Tag: rtw

What to do in the Cameron Highlands? Our guide

The Cameron Highlands are famous for their tea plantations. Coming on the bus we saw nothing of that. To our surprise the closer we got to the area, the more strawberry farms appeared. All adjusted to Asian tourism, with massive strawberry statues and fruit menus. We saw buses unloading in front of so many of them. It was our first disappointment before we even arrived.

Where to stay?

Both of the villages (Brinchang and Tana Rata) are really not that special. Those are not coffee towns of Colombia with charming architecture and certain peace. Here there is a construction site everywhere, all concrete, all future hotels and hostels.

As a traveler you always want to be close to what there is to see, in that case to tea plantations and to be honest none of the villages will place you close to everything. The plantations and anything else that there is to see in Cameron Highlands is pretty widespread so in final end, it doesn´t matter where you stay, you will have to take a tour or a taxi anyway.

We were relieved when it turned out that our little hotel was really friendly and beautiful and Brinchang turned out to be a bit calmer than Tana Rata.

Hotel Flora Plus was situated almost at the outskirts of the village which we didn't mind, since there was little noise and food was still close by. The hotel itself had a really charming lobby filled with plants and comfortable places to sit. We also loved their quiet, spacious sitting area in the back that was just perfect for a chill out or eating your take out meal.

What to see?

Unfortunately exploring the Cameron Highlands we saw way more strawberry farms than tea plantations. It seems that those attract more Asian tourists than tea and at the end of the day, it’s all about business.

We decided to give it a chance and visit Big Strawberry Farm since it was at walking distance from our place. I wouldn’t call it a must-see. I wasn’t impressed by pots and pots of strawberries or their strawberry menu or certainly not by cheesy statues. All the other farms looked pretty much the same… So at least if you see one, you saw them all. The visit doesn’t take more than 30 minutes unless someone is very fond of screaming Chinese tourists than a visit in the café is recommended. On the bright side, entrance to the farm is free.

Tea plantations

Sungai Palas Boh Tea Estate is the most popular choice. The plantation is huge and spread all over the surrounding hills. In the middle of it all there is a building where one can explore the history of the estate and find out a bit more about tea in general. The busiest spot is definitely the terrace and the café where one can try local tea and pastries. The crowds are insane! It takes a fight to find a place and then a lot of patience to stand in the queue. And for what???? Because the tea there is not as good as assam black tea on Taiwan or even earl grey produced on Sri Lanka. To be fair the views from the terrace are spectacular.

I’m a tea lover so one plantation would not be enough. We decided to visit the Cameron Bharat Tea Plantation and this one has stolen our hearts. The tea house was maybe not as pretty as the one from the Boh Estate but the views were just as good, employees were very friendly and their chai tea was really good.

But the best part was that we had the whole estate for ourselves for hours. We could walk around between tea bushes undisturbed. For us that was the winner! 🙂

High tea

There are many places offering a high tea experience in the Cameron Highlands. But some seem not to offer really a “high” type of experience. What’s the point of going for high tea to a shabby café?

We decided to splurge in the Cameron Highlands Resort and it was as luxurious as the name could indicate. The whole hotel was stunning and brought us immediately back to the colonial past.

The tea room was exactly how I imagined a colonial manor. Rattan furniture, massive windows and lots of wood. Surrounded by lovely music we were ready to dig into our delicious scones with strawberry jam. Except for those we got some decadent pastries and lovely, tiny sandwiches. The tea was the same one we had at the Boh tea estate, not impressive but when the food is that good and the atmosphere is so lovely you can overlook that 🙂

p.s. high tea is served between 3-6 pm and costs 55 MYR (so around 11 euro) per person.

Surrounding nature

In our dreams we saw ourselves strolling through tea plantations, sitting on terraces with views on even more tea with a cup in one hand and a book in the other. In reality the tea estates were not as easily accessible as we thought and definitely not as omnipresent as we thought.

We decided to search beyond that and found out that the Cameron Highlands have much more to offer than just plantations. The only problem was that we had to take a tour simply because there are no buses or any other public transportation available. We also didn’t want to rent a taxi.

We decided to take a tour from Hill Top Tours (whole day for 98 MYR around 20 euros). We were both really happy we did that. First of all we saw rafflesias, the largest flowers on earth. I’m sure we wouldn’t be able to find them on our own in the forest even though they can grow up to 1m in diameter. We were actually very lucky, nowadays rafflesias are scarce and the flowers blooms only for few days.

