Category: Going Places

My travelogue.

Snowdonia National Park, Wales

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When we were in UK, we spent 2 days 2 nights at Wales. We did a road trip. The views along the way from England to Wales were quite nice but too bad when we reached Wales, it was already getting dark so I couldn’t take any photos of the surrounding. It’s surreal looking out to the sea where Ireland was just out there.


The next day, our main place to visit in Wales was Snowdonia National Park. It’s awesome that you don’t get tonnes of tourist from you-know-where, only a handful of them who are likely doing their studies around the UK education institutions or those independent travelers who are more responsible. It’s not a place for mass tourism, no, no, no… The place going to be ruined!

It was drizzling when we reached Snowdonia. There wasn’t any blue sky too. We were just hoping that the rain would stop. Good thing, it did stop.


Left: We went up to the summit of Mount Snowdon with Snowdon Mountain Railway. You can also opt to hike up the mountain but hahaha… Not me… No thanks. Only limited ticket issued daily, hence it is recommended to purchase it in advance online to secure your seats. You can check out their official website(http://www.snowdonrailway.co.uk/) for more details. The statements quoted here are also from the official website.

Right: Ceunant Mawr waterfall. I was sitting at the other end of the cabin, this is the best photo of the waterfall that I could take.

Since 1896 visitors have been travelling to Llanberis, to experience the unique rail journey to the Summit of the highest mountain in Wales and England. A true mountain and place of legend, come with us and see exactly why Snowdon Mountain Railway has been described as one of the most unique and wonderful railway journeys in the world. With stunning scenery and awe-inspiring views it’s all part of a great day out for you and your family in North Wales.

Here’s the views along the rail journey. Such a breathtaking and mesmerizing view.

Trains depart from Llanberis station and begin their climb 1085m to the summit of Yr Wyddfa, a journey experienced by some 12 million travellers since 1896. These ancient Snowdonian mountains, thrust upwards by volcanic forces 450 million years ago, once grew to heights of 10,000 metres. Over eons the wind and rain and successive ice ages have sculpted them to their current form; with Snowdon being the highest summit in England and Wales.


We opted for the Tradition Diesel Service. It’s been three centuries! The train can sit 74 passengers, 10 per compartment. Departures leave Llanberis every day from mid-March until the end of October on the hour and on the half hour. Journey time to the summit is one hour with a 30 minute stop over at the peak. We were there in July 2018. Gosh… Half year already and I’m still not done with all the posts -.-


Majestic!!


This is taken from the peak, the station is just below.


From the station, just walk up the staircase and you will reach the peak! It was a wales of climb!! I meant the train hahaha… It was so cold up there! I’m at the summit at 1085m!!! First time in my life ‘climbed’ up a mountain this high. 😀 The highest mountain of England and Wales some more!


Couldn’t enjoy the view for too long, it’s only 30 minutes break, need to go to the wash room and get ready to board the train again. It’s too cold and windy up there too.

By the time we reached the station down there, it’s already 2.30pm. We took the ride up at around 11.45am, be sure to eat before you go up or bring some snacks with you. Also, make sure you are on time as they won’t wait for you. If you are late, there won’t be any space to fit you into the next train. So… BE ON TIME!


Down we go…


Time to look for lunch, it was one very late lunch. You can always have lunch at the train station itself but we decided to go for a bit of walk around the town to look for lunch.


No idea where to eat, we just venture into the unknown hahaha… We ended up at The Padarn Hotel at 3pm. It’s located at the foot of Snowdon, 100m from Padarn Lake and a 5 minute walk from the Snowdon Mountain Railway.

Here’s what we had at the restaurant. I would say the food was all right.


I don’t remember the actual names of the food, didn’t take photo of the menu. My guesses are grilled pork chop and obviously fish & chips.


Lastly, carbonara and chicken salad.

After very late lunch, it’s time for us to go back to our Airbnb to make our own dinner. We check-out the next day to head back to England.

Food Porn, Going Places, Welsh of Time - Wales

A Quick Visit to Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City UNESCO World Heritage Site

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Before we head to the next destination, we did a quick stop at Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City UNESCO World Heritage Site which is a riverside location in the city centre of Liverpool, England. We all know Liverpool when mention football, this time I had the opportunity to visit Liverpool not for the football though.

Source of Wikipedia:

It is part of the Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City UNESCO World Heritage Site, which was inscribed in 2004. As well as a collection of landmark buildings, recreational open space, and a number of memorials, the Pier Head was (and for some traffic still is) the landing site for passenger ships traveling to and from the city.

It’s definitely a must-visit for tourists, so many of them! Even coming in bus load of them.

Left: Royal Liver Building, the most recognizable landmark in Liverpool. It was the tallest in the United Kingdom from 1911 to 1961. Truth to be told, I didn’t even know all these landmarks until I’m doing this blog post hahaha!! You can imagine how carefree I was, didn’t even care where we visit and what’s around. No prior research was done too. Was just tagging along.

