It's all about my travel experience and things I love to do…
Travelogues
The Perth Mint
Mar 9th
It is our first day in Perth and while walking around the city, we decided to take an entry to The Perth Mint. The entrance into The Perth Mint cost us AUD$15 each person and the tour will take about 1 hour. When we arrived at The Perth Mint, the security guard asked us where we are from, for statistics. We told him that we are Malaysian and he said that he remembers Old Klang Road. He was dispatched here in Malaysia back then during World War II. He right palm is handicapped, maybe due to to his service in the army.
So, we arrived just in time to join a group for a tour.
Joining the group, we were told about the history of the mining industry in Perth. The guide also showed us the types of gold nuggets that were mined in Perth. The tour ended with a demonstration on how gold is melted and made into a gold bar.
Demonstration lasted for about 20 minutes just to see how the demonstrator pour out the liquids of gold into a cast, then cool it with water and then pour it back again into the boiling pot to melt it for next demonstration.
Of course, before leaving Perth Mint, we have to camwhore first. 
I got myself a bronze coint for AUD$2. Just as a souvenir. 
Flying With Air Asia To Perth…
Mar 7th
We flew Air Asia to Perth. It was 5 hours of flight and it was a near full flight.
While waiting for our flight D7 2712 to Perth, we tried to get a seat at the boarding gate. It was difficult. Why is it so difficult? LCCT sure has enough adequate seats but, it is the other people waiting for the same flight are making it difficult for us to get a seat.
Those people just don’t understand that seats are for humans, not for bags! Grrrr….
It was a tiring and long 5 hours flight. You know how bad can the leg room be for people as tall as me. I can’t complain either as flying with Air Asia, you want a good seat, you pay extra.
So throughout the flight, we entertained ourselves with their on board chat system. Which pretty much took away our boredom.
I also paid for their entertainment package which cost me RM 30 and I can watch most on board movies and I watched Cars. Yeah I know how outdated I am. -_-
One lesson one should learn when flying with Low Cost Carriers is that, fill in your stomach first before flying. You can save quite a bit from the on board meals which cost a bomb. I had Sri Melur Roti Jala with a cup of coffee and it comes to about RM 12 (Roti Jala) + Coffee (RM4). Crazy!!
It was really yum for the Roti Jala, but I thought they could do better with the serving potion. Maybe two more pieces of the Roti Jala?
Time passes by very fast and the captain announces our arrival to Perth 30 minutes before landing.
We checked out and when my baggage arrives, I found that in front of my backpack, the string was torn. Must have been that the gound handling people destroyed it by holding my backpack by the string or it was just rough handling by all parties. Gah! It is new bag… 
*sobs*
Passing through all the immigration and out we are at the arrival hall. We took the airport shuttle that cost the 3 of us AUD $35 to the city.
The journey to the city took approximately 30 minutes and were in Perth!!!
and… we are going to explore the city…
The Story of A “Love Hotel”…
Mar 3rd
They say laughter is the best medicine. So I thought it is too.
I had two encounters last a moment ago.
But, let me just share with you on one first.
It was a chat with Ring without the O. -_-
10:17 PM me: i asked my friendhe say Cosmos Hotel10:19 PM Ring: okay10:21 PM me: very.. centrally locatedRing: rate>10:24 PM me: 105USD10:25 PM Ring: got any love hotel?love hotel a lot cheaperme: wtf!what is love hotel?hahaha10:26 PM Ring: lolbasicallyits for people toargh nevermind.me: hahahahok oki got it..Ring: lolme: i tot it’s a name of the hotelhahaha10:27 PM i don’t know any wei… hahahlet’s see what google tells ushahah
The funny thing about the conversation is just how she gave up explaining the meaning of “Love Hotel”.
10:26 PM Ring: lolbasicallyits for people toargh nevermind.
The “argh nevermind.” hahahaha….
Never have I came to know that, the commonly known “kai tau” in Canton is also known as “Love Hotel” in English. Learn more about Love Hotel.
A love hotel (ラブホテル rabu hoteru?) is a type of short-stay hotel found in Japan operated primarily for the purpose of allowing couples privacy to have sexual intercourse. Similar establishments also exist in other East Asian countries and regions such as South Korea[1], Taiwan and Hong Kong. The same concept also exists in Central America, particularly in Guatemala and Mexico, where they are called “autohotels”.[2]
Japan. Hmm… Now I know where she got the term from. 
Pardon my innocence but it is just that, it didn’t hit me instantly what Love Hotel means. I wonder what will the reception would ask if any couple checks in? Maybe this scenario will happen…
Door bell rings and a couple walks in.
“Hi, you both wants to get jiggy?” Ask the reception.
The couple nods while giggling to themselves. She is holding his arm scared he will run away.
The receptionist then ask, “How long?”
The couple then points to the chart on the table. They chose the “Timeless” package, took their room key and walk upstairs.
There you go, the story of a Love Hotel. hahaha
Oh wells, the kind of place some travelers will stay just to save some money. Not to say I’m any different also as I practically stayed in a “Love Hotel” too, while I was in Perth.
