Oh Japan, you have my heart.

6 days of Japan, over in an instant. 

Time always passes so fast when you're travelling - and in a flash, I'm back at reality, at work already. 

Let's work even harder, so as to earn another trip to Japan. 

皆さん、頑張ってね‼

(All pictures are from the iPhone.)

Day 1 from Narita Airport: waiting for the Toei Subway Line to take us to our hotel. 

We stayed at the Chisun Inn Asakusa this Tokyo trip - and both me & the boy thought it was a great hotel.

The rooms are small as per every other Japan hotel, but the location to nearby attractions and the train lines are really fantastic.

It was near 2 metro lines, near 2 convenience stores, and near Senso-Ji Shrine too! (All less than 10 minutes' walk away!)

Also, the housekeeping was quite immaculate in keeping each corner of the room clean. Staff are well-versed in English, and helpful, to boot! 

We booked our hotel & accomdation via Expedia.com.sg. 

We set off on Sunday evening, transited via Kuala Lumpur, and arrived in Narita Airport on Monday 07:40am.

For departure, we set off on Saturday 21:40pm, transited via KL again, and arrived in Singapore Sunday morning.

Flight and accommodation (including taxes) cost us 674 SGD each, via Malaysia Airlines. :)

Our hotel was right next to (and opposite, they had 2 buildings) the Bandai HQ. You can see the line of characters lining up the path of the building.

It was also a (less than) 10 minutes walk from Senso-Ji Shrine.

We spent Day 1 at Asakusa, exploring the streets and the shrine. Since we still had time before check-in, we set off to Akihabara, aka Electronic Land. Because I was too busy sweeping anime stuff, no pictures from the phone was taken lol.

Day 2 was spent at my absolute favorite place ever. Ever.

Tokyo DisneySea. Japan is the only place in the world to have a DisneySea. There's a Disneyland right beside, but that one has rides other Disneyland around the world has.

It's said that DisneySea is catered more towards adults because of the nature of the rides, and I found that true. More teens and couples are here as compared to families each time we went.

It's a very common to see groups of friends dressing up themselves in similar costumes to come here, too.

We went on a weekday, but it was still crazy crowded.

Beautiful scenery everywhere. I love it.

End of the day, we caught this amazing fireworks parade that was part of it's Halloween special (Not pictured, lol)

Harajuku & Shibuya was on the list the next day. Wanting a quiet start, we went to Meiji-Shrine.

Not long after we started shopping in Harajuku, it started pouring. Like reaaaally pouring.

Found a Rilakkuma-themed toilet in Kiddy Land too lol.

Odaiba the next day.

Venus Fort.

And of course, the obligatory Gundam shot.

Night scene at Odaiba.

We also went for Puripuka, the Japanese's version of a photo booth. Look at my amazing legs and eyes wtf.

Yokohama on Day 5, featuring the ferris wheel at Cosmo World.

Cosmo World is a free-to-enter theme park, but goes by a ride-to-ride ticketing basis. As we went to DisneySea for the rides already, we skipped this and went to..

The Cup Noodle Musuem. Yea, the boy & I had been here before - but the boy's cousin wanted to come, so we did.

Created our own cup noodles - you can choose the flavor, and the assortment of ingredients to be placed inside.

Me and the boy's completed noodles!

Also skipped this Yokohama Port Musuem that I really wanted to go because there was no time /sigh.

Last stop of Day 5 was the Hakkeijima Sea Paradise for the Aqua Resort.

The pictures on the website are really, really, misleading. They paint the aquariums as this really big, glorious place but all I saw was that the marine animals just look sad and too big for their small enclosures.
The enclosures also don't look very clean... . I don't know. I really wouldn't recommend this place for those who love marine life - maybe you'll be as sad as I was after I left, seeing the state of the tanks.

