[Travel] Itinerary for Japan: 9D8N Osaka-Kyoto-Nara-Kobe Budget trip

Hey guys, 

I'm back again. I've been really inactive becos the past academic year was quite project-heavy. I can't believe this post has been in my draft since the year ended in 2017 (almost 6 months ... wow). Actually, I've got many other things I would love to write about. Do comment in the comments section if you would like more travel itinerary and tips, or more module reviews (for NUS kids) and perhaps some other miscellaneous topics? 

So ... for this post, I'll be sharing with you my itinerary for my recent Osaka-Kyoto-Nara-Kobe budget trip! I have the costs indicated on the RHS so you guys can decide whether to take certain activities out for your own trip (: (some of the costs indicated are not incurred- meaning they are covered by the Amazing Osaka Pass)

Day 1: Tuesday (Chilling around hotel area)

About the Amazing Osaka Pass:

- Super amazing pass that covers many components of your trip

- Valid for purchase ONLY FOR TOURISTS

- Limited to ONE pass for your entire trip (meaning you can't purchase 2 passes for your 4-day trip)

- Covers not just transportation (but also admission to MANY TOURIST ATTRACTIONS)

- You can purchase the 1 day pass if you intend to cover Osaka in a day and spend the other days in Kyoto/Kobe.

- If you purchase the 2 day pass, on the first day when you first feed the card into the card reader, it will punch a hole in the top of your card (marking the 1st day has been used), on the 2nd day when you first use it, there will be a 2nd hole punched in. 

Cost: $39.80 from Klook OR 3300 yen from Tourist counter

How to ensure the Amazing Osaka pass is worth it?

- Important that you plan beforehand the places you wanna visit 

- Find out how much the individual admission tickets costs and make sure the total costs of the entry tickets you intend to visit covers the 3300 yen price for the pass

- You won't be able to cover all the free attractions (with the use of the pass within the 2 day time-frame) so just go for those that have a higher price tag.

About the Hankyu Pass:

- Allows for easy travel between Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe!

- Major sightseeing spots using the pass: Arashiyama (Bamboo Forest), to Ikeda Station (Osaka Cup Noodles Museum), Minoh Station (for Minoh Park- the beautiful waterfall- best time to visit is Spring and Autumn)

- Unlimited train rides on Hankyu Line

- Only valid on Hankyu Line (not any other lines)

Cost: $15.90 from Klook OR 1400 yen from Tourist counter

                           

Day 2: Wednesday (Exploring Osaka)

    

Day 3: Thursday (Exploring Osaka)

Day 4: Friday (Day trip to Nara)

For the next few days I did not place restrictions on time and just listed all the places of interest that had to be visited. Feel free to make reference to the places I went for your own trip. I did manage to cover all the places mentioned.

Day 5: Saturday (Day trip to Higashiyama Kyoto)

Tip for the 500yen Kyoto bus pass:

- Get it only if you will travel more than twice on the bus in a single day

- Board the bus from the back door of the bus, and alight from the front!

- Can purchase the bus pass from any of the bus drivers (It's a green card and you do not need to pay any admin charges for it)

- Buses are very convenient in Kyoto but sometimes google maps directions to certain locations are not right (So ask the locals- the younger people on the streets- how to get to certain places of attractions)

Day 6: Sunday (Day trip to Kobe, Minoh, and Ikeda)

Day 6 seems like a very short day but most of the day is spent traveling to and fro locations (especially to Kobe) but my train trips are all covered by my pass, and I travelled alot on this day to make full us of the pass.

  

Tips for visiting Minoh Park:

- A very nice, quiet and serene location, perfect for an intermediate workout after eating all your sushi, unagi and Ichiran in the city

- The best time to visit the park is any season (best in Autumn and Spring)

- You will get to see the whole park covered in red autumn leaves, and cherry blossoms in Spring.

- I would not recommend you to visit it in the winter as it will be very cold and slippery (making it a hazard for all, especially the young and old). But the whole park will be covered in white, making a very pretty scene to capture (for romantic couples maybe?)

- Remember to visit the waterfall, the key highlight!

- If you're visiting in summer, do bring some towels to enter the streams (and the lower end of the waterfall)- It's super cooling and refreshing to dip your legs during the hot hot summer season.

- Wear proper shoes if possible, to make it safe to climb up.

