reflecting on 2018 & welcoming 2019

In just a few hours, it will be the New Year, oh how scarily fast time flies when you're adulting! As much as I would love to clear my other blog drafts before the new year begin, things have been so hectic the past weeks and I even fell sick. I finally had some time for myself early this week but with work still constantly at the back of my head *sigh* Nevertheless, 2018 has been a quite an amazing journey for myself so I am crossing my hands 2019 will be kind to me as well!

Anyways, this post is just me looking back into 2018 and counting my blessings. There were bad things such as how I contracted dengue but that showed how I am surrounded by people who cared about me. Of course,even my parents overfed me while I was recuperating at home. In many ways, I feel loved and blessed.

The other random highlights of my 2018 life, not in specific order are:- 

#1 Okay, not something I did in 2018 but rather something I managed to do _ I completed my Bali & Singapore's Travelogues woohoo!!

#2 I bought a DSLR and took lotsa photos! Our relationship is still going strong hahahaha

#3 tried Merchants' Lane cafe for the first time with my homies

#4 Explored several parks in KL & Selangor such as Taman Botani in Shah Alam, Lake Gardens, Desa Park, Kota Damansara Community Forest Park and early this week, Serendah Waterfall. I super love being in contact with nature. In case y'all never heard, shinrin yoku aka forest bathing is a natural therapy involving spending time in nature to promote self-healing. It works for me especially when I feel so stress up thinking about work but the moment I spend time just looking at trees and flowers or dipping my legs into streams and waterfall, I feel so calm.

#5 Speaking of shinrin yoku, Japonisme is back and they are such fascinating concepts such as Ikigai, Kintsugi and more (there are books of these titles which I totally wanna read!). Japan is freaking awesome! Of course, Japonisme revolves around a whole lot more such as art, sculptures and architectures but I'm more fascinated with the cultures and ideas which can be put into practice in our everyday life.

#6 Went on a random 2D1N trip to Cameron Highlands. Sharing my Cameron Highlands' itinerary & budget in case y'all planning for vacays! Because I had a lot on my plates this year, I decided to hold all international travel which is quite a bummer! This may continue until 2019 IDK but I really am missing Japan a lot *sniff*

#7 I did explore quite a few local spots, one of them Tadom Hill Resort with my colleagues. It's a small recreational spot but we had great fun playing human size jenga and some of us jumped into the man-made lake

#8 Probably the coolest thing ever _ I attended an Indian wedding for the first time! Check out how it went. I find the ceremony truly fascinating and eye-opening.

#9 my old friends, Daniel and Naoko came down from England for a visit & I met their baby, Nagisa-chan for the first time! Aside from the lovely family, two other friends from Australia and another from the Netherlands were around for a visit and we hung out. I feel grateful that they remember and took some time to hang out with me albeit their short visit. I also find it funny how whenever I think of them, they'll somehow always end up contacting me soon after!

Of course, there are great friends living locally whom I wish we could meet up more often but everyone is busy with their lives. Still, I can always count on them for being there! *virtual hugs* It's just like the quote about how "Good friends are like stars. You don't always see them but you know they're there". I tried looking for other quotes but I think this is the closest way to describe them.

#10 Attended another of my gal pal and ex-colleague's wedding, such a pretty bride!

#11 Ate a lot of durians when durian runtuh, literally.


#12 I discovered Hermo, the ultimate online beauty shopping haven

#13 went to the 2018 Bon Odori in Shah Alam for 2 consecutive years

#14 Decluttered my room. Still working on being a minimalist!


#15 Discovered thrifting, namely in Kedai Bless and ReFash


#16 I discover a love for nude shade lippies and eyeshadow. Wanted to write about them but I didn't have the time! Soon!!


#17 One of the many things in my head these days are the topic about sustainability and nature. By now you've probably heard me mentioned about this several times now. I noticed in the past few months, there were more brands and companies supporting the concept of recycling which is great news! From the ban of plastic straws, to a garment brand accepting bras recycling, to Uniqlo's recycling program and even 1 Utama Mall's electronics recycling. The list goes on. Totally supporting this movement and I hope this practice be a long term goals for many.


