Driving 5000km in 9 days in just under $1250

Me

 

So this is me

Kent

 

and this is Kent!

Our trusty Mitsubishi Outlander!

We have decide to do a road trip in Australia, so we rented a SUV and this is our Car, it’s a mitsubishi outlander 2.4!

Checking in!

This trip kinda start out with Kent when he was still in Arizona, USA. I’m suppose to like go over to find him and tour the few states with him, but as i was still in NS, i could only get max 9 days leave(maximise) and i felt that going to USA would not be the best options as get there and back is already 2 days gone, nothing much can be done in 7 days.

He would be back when i ORD, so USA is a no go.. So….

Blue skies!

We started planning our trip to Australia..

Initial Planning Stage

So all went according to plan except at the last min, we’ve decided not to go over to Adelaide because that would making going to Brisbane super far like more then 24hr drive. We have to make a last min cancel on our Airbnb host and try to make a last min booking at Brisbane.

Actual

And this is our actual route! Yes, that route from Melbourne up to Brisbane, we’ve seen sunset and sunrise twice. More story on it below!

Back on the road!

The roads are really driving perfect road, where it’s just one straight road down and perfect flowers and grass(not in picture) by the sides with sheep and cow grazing the grass with nice road users and occasional kangaroos and wombats (road hazard)  ❤

Taking the wheel

Always have awesome drinks in the car!

First thing we did was to dash to Woolworth/Coles to grab snacks/food/drinks that are on discounts LOL! The discount in the stores are REAL! It’s like literally slashed by more then half or more! You get super excited when you see those food that you want to eat with the yellow tags LOL! Just only.

Lunch

Since time is not on our hand, we can’t really do much stops and have to pack lunch from the supermarket and eat on the road! Mainly breads and meat! But we also do stop by once a day at restaurant to eat different types of food(i.e fish and chips, pizza, burger, japan, korean and different different types of different food). The thing about Australia is that they don’t really have a “Australia food” so, it make food choice kinda boring as we have those food here in Singapore too!

Pepper and I

This is our first Airbnb @ Wangi Wangi!! John, our host, is really nice and that’s his dog, together with three other cats, played a really nice host to us. We booked a single room, queen size bed, but john is nice enough to let us use two rooms, as they are empty! The picture below is the room that we stayed in, His apartment is located on top of this super steep hill and at the immediate back, it’s like forest! LOL

Our bed at Wangi Wangi!

Living Hall

And that’s his living hall! That’s on top! He sleeps below!! We even made use of the kitchen! Whip up some awesome buffalos wings to go with the beer!! Goes damn well with the super cold weather!

Sydney Opera House

Sydney was not one of our stop point because, sadly, I visited Sydney just a week before this trip! LOL! So we’ve decided to just pass by and skip this beautiful city! And Kent wanted to see the opera house, so here we go! But we have only like a good 30mins to see this place because the parking is SO EXPENSIVE!! like 1hr AUD15 or more, can’t remember..

Been here twice in two weeks!

3 hours drive later, we reached our new Airbnb apartment!!

Driveway to our Airbnb in Canberra!

Okay.. I only managed to take a photo of the driveway just before we go because I forgot to take picture of the apartment! LOL! It was like 10pm when we reached and the whole place was like dark! The next day we just kind of like pack out bags and moved on to tour around and then to the next location!

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Some of the scenic view we had at random rest stop along the highway, going towards Melbourne!

Found this in a random rest stop!

We found this waterfall on Google Maps and just decide to make a little detour to take a look. Although it’s not like “wah, sibei swee” or what but it’s nonetheless breath taking! We just took our shoes off and soak in the ice-cold water!

Found a random national park! Waterfall!

Spot me!

^^

Bolte Bridge in Melbourne!

We then proceed down to Melbourne! It was pretty dark when we arrive, so we quickly checked in with our Airbnb host and went to bed! LOL Yeah, we sleep like alotttttt this trip! Driving is very mentally draining! LOL Out host was asleep when we reach and we had to spam call her to wake her up! LOL! Thankfully he managed to wake up from her beauty sleep and open the door for us. Then we quickly settle in as it was like 8 degrees outside >.<

And the next day, we met up with Kent’s primary school friend for lunch at this restaurant which serves like awesome thai food !

We didn’t have much time to spend at Melbourne as we’re kind of trying to get on to The Great Ocean Road, to reach the twelve Apostles by sunset to capture the postcard photo of it ;v

Well, for the next few images, you’re suppose to be looking at some real awesome pictures of the sunset at the twelve apostles! LOL But yes, as you can guessed it, yes went we reach, it was like dark dark LOL The sun sets really early >.< So below are some of the shots we managed to capture!

The Great Ocean Road!

LULZ! Along the road to the Light House!

So along the way to the twelve apostles, we just randomly stopped whenever we see some sign that says some beach and stuff with a vantage point! Surprisingly those were the ones with the better view LOL

Somewhere along The Great Ocean Road!

 

The Grotto

The Grotto, it’s one of the beautiful place that we’ve visited!! Look!! It’s a sinkhole formation located just off port campbell! Super beautiful!

“London Bridge’

By the time we reach this the twelve apostles, it was already dark! But thankfully we stayed at Airbnb mansion nearby and we made another detour back!

The Twelve Apostle (left)

The Twelve Apostle (right)

So the pictures you seen above was from the next morning!

And if you’re wondering why the Brighton Bath House pictures are here and not above, don’t worry! HAHA I’m not crazy, i’m just a little bit unwell.

That’s because we actually edit our plan! We intend to head for Adelaide this morning, after the visit to the twelve apostles! But then we wanted to head to Brisbane to meet Clara instead, and going to Adelaide and then to Brisbane would cause us a crazy amount of driving time(more then 29 hours) and we’re talking like non-stop driving.

So after considering, for a while, we’ve decide that we should just head straight to Brisbane directly(22 hours) and in the meanwhile, we’re able to re-visit the Brighton Bath House, which we missed the other day we’re at Melbourne!

Brighton Bath House!

It was about 6-ish PM when we reach.. so the lighting is not that great for photo taking~ Just managed to capture just a few shots before the place became dark.

Brighton Bath House at Dawn

Beautiful hur..

Million Stars at 3am under 2 degrees @.@

This image was taken at about 2-3am in the morning! We just stopped by the rest stop, feeling groggy from the lack of sleep and braved the 2 degrees weather and head out to capture the picture with the stars!! The whole area was so pitch black =O So awesome!

No Milky Way ;(

And sadly, we can’t see the awesome patch of milky way ;( But nonetheless, the pictures we got with the stars is kinda awesome!!

After 22hours of non-stop driving later (We swap drivers every 2-3 hours and take turns so sleep) we finally reach Brisbane!!

As this was a very impromptu decision we make to skip Adelaide and head straight for Brisbane, we didn’t have a place to stay and we even had to cancel our apartment that we booked at Adelaide!

Kangaroo Selfie!

First stop, visiting the cute animals at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary!! We didn’t have much chance to visit any animals, EXCEPT the plentiful wombat and kangaroos carcasses and mince meat along the side of the highway ;(

Oh, btw, we just randomly asked if we get like discount for military personnel. Lo and Behold! We saved more then half the price!!

Whoa Whoa Whoa

Over here, you get to interact with the animals up close! You can even feed them, touch them, lift them and do whatever you want ;V! How awesome is that!

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Look at how muscular this guy is! LOL!

Look at that muscles!!

Emu!

Koala!

❤ ❤ ❤

LOL Damn cute! The previous trip to Sydney, we didn’t get to be so up close with one! But the experience with this one is really different! We get to really touch it! And if you like to carry it, it’s also much much cheaper!

Wild Lizard!

This lizard just creep up casually behind us @.@ So cute

Kookaburra sitting on a old gum tree!

That’s like a half rat that the kookaburra is eating! How cool is that! LOL

After we’re done with the kangaroos, we went over to Clara’s hostel to pick her up! She then brought us around the area! Pretty cool!

