Wednesday, 2 March 2016

Thailand: Bangkok (Arrival in 2016)

It has been a while since the last time we updated our travel blog. We have been busy with works, kid and travels. This year, it is time to travel back to Thailand again. This year is a bit challenging because we have our little one joining in our family. This was a bit challenging for me with such a long international flight without my husband's help. I tried to manage a few hours of layovers in each transit as little as possible. Unfortunately, we had snowstorm the night before we supposed to fly in early morning, but we could not. All the flights were cancelled, and I had to book our flights from Canada to Thailand again. Due to limited seats and many people rebooked their flights, we could get our flights confirmed 2 days later. It might be a good idea that snowstorm happened at that night. That means we, as passengers, could fly anywhere till we got to Bangkok, Thailand. I booked our flights with Air Canada, and they normally fly through Hong Kong, Korea and Japan. I selected the choice that we wanted to fly directly from Canada to Thailand without overnights anywhere due to a child's concerns. Then I told the airline that I wanted to fly through London, UK and that saves our time to fly less hours than expected when comparing to those countries. I was a bit nervous to fly with our young child alone and a lot of stuff to carry along and 4 checked baggage. Luckily, all the checked baggage checked through all the way to Thailand, so that left me worry-free in London, UK. When we arrived in UK, everything was smooth and we did not have to go through custom immigration. While waiting for boarding with Thai Airways (A380), we could walk around and did some shopping. In Heathrow airport in the UK, there is a play area to kill time. If you have young children, this might be the place. If you fly to Asia, the terminals are pretty far from this play area. Please make sure you check your time and get to terminals in time for boarding your next flights.

When we boarded A380. I was surprised how huge this plane was. I thought I would not have a chance to fly this type of aircraft since my husband and I have travelled a lot together in the past. We were so lucky to board this plane because travelling with a young child, there is so much leg room and that our child's legs could not reach the back of front's seat. The crew was so friendly and played with children when they were not on duty. Everything went well until we arrived in Bangkok. I was worrying about the checked baggage and how I would handle that alone because I had to have our child on a stroller with 2 carry-on bags. Luckily, I could find and paid a ground helper who delivered our checked baggage till we saw our family at the exit.

Here we were in Bangkok, Thailand. It was the first time that my family saw our child. They had not seen me for over 3 years. I could say that things have been changed a lot since I left the airport. One thing that I still saw was people's smile and respect. These symbols/tradition are forever with Thai people. Our child was surprised how things were changed from where we came from. I explained him from places to places, little by little and it was only a few weeks, he could adapt himself into routines in Thailand. It was a big change for a young child such as weather, day/night time, food, people, places, language, etc. Tonight we would sleep really well after our long flights.

Saturday, 16 February 2013

Fried Rice with sausages



Servings: 3-4 


Ingredients

  1. 5 cups of cooked rice
  2. chopped or sliced sausages (Pork, Beef or Chicken as alternatives)
  3. 1 sliced onion
  4. 3 chopped green onions
  5. 1/2 chopped red pepper (alternatives: green/yellow/orange peppers as alternatives)
  6. 2 teaspoons of olive oil
  7. 3 teaspoons of soy sauce
  8. 1/2 teaspoon of salt
  9. 1/2 teaspoon of sugar
  10. 1/2 teaspoon of ground pepper

Direction


  1. In large nonstick pan, heat olive oil over medium-high temperature. Add chopped or sliced sausages and stir them until brown.
  2. Add chopped red pepper and sliced onion then stir them until they are cooked (few mins for stirring). 
  3. Add cooked rice, ground pepper, salt, sugar, soy sauce then stir them altogether for 3-4 mins. 
  4. Reduce the hot template temperature to low-medium setting then add chopped green onions. Stir them altogether with the rest of ingredients for a few mins. Ready to serve. 






Honey Chicken with Red Sauce

Recipe will come later.

Saturday, 12 July 2008

Australia: Perth (Perth City)

Australia is the third country for relocation. It was great to live and travel around in Australia. Perth is a capital city of Western Australia. It is quieter than Sydney, but the beaches are more beautiful than the east coast. That is in my opinion based on my travels across Australia. I found Australia is a great country with really great weather. The weather is around 14-18 degree celcius when it is in winter. On the other hand, the summer is extremely hot which is around 25-40 degree celcius. There is not much rain here per year (15-20 days approx). The beach is really close to Perth city, it takes 15-20 mins by car. Beaches in Western Australia are all awesome. People are multicultural and friendly and there are a lot of immigrants; European, Chinese (but still less than the East Coast).

