Part 3: Bangkok Trip

Happy New Year 2024! It has been such a rollercoaster ride in 2023, with many big decisions, big changes and challenges made in 2023. Phew, what a change. What's interesting is that the monks I went to in the past said there will be a major change each time our age has the digit 9 in the second digit. How interesting! Indeed, it has for me in 2023. The older you get, the less interested you are with celebration, which includes New Year. It's just another day, another night.

Often times, I heard about Sukhumvit and finally, I'm in the area. This is a really eccentric and trendy Japanese-inspired cafe. They have gone into merchandising with coffee accessories like coffee machines ranging of different prices, coffee products etc. A great place to hang out for sure!

Met a Bumble friend who happened to be in Bangkok the same time as me. Yay!

Of course, without a doubt, I met my uni friends, where the mixed Teochews gather. I don't have many friends with Teochew blood but I came all the way to Bangkok to meet them. haha. Jokes aside, we had a really good time, reminiscing our uni days! Those times were good. 

Then, they brought us to this dessert place. Dang! My favorite - mango!

A mandatory photo with these 2. Not sure when is the next time I'll be meeting them again. I should honestly do it more. The fact that I do once in 10 years is beyond sad.

The next day, spent some time in an Australian cafe instead - Toby. Ah that's my late dog's name too! I love scrambled with coffee. So here I am. 

I don't remember Chatuchak to be like this, I guess it has changed, or I have memory problem I am not sure. Haha. Dropped by for more coffee but of course, how can it be good, just for the sake of I guess. Got some good deals from there though, so no complaints. Department stores are not meant for me, I wouldn't spend so much on clothes.

Next up, I went to this dessert shop, the Thai version of ABC in Cheng Sim Ei, located within the Chulalongkorn University district. I guess similar to University District in Seattle, Ewha University of Hongdae.

Not long after he went back to Bangkok, he got to see me again. Haha. 

The local food is a must! Cheap and good. Hainanese noodle thailand in Bangkok.

Small-scale, a little run down and dodgy, is my kinda vibe for good food. This place checks all the boxes.

Second round? Sure. I can't remember the name of the restaurant and bar, but here for some French pastry with cocktail before we call it a night.

Of course

Since Bangkok is named the most visited city in 2023, I visited as a very supportive neighbor. It was a good trip catching up with really old friends and a new friend. Vibrant, lively city as what I have known Bangkok as and it never disappoints. Perhaps, next time I should consider going with someone who has the same mentality as I am then it's way easier. Everyone is different, but to make things easier, let's stick to the people I am familiar with or people that travels the same way as I do. That's the takeaway. 

Day 2: Langkawi

After spending the first night in the hotel, let's start going places. In the past when I went to Langkawi, it's always getting drunk. Now that I am much older, I don't fancy those things anymore. Talking about getting older huh. haha.

Upon recommendation from the hotel's concierge, we are here filled with locals. This is their specialty, Roti Canai Sarang Burung special. 2 sunny-side up eggs, the bread is crispier than the regular roti canai and minced chicken. It was good! Damn. With so much things happening inside, it's RM 7. Not cheap but it's unique. 

After making our stomachs happy and full of energy, we headed over to Langkawi Sky Bridge. It was close when I wanted to take the cable car years ago. But, here I am now. Before going up, a note to take, it's all outdoor parking but there are a few types. The Premium parking is obviously more expensive, which is RM10 I believe? I went to the next one, which is RM5. The difference? It's just slightly nearer to the station. If you have the capability to walk, why not?

In the cable car. Price per pax for the cable car is RM45 if I'm not mistaken. Senior citizens get a discount. The view is great, overlooking the Andaman sea with the clear blue sky. There's a stop in the middle where it's nothing much to see. We didn't bother to get down because, it's just mid-way and there's nothing much there and the wait that comes after is perhaps, not worth it. We went straight up to the top with 15 minutes in total. Some gondolas are glass floor but I didn't get that. This cable car is said to be the steepest gradient in the world. The ventilation though, is just a small window on the top of each side which can be stuffy when it rains as you would close everything up. 

This is what I'm talking about. The mountains, valleys, sea and islands. It's all covered in that 15 minutes way up. When the weather is good, it's really pretty. 

Here we are up here at the highest point. It was really windy, therefore, hats off. Ignore the face haha.

