Glamping at The Canopi

WARNING: PICTURE HEAVY!!

Sunset at The Canopi

Ever heard of Glamping? Hahaha. It's actually glamorous + camping put together. Well..  The Canopi has been on my list since last year so the bf and I have decided to go for it (partly to clear off my annual leave for 2015 and also have a mini celebration for our monthsary.) No we don't usually celebrate our monthsary but if we could kill two birds with one stone, why not? It also serves as a relaxation get away for our minds and soul!

Anyway... so we have been surfing around the net for the cheapest and value for money package around and decided to go with the agency straight chancing upon Groupon. I did not purchase from Groupon as the agency was very near my workplace. I have booked my stay with Lokopoko Travel and it was a swift and efficient transaction :)

My agent was Melanie and she answered all my questions and everything was processed nicely. Initially it was a 3D2N but we thought a 2D1N would be sufficient enough so yup! Changed our itinerary to a Wednesday ferry and we will be back on Thursday night. Taking a weekday return ferry also means no surcharge!! We also upgraded from Safari Tent Suite to Lagoon Suite at an extra cost of $40. Seaport tax was $54 and the 2D1N package was $238 for two pax. Total damage = $332.

So....... on Wednesday! We woke up early in the morning to catch our ferry at Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal. Had to check in 1.5 hours earlier than the stipulated ferry time so we got there about 1000 when our ferry will set sail at 1110 hours!

Hello!!

Reception area

The journey to Bintan was about 1.5 hours and the time to clear the custom was super short. We had to leave our passports with the custom upon arriving which made us felt super uncomfortable because it's the most impt document when you're out of your own country?! (Our passports will be returned to us upon check-in at 3pm.) Once we stepped out, the people from Canopi were already there waiting to transfer us which only took about 5 minutes to reach!

Otw to Pujaseri!

Stalls in Singaporean hawker style lol

Can't remember what stall was this, almost everywhere sells the same thing

A plate of Squid, Egg, Hash brown, Chicken Wing and Rice! IDR 35000 (SGD S$3.50)

As we had plenty amount of time to kill, we walked to the "white house" in Canopi and rented a Electronic Vespa Scooter for half a day at IDR 250000 (SGD S$25). Started our journey to the Pujaseri Hawker to fill our tummies!! Their food was normal nothing special and the place was... small.

Of course, we had to have Magnum whenever we're in Indonesia!!! Its only like RP20000 (SGD $2?!). Cheap thrills ;)

Lagoi Mall or ghost town? Lol!

Just doing our thing!

Lagoi Beach. Kinda reminds me of Patong hahaha

Scooted off to Lagoi Mall and Beach afterwards and it's the worst mall I've ever been to?!!? THERE WAS PRACTICALLY NOTHING and turned me off so bad the moment I reached. The place was pretty clean though, that I would have to admit and it's near The Sanchaya!!! What a pretty resort that is :)

Lagoi Lake. Saw this on our way to the mall, not bad right!

Went to Nirwana Gardens after to look at the Kelong Seafood Restaurant! Was deciding between this or BBQ right outside our tent but decided to settle for the latter. Oh what a wrong choice, more on that later! I CAN'T BELIEVE WE SCOOTED AT 30KM/HR FOR LIKE 3 HOURS?! LIKE 30KM/HR ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! (I used to go mentally crazy when my driving instructor told me to drive at 30km/hr.) I swear I don't know where all that patience came from... and the SCORCHINGGG sun. Oh my I can't even... Headed back to Pujaseri again to get some snacks and water and back to Canopi for check in!!!

Cute tents

The bed!!!! The linen was a little hot though

'Luggage' cabinets and big ass air conditioner at the side

The interior of the room. Didn't take any pictures of the outdoor bathroom as I'm not an 'outdoor bathroom' kinda girl.. I really like my bathroom indoors, clean and well... it's just the most important factor to me wherever I go. Hahaha!

Bathed and changed!

As we had about 3 hours to kill till dinner (we are having BBQ), we decided to watch Harry Potter (all the episodes were screening on TV) instead of heading out to bask in the sun. It was reallllyy warm. I never had any problems with getting any sunburnt so this was considered my first time (because of the ride from the scooter)!! VERY.PAINFUL. To make it worse, the sun only burnt a rectangle shape on my legs.... NOT EQUAL, NOT PRETTY.

Waiting for our bbq!