Our guide didn’t know much about nature and actually many things he said were probably a creation of his imagination but I could forgive him that because he took us to a really beautiful mossy forest. We were the only people there and with a bit of mist, the forest looked like a set for Lord of the Rings.

In there I spotted many carnivore plants. Thankfully they stick to small meat like insects. They looked very innocent, hanging in between the branches of the trees.

Except for the “hidden” mossy forest we visited another one that already has the tourism infrastructure. There was a deck there leading through a less impressive, trampled down forest. It was a sad example of “before” and “after” mass tourism…

Except for those the excursion took us for a demonstration of blow pipe hunting. It was a typical touristic circle that we never really enjoy and probably never will. We also passed the Boh Tea plantation.

TIP! Since transportation in the Cameron Highlands is not that easy if you show up without your own car, we really would recommend taking an excursion. Taxi is not such a great option, simply because they tend to be more expensive and you have to pay per hour rather than for a certain route. Also when it's busy taxi drivers are very picky and prefer clients that book them for a whole day rather than an hour or two.

How to get a million dollar view for very little? Our Airbnb in Kuala Lumpur

I’ve always dreamt of sunrises by the pool with views on some vibrant city below. Something that would literally wake me up in the middle of the night with all the energy necessary to get out of bed when the sun is nowhere to be seen yet.

I never thought that this item of my bucket list could be scratched off so fast. Researching options to sleep in Kuala Lumpur I realized how many there were with an infinity pool on the top floor. From the majority you could see the Petronas Towers and the whole capital.

Surprisingly the prices were very affordable and after a short discussion with Jandirk, we decided to splurge for little above 40 dollars (including Airbnb fee and cleaning).

There was no doubt we had to choose an Airbnb simply because hotels with an infinity pool had too many zeros in their prices and so they were above our budget 🙂

The reality behind the fairytale

We rented a small apartment in Regalia Residence with access to jaw-dropping views. We were surprised to discover that our location wasn’t that bad after all. We were not really far from the center and just next door there was a commercial center with a very good supermarket.

The apartment was definitely bigger and better than what we hoped for. We even had a fully equipped kitchen and Netflix.

The building itself was either not finished yet or already run down. The money that was loaded in it was melting the higher we went. When we left our apartment to go to the top floor where the observation deck was, we saw bare concrete, unfinished elevators and balconies that would never be finished.

That said, as long as we didn’t look behind the view in front of us was stunning. Huge swimming pool, marvelous lights of one of the most vivid cities in Asia. Every day we were the first ones out there to enjoy the waking up city views. We stayed peacefully alone for a while before other tourists even woke up.

When the infinity pool was getting hectic and scorching hot we would relocate ourselves to a very peaceful pool in the middle of the building. Thankfully it wasn’t attractive enough to attract crowds… who would want a view of concrete flats, right? We found a certain charm in it and spend lots of time enjoying it and chasing each other around. We loved every bit of this crazy experience of luxury Malaysian style:)

Our favorite street art in George Town

George Town is THE destination for all the street art lovers. The scene is huge, on every corner there is something new and surprising. Old, stunning but neglected houses are a great canvas for artists from all over the world. Many pieces are a bit like mandalas… take hours, days even to be painted and then they disappear in a few months.

There is a certain charm about George Town that made us really love the place. We spent a lot of days walking around the streets there and we could have easily spent weeks.

Here is what we found:

  1. A man with a bowl of cendol

Unfortunately like most of the pieces on the list, we don’t know the author of this one. But it’s my favorite one by far. There is something about the colors, something in the way that that man eats his precious bowl of cendol (popular traditional dessert). Something that made me hungry every time I passed by. Luckily there was always a man selling cendol nearby. Location on our map below.

  1. The black swans

Absolutely stunning piece at the Hin Bus Depot. Beautiful colors and patterns makes it the best piece at the Hin Bus Depot. It’s not the only one though, the spot has quite few epic murals. Not to mention they also have an amazing café, art gallery and weekend market. Heaven to stop by.

  1. More art at Hin Bus Depot

A tiger, a circus boy even a girl exercising. All of these murals are really close to each other.

  1. An old motorbike

This is one of the most famous ones. It was painted by Ernest Zacharevic, the most known of the artists in George Town. He’s based there although he comes from Lithuania and paints all over the world. His art is often very interactive and includes something real in the painting like a chair or a bike or, in that case, a motorcycle.

