Not Satisfied Enough (?)

Samui Escapade

Day 1: Travelling to Koh Samui

Day 2: Island Hopping in Koh Samui

Our last day in Koh Samui. Supposedly, our flight was at 2-something PM and would probably be arrived in KLIA2 at 1530. Too bad our flight has been delayed til late evening. There goes my flight to SBW. Burn flight and terpaksa amek the first flight in next morning. 

So, when I bought our bus and ferry ticket, I did asked for a later time. Instead, they gave us the early morning ferry. We waited for the van to pick us up at the hotel at 8AM and went straight to the pier. But before that, I did asked Faris to go to the 7E and packed us some foods. Kompom lapar babe. I ate mine in the ferry. Should've bought two for me. 

Seatran Ferry

The journey was just like Day 1, but the inverse one. 

Van - Ferry - Bus - Flight

Oh yeah,  I almost forgot to mention that, we stayed at Chaweng Beach, I can say that the night life at the moment I went there is too quite. Lain kata, night life dia taklah life sangat. 

And here, is the video. 

Samui Getaway oleh aziemah-mohamad1

Why I said I was not satisfied enough with this trip?
Well, I should've another few nights. I still wanted to explore Koh Samui. For anyone wanted to go to Koh Samui, please go and stay there for at least 3 nights. :)


Damaged for Day 3:

Food - THB 35 

Total - THB 35 (~MYR 4.26)


Z : I went to Koh Samui on 17 - 19 January 2016. Sangat tak puas hati. Patut tambah satu malam lagi. Tak puas explore lagi. 

Island Hopping in Koh Samui

Samui Escapade

Day 1: Travelling to Koh Samui
Day 3: Not Satisfied Enough (?)

Fishermen boats near the Nathon Pier

We woke up early and had our quick breakfast. Luckily, they provided continental breakfast at the place that we stayed. We waited for the van to pick us up at the hotel and made a little chit chat with the other Malaysians who were having the same package with us too.

Tempat yang kami naik tu, macam kampung nelayan. A fisherman village. Be prepared for the fishy smell at the dock. We had another round of breakfast in the boat. A hot tea with buttered croissant. Enough energy for a day, I guess.

The journey for this trip is quite long. For us to get to the first island, it took us almost 2 hours. We made friend to some people on the boat and became closed to the Malaysian ladies, Iqa, Peanut and Biha. Haris came later as he joined us at the sun deck.

At the sun deck. Had some peace of my mind looking at the view.

At our first pit-stop, we went for an adventure. Or as I can say, a hike-kinda adventure. We hiked for half an hour to get to see this view...

Wua Ta Lab Island

Hiked for about half an hour just to see this view from 650m above sea level

After we hiked, we had our lunch at the boat. We didn't bring any food. We were in the middle of nowhere. We're hungry. Tutup mata, makan je lah.

Then we went to another island for snorkeling. I was quite disappointed with the snorkeling area because I thought we were doing an open water snorkeling, just like in Krabi. But noooo... They left us at the island and do whatever we wanted. We can hiked (again) or just swam at the seashore. We were curious because we were not being given any snorkeling gear. So, we swam at the designated area.
But when we were just about to go for kayaking, we saw a few people get their snorkeling gear at the side of the big rock. It was too late for us. I was pissed off because we were not getting any notice about where to get the gear. Ahh well, I was hopeful that kayak should be better than swimming by the seashore.

After 40 minutes of splashing some waters at the seashore, we get into our kayak and started kayaking. Finally, I had some fun at the sea. We kayak for about almost half an hour and I, appreciate the view that I saw. Even though I was frustrated with the acah-acah snorkeling part, I was happy that the kayak was not so frustrated. I got to see the beautiful view of the surrounding islands.

After kayaking, we all went to the boat and went back to Koh Samui. It was almost sunset. We walked around to find any available Halal restaurant nearby our hotel. Luckily we found one. Then we asked what time the restaurant will closed and went back to the hotel to freshen up.

