Vietnam 2013 Part 6 – Mui Ne

The trip to Mui Ne was actually very impromptu. I decided on it on the second day in Dalat. That’s the beauty of backpacking. Just pack and go with no fixed plans. And so, I booked the bus tickets by SinhTourist to Mui Ne for VND 129 000.

The bus departs at 0730 and to my disappointment, the bus is actually a small mini bus, in which i have almost zero legroom. It sucks that I have to endure this for the next 4.5 hours. The journey is one of the bumpiest  journey ever. And even to add on my frustration, the bus driver loves to jam brake at every corner of the hill. Totally one of the worst bus rides ever.

And so, the bus will terminate at the Sinhtourist ticket office in Mui Ne. Mui ne is simply a long stretch of road parallel to the beach. It’s really easy to navigate around. I’ve booked a bed at Zenora Beach Resort for a night. You can find tons of eateries, resorts and mini-marts along the road. The room cost me USD 10 per night/bed.

Along the way, there are many pushy locals trying to advertise their guesthouse and as well as convincing you to take a ride in their motorbike taxi. I nearly quarreled with a local there. Do exercise caution and always give a firm no.

So after checking in, I went out to grab some lunch. Food there can be slightly expensive as Mui Ne mainly caters to tourists staying in resorts. However, if you are adventurous enough to walk around, u can find a decent restaurant to eat in. I booked a half-day tour to the dunes. Well, that’s all you can see in Mui Ne- the dunes!  The tour cost VND 200 000.

The jeep picked me up at 1430 and picked a few other tourists along the way. The tour consists of the white dunes, red dunes and the fairy stream. You can actually rent a bike to see the dunes, but that’s if you know the way there. However, it’s best to book a half day tour.

1- Fairy Stream. This is simply a small river with knee-deep water. The surroundings represent a much smaller version of the Grand Canyon. Do take note, there are many locals (especially kids) that would want to “show” you around and later demand a small fee from you. You DO NOT need a guide for this. It’s just simply walking along the stream to the end to see a small waterfall. And yes, you need to remove your footwear for this.

 

2- White dunes. The journey from the fairy stream to the white dunes will take approximately 30-40 minutes. Upon reaching, you will be greeted by a small white booth, with a few local guys demanding you to pay VND 20 000. All of us (in the jeep, excluding the driver) were shocked about the fact we have to pay a seperate fee while we already paid for the whole tour. Oh well, it’s just VND 20 000, but still it is very unprofessional of them to do it. And best of all, the driver was pretending to not knowing anything. There wasn’t any tickets given to us. So do be prepared for this.

You can rent a buggy to see the dunes, which cost about USD 25 for 30 minutes. But i think, it’s just a ripoff. In my opinion, it’s best to explore the dunes by foot. Do note, that the wind is really strong there and wearing sunglasses is essential. It’s like a mini sand storm and it feels like needles being poked into your skin.

Also, there will be many pushy kids trying to sell you plastic slides which you can use to slide down the dunes. Trust me, IT DOESN’T WORK. So just save the money and trouble and avoid those kids. Besides, those kids have a reputation of stealing your belongings, so just exercise caution. The best way, is to just enjoy yourself and avoid all kids there.

 

After spending a good hour at the white dunes, we headed to the Red dunes, slightly closer to the vicinity of Mui ne beach.

3- Red Dunes. To be honest, I do not like the red dunes. It’s just a ripoff for me. It’s just a huge chunk of  “red” sand with so much litter on it. And there are even more pushy kids there to sell you those slides. There won’t be any buggy rental here. Just take some nice photos of the dunes in the sunset.

 

So that sums up the Dunes tour. Overall it was ok, besides the scam at the white dunes. There are many tourist agencies along the stretch of road that you can book. You don’t have to book on the day before as most tours start at 2pm. Just simply book it in the morning.

Overall, Mui Ne was good. I enjoyed it’s peaceful setting as it’s not really that touristy. You can easily find eateries around. Prices may be slightly expensive here.  A decent bed for backpackers will cost USD 10 per night and a room in a resort may cost USD 40/ night. Just be aware of the pushy locals here and always give a firm NO if you’re not interested in any of their offers. Also do remember to bring your sunscreen here as the weather may be a scorching 35 degrees!!

Stay tuned for my next post as i venture out to Ho Chi Minh City, the last stop of my Vietnam journey!