This is a 10 - 20 minute-trail. At least, a little work out during vacation. Those with walking disabilities, you may take the glide which is an additional of RM6 to get to the Sky Bridge. It's not a hard hike but it's not a flat road so there may be challenges. Use the railings for assistance.

That's the bridge, super windy, I love it! Weeee.

Enjoying the cable car view going up and down haha. Okay so nearby here, there's this waterfall called Telaga Tujuh and in order to get to the waterfall is really steep. 

Next up, it's lunch time. I found this place with quite a good review so here we are to fill our stomachs. I took just a few bites due to my diet program haha. We ordered some really simple food and it's tasty! 

While driving to the restaurant earlier, I stumbled upon this place. It's a wide empty space and the ocean. Man, the wind.

Of course, the mandatory picture of me in it haha. The cloud is heavy and right after that, it rained. haha. After studying for 2 days, the rain doesn't last long like in KL. It's really just 5-minute rain. I have concluded it as the emotional Langkawi.

Next up is our alcohol shopping haha. There are so many duty frees around and we just don't know which to go. Teow Soon Huat doesn't look exclusive or extravaganza, but it was good in terms of price! We bought everything from there. The last time I was in Langkawi I came here too haha. Chocolates and alcohol. They own the supermarket too, which we bought our mineral water from and it's economical!

Dinner is super important when you're on a vacation. Quah in Kuah. With the mom, aunt and grandma together waiting. The line to this place Wonderland Food Store is super long. I learned from the past looking at how long we waited just to get in and another long wait for the food, we were there this time at 6pm. haha! After the meal 2 years ago, is it worth it? YES. If I can avoid, then we should haha. That's why we ended there at 6pm.

This is by the way, Chinese halal food to cater to the locals there. I love the squid. It's really bad for my diet but heck, I'm not there everyday, I don't eat it everyday. Everything was good except for the Lala that doesn't taste kamheong at all. This was also RM70+ haha. Prawns, squids, lala and vegetables.

We crossed the road where the car is parked and the variety of alcohol we see. The sight of it is lovely enough, especially the green ones on the right. It's RM11.50 if I'm not mistaken and KL is about RM 16.90.

We ended up taking these 2. I love 1664 Blanc as it's very fragrant. I didn't drink much except for just a few sips. I'm controlling like crazy as I have a timeframe to achieve my health goal.

It's day filled with activities. It isn't too hectic and isn't too chilled, it was just nice. No, we did not go to the 3D museum. I prefer something outdoorsy that we can do. We are blessed with the weather though, each time we get into the car, then it rains. When we are out and about, it didn't rain. Talking about perfect timing.

Places visited:

Roti Canai Otai - Kampung Bubor, Kedawang

Langkawi Cable Car

Langkawi Sky Bridge

Kuah Town Seafood , Kuah town

Teow Soon Huat Duty Free - Padang Matsirat, Kuah

Wonderland Foodstore - Pusat Perdangan Kelana Mas

Balkans Day 2 - 082018 - Old town Zadar (Croatia)

It's Friday! Not sure what people do these days on a Friday. I guess, this is what I do or what I can do from now onwards. Be more active and be more hardworking updating this so that I have stories many years to come. 

Picking up from the previous post about my vacation back in 2018, we woke up here, sunshine! 

Bonn Appetit! We have carbs over there. I like carbs haha. My body might not like it.

Or some healthier options, the fruits haha. Let's get the stomach happy before leaving.

The blue sky, leaving Dubrovnik. Until we see you again on our last day. What's the best thing doing road trips like this? Blast those classic Malay songs! haha. So Malaysian right? haha. Yes we are, of course.

After a couple of hours of drive, here we are at Old town Zadar. Roughly 3 ish to 4 ish hours depending on traffic. 

Read some really good reviews about Pet Bunara, so here we are

Just us two. Honestly, I can't remember how the experience was 4 years ago. I shall then not comment about it.

Walking around, from one alley to another, waiting for sunset. It's a nice place to walk around for some insta-worthy pictures and yes, remember to grab some gelato while walking around. Not sure how that works with Covid now if we can walk around eating ice-cream.
 

