Blog – Bridge the Travel Gap

Two weeks in Thailand for US$90 a day

Two weeks in Thailand for 90 dollars a day

Our time in Malaysia was quickly over and so our next stop was Phuket in Thailand.

Leaving Malaysia

We took a short flight from Penang to Phuket. Customs was simple and we paid 1000 baht for taxi transport to the Melody Phuket Hotel near Kata Beach, where we spent 9 nights. We decided to spend a bit of time at Kata Beach relaxing at our new hotels pool.

Kata Beach

Kata Beach should perhaps be renamed Little Russia judging by the number of Russians and cyrillic signs. The beach itself is lovely and not crowded. Karon beach, just down the road, is a nicer and bigger beach. We walked along the beach a few times during our stay, and enjoyed a couple of meals and sunsets there.

Food at Kata Beach was a bit of a letdown from previous visits to Thailand. Our hotel served the best meals. Other restaurants seem to cater for Westerner tastes. We did not do an awful lot at Kata Beach except enjoy our hotel and explore a little of the surrounding area. We decided not to do the islands after seeing the numbers on the boats going out in the morning and instead relaxed at our hotel pool.

Feedback from other people who did the trip out to the islands confirmed it was a bit like the landings on D-Day. In saying that, I have visited Thailand beaches before in earlier visits and been on ones with no people or hawkers and wanted to keep those memories. If you have not been then do go as they are beautiful beaches even with the hordes of people.

: The Russians are here

: Kata Beach

: Kata Beach sunset

: Kata beach sunset

The Melody Phuket Hotel

The Melody was one of the best hotels of our trip so far. The hotel is a 3-4 star and only been opened five months ago so everything is new. The lovely staff are always happy to help with any problems. Ms Poung on reception speaks excellent English and helped us out several times with information or minor problems. The pool almost surrounds the hotel and when we were there was nearly always empty. I spent a lot of time in that pool and loved it. I wish I had remembered to take some pictures of it! The hotel only did breakfast and lunches and we enjoyed both. The bed was comfortable and even though the hotel is near a busy road we heard no outside noise at night. The wi-fi worked brilliantly as did the in room safe. If you are ever in Phuket and need a place to stay we had room 2116 that overlooks the main pool and has a balcony. We spent 7 nights there and on our last two nights were upgraded to room 1112 with direct access to the pool. It was five-star service all the time at the hotel and we were glad we chose this hotel and not one near Kata Beach.

Transition to Vietnam

On our last night on Phuket Island we stayed at Nai Yang Beach Resort Hotel. The hotel is only five minutes from the airport. The accommodation was fine and we got a room by the pool. The beach is minutes from the hotel and there are lots of restaurants along the beachfront. There also is a National Park beside the beach which looked lovely. You would not even know you were beside an airport as the flight path is not over the hotel. We had an early start to Bangkok which went seamlessly. On arrival at Bangkok we stayed at the Amari Don Mueng hotel. Our flight for Hanoi left at 6am the next day. The hotel was lovely and we may even stay again on our return to Bangkok to get our connecting flight to India in June.

: Naiyang Beach

: Turtle at Resort

: My fish dinner one night in Kata Beach

What did our two weeks in Thailand cost?

I got out 24,000 Baht or US$730 and spent US$340 on accommodation with a credit card. The total spend for 12 nights in Thailand was US$1070 or US$90 per day. The above included all our meals, laundry, several massages and a few taxi rides. All in all it was a great few weeks relaxing before we headed off to Vietnam.

Melody Phuket Hotel accommodation cost for nine nights was £238 or US$368

Nai Yang Beach Resort Hotel for one night was £26 or US$40

Amari Don Mueng Airport Hotel for one night was £37 or US$57

Our next stop is Vietnam and Hanoi.

Debbie BridgeApril 30, 2015December 22, 2023 South East Asia, Thailand, Travel 1 Comment

Sunsets, Beaches and Sails – Thailand and Vietnam

‘What’s stopping you?’ (That’s right – nothing!)’

Nai Yang Beach, Thailand

This week has afforded me to see some lovely beaches, gorgeous sunsets and join in on a really nice cruise through Halong Bay.

Halong Bay, Vietnam

We’ve covered a fair distance as we had quite a few early mornings with short-haul flights to get us from Thailand to Vietnam.

So, we started at a lovely beach – Nai Yang, Thailand which was 5 minutes from the airport, but you would never know it! Highly recommend staying here, if you ever needed to do an early morning flight from Phuket Island, Thailand.