Vietnam Part 7

Vietnam 2013 Part 4 – VinPearl land!

As promised, this is the next post on my backpacking trip. So, the next day in Nha Trang, I decided to spend a full day at Vinpearl Land!

The day started with me having breakfast at my hostel and heading out to find transportation to Vinpearl Land. Vinpearl land’s cable car station is a good 5km away from the city centre of Nha Trang. There’s a few busstops along Nguyen Thien Thuat street that indicate a bus ending it’s route at Vinpearl Land. I decided to forego the idea of taking the public bus as I do not really understand how it works. Instead, I walked for a further 1 km down the beach road, hoping to find a good deal on a motorbike taxi.

There are a few motor taxis, waiting for customers and I bargained and rejected a few, until we came out with a price of 40 000 VND. Well, it isn’t so bad paying about $2 for a 4-5km ride right? The motor taxi took me to a travel agency office near the cable car station for me to purchase the day pass. Day passes for Vinpearl Land is at 500 000 VND (entry by cable car), and 430 000 VND (by boat).

Of course, it’s most logical to go by cable car even though it might cost more. But think of it! Your gonna ride on the world’s longest cable car ride over-water. So why not? Besides, it includes a return trip too!!

And so, I’ve reached the cable car station and the motor taxi driver was kind enough to pass me his number in case I’m need of a return transport. Well, who doesn’t? At the entrance, staff will be there to check your bags. Of all things you can possibly think of, they are in fact looking for food and drinks. Apparently, Vinpearl do not allow it’s visitors to bring outside food in, so do take note!

View from cable car station

I was lucky as that day, it wasn’t filled with tourists. The cable car ride took approximately 20 minutes and it’s supported by pillars resembling the Eiffel Tower.

And so, I’m in Vinpearl! Now, i shall explain why it is such a good deal. For 500 00 VND, you get a return trip on the cable car, UNLIMITED theme park rides, water theme park rides, an underwater world and UNLIMITED video arcade games. Not forgetting, there’s some carnivals going on there too!

So, I began slowly walking around and i stumbled across something. Look at the photos!

guess what is it???

it’s a dolphin!!! yes, you can actually play with it if the time and queue permits

I started by heading to the water theme park. Lockers can be rented at about 20 000 VND, and you will be given a plastic case to store your key in it. The water theme park has some exhilarating slides, a wave pool, a lazy river and a beautiful beach where u can play some water sports.

This is far the best slide ever! it’s about 7-8 storeys high and just let gravity do the rest!

The typical “race” slide. mats are needed for these

The lazy river, DON’T BOTHER!

“family” slide

Well, I managed to capture only a few pictures of the rides, but here’s a breakdown. There’s a lazy river, in which you shouldn’t really bother. The water is really dirty with chunks of tree branches, leaves and apparently it’s just a pile of mess. There is no current there to bring you around, so just save yourselves some time and ignore this ride. Tubes can be found all over the water park and are free for use. Slide mats are also free. Some slides require the use of tubes and mats. Do note that the steel stairs used to climb up the slides can be really painful to step on. The wave pool is in good shape. There’s waves every 30 minutes and lots of tubes lying around.

The water theme park also has a beach. Surprisingly, it’s really a clean and nice beach. The water is not of Maldives standard, but I’ll assure you that the water is really clean enough such that i could see my feet when the water is around my shoulder height!  There are no waves though in this beach. The beach will be a good if you wanna escape from the crowd at Nha Trang beach. There are several bars along the beach. And the stuffs there are quite cheap! You can get a fresh cool coconut for 30 000 VND!

I spent a good 3 hours at the water theme park. Remember to put some sunscreen lotion. The sun can be really glaring in the morning! So, next was the underwater world! Now, this can’t be compared to those found in Singapore or in Bangkok, but I think for the price you pay, it’s fairly a decent attraction.

Lunch was next and there are many fast food restaurants in the park. And to my surprise, the prices are really cheap, something you wouldn’t expect in a resort theme park! A decent meal will cost you only 50 000 VND! And all meals will include drinks, so it’s really worth every penny.