Foooooooooooood

Anyhow the staff from Canopi will actually prepare your food and get them delivered at about 1830 hours and allow you to start BBQ at 1900! It was nicely set up for us and all we have to do is put the wire over the fire and start barbecue-ing! The boy and I was so excited until...we had our first bite. OMG I can't believe I actually chose bbq over KSR!! The food was quite bad and only the Chicken Wings was good. Guess it's true when they say you get what you paid for. But at IDR 370000 (SGD $37) and for these little amount of food (there's still marshmallows and a few more meat), it wasn't exactly justified. Nonetheless, we enjoyed ourselves very much and had a great time watching HP marathon from the door :) It was a great night, with our alcohol from the ferry terminal, chocolates and chips! After all how many times can you actually BBQ right outside where you sleep, right?

This sums up my DAY ONE.

Breakfast spread

Woke up early for breakfast and definitely did not expect much ever since we tried their BBQ food. Lol. Indeed, only the omelettes were good!! The spread was quite meh... and I only tried a few mouth here and there.

Was supposed to chill at the Crystal Lagoon and take a few pictures because the main point is the lagoon right?!! The weather however wasn't in a good mood and it's too hot to even step out of our room. Sigh back to room.....We did not have much time left in the room since we had to check out at 1200.

White float at the lagooon ^^

SO... 

8 HOURS TILL OUR FERRY BACK TO SG. 

HOW TO PASS TIME?!

D' Bintan Salon Day Spa

Reception

Massage beds

Decided to book our massage with D' Bintan Massage and Spa because it's the cheapest around! Took many brochures and asked for price and this seems like the best out of all. Located at Pujaseri, you can just call them and they'll send a car over to pick you up! Yay. (You may contact Erwin at +6282386410888, he's really good and will not cheat your money hahaha!! plus there is a 15% off).  We did the Tropical Massage for an hour which cost IDR 595000 for two (SGD $64 after credit card conversion)

It was initially 4 hours till our massage (booked the slot at 1600) so we wanted to watch a movie on our laptop in the resort. Then again, the heat jussst had to kill us. Both of us aren't a fan of heat (as you should probably sense by now). Lol. Went to the reception, changed our ferry timing to the one at 1735 instead! It was quite sian because I had to skip sunset at the Kelong Seafood Restaurant just for an earlier ferry back home.

Kelong Seafood Restaurant 

Salted Egg Yolk Crab 450G IDR 360000

Sambal Kang Kong IDR 118000

Black Pepper Chicken IDR 155000

Erwin (from D'Bintan) arranged a car to pick us to Nirwana Gardens for Kelong Seafood Restaurant right after our massage and back to Canopi to take our luggages. He got us a one way transport back to Canopi at only IDR 120000 when usually it costs IDR 150000. Sounds good! The food at KSR was good though overpriced. Spent about IDR 653000 for two and will definitely be back if I ever come back to Canopi again.

My favourite pic!

Returning the scooter at the reception!

All in all, THERE'S NO REGRETS though one shalln't expect to be WOW-ed!... There really isn't anything much to see nor do at Canopi/nearby and despite all that, it was a really relaxing short getaway. I would be back if they add more activities, upgrade their food quality and have more things to see.

♡

Wagyu Donburis in Singapore

Ever since I had my first take of wagyu don at fat cow, I have been an avid fan and I crave for them constantly. So frequent, the hole in my pocket never seems to close since it's like a hunt for the boy and I every month. These are a few shortlisted ones that I patronize and those that I thought worthy to try at least once (or not, you decide) depending on your budget.

goodness in the mouth, always my favourite place to go back for dons (donabemeshi // wagyu beef grilled over charcoal in a claypot rice) ♡

A photo posted by yongshan | kayla (@kaylacys) on Nov 26, 2015 at 5:14am PST

1. Fat Cow

In my opinion, their dons will always have my heart!! I particularly love the donabemeshi wagyu beef ($68) - grilled over charcoal and finished in a claypot of baked rice served with onsen egg and house seasoned shoyu!! The amount of rice and wagyu cubes though little, is enough to make you happily full. Of course if one does not want to splurge so much on their ala-carte, they serve set lunches (think chirashi, foie gras and wagyu dons) daily which are equally value for money.

