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Travelogue: Cherry Blossoms in Tokyo, Spring



For part 1 of this Travelogue, click here

I barely slept on the plane en route to Haneda airport even though my flight was a midnight one. I rewatched Frozen and The Hobbits and napped somewhat in between. Was sitting next to a Japanese guy who didn't sleep at all. He ordered coffee and was doing work on his laptop. Guess that was what made it harder for me to sleep. Can't fall asleep knowing a stranger would probably be watching me as I sleep?!!

Haneda airport is really much nearer and cheaper to get into town from. My initial plan was to take an express train to Shibuya, but that was really pricey, like $30 or something. Thankfully, my Japanese friend recommended I take the normal train instead. Though I had to change trains once, the journey was less than $10! Granted there was one portion where I had to lug my luggage down a flight of stairs...


My friend arranged to meet me at Hachiko-mae. All I knew was that it was a statue of a dog at one of the Shibuya exits. What I didn't know was that it was a famous meeting spot and there were like a hundred people standing around waiting for their friends. I panicked slightly as I didn't have an internet connection, so how was I supposed to contact my friend?! Quick thinking got me headed to the nearest departmental store, Tokyou, and to my relief, there was free wifi there for tourists.

Found my friend in no time, and we decided to head back to dump my luggage. The weather was so cold!! I borrowed my friend's thicker jacket (perks of living with a local) and other friends came to join us in the city.
My friend asked me what I wanted to do first, in Tokyo, and I unreservedly said CHERRY BLOSSOMS!!!

Japanese being japanese don't outrightly say no or reject you, but they hesitate. Which is what my friend did. He said we could TRY , but the season for cherry blossoms was about two weeks before my trip. Nonetheless, I was still clinging on to that 1% of hope that a beautiful tree might hold on to their flowers for just a while longer.


But first... lunch. Craving for the day was Omu rice so my friend brought me to a famous Omu rice place near Shinjuku where we could pick between tomato or mentaiko rice.


I picked mentaiko which had a bit of a spicy zing to it. The egg was oh so delicious!!! Freshly cooked and slightly watery, just the way I like it. My only qualm with this place was that it allowed customers to smoke indoors. Made the whole experience unpleasant ): I will be featuring another blog post with all my best food finds at a later time so I will include the address and all!

After lunch, we stopped by a convenience store, grabbed a few beers and peanuts, headed over to Shinjuku Gyoen, paid 200yen as an entrance fee and walked in. I was already bracing myself for the worst as the greenery from the outside was completely green.
 The park is HUGE!!

What did I tell you? All GREEN I say!!

 "Which way should we go??" I asked my friends who obviously had been there before. They shrugged, and I just picked any random route. We had been walking for 15 minutes and I had completely given up hope... until.


THIS. One tree!!! I was so happy I started camwhoring already. Bucket list achieved even though it's just one tree right???




Even my Japanese friends were surprised!! We continued walking until we reached the bigger pond garden and guess what.


It was a cloudy and cool day, hence the scarf, and the 3 layers of clothing.

EVEN MORE CHERRY BLOSSOMS!! 



Spotted a few more trees here and there! Some of the flowers were in full bloom and they were gorgeous! It wasn't very crowded so we could hog a tree and camwhore for a long time. If you were in Shinjuku Gyoen at the peak of cherry blossom season, that probably wouldn't happen.

Hullo! It's a dandelion.

Calming place to be!

Okay this one not cherry blossoms but still. Surprisingly even though I barely slept on the plane I was really alert and bubbly! Think it was just the adrenaline from seeing the pretty flowers.

There are dozens of different cherry blossom types in this park, and you can see just from the colour of the flowers that they bloom in various ways!

The good thing about cherry blossoms is that you can spot them from far away. "HEY THAT TREE LOOKS PINK LET'S GO SEE K" Hahah.

I wish Singapore could have these!!! Yes I know they can't survive in our temperature but we should have a modified version? #wishfulthinking

Doing weird things just because no one's around to photobomb us. You can see how empty the park was!!

This tree has blossoms creeping towards the ground lol

Gorgeous, isn't she? Btw, nobody plucks any flowers from the tree so don't do that k. Haha.


