My honeymoon at Krabi, Thailand

There are some holidays that we often forget about. But there are some holidays that we never forget. I would have to say that my honeymoon at Krabi, Thailand was a trip I would probably never forget. 

One thing you will need to know about Krabi. It is that when people say they went to Krabi for a holiday, they usually do not mean that they had spent their time at Krabi town for a holiday. They usually mean that they had spent most of their time at some surrounding islands around Krabi or at Aonang, a coastal province of Krabi. There are many tourist destinations around Krabi. However, I made a research over the internet and decided to spend my time at Aonang mainly because it had much more affordable accommodation compared to the ones at the other neighbouring tourist destinations. 

Aonang is about 40 minutes away from Krabi International Airport. There is a tourist bus that you can take from the Krabi airport to send you directly outside your hotel at Aonang. Taking the tourist bus will only cost you a fraction of the price as compared to taking a taxi to Aonang. The accommodation at Aonang is very reasonably priced. My husband and I stayed at Aonang Goodwill Hotel. The hotel is situated right at the heart of Aonang town which was good for us as we saved a lot of money on transport as everything is at walking distance from the hotel. We only paid $50 per night for the hotel as I managed to get it at a discounted price from www.agoda.com. The only setback is that if you book a room from that website, you will not get a refund if you decide to change your travel date. 

Aonang is a really nice place. It’s filled with street stalls, clothes boutiques, souvenir shops, restaurants and pubs. There is also a clinic and a pharmacy there just in case you get sick or hurt yourself. You’ll never get bored at Aonang as there are plenty of activities to do there. 

As a Malaysian, it was only natural for me to go food hunting in Krabi. Those who say that the Thai food sold in Thailand is not delicious must be kidding. I still remembered a friend of mine telling me that the Thai food she ate in Thailand was not as nice as the ones sold in Malaysia right after her holiday at Bangkok. After my trip to Thailand, I felt that was totally untrue because I found the Thai food sold in Thailand so delicious. During my time at Krabi, I tried eating as much local food as I can. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough meal slots to eat them all. I loved especially the Thai tom yum soup, fish cakes and fried spring rolls. I also enjoyed the sticky rice and mango dessert there. 

During our honeymoon, my husband and I went for an elephant trekking trip as well as a visit to a catfish farm. We also went on a speedboat to do our island hopping trip. The elephant ride made my husband and I really dizzy but it was still quite fun. The island hopping tour was a really good experience for us. I just cannot describe how beautiful the islands were and how the crystal clear water sets the islands apart from other islands and beaches that I have visited.

My husband and I during the elephant trekking

The spectacular view we enjoyed during the island hopping trip

One thing I learnt through experience – when you want to experience activities that are only done by the locals, always talk to the locals and ask them. We spoke to a local who worked for a breakfast coffee shop right across our hotel and found out that there was a local market that the locals love to visit during the week. 

The journey to the market was tiring because it was a long walk. But when we reached there, we instantly knew the trip was rewarding. That’s because at the market, we got to buy some cheap local food. I bought a sticky rice and mango dessert for only RM1 (about $0.30!). That’s not all...on the way to the market, we discovered a really good eating stall that sells food catered to the locals at the locals’ price which was much cheaper as compared to eating at the stalls situated at Aonang town. This place is called ‘Sareefah Food & Beverage’. They sell ala-carte dishes as well as specially cooked Thai dishes. We ended up eating most of our meals at this place because the food tasted so good and we could get all the seafood we wanted at such a good price (at a non-tourist price).

 

Our favourite eating place in Aonang. It's called Sareefah Food & Beverage

The Aonang local market. Most of the people there are locals

Just before our holiday ended, we decided to take a trip to Krabi town. We booked a return bus trip from Aonang because it turned out cheaper than taking a taxi there. We got to Krabi town by bus. However, when we wanted to return back to Aonang, we waited and waited for the bus but it never showed up. So in the end we spent more money because we had to take a taxi back instead. Krabi town is just a normal town with some cheap food and shops selling clothes, textiles and souvenirs. I still prefer Aonang to Krabi town though as the place is more interesting to me. 

