♡ Kissesfrombeigirl♡ travelling♡ shopping♡ food♡ fun♡

2009-11-07T00:57:00.000-08:00

JAPAN 2009- Day 7 (Tokyo)

KFC @Ikebukuro

Ikebukuro JR Station, we took the Yamanote line, destination Harakuju!
my ultimate favourite shopping destination in Tokyo :)

Harajuku- Takeshita Dori shopping street, crowded as always.
I love this street, during my last trip to Tokyo in 2007, i came here for 5 consecutive days.
This is the street where you can find trendy, chic fashion at reasonable prices (think our local far east plaza prices).
Besides clothes, you can find very cheap bling bling accessories for 300 yen (PARIS KIDS).
You can also find perfume shops, i tend to go gaga over perfumes sold in Japan, they have plenty of brands that comes in pretty bottles and i cannot find them here in Singapore and they smell very good.
This time, i brought back 3 perfumes.

saw an extremely tall guy

Lunch at Lotte- a fast food chain which i think originated from Korea.

tastes pretty normal to me, i still prefer my mushroom swiss burger from BK!

Yummy crepes, if you have a sweet tooth, you can eat this everyday cuz that's what we did in Tokyo!

Apparently, this crepe stall seems quite popular.

and directly opposite Marion Crepes is Angels Heart which also seems very popular due to the long queues.

our crepes

we ate 3 crepes in a row cuz they were really yummy.

Giant Takopachi

dinner time- we met up with some Japanese friends for dinner.

Very fresh Sashimi

big juicy scallops

Childhood friends

~!

2009-10-25T08:29:00.000-07:00

JAPAN 2009- DAY 6 (Tokyo)

More pics of our cosy room in Sumire Inn before we check out.

feels so homely!

i'm missing this place right now!

we hung our towels and laundry here!

Natulux hotel is very near Sumire Inn, and we were walking to the bus stop just outside JR Furano Station to catch the bus to Asahikawa airport where we will be flying off from to Tokyo.

Hokkaido's fresh milk is a must try.

this is the bus that we took to Asahikawa airport, journey is about 45 mins to an hour from Furano.

our breakfast in the bus

we passed by beautiful sunflower fields

we reached Asahikawa and...... ATE AGAIN.
and this peach jelly tastes great.

we unintentionally captured a pic of this man yawning behind and he is also from Singapore.

a big HELLO to TOKYO~

saw this very cute Pokemon plane.

the cubicle in Haneda airport had a digital screen mounted on the partition.

we ATE AGAIN AND AGAIN when we reached Haneda airport (Tokyo).
Haneda airport is actually closer to the city area (Shinjuku, Shibuya etc) than Narita airport, so it's good to arrive at Haneda airport if you're coming from Hokkaido.

Sunshine City Prince Hotel@ Ikebukuro.
The reason i chose to stay in this hotel is because they have the airport limousine service that departs from the airport and stops right at the hotel's doorstep, i can also take this airport limousine service back to the airport right from the hotel, its very convenient especially with all those heavy luggages and shopping loots.

Also, i particularly like the neighbourhood of Ikebukuro, its very lively, has a great shopping mall (Sunshine City) which houses lots of shops, and Ikebukuro itself has plenty of great food, you'll never starve here, in fact, you'll be spoilt for choices when it comes to food!

Ikebukuro- bustling with people.

Ginza- lots of upscale shops here, we came here in search of Burberry's Blue Label, in the end i didn't get anything there.

i was surprised to see A&F here in Ginza.

Choosing a restaurant for dinner @Ikebukuro

Tamago

yummy squid

Yakitori

Saba Fish- my favourite!

Ikebukuro traffic junction

Oden @Lawson's- convenience store littered almost everywhere in Japan.

Japan 2009- Hokkaido (Biei+Asahikawa) Day 5

2009-09-18T03:57:00.000-07:00

Japan 2009- Hokkaido (Biei+Asahikawa) Day 5

on this day, we decided to make use of our Furano-Biei pass for a tour of Biei.
we booked the train tickets to Biei 1 day in advanced. (it's neccessary to plan ahead of time and check out the train timings because they come once every hourly, so if you miss the train, you'll have to wait one whole hour for the next one)

how the train looks like and thats the train master.