Met up with Clara!

University of Queensland! Feels like we’re shooting for some posters for movies like “The Fault in Our Stars” or some sort HAHA!

University of Queensland!

Can I study here too? ❤

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Coincidentally, that night it was also the Riverfire 2015 – Brisbane Festival! They have like the night of celebration and even fireworks!

So, we got ahead of ourselves and went to the highest point in Brisbane hoping to get the best view of the fireworks! LOL! Look at what we got! Tiny fireworks Zz

Brisbane Riverfire!

Well, all in all this trip was kind of really fun! And we had lots of different experiences! Most importantly, we’re able to keep the budget low! Which is really a great part of the trip!

Along the way we also met many friends that were studying overseas! How awesome is that!

If you have any enquiries, feel free to drop me a PM!

Till then,
Norman Leibovitz

Coney Island (Pulau Coney)

Coney Island!!

Description:

• Open from 7 am to 7 pm
• Free
• Open to Cyclists
• No swimming/Fishing
• No food/refreshments sold

For more information about getting there via public transport or car, you can check them here!

TL;DR, Scroll down

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It’s this island which just opened up on a few days back, on the 10th of October!!

It’s pretty easy to access, if you drive you can park at Punggol settlement and walked to Punggol Promenade Nature Walk and via a little gate that say “Coney Island” and you’re in!

Coney Island!!

West Entrance

Selfie

All little look around the island and you’ll notices it’s rather well maintained, neat and clean! A very different feel you get from visiting the usual parks, also maybe because it’s a rather new place.

Little tips, always take a look at the map, and take a picture of the map on your phone or camera so that you can always easily refer to it!

Map of Coney Island

This place is like big, yet not big. We finish walking the whole place in just under 3hr(with occasional stop for some photo opportunities and rest)

 

Xiao Mi Fan!

Oh Oh! And if you’re going in the afternoon, bring a fan!! It’s going to be really really warm! Apart from the trees being the natural shelter, there’s not really much shelter in the area! I reckon the best time to visit the place is after 3pm. Since they close at 7pm, going at 3pm will give you ample time to  finish the whole park!

We went at 12pm and it was crazyyyyyyy.. But is starts to get cooler at about 2-3pm!

Edge of the island

Pretty cool, they have like a step edge at the edge of the island. You can just find a shady area and just chill around there.

#Squad

Xiao Mi Speaker

You can also bring some snacks and speaker! The place feels like a resort, totally off Singapore. With music, it makes the whole place feels so breezy and relaxing. Like where James Bond would chill at.

And you get like signs like that along the road. Pretty cool!

Look at the long stretch of road!

Open Path along the main road

The place in the above pictures are all the little road off the main path. This long stretch of road in the picture above, is the main stretch of road, that brings you directly to the end of the island!

I suggest taking the little off road in and the main path out! It’s also more shady! The main path is just a long stretch of open air road. that runs, say 3km?

Walking towards the beach

Beach Area A

So, as you walk inwards the island(off the main road), there’ll be like little beach area where you can interact with the “sea” and “sand”

Beach Area B

There’s a couple of them, all marked on the map and the signage, as seen above. Apparently the signage was made from timber from the uprooted Casuarina trees!! So, take a step back and appreciate!

Recycled Log for signage

Path off road

One part of the area has this “broad walk” into the forest, where you can see many different plants, insects, and even birds(If you can spot them ;))! The kids will love it here!

Beach Area D

Beach Area E

I think this is the only toilet there!

“The rustic Coney Island Park is an ecologically sustainable park with many environmental initiatives.” This toilet is powered by solar power! But when we were there, the toilet is not working LOL The lights, flush and water is not working. Probably still not ready for the public yet, or it’s just they were doing some maintenence on that day.

Step

I would say it’s a rather interesting place, where families can go there together to enjoy the nature and the nice breezes. Kids and adult can cycle and run, apart from the usual place like Pula Ubin, etc. This is a rather nice and refreshing change!

And oh! There’s also a Cow on that island roaming freely!! It’s so cool! But we didn’t get to spot it! What are the odds! LOL! But it’s quite cool npark decides to let this big guy roam freely.. hohoho! Try to see if you can spot it! =D

 

 

So overall, my ratings for Coney Island is 6.5/10!

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Total time taken: Roughly 3 hours (Big place)

Best time to go: 2 to 3 pm

Shelter: Natural shelters, no proper protection against rain, no fan, etc. 6/10

Scenery: Compared to Palau Ubin, this area is well maintained, made easy for trekking and has decent scenery. 8/10

Wow Factors/Highlights: Soothing environment. 5/10.

What to prepare: Sun protection, Insect repellent (Good to have despite little mosquitoes), Plenty of water, Good Camera.

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Till Then,
Norman L.

Smashing through Chomphon, Phuket, Bangkok – Thailand

This is Me

This is Wess

This is Bing Xian

This is the accident caused by Bing Xian

So before I carry on, let’s me make it clear on the record that all the accident that we ever had, was caused by Bing Xian.

While the two of us are just thankful that we managed to retain our lives.. LOLOLOL!

You can watch the Vlog i’ve made on my FB! LOL

 

Parts of the car

Looking happy.. trust me.. we’re not

Okay.. now moving on…

This is us

This is us, and we’re all checked in and ready to board the plane!
Make a guess how much we spent here, in this trip! It’ll be fun rather then it’s always me tell you guys how much I spent! ;D

All geared up!

And this is how I roll!
Backpack(Checked)
Camera(Checked)
Done.

Chicken Satay!

When you take with AirAsia, go and pre-book the food! It’s really yummy and cheap(only $5)

It’s really really really yummmmmyy no kidding..

Budget Rental @ Don Mueng

Don’t be too ambitious and try to fit everything into this one little trip.

Be really focus when you go on a trip like this! For us, we really just want to drive and slam that throttle so deep and so hard and drive it straight into the ground as you hear the engine roar to live and just submerge yourself into that moment like never before.

Some people “must” visit every damn inch of the country, drive every damn road, visit every damn spot. I mean you can, that’s if you have plenty of time, willing to spend and people who are willing to do the same. Else, work with just 1 “big” thing.. max 2.. you’ll enjoy yourself more this way.

Toyota Altis 1.6!

This is our car. This is the Toyota Altis 1.6. This is a damn good car.

Car set-up

When driving overseas,
1. Get a holder for your Phone or GPS. This is important because distraction is the last thing you want when you’re driving on the freeway in foreign land and not knowing the roads doesn’t really help. Not able to view the map properly for directions is worst. So.. holder.. yes.. (and go and learn how to read Google Maps -_-)

2. Get a 12V usb car charger with min 1x 2.1A output.. you know.. the one that goes into the cigarette lighter.. I recommend this.. You’ll thank me later..

3. Rent a trust worthy car from a TRUST WORTHY company. The last thing you want from your rental car is for it to break down.. After going through all the precautionary method to minimize crashes. Then you have to call, and repeat yourself 1,000 times just so that the operator(that can speak only basic english) could understand(hoping that hologram is the 3G just so that you could show and tell with your body lauguage) and then worry about the credit left in your phone. And when all that shit is over, you’ve to worry again if they really know where your location are, and if they really do, how long will they take to reach you.. Go read reviews and feedback on the rental company and the car before you decide.. And I recommend budget. This tip should be place in 1 i’m not sure why it’s at 3..

4. Have at least TWO driver. This tip should be placed at like 0.5 I’m also not sure why it’s at 4. But anyway, yes. When driving long distance, say 8 hour. It’s really taxing to be driving all 8 hour . It’s super mentally draining. There’s so much going on while driving and being in foreign land makes it worst. So I recommend changing drivers either every 150km or after 2hr. Also, if the person you’re traveling with can drive, he’ll be a better help as to helping to spot potential mistakes and prevent* accidents.

5. Learn simple removal and installation and general fixing. Oh trust me. You’ll thank your past self. Especially changing of wheels.

