It's Spring!

Ramen from Yokohama Ramen Museum
I love going to Tokyo, can't deny it. There's just so much to eat there that I've not even bridged the gap to Michelin starred restaurants. Even their average joe's cafe/restaurant serves insanely delicious food. Everything pictured below is less than S$20 per item.

Playing host to an old high school friend who had migrated to Australia with her family eons ago, we did some activities which to me were quite normal, everyday-type affairs.. but to my friend were novelties and cravings-satisfiers.  It's true what they say - you only learn to appreciate things when you no longer have access to them.

First up on her list of cravings - sweet popcorn at the movies.  Now this is definitely something we take for granted.  Whilst us spoilt Singaporeans get a choice of sweet or salted popcorn (or even mixed if you liked!) at the cinema, some other countries, like Australia, only serve salted popcorn.  I've been informed that you can pay a premium for a caramelized version, but those are supposedly tooooo sweet.  Yup, our sweet popcorn is not too sweet, not too tasteless.. it's juuuuuuust nice. ;)  Come to think of it, I think it's the same situation in the U.S.. only salted popcorn available.  Sweet popcorn in hand, we caught Pacific Rim at GV VivoCity since we planned to go into Sentosa later.  It was somewhat enjoyable, but I couldn't help but wonder.. With all that technology powering the Jaegers, couldn't they have added some jetpacks to enable them to fly?  Kinda sad that they have to be air-dropped by helicopters.  I mean, even the Kaijus evolved to be able to fly...

Post-movie, we headed in to Sentosa with the aim of going for a short bike ride.  From the Sentosa Express' Beach Station, we took a short walk to the GoGreen bicycle kiosk (currently located past the beach eateries at this point of writing, but we were informed it would be merging with the GoGreen Segway kiosk just beside the Beach Station next month, so cyclists need no longer take that long walk back to the station after returning your rides. Great idea!).  The staff at the kiosk were really friendly and helpful, and having read up about the hybrid bicycles online, we decided to give those a whirl.  With the rental price being only $3 more than the normal bipedal bikes, of course you should spring for the one with a power boost, unless you're a purist and want to workout those guns.

Tanjong Beach, Sentosa

Never having ridden a hybrid bike before, this experience was a really fun one.  Not to be mistaken that the bike is going to do all the work for you - you still have to pedal before the bike motor gives you the extra boost.  The harder you pedal, the bigger the boost.  No pedal = no move / no boost.  Seriously, you guys have gotta give it a try!  With the extra help, you can easily zip up and down the beach line comfortably in an hour.  Our route was: Kiosk > Palawan Beach > Tanjong Beach > Palawan Beach > Siloso Beach > Kiosk.

Yay to Hybrid Bicycles!

Dinner was a sumptuous seafood feast at House of Seafood, Yio Chu Kang branch.  Do make a reservation before hand to avoid disappointment.  Must-haves: Salted Egg Crab, Fried Mantou, Steamed Bamboo Clam with Minced Garlic.  Cleanse your palate with a pot of Chinese or Chrysanthemum Tea to share.  We had 2 crabs, 6 mantou, 3 clams, a small sliced-fish dish - spent about SGD$80 per pax.  Compared to more mainstream seafood chains, I think this was pretty solid for what had to eat.  Good serving portions as well.  Left the restaurant VERY STUFFED. ;)

Salted Egg Crab

The next day, we met up with another high school friend to have breakfast at a hawker centre near our houses.  In the North-East area, I think the hawker at Kovan (nearest MRT: Kovan MRT on the North-East Line) houses a very large and decent variety of yummy hawker eats.  It's been donkey years since I've last woken up that early to have breakfast at a hawker, and I was pretty surprised at the long hello-kitty queues formed in front of several stalls already.  Singaporeans are really all about the food.  Breakfast, brunch, lunch, tea, dinner, supper.. We eat 24/7, really.

On our table:  Mee-pok, chwee kueh, you-tiao (fried dough fritters), fried carrot cake, soya bean drink, kopi-o siew dai and teh.