Sunset.

After Maghrib, we went to the restaurant along with the other ladies that we met earlier in the boat. We met at the lobby of the hotel and walked together towards the restaurant. Makan besar sia! We ate a lot for dinner that night. The total cost for our dinner was THB 1030. So, that's mean around THB 171.6 each. The dinner was over our budget. But to come to think of that we had a cheap dinner for Day 1, so, it was okay to have a good food for our last night in Koh Samui.

Layan je la tokey kedai tu cite pasal gym diaaaa

After we ate, we went to the night market and had a look what they sold there. It's a small night market with nothing much to see. I bought a fridge magnet to give it to my parents and that's it. Takdak yang menarik minat.

I asked the other ladies whether they wanted to do a massage. And they liked my idea. The next thing I knew, we went for a spa hunting. It turns out, the spa in front of our hotel offered the best price and it open til midnight. Woohooo...

I chose oil massage with a lavender scented oil. Damn, I smelt like lavender that night. Then, I saw that I have an hour left before the shop closed. I chose my second treatment, which was the facial, It's so refreshing to have the facial after you get your skin burnt from the Sun. At least, I didn't go back with a sunburn skin. Anyhoo, I still got the tanned, k?

Around midnight, my sister and I wandered around the town. Ngelayor bak padah urang tua tek.


Damaged for Day 2:
Remainder for the island hopping package - THB 1300
Drinks - THB 5.67 (THB 17)
Dinner - THB 171.6 (THB 1030)
Souvenirs - THB 100
Massage & Facial - THB 600
Total - THB 2177.27 (~MYR 265.19)



Z: Rugi lah pi Thailand tak pi massage.

Travelling to Koh Samui

OMG, it's been a long time since I wrote a post here. I'd been busy and there are two trips that I missed. I have another trip in two weeks time. So, I stole some of my time to write this. Here I go...

*

I chose Koh Samui because going to Koh Lipe is quite expensive.

I took a flight to Samui from KLIA2 at noon and arrived in Surat Thani around 1200. The flight took us around 1 hour and 30 minutes. And of course, 12 is Thailand time zone. After we had our immigration checked, we wandered around at the lobby of the airport to find a transportation to Koh Samui. We went from booth to booth and compared the price of the bus. So, we agreed to go for Phantip Co. Ltd. as it was the cheapest among all. The return bus and ferry price was THB 1100.

When we boarded the bus, there was a lady promoted us the island hopping packages. I listened to the lady dengan cara nak tak nak je. Why? Because, I was afraid that it will be a scam. So I asked her to talked to my friend. Faris listen to her attentively and interested in the adventure package. My sister was rooted for that package too. While, I wanted the relaxing package. Ahhhh well, 2 against 1. Mana nak lawan -.-

The price for the adventure package was THB 1400 and the other one is THB 1600. Just a few hundreds different. We agreed to choose the adventure packages and paid THB 100 each for deposit.

The bus ride took us around 1 hour and 30 minutes until we reached Seatran Pier. We arrived at the pier around 1430 and waited for half an hour to board the ferry. And the ferry ride took us around 1 hour and 35 minutes until we reached Nathon Pier. Let me just say this,

ENJOY THE RIDE.

The view that I captured on my ferry ride.

Maybe, some inhabitant islands.

When we arrived at Nathon Pier, there are a few vans that has been waiting for us. We went to our hotel van. My ohh my. I almost forgot how they drove in Thailand. The last time I was in this kinda ride when I went for a trip in Phuket-Krabi.

We arrived at our hotel when the Sun was almost setting down. It felt like a small little town compared to Phuket or Krabi and it did not have a lot of noises. We checked in and had some rest before we went to get some dinner.

I did not do my research well. The shops there closed early. I have searched some Halal restaurant in Koh Samui, but too bad they closed at 9PM. We were damn hungry and couldn't just simply ate anything that we found. So, Faris has this idea to bought some food in 7E, pre-heat it, and brought it back to the hotel. The price for frozen shrimp fried rice in the 7E was THB 35. (Asalnya budget makanan THB 150 each day. Saved sia makan ni je. hihihi)

Samui Escapade

Day 2: Island Hopping in Koh Samui
Day 3: Not Satisfied Enough (?)

