Maldives of Thailand Part 2

I KNOW. I know I'm over a month late. But life has been so overwhelming with my internship and everything, I had to sort things out first. My apologies !

I need to highlight that the snorkelling trips at Koh Lipe is so darn cheap ! You get to stop at 4 points and stay there as long as you like for only RM50 , inclusive of lunch! You dont even have to make prior reservations. Its the same price as walk in. Oh yeah , I should remind you that YOU WILL GET WET in the boat. Even before getting in the water.

Yeah got casually photobombed by a fish......no big deal.

IT WAS THE MOST COLORFUL UNDERWATER SCENERY I HAVE SEEN MY ENTIRE LIFE! The deeper I went, the more colorful the corals are. And the fishes were so exotic ! I spotted a swordfish and was so excited I couldnt keep afloat hahaha. At the last snorkelling point I thought I was alone when I spotted a blowfish. It was just staring at me, so I waved. And made my way back to the beach where I so excitedly told Anna that I saw a blowfish. " Dude, I was behind you. I saw you waving at it" - Anna.

Yeap, thats the weirdo that I am. hahaha. While we were lepaking at the beach the 2nd day we were there,we rented a kayak. It was only RM10 per kayak for 1 hour. So bloody cheap. So we kayak-ed our way from Sunrise beach to an island near the beach. SO FUCKING TIRING. It was funny cause we actually saw some people just walking across the island. And there we were paddling away like mad fools. hahaha 

As for the nightlife, drinks are not as cheap as I thought it would be. But the atmosphere is amazing. Its totally different from Perhentian where everything is so loud and everyone's dancing everywhere. At Koh lipe its a little more quiet but they laid some mats on the beach. So we ended up playing charades and just chatting.


I would definitely make my way back to Koh Lipe after getting my diving license. Planning on taking it in August on my birthday perhaps ? 

Maldives of Thailand : Part 1

Just so you know, I did not make the title up. Google it and it'll bring you to Koh Lipe. After the really bumpy boat ride, God knows how the hell did I manage to sleep for a good 20 mins during the ride. We disembarked right off the beach. And I mean literally off the beach like you have to get down in the water and carry your bags to the sand so pleaseee ensure that you pack light. When you arrive, you'll have to go through immigration. Its a tiny hut and the officers are all hipster-like. Probably the least scariest immigration Ive ever been in my life.

The view that greeted us

Koh Lipe consists of 3 beaches namely Pattaya Beach, Sunrise Beach and Sunset beach. We stayed at Green View Resort located at Pattaya Beach. Though this is the busiest beach amongst all 3, our hotel is quite secluded and for the price we paid, I'd say its way more than I expected. The toilet is so huge and the bed is super cosy.

Anna and I stayed here while the guys stayed at Gypsy hotel,Sunrise Beach. ( See mama, we didnt even stay at the same hotel k. ) Its just a 5 mins walk to Sunrise beach via Walking street. Walking street is were all the bars, convenience store, massage parlours and the restaurants are at. Each time we walk through we'd get ourselves a thai pancake EACH. Manala tak naik 2 kgs in 4 days kan.

Y U NO OPEN FRANCHISE IN KL?!

I get mesmerized no matter how many times I walk through this walkway towards Sunrise Beach

Sunrise Beach

I do not know what went wrong with my hands that I just couldnt capture the real beauty of this place. Honestly, the water is just so clear and blue its just sooo beautiful. I'll update more on the activities we did on my next post !

Maldives of Thailand : Getting there

I stumbled upon this beautiful island when I was doing some research on where should my next holiday be. I remember googling best beaches in Asia and I found out that someone had rated Koh Lipe as her favourite destination.

At this point, I had already been to Bali, Phuket, Gold Coast, Tioman and others. Ive been to more than 10 beaches in the world and so I had NO expectations whatsoever. I only wanted a place to go to after my final exams. The pictures on Google were somewhat too good to be true, but since it is just an hour away from Langkawi I figured , oh what the heck. The initial plan was just a trip with my old friend Annaliza. Later on my guy best friend wanted to tag along. So there we were the 4 of us.