Next, I took a stroll before taking any rides. Here are some of the shots I took:

The outdoor theme park, was kind of depressing. There are only about 8 rides. And they are not those of Universal Studios standard. They are just your typical carnival rides. Here’s some of the pictures:

Don’t let your spirits down. There’s an alpine coaster awaiting! The ride will take you up the hill for about 10 minutes before letting you ride down just by letting gravity do the rest! The only control you will have is the brakes. Other than that, you can choose to “free-wheel” till you reach the finish line. The whole ride will last you a good 15-20 minutes!! In my opinion, this is far the best ride in the park so far! I took it about 8 times in total!

Just some tips: Some “not-so-daring” riders will tend to brake at every corner and every slope, thus slowing down the whole ride. If you’re the “brave-thrilling” kind of person, it’s better to avoid these people in front of you, or else you just gotta brake everywhere you go, rendering the ride useless.

And next, was to try the indoor arcade games. It’s free flow. You can just start and continue your game anytime. But, some of the machines are really not working. Other than that, it offers some cheap fun. There’s also a 4D cinematic ride and a rodeo ride. Worth a visit though.

As the day gets darker, I explored the park to see what I’ve missed. And just in time, I made it for the musical fountain show! It’s at the amphitheatre closer to the chain of restaurants. The show will last you a good 15 minutes, with spectacular laser lights, powerful fountains and loud music. Some pyrotechnics were also used.

And by the time it was done, it’s already 2100. The park closes at 2200. I slowly headed back to the cable car and headed back to the mainland. Overall, I think Vinpearl is really worth a full day of fun. For the price, it’s really worth it! Do not give it a miss when you’re in Nha Trang! Do remember to try to avoid the peak season. Bring enough cash and sunscreen lotion!

That’s all for my post on Vinpearl. Stay tuned as I travel to the highlands of Dalat next!!

Vietnam Part 5

Vietnam 2013 Part 3 – Snorkeling in Nha Trang

Thanks for staying tuned to my posts!

So, after spending 3 nights at Hanoi, it’s time to bid farewell to the capital of Vietnam! The next stop on my route is the beach city of Nha Trang. Initially, I wanted to do a Hanoi-Hue-Hoi An route before going to Nha Trang, but I figured out that it’s gonna cost more and also due to the tightness of my schedule. However now, I sort of regretting not going there as I heard lots of good stuffs especially on Hoi An.

I booked a Vietnam Airlines flight from Hanoi Noi Bai Airport to Nha Trang’s Cam Ranh Airport. Taking the train from Hanoi to Nha Trang is possible but it will cost me USD 85 and will take 2 nights!! The flight cost me USD 78, so why not???  The flight took about 1.5 hours. Initially, I wanted to book Vietjet Air but after hearing about many delay issues, i decide to play safe by booking with Vietnam’s national carrier.  Do note that there is no airport in Nha Trang itself. The nearest airport is Cam Ranh airport, which is like 30km away from Nha Trang.

A321 operating VN 1557 to Cam Ranh. The livery is Cambodia’s national carrier but the aircraft is loaned from Vietnam airlines.

Flight service by Vietnam Airlines is pretty good. There’s more legroom compared to those seats on budget airlines. A small snack box containing a pudding and a fruit cake is handed out to passengers.

So after landing, I took the airport bus to the city center. Tickets are at VND 60 000 and can be bought right at the arrival gate. The signs may be in Vietnamese, but just approach the counter and ask if they provide the service to the old nha trang airport. The airport minibus will operate based on the flight arrivals. It will take about 45 minutes to reach to the old nha trang airport. From there, you can arrange your own transport to your hotel. I took a motorbike taxi which cost me VND 40 000. Do note that not all Vietnamese drivers/riders know the address that well. So, try having a local to help you write the address of your hotel in Vietnamese.

I booked my hostel, HQ hostel, for 3 nights. Dorms here cost me USD 7 per night and the price includes breakfast! So after reaching, I decided to wander around looking for places to eat.

Nha Trang is really a touristy and developed place. There are tall buildings around and strangely, many Russian restaurants. You can find many Russian expats and tourits here! And it was in Nha Trang that I saw the first fast food outlet (KFC) in Vietnam! The beach is really crowded with locals and tourists. The water, well it’s clean but not matching the standards of those beaches you see in Thailand. Nha Trang also has it’s share of nightlife which is around the Nguyen Thien Thuat and Biet Thu St area. The nightlife here isn’t as rowdy as those in Bangkok.