Those are pretty much what I can recount for now. Until the next post, wishing y'all all the best for 2019! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Is Air Asia's ASEAN PASS worth it's value?

Its almost a year and I'm finally posting this up OMG I'm so efficient. At the end of 2017, I made plans with my friends to travel to BOTH Bali and Singapore. That was the first time I have been to multiple destinations and 2 countries in a single vacation! So far, Air Asia has been my only choice of flying so obviously I opted for Air Asia for my trip.

The idea to visit all these places came from my discovery of Air Asia's ASEAN Pass, a unique flying pass which allows you to travel to multiple destinations in several countries for a much more affordable price, as Air Asia claims. With a quick search on Google, I found that this pass was launched way back in 2015! Therefore, I am dedicating this post to share with y'all on how you can use this to your advantage, whether this is something you should opt to get,  the pros and cons and so on. Just a disclaimer, this is NOT a sponsored post but simply a review to share with y'all my experience in using the ASEAN Pass.

How does the ASEAN Pass work?

You first have to decide whether to purchase either 10 or 20 credits ASEAN Pass. From here, you can start booking your flight ticket using these 'credits' instead of cash.



Here is a table illustrating the list of destinations you can head to FROM KUALA LUMPUR with 1 and 3 credits respectively.

Here are some of the suggested itineraries from Air Asia's website to illustrate how the pass works.




What you want to note is that the credits will differ depending on where you are departing from and where are you heading. 

Aside from that, while some destinations are available say if you fly from Kuala Lumpur, will not be available in another country. For example, you can fly to Bandung, Indonesia from Kuala Lumpur or Singapore BUT that is not possible from Bangkok, Thailand. Thorough planning is required if you want to fully optimize the credits!

Where did I travel?

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
↓ 
Bali, Indonesia
↓ 
Singapore
↓
Kuala Lumpur


Initially, I was very ambitious and wanted to include several more destinations, simply to utilize the credits I have. In the end, I only decided on Bali and Singapore which was quite an experience nevertheless! 

With the pass, I also bought an additional flight ticket from Lombok back to Kuala Lumpur. This was my contingency plan in case Mount Agung erupts and I definitely don't want to be left stranded. Thankfully, I didn't have to go forward with this but prior to my flight, I was so concerned. A bit kiasi of melah but I'd rather be prepared. The volcano's activity reduced in October 2017, and even when it erupted a month later and again in January 2018, it did little damage to Bali's tourism and the major tourists' sites.

Just for comparison sake, I checked on Air Asia's normal flight routes for flights in November to December 2018 for the routes I took last year and my findings are as below:-

ROUTES	*Air Asia’s  Flight Tickets	Air Asia’s  ASEAN Pass
Kuala Lumpur à Bali	RM204.00	3 Credits
Bali à Singapore	RM174.48	3 Credits
Singapore à Kuala Lumpur	RM256.33	1 Credit
Lombok à Kuala Lumpur	RM205.92	3 Credits
TOTAL	**RM840.73	**10 Credits

* This is the cheapest flight tickets on random dates between Nov-Dec'2018 as of 29th Oct'2018

**In-flight meals, luggage check in and other surcharges are NOT included in the amount mentioned above

At first glance, the prices gap in the table above seem rather huge, but is it really the case?

How much does AirAsia ASEAN Pass 
really cost


The pass that I chose the Rm499 for 10 Credits which I must use within 1-month period from my first flight bookings. I made a one-way journey from Kuala Lumpur to Bali for about 10 days before heading straight to Singapore for two days and back to Kuala Lumpur.

I looked back into all the receipts in my purchase history and summarize everything in the table below.

