Darwin Travelogue: Wildman Wilderness Lodge

After seeing pictures of Wildman Wilderness Lodge, my friend and I knew we had to have a vacation there. You could say that we actually planned our 6D5N Darwin trip around it. We spent 3D2N at the lodge because the stay cost us AUD$1260 and we could not afford to visit any longer.

Getting There

To get from Darwin airport/ city centre to Wildman Wilderness Lodge, it takes about two to two and a half hours (depending on traffic). The lodge offers shuttle bus transfers, but at an exorbitant rate of AUD$195 (one way) per person and only on Monday, Wednesday and Friday between 12 to 1pm. At any other timing, a private transfer can set you back AUD$800 one way.

Hence, we decided it made more sense economically to rent a car. We rented ours from Bargain Car Rentals (AUD$250 for five days). The pick up and drop off locations were very accessible and prices were reasonable. In addition, we read many good reviews about the company.

It was a good decision in the end as we could stop along the way to take pictures or grab a meal. Also, it allowed us the flexibility to drive around when we were at the lodge rather than being restricted to the compound (parking is free at most places).

Lodging

Initially, we chose the Safari Tent (good for four people). I had never done glamping before and thought it would be a good experience. Unfortunately, it was sweltering inside (no aircon) and after enduring it for half an hour, we decided to switch to a Cabin.

The Cabins are good for two people. As quoted from their website, the cabins are “romantic”, seeing that there is no door to the bathroom! We had to make do by opening both cupboard doors to close off the bathroom.

It was a relaxing stay and we could see both wallabies and cockatoos at all hours of the day.

Beautiful Bubble Tea Bobii Frutii Comes to Singapore!

Bobii Frutii is coming to Singapore on 10 January 2018 at The Clementi Mall! Finally, something happens in the west first! The bubble tea brand, which was established by two Taiwanese students in 2015, currently has five outlets: three in Taiwan, one in Shenzhen and this one in Singapore.

The extremely instagrammable drinks use only natural ingredients and no preservatives, additives or artificial flavouring, hence the prices are higher than some bubble tea variants around. Also, the Singapore menu features 80% of the selection in Taiwan, with 37 drinks under five categories .

Last Row (from left): Don’t Want to Work ($4.50), Uji Snow ($6.50), Don’t Want to Grow Up ($6.90)

Second Row (from left): Mermaid’s Tears ($5.90), Extraordinary Bubble Milk Tea ($4.50)

First Row: Don’t Want to Grow Up 

Nesuto X 52 Sandwich Shack @ Tras Street

I have decided to revive my blog! Finally, I found the time to edit some photos and truthfully, it is also because I have something worth to blog about!

Recently, I made a trip to Nesuto, which is located at 53 Tras Street, just a short walk from Tanjong Pagar MRT Station. It is not my first time there, but the desserts and murals, as usual, blew me away. A little birdie told me that the paintings on the wall cost the owners five figures!

So, back to the topic. The reason I visited Nesuto is that they now have a new concept called 52 Sandwich Shack, which is slated to open soon at Raffles City. Some of the signature items from the shack can now be found at Nesuto so that you can have your savoury and sweet all in one place!

Khao Yai Travelogue 5: Two Days Wildlife Tour in Khao Yai National Park

For my second visit, I ensured that I made all arrangements on ThaiNationalParks.com prior to travelling, as I had trouble with communication during my last trip. This included a two-days wildlife tour in Khao Yai National Park, the third largest and most popular national park in Thailand.

A private tour for two cost 12,800 Baht, which is equivalent to SGD$512. During the two days, we hiked in the forest, visited viewpoints, waterfalls and the Visitor Centre, went for a night safari drive and saw lots of wildlife.

The rate included:

• Entrance fees to the park
• An English speaking guide
• Transportation
• Meals
• Drinking water
• Leech protection socks.

Day 1: 0800-2030hrs

Our leech protection socks (which sadly we were not allowed to keep). It did work!

Khao Yai Travelogue 4: What To See, Do, Eat and Stay in Khao Yai

If you have been following my blog closely, you would have realised that this is my second trip to Khao Yai this year. I visited the area in September with friends, and this time it was with my sister. This blog post will not include details about the places I visited during my first trip as well as safari at the National Park, so if you want to find out more about Khao Yai and how to get there, here are my other posts:

• Khao Yai Travelogue 1: Hotel La Casetta by Toscana Valley (Information on how to get to Khao Yai and the first hotel I stayed at)
• Khao Yai Travelogue 2: The Bloom, The Chocolate Factory and Farm Chokchai (Some tourist attractions)
• Khao Yai Travelogue 3: Dasada-The Flower Es’senses Resort (Second hotel I stayed in Khao Yai)
• Khao Yai Travelogue 5: Two Days Wildlife Tour in Khao Yai National Park 

I have created a map to show the major attractions in Khao Yai and the relative distance between them so that you can have a rough gauge.

What To See

1. Sunflowers at Saraburi Sunflower Field (November to January)
2. Flowers at The Bloom

To get to Saraburi Sunflower Field, it is a slight detour from the route from Bangkok to Khao Yai. It should cost you about an additional 200 Baht if you are taking private transport. While blooming period is from November to January, the sunflowers only started blooming in December this year, so it would be good to check before going there.

Balkans Travelogue 10: Side Trip to Venice, Murano, Burano and Torcello

It was one of the worst days to visit Venice. It was so foggy; we could hardly see anything. We spoke to one of the shopkeepers, and she said that the weather was quite abnormal as it was fine the day before.

You can get to Venice through a variety of ways, but we opted for private car service as we were staying about 1.5 hours away. It was way more expensive compared to taking public transport, but still bearable when splitting five ways.

You can hardly see the famous Rialto Bridge in the distance. The picture below is taken on the bridge.

To get to St Mark’s, you just have to follow the yellow signages.

Balkans Travelogue 9: Bled Caste and Lake Bled, Slovenia

The most scenic place we visited during the trip was Bled in Slovenia, a town best known for its lovely castle, Bled Castle, which is perched atop a cliff overlooking beautiful Lake Bled.

Our hotel, Hotel Park, is situated near the lake and it offers a magnificent view of the castle. Other than the landscape, the region is also famous for its Original Bled Cream Cake, which you can order from almost all the restaurants in that area.

We had ours at the rooftop cafe of our hotel for 3.70 Euro. The cake comprises of a puff pastry, custard cream, whipped cream and vanilla sugar. Hands down the best pastry we had during our trip.