- The easy route up to the waterfalls might take up to 3 hours (less steep route)

- Professional hikers or those that are more physically able (with proper attire) can try their intermediate/ rocky routes which gives you access up to the waterfall in about 1.5h.

About Kobe:

- There's really nothing much in Kobe, but the port of Kobe earthquake memorial is worth a visit if you happen to be there. 

- Kobe has a long street of sheltered shopping (closes pretty early, so be there before 6pm)

- Chinatown (Nankinmachi) was boring (there wasn't many shops open and unless you are really craving for Chinese food, otherwise, do not bother to make a trip down). Chinatown should be the most crowded during the lunch hour, but when I was there (close to 6pm) it will pretty quiet.

- If you do take beef, the Kobe Beef is a MUST TRY!

- Nunobiki Waterfalls behind Shin-Kobe station is quite a distance away and for safety, please visit it in the day.

Tip for your visit to Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum:

- Super cool place and I urge everyone of you visiting Osaka to come here to make your very own Instant cup noodles to bring home!

- The whole process of making the cup noodles is super cool (and suitable for all ages, not just kids)

- Get to explore how cup noodles has evolved over the years and get nice pictures.

- If you bought the pass, show your pass at the info counter for free gift (Not sure if this is still avail, as I can no longer find info on this deal)

- Good for families with young kids (Can sign up for free ramen making class on the spot- subject to avail and get free bandana)

Day 7: Monday (Day trip to Arashiyama Kyoto)

 Day 8: Tuesday (Day trip to South Kyoto)

From here onwards, it was free and easy and up to us to see how tired we were to explore places (therefore no time indicated).

Day 9: Wednesday (Back home to Singapore)

Our flight was 2pm so my last day was nothing much but to buy anything we needed to buy last minute from Osaka or Umeda station.

10am- Check out and do any last minute shopping near Umeda/Osaka Station

11am- Leave for airport

12pm- Reach airport

This is all I have for a 8D7N Osaka-Kyoto-Nara-Kobe trip. It was a fun-filled and my 2nd visit to Japan and the trip was a super memorable one as I took a long time to plan out this itinerary. Hope everything here is useful for everyone reading this. And may all of you readers out there have a nice holiday. Stay safe and enjoy yourselves! 

Hint: Look out for my next post on a Tokyo Itinerary! :)

Cheers!

Rachel

[Travel] Korea, Annyeong-hasaeyo

Annyeong readers,

I'm finally back with a new blog post. Just gonna briefly describe my 1.5 months journey in Korea from July to August and what to do, eat and see.

Why is Korea such a popular travel destination?

The K-pop faze has definitely contributed to that (EXO!!), and definitely good food (TTEOKBOKKI!! SAMGYETANG!! BIBIMBAP!!), desserts (BINGSOO!!), and shopping (COSMETICS!!).

Where should you visit in Korea?

Shopping:

• All the university streets especially Hongdae have great fashionable clothings at reasonable prices! (5,000-20,000 won for really good quality ones though the 5,000 won ones were quite rare)

• Fashion Shopping: All the Underground Shopping attached to the subway stations!! Definitely I feel the Express Bus Terminal Underground Shopping at Express Bus Terminal Station (brown line) is the best!! The main shopping area with 2 long lanes of fashion shops is apparently quite hard to find (even though I gave my friends pretty detailed instructions on how to get there). Will be posting more about it in later posts.

• Cosmetics and Fashion shopping: Dongdaemun. I stayed around this district for 2 weeks, and it was a great choice. There is also a wholesale shoe market which sells really cheap and fashionable shoes for 5,000-10,000 won, which I found elsewhere selling at 15,000-20,000 won! My friends were so envious cos I bought a similar designed as theirs for 1/3 the price they bought it at (hehe)

• Cosmetics Shopping: MYEONGDONG! HONGDAE! Myeongdong is definitely the best place to go for cosmetics shopping because they are really generous with free gifts and with great bargaining skills, you'll bring back an entire bag of samples. What more, act like you're not interested in going into their shops, and they will try to lure you in with FREE facial masks! (IMPORTANT TIP: Make sure you grab them before heading in, and have a bag conveniently placed at waist level to throw them in, or else the staff might take it back if you don't purchase anything- esp. The Face Shop and certain Nature Republic stores) My favourite brands: The Saem (which can't be found in Singapore), Innisfree and Missha. Regarding price range, all are definitely cheaper than Singapore! Catch them during the sale periods (best sales during Summer Sale!) to get ridiculously cheap cosmetics of great quality. I managed to get BB cushions at a wonderful price: SGD14 for 1 casing with 3 refills (woohoo!)

