Phuket - James Bond Island - Phi Phi Island

Finally I could visit Phuket...I travel many times to Bangkok, Ciang Mai, Ayuthaya but I never have opportunity to visit Phuket... yeach I visited the beautiful paradise island finally. Clean sea water, beautifull islands and amazing night life that you can find in Phuket. Currently Air Asia has open the new route from Jakarta directly to Phuket and neednt to stop over in Kuala Lumpur, so it is time for you to enjoy your wonderfull holiday in Phuket

At 18 August 2009 from Svarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok I flew to Phuket by Air Asia and arrived in the raining afternoon. After passed the immigration I collected the maps and many advertisements about car rental, hotels and also massages that we could find in the racks that put near the exit gate.After that I headed to my hotel in Patong area, the most crowded area like Kuta in Bali and cost 600 Baths by private car and not too expensive because around 1 hour from airport to my hotel.

Patong Tower Condominium, that was my hotel and I could see from far because it is the highest building in the Patong such towering against the sky, in the centre of Patong area and facing to the beach, wow strategic place and really cheap, a big 1 bed room apartment around 500 sqft can be used for 4 persons and hm so cheap price that I got....

After arrived I put all things, bags and enjoyed the view from the balcony, hm from the balcony in the living room I could see the hill,buildings in Patong also JungCeylon the famous mall in Patong area and I moved the bedroom and another large balcony, I could see the beach and the sea from this side, hm so nice apartment and with the price I tought this apartment is beyond my expectation, living room with sofa bed can used for 2 persons, big king size for 2 persons and also partial kitchen was completed with utensils, microwave... hm nice place to relax

Free time in the afternoon so I could explore more surrounded, I tried to find tour packages to Phi Phi Island and also Phanga Bay or James Bond island for tommorow and the day after tommorow programs, and after negotiated and bargained with the travel agent in the ground floor of the apartment, finnaly I got nice price and fixed schedules: Tommorow morning will be picked up from the hotel and go to Phanga Bay and program for evening was Phuket Fantasea with Gold Seat price including dinner hm sound good ya, and the program for the next day was Phi Phi Island (hm I remember the Beach by Leonardo De Caprio...

After booked all the package, I was free now and walked along the beach but I miss the sunset time, hm so many cafes, seafood restaurants, internet cafes, after walk around 300 metres along the beach I turned right hm.. these the place for amazing night life in Patong Beach woww many discoutiques, bars, go go dance, ladyboys, beautifull women and people who relaxed and enojoyed their night and their dreams

I felt hungry and found small restaurant and so cozy and hm tried tom yam, fried rice and Thai dessert hm not bad but I thought more expensive comparing with Bangkok because these foods for 10 USD and after that I walked to night bazaar like in Suan Lum Bangkok but smaller and not so crowded and not really interesting place to visit because the retailers were not really friendly and all things were same in Bangkok and Bangkok still cheaper than Phuket.

Time already 00:00 AM and should go back to sleep still felt tired after wake up early morning from Hanoi transit to Bangkok and Phuket... hm wanna enjoy my room in Patong Tower good night.......rrrrrr zzzzzz

Wake up, wake up, didnt want to miss the colorfull sky before sunrise. Hm so nice view from the balcony and time to take picture...

Already 05:30 AM took shower and after that baked my bread, made tea and enjoy my simple breakfast... 07:30 AM I was picked up by the tour guide with big vans and around 12 persons and mostly were Western peoples to visit Phang Bay and after around 1 hour and passed the Phuket Town, we arrived in the Pier to go Phang Bay and we moved to big ship... Phanga Bay.... hm so many tourists and mostly were Western and just few Asian like me he he... all of us were in ship's deck in open space with roof so not too hot and can feel the fresh sea breeze and also with friendly English speaking tour guide and free mineral water.... and didnt feel time for lunch huu hungry and the crews served the lunch in buffet style, a big table put in the center of the deck and... spicy tom yam, fried noodles, calamary, fried fish in sweet and sour sauce and many kinds of food also tropical fresh fruits hm feel full now...

