SINGAPORE - (Backpacker's Diary) Part 1

 

Hai people & Salam Ramadan,

As per mentioned in the title, yayadoe kembali merentasi samudera bersama semangat baru dan jitu. Honestly, I'm been living in Johor for almost 10 years but tak pernah rasa nak masuk Singapore until Ain decided to join me when I said nak start solo travel.

 I just wanted to let you know, this was a day trip during Taylor Swift's last day concert tour. That's why most places were quite lively and crowded. Ayuhhh kita bersama-sama menyelusuri perasaan orang Malaysia yang kerja balik hari JB-SG-JB. Day trip kali ini penuh dengan suka duka dan juga haru biru yayadoe & rakan-rakan sebaya.lol

By the way, this trip only cost me below RM150. Anyone yang nak melancong ke SG please download MyICA and register your SG arrival card 3 days before departure. Lepas dah approve baru boleh scan your passport dekat autogate CIQ MY/Woodlands.

                                                                  

Pukul 7 pagi dah gerak pickup Sammy dan terus ke Larkin Sentral. Kami park kereta area Plaza Larkin sebab dah plan nak breakfast foodcourt situ dan jalan kaki ke Larkin Sentral. Sementara tunggu Ain dari Skudai, kitorg makan dulu. I order mee rebus johor & Sam pula bubur sup daging. Harus makan dulu ya sebelum naik bas.

                                                

Agak-agak nak pukul 9am baru terhegeh nak beli tiket bas. Kaunter tiket Larkin ni sampai 13 kaunter tapi bila nak beli tiket bas pergi Singapore semua cakap pergi kaunter 1. Kaunter 1 pula kosong tak ada orang. Pening. Lama juga kami termenung, Ain dengan Sam lagi la tak study aci redah. I terus gerak pergi tanya abang hensem yang jaga gate bas JB-SG. Rupanya kena beli boarding pass (qr code) RM 1/pax dulu dekat gate dan tunggu sehingga operator Bas Express SG panggil anda untuk naik bas. HAHA

Nasib sempat lari pergi tukar duit dekat money changer, sebab bas akan gerak lagi 10mins. Bayar cash ya RM4.80 tix Larkin > Queenstreet. Bas SBS Transit akan melalui JB Sentral (CIQ Malaysia) dan juga CIQ Woodlands serta direct ke Queenstreet. Simpan tiket elok-elok, hilang tiket tu memang naya. Sampai sahaja di CIQ kami dah culture shock dengan suasana yang rushing. Semua orang lari wey naik escalator dan kami hanya santai melihat ragam manusia. HAHA

Nampak lengang sebab semua jalan laju & ada yang lari naik escalator.fuyoo

Alhamdulillah berjaya lalu autogate dengan bergaya walaupun nebes terox ya. Sekali lagi di platform bas boleh silap beratur line bas Causeway Link, padahal tiket SBS Transit. Ko nape nyahhh. Nyaris kena tinggal bas di CIQ JB Sentral, hahahha sampai uncle operator tu pekik suruh cepat. Maka kami bertiga berdiri jela dalam bas sepanjang jammed nak ke Woodlands. After settle CIQ Woodlands around 10.30am kami bergegas naik bas yang sama risau kena marah pula sebab noobs. sobs  nasib baik dapat seat untuk duduk.

                                           

Cuci mata dulu. 7/11 pon ada desserts taraf Starbies.

Around 11am sampai di Terminal Bas Queenstreet,  I on app Citymapper untuk cari nearest MRT station > Bugis St to start our first destination - Arab Street (Sultan Mosque). Sepanjang day trip I roaming hotlink je RM10. Jimat sangat dan internet not bad. Citymapper bagus dan user-friendly untuk korang yang subjek geografi tak power. Ain dan Sam macam biasa akan follow jejak kaki yayadoe-yang-acah-confident pernah masuk SG 10x dah.

Suasana di Bugis station busy with local, Exit Raffles Hospital paling dekat jika nak ke main attractions.

                                            

Public transport di SG sangat mudah untuk difahami jika anda sudah terbiasa menggunakan LRT/monorail/mrt di KL. Keadaan di semua tempat sangat bersih dan teratur. Disebabkan Ain dan Sam tak ada Bigpay@Wise card, so menapak mencari 7eleven dulu di area MRT Bugis untuk beli Ez-link card for transportation. 1 card berharga 10sgd, btw Abg cashier  7/11 ni bagitau 1 hari daytrip 10sgd dah cukup untuk public transport. Topup another 5sgd bcos baki card tak boleh less than 5sgd for every transaction.    

