October 25, 2011

Sea Sand Sun of Phuket

Sawadeekaa!!~ I stepped foot once again in Phuket after 6 years and honestly, this small island changed quite alot! I was on a 3days 2nights trip with my whole bunch of colleagues as this was our company trip for year 2011. Believe it or not.. i survived in Phuket for 3 days with only 1750baht = RM175! Yes i did! It's no surprise though since most of our meals and entrance fees to the Simon Cabaret Show and Phuket Fantasea was pre-paid by our company. Most of my cash was spent on massage and of course.. Starbucks! lol!

Why i said Phuket has changed alot since the last time i went (well.. what kinda place will NOT change after 6 years right?) was because first: the type of tourists and secondly: the enviroment. 6 years back, the main tourists in Phuket are from countries like U.S, Australia, Japan, the list goes on. Now? the island is swarmed with tourists from China! I assumed their population are just too enormous that they're basically scattered all around the world and not like back in those days, China people's spending ability is just too strong nowadays. Although i'm a Chinese myself but i personally do not like their culture. They spite everywhere like nobody's business, talk extremely loud, and rude! They always spoil my mood whenever i'm surrounded by them and sad to say i'm ALWAYS surrounded by them wherever i go! They spoilt my mood when i was on shopping spree in Singapore and also when i was in London. FML! Again, i was surrounded by them in Phuket! Is there any country where i WON'T be surrounded by them?!

In our itinerary, we were to go to this island called Coral Island where it was said to be one of the must go  islands when you're in Phuket. In order to get to this Coral Island, you must first go to this Motorboat Company who provide the water transportation to the island. When we reached, the crowd was just moderate hence we took our own sweet time chilling out since it wasn't our turn to take the ride yet. But minutes later, hell knows from where swarmed in a whole big bunch of China people and the whole area became SO noisy if their voices screaming and shouting around and they were like hungry people snatching for food when actually it was just the safety vest we are told to wear throughout the whole journey to Coral Island and even when we are at the island itself. They were stepping all over the vests trying to pick out the 'best' ones when IT'S ALL THE FREAKING SAME! One of them even spitted on the simen floor and nearly kena one of our VIP guest's wife! yucks!!

I thought i went to China instead of Phuket. Mountain people mountain sea!

Me and my colleagues

At that moment i just realized that Bintang was actually from Indonesia and not Thailand. Silly me!

Us taking a group pic before we take the shuttle boat to the island

The shuttle motor boat

Whoosh whoosh hair!

Coral Island is really picturesque! The water is crystal blue like the sky's reflection. Loving it!

My colleagues having a good splashing time in the water.

I is not wearing the vest because it is smelly!

I insisted not going down the water and getting myself wet. My colleagues thought i period but when i told them is because i doesn't wanna get my hair wet from the sea water because i just dyed my hair and it'll be extremely dry if i kena sea water.. this is what they did to me..

THEY STARTED SPLASHING ME!!! FML!

Woofies A.L.E.R.T!

 This time to Phuket, i didn't manage to take a walk at the infamous Patong Beach. Reason was because our itenary was pretty packed and we did not have much free time to roam on our own. Sad max! I really wanted to go back to the Starbucks facing the beach and just sit there, enjoy my favourite Ice Caramel Machiatto and relax myself to the rhythm of the waves. But in contrary, i get to spend time and get to know my colleagues a little bit more. Besides Patong Beach and Coral Island, 2 more must-visit tourist attractions in Phuket are the Simon Cabaret Show where all the aquas there are seriously SO beautiful (i have to say they're even more beautiful than us - the originals). Cameras and video recorders are not allowed inside the show thus i couldn't capture any photos to share but after the show, there's a photo taking session where you can take a photo with any aquas you desire for only 500baht. They're all uber sexy, pretty, and all glam up with their bling bling costumes.

These are the oni 2 pics i managed to capture at the Simon Cabaret Show. Can u see the beautiful aquas? can u can u??

Another attraction is the Phuket Fantasea. What is so good about it? Buffet and the elephant show - people are usually there for only these 2 purposes. There's nothing much to see inside and honestly, 6 years back and 6 years later? Nothing changed! Not even the elephant show's storyline! Thus my advice is.. there's no need to revisit the place if you've already been there before. But for those who haven't you should go for the elephant show. They have a good chereography and fantastic backdrops. A small FYI, you're not allow to bring in any handphones with camera and video recording functions, cameras, and video recorders in. Hence, while queuing in to the hall they'll check your bag and if you have any of the above inside, you'll be directed to counters whereby you have to surrender all those gadgets for them to keep in a locker. After the show, you'll have to go to the Collection Counters and collect back your stuff. Don't worry.. it's safe.. so far. Oh, wait.. i know what has changed there! They do not have Illy Cafe 6 years back, and they do now! Still it should be better if they have Starbucks. XD

Illy Cafe!! Beautiful ain't it? I love the architecture.. wooden craft and all.. you can sip on a cuppa coffee while waiting for the show to open..

The buffet restaurant inside Phuket Fantasea can accommodate up to 5000 pax! So if you come late for the buffet, be prepared for a food fight lar..

Must try their dessert.. it's yummay!!~

Forgot how much they charge for the elephant ride =.=

The grand entrance to the elephant show..

All the shops in Fantasea are created based on their own theme.

