Diving:

The course started in Singapore with study of the theory, theory test and pool session. Sunny Cove was the diving school of choice for us and they were incredibly friendly, efficient and flexible. We took what it is called a Referral course with them so we could go focus on the open water dives in Redang. In Redang we were taught by an experience PADI instructor and a PADI master (one of the only 10 in the country) throughout 4 dives: 2 off-shore dives where we learned most of the necessary skills and 2 boat dives where we reached 18m depth. It was a super cool experience and I am glad we did it but at times some of the things we had to do seem a little silly. The little voice in my head was saying “why would you put yourself through this much risk”- having to remove your mask 15m under water and swim for a few meters was certainly on the top of the list of things I would never do in my life. But hey it was worth it and we were able to really enjoy seeing lots and lots of fish, coral and even a couple of sting rays.

The journey:

Part of the adventure was the journey there. We decided to go by bus because the flights had very inconvenient times. We booked everything through easibook.com but on the way there we travelled with Kosortium and on the way back with Transnational. The total journey is between 9,5hrs and 12hrs as we came to found out on the way back. Kosortium has very nice buses with large comfortable seats so the journey up was totally harmless. We took off from Beach Road and got dropped off directly at Merang Jetty in 9,5hrs. Awesome! At the jetty we hired seats on a speed boat with a company called Nurung which was the only one that had a boat living at that time – it was much cheaper than the boat organized by the hotel and it was totally fine. The boat journey took 35mins to a small pier where we were greeted by the hotel van that takes you on a 5min ride until the resort. 10:30am we were already sitting by the amazing beach!

The return was not as smooth. Transnational bus departs from Kuala Terranganu’s bus terminal so we had to take a taxi from Merang Jetty (45mins), wait for a few hours around the terminal and take the bus at 9pm. The bus was almost full and it was a conventional bus with small seats. The worst part is that this service takes you to Singapore on the local highway and crosses over through Woodlands which added a good 3hrs on to the journey time. Next time we will sacrifice a few hours on the beach to leave early and catch the flight.

The Taaras Resort

The decision was driven by the dive centre but we were not disappointed. Despite the average reviews on TripAdvisor, we thoroughly enjoyed it. The highlight is definitely the beach which is private to the hotel – white sand with blue calm sea. The best so far in SE Asia. We stayed at a Garden Suite – very comfortable, clean, beautiful suite in a bungalow 10m from the sand. The staff was very friendly, breakfast was good and spa was good. What else can you ask for?

Food

We had huge amounts of food at breakfast to survive all the diving effort and late afternoon we tried food at the Bistro and at the Beach Bar. Both were quite ok and prices were standard hotel prices. The last night we decided to venture the outside world and go to Aima Grill Fish literally by the hotel gates. It is a family owned shack that serves fresh fish and a mean calamari portion. Very very nice for people that are not looking for an atmosphere but good food a lower price.

Returnability: I would definitely go back but the distance is something that gets on the way

Recommendability: 10

The first destination was actually Kuala Lumpur which we spent a couple of days at. The main purpose of our visit was to spend the weekend with friends that live there – Mara and Roger (Lud’s parents). It was a great family weekend. We were able to spend a lovely time with them and also discover a little bit of KL. Our first impression is that it is a very green city with a strong cultural background both Chinese and Muslim. This mixture jumps to the eyes in the city centre where the old Muslim market is crammed next to China town. Like a lot of the big cities in Asia, it also has a massive shopping focus and a touch of megalomania that is illustrated by the Petronas towers. If you are passing by on your way to any of the other wonders of Malaysia sure stop over but for us it was more important to see our friends than the city itself.

Now, on to the big one! Mount Kinabalu! This 4,095m mountain is situated in Borneo in East Malaysia which is actually a territory within a mostly Indonesian island south east from Singapore. Borneo is a natural haven with lots of attractions – wild life, diving, trekking and hiking. We went to Kota Kinabalu with one mission only: climb Mount Kinabalu and WE DID IT! It was possibly the most difficult thing I have ever done but it was totally worth it. We also had a chance to visit the orangutang reserve which was actually part of the hotel we were staying at – Shangri-la Rasa Ria. That was also quite nice to see.

