Italy Trip - Part 1 - Before the trip!

The year is closing, so I'm gonna post up my trip to Italy before 2015 comes!

My very first EURO Trip! 10D8N in Italy :)

Me and Hazel, in front of the Roman Forum

So yes, I’ve not been blogging lately (lately as in a year). I think its because Im not usually on the PC, but I’ve been very active in Instagram.

Anyway back to the point. 

2014 was awesome, not only was I wedded to the love of my life (cheesy much?lol), I won an all-expense paid trip! It was a selfie contest organized by a Korean restaurant that I’ve joined along with my bestie Hazel, the first prize being a trip to Korea for 2. 

We won! the prize was actually a cash warrant (sorta like a redeemable voucher) from a travel agency. The agency informed me that not only Korea was our option; we could opt to travel to any country. The cash warrant we won can be traded for airline tickets (Any airlines except low cost carriers), hotel accommodation, tours and such.

I immediately called up Hazel and ask where she felt like visiting and she said 'Venice' without hesitation! (Not that we don’t wanna go to Korea, but it was the end of the year and Korea's super cold in winter time!)  So I, who love to hunt for cheaper prices and maximize use for our cash warrant, spent a few weeks researching and researching and researching. I think I annoyed the travel agent, (who was very friendly and accommodating), cuz I kept bombarding her with questions and enquiries.

It was gonna be my first time in Europe too! Imagine my excitement and anticipation!

BTW We visited Rome, Florence, Pisa, Venice and Verona

TIPS AND GUIDES

Here are some tips from a 22 year old Malaysian girl, attempting to brave Italian soil with her bestie without any tour guides, and relying heavily on a WIFI device and a smartphone!

Note: Im not a Italian expert, just someone who did major research, sharing my experiences and advice!

The weather/season 

- We were in Italy during the end of November and early December. It was winter and very chilly, but it doesn't snow there. ( I read somewhere that sometimes it does?)

Remember to bundle up!

 I think being there during winter was great because of the lesser crowds as compared to Summer time in July. We literally breezed through the Vatican museum without queuing up! Normally queues are so long, like the picture below 

Vatican Museum queue during summer

Accomodation

-         Since we were mostly travelling by trains especially between cities, pulling and dragging our luggage behind us is a hassle. Ive made use of sites such as Booking.com, Expedia and Virtual Tourist to list down hotels that are within 10 minutes distance from the train station, within reasonable budget and has good working WIFI. I also read tourist review on each hotels.

Internet Connection

-         Even though I booked hotels with free WIFI, wifi on the go was also very essential. We need it for google maps, checking bus schedule and… Instagramming/Facebooking lol lol.

Witourist Wifi hotspot, you can connect your phone to it and voila! Youre connected on the go.. (forgotten to take pic of device)

 I’ve rented a portable wifi device from a company called Witourist. They are so awesome and professional! They deliver the portable device to your hotel in the morning and they collect the device when you’re leaving, even if you’ve gone to a different city for the next stay. Wiitourist delivered my device in Rome and collected it when I was in Venice. Click here for more info!

(We initally got the 2 euro plan...but guys, its definitely not enough. So we upgraded to the 3 euro a day plan, which witourist kindly exchanged the device the next day. Oh and battery dies quickly, remember to bring a powerbank to charge both the hotspot and your smartphone!)

  Pre-Booking for trains

There are two types of trains that go from city to city in Italy (ok Ive narrowed it down myself lol lol). Basically one is called regional train, and the other is high speed train.

Regional train is cheaper with a standard price of 8 euros, we’ve taken it for one day trips such as to Pisa from Florence and to Verona from Venice. Unlike high speed trains, regional train makes many stops on the way. There are no seats allocated so you can choose from any. There is no wifi on board, and the public toilets sometimes stink. However they are cost effective, so as said, I recommend taking regional trains if you’ve decided on a day trip where you’re not carrying any heavy luggage! You cannot prebook regional train ticket online until 7 days before the date, you cannot even check the schedule before that. IDK~~ Anyway just buy them from the train station or some Tabacchi stand!

Remember to validate the tickets on the validating machines, there are green in color and you can spot them on the walls near the railway.

