After much procrastination, here it is. Finally.

My first trip to Thailand! Phuket to be exact, and it was the best holiday I've had in ages, if not ever! =D Not that I've been on many holidays yet, but still.. Haha..

Like most things that happen in my life, the trip started out with me being mighty confused. The Air Asia tickets said we'd be flying at 4.15pm, and landing in Phuket at 4.35pm, while return was a 5.10pm departure and a 7.35pm arrival. Huh? I know right. Turns out, yes, it may be a faster flight from KL - Phuket compared to KL - KK, but it was an hour's time difference! Duh! Lol..

Anyway, we arrived, and got a taxi down to Patong, where our hotel was.. A Toyota Camry as our taxi! Felt more like we'd hired a car and driver! ;p After a 45 minute drive, we finally arrived.
As soon as we got out of the cab I was like "Oh no!". Directly across (unfortunately) was a girlie bar.. Sigh.. Should've been prepared for that, but I wasnt I guess. However, that was the ONLY let down of the hotel. Inside was worth every penny we paid! =DReception and Lobby
Our room!
Nice riiigghhhhttt...? =D

Ray wasn't feeling too well the first night (liar, he's actually a lazy bum who wanted to sleep!), so we just went somewhere near for dinner, before calling it a night (much to my disappointment. I was hyper!). We went to this place called Elephant Cafe, where I had pineapple friend riceTo be honest, I prefer the ones served in KL.. =/
and Tom Yam Gaiwhile Ray had Tom Yam Goong with yellow noodles.It was nice! The tom yam in Thailand is very flavourful, but not omg-spicy like the tom yam you get here in Malaysia. In fact, it's not spicy at all really, I was having a ball! =D

The next morning, we had breakfast at the hotel (which was a bit expensive as it wasnt included with the room). To be honest, it wasnt very nice.. =/ We had cereal, pancakes, eggs, bread, the usual stuff you know. Then we rented a motorcycle to tour the city (naughty actually, seeing as Ray doesnt have a motorcycle licence, nyehehe). Damn cheap weyh..!! 150 baht (RM15) for 24 hours! And gas is only like 40 baht per bottle, which lasts a LONG time!!Too bad I didnt think to take a photo of the gas stands til it was too late! =( They're like wooden tables, like really old school.. Haha..

We went road Patong Beach a couple of times, went to a couple of market-type places (everywhere was so expensive!), and came across this:Why havent I been receiving any royalties????
There were TWO some more!! ... Lol.. I also came across a poster advertising a muay thai fight, which I really wanted to see, but the tix were so expensive! Ringside 1,500 baht, and stadium 1,300 baht (RM150/RM130)! =(

Then we decided to take a ride into Phuket town.As you can see, this is quite far away! ;p

We stopped halfway up a hill to take photos here:Yes, Ray's 自拍 skills are a lot better than mine.. ;p

We stopped by one of the malls that was on every map we had picked up:Uh-huh, he can find ways to park illegally anywhere! Hahaha..

Found out the cinema is more expensive there than in Malaysia.. Hmm.. We didnt walk for long as it had already been a long day, and Ray was scared of the shopaholic in me.. Nyahaha.. He's not too bad himself, what with almost giving in to temptation and buying an ipad 2! (Which are cheaper there by the way, in the Apple store as well!)

On the way back, we passed by this temple. The interesting thing about this temple is that not only is it on a hill, at a bend, but that nearly every vehicle that goes past honks! I was intrigued, so we went in and asked the lady, and she said it is to say hello to the gods. =)

Back in Patong, we stopped by a little coffee shop for a late lunch. Ray tried the iced Thai tea, and had Fried Rice USA (......).Helmet hair!I, being oh-so-predictable, had Tom Yum Gai with plain rice.. ;pNom nom nom..
I think it was the best Tom Yum I had there!

Then it was back to the hotel to rest (keep in mind Ray was in some discomfort from a boil on his hip). At night, we went out for dinner, and stopped over at a place suggested by the dive instructor from Manchester, whom we'd met while enquiring dive prices.The food was really good, and omg so cheap!! Tom Yum Gai (AGAIN)Beef fried in hot basil leaves, and choy sum

It was by the seaside, and boy was it windy! I actually wanted to show you guys photos of my hair being blown everywhere, but.. All ugly.. Hahaha.. So we'll stick to one of my fave photos of us:And that was Day 1 - 2!! Stay tuned, will be bringing you Day 2 - 5 real soon!! =D

Coming up: Diving, Simon Phuket, Day Tour!