I was mega happy because they were all so beautiful and I was still surprised I was ACTUALLY in Japan!! We opened our cans of beer (mind you, it was freeeeezing in Tokyo), ate it along with our snacks and played some random drinking games.

Cute japanese kid

We stayed all the way until it was time for the park to close. ): It was fun!! Guess it's dangerous at night haha. My friends asked what I wanted to eat for dinner... then one suggested Sukiyaki, which I absolutely love!!

I thought that we were going to a Japanese restaurant to have some, but turns out my friend was going to cook us some. On our way back, we stopped by a supermarket and bought our ingredients. I threw in a konyaku jelly because I love that stuff.

Went back and the guys cooked for us. Profit!!! It was reaaaally tasty!! Up to the point until my friend added cheese inside it and that became a bit weird for me.

Doesn't look that appetizing here but trust me it was gooood. Japanese beef and tofu and the glass noodles and oh! We specially bought those eggs that had really bouncy, perfect looking yolks which we beat up and ate together with the broth. Just looking at this picture again is making me hungry...

My friend has a freaking tap!! Just pop a can of beer at the back and it'll draft it. Amazing. Me being so amazed and the noob I was actually turned the dial the wrong way at first which set up a whole lot of foam instead of beer. Haha!!

Played even more drinking games and we just sat down talking til we got too tired. YOLO - You only live once ;)

Will be updating about the rest of my trip soon so please come baaackkk! Do let me know what you think of the cherry blossom pictures as well.

Seeya!!
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Travelogue: Impulse solo trip to Japan


I love Japan. The people are polite and friendly, food is AMAZING and there's just so much richness in their culture and way of life. Soaking in hot spring water that cures ailments and rejuvenates your body? Yes, please. Learning about Geishas and Maikos who entertain their guests with performances wearing a kimono which is really hard to breathe in? Yes, please. Those are just the tip of the iceberg why I keep finding myself drawn to Japan's mysteries and wonder at how the Japanese ladies stay so fair even though I pile on sunblock all the time.


This end April trip was to be was fourth trip to Japan, and though I only have really basic Japanese conversational skills which were enough for me not to get lost, it would be a challenge even just getting on the right train. I asked a few close friends if they were interested and could travel on such short notice, but they couldn't.


So I decided to be brave and book solo return tickets to Japan! I booked my flights on a Wednesday evening, and I was slated to fly on Saturday night. Talk about spontaneity and impulse! I was sooo excited! I had flown to London alone before (which is a 13h flight) so flying for about 7h wasn't a big deal to me, as long as there wasn't much turbulence.

I've made a number of friends in Japan since the beginning of university, and I reached out to them via Facebook (god bless them!) and arranged to crash at their places during my stay. There was a lot of good luck involved as golden week was the week after, which meant many people would have gone back to their hometowns instead of remaining in Tokyo.



Getting a data plan was a priority for me, but as I did not buy a prepaid sim online and it was too pricey to rent a wireless router since I was swinging solo, I decided to just leech on any free wifi spots I could get. Bigggg mistake. There aren't many free wifi spots in Japan, the most famous one being Starbucks but even so, your initial registration requires you to click a link in your email to activate. Which defeats the whole purpose?! Thankfully I had a Japanese friend with me when I was at Starbucks so she created an account for me using her email.

Being the last minute person I always am, I only started packing on Saturday! Okay, granted I was working til 1-2am that entire week, so I didn't have much time to get ready. I packed pants, long johns and long sleeved tops, remembered to throw in a nice outfit or two just in case, and brought a spring jacket and boots. Seeing cherry blossoms was on my bucket list, but I knew that the time for viewing cherry blossoms was usually in March to mid April so I was just going to try my luck without much hope.

My shopping list was short. I only wanted to get undergarments, socks, makeup and eye drops. My to do list consisted of meeting friends, eating delicious food and experience what it's like to be a Japanese.


Armed with only a positive attitude and a quest for adventure, I checked in and boarded my plane. People are afraid of traveling alone for fear of the unknown, but I wanted some me time and having the freedom to roam around to explore the city. Tokyo and Nagoya, here I come!!
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Tips for travelling free and easy in Japan

So I recently took a week long solo trip to Tokyo on impulse and here are some tips I have to share about planning free and easy trips to Japan! This wasn't my first trip to Japan so I (finally) decided to consolidate all the things you should look out for into one post since many of you have been requesting it :) Can't wait to share pictures and travelogue of my trip soon so look out for it!!