6. Bring along min 2 cargo strap. Yup. If your car is not, I repeat NOT an off road vehicle and you’re brining it off road, BRING THIS DAMN STRAP ALONG. You will thank me, again, later 🙂

7. GET THE FULL F***KING INSURANCE. You can save on anything but THIS.. Firstly, it gives everyone a peace of mind. It doesn’t cost much. It gives your family, friends, you and everyone in the car a peace of their mind and you can travel without any worries. And pray really hard that you don’t have to use it. Should you have to USE IT, at least you’re covered. Yup. Been there done that.

* Apparently for my case, we have three driver and yet we can still get into an accident. So.. It ultimately boils down to the one driving 😂

Only hate the road when you’re missing home

Back seat = sleep

So, my favorite activity when I’m not taking the front seat or drivers seat, is to sleep 😐 Trust me. That’s like the best thing to do. The temperature is perfect, the posture is perfect and the amount of time to sleep is perfect 😎

Jacuzzi Wefie

I have no idea why didn’t we took any photos of this resort that we booked, probably because when we reach its quite late and we’re pretty hype up by this jacuzzi inside the resort of ours. LOL! It is so hot, we can cook eggs in it but it’s again, so damn gooooooood!

How we managed to find this resort is that i just hop on to Agoda,
1. Set the location i’m going to
2. Set arriving and leaving date
3. Set your filter to set only those amenities that you want or don’t want
4. Make payment
5. Done

Jacuzzi!

See we even had snacks and drinks that were left over from the road, and brought it in. Omg we’re so cool! HOHOHO

Nope. 3 of us in this miniature jacuzzi is totally not weird. IT’S NOT. OMG IT’S NOT!!

Weeeeeee

This is the outside, facing the pool and the other resort and the restaurant on the left.

Random resturant

So apparently we woke up quite late and the restaurant no longer serves breakfast 😂 but I swear it’s because they closes early. It was like only 10:30am then! Even McDonals serves until 11am 😐 but nvm because it brought us to this little stall behind us which serves really good chicken rice 😱 so similar to the one in Singapore yet it’s so different!!

Oh, always stock up! Best part of the trip! HEHE

And also stock up on,

1. On water! You’ll really need to keep spamming half-full water bottle drink up. Else you’ll really fall sick, dry lips and ever thing will start to dry up. Then your whole trip will be spoilt.. Neyy

2. On your favourite snacks! You’ll also need it because when you’re so bored while driving, the only best thing you could do is to munch on food and that will kind of keep you awake.. Get those spicy seaweed that is like really spicy. I recommend THIS! This is very good to keep you awake because whoever that eats it, will definitely be chocked by the spice powder! HAHAHAHA Sure to keep you awake RAWRRRRR

3.  Anything that you want!  Just make sure your first stop is to TESCO(the huge one) and ask yourself two simple question.

Do you want it? If it’s a yes, buy.. If it’s a no, buy
Do you need it? If it’s a yes, buy.. If it’s a no, buy

That’s how we roll in thailand

Me feeling proud after being trapped in the ditch. HAHA

So, as you can see above, we’re stuck in the ditch. All in all, we’re stuck in the ditch for 3 times.
This is the 1st, and it’s the easiest. Came out without any assistance. *SMUG*

Nice, but not really beautiful sunset

So apparently, I think because of the way I pin the location of the resort, Google is unable to give me a proper road to the place that we wanted to go. So it kind of lead us like into the sands and forest and all that shit.

Over there, we got stuck again. Didn’t managed to take any photo. But that’s the 2nd, and we managed to  get it out again but with the help of a lot of thais. Like a lot of people came to help us dig the sand beneath the wheel and push our car out of the ditch. We were super touched. But we lost like almost all of out water supply to that ;(

“Without a steady supply of food and water, an army will starve or dehydrate, killing or demoralizing the troops.”

 

*and also, we “thought” our vehicle was a all terrain vehicle >.>

Jump Shot

Okay, at this juncture, we’re like happily taking some jumpshot of ourselves and doing some “beach activities” HAHHAHAHA They are as seen in the above and below picture.

First time see sunset >.>

Yup! Taking photo of sunset.. LOL! That’s like the more entertaining thing to do there.. there’s nothing else -_- Why is my phyket experience so different form others!? But it’s definitely fun!

Me feeling proud again, after getting into another ditch.. AGAIN..LOL

And here you go, the moment we’ve all been waiting for! They say third time’s a charm. We got it! The third time!
It got stuck so badly this time round that even a pick up truck can’t tow us out! We have to leave the car there overnight and then pay a guy to pull us out of the ditch the next day using a SUPER HUGE tractor(watch the video for it).

This is our tent! How cozy

So this is the resort that i’m talking about! LOL! It’s a tent! YAY! Okay.. this resort is called Mickey Monkey Resort.. And below is the picture they showed.. when when I booked, I made a mistake and booked the tent instead >.< HAHAHAHAHA
BUT IT’S OKAY! LOOKS IT’S SO COZY AND WARM AND NICE! NO REGRETS!!!! ONE OF THE BEST STAY EVER!

Picture of Mickey Monkey 1

This is the bar outside!

This is like the bar outside.. Look at how strong the wind was! Madness! Very super nice place to relax and great for like company retreat! LOL! Like the one you see in pitch perfect

This is the hole we made! LOL!

So the sun has raised, and the first thing in the morning, they arranged for us to get one of the local with those huge tractor to tow us out!
Effortlessly, boom! We’re out! But look at the mess we’ve made! Look at how deep that shit is! HAHAHAHAHA

This is the aftermath

And the wheels! Look at the tyres! LOL! We paid them 1500Bhat to tow us out. Can be avoided, but it’s okay.. not too bad.. quite an experience.

So as soon as th car is our, we had to quickly be back on the road! As we’re travelling straight to bangkok, about 800km, 10hours of driving..

Vroom Vroom Vroom BANGGGGG BOMB BOMB BANGGG PIANG!
So Bing Xian was driving and if you can see in the photo below, there’s a tarmac road and a sand road(apparently still under construction) So we saw some cars travelling on the sand road, so I told BX to take the sand road, and cut all the cars on the left which is on the tarmac road.

STEP STEP STEP, due to the sand road, the tyres lost tractions and started to lose control.. AHAHAHAH the whole car went down the ditch (as you can see on the left side of the picture) went in came out from the opposite side, BX swerve back, went in the ditch again, came back up and it finally came to a stop..

It was so horrifying that I thought the whole car was going to flip when it enters the ditch OMG Just imagine you’re so freaked out, you thought you’re going to die, you just didn’t scream but started to prep and brace yourself, hoping for the best. Amen.

This is the accident caused by Bing Xian

So when the whole drama was over, we went to find the parts of the car that was destroyed.. HAHAHA This is just like part of the car..

Parts of the car

And more…

Looking happy.. trust me.. we’re not

Just so you have a clear idea of how the car looked like when we first rented it, it’s as below.. look at this beauty.. look at it..

Before

Then now may i bring your attention back to ours.. You’re welcome..

After (Looks at the radiator!)

So we’ve decided that everyone need a break and calm ourselves down with some food and drinks, especially BX!

hansel in distress

I have no idea what happened, but he took the wheel shortly after again, and then SUDDENLY THE WHOLE CAR STARTS TO VIBRATE!! SIAO LIAO

So we pull over by the side, and OMG punctured wheel.. so now you know who is the sway one here right? HAHAHA

Thankfully the pit stop that we pull over was a car mechanic! So we paid them 100Bhat, and he changed the wheels for us. Easy Pisy. 30mins.

Looking at our tyres being changed

After all those hooha.. We drove for about another few hours then we finally reach out hostel in BKK! I always stay with this hostel when i’m there! I think it’s kind of cheap and the staff and the other traveller there are friendly! I can almost always talk to at least a few other people there, learn their culture and their country! Always gets me excited!