Damaged for Day 1:
Return bus ticket - THB 1100
Deposit for island hopping package - THB 100
Food - THB 35
Total - THB 1235 (~MYR 150.42)

Dago Car Free Day

Paris Van Java

Day 1: Selamat Sore, Pak!
Day 2: The Beautiful Kawah Putih
Day 3: Tangkuban Perahu Trip
Day 4: My Very First Conference

Our last day in Bandung and it's Sunday. Ngah told us that there's a famous event located at Dago Street which is called Dago Car Free Day. From the name of the event, you can get what the event is all about. We went there by cab because it's quite far from our hotel. Ngah told me that the Car Free Day in Bandung is so lively compared to the one in KL. And I witnessed it with my own eyes and I rest my case. True story. Nang antap best lalu event ya. Gamboh jak! 

We walked along the streets and there are lotsa people doing lotsa things there. Some went for cycling, walking, jogging and more. There are also organizations who did some parade/marching along the street. Performances such as busking, dangdut, flash mob and more happened along the street. It was fun and enjoyable morning.

Taken by Ngah's iPhone6

Going back to the hotel by using Angkutan.
Quite cheap though.

*

Went to the airport at 1100 to catch our flight at 1405. Here's a tricked to get into the lounge at Bandung Airport. At the lobby of the airport, there will be someone who'll managed our luggage and ticket check in. He will closed one of the counter to the other passengers so that we can checked in our luggage. Kira macam cop kaunter tu laa. We gave our passports and luggage to him and he handled everything. Ngah gave him some tips and off we went to the airport lounge. 

We need to pay certain amount of money (I forgot the price) when entering the lounge. In the lounge, we can eat and drink what they had served there. After a while, the person who are in-charge at the lounge counter will gave us back our passport including the boarding ticket. Senang kan. 

Kiteorang dah reserve counter ni.

Had our lunch at the lounge.

Yup. That's all for our Bandung Trip. I was pretty nervous for the night event in KL actually. Hehe...

Z: Pergi bawak 4 luggage, balek Malaysia, luggage beranak-pinak. And berjuta-juta Rupiah habis di Bandung. Trip was from 20th - 24th May 2015.

My Very First Conference

Paris Van Java

Day 1: Selamat Sore, Pak!
Day 2: The Beautiful Kawah Putih
Day 3: Tangkuban Perahu Trip

Day 5: Dago Car Free Day

I had my conference nerve in the morning because I was the second presenter of the day. It has been a long time since I did my presentation. Since I enrolled my Master, I seldom do any presentations. Thus, to soothe the nerve, I went down for breakfast. I was alone and I didn't know anyone there. 

After I had my breakfast, I went to the venue and prepared everything. I mingled around with some of the presenters there. My my.. It feels like I came from a different planet. Almost all of them presented in the morning has an education background. While, I came from a computing background. 

I presented as usual and I got a lot of questions from the audiences. I thought this conference was about educations, so I prepared my answers based on the education part of my research. However, it turned out that the audiences were mostly asking about the tools that will be used in my research. The feedback that I got from the conference were noted down for future references.

My published paper can be viewed here.

*

I checked out in the evening and gathered back with my family. We went to Factory Outlet hopping and I was pretty sure that I'd been to all the factory outlets in Bandung. 

Then we went to some sort of Seven Eleven in Bandung to buy Kak Effi's prepaid top up. I was intrigued to find out that they bought the pulsa via this kiosk. 

Enter the number at the kiosk and paid it at the counter. 

Got free charging station too.

I suggested that if you came to Indonesia, just bought the prepaid number at the airport. It's quite cheap. Rph 100000 for 4GB of Internet which is around MYR 28 when converted to Malaysia currency. Sangat murah. Tak tahu kenapa Internet kat Malaysia sangat mahal. 