The ship docked near the rocks and the crews offered all passangers to join with them with canoes, one canoes for two passangers and accompanied with one crew who rowed the canoe. hm I was so afraid because I couldnt swim and finally I became the last participants who joined the canoe and I should wear life jacket... the crew rowed the canoe closed to the rocks, sea surface is high enough so it cover the mouth of the cave and we should lay down in kanoe to avoid the rocks and the crew slowly pushed the kanoe and we came inside the cave wooo so dark.. and using flashlight we could see the inside of the cave, dark, cold and damp, and should lay down again to go out the cave, after around 1/2 hour enjoy the kanoe, we headed back to the ship and go to the Phanga Bay and James Bond Island... hm actually it is a unique rock and this place was ever used for the shooting location of Bond Film....we should move to small boat and stop in the pier and all could hardly wait to see the rock... took picture, pose, all peoples did the same things including me he he and after this trip we headed back to Phuket and to Hotel again

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Trip To Hanoi

After more than 13 years I left Vietnam finally I visited Hanoi in August 2009. I could see so many new buildings and the economic is growing in Vietnam

I started at 14 August 2009 from Kuala Lumpur by Air Asia with morning flight 06:00 AM so I spent the night in Sentral Hotel in Brickfield areas which located behind the KL Sentral Monorail Station, so I just walked to KL Sentral to the bus station to LCCT.

This time I joined with tour group because I went alone so it will be costly if I want to go around Hanoi and Halong...

After arrived in Hanoi Airport, the tour guide, her name is Heung still young and her English was good and I could understand clearly what she explained to me.

She picked up me with big caravan car which actually for 12 peoples but only me, the tour guide and the driver so I am like a King of Hanoi he he..., first trip she escorted me to the Ho Chi Minh Mauseloun which is located in Ba Dinh District

Ho Chi Minh's body is preserved in the cooled, central hall of the mausoleum, with a military honor guard. The body lies in a glass case with dim lights. Open daily from 9:00 am to noon to the public. Lines of visitors, including visiting foreign dignitaries, pay their respects at the mausoleum.Rules regarding dress and behavior are strictly enforced by staff and guards. Legs must be covered (no shorts or miniskirts). Visitors must be silent, and walk in two lines. Smoking, photography, and video taping are also not permitted anywhere inside the mausoleum.

The dress in pure white uniforms to add to the clandestine aura and Ho Chi Minh looks quite peaceful with his wispy white beard. It’s interesting for people watching as much as for the actual sarcophagus of the embalmed great one. From the mausoleum, I went to old building in yellow colour and used to be office of Ho Chi Minh also the fish pond and the hut of Ho Chi Minh which very simple in open space and a small aquarium when he still alive, many children came to see fish because he likes children.
After from the mausoleum, we went to Temple of Literature or Van Mieu Quoc Tu Giam which located in Pho Van Mieu in the corner of Pho Quoc Tu Giam, if you go by yourslef, the direction is a short kilometre West of Hoan Kiem Lake, in a square bordered by Thai Hoc, Van Mieu, Quoc Tu Giam and Ton Duc Thang streets.Founded in 1070, it became the country’s first university in 1076 as a center for Confucian learning and it's a a must see for those who are interested in classical Chinese/vietanamese architecture.
If you're there, look out for the 82 stone diplomas on tortoises bearing the names and birthplaces of 1,306 students who scrapped through the university's tough examinations. Like the one-pillar pagoda, some parts of this place was built after the original parts were destroyed during the French War.

After from this place, we headed to the Museum of Ethnology which is located in Nguyen Van Huyen Road, Cau Giay District, open from 08:30 AM - 05.30 PM and off on Monday, really nice and complete museum and you can find indoor and open-air exhibits, reconstructions, photographs and video documentaries the Museum of Ethnology presents the lives of Vietnam's 54 Ethnic minorities, their artefacts, dress and music, and now I can understand when I was young when my teacher told us that our anchestors came from Hunan in South China and that was Vietnam? Why.. because I saw lots of similarities with many tribes in Indonesia like in Kalimantan, Sumatera.

