last name, G U I
Off to Japan
Wednesday, 6 February 2013 @ 10:45 am
Alright, I've still a lot of posts to blog about actually, just that I've been super lazy to do so... ~.~
It's CNY! But not celebrating it as per usual this year because... I'm going to JAPAN !!!
I'm going with my two sisters which is kinda awkward from my perspective cause my parents are not there, and I'm not really that close with my sisters.. but heck, it's gonna be my first time experiencing winter + snow.
I'll just cherish the opportunity that I can go to Japan, cause I know of many people who want to travel badly but don't have the opportunity or money to.
That's all I have to say for now. Gotta pack my luggage already!
Departing tonight :\
Will be back on 13 Feb, next Wednesday. Till then, chao! I'll definitely blog on this trip when I get back.
Peace everybody, have a great CNY !
Trip to Batam
Friday, 4 January 2013 @ 8:07 am
Went on a short 3D 2N trip to Batam with my family, my cousins & their families, from 10-12 Dec.
- Warning -
Super long post..
Day 1 (House warming & explore)
Body clock was still screwed, so slept for only 3 or 4 hours before waking up to do last minute packing, LOL.
We then headed to Tanah Merah ferry terminal to board the ship. The moment I stepped onto the ship, I could feel the lack of sleep kicking in and started getting seasick. I just closed my eyes and managed to get through it. Luckily the voyage was only 45 mins if not I would have gotten serious motion sickness.
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| In the waiting area |
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| Reached the Batam ferry terminal at last. Just as well, or I would've puked. |
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| Got onto our shuttle bus which brought us to our hotel |
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| Our lovely beach resort. I think it's my 2nd time here. |
The lobby lounge was damn chillax. I almost didn't want to leave sia.
The restaurant was just beside and we were getting hungry.
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| Chanced upon this on the way to the restaurant, so cooooooool ... ! |
Got to the restaurant and was greeted with free wi-fi, surprisingly fast as well :)
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| Best Indo cuisine I ever had |
We lepak-ed and chilled in the restaurant so we could enjoy the food. My cousin and I made full use of the high-speed wi-fi to access facebook and do some last minute app-downloading etc.. #typicalkiasuSingaporean haha.
After lunch, we headed out for some fresh air and to explore around
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| I didn't realise they were in the wrong order until now >.< |
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| Our luggage, which were helped on to our rooms by the staff |
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| We were offered a ride on their buggies to our rooms |
We shared 2 units. One for my family and cousin's family. The other one for the other cousin's family by themselves.
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| My unit, 812 |
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| My cousin's unit was up this slope. Super annoying, every time wanna go back there must climb up, damn tiring! |
The reason for the f*cked up contour?
Cause his unit was freaking 3-storey!!! Though mine was bigger, it was only 1-storey. But in the end I didn't complain because there weren't enough beds in my unit, so I had to sleep with my cousin's family in his 3-storey unit for the whole trip. Muahaha.
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| His unit - 806 |
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| Stairs to access his Basement (Lvl 1) |
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| Entrance/Exit of the basement |
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| Balcony(which was linked to the bedrooms) |
The downside to his unit is the view, which you can see, is rather sucky - well, compared to mine, that is.
Bedrooms and bathrooms -
(Level 3)
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| Our room that my cousin and I slept in. Looks cozy and definitely felt that way too! ^-^ |
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| We had our own bathroom just outside our room. It was sorta like a mini-corridor outside our room. |
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| Master-bedroom(a.k.a the most awkward word ever to read out loud) that my cousin's parents slept in |
Entrance -
(Level 2)
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| Staircases that led to the main entrance |
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| The main entrance...(from outside) |
Living room / kitchen -
(Level 1 / Basement)
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Spent most of our time down here :)
There was Ethernet cable and cable TV :P |
Moving on... to my family's unit :)
Unit 812-
(Living room)
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| The table which we all gathered everyday/night to chat, have dinner and just lepak :) |
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| Stove, microwave, rice cooker, sink, electric water kettle. What more could you need! Felt totally like home lol. |
The balcony / sea -
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| I was saying that the downside of my cousin's unit was the view, compared to mine. You can see why . |
Bedroom 1-
(My Malaysian cousins' room)
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| I'm not sure what this was. Bathtub or place to wash clothes/feet etc..? |
Bedroom 2-
(My parents' room)
After all the housewarming, we headed out to enjoy the scenery and explore.