Cherry blossoms in Spring. Striking this off my bucket list!

Without further ado, tips on travelling free and easy in Japan:

1. Get an internet connection


Although I didn't get a data connection during my trip, I regretted it every day. I was lucky to be with my Japanese friends most of the time so they could tell me which trains to catch, which stop to get off at, timings for the last train etc, but when I was alone I often sought refuge at Starbucks as they provide free wireless access. Gets in handy when you're lost.

If you're travelling in a group, I recommend www.japan-wireless.com to rent a Wifi router and share with your friends. For prepaid sims though, there is a cheaper and better alternative on b-mobile which you can pre-order and collect at the airport when you arrive. For more information, check out http://www.bmobile.ne.jp/english/ , depending on how much you intend to use, you can pick between 1gig or unlimited data for the same price, the only difference is the speed.

Don't take an internet connection for granted in Japan, because one platform has many trains alighting passengers and they all go to different destinations. Knowing what time your train is slated to arrive helps so you don't get on the wrong train!!

2. Save money on transportation with a JR Pass


A JR Pass essentially gives you unlimited train rides under the JR company (which includes shinkansens aka inter-city fast trains) for a period of time. Whether this saves you money or not depends on how many cities you're going to. If you're just going to one city and back, it might not be worth the whole amount so be sure to do your calculations first! Shinkansen tickets can be bought online so you can use that to estimate the price. If you know you're going to use the JR line intra-city, then take that into consideration as well.

Important!!! You MUST purchase the pass OUTSIDE of Japan, aka before your trip! You can't get a JR Pass in Japan.

3. Check the weather forecast everyday before you head out


The weather in Japan is reaaally unpredictable. It could be hot and sunny one moment, then stormy and rainy the next. The true Japanese citizen will always check the weather forecast before going out, and bring an umbrella when required. Was caught in the rain once, don't let that happen to you. Even though umbrellas are cheap at convenience stores, you might not even make it to a convenience store when it pours!

4. Get an app to help you translate

Not every menu has pictures 

It is hard to survive in Japan without knowing Japanese, and I was really lucky to have Japanese friends who translated most of the things I didn't understand (eg menu) into English! However if you're going to Japan on a free and easy trip, you might want to download the Google Translate app  which is also available offline, and best of all, FREE!

5. Make space for an onsen trip


If you can, please please set aside a day (and a night preferably), to check out Japan's amazing onsens!! There isn't anything better than a complete relaxation soaking in prickly hot water while admiring the picturesque view that Japan has to offer. If you go in winter, your body feels hot while your face and ears feel cold. Pure bliss. If you stay for a night, you get a feast of a dinner and breakfast, and though it's more pricey, it's definitely worthwhile. 

Oh, and if you're travelling to Tokyo, do note that flying to/fro Haneda Airport is nearer (and cheaper!) than Narita! Also taking an express bus may not necessarily be faster than taking the normal train. The only huge advantage is that you probably don't have to carry your luggage up and down the stairs as not every train station has escalators or lifts. 

That's it for now! Do let me know if you have any suggestions or comments you would like me to add on to this list, etc. 

Have a safe trip and don't forget to buy insurance!
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5 things to eat in London

By some twist of fate and tons of lucky stars, I landed up in London for the third time in two years. It was a really last minute trip with my brother and the only things I had planned were my flight tickets and my hotel in Bayswater! Packing was done a few hours before I left for the airport, and my brother and I agreed to do everything on an impromptu basis.

Unfortunately, like many unforeseen circumstances, my brother started feeling sneazy an hour before our flight out. I forced him to pop 2 paracetamols with flu relief properties, and we went off to the airport.

Alas, it was 5am when our plane landed at Heathrow Airport. I barely slept on the 13h plane ride with my brother sniffing away, a ton of people coughing constantly, and some kid kicking the back of my seat. From the airport, you can choose pick an express train which would take you to Paddington (central London) in half the time it would take if you were to take the normal tube, at a much higher price.

Finally here!

Being cheapos who had a lot of time to kill (check in at our hotel was 12noon), we took the normal train. 