Next stop was Pulau Redang. An absolute last minute decision to use our Easter break to do our PADI certification. What a pleasant surprise! We wanted to enjoy the under water wonders of SE Asia so we needed to get certified as open water divers. There are several options of places but Redang seemed to be the one that united diving with a nice holiday. It did indeed. We had an amazing time and it is so far the best beach holiday we had in the region. Totally worth it!

Our most recent destination was Penang. We went to this island looking for local food and culture and that’s what we found. It was by far not the best place we had been in Malaysia but certainly an interesting place to get to know the Peranakan culture a little better.

Certainly this list of destinations in Malaysia will grow. We already have our eyes on Sipadan, Cameron Highlands, Batu Batu and Langkawi. For now, click to read the details of each of the locations.

Lucas & Carol came from São Paulo last week to visit Singapore, and we planned a little trip with them! They took a few days in Chang Mai (we will ask for a guest post about it later!) and then we caught up with them in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Siem Reap

This is an amazing city, with some of the most beautiful ruins we have ever seen! It all started with us arriving into our hotel, Navutu Dreams, which was absolutely beautiful. The hotel is quite simple in its decor, but everything is impeccable and well designed, service is fantastic, the pool area beautiful and the food delicious. We can really recommend this small hotel!

Once settled in, we embarked on our Cambodian archeological site tour. Siem reap is a great place for touring different sites, as they are all basically in the same area, within 30-40 minutes, so it makes it easy to go around and see many sites! There are probably 30 or more temples in the area!

It's a city that is easy to do on your own by TukTuk, but we booked a private tour, which made things quite easy, and got quite a few interesting explanations, as well as a glimpse into how people live and work. Air condition between temples also helped the journey.

Banteay Srei

This is a beautiful pink temple, which is different to all the others, highly recommended!

• Haven: nice food and a good cause as well!
• Cuisine Wat Damnak: delicious restaurant with a 5-6 course meal.
• Asana: Nice bar in a typical Cambodian house, near pub street.
• Mie cafe: another nice local food place.

Koh Samui

After our Cambodia adventures, we took a flight over to Koh Samui, an island in Thailand. The town seems quite chaotic and not very pretty, but the hotel we are at is unbelievable (Napasai)! The residence we are staying at is really beautiful, with a private pool and incredible rooms. Seriously, we can not under estimate the amazing hotel this is… It is THE place to stay, although it is a bit on the pricey side!

Here, we went snorkeling yesterday in a nearby island, Koh Tao. We booked with a really nice company called 100 degrees east. They took us to 2 very nice diving spots, and showed us a lot of marine wildlife, even a reef shark! The guys at 100 degrees were very friendly and helpful.

 

Koya San

On our first weekend in Japan, we decided to go to a place we read about called Koya-San. This is a small mountain town a coupe of hours south of Osaka, where a branch of Buddhism called Shingon was founded. In this town there are many small temples and shrines, and you can actually stay overnight at a buddhist temple!

So, once we decided Koya San was the place to go, we set of from Kobe, first by train to Osaka, and changed to the Koya Limited express which took us most of the way. The last small bit of the route is through a very scenic and steep cable car, which takes you up to above 800 m above the sea. Koyasan is in a valley surrounded by 8 mountains, which apparently is the number of petals in a lotus.

The cable car up to Koyasan

Once we got into town, we walked around many of the different temples and shrines. The weather here was cooooold! It was absolutely beautiful with snow covering everything you could see, but we really had to cover up. Keep in mind that since we moved to Singapore, all of our exposure to cold has come from either standing in front of an open fridge door or blasting the air conditioning!!!

The courtyard at Kongobuji

It really was quite cold!

Our favourite temple in the area is actually a small complex of temples and shrines calledDanjo Garan (Kon Do, Mie Do, Konpon Daito, etc). There are a few different shrines clustered together, and many very beautiful sculptures and decorations, as well as Torii gates.

The view from the centre of Danjo Garan

Behind one of the temples

It really was huge!

After walking around in the beautiful snow we headed to our hotel, Ekō in (http://www.ekoin.jp/en/). This is a type of hotel called a Shukubo, which is a buddhist temple lodging.

There we were greeted by a monk who showed us our room and told us all of the details of the upcoming day, including evening meditation, a very large vegetarian dinner and a night time tour of the cemetery nearby. An Onsen (hot Japanese bath) was also available in the premises.

