When traveling abroad, we believe in learning the etiquette, immersing ourselves in the ethnicity, joining in the local lifestyle and indulging the regional cuisine. We gobble in neighborhood restaurants, reside in traditional accommodation, travel on local subways, and talk to the people of the country. Our trips are designed the way we enjoy traveling. We travel as how a group of close friends would, roaming together to experience a culture in a momentous and personal way. We can entertain ourselves. And we perfect the world we travel in. Free and easy is our style, navigating our way with maps and guides. We can go all day at a steady pace and stop for breaks of local tea and muffins.We sleep no earlier than 12 and rise no later than 8. And we don’t stop till we’re home again.

Niza & Shiella A.

Ngong Ping Cable Car Ride


Ok so last time I talked about our visit to Ngong Ping 360 to see the world's largest man made buddha. Just wanna share a short crazy video we took while we were in the cable car. Did I also mention that while we were in the cable car, we got our pic taken by a monkey? They had this fake monkey glued to the wall at both ends of the station...it would take a very quick snap just before you get off the cable car...very clever idea....so tourists like us would spend more money just to buy a picture home. They had this monkey tour at Ngong Ping too where you can watch an animation on the history of the monkeys...we decided to skip that one...

Ok so here it is...our pic with the whole cable car...it's not clear 'cause I took it straight from the photo itself.

Picture of us 3, taken by a fake monkey.

And here's the video...enjoy!



Niza A.

Flight departed on Sunday, July 15, 2007

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2 comments:

  1. the video's hilarious!! haha. Cheers! =D

    ReplyDelete

  2. Oh no you saw!!! :D

    ReplyDelete

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Planning Your Trip

Creating Your Itinerary



Of course we don't always follow our schedule strictly. That explains some of the blank spaces you see in our itinerary. It's not that we have no idea what to do...it's just to allow a bit of room for spotaneity ;). We don't always wake up on time. Sometimes we miss the bus or train. Our journey gets delayed each time one of us gets hypnotized into entering a shop on the way to our destination.

The most important thing is that we enjoyed ourselves and made the most of our trips. We don't let the itinerary control us. If we feel like changes need to be made, then by all means, we would. Remember, it is only there as a guide, to facilitate your travel and to cut guessing time. We always have our itinerary and do all our homework before getting on the plane.

So how do you write your own itinerary? Follow our 5 simple steps to get you started:

1.) Get to know the country.

There are numerous places you can find information. Travel books, internet, brochures, etc. Head to the library or bookshop. Do your homework. Talk to friends who have travelled to the country and get their recommendations. Although it may seem like a hassle, knowing a bit about the country's history and culture would make your trip much more fruitful and worthwhile. There are many ways you can go about doing it. We've only mentioned some.

2.) List out on paper:

(a) Places to visit (Look out for recommendations of 'must see' and 'must go').
(b) Things to do (Shopping, sightseeing, etc).
Arrange your list according to priority. Depending on the number of days you are travelling, you might have to cross out a few places. Do not try to squeeze too many places in a single day. We recommend travelling 2 to 4 places at most in one day. You'll definitely discover a new place in the area which you'll want to explore. So it's best to give yourself just enough time.

3.) Note operating days and hours.

There is nothing more disappointing than to finally reach a desired destination only to find it closes early. Worse still it is closed on the day you came to visit. Always know beforehand to avoid wasted time.

4.) Plan your route.

If you're taking the bus, know which bus service takes you in the direction. If going by train or boat, take note of their time regularity. If driving by yourself, study the route map. (It is best if you already know where you will be staying. You can then arrange the start of your routes accordingly). Write them all down in an easy-to-carry notebook if you need to. This may come in handy during your journey.

5.) Allocation of time.

This is determined by:
(a) Knowing how long it will take to get from one place to another.
(b) Deciding how much time you will spend at one location.
(c) Take meal times into consideration.

Phew! Pretty long winded huh. Well, when you have a rough idea of all the above, you can then start to write or type them out into an excel sheet. With all the information you have read and collected, you will slowly start to see your itinerary building up and soon, you'll be all set to hop on that plane!

Now that you have a bit of idea on creating your own travel itinerary, you should also know how to do your own budgeting. We will discuss that in the next Travel Tips. So stay tuned!

Tip:
Once it's complete, you might want to print a fresh copy to be stored in your new photo album or scrap book. A great way to re-visit your memories on paper!

*Please bear in mind that the time, fee and routes may be subject to changes depending on your time of travel. Do check with Hong Kong Tourism Board or do some of your own research before planning your trip.