Food:

• University streets again, for sure! They have affordable food for the university students who are sick of their canteen food! My favourite: Alchon Flying Fish Roe Rice (IT IS A MUST TRY- tastes so good and so cheap that I want to bring a Franchise over to Singapore) Specific university street I would recommend is: Edae (aka Ewha), Kondae (aka Konkuk Uni), Hongdae and Wangsimni (Hanyang University shopping area)

• Sinchon, Hongdae, Edae area has many famous food. In this area I would recommend the 8 flavoured BBQ pork in Sinchon. More about this place in later posts!

• Everywhere has good food in Korea, I'm not kidding. But the must try food are: Bibimbap, Jjajangmyeon, Samgyetang, Jjamppong (Seafood noodles- I love the broth omg), Tonkatsu (Pork Cutlet, they even have cheese pork cutlet specially catered for cheese lovers!) There are just too many to list all! 

• Must try the Self Serve bars (aka Korean BBQ buffet). I was quite upset cos I couldn't find the 9,900 won one in Hongdae/Sinchon area cos they all closed down. But I ate the one near Hanyang University at Wangsimni Station which had a good flow of Beef, Chicken, Pork, Squid, fried food (chicken, seafood, etc.) and cup noodles (Yes, all free flow!)

• Street food! DEFINITELY SOMETHING YOU CAN'T FORGO! The fish cakes (eomuk) are my favourite street snacks, and they are so cheap and good! To be honest, you can find it for 500 won per stick at Sinchon, but other areas like Myeongdong and Dongdaemun sells it for 1,000 won. Hongdae and Edae has it for about 700 won. Egg bun (Gyeran-bang) is a unique street food which may not suit the taste of many cos it's a little sweet and has no fillings (occasionally sprinkled with nuts over it) Can be bought at 1,000- 2000 won. More on street snacks in later posts.

Places of Interests:

• All the palaces. During the period I went in, there was free admission into all the palaces in the month of July. To be honest, the palaces all look pretty alike. I find that Changdeokgong is the prettiest of them all. Gyeongbokgung was just TOO CROWDED, although it is the biggest palace.

• Gwanghwamun Square. The two statues here are famous statues of King Sejong and Admiral Yi Sun Shin. It is beautiful place for photo taking with the Gwanghwamun in the background. What's more, you can visit the peaceful Chonggyecheon Stream just 2 minutes walk away. At the stream, feel free to dip your legs into the clear and cool water to relieve stress and tired legs. Do not eat by the stream though, there will be security to chase you away!

• Iwha Mural Village (a lot of walking and climbing, but once you reach the peak, the view is simply amazing) Great place for those that enjoy picturesque views and for those who loves to take pictures.

• Many many other places, but due to time constraints and I don't want to bore readers with extremely long posts, I'll post it in later posts. Stay tuned!(:

Lastly,

Accommodation:

• Best areas to live in according to personal preferences (with the criteria chosen as easy convenience to shopping and tourist attractions) and in ascending order as listed: 

1. Dongdaemun 
2. Myeongdong 
3. Hongdae
4. Wangsimni
5. Sinchon
6. Ewha

• If you are on a budget trip, stay in hostels. I personally find that the cheapest prices can be found on Hotels.com and by booking through them, they actually provides a Best Price Guarantee thing that makes sure you have the cheapest price for that same dates and same room types! It really works, cos I found a cheaper price on another site, and they matched the price by refunding me the difference. 

• The areas I've mentioned are good and convenient for shopping but if you want cheaper accomodations for budget trips, I would recommend Star Hostel Dongdaemun. (Gentle reminder: I am not sponsored for any of my blog posts, and it is all voluntarily written to help netizens with their plannings.) 

