Mak Ajak Pergi Jalan, Saya Bentangkan Bajet Kurang RM8000 Sekepala

Selepas wedding my brother, kita sekeluarga belum sempat nak pergi proper vacation together kita-kita je (faham tak?). So my mom suruh I plan something for the family untuk bulan August 2019. After some discussion, we identified two possible destinations iaitu Turki dan New Zealand.

Jujur, I lagi favour New Zealand. Bukanlah tak suka Turkey ke apa, cuma priorities you know. I want to see the places in my list first. Plus my parents dah pergi Istanbul pun. So while my mom checked with travel agent on package apa bagai, I made a rough budget estimate untuk New Zealand, lengkap dengan itinerary. Bila my mom shared quotations from travel agent (yang tunjuk package ke Istanbul lagi murah dari NZ), I pun bentangkan my plan and budget. Terbukti *chewah* cost yang I anggarkan adalah hampir separuh lebih murah dari quotation New Zealand dan of course lebih murah dari Istanbul travel package. Sebagai usaha mengukuhkan kes, I juga telah menghasut adik-adik dengan janji untuk bawa mereka main snow!

Maka berbekalkan budget munasabah mampu bayar, muka seposen adik-adik yang teringin nak buat snowman dan bruise each other with snowballs, serta janji manis yang I akan uruskan semua booking sebagainya, my parents luluskan usul ResBari Family Trip to North NZ 2019. Yay!

Rindu Whitelambchop tak?

Kenapa North Island je?

Sebab mereka-mereka yang terlibat miskin cuti. I pula nak pergi Hobbiton dan walaupun orang cakap South Island lagi cantik dan pemandangannya lebih beragam, I peduli apa. Nasiblah dapat anak/kakak dictator.

Berapa lama?

7th - 14th Aug 2019 tapi termasuk travel days lah. Fly from KUL 7th Aug malam, sampai semula KUL on 14th Aug lepas Subuh. So dekat NZ cuma 6D5N. Beza waktu Malaysia dan NZ masa kami pergi, 4 jam je.

Budget Estimate VS Actual Expenditure

Kalau tak familiar lagi dengan cara I buat budget, I ni suka estimate extra-extra. Makanya, estimated budget I usually jauh lebih tinggi dari actual spending. Rasa selamat sikit bila duit belanja ada lebih and boleh guna untuk benda lain. Kali ni, I buat budget untuk 8 adults all inclusive except for shopping and souvenirs. Banyak lemak la kalau souvenir pun nak suruh mak belanja kan?

Attractions termasuk Hobbiton dan Whakarewarewa - Living Maori Village. Yang lain I cuma listkan entrance fee dan suruh adik-adik pilih mana yang diorang rasa nak pergi and bawa duit sendiri. Mih mih mih!

Remember, ini budget untuk 8 adults. Kalau nak kira untuk per person bahagi la lapan, I ada buat tapi malas nak type dan explain. I kira untuk adik-adik supaya diorang boleh budget kalau nak bayar untuk diri sendiri atau belanja orang lain (bagi mak happy sikit).

Budget New Zealand North Island 6D5N for 8 pax

• Return Flight KUL - AKL (Auckland) - KUL = RM30,252 (actual RM29,560)

• Car rental (2 medium cars for 5 days) = RM1500 (actual RM1739)
• Fuel (~1500km for 2 cars) = RM1500 (actual ~RM2000*)
• Transport Miscellaneous (toll, parking, public transport) = RM500 (actual ~$329)

*kita bayar pakai cash la actually, tapi nak pakai credit card pun boleh lagi senang hidup. Kalau cash, isi dulu baru bayar kat counter. Harga minyak berbeza mengikut station. For reference only, half tank untuk kereta yang kami sewa dalam 32.7 litres = NZ$74.20

• Accommodation (1 night Auckland, 1 night Rotorua, 2 nights Wellington, 1 night Waitomo) = RM6900 (actual RM6220)

• Meals (5x breakfast, 6x lunch, 6x dinner) I budget RM500 per person sepanjang perjalanan. 

Total actual bayar pakai NZ dollar I tak kira but I will share in separate posts pasal restaurant atau tempat makan yang kita pergi. Selain daripada tu, kita ada pergi beli snacks, instant noodles and roti apa semua kat supermarket macam New World dan PaknSave.