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| Wut. |
Got out of the villas and entered the beach
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| View of the villas from the beach |
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| Lovely panorama of the beach |
Afterwards, we went up a flight of stairs that led to the main lobby / poolside area.
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| View of the beach from the top |
Greeted by a playground when we reached the top
There was a trampoline free for public use !!!
Trampoline = Unleash inner kid !
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| Hahaha! |
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| My mum and I |
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| This again hahaha, why was it in the opposite order?! |
Got back to our rooms afterwards to relax and bathe/nap whatsoever before heading out for dinner.
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| It was a floating restaurant. I love floating restaurants. |
I was rushing to finish dinner cause I had a football match I didn't want to miss. Turns out the villa had ESPN and Star Sports, I even checked online via the Indonesian satellite channel guide to check if they would air it or not. Turns out they would, but IDK why when I got back, they weren't showing... It was a super important match between Man Utd and Man City so I was desperate and watched it via live stream on my laptop. It was super laggy but that was the only choice I had :(
It was all worth it in the end though, cause the final result was City 2-3 United ! I was left in ecstasy afterwards cause it was a 90th-minute goal ! :P
We spent the remainder of the night chatting, playing cards, watching tv, enjoying the view via the balcony etc..
Well that pretty much wrapped up a long & tiring Day 1..
Went back to shower and sleep and got ready for Day 2.
Day 2 (Tour around city)
Woke up at 7+ a.m as we were scheduled to go on a mini-tour from morning till evening. I was struggling to fall asleep the previous night cause my body clock was still screwed, but the bed was so comfy I couldn't help it (luckily). Haha.
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| Delicious breakfast made waking up so early worth it |
We then headed to the town side via the tour van.
Our first destination was to a local Buddhist temple.
After that, we went to a Ralph Lauren shop selling Ralph Lauren apparel, wallets, etc..
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| They were selling these fake Beats Headphones for $40 SGD. So fail can, 1/5 the price of authentic ones, you think people will fall for it meh? LOL |
We were given 20minutes or so before heading to Batam Chocolate House, Batam's version of a chocolate store.
After buying like almost $200 worth of chocolates(including gifts), our next destination was to the nearby provisions shop for a quick stock up on snacks and food.
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| All the chocolate I bought |
Following this quick stop, was a visit to the Batam layer cake(Kueh Lapis) factory.
All the Kueh Lapis made us hungry, luckily, lunch appropriately followed.
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| You know your food's fresh when it's being kept right outside the restaurant |
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| GIANT coconut |
After filling our stomachs with delightfully fresh seafood, we went to walk around this place which was like a exhibit of Indonesian houses(in miniature form of course)
After a tiring day so far, the best part was saved for last. Shopping!
We were given 4-5 hours to shop to our hearts' content before going back on the bus to the resort.
Started off with traditional Indo merchandise/souvenirs
Then another Ralph Lauren shop.. but with more variety
Then finally the main, proper indoor/air-conditioned shopping mall. It was a good opportunity for us to chill.
Just slacked around in the arcade, food court & pretty much just walked around for 4-5 hours. During my way out, however, I noticed a sports shop selling sports apparel and I had to get them. Ended up delaying the bus cause they were waiting for us =x, but totally worth it!
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| Full set of MUFC jerseys ^_^ !!! |
That pretty much wrapped up the day's tour and we were to head back to our resort and it was already dark.
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| Music performance in the lounge =) |
We bought like 10 packets of maggi mee to cook for dinner afterwards cause we were too tired and lazy to eat outside, and also to make use of the stove provided.
Spent the night chilling & chatting and making the best out of the balcony for one last night.
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| Supper by the balcony + Sound of waves crashing + Sea breeze caressing you gently = Heaven |
It was time to hit the sack and wake up early for the following day to check out on time.
That wrapped up a tiring, but eventful Day 2. The jerseys made it worthwhile to come on the trip, knowing that I would have missed the important football match.
Day 3 (Departure and Home Sweet Home)
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| Saw a group of turkeys on our way to checkout. First time seeing a turkey in real life =0 |
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| Chilling in the lounge for the last time |
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| Playing pool while waiting for our departure bus to pick us up |
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| Last "family" photo together :) |