Anna and I booked our flight about 2 months earlier. My first time on Malindo Air and I must say Im quite impressed. After we arrived at Langkawi Airport, we took a taxi to Telaga Terminal ( RM26). We booked our boat ticket prior to arriving Langkawi ( about RM 240 return). For a somewhat long journey , an hour from Langkawi to Koh Lipe, the sea was choppy so the boat ride was extremely bumpy. So if you are prone to sea sickness, please get your medication ready !

Annaliza and I at the telaga terminal

White sand, blue sea

I just got back from Phuket with my parents and aunt and uncle. We stayed the same hotel as the other time we were in Phuket. The hotel is located about an hour away from Phuket town and the only reason we stayed there was because my parents had bought some time sharing package thing at the hotel. However, this time we rented a car and drove ourselves up and down town. It was a lot more fun trying to figure out routes than just to sit in a van the whole time.

This time mum and I had spend so much more time in a hotel that we've ever spent before. Honestly usually we'd just use the hotel room to rest. We'd be out first thing in the morning and only come back at midnight. However this time since my dad went to play golf with my aunt and uncle, mum and I got to spend more time lazing around the hotel. We actually rented a bicycle and cycled our way to the serene beach that was just located behind our hotel!

 CRYSTAL CLEAR WATER

The hotel had a gym that was open 24 hours!
The personal trainer was sooooo friendly. He taught me to do some abs exercises for free! 

Our ride the during the whole vacation! 

Phuket is also very famous for its pancakes. I think I overload on banana nutella pancakes. Its soooo goooood, couldnt resist. I think Ive had enough dose of Phuket for now. Im travelling again on Monday. Stay tuned to find out where. =)

Hello from Phuket!

The house of Dancing Water, Macau

As you know, my parents and I went to Hong Kong a few weeks ago. We also went to Macau for 3 days. It was my first time in Macau and we stayed at Taipa( New macau). Frankly speaking, if you dont gamble then there is nothing much there. It was mum's second time in Macau and she kept saying that we HAD to watch the house of dancing water show. She was so in awe and kept telling us how amazing the show is.

The show is located at City Of Dreams. You can easily take a free shuttle that stops at numerous places around the city. The tickets range from HKD580( RM210) to HKD980 ( RM350) . I know its a little pricey but trust me it is worth every penny. I was sceptical at first cause I thought it was just a normal fountain show. But even after watching the show the first 5 minutes I was already at the edge of my seat ! The setting of the stage already left me perplexed along side the tricks that the actors would have to do. Holy shittt, the amount of stamina and muscle strength they have, I wonder how much they get paid! 

See the guy on top of the "ship" ? HE JUMPED DOWN!! 

MIND YOU THIS IS THE SAME STAGE AS ABOVE !!! 

THE HOUSE THING APPEARED FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE STAGE!
A MINUTE AGO THE STAGE WAS FILLED WITH WATER!!
BUT HOW?!?!?!

They had motorcycles zooming up and down the tracks.
And it was the same actors who were diving from the roof of the stage.

There really is no words to describe it. Ive seen so many musicals before but this, hell I dont mind watching it again ! Amazing, truly amazing. 

Halal Dim Sum in Hong Kong

I went to Hong Kong again with my family this time. Well actually it was just with my parents. This is the first time travelling without my sister. I felt like an only child the whole time and it was awesomee. Got to do whatever I want huahaha.

For non muslims, Hong Kong is such a food heaven. During my first visit , all my friends kept telling me how delicious the street food were. My meals were often restricted to vegetarian or arab food. However during my second visit, my mother did some research and found an islamic centre that serves Halal dim sum.

Located on Oi Kwan Road, Wan chai, the Osman Ramju Saddick Islamic centre is quite tricky to spot. I highly suggest for you to take the MTR to Wan chai station and get a cab. The locals are not familiar with this place either so make sure you give the full address to the cab driver.