It was an eye opening experience because we got to see the less-glamourous side of London. I was so cold every time the train doors opened. The seats of the train were dirty, there was graffiti on the walls, people were speaking in English but I couldn't really catch what they were saying. In essence, the culture shock hit me pretty quickly. It was a one and a half hour journey to central London, and some of the commuters were on their way to work! 

Since our check-in timing was hours later, our initial plan was to leave our luggage at the front desk and hang out at my friend's place at Chancery Lane, which was nearby. However, thanks to our lucky stars, our room was ready and we got to check in at 9am! We napped til 11am and got up just for breakfast.

That was how my trip started, and I knew I just had to make the trip about food this time. So here's my recommended list of things to eat on your next trip to London :p

- Have scones for breakfast/tea
It's a breezy English day, you've just taken a nice walk in Hyde Park and you've worked up a breakfast appetite. Why not have a scone?

A friend brought me to this amazing, down to earth, unpretentious, cosy  bakery cum cafe called Muffin Man Tea Shop.
Surprisingly affordable!


Muffin Man Tea Shop
12 Wrights Lane
London W8 6TA
Neighbourhood: Kensington
Tel: 020 7937 6652

- Homemade Fudge
Fudge originated from America, when a teacher of a toffee-making class used the wrong temperature and instead of getting toffee, he made fudge. That also explains why the word 'fudge' means an error or mistake. Eg, I fudged it up!

Though that's not so commonly phrased here in Singapore, haha.

Anyway, my cousin, Nicholas was the one who told me to try some homemade fudge, and since I was in Oxford that day, I popped by Fudge Kitchen.

Free sample? Check. Amazing smells? Check. Cute guy by the door? Check.
K going in.

Was distracted by the huge slab of fudge right in front of me, which I later found out, was laid there to cool down. Fudge Kitchen's fudge is made using whipping cream instead of butter, giving a creamy soft texture and distinctive flavour! Plus there are a few flavours to choose from if you don't like it plain ol' original. There's Tangy Orange, Dreamy Coconut, Moreish Mint, Gorgeous Ginger, Classic Chocolate, Mocha chocolate and more!!

Gahh look at that huge slab O_O

 A while later, the fudge maker came and started mixing the fudge!! 

Turn the volume up to find out a little more on how fudge is made! 
PSST! Notice how the fudge gets easier to flip and sinks downwards, that's how it tastes so smooth and the sugar is evenly spread out.

The branch I went to was:

Fudge Kitchen
Address: 5 Broad Street
Oxford, OX1 3AJ
Tel: +44 (0) 1865 794154
For more outlets, visit their website at http://www.fudgekitchen.co.uk/
However! Since this post is about London, here's a place in London you can check out for fresh, homemade fudge!

The London Fudge Company
Jubilee craft market at Covent Garden on Saturdays and Sundays

If you haven't tried fudge you're missing out on sweet, sugary goodness.

-  Eat duck rice
I know what you're thinking.

"I travelled half the world for DUCK RICE? I can eat this back home in Singapore!"

Yes you can, but it's not the same. Their duck is from Ireland.

Not only is it fatter, juicier, tender-rer, Four Seasons and Gold Mine have their magic gravy and together, you get a dish that will give you cravings even when you're back in Singapore.



Try both and tell me which one you prefer! :p

How to get there: Turn left at Bayswater, walk straight and you'll see the two restaurants on your right! They are really near each other, just make sure you don't walk into the wrong one ;)

- Grab a bagel

Along Brick Lane there is this infamous bagel shop that sells bagels for around 1 pound each that has been established since 1977. That's ridiculously cheap considering how yummy the bagels are!!


The classic smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel blew my MIND. It's served hot, looks simple,but darn a lot of passion went into every bit of it.


Get a bagel and continue strolling down Brick Lane. Now you feel that bit of London spirit, don't you?

Beigel Bake
159 Brick Lane
London
E1 6SB
- Have a lobster 
Even though Singapore is blessed with a large variety of food, let's face it, we could do with cheaper seafood. And after travelling all the way to London, seafood is what I'll get at an amazing price and I get to pamper my taste buds at the same time too!
 

At only £20 (about SGD$40), you can get an entire lobster all to yourself, with a generous helping of fries that I couldn't even finish! Even though I reached at 6+pm, I still had to wait about 20mins for a table, okay maybe it's because my full party wasn't present yet when I reached, but still!