opening hours: (lunch) daily 1200 - 1500 / (dinner) daily 1800 - 2300

camden medical centre

1 orchard blvd #01-01/-02

s248649

tel: 6735 0305

Black truffle everything anything!! 😚

A photo posted by yongshan | kayla (@kaylacys) on Mar 6, 2015 at 12:15am PST

2. Aoki Restaurant

You need to add black truffle to make it complete!! It doesn't come cheap though... (the one i had above was about $105 for a medium portion). Oh and look at the truffle chawanmushi at the back, I really enjoy that a lot! If you're also a fan of bara chirashi, Aoki whip up pretty good ones too!! The last I went, I had a private room for two and it was really awesome because I can eat my food in peace and take photos without being judged (the lights in the room are dim so you need a lot of shots) haha! Thats not the point but if you like taking photos of your food, you'll get me. Service on the other hand, is a tad not easily accessible cause you'll not be in the restaurant itself. Book the room and you'll understand :) Will I return? Yes!

opening hours: (lunch) daily 1200 - 1500 / (dinner) daily 1830 - 2300

shaw centre

1 scotts road #01-17

s228208

tel: 6333 8015

3. Sushi Jin

Separately ordered the uni to go with my don and i thought i made a good decision. Think creamy texture with truffle infused rice.. yums! The side dishes too, were perfectly executed, I particularly love the aburi hotate foie gras sushi specially made by the chef!!

opening hours: (lunch) daily 1200 - 1430 / (dinner) daily 1830 - 2230

1 farrer park station road, owen link #01-11/12

(access via one farrer hotel and spa)

s217562

tel: 6443 3378

4. Kinki Restaurant and Bar

Foie gras and wagyu donburi ($40)!! not the best but it was not too bad considering the price and the generous amount of meat :) They have an extensive menu of different types of japanese cuisine - traditional and contemporary. I've also tried a few of their ala carte specialities and had their flavourful lava cake for dessert to end of my meal! Really great experience with outstanding service :)

Been back here thrice in 2 months because its so convenient for working CBD people like us. Hahaha. You can enjoy your dinner in the restaurant and head up to the rooftop bar for booze and music after that!! Adding on, it overlooks the Marina Bay Sands :) If you're not a fan of booze, theres also lady m nearby at one fullerton!!

opening hours: (lunch) mon to sat 1200 - 1430 / (dinner) mon to sat 1800 - 2230

customs house

70 collyer quay #02-02

s049323

tel: 6533 3471

5. Magosaburo Japanese Wagyu Dining

As the title states, this place specializes in fine wagyu bbq dining which also means, higher expectation. Think foie gras, uni and miyazaki wagyu mixing together on top of a bowl of fragant yummy rice. I really enjoyed eating the rice a lot, maybe because the sauce (i have no idea what was that tho.) that was drizzled over made the rice feels so great to the palate. At $68, I think that it's still worthy a try even though it doesn't really have a WOW factor. On a side note, I love their BBQ Wagyu though :)

opening hours: (lunch) mon to fri 1130 - 1500 / (dinner) mon to fri 1530 - 2300 / (public hol and weekend) all day

ion orchard

2 orchard turn #04-11A & 05-01

s238801

6. Tamashii Robataya

Feeling indulgent and with many raves about this hidden gem, the boy and I came here on a random dating day! The truffle infused rice was fragrant and filled with starchy goodness which you could easily taste the aroma from every mouthful. the beef, however, wasn't very impressive and I thought they could do better at such a hefty price tag of $65. Service was efficient and this place feels so "zen" but "been there, done that", I probably would just stick to Mikuni. We also tried their pork don, another speciality don on their menu and it too, was mediocre.

opening hours: (lunch) mon to sat 1200 - 1430 / (dinner) mon to sat 1830 - 2230

12 north canal road #02-01

s048825

tel: 6222 0316

Wagyu don, definitely can't be compared to those I've had before but for the price, it's really worth it ( ˘ ³˘)♥

A photo posted by yongshan | kayla (@kaylacys) on Aug 29, 2015 at 7:16am PDT

7. Kinsa Sushi

An average fare with just beef slices and the norm - onsen egg with sauce. Even though they were using an a4 grade beef, I thought it was a little dry and definitely a hit and miss. I kinda like their sushi rolls though.. worth a try if you're around the area, else, don't bother.

opening hours: (lunch) mon to thurs 1130 to 1500 / (dinner) mon to thurs 1730 to 2200 / (whole day) fri to sun 1130 - 2200

hill v2

4 hillview rise #02-02

s669320

tel: 6710 7278

--

Yup! Thats about it for my list.. there are a lot more donburis I've tried but imho they are not worth being sought after (so you wouldn't be reading about it here!). Hehe. I'll update this post again once I check out a few others!!! Till then, happy eating!!! ♡

Tokyo Disneysea - How to live your dreams!