Krabi is a tourist destination that I would recommend to anyone if they want a relaxing holiday. The people there are really friendly and the place is just so peaceful. I would encourage you to go to this beautiful place if you are given the opportunity. 

I hope you enjoyed my illustrations on Krabi. 

How to get Children to like Eating & Cooking

                                          

                                                                                                  Image taken from commons.wikimedia.org.

Foodies, travel enthusiasts and people who love to cook with growing children may want to bring up their children to appreciate a good eating adventure and like having fun in the kitchen.

Although I do not have children of my own, let me share with you some of the tips and tricks that my grandmother used to raise me and my sister to become avid foodies and cooking enthusiasts...

MAKE EATING FUN

- Make eating a fun activity. As quite a picky eater during my early childhood, I used to play and eat at the same time. That was one of the only ways I will eat whatever I was given because I found it a fun activity.

- Organise an eating competition. The person who eats the fastest wins. No rewards are necessary. The reward is the honour of winning.

DEVELOP FUN FOOD ITEMS 

- Make food as appealing as possible to children - hide vegetables in food by blending them and by using them to decorate food. 

- Children like stuff that are small in size. For example, they would like tiny cupcakes, cheese sticks, mini chocolates bites and colourful stuff (though too much artificial colouring is not good. Try and source out for natural colouring from your baking specialist stores or supermarkets). Try to make you food into bite sizes to attract your children to eat them. 

- Always change the menu. Getting them to be adventurous by letting them try new food is vital to ensure they will be food enthusiasts in the future. 

APPOINT MINI KITCHEN HELPERS 

- Nothing beats a good time in the kitchen where children bond with the adults by learning cooking traits through a fun time in the kitchen making something they themselves like to eat like cupcakes and cookies. Many children first learn how to cook by baking. 

- Appoint each person with a cooking task - like measuring the flour, sugar, etc or mixing the cake batter. Baking is a good way to cultivate the love for cooking among children because it turns ‘play dough’ into a real-time activity that actually produces real food. Why would they want to play ‘play dough’ if they could play with ‘real dough’ and eat something they have baked as a reward? 

- Don't be angry if your child eats raw dough. If you punish them you will make them resent cooking. It is no harm to let them eat a bit of raw dough. Tried and tested .I have eaten tonnes of cookie/cake raw dough when I was a kid. Nothing happened to me. Not even a stomache. 

- Let them play ‘cooking’ with toys. In Malaysia, this is known as ‘masak-masak’. Although they are only playing with miniature pots and pans, they may soon turn their ‘play time’ into a real interest in cooking. 

DO NOT BE OBSESSED WITH FOOD HYGIENE 

- Don't be too worried about food hygiene. I mean, you can take it into account but do not be too obsessed by it. 

- As a child – I used to eat at roadside stalls around the villages, at shacks built with zink roof illegally and at food stalls with no proper hygiene. That was okay. 

- This is because if you bring up a child with food that is not too hygiene, they will have a much stronger in immunity to the food they eat in the future. I have a good reputation for having an ‘iron stomach’. When everyone else gets stomache because they ate at a shop that is not so clean, my stomach feels perfectly fine! This is because I was brought up in an environment where I ate at places that are not necessarily hygiene. Because of my upbringing, I can eat anywhere..and that's the coolest part of it all. 

I hope sharing my childhood experience will be helpful to you. There are no full proof methods to get your child into becoming foodies - but the methods I mentioned earlier worked for me and my sister. Happy trying!

Get Up & Close to Nature at Cameron Highlands, Malaysia

Nothing beats the cool and fresh air of Cameron Highlands. Coming from a hot and tropical climate town called Petaling Jaya, a suburb of Malaysia's bustling Kuala Lumpur city, Cameron Highlands serves as a perfect getaway for me as the highlands provides the 'perfect' weather and opportunity for me to escape from metropolitan city life by getting me close to nature.