• Attractions (ikut places yang *I* nak pergi including Hobbiton dengan Whakarewarewa Village) = NZ$352* per person

*I beli awal via online the Hobbiton and Whakarewarewa tickets. Bayar in NZ dollar, total $996 for 8 pax (RM2794 including credit card conversion rate and charges). Kalau confuse boleh email or DM me on Twitter @SheaSonia

TOTAL ESTIMATE BUDGET for 8 pax = RM58,000+ (RM7250 per person)

Actual expenditure semua kurang dari bajet kecuali sewa kereta dan minyak SEBAB my mom pilih kereta yang mahal sikit dan lapar minyak. Sebuah Honda CR-V SUV dan sebuah lagi Jeep Cherokee. In my proposal, kereta biasa-biasa je tapi mengenangkan nak naik gunung ke Turoa, my mom requested kereta yang elok sikit lah.

Hujung-hujungnya naik Mt Ruapehu pakai shuttle bus je pun sebab semua tak confident nak drive on snowy road. Bayar shuttle ni adalah punca travel miscellaneous budget burst. Tol tak ada, Uber less than $19, parking dua buah kereta $80 untuk 2 malam di Wellington dan lebih kurang $70 untuk beberapa jam masa shopping di Auckland. Tapi shuttle bus payment only accept credit card so tak usik cash pun.

Other Actual Expenses Before Trip

i) Travel Insurance = RM352 for 8 adults

ii) Roaming Man Pocket WiFi = RM285 for 2 units

Useful ke pocket WiFi tu? 

Boleh lah kalau pergi ramai and setakat nak guna lite-lite je. Kalau nak pakai untuk Waze/map, sila download offline map sebab some spots luar big city tak ada coverage langsung. Masa kat Te Kuiti sebelum sampai Waitomo, kita tak dapat contact the other car langsung sebab entah apa masalah connection both pocket WiFi and local sim card.

I prefer local sim card, Spark. Beli kat airport $25 je, then masa travel I top up data $20 takut habis. Sebenarnya cukup je. I am a moderate user la kut, I checked & updated social media from time to time, pakai Whatsapp, posted pics and videos, guna Google Map & Waze, check destination info, research sikit-sikit, book activities, reply emails. Selalu lupa nak pakai WiFi tapi data yang I top up tu macam tak luak sangat. Huhu.

Apa lagi eh?

Basically flight, accommodation, Hobbiton dan Whakarewarewa Village dah dibayar siap-siap di Malaysia in RM/NZ$. Kemudian, bawa credit card untuk bayar sewa kereta + deposit dan kecemasan macam shuttle bus yang tak dirancang tu. Cash pun ada bawa sikit untuk bayar makan, minyak, entrance fees yang tak mahal, dan shopping sikit-sikit. I brought NZ$1000+ cash (~RM3000) but balance ada over NZ$400 so okay la kan?

Route

Ni view masa berhenti tepi jalan. Truck stop lebih kurang | Along the way from Auckland to Rotorua

Proposed Itinerary

Day 1
Arrived in Auckland. Collect cars.
Check-in.
Mt Eden

Day 2
Check-out Auckland.
Roadtrip!
- Hobbiton, Matamata
- Whakarewarewa Living Maori Village, Rotorua
Check-in Rotorua

Day 3
Check-out. Head to Wellington, stops along the way:
- Huka Falls
- Lake Taupo
- Opotaka
Check-in Wellington.

Day 4
Wellington city tour
The Weta Cave, Miramar
Mt Victoria
Te Papa Tongarewa Museum
Cable Car Museum
Botanic Garden

Day 5
Check-out. Head to Mt Ruapehu
Turoa
Check-in Waitomo
Waitomo Glowworm Night Walk

Day 6
Check-out. Return to Auckland
Auckland Museum, Domain & Wintergarden
Souvenir shopping
Return cars
Flight home to KUL

Worth it ya keluar awal pagi untuk view macam ni | Wellington, New Zealand.

If you have time, obviously you can save more. Biasalah, kalau nak jimat duit, kena korbankan masa. Ada je cheaper flights tapi kena transit. Accommodation pun ada cheaper options tapi kena share bathroom. Pengsan la lapan orang nak kongsi satu bilik air. Pukul berapa nak siap? Ambil bas atau camper van pun lagi murah. Tapi sekali lagi, perlukan masa. Bas ikut jadual dan route dia. Camper van pula you kena empty the toilet, set up and pack up each time. 