Finally reached our usualy hostel in Bkk!

Okay.. then the rest is just those normal BKK stuff.. you know, really nothing special to me.. I didn’t even buy anything.. All the stuff I bought from the sales item from H&M and Uniqlo.. LOL Wutttt

BX buying “Havianas”

Street food

@ Chak Ju Chat

This is them feeling grouchy to have to wake up so early

But one place, not new, but it’s my first time is Dalat Rot Fai!
Rot Fai Market is located on Srinakarin Soi 51, just behind Seacon Square Shopping Mall!

Tell the driver Seacon Square if he doesn’t know where the place is or where Srinakarin Soi 51 is! You’ll definitely be there!

So once you reach there, there’s 3 zone, namely ‘Market Zone’, ‘Warehouse Zone’ and ‘Rod’s Antiques’. Each of the zone is really very unique. They sell from everything to everything! Literally!

The food sold there is also very unique! From like like fried century egg to squid to beef noodles and ice-cream! yum yum yum!

Squid with that AWESOME SUPER SPICY CHILI! DAMN GOOD

Then they have their antique section, which features quite a wide range of vintages cars and bikes. I know people who actually enjoys them. I do enjoy, you know.. just not that much.. HEHE

Go visit Dalat Rot Fai when you’re in Bkk! Awesome place!

Vintage cars and bikes

Working car, casually on the streets

With one of the set up

A group photo of us with the vintage stalls!

On the stage

And on the stage!

Going home ;(

So all in all we spent

Don Meung –> Chomphon –> Phuket –> Bangkok –> Home
So have you guessed how much I spent for this wonderful trip? ;D

$200 = Ticket
$48= Accommodations
$60 = Car
$$350 = Expenses

Think it’s really okay for such trip! LOL! Could be cheaper without all the towing and all! HAHAHA

Byeeeee

Well, this is a really special and different trip! LOL!
If you need some details or anything, feel free to PM me! I’ll be more then happy to share them with you!

Till Then,
Norman

Canon 70D

And so.. I got myself a new camera!! A Canon.. After 6 years.. LOL

So the story starts from when i went to Mount Bromo (Clink link here) and you will know that I dropped my Canon S100 compact camera and getting it fixed would cost me a huge sum of money! So, Canon 70D? WHY NOT!

So hyper about it!

Canon then gave me some options to trade in my broken camera for a really pathetic value.

Some of the options i was given was G7X, G16? or was it G17 and some DSLR. But they’re all valued at the suggested retail price, which is much higher then the street price! So.. Nope!

And because of the SAF50, I’m in the AAR(Action After Review) team which requires us to film the parade and to pin point the “mistakes” the participant make and I was exposed to some really nice footages on the 60D, 600D and 6D! HOLY MOLY! LOL And it strikes me that heyyyy this might really be what i want! LOL

But my main concern for a camera when i travel is weight!! Which only mean a few things. Compact camera(S100/G7X) or GoPro! But neither these are cheap!

G7X is 700 while GoPro is 599 (or GoPro Hero 199)

Canon 70D

GoPro Vs Canon 70D

I was contemplating between getting one of the option above mainly because the GoPro Hero is cheap (and good) but ended up with the Canon 70D!

Although weight is my top priority, but the canon is much more versatile when compared to the GoPro. It features a flip out touch screen LCD which is helpful for me (touch to focus/touch to shoot) when filming some travel vlogs and photos.

And since it’s a DSLR, i get to choose from the many many lenses Canon offers which means i can bring one less equipment when i travel! Because photo and video all in one! Also, with those lenses, you know, you can do those “creative” stuff LOL! How smart!

Canon 70D also offers those powerful and chim technical Digic 5 + processor and some cross section autofocus thing which I can’t be bothered but all i know is that it’s good.

On top of that i can also use it for some freelance stuff, which i might be doing really soon! The fun stuff are coming!!

I might get the GoPro, it’s good, but not so soon..

Mount Bromo 2015

Milky way from View Point 1!

Watch the vlog here!

There’s no words I can describe to tell you what I’ve experienced throughout the 5 days! It was AMAAAAAAAZING!! We took a bus ride without knowing where it will stop, met some new friends, randomly take another 2 other public bus to a city, take a jeep up to this village, started walking blindly for 3 hours, found the village we wanted to go, stay in a rundown house without lock, stayed with 2 other traveller, ate dinner together, took a motorbike up to Mount Bromo…. So it’s started out as we’re just talking shit about this volcano called Mount Bromo in Indonesia. Lester and I just randomly asked each other if we wanted to go for it. LOL! So we just find a good week, booked our leaves, get the tickets(for only $124, both ways) and there we go!

3,000,000 Rupiahhhh!!

Ready, Pack , Go!

Meet Lester

Fast forward, here we are.. We were initially looking at some tour that will bring us around for the time we were there, inclusive of the accommodations, jeep to Bromo, view point 1 for sunrise, tickets , etc. Basically the whole package from when we arrive(inclusive of airport transfer) to return.. Oh did I mention that, that would also have to cost us ~650SGD on top of the 124SGD(air tickets) that we have to pay? So we’re like, this is suppose to be a short, fun and cheap trip, you know like a weekend getaway kind of thing.. And that’s like the cheapest we have found after comparing and asking around.. So we’ve decided to just YOLO and do it ourselves and whatever comes our way comes our way. Whatever. We just did some slight research online(forums, blogs, videos, etc) reading up on the transport, accommodations, ticket and the route up to Mount Bromo because we wanted to do some hiking ourselves so that we could enjoy the beautiful scenery. Many people has actually done it before and we actually found it really interesting, so yup!

Some of the compiling work that we’ve done for the bus route

So we compiled all the information we found online and then print it out and the base on our gut feelings, and people’s recommendations, we just got up to varies buses that we saw with certain keywords, and OFF WE GO!!!

Meet my trusty backpack!

Before flight photo

Before flight photo 😉

The tickets we got for this trip was only 124SGD per pax. So that’s actually pretty cheap via Tiger Air. The only other that we had it pre-booked was the Gazabo from Kampong Tourist as seen in the video, I’ve compiled for this trip! It’s really as per the pictures on the website! It’s very quiet and chill! More importantly, the price is really pretty reasonable and the service good (Y)

Beautiful clouds to welcome us!

It’s actually pretty easy to get around places in Indonesia! They have buses that goes everywhere. We took a shuttle bus from the airport to Surabaya bus station for 25,000rp(2.5SGD).

Surabaya Bus station

Ticket Receipt

Once we’re there, as per the researched that we’ve done, we just went along to look for the company that most people recommend (We picked PATAS, as the reviews on the forum seem the best, although there’re still other company to choose from, we just decide to settle for PATAS anyway) It’s about 2.5hr to get from Surabaya to Malang. The funny thing is that although this journey is longer, it cost the same as the 10mins trip from the airport to this bus station. LOL Not that this bus has like lots of amenities like wi-fi, tv, or what shit, it’s just air-conditioned, it’s just has a spacious seats and that it gets us to where we want to go for a fixed price.. so it’s not too bad..

PATAS Bus Service

Towards Surabaya

So you just board the bus first and while you’re on the bus, then they’ll collect cash from you. So just prepare some cash for them Right now the journey is Juanda Aiport –> Surabaya Bus Station –> PATAS bus towards Malang

The wheel on the bus goes to surabaya!

The roads are quite well paved, except for some places, the roads are quite bumpy but for the majority of the highway, it’s quite scenic and smooth! It was drizzling when we’re on the way to malang, which makes everything blu(er) and green(er) LOL

Sup

Spacious leg room

Malang Bus Station

And after 2.5 hours we reached the Malang Bus Station! Just a small little area with like some counters for the people to sell the tickets and right in front of them is already the parking area for the coaches. Their turnover rate is quite fast!