During my trip to Cameron Highlands, I managed to visit the Boh Tea plantation, Cactus Valley and strawberry farm. Of course, there are a lot more places to visit in this panoramic highlands besides the places that I visited. Visitors can also choose to go to the rose garden and vegetable plantation areas as well. Of all the places I visited during my trip, I found the Boh Tea plantation the best. Though me and my hubby had to go through a very narrow and windy road to get to the plantation, the trip was really worthwhile as we got to see the scenic tea plantation and get a glimpse of what it is like to live at the tea plantation. I was really amused with the little cottages built for the workers of the tea plantation. They look very similar to one another. There is also a special school that is built nearby the plantation to cater to the needs of the plantation worker's children which I found most ideal.

The little cottages built for the tea plantation workers

The Cactus Valley

 

The Strawberry Farm

Famous eats in Cameron Highlands are products with made from strawberries, fresh strawberries, steamboat, scones, vegetables and mushrooms. I would like to highlight that the vegetables sold here are really fresh. You should especially buy the mushrooms and corn here. They're much tastier that the ones sold elsewhere!

Strawberry products we bought

Delicious and unique strawberry naan

The strawberry waffle we ate at the strawberry farm

The delicious scones and strawberry tart we ate at the Boh's Tea Plantation

I stayed at Rainbow Hotel during my time in Cameron Highlands because they were having a good promotion at that time. It costs only RM80 a night for a double bedroom. The room was very cosy and nicely decorated. Most importantly, the crowd of people staying there were 'descent' (ie. mostly families).

Rainbow Hotel, the hotel we stayed in

I did most of my shopping (i.e vegetable and food shopping) at the 'pasar malam' situated at Brinchang. There is also a morning market at Brinchang and many other parts of Cameron Highlands, so don't worry if you are not able to catch the 'pasar malam' at Brinchang. The things sold in the 'pasar malam' and morning market are similar.

If you want to savour western cuisines, take a trip to Tanah Rata because there many western cafes there. For steamboat, Brinchang is the place to go.

Steamboat

Cameron Highlands has always been one of my favourite holiday destinations since I was very young. I hope that my article had shed some light on what the beautiful highland has to offer.

Sandy Beaches at Port Dickson, Malaysia

It is absolutely amazing how many travel enthusiast can swarm around favourite tourist hotspots  just to enjoy a small space of sand that they can call their own ‘private spot” in well-known beaches.

As for a person working in a metropolitan city, the last thing I want is to compete for my own sand space during a holiday that’s meant to get me away from the hustle and bustle of city life. All I want is  the peace and quiet that only a less crowded AKA less popular beach can offer.

Port Dickson is one of the oldest beaches in Malaysia which is situated alongside the Western Coast of Malaysia. The beach is 32 km from Seremban and 90 km from Kuala Lumpur. Port Dickson is located at the border of the Negeri Sembilan and Selangor state but is held under the state of Negeri Sembilan. The main attractions at Port Dickson are its beaches, seafood and water sports. Port Dickson beach was once coined as one of the most famous beaches in Malaysia,  offering an ideal hotspot for beach and water activities to tourists from Malaysia and around the world. However, over the years, other Malaysian beaches overtook the popularity of the Port Dickson beach due to heavier travel publicity on those beaches.

I visited the Port Dickson beach last year and enjoyed the serenity of the beach very much. Although I must admit that if I had visited the beach years back when it was much more popular, I would not have enjoyed myself at the beach so much because the beach would have lacked in ‘private space’.

My visit to Port Dickson was just a brief one day trip. Hence, I managed to enjoy sight-seeing with my then-boyfriend (now husband) at the sandy Port Dickson beach. We ‘wanted’ to savour some delicious seafood there but somehow our plan backfired.

During dinner time, we waddled happily to one of the seafood restaurants nearby the beach front. Unfortunately, the restaurant that we went to had really poor service. There were just too many patrons and too little staff to attend to the patrons of the restaurant.  As a result, nobody attended to us and I didn’t even get to order my food! After at least 1 hour of impatient waiting, with very hungry stomachs and a grumpy mood, my then-boyfriend (now husband) and I decided to abandone the restaurant and head to a food court nearby. At the food court, we finally managed to satisfy our hunger with a plate of  ’nasi lemak’ each. The ‘nasi lemak’ was very aromatic and delicious.

