Halong Bay trip

Early in the morning, set off for Halong Bay trip, which costs US$30 per pax. 3hrs bus ride to Halong City before we embarked on our boat trip to the Bay. Amazing scenery!

Met a Singaporean couple on the trip. The guy had been travelling for 3months (around China, Tibet, and SouthEast Asia) and he had quit his job before he started his journey. Met a Scotish guy - Steve, who had been travelling for 6 whole months! And he is going to continue his travels till the end of the year. WOW! Anyway, he is going to start his own business - A travel agency in Scotland. Next time when I go Scotland, I'll get free accomodation and tour! If anyone is going to Scotland, drop me a note. I can get him to bring you guys around or recommend places to go (probably at a discounted rate)

Went to visit the caves, stopped for a dip in the water and kayaking. The weather was really good, bright sun for the trip. We were so lucky! The day before, it was raining almost all day long! Sat on the top deck to await for the sunset. Real beautiful!

Just as the sun set, everyone decided to jump into the water! I did as well..after much hesitation. It was fun, almost like committing suicide, only not landing on ground. Swam our way towards the neighbouring boats and back. The water was a little cold and not very clean, but whatever! Overnight stay on the boat.

Did not manage to capture me jumping off the deck. This is me in the water after the jump

Swimming towards the neighbouring boat

Drama unfolded the next day. A lot of people were unhappy with the tour package as it was not as promised to them when they booked through some other agencies. Well the thing in Hanoi is, alot of the tour agencies promise more than what is to be offered. They sell the tours but they do not organise them. Another company does. So some of the people onboard were not happy that they did not go to places as promised. We were supposed to go to a floating market the 2nd day but did not as the boat captain refused the request. A huge argument followed with the boat captain and passengers shouting at each other. It was rather chaotic. The French guy spat on the money he used to pay the boat captain as he was really pissed off with the whole arrangement. The guide was the poorest thing in the whole saga. He had no control over the itinery. He was only following instructions from the company and also had to follow the boat captain's orders. In the end, a complain was lodged with the company and they agreed that they were in the wrong. Steve went to settle the complain and he got a refund of US$6! Damn it, I should have followed him. But overall the trip was alright. Beautiful scenery of the Bay. Word of advice, go for the more reputed agencies. Pay more and you get more and better service.

Surfed the night away. What to do, I love my Internet and MSN chatting. Last night in Hanoi and last night of my 2 weeks getaway :(

Hanoi

Early morning flight to Hanoi at 11.45am on Air Asia. Arrived in hanoi at 1.45pm and was greeted with pouring rain and dampened heart (due to the rain). Boarded the minibus which did not take off after 20minutes. Decided to take the cab with a French traveller, Steve, on the same minibus. Ended up checking into the same hostel. Hanoi Backpackers Hostel.

Went for a walk around Hanoi city. The beautiful Hoan Kiem Lake is just 5minutes walk from the hostel.

One thing to note in Hanoi -- Zebra crossings are UseLess!! The motorbikers are oblivious to the fact that zebra crossings are drawn on the road surface. It takes skills to cross the road. You have to avoid the cars and motorbikes (not the other way round) and do not hesitate to cross the road, else you will never get to the other side.

Hanoi has a sort of old quarter charm. Everything is not so modern, even the buildings are a little run-down. Very different from the noisy and bustling city of Bangkok. It gets a little boring after a day or two.

Walked to the bridges - Long bien and Chuong Duong Bridges that connect Hanoi with the other island. It was a REALLY LONG walk. I think it took at least 40 minutes, but I persevered on. The view there was AMAZING!

Paddyfields. View from the Long Bien Bridge

This is the Chuong Duong Bridge

Went shopping at the local wet market for my dinner. Spent S$2 for the grocery (just bought vegetables). The locals LOVE their French baguettes. These are sold everywhere on the streets.

The hostel is great, especially for its free internet service. Surfed my time away at night after dinner.

Bangkok is "Evil"!

1st stop in Bangkok - Chatuchak Market!This is the place where I fell to temptation. Half my budget goes into this place, it is that dangerous. This is the result of my victories stay in Bangkok:

A dress, a skirt, a bikini, a backpack, Boots products, pork floss sticks.

Got bored walking around Chatuchak and went to get a Henna done for 200 Baht. Pretty cool yar.

Went to the night bazaar at Lumphini to do some more shopping.