The lobster was super fresh and sooo tasty, I don't think you can find an equivalent in Singapore. I dined at the Soho branch because we wanted to check out the night scene in the area after dinner. It's really eye opening!! However, if you're going with your family and you prefer a safer environment, head to the Mayfair Branch. After all, if it's that expensive in Monopoly, it has to be that expensive in real life as well too right?

Mayfair Branch (no reservations)

Soho Branch (plenty of things to do after!)


PS: Thought of adding Hummingbird Bakery's red velvet cupcakes here or Snog's yoghurt, or even Gordan Ramsey's restaurants but nahhh those are too common. Feel free to check them out too!

Typing this has made me so hungry. Have to plan a trip to London again soon!!! I miss Europe so much :(

Til the next time~

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5 things to do in Phuket

I recently came back from a 4D3N stay in Phuket and it was great fun! I stayed 4D3N at a resort near Patong Beach which was a good length to cover all a lot of things I wanted to experience. Of course, there were some tips and tricks I learnt which I will share in another post, so keep a lookout for it!

Swimsuit from ASOS

I stayed at Sawaddi Resort because there was a discount on Agoda plus it was supposed to be 'walking distance from Patong Beach'. The photos on their website look nice and all, but some of the rooms are facing a construction site, which is terrible. We were given a room like that in the beginning but we kicked up a mini fuss so they transferred us to another room with a pool view. Yay! The walk to Patong Beach took like 20 minutes? It was pretty dangerous because it's kinda dark at night and there's a four-way intersection you have to jaywalk across. We had an international breakfast which was pretty decent, any place that has a chef to cook your eggs just the way you want it always gets extra points with me.

If you're going there with your family I wouldn't recommend it because it's quite a walk away from the main 'happening' streets!

I've compiled a list of things to do in Phuket but be wary that everything is overpriced and it's a complete tourist trap.

1. Check out their red light district - aka Bangla Street

Photo credits to Alvin

When you find Bangla street, a huge sign welcomes you and draws you in. It starts to get busy from sunset onwards and there are tons of things to see in that 5min stretch. There are many people touting you to watch a 'Ping Pong Show' or 'Tiger Show', kids running around putting flower garlands on you and refusing to take it back so you have to pay for it, men holding up gibbons (type of monkey) and monitor lizards which have been drugged to make sure they are tame. It's pretty chaotic.

The first night I was there, I was positively terrified. If you look into the eyes of the gibbons (how could you not when they are shoved in your face?) you see sadness... and fuzzy eyes. I saw them being roughly treated and these gibbons just hold on to the keeper's fingers for their dear life in case they fall. It's terrible. When these keepers see a policeman, they immediately stuff the animals into a sling bag and walk around normally.

Photo credits to Andy Storm

Kids were tip-toeing and just about to throw the garland over my head when I did a 360 degree turn and managed to avoid them. After that I just kept saying "NO!" in a stern and annoyed voice. It worked. Then I giggled at those people wearing flower garlands because they've been conned.

Transsexuals on the street will entice you to watch their cabaret shows or take photos with them. Scantily clad girls in bikinis or tiny shorts with stripper heels dance on bar tops as horny men look on. Well, that's the red light district for you.

We found a clean looking bar in a corner which marketed themselves on being a husband babysitter sports bar, where wives could leave their men there and just pick up the tab after. There was no dancing on bar tops or skanky women drawing you in, plus there were 4 pool tables and television screens showing different sports matches. Each pool game was less than SGD$1, a bottle of Heineken beer was about SGD$5 which was pretty decent. All in all, the company was more valuable to me!

2. Go Parasailing

If you're adventurous and not afraid of heights, why not try parasailing? I went to Phuket during the rainy season so the winds were much stronger - perfect weather for the sport! You're strapped to a parachute and attached to a speedboat and fly around, so make sure you've got those arm muscles stretched out before you go or it's going to be muscle aches for the next few days. Get to Patong beach if you want to try!


There will be someone directly behind you to steer and direct you around, and help you land safely. That dude isn't even wearing a lifejacket. #respect

It costs between 800 to 1,300 baht (about SGD$32 to $54) for about 5 mins and usually a tip is expected for the dude that just helped steer you back to shore. A small price for gratitude, no?