If you do not like to sun bathe (such as myself!) and would just like to enjoy the sea view and/or sunrise/sunset, just make your way to the beach during the respective times and don’t ever ever get out there at 12 noon! If you attemp to do so, make sure you put lots of sun block on your body and face. When you head to the beach, some of the stuff that you might consider bringing along are  a travel mat, an umbrella and a good book to read.

During my time at the Port Dickson beach, I managed to observe that the favourite activities there were mainly playing with kites and having family picnics. I also saw a group of foreign tourists who were camping there. They were halfway singing songs and strumming the guitar when I was at the beach enjoying the sunset.

There’s a ‘pasar malam’ AKA night market held nearby the beach front. Souvenirs sold there are stuff made from sea shells and T-shirts with the Port Dickson name on it (that’s a classic). I bought a t-shirt for my sister at the night market . My boyfriend, however, decided to get me a sea shells ornament (stationary holder) from the Port Dickson supermarket.

Word of Caution: You can bargain your price at the pasar malam. But don’t bargain at the supermarket. They will give you a ticking off!

Port Dickson Beach - you pretty much have the whole beach to yourself!

I hope that you’ve enjoyed reading my article on Port Dickson.

Reaching for the Skies at Fort Cornwallis, Penang

The Fort Cornwallis light house. Still can't believe I made it to the top!

Part and parcel of being a travel enthusiast means being willing to do things that you would not have imagined doing. Although with the many travel adventures that I have been through over the years, I have to admit that there was one factor that often hindered me from joining many travelling activities, which was my fear of heights. 

With that being said, I still can’t believe I finally managed to overcome my fear of heights (at least for once!) with my success in conquering the Fort Cornwallis light house in Penang, Malaysia. 

Just to share my experience in climbing up the light house (promise me you won’t be alarmed with what I have to say because this experience of mine is a totally subjective one) – I found my experience climbing up the light house quite scary. 

With creaky and wobbly steps leading to the peak of the light house, my heart often skipped a beat whenever I attempted to climb the steps of the light house. Throughout my journey up to the light house peak, I couldn’t help but doubt about the stability of the steps and fear of having one of the steps break while I was climbing up. I guess these ‘stupid’ thoughts cropped up my mind because of my fear of heights. I tried not looking down when I climbed the light house, but somehow when you have climbed a certain amount of steps you would have figured out that you’re pretty much above the ground! 

The outcome of my success in conquering the light house - a happiness that cannot be explained. Overjoy. Pure overjoy. =) Perhaps this success would encourage me to join more of such activities in the future and help me to not shy away from such activities…Yay! 

Sorry folks, I wasn’t able to capture any photos of the scary steps of the light house. I think I was concentrating too hard not to fall down back then to think of snapping photos. 

Besides the light house, if you intend to drop by Fort Cornwallis, you can also visit the old chapel, wild horses and pay a visit to the exhibition centres at the fort. You can also check out the old canons at the fort. The fort is a good area to take photographs especially if you are into photography. 

I highly recommend a visit to the fort if you plan to head yourself to Penang, Malaysia.

An Insider’s View on Historical Taiping, Malaysia

Growing up as a humble country pumpkin in the small historical Taiping town, never once did I think of my hometown as a unique heritage town that offered a spectacular experience for anyone who decide to call it their home or for anyone who decide to visit it. It was even more bewildering for me when I found people naming Taiping as their choice holiday destination!

If you were born and bred in a small town, you would probably have had the same feeling as me during your childhood - the want to experience the glitz and glam of a metropolitan city.

True confession - I had that feeling real strongly, especially when I was in my teens. However, when I left Taiping to experience the bright lights of Kuala Lumpur while continuing my studies and subsequently to work, I began to realise how good a life I had in simple Taiping town.

Taiping is a beautiful medium-sized town that is situated amidst rolling hills. The town is structured in such a way that allows people to easily travel on foot. It's not easy to get lost in Taiping as everything is close within reach. Just give it an evening, and you would have conquered the whole of Taiping town!

