travel Archives - Jetsetamanda

Hiking Everest Base Camp, Nepal: 10 Tips before you go!

January 21, 2019 3 Comments

Time flies and it has been two months since we set foot at Everest Base Camp (5,380 m). Looking back, I embarked on this adventure with an open mind and came back with a whole different set of perspectives. Trekking in the mountains for a good 2 weeks was definitely something new to me. Some of my friends trekked Poon Hill and Annapurna Base Camp, but I didn’t have any references for Everest Base Camp prior to the trip.

“It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.”

– Sir Edmund Hillary

During our hike, there were generally on average 600 to 800 trekkers checked in per day. The trial was pretty simple and straightforward to Everest Base Camp, but some part of the treks were tough given the high altitude! This trip was by far my longest trekking adventure. If you are planning for a hiking trip to Everest Base Camp, here’s 10 tips you would find helpful before going on a mission like this. Best to know beforehand what you are getting yourself into!

adventure, Nepal, travel, Trekking

Hiking Everest Base Camp, Nepal: How much does it cost to trek EBC?

December 17, 2018 2 Comments

3rd of November 2018 – The day I ticked off Everest Base Camp on my never ending and constantly growing bucketlist. I would remember this day in the years to come. Or… at least until the next BIG adventure fills my ever wandering mind. The trip summed up to a total of 17 days and I wasn’t entirely out of connectivity. Thank god for N Cell and Everest Link, both proven to be crucial during emergencies and giving my loved ones a peace of mind.

“When you go to the mountains, you see them and you admire them. In a sense, they give you a challenge, and you try to express that challenge by climbing them.” – Sir Edmund Hillary, First Man to summit Mount Everest.

The expedition was overall very successful and it certainly exceeded my personal expectations. Now, everyone’s burning question was “How much did you spend for the entire 17 days expedition?” ! This was of course, after the initial ‘How was your trip?’, ‘How do you feel?’ etc.. Let me break it down for you! If you ever consider hiking Everest Base camp, at least you know how to plan your finances and how much you need to save and set aside.

adventure, Singapore, travel

Singapore: 72 hours in Lion City!

June 15, 2018 No Comments

Singapore is just a 1.5 hours by flight from my hometown, Penang! There are numerous flights connecting both cities daily via Air Asia, Jetstar, Silk Air and Tiger Airways. This is a throwback post to the month of November 2017. I actually made 4 trips to Singapore last year and each was for its own reasons – Coldplay concert in April, Ed Sheeran concert, and the entry port for “It’s The Ship Festival 2017” in November. One cannot deny that Singapore is after all a great host for concerts and events. The only downside for me is the strong SGD$. Seriously, going to Singapore is almost akin to spending it in Australia or Canada. I look forward to see what the New Malaysia has to offer!

“Visit Singapore! Known as the Lion City and capitalising on it’s melting pot of cultures, Singapore is becoming one of South East Asia’s hit destination. Whizzing around Singapore can take a matter of minutes, thanks to one of the world’s most efficient and widespread public transport systems.” – Lonely Planet

There’s so much you could do in Singapore! There are countless tourist destinations such as Marina Bay Sands, Garden by the Bay, and Sentosa Island, which are all worth seeing at least once in your life. Since I’ve been to Singapore way to many times – I’ve done most of the famous sites. If you are looking to have some fun and adventure, head on over to Universal Studio – you could spend a whole day just hopping from one ride to another. The Transformers 4D ride and the Egyptian mummy ride were the two most memorable one for me. Since I was only down for 72 hours, I spent most of my time savouring the good food Singapore has to offer and cycled around the city.

adventure, Canada, travel

Toronto, Canada: 5 Cool Things to See and Do!

June 1, 2018 No Comments

A sequel to my previous blogpost on Where to Stay and 10 Favourite Food Spots!, here’s five cool things to see and do in Toronto. There is so many things to do that I needed to make my pick. From visiting tourist attractions, checking out artsy alleys, sampling different types of foods and checking out the local Crossfit scene here – my week was packed to the brim.

