Having been to Melaka (also known as Malacca) in Malaysia several times now, we decided to distil all that we’ve done into this post on …
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5 Recommended Restaurants & Foods to Eat in Siem Reap Cambodia!
We’ve been scouring the internet for restaurant recommendations and foods to eat in Siem Reap, Cambodia. However, our search only yielded some “hits” and mostly “misses”. After all that experience, we’ve decided to put together a list of recommended restaurants and foods to eat in Siem Reap Cambodia, for you to kick start your gastronomic journey!
Restaurants and Foods to eat in Siem Reap Cambodia
1. Mahob Khmer Cuisine
Chef and restaurateur Seng Sothea hits all the right spots with dishes at Mahob Khmer Cuisine Restaurant. The Khmer Beef Tenderloin on BBQ hot stone was our favourite with local sauces that dabble with the senses (spicy, sweet, sour, garlicky). Needless to say, the beef was so so tender. At USD$6.90, the beef tenderloin (300g) was a steal!
We also enjoyed our desserts of Banana Sago crème brulee style and Lemongrass tart with passion fruit ice cream. Who would have thought that lemongrass would make an excellent tart? Genius this!
For mains, we’d recommend the Caramelized pork shank with palm sugar, ginger, and black pepper. The beef lok lak has an awesome presentation but somehow it was not as tender as the one on hot stone. If you’re going for cocktails, give the Rainbow a miss and try the Lemongrass Martini.
All in all, with its attractive pricing and great tasting food, we’d definitely recommend Mahob Khmer Cuisine Restaurant for you to try out delicious Khmer cuisine!
Address: Mahob Khmer Cuisine is located at #137, Traing village, Group 3, Siem Reap, Kingdom of Cambodia and is opened for lunch and dinner.
2. Khmer Kitchen Restaurant
Khmer Kitchen Restaurant is a place you should go to try home-styled Khmer cuisine. Each dish goes for $4USD and there’s just wholesome, “mum’s taste” in every dish. Take for instance, the pork ribs were well marinated and had a slight bite to it with most of the meat coming off its bone easily. The pumpkin beef in oven was another favourite of ours – comfort food, asian style 🙂
Do note that there are 3 outlets in the vicinity of pub street. Khmer Kitchen Restaurant is located at Mondul I, Sangkat Svay Dangkum, Siem Reap Cambodia. When we visited the first restaurant, it was full and we were led to the next restaurant (by one of the staff) which was about a 2 minutes walk away. Again, it was full. But we waited for only about 5 minutes before we had our seat. After we were seated, 3 more groups of people arrived at the restaurant…If you’re visiting during dinner hours, be prepared for a queue.
Address: Khmer Kitchen Restaurant is located at Street 11, Krong Siem Reap, Cambodia
3. Easy Speaking Cambodian BBQ
Easy Speaking BBQ located at 178, Mondul 1 Sangkat Svay Dangkum, Siem Reap, Cambodia was our choice to try out the Cambodian BBQ (and hotpot) this evening. There are actually many restaurants offering Cambodian styled BBQ and frankly speaking, Easy Speaking BBQ’s menu is not that cheap. Nonetheless, we liked the venue because it’s located right in the heart of pub street. A great place to people watch. Also, beers go at $0.50USD per glass. (WHAT?!) This makes it a good place to chill (albeit a little hot) and try out a new dish like the Cambodian BBQ.
The interesting thing about Cambodian BBQ is that
1. You can try out interesting meats like snakes and crocodiles.
2. Similar to the steamboat/bbq concept in Singapore, the Cambodian BBQ offers both the BBQ in the middle and hot pot on the sides. Instead of using butter or margarine, a thick slab of lard is used to “lather” the plate before the BBQ commences.
If you’re trying out the Cambodian BBQ for the first time, we’d recommend Easy Speaking BBQ. A menu for 2 starts at $10USD. We went for the $18USD (choice of more meats) and had 2 beers for an additional dollar (WHAT?!)
Address: Easy Speaking BBQ is located at Street 08, Krong Siem Reap, Cambodia and is open from 7am to 12am daily
4. The Blue Pumpkin
If clubbing is not your cup of tea, right at the edge of Pub Street sits the Blue Pumpkin – a cafe that attracts many youths to hang out here. Portions are generous and you can literally “kick off your shoes, sit back and relax” on one of these huge sofa seats. Many youths and young adults hang out here to read a book or just catch up with friends. A good change for a night of sinful cakes and ice cream indulgence ;P
Address: The Blue Pumpkin is located at Sivatha Rd, Krong Siem Reap, Cambodia and is open from 7am to 11pm.
5. Beer Battle House of Beer
Beer Battle is located at the entrance of Pub Street. With a row of barrels right outside the restaurant, you’d probably won’t miss it. Although the pub food we’ve tried (mojito and chicken wings) are a miss, we still enjoyed the music from the live band very very much. They could even sing in Korean and got the Korean tourists all hyped up with the “saranghaeyo” and heart-shaped gestures over their heads. The bands also had a wide selection of songs from the 70s to the 90s and 2000s.
Secondly, head straight to the “window” seats at the sides of the second level and you’ll be treated to awesome views over Pub Street. Enjoy a drink, people watch and listen to awesome music from the live band. A great way to end off an evening at Pub Street, Siem Reap!
Address: Beer Battle House of Beer is located at Street 08, Krong Siem Reap, Cambodia and is open from 4pm to 2am daily (except on Sundays close at 12am)
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We hope you have enjoyed our coverage of the 5 Recommended Restaurants and Foods to eat in Siem Reap Cambodia. Let us know what you think in our comments section below!
Top 7 Things to do and Attractions in Siem Reap Cambodia!
When you think about Siem Reap in Cambodia, what do you think of? Temples, temples and more temples? To help you avoid the “Temple Fatigue”, here are the top 7 things to do and attractions in Siem Reap Cambodia!
Top 7 Things to do and Attractions in Siem Reap Cambodia
1. Tuk Tuk Ride
When visiting Siem Reap, remember to try the Tuk Tuk rides! That’s when you can really feel the wind in your hair and the people in the streets! A ride costs approximately USD$5 for a return trip from your hotel to the city and USD$15-$20 for a full day (especially needed for your visit to the Ankor Temple Complex).
2. Ankor Complex
Ankor Wat Temple
Bayon Temple
Ankor Thom Temple (aka Tomb Raider Angelina Jolie Temple)
To help you avoid “Temple Fatigue” at the Angkor Complex, you can limit your visit to only
i. Angkor Wat. Because it is the most beautiful temple structure within the complex.
ii. Bayon. Because of the many smiling faces and photo opportunity with actors in traditional costumes.
iii. Angkor Thom. Because Angelina Jolie shot Tomb Raider there.
After a while, all other temples will look more or less the same. Remember to hire a tuk tuk for a day to ease your transfers from temple to temple. Please do not attempt to walk…
3. Pub Street Siem Reap
After a day out at the Ankor Complex, Pub Street is a great venue to chill out. If you’re having your dinner there, many restaurants offer beers on tap for a mere USD$1! There are also many venues with live music, performances and clubs till the wee hours of the morning.
4. Siem Reap Old Market
Siem Reap Old Market offers tourists an opportunity to shop for souvenirs such as t-shirts, magnets and display items – much akin to Ben Thanh Market in Ho Chi Minh City and Bogyoke Market in Yangon. Of course, it is also very much a market for the locals. You can buy shoes, textiles, get a manicure/pedicure, visit the hair salon and buy fruits and vegetables from the wet market before going back. North Face jackets go for 70USD here (20USD cheaper than that at pub street)!
5. Angkor Night Market
The Angkor Night Market is a cleaner (night) version of the Old Market. Because of its al fresco concept, the air quality is also better than that at the Old Market. Definitely a nice place to shop, chill and spend the evening at.
Tip: Prices are the cheapest at the Temple Complex, followed by the Night Market, followed by Pub Street. Hence, try not to do your souvenir shopping at Pub Street.
6. Movies @ Angkor Cinema
Drop in ANYTIME at Angkor Cinema and you can catch your favourite movie at just 5USD per person. This is because, the concept of the cinema is like that of a KTV in Singapore. You’ll enter a private room (complete with large sofa chairs and surround sound) and they’ll play the movie you’ve selected. As simple as that. Payment is made before you enter.
7. Dining in Siem Reap
There are many dining options in Siem Reap which we’ll show you in our next post!
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We hope you have enjoyed our coverage of the 7 top things to do and attractions in Siem Reap Cambodia. Let us know what you think in our comments section below!
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There are so many things to do and attractions in Turkey and we finally got to visit this land of Anatolia during our Chan Brothers …
Crystal Jade Jiang Nan Vivocity : A Pictorial Review
Crystal Jade Jiang Nan is one of the specialty of the Crystal Jade Group. This Crystal Jade Jiang Nan we visited is located at Vivocity, 1 Harbour Front Walk, #01-52. If you’re visiting on the weekends, it’s preferred that you make reservations (Tel: 62211830) due to the huge crowds visiting during makan hours.
Enjoy this pictorial review of our coverage of Crystal Jade Jiang Nan at Vivocity!
What we ate at Crystal Jade Jiang Nan Vivocity
Crystal Jade Jiang Nan Vivocity Review
If you’re thinking of what to eat at Vivocity, you can check out Jamie’s Italian Singapore or here at Crystal Jade Jiang Nan.
Having tried all of the above dishes, we’ll strongly recommend the following dishes
1. BBQ Pork Sesame Pastry (叉烧酥）: Soooooooooo flaky on the outside! Handle with care!
2. Bamboo Charcoal Black Pepper Chicken Bun : Crispy outer layer with a ‘traditional’ black pepper chicken taste.
3. Hong Kong Ying Yang : To have a beautiful display (effect from the dry ice) while you enjoy your dinner.
4. La Mian : But maybe not the spicy beef version as it’s a tad too salty for our liking. Nonetheless, the noodles were really good. Makes you want to slurp continously!
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We hope you have enjoyed our pictorial coverage of Crystal Jade Jiang Nan @ Vivocity! Enjoy!
Oriental Pearl Tower Shanghai (东方明珠塔) : Is it worth a visit?
Oriental Pearl Tower Shanghai (东方明珠塔) is a radio and TV tower in the city of Shanghai. Towering at 468 metres, the Oriental Pearl Tower offers splendid views over the entire city of Shanghai. The only shortfall was a cloud of haze affecting the views when we visited. Nonetheless, this post will tell you all the things to see and expect at the Oriental Pearl Tower in Shanghai!
Views from the Oriental Pearl Tower Shanghai
Entry tickets to the Oriental Pearl Tower costs between 120RMB to 220RMB (approximately $24 to $44), inclusive of entry into the Shanghai History Museum. While we were there, we noticed that there were ALOT of people. It was actually quite noisy when we reached the observation deck, due to the chatter and conversations that took place within. In addition, the hazy skyline also dwindled the experience somewhat. Nonetheless, views over the city, the Bund as well as the Huang Pu River was still quite amazing.
At the transparent observation deck, you may have to “jostle” for prime spot. The best spots are already taken by the official photographers. However, if you ask politely, they may offer you the spot and even take a quick shot for you 😉
After the visit to the observation deck, we returned downstairs to visit the Shanghai History Museum which was a great addition to the tour at the Oriental Pearl Tower in Shanghai. Here are the highlights from the visit…
Shanghai History Museum at Oriental Pearl Tower
The Shanghai History Museum tells of how life was like in the golden era of Shanghai in the 1930s. There were many interesting exhibits which really showcased how the rich and famous enjoyed life then in China. What really caught our eye though, was the wedding sedan shown in the picture above. For the bride to sit within the sedan, the decorative structure has to be taken apart piece by piece. After the bride sat within, it would then be placed back piece by piece again! What a piece of art!
The address of Oriental Pearl Tower is located at 1 Century Ave, Pudong, Shanghai, China.
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We hope you have enjoyed our coverage of the Oriental Pearl Tower and the Shanghai History Museum! Do let us (and other readers) know if you have other interesting information, in our comments section below!
3 Cheap and Good Eats along the Singapore River!
There is a common misconception that restaurants along the Singapore River would be very pricey. True in most cases. But in this post, we’ll let you in on the 3 cheap and good eats along the Singapore River!
1. Saizeriya at Liang Court
Saizeriya Menu
Saizeriya is a Japanese franchise chain that specialises in Italian food. Here, you can get cheap, good and huge portions of pasta! Our favourites include Peperoncino Bacon Spaghetti ($4.90), Squid Ink Spaghetti ($5.90) and the Asari Soup Spaghetti ($5.90). For these prices and these tastes? Definitely value for money! Saizeriya also boasts to have the “cheapest Escargots in town”! For only $5.90, you’ll get 6 yummilicious escargots oven grilled to perfection.
And the best part? There’s no service charge or government taxes. All prices that you see are NETT PRICES!
Address : #02-22 Liang Court Shopping Centre (177 River Valley Rd, Singapore 179030)
Opening Hours : 11am to 10pm daily
2. Hooters at Clarke Quay
Hooters has launched its set lunch menu at $10++ with 10 choices of main course to choose from. Choices include NZ Sirloin Steak, Hooters Burger and the Hooters Chicken Wings. Set lunch even comes with sides of curly fries (hard to get them cheap outside these days), drinks as well as a scoop of the day’s ice cream.
For $5++, you’ll also get to enjoy an ice cold mug of Tiger beer. All these can be enjoyed with awesome views of the river. Excellent value for its awesome location.
Address : #01-03 SHOPHOUSE ROW (BLK 3D RIVER VALLEY ROAD CLARKE QUAY, SINGAPORE 179023)
Hours : The set lunch menu is available from 11am to 3pm daily
3. Chiso Zanmai at Central Shopping Mall Clarke Quay
Free flow of Shabu Shabu at Chiso Zanmai
Chiso Zanmai, located at Central Shopping Mall (Clarke Quay), offers Japanese buffet at only $14.90++ for lunch on week days! The best part of this buffet is the free flow of shabu shabu which you can enjoy to your heart’s content. There’s also a selection of Japanese sushi, Japanese fare and desserts to choose from. Free flow of drinks is available for $1.90++. Otherwise, ice water is complimentary.
Address : #02-17 The Central @ Clarke Quay (6 Eu Tong Sen Street, Singapore 059817)
Opening Hours : 12pm to 3pm
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We hope you have enjoyed our post and will be able to enjoy these cheap and good eats along the Singapore River!
Jamie’s Italian Singapore Vivocity : Is it worth a visit?
Jamie’s Italian has finally made its way to the shores of Singapore! Well-known celebrity chef – Jamie Oliver, has chosen to open this italian restaurant at the vibrant waterfront of Vivocity. We’ll tell you what are some of the stuff we’ve tried and whether it is worth it to visit Jamie’s Italian Singapore!
What we ate at Jamie’s Italian Singapore
The decoration within Jamie’s Italian is the “atas casual” style where there’s an open concept kitchen to prepare starters and cocktails. Guests on the other hand feel entirely relaxed in this cosy atmosphere. As we visited the joint on a Sunday, we could feel the urge to just while away a lazy Sunday afternoon.
For starters, we went with Crispy Soft Shell Crab ($12.50) and the Jamie’s Italian Mojito ($18). The crispy soft shell crab was served with chilli, fennel, sea lettuce & smashed avocado with yuzu lime. Although the soft shell crab was really small (miniature almost), the taste packed a punch. The smashed avocado was rich and appetising, providing a perfect compliment to the lightly crisp soft shell crab.
Jamie’s Italian Mojito contains Bacardi Superior rum, Martini Bianco, fresh mint, lime & sugar, topped with Prosecco. The difference with usual mojito is the addition of the Martini Bianco and Prosecco. This version had loads of fresh mint, making the drink really refreshing. But with a pricing of $18, there just isn’t enough “wow” factor for a recommendation.
Since we were in an italian-styled restaurant, we decided to try Jamie Oliver’s take on pasta. While we were at it, we decided to try a funny-shaped pasta – Meatball Pappardelle ($14). Meatball Pappardelle has beef & pork meatballs with wiggly pappardelle, tomatoes, garlic, red wine & herby breadcrumbs. The breadcrumbs were served separately and you’ll be invited by the waiting staff to mix it into the pasta. The interesting thing about this dish is the wiggly pappardelle. When we first laid eyes on it, it really resembled the tentacles of the octopus. But the cool thing about the wiggly pappardelle is that it traps the sauces within the gaps of the pasta, allowing each mouth to burst with the flavours of the tomato-based sauce. Meatballs were also tender when the dish first arrived. But after a couple of minutes, it became a little tougher and drier on the inside. All in all, we think that the meatball pappardelle was really good and comparable to the best tomato-based pasta we’ve had at Fior d’Italia – America’s Oldest Italian Restaurant.
Jamie’s Italian Singapore Desserts
For desserts, we went with the Gelato ($10.50) and the Epic Brownie ($11.50). For the Gelato, you can have the option of 3 scoops of ice cream served with any two of these toppings: Smashed honeycomb, Crushed nuts & seeds, Fruit compote or Butterscotch sauce. We chose salted caramel, vanilla and strawberry, topped with crushed nuts & seeds and smashed honeycomb. Our favourite was the vanilla flavour but for $10.50 it was too pricey. On the other hand, we’d recommend the Epic Brownie. Each mouthful was so rich with chocolate that it tasted sinfully awesome! The choco-rich brownie was balanced with the amaretto ice cream & caramelised amaretti popcorn. Definitely one of the richest choco brownie we’ve had.
We got a sneak at the lemon meringue cheesecake when it was served to other tables. Looked really good 😉
How to get to Jamie’s Italian Singapore
Jamie’s Italian Singapore is located at level 1 of Vivocity. The nearest MRT station is HarbourFront.
Address of Vivocity is 1 Harbourfront Walk, Singapore 098585.
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Is Jamie’s Italian Singapore worth a visit?