After hours of Factory Outlet hopping, we all went to the Stone Cafe, again for an early dinner. 

Here is the view from the cafe in the evening.

The Stone Cafe

After we had our dinner, we went to the hotel and packed all our stuffs. 

It was weekend night, so, Ngah, Kak Effi and I went to Asia Afrika streets and view the night environment in Bandung. The road was congested with people and cars. We walked from the hotel to Braga City Mall. 

Along the walk, we enjoyed the night scenes. There were people who performed along the roadside, people who took lotsa photos including us, dogs-and-owners gathering and so much more. 

We chilled at Giggle Box Cafe & Resto. The mall was about to close, so we sat, ate and enjoyed the acoustic performances. 

Z: Malam yang sangat hidup!

Tangkuban Perahu Trip

Paris Van Java

Day 1: Selamat Sore, Pak!
Day 2: The Beautiful Kawah Putih
Day 4: My Very First Conference
Day 5: Dago Car Free Day

As usual, we had our heavy breakfast at the hotel and off we went to Tangkuban Perahu. It's quite a long journey to our next pit-stop. Jauh tu macam nak pergi ke Kawah Putih jugak laa.. But before we off to the Tangkuban Perahu, we had our detour to Kartika Sari. Ngah said that she wanted to buy some food for the journey.

If you go to Bandung, Kartika Sari is a must place to stop by. Wanted to get fresh baked foods, go there at early in the morning. 

Selorot tu memang favourite

After had our brief stop at Kartika Sari, we went to Tangkuban Perahu which is another famous sightseeing place in Bandung. The entrance fee for each foreigner is Rph 200000 during the weekdays. The ticket can be bought at the main entrance. Face mask is not needed at here because the air was fresher and cooler than at Kawah Putih. 

Upon arrival, there are a lot of people, everywhere. And they are full of either tourists or vendors. I came here for the view. It's magnificent! 

Entrance ticket

After we took a lot of photos, it's time to buys some souvenirs. There will be some seller who is going to follow you everywhere so that you can buy their items. Fortunately, we didn't buy from them because the shops alongside the road sell the same item at a cheaper price. 

After doing some sightseeing at Tangkuban Perahu, we went to Sederhana for lunch. As usual, we ordered the same thing. 

Then, we went to Rumah Mode, again. Mama said that she wanted to buy a handbag there. It looks almost the same as the original but it is not. I guest so. But most of the handbags there are more than MYR1K though. Tak berapa nak murah sangat pun.

After doing all the shopping spree and stuffs, I went to Amaroossa Hotel for my conference registration. I checked in into my room put my stuffs there. The room was small but beautiful. It is sooo modern-looking room. Anyway, this is a four-star boutique hotel. I don't know the price for a room at this hotel as it is already included in my conference fee.

*

We went to Le' mongrass Spa to soothe our mind. I chose the Le' mongrass package with chocolate scrub. There are chocolate, strawberry and green tea scrubs. 

Kak Effi and I chose the couple room where we can get a little privacy. From what she told me, this is all women spa. I don't know whether there are any package for men. (?)

At the end of the day, I smelt like chocolate. And all of their scrubs are made by their own.

Open air spa

The couple room

Free drinks after the spa session; ginger and American tea.

Before they sent me off to Amaroossa Hotel, we went to Capital8 for our dinner. Good food and environment though.

Yang ni sedap.

Chocolate Oreo Milkshake

We went to Amaroossa Hotel to sent me and the rest went to Prama Grand Preanger Hotel to get some rest.

While at the hotel, I was supposed to have a roommate but in the end I was all alone in my room. My roommate didn't showed up. So, I took the opportunity to edit and simplified my presentation slides and practiced for the last time before the big day on the next day.

Gambar sekadar hiasan. 

Z: Yep, I was effing nervous. 