                                               

Terik sungguh, langsung tak cloudy seperti forecast weather. Tapi best je jalan-jalan sekitar lorong-lorong Arab street, gambar yang kami snap semua lawa. Salah satu tourist spot dan wajib datang sini bcos ada banyak pilihan restaurants & cafe yang halal.

Teruja sangat dapat tengok masjid ni depan mata

One of the oldest mosques, Sultan Mosque or Masjid Sultan was built in 1824 by Sultan Hussein Shah and is an iconic landmark in SG. I was starstruck by its architecture and its massive golden domes. The mosque was surrounded by small local/international shops lot. Disebabkan masih kenyang so kami hanya berjalan-jalan di deretan kedai mencari ootd spots.

Kami meneruskan perjalanan di celah-celah streets dan akhirnya sampai di Haji Lane. Melayan Ain dan Sam ootd di setiap street arts.Ambil masa 10 mins untuk clearkan lorong ni tau, kalau petang confirm sesak.  Macam dekat Jonker walk melaka bak kata Sam. 

Si Yayadoe played Lost Tourist in the Haji Lane Wanderlust. Cantik dan aestetic tau setiap cafes di Haji Lane. Mostly operating time lewat petang. Taknak sesak dengan ramai  orang pls datang waktu matahari tegak atas kepala.

Haji Lane area ni memang spot tourist dan best kalau nak cafe hunting. For me dekat sini kena spent at least half day untuk cover semua area termasuk Little India & Chinatown. Tourist attractions are within walking distance, tak larat jalan boleh naik public bus.

Lorong ni tak silap di belakang Sultan Mosque, ada beberapa local cuisine yang viral dan ramai yang beratur. I pula tak suka beratur dan sanggup pergi kedai yang tak ada orang sebab nak cepat. Asalkan perut kenyang. settle.

Demam Swifties di semua kawasan, kedai/cafes pon pasang soundtrack Taylor Swift untuk tarik tourists masuk kedai diorg.

Area Haji Lane ada banyak gift shops untuk beli souvenir. Masa terhad so kitorg hanya singgah 1-2 kedai sahaja untuk beli keychain/magnet fridge buat diri sendiri. Elakkan convert agar hati kekal tenang.lol

Now, gerak ke Mrt Bugis untuk ke next destination. Ada pandestrian walk yang vibes ala-ala Junggle's Book@ semak samun,  disapa angin sepoi-sepoi bahasa. Ada beberapa kawasan yang berkonsepkan nature/forest city tapi bahang panas tu masih sama.

With love & Ramadan Kareem.

Yaya doe

2024 SKINCARE TOP PICKS - HOLY GRAIL

 

Hi pretty people,

It's been a long time since my last skincare post. How's your skincare-ship? HAHA 

Okay, Let's be real bc these days tiktok keeps on tempting me to purchase new items. I guess my skincare routine is still the same as before but I added a few products. My skin condition is quite good these days, Alhamdulilah. That's why I'm excited to share this routine with you guys who still struggling to achieve glass skin. I know how hard it is!

After a long day at work, I started my routine with a double cleansing method. An oil-cleansing makeup remover from Biore can effortlessly remove my 8 hours of makeup. The new formulation provides a basic cleansing to maintain the skin's moisture balance and dissolve any impurities into tiny pores. Would repurchase this one all the time and I always bought the big size bcos it can last longer. 9/10

Moving forward, I found that COSRX Salicylic Acid cleanser is really gentle on my skin. It can easily remove my makeup and exfoliate my dead skin without causing any redness or dryness. I love to try other cleansers as well but I keep coming back to this one as it seems the most effective to my skin. The cleanser helps to fight my pimples and blemishes. 10/10

Currently, Wonder: Ceramide mochi toner is the only toner that I use in my AM skincare routine. The texture is so milky and not sticky at all. Really hydrate my skin and I'm already in my second bottle. I notice my skin become more healthy and bouncy as a mochi-like skin texture. Perasann je lebih.Delulu girl. Definitely will repurchase again. 100/10