Biei station, it looks cute to me.

onboard the coach that was waiting for us right outside Biei station.

Takushinkan (Biei Photo Gallery)
This gallery stores the photography works of Maeda Shinzo who has been able to capture some of the most beautiful scenes of Biei and has put them together with some of his son’s works to create this large collection.

This is an extremely popular destination for photographers from around Japan.

another Lavender field!

our next destination- Biei Rolling Hills

aren't they lovely?

we're in paradise!

i think its not only girls that loves flowers, this person above seems to adore them very much too.

purple winnie the poohs can be found in Hokkaido too!

as well as purple Snoopys!

Biei!

next, we made our way to Asahikawa zoo.
We took the JR train from Biei station to Asahikawa station, from there we walked to the bus stop which is just opposite the station and took the bus to the zoo. (pls visit the information centre at the train station for the time table of the bus)

the intestines/insides of a chicken

this animal is so cute, doesn't anyone know the name of it?

in the little cafe choosing some snacks

we settled for Furano potatoes and also fried chicken

we had another meal somewhere near Asahikawa station

cold ramen

Asahikawa JR Station

one of the many snacks we bought from the supermarket

we couldn't get enough of the food here and came back here again on our last night in Furano.

Handmade cheese sausages

wagyu beef

this jelly is yummy! we bought it from the supermarket right across this ryokan we're putting up at.

Japan 2009- Hokkaido (Furano) Day 5

2009-09-01T03:23:00.000-07:00

Japan 2009- Hokkaido (Furano) Day 5

JR Furano Station

The eateries around here usually open after 11am and we were a tad too early.

luckily we managed to find a place for breakfast (we had 3 of this!)

Cheese Factory
we took a bus here from JR Furano Station, it is best to check the tourist centre for information on the bus timings, cuz there is only about 1 bus every hour.

furano cheese

cheese making demonstration

exotic ice-cream flavours!

we got the cheese and grape flavours.

waiting for the bus back to Furano Station

while waiting, we ate and ate and ate...

the perfect thirst quencher!

bus journey to Farm Tomita

very scenic views of Furano

Farm Tomita entrance!

Melon drink, very sweet melons!

Hokkaido melons are uber sweet and extremely juice, they don't come very cheap, but its a definite must-try!!

Lavenders for sale!

Beautiful rolling rainbow fields!!
I felt like i was in heaven!

Lavender Ice-cream! tastes slightly like vanilla, nothing very special in my opinion, but just try it when you're there!:)

cream puff and honey pudding

Lavender Soda

Incredibly pretty Lavender field

we just can't get enough of these melons, they're entirely different from the ones we can find here in Singapore.
it costs about 500 yen per slice, expensive but so worth it and since i'm not always in Hokkaido, i just ate while i can!

Hokkaido corns are also uber sweet, i simply LOVE Hokkaido food sooooo much!

back to Sumire Inn

i like the cute beds, though they're not exactly the softest futons (Japanese mattress) that i slept on, they just look so homely and cosy.

entrance of Sumire Inn

vintage Sumire Inn

Friendly cat from Sumire Inn

Dinner at KUMAGERA (located in central Furano)

Typical Japanese style restaurant

Furano Cheese Tofu- this is a cold dish, very yummy!

Preparing for our Sukiyaki dinner

wagyu beef

Furano Cheese Sausage

Furano Potatoes

Japan 2009- Hokkaido (Furano) Day 4

2009-08-24T01:38:00.000-07:00

Japan 2009- Hokkaido (Furano) Day 4

Business Norte Inn hotel (Sapporo)
a last look at this small but very clean and basic hotel.

bathroom

Nakajuima Park

Having lunch in a small Ramen eatery

a while ago before i left for Hokkaido, i chanced upon another traveller's blog posts about Hokkaido and i was wondering why they had ramen for almost every meal.

now i finally understand, i'm completely in love with Hokkaido's super tasty and very addictive ramen! (my personal preference is their SHOYU ramen)

deserts from Lawson's

we had to take the JR train from Sapporo station to Furano station. (journey is about 2-3 hours)

very fresh Hokkaido milk!

cam whoring on the JR train.