The Dolphin Fantasy in the resort was really ...  though. (I'm sorry, I can't find any words for it.) It featured a walk-through tunnel with maybe 4 dolphins, then a round tank featuring a really, really big Sunfish. .... That was it. (Lol)

Or maybe don't expect too much - expect nothing, maybe it's good enough for you.

Our last day was spent at Skytree Town. We first went to the Tokyo Skytree. How can you go to Tokyo and not go to an Observatory Deck right?

The view from Level 350. Every time I go to the Skytree, I feel like I'm seeing a live version of Google Maps.

Tons of Tokyo Bananas as souvenirs.

Post-Holiday Blues

I wonder if it's just me, or it's everyone else.

People go on holidays to recharge, don't they?
I come back from a holiday even more dreading to go back to work.

When I awoke today, it's like my eyes were silts, could barely open them.
Not sure if it's the 'good friend' visiting or if it's just the lethargic-ness doing its' thing.

As part of our annual #thecousinalliance travel plans: we headed to Hanoi, Vietnam this year.
On our way to the airport, the taxi uncle mentioned, 'Do not expect anything & it'll astound you.'

I'll tell you what astounded me first: the amount of motorcycles, and the pollution.
Being aboard, it makes you appreciate your own country more.

This trip was an amazing one, though. It's really the company that makes a trip worthwhile.
Makes me reminisce the Phuket trip last year with Chong and Greg - ah, those were the days.

I think I'm at the age now where I think family is the most important thing of all.
You can not bother about other things, but family - family are the ones who'll be there with you, regardless.. Till the end.

/updated July 3 with snippets from the iPhone, pardon the quality!

Almost 85% of the population have motorcycles in Hanoi. Roads are dangerous to cross, do not proceed if you do not have the nerves!

Sunset by the West Lake.

Walked nearly 2 hours to find this restaurant which was touted as the 'must-go' in Hanoi for delicious Pho.

Little Hanoi. Our guide took us here, knowing our family are big fans of  'Running Man'. 

It was filmed right here!We booked a tour guide from Hanoi Free Guides prior to our visit. 

 From their website: 

Hanoi Free Tour Guides is a social non-profit organization founded and run by a group of students and ex-students since January 2010

How much does it cost to use guide service?  Our guide services are totally free of charge. However, please be prepared to pay all the expenses of the guide during the tour, such as admission fees, restaurant meals, transportation fees, etc.

What languages do guides speak? Currently, we have English, Chinese, French, Russian, Korean and Japanese speaking guides.It is HFTGs' great effort to extend our services in more languages to serve more tourists from all places in the world. In the near future, we also provide services in other languages such as: German, Italian, Spanish,..

 Our guide was Huong Loan (In pink), who was a joy to be around with. We had asked for a chinese speaking guide due to our parents and Grandma who was with us, so they too could learn more about Hanoi. She had planned out a little intinerary, which, of course could be altered to how you want it to go. She was very patient with us, and with Grandma. Thank you Huong Loan for the wonderful day! Please look for us when you come to Singapore, we'll bring you around! ;)

On our last day, we went for a tour in Hoa Lu. Another place where Running Man was filmed! 

(I swear this trip is just to curb our Running Man fantasies. Hahaha.)

Regconise this pagoda!?

We were led onto a boat tour.. Where the rower rowed us with her legs wtf.

It was, albeit wonderful, the place where we got scammed into buying souvenirs and what not. 

Still, a good experience though. You get to see a scenic side of Vietnam, which you'll probably never see in Singapore.

 

And my favourite part.. Home. There's always a feeling I get when the plane reaches Singapore.. :)

On a side note, I wish the Blogger app would allow us to upload multiple photos at any one time! So irritating to upload one by one. Pfffft.

a Dayre Excerpt.

I blog almost daily at Dayre, so if you've a Dayre account follow me there! :)
Below is an excerpt from my Dayre entry just yesterday.

Day 73 :

I've met many people who, when heard how long JW & I've been together, ask why we are not married yet.

“What? 7 years? Goodness gracious y'all should be married and having kids by now!”