Right: When you’re there, you will see the The Wheel of Liverpool with the height of 60m. It is also known as the Echo Wheel of Liverpool due to its close proximity to the Echo Arena Liverpool.


The Royal Albert Dock Liverpool is a complex of dock buildings and warehouses. This is the first structure in Britain to be built from cast iron, brick and stone, with no structural wood.


In other words, it was the first non-combustible warehouse system in the world. WOW! Ok… WOW! Now I know… I didn’t know at all when I was there. Hahaha… Look what we found?!?! The portrait of The Beatles made with jellybeans!


This is parts of the surroundings. No idea what are those buildings LOL!!


Left: Love The Beatles, then you should visit The Beatles Story where you can learn all about the Beatles and their history.

Right: The Beatles Statue is surely one of the most photographed statue in Liverpool hahaha… So many people! I didn’t take a photo with them, just too many people waiting for their turn.


Look! A huge cat! You will surely spot this sculpture there. It’s known as the Ship’s Cat. It is entirely made out of milk bottles by Faith Bebbington. Actually there’s also Super Rat sculpture nearby too but I didn’t take the photo because of the angle and people around blocking it too.


Lastly, Museum of Liverpool can be seen on the left of this photo. Didn’t visit though, just quick stop for toilet break at one of the nearest buildings and take photos of The Beatles statue.

In fact there’s a lot more to see in this area but we do not have the luxury of time for that. Would recommend you to stay nearby if you do not drive. Many accommodations around the area too.

Still a long way to go to complete my July trip… Guess it will stretch till 2019 hahaha… Osaka trip in August still in queue…

Driving All the Way - England, Going Places

Knowsley Safari Park

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If you are in Liverpool, you can visit Knowsley Safari Park which is 26 minutes away(If you are using a Sat Nav, enter the postcode L34 4AN). It’s my first time visiting a safari park. After over 3 decades, I finally visited one!! Hahaha… Sounds so suaku…


It’s a great place for family trip. How often can you be so up-close with wildlife? It’s a 5-mile wild animal safari drive and it is the longest in the UK. It’s currently home to over 750 fascinating animals. It was drizzling when we were there. Luckily I had my new camera with me otherwise I couldn’t take good photos of the animals.


You have to drive very slowly in there and do not open your window! Don’t ever ever provoke or feed the animals. This is how up close it can get! The monkeys are all over the car! Ours too! We had to wait for it jumped off from the car to continue driving. The park rangers will be around to help if it’s not getting off your car.


The gate price is £17.50 for adult(16 years old and above), child(3 years old and above) ticket is priced at £13.50. Children below 3 years old is FOC while 60 years old and above is £13.50. You can even get 10% off if you purchase your tickets online.


Due to the rain, many animals didn’t come out. When the rain got smaller, more came out. We just drove slowly and enjoyed the view.


We were lucky the lion and the lioness were out from the bushes and took a stroll. Oh my… I really love the photo… They’re dating. So sweet… Aw… The photo would look better if not because of the rain. How often can you take a photo like this?!?!


Look at them! Never been so close to these animals.

If you don’t want to drive, you can also take the Baboon Bus which will be another charge.


After the drive, we went to the other section of the Safari Park. There’s Sea Lion Display, Animal Talks, and Flight of the Talons around the park.

Here’s a short video that I took of the Sea Lion Display.


Walked around the Wild Trail to look and learn about various animals. First time seeing a real giraffe. Wow… They’re indeed tall!!


There’s also Tiger Trail! When we were there, we didn’t get to see the tiger, it’s hiding somewhere. Many people had given up spotting the tigers. Then suddenly, at the corner of my eye, there it was!! I zoomed in to take that photo. They were in the middle of the enclosure, partially hidden by the grass. They were relaxing under the tree.

There’s a lot to see. We spent at least 5 hours there! If you happened to be around Liverpool or Manchester(45 minutes drive), you can include this as one of the places to visit, not only it’s fun for children but also adults.

Driving All the Way - England, Going Places

The Picture House, Liverpool

Posted on By sweet surrender 2 Comments on The Picture House, Liverpool

Ok… Let’s get back to my UK’s trip post. We went to Liverpool and stayed at The Picture House (322 Scotland Rd, Liverpool L5 5AE, UK). Since we went there over the weekend, it’s quite quiet at this area. We rented a car to Liverpool and this accommodation has free parking for guests but very limited and very narrow. The parking is a bit hard to find, apparently the entrance is just at the side of the building, you have to rely on the mercy of the one at the reception to notice you to open the roller shutter to get into the parking ;p


The living area and kitchen is quite large. The apartment we stayed was a 2-bedroom apartment with 2 bathrooms. It can accommodate 4-5 adults, someone will just have to sleep on the sofa. The apartment has key electrical appliances such as microwave, oven, coffee machine, fridge, washing machine cum dryer, stove, and TVs. Ok… the kid and the bunny not included *LOL* WiFi is included.


