Guangzhou Draft Itinerary (6 Days)

As promised, this is my draft itinerary for Guangzhou. :) Hope this helps!

Day 1

1. Ancestral Temple of Chen (陈家祠)
Subway: Line 1 to Chen Clan Academy Station (陈家祠) (Exit D to the main entrance)
Recommended time of visit: 45 mins
Operating Hours: 8.30AM - 5.30PM
Fee: CNY10

2. Shamian Island （沙面岛）
Subway: Line 1 to Huangsha Station（黄沙) (Exit F - 走到天桥对面通过去沙面岛的小桥）

3. 6 Banyan Temples (六榕寺）
Subway: Transfer station of Line 1 and Line 2 Gongyuanqian Station (公园前）(Exit B - walk 5 mins from subway to temple)
Recommended time of visit: 1 hour
Operating Hours: 9.00AM - 5.20PM
Fee: CNY5 (temple); CNY10 (6 Banyan Pagoda)

4. Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street （上下九路）
Subway: Line 3 to Changshou Lu （长寿路）
(Exit D1 - turn right and you will see the signal board about how go to the Holiday Inn Shifu Hotel. Walk along the street to the McDonald’s at the end of the street and turn left. This is Di Shi Fu Road that is next to the Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street.)
Operating Hours: Till 10.30PM

Estimated Total Admission Fee Day 1: CNY 55

Day 2

1. White Cloud Mountain (白云山）
Subway: Line 3 to Meihuayuan Station （梅花园）
(walk about 1200m to 白云山梅花园)
Recommended time of visit: Half-day
Entrance Fee: CNY 5
Other Fee:-
1. Cable Car: CNY 25 (upper); CNY 20 (lower); CNY 45 (round-trip)
2. Sightseeing Bus: CNY 10
3. Other places:-
 CNY 10: Yuntai Garden
 CNY 10: Bird Spring Valley Park (Mingchun Valley)
 CNY 5:   Moxing Ridge (Star-Scraping Ridge)
 CNY 5:   Guangzhou Forest of Steles
 CNY 5:   Peach Blossom Brooklet
 CNY 3:   Xinghai Garden

2. Tee Mall
Subway: Transfer Station of Line 1 & Line 3 - Tiyuxi Lu (体育西路）

3. Canton Tower (广州塔）
Subway: Line 3 to Canton Tower Station/Chigang Pagoda Station (广州塔/赤岗塔) - (Exit A)
Recommended time of visit: 1 hour
Opening hours: 9.30AM - 10.30PM
Ticket Price:-
1. Zone A-C (Ground – 32F) - CNY 50
2. Zone D (33F-67F) - CNY 100
3. Zone E (68F-107F) - CNY 150

Bundle Ticket Price:-
 1. Zone D + Spiderwalk - CNY 190
2. Zone E + Spiderwalk - CNY 230
3. Zone E + Ferris Wheel - CNY 260
4. Zone E + Mega Drop - CNY 260 
5. Zone E + 488 Lookout - CNY 280

Estimated Total Fee Day 2: CNY 50

Day 3

Chimelong Resort (Chimelong Paradise & Chimelong International Circus)
Subway: Line 3 to Hanxi Chang Long Station (汉溪长隆)
(Exit A - cross the overbridge to take free shuttle bus to the Chimelong Resort)
Free Shuttle bus: Every 10 minutes from 08:30 to 19: 40, and every 15 minutes from 19:55 to 22:15.
Park hours for Chimelong Paradise: 9.30AM - 10.00PM
Circus show time: 7.30PM - 8.50PM
Chimelong Paradise: CNY 250
Circus: CNY 280
Paradise + Circus: CNY 475

Estimated Total Fee Day 2: CNY 475

Day 4

1. Guangdong Museum (广东省博物馆)
Subway: Transfer station of Line 3 and Line 5  - Zhujiang New Town Station (珠江新城）(Exit B1 - walk 10 mins to the museum)
Opening hours: 9.00AM-5.00PM
Entrance fee: FREE (need to show passport)

