Kuala Lumpur - With a different view

Always believed being a localite than a tourist will help to discover new places or more likely to  fall in love with a place much quicker.

With the same note , this trip to Kuala Lumpur we enjoyed the local food , majority of our commutes was in public transport and lived in a cozy condominium rather than a hotel.

Wonderful view from the condominium which we stayed for two days in Bukit Bintang locality.Closest to city center yet out of the main traffic

Was thrilled to experience the KLIA Express train, which is a direct train from Airport to City within 30 mins, where taxi will take easily 1 hour. There are also LRT & MRT train stations which will help to navigate between various locations with ease.

We found this far more comfortable than hiring a taxi , as there is no fixed fare.

Night life is vibrant in Kuala Lumpur. Walkable from the place is “Changkat Street” famous for pubs , restaurant and perfect for a night life.

If you really enjoy Jazz on a late evening , do ensure to check out a place called “No Black Tie”. Do make reservations to avoid disappointments during weekends.

Flower display at Local Market in china town

Genting is under construction until 2016 and currently taking a huge makeover with Fox Studios, so better avoid any plans. However this did not stop us from visiting, and the weather never disappointed us.

Photo was taken around 12:00 PM and not at 6:00 AM during the cable car journey towards Genting. Covered with mist

Lone cable car in sight, even though there are more than 20 ahead us

Its almost time for dinner. Marinis is one of the restaurant at 57th floor offering Italian cuisine and situated next to twin tower and perfect for special occasion dinner. This is the maximum up close and personal view one can get of the Twin Tower.

Closest view of  Petronas Twin Towers from Marines@57

Its time for you to add your experiences of Kuala Lumpur. Feel free to leave any queries/ suggestions/comments. 

As always love to hear your feedback.

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Bollywood Veggies - A Green Dot

Was in a search for a short day trip and simultaneously looking out for location which is out of ordinary. That's when i came across “Bollywood Veggies”. Set in the midst of lush green farms and no skyscrapers to be seen in the vicinity. Yes its in Singapore.

“Bollywood Veggies” located near Sungei Buloh Wetland is a restaurant surrounded with various in-house grown fruits , veggies along with a pond, butterfly park and abundance of place to relax.

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Takes approximately 1.5 to 2 hours to reach the place, suggestion is to ramble around a bit and then walk few meters to find the place rather than just alighting in front of the restaurant by taxi or by any other mode of transport.

For us the best part was to walk in drizzling rain to reach the place :)

Surely worth a weekend and not to miss if you are looking something different to do in Singapore other than shopping or mall hopping.

Don’t let the name mislead you, for food options you will find both veg and non-veg. Few interesting and different healthy choices available.

If you have already been here or after visiting , don't forget to share your view and experience as comments. Do add if you have witnessed anything new :)

More details can be found in website http://bollywoodveggies.com/  or feel free to reach me any time for more details.

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24 Hours in Hanoi

Hanoi was last stop of our Vietnam travel and we had only 24 hours to explore this beautiful city before wrapping up .

Below are few of our experience and tips on what to do in Hanoi, if one has 24 hours

One of the choice is to stay in Old Quarter area which is the most busiest, oldest and vibrant locality situated in heart of Hanoi. There are plenty of affordable and yet clean accommodations available in old quarter.

If its Friday or Saturday you can visit night market. Nothing to worry if its not a weekend, as this place has got all you need. Local food , international cafes , clothing , bags and its all a walk away

If you are staying in Old Quarter locality then you won’t miss Hoan Kiem Lake , an iconic lake situated in the middle of Hanoi and minutes away from Old Quarter.

Do not miss the Vietnam coffee , trademark is it comes with personnel filter in each cup.  

Vietnam Coffee in Old Quarter

Eateries are not a problem in old quarter , From local delicacy to multinational cuisine are available. If you want to savor Indian food, suggestion is not to miss Namaste ( translates to welcome ) Vietnam

Our day started with early visit to Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum , where Vietnam’s great freedom fighter Ho Chi Minh body is preserved till date. Amazing discipline and respect is maintained throughout the site

Next stop was “Temple of Literature” the first university of Vietnam , which will exhibit the importance of literature and studies shown in old age and introduction of Confucius the Chinese scholar.