From an Insider's Point of View, here are some of the places that I found most interesting about Taiping. Please feel free to leave your suggestions/comments to update other readers on the other Taiping attractions that are not mentioned here.

TAIPING LAKE GARDEN:

The beautiful Taiping Lake Garden in its full glory

The famous Taiping Lake Garden is one of the most beautiful and astonishing attractions in Taiping. The lake garden was built by the British settlers from ex-mining pools and features a beautiful blend of mini-islands and natural looking landscape.

The lake garden offers visitors with endless panoramic view, ideal jogging tracks, a romantic getaway for couples and picnic spots for family outings. A famous activity here is boating.

TAIPING ZOO:

A photo taken at Taiping Zoo

Part of my sweet memories of Taiping was listening to birds chirping by my window seal every morning when I wake up. In Kuala Lumpur, you can hardly hear birds chirping, except if it was a tape recorded sound of birds chirping!

Apart from the natural bird chirping sound, Taiping offers people with the opportunity to view various species of animals in the famous Taiping Zoo.

What I like about the Taiping Zoo is that the zoo is structured in such a way so that you can see the animals in their natural surroundings.

The Zoo was recently extended and the amount of animals in the zoo has increased. Hence, it would be very ambitious if you would want to walk you way to tour the entire zoo. For those who lack in stamina, there's always the train ride!

Taiping Zoo is no inferior to the Zoo in Kuala Lumpur, and that I can assure. My sister recently went to the Zoo in Kuala Lumpur and told me that the Taiping Zoo still beats the Zoo in Kuala Lumpur hands down.

*Special tips: If you bring along your Taiping friends, you get discount on your entrance fee!

PERAK MUSEUM:

To be very frank, this museum is not really very informative. What attracts me the most about this museum is its beautiful Colonial architecture . The Perak Museum was once the residence of Sir Hugh Low, the British Resident of Perak during the English settlement.

Through touring this museum, you can actually get a pretty good sense of what life was like in the olden times living as a wealthy and upper class person. I encourage you to take a look and discover this beautiful mansion because it would be very worthwhile.

*The Perak Museum is currently under renovation and would probably be ready next year. So don't go there till 2009 ends!

TAIPING CLOCK TOWER:

The magnificent Taiping Clock Tower

When you visit Taiping Town, you will find that right smack in the heart the town is a beautiful Clock Tower.
This is the famous Taiping Clock Tower.

There isn't really any facilities to climb the Clock Tower but you can admire the beautiful architecture of the Clock Tower from outside.

The Clock Tower has not been ringing for many years since but I was little. But recently, the Clock Tower seemed to be revived. So yes, you can now get a feel of what life was back 'then' with the ringing Clock Tower.

TAIPING RAILWAY STATION:

The ancient Taiping Railway Station

Ever wondered what a 'cowboy' town railway station looked like? Well, step back in time to the previous era as you visit the famous Taiping Railway Station as you will be stepping in an old country style railway station.

This railway station has not been modified since it was built; hence, giving you a rustic kind of feel to your visit. If you are lucky enough, you may even see some really old trains parked there occasionally.

I mean, hey! This is even better than visiting a museum when you can see the real thing, right?

TAIPING TOWN:

Even though there isn't any big malls in Taiping town itself (there are a few in the outskirts of Taiping town), who cares?

The whole Taiping town itself can be your own gigantic mall! Yes, this is extremely true because Taiping town itself has a number of delicious eating places, boutiques, entertainment arcades and grocery stores...enough to be called a gigantic mall if you place them all together!

Just walk the entire Taiping town and you would be mesmerised by its beautiful old and charming shop houses. This is indeed a chance in a lifetime to experience a meganormous museum come to life!

Taiping town is unlike 'hot' tourist destinations, that needs you to push your way around to see famous tourist attractions. Instead, Taiping provides tourists with a peaceful surrounding.

People here are very friendly. However, most of them speak in Hokkien and Mandarin. Thus, it would be pretty hard if you want to move around when you do not know these two languages. Fortunately, there are the occasional few who can speak in English and Malay Languages.