2. Grandview Mall (正佳广场）
Subway: Transfer Station of Line 1 & Line 3 - Tiyuxi Lu (体育西路）
(Exit B - Intersection of Tianhe Road and Tiyu Road East)

3. Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall（孙中山纪念馆）
Subway: Line 2 to Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall Station (纪念堂）(Exit D)
Recommended time of visit: 45 mins
Opening hours: 8.00AM- 6.00PM
Fee: CNY 10

4. Yue Xiu Park (越秀公园)
Subway: Line 2  to Yuexiu Park Station (越秀公园)
(Exit B1 - to the main entrance of the park)

Estimated Total Fee Day 4: CNY 10

Day 5

1. Nansha Tian Hou Palace (南沙天后宫）
Subway: Line 4 to Jiaomen Station (焦门）
(Take bus Nansha No.4 to TianHou Palace East Entrance)
Opening hours: 8.30AM - 6.00PM
Fee: CNY 20

2. Lingnan Impression Park (岭南印象园)
Subway: Line 4 to Higher Education Mega Center South Station (大学城南站）
(Exit B - walk along Daxuecheng Zhongwu Road for about 800m to the park)
Opening hour: 9.00AM - 5.00PM
Fee: CNY 60

3. Beijing Road (北京路）
Subway: Transfer station of Line 1 and Line 2 Gongyuanqian Station (公园前）
(Exit C - walk along the road for 5 mins)

Estimated Total Fee Day 5: CNY 80

Day 6

1. Sacred Heart Cathedral (耶穌聖心主教座堂)
Subway: Transfer station of Line 2 and Line 6 - Haizhu Square (海珠广场）
(Exit B2 - walk west along Yide Road （一德路）to find the cathedral)
Opening hours: 8.00AM - 5.30PM

2. The Western Han Museum of Nan Yue King (西汉南越王墓博物馆）
Subway: Line 2 to Yuexiu Park (越秀公园）
(Exit E - turn right and walk 100m to museum)
Opening hours: 9.00AM - 5.30PM
Fee: CNY 12

3. Site of Nan Yue Kingdom Palace
Subway: Transfer station of Line 1 and Line 2 Gongyuanqian Station (公园前）
(Exit E)

4. Taikoo Hui Mall (太古汇)
Subway: Line 3 to Shipaiqiao Station (石牌桥）
(Exit to BRT Taikoo Hui -follow the sign)

Estimated Total Fee Day 6: CNY 12

Total Estimated Admission Fee for 6 Days: CNY 682

Websites which helped me in my process of planning are as follows:-
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/guangzhou.htm
http://www.guangzhoutravelguide.com/about_guangzhou

Also remember to download the app 'Guangzhou Metro' from the App Store. Not sure if this app is available for Android though.

Researching about Guangzhou makes me fall in love with that place already but sadly I'm not going there this time. :( Read this somewhere, 'You're not in China until you get cheated once by a Chinese'. It was hilarious. I actually couldn't stop laughing for several minutes after reading that statement. I've only been to China once and that was to Xiamen. It was a business trip so I couldn't comment much about the culture there.

That's all for now! My confirmed upcoming trips are Langkawi and Krabi. I really can't wait! :)

(Important) Steps to draft a travel itinerary

Hello. It has been awhile since I wrote anything here. I'm doing good so far. :) By the way, the bf suggested that I should start a new blog to record down all the places that we have been to and also for the purpose of sharing our itineraries with people whom rely on blogs to get information on the places that they're going *cough. me. cough* My reaction was like, "Nobody is going to read what I write" and "I don't have the time to blog" and "I am a lazy pig". However, I was quite surprised to see my Bangkok Itinerary post and Bangkok Day 1 & 2 post to be viewed so frequently; 164 and 211 counts respectively. That is like, woah. So yeah, maybe I could start sharing more of food and travel posts in my blog. :)

