Pixie Dusted in SE Asia TR

[zanzibar138]

Due to popular demand...

*zanzibar* TR Productions presents...

"Pixie Dusted in SE Asia: A Non-Disney Tale of Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia and Vietnam"

Starring:

zanzibar & DH



and

zanzibar's parents


​

Previously...
zanzibar and DH had decided to take a trip to south east Asia to celebrate their 2nd anniversary. Due to some well-priced airfares from Perth, zanzibar's parents decided to join them in Singapore.

Coming up next...
Day 1: Just a Short Flight to Start... (Melbourne to Sydney)

Day 2: Let the Holiday Begin! (Sydney to Singapore) Part 1
Day 2: Let the Holiday Begin! (Sydney to Singapore) Part 2

Day 3: A Walk in the Garden (Singapore) Part 1
Day 3: A Walk in the Garden (Singapore) Part 2
Day 3: A Walk in the Garden (Singapore) Part 3
Day 3: A Walk in the Garden (Singapore) Part 4
Day 3: A Walk in the Garden (Singapore) Part 5

Day 4: Still No Rollercoaster... (Singapore) Part 1
Day 4: Still No Rollercoaster... (Singapore) Part 2

Night 4: The Overnight Train That Could (Singapore - Kuala Lumpur)

Day 5: 24 Hours in Kuala Lumpur (Kuala Lumpur) Part 1
Day 5: 24 Hours in Kuala Lumpur (Kuala Lumpur) Part 2
Day 5: 24 Hours in Kuala Lumpur (Kuala Lumpur) Part 3

Day 6: Another Day, Another Lounge (Kuala Lumpur - Siem Reap)

Day 7: Temples, Temples and More Temples (Siem Reap) Part 1
Day 7: Temples, Temples and More Temples (Siem Reap) Part 2
Day 7: Temples, Temples and More Temples (Siem Reap) Part 3
Day 7: Temples, Temples and More Temples (Siem Reap) Part 4

Day 8: And Even More Temples... (Siem Reap) Part 1
Day 8: And Even More Temples... (Siem Reap) Part 2
Day 8: And Even More Temples... (Siem Reap) Part 3

Day 9: Bring on Vietnam! (Siem Reap - Hoi An)
Observations in Siem Reap

Day 10: Hello Hoi An! (Hoi An) Part 1
Day 10: Hello Hoi An! (Hoi An) Part 2

Day 11: On Our Way to Hue (Hoi An - Hue)

Day 12: From Temples to Tombs (Hue) Part 1
Day 12: From Temples to Tombs (Hue) Part 2

Day 13: Last Day in Hue (Hue - Phong Nha)

Day 14: Halong Bay on Land (Phong Nha) Part 1
Day 14: Halong Bay on Land (Phong Nha) Part 2

Day 15: Mud, Glorious Mud (Phong Nha)

Day 16: Back to the City (Phong Nha - Phu Loc) Part 1
Day 16: Back to the City (Phong Nha - Phu Loc) Part 2

Day 17: Forced Relaxation (Phu Loc)

Day 18/19: TTFN Vietnam (Phu Loc - Melbourne)

 

[zanzibar138]

Melbourne - Sydney

The trip started with a short trip from Melbourne to Sydney. Why? You can't get premium economy to Singapore from Melbourne.

After finishing the last minute cleaning and packing, dropping the dogs off at the kennels, then the car off at MIL's, we had MIL drop us off at the airport. The airport was quite busy, and we were pleased to have priority security clearance with our OneWorld Sapphire status.

We surprised MIL with a trip to the Qantas Club Lounge to toast our trip with a glass of bubbly.



After a short flight with a very bumpy landing, we arrived at Sydney airport, collected our bags, and made our way to Hotel Ibis Budget Sydney Airport (not to be confused with the other Hotel Ibis Budget in the area, which is not within walking distance of the airport). We quickly learned that Sydney airport is not pedestrian friendly and has ridiculous footpaths that lead to nowhere, and traffic lights with no pedestrian crossings.

We eventually made it to the hotel and 'checked in'. By that I mean I was asked to confirm my name and we were given a key. It literally took 5 seconds.

The reviews of this hotel were not great, and I added my own not great review after our stay. I would have been happy to pay hostel prices to stay here, which we definitely did not pay. One recurring negative aspect was the noise level in the rooms, which we confirmed as we passed a particularly rowdy couple of rooms. We were lucky enough to have an end room so we got a decent night's sleep.

 

[Aussie Wendy]

Useful tip on the hotel to remember - avoid!

 

[Aussie Wendy]

How are you btw? doing OK?

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Yay, subscribing.

That's a lovely pic of you and your husband. Was it taken at Cars Land?

 

[austraveler]

Subscribing.

 

[PrincessInOz]

 

[zanzibar138]

Useful tip on the hotel to remember - avoid!

It's a bit of a tough one really, because all the other airport hotels were crazy expensive

How are you btw? doing OK?

I'm doing ok. The worst part I think is because I'm not in much pain, just trying not to overdo it!

Yay, subscribing.

That's a lovely pic of you and your husband. Was it taken at Cars Land?

Thanks! I love it too! Carsland wasn't ready for us on that trip, can't wait to see it in September That pic was taken at a special Cars photopass area just across from Soarin'.