Swan River is the main river in Perth, and this river will be merged with the Ocean Indian in Fremantle. They have a wine cruise or if you want to rent a speed boat and drive it to Fremantle if you wish.

Many people may think Australia is cheap for a cost of living. Since I had been living there for three years, I found the cost of living was pretty expensive when comparing to the East Coast. Absolutely! The house price in the East Coast may be more expensive than the West Coast but when you buy groceries, you will see what I mean.

Anyway, it took time for a while to find a nice condominium with a good view, so I explored the city a little bit. There are some popular places that you should not miss if you are in Perth. London Court is where you will find cheap stuff such as boots (Ugg)or wool sweater. Some shops sell good quality but some do not. You have to be lucky if you find the right one. I am not a fan of Ugg boots, so I have no suggestion for this. This area is pretty nice and the feeling of English culture a bit. Many tourists come here for taking photos here. The shopping area is close to London Court, so you can walk along the strips or corner to corner.

Another place is Supreme Court. In front of the Supreme Court, there are kangaroo statues. They are pretty symbolized for Perth. Behind the Supreme Court, there is nice park where people can hang out. Sometimes people hold the big event here.

Town Hall (the clock) is where the landmark of Perth city as well. I found it was unique and look British style like Big Ben in London.

Another landmark of Perth is Swan Bells. If you want to explore the inside of the Swan Bells, you have to pay A$10. I am not sure if the price may be changed by now, but what I paid was in 2008. The Swan Bells is really beautiful at night because there are different lights come out from the Swan Bells. If you stay or live near here or across the Swan river (the area is called South Perth), you will see this at night and it is really beautiful. The most expensive and best view for houses/ condominium is in South Perth. Locals find that this area is the most expensive. Luckily, I took my time to look for the nice condominium and I finally got it in South Perth. My balcony was toward to the city. That means when they have any celebration or had fireworks, especially Australian day, I could see them from my balcony. The transportation here is pretty access such as bus, train or boat. Everywhere you go, there are always bike tracks along the parks. I found South Perth has the best park when comparing to the neighborhood nearby. Many parks have BBQ places available but you need to bring some coins and bring your own meat/sauce if you like to do BBQ!


London Court



Supreme Court

Supreme Court


Park behind the Supreme Court



Town Hall


Cruise along Swan River


The Swan Bells






Thursday, 20 March 2008

Thailand: Krabi

Koh Lanta is located in Krabi, Southern Thailand. The best time to go there is between February and May. That means you may likely pay more in flights and accommodation. We went there when it was in March, so the price was not too expensive. We considered to go to Lanta Island. There are many places to go in Krabi. Another famous one that you should not miss is Railay. Railay and Koh Lanta are a bit far apart. I am not sure how long it takes but it will probably take about 1-2 hours by car. There are some tour agencies that could take you from place to place but the tour may be more expensive because these two places are not in the same area or nearby.

We chose to go to Koh Lanta because it's more quiet and pristine beaches than Railay area. In Koh Lanta, there are many nice and beautiful  beaches such as Kaw Kwang Beach, Klong Dao Beach, Pra Ae (Long Beach), Klong Khong Beach, Klong Nin Beach, Klong Jark Beach (Waterfall Beach) and Ba Kan Tiang Beach.

If you go to Ba Kan Tiang beach, you may be subject to national admission fee as it is a national park. It is sometimes included in the tour price or excluded, depending on the conditions of the tour agencies. This place you would see the nicest beaches in Koh Lanta and you could see dragon komodo if you are lucky! Make sure you should not feed them because you never know if you might be bitten accidentally. The tour normally ranges from $60 to $80 depending on where your hotel is. This is a one day tour but it gives you enough time to relax and enjoy the nice pristine beach in Ba Kan Tiang. Lunch is normally provided in the tour price, but it is better to check with the tour agency before you consider to buy it.

As mentioned above, there are many nice beaches in Koh Lanta, we stayed in Klong Klong beach because it is more quiet but the disadvantage is there are too many rocks close to the shore. That means you could not even swim but you could see the nice sunset. If you look for the cheaper price of hotel stay, this may be your choice.