For ala carte, the menu was indeed pricey. All in all, the above came to about $80 (WHAT?!). Still, the taste of each dish was really good and by the time we were done, we were exceptionally full as well. For a better deal, there’s a “Jamie’s Sharing Feast for 2” which costs $138. The feast includes antipasti, 3 mains, dessert plank as well as coffee and tea. This feast allows you to try the recommended items on menu at a better price.
All in all, we think that Jamie’s Italian Singapore is definitely worth a visit. But be prepared to “mend” your pockets after the meal!
Check out our coverage of Jamie’s Italian Sydney for a comparison between the two restaurants!
Mydin Mall Meru Raya Day Out : Of missed buses at Amanjaya Terminal Ipoh
Mydin Mall was the place we hanged out at when we missed our bus at the nearby Amanjaya Terminal during our Ipoh trip. If you have read our post on the “Top 10 things to eat in Ipoh Malaysia“, you would have read that we actually booked for a bus that did not appear on the day of departure!
Hence, we decided to wait for 8 hours at Mydin Mall before the next departure to Singapore in the evening. So this post covers the things to do in Mydin Mall or more specifically the Mydin Wholesale Hypermart (Pasar Raya Besar) @ Meru Raya (PT 229142, Jalan Meru Bestari B2, Bandar Meru Raya, 30020 Jelapang, Ipoh, Perak Darul Ridzuan)
Things to do at Mydin Wholesale Hypermart Meru Raya Ipoh
After reaching the mall, we started with bowling where Tom won the first game with a score of 122 to 57! Yay!
Ole Ole Superbowl Bowling Alley
Good Time Arcade
Also available is the Good Time arcade if you’d like to enjoy a couple of video games and such.
My Kara Family Karaoke
In fact, it was quite worth it in Singapore standards to sing at My Kara as it was only 46RM for 2 hours, inclusive of drinks. That translates to only $10 per person. Plus, the system was really up to date and state of the art. It was relatively easy to find the songs that we wanted to sing.
What we ate at Mydin Wholesale Hypermart Meru Raya Ipoh
There’s a food court named Rasa Village where we had the following
We also visited Mr Cendol with its appealing entrance…
What we really loved about the Soya Special was that the ice was shaved soya ice! Coupled with the ice cream and gula melaka, the cendol was rich, sweet and delicious!
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So if you also happen to miss a bus some time in Amanjaya Bus Terminal in Ipoh, why not check out the options at Mydin Mall Meru Raya?
Regalodge Hotel Ipoh Malaysia : A quick review and Introduction of the BASIC factor
During our recent visit to Ipoh Malaysia, we stayed at the Regalodge Hotel Ipoh and this post will give a quick review / overview of our stay.
But first, we want to reveal for the first time – the BASIC Factor. An assessment criteria that Kate and I have devised for hotels that we’ll be staying in, in the future.
So you must be wondering, what exactly is the BASIC factor?
BASIC Factor for 2bearbear.com Hotel Reviews
The BASIC factor refers to different aspects of the hotel which we think (note : “we” refers to the opinions of the 2bearbears) are important during our stay. It may be a little quirky, but these are things that we feel are what makes a good stay, GREAT!
Do note also that for all factors, there will either be a score of 0, 0.5 or 1. Hence, the maximum point a hotel can get based on the BASIC factor, would be 5.
B – Bathroom. To make a stay excellent, a good bathroom and thus a bathtub is necessary. 0.5 will be granted to a room with a clean bathroom and 1 to a room with bathtub (and has to be clean and working!).
A – Ambience. This factor is relatively subjective in nature. In general, if there are no negative vibes, the hotel receives 0.5. If the vibe is good (i.e. it can be quaint, boutique, sporty, trendy, classy, luxurious, opulence etc.), the hotel receives a score of 1.
S – Service. For us, friendly service with an eye for detail will make your stay that much more wonderful. Hotels with good service receives 0.5 while excellent and impeccable service receives a score of 1.
I – Infinity Pool. To clarify, it need not be “infinity pool” per se. As long as there’s a swimming pool, the hotel receives 0.5. An excellent pool (pool with a view, sky pool, infinity pool, huge pools) receives a score of 1.
C – Comfort. It is important for guests to feel rested after their stay and this is attributed very much to the comfort of their stay. A clean and decent room affords 0.5 while an extremely comfortable stay (beds that makes you want to lie in it after check-out timing) affords a score of 1.
And with the introduction of the BASIC factor for hotel assessments, we’re gonna introduce the Regalodge Hotel in Ipoh Malaysia!
Regalodge Hotel Ipoh Malaysia Review
We chose Regalodge because of its close proximity to the historic buildings of Ipoh, walking distance to great food joints as well as the relatively good reviews of the hotel at Agoda.com
Regalodge Ipoh Superior Room
Our overall stay at the Regalodge Ipoh was pleasant though we found the room to be a little small. Hence, the overall BASIC factor score for Regalodge Hotel Ipoh is…2.5
B – 1. Bathroom comes equipped with a bathtub.
A – 0.5. Inviting room and general atmosphere at the hotel. No “wow” factor though.
S – 0.5. Service was normal. Met with a little delay at the reception while checking in but was met with smiles at that.
I – 0. No swimming pool at the hotel though there’s a spa pool if you visit Regal Spa.
C – 0.5. Room is small but comfortable.
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Thinking of checking out this hotel? Fret not! We have arranged for the best hotel deals at Regalodge Hotel Ipoh Malaysia right here!
Top 4 Things to do and Attractions in Pattaya, Thailand!
Having done our cruise to Laem Chabang on Mariner of the Seas, we took the opportunity to stay over at Pattaya, Thailand. This post will cover all the things to do and attractions in Pattaya, Thailand! Enjoy!
Where to stay in Pattaya Thailand
1. Royal Cliff Hotel Pattaya
Thanks to the good folks of Royal Cliff Hotel Pattaya, we were hosted to a stay at the Mini Suite Plus of the hotel. Situated in the Gulf of Thailand, Royal Cliff Hotel offers magnificent views of the sunset over Ko Khrok Island DAILY! Whether its a romantic or beach bum getaway, you’ll be sure to find a suitable room (and affordable price) at the Royal Cliff Hotel Pattaya!
Sea View Plus Suite Royal Cliff Beach Hotel
Jacuzzi inside the Presidential Platinum Suite of Royal Wing Suites and Spa
Royal Cliff’s Private Beach next to Royal Cliff Beach Terrace
Infini Pool (aka Infinity Pool) of Royal Cliff Hotels
Sunset by the Infinity Pool of the Royal Cliff Hotels
Pattaya Thailand Attractions and Things to do
2. Pattaya Walking Street
Walking Street Pattaya
Walking Street Pattaya Pubs, Restaurants, Massage parlours
Pattaya Walking Street is one of the main tourist attractions in Pattaya. There are loads of entertainment options along this stretch of street ranging from F&B to pubs, shows, massages and more. As you walk from the walking street towards the beach area, you’ll be able to find great (clean) massages for less than $10 an hour! :O
3. Pattaya Beach
Beach Activities – Island Hopping at Pattaya
Soaking up the sun in Pattaya
Frankly speaking, the beach at Pattaya? One word. Disappointing. This stretch of sand is really what you get (yes, the “width” of the beach is maybe 10 steps wide, maybe 5 for Tom). The only saving grace is that there are 2 things that you can do from Pattaya Beach. Island hopping is one of the main things that you can do from Pattaya Beach and you can visit neighbouring islands such as Koh Larn, Koh Si Chang or Coral island. That’s really where you can enjoy the clear blue waters and wide sandy beaches. Not at Pattaya Beach though.
You can also get to do some water activities at Pattaya Beach. The usual suspects of para-sailing and jet-skiing are available from your friendly touters at the beach 🙂
4. Shopping!!!
There are a few shopping options along Pattaya Beach which includes
Shopping at Royal Garden Plaza Pattaya – Right in Front of the Beach!
Central Festival right next to Hilton Pattaya
Best mango sticky rice at only 80 baht! Look inside the supermarket of Central Festival downstairs
Don’t forget to try the mango sticky rice inside the supermarket of Central Festival. YOU WON’T REGRET IT! Good for 2 to share!
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We hope that you have enjoyed our coverage of the things to do and attractions in Pattaya, Thailand. Don’t forget to check out this post before your next visit to Pattaya Thailand!
Qibao Old Town (七宝老街) : A feel of historic Shanghai!
Qibao Old Town (or old street; known as 七宝老街 in chinese) is a historic area of Shanghai and is easy accessible via the Shanghai Metro by alighting at the Qibao Station. At Qibao Old Street, you’ll be able to not only enjoy a variety of street foods but also experience the old architecture, especially along the Puhui River.
What to do at Qibao Old Town Shanghai
There are many things to do and attractions in Qibao Old Town in Shanghai. Instead of explaining all that we saw, we’ll show all the amazing and beautiful pictures we took at this scenic and picturesque old town!
As you can see from the pictures above, one of the most beautiful shots can be taken from the bridge with views of the old town. Besides scenic shots of the old town and its intricate architectural structures, the other highlight of visit Qibao is the FOOD!
Things to eat at Qibao Old Town Shanghai
Check out the live demonstration on the making of the Dragon’s Beard Candy!
What we enjoyed about the food at Qibao Old Town is that it is similar to the night markets of Taiwan. Walk and eat, eat and walk!
But if there’s one thing you should try here, it’s the Shanghai ‘soup’ dumpling aka 上海小笼包! Do let us know if you have any other food recommendations at Qibao Old Town in the comments section below!
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We hope you have enjoyed our coverage of Qibao Old Town in Shanghai! Remember to take more shots of the old town and of the beautiful bridges! Happy Travels Everyone!
Singapore Art Museum SAM
Singapore Art Museum (also known as SAM) is located in the heart of the Singapore Art District. During our stay at the Rendezvous Hotel Singapore, we visited the Singapore Art Museum, which by the way, is free for Singaporeans and Permanent Residents (yay!)
Singapore Art Museum SAM
Singapore Art Museum SAM Exhibitions
Unearthed Exhibition at Singapore Art Museum
Medium at Large SAM
While we were at SAM, there were 2 main exhibitions going on, including the Unearthed and Medium at Large Exhibitions!
Unearthed Exhibition Singapore Art Museum
Unearthed “Tree” – What do you want to see unearthed?
Happenings along the Singapore River
Bukit Brown Cemetery
A Day Without A Tree
Paint melting away under the intense heat of the sun
The Unearthed series is about our relationship with planet earth and the various facets of it starts with the “tree” where visitors put up notes on its branches to share about what do they want to “unearth”. At the Singapore River, various memories (fictitious or real) are written on its banks. There is also a segment that features the recent reclamation of the Bukit Brown Cemetery to make way for the construction of a road that will link the Adam Flyover and the MacRitchie Viaduct.
But in the “Unearthed” exhibition, we appreciated the “A Day Without A Tree” feature whereby roman looking pillars start to melt on the left. So you can use the pillar on the right as a basis of comparison. The interesting thing was that there’s another empty room next to it and you’d think that its a place “under construction”. But if you observe carefully, you’ll realise that the floor is white. White from the paint that melted from the pillars!
Medium At Large – Singapore Art Museum
Various mediums at work in this exhibition
Of the many exhibitions here, there are a couple which we thought were really cool…
Pepe and Marcial Bonifacio Portraits
Description of Pepe and Marcial Bonifacio Portraits
The portraits were actually “executed” via M16 bullets etched unto sand paper. The cool part is that the whole bullet was eventually used , ALL OF IT, to become the portraits that we see. WOW!
Steam Rice Man Singapore Art Museum
Description of Steam Rice Man
Video of Steam Rice Man
If you have read the description, both rice and coal powder are essential part of the Vietnamese yet at the same time has contrasts of soft & hard, sticky & dusty, white & black. There’s also a video that depicts the entire process the artist goes through. Right opposite Steam Rice Man is a video of a lady dancing on butter. Through her expression, it shows the helplessness as she falls and tries to regain her dance again. It sort of depicts her struggles moving from an asian country where rice is a staple, to America where bread and butter became the staple – resulting in her weight gains. Hence, the butter dance. Cool.
Status @ Singapore Art Museum (SAM)
Description of Status
For us, this was one of the art pieces that lets you imagine what the artist is trying to say. Is there something trying to escape? Or is the medium tired of being encased that it forms its own frame? Or just, too much paint used on the original painting? It’s really up to you to decide and that’s the fun part of it!
To end off, we’d like to introduce you to this interactive art piece…
Honey Sticks Singapore Art Museum
Description of Honey Sticks
There are 6425 honey sticks in this exhibit to signify the number of REGISTERED births in Singapore in 1941, the year the parents of the artist were born. Visitors are encouraged to take a honey stick to enjoy from the various flavours of grape, watermelon, green apple and honey (among others). As the number of honey sticks reduces, it sort of signifies the life and death of people through life.
How to get to the Singapore Art Museum SAM
Map of Singapore Art Museum
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Top 10 Things to do and Attractions in Ipoh Malaysia!
There are many things to do and attractions in Ipoh and in this post, we’ll show you the attractions, things to do and what to eat (especially in this food paradise) in Ipoh!
Things to do in Ipoh Malaysia
As Ipoh was one of the administrative centers during the colonial rule, you’ll realise that many of these historic buildings still remain today.
1. Birch Memorial Clocktower
2. Ipoh Railway Station
3. Ipoh City Hall
4. Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank
5. Ipoh High Court
6. Ipoh Town Bridge
On Sunday mornings, Memory Lane (along Jalan Lim Bo Seng) turns into a flea market, mainly for the sale of 2nd hand goods.
7. Memory Lane
Attractions in Ipoh Malaysia
8. Lost World Hot Springs and Spa
Alternatively, you can opt for one of the spa packages at Crystal Spa (within Lost World Hot Springs and Spa) and gain entry for free.
What to eat in Ipoh Malaysia
In our list of Top 10 things to eat in Ipoh Malaysia, we mentioned what you should try when you’re there. But if we were to narrow the list down for you, there’s really 2 foods that you MUST try in Ipoh…
9. Snow Beer
10. Ipoh Hor Fun
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We hope you have enjoyed this list of the top 10 things to do and attractions in Ipoh, Malaysia! Tell us more if there are other things to do and attractions in Ipoh, in our comments section below!
You can also compare the prices of hotels in Ipoh before you visit!
Mall of Istanbul (MOI) : Shopping Eating and Relaxing on Day 8 of Turkey Trip!
Mall of Istanbul (MOI) was where we spent our last day of our Turkey Trip. In fact, we were given the option of taking the Bosphorus Cruise, visiting a huge shopping mall and spice market for $100USD per person. We gave that option a miss because we wanted to really “take things down a notch” and relax before heading back to Singapore. That decision also saved us $200USD 😉 But there’s another reason why we decided to skip the tour, and that’s because our hotel, Wyndham Grand Istanbul Europe (formerly known as Wyndham Istanbul Petek) is located close to the LARGEST shopping mall in Istanbul – Mall of Istanbul (MOI!).
With that, we decided to enjoy a leisurely breakfast, take a dip in the indoor pool of Wyndham Grand Istanbul Europe, before we headed out to Mall of Istanbul – a mere 10 minutes by taxi (about 20TL)
Wyndham Grand Istanbul Europe to Mall of Istanbul
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The breakfast buffet spread at Wyndham Grand Istanbul Europe was the only international buffet spread during our Turkey trip this time round. There’s the usual breads, cereals and egg station that is more familiar to the Singaporean taste. But what really surprised us was a HUGE SLAB of honeycomb at breakfast! Yummy (and supposedly healthy)!
After the hearty breakfast, we headed to the 24 hours fitness centre. There, you can enjoy the swimming pool (with nice views), gym (overlooking the swimming pool), Turkish bath as well as full spa services.
The only catch about using the swimming pool is that you’ll have to pay 5USD for a swimming cap – compulsory for both men and women. To us, it was more like an entry fee. Looking past that small little issue, you’ll soon be glad that you made the decision to stay and enjoy. Afterall, Wyndham Grand Istanbul Europe is an international 5 star hotel.
After an enjoyable swim (with no one else at the pool), Kate and I went for our baths separately and we have 2 amazing experiences to share…
Tom : Next to the swimming pool, there are separate Turkish baths for both ladies and men. What I enjoyed about the Turkish Bath is that the design is classy yet traditional with soothing music in the background. The temperature of the water have been adjusted and filled up to nice warm temperature, ready for your bath. Remember to take some soap from the shower area into the Turkish bath.
At the centre of the Turkish bath is an octagonal bathing slab. It is warm. The most enjoyable part of the bath is to lie on the heated slab and soothe your mind and body after 7 days of travelling. Ah…definitely a must try!
Kate : While Tom enjoyed the Turkish bath, I enjoyed the shower facilities of the hotel. Turns out that there are jets surrounding you as you take your shower. Much akin to an automated car wash :p. Definitely recommend taking the shower after the Turkish bath. Cool!
All about Mall of Istanbul (MOI)
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Mall of Istanbul is the largest shopping mall in Istanbul that has more than 350 stores for the most avid shopping enthusiasts. There’s also a food court (Gourmet Center) at the top level and even an indoor amusement theme park (the largest in Turkey) by the name of Moipark – all 15,000m2 of it!
Even for Singaporean standards, the Mall of Istanbul is huge. We took about 6 hours to cover the entire mall (which of course includes shopping, resting, chilling and marketing). But our biggest find has got to be the Aldar restaurant which can be prominently seen at the entrance of Mall of Istanbul.
When you enter into the restaurant area (there’s also a cafe area), you would think that you have entered into a fine dining restaurant. Chandeliers, tall windows overlooking the streets and posh decorations within. Having not seen the menu before we entered, we really prayed hard that the price was acceptable. Next, our waiter, who by the way spoke excellent English, came to attend to us. The head waiter (WHAT?!) then came by to say hello to us and asked if everything was fine. We certainly hope so…(referring to the menu)
The waiter then came back with a tablet (electronic menu!) and showed us how to navigate through the menu. As we browsed through, we heaved a sigh of relief. Even with the description above, the meal would cost the same as an average priced meal in a Singapore restaurant ($20 per person). So we went ahead and ordered the mushroom pasta and Turkish chicken kebab. Both of which tasted AWESOME!