I must say Bangkok has changed ALOT since my last visit. There are shopping centres EVERYWHERE!! It is so much like Singapore. Every MRT station has a shopping centre next to it. It has become so much busier and crowded.

The thing about being tan..I got mistaken for a Thai EVERYWHERE in Bangkok, and even Chiangmai! People will just start speaking to me in Thai, and I would just stare at them. Only when I replied "what?" will they realise I am not Thai! Haha..

Oh, and the hostel I stayed in - Bangkok Hostel at Sukhumvit Soi 23. It is a new hostel, just 2mths old when I moved in. The good thing - i was the only one in my dorm. So I paid 290B for 1 bed, and ended up having the whole room of 8 beds to myself! Haha how great right! Anyway the hostel is pretty good. The staff is nice and breakfast included (normal toast and eggs). Just a note though: The dorm has no air-conditioning unless 3 people are staying over. So yupz, I did not have air-con, only a fan, but it was alright as it was not hot or stuffy. It should get busier as time pass. It has double and triple room as well!

Total damage in Bangkok : About 3,500 Baht (equivalent to about S$150+). Yes, Bangkok is evil.

Last day in Chiangmai - 5th August

Up to Doi Suthep early in the morning, also known as the Mountain temple. Had to climb up the steps but it's easy after the trekking trip. Breathtaking view from the top. The nicest temple in Chiangmai. Got my blessing from the monk there.
Went to a very cool cafe called Fern Forest Cafe. It was a really nice place! Tables set within the small garden in the home of the owner. The dessert was great! Had passionfruit juice and white chocolate chessecake. Yummy.
Taking the overnight train to Bangkok tonight. Bought a sleeper bed, looking forward to the train ride.

Turned out the beds are alot more comfy than expected. So much better than the sleeper beds in the trains in Russia. Got my seat changed from the upper bunk to the lower bunk (which is beneficial to me as I paid less for upper bunk). This chance of fate brought upon a friend whom I met onboard the train! Nathan from England. He had changed to an earlier train and happened to be my bunk mate (he's on the upper bunk). We chatted throughout most of the train ride. He is an intelligence officer (something like a CID or undercover). Sounds really cool and interesting job yeah. He's been travelling for more than 1month, for a total of 2 months! How I envy that! I want to travel for 2 months! I shall aim for that next year, a really long vacation!

Nath, if you're reading this -- Hope you had a great time at the beach. Betcha got your diving licence already and a little more tanned. Well, I should have gone Ko Tao with you and get my diving licence! Keep in touch.

The lady on duty helped to make our beds and she was really efficient and fast! You guys must try the overnight train in Thailand. Get the lower bunk, 50Baht more expensive than the upper bunk but alot more spacious (bigger bed) and with a window beside.

Last day of trekking trip

1st itinery for our last day is the elephant ride!45 minutes on the elephants who were walking all around, tearing down tree trunks and leaves on the way. One particular elephant went bizzare and scared the shit out of the siblings on it. The elephant just went climbing up a hill to grab leaves!

After the elephant ride, it time for Adventure! Whitewater rafting! This is our group photo, us in life jackets and bright coloured helmets. From left: Jake, Jeff, Shelly, Michel, Dave, Paul, Judith, Me, Hanna and Oz.

The rafting was SHORT, way too short, only half an hour and not Exciting enough. Well, there are better waters for rafting elsewhere in the world. Went for a short bamboo rafting before we had our lunch of pad thai. Then, it was back to Chiangmai, end of the adventure.

Went walking around Chiangmai, visiting the temples in the late afternoon under the sweltering heat.

This is Wat Chedi Luang.

This is Wat Prasingh. The little monks are all seated inside the temple chanting.

This is Wat Boopparam.

After a while, all the temples looked the same. Oh well, what's a trip to Chiangmai without visiting the temples.

Went to the night bazaar to shop around. Nothing much interested me, 'cos I will be heading to Bkk the next day. Could not buy too many things at my 1st stop. Went for a short foot massage to heal my aching legs from the 3D trekking.

Day 2 of trekking trip

Early morning breakfast of toast and eggs and bananas. After which is a 2hour trek to our destination of the day -- The Waterfalls!! This is the smaller waterfall where we stopped for some water dipping and lunch of instant noodles in vegetable soup.
On to another bigger waterfall for another dip in the cooling water! This waterfall is so much bigger!After the waterfall, hike on to our stop for the day. A night in the bamboo hut and candlelight curry dinner yet again. FYI, the curry is not spicy at all, so I had to ask for more chilli.