Ways to get to Furano from Sapporo.
- you can take a bus from Sapporo bus terminal.
- you can also take JR train from Sapporo to JR Furano.

we chose to take the train because we bought the "Furano Biei Round Tour Ticket" which costs 5400 yen for 4 days.
Within these 4 days, we get return trip to Sapporo and we are able to take subways within Furano, we can also take trips by JR to Biei and Asahikawa.
Also, we are entitled to the Twinkle Bus tours which brings us sight seeing around Furano, Biei and Asahikawa.

It's quite a good deal :)

More info on this 4 days pass here:
http://www2.jrhokkaido.co.jp/GLOBAL/english/travel/img/furano_biei_e.pdf

to be more exact, we have to stop at Asahikawa and change platforms to Furano.

Asahikawa JR Station- finally!

by the time we finally reached Furano, it became dark.

the town and roads were so quiet, we had space to do these!

our accomodation in Furano- about 5 mins walk from JR Furano station.
its called SUMIRE INN

a very homely guest house (ryokan)
it doesn't have aircon but it has the fan.
In Hokkaido, its still quite cooling even in summer.

will post more pics of this cute little cosy INN in my following posts.

we decided to have dinner in this eatery right beside Sumire Inn.
Restaurant's name is YAMADORI

freshly brewed ASAHI beer, Asahi just tastes so much better here.

excellent WAGYU beef.

it melts in your mouth instantly!

mongolian lamb

look at the marbling of the beef, they say the grade of the beef also depends on how marbled it is.

i am no expert when it comes to this, but i do know that this tastes absolutely fantastic when placed in the mouth!

condiments for cheese fondue

a taste of Furano cheese fondue

perfect dinner!
what a great way to end the day spent travelling.

we came back here a second time cuz of the impressive food.

Japan 2009- Hokkaido (Sapporo) Day 3

2009-08-20T03:33:00.000-07:00

Japan 2009- Hokkaido (Sapporo) Day 3

walking around in search for Nijo Market

saw the TV Tower from afar

we finally found Nijo Fish Market, if i don't remember wrongly, its quite close to Oodori station.

after much contemplation due to the long queues, we decided to wait and eat here cuz the food seem so good and with such a queue, it couldn't possibly go wrong.

while waiting, the kind staff offered to let us have a picture shot with this gigantic King Crab!

sleeping with king crab!

Cho-toro sashimi- Tuna Belly (premium fatty part of tuna), so yumz and amazingly fresh!

we ordered this set which was ranked number #1 best seller in the stall!

the set consists of sea urchin sashimi on rice

salmon roe (there burst into full flavour when bitten!)

Salmon Belly sashimi

the person in front is the chef who cuts the sashimi into nice edible pieces very patiently.

a very good experience overall, food were amazing and very fresh, this eatery can be found on Nijo market, its along the main road and located at the corner.

Behind me is the Tanukikoji shopping street, the longest shopping street in Sapporo which stretches up to 1km long!

TV Tower

the ice cream shop at the TV Tower sells nice ice-cream

another ice-cream stall here sells superb melon ice-cream!

we had another crab dinner at Kani-Shogun restaurant.
Service is top notched, food is fresh and we had a variety of crab dishes like crab legs, crab sashimi, shabu shabu, crab croquette etc.

website can be found here: http://www.kani-ya.co.jp/english/kani/tenpo/sub_honten_s.htm

Japan 2009- Hokkaido (Otaru) Day 2

2009-08-18T01:38:00.000-07:00

Japan 2009- Hokkaido (Otaru) Day 2

Taking the subway to Sapporo station where we hop onto the JR train towards Otaru, about 40 mins ride.