Validating machine

High Speed train such as Italo, FrecciaRossa and others are more expensive but they offer comfortable seats and no stops along the way to your destinations. I highly recommend them if you’ve got heavy luggage! And they have free wifi also.

Comfy seats inside Italo

Make sure to prebook high speed train tickets in advanced for a cheaper rate, you may refer to websites such as http://www.italiarail.com/, or http://www.raileurope-asean.com/train-tickets/train-tickets/

The earlier you book, the cheaper the rates are. I completely missed out a deal on a train ride from Rome to Florence, which was only 14euro when I first searched. I thought of buying later but it became 21 euros a few weeks later! 

Tourist Spots 

I only prebooked the Colosseum ticket which includes entry to the Palatine Hill and Roman forum, here in this website. Other places,we bought tickets on site. However if youre travelling there during summer, I would suggest booking tickets to the Vatican, Uffizi..etc in advanced! You wouldn't want to stand in line for hours!

There are just too many places to visit in Italy, so handpick those that youre interested in. As for me and Hazel, we arent into artsy stuff so we decided to cut off Uffizi after strolling through the Vatican. (Dont bash me on this.. lol, we're just not into it!) We like visiting ancient buildings and scenic places more, and of course taking pictures are more of a priority haha.

When I say pictures, I mean pictures like this! Oh the mighty marvel of Rome - the Colosseum!

Transport

Other than the intercity train rides, we travelled on foot most of the time! The only exception was Rome where we took buses/Metro when we felt tired. A 60 minute unlimited bus ride costs 1.50 Euro, and is valid for a single Metro/Tram ride. I would say public transport in Rome is super easy to understand, direct and no fuss at all~ Florence and the other places we went are really entirely walkable~

Please bring a good pair of walking shoes. I mean, seriously. Even when its winter, and you really wanna look good and fashionable in leather boots.. Don’t wear heels because the cobbled streets will kill you… Lol. I can never understand how those Roman women do it, strutting down the uneven road with cigarette thin heeled boots. 

Random cobbled street (source google~)

Food and Spendings

I must confess. I came to Italy expecting to gorge myself silly with pastas, lasagnes and heavenly pizzas. But a few dishes of these seemingly 'authentic' Italian dish, I got so very disappointed.  Bel Pasto in Kepong has better pastas than the places Ive been to! And no, I did not go to any random tourist trap kinda restaurants, they were meticulously researched by me and were popular with locals. Uggh I rememberd how bland the carbonara was, it was dry with dry bacon and dry scrambled eggs. gahhh.

So guess what? We hunted for chinese food in the end because rice steamer us (chinese term to call someone who loves rice) craved for sweet and sour chicken and fried rice. lol lol lol. So much for delighting myself in yummy Italian food.

Aaannyway, the total cost of transport, spendings (minimal shopping) and food came up to rm 2000. I dont know if this is a good figure, but for 10 days I would say pretty snazzy! Lol. This really depends on how you eat and what you buy. 

There's nothing else I can think of now, I would repost from time to time if i ever remember something. Language barrier isnt an issue here as it is a highly toursity place so those who are in the touristy line can speak good english! I'm off to write my adventure now~~

Bangkok Day 2 : Sampeng Market and Terminal 21

2nd Day itinerary 

25/11/2013 (Mon)

9am: breakfast

9:30am: stroll through sampeng market 

12.30pm: have lunch at KFC Yaorawat(situated inside Tesco)

1:15pm: head to hotel to rest and dress up 

2.30pm: head to Terminal 21

4pm: tea time at Pier21@terminal 21

4:30pm: continue shopping at terminal 21

6pm: head back to Yaorawat 

6:30pm: dinner at Yaorawat 

Sampeng Market

Sampeng market at Chinatown is some 5-10 minutes walk from the hotel.. You'll spot it once you come to a turning into an alley with many stalls on the side. 

Prices here goes by wholesale~ Everything can be found here except for clothes! 

Get a luggage bag here as it is cheaper than other places selling the same ones. 

My vintagey luggage at Sampeng Market

I got this simply because it looks pretty but trust me, it isnt enough for the amount of shopping I was going to do the next day! My solution for space was to buy a big hand carry plastic cargo bag that costed like 80 baht (RM8).