I heard so many good reviews about TO Glycolic Acid Toner, and I never regretted buying it as my exfoliator. My pores became less visible and whiteheads/blackheads were gone. The price was a bit pricey but it takes so long to finish one bottle. I use it twice a week, please don't mix it up with retinol or AHAs/BHAs guys. The cons were the texture was so sticky and it smelled weird.HAHA 7/10

One and only ampoule that saved my breakouts throughout the month. Skin 1004 centella ampoule is so underrated and it works really well with my sensitive skin. Never count how many times I repurchase this one. lol

Currently, I used the biggest size and the price was much cheaper compared to the trial size. The texture is so light and it soothes my skin from any dry patches or irritation. 1000000/10

Honestly, I'm scared to add any retinol to my routine because of my sensitive skin. So I start with the lowest amount which is The Ordinary retinol 0.2% in Squalane. What is squalane? It is one of the saturated oils in the skincare ingredients. Basically, the oils will boost the hydration of your skin and decrease any inflammation. Most of the squalane is made from olive trees or certain plants. I used the TO twice a week in my night routine to repair my skin barrier. Keep in mind, that you can't mix it with glycolic acid, Vit C, AHAs, and BHAs. I had a mild purging for 1 week bc I accidentally messed up the step. lol 9/10

The OG essence ever. HAHA. No one can deny my loyalty to Benton Snail-Bee Essence. Been using this since Day 1 of my breakouts era and it helps A LOT. Our 5 years love-hate skincare-ship is going strong guys. I wish they sold the jumbo size (500ml) like the Tony Moly toner size. It is very watery and lightweight with no scent. Nevertheless, it is very good at repairing uneven skin tone, sunburn, and acne-prone skin. ∞/10

The most viral serum in 2023 was Axis-Y - Dark Spot Correcting Serum. The hype was massive and it went viral since Dahlia promoted this serum. It promises to correct the dark pigmentation and to achieve a dewy glass skin. The price was a bit pricey for me. So far, it has delivered noticeable results on my skin after 2 tubes of this serum. 9.5/10

When buying a skincare serum, I always research everything before add into my cart especially if it goes viral. Last year, Beauty of Joseon products really caught my eye bc I've been sick of using the same serum for the past years. lol

I need a game changer in my routine so I decided to try the Glow Serum: propolis + niacinamide. It brightens up my skin tone, fades acne scars, and minimizes enlarged pores. Simply apply 1-2 drops in my AM routine and it absorbs pretty fast with glowing effects. 8/10

The best beauty secret hack is sunscreen/sunblock. If you rarely wear this pls don't talk to me.HAHA    I tried a lot of drugstore sunblock brands but I always crawl back to this 3W Clinic Sunblock Cream. The price is so affordable and the size is quite big. I had a combination of skin, and so far it blends well under my makeup. No white cast or peeling effect under makeup. Last year I never used any primer before applying the foundation fortunately it never cracked my base.phewww  10/10

Next, the most interesting part of the skincare routine is moisturizer. I've been using the same local moisturizer for ages and this time I want to try Korean bestseller: IUNIK Centella gel cream in my PM routine. Honestly, it did give a night-long moisturization and calming my stressed/blemish-prone skin. I love the packaging size and 1 tube can last for 3-4 months usage. 10000/10

Finally, the extras in my skincare go to Mugwort clay mask by Skintific. It cost around RM30, which is half the price of the Axis-Y mugwort clay mask. So if you are looking for an affordable mugwort mask dupe maybe this one is for you. I use it 1-2 times per week and it doesn't have any strong scent like the Axis-Y mask. Based on my research, mugwort is a herb plant that is used for meds, especially in bacterial infection cases. For my review, it regulates sebum production, unclogs my pores, and reduces any redness.

To sum up, a glass dewy skin look may take so much effort, money, and time to maintain. It has been a huge struggle since my second semester to deal with acne-prone skin. Everyone keeps advising me to buy this and that. Try-and-error products were likely a learning process in finding what was good and bad for my face. Not an easy rollercoaster journey to reach this stage but I appreciate every single up and down pimple.

with love.

Yaya doe

2024 - A Year Wiser

Hi peeps,

How's your 2024 so far? Mine is still bearable. 

I'm planning a lot this year as per above mentioned - 2024 vision board. Hehe. 