Transport to move around Taiping town is cheap because you can walk around the entire town - so transport is free!

Food portions here are very small. Hence, you have to get two plates of food before you can get full if you're a big eater. However, the plus point is you can try more types of food.

Want to find out more about Taiping? Leave your questions in the comment section! =)

Planning Your Overseas Vacation (DIY)

Planning for an overseas vacation can be very daunting to some. Ironically, this same activity can hike the adrenaline of others. Ever wondered why? 

Well, coming from a person who has planned her own overseas travel vacation (DIY)(yours truly!), I can tell you that planning for an overseas vacation is a really wonderful, fun and thrilling experience!

 This is because when you plan for your own vacation (DIY), you are the ‘king’ who decides exactly where you want to go, what you want to do with your time, where you want to stay and what you want to eat.

What’s even more exciting is that you get to eat what the locals eat at their favourite food haunts(unlike ‘tourist’ food) and travel around like the locals with public transport (unlike sitting around in a tour bus with other tourists). Basically, you get to experience a life that’s pretty close to what a local person would experience.

I can assure you that a bountiful of rewards always await those who take up the challenge in planning their own overseas vacation.

Here are some travel tips that worked for me when I planned for my own overseas vacation:-

Before you travel:

AFFORDABILITY 

Be frank with yourself about your travel budget.

You can go to www.xe.com to check out the exchange rates of your country as compared to other countries.

From there, narrow down your travel destination choices.

You can also speak to a friend who has travelled/lived in the destinations that you have in mind. Ask them about the food and transport prices there.

LIKES and DISLIKES

List down what are you looking out for the most in your overseas vacation.

Would you like to be close to nature, go for a romantic holiday getaway or indulge yourself with some modern or ancient architecture?

What types of places are you hoping to visit during your vacation? Historical sites, water activities,parks or wildlife areas? Are you there for a shopping or dining adventure? Or are you there to experience a unique culture?

Remember to list them all down before delving further in your vacation planning. You won’t want to going to somewhere you would regret.

RESEARCH

Conduct enough research on the place/s that you wish to visit.

You can visit the special government websites, individually built websites or online travel forums to learn more about your holiday destination.

You can also read travel magazines or watch travel tv shows to learn more about your holiday destination.

*A good travel website that I used a lot when I planned for my overseas trip was www.lonelyplanet.com

LOCAL LANGUAGE

Find out what language the locals at your travel destination normally speak. It would be better if you can speak the same language as them.

However, if you don’t it is very important that you learn up some of the local language to help you get here and around your destination.

AIR TICKET 

Visit your nearest travel agent to check out the air fares to your destination. Ask them when is the off peak seasons. It is always better to book the air tickets during the off peak seasons because you can save so much more money to use during your vacation.

* Before booking your air ticket, it is important for you to be sure about your travel dates.

Many budget airlines do not normally offer refunds or change in flight dates, especially if you are booking their promo tickets.

ACCOMMODATION

You can visit accommodation booking agent websites or go directly to the hotel websites to book for your accommodation.

For budget accommodation you can consider bunking out at a backpacker hostel.

You can get unbiased reviews from other travellers about the hostels that they frequent from travel websites.

Two good websites for accommodation are www.hostelworld.com and www.lonelyplanet.com.

TRAVEL SEASON

Check out what season you will be travelling in. Make sure to prepare the suitable clothing for your visit according to the season.

LOCAL MONEY

Go to the money exchange counters (normally situated in malls) to exchange your local money to the local currency of your holiday destination.

You can also carry a traveller’s cheque (you can obtain them from commercial banks)….or bring along your credit or debit card.

If you plan to use traveller’s cheque, credit or debit card, I would still advise you to bring some cash along. You will find them handy.

FIND A TRAVEL PARTNER

It’s good to travel with a friend/family member who is familiar with your travel destination. If you can, ask around if there’s anyone who is keen to join you on your vacation.

At your travel destination:

MAP 

You can find the map of your travel destination online at google search engine.

Even better still, you can get a more detailed map at the airport or hotel for free once you reach your travel destination.