Night life in Nha Trang

Prices wise in Nha Trang are slightly higher than those in Hanoi. It’s a city area, what do you expect right? For those shoppers, you can shop at the Nha Trang shopping center and also a small mini night market that sells mainly souvenirs.

Just look for this prominent tower and the night market is nearby

I also booked for a snorkeling day trip for VND 300 000 by Nha Trang Tourist. Snorkeling gear, hotel transfer, lunch, fruits and bottled water are provided.

So, that’s about Nha Trang. Now, snorkeling!

The trip started off at 0800, with a 15 minute drive to the jetty for boat transfer. We went to Mun Island first and it took 30 minutes to get there. The water is really cold there and the water is clear and good enough for snorkeling. Alternatively, you can also book a diving trip to Mun Island.

We were allowed 45 minutes to snorkel here before going to another island. We went to Mot Island next for another 45 minutes of snorkeling.

Lunch was served on the boat, buffet style. Vietnamese food is served here. Lunch was okay, but you get for what you paid for, so no complaints! Fruits were also served after lunch!

After lunch, we headed to Mun Island for the last time. Here, we spent 30 minutes to snorkel and later back to the pier for our hotel transfer.

Well overall, the experience is okay. As I mentioned earlier, you get for what you paid for. But for the price, it’s really worth it considering lunch is included. The corals are not damaged and the water is clear and clean for snorkeling. The trip will end about 1600.

I wandered around the city and beach area before heading back to the hostel to call it a day.

So that’s all for now. Stay tuned for my next post, as I venture to the resort island of VinPearl!

Vietnam Part 4

Krabi 2013 Part 3 – Island hopping

And again, this post might be similar to the one in Phuket, so just bare with me again!

And so, we bought this package by speedboat for THB 1500. I loved Phiphi islands and I don’t mind going there again. And also, I love snorkeling!

The day started off raining and we were waiting in the boat for 30 minutes. We were all drenched but who cares? I’m on holiday!

Our first stop in this island hopping tour was the Bamboo island. The ride there was really rocky and a few of the passengers actually threw up! Gross!

Bamboo island beach. Looks nice? well, don’t be deceived

 

To my surprise, bamboo island isnt that nice as compared to last year. The water is dirty with rubbish. And this time, there were no fishes. Quite a disappointing experience though. My body actually itched pretty badly after swimming there. It really comes as a shock as within a few months, this island seemed to have changed a lot.

Next, we headed over to monkey beach and this time, due to the high tide and the rain, there were no beach. Instead, the monkeys are all hanging around on the trees. Our speedboat just stopped by for others to have a quick snap.

Next was Maya bay. This time , the tide is high and the waves were strong. We decided to swim with our lifejackets on just in case. Due to the rain,there were not many tourists swimming there. And somehow, this place isn’t really nice compared to the first time I went there last year. There were little bits of litters floating around. Honestly, I was kind of disappointed looking at the state Maya Bay was in.

maya bay high tide

 

We had our lunch next at Phiphi Don island and do some light shopping. Lunch was great but the seats were all taken up and some tourists actually eat standing up!

Prices there are a bit higher than in Krabi. And we had a bad experience with one of the push-cart seller there who hurled vulgarities at us just because we asked the price and didn’t buy anything from them.

Phiphi Don island

Phiphi Don island

Awesome pancakes in Thailand!

 

Snorkeling was next, and this time we headed out to 2 places to snorkel. A great experience, the same as last year. But the waters aren’t really that clear. Probably, due to the rain earlier on. After snorkeling, we went to bamboo island to pick up a few tourists before heading out to the pier at Krabi.

Water isn’t that clear though

Snorkeling

 

The next few days, we rented a motorbike and it was my first time actually riding a motorbike!! Here in krabi, there were no police setting up road blocks than in Phuket. We rode without a helmet and mainly use it to get to the beachfront and to Nopparat Thara Beach. If your looking for a quieter beach to chill, head over to NopparatThara beach, which is about 1km away from Ao Nang Beach.

Along the way, there were lots of street snacks vendor, and ofcourse the infamous pancakes! They are a  “must-try” in Thailand! Also, we tried the traditional Thai Massage for THB 200/ hour. Its a legit massage, so no hanky panky. The massage really cracked lots of my joints and indeed, I feel better after that. Massage parlors typically sell their Thai massage services at THB 200 for an hour, so no point haggling. And who the hell haggles at a massage parlor? After all, your here on a vacation!