Things from Iphone covers to blankets...etc

My favorite shops here include a cosmetics store, it's ran by Thai Chinese merchants and they give real good prices. They even converse in mandarin so it makes buying easier.

Some Cosmetic Haul from last year's shopping

Even if some of their make up products are knock off counterfeits, you can't really tell the difference~~ I bought a counterfeit Benefit Nude pallet just for the fun of it, and went to compare with my friend's authentic one. We could barely contrast both~ 

Terminal 21

Anyway after our stroll at Sampeng Market, we head back to rest. The next shopping destination is Terminal 21, I wanted to come here as I've read so much about it on other blogs. 

Basically it's a shopping mall designed in the concept of an airport. Every floor of the mall is very unique as each carries a theme of different countries - Rome, Paris, Japan, Istanbul, London, San Francisco...etc...

Looks like an airport right?

This would be, hands down, the most interesting and pretty shopping mall I've ever been.

The designers in charge of beautifying Terminal 21 are real good! They pay attention to even the smallest details. 

Every floor has a Departure/Arrival board

For such a beautiful place, it is natural to see photo crazed females with cameras in hand running around everywhere and taking pictures with just about every displays! No exception for us~ :p

Make sure you go to all the washrooms on different floor! They match the theme of the floor they are on, its really fun to see~ Here are some photos and selfies below..

San Francisco Bridge

I wont spoil much of the toilet discovery fun for you :) Anyway this is Paris washroom theme~ so classy :p

My favorite floor: London :)

Sumo statues at Tokyo Floor

Mission statement : Take photos in every washrooms!

Even staffs dress in themes! I'm posing with a royal guard~ hehe

Giant Oscar Awards at Hollywood Floor :)

               

Anyway after the relentless photo taking sessions, our tummies growled. I would recommend going to the foodcourt called Pier 21 for some good reasonably priced food.

Pier 21 - designed like.. well.. like a pier :)

Here's a thing about Bangkok's foodcourt, you dont pay for your food directly at the stall. Instead you acquire a sort of foodcourt debit card by exchanging however much money you want at a counter, and spend that money in the card. Remaining balance can be refunded back. :) I like this system as it is really quite systematic and hassle free. 

(Remember to refund your money on the same day, if not you wont get it back anymore...)

The foodcourt debitcard like card

Most food we ate here tasted meh. The Tom Yum was ok, I had oysters and it was so so as well.

If Im not mistaken, green curry fried rice is really recommended here and so is sticky mango rice.

Spot my favourite Mango rice!

This coconut icecream tasted even better than the one at Chatuchak!

Shopping

Tokyo floor has many little boutiques that shouldn't go uninvited! There are quite some gems and are in reasonably good price. I got a nice  high waist floral skirt for 390 Baht and my students got a number of tops here below the price of 300 Baht. If you see something you like here, grab it! :) There are  many stores selling men's clothing at London floor, and also a shop selling everything ducks!

Skirt from Tokyo Floor 

I got this Star Ducks shirt. It was too cute. Its actually for children, I got it in the size of XL and it fits fine. :)

After that we head back to Yaorawat to have our last dinner there.

So that concludes my 2nd day at Bangkok! Till thennnn~~

Bangkok Trip Shop Till you drop

Bangkok Day 1- Yaorawat and Chatuchak

Bangkok Day 1 - Yaorawat and Chatuchak

As said, this is my blogpost on my shopping trip to Bangkok. I did not venture into any touristy stuff such as elephant shows, Calypsos, Cabaret shows or whatsoever! But you can implement those as you plan out your own Bangkok trip. Any-who, I did go to places that interest me and the others such as Dr Jone's orphanage.. Asiatique..etc. But for now here's Day 1 :)

1st Day Itinerary 
24/11/2013 (Sun)

7:50am: Flight to Bangkok

9:30am: Touchdown

10:20am: Reach Hotel, still cant check in yet

10:30am: Head to Chatuchak to shop and have lunch

2:30pm: Head to Hotel and Check in and rest

6pm: Buy toiletries and scout for dinner at Yaorawat

Me and my pretty Milky

3 kiddies, haha

So there are 5 of us, 3 of them are my students and the other is my colleague. 5 of us arent really big sized so yeah can squeeze into a taxi just fine. :)

Anyway make sure to set a day to visit Chatuchak as it is really big. It has over 8000 stores Omg only now I know. (We walked like less than 100 stores already feel so tired.) It only opens on Fridays (1600-2400), Saturdays and Sundays(both 0900-1800).  

