Getting to Tioman

Before the Brisbane upload, just wanna share the below travel tips to Tioman from Singapore!!

1. The most cost effective but tedious way
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Step 1: From Singapore to JB (Larkin Terminal)
Take bus from Queen Street Bus Terminal (nearest MRT Station – Bugis)




- SBS 170
- Causeway Link 2 (CW2)
- Singapore – Johor Express (SJE)

You can purchase the ticket for CW2 and SJE from the ticket booth located at the Terminal. Do not throw the ticket away till you reached Larkin Terminal.

Once you reach Woodlands Checkpoint, you will alight, go through custom and board the bus again (do not need to board the same bus, you can wait for the next arriving bus).

The same applies when you arrive at Johor Bahru Checkpoint.

Note: You can take the SBS 170 to Larkin Terminal from Johor Bahru Checkpoint even if you did not take SBS 170 earlier. (You will need to pay additional nominal bus fee)

Journey Time: ~1.5 hr journey (smooth traffic)

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Step 2: From JB (Larkin Terminal to Mersing)
When you arrive at Larkin Terminal, you will be able to see the stretch of ticketing counters and “salesman” standing in front of the counters. You can approach anyone and ask them where to purchase ticket to Mersing.



There are 2 counters that offer bus service to Mersing.

- S&S Express (8.30am)
- Causeway Link (11.30am)

Note: The two timing stated above is the only timing you can take (or any timing before 12 noon). In the event where the bus is fully booked or you’ve missed the bus, please do not book the afternoon timing as you will not have time to catch the last ferry to Tioman at 4.30pm

*In the event where you are unable to take the bus to Mersing from JB, please book the earliest bus to Kota Tinggi. There are many counters that provide bus services to Kota Tinggi.

From Kota Tinggi, take Omnibus 103 from the Terminal to Mersing.

Journey Time:
~ 2.5 hr (From JB to Mersing)
~ 3.5 hr (From JB to Kota Tinggi to Mersing)

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Step 3
From Mersing, purchase the ferry ticket to Tioman from Blue Water Express which is located just beside the Bus Terminal.

Instructions will be given by the ferry company to get to the jetty.

Journey Time: ~ 2 – 2.5 hr (depending on the where your resort is located)

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2. The mid comfort way (~ S$ 45)

Singapore - Mersing - Tioman

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Step 1: From Singapore to Mersing
Book a direct coach transfer from Singapore to Mersing.

- Transnational Express
Depart from Lavender St. Terminal
http://www.transnasional.com.my

- Five Star Express
Depart from Golden Mile Complex
http://www.fivestarsonline.com

Journey Time: ~ 3.5 - 4 hr

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Step 2
From Mersing, purchase the ferry ticket to Tioman from Blue Water Express which is located just beside the Terminal.

Instructions will be given by the ferry company to get to the jetty.

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3. The most relaxed but costly way (~ S$ 135 one way per pax)

Step 1: From Singapore to Tioman
Take a flight from Singapore to Tioman
- Berjaya Air
https://www.berjaya-air.com/

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Tioman!! Look for my Tioman Post!!

Hong Kong Trip

Early morning, we check out of Casa Real hotel, took the shuttle bus to Macau Ferry Terminal to continue our journey to HK! Ard HKD 140+ for one way ferry which is ard SGD 35+... BTW, our two night hotel stay was approx SGD 160 (cheap as the stay was during wkday, the rate for wkend was like SGD 120++ for 1 night) Some pics of the ferry we took.





We reach HK after about 1 hr! We booked our room in Bishop Lei International, the hotel mentioned on their website that there is shuttle bus service from Central MTR or alternatively a short walk up the mid-level escalator will reach their hotel and etc etc. In the end, LOST!! Don’t trust the signs!! We took a cab after strolling around central for about 1hr+ with our luggage!!



The cab was cheap since the hotel was near Central MTR and we found the location of the shuttle bus pickup in the end, but it was impossible to find if you did not ask the hotel staff. So.. If any1 do stay in Bishop Lei one day, please take a cab.. It won’t cost much from the Central MTR Station.



