I must be crazy! - An October-November 2016 Solo PTR - Update 10/9 2 Weeks to Go - That's a Wrap

[SnowWhiteOz]

Well played! I also live in the No Target zone of North America, but I would have done it if I could have!

As I said to pkondz I was able to purchase them with an Australian credit card as all you needed was an email address. If it comes out again you may want to see if you can do the same as hey it's basically free money right?

Pop rocks in cupcakes - seems like such a fun idea, and one that should be much more popular!

The lesson I learnt making them was that you need to put in way more pop rocks than seems logical to get that firework effect in your mouth!

300 days!

 

[Dentam]

The camera was a little pricey (I paid $440 AUD for it) but honestly it is so much better than my old $100 point and shoot that I think it's worth it.

Maybe I was seeing different models of it because they were over $900 US. My little $90 point and shoot has a crack somewhere in the lens and all of the pics come out with a line through them as a result... probably from dropping it. Maybe I could get a cushioned case for this one, lol.

 

[jandlinz]

Yippee for 300 days! Congratulations on your Disney gift card snag! I'm going to have to look into it for when we go next time. Pop rocks in cupcakes sounds like fun! Did you tell your coworkers before they took a bite or was it a surprise? I'm sure it would have been really funny to see their faces. I can't wait to read about your current trip. I hope you're enjoying yourself. Hope you had a Happy New Year!

 

[pkondz]

What is the correct response to a woot? Is it just a woot in return?

I had clicked post like 10 times so I was afraid I would be spamming you with multiple posts!

Ten posts from you?


That'd be all right.

No Target? I'll be cancelling my trip to Canada then....

Dang. I was sitting here waiting. Guess I'll stop.

So this is what happened.
Canadians go south. Canadians shop at Target. Canadians say "What a great store!"
Target says "Hmmm... We should put stores in Canada, they love us there."
Target spends millions building and buying new stores in Canada.
Target then stocks said stores with a fraction of the items that you can normally buy in the States.
Target also charges more for those items than everywhere else.
Target is surprised when Canadians are ticked off and buy better and more things for less elsewhere.
Target goes out of business in Canada.

Here in Winnipeg, we have a huge brand new Target store that they built that never even opened.
No. Wait. I think it was open for a couple of days.
(They had other Targets in the City in existing buildings, but this one they built from the ground up,
which is why it opened later than the rest.)

Well I was able to buy the target cards from Aus because they were ecards and all you needed was an email address. Using them to buy Disney cards was possible because my brother lives in LA and let's me send things to his address

Ah. Got it.

 

[SnowWhiteOz]

Maybe I was seeing different models of it because they were over $900 US. My little $90 point and shoot has a crack somewhere in the lens and all of the pics come out with a line through them as a result... probably from dropping it. Maybe I could get a cushioned case for this one, lol.

You probably were - I got the original RX100 but I think they've also released a Mark II, III and IV (which is close to a $1000). The reviews I read said the original is not much different from the latest model but it is about $500 cheaper so that's why I went with that one!

I don't have a case yet for this one (I've ordered one from eBay but it didn't arrive before my trip) so I'm just trying to be relatively careful with it

 

[SnowWhiteOz]

Yippee for 300 days! Congratulations on your Disney gift card snag! I'm going to have to look into it for when we go next time. Pop rocks in cupcakes sounds like fun! Did you tell your coworkers before they took a bite or was it a surprise? I'm sure it would have been really funny to see their faces. I can't wait to read about your current trip. I hope you're enjoying yourself. Hope you had a Happy New Year!

I told the coworkers that it had a surprise filling but not what it was. But it didnt pop as much as I would have liked so I didnt get any really surprised expressions!

 

[SnowWhiteOz]

I shall try to remember that next time I am wooted at!

Dang. I was sitting here waiting. Guess I'll stop.

So this is what happened.
Canadians go south. Canadians shop at Target. Canadians say "What a great store!"
Target says "Hmmm... We should put stores in Canada, they love us there."
Target spends millions building and buying new stores in Canada.
Target then stocks said stores with a fraction of the items that you can normally buy in the States.
Target also charges more for those items than everywhere else.
Target is surprised when Canadians are ticked off and buy better and more things for less elsewhere.
Target goes out of business in Canada.

Here in Winnipeg, we have a huge brand new Target store that they built that never even opened.
No. Wait. I think it was open for a couple of days.
(They had other Targets in the City in existing buildings, but this one they built from the ground up,
which is why it opened later than the rest.)

