It was barely 9am when we finally found ourselves walking down the alley of South Melbourne and stepping in to the huge cafe, but the place was already packed with breakfast-goers and coffee lovers. Bustling and full of chatter, St ALi Coffee Roasters – one of the pioneers of specialty coffee in Melbourne – is awake and full of life.
A trip to Europe is always an exciting one to look forward to. From jaw-dropping landscapes to majestic structures (seriously, I can never get how detailed some of the buildings are, especially when they were built without the technology we’ve got today), each holiday there feels like a unique adventure. So make your trip a fruitful one with these 10 things to note before travelling to Europe.
Hello Kitty is probably the only cat in the world that has no mouth, but still can get everyone excited and going gaga over. It is baffling as much as it is miraculous, but there is no denying – Hello Kitty is a trend that will never die.
So, taking the fad to a whole new level is opening up themed cafes and paying homage to the cat. Well, Hello Kitty lovers sure aren’t going to complain about it being gimmicky, simply because it is Hello Kitty.
Have you been to any Hello Kitty cafes? There are five in Asia – Seoul, Taipei, Hong Kong, Bangkok and Singapore. And yes, they are all pinky and cutesy, and very very dreamland-like. Heck, even non-Hello Kitty fans will have a ball of time in there!
Here are the five Hello Kitty cafes in Asia. Go ahead, have a pretty cake in there and call yourself a fan. We won’t judge.
Have you ever felt so lost and disconnected from the world because there is no data connection when you are in a foreign land, and your phone is as good as non-existent? Yes, that feeling of being crippled. Disoriented, to say the least. Complete insecurity.
Everything but enjoying our holiday.
And that is when we realised that no matter how you have to “disconnect to connect”, we still need data connection on the go.
We used to worry about whether we can get wi-fi router/ prepaid data cards when we travel, and that uncertainty killed us several times. But gone are those days because we made a new discovery – Changi Recommends has overseas portable wi-fi router rental services at as low as S$12 nett per day, and there is no charge for the first day of collection! Moreover, Changi Recommends’ has booths located in all three terminals and they are opened 24/7.
Now, we will share with you all about this life-changing discovery, as well as how you can win a holiday to Tokyo. Here are 8 Reasons Why We Cannot Live Without Changi Recommends’ Wi-fi Router:
The search for the best otoro sushi has come to an end; we found love in Endo Sushi, Osaka.
To say that it is heavenly is but understated. This tiny eatery that sits within Osaka Central Fish Market has been in operations since more than a century ago. It is as old as it is gold, and every trip to Osaka sees us traveling all the way to the market for a bite of heaven. If you only have time for one meal in Osaka, head to Endo Sushi.
Hands up, those of you who try to watch what you eat every day but pig out once your two feet touches foreign soil. And who could blame you? Trying out the local cuisine of a new city is such an important part of travelling!
If you, like me, hate coming back to reality and seeing that you’ve gain a couple of kilos, check out these five easy ways to exercise while on holiday, to mitigate the waistline damage. We’ve included a simple guide on how much calories you can burn for each activity.
New to a particular country? Don’t let the possibility of being hustled burst your bubble of excitement. Con artists have upped their game in recent years, from expert pickpockets to cabs who stealthily zoom off with your valuables to swindlers who offer you free stuff… and then demand you pay a hefty price.
Sometimes it’s tough to climb over the language barriers and familiarise yourself with the cultural differences, so you end up falling prey to shrewd thieves and their sneaky schemes. Sadly, this is a problem that won’t go away anytime soon, so the best thing you can do is get savvy and guard yourself against tricks of any kind.
Here are some tips to help you steer clear of tourist rip-offs.
Karon Beach is not the top-of-mind destination for travellers to Phuket. Which is a shame, because the beach is so much cleaner and prettier as compared to your usual Patong Beach and Kata Beach.
It is relatively untouched by tourism – as compared to Patong Beach - and perhaps this is why food recommendations for the area is scarce too. Our first time to Karon beach had us struggling to find good eats, and most places look like tourists’ traps – which we loathe and always avoid. We’ve had several horrible meals at Karon Beach, got ripped off, and we were always grumpy after meal times.
But this was not until we found Mama Jin – an unassuming eatery that sits on the beachfront at the north of Karon Beach near to the lake. Yes, it looks like any other tourists’ trap along that stretch, but trust us on this: Mama Jin is your best bet at Karon Beach. We had an unforgettable Thai meal that was authentic, inexpensive and very satisfying.