There's so many many things here. From clothes to furniture, to plants to even cute little dogs and reptiles.

What I would really recommend here?

Their sweet orange juice (it's actually tamarind) with totally no sugar added. Delicious!

Coconut Ice cream, definitely!

Yummy Thai Coconut Ice Cream

Anyway try not to get too carried away buying clothes here as there could be cheaper ones at Pratunam. A dress here that is selling at 390 Baht is priced at 110 Baht at Pratunam! But not all clothes can be found at Pratunam so unless you really really like it, just get it! You might not find it again~ 

Instead, focus more on bags and shoes as there is little of those at Pratunam.
I got myself a pair of ballet flats for 150 Baht and a real nice hoodie jacket.
Anyway The BF got an authentic leather jacket at one of chatuchak's narrow alleys last year

and the quality is really good! Below is a pic of him wearing it :)

Once our legs became jelly and we had enough of Chatuchak (We didnt even get to see the cute puppies) we headed back to rest. 

Dinner at Yaorawat

Just walk down from the hotel and start walking the street, there'll be

 many many stalls all set up ready to serve customers! 

Make sure not to go too late ..when we went down at 9pm for supper, many stalls have closed~

You'll be amazed to see many stalls selling Bird's nest at 150 Baht a bowl 

and shark fin soup at 300 Baht...

I'm not a big fan of Shark fin but Fish Maw is really tasty! You should give it a try :)

Anyway there is a particular stall that is a great favorite of the Bf and mine,

and once I introduced it to my companions they agreed the food was really good.

Its a stall operated by an old lady and 2 female workers, they sell all sorts of stuff but the most yummiest would be their seafood tom yum and beef fried rice!

 It is SERIOUSLY MUST TRY.

Hmm how to pinpoint their location...

Its actually quite some walk from the hotel, just keep walking straight...

its near and opposite (not directly)  of Tesco supermart and its actually just at the mouth of Sampeng Market's main entrance. In the morning Sampeng entrance  look like this:

Hope you can find it! Just spot a corner stall with an old lady working the wok! She fries really good! 

There's tables and chairs set up so it shouldnt be hard to spot.

After that we bought some snacks at 7-11 and went back to rest for a great day ahead!

You must buy their Yakult tasting drink! Its called Bitagen there, its so cheap and so yummy. Not too overly sweet and sourish like ours taste like here in Malaysia~~ 

Anyway this concludes my 1st Day at Bangkok, stay tuned for updates! :)

Bangkok Trip (Shop till you drop)

Sa Wa Deeee Kahhhhhh~~

So I was at Bangkok last Sunday for five days! It's my second trip there, last year being the first. The food and the shopping was too good that I stalked AirAsia website almost everyday just to grab a cheap getaway.

My 2012 shopping spree at Pratunam, Bangkok. 

So in the end I nicked a RM300 (roughly) return flight and there were 5 of us going as a group. :)

So before I blog about my trip and the places to go, here are some tips and advice for those of you shopaholics who are planning to go there! (Click here to go straight to Day 1 of my Bangkok trip.)

How many people?

Firstly, I think going in a group of 4 is the most ideal. As they say, there is security in a company. :) Last year I went with my BF, his sister and a close guy friend; it was a good mix because we can do our shopping seperately - meaning the guys can leave us girls to roam about and not worry.. Taxi fares would cause far less since we all can share, we can try a variety of food by sharing around as opposed to just 2 people buying limited food.

This year there were 5 of us, all girls, we still could fit into a taxi (although rules clearly do not allow it, but hey they dont really care). It's best to go with friends that have similar taste in clothes with you when it comes to shopping in the wholesale area in Pratunam, so you wouldn't have to fork out more cash for clothes that can go cheaper if bought in quantities.