That just sounds all so bizarre and illogical - which pretty much makes sense when you think about big American businesses

Well we have plenty of Targets in Australia if you ever feel like visiting one...

 

[Dentam]

You probably were - I got the original RX100 but I think they've also released a Mark II, III and IV (which is close to a $1000). The reviews I read said the original is not much different from the latest model but it is about $500 cheaper so that's why I went with that one!

Thanks for the additional info! I'll look the original one up and start saving my pennies!

 

[lilpixiebabe101]

The lesson I learnt making them was that you need to put in way more pop rocks than seems logical to get that firework effect in your mouth!

More pop rocks than seem logical! Love it! Yes I could see where you'd have to have extras since a lot would get soggy and fizzle prematurely. Love the idea though!!

We are also doing the under 300 dance. 298 today to be exact. I asked when DF would start getting excited... he said at 10 days.. shesh... men. Haha

 

[Elevationist]

I'm currently sitting in a hotel room in Yangon getting ready for the day using less than reliable internet so we'll see how this update goes.

Wait, you're updating your PTR while you're on your grand Asian adventure? That's dedication! I am super impressed!

And I almost forgot that I've passed the magical 300 day mark this week so here is the obligatory 300 day dance.

HOORAY!!! I will dance with you!

And last but not least here are some cupcakes I made for New Years (before I left) - they are champagne cupcakes with a pop rock/firework filling.

The champagne bottles are so cute!! And pop rocks inside a cupcake??? That's WILD!!

 

[Saphire5742]

Finally all caught up again.
First off- Happy Birthday! Can't wait to read and see all the pics from your trip.
Wow- 35 countries?!!! Very impressive.
Glad the WDW deluxe resort booking worked out for you in the end.
And as always- great looking cupcakes

 

[IowaTater]

How in the world did I miss THAT Target sale?? I've been stocking up on Target & Visa gift cards so I can get Disney ones. It's difficult for me to estimate how much spending money we will need because I can't remember how much we took last time.

Pop rocks in cupcakes sounds awesome! Did you have to adjust the amount of sugar used in the batter then? Those little puppies can be pretty sweet sometimes.

 

[SnowWhiteOz]

Wait, you're updating your PTR while you're on your grand Asian adventure? That's dedication! I am super impressed!

I had a lot of time sitting in airports and sitting around in hotel rooms (nothing in Asia opens until after 10 so when you wake up by 8 at the latest you always have a few hours in the morning!)

HOORAY!!! I will dance with you!

The champagne bottles are so cute!! And pop rocks inside a cupcake??? That's WILD!!

Thanks!

 

[SnowWhiteOz]

Finally all caught up again.
First off- Happy Birthday! Can't wait to read and see all the pics from your trip.
Wow- 35 countries?!!! Very impressive.
Glad the WDW deluxe resort booking worked out for you in the end.
And as always- great looking cupcakes

Thanks - I'm hoping to have a little TR post up soon for the trip

 

[SnowWhiteOz]

How in the world did I miss THAT Target sale?? I've been stocking up on Target & Visa gift cards so I can get Disney ones. It's difficult for me to estimate how much spending money we will need because I can't remember how much we took last time.

Pop rocks in cupcakes sounds awesome! Did you have to adjust the amount of sugar used in the batter then? Those little puppies can be pretty sweet sometimes.

It was a one day sale so it was pretty easy to miss!

Estimating spending money is hard - I tend to always go over budget too if there is something I really want!

I didn't put a lot of sugar in the batter - and the champagne added that dryness which seemed to balance out any sweetness they added.

 

[SnowWhiteOz]

41 Weeks to Go

So I’ve made it back to Australia after my two weeks traipsing around Asia and only have a small amount of jet lag which is a plus. I thought I’d use this week’s update as a bit of a mini TR for the trip. I’m going to leave out the two days I was in theme parks and do some separate posts on those (I figure as this is a theme park based site you guys might enjoy some more detail on those).​

It all started on Sunday December 27th when I flew out of Melbourne for Singapore. The flight is around 7.5 hours and it was pretty uneventful. I was flying Scoot Airlines, which if you haven’t heard of it is the budget airline offshoot of Singapore Airlines. The plane was new (a dreamliner I believe) and the seats were comfy with a really decent amount of leg room. I listened to some Dis Unplugged podcasts, watched some TV shows on my iPad and read some magazines and before I knew it I was landing in Singapore. ​

I took a cab to my hotel which was in a great part of town and had the Sultan’s Mosque at the end of the seat. It was early evening by that point so I decided to walk the 15 minutes or so towards the Raffles Hotel. I had been here once before for their High Tea (which was great) but I wanted to cross off have a Singapore Sling at Raffles from my bucket list. The Long Bar was really busy but I was able to get a seat at the bar. I ordered my Singapore Sling which was delicious but probably the most expensive cocktail I’ve ever had at $36AUD ($25USD). I decided I wasn’t going to pay the food prices so I paid my bill and left.



