Korea Trip Day 8 : Yeouido, Noryangjin & Hongdae

At this time of the year, Yeouido was decked in pink due to the many cherry blossom trees in the area. To celebrate the occasion, street stalls were also set up along the street offering various food items. By noon time, the streets became very busy as the crowd started to come in.

Korea Trip Day 7 : Nami Island & N Seoul Tower

Nami Island became a popular destination due to the Korean drama Winter Sonata which was filmed on the island. We took the subway to Gapyeong Station, followed by a taxi ride to Gapyeong Wharf. After that we boarded the ferry which brought us to the island. The entire journey was about two hours. For more adventurous travelers, there was also the option of flying via the zip wire to reach the island.

Korea Trip Day 6 : Lotte World & Seokchon Lake

We went to Lotte World via the subway. Lotte World was a popular theme park located in the city area. The theme park comprised both indoor and outdoor areas with a wide range of activities and attractions for everyone. The indoor section had a pseudo hot air balloon where we could get a bird's eye view of the attractions. The more thrilling rides could be found in the outdoor section. 

Korea Trip Day 5 : Gyeongbokgung, Gwanghwamun & Dongdaemun

We got to see more of Cherry Blossom throughout our stay in Seoul. The pink flowers added a splash of vibrancy to the landscape and signified the arrival of spring in the city. Before heading out, we had a nice and filling breakfast at the hotel. There were a good selection of dishes to choose from. The good thing was that the dishes were rotated so we did not have to eat the same thing every morning.

Korea Trip Day 4 : Seoul Myeongdong

It was time to bid goodbye to Jeju as we got onto our flight to Seoul. We took the Airport Railway Express from Gimpo Airport to Hongik University station and after that traveled via the subway to Myeongdong.

Korea Trip Day 3 : Jeju Canola, Seongsan & Manjanggul

Our first stop for the day was Noksan-ro where we were able to view both Canola and Cherry Blossom side by side each other. It was indeed a remarkable sight with bright yellow and pink flowers dotted along the stretch of road. This was one of the rare moments where we could catch a glimpse of a beautiful masterpiece in nature as the flowers typically bloom for a short period of time in spring.

Korea Trip Day 2 : Jeju Cherry Blossom & Jeongbang Waterfall

Although spring had arrived on the island of Jeju, the weather was still quite chilly. The arrival of spring also meant that we could see cherry blossom which only bloomed for a short span of time during the season. We had a simple breakfast of bagels and cappuccino at Caffe Bene before heading out.

Korea Trip Day 1 : Jeju City

We took an early morning flight from Singapore to Seoul and arrived at Incheon Airport in about 6 hours. After that we traveled to Gimpo Airport to catch our connecting flight to Jeju. Although we had catered about 3 hours for the transit, it was still quite a rush as the immigration clearance at Incheon took longer time than expected. 

Thailand Trip Day 7 : Bangkok MBK & Sukhumvit Night Market

MBK Center also known as Mahboonkrong was a huge shopping complex. It consisted of 8 levels with about 2,000 shops. Shops providing similar services were grouped together and located at designated levels. Exploring the mall was like finding our way around a maze. However it was worth the time and effort as we bought a lot of our stuffs here. 

Thailand Trip Day 6 : Bangkok Wat Pho & Terminal 21

Continental breakfast was served at the hotel. The breakfast area was small and it was constantly filled with guests. Although there were not many choices for breakfast, it was sufficient to provide us with the energy to start the day.

Thailand Trip Day 5 : Bangkok Siam Square

We booked a mini van to bring us from the resort to the airport. It was a good deal at 150 THB per person. We flew from Krabi to Bangkok via Thai Airways for the second part of our trip. During the one hour flight, we were served light refreshments.

Thailand Trip Day 4 : Krabi Phi Phi Island

We had signed up for a day tour to Phi Phi Islands with Aonang Orchid Speed Boat. The cost of the tour was 1,100 THB per person and we were required to pay a fee of 400 THB each at Bamboo Island. We were picked up from our hotel and brought to Aonang beach. Very soon we boarded the speed boat and departed on our trip. There were about 30 people in our group along with a boat crew of 4. The speed boat was quite spacious and everyone were seated comfortably. The speed boat had both open and enclosed seating area. While the open area offered the best view, it was quite hot and it could get bumpy at times. Iced drinks were also available on board throughout the trip. 

Thailand Trip Day 3 : Krabi Poda Island

This morning we took a longtail boat to Poda Island. The island was beautiful with pristine clear water and soft white sands. Unlike the beaches which we had visited the day before, the island was not crowded and we had a huge stretch of beach for ourselves. 

Thailand Trip Day 2 : Krabi Railay Beach & Phranang Beach

We woke up to a bright and sunny day, which was great for exploring the beaches in the area. The resort served continental breakfast with a decent spread of dishes. We liked the porridge and pancakes which were only available on alternate days.

Thailand Trip Day 1 : Krabi Aonang

It was late evening when we arrived at Krabi. We took a cab from the airport to Aonang at a cost of 600 THB and the journey was around half an hour. Before bringing us to the hotel, the cab driver stopped at a tour agency. We did not sign up anything as we thought it was better to compare offers from other agencies.

Batam Trip

We went on a 2 day 1 night trip to Batam during the Jubilee weekend. We took the ferry from Harbourfront and arrived in Batam Center in about forty five minutes. 

Bali Trip Day 4 : Airport Lounge

We took a taxi back to the airport for our return flight to Singapore. We paid 100K IDR for the ride which was less than twice the amount we had paid on our first day. Based on experience throughout our stay in Bali, it was always cheaper to get the driver to charge by the meter.

Bali Trip Day 3 : Shopping and Spas

We had our breakfast at Revolver cafe. Our choice of breakfast comprising the pancakes and toasts were good while the cappuccino and mocha were just okay.

Bali Trip Day 2 : Beaches and Temples

We had the full breakfast at the villa prepared by the Baba's restaurant. The continental spread was good enough to perk us up for the day trip to visit some of Bali's famous beaches and temples.

Bali Trip Day 1 : Villas and Beach Clubs

We took a morning flight from Singapore to Bali via Singapore Airlines and we reached the Denpasar International Airport in about 2 and a half hours. We passed through immigration rather smoothly and quickly. After which we took a cab to our villa in Seminyak. We went to the official taxi booth and we were quoted 200K IDR for the taxi which we knew was a rip off but we did not have any other choice.