The courtyard of our hotel – imagine seeing this as soon as you walk in!

The garden covered in snow

The afternoon started with us heading for meditation, where they briefly explained how they sit and what they do, and then allowed us to relax and think for almost an hour. This was quite a relaxing experience, but clearly it takes years to get a quiet mind! It was so tough trying to think of nothing! Also, it must also take years to be able to sit in a crossed leg position for so long… regardless of this, it was a very enjoyable time.

After meditation, we were served dinner in our room. This included more than 15 vegetarian dishes, which were very nice! We really did not know what to expect with the food here, but were pleasantly surpised with a very nice soup and many other tasty dishes.

Dinner is served

Finally, we wanted to join the cemetery tour which we had heard wonders about. It was only available in japanese that night, but we decided to go for it and it was completely worth it! It goes through a very large buddhist cemetery on the end of town, and you see thousands of graves with very intricate sculptures built above. At the end of the tour you arrive at a very large and sacred temple calledOkunoin (Mausoleum of Kōbō Daishi). This place, in the middle of the night, is just beautiful. Then to top it all off, the monk leading the tour breaks out into a very nice chant… the moment was magical!

The entrance of Okunoin

Then it took a 20 minute walk back, where a great hot bath was waiting for us. This was our first Japanese bath experience, and did not know exactly what to expect… But essentially to go to a common room where you get undressed, then walk into the bath room and wash off, after which you slowly get into a VERY hot bath. Here, a Japanese man started talking to me in Japanese, clearly asking me about where I was from, and about mexican food, but communicating was tough… he did not know many world in english, and my japanese is sketchy at best! All of this happens while you are in a room naked with strangers. It could have potentially been a bit weird, but it actually was not bad at all!

Typical Japanese bath

After this, it was straight to bed, as we had an early morning fire ritual to attend!

When we woke up, it was straight to meditation at the main shrine, which is an ancient and very ornate temple, together with 2 of the monks. It was a very nice experience with them chanting, but it was just preparation for the highlight of the day, which is the Goma fire ritual. This is a ceremony which is performed once per day in every temple, and we had the privilege of witnessing it. In this ritual, the monks start chanting while one of them slowly builds up a fire which can reach a meter in height or more! It probably took the monk about 20-30 minutes to slowly build it up. When its quite high, they through in some small pieces of wood with wishes you wrote the night before. It was just an amazing and peaceful experience. Sitting in a cold room watching the fire build up while the chants were in the background is just incredible!

The goma fire ritual

The fire ritual was truly amazing!

After the ritual it was off to get ready and go for a walk in theOkunoin, the temple we had visited the night before. While we were there, we got a bit of snowfall and everything was covered in a layer of fresh snow. It was beautiful!

Visiting the cemetery

A Japanese group of tourists

A beautiful sculpture/tomb

The sun is shining through

The trip to Koya San was coming to an end as we needed to start heading back to the train station. Walking back we stopped at a very small cafe on the main street, where there was a french woman that seemed to be married to the japanese cook, and a man who looked like her brother…. everyone was talking in Japanese and English and french… and then the guys broke out a cello and a shamisen, like a japanese guitar, and started playing music which they were just making up at the moment. It was a very interesting and different moment!

Then it was off, back to Kobe… by bus and various trains.

We did make a stop in Osaka where we had the chance to make our own Takoyaki at a small restaurant near Osaka station. It was a place called Pizza Ball Housewhich we got from a program of Anthony Bourdain visiting Osaka. It was really nice, but takoyaki is nothing like pizza, really…

About to enjoy some Takoyaki

Then, back to Kobe and a week of work!!

Other posts about Japan:

Our time in Japan

The One and Only: Fuji San

Takayama & Shirakawa-go – Mountain Wonderland

Tokyo – Awesome/Crazy city

Our latest adventure has been exploring a little bit of Japan. Everything here has been absolutely beautiful, and the people have been incredibly friendly. We will work on writing the different places we have gone to in several posts, as there’s a lot of great stuff. Firstly, we would like to share some of our impressions and best moments here.