“Toronto has something for everyone all year long. Toronto’s most famous landmark, the CN tower is more than just an engineering wonder – it’s also an award-winning dining and entertainment destination. Welcoming over 40 million visitors annually, this bold, dynamic city offers superb attractions, music and events backed by the best convention and sports facilities in Canada.” – SeeTorontoNow

I wished I had more time in this city. Perhaps there’s always another reason to come back in the summer to enjoy the sun and autumn to experience the fall. It would have been nice to cycle around Downtown and along the waterfront – but it was chilly and I didn’t think I was geared enough to survive the wind.

adventure, Canada, travel

Toronto, Canada: Where to Stay and 10 Favourite Food Spots!

May 23, 2018 No Comments

First big trip for the year 2018 ! I’ve been wanting to visit this particular continent for the years and lucky for me, I finally managed to accumulate these hard earned annual leaves to make this work back in March. That’s just because I’ve utilized my maximum capacity of leaves available last year. Oh well, seventeen days and I got to kill two birds with a stone: Canada & Mexico. If you’re gonna spend 4 hours (Penang-Hong Kong) and 15 hours (Hong Kong to Toronto) – you gotta stretch it as much as your pocket and time permits.

“Toronto is a reflection of Canada. Known as the largest city in Canada, it is the capital city of the province of Ontario. With over 140 languages spoken, it is the most multi-culturally diverse city on the planet! Some of the world’s finest restaurants are found here, alongside happening bars and clubs and eclectic festivals.” – Lonely Planet

So.. after being fed dinner-supper-breakfast by Cathay Pacific, two movies on board, some snooze time and a friendly chat with a fellow Canadian passenger, I touched down at Toronto Pearson International airport at 830pm (-1 day). My Malaysian passport did not agree with the automated passport clearance machine and I had to go through the immigration manually. It wasn’t the best experience for sure, but I made it out eventually. Here we go… my one week March escape!

adventure, Cambodia, travel

Koh Rong, Cambodia: 24 hours in this Party Island!

February 9, 2018 No Comments

There’s something magical about islands. It almost never fails to amaze me and bring along good vibes! Any beach lovers could vouch for that. One last stop before making my way back to Sihanoukville – Koh Rong! It is always better to see somethings once than to hear about it a thousand times. My exact thoughts when it comes to Koh Rong. I’ve researched on what to do, asked some savvy travel blogging friends about it, heard many different versions of what this island entails – only to spend a night on this island. I wished I had more time to explore, but obviously I had a job waiting for me back home. Reality!

“Koh Rong (កោះរ៉ុង) was little more than a jungle-clad wilderness rimmed by swaths of sugary-white sand, with a few beach-hut resorts speckling the shore around tiny Koh Tuch village. You’ll either love it or hate it, but for young travellers who descend off the ferry in droves, Koh Tuch Beach is a vital stop on any Southeast Asia party itinerary.” – Lonely Planet

24 hours on this island and it was definitely not going to be enough! I recalled disembarking from Island Speed Ferry and couldn’t help feeling FOMO immediately. The journey was only 30 minutes from Koh Rong Samloem. Snapback to reality – the chalet was kind enough to arrange a pick up by motorbike. There were strips of restaurants, bars and backpackers hostels along Koh Tuch village.

adventure, Cambodia, travel

Koh Rong Samloem Island Adventures, Cambodia!

February 4, 2018 No Comments

Sihanoukville is the gateway to the Koh Rong islands. For someone who haven’t even heard of these islands before like myself, there are notably TWO Koh Rong – Koh Rong Samloem (honeymoon material) and Koh Rong (backpackers material). Yes…so, choose your poison wisely. I happened to choose both because I feared on missing out. Honestly, there weren’t much to shout about the Cambodian islands. Having the opportunity to visit some of the most beautiful islands and beaches previously, I guess I was able to relate to the laid back and chill out local scene that these two islands had to offer! I still enjoyed the my time mingling with the local Cambos in these islands!