  1. A kid with a monster

The kid on the motorcycle is running away from a monster that is held by another little boy. JD did his best to help him.

  1. Kids on a swing

Another one of those interactive pieces this time by Louis Gan. Here there are two kids on a swing and another swing just next to them reserved for the daring tourists to join the fun.

  1. The delivery siblings

I assumed that those are brother and sister trying to deliver food from the nearby Chinese restaurant.

  1. Kids on a bike

Ernest Zacharevic painted those kids riding a real bike. There is an extra spot in the back for a wheel-lover like JD.

  1. The rowing man

I have no idea who painted this one but I sure hope it will stay there for years. Stunning mural.

  1. The ballerina

A lot of art in Georgetown is very subtle. You could easily miss it if you’re not careful. Just like this ballerina dancing on a door frame.

  1. Guy with an open mouth

How often can you stand in someone else’s mouth??? Not often, right? So let’s use the chances we have 🙂

  1. The woman with the spices

Vibrant colors and massive size makes this piece truly unmissable. Although it's hidden in the courtyard of the urban spice cafe 🙂

  1. The face of a kid

This one looks sooooo realistic. It’s unbelievable.

The murals above are just a fraction of what there is to see in George Town. But as with art not all of the murals, we loved. There were some we didn’t like that much and with some we were disappointed to see devastated or almost completely fainted away. The ones below are also on our map 🙂

Some unmissable spots in Singapore

Many told us Singapore can be seen in 2-3 days. Well we stayed for a whole week and I can’t say we saw everything. We were absolutely enchanted with how modern, futuristic and green this little country is. At the same time it’s also very traditional and vibrant with many different cultures put together on such a small area. I’m sure we will go back at some point to discover more secret spots that Singapore has to offer but for now we want to suggest few absolute musts that no one should skip!

  1. Gardens by the Bay

Gardens by the Bay are the most futuristic place I have ever seen in my life. The most prominent part are the SuperTrees that are massive man-made trees with their own ecosystem that creates energy used every evening for the most spectacular light show. Those are not the only attractions. There are plenty of other gardens, parks and even lakes to see there. This Avatar-like area deserved a separate post so read it here.

  1. Marina Bay Sands Skypark observation deck

Marina Bay Sands Mall is a pretty impressive spot for all the shoppers. With our tight budget and eyes set up for remarkable experiences rather than things we didn’t spend much time around there. Regretfully we also didn’t spend any time in their hotel in the same building. But we did go to the observation deck which is absolutely unique. It literally looks like a boat on top of a 50-sth store building. How often would we be able to see something like that, right? Unmissable!

The construction itself is mesmerizing but the views top even that. Coming just before sunset we could enjoy the views on the Gardens by the Bay bathing in stunning light. We could even see their light show from above. Priceless.

Above the observation deck there is a huge 150m infinity pool available for people with a bit of a higher budget… hotel guests.

  1. The Little India

Bollywood music cracking from doubtful quality speakers, smell of spices, omnipresent screaming.. yep it’s Little India. Little chaos among the kingdom of perfect order. That’s why we loved it so much. Obviously it’s still Singapore so you won’t spot much dirt but you won’t get Deli belly either. Except for the food and coconut water we loved the crazy colors of the houses, especially the ones of Tan Teng Niah villa.

  1. The Orchard Library

This little, charming library is everything a book-lover could potentially need. It’s beautiful, peaceful, centrally located, it has comfy sitting space, competent workers and lots of books on many different subjects! You can just walk in and sit back with a book, escaping the buzz of the city and heat!! Yep, it has pretty good airco and that’s a big benefit in a city like Sinapore.

  1. National Gallery Singapore

Except for the obvious fact of having great exhibitions the building itself is a gem!! We especially loved the modern atrium connecting the gallery with the former Supreme Court. Going further to the Supreme Court part of the building we found an amazing terrace with spectacular views on Marina Bay Sands.

  1. Shophouses

Singapore has an incredible collection of shophouses. Although Joo Chiat Perankan Houses are the most popular I wouldn’t say they are a must. They are quite far from downtown and in the center there are so many stunning streets with lots and lots of shophouses in different styles and from different periods. Simple, modest houses along Erskine Road are a stunning example of 1840’ Chinese marchants’ houses. For more ornamented ones you should hit Petain Road and for our favorites Emeral Hill Road. Keep your eyes open, they are everywhere!