On their Public Bus

And taking the public bus is really the tricky part of our trip! 1. They can’t speak English.. 2. They don’t really have like a “bus stop” and so if you want to board, you just flag them down like a cab and once you get up, you have to kind of like know the road that the “bus” takes and inform the driver where you want to alight..LOL So yeah, as you can guessed it, we had a really great time with the driver trying to get the price, get the location, and getting on the correct bus! LOL We all speak one common language, body language.. But it’s fun and they are really very friendly people!! Once he managed to finally understand, he swerved off track and brought us to our exact location(but i think he charged us more) HAHA! But ok la(30,000rp ~ 2.7SGD) 3. Ok just 2.

Exterior

And so, this is the Gazebo that i’m talking about! It’s amazing!!!! LOL! No kidding! It’s so nice and chilling! It’s located on the roof of a hotel that is right smack in the middle of the city! This little place is amazing! The staffs are friendly, the place is clean(yet it makes you feel closed to nature), the prices are affordable and the location is pretty prime! The journey is Juanda Aiport –> Surabaya Bus Station –> PATAS bus towards Malang –> Kumpong Tourist

Interior of our Gazebo!

So it’s just a little hut, with two mattresses and a fan..LOL! But trust me, it’s super awesome with the chilling corner outside, everyone is just there at about 6pm – 10pm and they serves beer, food and every other things! LOL So we just sit there together with them with chips and what not. Frequently, getting asked if it’s true chewing gum are really banned in Singapore -_-

Just me chilling 😉

Pro tips* Bring along a pack of mosquito coil along with you when you travel!! It’ll come in super useful especially if you’re the kind of person, like me, who like to just sit there and stone along the ledge of the Gazebo! LOL

Malang night market

Then we visited the night market in malang, which is shit. LOL We walked like 20mins just to reach there to walked for like 5mins and that’s basically all for the market.. The best thing about the night market is probably this only stall there, which sells this really good noodles and the fried egg with tofu.. It’s really good!

Super awesome noodles

I think the food is like any stall along the way you find, will be this good. LOL

Fried egg with Tofu!

On the second day, we made a new friend back in our hostel, Alex! Since the places we’re visiting are the same/similar, we’ve just decide to go together.. He’s a nice guy, funny and gave us some life tips(always walk against the traffic so that you can see the on coming cars)

Meet our new friend, Alex

Meet Alex! He’s from Italy! This is the Malang Tempo Doeloe, which basically put you through Malang all the way from the beginning, with interesting artefacts for you to see and feel for only 30,000rp(~3SGD). It is also very well decorated from realistic sticker walls, trees(as seen in pictures) and even a river! LOL

1000X

Museum visit!

LOL Our cute guide even made us wore this “traditional” costume! LOL! Still got which angle to take nicer, so that we an include the hut! HAHAHA

Lunch @ Rumah Makan Inggil

And oh, if you’re there, really, go in this restaurant! LOL! Got wifi *Wink* HAHA The food is really good too la! LOL! It’s highly recommended online! It’s also really close to the museum!

Meeting place @ Malang’s City Hall

After we finish the tour, the kind guide even volunteer to take us to the city hall next door to tour after that! Which kind of gave us special privilege to access the meeting room and the balcony outside to see a different view of malang from high above! Spectacular!

View from Malang’s City hall!

On the free Malang city tour!

Immediately after the tour in the city hall, there’s a free “Malang City Tour” which is just outside, about to leave =O He got us on it, and then that’s where we parted! What a kind man! The city tour is fun(not)..LOL! It goes round and round the city of Malang with some quite muffled commentary under the really hot sun(we are all sun burnt after that), very low lying trees and really low lying electrical wires LOL! Some one was standing up to take some photos when whoop! the wire almost strangle him! LOL The whole tour lasted for 1.5hour BY THE WAY!

On the public bus up to batu!

After our very very hot tour, we finally managed to get some shade and shelter in the public bus. This is suppose to be the public bus that goes only a certain route, but thanks to a kind lady on the bus with us that speaks english, helped us with communicating with the driver and he drove us all the way to the next city, Batu.. but we kind of paid him extra(100,000rp~10SGD) to get us there! LOLOLOLOL! think that’s his extra income.. his boss must be wondering where he went to during that 1hour..LOL

RR

Rolls Royce

SUPER huge tyre!

Gangster town

Took some photos with the Rolls Royce! Probably the only thing that interest me and some other stuff! It’s like universal studio which has it’s own set up for different theme for different country! Pretty cool actually, but it’s more of like an international thing rather then Indonesia’s museum.. Wide range of vintage cars though.. people who love cars will enjoy them, I guess.. this museum sits on a SUPER HUGE PIECE OF LAND! Check out the video for more info!

Outside the Ang Kut Museum!!

Me and the Gazebo before we go!

Packed up and all ready to go! From Malang to Ceromo Lawang!!

On the jeep up to (midway) of Cemoro Lawang

Our Jeep!

So we had to take the public bus to this town called tumpung, from there a little kid, kind of “brought” us to his house where they provide their own service up the mountain top in the jeep.. LOL! All in all, we paid only 400,000RP(40SGD) for the both of us to get up! Pretty affordable! We have two options though. One is to take the jeep up all the way to Ceromo Lawang for another 400,000 RP and two is to take to the village halfway and hike across the vast plain called “Sea of Sand” We chose the latter. As Lester read online that the view from the village to Ceromo Lawang is super scenic.. YES IT IS!!! Scroll down for pictures!!

Me before the hike!

Lester before the hike!

We ate at one of the houses behind! Hahah! They have super nice food!! Although it’s only Indo mee, she kind of add her own ingredient!

Us before the hike

Getting ready for the hike. Okay it’s not really that cold.. LOL! I have no idea why i’m in the jacket >.< I took it off shortly! HAHAHAHA

Smile!

The view is super awesome! It really reminds me of the “The Hobbits” or the time while i’m at Switzerland! LOL

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Smile!

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If only I can fly a helicopter in-between the valleys with a camera mounted in front with a stabiliser! HOW AWESOME WILL THE VIEW BE!

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Panorama view – start of hike

Lester and his broken shoe..LOL

Oh this part is Epic! HAHA the sole of Lester’s shoe fell apart midway while we were hiking!! HAHAHA! Pro tips 1: Never wear shoe that is not worn for more then 1 year!! Pro tips 2: Always have some form of strong adhesive handy with you at all times! I recommend Double Bubble Epoxy! It sticks super fast and has a super strong bond! P.S. It’s aircraft grade 😉 Pro tips 3:Buy a pair of super handy(those fold fold type) and light weight shoe to bring along! It can either make or break your trip! – Luckily I got an extra pair of shoe for Lester! Might not be the most fitting and comfortable shoe for him, but it works!

Panorama view 2 – on the way up to comoro lawang

As we travel inwards, you can see that the scenery is starting to change from green to brown and into the “sea of sand”

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Masking up!

We had to mask up because the wind is just so strong! Every word I say, I could feel sand entering my mouth! LOL! yum yumzz

Our dirty shoes

Panorama 3 – along the plain field

INTRODUCING THE “SEA OF SAND”

The book of Eli..LOL

Anyone spot any similarities? HAHAHAHA!!!

The real Book of Eli.. LOL!

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Lester taking some photos in the “sandstorm”

Look look look! Yes! we walked right through it! LOL!

attempting a selfie in teh “sandstorm”

With the mask

And after 3 hour of walking! WE’RE FINALLY HERE!!

This is where we stay!

Home stay at Ceromo Lawang!

So on our way up, we met some touts that offers homestay and after negotiating the price, we’ve decide to stay with him. Not too bad this is roughly how it looks like(as we stay at the right side) This village is really super chill! No wifi, cooling air all day all night and very quiet place! The journey is Juanda Aiport –> Surabaya Bus Station –> PATAS bus towards Malang –> Kumpong Tourist –> Ceromo Lawang They also offered us the bike ride up to the view point one and also to Mount Bromo and then back.. for only 70,000rp(~7SGD) LOL! So we took it! Super cool!