ROUTES	Air Asia's ASEAN Pass	Fare fees & taxes	Airport 15KG Baggage	Total Additional Fares	TOTAL FLIGHT FEES
Kuala Lumpur à Bali	RM149.70	RM40.10	RM115.00	RM155.10	RM304.80
Bali à Singapore	RM197.50	RM65.96	RM131.92	RM197.89	RM395.39
Singapore à Kuala Lumpur	RM68.37	RM112.24	RM193.04	RM305.28	RM373.65
Lombok à Kuala Lumpur	RM192.94	RM65.96	-	RM65.96	RM258.90
TOTAL	RM608.51	RM284.26	RM439.96	RM724.23	RM1,332.74

Conversion rate as of at Oct'2017: 1M Indonesia Rupiah = RM329.81 and 1SGD = RM3.2713

HOW TO READ THE TABLE ABOVE: "ASEAN Pass Ticket" is the price illustrated in the receipt, I DO NOT pay for this amount. For what purpose they are listed in the receipts, I have no idea. However, looking into it, it appears that the ASEAN Pass is more affordable at just a fixed price of RM499. What I paid for is the amount in "Total Additional Fares" = "Fare fees & taxes" + "Airport 15KG Baggage".  Adding these with my initial payment of RM499, I have spent a total of RM1,223.23 to two different countries (with return flight). Assuming I have paid for the normal fare prices of RM840.73 AND for the same additional fares of RM724.23, I would have paid RM1,564.96 instead.

Tip #1: If you are travelling more than 5 days, pre-book your Air Asia's additional 15kg baggage weight together with your flight. Best if you can share the luggage fee with your family or friends.

Tip #2: Remember to check out Air Asia's ASEAN Pass' Terms & Conditions prior to deciding on purchasing this pass.

~♡~

The Good

#1 This is an affordable option when you are travelling to more than one destinations. Like just YOLO, you know.

#2 This is a cheaper option especially if you're booking tickets last minute. I know because I compared the prices then.

#3 In addition to my observation in #2, I noticed there are extra seats seemingly allocated for ASEAN Pass when normal tickets run out (This is my assumption from observation, I'm not 100% sure). Though to be on the safer end, I would usually checked in my flights online as soon as I can. I have never experienced being told that I cannot get on any Air Asia's flights because the plane's fully booked but have read about such horror stories and am aware that some airlines over book themselves in case some of their passengers didn't turn up. But then, I have not flown very frequently.

#4 Pass is valid to use within 1-year period after purchase, so plenty of time to plan!

#5 Affordable if you do not add on the other services offered by Air Asia or you will be travelling light.

#6 When travelling to and from neighboring countries over a short period and flight costs more than purchasing your tickets separately, this is an option to consider

~♡~

The Bad

#1 I needed luggage space but did not pre-booked them, so I ended up paying about the same to the usual flight fares as the regular flight fares.

#2 Limited destinations. Why no Japan?!

#3 You cannot use the pass for the same routes twice so proper planning is a must! For example, flying from KL to Singapore twice is not possible.

#4 For reason in #3 and because the credits require to travel to the same destination vary depending on your where you choose to depart from, planning can be a headache!

#5 Validity one or two months which means unless you have a lot of leaves to clear or longer holidays, this is not the best choice especially when if your company doesn't allow month-long leaves typically in Asian company culture.

#6 Travelling a lot can get tiring and boring so this travel style is not for everyone! From my recent experience, I realize I do get bored and tired when going on long vacay. Or if my holidays involved spending a lot of time heading to multiple destinations or countries. Perhaps it would have been different if I am travelling around Japan hahaha.

 #7 If I remembered correctly, there was no option for seats booking, as in you can't decide on aisle or window seat. While I was flying towards Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali, I ended up with the aisle seat and that was no fun!

~♡~

To conclude everything, was the ASEAN Pass really worth it? With proper itinerary plannings and pre-booking luggage, this pass may be worth it for travelers seeking an adventure. Myself, I wouldn't opt for Air Asia's ASEAN Pass in the nearest future mainly for the reason I discovered I prefer to travel at a pace I'm comfortable at and I am the kind of traveler who is contented with spending time at a place/state/country to soak in the local cultures and lifestyles. Perhaps I may have a change of heart if I'm feeling adventurous! As of now, I am not too keen on airport-hopping. If you cannot or have not decide what type of traveler you are, might as well give this Air Asia's ASEAN Pass a try for the experience!