Location: Old town Zadar, Croatia

Day 1: Langkawi 122520

Since the pandemic started, I have not gotten any break, vacation, getaway or even a staycation. The last getaway I had was just before I started this job which was August 2019 to Penang. During this difficult time, let's not talk about overseas vacation. Let's face the truth and be practical.

Finally, I managed to get a super short albeit something I really needed for a long time now. All our vacation plans had to be canceled, put on hold, or delayed for God knows how long. My assumption is for another year. Even a staycation sounds like a luxury these days.

So, let's not talk anymore. 2 weeks before Christmas, we have decided to cruise to Langkawi. It's not the best bet for an island, but this would do for now.

We drove to Kuala Kedah, held one night in Alor Setar (or in fact, it was just a couple of hours) before we headed over to the jetty.

Right after we picked up our car for the next few days, we headed here. The Scarborough Fish & Chips. It's recommended in Trip Advisor. Have your fish and chips overlooking the Andaman Sea. Why not right?

Here you go, my snow fish. This place is kinda secluded, so you need to search for it with their little humble signage. It is made to order, so you might need to wait awhile.

So when I go to places like this, I have this habit of ordering mango juice. Haha. 

We stayed in Tanjung Rhu in Langkawi. It is the opposite end from Kuah. Check in time was 3pm. The rooms were not ready at that time. I want to understand from a hotelier's perspective but at the same time I can't when 3pm is a commitment. 

We supposed to kayak that evening but due to peak season, there were no slots for us. So what can we do? ATV it is. 

We had a volley ball session after that. Haha!

Here we are at the comfort of Tanjung Rhu beach for the sunset. I must say that it's a very pretty sunset.

We then went over to Kuah for dinner. I have never done anything like this before but everything has a first time, right? It was just the 4 of us but holy cow! We finished 10 dishes with one big jar of ice lemon tea and chinese tea each. Obviously, we had food coma. haha!

It's time that we explore more domestic traveling. It's not that we can right now, but this is the chance during the pandemic whenever the government ease the restrictions. We are lucky that we have beaches and islands in Malaysia.

Let's Cuti-Cuti Malaysia!

Day 1: Siem Reap July 4th, 2015

In 2014, someone booked 3 tickets to Cambodia. It ended up as a 2 person holiday, which is totally fine with us. We are happy as it is. Haha. From the airport, it wasn't that long before we reached to our hotel. All I can say, it was burning hot. It was so hot we almost died from weather shock. The temperature was at 40s and that's not even the humidity yet.

We stayed in a hotel called Royal Crown hotel. The moment we walked in, it was so cozy and nice. Oh most importantly, it was cooling. They served us cold towel and a tea. Nice! I like their hospitality.

That's our room. Omg, it was so nice. I love to sleep :D

The view from our block. It looks relatively good from the outside too.

Before we left, of course, hi. haha.

We don't stay in the hotel even though that's the most comfortable thing to do, right? It's time to discover the beauty of Siem Reap. We walked around and there we found out, it was very close by to the town area. They call it as the Old Market street and it was so strategic! Everything is there, and in particular, what we need - food. Oh, we were so excited to see Tuk Tuks. haha.

There's a culture shock again. We didn't know how to cross the road. The zebra crossing is useless. People couldn't care. There were tuk tuks, cars, motorcycles, bicycles, trucks and everything else.

After exploring for only half an hour, we found this street that's good for our stomach. Since I was just sick the day before, I had to opt for Coke. Like, Coke okay! It's okay, patience.

Day 6: JBR Beach, Dubai

I had a great sleep on Day 5. Day 6, there was no plan in the morning and tadaaa.... it was an impromptu again.

SK picked me from Internet City. Then, went to JBR Beach. Ever wonder why there's a beach in a desert? Haha, of course it's man-made.

It's Jumeirah Beach Residence or commonly known as JBR. I love the sand.

This is a very nicely developed place. They have restaurants, hotels, shopping mall, residents, cinema and etc built here. This is a very popular area for Al Fresco dining. On the night of weekends, it's a place where locals flash their sports cars!

It's not a big beach or anything like that. Just 1.7 KM long.

Oh my sunnies. Some may have seen the video or read the article about Starbucks spelling your name incorrectly. It's a way of marketing. This, is the most unique way they have ever written. Ever.

Then, it's time to get back to SP's place. SK dropped me at Internet City then it's about time to prepare for the desert safari tour! Yay!