The Old Swan Barracks Backpackers, Perth
Mar 2nd
I guess it is time for updates on my one whole one week break in Perth. I shall do some introduction bit by bit. I also made three post while I was in Perth here, here and here.
Finding internet in Perth is not cheap. Like seriously. The cheapest I can get is $3.00 per hour. Here at where I am staying, it is $4 per hour. The longer you buy, the cheaper it gets.
Let me start the whole Perth update on where I stayed throughout my duration in Perth. It is The Old Swan Barracks. It is situated in Northbridge on Francis Street. Click for Map.
used to be a real barrack…
Now, why I choose to stay here initially is because, they are recognized and they have good review online. Staying somewhere we have not stayed before, it all depends on reviews. I wanted to choose Perth YHA as our accommodation, but decided instead because the review says that train runs behind the hostel and it can get quite noisy. Furthermore, The Old Swan Barracks is very accessible and not too far away from the city.
The Old Swan Barracks (OSB) is huge! They have three floors and they have all the facilities one need for a long term stay. The most happening place at OSB is the common area. They have a bar, big screen, flat screen LCD tv, dining area, pool tables, computers and space, large space.
they show Simpsons every morning…
the pool tables…
Above is how it looks like during a typical day, but when the sun sets, it is when the fun begins. Every guests will be here and outsiders will come over for a nice drink at the bar while watching the soccer matches played on the big screen.
the bar…
the big screen…
They have a common kitchen, where you can make your daily fix for your stomach. It opens from morning till 11pm and they have chiller and storage cupboards should you need to use them. If they would have allowed guest to enter later than 11pm, I would have made roti canai there already!
messy kitchen…
dry storage…
the chiller…
OSB also have washing and dryer facilities, which you have to pay of course. $3 for washing and $1 for 20seconds of dryer usage. The dryer also a little bit faulty, the one far left. Wasted $3 and when the dryer stops, the cloths are still wet. Grrrr….
washing machines…
the dryers…
Unless you want to save some money, you can use the backyard to hang and dry your cloths. If not, while waiting for your cloths to dry, you can play some cards.
the backyard…
playing this card game call “asshole”…
Want to see the rooms? Come let me show you. OSB offers many type of room configurations, from 4 share dorm to 12 share dorm. Jun mentioned that we should take the 4 share dorm to minimize our sharing with other people. That didn’t happen. I will touch on that later.
hahahhaha…
Family Share…
See the difference in the above two pictures? The double bunkers room is where Jun and Rue assigned to and the one below with one queen bed is where I was assigned to. I took the lower bunker in that Family Room.
Now, the rant starts here. You see, I did a reservation on Hostel World and got my first two nights booked at The Old Swan Barracks. When we arrive to check-in, the receptionist told us that we have to be split into two rooms. Reason why? They are fully booked throughout the week. Now, that sucks isn’t it?
So, I didn’t throw my tantrum yet, and accepted as it is. Besides, I’m the one who is staying in another room and I am fine with it as it is a backpackers experience. If Rue an Jun didn’t come with me, I will be staying alone anyways. I had to stay with two Irish guys with their partners. Yes partners found while they were there. Jun and Rue had to stay with one Korean and British.
We kept on extending our stay as our days pass until my 5th and 6th night, I was told that I will be moved to another room. So WTH right? I can’t do much but to accept it. The room they move me into smells strange, so I asked the Irish guys if I can keep on staying with them in the same previous room. They are okay with it.
Why I have to move when the initial room can actually stay 4 pax? They have one bunker bed and a queen size. The two Irish guy agrees to sleep on the queen as they are buddies while the new roomie from New Zealand can take the upper bunker. Reason was, the computer system blocked one pax and they can’t reverse that. How dumb. Argghhhh…
That’s not the worst, Jun and Rue have to be moved into another room for their 6th night. Where? To a six sharing room and I tell you, that room was a mess. This is purely a mistake by the night reception who didn’t extend the night as I have told him too. It seems also that the night and morning shift reception staff don’t communicate much. I don’t know. It seems to me only. How’s the six sharing room? Come, I show you.
uuuurrgghhhh…
Crazy mess it was, Jun decided to get outta of this place and enjoy a night like a royalty would. Where? Soon to be told… Soon to be told…
One lesson to be learnt about staying at Backpackers is to block your room in advance to avoid any inconveniences. By saying block I mean, pay up in advance. If you are the kind of person who is indecisive on what’s going on the next day, too bad, all backpackers run on NO REFUND policy.
Oh wells… what an experience at The Old Swan Barracks.
The New Long Sleeve Tee
Feb 21st
Let me tell you how much does it cost to be connected here in Aussie.
It is $6 for 2 hours. It’s not cheap after conversion but it is still, the cheapest among all. Some place charges $4 per hour! That’s totally killer.
So, finally an update and I remembered that I threw a few pics into Flickr so that I can blog with pictures. I open up my Flickr and see my new long tee bought from PDI at Sungai Wang on Valentine’s Day.
It has been a while since I last bought anything nice. Furthermore, while walking along Bukit Bintang on Valentine’s Day I felt that I need a better attire than my white tee. I decided to buy myself a nice long sleeve tee since I like them and I need to add some to my wardrobe anyways.
