Malta: The Arrival & Excitement

I passed the time quite easily with movies on board. After the two (yes, two) Bollywood movies I watch, I felt like they really pulled on my heartstrings like no other. <I watched Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara & Yeh Jawani Hai Dewani>

When Nuncio (the driver) picked me up, I was giddy with excitement. As we drove from Malta International to my hotel, I felt like I was in the midst of a story book. The only way I can describe it (from what I know) is that it looked like Greece meets Egypt.

Checked in at hotel and couldn't wait to take a long, hot shower. Tiredness began to come over me, but I forced myself to get dressed and go out. Went to an Italian restaurant around the corner, but unfortunately found the people to be quite unfriendly. Came back to the hotel ready for bed. Best to get an early night and wake up fresh in the morning!

Jeju (2) The Hotel

Jeju (1) The idea to go

Wednesday, May 5 2010

There are various things I consider when looking for a hotel, like its grading and price, location - including the distance from the airport, extras like internet in the room etc...

The reason I chose the hotel I stayed at on Hamdeok Beach was because of its location. It was a 3-star hotel so I assumed it came with all the basic amenities in the room. Also, when I made the telephonic booking, I was relieved that the lady spoke English so there was no misunderstandings or confusion.

After arriving at Jeju International Airport, I took a cab to the hotel. The drive was about 30 minutes. The only person at reception was a round-bellied middle-aged man with a receding hairline and glasses perched on his nose. After filling out the check-in form, I asked him about a few things, like is there a place I can get a massage? What about a sauna nearby?

He pointed ahead to an orange-red building and told me there was a sauna on the second floor. He was also very kind to book a massage for me for the following day.

My room was on the second floor. I wanted one higher up, but nothing was available. I had a sea view room and marveled at the water. The sky was still a bit grey, and Mr Kim - the man at reception, told me it would rain that evening.

Now, onto the hotel room:

The view was pretty good, but the noise from the traffic from downstairs was a bit bothersome.

There was no bedside lamp so I couldn't read in bed in the evening. The main light switch/air con control was not user-friendly.

In the bathroom, there was no shower gel or shower cap. Just a lousy small cake of soap and 2 small bottles of body lotion.

There was a kettle, with two cups and two sachets of green tea - no sugar, coffee, creamer or spoons.

There were toothbrushes, toothpaste and shampoo which would be added to the bill if used.

There was a mini bar - consisting of two bottles of water and a few energy drinks.

The internet cable (complimentary, but I never believe that - it's obviously worked into the price!) was tucked into a cupboard under the TV set. It worked fine with my netbook, but the cable connection was very loose and kept falling out of the socket.

The telephone had nothing indicating which buttons were for which services. For example, I wanted to call the reception desk, but didn't know which button to press so I had to physically go downstairs to make an inquiry.

A continental breakfast was included and I was given two coupons which I'd have to present when I went down to the restaurant the following day.

View from my balcony:

Click here to read Jeju (3) The Sauna
 

Bangkok (24) Check Out!

Bangkok (1) The idea to go
Bangkok (2) Adios snowy Korea
Bangkok (3) Holiday Travelers
Bangkok (4) The drive to the hotel
Bangkok (5) P2 Boutique Hotel
Bangkok (6) The Family from SA
Bangkok (7) Breakfast on Wed morning
Bangkok (8) Pratunam, Scooters & Tuk-Tuks
Bangkok (9) Central World
Bangkok (10) Sukhumvit Road 
Bangkok (11) Himali Cha Cha
Bangkok (12) Beware of Cheating Drivers
Bangkok (13) Private Tour - for FREE?
Bangkok (14) Chao Phraya River
Bangkok (15) Chao Phraya River Vids
Bangkok (16) Stop at the Temple
Bangkok (17) Chin Jewelry Factory
Bangkok (18) FURIOUS in Bkk
Bangkok (19) Lunch at Swagath
Bangkok (20) My Thai Massage
Bangkok (21) Am I invisible in Bangkok?
Bangkok (22) Put the meter ON!

Bangkok (23) Happy New Year!

Day 4: Friday, January 1 2010

I wake up on the first morning of 2010 happy that I'm leaving Bangkok. Although, I still have the whole of Friday. My flight is only at 01:15 Saturday morning, so I only have to be at the airport very late that night.

I plan on spending time at MBK Center and Siam Square. I also want to visit a spa for a scrub and massage. I have ample time and don't need to rush. I pack my luggage and head downstairs to check out at reception.

A kind man helps me. I ask him if someone could help me get a cab later that night to get to the airport. He tells me that the hotel provides a hotel shuttle and I that I qualify for that service. He asks what time I need to be at the hotel and wants to see my ticket. At the same time, someone else is writing out a ticket for my luggage to be in storage for the day. I ask them if they can suggest any good spas in the area. They tell me the one on the corner is dirty and that I shouldn't go there. Luckily I didn't the previous day.