We bought the Otaru 1 day pass (750 yen) which covers the subway as well as return trip to Otaru and back to Sapporo.

at Sapporo JR station

on board JR train to Otaru

Otaru (小樽市) is a city and port located in Shiribeshi, Hokkaidō, Japan, northwest of Sapporo. The city faces the Ishikari Bay, and it has long served as the main port of the bay. With its many historical buildings, Otaru is one of Japan's leading tourist destinations.

a very cute souvenir shop, its located opposite the Music Box Museum, you can find Potato Land snacks here (limited to 1 box per customer only)

purple hello kitty- trademark of Hokkaido and only Hokkaido has Hello Kittys of this colour cuz they represent Lavenders.

this is by far, the BEST ramen i have ever eaten, its SHOYU Ramen, i tried Miso Ramen at Ramen Alley the day before but i still love love love this Shoyu Ramen i had here, it has very addictive and extremely tasty broth.

We stumbled upon this eatery while walking, its not found along the main central street, instead, it's found along one of the other streets near the Hokkaido Bank.

Besides the wonderful Ramen, this eatery also serves fantastic Gyoza.

I am not really a Gyoza person but these are really yummy, its just like eating Xiao Long Bao, where all the soup will burst into your mouth once you sink your teeth into them.

and yup, i remembered to take note of this place, its called Otary Kuraya, website can be found on this picture.

i so have to take it down so that i can come back here again if i ever visit Otaru next time.

Otaru Kuraya's surroundings- which is basically nothing in particular.

Music Box Museum- i love this place, its magical and filled with many different kinds of musical boxes/ornaments.

inside the music box museum

you can customize our very own music box by choosing your own melody with the design you want~

this is the music ornament i got, i chose it not because of its design, but because of its sorrowful melody which attracted me very much.

for more info on Otaru Musical Box Museum, visit this website:
http://www.otaru-orgel.co.jp/en/

Le Tao, a great pattiserie that sells wonderful pastries and cheese ice-cream!

Rokkatei, another very nice shop that has wonderful snacks!
Remember to try their Marutei Butter biscuits, they have to be refrigerated so its best to buy a box and consume it within that day, they're super yummy!!

this is a sample that looks so real!
this is not the marutei biscuit but its also very nice!

Rokkatei's yummy cream puff that comes with free coffee.

Marutei butter biscuit!

typical Hokkaido snacks

Cheesecake from Le Tao- its a must try!

Cheese ice-cream, its another must-try, i personally like this alot, tastes like frozen cream cheese!

Le Tao's chocolates are similar to Royce chocolate, melts in the mouth and so smooth.

horse carriage!

Owls seem to be another symbol of Otaru, these souvenirs are found in almost every gift shop.

supermarket

Hokkaido corns are exceptionally sweet and juicy, very crunchy too.
They are a must-try too, they taste so different from the corns we have in Singapore.

windchimes are everywhere, even a canal like this has windchimes hung across it.
i'm very charmed by this city, its so mystical!

Finally we reached the famous Otaru Canal.

Otaru Canal (Otaru Unga) used to be a central part of the city's busy harbor in the first half of the 20th century, when large vessels had to be unloaded by smaller ships, which then transported the goods to warehouses along the canal.

The canal became obsolete, when modern dock facilities allowed for direct unloading of larger vessels. Thanks to a citizens' movement, however, a part of the canal was beautifully restored in the 1980s instead of being landfilled, while the warehouses were transformed into shops, cafes, museums and restaurants.

The canal makes for a pleasant scroll during the day, when various artists present their works to the passing tourists, and it is very romantic in the evening, when the gas lamps are lit.

we found cheap deals for rock melons.
Rock Melons are another of Hokkaido's best local produce.
Incredibly sweet and juicy, they cost alot more here too, we had so much of this during our trip here.

goodness, there are simply too many good things to try here!

see what i mean?
pictures and words just don't give it justice, you will only know the goodness of it once you personally taste it!

JR Otaru Station

we headed back to Susukino area for this 90 mins crab buffet dinner!

The restaurant's name is EBI KANNI GASSEN, its located on the 12th level of a building called F-45.
F-45 building is somewhere opposite Sapporo Tokyu Inn (on the same stretch but on the opposite side of the road)
its about 3 mins walk from Susukino Station.