Then one night at a comfy hotel in Bangkok which had a gym and nice pool, but attached to the airport. Once again, great for that early morning flight, as it was quiet, good food and made for easy travel over a sky walk to enter the airport 5 minutes later.

Hanoi, Vietnam – pineapple seller

Then it was another quick, early morning flight to Hanoi, Vietnam. Now this is a city which is a real feast for the senses. It’s hard for me to describe, but my first impressions have been full of excitement and anticipation. We, only stayed one night. Then it was a cruise for 3 days in Halong Bay. This is a beautiful area where we saw a small portion of over 1000 limestone islands. (extra photos of the cruise at end of blog)

Limestone Islands, Halong Bay, Vietnam

Our first day was in the very tourist area of Surprise Cave

Surprise Cave, Halong Bay, Vietnam

and a hike up one of the islands to a look out.

View from Lookout Halong Bay, Vietnam

The second day was the jewel and hardly any tourists. We saw a fishing (floating) village, Fairy Lake Cave,

Fairy Lake, Halong Bay, Vietnam

did kayaking,

Kayaking, Halong Bay, Vietnam

swam in the ocean and then saw a pearl farm.

Nursery of Pearl Farm, Halong Bay, Vietnam

The food was all banquet style

Fish in a net, Viola Cruise, Halong Bay, Vietnam

with evening squid fishing, karaoke and socializing with other travelers.

Needless to say, back in Hanoi and having a few days rest while we wait for our India visa.

Love Debx

Photos of Halong Bay Cruise:

Debbie BridgeApril 29, 2015December 22, 2023 South East Asia, Thailand, Travel, Vietnam 3 Comments

The land of Siam – Phuket Island, Thailand

‘7 Steps to Happiness – 1.Think less, feel more 2.Frown Less, smile more 3.Talk less, listen more 4.Judge less, accept more 5.Watch less, do more 6.Complain less, appreciate more 7.Fear less, love more’

John floating in pool

Well, all I can say for this week is a big – Ahhhhh! of comfort and relaxation. We decided to have an extended stay on Phuket Island in the Kata Beach area.

Kata Beach

One thing I would suggest for anyone traveling to this island – do your homework, as this is such a popular area with the worst of what tourism offers to the best.

We got lucky and found a gorgeous little boutique hotel – the Melody – really suited me to a tea with musical keys on the stairs and sheet music above the bed.

Piano stairs at the Melody Hotel

Just now, they rang through and are giving us a free upgrade to a direct access pool room – awesome! We’ve been very lucky with this sort of thing happening on our travels.

The beach is beautiful,

Kata Beach

but the town around it is quite touristy and, at times, unpleasant, but we didn’t do our homework on this part and we are slowly finding some real treasures. Last night, we found an awesome Italian Restaurant that is under new management, as well as, trying street hawker stalls which can have better food than the restaurants.

Fish street hawker stall – people walk by, drive in or they have a few tables to sit and eat the food

What we’ve found is our hotel has given us a lot of what we hoped for – excellent lunches, fresh breakfast, great service and a lovely pool to swim in and relax around.

Pool and lounges

Within minutes, there are some good restaurants, cheap laundry services and yoga classes.

View from yoga class

The beautiful beach is about 15 minutes walk, but past a gauntlet of ugly restaurants, massage parlours and shops.

Still love Thailand, but it has changed in many ways. Despite its recent political problems, I’ve felt very safe, so that is still the same.

Every hotel needs one hotel cat, like ours has!

Love

Debx

Debbie BridgeApril 21, 2015December 22, 2023 South East Asia, Thailand, Travel No Comments

Video Blog on Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Malaysia

Below is the link to a video blog on you-tube from Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Malaysia:

Debbie BridgeApril 20, 2015December 19, 2015 Travel, Video Blogs No Comments

Missing Malaysia

We are now in Thailand at Phuket, Kata Beach. It is a bit of a contrast from our time in Malaysia. We are missing Malaysia especially the food.

We are staying at a lovely new hotel close to Kata Beach called the Melody. There is not a lot to do that appeals to us here except chill and relax by the pool. The islands do not appeal as I was here in the 80s and prefer to keep those memories of uncrowded islands rather than go through a reenactment of the Normandy landings. Lots of shops and the massages are cheap but not as good as the ones we had in Malaysia. Phuket has some beautiful and ugly places. The people are friendly but the number of tourists from Russia, England and elsewhere can be a bit overwhelming at times compared to Malaysia.

Food in Thailand is well below par compared with Malaysia. It is not awful just lacks the wow factor. Below some of our foodie experiences from Malaysia. Everywhere we went in Malaysia the food did not disappoint except the Cameron Highlands. Ipoh, Melaka, Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Johor Bahru were all exceptional. I was not expecting to be blown away by the food in Malaysia.