It was like a break for me last year because sometimes I can be too hard on myself. I was more into the inner peace era where I reflected on my past decisions and stayed low-key in my quiet zone. But this year's resolutions are different guys, I set new goals with a stronger spirit.

1) Family Bonding

2) Roadtrip Adventure

3) Coffee Talks

4) Diversity of Culture 

5) Mission Kim Possible : *clickbait*

Wish me extra-luck!!!! 

Kbai

with love,

hakuna matata

 

THAILAND (Backpacker's Diary) Part 4 - Hatyai

Day 4

Ayuh sambung part akhir bebelan drama yayadoe. Pada pukul 6 am semua sudah ready untuk check out. Kenapa awal sangat? Ceritanya, tix return seat cuma available 9.45am, slot lain dah full. So kami taknak berpecah terpaksa booked the earliest train.

.

Lepas check out nasib ada tuktuk lalu depan hotel tapi uncle ni caj 30baht (Rm3.80) sorg untuk ke terminal van alasan dia terminal jauh. Tuktuk dia pun agak kecil untuk kami 7 orang plus bacpack/luggage. Redha je la walaupun kami tiba terminal tak sampai 5 mins hmmm apa yang jauhnya. Tunggu jela episod akhir drama yang harus kami tempuhi. 

Awal pagi memang lengang je kawasan terminal, ada seorang lelaki approach kami dan offer untuk ambil servis van VIP dia. Pakej 900 baht (Rm120) for 7 pax ke Padang Besar memang murah. Sementara tunggu van datang banyak pula celoteh abang yang arrange van ni, kami dah la mengantuk lagi. Malas nak bersembang. Social energy bar memang dah 5%.

Kami sampai Immigration office around 7.30am waktu Thailand sedangkan Malaysia sudah 8.30am. Faham tak bertapa rushing nya kami takut terlepas train.HAHA

Van pula drop kami diluar pintu Immi dan pada saat ini kami nyaris di scam. Ada seorang driver cab approach us and offer untuk bawa kami melepasi kastam dengan harga yang tak masuk akal. Dia offer kami 800baht (Rm108 untuk 2 kereta) maksudnya we had to split into 2 groups. Caj dia dah macam servis nak pergi Hatyai balik sedangkan jarak perjalanan Immigration-KTM tak sampai 10mins.

Nasib baik D'elfira bertegas nak kereta mpv untuk pickup kami so ada driver lain yang sanggup bawa kami semua. Urusan dekat kastam pula mengambil masa 1/2 hour kerana masih awal pagi. Lepas je border terus ke KTM station, kitorang ada 30 mins je untuk beli breakfast & tukar simcard di booth.

Sepanjang perjalanan pulang masing-masing lena diulik mimpi, penat berkejaran dari pagi. Kami sampai di KL Sentral pukul 3.30pm dan terus ambil Klia Transit ke TBS. Unfortunately our 5.30pm bus to JB delay sampai pukul 6.30pm. Highway plus delay from south and north due to Deepavali Holidays. We reached pasir gudang around 2am guys.HAHA 8 jam sangkut dah macam nak balik Ganu.

Trip kali ini buatkan kami saling mengenali perangai masing-masing. Puas hati boleh plan sendiri trip dan I banyak gelak je sepanjang trip ni dengan ragam luar alam. Repeat Hatyai? Yezzaaa. Kalau ada rezeki nak repeat lagi sekali Asean Night Market foodie, Khu Tao  Noodles, Kaitod Decha, Dimsum Chabura and KhlongHae Market. Social energy limit 3 hari je pastu dah penat nak balik berhibernasi. Bosan tol hidup yayadoe versi matang ni.

Kbai

with love,

hakuna matata

 

THAILAND (Backpacker Diary) Part 3 - Hatyai

 Day 3

Okay jom sambung alkisah Day 3 di Hatyai,

Disebabkan servis tuktuk uncle semalam tiptop kami repeat lagi sewa dengan dia. Punya la banyak tempat dia excited nak bawa, kitorang sampai melecet nyahh.HAHA

Awal pagi uncle dah tunggu kami di depan hotel. First destination kami adalah Kim Yong Market, hmm ada apa pagi-pagi sudah ke pasar? Nantikan episod huru hara yang bakal berlaku. 