My first time riding a bike. My face says it all

Our massage “uniform”. Don’t worry, it’s legit!

 

Well, so that sums up my Krabi experience. In conclusion, I really loved this place, more than Phuket! It’s not very touristy, prices are cheap, lots of cheap eateries around! A must go if your looking for a peaceful beach getaway. Also, a good destination for muslims as they serve more halal food here, compared to Phuket. For backpackers, I’d recommend heading here instead of Phuket if your really on a tight budget. However, do carry an insect repellent with you every where you go. I got bitten by so many mosquitoes till I got paranoid myself. 😀

We took off for Changi Airport, Singapore at 1150.

Honestly, I’m still not satisfied on my trip. I regretted not doing the 4 Islands tour, heading to Railey beach ( a must secluded but beautiful beach only accessible by long tailed boat) and exploring Krabi Town. i’m sure I will return here someday again! Well, this is it, stay tuned for more travels!

Total Breakdown of Budget (Mid-range):

Flight by Tiger Airways: SGD 160

Accomodation Haleeva Sunshine hotel (Agoda): SGD 26 per night for 5 Nights

Personal Expenses (Mid Range): SGD 450

Total: SGD 740

Flight by Tiger Airways

 

Krabi 2013 Part 1 – Ao Nang

The much anticipated holidays are here! After months and months of work, time for another getaway! And this is like my Pre-ORD trip. This time, it’s to Krabi! I’ve already been to Phuket last year, so I’m kinda expecting the same for Krabi.

We flew Tiger Airways Flight TR 2182 to Krabi Airport. Apparently, Tiger airways is the only airline that provides direct service to Krabi. Silkair used to provide this service but it stopped services probably due to the competition among airlines. The journey took 90 minutes with our flight departing at 1020.

Eagerly waiting for departure!

Tiger airways A320 aircraft serving as TR 2182

Upon arrival, we took a taxi to Ao Nang area (where most hotels and resorts are located) for THB 600. Initially, we wanted to take the public bus which costs THB 150 each, but since there 4 of us, taking the cab is a logical and better option since were still paying THB 150 each. Just tell your driver the name of your hotel and your good to go. There are counters at the airport selling tickets for transport to Ao Nang area, so there’s no need to arrange a transport before getting here. Prices are also displayed on the counters so don’t worry about scams:)

Along the way, as expected, the driver will stop at his “checkpoint” and his colleague offered to sell the activity packages. I wanted to try shopping for packages along the streets so, I declined her offer. We took the airport transfer service for THB 600. A pretty good deal!

The journey to our hotel , Haleeva Sunshine hotel, took about 40 minutes. The journey was really smooth! There were very few traffic and junctions along the way, which is a total opposite of Phuket. Indeed, my guesses about Krabi were wrong. It’s like a peaceful version of Phuket.

Upon arrival, we checked in and got the keys to our rooms. The hotel doesn’t have a lift, and so we have to climb 3 flights of stairs. And mind you, the stairs are really steep! However, I shall not complain much cause we the hotel is a good deal, which was selling at SGD 26 per night. The rooms are spacious, except for a small TV and a slide-able window in the toilet. The beds were literally mattresses on an elevated platform, which gives this “japanese feel”.

Our room!

Pool in the hotel! and the water is not green, it’s just the tiles

We put our stuffs and head out for lunch and book our activities. Mind you, it was really hot that day, even hotter than Singapore. The stretch of restaurants near our hotel are all halal, even thought they sell beer. Krabi is known to have a rather large muslim community compared to the rest of Thailand. The food prices are slightly cheaper in Phuket. For THB 50, you can get yourself a decent plate of noodles! And the restaurants serve seafood at night. After lunch, we proceeded down to the beach area and find those tourists stands to book our activities. We took 2 packages which consists of the PhiPhi island tour and the rafting+atv+elephant trekking tour. All that costs 4000 Baht per person. Originally, it costs 4500 baht. Its more expensive this time cause we opted for the 7km rafting and the 1 hour atv ride.

A super hot day in Krabi!

The street along Ao Nang Rd

How cool is this??? a van turned money changer shop

Ao Nang beach at it’s best. and this photo is not edited!

Ao Nang beach at it’s best. and this photo is not edited!