Bathrooms are spacious and came with shampoo+shower gel and towels. There’s no vanity kit provided if I’m not mistaken, you have to bring your own.


For the bedrooms, you’ll get TV in each room, that’s pretty cool.

Almost everything was fine except the cleanliness. The spare quilts and pillows in the cupboard were a major concern to me. I found hair, blood stain, dust, and some crumbs on them. Good thing the sofa is not fabric, it would be worst. The sofa was dusty and can see bits and pieces of whatever-those-things-are in between of the cushion. It will be perfect without the cleanliness problem. I’m very particular in this aspect. At least places like bedroom, bathrooms and the kitchen were clean at least to the naked eyes.

Oh one more… Be prepared that it’s not soundproof. You can hear everything from outside the road and even from other apartments. It’s popular among youngsters to have parties there. Do expect rowdy crowds.

Will I recommended this place? Well… It’s one accommodation in Liverpool that you can consider if you travel in group and don’t really mind about the things I’ve mentioned. It can fit many people in one apartment and the rate isn’t too bad. I personally won’t go back to stay though, not suitable for family with young children and those looking to have a restful stay.

If you are interested, you can check out Traveloka to compare the prices from different OTAs to get the best rate possible, not just for this property of course, others too, maybe you can find better ones there.

Driving All the Way - England, Going Places, Review It!

Five Ways to Pamper Myself in Bali

Posted on By sweet surrender 2 Comments on Five Ways to Pamper Myself in Bali

I’m sure Bali is no stranger to everyone! Bali is an Indonesian island blessed with forested volcanic mountains, iconic rice paddies, beaches and coral reefs. The island is home to religious sites, the most popular one is Uluwatu Temple. It is also known for its yoga and meditation retreats. Many would go to the city of Kuta, Seminyak, Sanur and Nusa Dua.

So many people went to Bali already yet I’ve not step my foot there. I do have plan to go, I’m still trying to find the right time and the mood to go. It’s easy to get flights from Kuala Lumpur to Bali. Many airlines are flying the route. Flight booking is so easy these days with Traveloka too where you can track your preferred flight prices with its app. Why worry right? Who knows one day I might just pack my bag and go. Meanwhile, I did a bit of research on what to do there and posting it here so that I can refer when I need. My main aim to go to Bali is more on pampering myself, go slow and easy, rather than rushing and squeezing with other tourists to visit one tourist attractions after another.

When I’m there, these are the five things I must do…

1. Balinese Massage

This is a must-do if I go there. It would be nice to experience Balinese massage at its origin. How can one not experience it? Your trip will not be complete without it. The massage techniques include acupressure, skin rolling and flicking, firm and gentle stroking, and percussion. Essential oils would be used for the massage. Love essential oils! Stone massage is also a type of Balinese massage. I like stone massage as well.

2. Cream Bath

This is not referring to bathing with cream hahaha… This is a popular hair treatment in Bali. Ever wonder how Indonesian women always have shiny, healthy hair? It’s not easy to have good hair day when you are living in a place where you are surrounded by sun, sand, and sea. These three elements can do quite a havoc to your locks. The bath starts with head, neck and shoulder massage, then rich conditioning cream normally made and concocted from unique blend of the respective hair spa is massaged into your scalp and hair and leave for at least 30 minutes under a steamer. It can also reduce hair loss.

3. Hot Spring

Love hot spring!! Many hot springs can be found in Bali. Must go to at least soak in one of them!! Imagine soaking in the goodness of volcanic hot spring in the middle of the lush green jungle and nicely landscaped tropical gardens. Not only it is good to relax, your skin and body will get to indulge in the Earth’s natural remedies. Ah… Bliss…

4. Make My Own perfume

I am always interested to know how to make my own perfume, a special blend of fragrance for myself. What’s more… The scents come from Indonesia’s own endemic flowers, plantations, and spices. It is also great for gifting. I heard not many places offer this though. It’s only available at selected hotels and resorts. Not a very cheap thing but it’s OK! Roughly need to allocate a budget of about RM600 for it depending on the class type you opt for. That’s what traveling is all about, spend money to buy experience hahaha… It’s not like you are spending this money every day.

5. FOOD!
Lastly, pamper myself with the yummilcious food in Bali! Babi guling is a must for me! Oh the tender juicy meat with its crisp brown skin… *drool* Satay too! Even though we do get satay in Malaysia easily, it’s always interesting to taste satay from Bali, you don’t get peanut sauce there but sambal instead. I’m curious about their Bebek Betutu too. I would also join the cooking classes when I’m there.

There you go… The five activities that I will do in Bali. Visiting the typical tourist attractions or getting into more adventurous activities isn’t my type of holiday. These will only be done if I have extra time to spare and if I have the mood for them. To me, they are not compulsory.

Have you been to Bali? Would love to hear from you on where you’ve been in Bali to experience the five activities I’m planning to do 😉

Going Places