Setting the stage: We got the chance to come to Japan for work, and managed to book some time off to spend an amazing holiday here! All in all, we are spending three and a half weeks here… it has been amazing! Our initial base for the trip has been Kobe, where our office is located, and we have been using Japan’s fantastic rail system to get out. Places where we have been:

– Kobe/Osaka: Osaka is the capital of the Kansai region, west of Tokyo. Kobe is an adjacent city, very famous, of course, for its beef.

– Kōya San: This is a small buddhist town a couple of hours south of Osaka. It is the birthplace of Shingon Buddhism, and a great place to see what buddhist monastic life is like – you can actually stay at a monastery!

– Tokyo: The great capital city. This is crazy, full of people and a lot of fun.

– Kyoto: One of the ancient capitals of Japan. this is an amazing city to see many shrines and temples, and experience an awesome mixture of the modern and the ancient.

– Takayama / Shirakawa Go: These are small mountain towns a couple of hours north from Nagoya.

– Hakone: Another small town in the mountains outside of Tokyo, where you can see Mt. Fuji.

First impressions:

Japan is an extremely easy country to visit. Everything works and works on time and people are very polite. Everyone tries to help best they can even if they don’t speak English – which is quite common here. A little Japanese has helped us a lot along the way but most things are easily done.

The thing that really amazed us was the contrast between traditional and modern Japan and how beautiful each of them is in its own existence. Maybe because we chose quite extreme destinations we were able to really see the 2 worlds that co-exist harmoniously – which is a word that probably best describes Japan in our opinion.

It’s the country of geishas and maidcafes…

oozing Buddhism and accessible porn,

extreme etiquette and crazy drinking,

huge temples and iconic skyscrapers,

peaceful countryside and buzzing cities,

kimonos and Harajuku girls,

fire rituals and street fairs

Michelin star kaiseki restaurants and incredible street food,

Tea spoons with names and crazy gizmos,

Ryokans and 5 star hotels.

Every place, every moment can be special in Japan and offer a unique experience but the ones that were definitely unforgettable were:

1. Fuji-san: coming to the top of the mountain with a cable car and be surprised with the image of Fuji-san was one of the best moments of the trip. It is huuuuuge and beautiful specially in winter with the white top.
2. Okunoin cementery in Koya-san: I never thought a cementery could be so peaceful and amazing.
3. Traditional wedding at Meiji-Jingu: the temple is incredible and seeing brides on their traditional full kimonos is definitely on the top of special moments
4. Ramen in the little corner shop: that is what Japan tastes like! Yummmmy
5. Shirakawa-go in the winter: what a magical place
6. Walking through the corridors in Nijo castle
7. Onsen or public baths: as weird as having a bath with strangers sounds, the experience is super relaxing.

Curiosities: there were several little things that for us were very unusual and fun that we would like to share with you.

– Hot drinks at vending machines: at every corner you can get a coke or water but also hot coffee and tea in a can

– Japanese are very discrete and toilets could be no different. There is a water fall noise when you come in so no one else hears your toilet noises

– “Make me pretty machine”: these machines are in all games stores. You take a picture and the machine itself makes you look young and cute. Lots of young girls are doing it.

– Even the hydrant openings are cute.

We hope you enjoy the next posts that go into detail of each destination.

Arigato gozaimasu

Mari & Ab

Read the next part of our Japanese adventure here:

Other posts about Japan:

Koya San: beautiful mountain town

The One and Only: Fuji San

Takayama & Shirakawa-go – Mountain Wonderland

Tokyo – Awesome/Crazy city

Phuket is one of the most popular places to go because of its breath taking beaches so we had high expectations.

Mandarava Resort - View from our room

We travel with TigerAir (budget Asian airline) and the journey was very smooth both ways. On arrival we were greeted by the hotel taxi who took us on a 1hour journey to Mandarava Resort & Spa at Karon Beach. The car trip is fine but nothing pretty or interesting to see. Make sure you know where your hotel is because you can end up a long time in the car.

Karon beach is a standard long beach with a little town with local restaurants and bars. We were not impressed at all but at the hotel was very good. Very new, amazing room and facilities.

Kata Noi Beach

We rented a motorbike to get around the island and see other places other than Karon Beach. That was definitely the best idea we had. Only a few minutes drive is Kata Beach and Kata Noi beach both very nice. Kata is bigger with more restaurants and shops but Kata Noi has its intimate charm.