Overall, Ao Nang area is not that touristy compared to Phuket. There aren’t much nightlife here. The bars and clubs are all located in a small area along beach road. You won’t find those pushy salesman advertising the ping pong shows. Also you won’t find those prostitutes along the street like those in Phuket. Just a day here and I would say it’s really a peaceful place. Roads aren’t packed with traffic. Part of Ao Nang is developed though. There’s a macdonalds and subway outlet there. Don’t worry about not bringing alot of cash, there are plenty of ATMs out there!

Krabi Part 2

Phuket 2012 Part 2 – Island Hopping!

DAY 2Today’s itinerary is Island Hopping! Before coming here, I’ve heard tons of stuffs that visiting Phuket without doing the Phiphi island hopping tour is incomplete! So, it’s something to look forward to here! We were picked up at our hotel about 0815 and drove to the jetty for the speedboat transfer. And, we booked this tour by speedboat.Alternatively, you can do the tour by a big boat, which is well, much slower, cheaper and packed with more tourists. But, try going for the speedboat. It saves you a lot of time!

Our speedboat, the one on the right

Our tour guide is really friendly and approachable. We sat at the bow section of the speedboat and were labelled “first class”. Haha, funny guy. But that’s what you get when your in the land of smiles 😀

“first class” tourists. 😀

Our first stop is the Maya Bay, where the movie “The Beach” was filmed. The journey took 1 hour from the pier to the island. Upon reaching, I was really stunned and amazed by the serenity and beauty of this island! The water is really crystal clear! The whole place was packed with tourists though. We spent about a good 30 minutes here and off to the next destination, which is the viking cave. Here, we didn’t really enter the cave, except that we just sped by and head to the monkey beach. The monkeys here are really clever! We get to feed them actually and they aren’t really mischievous compared to the ones in Langkawi.

Reaching Maya Bay!

Nice beach, but too touristy!

Crystal clear waters!

The viking cave

Just some monkeys at monkey beach

Monkeys at monkey beach

We travelled across the Pi Lei Lagoon and the next stop was the PhiPhi Don island. Here, we had our buffet lunch (it’s included in our package tour) and just some sightseeing. The buffet lunch is surprisingly good! Asian dishes, particularly thai dishes were served here. And not forgetting, there’s fruits too! Overall, it’s really good value even though the package itself is cheap (THB 1200).  Bought my first set of souvenirs here. Do try to shop around for souvenirs as different shops will have different prices. I encountered a pushcart-shop selling a singlet for THB 250, and the a shop selling THB 150 for the same design!! And yes, don’t forget to haggle!!

Souvenir shop

Phiphi Don Island. This place was devastated by the Tsunami in 2004. Now, no signs of damage were spotted

Phiphi Don island

Just some souvenirs…

After the 1.5 hour break, we continued our tour and do some snorkeling! The speedboat stopped in the middle of the sea and we disembarked here for snorkeling. I donned the lifejacket as it’s my first snorkeling experience and I don’t wanna risk anything. Also, the sea bed has a lot of sea urchins, so playing safe is just essential. We snorkeled for a good 40 minutes before heading over to the next island.

Clear water while snorkeling!

We head over to Bamboo Island and along the way, it really started raining heavily. We rode through the strong waves at high speed and the feeling is like were on a rodeo ride. Literally, it feels like were on a crazy bull!  The journey lasted for a good 45 minutes. Our backs were all cramped up due to the journey.

Bamboo island is also flooded with tourists, playing volleyball, snorkeling and swimming. The unique thing about the beach here is, there were fishes swimming near the shores! The beach has fine white powdery sand, just like in Maya bay. You can actually swim and snorkel alongside with the fishes. I had a great time snorkeling and swimming here before heading for the mainland to conclude our island hopping tour. However, do watch out while swimming here as there are lots of sharp rocks that may leave you a huge gash in your skin!!

Bamboo Island beach

Crystal clear waters on Bamboo island. Note the huge rock in the bed of sand

Overall, we had a really great time and big thank you to our tour guide for making our trip very exciting and memorable!! I can’t remember the company but hey, thai’s are known to be very welcoming and friendly! After all, it’s the land of smiles!

We bought a DVD that comprises of the tour experience and even the underwater snorkeling experience. Apparently, there’s a video cameraman on board our boat and he has been recording our trip and even went underwater to record our snorkeling!! If your tour company has this service, get that DVD!! It’s worth it! We paid for THB1000 for it. And the best part, they will have it delivered to your hotel! First class service!!