TEL 011-210-0411
Cost is more or less 4000yen per person, all you can eat for 90 mins. They have various sets and prices vary from set to set.

We chose the King crab legs + snow crab legs set, sushi, tempura and chawanmushi included.

these are the snow crabs, they're my favourite, meat is more tender and sweeter than the king crabs.

in general, this was a superb dinner which wasn't too expensive, very fresh and good quality seafood!

the chawanmushi (steamed egg) has gingko nuts inside!

Japan 2009- Hokkaido (Sapporo) Day 1

2009-08-13T00:29:00.000-07:00

alright, i know i just started on my Vietnam travel post, but i really can't wait to update about Japan right now, so i'm going to start on this right now and leave Vietnam aside for the moment, will go right back to it once i have completed Japan :)
hee.

Japan 2009- Hokkaido (Sapporo) Day 1

on board.
we took the SQ night flight at 11.40pm and reached Narita airport at about 7ish in the morning.

the weather was surprisingly cool for summer, at about 20 degrees only.

at Narita airport, waiting for the domestic flight via ANA to Hokkaido (Chitose airport)
Due to the fact that there is not direct flight from SG to Hokkaido, we had to stopover at Narita first and take a domestic flight from there to Hokkaido.

There was discount for ANA domestic tickets to Hokkaido at 11,000 yen each way for star alliance partners, thus, we were entitled to this discount cuz SQ was our international carrier.

we waited for approximately 3 hours.

Hi Hokkaido :)

at new Chitose airport (an aquarium with a gigantic fish)

at new Chitose airport JR station.
we took the JR train to Sapporo station and transfered to the subway train to our hotel near Susukino area, Nakajima Park station to be exact.

For more info:
From the Airport take the JR train to SAPPORO Station. At Sapporo Station you need to change from the JR side of the station to the Subway Lines.

You can take the subway Nanboku Line to your final station Nakajima Koen Station. (This station is also known as Nakajima Park Station).

Alternately at JR Sapporo Station you can change to the Subway Toho Line.

Costs:
New Chitose Airport to Sapporo Station by JR train (1040 yen / approx 40 minute ride). These trains run often, so you don't have to worry about missing one, another one will show up in a bit.

Sapporo Station to Nakajima Koen Station (200 yen)
Sapporo Station to Hosui Susukino Station (200 yen)
Both are short 3-5 minute rides from Sapporo Station.

at Nakajima park station (it was about 5 mins walk to our hotel)

our hotel: Business Norte Inn
a very basic hotel, small but clean and walking distance to Susukino, central/shopping district in Sapporo.

website: http://www.b-norte.jp/norte1/english/
(i emailed them for resevations)

street vendors directly opposite the hotel

lots of people walking around in Yukata (Japanese costume) because they were celebrating Yukata festival which only takes place in summer.

cheese chicken from Lawson's (convenience store that is found easily almost everywhere)

a koi pond we saw along the way to Susukino

a shrine we passed by along the way.

the famous Ramen Yokocho (Ramen alley)

inside Ramen Alley where lots of small ramen eateries are located.

Miso Ramen, it's very delicious, but i would suggest Shoyu Ramen, cuz i personally like it alot more than Miso Ramen.

Crab Ramen

Susukino by night

Fireworks near Nakajima park, it lasted for 1 hour!

late night dessert.

Japan 2009- shopping loot!

2009-08-11T00:00:00.000-07:00

i just returned from Japan yesterday, was a great trip, Japan never fails to fascinate me time and again, each time i visit, there is always something new that amazes me.

my shopping loot from Tokyo!

these clothings are from Harajuku (Takeshita Dori), price range are about 2000-3000 yen:

This lingerie set costs 1990 yen.

i highly recommend this brand "Mighty Soxer", their leggings/tights are made of very good and comfy material, super stretchable too.
This pair costs about 600yen.