The portion of the mushroom pasta was HUGE. Good for two to share (and more). The flavours of the mushrooms were evident and the sauce was thick and creamy, just the way we like it. At 19TL ($10SGD), it was a steal! The highlight of the evening was the chicken kebab. First of all, it was tender and juicy! This made the dish stand out from all other dry and hard chicken kebabs that we have tasted before. The smoky and slightly charred texture also brought out the overall taste of the chicken and its spices. Shiok!
We ordered a lemon tea for 5TL and the total bill came up to…44TL! No additional taxes! (WHAT??!?!!?!) Hence, if you’re ever visiting the Mall of Istanbul, be sure to pop by Aldar’s, you won’t regret it. It was easily the best meal of our entire trip!
Itinerary of Turkey Travel Day 8: Mall of Istanbul and Wyndham Grand Istanbul Europe
0700 : Breakfast buffet at Wyndham Grand Istanbul Europe
0800 : Swimming and relaxing at the Turkish baths and showers
1000 : Depart for Mall of Istanbul
1900 : Arrival back at Wyndham Grand Istanbul Europe
2000 : Complimentary airport transfer
2200 : Meet up with rest of tour group
0040 : Depart from Istanbul Ataturk Airport back to Singapore
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Additional snippets of information
– Wyndham Grand Istanbul Europe is located at Mimar Sinan Cadessi No: 80-82 Gunesli, Istanbul, 34212. They can be reached at +90 21 24640000
– Mall of Istanbul is located at Süleyman Demirel Bulvarı, Mahmutbey, Başakşehir, 34306 Istanbul, Turkey
– Mall of Istanbul is about 10 minutes away from Wyndham Grand Istanbul Europe. Taxi ride costs about 20TL per trip.
– There is complimentary airport transfer every hour from Wyndham Grand Istanbul Europe to the airport. You will have to make reservations with the concierge.
– There is also complimentary transfers to the city. Departing at 10am in the morning and returning at 4pm in the afternoon.
Related posts
This post is part of our 10 Days 7 Nights Turkey travel with Chan Brothers. Below, you can find other relevant posts covered during this trip.
Turkey Trip Day 1 : Singapore to Istanbul and Ferry to Canakkale
Turkey Travel Day 2 : Visiting the Trojan Horse of Troy and Ancient City of Pergamon
Turkey Travel Day 3 : Visit to Ephesus / Turkish Bath and Hot Springs of Lycus River Hotel Pamukkale
Turkey Trip Day 4 : Pamukkale Cotton Castle and Journey to Cappadocia!
Hot Air Balloon Flight in Cappadocia with Royal Balloon : Turkey Travel Day 6!
Mall of Istanbul (MOI) : Shopping Eating and Relaxing on Day 8 of Turkey Trip!
We hope you have enjoyed our coverage of our 10D7N Turkish travels with Chan Brothers during the winter months (27th December to 5th January). Let us know what you think in our comments section below!
Turkey Travels Day 7 : Istanbul’s Camlica Hill, Grand Bazaar, Taksim Square and Istiklal Shopping Street!
As we wind down towards the end of our Turkey travels, we headed back from Bolu to Istanbul on Day 7 of our travels. But before we left Bolu’s Koru Hotel, we took the opportunity to capture many snow covered scenes around the hotel!
Koru Hotel Bolu to Istanbul Turkey Travel Day 7
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When we arrived at the Koru Hotel Bolu the previous night, though we could see some of the snow, it was already too dark to take any good shots. So we woke up early this morning and warmed ourselves up with a hearty breakfast before heading out to take these photos.
The awesome thing about Koru Hotel is that its vicinity is covered with pine trees. This means that as the snow covered the pine trees, a beautiful snowy scene is presented before you…Ahh…
Then it was a 3 hours drive back to Istanbul where our first stop was Camlica Hill.
Top Attractions in Istanbul Turkey Travel Day 7
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Turkey is the only country in the world that borders between continental Europe and continental Asia. From Camlica hill, you can see views over the Asia part of Turkey as well as the Bosphorus Strait. The Bosphorus strait connects 2 bodies of water; Sea of Marmara to the south and Black Sea to the north. Views over Bosphorus strait is simply breath-taking…
Tip: At Camlica Hill, there’s actually a free toilet next to the atas (high class) restaurant.
Next, we headed to one of Istanbul’s biggest attraction – The Grand Bazaar! You will first be taken to the Nuruosmaniye Gate or gate number 1 (of the 21 gates in Grand Bazaar). If you’re lost, simply ask for the direction back to Nuruosmaniye Gate and some the friendly stall owners will give you the general direction.
Tip : While shopping at the Grand Bazaar, you should always ALWAYS ALWAYS bargain. Secondly, you should also compare prices because there will always be more than 1 shop selling the product that you want to buy. As a reference, we bought our small Turkish lamp with a lamp stand (bulb not included) at 30TL (about $16.50SGD).
We were given 2.5 hours which we initially thought was too long. But with all the bargaining and endless shopping options (scarves, lamps, turkish delights, souvenirs etc), the 2.5 hours flew past really quickly. We also left with a box of Turkish Delights (and a packet of walnuts) for 42TL after bargaining (yes, you can even bargain for Turkish delights after they weighed and calculated the price). Expensive but the Turkish Delights were full of ingredients. Best Turkish Delights we’ve tasted. Sample more to make your $$’s worth! 😉
We then gathered back at Nuruosmaniye Gate before heading to Taksim Square and Istiklal Shopping Street!
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Our last attraction in Istanbul for the evening is Taksim Square and Istiklal Shopping Street. The Istiklal Shopping Street is located next to Taksim Square and is usually very crowded in the evenings. You’ll be given about an hour to shop and purchase some souvenirs. While you’re here, visit the Hafiz Mustafa Turkish Delight to bring home some beautifully packed delights for friends and relatives (prices are also cheaper here than at the Grand Bazaar). Kate and I also went to the top of Burger King and chilled there as we enjoyed the night views over Istiklal and Taksim Square. Of course, Kate got to do some shopping therapy at Mango and Zara first!
Finally, to end off the evening, we had dinner at Kumkapi Ege restaurant where there was live music. Dinner was “so so” but the atmosphere was great. The Kumkapi area can be somewhat compared to Clarke Quay in Singapore with lots of dining options to choose from.
After an eventful (and packed) day in Istanbul, we finally headed back to our hotel – Wyndham Hotel Petek Istanbul. This was the only international 5 star hotel (there were a couple of local 5 stars during the trip) during our visit to Turkey. We also found out from our travel companions that if you pay about $400 more per person, there’s another group that does the same itinerary, staying at international 5 stars every night. Well, that’s $800 bucks saved right? More Turkish Delights please!
Itinerary of Turkey Travel Day 7: Istanbul Attractions of Camlica Hill, Grand Bazaar, Istiklal Shopping Street, Taksim Square and Kumkapi
0845 : Depart from Koru Hotel Bolu
1015 : Rest stop
1145 : Arrival at Camlica Hill Istanbul
1300 : Lunch at Great Wall Restaurant (worst meal of the trip therefore not mentioned at all)
1430 : Departure to Grand Bazaar Istanbul
1500 : Arrival at Grand Bazaar
1730 : Departure from Grand Bazaar to Taksim Square
1830 : Arrival at Taksim Square / Istiklal Shopping Street (1 hour)
2015 : Arrival at Kumkapi Ege Restaurant (1 hour)
2145 : Arrival at Wyndham Petek Hotel Istanbul
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Related posts
This post is part of our 10 Days 7 Nights Turkey travel with Chan Brothers. Below, you can find other relevant posts covered during this trip.
Turkey Trip Day 1 : Singapore to Istanbul and Ferry to Canakkale
Turkey Travel Day 2 : Visiting the Trojan Horse of Troy and Ancient City of Pergamon
Turkey Travel Day 3 : Visit to Ephesus / Turkish Bath and Hot Springs of Lycus River Hotel Pamukkale
Turkey Trip Day 4 : Pamukkale Cotton Castle and Journey to Cappadocia!
Hot Air Balloon Flight in Cappadocia with Royal Balloon : Turkey Travel Day 6!
Mall of Istanbul (MOI) : Shopping Eating and Relaxing on Day 8 of Turkey Trip!
We hope you have enjoyed our coverage of the attractions and things to do in Istanbul during day 7 of our Turkey Trip. On the last day, its essentially free and easy for us because we wanted to have a good rest before we headed back to Singapore.
We’ll also tell you why its better (and cheaper) to do so in our last post – day 8 of our Turkey Trip! 😉
Hot Air Balloon Flight in Cappadocia with Royal Balloon : Turkey Travel Day 6!
Hot Air Balloon Flight in Cappadocia is arguably the hottest attraction and things to do in Turkey! On the second day of 2015, we managed finally fly over Cappadocia with Royal Balloon!
Hot Air Balloon Flight in Cappadocia with Royal Balloon!
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In general, Cappadocia refers to the amazing monolith formations (fairy chimneys) of Turkey. However, more specifically, Cappadocia actually refers to a region that is enclosed by 3 towns, namely Uchisar, Urgup and Avanos.
We initially wanted to fly on the first of January. However, due to bad weather conditions, we were unable to fly. According to our guide Enis, if there’s high wind speeds, no winds, rains or low visibility, the hot air balloons won’t fly. We were also pretty surprised when he said “no winds”. Turns out that hot air balloons can only alter its altitude and axis of spin. The altitude control allows the pilot to catch the wind or avoid it. The spin about its axis allows passengers to have different views during the flight.
This also means that the hot air balloon essentially have no control over the direction of travel. Wherever the wind takes, it will go!
During our day of flight, a van from Royal Balloon picked us up at our hotel lobby at 615 and we arrived for breakfast at the HQ of Royal Balloon at 630. Breakfast was buffet styled while we awaited for flight updates on the monitor screens. Yellow flags indicate “no flights” while Green flags indicate “Yay! Fly!”
You may also wonder how they can afford the buffet spread (before payment) if the day’s flight is not confirmed…one of the reasons why flying with Royal Balloon is more expensive at USD220 per person. Of course, it also boasts the best safety records and reputation 😛
While the first group flown, we were fortunate enough to see these beautiful scenes…
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Video of our Hot Air Balloon taking flight over Cappadocia
There were 4 compartments on the hot air balloon with each compartment taking up to 6 people. There were also handles inside the balloon for brace positions. As soon as we boarded the flight, our pilot taught us the brace position and to be ready for these positions during landing and take-off, when necessary. Fortunately, both landing and take off of the hot air balloon were very smooth – no need for us to take the brace positions at all 🙂
Our pilot was also very humourous. When we were about to take off, this conversation took place
Pilot : Is this your first time flying?
Unsuspecting passenger : Yes! (Excitedly)
Pilot : Mine as well!
Of course, during our flight, we were able to tell he was very experienced…take a look at this video as we barely cleared the top of this formation…
Barely clearing the top of a formation in Cappadocia!
The hot air balloon experience in Cappadocia was definitely one of the best experiences in our years of travel! You will really really really have to experience it to believe it! Nope, the following video also does not do justice to the views we’ve enjoyed…
Hot Air Balloon Flight over Cappadocia
Our top experiences during our hot air balloon flight in Cappadocia includes
– Majestic views of the fair chimneys, pigeon holes and monoliths of Cappadocia
– Flying amidst the clouds…heavenly…
– Flying deep in the valleys and getting really really close to the formations
– Experiencing all this with your loved ones (in this case – Kate my love! :P)
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The entire flight took about 45 minutes while we alternated between flying high with the clouds and low between the valleys during this time. Since the pilot was unable to control the direction of flight, there was a team of people on the ground that monitored the balloon throughout the flight. As soon as we flown over a good spot for landing, the pilot lowered the balloon while the “balloon chasers” ran and jumped to hold on to the ropes lowered by the pilot. They would then pull the balloon such that the basket landed squarely on the back of the truck. As the balloon deflated, we also started to (sadly) alight the flight…
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After a smooth and successful landing, the ground team even set up a table nearby with champagne and chocolates for “landing celebrations”. The pilot also presented every passenger with his or her medal from Royal Balloon as a memory and token for the completion of the hot air balloon flight in Cappadocia. Of course, Kate took the opportunity to take photos with the handsome pilot as well 😉
Itinerary of Turkey Travel Day 6: Hot Air Balloon Flight in Cappadocia
0615 : Depart from Dinler Hotel Nevsehir to Royal Balloon HQ for Breakfast
0815 : Commencement of Hot Air Balloon Flight in Cappadocia
0900 : Hot air balloon lands / Landing Celebrations with Champagne and Chocolates
0935 : Arrival back at Dinler Hotel
1030 : Departure from Dinler Hotel to Ankara (Capital of Turkey)
1245 : Lunch
1345 : Departure from Lunch to Ankara
1515 : Arrival at Ataturk Museum in Ankara
1630 : Departure from Ataturk Museum to Hotel in Bolu
1845 : Arrival at Koru Hotel in Bolu
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If you opt not to take the hot air balloon flight, you will have more time to sleep in and have a leisurely morning at breakfast before the group returns from the hot air balloon flight in Cappadocia. Subsequently, we headed towards Ankara for a stopover at the Ataturk Museum (the founder of modern Turkey) before ending our day at Bolu. The drive from Cappadocia to Ankara is approximately 400km. Enroute, we passed by Salt Lake, which produces 80% of salt production in Turkey (can you believe it?!).
Along the way, we made a stopover at the capital city of Turkey – Ankara. Here, we visited the Ataturk Mausoleum which commemorates the founder of modern Turkey – Mustafa Kamal Ataturk. We also saw the change of guards at the Ataturk Mausoleum…
Change of guards at Ataturk Mausoleum
Related posts
This post is part of our 10 Days 7 Nights Turkey travel with Chan Brothers. Below, you can find other relevant posts covered during this trip.
Turkey Trip Day 1 : Singapore to Istanbul and Ferry to Canakkale
Turkey Travel Day 2 : Visiting the Trojan Horse of Troy and Ancient City of Pergamon
Turkey Travel Day 3 : Visit to Ephesus / Turkish Bath and Hot Springs of Lycus River Hotel Pamukkale
Turkey Trip Day 4 : Pamukkale Cotton Castle and Journey to Cappadocia!
Hot Air Balloon Flight in Cappadocia with Royal Balloon : Turkey Travel Day 6!
Mall of Istanbul (MOI) : Shopping Eating and Relaxing on Day 8 of Turkey Trip!
The hot air balloon flight in Cappadocia is definitely the highlight of our Turkey trip! Find out more as we travel back to Istanbul on day 7 of our Chan Brothers Turkey Travel!
Turkey Trip Day 5 : Cappadocia, Kaymakli Underground City, Goreme Open Air Museum and Turkish Night Celebrations!
It was the 1st of January 2015 as we began our 5th day of travels in Turkey. Initially, we thought we would be able to fly on the hot air balloon to welcome the new year. Unfortunately, the weather didn’t permit and we had to proceed with the rest of our programme in Cappadocia (pronounced as cap pa dok kia).
On day 5 of our Turkey travels in Cappadocia, we visited the Kaymakli Underground City, Goreme Open Air Museum and even had the opportunity to be entertained at “Turkish Nights” to welcome in the new year!
In general, Cappadocia refers to the amazing monolith formations of Turkey. However, more specifically, Cappadocia actually refers to a region that is enclosed by 3 towns, namely Uchisar, Urgup and Avanos.
Turkey Travel to Cappadocia : Kaymakli Underground City, Goreme Open Air Museum and Belly Dancing!
Kaymakli Underground City
Our first stop of the day was Kaymakli Underground City. The underground city is actually made up of close to a hundred tunnels but no one really knows who built it. In fact, the underground city was more like a hiding area and was not used for permanent stays. Many different groups of people came to seek refuge in this area, used it, expanded it and left with all their barang barang (stuffs) after use. When the emergency was over, they would have no need to hide and they would pack things up (nice and slow) and leave. Which is why there aren’t many items left within the tunnel network.
Today, some of the tunnels are used as storage areas while only certain areas are open to tourists. During your visit, you would be able to see a huge stone that was used to cover the entrance to the underground city and also another that was used for grinding purposes in the kitchen. Yes, cooking was done within the network with ventilation. Nonetheless, cooking was only done at night – to not give away your position of course!
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Inside Kaymakli Underground City
Goreme Open Air Museum Cappadocia
The Goreme Open Air Museum is one of the main attractions (besides the hot air balloons!) of Cappadocia. The monoliths at the open air museum itself are a sight to behold. One of the best spots to take a shot would be right outside the kitchen area. Here, you’ll be able to see a great overview of the area and also visit an amazingly crafted dining table – completely crafted out of one stone!
There are also 3 churches (the size of a small chapel rather) that you should visit. These include the Apple Church (named after an apple tree right in front of it), the Serpent Church (a serpent is drawn within that represents sin) and the Sandals Church (partly because of the clear representation of sandals left behind in this church). Another interesting thing about the Church of Sandals is that the pictorial representations within depict nativity. The apostles are mostly without emotions but the animals are smiling because of the happy occasion.
If you’re really into the arts and history, you’d want to know that red colour is used during the pre-iconoclastic age (5th to 8th century) while the colours are only added from the 11th century onwards, during the post-iconoclastic age. As with most older civilisations, paintings are generally used due to the lack of education then.
Eventhough our guide, Enis had more stories to tell, as typical Singaporeans (and Malaysians), the group happily started to snap away at the beauty shown at Goreme Open Air Museum…
Before we left, we also got to try Turkish ice cream for 5TL. Remember to go for the lemon flavour! The vanilla (or original) flavour, sadly, had some gamey lamb smell (and taste). Well, at least that indicates some form of authenticity right?