Thankfully, they upgraded our room to a harbourview room for no reason!! =)
The pics did not show the small living room and bathroom, so it is not as small as it seems.. Overall, I'll rate it 3.5/5 for HK standard (the bathroom is alittle too small.., but the view was amazing)

Pics below!





We went to Temple Street Night Market and NOTHING!! Okay, maybe for us. All the stores are selling the same items. We took about 15 mins to walk up and walk down and in the end bought my items all from the SASA outlet store. We are so exhausted from all the travelling and walking that we bought our dinner and some supper and went back to the hotel to rest.

Next morning, we went Stanley market by bus, it was a nice ride with views to look at, not spectacular, but not boring to say the least. The place is quite a good shopping spot and the cooling weather helps since it something like Singapore’s Pasar Malam combined Chinatown stores.

Some pics.





After which we took the bus back and went back Central to take a walk, travelled across to Causeway Bay by MTR and went to Star Ferry Pier. It was windy and I was freezing, but the view was nice. Some pics





We went Causeway Bay to walk, famous for some fashion wear, but in the end, nothing to buy! Mayb we are just too picky. Went for dinner at Pak Loh Chiu Chow Restaurant, recommended by Lonely Planet book, we thought we can get some tim sum there, in the end, BIG disappointment!!!

No tim sum and the food was so EX, we ordered fried rice and some porridge, one of the supervisor came, looked at us and say in mandarn: “one eating porridge and one eating fried rice for dinner, enough already right?”, it doesn’t help when the rest keep looking at us and laughing to one another. Disaster. Spoilt my appetite BIG time and the cost for the above was SGD 30+!! What the $%@&^%$.. Furthermore, cause the loving couple (us) to have some slight argument. BOYCOTT BIG TIME!!

*side note* the point i am putting across is we were sort of "looked down", which i feel was partly due to what we wore there.. Hip hop and fancy restaurant don't gel apparently.. Anyway, moving on...

That night was Chelsea vs Man Utd match, we thot our hotel provides the channel but to our dismay, on air was some other football league, but Chelsea won, so maybe not watching is better.

I hope to go back again one day since I missed quite a lot of places, it doesn’t help when you walk and travel so much the prev few days and your partner fell sick. Will go back again 1 day!

*Tips*: If u plan to travel much, purchasing the Octopus Card (like EZ-link in Singapore) is a wise choice, furthermore, any remaining value in the card is returned to you after your visit in HK! (http://www.octopus.com.hk/home/en/index.html)

Next up, Brisbane Australia!

Trip to Macau - Part 2

After a long night sleep, our trip for Day 2 begins.

Before the trip, extensive research was done on the transport to the central; however, during dinner last night, we realize that we are able to walk to the central. From Casa Real to Central takes about 30 mins, provided you are not lost. (thank goodness I still remember the way from prev trip).





We went to the famous Sao Paulo Cathedral which is a must go when you are in Macau . On the way to Sao Paulo Cathedral, you will cross a stretch of shops selling barbeque pork which btw cannot be compared to Singapore 's Mei Zhen Xiang or any other brand and shops that sell the famous Ginger candy and almond cookies etc.

Generous sampling size are given along the way, make sure you keep some empty stomach =), the biscuit stores are great place to buy some back home while the barbeque pork store are known to be quite pricey. Unless you are a huge fan of their barbeque pork, I would not recommend buying from there.

Some pic of Sao Paulo Cathedral



Behind and Inside the Catheral





Our next destination is Penha Church. Btw the trip to Penha Church drained the %$#&@#$ energy and brain cell out of me. We were given wrong direction and ended up walking much much more than we had and not forgetting the steep road up the hill to get to the church.

Nevertheless, we managed to drag ourselves up and enjoy the view from the top of the small hill. If only the weather would have been alittle clearer, the view would have been stunning.







Something interesting that we spotted was just outside the church, there is someone selling Buddhist items, lucky charms etc. Not exactly the best location I guess?

We hiked back down and went strolling around Macau Central again, grabbed some munchies on the way which was delicious and slowly make our way to Wynn and MGM casino.





Lose $$. Not Happy. We went for dinner after the long day and went back to rest. The following day, we are travelling to Hong Kong .

Stay tuned for HK trip!

Trip to Macau..

I've been to Macau twice, once with my Uncle and Auntie and the second with my guy.