Subscribing.

Welcome aboard

back!

 

[gogo65]

Im here too

 

[zanzibar138]

Im here too

Welcome

 

[zanzibar138]

Sydney - Brisbane - Singapore

It was an early morning for our next flight from Sydney to Brisbane. That's right, we never fly the straight-forward way. At least we had figured out the best way to get to the airport the night before, so we made our way straight to the Qantas Club Lounge for a bit of brekky.



The transfer in Brisbane was a bit of a pain, having to catch the bus to the international terminal. Still, it was straight-forward enough, and soon we had cleared security and passport control, and were enjoying hot chocolates in the Qantas Business Lounge. A short while later we were finding our seats in the premium economy cabin. All of the middle seats except the last row remained empty for the entire flight.



I really enjoyed our flight. We got great service from all the cabin crew (I suppose it's not that hard when the cabin is half empty). For a day time flight, the premium economy seats are very comfortable, and the extra space is awesome. The noise cancelling headphones they provide are very comfortable and effective, and I put them to good work watching a few movies and TV shows. We had a great lunch of barramundi with spiced lentils and mashed sweet potato - yummy!



Unfortunately the flight was a little bumpy pretty much the whole way. Nothing disturbing, didn't even put the seatbelt sign on for most of it, but enough to make me feel quite ill by the end of the flight. I took a couple of kwells, hoping that they would kick in. I ended up feeling a little better when we landed.

One of the perks of going premium economy is that you get off the plane before the crowds, giving you a jump on immigration and customs. We made the most of our little head start, making our way to the immigration area nice and quickly, and practically walked straight through. Unfortunately our luggage didn't want to play fair, and we were stuck waiting for it for ages!

Once we had our luggage we found my parents, who had arrived on their flight from Perth a couple of hours prior to us (and in the meantime had made up a little sign with our name on it ). After meeting and greeting, we made our way to the station and caught the train to Outram Park Station, which took about 40 minutes. From there it was about a 10 minute walk to the Nostalgia Hotel (we stayed there just a few months ago, so still knew it pretty well) where we all checked in.



My parents had splurged on a balcony room. We just had a basic 'superior' room, which was a bit of a step down from last time. Still, the room was adequate for us, and we didn't have any trouble fitting both suitcases in with us (which according to tripadvisor, is a real problem for some!).







After spending a few minutes settling in and freshening up, we re-convened at the bar/restaurant to discuss the plans for the evening.

 

[PrincessInOz]

You certainly didn't take the direct route to Asia, did you?

 

[zanzibar138]

You certainly didn't take the direct route to Asia, did you?

We rarely take the direct route anywhere anymore Wait til you see how we got home

 

[Caroline NZ]

We rarely take the direct route anywhere anymore Wait til you see how we got home

You definitely like flying more than me
Looking forward to hearing more

 

[zanzibar138]

Continued...

Down at the bar/restaurant, we relaxed with some drinks and nibblies while we discussed our plans for the evening.



I suggested Sentosa Island since it was close to the hotel (only one stop on the train), and everyone seemed happy enough with that option. By the time we got going it was quite late, but we stuck to the plan anyway.

The train station for Sentosa was in a big shopping centre, and it was a bit hard to find our way out We'd just made our way out to the waterfront when we saw fireworks going off over the island. We stood and watched until the show finished.



Mum loves boardwalks, and was keen to walk across this one! We enjoyed seeing all the lighting effects on the boardwalk and the view of the lights as we walked across.



The travelators are always a good novelty too



At the Sentosa end of the boardwalk, there was a little booth where you could pay to enter the island. We decided not to bother as it was quite late by that time, and we were all pretty tired from our flights. We were also planning to visit Sentosa Island properly later in the trip. We just turned around at that point and wandered back.



Back at the shopping centre, we looked for somewhere to enjoy a nice drink and desserty kind of snack. The shopping centre was massive and fancy, and we struggled to find what we were looking for.



Eventually we came across a Max Brenner's Chocolate Lounge. The others all ordered the chocolate cookie dessert, I just ordered a fancy chocolatey drink. It was the most we paid for food on our whole trip, including multi-course dinners with cocktails

After our super expensive chocolate fix, we headed back to the hotel and retired to our rooms for the night.

 

[PrincessInOz]

If you don't mind me asking....How expensive was Max Brenner's in Singapore? They aren't exactly cheap here either but I was wondering what the price comparison was for e.g.a succao.

 

[zanzibar138]

If you don't mind me asking....How expensive was Max Brenner's in Singapore? They aren't exactly cheap here either but I was wondering what the price comparison was for e.g.a succao.

I can't really remember the prices of the drinks, but I know the cookie desserts were around $18 (Singapore dollars). Unfortunately I didn't get any photos, but it literally was just a cookie (albeit a pretty big one) with a bit of chocolate sauce drizzled over it.

 

[PrincessInOz]

I can't really remember the prices of the drinks, but I know the cookie desserts were around $18 (Singapore dollars). Unfortunately I didn't get any photos, but it literally was just a cookie (albeit a pretty big one) with a bit of chocolate sauce drizzled over it.

WOW.

 

[maryr1oz]

Enjoying your report so far

 

[zanzibar138]

Enjoying your report so far

Thanks Stay tuned for the next update