Warning: A photo-heavy post ahead (avoid using Data!!!)

If you've read my previous post on how to get to Disneysea then you definitely know that you should get to the entrance ahead of opening hours too!

In order to take the rides efficiently, (most rides out of hours spent at park) you have to plan!

Having NEVER been to Disneyland/sea before or Japan for that matter, I had no idea the scale of the park or the amount of people. If you're confident enough, I would encourage you to split up for Fastpassing and meeting up later at a fixed location. Remember to set a back-up plan to meet if you miss a time and place! (Most Airbnb hosts provide a pocket wifi, make sure it's charged because you'll surely need it).

More details after the jump!

Tokyo Disneysea - Where in my Dreams could it be?

Travelling to Tokyo Disneysea was actually much easier than expected because we did our research and I went over it time and again, trying to memorise the line names and also running different routes for different times on Hyperdia!

In Tokyo we stayed at Shibuya when we first arrived from the Narita Airport on the 17th August and we went to Disneysea on the next day. We set off bright and early (left the apartment at 7.15am Japanese time which is 6.15am local time!!!) because we wanted to be there before the park opened for the day. I would encourage you to be at the entrance to the park before the day starts as well.

Even though it might not seem like it, the park is less crowded when it is this early, it's just that no one is in the park yet, so the crowd is concentrated at the entrance.

More details after the jump!

Tokyo Disneysea - My Childhood Dream Come True xD

I never thought I'd be so excited going to a theme park at 22 years of age.

It started when I was researching on what I should be doing at the park - I mean, we knew that we were going to spend a whole lot of time inside; we knew we should be at Disneysea and we knew that the theme park was going to be expensive. 

But we didn't know what to do, where to go, what NOT to do and what we wanted...

And after my hours of research, discussion and planning/briefing altogether, I bring you a thorough guide based on my *own* expectations of the following:

• The prep work - planning the day to hit the park, how to get tickets, which park to go, what to bring, what NOT to bring
• The directions - how to get there, what time to reach
• Inside the park - a ride strategy + fastpass guide, a teensy food guide, show timings

Details after the jump!

Universal Studios Japan

I have been wanting to visit Universal Studios Japan ever since hearing about the opening of the Harry Potter World!! Yup, who doesn't? During my recent trip to Japan (Jul '15), the main reason was to visit USJ before I officially step into the working world!

Anyway it was an impromptu trip where we booked the tickets only the night before and flew the next afternoon so we didn't really have time to plan for Osaka and Tokyo. Thankfully I have been to both 2 years ago so I still have recollections of it here and there! I would also suggest that you start your itinerary with Osaka and then head up to Tokyo, that is IF you are only going to these 2 places. However, if you have more days in this beautiful country, you can add in Kyoto in between before heading to Tokyo! Kyoto is really gorgeous and more stuffs to see than Osaka, just saying :)

Now back to USJ ... so how do you plan for it?

Book your tickets in advance!

The boy and I did a huge mistake by getting our tickets at the booth itself and it was such a horrible experience!! By that, I mean LONG queues for both ticketing and entry line. We were there early but only to be running a tad late in the end. We had to split up so once he bought the tickets, we get to go into the park immediately! Even though we went on a weekday, all the better express passes were sold out and I only managed to get my hand on a limited express pass which only have 5 rides and most were pretty...lame. To ensure you get a full experience, get your express pass way before hand!!!

Each Adult Ticket cost 7200 Yen (SGD $84) after tax for a 1 day studio pass. They have a 2 day studio pass to if you'd like to spend more time at the park (as below).

https://www.usj.co.jp/e/ticket/

And if you aren't aware, Universal Studios always tweak their express pass's prices according to the day's projection. Offering 3 different types of pass (Express 7, Express 5 and Express 3) , it can be as low as 3300 Yen (SGD $38) after tax or as high as 9800 Yen (SGD $113) with tax depending on the category you choose. The number behind indicates the number of popular attraction at the studio where you can cut all the queues! Always.. just go for the 7 hahaha!!

You can purchase your Advance Tickets from your respective agents which most could be found here: where to buy?. If you want to try your luck on that day itself, then I hope you aren't as unlucky as me! Haha.

What do I need to bring?