Clothings from Shibuya:

Armani exchange was having sale, so i grabbed these items on sale:

Clothings from H&M (i got these from Harajuku branch)

Accessories from Paris Kids (each at 315yen):

Stuff from Daiso (100 yen each except for the pink toiletries bag: 525yen and the box of 10 fake lashes: 1000+yen)

Cosmetics:

Dramatical mascara, my HG :thump:

Visee and Kate gel eye liner and Kate liquid eye liner which was going on sale at Matsumoto Kiyoshi (at 300+ yen, Ikebukuro branch)

Lavshuca eyeshadow palettes, i personally find them very long lasting and colours do not oxidise on me, very good buys.

Visee eye shadows, haven't tried them.

Kate e/s, going at 999yen at Matsumoto Kiyoshi

Coffret D'or e/s and lipstick

Revue foundation refill, i like this alot, my HG foundation.

Fancl retractable face+cheek brush and eye brush.
the brushes are super soft and easy to carry around cuz they're retractable, they cost slightly less than 1000 yen each.

more falsies!

Ibiza Cathay Guetta, Angel Heart, Juliet Love Letter perfumes.

Miscellanous accessories:

DS skin

Naval ring

Food from Narita airport:

We received a free bag cuz our total purchase was above 5000 yen.

Green tea mochi (costs 600yen for a pack of 3)

Tokyo Banana and the little chick pastry which has red bean fillings inside.

i highly recommend this, its fantastic esp if you're a chocolate lover.
It has a slight banana flavour outside, and the filling has raisins and some chocolate buttery cream, very yummy!

more info at: http://tokyobanana.jp

this is the same as the above but not chocolate flavour.

my favourite potato sticks snacks, they sell it at about 100 yen in Japan, it is also available in SG (you can find it at Japanese supermarkets or Shaw Centre supermarket, they're more ex in SG, at about sgd$3+ per can)

skinny umbrella (525 yen)

i'm back from Japan.

Here are my buys from Hokkaido:

The very popular Potato Farm snack (its by calbee by the way) and exclusive to Hokkaido only.
It's not available everywhere but a few of the gift shops we went have it and its only limited to 1 box per customer. (costs about 800+yen per box)

However, i personally find that it tastes about 80% similar to Calbee's JAGABEE potato sticks, you can find this easily in our local supermarkets, and i remember seeing these in Watsons too.

Shiroi Koibito aka Bai Se Lian Ren (white lovers) - this blue packaging has white chocolate fillings.
(1 box of 12 costs about 740yen)

Shiroi Koibito- brown packaging has milk chocolate fillings
(1 box of 24 pcs costs about 1000+yen)

i personally prefer the milk chocolate fillings, whereas actually the white chocolate filling is the more popular one, its nice too, but just my personal preference as i've always been a milk chocolate person :)

more info at: http://www.ishiya.co.jp/english

this is really yummy too, its comparable to Shiroi Koibito, sweet chocolate biscuit on the outside with buttery sugary fillings inside.

This is another very popular and super delicious product of Rokkatei, its called the Marusei butter biscuit, however, it has to be refrigerated, otherwise, the fillings will melt.
We bought a total of 3 packets of this and consumed them all in Japan.

More info at: http://www.rokkatei.co.jp/

Black beans (my mum asked me to get these for her, she says they're good for hair growth)

Hokkaido scallops

Asahikawa Ramen

Some gifts from Furano:

Lavender pillow satchets, Lavender essential oil and Lavender pot pourri satchets

Home made jam

Post cards by Takushinkan

wind chimes

Musical box from Otaru Music Box Museum:

i chose this because of the very sorrowful melody it plays.

the melody's name is written on the label at the top. (they have hundreds of melodies available to choose from but i dunno why this one just catches my attention the most)

CD of the magical musical tunes (costs about 1500yen)

Hokkaido is a wonderful place, lots of yummy food and there are lots more i want to post about Hokkaido which i will be doing so soon, feel free to visit for more info (i will be posting gradually over time, so stay tuned)

2009-07-20T01:08:00.000-07:00

a very backdated post.