​

I was hungry so I decided to walk to Marina Bay Sands to check it out. I had a look around and ended up in their hawker style food court for my favourite Singaporean dish, Hainan Chicken Rice. After my meal I began the walk back to the hotel and was in bed by 9:30 after a long day.

The next day was my day at Universal Studios Singapore which you’ll hear about next week. I had a spectacular dinner outside the parks at L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon with some of the best service I have ever received. If you are ever in Singapore I would recommend it in a heartbeat.



The next day I flew out of Singapore and onto Bangkok. It was a two hour flight and it felt shorter than that. After landing I entered the long line for customs and about 25 minutes later I made it through. My joy was short-lived as I then had to enter another queue for taxis which was even longer. 35 minutes later and I was finally on my way to my hotel. By the time I arrived it was around 9pm so I dropped my bags off and went off searching for dinner. I ended up with something truly authentic – Burger King. I took it back to the hotel and ate it before collapsing into my king bed for some well deserved sleep.

I had three days in Bangkok. The first day I had a sleep in before heading out for my first Thai massage. If you’ve never had a Thai massage you are missing out as they are amazing and I had a full hour’s whole body massage and it only cost $12AUD ($8.30USD). After that I had another lovely lunch at the Bangkok outpost of Joel Robuchon (it’s a recurring theme of this trip). I spent the afternoon shopping before meeting an ex-colleague who had moved to Bangkok for dinner with him and his wife. We had a lovely dinner then went for an after dinner drink at a roof-top terrace with amazing views (it was on the 24th floor, and I’m not afraid of heights but I did not enjoy sitting on a table next to the railing here!).

​

The next day was New Years Eve. I spent most of the day shopping and just wandering around Bangkok. I stopped for another massage (a foot one this time) and a facial. Some more shopping ensued (or window shopping) and then I spent the afternoon by the pool at the hotel. I wasn’t in the mood to stand in a crowd for New Year’s so I spent it in the hotel with a bottle of gin and some nibbles and had a lovely evening.

The next day kicked of 2016 and was my birthday. After a sleep in I did some more shopping and actually made some purchases (you’re allowed to spend more money on your birthday – it’s a rule right?). I bought myself some birthday cake (4 mini cupcakes!) and had an amazing late lunch at a place call Bonchon Chicken. This chicken was incredible and I had an amazing lychee iced tea with it too! I was back at the hotel by late afternoon and had another swim before just having a relaxing evening watching movies in my hotel room.



The next day I was up bright and early for my flight to Myanmar. This was the one place on my trip that I had not been to before. The flight was less than an hour and before I knew it I was in Yangon. After getting out some cash (on the third ATM attempted) I grabbed a taxi to my hotel. It was about a 30 minute drive to the Hotel and I was staying on the river sort of on the outskirts of town. After checking in I was starving – I decided to walk along the riverfront to see what I could find.

The problem I had with food in Yangon was that there seemed to be two options – eating at the hotels in expensive western restaurants or eating on the roadside with the locals – there was nothing in between those two. I have a bit of a dodgy stomach so I wasn’t going to eat at the roadside stalls (seeing people wash meat in a tub of water just puts me right off) so I walked all the way down to the Strand Hotel which is a colonial building. I managed to grab a table for their afternoon high tea without a reservation (which was lucky as they appeared to be pretty full). This was pretty good and cost $17USD.



I made my back to the hotel in a taxi as I was super hot from all the walking and spent the evening relaxing. The next day was my only full day in Yangon. I went out to explore the major tourist spots such as the Shwedagon Pagoda, the Bogyoke market, the Sule Pagoda and the parks. That basically filled in my day so I made it back to the hotel around 5pm and then watched a few movies before having an early night.



The next day I left Yangon and flew to Hong Kong (back via Bangkok). Hong Kong is one of my favourite cities and this was my third trip. I caught the MTR to my hotel and checked in. It was almost 10pm so I basically crashed after a long day of travelling.

