Category Archives: Travel

Konichiwa Japan

We booked our trip to Japan and Korea last year, more than 6 months in advance. I was really excited because I had always wanted to go to Japan and going to Korea was a bonus.

We did some research about Japan before booking the hotels. We quickly realised that hotels are quite expensive and small in Japan but we were still very excited to go.

We started telling Chhori about our holiday a few months in advance so she was so excited about it too. She would tell people and even her friends in Childcare that she will be going to Japan and Korea in such a cute voice.

Anyway finally the day came and we all packed and headed to the airport.

We flew Qantas and it was one of the best flights we have had. The service and food were both amazing and I am definitely going to fly with them more often.

We first flew from Sydney to Melbourne where we had a 3 hour stopover then 9 hours to Tokyo.

Chhori was amazing in the flight with no dramas. She ate her food and was busy watching Peppa pig on her tablet. She napped for a few hours and was fresh again before we landed.

It was evening when we landed in Tokyo and it was quite nice as we went from cold winter to nice warm summer.

After we collected our luggage, we went and got a sim card and tickets to the bus. The hotel was a bit away from the city so it was cheaper to catch a bus from the airport and then a cab the rest of the way.

The hotel was great location with a metro station just next to it but the room was a bit small as we had known.

The bathroom was just enough to fit a bathtub, toilet and wash basin.

The toilet fascinated us with so many buttons. If you don’t know what I am talking about, just imagine a toilet with auto lid and seat where you can adjust the seat temperature. The toilet where you can use water to clean but it is all automatic with adjustable water temperature and multiple water outlet to spray your bottom. The toiles also had features like self-sterilizing nozzles, air deodorizer, adjustable water pressure, noise/music player, warm air dry, night light etc. to name some.

The toilets definitely kept us amused and it was fun to discover the different features while were in the loo.

That day we were too tired to do anything so we just ate dinner and went to bed.

We had an amazing time in Tokyo and I will post about all our experience in the coming post.

Till then take care everyone,

M from nepaliaustralian

XOXO 

 

Kon’nichiwa and Annyeonghaseyo

Hello everyone,

Sorry to disappear for such a long time but life has been so busy lately. We have just come back from our Japan and Korea holiday and I have heaps of stories to share.

We loved Japan so much that we want to go again. Korea was good too.

I will definitely share my travel stories in my future posts but until then please enjoy some of the amazing photos from Japan and Korea.

Chhori was amazing throughout the holiday too.

Take care ,

M from nepaliaustralian

XOXO 

Please follow me on Instagram!

 

SEA Aquarium, Singapore

The S.E.A. Aquarium is the second largest aquarium in the world featuring more than 100,000 marine animals of over 800 species, across 10 different zones in 49 different habitats. IT also has a world record from the Guinness Book of Records for the largest aquarium in the world and the longest in the world view panel. 

We have visited many aquariums and Chhori seems to like them a lot. So we were excited to go and visit this famous aquarium on Santosa Island.

 

As we walked inside the aquarium, we saw the shipwreck habitat from the waters of Java Sea. It is so interesting to see how marine life eco system works. While shipwrecks are said to destroy coral reefs, it can also be home to a wide array of marine species.

 

From there we went to Shark Seas where we could see the endangered predators, including the Scalloped Hammerhead Shark, Silvertip Shark and Sandbar Shark. It was a bit crowed in that area so we took a few photos and moved to the next section which was the Coral Garden.

Coral Garden is known as “rainforests of the sea” with coral reefs form some of the most diverse underwater ecosystem on Earth where it is home to a large variety of marine life.

 

We saw Bluestripe, Emperor Angelfish, Japanese Giant Spider Crab, Floating Bell or Australian Spotted Jellyfish, Japanese Sea Nettles, Moon Sea Jellies, also known as Moon Jelly and the Saucer Jelly or Common Jellyfish .  

The Jellyfish looked so amazing with their translucent, saucer-shaped bell.

 

The main area of the S.E.A Aquarium is the world’s biggest Open Ocean tank offering a panoramic view of the ocean which is home to many gentle giants of the sea including Leopard Sharks, Groupers and others over 50,000 marine creatures. 

We rested in the area and waited for the feeding session. Chhori decided to have her nap so we had plenty of time to relax after walking for so long.

Chhori woke up in time for the feeding.

 

As it was around Christmas so we were visited by Scuba Santa and the Underwater Cheeky Elves delivering special Fishman’s treats to the marine animals.

 

Chhori was so excited to see the Santa inside the tank. We took heaps of photos in front of the tank and moved to the next area of the aquarium but this was definitely the highlight of the day for us. 

At one point we walked past a floor of glass filled with predators like sharks under us and Chhori loved it so much she decided to lie down on the glass to watch the sharks under her. It was really funny.

 I also liked the popular discovery touch pool where you get to touch Starfish and other marine specimens. I was excited about it but Chhori decided that it was not her thing.

 She did love the Starfish that was on display in the zone and all the colourful fish in the tank.

Every time we saw a clownfish, she got super excited and cried out, “Nemo, Nemo.”

 As we were near the exit, we passed through another huge tunnel where there were more sharks swimming above our head.

 

Overall we had a great time at the aquarium and Chhori was so happy to see so many “fishy”. I would definitely recommend a visit to the aquarium in Santosa Island; especially if you have kids with you.

M from nepaliaustralian

XOXO

P.S: Do not forget to  check out winners of  NEPALIAUSTRALIAN’s Blog Award 2017

Fun @ Sentosa Island

Sentosa Island is a famous tourist destination in Singapore. The island got the name “Sentosa” (which means “isle of tranquillity”) only in 1972 after Singapore government decided to develop the island into a holiday resort for local visitors and tourists. 