If it's just 2 of you, share a bag!!! It really helps to lessen the load a lot! Bring a small bottle of water so you can refill them in the studio once its empty. Depending on your season, wear a cap, bring an umbrella/raincoat or sunblock if you need to. It was July when I went so it was hooot but there was occasional rain so I brought everything basically hahaha :x

Next, if you have an iPad mini, it'd be perfect!! Load up with TV series or stream them by connecting to your pocket Wi-Fi while waiting for your ride! The queue can get up to an hour sometimes especially if you're in Harry Potter Land. That being said.. with all these electronic devices going on, you probably need a portable charger. However, if you're scared that all these are gonna be heavy, you can choose not to and choose to snack instead (at least you can throw them away after eating). Again, bring your own snacks because it can be way overpriced in the studio. Just a reminder: bring some wet tissues, in case you need to wipe off dirt from your fingers and walking to the toilet is just too much of a hassle.

Which ride should I go to first?

WHEN YOU STEP IN FOR THE FIRST TIME, IT FEELS SOOO AMAZINGLY OUT OF PLACE!!!

Harry Potter Castle!!

In my opinion, I think we need to visit HPL first!! I mean.. it's the highlight of the studio right?! To me, at least.. USJ always have this time slot ticket where you can get them at the entrance of the attraction so you can go there at that stipulated time (which makes waiting time less short and less crowded).

Next.. look at your map and plan which attraction is a must you have to complete before leaving!! For me, I would usually look at the reviews online at those rides I wanna take and also videos from Youtube!! From there, you can have a rough gauge of how the attractions will be like and if they are satisfying enough for you :)

Amazing Spiderman Ride :)

Merchandises you can buy at the store! It's damn cool because each attraction has their own store selling a lottt of cute souvenirs..

This bun was so cute I just had to get it at the hot dog store for photo sake!!!
Forget about the taste though, sometimes pretty things ain't nice.

My favourite would be The Amazing Spiderman Ride, Hollywood Dream, Space Fantasy and Harry Potter & The Forbidden Journey!!! I went on the HP ride like thrice?!?! You get to travel through the HP castle and enter the Hogwarts School, explore pass Dumbledore's office, Gryffindor's common room and even the Dark Arts classroom before going on the ride. They used 4K technology with 3D effects and you get to experience the ride in high speed and the adrenaline rush through certain parts is definitely not to be missed! I am never a fan of such rides but this was surely unforgettable.

A pity though.. I didn't have time to take the Hollywood Dream - Backdrop and only managed to go onto The Ride. You need to plan your time wisely to be able to try both roller coasters, enjoyed myself on The Ride nonetheless!

JAWS

A boat tour where you could get slightly wet at certain areas. Basically a man-made shark show attraction which I thought was pretty good. I was quite uncomfortable throughout as I'm not a big fan of sharks, in other words: scared. Haaa :(

This above was taken at the Universal Wonderland where every rides were designed for small children. The theme goes by Hello Kitty, Snoopy and Sesame Street!! Did not queue for any rides there because I wasn't interested in them except their merchandises!!! Omg everything was so カワイイ kawaii (cute) !!!

Remember: Know your route around the studio by starting with either anticlockwise or clockwise direction depending on your very first attraction! Check out their available rides and temporary closed attractions here.

Oh one more tip ... do not prioritize watching their shows!!! All their shows are in Japanese so if you don't speak them, forget it. We went to one of the attraction and ended up wasting our time as we understand nothing except a bit of basic Jap here and there. I wish they do everything in English though..

Where to eat?

The Three Broomsticks - Harry Potter Land
Some fish and chip meal which wasn't even a single bit worth it at all!!!!

There are plenty of kiosks and food restaurants in the park itself but as everyone knows, they don't come off cheap but you still buy them anyway. WHY? you'll most likely finish the food you self-packed (if you did), unless you packed enough OR you simply can't be bothered to pack any HA! I, on the other hand, ate whatever I feel like and buy whatever I feel photo worthy (like the spiderman bun above).

However, if you're not interested in the food in the park, NO WORRIES!!! There are a lot of food places outside the park!!! One of it will be the Takoyaki Museum where you get to try out different brands/type of takoyaki!!! I remembered trying about 3 stalls which all tasted sooo good but it gets sick after awhile.

BRB // Enrolling into Hogwarts

YUP these summarizes up my day to the park. I left USJ a happy girl but I probably wouldn't be back again in the near future. It's time to conquer different theme parks instead :) Enjoy Japan!!! さようなら ♡♡♡

hello 2016

welcome to our humble little space where we, kayla and wen jing, will be writing about our adventures in singapore (where we live) and abroad! we've got some posts lined up and we're excited to share our experiences, you're welcome to comment (if you have any) and contact us if you'd like and we'd answer all your questions if we can!

♡ kayla & wj ♡