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Sights and sounds of Goreme Open Air Museum
Dining at Uranos Sarikaya
Uranos Sarikaya was one of the best restaurants (in terms of decoration) that we visited during this trip. Internally, it seemed as if the restaurant was dug out of a cave and there’s even a live performance in the center of the restaurant that adds to the authentic Turkish atmosphere.
While the fish was not the best (beware of the bones!), we had a large serving of the spaghetti! You can ask for extra spaghetti (mixed with cheese) and tomato-based sauce. As we left the restaurant, we also witnessed a beautiful sight overlooking the river right outside Uranos Sarikaya.
Before the day ended, we stopped by an interesting stretch of formations (called Dream Valley) whereby, if you use a little bit of your imagination, you’ll be able to see a dancing couple, a camel, a bear and santa claus!
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Interesting monoliths of Cappadocia
Kayseri Carpet Factory and Showroom
Before night time descended, we managed to squeeze in some time to visit a carpet factory and showroom in the Kayseri area. Inside, we were shown how carpets are made by hand and how silk is extracted from the cocoons of silk worms. Of course, at the end of the tour, all the various types and size of carpets were hauled out in front of us in a showroom. Drinks, including red and white wines were served. Likely to incapacitate your ability to make sound decisions 😛
We were told that the ladies who work at the showroom have been monitored over a period of time and those who are deemed “talented” would be put to work on pure silk carpets. Turkish carpets have come to be known as carpets of great quality because of the Turkish double knots and various materials (including wool, cotton and silk) used.
Before the trip, we had already wanted to bring home a Turkish carpet and we eventually decided on a mercerised cotton carpet at 1.5m x 0.9m. The starting price was approximately $3,700 usd but with group discounts (presumably with the tour), it was eventually reduced to $1,700. Mr Zeke, the guide who showed us around then came in and reduced the price to $1,400. We requested for a further discount and came away with $1,300, inclusive of air delivery right to our home in Singapore. What do you think of this price? Let us know in the comments section below!
The carpet arrived 1 week later and we found out that it flew by SQ! Now we know where all our money went…
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Turkish Nights and Belly Dancing
To end off our first night of 2015, we headed to a Turkish Night event. Turkish Night is usually held only on the 31st of December as a form of celebration. At Cappadocia however, it happens every night, for tourists like you and me! Yay!
At the Turkish Night event, there are free flow of drinks and many dance performances. These performances include the twirl dances, traditional dances and of course, belly dancing. Here’s a glimpse of the belly dancing performance during Turkish Night
Although there is free flow of drinks, do lower your expectations because the only highlight of the evening was the belly dancing. The drinks (including licorice liquor, beer and wines) were not that good and the traditional dances got repetitive after a while.
Nonetheless, it was an interesting experience and a great way to start off the new year!
Itinerary of Turkey Travel Day 5: Cappadocia Day Tour covering Kaymakli Underground City, Goreme Open Air Museum and Turkish Night
0815 : Depart from Dinler Hotel Nevsehir to Kaymakli Underground City
0845 : Arrival at Kaymakli Underground City
1000 : Departure from Kaymakli Underground City to Goreme Open Air Museum
1035 : Arrival at Goreme Open Air Museum
1215 : Lunch
1400 : Arrival at Dream Valley
1430 : Departure from Dream Valley to Carpet Showroom
1445 : Arrival at Carpet Showroom
1600 : Departure to Urchisa for a quick photo
1630 : Reach Urchisa and reach hotel at 1700
1830 : Dinner at hotel
1945 : Departure for Turkish Night
2230 : Arrival back at hotel
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Related posts
This post is part of our 10 Days 7 Nights Turkey travel with Chan Brothers. Below, you can find other relevant posts covered during this trip.
Turkey Trip Day 1 : Singapore to Istanbul and Ferry to Canakkale
Turkey Travel Day 2 : Visiting the Trojan Horse of Troy and Ancient City of Pergamon
Turkey Travel Day 3 : Visit to Ephesus / Turkish Bath and Hot Springs of Lycus River Hotel Pamukkale
Turkey Trip Day 4 : Pamukkale Cotton Castle and Journey to Cappadocia!
Hot Air Balloon Flight in Cappadocia with Royal Balloon : Turkey Travel Day 6!
Mall of Istanbul (MOI) : Shopping Eating and Relaxing on Day 8 of Turkey Trip!
Find out more about day 6 of our Chan Brother’s Turkey travel where we’ll finally get to fly on a hot air balloon over Cappadocia!
Turkey Trip Day 4 : Pamukkale Cotton Castle and Journey to Cappadocia!
One of the highlights of our Chan Brothers Turkey Trip came on the 4th day where we visited the Cotton Castle – Pamukkale! It was also the day where we covered the longest distance of the entire trip where we journeyed 650km to Cappadocia – home of the monoliths and hot air balloons!
Turkey Travel to Pamukkale Cotton Castle and Cappadocia
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Pamukkale literally translates to Cotton and Castle. The term Cotton Castle (or Pamukkale) was not derived from any legend or story. Simply, if you take a look at the picture below, it looks like a white and fluffy cotton castle from afar. Hence, the name.
The Cotton Castle of Pamukkale is famous for its travertines. As the hot spring flows over the sides of the hills, calcium carbonate are deposited overtime and they form these amazing structures that we see today. Due to conservation efforts, only a section of the Cotton Castle is open to the public. During summer, the travertine pools are filled up and travellers can soak themselves and enjoy the summer sun. However, during winter (the time that we visited Pamukkale), only the main channel has hot spring water flowing through it. Therefore, you can see many travellers sitting by the sides and enjoying themselves while soaking their feet.
Tip : If you intend to soak your feet during the winter season, remember that the main channel IS REALLY SLIPPERY! This is due to algae formation as the hot spring water flows through the channel. Kate also had a slip which resulted in wet pants! Also, if you intend to sit down and soak, do note that water does flow along intermittently. Meaning, even though it may seem that its dry, when you sit down, it WILL DEFINITELY be wet. So bring along a plastic bag to sit on. Lastly, bring a towel or some tissue to dry your feet when you return!
Again, as recommended by our guide, Enis, the best views of Pamukkale can be taken from the garden side of cotton castle. At the travertines itself, views over the city of Pamukkale is also amazing, as shown by Kate below 🙂
Enjoy the views of the travertines of Cotton Castle Turkey (Pamukkale)
Journey to Cappadocia and rest at Dinler Hotel Nevsehir
After our visit to Pamukkale, we embarked on our 10 hour long arduous journey from Pamukkale to Cappadocia (approximately 650km). Along the way, we had rest stops and lunch and of course, many stories from Enis, which we will share with you below…
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1. Visiting the doctor in the olden days. In the olden days, if you had a problem with your finger, you would first go and buy a bronze finger from the blacksmith and bring it to the priest of the “clinic”. Leg problem, bronze leg. In those days, the priest was the doctor and he would take the bronze finger, melt it and treat it as a form of payment. He would then give the patient a drug to cause hallucination. Based on what the patient says, the priest would then prescribe medicine for the illness because in those days, it was believed that the gods were speaking to the patients through the drug. Wonder how many people actually got cured (or killed) in this way. Scary…
2. About poppy production. During our rest stop, we were able to taste this dish of yoghurt mixed with honey, topped with poppy seeds! Don’t worry, these seeds won’t cause any form of hallucination and it tastes somewhat like the sesame seed. Legally (the key word here), Turkey is the 3rd largest in the world for opium poppy production. Dinar is the place where we stopped to taste this yummy (and healthy) dish.
3. “Make it Zero” and Week of Thieves. Enis shared that one of the government officals and his son were caught in a tele-conversation whereby the dad was asking where the son hid the cash. The son replied that he stashed it at their usual place. So the dad wanted the money to be transferred and the son asked whether to transfer all of it. The dad replied “make it zero”. Since then, the phrase has become a joke among the locals, even sparking the “Thieves Week” from 17-25 December each year. People would wear black bandit masks during this period, which can be quite hilarious according to Enis.
4. Sultan Nasreddin Hodja. There’s this famous character called Sultan Nasreddin Hodja and he’s usually depicted riding a donkey backwards. So the story goes that he always rides a donkey and waves to everyone he sees when he goes through the city. However, one day, one person complained that he did not acknowledge him. Of course, to Nasreddin Hodja, this was obviously not true as he always greets everyone. So to counter this, he rode the donkey backwards. He explained that he rode the donkey backwards because he would greet those he sees and the donkey greets those that he doesn’t see! What a humorous figure!
5. About good cherry harvests. Did you know that a long hard snowy winter equates to late cherry blossoms which means a good cherry harvest? Conversely, a “mild” winter equates to a bad harvest of tiny cherries.
Before arriving at Dinler Hotel Nevsehir, we visited the Sultanhani Caravanserai. It was built in the 13th century and served merchants plying the silk road. Along the silk road, travellers would build “motels” like the Sultanhani Caravanserai. These caravanserais would be a shelter for the travellers and they can only be put up for 3 days. Shelters like these are free to use and people would find rest for themselves and their animals before embarking on their next phase of travel. However, unlike hotels, no food was provided and you have to cook your own food and tend to your own stuff. Most importantly, leave on time!
Itinerary of Turkey Travel Day 4: Cotton Castle of Pamukkale and Journey to Cappadocia
0715 : Depart from Lycus River Hotel to Cotton Castle Pamukkale
0730 : Arrival at Pamukkale Cotton Castle
0900 : Departure from Cotton Castle to Cappadocia
1100 : Stopover for yoghurt with honey and poppy seeds
1300 : Lunch
1730 : Arrival at Sultanhani Caravanserai
1900 : Arrival at Dinler Hotel Nevsehir
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Remember to leave your comments for 2bearbear Singapore Travel Blog in our comments section below!
Related posts
This post is part of our 10 Days 7 Nights Turkey travel with Chan Brothers. Below, you can find other relevant posts covered during this trip.
Turkey Trip Day 1 : Singapore to Istanbul and Ferry to Canakkale
Turkey Travel Day 2 : Visiting the Trojan Horse of Troy and Ancient City of Pergamon
Turkey Travel Day 3 : Visit to Ephesus / Turkish Bath and Hot Springs of Lycus River Hotel Pamukkale
Turkey Trip Day 4 : Pamukkale Cotton Castle and Journey to Cappadocia!
Hot Air Balloon Flight in Cappadocia with Royal Balloon : Turkey Travel Day 6!
Mall of Istanbul (MOI) : Shopping Eating and Relaxing on Day 8 of Turkey Trip!
Find out more about day 5 of our Chan Brother’s Turkey travel where we’ll visit the famous Cappadocia region of Turkey!
Turkey Travel Day 3 : Visit to Ephesus / Turkish Bath and Hot Springs of Lycus River Hotel Pamukkale
On day 3 of our Turkey travels with Chan Brothers, we visited a leather shop (complete with front row seats to a fashion show!), the Roman Ephesus of Turkey as well as the hot springs of Lycus River Hotel in Pamukkale!
Turkey Travel to Ephesus and Pamukkale (First Stop : Silvio Leather Fashion Show)
After a hearty breakfast, we went around Coastlight Hotel to take some shots before we headed to our first stop – Silvio Leather showroom!
At the showroom, we were given some apple tea before we were treated to a fashion show – front row seats no less! Of course, these were amateur models but we were rather impressed by this young male model who really strutted his stuff down the runway. During the fashion show, we were shown the latest and trendiest leather jackets. Some had amazing prints and most were reversible. Silvio Leather also claimed that they produce for international brands such as Burberry and Polo Ralph Lauren…
During the fashion show, members of the audience were also invited to take part and model some of the leather jackets. This brought much laughter to our tour group and we especially enjoyed the samba dance at the end of the show!
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After the fashion show, you’d be led to the second level where the expensive leather jackets are. These leather jackets produced by Silvio Leather averages about USD1000 (AFTER special discounts). We were quite taken back by the price as these were non-branded leather jackets. But for cheaper leather jackets, you can proceed to the first level where there are off-season leather jackets that averages about USD200. If you have not purchased anything by now, you’d be led to a small leather shop next door that sells leather shoes and bags averaging about USD100. Yes, hold out and you’ll get better deals.
Tip : You have to be strong and resist the temptation of buying a leather jacket! Imagine the number of branded bags you can buy with USD1000 – 2!
House of Virgin Mary & Ruins of Roman Ephesus in Turkey
Leaving the Silvio Leather showroom, we headed to the House of Virgin Mary. As it was still drizzling, we only had a shortened visit here. At this attraction, there’s a baptism pool near the House of Virgin Mary, the house itself (where you can’t take any photos within), a fountain to draw water (so bring along an empty bottle) and of course the area where you could leave a wish to Virgin Mary herself!
Remember to bring your own note and mechanism to tie it if you want your wish to come true!
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Then came the highlight of the day, our visit to the Roman Ephesus of Turkey!
There are 2 stories related to Ephesus
Story 1 – An Oracle
In the first story, it was said that in the 7th century, a prince of Athens received an oracle where he would build a city if a fish, wild boar and fire appeared simultaneously. One day, he saw someone doing some grilled fish and a wild boar ran over that BBQ. He saw it as a sign and built the city of Ephesus.
Story 2 – Amazonian Women
In the Anatolian version of the story, Ephesus was simply built by the Amazon warrior women.
If you take a look at one of the pictures below (the one with Medusa), you would see these 2 stories depicted on the columns of that structure.
You may know that the world-renowned brand, Nike is named after the goddess of Victory Nike. But did you know that if you look closely at her skirt, you’ll be able to identify the most familiar logo world-wide, the swoosh.
Can you see it?
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Leaving the city centre of Ephesus, you’ll be on a main street that leads to the Library of Ephesus. Take a shot from here. Unfortunately, it was raining during this time 🙁
Enis (our guide for Chan Brother’s Turkey Trip), told us about this special stone that has a picture of a left foot, heart, face of a woman and rectangle carved on it. According to his analysis of this piece of stone, he was able to tell that there’s a brothel right next to it. How?
He said, “If you are having an empty heart and have a large left foot, you can find a pretty woman right ahead. Don’t forget to bring your credit card!” Haha!
Tip : Besides the library, the other prominent structure is the theatre of Ephesus. The best spot to take a panoramic view of the theatre (as shown above) is between the pine trees before you exit to the market and souvenir shops.
Facilities of Lycus River Hotel Pamukkale
To end off the evening, we arrived early at Lycus River Hotel of Pamukkale. Pamukkale refers to cotton castle, a formation of calcium carbonate that seems to form a “cotton castle” in the middle of a hill. Before we were to head to Pamukkale the next morning, we had a good rest at Lycus River Hotel!
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There are 2 main things that you should try at Lycus River Hotel in Pamukkale…
1. Thermal Pool (aka hot springs). There’s a hot spring that you must check out at Lycus River Hotel. Remember to bring your swim wear! The thermal pool also leads outdoors and it was especially enjoyable to be soaking in the thermal pool during the winter season. Just like what you see on Japan Hour – winter onsen!
2. Turkish Bath. Originally, we were discouraged from taking the Turkish bath due to poor reviews from previous groups. Nonetheless, we still gave it a go. How can you go Turkey and not try a Turkish Bath right? It costs us 85TL (or $50SGD) and it was the best $ spent during the trip! The Turkish lady would scrub you first (you’d be in your undies or swim trunks) and then lay the softest and warmest coat of foam blanket over you.
Pure Bliss…
To form the foam (some tongue twister for you), the lady would trap some bath foam on a towel and swing it from side to side. This motion catches air within the towel and forms the foam which she would later squeeze upon you.
This would be followed by some gentle massages around the whole body (front and back) before washing you clean. No contortion, man-handling type of bath as they say.
One word from Tom : SHIOK!
From Kate : Because my Turkish lady had GIGANTIC boobs, as she massaged my arms, her boobs would rub repeatedly over my face! I think the Turkish lady enjoyed the bath more than I did…Boo Hoo.
After the enjoyable and relaxing sessions at the thermal pool and Turkish bath, we went for the dinner buffet where there was also a live band playing traditional Turkish music. Some Turkish folks also went forward to dance during dinner. Our favourite for dinner was the beef patty as well as making wraps using fresh lettuce.
Together with some members of the group, we had post-dinner drinks at the beautiful lobby lounge and chat till we were tired before we turned in for the night.
Itinerary of Turkey Travel Day 3: Coastlight Hotel to House of Virgin Mary, Ephesus and to Lycus River Hotel Pamukkale
0815 : Depart from Coastlight hotel to Silvio Leather showroom
0845 : Arrival at Silvio Leather showroom
1000 : Departure from Silvio Leather showroom to House of Virgin Mary
1015 : Arrival at House of Virgin Mary
1045 : Depart for Ephesus
1230 : Departure from Ephesus to Pamukkale
1500 : Break at Turkish delight stopover
1630 : Arrival at Lycus River Hotel @ Pamukkale
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Related posts
This post is part of our 10 Days 7 Nights Turkey travel with Chan Brothers. Below, you can find other relevant posts covered during this trip.
Turkey Trip Day 1 : Singapore to Istanbul and Ferry to Canakkale
Turkey Travel Day 2 : Visiting the Trojan Horse of Troy and Ancient City of Pergamon
Turkey Travel Day 3 : Visit to Ephesus / Turkish Bath and Hot Springs of Lycus River Hotel Pamukkale
Turkey Trip Day 4 : Pamukkale Cotton Castle and Journey to Cappadocia!
Hot Air Balloon Flight in Cappadocia with Royal Balloon : Turkey Travel Day 6!
Mall of Istanbul (MOI) : Shopping Eating and Relaxing on Day 8 of Turkey Trip!
Find out more about day 4 of our Chan Brother’s Turkey travel where we’ll visit the traventines of Pamukkale (Cotton Castle)!