We spent one day in Sentosa Island doing many amazing things and I wished we had more time to spend there. There are so many things to do that a day is definitely not enough.  

I remember going there the last time to Universal Studio but this time we wanted it to be more fun for Chhori so we stuck to kid friendly stuffs. 

We started outside Universal Studio where the water sprinklers are. Chhori was so happy with the water that she was running from one end to other. 

From there we passed through the Trick Eye Museum to go to SEA Aquarium. I will post about the aquarium in a separate post. 

After the aquarium, we were hungry so went to the big food court for lunch. There are so many places to eat from that it is a bit confusing but we decided to stick with Malay traditional food. The food was yummy and it was nice to rest and eat in the air-conditioned hall. 

After lunch we decided to walk around the area and Chhori was fascinated by the lollies outside Candylicious. She kept running from one to another saying “M n M Mama”, “Surprise mama”. It was nice to see her so excited. 

As it was so hot we decided to get an ice cream before we start on the Festive Walk. Festive Walk is a strip that connects several attractions.

You can shop in some of the luxury boutiques, including the very first Victoria´s Secret boutique in Asia, Versace, Rolex, Ralph Lauren, Bulgari and many more or just walk along to reach the Merlion Park. 

The legendary Merlion is a half lion half fish guardian of prosperity which personifies Singapore’s history as a port city. The lion depicts the folklore of Prince Sang Nila Utama’s rediscovery of lion (singa) and City (pura) while the fish tail symbolises ancient fishing village of Temasek, meaning “sea” in Javanese. Today, the majestic Merlion is a Singapore icon attracting visitors from all around the world. 

Legend has it that the Merlion would visit Sentosa Island every year to guard Singapore’s well-being.  

This whole walk was very picturesque and we took heaps of photos. From there we took the train to go to the Siloso Beach as we had booked tickets to watch the Wings of Time. 

The Wings of Time show at Sentosa is a night show that is available daily at 7.40pm and 8.40pm. The show, which cost $10m to produce, is set outdoors at Siloso Beach against the backdrop of the open sea. It’s wonderful to see how art and science come together to create the show. 

The 25-minute show tells a tale about two friends, a mysterious pre-historic bird and their journey across several landscapes and time to find the bird’s home. 

We had tickets for the 7.40 pm one. When the show started and for the whole length of the show, Chhori was really good and enjoyed it, even asking questions sometimes. 

The show ended with a bang, a wonderful display of fireworks. 

After the show, we walked from the beach to the Merlion Park as the queue for the train was too long. We wanted to go to Merlion Park to see the sound and light show at 8.45 pm. 

Merlion sound and light show ran every half hour starting at 7.45 pm. The show was National Day themed, showcasing the diversity of the cultures in Singapore that coexist so beautifully. We thoroughly enjoyed it and were glad to have such a wonderful time at the island. 

It was almost 10 pm then so we caught the train to Vivo City and a cab from there to our hotel. We were all tired but we were happy to have had a wonderful day on Sentosa Island.

M from nepaliaustralian

XOXO

P.S: Do not forget to  check out winners of  NEPALIAUSTRALIAN’s Blog Award 2017

Little India and China town in Singapore

While we were in Singapore we went and enjoyed roaming around Little India and China town. 

That morning we woke up and caught a Grab cab to go to Little India for breakfast. We found the MTR restaurant which is very famous for Indian vegetarian food so decided to give it a go. 

The restaurant was busy so we had to wait for a few minutes before we got our table. The place was small and extremely busy but had great service. We ordered some dosa and idly.

The food was good but not exceptionally good to be so famous. May be we didn’t pick the right dishes or maybe I have eaten in many nice Indian restaurants. 

After breakfast we went to roam around the area. We went to Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple and Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple. We also went to different Chinese temples. 

It was nice and surprising to see so many Chines temples in Little India and visa versa when we went to China town. 

After visiting the temples we went to Mostafa Centre for some shopping. It was really overwhelming for me as it was so big and things are everywhere. I prefer to shop in small shops where I feel like I can go and browsers where as in a large place with too many things make my head spin. 

We bought one item from the whole building and left the centre. 

From there we walk around the area and went to Taka centre. The first thing we did was to go to their food court where there were choices of so many authentic Hawker food. 

The food is really cheap here and so yummy. I really loved the food. The only negative point was it was hot and had no air conditioning. 

After that we went to the centre to look around and were equally overwhelmed by so many shops selling traditional sarees and lengha. I wanted to buy a few for me and Chhori but it was too much to handle and look inside any of the shops. AS wanted me to buy something but I told him that we need to leave as I couldn’t make up my mind with all the options. 

From there we went to the hotel to rest and Chhori had a nap. 

In the evening we went to China town. First of all went to a few temples around the area like the Hindu temple Sri Mariamman Temple and a few Chinese temples before walking around the market stalls.

We bought a few souvenirs and gifts.

 

We also went to a famous Tin Tin shop. 

It was AS’s birthday that day so we decided to go to a restaurant and celebrate. We went to Xie Lao Song restaurant and I was glad it was so cool with air conditioning.  

For dinner, we ordered chilli crab and duck dishes.

The food was yummy and AS enjoyed his with local beer. AS also had a yummy cheese cake I had got for his birthday. 

After dinner, we went for a stroll and saw many people dancing with to some music in an old square. It was so nice to see that anyone can walk and join the group and leave once done. 

By this time Chhori was fast asleep in her stroller so we caught a Grab cab and went back to the hotel. 

We had walked so much this day and we are so tired that we were fast asleep in our soft warm bed as soon as we go into it. 

M from nepaliaustralian

XOXO

P.S: Do not forget to  check out winners of  NEPALIAUSTRALIAN’s Blog Award 2017