Mostly makanan yang dijual di area Kim Yong Market ada yang halal dan ada yang tak, disini ada pelbagai bahan segar/basah/buah/kekacang. My first impression this market sebijik macam Pasar Payang. lol. Disebabkan kami masih belum sarapan dan waktu sudah pukul 9 pagi kami semua pun mencari the most viral stall di Hatyai - Kaitod Meena. 

Kebanyakan local disana tak berapa fasih english so kami tunjuk gambar kedai dan acik tu cakap pukul 10am baru gerai buka. Melopong lah kami yang tengah kebulur. Maka sejam kami beratur tanpa sebab yang pasti sampai orang Thai pon confuse kenapa ramai awek-awek tanah melayu beratur depan gerai buah tapi tak beli buah.HAHA

Lagi 15mins nak pukul 10am owner gerai datang bawa motor je guys. Santai terox. Owner start setup semua preparations dan keluarkan nombor giliran. Waktu dia nak bagi nombor giliran memang berebut habis. Kami dapat no 5 tau tapi lama juga sebab semua customer order banyak. Nasib dah tapau burger and peach tea dekat 7/11 takda la lapar sangat. Selepas 1 jam berlalu akhirnya kami berjaya beli nasi khaomok dan pulut ayam kaitod meena. Disebabkan tak ada ruang untuk kami makan so uncle bawa kami ke warung berdekatan.

Muka kenyang melantak. Next uncle bawa kami ke tempat-tempat dia dapat komisyen.HAHA 

Layan kan aje lah and this place ramai juga van-van pelancong singgah untuk beli sovenirs. Macam-macam la ada. I just bought kain batik thailand untuk yang tersayang. kuikui

Lepas tu uncle bawa kami ke kedai borong jajan/asam/jeruk/coklat thailand. Banyak juga pilihan cuma harga tak la murah sangat so kami beli asam dan pes tom yam buat ghaso2.

Day 3 ni kami hanya nak santai-santai sebab semalam dah banyak berjalan. Tiba-tiba uncle suggest tempat 'kuetiaw' kitorang pon follow je sebab cafe Bingsu Nom6 full house and service pun slow. Maybe sebab too much demand on peak hour. Setelah 40mins perjalanan sampai juga kami ke tempat 'kuetiaw' - Ohh Khu Thao namanya, cantik sangat restoran ni betul-betul sebelah sawah padi. Makanan disini ala-ala boat noodle. Disebabkan ada yang masih lapar kami repeat Khlonghae Market kali kedua untuk food hunting. Area boat bawah memang penuh orang so I just beli area pondok atas dan tapau untuk dinner.

Our last destination on day 3 adalah Asean Night Market. Banyak sangat shops yang menjual pelbagai barangan dan harga murmur. I suggest you guys datang sini dulu untuk explore prices and food hunting dekat area food court. Masa ni semua dah tak rasa kaki sebab penat amattt. Habis 1 botol yoko2 share 6 orang. 

bersambung to next entry untuk Day 4.

with love,

hakuna matata

THAILAND (Backpackers Diary) Part 2 - Hatyai

 Day 2

Jom kita bersambung ke Day 2, semangat tahun baru masih membara untuk update blog. Mood padam karang terus menghilang tanpa jejak. Letsgo

Awal pagi dah ready untuk redah Hatyai Thailand! Kitorg sewa tuktuk for 1 day (1500baht/ Rm200/7pax) untuk melawat semua attractions. Boleh nego kalau nak lagi murah tapi max 1500baht ye per day kalau driver charge lebih tu dah scam. Sangat berbaloi sebab uncle ni layan je kitorg nak pergi mana sampai malam. Ada driver yang limit service until 5pm lepas tu dia dah renyah, so korang kena rajin bertanya. 

Sebelum start berjalan mesti la harus singgah breakfast dulu, plan nak ke Dim Sum Chabura tapi disebabkan beratur panjang so uncle tuktuk drop kami depan Marita Halal Dim Sum. Tak sampai 10mins beratur terus dapat meja dan dim sum yang kitorg pilih waktu tengah beratur dah sampai. Excited nak rasa salted egg pau & iced greentea je. Yang lain ada yang add on nasi goreng, kuew tiaw & etc. For me, mostly makanan dekat Hatyai rasa agak salty (fish sauce) & air pula too sweet (iced thai tea). Overall 7/10 for Marita Dim Sum.