  1. Botanic Gardens

The Botanic Gardens in Singapore is where local life starts before the heat of the day begins. It’s where people go for running, yoga, tai chi or zumba. The entrance is free except additional attractions like the Orchid Garden, probably the most beautiful part of the park.

  1. Food markets

Singapore can be very expensive so local food courts are little life savers. We especially loved the Indian food that they served but they also had Malaysian, Chinese and even Middle Eastern cuisines. The most famous one is Telok Ayer Market but keep your eyes open for others! They're everywhere!

  1. Apple store

Not a very common thing to put on a list, I know, but the new Apple store has one of the most heavenly staircases I have ever seen! Besides it’s a popular spot to hang out, the upper floor has a very comfy sitting area for the clients… or anyone with an Iphone.

  1. Former Old Hill Street Police station

Definitely one of the most spectacular buildings in the city. It’s impossible to miss those 927 windows with shutters in all colors of the rainbow. I can’t even imagine how marvelous it had to be to live there as a policeman many years ago. Yep there were many living quarters in there. It’s such a shame you can’t really visit the inside since nowadays it’s the Ministry of Communication and Information as well as the Cultural Ministry. I guess the corridors of this marvelous building will remain a sweet secret reserved for the few working in there.

  1. Vertical gardens

Pretty new concept that is already booming in Singapore. Some buildings have multiple outdoor terraces jammed with trees and plants. More and more are joining in placing enormous vines covering whole walls. The most famous ones are: ParkRoyal and Oasia Hotel.

Although we could only enjoy the view from the outside it was such a surreal sight. It literally makes the city center look like a natural jungle rather than a business center.

How to visit the world of Avatar without leaving this planet? Gardens by the Bay

Travelling around the world is a one of a kind experience. That said it doesn’t mean we always see unique sites. Another garden, medieval palace, another Incan ruin. Especially after spending a long time in one country we start to see trends and similarities. But there are rare cases when we see something special. Something absolutely unique. Something we know we won’t see anywhere else, anytime soon. That’s what Gardens by the Bay was for us. A journey to another world, journey to the future. We literally couldn’t help but go back there over and over again. To be honest no words or pictures can quite explain how remarkable the place is… but well we will try 🙂

What are Gardens by the Bay?

Gardens by the Bay are the lungs of this vibrant metropolis. It’s all about nature and humans creating something special around it, not instead of it. The most prominent part of the Gardens are the Supertrees. Those are actually human-made trees serving as vertical gardens, producing energy. It’s a growing concept in Singapore in order to make us live more sustainably and in direct contact with nature. 12 of those giants (25 to 50 m) can be found in the Supertree Grove while the remaining 2 groups of 3 are in the Golden and Silver Gardens.

Except for those there are sculptures, greenhouses, cafes, restaurants and lots of areas to picnic. Although it sounds like a lot, it’s all close together, certainly within walking distance and it’s possible to see the most important sights in a day.

What to see?

Supertree Grove is by far the most breathtaking spot and a must see in Singapore. It’s also an absolute must to come in the evening for the best light show I have ever seen (and I’m a light show freak). It’s free of charge and there are two shows daily at 7.45 and 8.45 pm.

OCBC Skywalk is a 128- meter-long aerial walkway between the Supertrees. It gives a completely different perspective on the trees and Gardens in general. It’s especially spectacular to walk on there during sunset or the light show. It costs 8 SGD (around 5 euro).

Cloud Forest is a greenhouse garden that will take you straight to the Cloud Forests of Peru. The path takes you through the forest and leads you higher and higher to finally end up on a skywalk above the garden. Cloud Forest wouldn’t be complete without a bit of mist and so at certain times of the day (10 am, 12 pm, 2 pm, 4 pm, 6 pm, 8 pm) you can see it mysteriously surrounded by it. The only negative is that as a foreigner you have to buy a joined ticket to both greenhouses. It’s 28 SGD (around 18 euro) and considering that except for the spectacular Cloud Forest you are forced to see the mediocre Flower Dome, it’s a bit of a ridiculous price. For me the Flower Dome was like any other greenhouse garden, except bigger.

Dragonfly and Kingfisher lakes are small lakes that are just perfect for a stroll away from the bustling city. Not to mention there are some great spots to just chill out with your market-bought coffee. A bargain considering how expensive cafes are in this city. After a bit of a rest we also appreciated the photographic perspective that the boardwalk along Dragonfly Lake gives.