After you get your map, list down your target travel places in categories. Group the places that are located nearby each other and visit them on the same day. This way, you will save a lot of travel time and cost.

SPEAK TO LOCALS

Try to speak to the locals at your hotel. You can talk to a friendly receptionist and ask him/her about the nice places to visit, eat or buy at your holiday destination.

TRANSPORT

Also, ask the receptionist about the transportation culture. Find out the peak travelling times so that you can avoid travelling during that time.

Find out what time shops normally close at your travel destination so that you can get back before it gets dark.

Find out where you can buy your bus/train tickets. Also, find out the bus/train schedules and stops.

Once you’ve lined all your itineraries down and found out about the local transport, just stick to them, travel and enjoy!

So…are you ready to plan for your own overseas vacation (DIY) now? I hope the answer is ‘YES’!

Getting Here & Around for Free in Melbourne, Australia

Yarra River, Melbourne

Having a holiday at a metropolitan city can be very expensive if you do not know how to maximise your holiday expenditure.

Having this thought in mind, I did a lot of research on the total cost that was needed if I were to take myself on a vacation to Melbourne, Australia.

Besides surfing the internet on the entry fee of the major Melbourne attractions, I also contacted my best friend who studied in Melbourne to ask her about the cost of food and transport in Melbourne.

I was surprised when she told me that Melbourne actually provides free bus and tram services to tourists wishing to visit the attractions and landmarks in and around Melbourne's business district! To tell you the truth, when I got to know that, I was so relieved to find out that part of my transport cost would be taken care of by the Melbourne government.

Free Tram Services in Melbourne 

For free tourist tram services (called the City Circle), you can catch the tram at any of the specially marked stops on Flinders Street, Harbour Esplanade, Docklands Drive, La Trobe Street or Spring Street.

The City Circle offers its passengers with a historical tram experience. During the tram ride, an automated audio commentary will announce points of interest along the route.

The trams are also staffed with employees to assist passengers with any questions about Melbourne and the tram network.

The trams operate approximately every 12 minutes between 10am and 6pm from Sunday to Wednesday and 10am to 9pm from Thursday to Saturday.

They operate every day of the year except on Christmas Day and Good Friday.

Free Bus Services in Melbourne

Melbournes's free tourist bus services (called the Melbourne City Tourist Shuttle) travels around the city to Melbourne's favourite atractions and popular landmarks.

Tourists are free to hop on and off to visit these attractions along the bus route or sit and enjoy the ride. Like the free tram services, the free bus services also have an automated audio commentary that announces points of interest along the route.

During my trip, I took the free tourist bus and it helped me to save a lot of money! Also, the bus stop was near the hostel where I lived (nearby Queen Victoria Market)

For more information on the free tourist tram and bus services, you can visit http://www.metlinkmelbourne.com.au/using-public-transport/explore-melbourne/free-city-services/#2

Hope this information will help you in your upcoming trip to Melbourne!

Cheap Eats in Adelaide, Australia

Budget Food

One of the most impressive thing that caught my attention during my trip to Adelaide a few years ago, besides its panoramic parks and lush greenery within the city (will write about that later...) was their affordable food as compared to other parts of Australia.

At most places, you could easily get a decent meal for 5-6 Australian dollars(excluding drinks). That's pretty cheap compared to other metropolitan cities like Melbourne.

Although the standard food price in Adelaide is already quite affordable, won't it be even better if you know how to get food at an even lower price compared to the standard food price?

Here are some tips on the places you can go to if you want dirt cheap food:-

Adelaide Central Market

If you're game enough to try the typical local Australian food, I would advise you to head right down to the Adelaide Central Market situated at Gouger Street.

You would be amused to find such a wide variety of the local food sold at the market.

For cheap food buys, look out for the signages that states the food that are on offer. You'll be amazed to find food that feeds two for only about 5 Australian dollars! Pies, cakes and bread that come pre-packaged (as in buying in bulk) are sold at really cheap prices. You could buy and share the food with your travel partner/friend and save cost...if not put it in the refrigerator and eat it for the next meal!