Better to hire a guide who can help you to go around the museum and understand the history

 

Entrance to "Temple of Literature"

Confucius the Chinese scholar

Once students are graduated , as a symbol of respect they might celebrate
their graduation in Temple of Literature.
Initially we misunderstood for marriage celebrations :P

Vietnam traditional music played at the end of "Temple of Literature"

It was almost time to head back to the Hanoi Airport , wish we had more time to explore the city visit various war museums and lot of surprises city had to offer.

Even it was just 24 hours Hanoi left a lasting impression on us.

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Halong Bay - Photo Journey

Halong was one of the most awaited journey in Vietnam.

After enjoying the breathtaking caves and rifts at Ninh Binh province, we embarked on a four hour on road journey to reach an island called Tuan Chau in Halong city. Where all the cruise are docked and ready to sail.

Paradise Cruises lined up to start the journey

One can find enormous options to select a cruise for Halong Bay . We opted for Paradise Cruise hoping for the best. Later turned out to be one of the best and had an unforgettable awesome experience

So we are set to sail Halong ( translating to descending dragon ) bay , which is also one of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Voyage started  - View from the front deck of the balcony 

Cruise Terrace 

There was not a moment where we wanted to stay inside , just standing in the balcony of the cruise and was always greeted by the picture perfect view of naturally formed limestone over the years.

Cruise docked for Cave visits

Visited a cave called “Sung Sot’ and then headed to a pearl factory hosted in between the bay , where you can see live demo of how pearls are extracted from Oysters

View from top of the Sung Sot Cave

Floating village - Life on waters

Its almost evening and time to anchor the cruise and experience the Solace in the midst of sea !!

Spectacular evening view , Memories still very fresh !!!!

Experiencing the tranquility 

Such views made the evening as best ever of the Vietnam stay 

Almost Dinner time :)

No words are enough to describe the early morning delight. Covered with mist, felt we were in a different world altogether.

Early Morning - Pure Bliss

Never wanted morning to end

Slowly mist gave way to mountains and neighboring cruise to be spotted

Had a relaxing Tai Chi session on terrace of the slow moving cruise before heading to our next pit stop.

Docked near tiny island called “TI TOP” . Named after a Russian pilot who was shot down here at the time of War.One needs to climb around 300 steps to get the helicopter view of Halong Bay

Ti Top Island 

cruises parked around the bay - View from the top of "Ti Top" island

"Not All those who WANDER are LOST" - T.R.R.Tolkien

Thanks for travelling virtually with me , hope you have enjoyed the photo journey.

Comments are feed backs are always welcome and do share the blog.

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Planning To Singapore?

Many times i get queries on what are the must see attractions in Singapore , days required etc.So thought of jotting down a comprehensive guide to visit Singapore based on days and priority of places to visit.

However one might have different view of order to visit the places based on their selections and preferences :)

Day 1 :

Visit nearby Metro Railway Station , check out the map and buy train tickets/pass ( As for each location going by taxi might not prove economic )

Get dressed as its time to visit the newest iconic place Marina Bay Sands ( MBS ). Start with Merlion then check out the mall & museum at MBS

Evening sunset view not to be missed from roof top of MBS

Almost 8:00 PM , time to enjoy some free laser show outside the mall.

Wanna enjoy the fragrance of money “Enter the Casino“ ( open 24*7 ) , yeah earn some extra before you spend as you are in one of the costliest city in Asia :). Did i mention its free entry for visitors

Marina Bay Sands Hotel

City view from Marina Bay Sands

Day 2 :

Start the day by an early visit to Sentosa , about 10 mins monorail journey from Singapore mainland. Another small Island hosted with lot of activities, beach and Aquarium will surely keep you busy till evening.

Next pit stop is China town to relax your muscles with foot reflexology.

Clarke Quay & Boat Quay just about 10 mins from China Town. Build exquisitely  for nightlife.