Bay East Garden is the most calm, chilled out spot, perfect for a picnic with a view.

Except for the spots mentioned above there are few other gardens and sculptures but I wasn’t overly impressed with those so I also won’t recommend them.

How much does it cost?

Gardens by the Bay are free of charge. You can walk around freely in there and also visit the Supertree without paying anything.

OCBC Skywalk is 8 SGD.

Cloud Forest and Flower Dome cost 28 SGD (joined ticket without possibility to buy only one of the two).

Shuttle service costs 3 SGD for a day. In my opinion it’s not necessary.

Best views on the Supertrees and the Gardens

For me the most impressive view on the Gardens stretches from the platform on the bridge coming from Marina Bay Sands’ mall. I got an impression not many people go that way because you really have to know it exists and I never saw it anywhere online. Walking on the bridge I saw the crown of the supertrees emerging above the greenness of the park. It made me feel like if I was seeing a distant land of Avatar that I’m about to visit.

Marina Bay Skypark Observation deck provides stunning views from far above. You can see the Gardens by the Bay in full glory. To get the best out of the 23 SGD (around 14 euro) ticket we went there before sunset to enjoy the beautiful colors of the sun setting above Singapore as well as the light shows both at the Marina Bay Sands’ mall and the Supertree Grove. If you’re not travelling on a shoestring, there is also an infinity pool above the observation deck reserved for guests of the hotel. Judging by the amount of people in robes there, it’s a rather popular spot.

OCBC skywalk gives a unique opportunity to walk in between the crowns of the Supertrees. It’s tough to put a price on an experience like that. One of the best and most original views on the trees and Marina Bay Sands for sure.

Walking around the trees is also a great way to see them in full glory and fully understand how massive they are.

Our favorite street art in Singapore

Many say Singapore is such a sterile place, limited by the rules and strict laws. Maybe… but it’s also a place of magnificent street art which is probably better maintained than in most Asian cities. In most of them murals are like mandalas, they cost a lot of work, precision and patience just to be destroyed later by the pass of time or vandalism. Not in Singapore. Here these fragile pieces seem almost eternal.

  1. The Coffee time one

Café ARC has a massive mural on one side of their lovely spot. It’s all about coffee in there. Made with different techniques, by different people… always with love 🙂

  1. The Holy Cow

That one we found completely by accident. I have no idea who the artist is or who commissioned him but the mural is magnificent! It’s colorful, playful and it’s all about cows. Unfortunately it’s also in a very narrow street and it’s massive so I wouldn’t say it’s a mind-blowing picture option.

  1. The peeking boy

Ernest Zacharevic is one of the most amazing street artists in the world. He is mostly famous for his pieces in Penang in Malaysia but he also did a few murals for Singapore. I always like how he adds dimension to his work and how playful and beautiful it is. And this boy looks literally like he is on a mission to spot someone!

  1. The exclamation mark

Another one out of Ernest Zacharevic pieces is a boy(s) playing with exclamation marks.

  1. Girl with a cub

The girl is huge and she lies there with a cub with her little, piercing eyes staring at anyone passing her by. Also by Zacharevic 🙂

  1. Kids in the carts

It seems like it’s only Zacharevic’s art in Singapore which is really not true but this one is so worth seeing. Two kids playing in shopping carts and the carts are actually real, placed in front of the kids. I absolutely love how reality and art meet in a playful way like that:)

  1. Just a colorful wall

Singapore has many really colorful walls that make the city bright and cheerful and for tourists they bring extra background for a portrait. We especially loved these two 🙂

  1. The life of the Indians

The art of the streets embrace all the different cultures merged together in one, tiny country. These ones show the simple Indian life.

  1. Something for the carpet lovers

There are many murals representing the past of Singapore. We especially loved the one showing life of a carpet/basket seller back in the days. Wouldn’t it be lovely to sit on a stunning, unique carpet rather than to shop it out from a supermarket knowing there are millions of the same ones?

  1. The faces of the Singapore club

There are quite some faces on that one although the most prominent is an elderly man in a turban. You could almost overlook a Chinese lady and a Malay man hidden in behind the tables of the Singapura Club.

Those 10 are just our subjective favorites. There are sooo many others spread all over the city and guess what, every day there can be a new one coming on these urban canvas' 🙂

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