Nothing compared to the beach we went to the next day: Freedom Beach. A tiny almost empty beach that is only reachable by boat that you can hire from Patong Beach (by the way a disaster – don't bother). Make sure you negotiate the price of the boat and arrange a pick up time to return to Patong.

Freedom beach was definitely the highlight of the weekend. Having been recommended by a friend we found ourselves in this empty little piece of heaven. Nothing fancy at all. You, sand, crystal clear water and a little local bar that serve some snacks and drinks.

Freedom Beach

All and all we would say Phuket is OK. Perhaps the whole buzz about it comes from people that venture the boat journey to Phi Phi Island and so on. We didn't have enough days and from Karon would have been a 1h taxi drive to the pier and a 2h ferry ride. Not my kind of holiday. Apparently is faster to get to Phi Phi from Krabi so that is probably an option. The other thing that bothered me a little was how everything seem so artificially created to cater for crazy Russian tourists that are there to party and hook with some Thai ladies.

But there are friends that really liked Phuket so we maybe missed the hot spots.

Returnability: very low
Recommendability: mmm if you find a deal and want a simple weekend at the beach.

Path to Tanjong Beach

Day1: Sentosa Island! This is a man made resort island with attractions for all tastes. This is where Universal Studios is and lots of other truistic stuff to see. But that is not the plan. Our plan would be to go in the morning to Tanjong Beach. Beautiful beach with a nice relaxed beach club. Very good for dogs. (http://www.sentosa.com.sg/en/beaches/tanjong-beach/). Lunch at the Capella Hotel – best hotel in Singapore. We can savour their special lunch menu of dumplings or Pequin Duck. Excellent view, food and service. While you are in Sentosa, why not pampering yourself with an afternoon spa. The Spa Botanica has amazing facilities and services. You can enjoy an afternoon in the different pools, jacuzzis or mud bath followed by a scrub and massage to relax after a long flight. (http://www.thesentosa.com/spabotanica-en.html)

Day2: Marina Bay area. Go around the beautiful bay, have a quick look at the Merlion, ArtScienceMuseum and extravagant Marina Bay Sands. Then head to Gardens by the Bay and perhaps enjoy an Afternoon Tea inside the Flower Dome at the lovely Pollen. (http://www.pollen.com.sg/#!/experience). From there head for an unforgettable sunset at 1Altitude @RafflesOne. (http://www.1-altitude.com)

Arab Quarter

Day3: Culture time! Start by China Town to savour a typical Singaporean breakfast at Maxwell Court. Rice cake or carrot cake are highly recommended (both savory dishes). Have a look around the amazing architecture and if you are really into t stop by URA to see an free exposition about the evolution of Singapore. Temple of the Tooth, Club St and little streets around will provide a nice contrast from sky scrappers in the financial district. From there head to Arab Quarter. Walk around the street and do NOT miss Haji Lane. Adorable little area. If you up for totally local food check out Claypot chicken rice at a local stall or a murtabak at Zam Zam's. After that head back to China Town for a well deserved drink at at the Screening Rooms. This will give a whole new perspective to roof tops in Singapore.

Botanic Gardens

Day4: Time travel in Tiong Bahru. But before that, why not earn the food of the day. Go for a walk at the Henderson Wave and if you are brake enough walk up the path to MountFaber (highest point of Singapore). Tiong Bahru time! – This is a the 'cool' area of Singapore. What used to be a run down area full of prostitutes now is very chic with little cafes, boutiques and cool art shops. Certainly worth breakfast/brunch at Tiong Bahru's Bakery for their special caramel pastry. On the way back home, stop by the Botanic Gardens. Dinner at Dempsey Hill is just a stroll off the gardens.

Chewa

Day5: Pulau Ubin. This is what Singapore used to look like less than 100 years ago. Get a little boat and arrive at this unspoiled island where you can go for a cycle or do a typical cooking lesson. On your way back, stop by at Changi Hawker Center for a feast of local amazing food. After all this nature why not stop by the so famous Orchard Road.

Day6: Zoo! Apparently you don't need to be a kid to love this place. I haven't been but it is supposed to be incredible. If you are feeling wild you can even book in for a Night Safari in one of the other nights.

Now I realized that this is not anymore a stop-over in Singapore. Sorry but there is so much to do and so much to see that it gets difficult to choose.