The next day I did a lot of shopping and took some photos of the harbor with my new camera.



Does this building remind you of anything?



I had lunch at Joel Robuchon again (this was my 2nd time at the HK location – it was the one that started my obsession with this restaurant). After lunch it was bucketing down rain – so I explored the malls for a few hours before heading back to the hotel. The rain eventually stopped so later in the evening I went out to explore the local night markets (my hotel was right near the Ladies Market and I was also within a 20 minute walk of Temple Street).​

The next day was my day at Hong Kong Disneyland which I’ll do a separate post on.

And that that was the end of my trip. My last day involved flying from Hong Kong to Singapore and then spending 7 hours at Changi Airport. This time I had pre-booked four hours of lounge access which cost $35AUD ($24USD) and was some of the best money I ever spent – it was great being able to relax, eat some food and have a shower! My flight for Melbourne left at 12:30am and I arrived in Melbourne at 11am. ​

So there you have it – my 12 days in Asia. And now the countdown is on to my next holiday which is WDW!​

Lastly here are some cupcakes for your enjoyment (visually – I’m unable to post them!). These are inspired by the UK Pavillion at EPCOT (or really just London!).

​

 

[lilpixiebabe101]

Love the cupcakes and sounds like you had an awesome trip. Can't wait to read about the Disney/universal parts with it!

 

[pkondz]

So I’ve made it back to Australia after my two weeks traipsing around Asia and only have a small amount of jet lag which is a plus.

Welcome home!

(I figure as this is a theme park based site you guys might enjoy some more detail on those).​

Sounds good to me!

I was flying Scoot Airlines, which if you haven’t heard of it is the budget airline offshoot of Singapore Airlines.

Nope. Never heard of it. And that's pretty rare for me.

The plane was new (a dreamliner I believe) and the seats were comfy with a really decent amount of leg room.

Really! On a budget carrier!
Huh!

I had been here once before for their High Tea (which was great) but I wanted to cross off have a Singapore Sling at Raffles from my bucket list.

Oh. My. God.
I never... ever realized that a Singapore Sling was invented in Singapore!

I ordered my Singapore Sling which was delicious but probably the most expensive cocktail I’ve ever had at $36AUD ($25USD).

Did you at least get to keep the glass?

I had a spectacular dinner outside the parks at L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon with some of the best service I have ever received.

I'm not a big foodie or anything and only know of a few chefs. But I have heard of Joel Robuchon.

Pretty!

I ended up with something truly authentic – Burger King.

Sure. Sure. Live life on the edge.

I took it back to the hotel and ate it before collapsing into my king bed

Ah. Of course. One cannot fully enjoy a King bed without Burger King.

If you’ve never had a Thai massage you are missing out as they are amazing and I had a full hour’s whole body massage and it only cost $12AUD ($8.30USD).

Holy smokes! That's practically free!

After that I had another lovely lunch at the Bangkok outpost of Joel Robuchon (it’s a recurring theme of this trip)

Well, sounds like I'll have to see if I can find one somewhere a tad closer if possible.
Hmmm... Vegas is a possibility.

I spent the afternoon shopping before meeting an ex-colleague who had moved to Bangkok for dinner with him and his wife.

Nice! You got to see some friends!

(it was on the 24th floor, and I’m not afraid of heights but I did not enjoy sitting on a table next to the railing here!).

Too bad you were nervous. It looks beautiful.

I stopped for another massage (a foot one this time) and a facial.

Sure. Why not? They're free!

I wasn’t in the mood to stand in a crowd for New Year’s so I spent it in the hotel with a bottle of gin and some nibbles and had a lovely evening.

Not that you remember.
The only thing you know for sure is you woke up the next day with a headache, nibbles bits all over the bed and an empty bottle of gin beside you.

The next day kicked of 2016 and was my birthday.

Oh shoot! Did I wish you a Happy Birthday?? I don't remember!
I hope I did, but if I didn't...

(you’re allowed to spend more money on your birthday – it’s a rule right?).

I bought myself some birthday cake (4 mini cupcakes!)

That chicken does look really good.
Looks like it was open as opposed to pressure fried.

After getting out some cash (on the third ATM attempted)

Oh? Why?

(seeing people wash meat in a tub of water just puts me right off)

Uhhh... no.

This was pretty good and cost $17USD.

Looks nice... and not too pricey.