 The canteen is located on the 5th floor and they also offer other dishes other than dim sum. ( Their seafood fried rice tastes amazing!!). Although it is an islamic centre, you can also see non muslims coming in and out of the canteen. Apparently their food is relatively cheap and are delicious.

If you're ever in Hong Kong , i HIGHLY recommend this place. Their dining area is an open concept too so you will mingle around with other people from all over the world !


Address : Osman Ramju Saddick Islamic Centre ,
                  40 Oi Kwan Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong

My Kinabalu Story : The climb Part 2

  The next morning we woke up at about 1.45 am. It was freeeezing cold. I wore 4 layers of long sleeved top and 3 layers of pants.( 2 heat tech tights and a trackbottom) and a super thick beanie. With all these layers on me , I totally forgot about my fingers! I only brought 1 stupid pair of gloves. SMART ASS .


  After we got ready, we headed for supper. Drink as much hot drink as possible, it helps warm your body up. I filled my flask with hot water for the climb up the summit. Super useful for when you reach the summit. After supper all of us started our journey up. Im so happy that everyone started their journey at almost the same time. Everyone's head lamp helped each other up cause the whole way was PITCH BLACK. Oh and the walkway is rocks all the way up. I could feel that it was much more difficult to breathe this time as the air is thin. All I did was kept drinking my hot water. Helps a tad bit, thankfully.

  As we climbed, I kept looking down cause I was so scared that I might trip over a rock or something. Then suddenly everyone slowed down. I looked up and saw a line of head lamps "floating" up a really high slope. " Shit" - I thought. This must be where the rope is.

  Ah , the rope. I had done thorough research before I started the climb. Everyone kept saying the hardest part is this. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and grabbed the rope.  I noticed it was so much easier to walk if i had leaned to the back and shifted my weight to my arms. The bloody rope was wet as it rained earlier on. My fingers were starting to shiver the first few steps. Obviously I was only focusing on getting my steps right and holding on the rope for dear life. Suddenly Yana said " Ashee, check out the vieewwwww!!!! " . I turned around and the first thing that popped in my head was " SubhanAllah".  I had never seen that amount of stars before in my life. The moon was shining so bright, stars were twinkling and it was 3am so the village was lighted up so beautifully. Yana and I both wanted to take out our camera to snap a picture but then we remembered that we're actually hanging off a cliff with just a rope. So we had to pass.

  My fingers were already soaking wet and freezing cold that at some point I gave up on the rope. God must've heard the pace of my heartbeat at this point, he blessed upon me courage I never knew I had (Cheeeyyy). Somehow I managed to let go of the rope and just crawled up. I know Yana was shocked cause she suddenly said " Why are you suddenly so badass???" And I replied " Think Spiderman Yana !Think spiderman!! "  

   After transferring from rope to rope, we finally reached Sayat-Sayat station. This is apparently the make it or break it point for so many climbers. By the way, you're suppose to pass this station before 5am. After "signing in" , we continued climbing. Maaaannnn, that last 1.5km was horrible. Yana and I kept taking turns to rest. All I could think of was " Left, right, left, right, left , right.....shit I need to sit down". I climbed, I walked backwards, I crawled, I sang, I sat down, when suddenly the sun appeared behind me. That was when I realized how high up we were.

This was at eye level. I was actually standing above the clouds. I was so so so happy that we made it. I called my mum up and it was only 6am she sounded so worried. I shouted "IM AT THE SUMMIT, MA!!!!!" . All hail Maxis I tell you. I uploaded the picture the moment I took it. 3G at 4095.2m above sea level. Damn awesome la you, Maxis.

It was so cold I had to sumbat a heat patch inside my gloves. My fingers were so numb I could barely press the keyboard on my phone.


  I thought going up was painful. I totally forgot about coming down. The pathway down is the same pathway up. So, imagine having to walk backwards with the rope. CRAZY. I thank god again that it was misty that day so that I couldnt see how high up we were. It rained the whole way down. Lost count of how many times i slipped and fell on my ass. Nice pattern on my track bottom la i suppose.

