Massage Heaven

Day 1 - 5 August 2010 (Thursday 6pm flight)

Flight was delayed half an hour and we reached Bangkok at about 8pm...

Bangkok this year happened on national day weekend, i'm just lucky to get the Tiger Airway's S$150 air tix 3mths before...

Because of the bangkok crisis, hotels were slashing prices all over. 5 stars hotels like pathumwan, grand centara, banyan tree were all going for around S$150 per night...boutique hotels didnt drop much (they were not expensive to begin with) but still offer good benefits like free upgrade and late checkout...I chose FuramaXclusive Asoke which is priced at $92 per night..it is at Sukumvit soi 21 and the moment we arrived, we wished we had stuck with Uno Sacha....the hotel is not fantastic...big room yes, big bed yes but not comfortable and the only thing is the shower room! It's too small!!!! Plus it's about 10mins walk to the BTS station, compared with Uno's 3mins. But the mistake happened for a reason..a good one of course...U'll know why very soon..

We went for dinner after checking in and unconsiously we walked to Han's favourite tailor, only to realized that the hotel is just about 15mins walk to the tailor! Which means if we stay at Uno in future, we can walk there easily....

Needless to say, the dinner was settled at Grand Business Inn Cafe, one of our favourite cafes along Sukumvit...

Thereafter, we took a stroll back to the hotel and just round the corner of the hotel was the CHEAPEST massage we've even been in Thailand!!

May's massage! Thai / Foot massage, 100B per hour!! other places are going at double!! oil massage at 250b per hour while other places charging at 400-500 per hour already sent us to frenziness!! And that very night, we experienced one of the most intensive Thail massage ever!! Boy our bones were cracked at every joint by the masseur!! We felt so good thereafter!

May massage, this is truly a hidden gem...CHEAPEST massage in Bangkok I believe!!

Day 2 to Day 4 - 6 - 8 August 2010 (Friday)


Head to the 4 face buddha in the morning and then to Thaniya Plaza. Quite disappointed thought, the golf department in Siam Paragon is more exciting to shop...






The Central World undergoing renovation...everything is gone, Naraya, Adidas, all the boutiques once faced the main road are all gone...




Discovered Ootoya...a Japanese Restaurant which doenst serve sashimi and sushi...everything here is charcoal grilled....

Soba with charcoal grilled pork mini rice...

Charcoal grilled fish...

At our favourite No Other Hound Cafe at Siam Paragon...located beside Armani's boutique...Calamari and fusion pad thai...

Light tom yam soup and the famous greyhound friend chicken wings...

Now, the BEST FIND and THE reason why we were brought to FuramaXclusive...things happen for a reason, if you know what i meant...was because of HEALTH LAND!

look at the land space!! Yes! this is a massage spa centre...damn classic service at good price! we were hooked and can't stop ourselves from going back! In the end, we only enjoyed May's massage once and spent the rest of the time here!!

After making payment at the counter, you'll be served to the lounge to wait for the masseur to 'fetch' you to your room...

Looking through the shelves, the lower level where you get your shoes changed before you take the lift to your respective...YES, LIFT...there are 8 levels of rooms in this Orchard Road thai-embassy lookalike building...

The posh front counter...

The lounge area...

Yes, these are images of our massage room! We chose oil massage (1.5 hours 850b) and were led to level 3, all rooms here are ensuite...look at the shower room! The best surprise lies with the massage, they combined Thail massage with oil massage! Fantastic!!

The day before we did Thai massage here (450b for 2 hours) and were led to level 7, all the rooms there are tatami style and every room is huge!!!

This will be my must come in my future bangkok trips....Health Land Sukumvit, located opposite The fusion suite boutique hotel...

I'll be back soon...korkunkap....

Last Night In Japan

Why do I love Japan so much? Don't ask me, I wish I know why.

I can't bear to leave this country (i still have thousands of places not gone, things not done or buy etc etc etc) but I also miss family and I still have a job. So, to my carefully selected friends whom I've given access to this diary, see you till my next trip!

Mata ne!

Hachi

You have to try all sorts of means and ways to catch this movie.

It is not going to Singapore I think so you may have to buy from Amazon or search you tube.

It speaks of a true story of an akita breed dog named hachiko who waited in front of a train station for it's owner to return for 10years, until it passed away.

Today, the statue of Hachi stands proudly in front of Shibuya Station.