Turkey Travel Day 2 : Visiting the Trojan Horse of Troy and Ancient City of Pergamon
On day 2 of our Turkey travels with Chan Brothers, we dived straight into one of the highlights of the trip – the Trojan Horse of Troy! After breakfast at Tusan Hotel, we headed straight to the ancient city of Troja (Troy), with loads of interesting mythical stories told to us by our guide Enis…
The Trojan Horse of Troy in Canakkale Turkey
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Troy (and Trojan Horse) is just a 15 minutes ride away from Tusan Hotel in Canakkale. During this short ride, we were given an introduction to the mythical world of Greek/Anatolian stories…
Story of the Trojan Horse
First and foremost, the Trojan Horse is a myth. Nonetheless, it is an exciting story that leads to the Trojan Horse that we would be visiting that morning.
And so the story goes, Homer (or Homeros) wrote 2 books (Odyssey and Iliad) concerning the last 23 days of war at Troy. In the mythical story, there was a wedding among the gods (Wedding of Peleus and Thetis) but Eris (the goddess of jealousy or discord) was not invited. To thwart the wedding, Eris came up with a plan and brought forth an apple (that says “to the most beautiful woman”) to Zeus, who was the chief of the guards. In order not to be involved in this would be “cat fight”, Zeus handed over this issue to Paris of Troy (so smart of Zeus!)
3 goddesses (Hera, Athena and Aphrodite) came to seek the apple, each offering a bribe to Paris. Hera offered to make him king and offered him a lasting family line while Athena offered him wisdom and skill in battle. But eventually, Paris chose Aphrodite because she was able to get him Helen of Sparta who is the most beautiful mortal (wife of the King of Sparta). As a result Athens unites with Sparta to get Helen back from troy, sparking the start of the Trojan War.
In comes Achilles, a demi god and strong warrior (played by Brad Pitt in the 2004 movie Troy). At first, Achilles did not want to be involved in the war. To increase the morale of the soldiers, Patroclus (the cousin of Achilles) dressed as Achilles and fought in the Trojan War. As a result, he was killed by Hector.
To revenge his cousin, Achilles was advised by Odyssey to build a huge horse with brave men inside to besiege Troy. You’ve guessed it, this horse was the Trojan Horse!
Phew…what a long story to explain the background to the Trojan Horse! All because of Helen!
About the Ancient City of Troy
There are 9 layers to the ancient city of Troy. Meaning each time the original Trojans left (due to weather or war), the new Trojans would return to rebuild the city again. Troy layer 6 is believed to be the time of the Trojan Horse while Troy layer 9 is known as the Roman ages.
Troy was rediscovered by a German businessman by the name of Heinrich Schliemann. He followed the stories of Homer and believed in the existence of Troy. He eventually found Troy in 1871 and started to remove its treasures using the guise of corrupt locals to smuggle the treasures out of the country.
What really amazed us was how people in the hundreds of years BC, built up civilisations such as Troy by carrying these huge bricks and carving intricate monuments. They also thought of buildings walls slanted so as to deter thieves and attackers as it would be easier to defend a slanted wall. They also thought of using pitos as “ancient refrigerators” where they would store excess grain and hide them underground for use during winter.
At the entrance of the city, the Trojans would build a slope where travellers or even attackers entering the city, would feel the “aura and presence” of the city as they ascend to its gates. Of course, the city was build atop a hill to have good views over its surroundings.
Tip : While taking photos with the Trojan Horse, remember to take it from the front view as how Tom took it in the picture above!
From Troy Canakkale to the Ancient City of Pergamon in Turkey
The ride from Troy to Pergamon took about 3 hours and we took a rest in between to have our lunch. Enroute, Enis told us about olives in Turkey…
There are essentially 2 main colours of olives – green and black. Green olives are the first fruits to be plucked in October and they change to black in the December/January period. From the olives, olive oil is extracted. Should the acid level of the olive oil be less than 1 percent, it is considered as the top grade. Top grade olive oil is usually made from the green (turning to black) olives. Extra virgin olive oil is produced by cold pressing the olives without breaking its seeds. As most chefs have already mentioned, olive oils cannot withstand heat hence when using it, it should be used over low heat or lightly tossed with your food of choice.
Did you know? Italy is the top producer of olive oil in the world but 65% of its olives comes from Turkey!
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The building of Pergamon (formerly known as Bergama in Turkish) was started by Philetaerus. He was entrusted with the treasury of Lysimachus who was a Roman Commander. When Lysimachus died, Philetaerus used the money to build up Pergamon and in 100AD, it was returned to Rome because of the money with which it was built. In this way, Rome had already extended its influence to Anatolia before they came.
Note : During the tour, Enis would often use the word “Anatolia”. Anatolia is actually bounded by Black Sea to the North, Aegean Sea to the West and the Mediterranean Sea to the South. The Sea of Marmara would connect to the Black Sea via the Bosphorus River. “These lands” as we know it, refers more commonly to Turkey today.
Pergamon sits atop of the hill and the most prominent portion of it is the Acropolis, a temple area where the Pergamons would come to worship their gods. The other prominent structure is the theatre which can sit up to 9000 people overlooking the city of Pergamon.
The tour bus would only be able to bring you to the foot of Pergamon. To reach Acropolis, you would have to be transferred via cable car. However, on this day, it was raining and the cable car was closed. Hence, we were transferred by local taxis through winding paths up to Acropolis. Do remind your guide to advise the taxi drivers to drive at a slower pace, else they might race up the hills (and down) as with what happened to us. Too exciting for our liking! Yikes!
The Acropolis of Pergamon
Awesome views over Bergama City and of the Theatre!
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Before we reached our last stop for the evening at CoastLight Hotel Kusadasi, we stopped over at Mozaik Lokum for some olives products. The store owner who is a humorous man and can also speak some Mandarin, introduced us to the products of his shop. Before we left, we bought 3 bottles of skin care product (buy 2 get 1 free) for 100 TL (Turkish Lira). This is approximately $60SGD or $20SGD per bottle.
Not sure of its effect though but it sure smells good!
Close to the olive shop, you can clearly see the Selcuk Castle. The Selcuks (or Seljuks) was one of the tribes of the Turks. Ottoman being the most famous of the tribes. At the top of the hills sits the “First Ephesus” and at the bottom of the hill, the “Second Ephesus”. The Ephesus that we would be visiting the next day is the “Third Ephesus” also known as the “Roman Ephesus”.
Itinerary of Turkey Travel Day 2: Troy Canakkale to Pergamon and Coastlight Hotel Kusadasi
0800 : Depart from Tusan Hotel to Troy
0815 : Arrival at Ancient Ruins of Troy
0930 : Departure from Troy
1300 : Lunch
1400 : Depart for Pergamon
1530 : Depart Pergamon
1900 : Arrival at Mozaik Lokum Olive Shop
2000 : Arrival at CoastLight Hotel Kusadasi
If you enjoyed our content, “Like” us on Facebook Today!
Related posts
This post is part of our 10 Days 7 Nights Turkey travel with Chan Brothers. Below, you can find other relevant posts covered during this trip.
Turkey Trip Day 1 : Singapore to Istanbul and Ferry to Canakkale
Turkey Travel Day 2 : Visiting the Trojan Horse of Troy and Ancient City of Pergamon
Turkey Travel Day 3 : Visit to Ephesus / Turkish Bath and Hot Springs of Lycus River Hotel Pamukkale
Turkey Trip Day 4 : Pamukkale Cotton Castle and Journey to Cappadocia!
Hot Air Balloon Flight in Cappadocia with Royal Balloon : Turkey Travel Day 6!
Mall of Istanbul (MOI) : Shopping Eating and Relaxing on Day 8 of Turkey Trip!
Find out more about day 3 of our Chan Brother’s Turkey trip where we’ll visit the ancient ruins of Ephesus!
Turkey Trip Day 1 : Singapore to Istanbul and Ferry to Canakkale
Turkey was our next country to “conquer” as we have not had the opportunity to visit this country (ahem @ GoTurkey.com :p) that spans between both Europe and Asia continent. As there is a language barrier and a vast distance to travel if we were to do a free-and-easy by ourselves, we decided to join the Chan Brother’s 10D7N Turkey travel for only $2100 per person. It is very affordable because $1000 would be the price of the air ticket while the remaining $1100 is used for meals, transportation, accommodation, attraction tickets, tour guide as well as taking out the hassle of planning all the routes around Turkey. It is especially worth it when you get to skip the MASSIVE queues outside the major attractions in Istanbul!
We chose to travel via the Turkish Airlines flight (instead of Singapore Airlines) because of the timing of both departure and arrival flights. We departed at 12:30am and arrived at 6:30am in Istanbul (both local times), having full days in Turkey on the departure and arrival days!
Upon arrival at the airport, we were greeted by our local guide Enis who brought us immediately to Istanbul to visit the Hippodrome of Constantinople, Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Blue Mosque), Topkapi Palace and Hagia Sophia.
Attractions in Istanbul Turkey
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If you take a look at the monuments at the Hippodrome, you’ll realise that they are formed up in a single line. During the Roman era, it was actually the central columns of a chariot race. Imagine the chariots going round the columns resembling an elongated oval shaped race track.
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Views from the Topkapi Palace
You may also like: Yogyakarta Travel Itinerary Day 1: Prambanan Temple, Parangtritis Beach Horse Ride and Massage no. 1!
As we moved from the Hippodrome to the Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Blue Mosque), Hagia Sophia Museum and Topkapi Palace, we were told of stories at these various areas…
Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Blue Mosque) : Have you ever wondered why there are 6 minarets (slender tower typically with a balcony) at the Blue Mosque? Legend has it that the order was to build altin (gold) towers around the mosque. However, the builder heard alti (six) instead. Hence, six minarets were built around the Blue Mosque. In fact, Blue Mosque is not blue in colour but it earned its name because of the 20,000 blue mosaic tiles used within the mosque. Hence, a touristic name of Blue Mosque was derived!
Hagia Sophia Museum : At the Hagia Sophia, there’s a hole in the wall with a long queue behind it. Everyone is actually queuing to place their thumb in the hole, make a circle with the palm of their hands and make a wish. Legend has it that an angel promised a boy to look after his equipment so that he could go back to take of his parents. The boy never returned and the angel is thought to be trapped within, granting wishes to people who came to visit.
Topkapi Palace : The first courtyard of the Topkapi palace extends from Imperial Gate to Salutation Gate while the second courtyard is from Salutation Gate to Felicity Gate. At the second courtyard, there is a Justice Tower where the Sultan would stand and witness executions taking place. However, the best part of the Topkapi Palace is actually the view of the Bosphorus River. Remember to take beautiful shots from the balconies overlooking Bosphorus. Other notable places to visit includes the treasury, religious relics (both Christian and Muslim) as well as the Royal Kitchen.
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You may also like: Top Things to do in Madrid – Spain Travels Day 1!
Itinerary of Day 1: Istanbul to Canakkale Turkey
0630 : Arrival at Istanbul Ataturk Airport
0830 : Visit to Hippodrome, Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Blue Mosque), Hagia Sophia Museum and Topkapi Palace
1230 : Lunch at Citadel Hotel Istanbul
1400 : Depart for Canakkale
1600 : Stopover for break
1830 : Ferry to Canakkale
2000 : Arrival at Tusan Hotel Canakkale
After our visit to all the attractions in Istanbul, we adjourned to Citadel Hotel Istanbul for lunch before commencing the approximate 6 hours drive to Canakkale. This includes a ferry ride in between where the whole car drives unto the ferry to be transferred across the straits to Canakkale.
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Related posts
This post is part of our 10 Days 7 Nights Turkey travel with Chan Brothers. Below, you can find other relevant posts covered during this trip.
Turkey Trip Day 1 : Singapore to Istanbul and Ferry to Canakkale
Turkey Travel Day 2 : Visiting the Trojan Horse of Troy and Ancient City of Pergamon
Turkey Travel Day 3 : Visit to Ephesus / Turkish Bath and Hot Springs of Lycus River Hotel Pamukkale
Turkey Trip Day 4 : Pamukkale Cotton Castle and Journey to Cappadocia!
Hot Air Balloon Flight in Cappadocia with Royal Balloon : Turkey Travel Day 6!
Mall of Istanbul (MOI) : Shopping Eating and Relaxing on Day 8 of Turkey Trip!
Basic Turkish Language You Should Know
Here are some simple Turkish phrases that you should know to make your Turkish trip that much more enjoyable. But for ease of pronunciation, we’ll not spell out the actual Turkish spelling but the way you should pronounce it!
Thank you – teh she kew air de room (6 syllabus to say thank you?!?!)
Hello – mehr ha ba
Goodbye – gule gule
Good morning – gew nei den (yes, we know. It does sounds like “good night”)
Good night – yeee yeee gu jay lash
I am fine – yeee yeee
No worries (not at all) – beer she dean
Yes – eh vet
No – ha year
Find out more about day 2 of our Chan Brother’s Turkey trip when we visit the legendary Trojan horse!
De Sarann Villa Siem Reap : Luxurious, Exclusive, Tranquility…
De Sarann Villa in Siem Reap was our choice of stay when we visited Cambodia for the first time. Thanks to Sokmeng and François, we were hosted to a luxurious, tranquil and exclusive stay at the De Sarann Villa, here in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Let’s find out what this latest villa in Siem Reap has to offer…
About De Sarann Villa Siem Reap Cambodia
Tucked away at #37 Trang Village (one of the oldest village precinct in Siem Reap), De Sarann Villa is a hidden gem that offers luxury travellers all that you need during your stay in Siem Reap, Cambodia. It is conveniently located just 7km from the Angkor Temples / Siem Reap International Airport (less than 10 minutes ride) and a mere 5 minutes drive to the city. Although conveniently located, it is also out of hustle and bustle of the main street, thus offering you an oasis of tranquility – a really smart idea!
There are only 4 villas (yes, you did not misread that) in De Sarann and because of that, it offers luxury travellers that exclusivity and an undisturbed tranquility. Should you need any assistance, personalised service will be at your doorstep within seconds (literally!). Talk about exclusivity…
To top it all off, each villa comes with a swimming pool (complete with jacuzzi functions), rooftop dining options, deck chairs to chillax and complimentary beverages throughout your stay.
Inside Royal Family Suite Villa – with Private Pool, De Saranna Villa Siem Reap
When Sona told us that our room was 120 metres square, we were really surprised. That equates to almost 3 times the size of a typical hotel room! Of course, the size includes the private roof top pool and dining area. Nonetheless, as we strolled through our room, we got to understand the brevity of the size of the Royal Family Suite Villa in De Sarann Villa…
After exploring the first level of our villa at De Sarann Villa, we were pretty much captivated. The management spared no effort in the details of furnishing the rooms. Sculptures adorn the shelves of the rooms and living spaces, a fully stocked mini bar (3 types of beers, 4 types of soft drinks and plenty of water), 3 TVs and a complete set of bathroom amenities. As for the bath tub, it must have been the biggest we’ve ever seen (or been in) and that’s after visiting the in-room jacuzzi bath tub of Heathman Lodge in Vancouver USA. We’re both close to 6 foot in height and it can fit both of us in comfortably with room to waddle! :O
Here’s a video tour of the Royal Family Suite at De Sarann Villa…
And you thought our tour of the villa is over? Here’s the best part, the roof top swimming pool and dining deck!
The highlight of villas at De Sarann Villa has got to be the private pool and roof top deck. Here, you’ll be able to enjoy a jacuzzi in the privacy of your own villa. There are even deck chairs for you to enjoy the sun throughout the day. As De Sarann Villa is the tallest building in the vicinity, you’ll literally get a full day of sunshine and even get to watch sunset while chilling out at the private pool.
The deck chairs were also surprisingly comfortable and because of the peaceful surroundings, we soon found ourselves falling asleep unknowingly – to the tranquil tune of nature.
Breakfast can also be served at the roof top. As sun rise is pretty early (about 5:30am), we started to have breakfast at 6am and really enjoyed it as the colours of the sky dawned into the soothing morning colours. Ahh…
Services offered at De Sarann Villa Siem Reap Cambodia
Although De Sarann Villa is a relatively new establishment, it has all its bases covered…
1. Dining. De Sarann Villa collaborates with the famous Mahob Khmer Restaurant to bring you authentic Cambodian cuisine in the comfort of your own villa. On our first night, we ordered the beef tenderloin on hot stone ($6.80USD) and the hot stone itself was literally delivered to our villa!
Tip : We’ve been to several restaurants about town but when it comes to taste and price, the collaboration with Mahob Khmer Restaurant really takes the icing. Prices are decent and food is excellent. You MAY (a huge MAY here) even get a 10% discount if you mention about your stay at De Sarann Villa. (Nope, you did not hear this offer from us :P)
2. In-room massage. De Sarann Villa also collaborates with Molis Ruot Spa & Massage to offer guests high standards of massage services in the comfort of your own villa. A 4 hands body massage is a steal at $30 for 60 minutes!
3. Transportation and Private Tours. Transportation can be easily arranged at the hotel’s reception. The drivers work closely with De Sarann Villa to offer prompt service and of course safety to the guests at the hotel. A complimentary handphone was also provided for us to contact our driver (Lin) who was on hand to pick us up every time. Strangely, whenever we were to be picked up, he would always be the first to spot us and because of that, we knew we were in good hands. A full day of tuk tuk transportation costs $18USD. This includes a day trip to the Angkor temples and also bringing us around the city for dinner before delivering us safely back to the hotel. Did we also mention that airport transfers are complimentary?
Sokmeng (owner of De Sarann Villa) actually started off in the travel industry early in her career. She only started De Sarann Villa after she successfully opened her own travel company. This also means that, the hotel is able to customise private tours for you during your stay in Siem Reap. She also shared with us a secret place to catch splendid sunsets in the evenings (involving a lovely boat ride and chilled beers or wine)…No more need to contend with the noisy crowds at sunset!
Meaning, you’ll only enjoy these amazing moments with your loved ones…Nope, we’re not going to divulge the secret here. Check in with De Sarann Villa to find out more!
Attractions in and around De Sarann Villa
Because of its convenient location, De Sarann Villa is a mere 7km from the Angkor temples and less than a 5 minutes ride to the city. You’ll be able to enjoy these attractions, a stone’s throw away…
Location of De Sarann Villa
De Sarann Villa is located at #37 Trang Village, Sangkat Slorkram, Siem Reap Cambodia. You can also reach them at +855 63 900 050.