Hawker food which I take for granted, my friend craved so badly.. Wonder if I'll crave these too if I'm ever away from SG for an extended period of time.  I think I survived 1 month+ in the U.S. without craving local food.. not sure how I'd fare longer than that.  I think I'm not too big on local eats and can satiate my hunger well with other stuff.. but then again, we'll never know till we get there, will we?

Who would've thought that going to the aquarium was so popular and that my foot would get run over by a stroller?

For a non-gambler like myself, going to Macau would seem meaningless if not hitting the jackpot or baccarat tables. Au contraire my friends, Macau is still full of traditional Portuguese culture and architecture.

Only Tiger Airways flies direct to Macau from Singapore or 1 can consider flying to Hong Kong and taking a ferry (45-60 mins) over. This is however very time consuming in my opinion, especially when flying out.

To put it mildly, Macau is all about the hotel shuttle buses and Portuguese egg tarts.

*Update: Airport limo tickets into the city can now be purchased at the ticket counter near Exit 4 of the airport. You no longer have to purchase the tickets from the bus driver or the ahjussi helping to haul your luggage into the bus. 

This post is focused on my recent trip to Seoul where I did a little more sightseeing than the usual shopping frenzy I get myself into.

Bukchon Hanok Village
Take Subway Line 3 to Anguk Station Exit 3. Walk 250m towards Jungang High School and you will start seeing signs leading to the Bukchon Hanok Village. The houses here have been preserved since the Joseon era and are a real piece of history amidst the hustle and bustle of the city. Do stop at the Bukchon Cultural Centre to get a map of the area. The map highlights the 8 photo spots of Bukchon where you can take scenic photos. Word of caution: the 8 spots are difficult to find even if you follow the map closely and look for the markings on the ground. It will take more than half a day to stop at the coffee shops, browse the quaint curios hand made by the locals and to locate the 8 photo spots. Personally, I only managed to find 2!


Around the Bukchon area


Quaint cafes

Dubai isn't merely a stopover for flights en route to Europe. It really is a burgeoning city for expats and vacationers alike. There are only 2 direct flights to Dubai from Singapore; that being Singapore Airlines and Etihad Airways. Do consider wisely when you intend to visit though, as temperatures can soar as high as 50 degrees celsius in the summer. A good time to visit would be Dec-Mar when the highest day temp is 30 degrees celsius and the night goes to a low of 12. Situated near deserts, Dubai is sandy to say the least. However, Dubai houses some of the world's greatest architectural feats, so the heat and sand is a small sacrifice for architectural buffs like myself. 

Airport customs
You've heard all sorts of stories about customs not allowing visitors into Dubai and throwing them in jail without informing their consulates. My personal opinion is to tread gently in this Middle Eastern country. Clearing customs can take 10mins to an hour depending on your arrival time.

My "bad" experience with Customs here was on departure when I was asked to go to the Customs office to get another stamp on my passport. I was not given a reason as to why I had to do that but the Customs Officer assured me it was alright?! After which I tried to cross the transit area and got promptly yelled at by another Customs Officer. The bottom line; STAY CALM.

Lodging
Hotels in Dubai are notoriously expensive and most hotels are situated along the main stretch of Sheikh Zayed Road. You have the world's only 7* hotel, the Burj Al-Arab, all you can name international brand hotels to the small, dinghy looking hotels along this busy road.

Strawberry marshmallows and freshly baked bread at 台北火车站


Beancurd with peanuts and Bee Tai Mak 米台幕 with peanuts (cold) at 台北火车站

It's been 3 years since I've last been to Hong Kong but nothing has really changed in this packed city state. 吃东西，买东西 indeed. The location of the shops and restaurants have not changed much so just a few new pointers this time round.

On arrival
Hotel transfer from the airport is now very well organised. You meet your local tour representative outside Gate B and they will direct you to Counter 1 where you will be tagged with a letter representing your bus route. Much like clockwork, you will be hustled into groups to board your bus to your respective hotel.