• Each night cost about $45 for a twin room and comes with ensuite bathroom. Rooms are fully air-conditioned, comes with soap in a dispenser in the toilets (shampoo and shower gel), bedroom slippers and towels (which were facial towels- would recommend to pack along a usual-sized towel cos the towels they provided were way too small for me to dry myself). Free breakfast was provided too (daily till 10am and self service), although simple: toast with jam or butter and cornflakes every morning, it was a nice gesture and can save a meal's cost (:

• The downside was that the room had no windows so we tend to oversleep since the room was just completely dark: no indication of the time of the day and it was as if we slept in a shed, separated from the world. Also, room was really crammed. I had 3 big luggage and 3 smaller ones, which made it impossible for me to maneuver around the room whenever I had to pack my stuff or get my clothes out (they had no cupboard too, just a couple of hangers below the drawer which served as a dressing table for me too). I had to do broad jumps over all my luggage, sometimes resorting to climbing on the bed to get to the door. 

• All in all, pretty worth it for the price I paid. Would recommend you guys to stay there if you're visiting Seoul!(:

Interested to know more about my Korea Trip, stay tuned~

[Travel] Must Knows about Traveling in Singapore by Public Transport (Bus and MRT)

Hi all readers,

Rachel here. Sorry for the long break! Decided to create a post for tourists paying a visit to Singapore. Singapore is a very small and clean country, and definitely, the public transport system is the most efficient and affordable way to travel around the country(:

The MRT stands for Mass Rapid Transit. It is commonly mistaken as Mass Rapid Transport or Mass Rapid Train, but basically in Singapore if you're looking for an MRT station, just call it "MRT". People might just find you weird if you ask "Where's the Mass Rapid Transit Station" as almost none of the locals uses that term (at least none that I know of).

To take the MRT, you have to purchase either a one-time temporary card which is called a Standard Card and is made of paper (which can be purchased at the add-value metal looking machines), or a typical Ez-link (pronounced as "Easy-link") card that locals uses, or you could also purchase the Singapore Tourist Pass.

Ok, so which one should you purchase?

IF you think you wouldnt travel that much on Singapore's public transport system, you can purchase the Standard Card. The deposit for the card is only 10cents which was recently reduced from the usual $1! That means if you want to travel from Bugis to Orchard by MRT for example, and if the fare is $1, you just need to pay $1.10 for your one trip there!(:

How do you go about purchasing the Standard Card?
The typical General Ticketing Machines (grey metal ticketing machines). Do note that the Add-value machines (purple machines) do not issue this card

Ok, next. If you want to keep the Singapore Ez- link card for memento purposes, I would recommend you to buy the card that the locals use as well. However, it is definitely more costly. If you purchase it from Transitlink Ticketing Offices, Concession Card Replacement Offices (which is quite unlikely you will pass by any of the 6 offices they have in Singapore) and the Passenger Service Counters, it costs $12. However,that doesnt mean it has a stored value of $12. The $12 includes a $5 card cost fee, which means there's a $7 stored value in the card which is used to tap in and out of the MRT stations and buses.

However, do note that you can purchase it from the 7-eleven stores, however, it costs only $10 as there is only a stored value of $5. I would recommend to purchase from the 7-eleven stored if you intend to travel less than 4 times on the public transport but would like to keep a nice Ez-link card for use the next time you come back to Singapore.

Lastly, the Singapore Tourist Pass is a very useful option provided by the Singapore Tourism Board for tourists to travel to the places of interest in Singapore. They are passes that entitles you to unlimited travel on the public transports. They have 3 options: 1-day pass, 2-day pass and 3-day pass which costs $20, $26 and $30 respectively. In those amounts I've mentioned, there is a refundable rental deposit of $10, if you return the card within 5 days after purchase(:

The design on the Singapore Tourist Pass is quite pretty and worth keeping if you're willing to spend $10 on it, although I don't think you can reuse the card the next time you're back in Singapore.

Now, on to the BUSES!!!

I think most tourists will hardly ever take the public buses as they mostly come from neighbourhoods and MRT stations. And major landmarks and Places of Interest in Singapore are accessible via MRT. But basically the travel system in Singapore is all about paying by distance. The further you travel, the more you pay. Buses in Singapore are run by 2 major companies, SMRT and SBS.

You might be thinking, wow Singapore's public transport is rather expensive. However, do note that locals have special fare types for different age groups. The Senior Citizens have special Concession passes issued by the government and their fares are much cheaper than the adult fares. A typical bus ride for 3 stops is about $0.79 but for senior citizens it costs only $0.56, and the maximum fare for senior citizens during the off-peak hours (up to 6pm and after the morning rush period) is $0.90 (for train and bus services).

