Scooter-ing in Karon!

What's up!

The final part of my Phuket's trilogy is finally done! You can check out the other two parts of the trilogy here, Beach-ing in Patong (part 1) and Scooter-ing in Patong (part 2). If you're new to my blog, just so you know, I publish new post once or twice a week. So be sure to subscribe to our newsletter!

Cover Photo

In 2013, Steph and I went to Phuket, Thailand for the second time. The sea, sun and sand are reasons we fell in love with Phuket so much. All the pictures in this post were taken using Samsung Note 3 and Samsung Galaxy S4 as we decided to travel light :)

Instead of staying in Patong, we stayed in Karon which is approximately 15-20 minutes scooter ride uphill from Patong. As usual, Agoda.com hooked us up to the amazing Secret Cliff Resort & Restaurant Phuket! Look no further as they have sea view jacuzzi suites, swimming pool, spa and more! We have to rate them a 10/10. Check out their website for more pictures and offers!

They have a restaurant and bar as well as a "hut" bar called Coco Pizza. If you're craving for some italian styled pizzas and cheeses, head on to Coco Pizza! 

If you're planning on renting a scooter, Secret Cliff Resort provides rental services. It's much safer too in terms of security deposits. You'll have to hand in your passport as a security deposit. Personally, I think it's much safer to leave my passport with the hotel instead of handing it over to an outsider. Also, yes, we went to Jungceylon again! :)

Karon beach is a 15 minutes scooter ride downhill from Secret Cliff Resort and probably 30 minutes away from Patong. If you're looking for a less populated beach, Karon or Kata beach is the place to be. The sand on Karon beach is unique because it makes a squeaking sound each time you take a footstep. Seriously! Also, be sure to bring along your national driving license along as you might face a roadblock just like we did. Luckily, I brought my license with me. 

There'll be a lot of activities offered by vendors on the beach such as, jet skiing, para sailing, banana boat and more. I tried out the para sailing and it was fun! Steph bailed out last minute due to her fear of heights :/

Psssttt! Avoid taking Tuk Tuks as their charges will rip you off. We paid 300 baht a day for our scooter. A Tuk Tuk would charge you at least 200 baht per ride! You do the math. Correct me if I'm wrong but this was purely based on our experience.

Karon is a small and peaceful town where you'll see lesser cars and population. So what's in Karon? KARON PLAZA! This is the right place for shoppers. Here, your bargain skills should be put to test if you know what I mean. 

There are tons of other stuffs in Karon too, restaurants, massage parlours, tattoo parlours, hotels, convenience store, currency exchange booths, markets and more. Be sure to get yourself a raincoat just in case if it rains. Raincoats are available in every 7-eleven or other convenience store.

Last but not least, we made time to go to the busy and bustling Patong! We visited the Patong Otop Shopping Paradise! You'll find yourself surrounded by "hut" bars while shopping your way through Patong Otop. You'll find a shop filled with HELLO KITTY'S merchandises, reggae/rasta's accessories shop as well as Hard Rock Cafe! 

I've finally reached the end of my Phuket's trilogy. I thank you so much for supporting and visiting my blog! I'll be uploading a new Youtube video and a blog post next week so stay tuned for more! Do follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to our newsletter and Youtube channel too!

As always, be nasty stay happy! :)

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Binondo, Chinatown (Philippines part 3)

Hey there guys!

It has been almost a week since I last blogged and darn it, I miss blogging. Firstly, I wanna thank you guys for visiting my blog and subscribing to my newsletter, you are an awesome support! 

You may have read my posts on travelling in the Philippines, this is part 3. If you haven't check the first 2 parts, here are the links! Intramuros (Part 1) and Ermita (Part 2).

Binondo also nicknamed Chinatown is the official Chinatown in Manila extending its influence to places of Santa Cruz, Quiapo and San Nicolas. Amazing fact, it is the OLDEST CHINATOWN IN THE WORLD! Dayummm! Oldest! It was established in the 1594 by the Spaniards. It is located just outside of Intramuros but accross the Pasig River. You'll find yourself surounded by chinese stores, vendors and restaurants. That's because business owners are mostly Chinese-Filipino.

Me and Steph walked to Binondo all the way from Intramuros. It was a long long long walk across the bridge. Each ligaments/muscles in our legs were tearing apart bit by bit. Overall, it was exhilarating. Navigating your way into Binondo is easy but still, having Google Maps with you would be handy at times.

I had to keep my DSLR in my Caribee backpack so we used our Samsung Galaxy S4 and Note 3 to take these pictures. Not all but some of em'. 

Cover Photo: Walking across the bridge over Pasig River to Binondo from Intramuros

Yes, there are lots of skyscrapers in Binondo along Escolta Street which runs parallel to the Pasig River. The skyscrapers are not as fancy nor new looking. They are fine examples of early skyscrapers design in the Philippines.

Pasig River

A glimpse of Pasig River and Lucky Chinatown Mall 

On the bridge over Pasig River

Selfie with the Filipino-Chinese Friendship Arch

The Friendship Arch Selfie

There is a Filipino-Chinese friendship arch and that is considered as the entry point. From Intramuros, it is approximately 1.5km walk. The sun was scorching hot so we got ourselves small glass bottles of Pepsi which you rarely get here in Malaysia. As far as I could remember, a bottle costs 13₱ (RM1).

