before you jump to the boat going to your resort because ...

3. There's 10% service charge and 12% GST on everything you buy at the resort (even the small bottled water!)

4. Plan your escape when you see the shark swimming with you hahaha

Around Sensoji Temple snapshots - Japan - December 2014

Sensoji temple is a buddhist temple located in Asakusa. It is one of Tokyo's most popular temples.

Nakamise Dori ( a shopping street ) leads you to the temple. Bring your cash as this is a place where you can buy cute, colourful and cheap souvenirs.

Meiji Jingu Shrine Snapshots - Japan - December 2014

A shrine located in the heart of Tokyo, Japan. Please make sure you visit before heading to Harajuku. The shrine is accessible via Harajuku station or Shibuya station (very long walk but it's worth it!)

The shrine is dedicated to Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken.

There are 2 main religion in Japan. Shintoism and Buddhism.

Shrine for Shintoism. Temple for Buddhism.

Nikko, Japan Snapshots - December 2014

Tokyo Trip - December 2014 - Part 2 - Around the city of Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo is one of the biggest cities in the world. One of the most expensive too. But there are cheaper alternatives - you just have to search and look around for them - meaning you have to walk around and walk some more.

Transportation - you can get a Suica card for 500 Yen (about 5USD) as the base amount and top-up the amount (pre-paid) so you can go anywhere in Tokyo via bus, train or subway. I think we only spent less than 50 USD traveling around Tokyo for our 8 day stay (train fees to and from the airport are not included).

Food - oh yes food. LOL. There's a lot of restaurants around Tokyo, but if you are on a budget, make sure you check out the prices of their menu before you enter. Most of the restaurants have their menu listed with prices outside. The cheap ones are those with ordering machines - somewhat like a vending machine. You insert your money, choose whatever dish you like ( there are pictures ) and it will print out a stub/ticket to be given to the staff.

This is the Suica card - I kept mine as a souvenir haha ... you can return it though and get back the 500 Yen (around 5 USD) deposit. It's not hard to top up the card. You can select English language on the machine as well. It's super easy : insert the card, select the amount, insert the money > done!

Tokyo Trip - December 2014 - Part 1 - Arrival

We were not planning to go to Tokyo for our 2-week trip this year. I actually wanted to go to London! But because of some personal stuff, the plan changed and we booked Tokyo instead for 1 week.

It turned out to be one of the favorite cities I've visited.

The city is lively, has it's own unique character and culture, people are nice and polite, and I felt like I was underdressed most of the time LOL. Sorry I didn't get the memo LOL.

I have tons of photos so I have to divide my posts to several parts - so here's the first part and this is more about our arrival into the city.

We arrived at around 4:30PM at Narita airport. Since we didn't buy the JR Express card (which you can use to ride the trains and bus anywhere in Tokyo, and I heard you can use it to take the bullet train to go outside Tokyo too. Note: you have to buy it outside of Japan) - we went straight to the desk selling train tickets going to the city which will be right in front of you after you exit the arrival gate.

It's 1,500 Yen per person (about 15 USD) for the Narita Express train ride from the airport going to the city. Ask all the questions you have to the sales person regarding where and how to ride the train from where you are before leaving the desk. Look at the ticket given to you, it will tell you the car number and your seats ( they are reserved for you ) - very important.

I'm pretty sure that you will see the train map of Tokyo somewhere along the way - which is overwhelming! But do not even try to study it, it won't help. LOL. Just ask people around you. Or if they don't know too, ask any train officers around - they're everywhere and very very helpful!

Once you reach the platform do not jump into the first train that you will see right away, there's a big chance that is not your train haha. Look for your designated car number first then wait for the JR Express train to arrive. Non-JR express trains use the same platform, so be careful! I guess the best tip here as well is to make sure you check the arrival time of your JR Express train on the ticket - they are always on time. If you are still unsure - ask the train officers walking around.

This is where you can buy the Narita Express ticket from the airport going to the city.