As I was flipping through Time Out KL last month, I suddenly saw the one '$' sign next to a restaurant. In Bangsar Village II. Really? I thought everything in Bangsar is over-priced.. Hmm.. What else was left to do but to check it out? =)Miss Jov and I went in first and were quite impressed with the whole ambience of the place.. We especially liked how we could draw on the 'tablecloth' with the crayons provided, which we promptly did as soon as our orders were taken.Like little children, I know

Jov ordered Red Curry Duck Confit Noodles, which is, according to the description on the menu: Charcoal noodles topped with Thai-styled red curry with lychees, finished with a whole crispy duck leg & fresh basil.
And yes, the noodles looked like this:
*wrinkles nose*
I did not like. Jov did though.. Haha.. And the duck was really nice! =D

I ordered Lam Mee. Because I am boring. And because I had never tried Lam Mee before. Also because my other option was fish ball noodle soup, a thought that was met with an I-will-smack-you look by Jov. Nyehehe..
This is "succulent poached prawns & shredded chicken in a thickened chicken broth, served over yellow egg noodles". Other than the fact it had bean sprouts in it (yuck), it was really delicious!! Definitely recommended. =)

Then Adrian joined us, and proceeded to stuff his face with the Dan Dan Mein.
Hmm.. Adrian said he'd give it a 6/10. It's worth a try, but maybe you can tell me what you think.. =)
Handmade noodles tossed in a peanut buttery spicy szechuan sauce with minced chicken heaped with curly cucumber & crunchy peanuts.

All in all, I think I'd give the whole experience a 7/10. The ambience is great, it's not too expensive (see below for prices), and the food is really not bad (for most of you. I'm just a really fussy eater. ;p) I'd definitely recommend it, as next up, we're going to their sister restaurant, which is right next door: Res米aurant! (For those of you who dont read Chinese, 米 means rice, which is what this place serves, as opposed to CaNOODL(E)ing!! ;p)

Prices:
Red Curry Duck Confit Noodles RM13.90
Lam Mee RM10.90
Dan Dan Mein RM11.90

Where have YOU eaten recently that you think is a must-try? Drop me a comment and let me know! I am always game for food!! =D

Yes! My 1st visit to an Indian temple, my 1st time attending an Indian engagement, and my 1st saree!! =D

It all started when I was out with Nalin a few months ago, walking aimlessly around Bangsar, when we bumped into a 3 of her family friends. They asked us to join them for a drink, and they started chatting while I tried to get Nalin in some awkward conversation spots, because i love her so much (muahahaha). So the conversation turned to marriage, and Malanee said she's getting engaged in a few months. I told them I'd never been to an Indian wedding. let alone an engagement, and Malanee said she'd invite me to hers! =)

To be honest, I did think that that was gonna be it, and didnt think about it until about a week ago, when I got a call from Nalin asking whether I'd be free Sunday evening. Yes! The theme was traditional Indian, in any shade of red, and as Nalin didnt have an extra red saree, we promptly arranged to meet in Masjid India to get me one!! (Keep in mind this was my 1st time in Masjid India too, so I was a very excited child.. ;p)

When we got there we were both starved, so to fully Indianize me we had Indian snacks at a coffee shop nearby.. I like how they always use a lot of potatoes! Nyehehe.. Then on with our search!

The 1st piece of info I received was that the thicker, silk cloth was mainly worn by older women, and younger women usually used softer cloth, as it shows off the silhouette more.Silk sarees, photo courtesy of swayamwara.com

A lot of the styles were very typical, lots of colour, lots of bling. They were all so pretty! I kind of liked a few emerald green ones, but wanting to stick to the theme, we looked for red and maroon ones. We both agreed red suited me better than maroon, and at our 3rd shop, found the perfect one:
I love that the flowers are black and gold!

So pretty riiiigghhhhttt?? =D And damn cheap too! RM39!! I asked Nalin about this too, as I'd previously heard that sarees cost a few hundred. She told me those were the fancier ones, for weddings etc, or designer sarees.

We also bought some Indian bangles (I still want glass ones!!) and earrings, with Nalin providing me the bindi.

On the day I went to Nalin's place a couple of hours before the ceremony, which was held at a temple near her place. She helped me tie the saree (quite complicated, but she said it'll get easier as I practice. She must not realise my middle name is butter-fingers. ;p), and her own, which is this retro-looking white-with-black-polka-dots-and-stripes-and-big-red-flowers saree:Do not underestimate this rock chick! She can tie her own saree ok?! =D

Her friend Sara picked us up, and after going to the wrong temple (haha) we finally reached the location. I didnt really know what was going on, and couldnt get close enough to get too many photos, so here's what I did get:
The future bride and I!Wedged between Nalin & Sara!Sara & a friend's husband (sorry, I forgot your name.. =/ *peeks out from behind Nalin*)
Decoration outside the temple hall =)
The groom coming in with the procession.The bride being blessed..
The groom being blessed..The obvious joy! =)Family portrait =)
The trays that were exchanged. Nalin explained that this is seen as an 'agreement' between the two families of the union of the two.

After the ceremony, we all went outside to eat. the caterers were Little Caterer, who according to Nalin are the most popular caterers for weddings etc. As it was in a temple, it was all vegetarian food, but very nice! Looking at this now, I realise I forgot that I wanted to get a tosai after the rice though.. =/

So to end this post, I'd like to say a very big CONGRATULATIONS to MALANEE & NAVIN!!! =D I wish you a blissful marriage, and happiness, health and wealth always.. =) Thank you for inviting me to be part of your special day!

xxxxx