After riding the motorcycle around the beaches, Pra Ae (Long Beach) is the best and beautiful beach after Ba Kan Tiang Beach. This is the good place for swimming. There are many hotels situated in this beach but the price may be higher.

If you know how to ride a motorcycle, I would suggest to rent a bike. We paid $12 per 3 days, so it is easy to get around the island.

To get there, if you depart either from Bangkok or from Phuket, you have to make sure you arrive in Krabi. Normally, it depends on the airlines. If you take Air Asia (low cost airline), it normally takes you to Krabi (Lanta) with the shuttle bus service with free of charge. If you take other airlines, you may have to take a bus, a van or hotel car. Normally, you will get this from the airport but it may be a bit confusing for some people. Unless you prefer paying $80-$100 from Krabi airport (if taken other airlines except Air Asia), someone will pick you up at the airport.

Tips: Koh Lanta may be a bit more quiet than Railay, so some areas may be conservative due to Muslim community. If you want them to respect you, please make sure you wear your pants at knee length (This is my observation!).















Saturday, 1 March 2008

Thailand: Bangkok (Vachirabenjatas Park)

Vachirabenjatas Park or Rot Fai Park is situated in Chatujak district, Bangkok. There are many activities to do. This park is one of the nicest parks in Bangkok. This park allows you to rent a bike and a boat. When I went there, I rented a bike because I wanted to see many things around the park as much as possible. If I remember it right, I paid 20 Baht (around 5 cents). Price may remain unchanged or may be gone up a bit now.

This park has a butterfly park inside, so you could see all kinds of butterflies here. If you love cycling or running, this may be the place for you. It will be a great relaxation on the weekend for families and friends.

To get there, you can take either MRT or BTS and get off at Chatujak station. Do not get confused with Chatujak Park and Vachirabenjatas Park. They are nearby and they both are huge, so you have to make sure you walk further parallel with the traffic (same direction), you will find it. The easiest way is if you take MRT, there will be the sign to tell you which exist you need to take. Once you are out from MRT station, you will see a little entrance of Vachirabenjatas Park.

This park is open every day but will have a lot of people on the weekend because this park is close to Chatujak weekend market, where is the biggest outdoor weekend market in Southeast Asia.






Friday, 21 December 2007

India: Goa

Goa is a smallest state by area in India. This is one of the most popular beaches that locals like to go. When they told us it was like their dreamed destination. We finally tried to go and we wanted to see how it was. This is one of many Indian beaches that tourists should go.

Many architectures were built with a combination of different styles or in combination such as Islamic, Indian and Portuguese. The hotel price is various, depending on where you want to stay in Goa Island. If you love shooting and enjoying the sunset, this may be the place for you!

I must say that the weather was pretty hot when we were there even though it was in December. People were really friendly and we were impressed with a lot of things.

To get there, you could either take a plane from New Delhi or from Mumbai.





Saturday, 18 August 2007

Thailand: Bangkok (Temple of Dawn)

Temple of Dawn of Wat Arun is situated in Bangkok, Thailand. This Buddhist temple has an influence from the Hindu god Aruna. This temple has existed since the 17th century and has unique spires built during the King Rama II. This temple is one of the most beautiful Buddhist temples in Bangkok.

To get there, there are many ways to get to this temple, but many tourists prefer going there by boat. That means they will take either a tailed boat or regular boat. If you want to sightseeing along Chao Praya River, this may be a good option.

There is the admission fee for foreigners and it is open from 8.30 am to 5.30 pm daily. Please make sure you wear long pants and tops with short sleeves. This is the way to respect the place and  the locals will treat you with respect.

If you are in Bangkok, you should not miss this temple. Also, the two big giants are the highlight of this temple. Do not miss this as well!






Friday, 10 August 2007

Thailand: Phang Nga

Phang Nga is in the South of Thailand and is on the Andaman Sea. If you are in Phuket, you could buy a day tour to Phang Nga easily. I paid 1600 baht for this day trip in  2007, so I assume the price may be higher now! Anyway, if you go with the tour, you could visit many places in one day and it is worth your money.

In Phang Nga, tourists can take a longtail boat in order to see different caves, especially James Bond Island (or called Koh Tapoo). I do not have to go in details about James Bond movie because they filmed in this location before! This place  has the cave on the beach as well, if you are interested in seeing limestone cave. You should not miss!

Some travel agencies may have a day tour for kayaking to caves. You could have a day tour or half day tour if you wish. I did the kayaking a couple of times. There was one cave but I could not recall the name, it was really beautiful and is wide open and encompassed with this cave. It was really great experience!

