Day trip to Jinhae Gunhangje & GyeongHwa Train station

Everyone should probably know how obsessed with Cherry Blossoms I am, having flew to Japan twice in a row to catch it. This year, I decided to do something different. I decided at the very last minute to fly to South Korea for them. Yes, It was a blizzard and frivolous arrangement. 

In case you’re interested, Cherry blossoms are called beotkkot in Korean.  

I didn't feel like going to Japan again because I've been there 3 times last year and the bloom I witnessed last year left me entirely satisfied. Fuelled in part by the fact that the flights were all horrendously expensive, I ditched Japan and hopped to South Korea instead! After all , it's been 5 years since I've been there! I want to make an entry about how I plan my itineraries/trips to make it both fun and budget friendly but I don't think anyone would be interested haha. 
 
Anyway I flew into Busan via Vietnam Airline, had a longgggg layover in Noi Bai Airport and finally arrived in Busan. And after checking into my lovely hostel, sped straight to Jinhae. Check out my vlog below!
 

 

Noi Bai Airport Terminal 2, Departure Lounge

For my Spring Korea trip, I flew with Vietnam Airlines and spend more than 17 hours in Noi Bai Airport. For my first layover of 6 hours 40 minutes, I choose to stay within the Departure/transit zone because it was a little too late to venture out. Coupled with the fact that I had to rush back to the airport to check in for my connecting flight meant I only had less than 4 hours to do any sort of touring. Check out my review of Vietnam Airlines here!

Noi Bair AIrport has 2 Terminals. Terminal 1 is older and as of current, only serves domestic flights. Terminal 2 has just been opened in January 2015, is spanking new and serves international flights. If you are coming into or flying out of Hanoi, it’s likely you will be going to the newly opened Terminal 2. Which is good, because Terminal 2 is so much better!

I wanted to write this entry to share my experience at the Noi Bai Airport Terminal 2 Departure/Transit zone because when I did my own travel research, the lack of information online was so frustrating. So here’s the low down!

 

Noi Bai Airport Website: http://noibaiairport.vn/HOME/Default.aspx

 

 

 

My Vietnam Airlines Experience

For my recent blizzard Korea trip (blizzard because I was crazy enough to decide and then buy the plane tickets 2 days before flying. It was my most frivolous trip yet haha) , I flew with Vietnamese Airlines and had more than 17 hours of layover in total, in Noi Bai Airport. 

 

 

Being the Budget conscious traveller I am and having bought my tickets this late meant I had little flight choices. I went with the cheapest flight from Vietnam Airline. It cost me $496.03, tax and booking fee included. 

Vietnamese airline offers a wide range of flight timings to Seoul and Busan. However, they pretty much all have layovers in Hanoi Airport. check out my short write up of my time at the Hanoi Airport transit/departure area. 

Having layovers twice meant I took 4 different air planes. And I'm here with a short entry about my experience with Vietnam airline. 

10 tips to travelling Japan for Cheap!

I marvelled my friends when I told them I travelled Japan for 15 days, covered 5 cities, 1 distant village and spent a grand total of just SGD $1730, all inclusive! I kinda cheated a little by spending 6 nights at 2 friend’s place. But given my spending record, even with 6 additional days of accommodation, I doubt I would burst SGD $2000.

And take note that within those 15 days, I did not starve. There were even days that I even splurged on restaurants (Korean Barbeque and Japanese Sukiyaki, yums!) and presents for my family and friends back home. So I'm here to share a few tips on how to travel Japan for cheap.

Data sim card vending machines in Narita Airport

I onced blogged & vlogged about acquiring a Data sim card in Japan via pre-order. It’s been 2 years since that blog and Japan have finally opened up it’s telecommunication options for tourist, perhaps in a bid to win back it’s dwindling tourism. None the less, the new sim card purchasing option is far easier and cheaper. I blogged about a similar data sim card for purchase in Kansai previously, click here to check it out.

LIke the new Data sim card option in Kansai, Data sim card vending machines are available in Tokyo. I’ve been able to acquire them in both Narita Airport Terminal 1 and 2 last year without fail. When I was there, I found 2 different vending machines carrying a different brand of Data sim card.

Narita Airport , Terminal 1

6 days in the Mongolian Gobi Desert!

Mongolia has always been a mysterious land to me. Almost always portrayed either as an enemy nation in Chinese period dramas or just shown as a land of distinct barrenness. But there is an indescribably rustic yet romantic appeal to its' vast lands and nomadic life. And that was what brought me here. In fact, my entire Trans Siberian journey was motivated by Mongolia.

After some intensive online research, I decided to stay 8 nights in Sunpath Mongolia.  Other than its tourist friendly website, the fact that they do a lot of tours was the main reason I decided to stay with them.
 

 
Mu friends were surprised when I told them I joined a tour group in Mongolia. After all, I'm known to be a free spirited DIY traveller that couldn't care less for a rigid schedule. If you are Travelling to Mongolia, here's my tip; get a guide/driver or join a travel group. Because there is NO WAY you can enjoy the Mongolian wilderness by yourself without public transport or experience in outdoor camping and navigation. Another thing to be afraid of is being robbed when you are camping alone in the vast wilderness so no, don't go alone.
 
