my snapshots

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Visiting Hong Kong - day 3

Day 3 - final day in Hong Kong.

We had our breakfast first at Tsui Wah Restaurant. They serve local food here. I was surprised that when we went out of the restaurant the queue outside was very long. It must be popular among locals.

Visiting Macau - day 2 of our Hong Kong trip

Ruins of St. Paul Cathedral in Macau. The area is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

My friend has never been to Macau so we made sure to include it in our itinerary. There are 2 ferry terminals going to Macau from Hong Kong. One is the Hong Kong Macau Ferry terminal and the other one is the China Ferry Terminal which is just a few blocks away from our hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui. Of course, we went to the nearest one :)

Hotel Review : California Hotel Tsim Sha Tsui Hong Kong

I was not planning to create a post about the hotel where we stayed in Hong Kong but since the online site where I booked the hotel will give me points when I post my review, I decided to create one. Also, I thought this might also be helpful for others.

I am not doing this review to bash the hotel but to just share our experience.

Alrighty - I knew that hotel rooms in Hong Kong are quite small (at least for the 3 stars below) and quite expensive. I tried my best to look for a reasonable priced hotel - I did not want to book a one star and 3 stars were quite pricey already. So I've found and booked the California Hotel. It is a 2 star hotel and the price was just fine.

Hotel location : very good location! It's located at Tsim Sha Tsui - it is surrounded by malls and stores and it's the touristy area. Also, the Tsim Sha Tsui station is just a stone throw away from the hotel. I believe, if you take the D1 exit, you'll see the hotel on the right across the street. The sign is quite small but it is between the Standard Chartered Bank and a jewelry store.

Can you see that yellow wall on the middle of the picture? That's the D1 exit of Tsim Sgha Tsui MTR station

Visiting Hong Kong - day 1

It was my 2nd time in Hong Kong. The first time I went there, we were on a package tour, this time around - we were on our own.

I have to remind myself not to book a flight that leaves very early in the morning as we are now staying in Central Singapore. Our flight was 6am - we paid 30sgd for the cab going to the airport. Ouch!

Sunrise.

Singapore's Hokkien Mee

... and I'm back!

I learned how to use the chopsticks because of this food - Hokkien Mee :)

This is Hokkien Mee. This is the first dish I have ever tried in Singapore. I loved it the first time I tasted it and I still do! I have tried it from several eating places in Singapore. ION mall used to have the best Hokkien mee, but for some reason the stall selling it have closed already and now with the new stall selling it, it's not as good anymore. You can still go to Suntec and Wisma Atria for the best ones though.

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Restaurant - Ajisen Ramen

It's been a long time since I posted something here. And now I am back. Not sure if I will be able to post regularly, but I'll try. LOL.

It's not our first time to eat at Ajisen Ramen, but my friend was so hungry and it's the first restaurant we saw. Good thing I love Japanese food! I was still so full and still recovering from that salad buffet we had for lunch.

The one we visited was in Takashimaya. Love the interior!

Chatuchak - The mother of all Tiangge! (flea market)

A bangkok trip is not complete without visiting their very famous flea market - Chatuchak!

Yes, it is the mother of all tiangge! From Zara, Prada, Tod's, Mulberry, Burberry, Rolex, Cartier, Tiffany & Co., Tag Heuer, Louis Vuitton, Gucci and the list goes on and on ... you'll definitely find it here. The best part is, they are cheap! Well of course, they're fake! That's why! haha...

But, aside from those fake items, you can also find a lot of other interesting things here that you can buy for yourself, your house, etc!

Thailand street foods are everywhere in Chatuchak as well! I thought I am not going to try one, but hey, it looked delicious!

If you are really into shopping and you love the cheap buys, you better book that next flight to Bangkok now and spend all your money there (no credit card in Chatuchak pls)! LOL!

I took a lot of photos in Chatuchak, so this is just the first part.

P.S. You can go to Chatuchak by train, so book your hotel near any of the stations. I suggest book a hotel in Siam area. Siam is where all the high end malls are located. So at least if your friends are not in for flea market shopping, it's a win-win :)

Of course, traveling by train is much more cheaper.

Travel Post : Wat Pho Complex - Bangkok, Thailand

This is the same location where the reclining buddha (from my previous post) can be found. Good thing we visited Bangkok on a good weather. I remember, the last time we went here, the sun was burning hot!!! So hot that my camera started shaking so I was not able to get a good picture.

Tourists flock here not only to see the reclining Buddha but the other temples and buddha figures as well.

There's a lot of beautiful stupas here. Most of them are from the royal family. I can't say anything much but for sure you'll see them if you visit the reclining buddha because it was just right outside its temple.

One thing I've learned about these stupas is that they always have the 4 most important colors in Thailand. hmmm let me try to remember them haha. I know blue is royalty. white is purity. yellow and green. Please help me remember what the last 2 colors represent.

The ashes are placed at the lower part of each stupa.

Travel Post : The Reclining Buddha - Thailand

Going back to our Bangkok, Thailand trip :) , we also visited the reclining buddha temple. I didnt see it the first time I went to Bangkok although we visited the same exact place. We thought it was a place where people pray and we didn't know that the reclining buddha was inside.

Anyways, I was so impressed with the intricate details on the wall and of course the golden reclining buddha! It was soooo huge!

According to our tour guide, it is made out of cement and gold plated. It's a must-see in Bangkok, definitely.

The entrance of the complex

First day of 2012!

Happy new year! Welcome 2012!

I wish everyone a happy new year! May this new year brings happiness and joy to each and everyone of us!

Here's how we welcome 2012! Once again, we celebrated the new year in Sentosa's Siloso Beach Party!

See the pictures below and decide if we had fun!

Louis Vuitton museum/store and high society cupcakes @ Marina Bay Sands

I don't care if I don't own any Louis Vuitton items (but I cannot say no when someone gives me one right? haha) but I want to eat all the cup cakes at the High Society restaurant! (minus the bad service of their staff)