Oh yes, if you transfer between buses and trains, you're entitled to a rebate (exact amount I'm not sure) but definitely a plus point for you to save money while traveling. I think it doesnt apply to the Standard Cards but the typical Ez-link has such privileges.

Misc Must-knows in Singapore buses and trains:
- The corner seats in trains marked with the stickers "Priority Seat" are used to be called "Reserved Seat" basically for those who needs the seat more like the Elderly, young children, pregnant women, injured people, etc. If you happen to sit on it, it's totally fine even if you do not fall in that category of "needy" people. But if an elderly actually approaches you, its ok, just give up your seat to him/her. It's quite common actually.

- In buses, the priority seats are the seats in yellow (which are usually at the front of the bus). Same as in the trains, give up to others who need it more than you do(: Don't be too stressed about sitting on these seats.

- The older trains (white coloured ones with orange seats in certain cabins) have much smaller seats than the usual trains, so it gets a bit squeezy on that train especially if you're bigger in size than the typical Asian (like me, unfortunately). I usually would just wait for the next train if traveling a long distance.

- Eating and drinking is PROHIBITED IN TRAINS!! I have seen so many tourists eating snacks and drinking water on the train. Do note that it is NOT ALLOWED in Singapore, even plain water!

- Drinking plain water on the buses are fine, but no eating!

- If you want to check out the arrival timings of buses at the busstops you can download bus apps, "Iris" or "SG Buses". I prefer SG buses, as it indicates how packed the bus is, and whether there are seats available on the bus.

- There are different lines in our train transport system. The major ones are the East-West line (Green), North-South line (Red), Circle Line (Yellow) and North-East line (Purple).

- As tourists you will most likely be taking the Red and yellow lines most often as it brings you to Orchard, Haw Par Villa, Botanics Garden, Gardens by the Bay, Marina Bay Sands, etc.

- If you're interested, the different coloured lines on the MRT, are run by the two different companies, SMRT and SBS too! The Circle Line, Purple Line and LRTs are driver-less! (No driver operates the train, which is why I suggest that you enter the cabin from the train head on the Circle Line and North-East line to enjoy a nice ride while seeing the train travel maneuver its way through the dark tunnels)

- On escalators, ALWAYS keep to the LEFT if you're not climbing up or down the escalators. The right side are for people in a rush, to catch trains, reach home in time for their favourite dramas, etc.



LASTLY, enjoy your trip in SINGAPORE!!

[Travel] A hidden shopping gem in Bangkok- Union Mall

Dear Readers,

I'm back with more travel reviews. This time introducing to you a hidden shopping gem in Bangkok which few people know of. At the same time, I must express my dismay at the cancellation of my June 2015 Bangkok Trip because of the unavailability of the hotels I am interested in AND the non-promotional air tickets ):

My initial plan was to book the air tickets on Tuesday morning (for the Scoot Promotional Fares), and then book the hotels for the nights in Bangkok. However, Scoot has no good promotional price the past 2-3 weeks and Metro Resort Pratunam has apparently raised their prices from 1000THB to 1400THB. The other lower-priced range hotels have really bad feedbacks (eg. Have to enter the hotel by cutting through some restaurants, Hotel lobby in a really secluded area, and Dirty sheets and linen) So no thanks, I might just head to JB during the long leave.

Ok, so back to topic. The shopping paradise which isn't that well known as Platinum yet: Union Mall. I was contemplating whether to share this or not. Because being a typical Singaporean, I'm super kiasu and worry that once there is an influx of foreign travellers, the prices of goods there might increase. But I decided to help those who are looking for quality and cheap clothings, and those who are really exhausted after a hot and sunny morning/afternoon at Chaktuchak.

Coconut Ice cream dessert: A must eat in Bangkok

I usually will head to Chaktuchak in the morning and shopped till about 2pm, then head down to Union Mall via train.

The really cute dog I saw at Chaktuchak.

Head to the Chaktuchak train station and take one/ two stop down to Phrahon Yothin (I might have spelt the name wrongly) 

Take towards the Hua Lanphrong direction

The train had good air conditioning and it was quite comfy after a really hot and sunny morning at Chaktuchak.

You can purchase your token (for a one time trip) via these ticket vending machine located in the station or from the passenger service counter.

At the entrance of the train station of Union Mall.