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We hope you have enjoyed our coverage of De Sarann Villa in Siem Reap Cambodia. After visiting the establishment for ourselves, we’re converts. It’s true that De Sarann Villa brings luxury, exclusive living and tranquility to the luxury travellers of today!
6 Amazing Travel Experiences in Penang!
When you think of travelling to Penang? What do you think of? The UNESCO heritage site of Georgetown? The vibrant (and delicious) hawker food scene? Or simply chilling at Batu Ferringhi beach? In this post, we’ll show you 6 Amazing Travel Experiences in Penang that you won’t want to miss!
1. Exploring Batu Ferringhi Beach
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Most people discount the fact that Penang does have an excellent beach that faces the Andaman Sea and Malacca Straits. Batu Ferringhi is its name. Located at the northern tip of Penang, Batu Ferringhi offers beach goers all you’d expect at a reputable beach – fine pristine sand (especially at Hard Rock Hotel Penang), beach activities (including para-sailing, banana boat rides and jet skiing) and even horse back riding by the beach.
After all the fun you’ve had at the beach, head on out to one of the many excellent spas located along Batu Ferringhi beach – including the award winning Rock Spa @ Hard Rock Hotel and Chi Spa @ Rasa Sayang Resort and Spa.
As the evening winds down, check out the night markets along the roads next to the beaches. Many road side stalls open till late at night offering tourists the option of souvenir shopping (including sun glasses, hand bags and wallets) and late night supper at Batu Ferringhi.
2. Looking Out for Street Arts & Wall Murals
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Penang is littered with amazing street arts and wall murals. One of the most famous one is this mural of a trishaw uncle in the heart of Jalan Penang that almost covers the entire building facade. We also noticed several comical street art that brings across daily conversations in Penang through light-hearted colloquial jokes.
3. Wandering the Streets of Georgetown – UNESCO World Heritage Site
Since 2007, Penang’s Georgetown has been named as an UNESCO World Heritage Site because of the rich history of this precinct. You will be able to spot many colonial-styled buildings such as the Eastern & Oriental Hotel and Birch House as well as the many traditional chinese architectures along the streets. Fort Cornwallis, one of the best preserved forts in Malaysia also bears testament to Penang’s colonial roots.
To round off this historic trip, check out Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion (better known as the Blue Mansion). Within, you’ll be able to see how the ultra-rich pampered themselves in this 38 room mansion – luxurious even by today’s standards.
4. Trishaw Ride in Penang
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Another amazing experience in Penang that you should try is the trishaw ride. We took a trishaw ride from Komtar back to our hotel at Eastern & Oriental. The ride took about 10 minutes and cost 15RM. What we enjoyed about this ride was the “alfresco” style of the ride. As the sun shone while we rode past the historic lanes (with winds gently blowing against your face), that made the ride really worthwhile. Be ready for a bit of excitement while the trishaw weaves in and out of traffic!
5. Penang Hawker Food
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Penang is the home to Malaysian hawker food. Here you will be able to find famous Penang hawker fare such as Penang Char Koay Teow, Char Hor Fun, Penang Road Teochew Chendul and much much more. Check out our post on the “13 Penang Hawker Food and Nonya Restaurants that You MUST TRY” to find out more!
6. Penang Nonya Food
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Still on food (what else? :p), one must try Penang’s nonya food. The Little Nonya Cuisine (小娘惹) as well as Mama’s Nonya Cuisine offers some of the best nonya food in Penang at an affordable price.
Where to stay in Penang?
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Our top picks for hotels at the Batu Ferringhi area includes the Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa as well as the Hard Rock Hotel Penang. In Georgetown? The famous Eastern and Oriental Hotel Penang!
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Top 10 Things to Eat in Ipoh Malaysia!
Ipoh is a food paradise! But if you’re wondering what are some of the things you must eat in Ipoh Malaysia, here are the top 10 picks of what to eat in Ipoh! By the way, this food list is in descending order, which means no.1 is a MUST TRY!
What to eat in Ipoh Malaysia
10. Ipoh Parade Shopping Centre Food Court – Popiah
At the top floor of Ipoh Parade Shopping Center, you’ll find this food court, within which, there’s a stall that has its sign board that states “Popiah”. This was a really surprise find for us because we were not having lunch but were feeling peckish. The aunty sort of recommended her popiah while we walked by her stall and we tried. To our surprise, it had several layers of taste to it. Crispy, moist, fresh and tasty fillings. Try it if you’re in the vicinity!
9. MYDIN Wholesale Hypermarket in Bandar Meru Raya, Ipoh – My Nasi Kandar
Mydin Mall is located at PT 229142, Jalan Meru Bestari B2, Bandar Meru Raya, 30020 Jelapang, Ipoh, Perak Darul Ridzuan. What happened was this. We were supposed to take a bus leaving Amanjaya Bus Terminal after booking for the bus online. Guess what? There was no such bus leaving that morning when we arrived at the terminal! So we went to all the booths that sold tickets to source for the next available ride to Singapore. We even met up with others who were supposed to be on the same bus and thought of car pooling. But in the end, we decided against taking a ride to Johor to transfer from there. Instead, we waited at Mydin Mall (a short walk from Amanjaya Bus Terminal) for our direct bus trip back to Singapore.
In the meantime, we managed to squeeze in a meal at My Nasi Kandar (after seeing all the crowds there). After trying the tandoori, we understood why the crowd was there. We could taste the spices, the tenderness and the juiciness of the chicken tandoori. Surprisingly good we must say 🙂
8. Cendol at Mr Cendol Mydin Mall
Still within Mydin Mall, along the circumference of the mall was Mr Cendol. We’ve tried several cendols in Singapore before but since the place was called Mr Cendol, we thought they might offer something different. We sat down and ordered the Soya Special. Turns out that instead of using just shaved ice, the ice was made of soya milk and topped off with ice cream. Sedap!
7. Dim Sum at Restoran Ying Fa
Restoran Ying Fa is located at 1C, Jalan Sultan Yussuf (Belfied Street), Old Town, Perak, Ipoh Town, 30000. We actually arrived in Ipoh at 5am in the morning and were offered transportation by a uncle who had 6 fingers on one of his hands. Hence, he has a nick-name called liu zhi （六指 – literally meaning six fingers). He offered to take us to our hotel (for a fee of course – 20RM) and so we requested for a dim sum place enroute. We were taken to Ying Fa Restoran!
All in all, we spent only 22RM for all the dim sum that we had. Quality was ok but the price was really economical. So do head on down if you have a craving for dim sum!
6. Kedai Makanan Nam Heong
Kedai Makanan Nam Heong is located at 2, Jalan Bandar Timah, Ipoh Perak, 30000. There are 2 reasons why you should visit Kedai Makanan Nam Heong coffeeshop.
Firstly, it is one of the main distributors of white coffee in Ipoh. We’ve tried the iced white coffee and it was really strong and aromatic. Unlike some diluted ones that we’ve tried before. To learn more about the meaning of white coffee, follow the link to our Things to do in Kluang Malaysia post.
Secondly, Makanan Nam Heong is actually an amalgamation of several amazing foods in Ipoh including ipoh hor fun, curry mee, penang prawn noodles, char kway teow and dim sum! Of which, the smell of the char kway teow was really irresistable. Definitely a MUST TRY!
5. Restoran Ipoh Kong Heng
Restoran Ipoh Kong Heng is located at 74 Jalan Bandar Timah, 30000 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia. Here, there are actually alot of food choices including the traditional ipoh hor fun, the sar hor fun (that we had) as well as the mixed popiahs (see above). The prawn soup of the sar hor fun was especially flavourful. Coupled with the springy hor fun and firm chicken slices? Yummilicious! As for the mixed popiah, the normal popiah actually tasted better although the option of tasting the fried version was interesting.
4. Traditional Hor Fun
If you have read our post questioning whether the standard of zi char in Singapore has dropped? It was all triggered by this plate of beautifully constructed hor fun. Simple dish with springy hor fun and tasty gravy. Nope, this was not at a famous place but at a random coffee shop that we visited. Speaks alot about the quality of food (especially hor fun) in Ipoh.
3. Funny Mountain Soya Bean
Funny Mountain Bean Curd is located at 49, Jalan Theatre (Jalan Mustapha Al-Bakri), 30300 Ipoh, Perak. We actually tried the bean curd because of the long queue indicating that they must be doing something right in their concoction of soya bean products. However, we think that the soya bean curd that we tried was a tad too sweet. In addition, we have been spoilt by the silky smooth soya bean curds in Singapore. So the bean curd here was quite normal for us. But still, there’s a reason why the crowds are streaming in, so do tell us what you think in the comments section below!
2. Kafe Sun Yoon Wah Snow Beer
Kafe Sun Yoon Wah is located at 7,Jalan Bijih Timah, Ipoh Old Town, 30000 Ipoh, Malaysia. Definitely, strongly recommended. The snow beer is actually formed by quickly pouring beer into a chilled mug. The bubbles then forms the frost like bits because of the ice cold mug, forming the well-known snow beer. It was a totally new experience for us, quite unlike Heineken extra cold or ice cold Tiger Beer. In addition, try the stir fried calamari that goes really well with the beer. The only catch is that you must drink the snow beer relatively quickly once its poured, else it will just become normal cold beer.
1. Restoran Ong Kee Tauge Ayam – Beansprouts with chicken and hor fun
Restoran Ong Kee is located at 48, Jalan Yau Tet Shin, 30000 Ipoh, Perak. If there’s one food that you must try, it has got to be the beansprouts chicken with hor fun at Restoran Ong Kee. Some people say that because of the water here in Ipoh, the hor fun is extra taong (springy) and the bean sprouts are extra fat (as you can see from the picture above). It really is true. Mixing in the chicken and bean sprouts (with a dash of the chicken sauce) into the hor fun will give you a perfect combination of what Ipoh hor fun is really about.
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Thoughts on what to eat in Ipoh Malaysia
In fact, there are many other good food in Ipoh including the salt-baked chicken and caramel custards. But nonetheless, if there’s two food that we’d recommend, it’ll certainly be the Ipoh Hor Fun at Restoran Ong Kee and the snow beer at Kafe Sun Yoon Wah.
Click here for a price comparison of the hotels available in Ipoh.
Do let us know if there are other good food to eat in Ipoh that you’d like to recommend in the comments section below!
13 Penang Hawker Food and Nonya Restaurants that You MUST TRY!
A trip to Penang is never complete without trying out all the hawker food that Penang has to offer. In this post, we’ll answer the perennial question of “What to eat in Penang?” by covering all the great foods that we’ve tried during our last trip to Penang. Feel free to add on to this list in the comments section at the end of the post!
What to eat in Penang Malaysia
1. Penang Char Kway Teow
Penang Char Kway Teow
Ah Leng Char Koay Teow
Ah Leng Char Koay Teow at Jalan Dato Keramat
Special Ah Leng Char Koay Teow @ 11.50RM with additional toppings
Whenever one visits Penang, Penang Char Kway Teow will be one of the MUST TRY hawker foods. As with the kway teow from Ipoh, Penang kway teow also have a “taong” texture (chewy/bouncy feel) and because of this fame, Penang char kway teow can be found everywhere. Our favorite? Ah Leng’s Char Koay Teow!
Famous Ah Leng Char Koay Teow
(亚龙炒果条）
Address : Jalan Dato Keramat, Kampung Makam, 10150 George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
2. Penang Laksa aka Assam Laksa
Penang Laksa aka Assam Laksa
In Penang, when you talk about “Penang Laksa“, it usually refers to the Assam Laksa. Unlike the usual laksa that we find in Singapore which has a rich coconut-based gravy, the laksa in Penang has a fish-based gravy which has a sour and appetising taste to it. The version that we tried had a rich fish-based broth and you could taste the shredded fish and crunchy vegetable texture with every mouthful. Although it is a laksa, it actually tastes healthy!
3. Wanton Mee
New World Park Hawker Centre
Penang Wanton Mee (4RM)
At New World Park Hawker Centre, you can find an amalgamation of Penang hawker foods. Here, we tried the Penang wanton mee and were thoroughly satisfied. There were loads of ingredients including generous amounts of char siew and quite a number of wantons. The highlight for us was the fragrant sauce for the noodles. Shiok!
4. Penang Curry Mee
Penang Curry Mee (4RM)
Still at New World Park Hawker Centre, we tried the famous Penang Curry Mee. This version we had from the old uncle’s stall (the other is owned by a middle-aged uncle) was full of ingredients including cuttlefish, cockles, fish cake and vegetables. Mix in the chili and you’d have an amazing bowl of Penang Curry Mee! Now we understand why Singaporeans bring home instant curry mee from Penang as well. Sedap!
New World Park Hawker Centre
(新世界)
Address : No. 1, Jalan Burma, 10350, George Town, Pulau Pinang, 10350, Malaysia
5. Penang Fried Oyster (Orh Lua)
Red Garden Food Paradise
Penang hawker food @ Red Garden Food Paradise
Penang Fried Oyster (RM10)
You can also find a host of Penang hawker food at the Red Garden Food Paradise. Here, we tried the Penang Fried Oyster (Orh Lua) for RM10. The oysters from this stall at Red Garden Food Paradise was huge and succulent! The taste is similar to the Singaporean style. The only difference is that the chili is not as tangy as the Singaporean version.
6. Penang Hokkien Mee aka Penang Prawn Noodles
Penang Hokkien Mee aka Penang Prawn Noodles (RM5)
Still at Red Garden Food Paradise, we tried the Penang Hokkien Mee as well. In Singapore, Hokkien Mee can refer to the fried version (with sotong) or the soup prawn noodles. But in Penang, if you refer to Hokkien Mee (Penang Hokkien Mee), it refers only to the soup prawn noodles. This version we tried has the thick prawn and pork taste to the broth which we enjoyed. Ingredients could have been more though. But for 5RM, we can’t ask for too much eh?
Red Garden Food Paradise
(红园)
Address : 20 Lebuh Leith, 10000 Georgetown, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
7. Penang Char Hor Fun
Asian Kitchen @ Gurney Paragon’s Food Court
Penang Char Hor Fun (RM 7.90)
As it was raining heavily while we were at Gurney Paragon, we were not able to visit the famous Gurney Drive Hawker Centre (which we had seen and heard bad reviews of). Hence, we decided to pop by the food court at Gurney Paragon to see what’s in store for us there. To our surprise, we chanced upon the Asian Kitchen and is famous for its Penang Char Hor Fun. While the chef was cooking, we noticed that every step was prepared from scratch. The hor fun was originally white in colour (unlike the pre-fried ones these days) and the chef fried it to obtain the charred brown texture before placing it aside to prepare the gravy. The ingredients were subsequently fried, broth thickened (again the thickening agent was prepared on the spot) before switching off the gas and adding the egg on the last step. The egg was “spread” around in the heated broth to obtain the beautiful texture as seen in the picture. Needless to say, it was FANTASTIC! Strongly recommended for your trip to Penang!
Asian Kitchen @ Gurney Paragon Food Court (Level 5)
Address : 163 C & D, Persiaran Gurney, George Town, Penang
8. Local Delights at Penang Bowl
Ordering Counter and Kitchen @ Penang Bowl
Mee Sua Tau Penang Bowl
Nonya Popiah Penang Bowl
While we were staying at the E&O Hotel in Penang, we decided to check out what else we can eat in the vicinity (yes, we’re voracious eaters) and we chanced upon this eatery at Penang Bowl (right next to E&O). The Mee Sua Tau and Nonya Popiah are the house specialties and we especially liked the Mee Sua Tau. Fragrant gravy with the mee sua absorbing the taste. Topped with crispy garlic bits…yum!
Penang Bowl
Address : 38-B Leboh Farquhar, 10200, Penang, Pulau Pinang, 10200, Malaysia
9. Prosperous Dim Sum
Breakfast crowd at Prosperous Dim Sum
While walking along Lorong Abu Siti, we saw this HUGELY popular dim sum joint – Prosperous Dim Sum. There were tables and chairs all over the restaurant, both inside and outside. As we got closer, we saw that the prices were really reasonable. But due to the crowd, we did not try it this time round. If you’ve tried the dim sum here, let us know how it was in the comments section below.
Prosperous Dim Sum
(福星茶楼)
Address : 83 Lorong Abu Siti, 10400 George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
10. Penang Road Teochew Chendul
Penang Road Teochew Chendul
The Penang Road Teochew Chendul was AWESOME! At RM2.60, you’ll get a huge bowl of chendul that has such a rich milky taste. A good contrast to the gula melaka version of chendol in Malacca. We actually prefer this version in Penang. Try it and you’ll understand why…
11. The Little Nonya Cuisine (小娘惹)
Crowd at The Little Nonya Cuisine
Nonya Curry Chicken Rice RM8.80 (小娘惹)
Lo Bak RM7 at The Little Nonya Cuisine
Deep fried otak beancurd RM9 (The Little Nonya Cuisine @ Gurney Plaza)
Nonya cuisine is also a MUST TRY when you visit Penang. This time, we visit The Little Nonya Cuisine (小娘惹) at the basement of Plaza Gurney. All of the dishes above were DELICIOUS! In particular, we loved the curry chicken which was thick and frangrant. Perfect with rice. The deep fried take on otak was also amazing. Slight crisp on the outside but tender otak on the inside. The otak is also a perfect dish with plain fragrant rice. We could eat this all day long!