They are awed at how me & JW have plans to travel even before we settle down. All I'm saying is, why not?

There are so many of our friends who always say, u should settle down first. It's always not too late to travel.

“And you know how many actually end up travelling after marriage/ settling for a HDB? I can count all of them with less than 1 hand. ”

I'm not saying that it's not good to get married early. For you, if you're the kind - good for you. But I know that once I am tied down by marriage or by other adult commitments (Not saying I'm not an adult) I probably will not have the time AND energy to travel as what I am doing now. I rather travel as much as I can when I'm young, this way I won't have regrets when I'm older.

I shall end with this picture of the Tori Gates taken in Japan.

And with this, taken at the Beautiful Nongsa Point Marina & Resort in Batam, Indonesia...

And with this in Seoul, Korea.

Travel-Mates | Phuket, Thailand October 25 - 28 '13

(I am damn pissed it's the 2nd time I'm typing this. Typed this out on my iPhone originally and it had to crash as I was about to be done GODAMNIT)

So. Hi! I guess it's the first time I've updated so promptly, having just gotten off the plane yesterday.
To be honest, this trip was everything I didn't think it would. But more on that later.
Just wondering, have you ever wondered how a person is determined as a good travel-mate, or not? 
I've had my fair share of travelling with various groups of people: From friends, to lovers, to family, to distant relatives.
I've travelled with the 'Zero-idea-of-where-to-go' type, the 'Anywhere-also-can-but-in-the-end-cannot' type, 'Easy-going-Easy-breezy' type, and more, and to be honest I hate the kind that throw the itinerary at me, those who tell me their favourite locations are 'they-don't-know". Seriously?

Chong and Greg were the more easy-going kind, and I'm glad it was with 'em I went to Phuket with.
Me and them, we've known each other for coming 10 years now, and this is the first time we 3 have gone overseas together.
Going overseas with them is a very easy thing: having known each other for so long, there's no need for pretenses, no need for false words, it's just a whole lotta fun.
It's almost like hanging out with your siblings. They're the brothers I never had - the ones I would talk my heart out to, the ones that would endure my endless picture takings, the ones that shine light on pathways when it gets dark, the ones who I can talk countless crap with, and the ones that would be worried that I would be too tired on days we slept little.
Also, maturity has come along with their age: they had me cared for so well, that sometimes I forget they're no longer the boys I knew 10 years back.
I guess however old we grow, they'll still always be my favourite boys. I just love them a whole lot.
Thanks, my boys, for this wonderful trip.

Pictures are from the iPhone, so pardon the quality.

 We started off from Changi Airport Terminal 1 for our Thai AirAsia flight to Phuket. Flight time from Singapore to Phuket is 1 hour and 45 minutes approximate.

We spent $266.67 per pax for 4D3N Hotel Stay (At Secret Cliff Resort & Restaurant | Secret Cliff Villa) and the flight, including taxes. My friends are amazed at how I can always find such deals, heh. I booked the hotel and flight on Expedia, by the way. It's always cheaper to book the hotel and flights together.

Secret Cliff Resort & Restaurant - Phuket
707 Patak Rd.,Karon Cliff, Phuket 83100 Thailand
Tel :66 76 286750 - 3 Fax : 66 76 286701 E-mail: info@phuketsecretcliff.com

[Did you know there's a Cactus Garden at Terminal 1? Neither did we - we had some time to kill so decided to take a brisk walk: wrong decision, weather was scorching, and it was a Smoking Corner too. But there were a good variety of Cactus though, so I guess if you like Cactus it would be a good walk for you.]

 

We decided to just take it easy when we reached our hotel so we hailed a Tuk-tuk (200 baht, 1-way for 3 people) to Patong Beach. The area was a very bustling place, eateries at every corner, and tourists everywhere. Massage places and similar souvenir stores were abundant, with different pricings and "services". We settled for this outdoor bazaar place which sold Phuket's specialties, and had fire-breathing performances. Also managed to catch fireworks set off by the locals, so I guess it was a good spot.