I remember mentioning about updating about my drafting of Guangzhou itinerary for the bf but sadly the itinerary is in my laptop. Will share it here when I have the time. Promise! I have a hard time drafting Guangzhou's itinerary because I'm a half-banana. Haha. I know a little bit of Chinese but researching about something in Chinese is quite difficult for me. But I really like researching about new places and then put these pieces of puzzles together. It's fun! So how do I draft out my itinerary? I follow a few easy steps to get a draft out and then update my draft accordingly as at when I have new details to add in. Here are the basic steps that I follow:-

Destination

1. List down a few places/countries which you would like to visit. 
2. Choose a destination. (this is quite obvious, I know. Haha.)
3. Wait for cheap flights. (seriously this is what I usually do. I'd wait. Hahaha)

Flight Ticket

1. Choose the travel date with the cheapest flight ticket. (I am a budget traveler, so no choice but to fly with Air Asia almost all the time and I usually buy my flight ticket during promotional period)

*To save cost, I usually don't purchase travel insurance, baggage and in-flight meals when I'm traveling within Malaysia. 

Drafting Itinerary

1. Find the list of attractions for the place you're visiting.
2. Find a hotel nearby the subway station (very important)
3. Read on lots and lots of reviews especially on Trip Advisor and Agoda before proceeding with your hotel booking. (extremely important)
4. Find the subway map (applicable only if there's subway of course)
5. Look for reviews on the places of attractions which you have listed down and eliminate whichever unnecessary (some places are really not worth your time if you have a tight schedule)
6. Finalise the places which you're going to visit and search for the directions to those places. (how to go there?)
7. To also jot down the admission fee (if any) and the operating hours for each place. 
8. After you have all the information as stated above, start to draw up a plan as to which places you would like to visit on Day 1, Day 2 and etc.
9. Estimate the known cost which you would have to incur for this entire trip i.e. total admission fee and total transportation fee. (at least you'd know how much you have to set aside when you're there)

A very important note:-

To ALWAYS know how much you have spent before the trip (on your flight ticket) and during the trip so that you won't overspend the next time you're there. 

But remember that your itinerary is only meant to be a guide. You can always choose not to follow it during the trip. I'm speaking from experience on this matter. I was so excited before my Korea trip to the extent that I spent too much time on my travel itinerary. So when my actual plan deviated from my planned itinerary, I got so fed up and it slightly ruined my mood for the entire trip. To stay calm when your plan is not being followed is difficult for people like me. However, staying calm is very important especially when you're traveling in a group. There is no point in being moody if other people refuse to follow your plan. The main objective of the trip should be to enjoy yourself and also to relax and not just to realise your itinerary.

I really hope that this helps some of you who are in the midst of planning your upcoming trip. :) Till next time!

林俊傑《只要有你的地方》

This is my favourite song for the time being. Meaningful song lyrics; touching movie trailer. You guys should really check it out in the cinema next year. The title of the movie is 消失的情人 (The Secret).

你是我肩膀堅定的力量
聽不到你的迴響 還真說不出晚安
懶洋洋 因為互相在依傍
時間怎麼過去 有你也不會冤枉
為誰辛苦為誰忙 只為了和你分享

只要你的淚光 照耀著我胸膛
只要我的生命 你肯讓我安放
不管外面風雨有多煩亂 日子過得再緊張
我的情緒 你的表情 就能釋放

只要在你目光 看得見的地方
我會永遠記住 要活得更堅強
要是人生難免有遺憾
有你在身旁 已經是最好的補償
你是我身影流浪的方向
汗水找到你的臉 世態炎涼也無妨
我抬頭 看你像看到月亮
你低頭 會不會想我 像思念故鄉
為誰辛苦為誰忙 眼中有對方不慌不忙

只要你的淚光 照耀著我胸膛
只要我的生命 你肯讓我安放
不管外面風雨有多煩亂 日子過得再緊張
我的情緒 你的表情
我們再不用隱瞞 卸下武裝

只要在你目光 看得見的地方
我會永遠記住 要活得更堅強
要是人生難免有遺憾
有你在身旁 試問我們還想怎樣
艱苦又怎樣 有你的地方 
人生就不需要什麼答案

.