Day 1 of the trekking trip

Yippie finally the start of my trekking trip. Never done trekking before, Singapore does not have any mountains to trek.
Early in the morning at around 10am, the whole group from all over Chiangmai were picked up in this small truck, 9 of us to be exact.
Stopped at a local market where our guide, Good (well it is pronounced that way), shopped for ingredients for our meals.
Saw some creepy crawlies on sale. Grasshoppers, locusts, and some other inserts fried to crisp for consumption. Eeks...

After a lunch of fried rice, we started our 3hours trek! Let's march on!
Up, up and more uphill during the 3hrs trek. I'm glad that I am atheletic at home. It makes it so much easier to do trekking. Lots of river crossings like thisAnd finally we reached our destination for the day! The village! Really great scenery up on top of the mountains. Greenery and more greenery, never have I seen so much green!

Had a quiet candlelight dinner (i mean it literally). After dinner, we sat around the fire playing cards (Yanneth or something that sounds like that) taught by the Israelies in our group - Shelly, Oz and Michel. Fun card game and I must say I must had been real lucky to win the game. Everyone went to bed early, snoozing off in our room by around 9pm.

My first ever night out at the villages. It was like back to the olden days with no electricity or fan. Candles or torchlights were the only source of light. It was kinda cool to live this kinda life once in a while. The toilet was outside of the hut, and due to the lack of light, everyone did not drink water after dinner so that we did not have to wake up in the middle of the night and walk down to the toilet. I would like to try this kinda life again..

Arrival in Chiangmai

1st August 2006, the date I fly off to my destination - Chiangmai, after I removed my stitches.

The flight was delayed for about 1 hour, all thanks to some bloody technical faults. Damn it. Ended up reaching Chiangmai at 8.30pm and by the time I got to my guesthouse it was around 9pm. Checked into Julie Guesthouse, cheap and cool place to stay. Paid 90Baht per night for a single room with fan (no air-con but it was alright). This is my room, with all my things spread out on the bed.

Settled my check-in, trekking trip for the next day and my train ticket to Bangkok within half an hour. Yes, I'm going for a 3D2N trek on the following day!so excited. Pack my bag for the trek and go to sleep. Tired from the whole day of travelling. Until tomorrow...

Prelude to my Trip

Finally decided on where to go for these 2 weeks. Initially wanted to go Cambodia for the amazing Angkor Wat, but was dissuaded by many people that i should not go alone, or wait till next year 'cos they want to go next year. Well, what to do then? Chiangmai! Ok, do not ask me why I chose Chiangmai. I still do not know what went on my mind when I decided on Chiangmai. I wanted to go Thailand, especially Bangkok since I've not been there for 2 years. But Bangkok alone is BORING, so decided to choose 1 more place near Bangkok, and that's Chiangmai.

After doing much research, I found that Chiangmai is actually quite interesting - visits to the Wats (temples), hill tribes trekking etc. So I shall happily plan my trip to Chiangmai, Bangkok then Hanoi. Why Hanoi? Hm, curiosity I suppose. Actually was supposed to meet a friend in hanoi when he travels down from China, but he's enjoying Mongolia so much that he has extended his stay in Mongolia and couldn't meet me in time. Ok, Sebastien, you should know I'm talking about u here. Don't feel 'guilty', hope u had a really great time in Mongolia, and share the experience with me, part of my research for the next destination.

Did all my research and planning via the power of INternet! It's an amazing tool! Lonely planet, travelfish websites with lots of comments from fellow travellers and advice. No need to buy the big lonely planet travel guide which is expensive and I don't think it's a good idea to buy one for every place though.

All my friends out there have been amazed and shocked to learn that I'm going to travel alone. I guess it's not in our culture to do this sorta thing, we'r afterall still asians and not the europeans or westerners. But i think it is a great experience. It was pretty tough convincing my parents though. Also, I just had my wisdom teeth extracted 1 week before and going to remove the stitches the day I fly. These are my wisdom teeth, don't worry they have been cleaned (not bloody anymore)

So alot of people are amazed by my great plan, how seamless it is.
So here I go. My 1st ever blog on my travels. Maybe I'll do one for Russia, back track a little. I'll see how it goes after I complete this.

Russia Rendevous Part 3 - The Last Stop

Back to Moscow!

Yes, we arrived back to Moscow and checked into the same hostel, much to our surprise and amusement!

