16-day Eurotrip 2016 Turkeye : Cappadocia & Istanbul

21st- 24th April 2016

So we have decided to take Europe for year 2016. Yay!~

I took us almost 24 hours on the go before we arrived our first destination, Cappadocia. we arrived at Gerome Cave house in the night time, and we were so drained in excitement to finally get a proper bed to sleep. 

This region is located at the central of Turkey and the weather was super chilly in the morning ,and worse in the night time.

Our stay at the cave house came with complimentary breakfast.

We enjoyed the breakfast while observing the hot air balloon in the freezing morning sky. What a wonderful start of a day. 

It was an impromptu itinerary when we booked a tour around Gerome. 

We went to a few attractive valleys around the regions, yes, this place offers a numbers of valleys to explore and the view was breathtaking. 

We were also brought to the underground city, where the ancient people survived from the war in the old days.

And got lunch, we were served with main dish of turkish-styled couscous with chicken. And now, seeing back this pic I can feel my mouth starts watering. Craps!

Apart from hot balloon air, Gerome is also well known of its cave houses. And we took the opportunity to stay there to experience sleep in the freezing night.I tell you, it was awesomely cold!

Sunrise in Gerome was not something to be missed when reaching here. The view was indeed spectacular, with hot air ballon filled the Gerome air.

From Capp, we flew back to Istanbul. In here, it is a bit hotter and chaotic that Gerome. The attractions are a lot more to visit and appreciate.

We took the chance to cross Bosphorus ferry cruise as well. The breeze was so cold and yet it was an enjoyable cruise.

We dropped our luggage and backpacks at the apartment before we left to city. First of all, having lunch overseeing the Blue Mosque.

We purchased Istanbul card for easy accessibility of its public transportation to go  around and about Istanbul city.

Amongst other places we went were the well-known Hagia Sophia, Sultan Ahmet Camii (Blue Mosque) and Istiklal street (tram).

Oh yes! It was my birthday. Wee~ So we had a little cake session while enjoying the evening view around Sultanahmet area.

It was a wrap up for our days in Turkey. And we were just ready to move to next destination. Strolling around the Blue Mosque in the morning was a bliss. It was not as hectic as in the other time whereby the pedestrians were very minimum at this hour. And definitely I took chance for selfie on the go. Ha ha~

Prince Residence Chiang Rai & Night Bazaar Hotel Chiang Mai

31 Dec 2015

It is year end, and our next destination is so -called chilled city, Chiang Mai. You're not gonna waste the chance visiting Chiang Rai as you hv reached Chiang Mai.

In Chiang Rai , we stayed at Prince Residence. The location is strategically in the city, whereby the nightmarket is within the walking distance. 

I mean, it is just next to the hotel! The hotel owner is really accommodating. From the hotel info,  the iron is not provided by the hotel.Nevertheless, we took chance to request for it.

And guess what, the owner has lugged iron board all the way  from the house next to the residence. What an effort.  With its economy class range hotel, I think the hotel is really satisfactory and worth our money.

In Chiang Mai we stayed in Night Bazaar hotel.  And as it is named after, the hotel is just walk away from night bazaaar.

On the night time, Chiang Mai is busy with night market with assortment of handicrafts, blouses, dresses( and I got myself a bunch of them too!).

The halal food is also easy to find from the hotel, as it is nearby to Masiid Hidayah. Personally it is not as comfy as the one in Chiang Rai despite the same price that we paid. But , considering other upside of staying in the hotel especially its strategic location,  I think it is recomendable for those who plan to stay in the budget hotel in Chiang Mai.

Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai for New Year 2016

31st Dec- 4th Jan 2016


Yes, it has been ages since my trip to Chiang Mai, and only now I managed to find time to write about the trip. So many worldly commitments that I hv to oblige that writing this entry has become the least thing that I remember to finish. Walaweiii...

The first location we went was historical temple ,Wat Phra Keaw.

We have our tour around and inside out the temple, and had some shopping free, as the is also market nearby selling local handicrafts.