Binondo Church also known as Minor Basilica of St. Lorenzo Ruiz is one of the oldest church I've seen so far. It was founded by Dominican priests in 1596 to serve their Chinese converts to Christianity. However, they reconstructed it over and over due to damages inflicted during the world war II. You guys have to visit this church! 

Binondo Church also known as Minor Basilica of St. Lorenzo Ruiz

Pardon me. I'm not really an enthusiast for taking pictures of food. I normally get so hungry I chomped the whole meal before I could even blink. However, if you're looking for authentic Chinese cuisine, you're in the right place. The food here is awesome! If you're looking for fast food chains, you'll find Jolibee, Mang Inasal, Chow King, or Mc Donalds with ease. 

For those who are looking for Halal food, it is not impossible. You'll find stalls that serve Halal food normally in food court of a mall. 

It is also common to see kids roaming around asking for money/food/drinks. Don't hit them, you're in their country. If you don't like it, reject with manners. We bumped into some too, we gave them our Pepsi leftovers and hell they were euphoric. 

We bumped into the Manila Traffic!

Oh! You can take a Calesa tour around town. It's a horse-drawn carriage. Still, you've gotta make sure you got the right deal or they might cut you off your guard and little did you know, they ripped you off with their price. I'm not saying it will happen, but it happened to me once. :)

This picture was from my first trip to Binondo years back!
In the carriage: My friends, Jas and Bel

So, you're looking for cheap stuffs? You love shopping? HAHAHA! Say or ask no more! In Binondo, there are two ways to shop. Malls or Bazaars. Here is where your negotiation skills will be tested to the maximum limit. Everything here is cheap! It comes with a tag that says "Made in China" though haha! But hey! Still, who doesn't like cheap stuffs right? Here's a map and the names of places you can shop till you drop. DROP!

So, here are the places you can go for shoppings. It is all within a walking distance. 

1. 999 Mall
2. 168 Mall
3. Meisic Mall
4. Juan Luna Plaza
5. Divisoria Bazaar

If you could, make a visit to Divisoria. You won't regret it.

Well, that's it for Binondo. I'll be posting about Ortigas in my upcoming blog posts. I hope you find some of my info useful. Personally, I love writing about my travels because I get to visualize the timeline of my period abroad. You'll only get the best memories when you travel.

Again, here are my links to previous posts of my Philippines trip. Intramuros (part 1) and Ermita (part2). Be sure to check it out!

I'll be posting blog posts probably twice to three times per week as I'm trying to cope up with my upcoming Youtube project. So bear with me :)

You! Yes YOU! Be nasty, stay happy. Thanks for supporting us.

Salamat sa iyong suporta! 

Love, Nath.

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Intramuros! (Philippines Part 1)

Mabuhay!

It means welcome in Tagalog. This post will be about my trip to Intramuros the historical and oldest district of Manila. The whole district was fortified with stone walls which gives Intramuros (within the walls) it's name.

The entrance to Intramuros

We stayed in United Nation which is just a few minutes walk from Rizal Park. Instead of walking, we decided to take the motorcycle taxi or also famously known as tricycle in the Philippines. The whole ride costs less than 30 ₱. It may be scary as the cabin is very very very low but it is worth a try.

The tricycle 

Yes, we covered the whole 0.67 sq km of the fortified Intramuros. We ruled out exhaustion because there were lots of things to see! The designs of infrastructures, ancient buildings from as early as 15th century as well as the people and culture in Intramuros. If you're travelling there alone, you have nothing to be worry about because there are guards everywhere. I would definitely vote this place safe for solo female travellers.

Entrance to Intramuros is free. There are couple of schools and universities in Intramuros so you'll be seeing quite a number of students. Oh! Don't be surprised to see a huge number of KOREAN students. They speak fluent Tagalog, butter smooth. Some of them have families who actually owns businesses in Manila so that explains.

There are 3 modes of transportation in Intramuros.

1. On Foot. - We've walked for 80 acres until we decided to take the tricycle. 
2. Tricycle. - You'll have to find good ones like we did. It costs 200 pesos depending on the number of stops you wish to visit. BARGAIN!
3. By Calesa. - Horse-drawn carriage where you'll find waiting at Fort Santiago entrance. 

Most of the entrance fees are the same  75 ₱  (Adult), 50 ₱ (Children), and some are free. So here's a list of must visit places in Intramuros:

1. Fort Santiago  
2. Plaza de Roma
3. Postigo del Palacio
4. Puerta de Isabel II
5. Baluarte de San Diego 
6. Plaza Moriones
7. Plazuela de Sta. Isabel
8. Manila Cathedral
9. San Agustin Church & San Agustin Museum
10. Rizal Shrine
11. Bahay Tsinoy - Chinese Filipino Museum  (100 ₱ for adult and 60 ₱ for children)

Footsteps of Rizal

Entrance to Fort Santiago

Postigo del Palacio

I've never actually studied on the history of Philippines but I've learnt a lot from this trip. Visit all the places listed and you'll get the whole view of how Philippines got their independence and how are they connected to Spanish, American, Portuguese, Japanese and many more. Assuming I am a Filipino, damn hell I am proud of my country's history. It was like a story book to me. My tricycle guide us to every monument telling us the history one piece at a time.

Though the sun was scorching hot, I was so taken away by the story of Philippines. The beautiful scenery and environment made me feel home and relaxed.

Thanks for supporting guys! If you're planning to go to the Philippines, I hope you may find this useful. As always, be nasty, stay happy.

Lots of love, Nath.

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