Hong Kong Trip - Till I See You Again

After dinner nearby the hotel, we went to the Ladies' Market. Ladies' Market, unlike the counterpart, is very hype and crowded. A lot of shops with a lot of lighted signboards, a lot of sales people with microphones, a lot of crowds, a lot of people jamming and dancing.

Dance performances by some uncles and aunties

The shops along Electronic Street

The streets are bigger than Temple Street and the goods sold are more to fashion. However, you need to bargain hard here. All the sellers will quote you a ridiculous price. What you need to do is just to wave your hand and pretend to walk away, the sellers will reduce the price instantly. If you are interested, start bargaining from 50% before increasing it.

The next morning we spent by having dim sum nearby the hotel because we had no time to go anywhere anymore. After that we went straight to the airport for our flight back to Kuala Lumpur. From Kuala Lumpur, we all dispersed to our own residency.

I thank Universe for the wonderful journey

Love is in the air,

Little Feet

China & Hong Kong Trip - end

Hong Kong Trip - Visiting Big Buddha at Lantau Island

We planned to visit the Big Buddha on Sunday morning. The temple where the Big Buddha is located is called Tian Tan and located at Lantau Island by the side of Po Lin Monastery. There is a 34-meter high bronze statue of Sakyamuni Buddha overlooking the monastery from the top of Muk Yue Shan. To reach the peak, all the tourists shall climb 268 steps of staircase.

The Big Buddha is sitting on three-storey pedestal. The pedestal is actually an exhibition house of various Buddhist's item.

The Big Buddha is smiling

Around the Big Buddha, there are six status of 'Offerings from Six Devas' which show the devas (gods) offering flower, incense, lamp, ointment, fruit, and music to the Buddha. The six offerings symbolise six perfections of generosity, morality, zeal, meditation, and wisdom. Only when one obtain all the traits, he is able to reach the enlightenment.

Lantau Island is located at the west of Hong Kong. To reach there, we took MTR from Yau Ma Tei to Tung Chung and then transferred to the cable car. There are two of the cable car that the tourists can take for going into Lantau Island, namely standard cabin and crystal cabin. Crystal cabin offers a glass bottom so that you can thrill yourselves along the 30-minutes journey.

We took standard cabin which cost us HKD 155 (~SGD 27) and we had purchased the ticket online. Therefore, we did not need to queue at the counter to collect the tickets. We arrived quite early so we did not see any queue, but when we went out at mid-day, the queue was already snake long.

Inside the cable car 

The view of the strait 

Almost reaching

When we arrived at the terminus, we were greeted by a souvenir shop of Ngongping360. A family of monkey is the mascot of this place.

Monkey Boy and me

In front of the terminus, we could already see the Big Buddha from afar. However, from the cable car terminus to the Big Buddha, we still needed to walk a distance passing through Ngongping Village.

Posing in front of the terminus

The start of Ngongping Village

Let's start the walk through the restaurants and shops

Getting nearer

And nearer

We were then moved to a huge porch leading to Po Lin Monastery and Tian Tan. We started to climb the stairs. After climbing ups and downs in Zhangjiajie and Guilin, this was nothing.

Start to climb

Mom and dad with the Big Buddha

The view of Po Lin Monastery from the top

When we walked down, we found a beautiful spot to take pictures!

My beloved mom and I

We did not spend much time in Ngongping360. About mid-day we rushed back to the Tung Chung to visit Citygate Outlet Mall before going on with our next itinerary.

The view is better when we headed back

Love is in the air,

Little Feet

Next Post - The Peak and Madame Tussauds Wax Museum

China Trip - Jack's Private Tour

The era of internet really helped the humanity. I found both of my local tour guides through the internet and both were splendid.

We were guided by Jack Zhou in Guilin and Yangshuo. He is 30 year old although he looks much younger and he has been in the business for 9 years.

We were carrying his flag

1. He was prompt in replying all my enquiries regarding the hotel to stay, the train schedule, etc etc. Even during Chinese New Year period, he was still very responsive.
2. When we arrived in Guilin Train Station, he called to check on me and to confirm the plan for the next day.
3. He was always very punctual and understanding towards our slight delay.
4. He knew the best spots to take photos.
5. He tried to avoid the crowds so he tweaked our itinerary to be different with the big travel agencies. Throughout our stay in Guilin in Yangshuo, we rarely bumped into the crowds.
6. He liked to help us to take photos and he liked to be in the photos too. :P
7. He was understanding towards the older members and he knew how not to disappoint them when they were not able to join certain attraction.
8. He helped us to bring one of our group member to the clinic and he even sent them back to the hotel.
9. Maybe he is the only tour guide that brings the tourists to Xianggong Hill. We saw only two people during our visit. I am totally grateful for that.