Ended the first night simple with a few wine coolers & Running Man. (I'm glad they love Running Man as much as I do heh)

We booked a Phi Phi Island Tour at the Airport for the 2nd day. (Upon exiting Immigration, it's the shop counter opposite Phuket FantaSEA, right before the exit to the terminal.) It cost us 1950 baht per pax, and included tours to 3 islands at Phi Phi, Lunch, 3 Snorkeling Trips, and Transfer (To Hotel from Airport, from Hotel to/from Phi Phi). 


Phi Phi Islands is a must-go for every trip to Phuket. It's full of postcard sceneries, with each beach more beautiful than the last. I almost couldn't believe what I saw was real, because it was that beautiful. The first Snorkel, though: 3 of us really really struggled, having no prior experience to snorkeling before. Once you get the gist, though, It was really amazing to watch all the fishes and corals below your feet. Just gotta be careful of the sea urchins, heard from the guide that if you got pricked, it's 2 or 3 weeks of medical leave for ya. (You could rent Swimming Fins, but what I thought was just wear a life jacket: with one your feet barely touches the sea floor, plus you get to see amazing underwater views without the fear of drowning.)

It rained initially, but the skies cleared up as we reached the first island. Monkey Island or something? Didn't quite hear the guide correctly. 

Sorry, just had to include this in. This is Chong's FHM Men's pose. HAHAHA

(Actually he was just scratching his back.)

Retreated back to our hotel, to find this view at our balcony awaiting us.

 The hotel we stayed in was Secret Clff Resort & Restaurant. It was right smack on a cliff, with good views of the ocean from almost every villa. Almost. It's right smack in the middle of Karon Beach & Patong Beach, but it is not walking distance from either of them. If you want to eat something else other than the hotel's food, the only way is a Tuk-tuk to either beach, which will cost you 200 - 300 baht per trip.

Side-tracking a bit: Though the rooms are not too shabby, this is not a hotel for the careless or elderly. As it is located on a cliff literally, it is a hilly area and sometimes the steps to our room were wet and slippery (Monsoon season), and even us almost slipped a few times. It was really too dark and not enough light shined the steps, especially at night. We had to switch on our phone's lights to shine the way, and walk very, very carefully. The staff's attitude also leaves much to be desired sometimes, with very bo-chap attitudes. One incident was when we returned to our hotel at night, and it was raining so heavily we decided to borrow an umbrella from the reception. (Amost all Villas/rooms are seperated and there is no walkway from one to another.) The staff just gave us a very annoyed expression and asked us to wait, while they chatted, no less. I got so annoyed I just told the boys we should just dash through the rain, who knows if we had to wait till midnight for an umbrella? 

Second incident was during Check-out. (Yes, there was a second.) Requested for the receptionist to call for a cab for us to the Airport, and without trying he told us there was none available. I just feel that it's very unprofessional as a hotel staff to say no to your customers when you haven't even tried. I would have left the matter as it were if you tried, but plain rejection without trying is just. Well, not professional at all.

Nevertheless, we enjoyed the small pool on our second day. Had a great view, a jacuzzi, but a whole lotta trees blocking the beautiful view, which was a bit of a waste.

On our last night, we booked a package with the hotel reception to Phuket FantaSEA. It was termed as one of the shows you cannot miss while in Phuket, and it turned out pretty amazing. It was like a huge theme park with shopping, restaurants, little bars, and animals. Remember to go in earlier than your show start so you can finish exploring everything! Too bad the show was pretty strict in regards to photography and all camera phones & cameras had to be deposited at the security counters, so I didn't manage any pictures. But: the show is so amazing that you will be marveling at. every. angle, trust me on that. Live animals, elephants, illusions, all in front of your eyes - pretty much a must-watch. (We paid 1650 baht per pax for Transfer to/from and for the show itself.)

 

And that's about it. I need to head to bed, it's 12.30am now /shock