We chat briefly and I tell them about the rude cab driver's. They apologize and one man offers to get a cab for me to take me to MBK Center. I'm grateful for this. I feel very relaxed and look forward to walking around in shopping malls that everyone has raved about to me.

About five minutes later, we reach MBK and as I pay the driver, I look into my bag for my e-ticket. It's not there! I remembered the man at reception wanted to see my flight time and he didn't give the ticket back to me.  I ask the cab driver if he has a cellphone I could use. He gets annoyed with me because he can't understand me.

I enter MBK at what seems like the back entrance. After security checks my bag, I ask him where I can find a public phone. He tells me "4 floor". He thinks I want to buy a phone. I just need to call the hotel to ask them to keep my ticket for me.  I spot a Customer Service desk and ask the lady if I can please use her phone to call my hotel as it is an emergency. She shakes her head and points somewhere. "Information Desk," she says. She's so rude and barely looks at me when she speaks. I can't believe this. I KNOW I'm not rude to people, so why is everyone in Bangkok being like this?

I can't find the Information Desk anywhere and decide to just go BACK to the hotel.  My new driver is an old man with a thick white strand of hair growing out of the left side of his chin. He drives as if he's driving on eggshells. He stops to show someone a map of the hotel I give him. It takes double the time and double the cab fare to get from MBK to my hotel than it did from my hotel to MBK just a few minutes ago.

I rush into the hotel and they people at reception are surprised to see me so soon. Relieved that my ticket is still there, I ask the man to please get me another cab to head back to MBK Center. Can anything else go wrong so early on my last day in Bangkok?

Bangkok (25) MBK Center

Bangkok (23) Happy New Year

Bangkok (1) The idea to go
Bangkok (2) Adios snowy Korea
Bangkok (3) Holiday Travelers
Bangkok (4) The drive to the hotel
Bangkok (5) P2 Boutique Hotel
Bangkok (6) The Family from SA
Bangkok (7) Breakfast on Wed morning
Bangkok (8) Pratunam, Scooters & Tuk-Tuks
Bangkok (9) Central World
Bangkok (10) Sukhumvit Road 
Bangkok (11) Himali Cha Cha
Bangkok (12) Beware of Cheating Drivers
Bangkok (13) Private Tour - for FREE?
Bangkok (14) Chao Phraya River
Bangkok (15) Chao Phraya River Vids
Bangkok (16) Stop at the Temple
Bangkok (17) Chin Jewelry Factory
Bangkok (18) FURIOUS in Bkk
Bangkok (19) Lunch at Swagath
Bangkok (20) My Thai Massage
Bangkok (21) Am I invisible in Bangkok?
Bangkok (22) Put the meter ON!

Day 3: Thursday, December 31 2009

When it starts to get dark outside, I figure I'm not going out and plan on staying in for the night. I'm not lonely because so many of my friend are online. Am I pathetic? Well, I have two options. 1) Go out and risk being run over by a scooter or being lost in a crowd in an area I'm not familiar with and no one else I know has any idea where I am ... or 2) Stay in my hotel room channel flipping and being kept entertained online.

This time I decide to play it safe, so I stay in.  There's nothing good on TV except for some Christmas cartoon and Grey's Anatomy.

I get an e-mail from my friend, Hye-jin who apologizes for not answering two of my calls before leaving Korea. She says she had a big fight with her husband and she's missing me. I wonder what could be wrong. I spent Christmas eve with them both the previous week and things seemed to be OK. I'll have to wait till I'm back 'home' to see what's going on.

I think I'll celebrate New Years in three different timezones : South Korea, Thailand and South Africa. Korea is two hours ahead of Thailand. So at 10pm, I wish all my Korean friends. Two hours pass, and I hear some fireworks going off outside. I fall asleep around 2am and wake up 5 hours later - in time to wish my South African friends Happy New Year.

This is the first New Years I've spent alone - with no family or friends. I never thought I'd see in 2010 alone, but such things happen and at least I can say I've had the experience of being alone on New Years Eve.

On the up side, my time in Bangkok is nearly over and I am almost headed back to Korea. I can't wait!

Bangkok (24) Check Out! 

Bangkok (7) Breakfast on Wed Morning

Bangkok (1) The idea to go

Bangkok (2) Adios snowy Korea

Bangkok (3) Holiday Travelers

Bangkok (4) The drive to the hotel
Bangkok (5) P2 Boutique Hotel
Bangkok (6) The Family from SA

Day 2: Wednesday, December 30 2009 

I have breakfast with the SA family.They are really nice and I have a good conversation with the dad who's traveled the world on business. I don't eat much, except for watermelon. There is no cereal - just some rice porridge and rice and other things which I'm not used to eating for breakfast.