The Little Nonya Cuisine @ Plaza Gurney
小娘惹
Address : Plaza Gurney, 170-06-01, Gurney Dr, 10250 Georgetown, Malaysia
12. Mama’s Nonya Cuisine
Mama’s Nonya Cuisine
Curry Kapitan, Tau Yew Bak, Jiu Hu Char, Pig Stomach Soup, Bubur Cha Cha from Mama’s Nonya Cuisine
While in Penang, Mama’s Nonya Cuisine has got to be the one nonya restaurant that you have to try. We stayed at 3 hotels and all 3 concierges recommended eating here. It was undeniably good! We tried the Curry Kapitan (RM18), Tau Yew Bak (RM20), Jiu Hu Char (cuttle fish with vegetables – RM12), Pig Stomach Soup (RM22) and Bubur Cha Cha (RM4) and to be honest all of it were good! Seriously! If we were to recommend, the tau yew bak (braised pork) is a must-have. The braised pork combined with the spices went really well with rice. In fact, we had 2 HUGE portions of rice throughout the meal! Remember to save some space for the bubur cha cha. Certainly one of the best we’ve had in a long long time!
Mama’s Nonya Cuisine
Address : Lorong Abu Siti, Georgetown, 10400 Georgetown, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
13. Penang Bakeries
Ghee Hiang at Macallister Road Penang
Inside Ghee Hiang
There are many traditional bakeries in Penang. Among them, the famous ones are Ghee Hiang, Kim Heang and Seng Seng Heang. Remember to bring some back for your loved ones when you return from Penang!
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We hope you have enjoyed our coverage of the Penang Hawker Food and Nonya Restaurants that you must try when you visit Penang! Tell us what you think in the comments section below!
A Letter to Jen (Hotel Jen Orchardgateway Staycation)…
Dear Jen,
Thank you for hosting us at Hotel Jen Orchardgateway, one of the many hotels that you own all over the world. We thoroughly enjoyed the staycation at Hotel Jen Orchardgateway and we’re so glad that we got to experience, first hand, your hospitality over the weekend 🙂
What we enjoyed about Hotel Jen Orchardgateway
1. Relaxing in the comfort of your room
What we really love about your room is not only the view of the city (including Marina Bay Sands) but really the comfort within. Why didn’t you tell us that you had such a comfortable bed and a fantastic choice of channels on TV? We actually spent hours just lazing in bed, catching up on movies and watching “live” soccer…ah…
2. Great service from your staff
Jen Jen Jen, you have kept your “secret weapon” unknown to us haven’t you? We experienced great service all around the hotel! Upon arrival, we were promptly whisked away to our room by Kate and we were checked-in AT OUR ROOM! There were also all-round smiles everywhere we went. Looooved the great service from your staff at Hotel Jen Orchardgateway!
3. Breathtaking views from Rooftop Pool
Video of pool deck at Hotel Jen Orchardgateway
When you showed us the pictures taken from your rooftop pool at Hotel Jen, we thought you had them photoshopped. Never did we realise that the views were really so awesome! Coupled with tropical drinks such as Sangria and Mojito, holidays had just begun!
4. Cute little surprise
Thanks for the cute little surprise arranged for us while Kate and I were soaking up the sun at the rooftop pool. We enjoyed the fruits before heading back up for chilling hours at the Club Lounge. Love your handwriting by the way 😉
5. Chilling hours at your Club Lounge
See the two ladies seated in the first photo? That is the best seat in the Club Lounge. That was also where we enjoyed chilling hours as well. Views were great and we especially enjoyed the generous servings of sashimi. But we would have loved to try your specialty cocktail Jen1509. Remember to serve it the next time during your chilling hours k?
6. Fresh Seafood Buffet at Makan@Jen
When you told us that you were taking us to a seafood buffet dinner, we thought that it would be an international buffet with some doses of seafood. WE WERE SO WRONG! Your seafood buffet was A SEAFOOD BUFFET with doses of other meats. At every turn, we saw seafood, seafood and more seafood! But what really impressed us was that they were all really fresh. When we peeled the shell off the snow crab, the meat all stayed together (unlike some famous international buffet) and revealed itself as one huge chunky piece! Moreover, the baked lobster? Mmmm….so so so succulent!
Thank you for having us seated right opposite the lobsters as well. We were always the first on scene when the batches of lobsters were served! A secret to be kept between us ;P
7. Pedestrian Night at Orchard Road
Jack and Rai performing “With A Little Help From My Friends” by The Beatles
Did we mention that Hotel Jen Orchardgateway has an excellent location? It is right by Orchard Road, Singapore’s premier shopping belt! But the highlight during our staycation was being able to watch Jack and Rai perform “live”! You didn’t arrange this experience just for us did you?
8. Breakfast at Hotel Jen Orchardgateway
We love that you start your breakfast early at 6:30am. Sunrise over breakfast is just magnifique! Do help us thank your awesome chefs for those beautifully poached eggs. Will eggs benedict be on the cards the next time we visit?
9. Free rental of bamboo bicycles
We love this nice little touch of extending free rental of these eco-friend bamboo bicycles for all guests. Using bicycles to navigate around the city is definitely a great touch. We love it especially that there’s no time restrictions. Jen, you’re so smart!
10. Hi-Tea at Lounge@Jen
Chilling at Lounge@Jen is a relaxing experience altogether. Classy yet casual. A perfect place for friends to chillax. You and I both know the secret location where the best views are…shh…let’s meet there some time ok?
How to get to Hotel Jen Orchardgateway
Yes, we remember that Hotel Jen Orchardgateway is located at 277 Orchard Rd, 238858. Thanks for providing us complimentary parking and reminding us to enter the hotel via Somerset Road (not Orchard Road). Of course we parked at level 8 as you have recommended because that lift has only 3 buttons – Level 1, 8 and 10.
We wanted to just take the MRT as well because it is just as convenient by alighting at Somerset MRT. Just a short walk from 313 Somerset.
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Jen,
Thanks for an awesome staycation at Hotel Jen Orchardgateway! So great to have a friend like you!
Be our BFF k?
XOXO!!
Tom and Kate,
2bearbear.com
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Raffles Hotel Staycation Singapore : Relax & Rejuvenate!
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Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel Staycation: A Post-COVID Review
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A Letter To Jen (Hotel Jen Orchardgateway Staycation)…
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National Day Staycation At The Regent Singapore – A Four Seasons Hotel!
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AMOY Hotel Singapore : Why You Should Stay Here During Your Next Visit
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The Fullerton Hotel Singapore Staycation: The Complete Review
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Ritz Carlton Singapore Staycation: Simply Shiok!
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Swissotel Merchant Court Executive Room Staycation : Right In The Heart Of Clarke Quay!
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Mercure Singapore Bugis Staycation: Executive Loft Room Review!
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Harris Hotel Batam Center : By 2bearbear’s Youngest Reviewer!
Harris Hotel Batam Center was visited by one young aspiring blogger – Ken. Known simply as Ken, he is only 8 years old this year. Ken stayed for 2 nights at Harris Hotel Batam Center and here is his version of the review…
Getting to Harris Hotel Batam Center
From Singapore Cruise Centre, Singapore to Batam Centre Ferry Terminal, Batam Island. (When we exited the ferry terminal, they always ask us for taxi). 5 to 10 minutes walk to Harris Hotel Batam Centre.
Things to note
1. Check in is at 2:00pm Batam time GMT +7. Check out time is at 12pm GMT +7.
2. The hotel staff is very friendly and they also have a welcome drink! It tastes like lemongrass.
3. Getting to the Ferry Terminal and the Megamall opposite is very difficult.
Used Batam Fast Operator. Got seasick on the way 🙁
About Harris Hotel Batam Center
(Hotel Room Service Number is 0). Hotel room very clean. Swimming pool at hotel has sea view, 1.15m tall (Note from Tom : I think he’s referring to the depth of the pool).
What I enjoyed in Batam
Megamall has A&W, J.Co and other shops.
1. Did foot reflexology at Johnny Andrean for 42,000Rupiah ($4.50 SGD) per person. Hair wash and blow dry for 45,000Rupiah per person at UG floor. (Note from Tom : Foot Reflexology at 8 years old?! He really knows how to enjoy this Ken)
2. Lunch at Black Canyon Coffee Cafe. Cookies ‘n’ cream frappe costs 33,000Rupiah at Ground Floor.
3. Next it’s time to play at Time Zone! 1 card costs 100,000Rupiah ($10.70 SGD) with stored value of 175,000Rupiah. The best game was the car racing game. I played it for 7-9 times!!! But beware, there is a gambling game called Deal or No Deal!!! At 1st floor…
4. Movies at Cinema XXI are priced at 25,000Rupiah ($2.70 SGD) for Mon to Thur and 30,000Rupiah ($3.20 SGD) for Fri to Sun. Caught 2 movies in 3 days. Big Hero 6 and Penguins of Madagascar, 2 of the latest movies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Note from Tom : This was the actual number of exclamation marks used by Ken – All 19 of them. No kidding!). After movies, I finished the remaining Rupiah in the game card 🙁
5. Bought back 2 dozens of J.Co Doughnut for 115,000Rupiah. Yummilicious!
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Hope you have enjoyed Ken’s review of Harris Hotel Batam Center and his coverage of Batam during his 3 days stay!
Kranji War Memorial and Kranji War Cemetery : Remembrance Service on 9 November 2014
Kranji War Memorial and Singapore Memorial are dedicated to those who fought valiantly against invading Japanese forces during World War 2. The Kranji Memorial consists of the State Cemetery of Singapore (burial site of Singapore’s first and second presidents Yusof Ishak and Benjamin Henry Sheares), the War Cemetery, Singapore Memorial and the Commonwealth Military Cemetery.
Kranji War Memorial
Entrance to the Kranji War Memorial
Grave of Benjamin Henry Sheares
The first grave at the entrance of Kranji War Memorial
Singapore Memorial and War Cemetery
Inscription at the Singapore Memorial
The Singapore Memorial was designed by Colin St Clair Oakes who paid homage to the combined forces that defended Singapore. The 13 columns of the Singapore Memorial represents the Army – marching in columns. The roof of the Singapore Memorial represents the Air Force – the wing of an aeroplane. The mast at the top of the Singapore Memorial represents the Navy – the conning tower of a submarine.
Each year, a remembrance service will be held to remember those who have sacrificed themselves during World War 2. As the inscription of the Singapore Memorial reads : “They died for all free men”.
This year, the Remembrance Sunday service will be held on 9 November 2014.
How to get to Kranji War Memorial
Kranji War Memorial is located at 9 Woodlands Road, Singapore 738656. To get there, you can
1. Take the MRT and alight at the Kranji Station. From there, you can take a 15 minutes walk to the memorial. Directions are available at the MRT station (either the locality map or from the station control).
2. Take buses 160, 170, 178, 960, 961. You can alight directly next to the memorial and take a short walk in.
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Your Guide to Things to do in Yangon Myanmar!
There are actually many things to do in Yangon Myanmar. Many things to eat as well. In this post, we’ll reveal all you need to know as you visit this country (and city) that has recently opened up and invites the world to visit…
Things to do in Yangon Myanmar
Things to eat in Yangon Myanmar
1. Sharky’s Restaurant
(117 Dhamazedi Road, Kamaryut Township, Yangon)
According to the owner of Sharky’s, they started out with earnings of only $3,500 USD ten years ago (which is actually ALOT in Myanmar). Today, they earn that amount in half a day! Sharky’s serves up a western infused menu of pizzas, pastas, burgers and even foie gras. The cool thing about this restaurant is that the owner insists on using the freshest ingredients from Myanmar. Talk about supporting local products!
While you’re there, round off your meal with the pistachio cranberry ice cream. It was one of the best ice creams we’ve ever tasted! Perfect combination of the creamy rich taste of pistachio with the refreshing taste of cranberry…who would have thought?
Sharky’s prosciutto thin crust pizza – 8000 myanmar kyat ($10.50 sgd)
2. Feel Restaurant
(124, Pyihtaungsu Avenue Street, Dagon Tsp, Yangon)
For a taste of Myanmese food, you MUST visit Feel Restaurant. At the restaurant, all you have to do is find a seat and approach the food counter to pick your dishes. The food counter is where all the food are on display and you just pick what you would like to eat. These dishes are then served with fragrant myanmese rice and ngapi – a fermented fish or shrimp paste that goes well with the rice and dishes.
You’ll also realise that the dishes are usually a little on the oily side. This actually signifies wealth in the Burmese culture. Do try the braised pork belly! “Melts-in-your-mouth” good! The dishes were so good that we had 4 portions of rice. 4 portions! Did we also mention that the rice is “free-flow”? ;P
Feel Restaurant Yangon
3. Sakura Tower – The Thiripyitsaya Sky Bistro
(339 Bo Gyoke Rd, Dagon – Sakura Tower, 20th storey)
On the 20th floor of the the Sakura Tower in Yangon, you’ll find The Thiripyitsaya Sky Bistro. The best thing about eating at The Thiripyitsaya Sky Bistro is the amazing views it offers over the whole of Yangon city. These includes views of the Yangon River, Sule and Shwedagon Pagoda as well as the city itself.
Plus, there’s happy hours from 5pm to 7pm where drinks are one-for-one!
Tip: Be there at about 5pm to enjoy the drinks and views while the sun is still up. After the sky starts to darken (from 630pm onwards), there aren’t much views except for the Pagodas.
The Thiripyitsaya Sky Bistro – Sakura Tower
4. Monsoon Restaurant & Bar Yangon
(85-87 Thein Phyu Rd, Yangon)
Monsoon Restaurant serves up a wide variety of cuisine from Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand. In addition, you can also “large portions” for western food as well. Happy hours are from 5pm to 7pm!
5. Shwe Pu Zun Cafeteria and Bakery House
(No.246,248, Anawrahta Road, Lanmadaw Township, Yangon / No.14-A, Minnandar Road, Dawbon Township, Yangon)
Shwe Pu Zun is definitely one of the “must-go” places for desserts in Yangon. It’s specialty includes cakes and desserts. The Fa Lu Da (a cross between vanilla ice cream, bandung and cendol) is a “must-try” at Shwe Pu Zun. Did we also mention hyper-speed wifi internet access here?
Shwe Pu Zun Cafeteria and Bakery House Yangon
6. Western Park Ruby Restaurant
(Near ThaKhinMya Park, in front of Myanmar Industrial Port, Strand Road, Ahlone Township, Yangon)
Craving for some Chinese fare? Head to Western Park Ruby Restaurant and try out the seafood as well as its famous Peking Duck! The “2-styled” fish which we tried was awesome as well. Braised and fried fish on a platter with intricate finish to touch!
“2-styled” fish at Western Park Ruby Restaurant Yangon
Attractions in Yangon Myanmar
There are many attractions in Yangon (the land of Pagodas) and here are our top picks…
1. Shwedagon and Sule Pagoda.
(Dagon, Yangon – So prominent that you cant miss it!)
Located in the city centre of Yangon, the Shwedagon (biggest Pagoda facility) and Sule Pagoda are the most prominent pagodas in Yangon.
2. Kyaiktiyo Pagoda aka Golden Rock
(Thaton District, Myanmar)
The Kyaiktiyo Pagoda is a 4 hours ride from Yangon and is also one of the main attractions in Yangon. The interesting thing about this attractions is that the pagoda sits atop a rock which perches precariously over a hill at Mount Kyaiktiyo…
Kyaiktiyo Pagoda (Golden Rock) Myanmar
3. Bogyoke Market Yangon Myanmar
(Bo Gyoke Rd, Yangon)
One of the major markets in Yangon, Bogyoke (pronounced as “Bo” “Joke”) Market is one of the biggest tourist attraction in Yangon. There are shops selling all kinds of products from souvenirs to gold and jade. The jade stalls here are known to fleece tourists. Hence, as a rule of thumb, take away 50% from the quoted price and you should be halfway there to a good price 😉
Bogyoke Market Yangon Myanmar
There are many other things to do in Yangon as well as many other great places to dine at as well. Other attractions include the Kandawgyi Lake, Taukkyan War Cemetery, Yangon Zoological Gardens, National Museum of Myanmar as well as the Bogyoke Aung San Museum.
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We hope you have enjoyed our coverage of the things to do in Yangon. Do let us (and our readers) know if you have other great places and eateries to recommend in our comments section below!
Parkland Green : What’s new at East Coast Park?
Parkland Green is the latest addition to vibrancy at East Coast Park. Opened in September 2014, there are several dining establishments, sports outlets, a laser tag arena as well as a 1 hectare field for endless activities! Find out more about what’s in store at Parkland Green…
Parkland Green East Coast Park
What’s at Parkland Green East Coast Park
1. 1-Hectare Open Lawn
1-hectare Open Lawn @ Parkland Green
The one hectare open lawn at Parkland Green offers a great venue for families to have picnics and gatherings. The flood lights also lit the lawn in the evenings and we caught some chaps enjoying themselves over frisbee. Definitely a great play area for the kids as well. Nearby, there are also BBQ pits along the coast.
2. Tag Team Inc
Tag Team Inc East Coast Park
Laser Tag Arena Parkland Green
At Tag Team Inc, there are laser tag and archery tag team games available. The great thing about the games here are that they’re safe for children as well as adults. The only down side that we see is that the arena seems a little small – may not be as exciting for thrill seekers.
3. Sports Retail Outlets
Sports Retail Outlets at Parkland Green East Coast Park
Hvper Sports Retail @ Parkland Green
The sports retail outlets at Parkland Green provides an option for park goers to purchase skate scooters, roller blades or bikes. Check it out and you might just be hit by the “active bug”…
4. Dining Establishments
Patro’s Sports Bar & Restaurant / Starbucks Coffee
Atmosphere Sports Bar East Coast
Sandbank Restaurant
Pickmeup Cafe Parkland Green
Bakery & Bar St. Marc East Coast Park
Parkland Green is set to be a great hang out venue with these new dining establishments. Sports bars that offers live soccer matches would definitely be drawing EPL fans in flocks. Do take note that free parking is only for the first year of operation (made known to us by restaurant operators there). So do take advantage and visit while it lasts!
We were actually craving for north indian cuisine this evening and Patro’s came to our rescue! Yay! Butter chicken!
Butter chicken, basmati rice, naan and fried vegetables
Sangria at Patro’s Parkland Green East Coast Park
Indoors and alfresco dining at Patro’s Parkland Green East Coast
First off, we must say that the food was really great. Creamy rich butter chicken with long grains of basmati rice. Shiok! Naan was slightly burnt but mixed with the butter chicken gave the meat a tinge of the tandoori taste. Last but not least, the sangria (at $40 a jug) is definitely a great complement to the meal. An enjoyable meal overall.