5 of us - Group Shot at one of the washroom at Terminal 21 :)
From left- Joey, Me, Ally, Milky and Jinne

For those going alone, in duos or in threes, going around town in tuk-tuks are good.. So is Bangkok's BTS skytrain, it can get you to major destination points and the people working there are real helpful too.

Where to stay at Bangkok?

For the first two nights we stayed at Yaowarat, which is Bangkok's Chinatown. 

The reason being: the endless variety of  food there during evening time is awesome! 

and during morning time there is a huge morning market which offers very cheap wholesale stuffs 

from accessories to shoes to makeup. (Especially the makeup!!) 

Night Scene of Yaorawat Chinatown

Pratunam wholesale Market

The other two nights were spent at Pratunam,

 this is where the shopping really gets started. 

Pratunam wholesale market is really where most vendors go to restock their clothes supply~

Hotel suggestion 

For Chinatown/Yaorawat, I recommend staying at Chinatown Hotel just because it is reasonably priced, I stayed here for the second time. It has free wifi, comfy rooms, situated opposite 7-11, just in front of Chinatown street where it turns into a food paradise once evening sets in. 

(Though when I stayed here this year, the bathroom door somehow doesn't fully shut?? I wonder why. We didn't mind, just took caution not to accidentally peek inside)

Chinatown Hotel, Bangkok

For Pratunam, the Hotel I stayed last year was the best. First House Hotel is situated just at the heart of pratunam wholesale market, it's really literally shopping just outside your doorstep. It's good in a sense that once you're tired, you could always retreat upstairs to rest and place your shopping and then continue again later on. 

First House Hotel, though it isn't as bright as the picture. I stayed here last year.

I stayed at Siam Star hotel this year and it was terrible. The hotel and room was ok, it's just that it's a long way walking to the market and it wasn't convenient at all. It is however very near the railway station. 

Check out Agoda, Asiarooms, Airasia hotel, Booking.com or even the hotel's website itself to find the best rate available. 

The rates I got for Chinatown hotel was rm110 a night for 2 people, and about rm100 a night for 2 people for Siam Star Hotel. Plus the taxes and stuff my own total hotel expenses is roughly about rm 200-250 for 5D4N.

Baiyoke Sky Hotel! One day I'll stay there in my coming visits to Bangkok :p

Of course this is just a suggestion for those who would prefer a budget but good stay. 

Do Check out other hotels and reviews too for alternatives~~ 

How much should You budget?

Thai Bahts. Rm 1 = 10 Baht

Last year I brought along rm1500 (15000 baht) and I really did buy so many things and still have rm200 left~ which I used to buy a pretty evening gown. This year I thought I would spend more so I brought rm1700 but still only manage to spend rm1400 despite buying so many things and eating so many yummy stuff.

During the 5 days here, I only spent a total of rm 80 for transport since I'm sharing with 4 other people~ 

If you're concerned it's not enough, bring along some local currency and change it there~ currency exchange stations are everywhere around the corner.

Luggages and what to pack?

I did not check in any luggage when going to Thailand as there is really no need for the hassle. I only brought  a backpack and a handbag to bring along while I shop.

There are countless stores in Bangkok that are selling luggage bags for shopaholics to stock their clothes in from rm10-50, depending on what type of bag you want. Last year I bought a big sturdy plastic pulley luggage bag for only rm38 and it held all of my shopping. You can purchase a 20kg or 25kg luggage check in when coming back to Malaysia.

I brought 2 pairs of casual clothes since I will be buying more clothes there, it makes sense to just pack light! :D for toiletries... shampoos and soaps are cheap in Thailand as most brands such as Sunsilk is manafactured there so it's really much cheaper. Just pop into any convenient stores or supermarkets and stock up! 

What else? 

Taxis here go by meter and starts at 35 baht, but some taxi drivers may want to try to give you a higher price and not go by meter. For example going to chatuchak market, a taxi driver quoted 200 baht but when I got on a metered one it only costed 110 baht! 

Tuk Tuk

Also, be wary of tuk tuks that bring you on a tour. Usually they will bring you to certain shops and force you to buy some products .. (As read from other blogs)

Make sure you do enough research on what to do and where to go. So let's start! Continue on to read my first day at Bangkok!

Day 1: Yaorawat and Chatuchak