They tell me about some Indian restaurant they had dinner at. It's at a mall which is apparently 'round the corner from the hotel.  I decide to just walk around on my own and do some exploring and familiarize myself with the area I'll be staying in for the next few days.

Bangkok (8) Pratunam, Scooters & Tuk-Tuks

Bangkok (6) The Family from South Africa

Bangkok (1) The idea to go

Bangkok (2) Adios snowy Korea

Bangkok (3) Holiday Travelers

Bangkok (4) The drive to the hotel
Bangkok (5) P2 Boutique Hotel

Day 1: Tuesday, December 29 2009

While I'm checking in, a family who's staying at the hotel arrives back from being out. They need to ask the man helping me something and we just greet each other politely. The mother of the family wants to know if there is a laundromat nearby. I notice her accent is British. A few minutes later, the daughter of the family comes back to the desk asking about the Wi-Fi connection in their room.


Something makes me ask her, "Where are you from?" and I'm not too surprised when she says, "South Africa" because I pick it up in her accent immediately. When I tell her that I'm South African too, she then asks, "Where are you from...Jo'Burg?" It really bothers me when people ask me where in SA I'm from and assume the city.  She becomes more interested that I'm an English teacher in Korea as she wants to do the same thing.  Turns out she & her brother are in Thailand to study and their parents are there to 'drop them off'.  She tells me that her family are British Jamaican, but moved to South Africa many years ago.




After I take my luggage upstairs, I go back down to the lobby where the girl is to chat a bit. I'm not tired even though it's 1am.  She is Skyping with family & friends in the UK & America and I'm catching up with my friends online as well.


She tells me about all the shopping she's done in Bangkok since they'd arrived. Her luggage didn't arrive from SA, but she doesn't seemed too stressed out about it. We plan to maybe go to a couple of areas together the following day. Nothing definite, but we say we'll meet at breakfast in a few hours time.

It's time to call it a night.  I go back to my room feeling very exhausted. There is no need to rush, because places in Bangkok only open at 10 or 10:30am.


Bangkok (7) Breakfast on Wed morning

Bangkok (5) P2 Boutique Hotel

Bangkok (1) The idea to go

Bangkok (2) Adios snowy Korea

Bangkok (3) Holiday Travelers

Bangkok (4) The drive to the hotel

Day 1: Tuesday, December 29 2009

Situated on Petchburi Road in Pratunam Area, P2 Boutique Hotel is a fine accommodation to spend a few nights. The price is very reasonable (1, 529 Baht / Approx $46 US) per night. Breakfast is included. If you stay for three nights, they will provide airport transfers. If you stay for four or more nights, you can also join a tour for free. Best of all, there's free Wi-Fi in the rooms :-)

The staff were friendly and helpful. The location of the hotel is near to shopping malls. On the first day, I walked on my own, but the traffic and scooters frightened me a lot, so I just took cabs everywhere.More on that in the next few blogs. This hotel is fairly new (about 2 years old) so everything looks very new, modern and clean-cut. I can be fussy when it comes to hotel accommodation, but I'll recommend this place!

 The lobby

 

Festive vibe

 

 Reception Desk

 

 Neat & clean room

 

 Just the essentials

 

 

I used this for my netbook

 

 Bathroom

 

 Shower was comfortable and easy to use

 

 View from my window. I kept my curtains drawn at all times!

 

 The restaurant area - breakfast was included in the price.
I only had breakfast on the first day.

 

Outside view

Bangkok (6) The Family from SA

Bangkok (4) The drive to the hotel

 Cabs at Suvarnabhumi Airport

Bangkok (1) The idea to go
Bangkok (2) Adios snowy Korea
Bangkok (3) Holiday Travelers

Day 1: Tuesday, December 29 2009

Getting a cab from Suvarnabhumi Airport is pretty easy. Colourful vehicles are lined up waiting to whisk new arrivals to their hotels. My driver was a man of small stature. I had to concentrate very hard on what he was saying because his accent wasn't very easy to understand.

"Where you come from?" he asks looking at me in the rear view mirror.
"Korea," I simply say.

A few seconds later, he says: "Korea woman white skin. You black."
I just smile.

"You alone? Meet friends Bangkok?" he asks.
"Alone," but then I quickly say, "...and meet friends here." I have to be cautious here!

As we drive along, we make small talk in broken English about how there's no traffic on the roads. Granted, it's around midnight. We pass an area where there are a lot of people and lights. It looks like street food stalls similar to those in Korea.

"You like disco? There good disco," he says pointing.
I can't see a disco anywhere, but I say , "Ahh OK!"