Let me know if you need more info. Details on the accommodations and attractions coming up. Doakan I rajin nak update. 

Note: Malaysians perlu apply NZeTA before visiting New Zealand sekarang. Necessary additional cost di situ.

Safe travel!

Easy Salted Egg Corn Flakes

Salted Egg Yolk Corn Flakes

Hello!

If you love (unhealthy) snacks like I do, you'd want to try this simple recipe. All you have to do is measure and prep all the ingredients and work quickly.

Ingredients

• 100g salted butter
• 2 - 12 bird's eye chillies (cili padi)
• 3 stalks curry leaves
• 3 - 5 tbsp salted egg yolk powder (I use Knorr Golden Salted Egg Powder)
• 1 tsp Maggi Cukup Rasa*
• 2 tsp sugar*
• 300g corn flakes (add more if necessary)

*optional seasonings

Steps

1. Melt salted butter over medium heat. Add in chopped chillies, curry leaves, followed by salted egg yolk powder. Let bubble.

2. Add seasonings. Pour corn flakes into the gravy, coat well. Turn off the heat.

3. Transfer coated corn flakes onto a cookie sheet. Bake in preheated oven at 160ºC for 8 - 10 minutes.

Notes

• Taste the gravy. Adjust accordingly. Add seasoning and/or sugar.
• Add by fistful of extra cornflakes if necessary. I usually have to add about tiga genggam just to use up all the delicious kuah.
• Don't go and cool the corn flakes under a fan or something. As soon as the cookie sheet can be handled (about 10 mins, probably less), store in airtight container. I usually just place the sheet on the kitchen counter, wash the pot and spatula and stuff, then can simpan already by the time I'm done. 

You can serve this for raya but be prepared. It can finish very quickly. 

Have fun snacking!

Bhuping Palace, Suthep

Bhuping Palace

Suthep, Muang

Chiang Mai

Hours

0830 - 1530 daily

Entrance Fee

Foreigner: 50B

Adult: 20B

Also spelled as Bhubing or Phu Ping Royal Palace locally, this winter palace is located on Doi Suthep. It also double as royal guesthouse for prominent visitors. One can't miss the palace on the way up towards Hmong Village or Khun Chang Kian. You can take songthaew or hire private car or scooter to get here.

  Kalau nak bandingkan dengan Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, Istana Bhuping atau lebih tepat lagi taman ni kurang popular. Banyak pakej yang bawa ke Wat Phra That Doi Suthep sahaja. Mungkin sebab bunga mekar cantik ikut musim. Jadi ada masa yang agak sendu dan kurang menarik untuk dikunjungi.

Note: Please dress conservatively. You're visiting a palace.

Ticket booth is near the parking area. After purchasing your ticket, cross the road and present your ticket to the staff. 

  Staff kat sini nampak macam pegawai tentera. Mungkin memang tentera agaknya. Kata istana kan? Lepas dah tunjuk tiket, jemput jalan kaki. Tak ada trem atau basikal atau apa. Jalan nak masuk tu macam jauh tapi tak terasa pun sebab ralit tengok bunga. 

My favourite area gotta be the rose garden. Colourful roses were blooming and gave off sweet scent. Some of them didn't have any scent but most were very fragrant! They even have different smell.

Rose Garden

Green House

Visitors will get to see the gorgeous royal garden filled with beautiful and colourful flowers and my favourite sweet-smelling roses. You can also take photos of the palace but won't be allowed to go near.

  The green house is near the rose garden and there are many interesting spots that will make gorgeous backgrounds for your photos. There is no specific route to follow. Just wander as you wish.

Notice the huge tree behind the signage?

Path across the palace area

At the end of the climb

A bridge

There is also a water reservoir you can check out. I didn't because... look at those stairs! But pics from Google looked pretty nice.

  Katanya ada fountain show juga tapi tak tahu la masih wujud ke tak.

Visit if:

• You have the time
• You enjoy gardens and parks
• You're dressed appropriately (no shorts, no sleeveless)
• You're willing to walk. A lot
• It's the "right" time of the year. I visited in late Jan and the flowers were blooming

Some people found the royal garden magical while others thought it was a waste of their time.

I don't mind. It's not expensive and the weather was nice

If you go, expect to spend about a couple of hours to explore the place properly.