The difference is the first trip was more "gambling focused" and the second was alittle more "sightseesing focused". Let focus on the second trip since the first trip was basically just.. gambling..

We arrived in Macau via Tiger Airways, I told myself after the 4-hr plus flight to Taipei via Jetstar that I would never take another budget airline for such "long"distance flight.. Anyway, I gave it due to budget constraint and the limited flights going to Macau..

















The hotel that we stayed in was Casa Real Hotel, location was alright and overall it was value for $$..

There are few islands within Macau, the two main island that people visit should be Macau Peninsula and Taipa.. The hotel was located in Macau Peninsula whereas the airport was located in or just outside Taipa and to travel to our hotel, we need to pass Taipa..

Anyway, we decided to spend the morning in Taipa and check in to the hotel in the afternoon..

Qns 1) What do we do with our luggages??

Tip: Venetian is located in Taipa, in case you are not aware, Venetian is the replica of the original Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas.. It is definitely a must see "attraction"spot in Macau.. Anyway to continue, you can leave your luggage at the baggage service area and start your tour!! Note: if the staff ask which room you are staying, you can just let them know that you are visiting the Casino..

1. First Stop: The Venetian

2. Taipa Village: Taipa Village is just walking distance from The Venetian.. Therefore, you don't have waste $$ on cab, some cab drivers will take the chance to "squeeze" more $$ by taking longer route or come up with some "imaginary" reason to hike up the fare.. (speaking from experience.. T.T..) You can ask the helpful staff from The Venetian, they will direct you..

Wanted to visit the Taipa Museum, which brings me to the next point, some days are free to visit the Museum, while some days you have to pay a very small nominal fee, however please note that they do not change.. Therefore, you have to bring exact change there.. In the end, we did not enter since we are short of change...

Anyway, travel down the Taipa Village and visited a pork chop bun stall (the pic above) that was supposedly famous.. The pork chop bun was nice!! Huge.. After lunch, we went back Venetian hotel and visited the Manchester United store!! Inside the store, there is a MU tour where you are able to play some soccer ball games, read the history of MU, see the replica of the player's room, etc..

*solely for Man Utd fans*

After the tour, we went to check in at our hotel using Venetian's shuttle bus (the blue buses from the pic on the top).. Shuttle bus are very common in Macau, provided by the various hotels.. They normally travel to and fro from their hotel to the ferry terminal... Thus travelling from Taipa to Macau Peninsula is convenient and F.O.C!!

After playing "hide and seek" with our hotel, to our dismay, we are not able to check in due to some problems !! But they did compensate us by upgrading us to a suite!! After looking at the room, we are TOTALLY fine with the delay, the only downside was we are staying for only two nights and we are leaving for Hong Kong.. We shld have stayed for 1 week or something..

During the delay of our hotel room, we went to Fisherman Wharf which was near to our hotel.. A few minutes away by walking.. Nth much, I suppose it was still developing.. We just stroll around and went back to our hotel to rest..

We came out for dinner and dinner was delicious!! Stroll around again to digest the very large amount of food and went back for a night rest.. Some pictures that we took... Enjoy!!

Will share part 2 of the trip soon!!

Before Tioman Trip

Before blogging on previous hotel experiences, just wanna share my upcoming trip to Tioman Island!! After the trip, will be posting some pictures, information etc.

I've research online and decided to go for the cheapest method to get to Tioman.
I am travelling on 7-9 August (SG National Day).. Ya.. I know.. Bad timing..

Budget Stay: Panuba Inn (RM 100 per day) - inclusive of the RM20 surcharge on wkend and public holiday..

Transport:

1. I will be taking SBS 170, CW2 or Singapore-Johor Express at Queen St. to Johor Bahru Larkin Terminal.

2. From Larkin Terminal, I will be taking S&S International Express (not sure the exact name), or any bus that goes to Mersing..

3. Mersing - a speedboat down Tioman!! WooHoo.. about RM35 for one trip and RM5 for some wildlife conservation fee

The above is the cheapest way to get to Tioman from Singapore. W/o the boat tix, I reckon it will cost about less than S$10!!

Hopefully the trip turns out well and it will really look exactly like the pic below!!!