The Beautiful Kawah Putih

Paris Van Java

Day 1: Selamat Sore, Pak!
Day 3: Tangkuban Perahu Trip
Day 4: My Very First Conference
Day 5: Dago Car Free Day

We woke up and had our breakfast at the hotel. As told by Ngah, we must eat til we full because it's a long journey to our next destination. And yeah, of course I took her advice. I ate til drop.

On our second day adventure, we were heading to Kawah Putih. It is a very long journey and it also depends on the traffic on that particular day. We arrived after almost 2 hours of driving and bought the entrance ticket at the South Bandung Tourism Centre. You can checked out the price list in the photo below.

Our driver said that, if we bought the entrance ticket at the centre, the driver can park freely at the parking space. That's what he said. Free face mask and fresh strawberry juice will be given to each person who bought the ticket here.

Arrived at Kawah Putih around 1030. There are a lot people who came earlier than us. A tips from me, please come early to get a perfect, human-free photo shot. Hehe

Before entering the site, please put on the face mask. If you can't stand the pungent smell, you can easily get a headache. This is because of the sulfur from the lake. It is a beautiful scenery but we only managed to stay for less than 30 minutes there.

Kawah Putih

After we took a lot of photos at the crater, we went down the hill and stopped at the cafe to get our fresh strawberry juice. Just show the entrance ticket that we bought earlier at the counter, we got the juice for free. The strawberry juice is fresh and refreshing. It feels good to have a cold drinks after smelt all the sulfur.

Chillax at the cafe down the hill

I forgot the name of this food but it is delish.
Otak-otak versi ikan.

Fresh strawberry juice. Yummeh!

On the way to Kawah Putih, there are a lot of strawberry farms where you can hand-picked your own strawberries. We didn't managed to do so as we are not a fan of strawberries. Anyhoo, it took us around 2 hours to get to our next pit-stop which was Cibaduyut. At this store, you can get a lot of cheap Bandung t-shirts. You can get each t-shirt for Rph 25000 which is about MYR 7. Mama and Udak memang berborong sakan la. Nak dijadikan subeniyer katanya.

After about 2 hours at Cibaduyut, we went to Mahmud Beauty Shop. You can get a lot of branded make up or beauty products at cheap prices. For example, I bought my beauty product for more or less than MYR 50. If I buy the product at the Guardian, my damaged would be more than MYR 200.

I bought these for Rph 179400 which is about MYR 50.23.

We all got hungry after doing all the shopping. So, we went to Sederhana for our late lunch. Sederhana served authentic Padang foods and it is quite affordable and delicious. When we arrived, the waiter will served hot tea to the customers and laid out all the foods in front of us. If you wanted other drinks than tea, just asked the waiter. Ngah asked us to try the Ayam Pop. It's delish. But I prefer the fried chicken. The green sambal is what you should tried too. It's not that spicy though.

At this restaurant, you eat what you 'touch'. For example, if you eat the vegies, the waiter will count that as a whole plate. However, for the plate which served a countable foods, for example one piece of chicken (each plate served 2 pieces of chicken), the waiter will count that as one chicken. Hmm.. Hard to explain in English though. I think you can picture the view by looking at the photo below. If you don't understand, hit me up at the comment below.

And you can add more foods if you wanted. Ngah asyik order Ayam Pop je while I often add on sambal hijau and ayam goreng. 

Tak complete lagi nih. Selalunya penuh
satu meja.

We went to Bandung Trade Centre (BTC) after having our late lunch and continued our shopping journey. Well, when you are going to Bandung, your primary mission was to shop. Nothing much here. They sell more cheap clothes here. Then, we went to another factory outlets which were Heritage and Cascade.

Before we took called it a night, we went to fill our tummies with some foods. On our second night in Bandung, we went to Halaman Cafe for dinner. They served local cuisines and western foods at this cafe. The food was delicious and good for money. The weird looking food served at this cafe is Udang (Prawn) Rambutan.

Halaman Cafe

Udang Rambutan.

Z: Berjuta-juta Rupiah habis on the second day in Bandung.