Coral Redang Island Resort, Pulau Redang

Coral Redang Island Resort

Pasir Panjang Beach,

Pulau Redang,

Terengganu Darul Iman

reservation@coralredang.com.my

(+60)17 981 6200

(+60)9 630 7110

Sometimes, the best trips are the ones you don't really plan for. Our trip to Redang Island in Terengganu was a result of a moreh session one Ramadhan. Birthdays were coming up and we decided that the least we should do is a fun trip. Two weeks after raya, 8 adults and 2 kids headed to the East Coast and hopped on boats to meet on Redang Island.

  Once you're in Terengganu, you should head to either the Merang Jetty or the Shahbandar Jetty. The speedboat trip from Merang Jetty takes about an hour while the ferry from Shahbandar Jetty may take about an hour and a half to two hours to reach the island. The return boat transfer is included in the full board package offered by the resort so they will ask your preferences; preferred arrival and departure time and jetty. You will only have to pay the Marine Park Conservation Fee and in my case, the Setiu Jetty Access Charge because I took a speedboat from Merang Jetty.

  Also included in the full board package by Coral Redang Island Resort: 

• 2 nights accommodation
• 2 buffet breakfast+lunch+dinner
• 2 boat trips/day for snorkelling (equipments can be rented from the dive shop, less than RM30/day)

Booking

I sent an enquiry via their website www.coralredang.com.my and after they replied, I submitted my bookings. Did two separate bookings because one family has a toddler and they chose the ferry while the rest of us took speedboat. Paid 50% deposit instead of giving my credit card details via email. 

  So, yeah. Booking for full board package could have been made easier.

Location

Pasir Panjang Beach or the Long Beach is the popular stretch of beach with many resorts. If you want somewhat private beach, consider The Taaras or Wisana Village. Personally, I like this location because there are other souvenir shops and restaurants and warung to hang out at.

Rate

Value for money. We stayed in Standard Room and paid RM1160/room for 3D2N. That's like RM290/night per adult including meals and snorkelling. And boat trips from and back to mainland.

Dining

Love the buffet. Different menu every day. We had nasi lemak, pancakes, omelette, sausages and cereal and toast and yoghurt for breakfast. Lunch and dinner were rice with selections of chicken, beef, fish and other seafood. We even had lamb. Then there were fresh fruits all the time. Omg we gained more weight than we did for raya.

Service

The reception team weren't the friendliest but they were helpful (even when it's not their duty like taking photos) and professional. Love the F&B team, they went out of their ways to help us prepare for the triple birthday celebration. They let us borrow their kitchen so my friend could carve a watermelon cake. Yay! The F&B staff were also the ones who suggested places to visit and offered to show us around.

  I must also mention the dive centre staff. The team really took care of us and were knowledgable. The morning session went a little scary after the sea turned rough so suddenly but the staff kept their cool and got everybody back safely.

  The evening session was thankfully sunny and the guide told us spots to go to at the Marine Park. I only wish that we get longer than an hour per session to snorkel.

Overall 4.5 <3<3<3<3< of 5

   Oh, try the massage centre near the lobby. D'Manja has proper outlets in Redang Bay and Laguna Redang but I recommend the open platform right in front of Coral Redang. Love the massage with beach view. The masseurs were good too.

 Our party was awesome! And the resort was the perfect background. We love our rooms even though they are basic. The meals were local dishes and delicious. Pool wasn't huge but still, we love it. The view right in front of the resort, LOVE. 

  Omg, just go already. I wish I am back there.

Khun Chang Kian, Chiang Mai

Khun Chang Kian

When I first heard about Thailand sakura, I was excited and a bit skeptical. They looked SO pretty but are the pictures for real?

  Bukan kita tak tahu ada sites yang pakai gambar tempat lain untuk promote destinasi berbeza. Betul ke sakura Thailand cantik macam dalam gambar yang ditunjukkan?

  Kebetulan, I dah nekad nak pergi berjalan in January. I pun buat research tempat yang best untuk dikunjungi bulan January dan Chiang Mai adalah antara destinasi yang tersenarai.

  It is recommended to visit Chiang Mai in December or January for it is "winter" season. Of course there is no snow but the temperature is colder even though the sky is sunny.