Besides that, you can also find affordable food/Australian delicacies in the market to buy back for your family at the end of your trip.

Mall food court

If you're into buying back dinner/supper, hold on for a second! This I must have to tell you - if you go to the mall food courts at around 5.30pm-6.00pm, you will get to buy some of the food at half price! (normally it's a buy one, free one offer)

Coles

This is very recommended by yours truly! I was having a walk at night and happened to drop by Coles to look at some Tim tams to buy back for my family back home. Guess what I found? A huge packet of cookies (fit for two people) at Coles. They only cost me 2 Australian dollars! I had that for supper and for breakfast! It was not only cheap, but it was really delicious too. It was not inferior to any branded cookie, in fact it was so good that I thought it was even home made!

Chocolates at Haigh's Chocolates

I know this isn't really 'dirt' cheap. But if you're looking to buy gourmet chocolate at a fraction of the price of the real price, then you can go to Haigh's Chocolates (their factory at Greenhill Road, Parkside). You can even sign up for a free tour (and receive some free chocolate samples too!) but remember to give them a call. I had my fair share of chocolate buying at Haigh's and my favourite was the marshmallow chocolate. =)

I guess that's all the tips that I can give today. Hope this was helpful!

The Joys of Camping

Part of my early childhood comprises sweet memories of my camping adventures. During my secondary school days, I used to be in the Youth Cadet (known as 'Kadet Remaja' in Malay language) and camping was made a compulsory annual activity to train us to be 'tough'.

During our annual camping event, we would camp at the field behind our school, right on top of a hill slope, with a lovely river beside it and lots of monkeys (including papa, mama and baby monkeys)!

I always looked forward to the camp every year because it was a really fun activity. We had several competitions during our annual camp including drama play, singing, marching, cooking competitions as well as base games. An activity that we never miss out on during the camp nite (usually after midnight!) was the 'ghost story telling' session. This was of course not allowed by our teachers, but we had the session without them knowing! (cheeky, aye?) When all the teachers were asleep, we would normally sneak into one tent and on the torch light (hiding under a blanket) and tell the ghost stories.

Remember me mentioning about the papa, mama and baby monkeys near the place where we normally camp? Well, the hilarious thing was that the monkeys actually came to steal our food during the camp (they even knew how to use a plastic bag to steal our stuff!). They also pressed the siren, causing us to run hurriedly to the assembly area, thinking that it was the teacher that called us to line up. One time when they did that, I was in the toilet halfway bathing...Imagine how soapy my body was when I rushed to the assembly area!

All those were the sweet memories of my camping adventures that I couldn't erase from my mind right until today...and that's for sure!

Camping is an inexpensive way of travelling. Most often, you do not need to pay for lodging. All you need is a good tent, camping bag, food, etc. to set you off to a wonderful camping adventure. People pay a lot of money going to escape vacation areas just to get close to nature. Why not turn to a camping activity instead if you are low in budget?

These are the things that you need to take along with you if you decide to go camping. If I have missed out anything, please feel free to leave a comment and give tips to other travellers who want to go camping. 

Things to bring for your camping trip

1) Tent

2) Sleeping bag

3) Sulphur (to ward off snakes)

4) Salt (to ward off leaches)

5) Enough food supply

6) Enough clothes (don't forget your underwear!)

7)Toiletries (bath soap, toothpaste etc)

8) Cooking equipments (pots, pans etc)

9) Charcoal for cooking or a barbeque pit and also matches/fire lighter

10) Clothes rack (to hang your wet clothes)

11) Guitar/mp3 player (if you want music)

12)A good book to read in case you get bored

13) Mosquito repellent

14) Bucket (for bathing and washing clothes)

15) Enough clean water supply

*Please conduct enough survey on the place before you choose to camp there. If you're camping in the jungle remember to bring along your compass, or you'll be bound to get lost! It helps to get a camping guide if you want to camp in the jungle.

Things to avoid when camping

Camping near rivers, waterfalls, sea during rainy seasons...The water may overflow when the heavy downpour comes along!

I guess that's all. Hope you've learnt something from my post! Happy adventure!