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.

Hua Hin Railway Station

Hua Hin Railway Station

The Royal Pavilion

Hua Hin Train Station is one of the town's main attractions. It was built in 1910 during the reign of King Rama VI and considered to be the most beautiful train station in Thailand. I know jack about architecture but anyone can see that the station is pretty!

  Stesen keretapi yang berusia lebih 100 tahun ni memang cantik. Warna-warna utama ialah kuning, merah dan putih. Sekali pandang, macam post office pun ada. Depan stesen ni ada beberapa warung yang menjual makanan halal. Tapi masa I pergi tu tutup. Cuti Friday agaknya.

Hua Hin is known as the royal seaside getaway town. Mrigadayavan Palace used to be the royal beach house. Now, they moved to Klai Kangwon Palace. Public may visit the former but not the latter.

  Anyway, back then there was no road access to this town. So to get to Hua Hin from Bangkok, one must use boat or the (then) new and delightful train travel. 

  I went there in the morning so it wasn't busy. Only a few visitors were around posing and taking photos.

  Stesen ni masih beroperasi. Jadi, sila berhati-hati dan peka kalau tak mahu jadi mangsa gelek keretapi.

An old locomotive on display

No, he didn't ring the bell

There is a coffee place next door if you want to hangout after touring the station. 

  Recommended to visit if you're doing town tour. It is about 10 minutes walk from the night market area. Spend about half an hour at the station.

Notes: There is a rumour that there is a library across the station. I can't verify this because it was closed while I was there

Kek Lok Si All Lighted Up

Kek Lok Si

Tingkat Lembah Ria 1

11500 Ayer Itam

Pulau Pinang

I'm sure many of you already visited Kek Lok Si temple. It is after all one of the must-visit attraction in Penang the tourist island. But did you know that once a year during certain weeks around Chinese New Year, the whole place will be lighted up and visitors will flock there to take photos?

  Just Google 'Kek Lok Si Display of Lights' to find out the next date and plan your visit! I visited on a weekend (I think) and while there were many people, it wasn't packed. You can still take photos (and pray) without someone else shoving you.

  Go in the early evening so you will have time to explore the ground before sunset. The Guanyin statue is located on the hill above the pagoda, you can get there using the cable car for a minimal fee. I didn't have enough time to visit the hillside.

There is a charge of RM2 (I think) imposed to access the area with bell and 10,000 Buddhas pagoda. Make sure you climb up the pagoda and check out the scenery. I was there for sunset and it was breathtaking! My acrophobia acted out a bit while walking around the outer corridor on the top floor >.<" 

  But the view was serious cantik, I went live on IG: @whitelambchop to share with my followers

Getting here is probably easiest using public bus. You can drive but be prepared to brave some traffic congestion.

Chinatown, Kuala Terengganu

The Chinatown or Kampung Cina in Kuala Terengganu starts near the Seri Malaysia Hotel 

It is an area filled with restaurants and coffee shops, colourful temple, pretty little alleys with cute themes and street arts.

You can walk around Chinatown in the morning to take photos of the many wall arts and come at night to see the lights and enjoy the food. 

Note: To Muslim visitors, there are some non-halal restaurants in the area so check the menu and ask if you're unsure :)

Kompleks Muzium Negeri Terengganu

Terengganu State Museum Complex

Bukit Losong,

20566 Kuala Terengganu

Terengganu

(+609) 622 1444

Operating Hours

Saturday to Thursday : 0900 - 1700

Friday : 0900 - 1200, 1500 - 1700

Closed on first and second day of Eid Fitr & Eid Adha

Entrance Fee(s)

Local

Adult : RM5

Children : RM2

Foreigner

Adult : RM15

Children : RM10

Note: I'm not too happy about the different pricing for locals vs foreigners but I like that the ticket is actually a postcard! Not the prettiest design but it's better than typical paper ticket stubs that will get thrown away.

As the name suggested, the museum is situated in a complex. It's big and you'll have to walk quite a bit to explore the whole place. The main building and its many galleries is big enough to tire you so come early, bring water and wear comfortable shoes.

Lockers are available near the entrance should you want to keep your valuables.

There is no correct way to explore the museum and the whole complex. Exhibits are all over the place and you might as well stop and see what ever you passed. There is a tram station near parking area but it wasn't operating on my visit. There is also an outdoor exhibition nearby, just opposite the Herb Garden. 

Vehicles

After seeing the cars and plane, I walked past the pretty garden and up the magnificent stairs of the main building to find the ticket booth. 

There are several galleries and halls in the main building. Some of the halls will showcase different exhibition at different time. During my visit, it was a ceramic exhibition. The long-term galleries are:

• Textile Gallery
• Royal Gallery
• Islamic Gallery
• Craft Gallery
• Petronas Gallery
• History Gallery

then there are other galleries that are situated away from the main building like the Seafaring & Trade Gallery and the Fisheries and Marine Park Gallery. They should really install some drinks vending machines over at those galleries.

Batu Bersurat Terengganu

Guess what?

Art Gallery (I think this is temporary exhibition) below Islamic Gallery

Tram looking all pretty but unused

Signage to Tengku Long's Palace, different type of traditional houses, galleries and jetty

Technically, you can take a boat to get here. But the jetty looked... abandoned. 

One of the traditional houses in the complex

Outdoor exhibition near the Fisheries & Marine Park Gallery

Real life boat

Real life boat 2

I was curious but scared to actually step on the boat. Not too confident with maintenance. Plus the boats were on land and I can't swim on land. There was no sign forbidding entry so if you're interested, board at your own risk!

Overall, I like the Terengganu State Museum. It is one of the better curated ones in Malaysia but it certainly could use a little more TLC. The complex already have all the infrastructures, the museum itself is a gorgeous architectural wonder, all they have to do is to take care of it.

Natural History (?) Gallery closed for maintenance

My best friend in the Seafaring Gallery

View from jetty

To properly enjoy the museum complex, I suggest you come bright and early and plan to stay for half a day. Bring drinking water (a must!) or a picnic if you wish. Just make sure you dispose your trash properly.