Then we went to next temple, Wat Chedi Luang. Info from our tour guide, it took three decades for this structure to be built.

The weather was sunny, but the wind was chilly. So we went to the inside of the temple, and the interior is indeed amusing.

We had our lunch in Chiang Mai before we proceed to go to long haul drive to Chiang Rai.

On the second day, we started our tour to Hill Tribe Village which resides Karen Long Neck tribe.

 

This village has been commercialize as tourist spot, where we can see the Myanmar refugees  who have migrated to Thailand. And they made money buy selling handicrafts to the incoming tourists.

This lady is said as the oldest one in this village, thus she has become one of tourist attraction to take picture with.

 

The next place was to visit Mae Fah Luang Garden. It is a huuuuuge flower garden. Situated at the peak of Doi Tung, the place is windy and chilly. And we certainly enjoyed it the most.

We have had our lunch at Mae Sai city, while waiting for our guides to perform Jumaat prayer. We crossed Mae Sai Thailand-Burma border to visit Myanmar land.

Oh yes, it was totally different experience and it felt as if we were thrown to the 20th century. The poor rate in the city is so obvious and even we can smell it literally. We have been in the city just a few hours but I was already itching to return to Thailand. huhu.

We were brought to temple and mosque and its flea market before we proceed to our next destination.

The next place we went was Laos. Yes, Laos country. The territory of Mae Sai, Burma and Laos as Golden Triangle. Again, we boarded speedboat to cross the Mekong River to reach Laos.

 

At night time, we have had our delicious dinner at Thai Muslim restaurant. The portion is big, and the price is surprisingly cheap!

We went to night market and did some shopping before we called it a day.

On the third day, we decided an impromptu plan to visit Black House.  The house is made of teak and it is all in black!

We returned to Chiang Mai on the same day and our next destination was The White Palace. There were loads of visitors to this palace. We were awed by the modern architecture of white palace. We went for a tour around the palace before proceed to lunch , and yes, to our hotel in Chiang Mai.

It was time to recharge!

On the following day, we have our tour at various handicraft center in  Chiang Mai, and one of the spots was Umbrella Making Center.

We were also brought to another temple at the hilltop using cable car, Doi Suthep.

This is the photo taken at city moat. This has not to be missed when you visit Chiang Mai, ok!

We have come to the last day of our trip, and the first thing to have for our final breakfast is Roti Canai Chiang Mai and Telur Kuali. It were super awesome delicacies to kick start our day. Weehu!

It is not perfect if the trip was not complimented with spa experience. Thus we decided to have it a go, and our tour guide brought us to this exclusive spa.

It was luxury experience and the smell of the spa is really refreshing. And we ready to return to Malaysia facing year 2016 with a great spirit!

Tadom Hill Resort,Banting

 25th December 2015.

I was happened to attend Twins Of Faith conference this weekend, so I stayed at Fiza's crib.

And it was her idea to hv a picnic at Tadom Hill on the day before the conference. 

We were guided merely by Waze to reach Banting.

The place is quite isolated and there is no proper signboard to the destination. Hence, it took series of u-turns and navigation on the same roads for a few rounds before we gave up and asked the locals.

There are groups of people already queuing to enter the picnic premise. Apparently the area was just opened for public weeks earlier, thus loads of rooms that highly need for improvement especially on the entry system.

All visitors are required to register with the entrance fee of RM 20 , if I'm not mistaken.

There are also picnic mat for rental, and if you plan for some privacy, there are also tents available for rent. 

The entrance fee includes water activities , and all of us were equipped with safety lifejacket. However, the life guard is also available to oversee our safety in the lake.

Most of   us enjoyed being in the green lake. The scenery is really beautiful and peaceful. The time to enjoy the lake at its bestis in the morning. In the midday it was so sunny that sunbathing felt rather painfully hot. Grrr..

It is a very pleasant sight to see group of families and friend were around us with their own picnic setting. It is just refreshing being at  the lush greenery place like this.

We hv our nice breakfast and lunch alternately with water activities. How relaxing.. Ahaaa:)