After a while, he takes a turn and I notice a 7/11 on the corner. He rolls down his window and asks some locals where P2 Boutique is. He takes another turn, and I am relieved when we arrive at the hotel. It's past midnight now, and the place is almost deserted except for a man sitting outside (working at the hotel) and a man behind the reception desk. I'm grateful I've arrived safely.

Bangkok (5) P2 Boutique Hotel

Friday morning view from my hotel

This was the view at 6am on Friday morning from my hotel room (Friday, October 2 2009)

Hotel Breakfasts in Korea

Hotels in Korea offer breakfasts like this - Korean food with some western dishes. There was cereal, juice, scrambled eggs... and then veggies, kimchi, tofu, seaweed and fruit.

The Hotel

I was booked into The New Crown Hotel. Check in was very easy. Just had to give them my passport. I requested my agent give me a receipt of my payment (just in case)

I was on the 10th floor and my view was just of rooftops. Again, I could've been anywhere in Korea.

And of course, I was blissfully happy to know that I had internet access in my room :) I was really bleak about the weather. I was hoping to spend that afternoon out and about. But the rain came down and I hate being out in that weather.

So I chilled in the hotel for about an hour and decided that I didn't care - just had to get out. Where could I go? The weather seemed to have settled down a bit. Got ready to venture out & explore.

First stop: Loveland Theme Park...

Durban (2) Arriving

We were picked up by our taxi driver, Dan who's been driving my family around Durbs for about 10 years now! As always, we stayed at the Elang

Hotel lobby at midnight with Sunny & Javed

I knew that if I was in my room I'd want to sleep, so I went down to the hotel lobby. There's a wagon where you can have photographs printed on t-shirts, mugs, caps etc... There were two guys working there.

I was alone and sitting near the wagon. Since it was after midnight, there weren't other guests around.

"Where are you from?", asked the shorter guy.
"Korea", I said - smirking to myself.
"But your face look Indian", he said.
I just smiled.
"What's your name?"
"Sheetal.. and you?"
"Sunny"

The other guy was just wondering around and didn't talk to me.

Sunny introduced him to me. "This is my friend, Javed"
"Hello, Javed", I said
"Hello", he said ...barely smiling.
"Where are you from?", I asked.
"Goa", he said.

Sunny was begging me to have a photograph printed on a mug or cap, and I told him I didn't have money.

"Sheetal, let me take your photo please", he asked.
"But why?"
"Just.. I want it."
"I don't think so"
"Let me take your photo and I give you something for free from here."
"No, I don't want anything, thanks"

A late night customer occupied Sunny and Javed was still hovering around. He had mysterious eyes. I told him that. He said...

"I have dangerous eyes"
"Yeah, I think so", I told him.
"You want to take them with you?", he said.
Ewwww I thought!

Anyway it was time for me to go to the airport.

I couldn't believe that all these guys I had met during the day happily obliged for me to take their photo~! Let's hope they never find my blog...hahaha!

Goodnight, Dubai

Wednesday, April 29 2009

We got back to the hotel around 21:30. To be honest, when we walked in I scanned the hotel lobby just in case Maddy from Kashmir was there. Thankfully the coast was clear! I went upstairs to my room to wash the day off me. I was afraid to sleep - I had to be up in 2 hours to get to the airport. My flight to Korea was at 3am. My mum called me and we chatted for a bit.

Around midnight, I went downstairs and used my last meal voucher (for a snack) ... a slice of banana loaf and orange juice.

Hotels~

I couldn't believe that I was seeing the Burj Al Arab with my own two eyes!
It stands high on a man-made island just off Jumeira Beach.

More on it here

Jumeira Beach Hotel
This hotel is shaped like a wave.
According to a website, it's the largest employer in Dubai (30,000 people)

Millennium Hotel in Dubai

Within a few minutes of leaving the airport, we arrived at the hotel around 06:00. Check in was fast, simple and painless. We got meal vouchers for breakfast, lunch, dinner and a snack. Mr Kim (the other Korean who missed his flight to Korea) and I agreed to have some breakfast before going to our rooms. I was really happy to know that Mr Kim was keen on doing a tour.

I thought we'd do a city tour... and then Mr Kim suggested we ALSO do a Desert Safari. I was really tired, but jumped at the idea. Luckily, I had enough money. So we booked our tours before having breakfast and going upstairs for a quick nap and to freshen up.

I remembered that I had a free international call to make, so went back to reception to call my mum. I think it was early morning in South Africa. I needed her to call my manager in Korea and let my school know about my situation and that I was going to be a day late for work.

After freshening up, I went back downstairs and met Mr Kim in the hotel lobby while we waited for our city tour to begin. I was sleep deprived, but was totally excited about being in Dubai~!

Hotel in Benoni

We stayed at a nice hotel in Benoni... here we are at breakfast on Sunday morning (Sunday, April 19 2009)

With Lalitamasi

Ragoomasa & Motamama
jo