The boys!

I will recommend Jack for whomever wants to visit Guilin and Yangshuo area. He can surely help you to enjoy the quieter part of this busy town.

Till we meet again, Jack!

Love is in the air,

Little Feet

Next Post - A Splendid Day in Guangzhou

China Trip - Serene Yulong River

Yulong River is a small tributary of Li River. It is running from North Yangshuo along some villages before joining into Li River. Yulong River is shallow, only about 5m deep, and relies only on bamboo raft to transport people and goods. No motorized boats are allowed in this river, which results in a quiet and clean river.

A stretch of this river has been made as a tourist attraction by China government. Tourists need to pay RMB 150 (~SGD 33) to enjoy the bamboo raft. The local rafters will operate the raft and the tourists just need to relax and enjoy.

Just sit back and enjoy the breeze

The quiet and peaceful Yulong

At certain points along the rafting route, there were some drops created. I guess the purpose is to create certain thrilling experience throughout the 45-minute journey. Else, some people will be so bored they fall asleep or fall into the river. LOL.

At the end of the route, before the raft turned back to the starting point, we were greeted by some photographers and instant printing services. This one is different with the printing service that we found during our Li River Cruise as it is run by the government.

1. The photographer arranges your poses
2. The printed photo costs RMB 5 more expensive than other places
3. You will be asked to choose the photos in the computer and once you say 'ok' there is no turning back, you need to purchase

The artificial drops

We were not allowed to take photos at the 'commercial' area. But basically, the photographers will snap you a few times when you are dropped on a mini waterfall. After that the rafter will bring you to a wooden hut where all the printings are done. You will be asked to pose a few times before alighting from the boat to select your pictures.

Please be careful when selecting the pictures since the people are so harsh. Do not say 'nice' or 'ok' because they will straightaway print all nice-s and okay-s and force you to pay.

So the trick is to say no until the end of the photo series and ask the person to re-run the photos. On the second round, it will go slower and you can choose what you really likes.

To be honest, the printing quality is not up to standards. But you will have nothing if you don't buy as it is the best spot along the route.

For me, selfies with the rafter will be enough

After about an hour there, we finished our relaxation and we were starving. Jack brought us to the best boutique hotel in Yangshuo for lunch. The place is called Tea Cozy Boutique Hotel.

This boutique hotel is located nearby Yulong River and it is so peaceful in here. The architecture is so chinese from the gate to the inside. With the cooling weather, it is a perfect relaxation to stay here. However, Tea Cozy is a bit far from Yangshuo city centre.

The lobby. Nice, huh?

The restaurant serves both chinese and western food. We were seated at the porch of the hotel on an antique table setting. We ordered spring rolls, tofu balls, sweet and sour chickens, stir-fried brocollis, hot pot eggplants, and also a pizza. The taste of the food is nice!

The beautiful place to have lunch

Special Tea Cozy Pizza

Without our realization, our time in Yangshuo almost came to the end.

Love is in the air,
Little Feet

Next Post - The Best Spot of Viewing Li River atop Xianggong Hill

China Trip - Our Fate to Meet with Bruce Tian

When dad told me he wanted to go to China, I told myself that I would not want to follow a tour by tour agency. Not only it would restrict our time to visit the tourist attractions, it would also include a lot of visit to tea house, silk factory, pearl shop, medicine store, etc. etc.

I had enough of it when visiting Shanghai and Beijing in 2012.

So I decided to find a local tour guide to assist our group ONLY.

And I found Bruce Tian recommended by a lot of people in trip advisor and viator.