Enjoy!

The town: very cute little town around the river Douro. It is quite hilly and antique with lots of little alleyways and townhouses with files facade.

What to see: in one day you can over the most important sightseeing points – all by foot. We visited the Igreja de São Francisco which is very impressive inside. After that we went to Torre dos Clerigos that offersthe old view of the city. Not as good as a view from the other side of the river though. We also had a stroll around the little shops including the famous Livraria do Lello which is set in an amazing building.

There are lots of cute funky little shops with what I believe is an old-style modern Portuguese stuff. These are anything between sardines to soap bars. Quite cool!
The other must is a visit one of the many caves of Porto wine. Here you can see warehouse of Taylor's Port which we loved.

Alternatively, head over to Offley where we had a taster of 10, 20 and 30 year old port.
Besides that walking around the town and looking at the old buildings is worth the visit.
Food: the main thing that we came to eat was the famous Francesinha. It is a sandwich with 4 types of meat inside, an egg, cheese and chips. What else can you want. It is indeed amazing. The most famous ones are at Café Santiago.

Right a block away is the famous Majestic Cafe which is also a nice experience for the ambience and the nice desserts. Pumpkin cake was great!
Accommodation: Portugal is amazing when it comes to holidays apartments. They are an amazing value for money and they are everywhere. We are staying in one right in the middle of the centre. It fits 7 people for only €70/night. Oporto City Flats.
If you want to really have a treat then stay at the Yeatman which offers an incredible view and fantastic spa facilities.
Returnability: even though it is lovely I think I have seen enough so I will say 20%
Recommendability: definitely recommended! It gets a 75%

The city is huge – even the city centre is quite big and the architecture is quite grand making a city beautiful to look at. It has impressive constructions but it is not tourist friendly at all. Almost no signs in English or any other language. People are extremely unfriendly and nobody speaks in English even on touristic attractions. Be very well prepared to lead your own way.
Sight Seeing: there are a few places to go visit. I didn't have a chance to go in in most of them but I can give you an idea.

• Red Square: obviously a must. Very nice to sit at Bosco Cafe for a drink and people watching.
• Pokrovsky Cathedral: beautiful and unusual

• Gum: very fancy and beautiful shopping mall. Worth going for a stroll and an ice cream

• Tretyakov Gallery: supposed to be the best one if you are going to choose one to visit. It is mainly paintings of Russian artists. Here you will see the very famous painting of the forrest with bears by Shishkin.



• Bolshoi Theatre: you can't visit unless you have a ticket for a performance. Impressive building from the outside.



• Kremlin: worth having a look. Very impressive from the outside and it is supposed to be good inside. Make sure you know what you going to visit inside or get the audio guide.

Where to eat:

• Cafe Pushkin: super famous and busy. Needs a reservation. Very beautiful place with good food but quite expensive – £70 per person w no wine.
• Bosco Cafe: quite nice stroganoff and great setting on Red Square

Transport: very easy to get to town from airports. All have Aeroexpress trains. Metro is quite wide but all in Russian.

Returnability: zero. Not coming back. Gone, seen, done.

• Markets:this weekend decided to write about the lovely and eclectic London street markets. Where you see and breathe what the city is all about: mixture. I recommend visitors to go to at least one of them to experience the people that make up London. Here a few that I love and why. Portobello:all time favourite with antiques, clothes and stuff – touristic;Borough:best on Saturdays with lots of delicious food – local;Sloane Sq.the posh of the markets. It is an international food market where you see all the pretty rich people from London. Camden Town:the combination of hippie, emo, rock and all the rest. Lots of different crazy things to see and eat-alternative. Brick Lane:latest discovery from a friends recommendation. It is the true melting pot. Here you will find the most culturally mixed bunch. Delicious international food, clothes and jewellery – eclectic.



• Warner Studios – Harry Potter Experience:absolutely worth it if you share any love for the little wizards. It is not a theme park and there are no rides (for my happiness). It is basically where all the 8 movies were filmed and created. You see the props, the scenarios, the costumes, the behind the scenes and at the end you see Hogwarts! It is a massive miniature where all the aerial takes were made. I almost cried so beautiful it is! Totally recommend. By the ticket+bus with Golden Tours that leave from Victoria Bus Station. The journey takes 1h and it costs £55.