This time, i would like to update my holiday in Vietnam - Ho Chi Minh City.
Land of scooters and their never ending honkings.
We went there for a short 5 days last Christmas.

Vietnam 2009- Day 1

having breakfast

we were one of the last to board the plane (as usual)

hello Ho Chi Minh!

initially we were astonished by the massive number of scooters on the road.
they were going in ALL directions!

This area is near the hotel we stayed- Lac Vien Hotel, a budget, 2 star hotel that is very basic but at the backpacker's area where all the pubs/eateries are found.

Typical fruit sellers

Having lunch in a random eatery we happened to stumble upon while exploring the area around our hotel.

we passed by ELIOS Hotel, also located in the backpacker's district, it is a very popular hotel operated by Singaporeans.

A very popular chain coffee joint.

Ben Thanh Market- very touristy but they have lots of things here, esp food.
You can take a cab here, it doesn't cost alot.

WAR REMNANTS MUSEUM- 28 Vo Van Tan Street
Open daily 7:30AM-12PM, 1:30PM-5PM, last admission 4:30PM

Formerly known as the of Exhibition House of American War Crimes, the museum was opened in a hurry, less than five months after the fall of the South. It's currently housed in a rather confused assemblage of seven warehouses, with new purpose-built premises partially open for temporary and permanent exhibits.

"BANH MI"- Vietnamese baguette.
I absolutely LOVE these, they're so tasty and the best thing is they have it at almost every corner in Ho Chi Minh!

street vendors

POST OFFICE- grand old colonial building with a beautiful dome-shaped roof.

Notre Dame cathedral (walking distance from Post Office)

inside Ben Tanh market

Dinner time at a typical PHO restaurant near Ben Tanh.

super spicy

Hawkers just outside Ben Thanh market

the X'mas scene in Ho Chi Minh City.

a street vendor selling Vietnamese style 'carrot cake'

closer view

look at the massive amount of sccoters stuck in between the stalls

we went for massage, a very good deal at USD11 for 90 mins body/facial/hot stone.
we were recommended this place by Sinh Cafe.
it's called 137 Foot Massage, walking distance from Ben Thanh.

Late night supper around Pham Ngu Lao area, near our hotel (Lac Vien)

Bamboo clams!

Aborted hen's egg (a very popular snack in Vietnam)

crack the top part of the egg shell open with the back of a spoon, add some salt and pepper and scoop it out with the spoon.
It tastes pretty much like normal eggs.

USA 2008- Day 14 and 15

2009-07-17T21:28:00.000-07:00

USA 2008- Day 14 and 15

breakfast

They claim to serve the best omelette in San Francisco, and i agree, this tastes extremely good!

Chilli con carne

Dining at the food court located in West Field (we really love the food here lots)

Nachos!

Nice!

Chicken Kebab (Lime Cilantro)

Transit at Portland Airport

lunch- fish and chips

Narita airport- it is against the law to bring counterfeit goods to Japan.

2009-07-16T01:45:00.000-07:00

USA 2008- DAY 13 (San Francisco)

We booked a tour (EXTRANOMICAL TOURS) that brought us to Muir Woods and wineries at Sonoma.

Muir Woods is a National Monument, the home of giants, namely the ancient forest of Redwoods.

Shopping at Westfield

very yummy seafood pasta (Westfield food court at basement)

2009-07-09T21:24:00.000-07:00

USA 2009- San Francisco- Day 12

this was the very fantastic thai restaurant we had dinner the night before.

On board the cable car.

we alighted at Chinatown for lunch.

cheap cherries, but not as nice as those found in other places, prices really play a part in the quality of things you get.

very yummy dim sum at a random restaurant in Chinatown, the restaurant is run by staff from Guangdong and are all cantonese speaking.

they have a few shops in Chinatown selling mandarin/cantonese movies/dramas as well as porn!

NORTH BEACH- San Francisco's 'Little Italy' is just a stone's throw away from Chinatown.
There are many quaint little cafes here.

Bay Bridge

Coit Tower

Famous Ghirardeli chocolate

This is a must-try when you visit Ghirardeli, it's awesome!~

Lombard Street- the crookedest street in the world.
Check out the winding road.

