Hong Kong: Ibis Hotel in Northpoint.

I was rather apprehensive about the Ibis Hotel in Northpoint because of the bad reviews. 

Why did I choose to stay in the hotel then? 

I chose it because of its convenient location and its good price (S$100 a night). It's convenient for me as I had to travel to Hang Fa Chuen for work every day. 

I was also spared crowded train rides as I was travelling away from the city every morning. 

As it turned out, the hotel was OK. Here are some photos I took.

My home for the last 4 nights in Hong Kong. A cosy 11 square meters:

Warm water supply was reliable. Warm showers are so important:

A little corner to make some hot tea. I boiled a kettle of water every night and left it open so that the steam would add moisture to the air in the room. Even so, I woke up with my throat feeling like dry parchment every morning.

A small LCD TV was in the room. 19"? Small but at least it's LCD and it worked. Kept me updated on world news. The white doorway behind it was the entrance to the bathroom:

An electronic safe and a bar fridge were provided too and, yes, they worked:

Food was easy to find in many 24 hours cafes along the same road as the hotel. I think it was Java Road. 

I went for a bowl of steaming hot wanton noodles on my first night. 5 big wantons full of prawns and minced pork amongst egg noodles. 

Price: HK$19.00 (S$3+) and I even got a free glass of Chinese tea! Now, that's a bargain!

Distance? 20 steps from Ibis Hotel.

Hotel lobby was not classy but it wasn't shabby either:

The entrance to North Point MTR station which I used everyday. Distance? 40 steps from Ibis Hotel:

My room was on the 30th floor. A view of the neighborhood from my room's window:



I will definitely consider staying at the Ibis Hotel in Hong Kong again in future unless a better offer is available from its competition.

Scenes from Phuket.

We saved some money on land tour in Phuket this time because I was just there early last year on a 4D3N holiday with a friend and know of the big mall, Jung Ceylon (which is the old name for Phuket). The mall is at least as big as Bugis Junction here in Singapore.

So, we went ashore, free and easy, not having to worry about waking up very early to join loads of fellow tourists packed into tour buses. We got into a Tuk Tuk to bring us to Jung Ceylon for 200 baht (maximum of 4 passengers). This is a picture of the Tuk Tuk that later took us back from Jung Ceylon to the Patong Beach Jetty for another 200 baht:

I told my mom that Jung Ceylon has good and cheap facial treatments and the photo below was of an offer that caught our eyes. Amazing and true! 359 baht is something like S$16! I don't think my dad was thrilled about getting a facial treatment but even he was impressed. Truly value for money! We tipped our therapists 100 baht each at the end of the session. They deserved it.

 My parents getting their facial treatment:

 This was the restaurant in Jung Ceylon we had lunch at:

 Thai poh piah (spring rolls):

 Kai lan, stir fried with oyster sauce:

 Pineapple rice:

 Glass noodles (tong fen in Chinese) with King Prawns:

 Prawn pancakes (yummy!):

Dessert! Heavenly coconut milk, red bean, water chestnut, jackfruit and sea coconut all in a young coconut! For only 85 baht (roughly S$3.50):

 My mom demonstrating how to get the flesh carved out from the young coconut:

 Round and round with the spoon:

 Succulent coconut flesh:

 Wow! That's kung fu!

I miss Phuket already. I am definitely going back again soon. :)

Scenes from Penang.

This is something we don't see in Singapore: a truck selling cut fresh fruits just like any fruit store in a food centre!

The yellow vehicle is cute but the photo was taken to capture the parking meter and the phone booths, things we do not see in Singapore anymore:

We were told that the trishaws are kings of the roads. They could go even if the traffic light was red and all vehicles had to stop for them! As good as an ambulance or fire engine!

 Here, we see proof of how the trishaws in Penang are truly kings of the roads:

 Going through Chinatown. See the quaint cobblestone road?

 This is truly amazing! Delivering LPG on a bike!

 My laps. ;-p

 A Buddhist temple in Penang:

And we thought a $10 haircut in Singapore is cheap! It's RM15 (S$6.50) in Penang and my dad could not resist getting a haircut there:

Super Star Virgo.

I just came back from a short vacation with my parents on the Star Virgo. It is my fourth time cruising to Penang and Phuket on the Star Virgo and the second time with my parents. I still enjoy it. Lots of good food, great entertainment and I like the feeling of sailing on a big ship, waking up each morning in a different port of call.

This time round, we had a room without a balcony. Instead, we had a window. Photos of the room:

 Children's pool:

Top deck:

 Bow of the ship:

 Sunlight piercing through the clouds, illuminating a patch of sea. Looks divine?

 Penang's Cruise Centre as seen through our room's window:

 Taken as we walked alongside the ship in Penang:

Japan: Natural Kyoto.

Natural Kyoto.