We checked into our rooms much earlier than the check-in time, and the receptionist, being a little blur as we had just awoken her from her slumber, brought us to our room which was still occupied. Surprisingly, the room was not locked and when we opened the door, we saw a naked couple sleeping in the far end bed. Yes naked and cuddling. And there was a lady sleeping alone in the bed near the door. So this set us thinking and wondering about the various scenarios that happened the night before. Anyway we were all rather shocked and speechless, but when we walked out, we all started to LAUGH!!

Lenin's mausoleum with St Basil at the back

1st stop of the day - To visit Uncle Lenin's preserved body! 1 point to note, do not bring camera as you will have to deposit them and pay a non-refundable deposit fee! So Angry! Anyway, the atmosphere inside the mausoleum is damn tense and uncomfortable. There were guards EVERYWHERE! And everyone was so stern! The body looks fake as well..Might be the result of the perservatives.

St basil cathedral is just behind and it is another Lego-like church.

This lunch costs us about S$20 each! Exorbitant!!!

After lunch dessert - Ice cream. Yes we went ince-cream crazy in Russia. An ice-cream a DAY!!But I still lost weight..

Our DIY dinner! That's russian meat pancake with vegetable soup and bread. Yes, we LOVE to take pictures of food.

Last day in Moscow - Feeling down as we had to fly back to Singapore soon. Anyway, it was a relaxing day as we had visited the places we planned, so we were just walking around. Went for a walk to Gorky Park, an amusement park which was really amusing to us as it was rather deserted..And did not seem too exciting.

We decided to visit the Dolls museum but could not find it in the end as it had moved from its original location and nobody knew where it moved to. Wasted trip AGAIN. So we decided to go to the convent. Before that, we stopped by a really cool supermarket! THe design is really BEAUTIFUL that you would not believe it is a supermarket!

Made our way to the convent without knowing the exact location. But by a stroke of luck, we met someone who spoke rather good english and guided us to the place. Well, nothing much to say about the place as it is a convent. Keke..Churches overkill in Russia.

The highlight of the day - MOscow Circus! Yes it was the day of the opening match of World Cup between Germany and Costa Rica, but we decided to watch Moscow Circus because we were in Moscow! It should not be missed! The ticket is CHEAP!! We got ours for 100 roubles each (S$6), which is cheaper than watching a movie, and by the advice of the local, we moved down to a much better seat when the show started, which meant that we paid little for the more expensive seats! Haha..The show was great! It had been too long since my last circus visit..Really too long ago. But there were no lions or tigers...Great acrobatic performances. Felt like we were back to when we were kids, sitting in the tent, watching the performances with popcorns in our hands..

And it is adious to Russia on Saturaday 10 June. With heavy hearts, we left for the airport in the early morning. How sad....Another 14 hours of flight back home, this time with a lousy inflight entertainment that we could not control. Slept a little more this time but still not very much. 1 more week of leave back home before I face work again.......

Yes, Russians generally do not look friendly, a little fierce even! Must be the communism ruling. But there are exceptions (rare though) And St Petersburg is a much more friendlier place than Moscow. Practice your Hand Language!You'll need it in Russia

For more pictures, visit my online photo album www.dianshan.shutterfly.com

Till next travel/blog, Dian Shan OUT!!

Russia Rendevous Part 2

2nd Stop - St Petersburg

Overnight train arrived in St Petersburg around 10am the next morning. Tired. Checked into our hostel - All Seasons Hostel, which is tucked in a quiet corner within some rather old estates. The hostel is filled with locals and too smoky (russians smoke ALOT!).

Our friend did not manage to arrive in the morning, so we set off to sight see without her.

Headed off to Peter & Paul Cathedral. Alot of reconstruction was taking place, destroying the beauty of the place. Much better off looking at postcards, which I bought. Great weather that day, with the sun high up and the day cooling. Met a French guy, Frederick, who was on vacation alone. Nice guy, who is interested in coming over to Singapore to work.

Dinner was DIY of russian dumplings and soup. Met Sebastien, our German friend while having dinner. He was and still is on holiday before he starts work in the later half of the year. He is travelling down through the Trans-Siberian Rail. How cool is that! And our friend - Pei'ru finallly arrived at night!

NExt day is another day of Museums! Before that, we went to purchase our overnight train back to Moscow. It was not easy! The russian lady at the counter did not know English, and we had to struggle to let her know what we wanted. Luckily, a Russian behind us knew English and was able to help us. Yes, it was a rather long affair and we finally bought our 3rd class sleeper tickets. Much cheaper than the 2nd class, about S$39.

