The Travel Tag

Finally had time to do The Travel Tag that Farhana tagged me here which came at the right time before this blog turns into a pregnancy blog. Lol

And also because I HAVE TRAVEL WITHDRAWALS, you guys! My last proper trip was in February! That seems like 3 years ago! wth. So yes, if i cannot travel, i shall relive the memories!

With the baby coming along, it’ll be quite a while before we go for another proper trip because i have a paranoid father-to-be who feels that nowhere is safe for his daughter. Except home, maybe and bawah ketiak dia agaknya. Pffft.
He has no idea i’ve been browsing thru airplane deals for 2015, especially for the long weekends in April / May. Hahahaha

So anyway, let’s go!

What made you start traveling?
The need to escape from work actually. That feeling of not having to wake up at a certain timing, fight for space in public transport and face my superiors. That few days of not having to be available for others.

Where was your first plane ride to?
To Manila! I started flying quite late. Think when i was 22? Cos i have a fear of heights (i still do!) and i was afraid of being trapped in a confined space at a high altitude. Until i was told to travel for work. And then i had to travel to Manila & Indonesia every month for about two years after that 1st trip, and suddenly, naik aeroplane macam naik bas gitu. Lol

Where have you travelled to that you would love to visit again?

I would love to visit Bali again. The last time i was there for 5 days but it was honestly too short of a trip to discover more of Bali and now i know why people keep returning to Bali again and again because there’s just so much to see! People in Bali are so so nice, it’s hard to not like Bali.

What are 3 of your must have travel items?

Travel Adaptor:
Because if you don’t bring this, bawak charger segala charger pun tak guna. Especially if your hotel have very limited travel adaptor to go by for their hotel guests.

Camera: 
Probably the only time i take lotsa pictures of myself is when i travel. It’s just a tourist thing to do, yes?

Po Chai Pills: 
Hahahahah very aunty i know but i have a weak stomach and after some bouts of food poisoning, i realized that no other anti-diarrhea pills work like Po Chai. So i make sure i bring them for all my trips. Those little pills work like a charm, baby!

Window, isle or middle seat?
Window seats! I have an awesome bladder control so i don’t need to go to the toilet every hour and there’s just something very euphoric seeing the plane take off and then seeing the city pass u by as you drift up towards nothingness. Those cotton candy clouds make me happy!

What place is on your ‘places to visit next’ list?
Probably not next as in the next trip but i hope to visit Santorini soon. There’s just something about those white washed walls and cobalt blue doors. Santorini has always and will always be at the top of my Travel to-go list.

Where would you travel just for the weather?
Australia! I love the weather when i was in Gold Coast early this year. I’m not a fan of winter, although the husband is.
I cannot stand extreme cold. I love the sun but not too much of it and Australia has the perfect blend of both weathers, i feel. It was breezy when i was there and even though the sun was up, i wasn’t sweating like a pig!

Do you have an interesting ‘I’m lost’ story?
It was during one of my trips to Manila, when there was a typhoon. It was so scary. I remember everybody scrambling for shelter. I wasn’t exactly lost per se but i felt lost. Because i’ve never encountered natural disasters like this and when faced with situations like this, i clammed up. Those telephone wires came crashing down on the road and the roof of the makeshift roadside stalls were flying all over the place. In minutes, the whole place was a mess. Just when i thought the whole ordeal was over, my flight back to Singapore was also bumpy because of the massive turbulence due to the typhoon. Scariest trip ever but definitely an eye-opener.

Where would you travel to just to eat the food?
Krabi in a heartbeat, baby! Yum yum yum. I would go back there again to savour that Tom Yam Khaa / Pad Thai / Banana Chocolate Pancake. You have no idea how i crave for that Tom Yam Khaa at this kedai makan tepi jalan. So sedap!
I love Thai food in general but Krabi is the best because it’s Muslim dominated so finding authentic Halal Thai food was such a breeze. Authentic tu penting ya kawan2, pasal kalau Halal Thai Food je, pergi Al-Azhar pun boleh. Lol

Is there a place you would never go again?
I wouldn’t say i wouldn’t go there again but out of all the places i’ve travelled to, Jakarta would be the last place i would return to because the traffic jam is horrendous. For all my trips to Jakarta, i always get stuck in the traffic for 2 hours+ and once, i missed a flight back to Singapore because i was stuck in the traffic jam close to 4hours+ because there was some protest / riot going on.  It was all very traumatizing cos i usually travel to Jakarta alone and being stuck in a foreign country alone is scary, even if you speak similar language. I remember my flight was scheduled at 8.00pm. I reached the airport close to 7.30pm and the next available flight out to Singapore is just before midnight! From then on, i made sure i leave the hotel 6 hours before my flight whenever i’m in Jakarta!

If you could take one person with you to travel who would it be?
My husband, because he always help me to carry my luggage and he’s better at reading maps. HAHAHAHAHA
ok kidding. just in case he reads this.
I had a few travel partners but my husband has got to be the best travel partner i have. Amazingly enough, we rarely fight during trips. Maybe cos he’s the “i just follow” kind while i’m the one who plans everything to a T and i think he feels safe with me because i know what we’re doing and where we’re going. I feel safe when i travel with him because he’s a people person. He gets along with people quite well. Despite the garang face, he warms up to people really fast and makes an effort to chat with the locals. On the other hand, i always have this huge wall i put up and will take my own sweet time to loosen up when i’m with strangers. So we make awesome travel partners to each other.

How do you pass the time on the airplane?
I usually read because reading is no longer a luxury i can afford. So i usually bring a book or buy a book when i’m at the airport. That and i usually load my iPhone with tons of songs that i can listen to during flights.

Are there other people whom you think would do this?
Well, i hope they’ll do this cos i’ll love to hear their travel stories!
Dancing Fairy Queen (Haryani)
Eleventh October (Ili)
Two Nine October (Tini)
Lustish (Yasmin)
Kiss The Bridezilla (Izzah)
and everyone else, of course!