: Dim sum

: Lovely spread

: The cook

: My trolls head or better known as Black Squid Rice

: Strange food

: Fish at Malacca

: More Dim sum

: Street food

: Yummy street food dessert

Our next stop after Thailand will be Vietnam so hoping the food will get better.

Debbie BridgeApril 20, 2015December 27, 2015 Malaysia, South East Asia 1 Comment

Exploring the Cameron Highlands and Penang

Our last week in Malaysia was spent exploring the Cameron Highlands and Penang. I enjoyed the cooler climes of the Cameron Highlands and the delightfully spicy food in Georgetown, Penang. Travelling to the Highlands was simple, we hired a taxi for the grand sum of 150 ringgit and even had a few stops along the way for photos. The trip took a leisurely couple of hours to Brinchang where we stayed a few days. We spent a wonderful day on a tour finding a Rafflesia flower in the semi jungle. We also visited one of the tea plantations to sample the produce.

Brinchang

We stayed in the Copthorne in Brinchang a lovely hotel. My advice would be to stay in the main building and not the apartments. One disappointment was unlike other places in Malaysia the food in Brinchang was decidedly mediocre. We did try a steamboat restaurant but it was all a bit bland and unappealing. I think we really needed someone to help us with our selection and that actually knew what they were doing!

: Our hotel at a cool 18 degrees

: Debbie’s birthday cake from the hotel staff

: Steamboat dinner we did not have a clue what we were doing

: Me and the little house of horrors flower

Day tour of the Highlands

Our day tour of the Highlands with Eco Cameron Highlands Tours started at 9am and finished around 6pm. You definitely get value for money. The jeep was comfortable and the guide Navin was very informative if a little fast when walking through the jungle. After two hours through a lot of sweat and the heat of the hottest part of the day we saw the magnificent rafflesia flower. It only blooms a few days and dies so it was nice to see one in its natural habitat. If your inspired to see this flower then make sure you wear a hat, have good footwear and bring water. At the end of the trek we were given a demonstration of how to use a blow dart pipe which was fun and which we could also try. After lunch we visited the Boh Tea Plantation, one of only two plantations that produce tea in the Highlands. The road to it is not far from Brinchang where we were staying and is a narrow, albeit sealed road. At the end of the road is a tea factory, exhibition and a great cafe with views to die for from there verandah.

The last part of our full day tour was to drive to the highest point in the Cameroon Highlands where from a viewing tower we could see our hotel and a lot of clouds. Afterwards we walked in the Mossy forest which is a bit like being on the movie set of the Lord of the Rings. We had a great full day listening to Navin’s explanation of the forest and the tea plants. I would recommend anyone visiting the Highlands to do this trip.

The Highlands is a bit of a contradiction with a lot of ugly parts, miles and miles of plastic covered greenhouses and the tea plantations are tucked away behind hills. The road through the towns of the Highlands is a narrow one and on either side their appears to be a competition on who can build the ugliest building. In saying that once you get off the trodden path and venture a bit further afield there are some real areas of beauty and of course great tea.

: The Rafflesia

: Tea Plantation

: Mossy forest

: Monkey cup flower

Penang

We took the bus to Penang, we had to change once as the bus had problems but it only took around 3 hours to get their from Brinchang. The bus ticket was a very reasonable 35 ringgit each and the seats were comfortable. During our five days in Penang we visited temples and clan houses, Penang Hill, one night at a world music festival and of course lots and lots of eating. We stayed at the Sunway hotel in Georgetown which was excellent, great pool and the restaurant for breakfast was good.

What we visited

The highlight for me of our visit to Penang was Kek Lok Si temple also known as the temple of Supreme Bliss. The temple is the largest Buddhist temple in South East Asia and split between different levels with the Pagoda, the hall and the large Goddess of Mercy statue overlooking Penang. We climbed to the top of the Pagoda and got some wonderful views and enjoyed the cooling breeze. Throughout the temple complex the Buddhist statues are exquisite and I can see why this is considered one of the finest temple complexes in SE Asia. On the upper level is the large Goddess of Mercy which is impressive. We also enjoyed the nearby gardens and fish pond.

There is a lot to see here. It is easy to get to from downtown Georgetown with the 204 bus which also goes on to Penang Hill. Going up Penang hill on the funicular was ok and the views although misty were nice. However, I would not rush back to do it again. The visit to Kek Lok Si is a great day out for young and old. I would go early when it’s relatively cooler. Bus ticket cost us 2 RM each to get there and another 2 RM to get back from Georgetown. It cost 2 RM for entry to the Pagoda complex and 6 RM return on the short funicular ride to the Goddess of Mercy.