Time for lunch hungry hungry, and I was escorted to a small and nice cafe and I could order foods as much as I could finish but should pay for drinks hmm finally I order vietnamese fried rice, spring roll and a glass of pure orange juice... finished my lunch, they escorted me to my hotel Indochina 2 Hotel... small but nice room and completed with desktop and free connection yes... yes I like this hotel and close to the Hoa Kiem Lake only 50 metres and I took shower and took a nap and will be picked up again in the afternoon for water puppet show or Mua Roi Nuoc .... I missed that show

The most famous water puppet show is in Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre which is located in 57 Dihn Tien Hoang Street by Hoan Kiem Lake.

After enjoyed the show, they escorted me for dinner in Vietnamese Style and once again they treated me as a King, with luxurious set menu dinner with 5 kinds of dishes hmm delicious and I was full...

I headed back to the Hotel and felt so tired, should sleep earlier because tommorow they picked up me at 08:00 morning for my trip to Halong..... Halong Bay I am coming....

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Honeymoon Sensation in Royal Bali Beach Club

ROYAL BALI BEACH CLUB HONEYMOON SENSATION

This is the testimonial from my friend Rachmad and his wife who stayed in Royal Bali Beach Club for his honeymoon.

He booked the hotel using my timeshare membership and I gave him discount 50% from the published rate and herewith his testimonial

Dear Pak Kevin,

I'm so glad and want to say thank you once again. For giving the opportunity to my wife & I to enjoy unforgetable honeymoon. Hopefully our recommendation will give more trust to Royal Bali Beach Resort.

Thank You & Regards,

Rachmad & Sisca.

Royal Bali Beach Club is a very comfortable Resort, the perfect place for relaxing, especially if you are a new married couple. Royal Bali Beach Club will be a perfect place for honeymoon.

Once you enter this Resort,a you will be greeted by a friendly receptionist. After check-in, resort attendant will soon take you to your room.
The Resort facilities are complete enough. Stepping In to the room, there is a small guest room. Beside the guest room there is a kitchen set with complete equipment. You can find a microwave, a refrigerator. Inside the kitchen set there are plates, glasses, and spoons.

Still in the front of the room, you can watch the international channels from satellite TV. Aha.. I can watch my favorite channels. Such as HBO, Discovery, National Geography…
The bed room is wide enough if you are only a couple and also safe deposit box.

Then I was entering the bathroom. Nice bathroom for bathing and clean and comfortable.

I walked outside the veranda, there is a gazebo outside the room, a small yard with a beautiful garden and nice place for have a cup of tea and chit chat.

I felt very hungry, so my wife and I went to Jimbaran for dinner. The place wasn’t too far from the hotel, a very good place to have dinner, with white beach sand as the restaurant floor. We order crab and lobster. Wow… the taste is amazing and not too expensive also. We usually have idiom if you eat tasty food we will say: mak nyusss….

In the next morning, I and my wife swam in the resort pool. Bbrrr… he.. he.. he.. , actually was not too cold. Instead the pool water was rather warm. We could enjoy swimming or sunbathing on the side of the pool. Satisfied after the swim, we walked to Jimbaran beach. It was only 10 minutes if you walked from the Resort. The beach sand was very beautiful. When the nights come, it turns into central sea food restaurant. We have had dinner at Jimbaran after take a tour from morning until evening.

Our activities continued to visit tourist attractions in Bali. We spent the first day on the beach tour visiting Tanjung Benoa, Sanur, Kuta-Joger, and Garuda Wisnu Kencana, Tanah Lot. The following day we visited Batubulan, Tanah Lot, Celuk, Galuh, Pasar Seni Sukawati, Uluwatu.

The most enjoyable experience was when we visited Bali Bird Park. We can directly hold various kinds of animal. There are rare birds which protected by law and many kinds of reptile. Some of them are very poisonous and dangerous. Such as Tarantula spider, Cobra, Viper and other deadly snakes. The poison could kill human in just a few minutes. Most memorable experience is when I closely kiss the Crocodile. He..he.. Please don’t try it at home.

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