1-Week Bali & the Nusa Islands Itinerary

I come to like writing about these genre, so here is another itinerary from my 2017 Bali & the Nusa Islands vacation! Hopefully with this guide, you get an idea of how to plan for your next travel to Bali. You're welcome.

By the way, I say 'the Nusa Islands' a lot because it's too long to say Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan repetitively in the blog!

As you can see, Nusa Penida's the largest island among the three.

~♡~

Where to Stay..
.. in Bali

There are no shortage of hotels, villas and hostels in Bali, it seems everyone is doing this business! They do get booked out quickly, so I would definitely recommend you booking online to secure a room and to get the best prices. I have opted mostly hotels with private rooms and even though the rooms are simple, I am quite contented with most of them. I spend most of my time out of the room anyways. 

I do have one problem _ the water! Because of the geography, most of Bali and the Nusa Islands, their main source of water is from the sea so tap water and showers have really strong sea water odor which is really uncomfortable to brush teeth with and it isn't so good on my hair! The good news is, not all hotels I have stayed in have such problem, I don't know what's the difference...


In Sarma Homestay, Kuta.




In Flamingo hotel and the Legian Sunset Residance in Bali.

     

...in the Nusa Islands

These are the places I stayed in Nusa Penida. I'd definitely recommend Abian House for many reasons, read my Day 3 travelogue for more of that.

Super cute cottage in Bintang Bungalow, Nusa Penida.

This is probably the first and last time I stayed in so many different stays in a single vacation. It was ridiculous and troublesome to say the least! However, it wasn't an option either because of how my itinerary was arranged and the whole island hopping going on..  Well, at least next time I know!

Tip #1: Plan your itinerary to reduce the number of AirBnB bookings and the time needed to check into each hotel.


~♡~

Getting around 
...in Bali

In Bali, you can find taxi drivers and unlicensed ojeks (moped riders offering pillion rides). For the latter, there are even apps such as Uber Ojek and Gojek offering similar services. Because Bali's so commercialized, it is not hard to rent a car or moped (~70kRupiah) for your own use.

I do not have the nicest things to say about taxi drivers and unlicensed ojeks because of some unpleasant experiences with these unruly people who are more than happy to charge foreigners exorbitant fees! In fact, almost all simply threw in 100kRupiah when quoted for a less than 5-minute rides! For the later half of my vacay, I relied mostly on Uber whose rates are much more reasonable ranging from 10kRupiah - 20kRupiah for short trips. Hail Uber!

...in the Nusa Islands

I'm going to include a How-to-get-to-the-Nusa Islands guide here LOL. I took a speedboat ride from Sanur to Nusa Penida. If you are planning to return from the same island, you can purchase the return ticket from the same speedboat operating company for about 450kRupiah. I didn't do that instead, island hopped from Nusa Penida to Nusa Lembongan then heading back which cost me 500KRupiah for the return ticket to Sanur and 70kRupiah to get between the two Nusa Islands.


Table to give you a better picture:-

Routes	One-Way	Return
Sanur ↔ Nusa Penida	250kRupiah	450kRupiah
Nusa Penida ↔ Nusa Lembongan	70kRupiah	N/A
Nusa Lembongan ↔ Sanur	250kRupiah	N/A
TOTAL EXPENSE	570kRupiah	450kRupiah

As for getting around the Nusa Islands, you can rent moped, at price similar to in Bali, 70kRupiah per day.. I tried asking around and found cars are scarce so renting them is out of question, at least for now. I wouldn't recommend doing the former for reason the road condition in Nusa Penida is horrendous and dangerous for those not use to them! I supposed the Nusa Islands are relatively new to tourism compare to their neighboring archipelago island, Bali and so roads were not made to cater for large traffics. They are working to improve that, according to my host Made which was why they are charging entrance fees to the attractions around the island. 