Jen & Me cried buckets during the movie. The guy sitting beside me (he came alone!) was also crying! People in front of us, behind us, are all tearing (can hear la). HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

me and jen after the movie, she cried away whole pkt of tissue, while i cried away 2 (dare not take tissue from bag ha ha)

Oh ya, it stars Richard Gere :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3t9XIIGiM8&feature=related

I Also Want To Wear Bikini

I finally know the definition of a 'crowded beach.'

I've never seen in my entire life such a lively beach, with lotsa booths (food, bath, rest, shade whatever you can think of they have it), lotsa babes (in Bikini!), lotsa lotsa lotsa sails!! Ive never seen so many people sailing at the same sea! Wow I must use the word GRAND ! Super grand sight!

Oh ya, forgot to tell you where I went today. Endoshima. It's famous for beach and the 'dori (shopping street) is typical old Japanese street. I suggest you take the Endoden to Endoshima instead of Odakyu Romance Car direct from Shinjuku because the Endoden is old Japanese rail train. It travels in those railways built long long time ago so it's running through narrow streets of houses and part of it was on the road! All the cars/bicycles/pedestrains have to give way to the train! And the view from the train! My god! It runs parallel with the sea!!!!! Imagine I already saw tons of sails before I reached the beach! I wow all the way till the train stops! haha...

I'm so inspired to wear bikini now! hahahahhahaa......I'll TRY my best to revive my diet plan (AGAIN!) haha...GANBARIMASU!!!!

Midori Sushi

Tokyo's most famous Sushi. Heard so much about it but for some reason I have never plan to go during my previous trips.

And so I decided it's time. I thought I am ready to brave the queue and so I went a long way to Umegaoka with T-san BUT the queue, sigh........at least 2 hours I think. I decided to give up and waste the train $ but NOT my time and head back to Shinjuku for sushi.

Next trip I'll NOT go during dinner time!

http://www.sushinomidori.co.jp/honkan.html

Summer Sale

It's dangerous to come to Tokyo during Summer. Why has nobody told me before about the summer sale in tokyo? It's dangerous, horribly crowded (obon period la), cheap (by japan standard) and of course the ta-ma-de-worst-and-more-humid-than-Singapore weather?

The must dos and donts during Tokyo Summer holiday:

• you NO LONGER have to queue to go into H&M but don't expect to shop without stepping onto someone's leg in there
• don't even think of Forever 21, Japanese loves F21 and you wont want to queue under hot sun
• Hanjiro - MUST go, there's a section for used clothes (looks so new) and a section for new arrivals but the best section is the one with green tags which means you can just pick any 2 for 3990yen (about $60) ! Since when you can get clothes in Japan for $30 a piece? The selection ranges from shirts to tees to jeans to maxi dress!! Sugoi!
• Japanese Ice Kacang, xi bei nice! It's just ice with syrup and milk but because they are not stingy with syrup, so it just taste so good
• All the shops are on sale. Especially the local shops. We know how expensive the japanese fashion is. Imagine them at 50% off. I bought a dress today at SGD45. And another Womb look alike top for $30.
• Wear light clothes
• Bring empty luggage!
  

I think the reason I discover the wonder of Tokyo shopping only after 5 trips is because I never come during Summer. And so I never really bother to shop for clothes (since we can't wear those Autumn, Winter, Spring bajus) but NOW I KNOW.

I'll be back next summer :)

Chisa

I have known Chisa for close to 10years. I can't remember I found her from which website and it's amazing our friendship has stayed strong throughout . Every trip I make to Japan, I never fail to meet her. She is a typical Japanese, very warm, genuine and nice.

I just came back from Nikko with her. We went to the World Heritage Site, The Toshugu Shrine. I love Nikko, walking along the street of old Japanese town with no modern buildings make me feel good. The air is refreshing, you can hear water gushing in the drain, from the top of the mountain, no busy traffic junctions with big crowd, it's just so nice.

Before we hit Nikko she brought me to a dam and mine field near her home town, Isesaki in Gunma Prefecture. The mine field is very impressive. It was closed down in 1973. The Japanese are really something. They can make omiyake out of everything, imagine after a mine field trip you entered a omiyake shop that sells anything releated to copper. Including a dish sponge (covered with copper mesh). Buay tahanz.

The highlight of today is Sanki Store. The man's clothes there are soooooo cheap!! I bought a set of shirt & sleeveless t (layering layering layering) for the young man in my house and guess how much I paid? 500yen!!! hahahahaa....in the end I bought like 6 men's shirts and it cost me less than $60 sin!!!! Heaven! Laugh until teeth drop! hahaha...

Last trip to Japan Chisa brought me to Karuizawa with all the outlets store, I wonder what kinda cheap place she'll bring me on my next visit :)