Indiana jones! LOL

Us after taking the Milky way! Yay

Just seating around, waiting for the sun to rise! We’re literally stars struck! I think it’s the southern hemisphere’s LOL according to some of my friends! LOL I’m glad we managed to get some shots of it, lots and lots of people crowd start crowding around and polluted(light) the area as my shutter requires 30 seconds!

Milky way from View Point 1!

Milky way 2

View of Mount Bromo from view point 1

This is the view from Mount Penanjakan(view point 1) of Mount Bromo! What a view!

On the bike to Mount Bromo

After the sun has rise, we took the bike up to Mount Bromo!

LOL No, we didn’t take the horse up! LOL

Panorama 4 – View from Mount Bromo

Mount Bromo – Crater

And this is the crater of Mount Bromo! Honestly, there’s nothing, just some sulphuric smell, the constant smoke and the magnificent nature structure! other then that, really nothing. The view of Mount Bromo from far is nicer though! HAHA

Us on Mount Bromo

Getting my hair cut for only $1..LOL

Then got my hair cut under a overhead bridge next to a road!! LOL! FOR ONLY $1!!!! The joke was I hold my pinky out with my thumb at the top of it and signal to just cut a little bit.. HE READ AS CUT SHORT! OMG! It’s HORRIBLE! But i enjoy every moment of it! HAHA!

Like so!

HAHAHAHHAHHAAHA

Meet the man who cut my hair!

o.O

ALMOST FLAT TOP! LOLOL!

Our hotel in surabaya!

So after our hike up to Mount Bromo, we descend back down to Probolingo then to surabaya and technically our whole trip ended here, the moment we reach Surabaya and we only spent 200SGD(we each change 300SGD) with that extra money we decide to just take that money had stay in a more comfortable hotel! LOLOLO!!

Lunch @ Hotel

Spent one day in Surabaya and then return back the next day! Surabaya is like super boring for us.. Probably maybe because we don’t know where to go and we don’t really have time.. The journey is Juanda Aiport –> Surabaya Bus Station –> PATAS bus towards Malang –> Kumpong Tourist –> Ceromo Lawang –> Probolinggo –> Surabaya –> End

Bye guys! hehehe! Thank for following us!

This is a super fun trip! If you’re thinking of going for a budget, fun and somewhere close to nature, LOL THIS IS IT! Total cost breakdown.. Air Fare via Tiger: $124 Money spent till Mt. Bromo: $200 Money spent in Surabaya: $100 I really had lots of fun getting lost, walking and hiking! If you would like more details, PM ME!   Till the next adventure, Norman L.

My Camera Finally Has Wi-Fi!

Got the Toshiba FlashAir and the CF card adapter!

So I’ve been looking high and low for a proper and reliable wifi enabled SD card because apparently my DSLR is already 7 years old and APPARENTLY, it can’t keep up with the latest technology.. But hey, the image quality is still kicking asses ;D

My only frustration is that when I bring it overseas, I had the issues of ’sharing’.. Mainly to friends and family on whatsapp and social media.. I have to take photos on my DSLR AND on my iPhone just so I can share first on whatsapp with them -_- retarded..

Same size and has the wireless capability!

Nowadays, most of the camera are equipped with wifi and you can transfer photos and video directly to your smartphone or computer, very convenient.. I really want that feature! Because by the time I return home and upload the photos and all, the ‘feel’ is already gone.. And I’d be too lazy.. Haha

So with this, any camera can have wifi!!

And set up is simple.. Just connect the sdcard, power up the camera, connect to the wifi hotspot, go to the website and voila…

Fits and works like a charm!

Now what I am able to enjoy is,

1. I can extract and enjoy the awesome image quality, both from the sensor and the lens, instantly

2. My friends and family can enjoy the awesome image quality, both from the sensor and the lens, instantly

3. You can enjoy the awesome image quality, both from the sensor and the lens, instantly

4. Everyone can enjoy the awesome image quality, both from the sensor and the lens, instantly

That’s about all. Go out and have fun! The world is your playground!

 

p.s. Wess will be bringing it to Japan to try it out.. Let’s wait for his return..

Till then,
Norman L.

Hong Kong Standard Chartered

Streets of Hong Kong

So this trip started out with my brother and his friend signing up for this standard chartered 42.195km run, in Hong Kong. After much anticipation, his friend realized that he’s unable to go due to school work and it clashes exactly on the same dates. So now, he’s going alone.

He asked if we wanted to go together, then my mum and me was like ok! And Takeshi Abe, my mum’s friend’s cousin’s son, was here for the Singapore’s 42.195km and so, with the extra tickets, we asked if he wanted to run as well, since, yeah free tickets.

So that’s that. Bought the tickets and accommodation(We used AirBnB and the experience was great!), and off we go!

*Cue high tempo music*

Boarding the plane

Cheeseeee

Selfie before boarding

At waiting area

*cue car squeak sound effect*

And we’re here! Landed.
So we all know that apartment is very expensive in HK, which makes rental and hotels prices high. Thankfully we managed to source for this apartment via AirBnb and we rented the whole apartment to ourselves. Although it might be really small and squeezy, it’s really kind of cozy and warm. Everyone living together, we barely even have moving space HAHA!

The toilet is sooooo small, that.. ok just image going in, then when you try to bathe and move around, you butt cheeks will actually touch the walls. HAHAHAHA AND IT’S SUPER COLD LIKE ICE COLD! I think it’s one of the torture method used last time.

Sunrise in HK

While on the bus, A21 from the airport to Mongkok. It’s quite convenient for us as it stops directly in front of our apartment. But the only problem was, we’re too early. We’re suppose to be able to only check in at 12pm. But our flight is at 6am.

But Davis, our host, agrees to let us check in earlier at 10am and even gave us a holding apartment to put our stuffs from between 6am to 10am. Really got to thank Davis! Else we’ll have to lug our luggage all over Hong Kong while waiting for the rooms to be ready. (Y)

While waiting for time to pass to “check in”

Mongkok

Going up the apartment

This is actually the holding apartment, on the 7th floor.

Davis, our host! Very nice host!

Art?

Super small but cozy ;D

This is actually our apartment. As you can see, the bed i’m lying on is about my height. I’m about 1.8m tall. So, there’s 2 1.8m in length room which can sleep 2, comfortably. A living room, which is a sofa, converted bed(can sleep 2, cramp)

But there’s only 5 of us. So the sofa bed sleeps 1, bed sleeps 2 each(Y) Comfortable!

Ate breakfast at a random cafe while waiting

This is our first breakfast in Hong Kong! hehe I guess, any random stalls that you enters, will serve you good food because they all cook really good. Those with the stars maybe they’re just unique in some ways or they have really good marketing skills.

Snack after Takashi arrive

Takashi flights is at 12pm and so we had to intercept him. He can’t really speak and read English or Mandarin. So, yes we’re glad everything works out. It’s like magic. We operated base on faith! HAHA

Oh the snail thing is really really good. We had the curry fish balls, sotong stick and smelly tofu as well! Muahaha

Fresh Fruits

The damn good coconut drink!

DSLR

DSLR

Streets of HK!

Fishes

Selfie with HK’s Street

Selfie. Oh the weather is really quite cold while I was there. Average temperature is about 18 degrees with strong wind =O

But ok la, since we hardly have cold weather here in Singapore, I shall brave the storm and “tahan” the cold no matter how cold it is.

Us at Tim Ho Wan

One of the dim sum place that we wanted to try to compare it with the counterpart in Singapore, Tim Ho Wan! It’s really not too bad, the one in Hong Kong. I think they are both good, but i can tell the one in Hong Kong is better.

Me and one of the Big four heavenly king

This one is really good! the Pork bun. HAHA Tastes the time, the one in Hong Kong VS Singapore

Me and the smelly tofu

BEST

Victoria’s Peak

Been here before previously. Mandatory shot using my iPhone.

Scramble eggs at The Australian Dairy Co.