Sightsee
The Symphony of Lights Show begins 8pm every night at the Star Ferry Terminal. Do arrive early in order to snag a good spot for some photography.



At the star ferry terminal day & night

Fried taro cakes and har kau from Sweet Dynasty


Zha Leong and glutinous rice from Sweet Dynasty

Korean Music Wave comes back for a 2nd installment this year on 15 Jul 2011, 730pm at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. The concert line-up includes Big Bang, 2NE1, FT Island, U-Kiss, Miss A, Dal★Shabet, Teen Top, The Boss, Touch and X-5! Concert duration is approximately 3h with Kevin (U-KISS) and Min (Miss A) hosting the show.

Ticket prices are as follows:
Standard - S$318, S$258, S$198, S$148, S$118. Free Standing in Pen A & Pen B - S$318
Add to above price $3 Booking Fee per ticket for tickets above $20 and charges include tax.

1. Getting the tickets

• Getting concert tickets in Singapore is a pretty straight forward process as there is only 1 ticketing agent; Sistic.
• Public ticket sales go on sale at least 1-2 months prior to the concert so do log in to the relevant Facebook or Twitter page for the start date of event sales.
• 3 methods to purchase tickets: call +65 6348 5555 or buy from authorized ticketing agents in Singapore or online at the website. The website is in English and you can either look for your event by the month or category.
• Locate event page and click on "Check Availability or Buy Tickets"
• Check the seating plan and decide on the category of seats you want, price of tickets will auto populate, input quantity and select your preferred seat location. Here you can either let the system pick for you or choose a section that you want.
• Click next and your assigned seat will be chosen. Click on the "View Detailed Seating" for a breakdown of where your seat will be. If unsatisfied, remove selected item from shopping cart and go back to the selection process.
• Select your delivery method and sign in to Sistic (you don't have to be a previous member).
• Following which you will be asked for your credit card details and verification.
• Ticket collection has to be done in person at the Sistic counter in front of the Indoor Stadium or at authorized ticketing agents. Photo identification and the credit card used have to be produced.
• You can also buy tickets at the venue on the day itself but there is no guarantee that you will be able to get one.

Questions & answers about attending a concert in Seoul, Korea for foreigners. Check out the FAQ here.

1 of the best side trips from Hanoi is to go to Halong Bay or Sapa. Halong Bay has been decreed as a UNESCO Heritage site so this was a no-brainer in terms of choosing between Halong Bay and Sapa. You have to book a tour for Halong Bay as all junks operating in the area belong to some tour group or junk company.

Simply put, the amount you are willing to pay for your trip to Halong Bay reflects the condition and type of service you will receive. For US$100, you may get a 1 storey junk and for US$140, a slightly better 2 storey junk with meals included. There are many tour agencies organizing trips to Halong Bay and you can walk around the Old Quarters looking for the best bargain or simply arrange for the trip with your hotel concierge (and with a better peace of mind knowing the junk probably won't sink). We decided to take the Dragon Pearl 2Day 1Night tour with Indochina Junks for US$140 all meals and activities included.

Indochina Junk has Hanoi's finest luxury cruises and we were to board the Dragon Pearl I on arrival at Indochina Junk's jetty. The Dragon Pearl I was launched on June 2010 and the Dragon Pearls are modelled on the traditional Chinese junks that used to sail the Halong waters.

=======
A typical itinerary will be as follows:-

Day 1: Hon Gai Harbour - Bai Tu Long Bay - Thien Canh Son Cave

07.45 Pick up at your hotel in Hanoi by shuttle bus.
12.00 Embark at Hon Gai International harbour.
13.00 Check-in, enjoy a welcoming drink and cruise briefing.
13.30 Have lunch while cruising in the magnificent Bai Tu Long Bay, admiring the fascinating rock formations in the bay.
15.00 Enjoy swimming in the crystal clear water.
15.40 Explore the secluded Thien Canh Son Cave.
16.45 Short cruise to Hon Co Island where you can relax on a white sandy beach, swim or kayak.
18.00 Back to the junk for relaxation.
19.00 Have dinner and stay overnight on board.