4 more months

Hi, I'm here to remind you that we only have another 4 more months before the end of 2015. Time flies when you're a grown up, especially being an auditor. I'm blogging from work again. Haha. I realized that my hip grew fatter and wider after since I started working. How how?? :( What I do everyday is to sit in front of my laptop. I don't want big butt. :(

Anyways, it has been 2 months since I last blogged and nothing much has changed except the fact that I'm happier at work now. Changed boss and my new boss doesn't give us pressure so it's no longer an issue to go back at 5.45P.M. sharp. Just came back from Xiamen, China last week. Went there for work and I really didn't like it. So many people came to me saying that they envy me for having the privilege to travel abroad for business trips. It was rather annoying (slightly annoying) because I wasn't happy about it. I hate to be away from my boyfriend. I hate to step out of my comfort zone. Ugh. Never mind that. I'm back now and it's all that matters. Traveling down south next month. No matter how much I hate to be away, that is something I have to deal with for the next 2 years. So, yeah. Embrace it or leave it. For my case, I can only embrace it. Leaving isn't really an option.

Went back to Penang last weekend and so glad that I did. Everyone missed me and I felt really at home. Didn't expect people to remember me the way that they did. Maybe that's why we call those people 'family'. Satisfied almost all of my cravings. Didn't managed to have tomyam mee though. :(

Last year, I was so certain that I wouldn't spend so much money on a convocation but I was wrong. After a long and hard thought, I have decided to attend my once in a lifetime convocation even though it would burn a hole in my pocket. What's the point of studying so hard when you don't even get the chance to wear the graduation robe? 3 October 2015. I'm marking that date down. :)

The next destination on my list is Krabi. Birthday trip! So excited. :) I look forward to every trip with you. I always feel that where you go to doesn't matter; whom you go with matters. That is very true.

The economy is so bad right now. *SIGH*

Okay, time to pack my bags and go home. Goodbye!

An unintentional long post

I have always been constantly reminding myself that change is inevitable. No matter how much preservative you add into your tiny little life potion, you can never really preserve the intangible things in your life. As much as you want things to remain the same after a while, a little voice inside your head would let you know how foolish that thought is because you know that it is quite impossible for change not to happen.

Recently, I noticed changes in many things. I realized that some things have changed. People I know have changed. And the most unsurprising change I noticed was the change I saw in myself. Tell me, how not to change when you’re away from your friends and family and have to deal with shit all on your own? It has been half a year now and I would still be struck with sudden home sickness. I don’t care if such words are even proper words because when one is homesick, you don’t question her grammar and vocabulary.

I’m glad that being away from my family makes me appreciate them more. I never thought that I could be on the phone with my mum for more than an hour. I never thought that I would be thankful that I have an aunt who lives here permanently. I never thought that I would cry so much when I started to miss home. I never thought that I would feel lonely and defeated on some random days. I never thought that I have the strength to still face everyone with a smile on my face even though I’m dying to cry on the inside.

So, yeah. Starting over in someplace new is beyond hard. I am blessed because God arranged a boyfriend for me long before I came down to KL to start off my new life. Nothing is ever the same without him. Things would be a whole lot harder if I were to conquer every obstacle on my own. So I am really thankful and grateful to have him in my life. He really is a blessing and I cannot emphasize that enough.

I really have nothing to worry about at the moment but my hair fall problem has been bothering me since forever and it is getting worse. It saddens me to see my hair fall so much. :( Am I going to die soon? Tried various hair products but nothing works. Tried cutting my hair shorter than I wanted it to be, but still it doesn’t solve my hair fall problem. This is annoying. I don’t want to be bald! :’(

Can’t wait to go back to Penang. Air Asia is having a promotion now and a one-way ticket to Penang only costs RM10.61. But I have to take quite a number of days of leave so don’t think I’m going to take that offer. Already bought my August flight last month and I can’t wait to go home.