: Clan House

: Inside

: Inside

: Murals in Georgetown

: Mural

The food was superb in Penang and if you want to read more about our visits to restaurants then check out my kiwiinbrighton tripadvisor page. Overall the food was excellent and the service good.

What did our week cost?

This week we travelled only a few hours on a bus from the Cameron Highlands to Penang for our last week in Malaysia.

Brinchang accommodation cost £125 or US$187 for three nights at the Copthorne Hotel
Penang hotel accommodation £239 or US$359 for five nights at the Sunway Hotel where we enjoyed the use of their pool every day after the heat of Penang.
Spending for the week for food, transport, attractions £367 or US$551 or 2000 ringgit

Total Spend for the last eight days: £731 or US$1,099 which works out at US$ 138 per day for two people. I also paid some of the hotel nights from our ringgit which is deducted from the food, transport, etc.

The last week In Malaysia was brilliant. We did a great hike in the Highlands to see the Rafflesia. Penang also was a delight with the murals in Georgetown, the world music festival we attended one night and of course the food.

Debbie BridgeApril 17, 2015October 25, 2023 Malaysia, South East Asia No Comments

Giant Flower, Tea Plantation, Jungle Walk, Street Murals & Much More – Cameron Highlands & Penang, Malaysia

‘And now, this is the sweetest and most glorious day that ever my eyes did see.’ – Donald Cargill

Jungle Hike

I’ve trekked through jungle, had a tea at a tea plantation,

BOH Tea Plantation

seen a centipede in the wild,

Centipede

tasted foods I’ve never tried before

Dim Sum – a banquet of surprises

and, now, fly off to Thailand.

It’s been a brilliant last week in Malaysia.

Cameron Highlands

We went from the Cameron Highlands to Penang – an island in the north known for its excellent food.

John trying some of the street hawkers food in Penang

Also, its known for its wall murals which can be quite the challenge to find, but worth the effort. (more photos of the murals at the end!)

Street Mural

Continuing with the multi-cultural lifestyle of Malaysia, we visited 2 Chinese Clan Houses,

Oldest Clan House in Penang

the Fort Cornwallis,

Fort Cornwallis – Penang, Malaysia

went to the Penang World Music Festival

Penang World Music Festival

and visited a variety of temples.

Chinese Clan House where they filmed ‘Anna and the King’

Trickshaw – one form of public transport

One thing I’ve loved about traveling through Malaysia is how easy its been. Most people speak enough English to easily make travel arrangements, order food and deal with any problems which arise.

I’ve found the people pleasant and friendly. They’ve given us tips on places to visit and helped when we’ve needed it. I look forward to when I may have the opportunity to come back and see even more of this beautiful country.

Penang Beach

It’s funny I’ve always thought of where I come from – Canada, as a young country and my years in Europe have only enhanced that thought process, but, really, Malaysia is much younger, as it wasn’t until the middle of the last century that Malaysia gained its independence from British rule.

Penang Hill – Cable Car

Clan House – where they filmed ‘Anna and the King’

The film ‘Anna and the King’ was filmed in one of the Chinese Clan Houses we visited in Penang. (more photos of the Chinese Clan House are at the end of this blog!) This story is the backdrop for where I am flying to next – another country which has seen many changes over the years – Thailand. I love Thailand and am off for a weeks holiday in Phuket – the south with beautiful beaches, Thai food, massage and many more beautiful people.

Love Debx

Murals of Penang, Malaysia:

Clan House photos:

Debbie BridgeApril 15, 2015November 2, 2024 Malaysia, South East Asia, Travel No Comments

KL food tour and a visit to Ipoh

After a pleseant few days in Malacca we returned to Kuala Lumpur for a further four days at the Invito Hotel. The highlight of our four days was a food culinary tour which took us to Little India and Chinatown. We then headed up to Ipoh where we were told has the best food in Malaysia and one of the gateways to the Cameron Highlands.

Kuala Lumpur

My wife Debbie found on tripadvisor the Food Tour of Malaysia. We booked the tour and met on the day at 11am Charles our knowledgeable and friendly guide. We first headed for Little India where we enjoyed a great Indian meal and ice lemon tea. Then we had some lovely dessert snacks at a nearby hawkers stand. After that we had a lovely cool shaved ice with I have no idea what was in it, but it was tasty. We then had to sit out a downpour at a nearby Indian cafe where I tried banana roti, yummy. Once the downpour stopped we used the monorail to get to Chinatown.