The last trip of this day tour is to go see the villagers, they live along the sea and people are so friendly! Try seafood if possible, that place is awesome!






Thailand: Phuket (PP Island, Similan Island & Chalong Temple)

I think most people know Phuket. Phuket is popular for beautiful beaches and Phuket is ranked for the best world beach in the world for many years. The best season to go to Phuket is summer (Feb-Apr) if you want to see nice crystal clear beach and water. One of the best islands that I love is Similan Island but I will talk about both Similan Island and PP Island.

The most beautiful and famous temple in Phuket is Chalong Temple or Wat Chalong.  This is the temple of Phuket people who come to pay homage. This temple is really beautiful both interior and exterior. You should not miss this temple if you are in Phuket.

Another place that you should not miss before you want to head to the island, you should go to Laem Promthep. It is huge beautiful big panorama view of Phuket. The sunset view is awesome in this place. Again, if you want to explore Phuket around before heading to the island, you should rent a car or buy a cheap package or a day tour. It will be more places where I am talking here such as market tours or any other places for shopping. If you want to be in the mainland, you could rent a car or take a bus to Patong beach. This takes about 30 minutes from the airport. There are many beaches here too, but I found PP island and Similan island are the best beautiful islands in Phuket. You should arrange your day tour or 3 days 2 nights with the travel agency and they will tell you what is included in the package. You should book it before you arrive in Phuket. If you buy the package up front or at the hotel, it may double in price. The better you are well-prepared, the cheaper you will get!

There are some tourists who want to camp in Similan Island. This is part of National Park as well, you have to make sure that the admission fee is part of your package or you may have to pay the fee separately. Some travel agencies may tell you but some may not. If you love scuba diving, this is the place for you! You will not be disappointed with nice and beautiful coral reefs. As I have mentioned earlier, to get nice and clear beautiful pictures of the under ocean, I would suggest you come in March or April. It is a high season, so the price is high and the hotels or even camping may be booked up quickly!

Just a note, Phuket in an international airport as well as Bangkok airport. If you had traveled in Bangkok before you head to the south of Thailand, you could book your cheap flights with Air Asia or Nok Air. Those are low-cost airlines unless you want to have Thai Airways!

Similan Island taken in late March, 2007


Similan Island taken in late March, 2007





Laem Promthep in August 2007


PP Island taken in August, 2007


PP Island taken in August, 2007





Saturday, 14 July 2007

Malaysia: Langawi

This is another week that I flew to Malaysia again. I took my days off from work and I flew to Langawi for 5 days. This island is so impressive and lovely. I would say it is one of my romantic places on earth. If you are looking for somewhere quiet and enjoy the beach with reasonable price. Of course, you can get a basic scuba diving for a day trip here. It is not expensive but it is worthwhile to try if you wish.

I would suggest you to rent a car if you want to explore many areas in Langawi. I traveled in July which is not a high season and I had 2 days for rain from my entire trip. That was still ok. The price is pretty good at that time. Seafood is awesome there. Do not miss it!

The Oriental Village


Gondola at Gunang Mat Cincang


Somewhere in the back of the hotel


Palau Payar for scuba diving




Friday, 22 June 2007

Malaysia: Kuala Lumpur

In 2007, I had a long weekend break from my work, so I flew to Kuala Lumpur. I had myself in many photos, so these are the photos that show the views. Anyway, Kuala Lumpur is really interesting country. Some areas may be a bit conservative due to religion. Travelers should know what people's cultures/religions are before you travel if you want to have a pleasant holiday in the country. Locals will appreciate this if you know how to respect them or even talk basic language. That is my advice.

Kuala Lumpur is in Southeast Asia. It is close to Thailand and Singapore which are around 1.5-3 hours depending on where you are at that time. If you plan to travel to Southeast Asia for many weeks. It is a good idea to combine a couple of countries if you wish. Unless you want to enjoy more places in  one country and you could come back to Southeast Asia next time.

If you are already in Asia, it is a good option to take a  low cost airline which is Air Asia. You can get some good deals from time to time but you have to watch that on the internet. I found a good combination of culture here and people are friendly. I would love to go back there and explore some more places in the future!

The Petronas Twin Towers taken from Renaissance Hotel 

The Petronas Twin Towers at night

Sultas Abdul Samad Builing