Day 2: Vung Vieng Fishing Village - Hon Gai Harbour

07.30 Enjoy the bay’s morning landscape with a cup of tea or coffee. Have breakfast in the open air.
08.30 Visit Vung Vieng fishing village in a rustic rowing-boat, meet the local people and pass through the floating school and fish farms.
09.30 More leisure time for swimming in the middle of the bay.
10.00 Cruise back to the harbour while an a la carte lunch is served.
11.45 Disembark. Farewell.
15.45 Arrive in Hanoi. End of trip.
=======

Pho 24


Many aspects of Beef and Chicken Pho

Good Morning Vietnam! This trip to Hanoi was completed with Tiger Airways from Singapore. Flight cost was S$338/pax and hotel was booked on Agoda for S$39/pax/night. As a side note. there are several "hidden" costs when flying with Tiger. Should you wish to sit in a specific seat, that will cost you an additional S$10-30. Early check-in aka BoardMeFirst will be S$6 (is there really a need to board first?) and convenience fees of S$28 are chargeable (I guess you need to pay to use the toilet on board and for them to roll out the stairs to the plane).

Hanoi is a mere 3h flight from Singapore and is 1h behind Singapore time. Upon arrival at Noi Bai Airport in Hanoi, you will be greeted by a decent immigration counter and do check if you should be checking out from Gate A or B on the screens provided. Your driver, should you have engaged one, will be waiting for you at the respective arrival gate. I'd arranged a driver from the hotel for US$18 (1-way) as the incidence of taxi touting in Hanoi is on a high. On average, the cab ride to your hotel should be US$10-16 for 40-50mins.

The cab ride to the Hanoi Elegance Diamond in the Old Quarters took 40min. At first glance, the Old Quarters seems like an old, derelict and smelly place. Do not be fooled by this first impression; there is much character and activity in this area. A word of advice: if you arrive early in the morning and intend to go to Halong Bay the next day, do book your trip as early as possible and buy tickets to the Water Puppet Show as they sell out early.


Map of The Old Quarters courtesy of Hanoi Elegance Diamond. Click to Enlarge.

The Art Science Museum is located within the vicinity of Marina Bay Sands Hotel in Singapore. The museum is designed by renowned architect Moshe Safdie and features 21 gallery spaces totaling 50,000 sq ft of exhibition area. This equates to 4 levels of exhibition space with level 2 out of bounds to visitors. The museum plays hosts to exhibitions curated by leading museums and collections.


Marina Bay Sands Hotel and the Art Science Museum

Getting to the Art Science Museum
Conveniently located in the central district and within walking distance from the Marina Bay Sands Hotel, the museum is also accessible from the Promenade MRT on the Circle Line (10mins walk) or the City Hall MRT on the North-South Line (15mins walk). You can also take the bus, cab or drive here.

At the time of writing, there are 3 ongoing exhibits at the museum; Dalí: Mind of a Genius – The Exhibition 14 May - 30 October 2011, Van Gogh Alive - The Exhibition 16 April - 6 November 2011 and Shipwrecked: Tang Treasures and Monsoon Winds 19 February - 31 July 2011. Tickets are priced at S$30 per adult and gives you access to all exhibits in the museum. Tickets can be purchased on Sistic or at the museum box office. Do keep your ticket with you throughout your time in the museum as you will need the ticket to exit.

It's hot out, you want some sun but with an ambient setting. Look no further than the beach bars on Sentosa, Singapore.

Sentosa now has many beach-front dining venues which include Coastes, the Bikini Bar, Café del Mar, Azzura Beach Club and Tanjong Beach Club (of which Cafe del Mar, Azzura and Tanjong Beach Club have pools). Wave House Sentosa is also where you can go for some surfing fun.