Dinner at Lori's

the burgers are HUGE and very juicy

attack!

Our shopping loot!

2009-07-08T20:22:00.000-07:00

I'm back to blog!

Sorry for the very very long hiatus, i've decided to continue blogging cuz this has always been what i like to do, and i realised, after i stopped blogging, that my blog has actually been very helpful to many people, esp those who wants to travel to countries that i've been to.

Alot has happened and changed during the past 6 months of my life, i thought of closing down this blog completely and start a new blog to depict a brand new chapter but since life is all about ups, downs and changes, i'll just continue with what i left off from here.

So, i hope this blog will continue to provide info and help those who share my passion for travelling.

I stopped at my USA trip, i will continue from there :)

USA 2008- DAY 11 (Los Angeles/San Francisco)

Our Los Angeles accomodation (feels like Pasir Ris chalet to me)

after we checked out, we saw some very vibrant activities going on opposite and decided to cross over to check it out.

Farmer's market!!

Santa Monica hosts Southern California’s local farmers at four separate markets on three days. Each of these Farmer’s Markets is an event more than an errand. In addition to the fresh, organic produce and cut flowers, artisanal cheeses and gourmet breads, the markets offer live music, chef exhibitions and many free samples. The Sunday market also offers pony rides and face painting.

The one happening in my pictures are at Main Street, happens on every Sunday between 9.30am-1pm.

Back at San Francisco (we took Southwest airlines from LA to SF)

We stayed at MAXWELL HOTEL (a mini boutique hotel on Geary Street), right at Union Square! (i got this hotel randomly from priceline)

i went mad in OLD NAVY!

we had dinner in this BANGKOK restaurant found in Union Square, it serves really FANTASTIC Thai food, staff were all Thai too.

the feeling of having spicy tomyum soup while the weather outside is freezing cold is simply great.

this is by far the BEST Pad Thai i have ever tried, so fragrant and the taste is just unforgettable!

2008-10-24T02:19:00.001-07:00

USA Travaganza 2008- DAY TEN!

We decided to have brekkie at Omelette Parlor in Santa Monica, Main Street

Here comes our gigantic and fluffy omelette!!

Stuffed with lots and lots of mushrooms, bacon and cheese!

and their freshly squeezed orange juice is very sweet!

Awesome breakfast!

we didn't have any specific plans on this day, and decided to just explore the little town of Santa Monica.

We stumbled upon this pets centre, something like Singapore's SPCA.

Most people seem to own a blackberry handset here in US.
and i particularly love this model in red.

Shopping again!

Omelette Parlor again (view from across the street)

The laundry

I need ice-cream wherever i am, whatever the climate.

Library

this is someone's home, just as we took this picture, the owner of the house strolled back home.

on the way to the DVD shop

again, just after taking this pic, the owners of the house (a family of 4) came back.

someone washing his beautiful car at the car wash

made a short trip to the convenience store and came back with this

and all these too!

a nice lady introduced her to her dogs while we were on the way to Santa Monica beach.
cuz Bing tried to avoid the dogs when they came near us and the lady insisted that we came up close to them to prove that her dogs are friendly and nice :)

ha, are you thinking of who i am thinking of?

the sun is setting

my intention was to quietly walk down the wooden aisle and suddenly run and chase all the birds away.
(i was also trying to be kpo and see what the crowd in front was up to, hee)

wait, must act innocent first.

see, pattern come already

all the birds were gone!
and upon closer look, i realised the people in front were there for a wedding, i saw the bride!
luckily i didn't go further up and intruded on them.

the 2 men at the back in this picture kept laughing at what we did, and they ended up helping us take this picture:

sunset in Santa Monica is beautiful!

Memorial Day- War Memorial at Santa Monica Pier.
an Iraq War Memorial has been set up with a cross for each fallen soldier.

Ratouille (dinner at a restaurant in 3rd street promenade)

Cheese fondue!

this baby is super duper cute!
he danced to the music the baskers were playing and everyone watched him with a fascinated smile on their faces!