                                                 

First stop, Magic Museum. For me tempat ni too overated unless you guys memang suka 3D Art. Pls skip this one if driver bawa datang ke sini. Ambil gambar dekat main entrance je cukup, 300 baht melayang sebab masing-masing masih tak familiar dengan basic rate fees setiap attractions.HAHA 

Chang Puak Camp ni wajib tau datang but don't expect too much bc this place is quite crowded, especially during the weekend. Free entrance for everyone but for activities like elephant riding, 

ATV, Talent show & etc packages come with reasonable prices. Mostly attractions fee harga masih lagi marhaen but I just mingle around bc kesian tengok gajah penat, tak sampai hati. Hmm

If nak ke Songkla City dari Hatyai memang berbaloi sewa 1 day tuktuk. Jarak antara attractions ada yang dekat dan ada yang jauhnya sampai 40mins-1 jam perjalanan. Kami teruskan perjalanan ke Samila Beach ditemani hujan gerimis. We decided untuk menapak ke souveniers stalls yang berderet. I bought souveniers here bc the price murah sangat compare to Hatyai, maybe bc countryside. Sempat bergambar dengan mermaid monument walaupun ramai yang beratur.

Next, uncle bawa kami semua jalan-jalan mengelilingi Songkla Lake menuju ke salah satu infamous Sleeping Buddha. Idk the exact location bc this one not on our itinerary but I guess it's near Songkla Lake.

Tak pasti monument apa but I guess their local source of economy comes from the fishery around the Songkla lake.

Haa siapa tau ni masjid apa? Selalu dengar orang kahwin dekat siam kan, haa ni la tempatnya. Central Mosque of Songkla. Akak-akak yang nak cari suami yang hilang tanpa jejak boleh letak masjid ni dalam list pencarian.lol 

Masjid berkonsepkan Taj Mahal. My friends semua nak lepak area luar bc mereka malas nak panjat tangga. So I jela masuk sorang sebab curious nak tau keadaan dalam masjid. Salah satu benda pelik is their mosque don't has fan or aircond. Kalau dekat Malaysia mau AJK masjid kena complain sebab jemaah panassss.

Seaverse Cafe. This cafe is located just in front of the mosque but is not suitable for walking distance bc you need to cross the highway. The entrance fee was 30 baht. Vibes ala-ala Bali and this cafe are not on our list pon but we just want to join the viral hype.HAHA. Tak sempat nak rasa makanan dekat sini bc we already decide to dinner at the mall. Many good reviews on their foods tho so maybe next time kita cuba ya.

So our last destination was Hatyai Central Festival Mall. Sampai sini around 6pm and uncle cakap dia akan drop kami nanti nak balik call je. Sempat ambil gambar depan ni je sebab semua dah excited nak food hunting & shopping. Ada banyak halal foods and the price quite affordable dekat ground level, yang penting bersih selesa. I bought a dozen of sushi and iced grapes tea meh macam dekat JB takde sushi Sushi here so good guys, tak tipu. 

My friends memang beli macam-macam tom yum goong, raw oysters, kerabu megi, thai ommelette etc. I banyak makan yang diorang je sebab nak rasa-rasa dulu kot tak kena tekak. Tak habis bazir je. Dah kenyang baru naik level atas mall untuk ke Boots & Beautrium. Beautrium ni ala-ala SaSa dan Boots pula macam watsons/guardian.Waktu ni Beautrium ada buat weekends sales for makeup. So ofcos Zamona & I laju rembat bestseller items to add into our cart. Apa sahaja sales girl promote kami ambil, tenung lama-lama bukan faham pon tulisan dekat packaging.lol

Yang lain sabar menunggu kami berdua shopping, terus hilang penat jalan siang tadi. Arisya nak beli fries viral tapi que dia makk aii. Sementara tunggu turn dia, I sempat lari ke Boots untuk membeli skincare.lol

 

Uncle pickup kami dalam pukul 9 malam dan dia tanya kami nak jalan dekat mana lagi? Semangat ya uncle ni tak tau penat nak drive untuk kami dari pagi sampai malam. Tapi apakan daya tilam hotel bagai menyeru kami untuk balik beradu~

bersambung to next entry untuk Day 3.

with love & happy new year,

hakuna matata

THAILAND (Backpacker's Diary) - Hatyai

 

Hi peeps,

Maka bermula pengembaraan pertama yayadoe merentas samudera. Over nau

Plan kasi jadi bersama officemates berakhir dengan jayanya. This trip cost us below 1k sahaja untuk seorang.