  Orang Malaysia boleh bayangkan suhu di Cameron Highland. Matahari terik tapi sejuk berangin. Yang bestnya bukan setakat di kawasan tinggi, tapi di dalam bandar juga. Kalau pagi-pagi tu, suhu mencecah 16º - 18ºC. Cuma bila keluar berjalan-jalan, sila pakai sunblock sebab matahari tetap terik menjelang tengahari dan petang.

Getting to Khun Chang Kian 

It is up in Doi Suthep. Doi means mountain but some people actually meant a famous temple there when they talk about Doi Suthep. The temple is called Wat Phra That and tour packages will include this place because it has nice view of Chiang Mai town. It is also easy to get to Doi Suthep using Uber or public transport.

  If you are customising your tour and they don't drive to Khun Chang Kian, ask to be dropped at Bhuping Palace instead of the temple. The palace is further up the mountain past the temple and it is probably cheaper to get a songthaew from here.

  Dah sampai Doi Suthep, boleh berhenti dulu di Wat Phra That atau terus naik ke Bhuping Palace. I naik terus ke Bhuping Palace sebab lebih berminat dengan nature view berbanding view bandar. Depan Bhuping Palace ada songthaew yang akan bawa pengunjung ke Khun Chang Kian.

Is it necessary to hire a songthaew? 

  The road condition isn't the best. It is narrow, full of potholes, dusty and missing altogether at some area. Don't risk it. Hire an experienced private driver if you must. Some are willing to drive up to Khun Chang Kian.

  

The rate displayed was 150B one way per person. There's a camping ground there and some *might* choose to hike down so that's why they offered one way rate. Return trip is 300B per person and while it is not cheap, I thought it was fair considering the scary road and the distance. The bone-jarring ride took almost half an hour. 

   Mula-mula, I macam menyesal sikit sebab tak minta kurang. 300B seorang bukannya murah. Lagi pun, I pergi hujung bulan Januari dan drivers songthaew tu sendiri yang cakap yang bunga dah tak banyak. 

  They can't speak English well so one of the drivers pointed to Khun Chang Kian picture on their rates board and gestured that only 10% of flowers left. The rest had fallen. It was so cute!

  Bagus la kan dia jujur cakap bunga dah tak ada. Sebenarnya ada je lagi cuma tak banyak. Mungkin untuk elakkan kena marah dengan pelancong yang expect bunga pink merata-rata.

  Anyway once I realised how far Khun Chang Kian is and how skilful one need to be to negotiate the winding and bumpy road, I thought the price was worth it. Practically sabung nyawa kut nak drive ke atas tu. 

According to my private driver, Amie, the flowers started blooming in early January this year. The exact time varies each year so you might want to check with a local or time your visit in middle of the month maybe. Idk.

  Pada I cantik je walaupun bukan tengah-tengah musim semi. Macam awal musim gugur gitu. Lagipun, I datang sebab nak tengok Chiang Mai Flower Festival =D 

Our first stop was at a village. Only a couple of trees had flowers still blooming. There were some souvenirs and coffee shops in the area but they were mostly empty. One lady opened a simple stall selling strawberries in cup.

I didn't stay long in the village because I get uncomfortable visiting attractions which are actually people's homes. 

  Rasa macam ganggu privasi pun ada.

  The next stop was a park we had passed on our way to the village. I think it is the research institute.

  Kat taman ni masih ada banyak lagi bunga. Ada orang jual strawberries juga. Murah tapi macam banyak je untuk I makan sorang. So I tak jadi beli walaupun nampak menarik.

I told the songthaew driver that I want to stop at the view point. Not sure if it is one of the stops but it was our last stop. If you want to stop somewhere in particular, let's say the Hmong Village or the castle ruin, bring pictures to show them. 

  Kalau ada gambar kan senang sikit sebab mungkin kita tak tahu nama atau sebut pun salah. Yang penting, nego harga awal-awal supaya masing-masing puas hati. Macam Hmong Village tu, masuk simpang lain jadi mungkin harga pun berbeza.

Expect to spend at least a couple of hours here. If you plan to visit most of the attractions in Doi Suthep, you can easily make it a full day-trip. Take your time and enjoy the beauty of nature.

  Datang waktu pagi supaya ada cukup masa untuk jelajah tempat-tempat menarik di Doi Suthep. Sejam dua mungkin tak cukup kalau nak pergi semua tempat. 

  So, plan wisely and prioritise your interests!