“Koh Rong Samloem is owned by the Cambodian government. As a result, most development on the island is small-scale, with the low-key set up fostering an endearingly intimate aspect across the island.” – Travelfish.org

How to get to Koh Rong Samloem?

First, purchase a return ticket from Sihanoukville (Serendipity Pier – KRS) for USD $22. My ferry ride was at 3pm. They offered a pick up from the hotel at 2pm. I guess the cambodians are not punctual with their timings and I ended up leaving the pier close to 430pm. This was after a good hoo-ha between two ferries of the same company. Obviously, not the most pleasant experience because I was looking forward to arrive at Koh Rong Samloem by 430 pm. The journey was supposed to take only 1 hour.

adventure, Cambodia, travel

Things to do in Sihanoukville, Cambodia!

January 26, 2018 No Comments

It’s 2018 ! Time flew by so quickly, especially when it was the month long holiday season back in December. With Christmas and the New Year dawning upon me – I took a good break off blogging for a bit. That said, the adventures obviously didn’t stop. Now… Throwback to last August – I visited Sihanoukville, Cambodia! Where exactly is this place, I had to google it myself!

At least, Air Asia flies directly to Sihanoukville from Kuala Lumpur. First impression when it comes to Cambodia is always Angkor Wat/Siem Reap or Phnom Penh. I’ve visited Angkor Wat back then in 2012 and I loved it! Phnom Penh is still on my bucketlist, but it can wait. So, what exactly brings me to this beach- cum-backpacker town? Well, it was the only decent access to Koh Rong and Koh Rong Saloem islands.

“Sihanoukville will remain as the jumping-off point for the best of Cambodia’s white-sand beaches and castaway-cool southern islands. The Serendipity Beach area is a decompression chamber for backpackers, who flock here to rest up between travels and party through the night.” – Lonely Planet

Thailand, travel

Bangkok, Thailand: What to do, eat and stay fit in the city!

October 25, 2017 No Comments

Bangkok city is merely 1 hour 45 minutes flight from where I live. I was laying in bed at 1am and recalling vividly what I did in Bangkok. I visited the city back then in 2015 and went about doing touristy stuff, for instance – going to the floating market, visited the Chaktuchak weekend market, sipping cocktails at Sirocco Lebua State Tower (where the movie Hangover was filmed), strolling about Terminal 21 shopping centre and having coconut water/mango sticky rice/thai milk tea .. whatever you could find along the streets of Soi Sukhumvit.

“Bangkok’s buzz is like no other place in the world. Relentless traffic gives way to quiet “klongs” or canals and 24-hour party people queue up for clubs next to serene colonial mansions on quarter-acre blocks. All of this and its people are among the friendliest on earth. Not a bad effort for a city of 14.5 million people.”- by CNN Travel.com

This time around, I did minimal tourist spots. I ended up catching a workout instead and explored the good food Bangkok City has to offer. Generally, 5 days would be sufficient to see the highlights of this city but coming from Penang, I took it rather easy and if I missed out on anything, I would just come back again. FYI Thailand is known as the ‘Land of Smiles’. I don’t know if they were smiling more or I was!

travel, Vietnam

Da Nang, Vietnam: Getting around and places to visit!

September 29, 2017 No Comments

Da Nang city is a coastal town in Central Vietnam and it is significantly changing over the past decade. Upon arrival at the international airport and en route to Hoi An, there were billboards all over the city displaying proudly that the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit 2017 will be hosted in the city of Da Nang this year end.

” Nowhere in Vietnam is changing as fast as Danang. Gleaming new modernist hotels, and apartments and restaurants are emerging along the Han riverfront. Spectacular new bridges now span the river, and the entire China Beach strip is booming with hotel and resort developments. – Lonely Planet ”

Whenever Vietnam comes to mind, most people typically set their eyes on Ho Chih Minh City, Hanoi, Halong Bay, Sapa … before actually consider visiting the central region. It does take a month to see a country thoroughly. Fortunately, there is a direct flight from Kuala Lumpur into Da Nang City via Air Asia and it is affordable. I spent 4 days in Hoi An ancient town before making my way back to Da Nang city for another 2 nights.