They also have cute game booths for you to kill your time. And the game attendants are dressed according to their game booth's theme too! Look at their cute hats!

On our last day, we visited this cashew nut manufacturer called "Sri Burapha Orchid" where you can buy all sorts of products made from cashew nuts. They also sell other products such as candies, dried food, ointments, and many many more. Prices are reasonable and slightly cheaper from the outside because they're directly from the manufacturer itself. Before going to the airport, we begged the tour guide to bring us to some local stalls for lunch because we were all so sick of buffets and restaurant foods.. WE NEED TO TASTE THE LOCAL FOOD! So in the end, the tour guide brought us to this rather dead looking local stall and surprising.. the food was OMFG YUMMYLICIOUS!! Now, we can fly back in peace.


The guide explaining to us the story of a cashew nut.. FML

The 'kitchen'.. XD

You can find all sorts of cashew nuts flavors here. Tell me what you want? Original flavor? BBQ? Wasabi? Sour cream? Salted? Non salted? What you have they also have lar..

Pork! Oink oink! I'm not really a pork eater but this is just too hard to resist!

The local food stall was SO old school they're still using metal mug! Uber epic max!

Now everybody hold up ur mug.. hehee!

My colleague in red sprained his neck in the massage section and yet he gave tips! It was so funny we decided to make fun of him. We took a last group photo at the airport with him and without telling him we all senget our head like him! hahahahhaha!

October 4, 2011

Glory Glory Man United!

Honestly speaking, i do not know shit about football nor Manchester United; except for knowing the fact that David Beckham once kicked for them, and Michael Owen too, and...... i think basically that's it. Having many friends around me who are an avid fan of Man U they somehow can't pull me into understanding football because i just don't want to. I don't see where's the fun and thrill of a group of masculine (some even good looking) men running around the field chasing after a ball and some of the footballers are a pretty good actor as well. Why i said so is because when sometimes i sit together with my dad or friends watching their favourite team playing and there'd be one scene where either one of the player from a team accidentally and lightly kicked or hit the opposition's player, he'd go rolling on the ground growling in pain adui adui and all, but once the referee gave the party a yellow card he immediately sprang back up all healed suddenly. Like completely wtf to me. Yea yea.. i know it goes the same to people who don't understand golf will also say "I don't know what's the thrill in watching a man walking a whole good 9-hole course changing sticks hitting a small ball". So let's cut the crap short and just say we have our own point of in view in sports lar k?

Having a chance to visit the mother home of the Man U team, it is of course, a definate must to go visit their stadium. No point going to Manchester without visiting the Manchester United official stadium right? Manchester was raining cats and dogs during my 2weeks visit there making it very inconvenient for my sister to bring me out. Luckily it wasn't raining when it reached the day she planned to bring me to the stadium. It was an approximately half an hour journey from her house to Old Trafford (the place where the stadium is) by bus. Public transports in western countries are really really so damn convenient and safe compared to ours! And some of the bus rides are even free!

Once inside the stadium, there's a small museum about the history of Man U you can visit while waiting for your turn to go into the stadium. This is how it works: you buy your ticket from the entrance and you have to wait till your number is called out. They'll gather a group of 10 people and there'll be a guide who'll guide you around the whole stadium while story telling about the stadium's knicks and knacks. I didn't expect the stadium to be sssoooo huge it takes an hour plus to complete the whole tour! I is amazed. But being a typical girl who have zero knowledge about football a.k.a Man U i felt so lost inside there and i seriously do not know a single shit what that guide was talking about, even when i was inside their museum - all i care about is just to take pics. FML! I even remember asking my sis "Why i no see beckham one?" and she answered something about what captain now is giggs mar and my only response was "Huh? who?"

My sis: THIS GIGGS LAR!!

Me: Hie, i don't think i know u (=.=||)

I've taken a few pictures of the displays of Man U for you Man United fans out there. I may not understand but i'm sure u guys will =)

I know you! Mr Alex Ferguson!

The tragedy that hit the team and 7 talented players sacrificed. R.I.P

i spot david beckham!

the names of fame


And my journey into the stadium begins from the main field:

the guide explaining to us about the rules and regulations of the field, the prices of the seats and the season passes.. bla bla bla


And the tour continues to here:
the "runway" for the players to make their grand entrance..

and this is where the players and manager will stand whenever there's a TV or press interview..

Let's continue to the waiting room where all the players' families, girlfriends, wives and kids will wait while their husband are out there chasing the ball:

This also happens to be the first place where Beckham and Victoria first met and was first introduced to each other.. how sweet! <3

posters of giggs EVERYWHERE!

Not much on the waiting room.. but many! in their locker room! wootz wootz!:

owen owen owen!!

the goalkeeper's jersey.. i may not like football but i like their jerseys <3

Well... that basically round up the whole stadium tour. Nothing much to see and not much fancy nor attracts me (bsides their jerseys) because i ain't much of a fan. I hope it did at least fancied you fans out there though. Here's some pictures of some posters hung along the hallway. Enjoy your so-called virtual Manchester United official stadium by me.. :D

Man U merchandises sold in their official Man U Merchandise Store

Jerseys are also sold for 80pound each.. it's extremely expensive to me but my cousin brother said it is cheap compared to KL so i don't know.. you guys know better =p