Move on to the Museums and Churches! Their churches are so Lego-like and colourful!

Visited the Russian Museum, one of the famous Museums and must go places. It is HUGE!! With lots of art paintings and sculptures on display. Sorry to say, I'm not an artistic person and truly could not really appreciate them. Met Sebastien at the Museum, what a coincidence! Ended up touring around with him that day.

1 Thing I must say abt St Petersburg - IT IS COLD!! The 2nd day started fairly cooling, and it just got worse! Freezing man! THe wind is the culprit...

Magnificent fountains in Peterhof!!

3rd day in St Petersburg is the Coldest and the most beautiful! We went to Peterhof! We went there with thick jackets but were still freezing. As the place is near the gulf, the wind was especially strong and it was drizzling that day, which made it worse! It is really AMAZING! The scenery is great, the place is great! Especially the fountains! This is the most beautiful place, and a must visit! TOo bad the day we went, it was raining and COLD, which kind of spoilt the mood a little.

Last day in St petersburg, another museum! The Hermitage! As students, we got in for FREE!! It is really HUGE, with displays of paintings, artifacts, sculptures, etc of different era and countries. Spent half a day there walking around and around. The rest of the day we just spent it by walking along the streets. We tried the Russian breads with fillings, not bad tasting.

Overnight train to Moscow, well, the 3rd class is fair enough. Think we paid too much to get a 2nd class as there is actually not much difference.

Russia Rendevous

1st Stop - Moscow!

31 May 2006, flew off to my long awaited destination of the year - Russia. 1st stop of the tour will be Moscow! So glad that we managed to fly off on the last day of the promotional ticket, saved us at least S$800.

Arrived in Moscow early in the morning..So tired, did not sleep well throughout the flight (busy watching the inflight entertainment). Took the airport train to the city for 120 roubles (~S$8) and it took 45 minutes.

Took the famous metro to our hostel. The metro stations are really BEAUTIFUL!! All marbles decoration...

Checked into Godzillas Hostel (great choice of hostel) and went off to sight see! How exciting! Nice weather that day..Just cooling.

1st stop - Tretyakov Gallery. With our student card on hand, half price off the entrance fee! Oh man, how glad I am to have applied for ISIC card!

Saw rainbow across the Moscow River! Amazing view!

Followed the aroma of chocolate to the Moscow Red October Chocolate Factory! Yes, bought some Russian chocolates (but some people find them weird tasting)

Next stop - Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. yes the churches in Russia all have very long and interesting names. You'll find out more later.

2nd day - The famous, well known Kremlin! Could not get into the Armoury Chamber, much to the disappointment of Mei Mei, as all the tickets were purchased by the bloody, money-sucking travel agencies. Did not get to see the coronation eggs.

Anyway went to visit the inside of Kremlin. All the churches! Very beautifully designed and built. All the long, interesting names...

The Annuciation Church

Must stop by the famous shopping center in Moscow - GUM. Nothing much to buy there as the things are really expensive! But the shopping center is really nice. Bridges across the parallel blocks, and statues and fountains within. Well, if only we have such shopping centers in Singapore...

Got a little bored at night (nothing much to see for the day) so we decided to hunt for cinemas but unfortch, since English is a minority, the only English movie on screen is Da Vinci Code which Mei Mei has watched and at a unsuitable timing. So we passed.

On Saturaday, it's Shopping time! The Izmaylovskaya weekend market! It is just a really HUGE flea market or pasar malam as we call it in Singapore. Clothes, sunglasses, jeans, shirts, shoes, you name it you have it here! Really too huge to walk the entire area! But I did not splurge here..On a tight budget..The design of the market is really cool..looks like Disneyland from afar which colourful cute buildings.

Me wearing the sunglasses I bought! Yes, those are bikinis behind me, did it on purpose.

My only spending here was for a pair of sunglasses for 100 roubles (~S$7). This is when a Russian bloke approached me and started chatting me up. OUt of courtesy, I chatted back a while before hurrying off.

Managed to find an American cinema and watched X-Men: The Last Stand for 250 roubles (~S$16) expensive but we had nothing much to do as we waited for our overnight train at midnight to St Petersburg.

Well, the beds weren't really fantastic. Small and slightly cramp, did not really sleep well on the train. For the money paid, it really wasn't fantastic.