Since I was there for only 8 nights, I settled on a 6 days tour to the Gobi Desert . This blog entry shall document my experience of those 6 days. 

10 hours in Cologne (Germany)

Synonymously named with a type of perfume, Cologne the city has proven to be just as sweet as one.

As part of my europe solo endeavour, i took a midnight bus from Paris to Cologne. Arriving around 7am in a carpark wildly barren (to me). I somehow managed to navigate myself to a place with free toilet ( 9kg handcarry FTW) where I freshened up and to the Main Metro station. I left my bag in the awesome Leave Luggage machine for 7 euro (24 hr).

Getting Data Sim in Kansai

So I visited Japan for the Cherry blossoms earlier this year. While I was there, i bought so-net’s Prepaid LTE Data Sim card. Unlike b-mobile which needs to be pre-ordered and shipped to the airport, so-net’s prepaid data sim are sold either via a vending machine or a shop inside the Airport. Which is of course, extremely useful for people who decide to splurge on a data sim card in the last minute. Not to mention the data plans are the cheapest by far.

 

Official website:  http://www.so-net.ne.jp/prepaid/en/index.html

 

 

Review: Schützenbach Backpackers & Camping / Hostel

I had a dormitory Bed with Schützenbach Backpackers & Camping / Hostel while I was in Lauterbrunnen for 6 nights. This is my review of the place.
 
Name: Schützenbach Backpackers & Camping / HostelAddress: Schützenbach, 3822 Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland
Tel: +41338551268
Website: Booking.com 
Price: €33.5 (price varies depending on season & room types)

Review: Sommerhostel Salzburg (Hostel)

I stayed 3 nights in the Sommerhostel Salzburg hostel and liked it a lot. Here's my review of the place.
 
Name: Sommerhostel Salzburg 
Address: Strubergasse 1, Lehen, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
Website: Booking.com
Check in: 14:00 - 16:00 hoursCheck out: 14:00 - 16:00 hours
 

Megabus Stops in Rome, Venice, Milan & Paris

I just returned from a 5 weeks trip and to facilitate my budget travel, I took Megabus coaches a lot from one country to another.

If you are not familiar with Megabus, it is an intercity Bus service that is pretty famous for their low fares. Their wikipedia description attached below.


Megabus website: http://uk.megabus.com

" Megabus, branded as megabus.com, is an intercity bus service of Coach USA/Coach Canada and DATTCO (a non Stagecoach company, under contract) providing discount travel services since 2006, operating throughout the eastern,southern, midwestern, and western United States and in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Megabus is notable for using curbside bus stops instead of traditional stations, low fares starting at $1, and in recent years, operating a point-to-point network of routes with buses making few stops en route to their destination. "

source: Wikipedia

I took the Megabus for the following routes; Paris to Cologne. From Rome to Venice. From Venice to Milan and from Milan to Paris.

This blog entry is to share details about the bus stops for Rome , Venice, Milan and Paris because Megabus does such a lousy job of describing their Bus stops to their potential customers. The information here will be useful for anyone planning to travel with Megabus and departing/arriving from these points.

Picturesque Prague: Old Town Square

I came to Prague with almost no expectations. Sure,  I've seen the photos and videos and I know there are songs that reference it. But all those didn't quite seap into the brain of this traveller who doesn’t usually have a taste for city scape.

Review: Penzion & Hostel Sofi (Prague)

Name: Penzion & Hostel Sofi
Address: Jeremenkova 304/55, Prague, 147 00, Czech Republic
Website: Booking.com
I stayed 3 nights in Prague at Penzion sofi in their mixed dormitory. Here is my simple review of the place.

Itinerary: 11D10N in Hangzhou, Shanghai & Suzhou.

They say “ 上有天堂，下有苏杭“, implying that the beauty of Hangzhou and Suzhou is on par with Heaven. And indeed, these 2 places were beautiful.
 
I just came back from a 11d10n trip to China. The trip involved 3 beautiful cities and 5 towns, not a very rushed trip as you can tell.  I personally prefer to take my time meandering around a new city and experiencing the different possibilities. I also had to allocate more time for myself to find  my way around as I was travelling alone in a place I have never been to before. 
 
 
 

 
But going around on my own made for a really experience rich trip that I can't wait to ramble about. However before I venture into 1000 word long essays of each attractions, here's a picture itinerary with some description. This entry will share the flow of the trip and hopefully, give prospective travellers some information to base their next trip on.
 
Let me know if you guys liked such entries.

Review: Dolphin House Osaka Hostel (Japan)

When I impromptu-ly decided to fly to Japan for the sakuras (Cherry Blossoms), the first obstacle I faced was the unbelievable lack of accommodation during the last weekend of March to the 1st week of April. Hotels and hostels everywhere were sold out! God must have taken pity on me as I somehow chanced upon this little place in Osaka.
Here is my review of the Dolphin House Osaka .
 
