Category: Going Places

My travelogue.

Knowsley Safari Park

Posted on By sweet surrender 2 Comments on Knowsley Safari Park

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

A Day in Yorkshire Dales

Posted on By sweet surrender No Comments on A Day in Yorkshire Dales

Some of you might have noticed that I was away for 3 weeks in July. I went to England for a long deserved break. My first time there was during summer 5 years ago. This time, I also went in summer. We went to North Yorkshire. One of the places that you can pay a visit there is the cheese factory.


The Wensleydale Creamery(Gayle Lane, Hawes, Wensleydale, North Yorkshire DL8 3RN) is based at Hawes in Wensleydale in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. This is the home of the famous Yorkshire Wensleydale cheese and a popular Visitor Centre.


The creamery is a great place for family. You can find a mini museum showcasing old equipments and items used in the olden days of cheesemaking.


You can see people working in the factory making cheese at the cheesemaking gallery. Didn’t take photo of it because no one working on Sunday hahaha!! However, you can find cheese and butter making demonstration just next to the museum. Again… No photos because it’s not allowed.



Cross a small road, you’ll be in another building where you will get to interact with some exhibits and do activities with your children. The viewing gallery is in this building.


Before you end your visit, do drop by the cheese and gift shop. You can try the cheese till your heart’s content lol…

Admission Charges:
Adult £3.95
Child £2.45
Family Ticket (2 adults & 2 children) £9.95

You can check out their website for more details https://www.wensleydale.co.uk/

After visiting the creamery, we went to the town to look for lunch.

We came across Laburnum House Tea Room(The Holme, Hawes, North Yorkshire DL8 3QR) and had our lunch here. It’s a traditional, family run tearoom, serving light lunches, home baked cakes and scones, Yorkshire Afternoon Tea and the Yorkshire Clotted Cream Tea. You can also enjoy a slice of Rich Fruit Cake with Wensleydale Cheese, both made in the village. Aside from having meal here, it is also a bed and breakfast.

Here’s what we ordered…

Jacket potato served with side salad, £5.80 each. We ordered Baked Beans with Cheese(left) and Coronation Chicken & Mango Chutney(right). Potato is very filling, don’t underestimate the portion.


Left: Lasagna, can’t remember the price.
Right: Soup of the day with home baked baguette. If not mistaken, we had broccoli and cabbage soup (£4).

All the food is freshly prepared when you order hence it will take a bit of time at peak hour. Be patient and wait. The food is quite nice and very filling. Can be shared with another person if you’re small or average eater, one jacket potato or lasagna will be able to fill you two up.



After lunch, we just walked around the town enjoying the scenery.


After Yorkshire Dales, we headed to Liverpool. Along the way, we saw this structure, very big and many people stopped to take photos of it. Frankly, I have no idea what it was. In order to write about this structure, I tried my luck with Google. So… It’s after 2 months back from the trip, then I know what is this structure all about. It’s a viaduct!! Anyway, I’ll just copy the details to share with you from yorkshiredales.org.uk:

Ribblehead viaduct is probably the most famous of the many feats of Victorian engineering along the stunning Settle to Carlisle railway line. Its iconic location in the middle of the Three Peaks makes it a popular photo stop. There are a number of laybys, a tea wagon and the popular Station Inn. Of course the easiest way of getting there is on the train as there is a station at Ribblehead itself. On Sundays during the summer there are connecting bus services to and from Ingleton and Hawes and further afield.

The viaduct was built between 1870 and 1874 with up to 1000 navvies working on the construction site. The viaduct is 400m (440 yards) long with 24 arches spanning across Batty Moss. During construction the navvies were housed in camps close to the viaduct – Sebastopol, Belgravia and Batty Wife Hole – some of which had schools, libraries and pubs. It was dangerous work and disease was also a threat. The building of the viaduct was the inspiration behind the recent TV drama Jericho.

Next stop, to Liverpool we go…

Driving All the Way - England, Food Porn, Going Places

Rainbow Hotel, Ximending, Taipei

Posted on By sweet surrender No Comments on Rainbow Hotel, Ximending, Taipei

Rainbow Hotel (No.36, Han Chung St., Ximending, Taipei, Taiwan, 10842) is the third hotel we stayed in Taiwan. We spent 2 nights in Taipei. I booked a room for 5 pax. It’s located in a very strategic and convenient place, nn the middle of Ximending and the nearest MRT is only 280m.


The room is just nice for 4 pax, 5 pax would be quite packed as they will add an extra bed. All the amenities are provided in the room. The room, Family Deluxe, wasn’t cheap without promotion(I booked it at about RM560/night, this rate is from Agoda) but considering the area and the convenience, it’s actually not that bad especially if you share the room with three or four others. WiFi is inclusive. I booked the room with breakfast. The breakfast they have is very simple, not much choices.


You do not have to worry about paying for the the items of the minibar. It’s included in the room price. All these snacks you see are for you to eat. We brought them along with us when we went out. Pretty useful when you just want to have something to munch along the way.

I’m quite satisfied with the hotel. For breakfast, I’ll just forego. I might consider go back there to stay depending if I am able to get cheaper price hehe…

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


Klook.com

Going Places, Review It!, The Heart of Asia - Taiwan