Recently, something else is bothering me. I can’t get over the fact that it’s already the middle of 2015. What is this? How did it happen? What happened? When I was complaining to JH how expensive my rental is and how unhappy I am living there, he told me that it would be better if I use the money to pay for the housing loan of our house. Yes, he mentioned ‘our house’. I thought he was joking but he was so serious about it. Last two days, he gave me a random phone call when I was at work telling me that he would bring me to the site of the new housing project to have a look at its location. I was… out of words. He even told his parents about his intention of buying a house, with me. I called and told my mum about it later on that night. She was supportive of me buying a house jointly with him but her next question took me by surprise. She asked, ‘You’re really buying a house in KL and don’t plan to come back to live in Penang anymore?’ I wanted to cry. But instead I acted cool and told her, ‘No choice because JH is in KL so I think next time I would probably be living here too.’ She kept quiet for a few seconds and continued the conversation as normal. But deep down I know that she’s sad and there were a few times when I caught her crying when I called her previously. I guess it is really difficult for a mother to fully let go of their children. After the conversation, I was quite moody for a while. All sorts of worries and thoughts came rushing to me - the house, the money for the house, my family, his family, my future, our future, marriage, responsibilities and etc. I’m having a panic attack. It makes me feel overwhelmed and it’s too much to take in at the moment.

All the while these are the thoughts that I’ve had in my head. I’ve yet to prepare myself for this but his determination to plan for our future is another form of security for me. I feel safe and secure holding onto the thought of my future, our future. Hopefully things will turn out to be okay for us. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Besides that, everything else is alright. I finally found someone whom I can talk to at work. This person told me that she wanted to get to know me better when she first saw me at work and surprisingly I felt the same way! Haha. She’s a really good listener which makes me feel comfortable because I talk a lot. Haha. God is really good. At least I no longer feel lonely at work. Glad that I’ve known a bunch of good colleagues from various departments. They’re all really friendly and helpful. Therefore, I can only say that I’m a really lucky girl to be able to meet all those nice people at work.

I think internal audit is okay. Not fun, not boring but just fine.  External audit would teach you more stuff but at least I’m still learning from what I’m doing at IOI now. So, no complaints. For now. Haha.

I’ve learned not to complain so much about everything and find joy in little things that happen in everyday life. Sometimes the little things define your happiness. Sometimes it’s the little things that matters.

The other day I was telling my friend about how I lack charisma and sophistication. She scolded me for being so negative and told me that I am charismatic because charisma was what she saw in me when she first met me. I was flattered of course because that really was a huge compliment. So I always remind myself to be a little bit more optimistic than I am. Because as cliché as it is, optimism is the key to happiness.

I’m currently in the midst of planning Guangzhou’s itinerary for the boyfriend. He’s going on a boys-only adventure soon. Haha. Looking forward to Krabi! It’ll be my birthday trip for next year. :) I’m glad that JH and I both love traveling. We plan to travel at least once a year no matter how busy we are. Guess life’s all about living, eh?

My colleagues used to ask me, ‘Why are you going back so early?’ and I used to tell them, ‘Because I have a life’, which is true because my life isn’t all about work. I’d rather lay on the bed with a book in my hand than to spend unnecessary time at work.

Speaking of work, I really need to get back to work. Blogging from work again! Goodbye. Till next time.

Bangkok Trip 2015 (Day 3 & Day 4)

Day 3 (4/5/15)

We left the hotel at about 10 something and went to Erawan Shrine (4-Faced Buddha). It is said that praying there makes your wishes come true. I'm not sure how true that myth is but I did not pray because I was having my period. You shouldn't pray or step into the temple if you're having your period. You have to be pure and clean in order to enter any sacred place.

We traveled from On Nut Station to Chit Lom Station using our One-Day BTS Pass. (We bought a new One-Day Pass) It was easy to find Erawan Shrine as it was always crowded with people. So the boyfriend and the brother prayed there while both of us girls waited. (The bro's gf didn't pray because she's a Christian)

The crowd at Erawan Shrine.

We spent about less than 30 minutes there and went over to Central World Plaza which was located diagonally opposite Erawan Shrine. We literally spent only 15 minutes there because there was nothing to shop there. The whole mall was very quiet and slow; I could barely see any shoppers there. We left Central World Plaza and went to Terminal 21 after that.