3. Snorkel at Phi Phi Islands, or just chill by the beach

We've heard soo many good reviews about Phi Phi Islands, so we just had to make a stop there. Unless you want to swim there yourself, you have to get a tour or a ferry across. We walked around Patong Beach looking for a trustworthy agent and found a guy who was really patient, explaining the different options we could pick from (eg Speedboat vs Cruise) and advising us based on our preferences.

In the end, we picked a cruise because it was cheaper and because the boat had a toilet. That's very important when you have a day tour, unless you would like to relieve yourself in the sea. On hindsight, I only used the toilet once and it was positively disgusting due to the sea-sick people. Sigh.

However, a really compelling reason to pick a speedboat was because it could venture into more shallow waters due to its size and you could snorkel at more places!! Too bad the waters were really choppy and would cause motion sickness much easier so we picked the safer option.

It was cloudy weather when we were in Phi Phi and the boat stopped us at Monkey Island for snorkelling! The guide told us that there usually is a beach but because of the high tide it was covered. So no monkey sightings or feeding for the day!

Was happily feeding fishes some bits of my custard bun I brought though.

After the snorkelling stop, the cruise stopped us at Phi Phi Don for a buffet lunch and some free time to roam around. The fried chicken drumlets were good! We took the chance to explore the really tiny island and admired the bluish green waters...

You have to pay $ to sit on these deck chairs. Like whaaat? You're better off just lying on the sand.

We happened to be at Phi Phi Islands on the 9th of August, which explained my red and white stripes outfit. On instagram it looked white and pink. Happy National Day Singapore and thanks for the long weekend holiday!

We got back on the boat, and sailed back to Phuket where a van picked us up and dropped us back to our hotel.

PSST! One way to avoid getting motion sick altogether is to sleep. That's what we did for most of the journey to Phi Phi Islands because it was an hour away! Also, bring medicated oil to sniff just in case you really do feel unwell, and be sure to close your eyes and sit down.

4. Get an amazing view at the Great Buddha

Though I'm not buddhist, the trip to the Great Buddha is worth it because it's on a mountain and you get a great panoramic view of the area! The best view is on the way up so be sure to stop at a picture point just to enjoy the breeze. This area was not affected by the tsunami which wiped out much of Phuket, and there were tourists who were at the same spot looking at the view when the tsunami hit.

 You can leave a donation as the construction is not fully complete!

Shorts bought from one the roadside stalls along patong beach for only SGD$8, super comfy!

Obligatory jump shot with the girls. Photo credits to Alvin! The colours on his Olympic pen epl3 are superb!

You could also get a ATV to tour the area, though I figure going up must be pretty boring. The van we hired was chugging slowly upwards and we were worried we wouldn't be able to make it!

PSST! It's advised not to go up when it's raining as the roads are really slippery and there's a high chance of lightning! There's also not much cover so you'll be pretty much stranded if you go up. Stay safe!

5. Visit the Southern Beaches

There are quite a number of beaches in Phuket so be sure you pick which beach you want to visit very carefully to plan the most efficient route. The ferry that brings you to Phi Phi Islands is somewhere near Phuket Town, so you can imagine how far away it is from Patong Beach!


During my 4D3N in Phuket, we covered all the beaches from Kamala Beach to Nai Harn Beach and our favourite beaches have got to be Kata and Nai Harn because of their cleaner waters and less people on the beach! Kata Beach is great for surfing and to catch the sunset.

 We started with Nai Harn beach and moved up! The water at Nai Harn was the bluest :)

Absolutely gorgeous. You can rent surfboards here at Kata Beach.

Witness the changes in the colour of the skyyyyyy

The last pic was taken by Alvin and I love it!! We were so hungry after a day of activities we went to have really good steak. A little pricey but yummm.

By the end of the trip, we were significantly tanner, even sun burnt, but a well deserved break from our daily routine. I didn't do much shopping but the whole point of Phuket was to enjoy the sun, the sand and the sea. Company was awesome and we also played 3v3 BB Air Soft, which turned out to be kinda painful.

Will be posting about some tips I picked up in Phuket soon, so keep a look out!

where to stay in phuket, family fun in phuket, what to do with friends in phuket
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