These are my comments about his service:

1. He was prompt in replying all my messages via e-mail.
2. He helped me in the planning process by advising the best way to do the intercity transfer and helping me to book the hotels/flight tickets/train tickets.
3. He also kindly advised me on the money to be brought to cater for the food and other necessity there.
4. When we arrived in Zhangjiajie, he was already there waiting for us in the airport. He's punctual.
5. Throughout the journey, we were crazy about taking photos. When we found a good spot, all of us would take photos over and over. He did not rush us to move. Instead he waited patiently and let us take our great times.
6. We were a group that always joked ang laughed. He bore with us and he even blended in with us.
7. He prioritized the client. He understood that we went to Zhangjiajie not to queue and he tried as much as possible to avoid the queue at Zhangjiajie National Park Bailong Lift. He rerouted us to another entrance which meant more work for him, but he did it gladly.
8. He helped us in bargaining when we wished to take the sedan chair service because he said he was part of our team when he was with us.
9. He was very attentive and responsible. There were two older member in our group and he constantly checked on them to know their condition. He even congratulated them when they made the journey and made them so happy.
10. When we were at Yuanjiajie Scenic Area, two of us lost the trail of our group and lost our way. He searched for us ups and downs but he did not show any black face. He was just relieved when he found us. He's a responsible guide.
11. Before going to Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon, he told us about the place and he honestly said that the two elders might not make it. However, he did not simply dump them somewhere to wait. He cracked his head to see whether they could spend some fruitful time while the rest were having fun. In the end, all agreed that the two elders should wait at the exit where they could do some shopping.
12. At Tianmen Mountain, he warned us about the queue at the cable car terminal. He gladly helped us to buy some lunch when we queued so that we did not waste too much time.
13. When he found that the glass platform that we were going to go was closed for maintenance, he advised another one. Although it was further away and it meant more works for him, he gladly did it so that we could experience the glass walking.
14. He kept asking about our opinion and did not just dictate us about what to do next. When we finished the glass walking, he asked us whether we wanted to go to the summit or Tianmen Cave. When we chose Tianmen Cave, he did not brush us off and told us that it was too late. Instead he laid the possibilities to us: the queue to take the cable car back to the middle station was long, the queue to the shuttle bus might be long, it was getting dark very soon. However, he said that we should try first. And we made it there!
15. On 21 April 2015, we were supposed to take the minibus to Changsha Train Station and continue our journey to Guilin. He did not include the quote of his service for that particular item because we would be just sitting in the car for 5 hours. However, he went extra mile by ensuring us having a good journey. He kept discussing with the driver on the right departure time, he helped us to discuss with the hotel to get the breakfast packed for us, he even stayed overnight nearby the hotel to send us off in the early morning.

Our journey in Zhangjiajie was a very fun one. And I really think that we were blessed to meet with Bruce Tian.

We were having FUN

I hope this short write-up about his service can help other people to find him and use his service. Because all the good things MUST be shared.

Love is in the air,

Little Feet

Next Post - Hello Guilin!

Taiwan Trip - Beware of Sands Flies in Taiwan

On the fourth day, Mom started to rant about how itchy her legs were. She said maybe it was because she used the soap given by the hotel and her sensitive skin reacted to it.

I did not think about it until I experienced it.

It was three days after I landed back in Singapore. It started in the morning. Suddenly I felt my legs were so itchy and some red swollen patches on my legs. It looked like mosquito bites.

By afternoon, some turned to many. I used menthol medication oil but to no use.

The next day, there were more than 100 on my left leg and about 70 on my right leg.

Red. Swollen. Itchy.

This was how it looked like

And it has been almost one month, but nothing improved. Sometimes the itch went away, sometimes it came back. I try so hard to resist scratching it but my sensitive skin is totally against me.

How my legs look like now

It's getting more reddish, more swollen patches, more rashes, and some wounds.

I can survive in air conditioned room, but once I go out, the itch just comes back.

So Guys, please beware of sands fly when you are going to Qixingtan. Apply some insect repellant on the exposed skin. I am quite sure those damn things bit me there.

I wish nobody catch this after me.

It makes my life miserable.

Very.

Love is in the air,
Little Feet

Taiwan Trip - fin

Travel Tips - Travel Scams Around The World

This is not a travel journal. This is just a good precaution I accidentally stumble upon on Facebook.

For all travellers out there, be careful when you are at other people's place. I have a friend who really got scammed in Bangkok with jewellery scam. He was told by a fake policeman that particular day was a public holiday and taking tuk-tuk would be free. He and his wife were then brought by that tuk-tuk to 'a temple' but that temple was closed that day. So, they were then lured to a jewelry shop nearby. Somebody already waited for them in front of the jewelry shop, welcomed them, praised them, and lured them to spend a fortune on jewellery that nobody knew was fake or not. They only realized they were being scammed a few hours later.

Scary, huh?

So, let's be careful. And of course, I always pray that God will protect me on every step of my journey.

Source: http://imgur.com/gallery/IZPo0vY

Happy traveling!

Love is in the air,
Little Feet