SEA Aquarium - Sentosa 

Day 3 :

Enjoy full throttle at Universal Studios - not to miss attraction.

Walk to length of Orchard Road , view some of the most famous brands and accessories  throughout  the walk. Never know you might find something interesting what you are looking for :)

Universal Studios

Universal Studios - Transformers Ride

 Universal Studios - Simulation of Old New York City

Day 4 :

Mall hopping and street shopping @ Bugis followed by a visit to Garden by the Bay , one of the latest attraction. Not to be missed for flower lovers and yes there is a waterfall inside !!

Give it a try for spicy yet delicious varities of Indian Cusine at Little India

Evening could be spent on Singapore Flyer to get an aerial view of the city in colorful lights.

Flower Show at the Gardens By the Bay

View of Gardens By the Bay from Marina Bay Sands

Singapore Flyer

Few days left , here you go :

Day 5 :

Time for theme parks. Zoo , Night Safari , Bird Park and River Safari. As per your preference

African Jungle Theme in Bird Park

Panda in River Safari

Day 6 :

Day trip to Pulau ubin - Ride bicycle through steep and slippery road between the woods

Check out below link for all you need to know about Pulau Ubin

http://ramblers-way.blogspot.sg/2013/09/riding-through-pulauubin-bicycle-is.html

Now its time for you to tell me if there are any places which needs to be in the must visit list and your experiences of visiting Singapore ?

Suggestions and feedback are welcome.

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Vietnam - Ninh Binh

Was always fascinated about Vietnam, be it either war stories or bliss of nature. Finally had an opportunity to visit and indulge in an timeless beauty of nature.

Considering March to May is one of the best seasons to visit North Vietnam and after 2 years of miss, finally made it on summer of 2014 :)

Below are few of my memorable experience and useful information which might come in handy if one is planning to visit Vietnam.

How to get Vietnam Visa ?

Where did we stayed in Ninh Binh ?

Canhdieu Hotel Ninh Binh Thanh Bình Ward – Ninh Bình City – Vietnam

It was sunny noon when we landed in Hanoi , capital of Vietnam . However this was not the day for us to explore Hanoi, so boarded the local taxi and thus our exiting journey started to Ninh Binh.

After four hours on road we entered Ninh Binh.Stayed in a hotel run by local family and was one of the best memorable experience as we were made to feel as one of their family members.

Spent the evening rambling around inquiring about the local places , food and enjoying cool breeze in midst of summer. 

We stayed two days and one of the interesting experience is , localities were friendly and very eager to talk to us all along the streets and always wanted to know where we came from and where we are heading next :)

HOA LU Pagoda ( Temple )

Day started by visit to TRANG AN , exploring the legendary beauty of grotto and caves in an rowing boat. We almost visited 10 caves and there was never a moment without surprise. 

On few occasions until we came close enough , could not believe there is enough space to enter. Epic experience for sure.

Majority of boat rowers are women , one could easily spot in Vietnam that there is no job discrimination based on gender.

Now enough of words :)

Rowing boat used in TRANG AN - took three hours to complete the entire journey

Entering the cave

Twilight during exit 

Local wine made with Rice , stored inside the cave with controlled temperature

View of BAI DING Pagoda - after almost 300 steps

BAI DING Pagoda ( Buddhist Temple )

Almost day was coming to an end and we were racing against the time, one of the best view was kept for the last. MAU cave . 500 steps to reach the top. Best breathtaking vantage view and was totally worth the effort.

From the top of MAU cave in the midst of the mountains there is rift visible and called by the name TAM COC , One can experience the boat ride between the paddy fields and of course will be visiting few spectacular caves as well.

Rift in between is called TAM COC 

Ariel view after 500 steps

As every wonderful journey has to come to an end making the way for the next. We rolled up all the memories and bid farewell to Ninh Binh.

So its time now to set sail on majestic cruise in Halong Bay ( Ha Long - Descending dragon bay )

Check the below link on Halong Bay experiences

http://ramblers-way.blogspot.sg/2014/05/halong-bay-photo-journey.html

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