I chance upon this nice maroon-ish long sleeve tee at PDI and I liked it. Just like love at first sight. It is mine now! Wheeeee…!!! I can’t remember how much I paid for it. But it is about RM 50 if I am not mistaken.
—-
A little update from down under. It is going to be a long story but, I shall keep it for later blog posts. If ever I’m gonna be discipline enough to do a continuous post. But, to keep the long story short, for now, I’m burnt alive.
I hope no one will start calling me ‘ah neh‘ when I walk around in a mamak.
Hopefully also, my family and friends will recognize me when I reach home and my office people don’t start asking “May I help you?” when I walk in on Monday. Hahahaha
Ohkay, I’ve got 30 minutes left and I want to do some catching up.
tatazzzz
The Cool & Cold Korean
Feb 17th
Had a long day.
Had a craving for Korean thus we walked around and found Arirang.
I remembered that I was told that this restaurant is ‘the‘ restaurant for Korean food.
No, I am not gonna talk about the food I had, but instead, I will talk about ‘her‘.
Yes. ‘Her‘ I meant. A woman. In Arirang Korean restaurant.
Well, let’s say, 5% of the ‘yes’ to dine there was ‘her‘.
What’s so great about ‘her‘?
Hmmm…
She was outside the restaurant talking to another person with all smiles and when she finished, her face turned into a long cool and cold kinda expression. I don’t know how to be exact to explain about this expression but, it is the killer…
She seems to be the manageress of this restaurant, as she seems to be behind the cashier; running all over the restaurant; manning the bar; running the orders in and out and also giving orders at times to her work mates.
She does everything! She cleans the tables, she takes orders, she makes coffee, she makes dessert and etc. The kind of manager who runs the front and back of the house. Now, that’s what F&B restaurant people should be doing. They do everything! Not just give orders.
I stole a few look at her during my dinner and she just seems so cool and cold. The kind of person that gives you the vibe that, if you even gave her a nudge to her arm, she will stab you to death kinda scenario? Hahaha. She is so serious into what she does that kinda vibe.
But, twice did she smile, she actually looked prettier. Tempted to just tell her “You should smile more. You look prettier with a smile on your face.” I dare not. Because some customer put her into boiling mode and she was boiling and when standing at the cashier, I could feel the boiling heat!
Oh! That customer that got her boiling, let me see her dark side, where she puts a confrontation to the customer and not let her guard down. Whoa! Killer woman… Stay away from angry woman. They will run you down, even if you’re friendly! hahaha
Her expression, her professionalism, her cool look, her cold expression and her smile…
Awwww…
It’s so rare. Well… I’ve known a few, but this, she is Korean. That makes her so special.
Hmmm… Maybe I should go for Korean again tomorrow.
*Okay my time is running out… More updates soon!!!*
Hello From Down Under
Feb 16th
The internet here is killing, therefore I will be doing some quick update.
Nothing much, but I think the airport guys busted my bag. Not that bad, but they just snap my front compartment elastic string. I saw that when I received my bag from the carousel. Gah!
Then, the backpacker’s I’m staying is was so held up with being full they separated us. But heck, I’ve got nice roomie. Ngeh. Heh. Heh.
Oh… and I guess I totally killed Jun by doing my usual ritual of exploring the city once I arrive to a foreign land.
I’m liking the weather here already!!!
Okay! Time’s up! 10 Minutes!
*toddlesss*
My Travel Companion
Feb 15th
is my backpack!!
I just bought it yesterday. Just nice and it is big enough to stuff all my stuffs inside.
Originally wanted a Deuter brand. But decided why should I waste so much while I don’t travel so often. Swiss Polo is just nice for once in a while use.
I’m traveling light, but I bought a huge backpack.
I’m going shopping at foreign land!!!!! Wheeeeee…
Now, important traveling checklist…
Passport. Check!
Mobile Phone and charger. Check!
Camera and charger. Check!
Ample cloths. Check!
Watch. Check!
Aussie Dollars. Check!
Maxis roaming turned on. Check!
Credit Card activation. Check!
Map. Check!
*looks at watch* oh oh!!!
Okay time is running out.
Babboosshh!!!
Planning My Perth Trip (2)
Feb 13th
Continuation from the previous planning which was 3 weeks ago.
I don’t need much planning. All I need is just some essentials to get me going.
The ten things:
1) Flight ticket all changed and confirmed.
2) Visa all applied and confirmed. I got this done free. No prize for guessing why.
3) Preparing enough AUD$ to last the duration of my stay.
4) Booked and confirmed first two nights of accommodation.
5) Traveling light with the right size of backpack.
6) Sunblocks! Sunblocks! Sunblocks! I don’t want to be fried by the heatwave.
7) Make the contacts much needed. So that I’ve got my itinerary planned well.
Read and ask around about Perth. There’s nothing much. I plan to laze around.
9) Clear all my workloads and delegate them. Make sure the office is on auto run.
10) Bring myself there with the sole purpose to enjoy.
The plan is to head there, and plan things out. At least, we don’t get sad when things don’t go our way. Right?