  It was such a good experience. I hope Yana had as much fun as I did. I definitely want to hike more often now. If only my friends werent such princesses.Ish.

My Kinabalu Story : The climb

    I suck at updating my blog regularly, Im sorry ! You guys should know by now that Im such a noob when it comes to technology. I ATTEMPTED to update my ios on my own and somehow lost EVERYTHING on my phone which included ALL of the pictures I took during my climb. Thankfully Yana took some photos as well. See, Yana saves the day yet again . How can I not love this girl? 

  Basically we were at the Kinabalu park a day before the climb. Which is a better option cause you wanna make sure you get enough rest that night. We woke up at about 6am, "attempted" to shower ( The water was freezing cold. Wet wipes are super handy from this point onwards.), did some last minute packing and headed straight out for breakfast. You can leave your luggage bag at the reception counter for RM10 per bag.

  After breakfast, we met with our tour guide. No briefing was given to us and we had to wait for almost an hour before we were transported to the Timpohon gate. The sky was clear the next day and we could see CLEARLY what we were going up against and that didnt help my nerves at all.... Anyhow there were tonnes of porters around so you can hire them to carry your stuff for you. RM10 per KG ( up and down the journey). I was trying to be a superhero and declined their offer.........at first. I gave up halfway and paid my guide to carry my stuff.HAHA.

During breakfast. If I could turn back time , Id say " TAKE OFF THOSE LONG SLEEVE TSHIRT AND WEAR A SLEEVELESS TSHIRT YOU IDIOTS! " 

Jyeahhhh, we'll be way up there tomorrow? Right.......

With Az , our guide at the Timpohon Gate

   We started walking and we went at quite a slow pace. It was just staircases up at first. We walked and walked about 40 mins through we found the 1km mark. Well that wasnt so bad.....

Tukar muscle konon

That was 1km? ah come on, 5 more of this isnt so bad...
The mountain was probably saying "Suckersss!" as we said this

   Honestly speaking, the first 4km wasnt so bad. I have never HEARD/Felt my heart beat that fast before but I was still alive la. When I felt low on energy, I drank a can of red bull and continued climbing. It was just stairs all the way. Halfway I took out my phone and started listening to music to give me more push. Obviously I prepared my playlist with all sort of Im-a-survivor/champion,katy perry's roar. yeah you get the flow.  We stopped at all the resthouses and even fed the super chubby squirrels. I swear theyre so chubby and adorable ! The weather was quite cold but you're doing one hell of a cardio exercise so expect to SWEAT A LOT. Didnt help that after about 3.5km, it started raining.

No more stairs after 3km. Just rocks that make you strategize on where to place your steps.

2 Yellow Aliens

   During the last kilometer up, I felt that it was even more difficult to breathe. I started getting dizzy and nauseous. Our guide said its normal to feel this way  as Im not used to being at a higher altitude. Ahhh , Altitude sickness I figured. That was what I was afraid of as it could affect anyone regardless of fitness level. The guide kept telling me that if during the next climb I still feel like this, he cant allow me to climb up. And then I thought hell no. You dont make me climb 6km up and now allow me to finish my climb. Fuck no.I said even if I had to, Ill crawl my way up. Its too late to give up now. So I kept climbing.

   Finally after it felt like forever, we arrived at Laban Rata. We had our dinner and met up with our previous room mate. Right, I forgot to mention. During our stay at Kinabalu Park we were put in the same room as a couple who were on their honeymoon from Capetown. I swear , they're sooo adorable and they really took good care of us. When we arrived at laban rata they kept asking me if I need anything and ensured that both of us were safe. God bless these 2! We forgot to take a picture with them but here's a stalker-ish picture that yana took of them.

Like light at the end of a tunnel.

   After dinner ( which was at 6pm ), we headed to our room where I just felt sooooo relief to be in. Again I attempted to shower but the water was as cold as ice so its just wet wipes to the rescue. I tried to sleep at about 8pm as we needed to wake up at about 1.30am the next morning for the next climb. I would continue with the 2nd climb but this post is getting a little too long now. Will continue soon!