Oh, you may have also noticed that we moved from outdoors to indoors. Pretty much due to the mosquito and heat. Nonetheless, alfresco dining experience at Patro’s, watching park goers go (jog/cycle) by, is quite enjoyable as well!
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We hope you have enjoyed our coverage of Parkland Green @ East Coast Park. Tell us more about your experience at Parkland Green in our comments section below!
Yu Garden Shanghai : Discover the secrets within!
Yu Garden Shanghai (also known as Yu Yuan 豫园） is a garden attraction in the old city of Shanghai. It was built some time in the 16th century but had swapped owners several times before finally being rebuilt, reopened and reinstated as a national monument in 1982.
Today, Yu Garden Shanghai is not only a must-visit attraction in Shanghai, but is also a garden with several secrets for visitors to discover…
Old City Shanghai
Description of Yuyuan Garden
Jiuqu Bridge – Bridge with 9 bends @ Yu Garden
Huxin Pavilion – Teahouse in the centre of the lake at Yuyuan
Yu Garden ticketing office
Yu Garden Shanghai Attractions
Before we move on to uncover some secrets within Yu Garden, here are some main attractions of Yuyuan Garden…
海上名园 – Famous garden, north of the river
The engraved stone that greets you at the entrance to Yu Garden
First hall of Yu Garden Shanghai
Picturesque Yu Garden Shanghai views
One of the many garden views in Yu Garden
Platform made of stone in Yuyuan
Bridge across a lake in Yu Garden
The famous 玉玲珑 of Yu Garden
Zooming in on 玉玲珑
玉玲珑 is the famous centre piece of Yu Garden. Also known as the “Naturally Hollowed Jade Boulder”, it embodies a saying “瘦漏皱透“ meaning, Skinny, Leaky, Wrinkled and Transparent. In essence, the saying describes the jade boulder and its uniqueness, with a word play of these 4 words that rhymes. The saying describes the jade boulder as skinny and wrinkled-looking and because of the holes formed in it, it allows light (transparent) to shine through and water (leaky) to seep through.
Yu Hua Hall
Description of Yu Hua Hall
Yu Hua Hall was the study room of the original owner of Yu Garden – Pan Yun Duan. Constructed in the Ming Dynasty, approximately in the 16th century, you’ll soon realise the uniqueness of the furnitures within. They are firstly entirely carved out of wood, no nails used. But more interestingly, you’ll find that the bold outlines of the furniture actually resembles the outlines of modern furnitures today. Meaning to say, trends will return to fashion 500 years later?
Zhao Wall within Yu Garden Shanghai
Description of Zhao Wall
Ancient Opera Stage Yu Garden – whose secret we’ll reveal later…
Another view of the Yu Garden Opera Stage
Secrets within Yu Garden Shanghai
In this section, we’ll reveal some secrets which you may otherwise not notice if you do not look at them carefully…
蝙蝠鹿豫园
This mosaic placed on the floor of exits actually signifies (through the deer), 出路平安 – safety when you leave and enter the house. The bats on the other hand (because of the 2nd part of the word in chinese) signifies 福 or fortune (blessings). The coins surrounding the entire mosaic signifies 财源广进 or influx of wealth.
Talk about significance of a picture eh?
Zoomed in view of the Ancient Opera Stage
Now for the secret of the ancient opera stage…If you take a closer look at the centre of the ancient opera stage, you’ll realise that there’s this spiral cone-shaped structure that is painting in gold. In fact, it acts as an olden day “amplifier” that increases and amplifies the sounds of the performers so that the audience can better hear the performance even though they may be seated a distance away!
Window in Yu Garden Shanghai
Is this window really just a window? If you notice closely, the words 福禄寿喜 are written on the four corners of the frame signifying fortune, prosperity, longevity and happiness!
Framing with a window
This window was created so that when people look through it, they may see an alternate view of the garden, as though the garden is “framed” within the window. How cool is that?!
Dragons of Yu Garden Shanghai
Yu Garden Shanghai is said to be “protected” by many different dragons all around its premise. The different dragons have different characteristics and also tells of which era they are from…
Dragons guarding the entrance to the inner gardens of Yu Garden
Smiley playful dragons – one of the oldest ones in the garden
Another pair of dragon guarding an entrance
A majestic looking dragon
Anything interesting about this dragon? Not unless you look behind…
Yes, a dragon with a spine!
How to get to Yu Garden Shanghai
Map of Yu Garden Shanghai
Yu Garden Shanghai is located at 218 Anren St, Huangpu, Shanghai, China
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The next time you visit Yu Garden Shanghai, we hope you’ll look out for these “hidden secrets” and hopefully discover some secrets of your own as well!
Sharky’s Yangon Myanmar!
Sharky’s in Yangon Myanmar is a classy restaurant founded by a local chef who spent 20 years in Switzerland. As a result, Sharky’s brings about a delicious European meal that is palatable for Asian’s alike. As its slogan “Food and Passion” suggests, it really brings quality food to the local community. Food made with passion!
Sharky’s in Yangon Myanmar
What to eat at Sharky’s Yangon Myanmar
Sharky’s Menu
From the menu, you’ll realise that the food is actually quite expensive, even for Singapore standards. Having said that, the quality does make up for the price and you’ll see why…
Table setting at Sharky’s Yangon Myanmar
Cocktail salads at Sharky’s
Sharky’s prosciutto thin crust pizza – 8000 myanmar kyat ($10.50 sgd)
According to regulars at Sharky’s, the cheese here is top notch. And after sinking into it’s prosciutto thin crust pizza, we’ve got to agree. The thinly sliced prosciutto was a perfect complement to the rich cheesy flavours oozing with every bite. The thin crust and arugula adds a dimension of texture to the overall taste of the pizza that’s just perfect!
Sharky’s Foie Gras with Beef – 14000 kyat ($18sgd)
If you’re visiting Sharky’s Yangon Myanmar, we’d definitely recommend having the foie gras! By looking at the picture above, wouldn’t you want to have just a bite of it? The chef who thought of foie gras over beef is simply a genius! The fatty, flavourful and tender foie gras will first melt in your mouth and when you start to chew the beef slice over the foie gras, you soon realise that you are chewing on the beef with the awesome flavours of the foie gras.
Just pure genius!
Sharky’s classic burger – 17000 kyat ($22sgd)
On the onset, the burger doesn’t look much and its VERY EXPENSIVE for Myanmar standards. Even for Singapore standards, its above the average price. However, upon the first bite, you’ll soon realise why the aged beef from Sharky’s Yangon Myanmar is really different.
Just one word really… TENDER!!!
The question then is…
“Is all the work and time placed into aging beef, really necessary?”
On the first bite, you’ll start to understand what the fuss over “aged beef” is all about. You’ll first bite into the tenderness of the beef but after chewing, the flavours of the beef is slowly released with each and every bite. Truly a work of art. Shiok!
How to get to Sharky’s Yangon Myanmar
Map of Sharky’s in Yangon Myanmar
Sharky’s is located at 117, Dhammazedi Road, Yangon, Myanmar. If you have taken a look at the pictures above, you’ll find that one of the themes of the restaurant is also classic movie posters…
Scarlet Angel Poster
Buccaneer’s Girl Poster
So if you want to enjoy a classy atmosphere and quality (and we mean really good quality) food in Yangon, look no further than Sharky’s Yangon Myanmar!
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P.S. Don’t forget to try the pistachio cranberry ice cream! One of the best ice cream we’ve EVER tasted!
National Museum of Singapore : A MUST VISIT Singapore Attraction!
The National Museum of Singapore is our favourite museum in Singapore. Not only because its free (for Singaporeans and Permanent Residents) but because of the high quality exhibits that are always on-going at the “grand old dame of museums in Singapore”. In addition, it’s always enjoyable for us to reconnect with our Singaporean roots through the Singapore History and Singapore Living Galleries at the National Museum of Singapore!
National Museum of Singapore
National Museum of Singapore Exhibitions
Masak Masak Exhibition National Museum of Singapore
There is an ongoing exhibition entitled “Masak Masak” (which usually means children playing with toys) which is suitable for kids ages three to seven. Games, interactive installations and films will surely allow the kids to have an enjoyable time at the National Museum of Singapore.
WE : Defining Stories at the National Museum of Singapore
WE : Defining Stories @ National Museum of Singapore
The WE : Defining Stories is a photo exhibition that shows the defining moments of Singapore from the post-war years to independence and finally to where we are today as a nation.
Description of WE : Defining Stories Exhibition
Significant stories such as the racial riots, MacDonald House Bombing, Singapore’s Independence from Malaysia, collapse of hotel New World, hijack of SQ 117, the cable car incident, SARS, floods as well as more light hearted stories such as the queues for hello kitty, new property launches and historic wins by the soccer, swimming, water polo and table tennis teams.
Inside WE : Defining Stories Exhibition
Sebastiao Salgado Genesis Photo Exhibit @ National Museum of Singapore
Sebastiao Salgado Genesis Photo Exhibit
We also enjoyed Sebastiao Salgado’s Genesis photo exhibition at the National Museum. Some of his photos of landscapes and animals seemed very unreal. Really makes you wonder how in the world did he get those shots?! We’re guessing he must have “camped” like Sean Penn in the “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” and waited for the opportune moment to take those shots. Enjoy!
Singapura 700 Years : The Latest Singapore Gallery @ National Museum of Singapore
Singapore Stone as explained by our guide Mike
Singapura 700 Years is the latest Singapore history exhibition at the National Museum of Singapore. In the meantime, the “resident” Singapore History Gallery will be closed for renovation and will be slated to reopen in 2015. The gallery will therefore get a new lease of life in time for Singapore’s Golden Jubilee celebration!
How to get to the National Museum of Singapore
Map of the National Museum of Singapore
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For us, the National Museum of Singapore is definitely one of the top attractions in Singapore. For more of what to do in Singapore, visit our post on the top 101 things to do in Singapore!
Visiting the National Museum of Singapore? Click here to enjoy competitive rates and compare the prices of hotels in the vicinity!
Singapura 700 Years : Latest Singapore Exhibition at the National Museum of Singapore
Singapura 700 Years is the latest Singapore history exhibition at the National Museum of Singapore. In the meantime, the “resident” Singapore History Gallery will be closed for renovation and will be slated to reopen in 2015. The gallery will therefore get a new lease of life in time for Singapore’s Golden Jubilee celebration!
Singapura 700 Years National Museum of Singapore
Map of Singapura : 700 Years exhibition
Exhibits at the Singapura : 700 Years exhibition
Singapura : 700 Years has 6 sections including Archaeology in Singapore, Ancient Singapore (1300–1818), Colonial Singapore (1819–1942), Syonan-To (1942–1945), Road to Merdeka (1946–1965) and Independent Singapore (1965–1975).
Archaeology in Singapore
Archaeology in Singapore : 30 years of uncovering the past from 1984 to 2014
Over the last 30 years, excavation works have been secretly but carefully carried out. This section unearths some of the findings that confirms the historical, colonial and modern past of Singapore. Find out some of the techniques that are used so that historical evidences are well documented for future generations of Singaporeans!
Ancient Singapore
Ancient Singapore with Dragon’s Teeth Gate on the left
Singapore Stone as explained by our guide Mike
The Ancient Singapore section tells of Singapore’s history before the founding of Singapore. This includes records of the Dragon’s Teeth Gate (see above) which formerly stood at the gateway to today’s Keppel Harbour, the Singapore Stone with inscriptions that up to this day no one knows and how Singapore got its name – Singapura (Lion City – did Singapore really have indigenous lions?).
Colonial Singapore : 1819 to 1942
Colonial Singapore – Singapura : 700 Years
Milestones of Colonial Singapore
Chinese in Singapore during colonial times
European settlements in Singapore
Colonial Singapore was a time where British firmly had rule over Singapore. Unknown to most Singaporeans, Sir Stamford Raffles only established a trading port in 1819 and it was in 1824 that Singapore was formerly ceded to the British. This section also depicted the life of the rich (mostly Europeans) as well as the poor during those times. The rich Europeans would spend their days horse riding, socialising and enjoying parties (Literally! take a look at the 24 hour schedule of a typical European at the exhibition!) while the poor had to work long and hard hours as rickshaw riders or coolies.
Syonan-To
Syonan-To means “Light of the South”
This section tells of how the Japanese had a grand plan to conquer Southeast Asia which included Singapore. In fact, General Yamashita had a plan to take down Singapore in 100 days which he eventually only took 70 days. During the Japanese Occupation, it was grim and dark times for Singapore. Food was scarce, men suspected of supporting China were executed and locals had to adapt to a new language and a new colonial master.
Road to Merdeka : 1945 to 1965
Road to Merdeka (Independence)
Countries gaining independence after World War 2
Referendum held on 1 September 1962 to decide on the options for merger
Singapore was part of Malaya from 16 September 1963 to 9 August 1965 (approximately 2 years)
After the war, both Singapore and Malaya knew that the days of the British as a colonial power were numbered. This triggered Singapore’s march towards independent. In 1959, Singapore obtained self governance with Singapore Flag and National Anthem introduced the same year. On 16 September 1963, Singapore and Malaya obtained independence from the British and because of political differences, Singapore was forced to be an independent state on 9th August 1965.
Independent Singapore
Independent Singapore : Post 1965
Singapore’s Leaders
Developing Singapore in key areas of defence, diplomacy, economy and education
Full marks for being a Singapore Buff!
When Singapore gained independence in 1965, leaders of Singapore went straight to work, developing Singapore in areas of defence, diplomacy, economy and education. With the development of public housing, Singaporeans were well taken care of for the first time. Proper sanitation also came along with these public housing. Our guide, Mike also made a joke about the huge contributions Dr Goh Keng Swee made. When Singapore needed to be developed in a certain area, he would be the minister. Hence, he was the minister for finance, defence and education where he played key roles in developing Singapore into what it is today.
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Guided Tours are also available at the following hours. Just gather outside the entrance at the stipulated times!
From 1 to 10 November
English
Mon – Fri 11am
Sat & Sun 11:30am, 2pm and 3:30pm
Mandarin
Mon 1:30pm
Sat & Sun 11am & 1:30pm
From 3 November onwards
Japanese
Mon – Fri 10.30am
Every 1st Sat of the Month 1:30pm
From 11 November onwards
English
Mon – Fri 11am & 2pm
Sat & Sun 11:30am, 1pm, 2pm, 2:30pm (from 11 Nov to 31 Dec only) & 3:30pm
Mandarin
Mon 1:30pm
Sat & Sun 11am, 1:30pm
From 1 December onwards
French
Every 1st Thu of the Month 12pm
We hope you have enjoyed our coverage of the latest Singapore history exhibition – Singapura : 700 Years. If you have visited the exhibition, let us know what you think in the comments section below!
Angry Birds Activity Park Johor Bahru at Komtar JBCC!
Angry Birds Activity Park makes its debut in Southeast Asia at the Komtar JBCC in Johor Bahru! Making its debut on 31st October 2014, Angry Birds Activity Park adds to the suite of kids attractions in the state of Johor which includes Legoland Malaysia, the Little Big Club and Hello Kitty Town…
Angry Birds Activity Park JB
The park features fun interactive games including Lazer Bird Shoot, Red Bird Goal, Piggy Shooting Gallery and the Captain Black Bird Ship. The keyword here is “activity” and there is never a dull moment for the kids here with loads of activities in store for them!
Map of Angry Birds Activity Park Johor Bahru
Entrance of Angry Birds Activity Park JB
Inside Angry Birds Activity Park JB
Opening Hours and Ticket Prices of Angry Birds Activity Park Johor Bahru
The park opens from 10am to 10pm daily and ticket prices are as follow
Single Pass : RM75
Single Annual Pass : RM230
Family (2 Adults and 2 children) Pass : RM230
Family Annual Pass : RM700
Address of Angry Birds Activity Park Johor Bahru
Angry Birds Activity Park Johor Bahru is located at level 3 of Komtar JBCC. Komtar JBCC is located at Jalan Wong Ah Fook, Bandar Johor Bahru, 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia.
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We hope you have enjoyed our coverage of the Angry Birds Activity Park Johor Bahru. If you have visited the park, do let us know what you think of it in the comments section below!
Yang’s Fried Dumpling Shanghai 小杨生煎 : Best Dumplings EVER!
Yang’s Fried Dumpling (aka 小杨生煎) is located at No.269 Wujiang Road, Shanghai, China (Nanjing West Road).
If you’re visiting Shanghai, YOU MUST visit Yang’s Fried Dumplings. The dumplings at 小杨生煎 is an attraction itself and you will (at almost all times of the day) see a long queue outside the stall…
Staff of Yang’s Fried Dumpling 小杨生煎 busy at work
See the staff of 小杨生煎 busy at work? It is because of 2 main reasons.
1. CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP! You wouldn’t and couldn’t imagine this, but 4 dumplings at Yang’s Fried Dumpling only costs 6RMB! What?! That’s only 1.5RMB each or 30 cents SGD each!! AHH!!! SO CHEAP!!!
Yang’s Fried Dumpling 小杨生煎 4 for 6RMB
2. TASTES SUPERB! But the true reason lies in the taste. No doubt, the cheap price is a huge draw but the taste is something that we’ve never tasted (and experienced) before. Firstly, the outer skin is pan fried to a nice crispy texture while the pork inside remains sweet, flavourful and JUICY!
And secondly, we reiterate again, it’s JUICY!!! Notice that we bold juicy. This is because it is RIDICULOUSLY JUICY on your first bite! On our first bite, we were told that the only way to eat 小杨生煎 is to first nibble and suck out the soup first. We did. But when we went in for our first bite, the residual juices still spurt unto us!
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
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Enjoy this amazing experience and tell us about what you think of Yang’s Fried Dumpling 小杨生煎 in our comments section below!
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