I was tagged by
Hello Khronicles to do this travel tag. As I am typing this, I am at Hanoi International airport and I've got ten more hours before I get on my plane back home, so let's do this!
※ What made you start traveling?
I started traveling when I was only 19, mainly for the trill of it. It was with my babe Fina ; we were both young and so curious to know how it feels like being away from home all by ourselves. That's when I got addicted.
Today I travel to celebrate my independence, to learn not only about the different people, cultures and history of the places I go to, but also to discover myself. Sometimes I travel to escape and heal (e.g solo trip to Jogja) & sometimes I just want to get out from my comfort zone, challenge myself and tick off the items in my bucket-list (e.g Skyjump in Macau & Visit Disneyland HK)!
※ Where was your first plane ride to?
My first plane ride was on Singapore Airlines to Bandung, probably when I was about four. I still remember the Tom and Jerry episode I watched during that entire journey.
※ Where have you travelled to that you would love to visit again?
Ahh I can’t decide!
Macau - To do my Skyjump and Skywalk again. & also would love to do the Tower Climb.
Hong Kong - Disneyland!!! I miss that magical place.
Boracay - I would visit again just to stay all day at their beautiful, quiet Puka Beach. & do more Cliff Jumps!
Bali - The last time I was here, I didn't get to try any water activities so yes would love to do all that
Bangkok - Cos no amount of clothes and shoes and bags and shopping is ever enough (my wardrobe and shoe rack beg to differ, hur hur)
Seoul - From the beautiful palaces to amazing shopping experiences, their yummy street food and tons of pretty cafes, I don't mind visiting this place once a year <3
※ What are 3 of your must have travel items?
1. Cameras (Lumix GF3, GoPro Hero 3+ and my iPhone 5s)
Travel so far already, of cos must take 3463278 videos and pictures of myself the beautiful country, no?
2. Hard copy of my Itinerary.
Believe me when I say I am a crazily detailed planner. Every time I travel, I’d create a booklet which includes maps(from airport to hotels/from hotels to places of interest/subway maps etc), daily itinerary list (divided into jalan days and lazy days, the latter is for me to wander around and get lost) complete with the time, weather forecast, prayer timings etc, and the list goes on and on and on. Once, someone emailed me asking about my Hong Kong trip and I sent her my (14-paged!! lol) itinerary. She replied saying she has never seen an itinerary so detailed and that I am so crazy. In a good way, of course. I even have directions to our hotels in Cantonese in case we chose to take a cab and the driver doesn't speak English okay. How can I not be crazy like that, you tell me?!
3. Cards & $$. Placed inside two separate purses, kept in two different bags.
Cos I'm a klutz who keeps losing her stuff.
※ Window, isle or middle seat?
Window seat, hands down! I’ve never sat on any other seats other than the window one anyway. Just looking at the cotton-candy like clouds makes me sooooo~ happy I can just stare at them the whole time J
※ What place is on your 'places to visit next' list?
Land of the rising sun – Japan!
I’ve been learning Japanese language for almost two years now and it is my ultimate dream to be in Japan and speak to the natives in their beautiful language. I will definitely go for a solo trip to Japan before I settle down.
※ Where would you travel just for the weather?
If I had answered this question before my recent trip to Korea, then my answer would be – South Korea for winter. But now, there’s no way I will ever, EVER wish to experience winter ever again!!!!
However, I would love to visit Korea and their beautiful palaces again during Autumn or spring.
※ Do you have an interesting 'I'm lost' story?
I don't like to take cab overseas. I always stick to the public transport or sometimes just place my trust on Google Map and walk. Since all my trips are not arranged by travel agencies, so yes I have a lot of stories being lost. My fav is probably in Jogja, where I was all alone and it was way past midnight and I don't have any idea where I was. I sat with a group of guys who were singing with their ukelele and we talked about our lives. Somehow, I actually love every single second of it.
Ohh! And last week when I was in Itaewon, Korea, my sister and I walked from our guesthouse to the Han River. We were told that it is just a 20 mins walk but we ended up walking for an hour but still we couldn't see any signs of the river. Once again it was close to midnight, the streets were dark and there's a couple of drunk guys sitting along the streets. The signboards were all in Hangul and the people were so unfriendly. We gave up after almost one and a half hour of walking and on our way back, it snowed! Despite being lost I was sooooo~ happy to see snow for the first time, I cried. :p
Other than that, I also have plenty of other interesting ‘I lost my passport/money/flight tickets/hand phone” stories hehehe
※ Where would you travel to just to eat the food?
KL, hahahaha
The only 'famous' food I tried in Thailand was their coconut ice cream. I didn't try any tom yum or their banana pancakes. When I was in Indonesia I only had apples and instant noodles. I'm a fussy eater and I am totally not adventurous when it comes to eating food I've never tried before.
※ Is there a place you would never go again?
Nope! I would love to go back to alllllll the places I’ve been to again and again. Maybe with different travel buddies the next time and create new memories!
※ If you could take one person with you to travel who would it be?
My boyfriend, perhaps? :p
※ How do you pass the time on the airplane?
When I was younger, I would stay up the whole journey just watching movie cos travelling on a plane is such a big deal like that, ya know? But now, the moment I settle down on my seat, I would sleep straight away LOL. Not sure if it’s because I am getting older thus I get tired so easily or because I’m travelling more frequently now than I used to so the ‘excitement’ from taking a plane doesn’t work on me anymore.
Other than snoring my time away I also love staring out of the window. I cannot watch a movie, read or even listen to any songs like most people do cos I have an attention span of a goldfish and it makes me SO restless, and then I need to get up from my seat and move.
※ Are there other people whom you think would do this?
My darling cousin Fizalicious! :)