Here we saw a traditional wet market with fish and a range of meats. We finished at a Chinese restaurant trying out several yummy noodle dishes. It was a great day with Charles and one of our highlights in Kuala Lumpur. For US$35 each the food tour was well worth it. Great guide and I learnt a log about different dishes. The remaining few days in KL we spent exploring the city and enjoying the wide range of foods available.

: The cook

: Lovely spread

: Tour group enjoying one of the several meals

: No idea what this was but it was a lovely sweet rice pudding

: Enjoying the infinity pool at our hotel

: Centre of KL

Ipoh

Getting to Ipol was easy. I purchased the day before two tickets on the Gold Express for 70 ringgets. The train took two and a half hours and was comfortable with even a movie to watch. On arrival we took a taxi to the Regalodge for our next three nights.

: On the Gold Express

: Went up to 150km an hour

It was a great few days in Ipoh where we visited a Buddhist cave and ate our way through the town. Dim sum, Northern Indian and traditional Malay food. The Pakeeza restaurant near our hotel also had some lovely food. We had a tasty meal of several dishes including a great butter chicken, dhal palak or yellow lentils and spinach, aloo gobi masala and two thirst quenching mango lassi’s. I enjoyed the dhal the most it was scrummy. Our banquet came to the a total of 73 ringgets or £14 or US$20. Service was good and the decor ok. The other highlight was the Dim sum restaurant. We had breakfast at Foo San. They bring around little trolleys with some of the dim sum. You also line up to get them as well. The dim sum was delicious. Enjoyed the atmosphere of this huge and very busy restaurant.

: Indian meal

: Dim sum

: More Dim sum

: Duck

: Hainan chicken and bean sprouts

: Ipoh train station

If you ever go to Ipoh make sure you visit the KeK Lok Tong Cave Temple and Zen Gardens. They are about 8 km our of town and beautifully set in some lovely gardens. The caves have some wonderful statues and are also a place to escape the heat of the day. We also enjoyed seeing the turtle pond. See if you can spot the giant turtle in the photo.

: Lovely Zen Garden

: Great cave and statues

: Spot the giant turtle

What did our week cost?

This week we travelled to Ipoh before heading on to the Cameron Highlands.

Kuala Lumpur accommodation cost £180 or US$265 for four nights at the Invito Hotel
Ipoh hotel accommodation £80 or US$119 for three nights at the Regalodge
Spending for the week for food, transport, attractions £389 or US$577 or 2087 ringget

Total Spend for one week: £659 or US$978 which works out at US$ 140 per day for two people. It was great to sample the food delights of Kl and Ipoh. Next stop the Cameron Highlands where we plan to drink tea and do some hiking.

Debbie BridgeApril 9, 2015December 22, 2023 Malaysia, South East Asia 4 Comments

Tea, Street Food and Buddist Cave – Kuala Lumpur and Ipoh

‘Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add colour to my sunset sky.’ – Rabindranath Tagore

Seeing as almost every afternoon here in Malaysia has brought thunder showers, today’s quote is very apt for my current lifestyle.

Street Food tour Kuala Lumpur

This week started with a stellar food tour in Kuala Lumpur. We started the tour with the ladies getting jasmine flower bracelets, then to Little India

Jasmine Bracelet

and eating with our right hands only,

People from all over the world joined us on this tour.

after that, some delightful treats at some street vendors

Some tasty snacks at street stall

with a finish in Chinatown. All n’ all – yummy!

Chinatown

Twin Towers of KL

Then we made one final tour of the twin towers of KL to then head off to Ipoh – a place we heard that the food is worth trying and a good way to break up our trip to the Cameron Highlands.

So, our first morning, we tried dim sum.

Dim Sum

It was delicious and so cheap, especially, compared with what the prices are in the West for this food.

There is more in Ipoh than we thought, as we hired a taxi to take us to Kek Lok Tong Cave and Zen Gardens, a bit like the Batu Caves, but cleaner, less crowded and completely different religion. I loved this place as it’s so refreshing, cool and quiet. It was a very beautiful place to find. The Zen gardens are a great place to take a stroll and enjoy the beauty and sculptures. (some more photos of this spot are at the bottom)

Zen Gardens

To help set our mood for the tea plantations in the Cameron Highlands, we went to the STG Tea House Cafe with excellent tea and cakes, plus brilliant WiFi in a nice setting in Ipoh.

STG Tea House Cafe

Then, it was a taxi ride to the Cameron Highlands where I am now, on my birthday and the hotel even fashioned me with a lovely cake. Where has been the most unusal place you’ve spent your birthday or what is the most unusal thing you have done on your birthday?