Look out for the Sign that says Union Mall upon arrival at the train station. You should exit from Exit No. 5. Upon exit, you will be facing the "Union Mall" sign as seen in the picture below.

Hungry? Thirsty? Grab some waffles and fries and drinks at A&W!

Looks good right? It was super appetizing and shiok! (Since Singapore doesn't have A&W stalls anymore)
This was reasonably priced at about 5-6SGD for the entire set. It fed both my mother and I (as tea time snack) 

There were many things to shop (A pity I didnt take any pictures of the stalls with the really good promotion and sales ongoing) But you can refer to my picture below for my loots I was carrying back then.

Tired of shopping? Head to the Kbox! You have your own private room (although the walls and doors are made of glass which means no privacy) I think it was cheap, but being the shopaholic I am, I wanted to make full use of my time shopping at Union mall (before I headed to Chinatown later that evening)

The prices at Union Mall were comparable to the ones at Platinum. In fact, I think the clothes sold at Union Mall were made of higher quality. I got a really nice netted skater skirt for only SGD10, and back in SG, I actually found a similar piece retailing on a blogshop as a Latest Series for SGD29.90.

Thank god I bought the skirt. Usually they forbid you to try on their items on sale, but if you kindly request, I believe they wouldn't refuse (since these shops are normal sales motivated)

The clothes there ranged from about SGD5-40. There were definitely some high-end shops, which were definitely overpriced. But most of the shops there sold dresses at about SGD5-15.

If you are looking for shoes, there's this shop on the 3rd/ 4th level which had a sale when I was there. All shoes were going for 150THB! That is super cheap and worth it.

Till date, I'm still wearing the shoes I bought there. There were shoes of various designs (wedges, high heels, sandals) and they weren't those old-fashioned design ones, they were fashionable and stylenanda-inspired or some inspired branded sandals.

I manage to get a Hermes-inspired studded sandals in a really unique pale pink colour and my mother managed to get 2 wedges (one Hermes inspired and the other a black strappy wedge heel)

The material is really good and it is quite comfy. Definitely worth the price and also the luggage space and weight (HAHA)

After shopping at Union Mall, we explored the area outside the mall (there was a link bridge to the opposite side of the road which held a large mall selling some electronics and also some fashion boutiques- although not as fashionable as Union mall)

This was taken on the link bridge! (Look at the massive traffic jam!!) 

Those other malls I mentioned above were not worth the time and effort to walk around. All in all, Union mall is a great place to head to when you're tired of all the walking around Chaktuchak, or if you're in need of an air-conditioned place to shop in. You'll need about 4 hours to shop here (based on an estimation as I shopped for about 3hours but skipped certain sections). They do have male clothings but very few stalls (same scenario as in Platinum Fashion Mall). This was all about Union Mall, any other significant stalls or experiences at Union mall I did not mention? Feel free to comment!(:

Cheers,

Rachel

[Travel] Must Shop in Singapore: Bugis Street

Dear Readers,

Decided to post some recommendations for Must-visit places in Singapore from a perspective of a local. Are you looking for shopping places in Singapore? Cheap deals and quality clothings? Singapore doesn't manufacture fashion clothings, so most of the clothings you get in Singapore are imported either from Korea, China or Bangkok. I would say mostly from China as they produce the cheapest clothings.

Bugis Street

Yes, when in Singapore, Bugis Street is a MUST-VISIT! It is a place to get not only souvenirs, but also cheap clothings, and tasty but slightly over-priced street snacks. The key highlight at Bugis Street is the cheap fashion clothings. Bugis street is a large sheltered shopping area. It consists of 3 levels of shopping spree. I personally love shopping at level 2, as most shops there really cheap. You can get a nice looking piece of dress of decent material for just SGD5 (And I'm not even kidding, the prices are displayed, so you need not worried getting scammed)

Shoes are slightly more pricey but occasionally the shops on the 2nd floor does have offers like 2 pairs for SGD20. If you're looking for more fashionable types of shoes or sandals, the price ranges from SGD10-40. Certain shops sells the same items so do look around for cheaper deals before getting it.

Do note that level 1 of Bugis street is non-airconditioned so it is generally more stuffy. Especially at the main entrance near the fruit juice stall and the other exit near the Albert Street Food Centre. It is always jam-packed with people.