I made my back to the hotel in a taxi as I was super hot

Oh? Is it dangerous for super hot girls to take public transportation there?

I went out to explore the major tourist spots such as the Shwedagon Pagoda, the Bogyoke market, the Sule Pagoda

I like to consider myself moderately well read.
But I'm ashamed to admit that I know none of those.

I hang my head in shame.

The next day I did a lot of shopping and took some photos of the harbor with my new camera.

Excellent shot! Love it!

Does this building remind you of anything?

Yes! It really does!
Except they usually come in pairs and I'll get banned if I say what it is.

But yep! I'm right there with ya.

I had lunch at Joel Robuchon again

I'm sensing a trend here.... could be wrong.

my hotel was right near the Ladies Market

Um. Okay, that can't be what it sounds like.
So what is it?

This time I had pre-booked four hours of lounge access which cost $35AUD ($24USD) and was some of the best money I ever spent – it was great being able to relax, eat some food and have a shower!

That is money well spent!

And welcome home, again!

 

[Elevationist]

Welcome home, and a belated to you!!

Thank you SO MUCH for sharing your adventures with us! It's kinda fascinatinf to read for somebody like me who has never even left her own country. And so much of my mother in me was crying out "SHE'S A SINGLE GIRL ALONE DOING ALL THIS?! BUT IT'S SO DANGEROUS!" Disney is the really the only place I feel safe traveling alone. I admire the HECK out of you, truly. Maybe one day I'll be brave enough to venture out and see the world on my own, too!

 

[SnowWhiteOz]

Welcome home!

Thank you - it's always nice to be back in your own bed, plus I got to come home to this...

Sounds good to me!

I have some special things just for you @pkondz

Nope. Never heard of it. And that's pretty rare for me.

We do have a lot of budget carriers down here so it is hard to keep track.

Really! On a budget carrier!
Huh!

It was better than Qantas in my opinion. Plus on the way back I managed to score an entire row to myself!

Oh. My. God.
I never... ever realized that a Singapore Sling was invented in Singapore!

You learn something every day.

Did you at least get to keep the glass?

No you did not

I'm not a big foodie or anything and only know of a few chefs. But I have heard of Joel Robuchon.

I'm impressed.

Pretty!

Holy smokes! That's practically free!

I know right? I hoping to convince the folks at Disney that it's what they need in the Asia area of AK (but only if they keep local prices!)

Well, sounds like I'll have to see if I can find one somewhere a tad closer if possible.
Hmmm... Vegas is a possibility.

I believe the next one they are opening is in Montreal if that helps at all. I've been to the HK, Bangkok, Singapore, London and Paris locations.

Nice! You got to see some friends!

It was really good to get to see a different side of Bangkok, from a local's perspective.

Too bad you were nervous. It looks beautiful.

It was. I just would have preferred to sit at one of the middle tables!

Sure. Why not? They're free!

Exactly.

Not that you remember.
The only thing you know for sure is you woke up the next day with a headache, nibbles bits all over the bed and an empty bottle of gin beside you.

Hey wait, were you there?

Oh shoot! Did I wish you a Happy Birthday?? I don't remember!
I hope I did, but if I didn't...

I can't remember but either way thank you.

That chicken does look really good.
Looks like it was open as opposed to pressure fried.

I have no idea what that means but according to the menu it is twice fried?

Oh? Why?

My card would not work for some reason in the first two I tried. No logical reason why it wouldn't work but I was super glad when it worked in the third one!

Looks nice... and not too pricey.

I thought it wasn't pricey but I suppose relative to Myanmar prices it probably was.

Oh? Is it dangerous for super hot girls to take public transportation there?

I like to consider myself moderately well read.
But I'm ashamed to admit that I know none of those.

I hang my head in shame.

I didn't know of them either until I got there and googled what to do in Yangon

Excellent shot! Love it!

Thanks - part of the fun of having a new camera is seeing what it can do.

Yes! It really does!
Except they usually come in pairs and I'll get banned if I say what it is.

But yep! I'm right there with ya.

I'm sensing a trend here.... could be wrong.

You could never be wrong.

Um. Okay, that can't be what it sounds like.
So what is it?

It's basically a street blocked off with market stalls selling touristy crap, fake bags and watches etc. According to google it is called the ladies market as the street used to sell only things for ladies.

If you want the other kind of lady market you need to head back to Bangkok.

That is money well spent!

And welcome home, again!

It's good being home as now I can focus on Disney planning!