Royal Carribean Jan 2014

I was on Royal Carribean from 16th to 20th Jan with my company. It was a good relaxing trip.

Note: the swimming pool is salty. the drinking water is slightly salty. the bathing water is slightly salty. So at the end of the trip, you will feel dehydrated, or get uclers despite drinking loads of water. Think about it. If you drink salty water, it dehydrates your body while giving you basic hydration. The more you drink, the more salt accumulates in your body, the more you'll feel thirsty... and the more you drink. The cycle continues.

 Fine dining with a medium rare steak on the 1st night that looks RARE to me. But on a side note, the 3rd and 4th night's steak was much better.

 Escargots were the best.. My colleague could easily eat 5 plates of it. really good.

 BBB - Creme Brulee with Banana and B..... I can't remember. not bad..

 I love the towel art that they put in our rooms...

 Docking at Langkawi, but we were so wasted and drained from the partying the previous night, we just stayed on the boat.

 The view from our room... It's really serene... I really could use such getaways whenever i feel stressed. No facebook, no 3G, no SMS. I thought i won't make it, but i did. And i enjoyed the break from all of that.

 Reflecting on how Peter must have felt when he had to step out of the boat when Jesus called. If i were Peter, i don't know if i would have done what he did, unless i'm absolutely certain that i can see and hear Jesus and i believe that He is God.

 I spent quality quiet time with God on the boat..

I spent quality time with these people that i work with day in day out... Thank you God, for this trip and this season in this company.

HK Jan 2014 - Apple Hostel, The Peak, Macau, Shenzhen, Disney

I was away in HK for around 1 week in Jan and the following week, at my company retreat on Royal Caribbean.

Here's my unsponsored honest review of my hostel in HK. I stayed at Apple Hostel at Chungking mansion. If you are the type that needs the basic feeling of safety and you don't like being harassed by touters, it's not the place for you. This mansion has tons of hostels and a long queue to go back to your hostel. But for the price, i was willing to rough it out.
Apple hostel is one of the most highly reviewed hostels at Chungking mansions. This is how it looks. The rooms in HK are generally small, but i'm 1.52m tall, so that's not a big issue for me.

I shall keep it short and sweet. I love the Yee Shun Milk pudding at Mongkok. Try it. I think it's one of the things that is very Hong Kong and not westernized or popularized globally.

 Some people love The Australia Dairy Company which offers the same thing, but i prefer Yee Shun. Below is proof that i had it. It's sweeter and more jelak after a while..

Of cos, every tourist needs to take the Star Ferry.

 And the Peak, even though i've been there before...

 8 out of 10 tourists will usually pay HK $75 for the Peak Tram Sky Pass (The Peak Tram & Sky Terrace 428) to go to the top of the peak - Sky Terrace is claimed to be the highest 360° viewing platform in Hong Kong. But i did some research...
You should just pay HK$40 for the Peak Tram (to save time) to get to the open area and find this lift.... It will take you to a very nice open area with equally great view which is FREE!!

 

Here's the view from there:

 I prefer the view from the general public area... Walk straight down from this road....

 NICE!

Then, we also went to Disneyland. It was fun! Not going to spam pictures.

 Just one note, bring some bread and stuff if you are on a budget. This was EXPENSIVE. Definitely not what i would call value for money.

 

Next Stop: Macau. UBER BORING. I changed HK100, and i didn't even spend 1/4 of it. 

 Koi Kei Bakery's egg tart. Didn't have time to find Lord Stowe or Margaret's egg tarts cos we went quite late... I thought it was good. But then again, i haven't tried any portugese egg tart in Singapore to have any frame of reference.

Last and BEST decision ever: SHEN ZHEN. I actually was contemplating of not going cos the last time i went HK then Shen Zhen, i went to Luo Wu Commercial Centre and it wasn't a pleasant experience. After doing some research, i decided to go Dong Men, despite reading reviews of it being dangerous (pickpockets all around). Anyway, i took the HK MTR straight to HK-ShenZhen Border and it was easy to navigate but it takes time cos there's always a queue.

 Remember to fill in this card when you get to Shenzhen immigration. For Singaporeans, no visa required, just fill this up.

Once you get through Shen Zhen borders, find this sign to the Metro. Just outside... 

 Get a ticket to Dong Men for 2 yuan.. so cheap.

And you have arrived. Of cos, i went into a SHOPPING FRENZY... Thus, my photos literally stopped here! Hahah..