If you're looking for souvenirs here, I think it is good to get the Singapore-designed tote bags at 4 for SGD10 only! The material is acceptable and it comes with some small compartments inside. Definitely worth the price. Although the keychains seem cheap, with most stalls selling at 36 pieces for SGD10, I think the bags are more worth it (if you're getting for ladies).

If you're looking for cosmetics, it is not very cheap there. Reasonably priced, but not the cheapest cosmetics you can find in town. Cheap bags can be found in a number of boutiques, but I usually look out for the ones on the 2nd floor (newly renovated area) which has their offer racks hanging outside their stalls. I bought 2 cambridge satchel at SGD5 each, although it lasted about 3-4 months of continuous usage. You are able to find good deals there so long as you're attentive to the goods the shops display. I found one of the satchel retailing at a boutique in a shopping mall at SGD19.90, which was the exact same one I bought at bugis for just SGD5.

Accessories are not cheap at Bugis, unless a stall is having a mega sale. For cheap accessories, I'll recommend you to get it from the sales at Cotton On and Factorie (I'll post more on such boutiques later).


Tips for shopping at Bugis:

1. Bargain (Only if the item is $10 and above, or if you are getting more than 1 item- Most salesgirl will give you a dollar or 2 of discount)

2. Do not purchase from the first stall you spot something that interests you. Chances are, there are other boutiques selling at a lower price. Bugis is easy to navigate around, so don't worry that you'll get lost.

3. SGD5 deals are not necessary goods of low quality. Some are really good one, and because they are urgently clearing stocks, they sell it cheaply.

4. Be careful of pickpockets. My friend (a local) was pickpocketed recently! Keep your bags close by your side (but don't make it so obvious- like hugging your backpack tightly, etc.)

5. If you cannot find a price tag on the item you are interested it, chances are the owner will randomly throw you a high price. Do not buy from these stalls!

6. If you're hungry, you can always head to the Thai eatery on the 3rd floor of the new compound. They sell delicious Thai food.

7. If you are getting a little warm, head to the higher levels which are fully air- conditioned.

8. Cravings for snacks? There's this really popular crepe stall that always has a long queue. About SGD4-6 for a flavoured crepe. (I personally tried it only once)

9. If you are looking for higher end boutiques and more commonly known brands, cross the road to Bugis Junction. There are various fashion boutiques like Cotton On and Topshop.

10. I would recommend you to bring your own recycle bag to contain all your small shopping bags. The plastic bags the stall provides are always really small and I hate it when they squeeze my dresses into such a small bag and crumple it. I always bring along a recycle bag to throw my shopping goods in it.

11. Very few shops in Bugis street allows payment by cards. Only a handful accepts Nets, majority accepts cash payment only, so remember to bring along enough cash to shop!

12. If you would like to get a tattoo here, I know of one tattoo shop on the 2nd floor of the older section of the building. Not too sure about the price.

Hungry while shopping? Walk across the road towards the Albert Street Food Centre! Delicious food stalls that makes me feel like eating everything there. Will be posting on food recommendations at Albert Street Food Centre soon!(:


Bugis is such a nice place to shop at. The best timing to go would be on weekday afternoons (after lunch and before dinner time) Avoid Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights! You might end up having to walk like penguins. Remember to bargain (reasonably obviously). Let me know of some of the good deals any of you readers got from Bugis!(:


Cheers,
Rachel

[Travel] Bangkok Scoot Flight 2014 Review and Tips

Hey readers!!

Decided to do some travel reviews. Will start with the most recent one, and if there are actually significant viewers and readers, I'll continue posting!(:

For this blog post, it will be purely for FLIGHT reviews and tips. Follow up on more blog posts regarding itineraries during my 5-day Bangkok Trip June 2014!

Headed to Bangkok (my favourite travel location ... for shopping) on the 14th June 2014. (SIN --> BKK)

It was a very last minute decision to fly as I was viewing through online that Scoot was having a promo fare to Bangkok. 

I paid $370-ish for the tickets for both my mother and I. That was the best flight deal I've ever gotten! The best part was that I booked the tickets about 3-4 days before I actually flew. (I loved that feeling. It was like a pack-and-go, YOLO decision- Makes me feel more enthusiastic about life. HAHA)

Forgot to mention earlier, the flight deal was the FlyBag option, which means checked-in luggage was included. This was so much cheaper than AirAsia which fares doesnt include checked baggage, Also, I was worried that my mother and I would not be able to get adjacent seats (plus I love window seats), so I opted to pay extra to choose my own seat. Can't really remember how much I paid for the seat selection. I think it was SGD8 per pax? (Yup, so actually my tickets were much much cheaper if I hadn't opted for such options). HOWEVER, do note that Scoot doesnt serve in-flight meals, nor do they have entertainment onboard. 