Getting into Sentosa

• Monorail - entry is at the 3rd level of VivoCity and per trip ticket will cost $3 for an adult. It tends to get crowded on weekends so expect to wait up to 45mins. Monorail will take you in to Resort World Singapore and the Beach Station
• Bus - buses can be found all around VivoCity so do check which bus you can take on the Internet. Per ride should set you back $1.50-$2
• Car/taxi - Entry per car is $7 and taxi should be slightly cheaper

Dining
Café del Mar
Food: Crowned as 1 of 2010's Best Restaurants, the quality of food here is equivalent to the price you're paying for.


Chicken Aglio Olio and Fettucine Champignon @ Café del Mar, Sentosa

For foreigners, attending a Kpop concert entails air ticket, the uncertainty of getting tickets, getting to the venue and also navigating your way around the concert venue. So here is my blow by blow account made easy on what I did to get my Big Bang Big Show 2011 concert tickets.


Concert venue

1. Getting the tickets

• Tickets for Kpop concerts can usually be purchased from Gmarket or Interpark. Most agencies use Gmarket (you can use English Gmarket instead of the Korean one. Click on Site Map to access the ticketing section). As a foreigner, we have to contend with the speed of the Internet in Korea and also the use of Korean language on the purchase site.
• Though Big Show was for 3 days, the tickets on Day 1 sold out within 5mins of my logging in. So always prepare your Gmarket account first by logging in and having your google translate and details ready.
• If you have a faster LAN connection, use it. Koreans use optic fiber Internet.
• Once you've managed to enter the Gmarket site and clicked on the seats and category you want, check-out the seats and pay for the tickets using your foreign credit card (Master or Visa).
• Do note however that Gmarket requires you to register the tickets on payment using a Korean address. I suggest using Gmarket's corporate address in Seoul and put your passport name and your international mobile number (to be later used for verification purposes at the venue). Gmarket will not be sending your ticket to their office; you must exchange your e-ticket for the actual hard copy on the performance date. If you've put your Korean friend's home address when ordering, the ticket will be sent to your friend's address (not to Gmarket office, so be patient).
• Once payment is confirmed, print the e-ticket and do bring a copy to the venue so that the staff can find your hard copy ticket during exchange. E-ticket is not allowed for entry. You must exchange for hard copy ticket.
• If you did not manage to purchase the ticket on the first day, don't panic. Koreans tend to release their spare tickets later in the week so getting some less than desirable seats is still better than NOT having tickets at all.
• Lastly, you can always buy the ticket at the venue but there's no guarantee that you'd get one as there are many Koreans queuing for tickets as well.

The true purpose of this trip of course was to see Big Bang's Big Show 11. Despite all the standing around for hours in the miserable cold, the concert was definitely worth it.

Fuel taxes to Japan and Korea have increased so this trip was completed with Korean Air (S$835nett). Having lodged at Eastgate Tower 6 months ago, a hotel change was in need so Western Co-op was given a go. (S$70/night) Western Co-op is within the proximity of Myeongdong and Dongdaemun and is a mere 5-7mins walk to hello apM and the Dongdaemun History and Cultural Park train station.

Getting into Seoul
The airport limousine from Incheon Airport starts at 5am in the morning and the bus to take to Western Co-op would be bus no. 6001 at bay 6A or 12B (depending on your arrival gate). The bus fare has increased to 14,000won and you would need to inform the ahjussi at the bus bay of where you intend to stop. He will tag your bag accordingly and you proceed to pay your driver. The bus ride to Seoul is approximately 1-1.5h with various stops at Myeongdong, before arriving at Uljiro 4-ga right in front of Western Co-op. You just need to drag your bags up the walk way and into the lobby.



Incheon Airport: Bus 6001 and en-route to Western Co-op

Another trip to Seoul in the winter but not as many food piks as I'd have liked. Was busy going to Big Bang's Big Show 11 concert.


First lunch in Seoul; Porridge and seafood ramyun in Dongdaemun


Ramyun with rice cakes and Beef bibimbap @ Express Bus Terminal