My suggestion is to go in groups and hire a tour van. If you are going solo, ask your local staff in the hotel. A lot of them are out of their shift by 3PM and offers ojek services for 70kRupiah. Not bad at all but at the end of the ride your bum and thighs will most probably hurt!

Me riding pillion around Nusa Ceningan

~♡~

Bali & the Nusa Islands 1-Week Itinerary

If you would like to read about my experiences in Bali & the Nusa Islands, you can read about them by clicking the links below. I also include some recommendations of additional activities you can do and places you can go. These were some of the places I wanted to check out but couldn't!

Click on the * link to my daily Bali & the Nusa Islands travelogue

Day	Summary of Places to Go	Stay
Day 0	Departure from KLIA2 Arrival at Ngurah Rai International Airport at night	Flamingo Hostel, Kuta
*Day 1	Head to Legian & check into room Explore Legian & Seminyak by foot Lunch at Ocha Warung Explore Arjuna Street Dinner at Apartment Red	The Legian Sunset Residence
*Day 2	Breakfast at Shelter, Bali Boat ride from Sanur to Nusa Penida to Dwi Menunggal Harbor Lunch & Dinner at Bintang Bungalow's cafeteria Kelingking Beach, Angel Billabong & Broken Beach in Nusa Penida	Bintang Bungalow, Nusa Penida
*Day 3	Morrning hike down & up Peguyangan Waterfall Lunch at Penida Roadside Warung Explore Goa Giri PuriCheck into Abian House & short break Night chatting with host Explore the nearby seaweed farm and town Dinner at Warung Dukung	Abian House, Nusa Penida
*Day 4	(Half-day in Nusa Penida) Take ojek to Atuh Beach and TreehouseLunch at Warung Makan Boga Segara Rest in room Take dukung boat ride to Nusa Lembongan Dinner at Sanghyang Bay	Suba Guesthouse, Mushroom Bay in Nusa Lembongan
*Day 5	Breakfast at The BAR Morning explore Dream Beach, Sandy Bay & Devil's Tears in Nusa Lembongan  Lunch at Blackwood Coffee Shop Gala Gala Underground House and Panorama Road & Beach, Nusa Lembongan Marvel at Blue Lagoon, Nusa Ceningan Dinner at Warung Mola Mola
*Day 6	Breakfast at TS Hut Board boat back from Mushroom Bay to Sanur, Bali Lunch & dinner at roadside warung Do nothing evening~!	Sarma Homestay, Kuta
*Day 7	Explore Ubud, Bali Brunch at Warung Lokal in Ubud Art Market Continue exploring Ubud
*Day 8	Breakfast at Babi Guling Karya Rebo Walk at Jimbaran Bay (Best to come at night!) Shop at Oleh Oleh Krishna Shopping in Matahari Department Store and along Jalan Pantai, Kuta Recommended to check out Uluwatu Temple & Tegal Wangi Beach if you have the extra time
Day 9	Departure from Ngurah Rai International Airport to Singapore	N/A
Recommended	Take a tour up Northern Bali to Tanah Lot, La Laguna, Lovina Beach / Yeh Leh Beach
Recommended	Hiking at Mt Batur or Mt Kintamani
Recommended	Sanur, Nusa Dua & Jimbaran Bay, Bali
Recommended	Head to Lombok from Nusa Lembongan
Recommended	Diving or Snorkelling around Nusa Penida

One of my regrets is that I didn't snorkel or dive in the most beautiful diving spots in the world! From underwater temple and shipwrecks to diving with sharks or stingray to beautiful corals! Corals, I must see them!!

I have read online that Bali waters are homes to the huge Mola Mola fish, also known as Moon fish or Sun fish. I was telling my friends how I wanted to swim beside the gigantic fish and have even looked up several videos. I don't know why I chicken out in the end. Partly because after seeing how big the waves are in Bali and that scares the hell out of me. I am no swimmer and freaked out even when wading in waters thigh-high. Mind you, I'm also fun size so there are possibility of me getting swept away by the waves and that thought scares me!