Us with our awesome tour guide!

Phuket Part 3

Langkawi 2011 Part 2 – Island Hopping!

As promised, here’s part 2!

So, today’s itinerary is Island Hopping! This is included in the package, so there’s no way to deviate from it.

Was picked up at 0830 and dropped off at the jetty where we will be assigned to groups and speedboats.

Speedboats at the jetty

Waiting for the speedboat

There were 3 islands in the island hopping tour. First,  the Pulau Dayang Bunting, where there is a freshwater lake seperated from the seawater. Didn’t swim in the lake though. Another thing interesting about this island is that from a certain angle, you could actually see a pregnant lady lying down and there were noticeable features that resemble the head, breast and the pregnant belly! And warning!! The monkeys at Pulau Dayang Bunting are very very aggressive. I had seen the monkeys clinging onto tourists bags and even opening the zippers in search for food!

Tips for travelers: DON’T carry any big backpacks. Try sticking to small pouches if you wanna avoid those monkeys.

See the distinct pregnant lady on her back?

The entrance to the park

The fresh water lake

On of the mischievous monkeys!

The next stop is Pulau Beras Basah. This island is inhabited by lots of wild monkeys. We didn’t do that much though, except that just chilling around the beaches, soaking our feet in the seawater and busy seeing how the other tourists give the monkeys attention. And i must say, the beach sand here is even more fine and powdery that the ones in Pantai Cenang.

The clear waters of Pulau beras basah

It says it all

the jetty at Pulau Beras Basah

The last stop is not really on an island but its near an island with lots and lots of eagles!  These are wild eagles and they seemed to know that when tourists pass by, they will bring some food. And yes, our boat captain did bring along a bucket of meat. He just simply throw it and the eagles all went chasing after it. Its really nice to see eagles in such close distance.

those wild eagles

an eagle landing on the water to grab it’s food

After that, we headed to the mainland and that concludes our island hopping tour. The rest of the day was spent on lunch, dinner and just chilling by the beach and the pool. And I had shisha by the beach that night. Such a relaxing experience!

Langkawi Part 3

Langkawi 2011 Part 1

Since this is my first travel blog, I shall share my experience here even though it’s 2 years ago. Just bare with me! 🙂

Here it goes!

I booked this trip via a tour package by Five Star Tours. There was a travel fair in Singapore Expo prior to this trip which sells mostly Malaysia Tourism packages. The package was at a discount at SGD 250 (without taxes). And so since it’s been really a long long time I had a proper vacation, I extended my stay for an additional 3 nights. Total, it was a 7D6N trip for SGD 680 (including taxes). Good deal huh?

I must say this is like my first time flying after years and years of not going overseas. The flight  is by Silkair, Airbus A319 aircraft service MI 362 to Langkawi International Airport. Flight time is 1 hour. Refreshments are handed out once the plane reaches cruising altitude. Sandwiches and hot beverage were handed out. And yes, Silkair is NOT a budget airline. It’s a full fledged carrier. As the plane does it final approach, I was greeted with nice beaches, islands and scenery.

The best seat on the plane: The window wing view seat!

The plane took off and landed right on schedule. Great job Silkair!

The airport transfer service was efficient and arrived at the hotel in Pantai Cenang. Along the way to the hotel , it’s really nice to see another side of Malaysia that you don’t usually get to see. There were actually herds of cows along side the road, probably just grazing around the nearby fields. The road is also quite empty and we were speeding away.

The hotel is a 4 star hotel. Its only 2 stories high and it has this “chalet” type of concept.My room is on the second floor and its facing the pool. The hotel is Holiday Villas Beach resort & Spa Langkawi.

Hotel Lobby

View from the hotel room

View from 2nd floor

Hotel swimming pool. and it has a pool-bar!

Pantai Cenang indeed has nice fine powdery sand. Parasailing, jet skiing, banana-boating are some of the activities in the beach.

I had my first meal at the hotel restaurant and the bill quite gave me a shock! But who cares? I’m on holiday!

My first meal upon touchdown! Club sandwich

So, I spent the rest of the day wandering around the area and Pantai Cenang.

Pantai Cenang, closer to the Hotel

Pantai Cenang at it’s best

Thats me in 2011! imagine waking up every morning to this view.

Shall continue the post. Stay tuned for Part 2!

Langkawi Part 2