Terminal 21 has 9 levels and each floor has a different country theme. Be sure to visit the toilet at every floor! I only visited Japan's and New York's. Haha. I like the fact that you can find almost anything there and I personally like the Japan floor. One more thing is that the food court, Pier 21, on the 5th floor, is a must-visit if you're at Terminal 21. You can find cheap and tasty food there. A plate of chicken rice costs only 300baht. I'm serious. We really enjoyed the food there. Both of us spent only 180baht in total for our food! How cheap is that?

To get to Terminal 21, take BTS to Asok Station and then take Exit 1 or 3 to get to the skybridge to the mall.

We left Terminal 21 at around 1.30P.M. and took a BTS to Siam Station. Next stop was After You at Siam Paragon! :) I was looking forward to this because I'm a huge dessert lover. After You is a famous dessert cafe in Bangkok and it's located at the basement level of Siam Paragon. 

Yes, there's always room for dessert. :)

The queue was horrible. But luckily we only waited for about 30 minutes for a table. The staffs were very efficient in cleaning up the tables.

We took a number and waited for our turn.

I was afraid that the cafe would be overrated because it was so popular and highly recommended by so many people. However, I was convinced after trying their green tea toast. IT WAS SO DARN GOOD.

Green tea toast.

The boyfriend ordered this because the name of this drink was 'World's Best Iced Chocolate"

It was really tasty :D

Mini banana crumble! So cuteeeee.

I can't remember the exact price for each dessert but I think the average price of a dessert is around 170-260baht, regular price of a dessert at a cafe in KL so I think it was quite reasonable.

After dessert, we took BTS to Saphan Taksin Station (Silom Line), and waited for Asiatique's free shuttle boat at Sathorn Pier. There's a shuttle boat to and from Asiatique every 15 minutes so we didn't have to wait too long for the shuttle boat.

Asiatique at night.

Image from Google.

Asiatique has 10 warehouses and every warehouse has different things to offer. There are many things to shop at Asiatique but the prices there are a lot steeper as compared to the prices in Chatuchak Market.

Due to the lack of time there, we didn't manage to explore all 10 warehouses. We linger aimlessly around Warehouse 4 and 6 and finally went to Naraya in Warehouse 1 to get souvenirs for my mum and his mum. The price of Naraya goods were so much cheaper there so the dearest bought me a bag too! :)

<3 Favourite photo of us of the entire trip! *we were wearing our new couple T-shirts that we bought from Chatuchak Market!*

Next up - Asiatique Sky a.k.a. Ferris wheel! I have no idea why but I fancy Ferris Wheels very much. :) We paid 300baht per person for the tickets. You can find out more about it here.

 

#nofilter

Then we met up with the bro and the gf for dinner. There were too many restaurants to choose from but we ended up choosing Fire & Dine! So glad that we have chosen that restaurant because I love the ambiance there and the food were so good and of reasonable prices too! The live band there played music which lifted up the mood of the whole place. :) A really good way to end our day!

Now, let the pictures of food do the talking.

Satay! Yums.

Their signature grilled chicken!

Chang Beers for the ladies. :D

I only managed to take photos of 2 of the dishes because I was too hungry. Hehe. We left Asiatique quite early as we were already exhausted by 8.30P.M. We wanted to go for another round of massage that day but by the time we reached our hotel, it was already 10P.M. However, we still managed to shop a bit at the night market near our hotel though.

The next morning, we woke up early and took a taxi to Don Muang Airport at 5A.M. because the genius receptionist told us that it could take up to 2 hours to reach the airport if the traffic is heavy. It's always better to reach early rather than to miss our flight, so yeah, no complaints. And for Laneige fans, please stock up your skincare at their Duty Free Shop! So much cheaper as compared to the price of Laneige in Malaysia. :)

That's all for my short getaway! I hope that this post would help those who are interested to visit Bangkok in the near future! :)

Additional information:-

• Erawan Shrine (4 faced Buddha) – Take BTS to Chit Lom. It's located in front of Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel, corner of Ploenchit and Ratchadamri Road.
• Operating hours for Asiatique - 5P.M. till midnight