In-flight meals were available at additional costs while on the flight, and you can actually choose your preferred meal while purchasing your tickets. I felt it wasn't worth it to pay around SGD10 for an inflight meal, and especially since it was just a 2.5 hour flight. 

Although I was slightly worried when I read online reviews that the Scoot staff were very unfriendly and that the seats were not of acceptable comfort, I felt that it was totally worth it for the price I paid for it!

Look at the seats! They look great right? The plane looked quite new (although Scoot planes are supposedly refurbished SIA planes). The seats comfort level were the usual Economy class seats. 

As the saying goes "You get what you pay for", so definitely I wasn't expecting a soft cushiony type of seat nor a first class service from cabin crews,

The flight went rather smoothly with occasional turbulences which can't be avoided as it depends on weather conditions(: 

The picture below shows my in-flight meal. (Yes, I smuggled Burger King 6pcs nuggets- although it was against their rules but I didnt get caught)

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I took the 5.35pm flight, so I reached there only at about 8pm (Singapore Time). 

Look at the pretty clouds in the sky which I managed to capture while the plane was during a right turn!

This was taken about 5 minutes before we landed in Bangkok.

 Yay! A safe landing in Bangkok! The flight left Singapore slightly late as they made the announcement that there was a long queue for the runway, however, we still arrived earlier than the expected arrival timing (applause for the pilot for choosing a shortcut route- Maybe?). After clearing customs, we went to collect our baggage which took forever to come.

I think it was because we landed earlier, therefore when we arrived at our baggage claim conveyor, it still had remains of some luggages from another flight. Everyone waited for about 10 minutes before the luggages appeared on the conveyor.

I'm too lazy to type for the return flight, but it was about the same experience and not that I noticed too much about the plane as I was dead tired after the 5 days worth of shopping. (aka I slept through the flight back to Singapore)

Rating for Flight Experience:

Cabin Crew: 8/10
Remarks: They were slightly late in response when I needed assistance to purchase their souvenirs from their on-air shopping catalogue. Other than that, I couldn't comment on as I didn't order in-flight meals or called them for any other purposes. Oh, I have to mention that they were not too polite when asking me to adjust my seat back to it's upright position.

Ambience on flight: 9/10
Remarks: The 1 point deducted was not because the flight wasn't very enjoyable, but rather due to occasional children screaming and shouting (which can't be prevented either way). They dimmed the light to allow some short power nap

Seat Comfort level: 9/10
Remarks: As mentioned above, but the seat recliners were not functioning at its best. Some seats were loose (and caused occasional squeaks as the passengers shuffled in their seats)


Tips for Scoot Flights:
- Always bring an empty water bottle as there are water coolers at the back of the plane for you to quench your thirst during the flight (and if you're as cheapo as me who doesn't want to pay for food or drinks). Not too sure if they provide plastic cups (as no one around me did so)

- Do not expect too much for Scoot flights as it is meant to be a budget carrier.

-If you and your travel partners are sharing one luggage (eg. 2 person 1 luggage), get the FlyBag option for 1 pax, and the Fly option for the other pax), it should be sufficient, unless you're worried your baggage weight might exceed (which shouldnt be the case as my average-sized luggage weighed only 18.3kg when I came back.

- Try to sneak small snacks on board especially if you have a long flight (and don't get caught, obviously)

- Bring your own source of entertainment (no inflight entertainment, games, movies, shows, music etc.) They do have a personal TV, but ... it doesnt work (duh, it's a budget carrier)

- Bring  a portable charger, especially if you plan to read ebooks or play games on your electronic devices.

OH AND YES,

I forgot to mention that Scoot no longer fly to the Survanabhumi Airport. They now fly to Don Mueang only. Don Mueang is quite close to Chaktuchak so if you intend to stay near Chaktuchak Weekend Market, it will be great!

I might try flying with NokScoot if I am flying to BKK this June.
Will post a review then!

Cheers,
Rachel