The best scramble eggs I’ve eaten for a very long while. It’s really watery yet it’s very firm and tasty and it goes very well with the toast! Add some of the fine ground pepper. WOW!

Ham and macaroni at The Australian Dairy Co.

And WOW the macaroni, the soup is just wow. If you’re there, just head down and try this.

Me drinking my milk tea at The Australian Dairy Co.

Fresh Milk!

Us at Mongkok’s MTR

Me after collecting the race pack

Went to collect the race pack the day before!

Me and the banner

While waiting for 23 up to Tian Tan Buddha!

So instead of the crystal cable car, we took the bus instead. It’s at a fraction of the price and we didn’t had to join that monstrous queue just for the cable car-__-

Me and the Tian Tan Buddha

Climbed all the way up through the thousands of flights of stairs just to reach tian tan.

OOTD

Cousin, Takeshi and Brother!

Me and Takashi with the Tian Tan Buddha

I really find this photo quite nice! HAHA With that glorious halo above the buddha.

Me eating corn while enjoying the strong wind

Best period to go HK! The weather condition is perfect! Slightly cold(18 degrees) and windy! They sells sweet corn, sweet potato and what not up there! LOL! Somehow it tasted better when it’s up there. Ate it straight out of the steamer(that’s how cold it was)

Me high-5ing Tian Tan Buddha

HAHAHA! Go a few more times and i’ll be the master of hi-5ing him. This is the second time i’ve been up there, hi-5ing him. LOL

#occupyinghongkong

Selfie with #occupyinghongkong and got scolded

Oh, so along the streets at night at mongkok, we actually saw the Umbrella Movement!
Went to took a photo, and while i was just taking it, i was shouted at -__- “EH PAI SERMO PAI”

Going towards the Harbour

Another place that we visited was Macau! Like everyone that comes HK also go there. It’s the worst place to visit unless you’re going there for the casino or maybe it’s your first time.
This is my second time going. Even when i’m there for the first time on my previous trip, after half a day i really felt that it’s boring and there’s really nothing much to see -_-

On the way to Macau

Took the speedboat, only 45mins.

Casino at Macau, Galaxy

Visited some of the casino, just to look see look see.. some of the casinos are quite beautiful! But other then the casino, HAHA the rest, really nothing much

Rune of St. Paul

There’s only this to see o.O

Breakfast at Honolulu Cafe

The following day, we the our breakfast at honolulu! Their egg tarts is good! go and try!

Starting point

This is the starting point for the standard chartered 42.195/21/10 run!

Waiting for the race to start!

Empty streets at Causeway Bay

Admiralty

Once you see it, you can’t unseen it

Me and the police taking a selfie

LOL This is the furthest I dare to go to take photo with the police! HAHA

Mak’s noodle, another overrated Michelin-starred Restaurant

Not bad.. but expensive and overrated! Really much to say la.. got to try for yourself.. but i won’t fly there just to eat this =X

Me getting a haircut

Oh, I love getting haircut when i’m overseas! LOL! I think even if they cut very badly, at least it’s an experience and I have a story to share with strangers, friends and family! HAHAHA But most of the time, they are cheaper and does better!

Waiting to board the plane

Time to return back to Singapore!

Good-Bye HK!

This might be my second time going to HK, although the places that i’ve visited are about the same, but it’s truly who you travel with that matter! I’m glad Takashi has decide to come with us, it certainly add some fun to our trip! The way we communicate, is really funny and epic sometimes, with the hands and legs.. The style of travelling is also different. I guess both are fun, just different =D Till april! Lets see where i’m going next!

 

Till then,
Norman

Engineering Marvel

In just one week, I did two awesome activities.

1. I sat in the AFT cockpit of the F-16 while we’re doing our checks with the engine operating. Closest I’ve been to being a pilot 😉

And, did I also mention that I got to “play” with the side-stick and “kicked” the rudder, except the throttle 😦

It’s really is an amazing feeling looking at all the flight controls coming to life, moving in perfect harmony, while the engine roars in sync with the flight instruments. It indeed is an engineering marvel.

Majority of the time, the aircrafts are “dead” when I’m working in it. Getting to control it and looking at it move makes me feel that what I’ve done the past year, all the late nights, the sweat and blood are all worth it. They actually works and I can prove that!

2. I also went to ST Aerospace the following day. That place is like a Disneyland, but for planes. I saw the stripped and naked Airbus, being put together, piece by piece. Planes with paint that are yet to be coated on. Titanium, raw titanium.
I also saw rows and rows of commercial planes from companies like Air Japan, Lufthansa and many many more including the RSAF!

That aside, most importantly, we went there for a mission. Completing it swiftly with precision. Glad we did, just like the humming bird #815squadron

It’s really nice to know how much mankind has came with science and technologies, improving our life greatly.  Looking at planes taking off really makes me wonder how we’ve come to far, since 1903 till today. It really gives me a sense of achievement ❤ Thanks for inventing planes though! #embracingtechnologies

Happy New Year 2015!

So like any others, we went to for countdown as well! Yay!

Happy New Year 2015 guys!!

It was fun counting down.

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Happy New Year!

The last word most people say for the year is one and the first word most people say for the year is Happy. Go figure.

Taken in 2009

Here’s a fireworks for you guys, taken by me in 2009 when I was still deeply into photography(now still, but more specialised 😉 HAHA)
I remembered waiting from 12pm to 12am just for these shots. LOL! So guys, appreciate it.

Before the countdown, we went to trick eye museum Singapore!

Ballerina. LOL

Strong Arm

HELP!!!

Pregnant

Midget

o.O

Anyway,
In my 22 years, 2014 is by far one of the more exciting year for me. Traveled to many places, doing things I like yet still able to commit to my National Service term which is going to end very soon next year in August.

Coming to Airforce then to Tengah was already something i’m very grateful for which i’m sure I will definitely miss after i ORD. I was then given the opportunity to help out with the Singapore Air Show 2014 as a exhibitor, helping with different COC, Tribute dinner, Anniversary dinner, etc, be it cue master, AV controls, photography, videos, and video production, you’ll be surprised that no job is too small/little however small/little you see your job may be. Best part is, the experience I’ve gained is huge, learning from how people managed, organised and executing them.

Airshow 2014

In August, my PES status was up from C to B, which means i have to start taking my IPPT. From not being able to do a single pull up and can’t jump past 190cm to at least a pass within a month. Very grateful for the people around me that spammed me with hacks and tips to pull and jumping and even went “training” with me. I’m really glad i managed to pass in-time to get my promotion from a CPL to 3SG. Going for RT every Saturday morning is super painful. Trust me.

Training for IPPT

Receiving the Commander’s Coin came as a huge surprise for me. Didn’t expect to even receive it. But i’m glad i did. It’s a huge recognition knowing all the hard work i’ve put in, going the extra mile, and even rushing the work out on weekends. Although i really don’t know who nominated me for it =X I’m really grateful for it.

Commander’s Coin

I also made a few trip overseas with my leaves. Made four fruitful trip with just 14 days of leave, clocking up to 28 days, multiplying twice my leave. Haha king of leave. No la. Just pair it with weekend and public holidays. Each and every trip is different with different friend. Driving(here and here) in Thailand made me realised the importance of friends, you can only go so far alone. I’m really glad I’ve decided to spent it on experience then any other thing else.

 

The way I see it, 2015 will only get better then 2014. Well, good or not, it all depends on you actually. Someone literally once told me, your altitude depends on your attitude. How high you want go, how good you want it to be, depends on you. But remember, all good things must come to an end.

What makes life valuable is that it doesn’t last forever. What makes it precious is that it ends. Good luck.

Till Then,
Norman

Road Trip To Korat & Udon, Thailand 2014

 

This is Us!