Day 1

Our group consisted of 6 adults and 1 kid so we took a midnight bus from JB to TBS station (Rm40/one way). Reached there around 5.00am because of the heavy traffic sebab lagi 2 hari Deepavali holidays. HAHA

We got only 2 hours to settle everything lepas sampai station TBS (Breakfast/Buy Tix Klia Transit via kiosk) so from TBS station to KL Sentral we used KLIA transit (Rm6.50/one way). We need to catch our morning KTM train at 7am - KL Sentral to Padang Besar (Rm105/one way). Nasib sempat beli nasi lemak before kejar train. Rushing gila ya dengan macam-macam ragam. Each one of our team members dah assigned specific tasks throughout this trip. So tak ada istilah goyang kaki jadi pak turut. Semua harus proaktif ya!

Basically, our journey was estimated around 5 hours and Alhamdulilah everything went smoothly. At Padang Besar KTM station, memang banyak simcard vendors yang offer their service and we just get our sim card there sebab nak senang. We chose telco sim card yang for 7 days (Rm21) and from KTM station to Immigration P.Besar & Thailand naik VIP Van Service (Rm30/pax) to Hatyai.

The view sepanjang perjalanan ke Hatyai, sama je macam Malaysia tapi cuaca redup tak panas sangat. HAHA. Btw, urusan dekat Immi Malaysia & Thailand sangat cepat ya hari jumaat. Less than 1 hour sudah settle without any questions from officer. Takpayah nebes sgt  So please avoid sabtu & ahad bcos the que memang panjang sampai luar office. Oh, Thailand lambat 1 hour so 1pm settle Immi Malaysia dan terpaksa tunggu van untuk pickup ke Hotel, around 1 hour jugak la tersidai dekat Immi Thailand sebab peak hour.

Accommodation for 4 days and 3 nights was booked via Agoda.Sakura Hotel, Rm180 for 3 nights - 2 pax. Murah but not recommended walaupun depan Hotel ada banyak tuktuk and money changer rate nice (7.5baht). Old hotel so semua nampak agak umm usang lol, lift dia sumpah seram. Max 3 org dan pernah la kami aci naik 4 org sebab nak cepat. Lif stuck weh. Anxiety terok sebab lift tu kecik. My room nice je besar sangat cuma spoil shower head malfunction and malam bising bc sebelah hotel ada karaoke/pub so please request middle room. Kurang la sikit pencemaran bunyi.

After solat, mandi and rehat terus gerak cari tuktuk. Lapar wei.

The first destination was the Khlong Hae Floating Market, which is 15 minutes from Hatyai main center. The varieties of street food were insane guys! Semua nak beli.HAHA the price after convert around rm3-5 per portion. So far everything is below 100baht. If you guys are on a tight budget boleh makan sini je.

From Floating market ambil tuktuk untuk ke Lee Gardens Plaza. Public transport sangat senang cuma kena pandai nego sahaja. We just roaming around Lee Gardens Plaza cuci mata tengok environment malam di center Hatyai, sangat meriah dengan busking & street foods stalls.

Disebab kan masih kenyang so I just bought passport cover & shower gel viral dekat Boots. Menyesal tak try banana pancake and coconut ice cream situ.HUHU 

Sempat singgah 7/11, I just grab few burgers and snacks untuk makan pagi esok. 

The cashier so friendly to us siap ajar cara bayar bcos kami masih pening nak faham baht punya currency. Waktu bayar dapat 2 sticker gambar minions and they informed us next purchase boleh pakai sticker if tak cukup small change, 1 sticker = 1 baht...wow 7/11 malaysia take note please, madah bagi free sticker tapi kena cukup 10 baru boleh redeem merch.

Tak sampai 2 jam jalan-jalan dah penat nak balik Hotel. We decided to jalan kaki bcos check google map less than 10mins walking distance sahaja tapi ya Allah rasa jauh gila.

bersambung to next entry untuk Day 2.

with love & happy new year,

hakuna matata