Hotel Name: Dolphin House Osaka
Address: 577-0801 Osaka Prefecture, Higashi-osaka, Mikuriyaminami 2-1-38-A802, Japan
Contact: +81(0)80-9554-5580
Website: http://www.booking.com/hotel/jp/dolphin-hostel-osaka.en-gb.html
Price: SGD16 - SGD20 (Price varies)
 

Traditional Han Costumes with Sakuras in Kyoto

It might not be very apparent in this blog until recently but I actually travel quite a bit for someone who holds a full time job. I often get so caught up with life that I cannot fully share my travel journey on blogs and most of the photographic memories captured just stays in my Harddisk.

 

 

 

But I’m not here to talk about my backlogs really. I’m here to say I travel a lot. And if possible, I travel alone. And people around me often asks, why do I keep travelling alone? Why? Because I want to open up chances for beautiful encounters like this to happen!

 

 

 

I chanced upon Vicky and Qian in the famous Philosopher’s Path in Kyoto and little did I know we would end up connecting so well.

Cherry Blossoms @ Kema Sakuranomiya Park

“ Kema Sakuranomiya Park is a riverside park boasting water, greenery and cherry trees, which is built on the river terrace between Kema Araizeki (overflow weir) and Temmabashi Bridge. Incorporating classical buildings such as the Mint, Water Square and walking trails, the park is a good place for strolling and jogging. It is known as a cherry blossom-viewing spot for its magnificent 4,700 cherry trees. “

https://www.osaka-info.jp/en/facilities/cat7/post_323.html

 

After my failed attempt to dine in the Sailor Moon Cafe in Nakatsu, i took a train down to Sakuranomiya Park. At that point my spirit was pretty down and my hunger was not making myself any better. But with time ticking by I decided not to waste any time lunching in a restaurant but instead aim to have a picnic in the company of the cherry blossom trees.

 

So onwards I go!

 

 

ADDRESS :〒530-0025 Area including 1-chome, Nakano-cho, Miyakojima-ku, Osaka City
TRANSPORTATION : Short walk from Temmabashi Sta. on the Subway Tanimachi Line or the Keihan Line, Osakajo-Kitazume Sta. on the JR Tozai Line, or Sakuranomiya Sta. on the Osaka Loop Line

 

I alighted at the small JR Sakuranomiya train station and pondered about how to go to the park. Unfortunately,  the locality map was more confusing than anything. I eventually decided to try my luck by picking an exit and going that direction. I exited from East Exit 1.

Cherry Blossoms @ Kita-Ku, Osaka (Seeking SailorMoon Cafe!)

On the 3rd day of my Kansai trip, I decided to stay within Osaka city and for the first part of my day I decided to lounge in the Sailor Moon Cafe called Cafe Talismen.  I arrived at Hankyu Nakatsu Station (中津駅 Nakatsu-eki^?) on the Hankyu Railway around noon and tried to navigate myself with GPS.

 

 

Nakatsu Station (中津駅 Nakatsu-eki^?) is a railway station in Osaka on the Hankyu Kobe Line and the Hankyu Takarazuka Line, and is operated by Hankyu Railway. There is another train station with the same name nearby but they are not linked. Nakatsu is within Kita-Ku (北区 Kita-ku^?), which is one of 24 wards of Osaka, Japan. This particular area is 1 train station away from Umeda and is primarily a housing estate area.

 

“ Kita-ku, particularly the Umeda area surrounding Osaka Station, is one of the main commercial centers of Osaka. Kita-ku is also a financial administration center, housing the headquarters of the Japan Mint and the Osaka branch of the Bank of Japan. “

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kita-ku,_Osaka#Shrine_and_Temple

Cherry Blossoms @ Wakayama, Japan 2015

I went to Wakayama on the very first day of my spring Kansai 2015 trip. I hadn't thought nor researched much about Wakayama prior. The idea of going beyond Kyoto and Osaka only struck me while i waited for my flight to depart Changi Airport. Talk about YOLO LOL.

 

 

“Wakayama Prefecture (和歌山県 Wakayama-ken?) is a prefecture of Japan located on the Kii Peninsula in the Kansai region on Honshū island.[1] The capital is the city of Wakayama”

www.wakayama.lg.jp/english/

 

Getting picked up in Osaka & nearly missing the last train. Adventures in Osaka Castle & Dotonburi !

29th October 2013, my 3rd day in Kyoto! This is the day I conquer Osaka! Well, not really. The day didn’t go super well but I had quite an adventure as after 4 trips to Japan, I finally encountered the weird, perverse and shady side of Japan. Will talk more about it at the bottom!
 
 

 
After getting around the Kyoto for the last 1 and a half day, I've started to get the hang of the things. With thanks to one of the staff from Ayado Gion, I found out that it is actually cheaper for me to take a Railway Train to Osaka instead of taking a Bus to Kyoto JR station and then take the train to Osaka.