Diving and snorkeling. My bucket list. Will I ever conquer my fear of water? *Deep breath*

What & Where to eat

Like Malaysia, there is no shortage of good food in Indonesia. Moreover, Indonesian cuisines are generally quite similar to Malaysian's though I learnt from my friends that some are influenced by the Dutch (they shared lotsa food with me! woots!)  during the colonization era. Though, I don't remember seeing the latter around Bali... I would have love to try those! Some of the must-trys in Bali are the babi guling, bebek, ikan nyat nyat, ikan bakar and lots other seafood! 

From Warung Mola Mola, Nusa Lembongan

My 'mixed rice' from the roadside warung

I was introduced to this dish, Ikan Nyat Nyat by my host from Abian House. This is in Warung Makan Boga Segara.

Tip #2: Get along with your host or locals for insider's opinions on the best places and what to eat.

Babi Guling set meal from Babi Guling Karya Rebo, Bali.

Bali is also a haven for vegans, there are so many trendy cafes and you'll find all the hipsters-ish, meals or fruits bowls, stuff like that. I only went to one because my friend wanted Insta-worthy photo spots. I didn't mind going once in a while but not everyday LOL! It's too boring!

Hipster vegan meals in Shelter, Bali

Souvenirs to get

The best places to purchase souvenirs are along the street of Legian, Ubud and Jalan Pantai in Kuta. My favorite got to be the latter because there are rows of Art Markets and Matahari department store in one row of street. The department store has almost everything you probably want to find _ batiks, traditional toys and decorations, wooden cutleries and diningwares, coffee and so much more! Check out my souvenirs haul in this post.

Budgeting for Bali & Nusa Islands

I don't have the breakdown of each and every expenses because I'm too lazy to keep track! In fact the receipts are still left on my working desk unattended... However, I can tell you my biggest expense aside from flight and accommodation is transportation! My friends and I relied heavily on tour guides almost daily, especially in the Nusa Island. Not to mention, getting to the Nusa Islands by speedboat makes up a large part of my expenses.

Food-wise, I am a simple traveler and contented with eating at roadside warungs which mostly charge me under 50kRupiah per meals. Even with a bottle of Bintang beer, still under 100kRupiah. Of course, there are times I dined at the more expensive warungs. The most expensive one at 250kRupiah! It's really for the sake of one-time experience. The other one-time I splurged on, is for a woven based batik tote I really liked.

Money Changers and ATMs availability 

in Bali & the Nusa Islands

I have literally an entire rows of money changers along Jalan Pantai Kuta, and supposed this is the best place for you to change enough currency! In fact, I would advice you to do so before heading to the Nusa Islands where you will most likely get lower rates compare to what you can find in Kuta! 

In Nusa Penida, you can check with locals but you won't find many and if you do, they are unlicensed operators. In the neighboring Nusa Lembongan, Blackwood Coffee Shop offers such service and is the only one I know off. Again, you won't get better rates than in Kuta. 

As for ATMs, there are MEPS ATMs again in Jalan Pantai Kuta, Bali and nearby Mushroom Bay in Nusa Lembongan (not too far from Blackwood Coffee Shop) if you're in need for one.  In Nusa Penida, ironically despite being the larger Nusa Island, have only one local, non-MEPS ATM near the market.

Tip #3: Prepare enough local currencies to avoid paying for more especially before heading to the Nusa Islands where currency exchange rate is lower and there are fewer to none money changers.

~♡~

In Conclusion

Albeit some uncomfortable incidents I think Bali & the Nusa Islands are one great place for a relaxing getaway. The Nusa Islands being my favorite because I felt the safest and experienced the greatest hospitality from the locals! If you have time to spare, I would DEFINITELY recommend you taking your time island-hopping around the Nusa Islands, perhaps even Lombok. Or visit these places on another trip, because even in Bali there are so many places to explore!