No. of cities covered: 3
Total distance covered :1237km
Total trip duration(on the roads):~17 hours
Car driven: Toyota Vios 1.5 E Auto
Total petrol consumed:~93l(91/98) ~ 3070 Bhat(120 SGD)

To be honest, the road condition in Thailand is really good, in my opinion. It’s only when you enter the more rural area, you get dirt roads which is still great to drive on. It’s a misconception that the roads condition are ALL dirt road, GIANT portholes, BAD weather, POOR placement of signage, NO maintenance, etc. At least with some of the people who I’ve talked to. It’s not.

Check out their beautiful garden city!

Well paved roads, proper signage, great greenery on the divider and good weather.

So after coming up with a rough plan about driving we’ve decided to explore the east of Thailand, starting with Bangkok, we quickly take a look at a few important things.. Our leaves(O/L), tickets to bkk and the availability of the rental car.

Also, The Thai King’s birthday happens to coincides with mine on the 5th of December and I thought that it might be special if I were to spent my birthday over there. So choosing the dates for this trip is not that hard.

Furthermore,  with my previous experience from my last road trip I’m also quite confident with how everything will work like the road condition, the GPS, the 3G, the people and all.

Then we started planning. We pulled up google maps and then looked at the places we have visited that leaves us with the perfect route for ourselves 😉

East of Thailand, Korat and Udon

Also with the influence of the RSAF for going there often for our overseas detachment, it kind of makes going there even more meaningful for us!

On Map Route

So on the faithful morning, we left our place for the airport at 6am to reach at 8am to board at 10am to reach at 12pm

And since we’re there early, and the “inside” is more exclusive than the “outside” we decide to go in for our breakfast and do some pre-flight shopping. Interesting.

Breakfast at the Airport

Good Bye 😉

LULZ

When we got on the plane, we realised we had the last of the last rows of seat. Yay! it’s actually the safest place to sit in the plane. Woohoo! But this A320 is not really very comfortable.The seats can’t actually recline. So Yeah. But i guess with the low ticket pricing, and short journey, it’s fine.

Flying off~

Always take the window seat!

Get the meal! Only $5! And it’s tasty (Y)

Then we had the food on board the plane. It’s not too bad for the given price, i guess.. and there’s always this shiok feeling whenever you eat on the plane.. Haha

Play with some kids. Makes you feel better

Jon and the Vios

After a awhile of doing nothing, we reached. Easy Pisy, we cleared custom, get our 3G card topped up and proceed to the car rental counter(We rented from Budget) Apparently the women remembered me from the previous rental back in June? Muahahha My PR skill has reached new heights. HAHA So apparently no discount or whatsoever but she took a 10,000 Bhat deposit instead of a 20,000 Bhat Deposit. Not much difference anyway. It’ll be returned to you ultimately(That’s is if you don’t crash or what la, BODOHHH)

We rented the 1.5 E Auto Vios for only 30 (per person per day) for 3 days because the 4th day, we’re spending our time in Bangkok and driving in Bangkok is crazy. the traffic is bad.

But anyway, We went around looking for Tesco to get some snacks, end up going round and round to no avail -_-about 2hr, we gave up and head towards Korat.

Set off!

Best part about having your own vehicle

First “meal” of the day

While going round and round, this is all we found.. getting hungry ;(

Took the dirt road to find a place

We even went into the ulu places to find Tesco, based on the map.. but NOPE nothing-.-

Stop by for snacks

Be on the roads

Korat to Udon is roughly about 239km, about hours. But I think we took longer than that.

Set off from BKK at 1415 and reached at 1925. We kept stopping for breaks, food and everything else

Shades on

So after hours of drive we finally reached our destination, Bosswin Home Resort!

Saw it off Agoda and decided to give it a try to OMG way above expectation.. only $35 per room per night

This is the bed prepared for us! LOL!

Yup! They made it for us!

This is the view of our loft from outside! Very nice place, we get to park our vehicle up next to our loft! How cool is that?!

Our Loft

Interior of Bosswin

This is the only sunrise we got -_-

We thought the sunrise would be like SUPER nice with the yolk, but that day like different from the picture only -.- chey

Good Morning!

Good Bye, nice scenery behind me

Both sides of the loft are rice field! YAY Very nice and chill place!

American Breakfast

Boston Home Stay

Surrounding of the place

Boston Home Stay

Boston Home Stay

Sadly, we only have 1 night to stay ;(
Would love to come here another time just to enjoy the beautiful resort itself and what Korat has to offer

Getting ready to leave

(Y)

Super chilling

View the 360 view of our loft here!

Friendly staff and thai we met @ Bosswin

The women in the middle is the owner of Bosswin and the girls are volleyball players which Bosswin kind of sponsor them a place to stay and train. Super friendly and warm people

Korat Zoo

Spend half a day at Korat Zoo before we set off for Udon. Happened to saw the Zoo on the map on the way to Udon, so might as well, make a turn. That’s the best part about driving your own vehicle, again HAHA
Oh oh and their zoo is really cool. Most of the enclosure are separated by nothing but water and a few strings.. only this area, they have this glass viewing gallery, and the tiger seems to be very hungry -.-

Scary Tiger

But damn fun!

5cm away

Super close =O

See what I mean?

Giraffe

“Wild” deer?

You run towards them, they run away already la.. that’s why they’re allowed outside.. LOL

Vroooom

Before continuing our journey to Udon, we have to stock up to prepare for any apocalypse
So.. this happens…

Our loot ;(

LOL! How we store our stuffs

-______- So it was placed nicely on the seats, then Jonathan decides to jam break then everything fell out HAHA!

Step one check vehicle HAHA

Then we saw people next to us lifting up their bonnet then touch here touch there, SO WE DID THE SAME! HAHAHA
The only thing we know was to top up the windshield wiper fluid! LOL!

Fireworks on 5th December

On 5th December, which is the King’s birthday! Fireworks!
And after about another 5-6 hours, we reached this little village, the roads are like dirt roads, which fits only 1 car, and the only light presence was from our car, total darkness. We just had to trust Google, and the location they provide can’t be found on google. I just anyhow pin it on Google map base on the map they gave. LOL

Exterior of Sandee

Then we finally end up here! Very nice and clean place

Interior of Sandee

Good Morning, again

Packing

Mandatory haircut overseas

Wash Cut Wash Cut Blow Style only 8 SGD – My Princess Salon HAHA =O

Random elephant on the road

THAT FISH IS DAMN GOOD

It’s super juicy inside

Packing

We just packed our stuff in the morning, getting ready to go to the town, then leave for BKK..

Sandee Home Place @ Udon

This is the 360 view of the Hotel we stayed.

Colleagues that went Udon for Detachment

Then we met up with our Colleagues that went over to Udon for detachment! Just nice that week that we went, they’re already having their R&R and they’re going back the following week! Woohoo! Had lunch with them, then went opposite to get the snacks for the people in office then we’re back on the road back to BKK! Journey is expected to be around 7-8 hours, 699km.

Buying snacks for people back in Singapore

Labelling

There’s more

After about 8 hours, we reached at 11pm as we departed slightly late as we’re having lunch and all at Udon with the Udon people ;D

@ Our Hostel in BKK

Breakfast at hostel

Chuk Tu Chuk

Went to CTC to bully some cute cats

MBK

Our flight is 4pm at Don Meung International Airport.
Had breakfast and all, then we left for the Airport.

While waiting for our Pig Trotter

Leaving for SG!

Waiting for our Bus to the Plane

THEY GAVE US THE HOT SEAT!!

Oh and i think the trick is don’t do web check-in, so when everyone else has a seat and the hot seats are empty, they’ll upgrade you to the hot seats,  I think? Because we GOT THE HOT SEATS! damn shiok and spacious! But like seat two hours only la, ok la, better than nothing. Thank you Air Asia! LULZ

This marks the end of our short but really quite fun trip.
Really impromptu trip, and I’m glad this works out well although not much was planned except the main cities.

Back Packer Jonathan

Back Packer Norman

Feel free to PM me regarding any question you have or need any info, I’ll try my best to answer them ;))

Till then,
Norman L