Vertigo Rooftop Bar - Bangkok is on the 61st floor of Banyan Tree.
With a 360 view of the city from wherever you are seated, we chose a 7 course set meal for 2 that costs 10, 697 Baht (RM 1, 321). Priciest meal I ever had in my entire life.
Proceed to the 59th and you would have to walk up 2 floors. the view is mesmerizing. Bangkok has a lot of buildings so when it comes to the night view, you could just stare endlessly at it.
Service was great. There was a designated waiter and he/she will not leave their post so you are guaranteed their full attention. Also they give you complimentary photos for you to take home as souvenirs. *YAY*
What our picture looked like (printed out)
We were given bread and sparkling water while waiting for our food.
Our 7 Course set meal menu
Angus Beef Carpaccio
Hokkaido Scallop
Lobster Seafood Bisque
The view is seriously magical up here.
Jon and the bisque.
I wanted to have a photo with this view too!
Raviolli
Angus Ribeye
(since there were two portions for each course, I requested to change my raviolli to Angus Ribeye)
Broiled Lobster and Pasta
Super succulent texture
Lamb Loin
Chocolate Mousse (Requested)
Felt really high up in the sky from here
On the 60th Floor
The view to the toilet is also awesome!
Address: 21 S Sathorn Rd, Khwaeng Thung Maha Mek, Khet Sathon, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10120, Thailand
HOT DOG. Apparently, it might cause Muslims in Malaysia to be confuse. It has never been a confusion before, until as of late.
I am all for having Halal in Malaysia. Don't get me wrong. But this is a new level of comedy.
We Malaysians go through our everyday lives, having entertainment from our local news. Of course we are a trained bunch of nationalities when it comes to internal jokes.
Like this case of Auntie Anne's Halal Application rejected over 'Pretzel Dog'.
Sometimes I wonder, do they even do their surveys before coming out with statements like these? Are they really voicing out what our fellow Muslims in the country feel or think or say?
So then if "dog" isn't not allowed,
the below need to change la kan:
A&W Coney dog
(it is already implemented) you can check this on their website
http://www.anwmalaysia.com.my/classic-combo/
1901 hot dogs sausages/weiner
GSC Hotdog sausage/weiner combo
Can't think of any other generic brands, but you get the idea kan?
KOREAN BBQ BUFFET (All that free flow meat)
only RM 32.90!
This post was thanks to the introduction of my korean babe, Ann. She loves korean culture so much and since she hangs out with a bunch of them, she's our source of all-things-korean!
Address is 22, Block H, Jalan Solaris 5, Solaris Mont Kiara 50480 Kuala Lumpur
It's opposite Cold Storage at Solaris Mont Kiara, the corner lot at the end of the street.
Happy ladies and our Korean BBQ spread. The soup is really good!
There's also ice cream potong. Please forgive my happy bunny tooth
They do have other ala carte options. Lunch Set:
Lunch Set
Childrens pay RM 22.90
Noodles and meat Ala Carte
Side orders and drinks
You would have to wait for the meat to be restocked every few minutes but no biggie. You can grab the free side dishes refill (also on the counter) and BBQ some of your meat while waiting.
You'd find koreans at that place too <3 nbsp="" p="">
Sure a good bargain for people who loves korean BBQ and meat!
This post is about my 5 days 4 nights trip to the quiet island.
There is a lovely volcanic mountain with awesome waterfalls. Mount Rinjani.
There were 9 of us. (of course in a pax of 6-8 would be ideal)
The total I spent? RM 1, 265.58
A summary of the trip:
Flight (AirAsia - to and fro excluding baggage and food) = RM 357.58
Accomodation (2 nights at Senggigi, 2 night at Gili Trawangan) = RM 308
Brought along money for food, transportation, shopping etc. = RM 600 ( I actually spent less)
** Anddd we stayed at a really good resort at Lombok. Had the whole 2 storey villa + private pool to ourselves. (includes breakfast)
Summarised Itinerary
Day 1 - Checking in, chilling and going around town area
Day 2 - rented scooters to Mt. Rinjani's waterfall (2 hours one way trip)
Day 3 - took a private boat to Gili Trawangan, cycled to catch sunset
Day 4 - Snorkeling, shopping, Ombak Sunset, watching the stars and live band bar
Day 5 - private boat back to Lombok, stopped to sight see at Mataram and to the Airport
Day 1 - checking in, chilling and going around town area
8:30 AM flight to Lombok
Took a public bus (35,000 Rupiah one way per person, it was air conditioned) for about 2 hours to Senggigi (Drop off was at our resort). You could get the ticket from the counter. And for connectivity, upon exiting arrival hall, you will be greeted by few booths. Choose a prepaid with data plan from 50,000 rupiah (about RM 15)
I did data roaming because I am a Tune Talk user. Had to manually select the telco XL and key in *138# and subscribe to data roaming.
Scenery along the way to Senggigi from the airport
Stayed and checked in at Svarga Resort. (my 2nd favourite part of the trip)
A little tip if you are planning to check in a big group at Svarga, the villas are actually pretty huge and can accommodate up to 8 people. They sadly only allowed add up to 2 more beds to the 3 bedroom villa (all with attached bathroom).
One night at the villa with the private pool and breakfast was 2 million rupiah, which was RM600 (not that bad for 8 people sharing)
The humble lobby
Guys and their DSLR's
Just chairs by the side of the lobby
Spot the white lift behind the designed partition
The smaller "Villa"rooms (more for 2-3 people to stay)
Playing at the public pool (beside the cafeteria that served buffet tea time snacks)
My excited friends
First Group picture!
Hi from the public pool! (it's quite deep and I had to tip toe to walk. I stand at 168cm)
Master bedroom's open air toilet
Master bedroom
The view from the bedroom. That's Bali
At the private pool, chilling
There was also a huge extended walking area after the private pool. So romantic kan?
Thats the dining table, and a toilet beside it. Model not included in the 2 million rupiah.
Evening view from outside of our villa steps.
Chilled at the resort till dinner time. Got the reception to call us cabs to dinner. We ate at BlueMoon Cafe (Chef was a Malaysian and the owner was from Malacca. So basically if you want local food, don't come here. other than that, really well seasoned seafood by the beach.
There were also huts where you could dine at
Then, we got the restaurant owners to help us get a cab. The blue cab. Runs by meter and 9 of us headed to town.
What we were all tempted to try but didn't order, and ended up regretted not ordering.
Terang Bulan
It's basically Apam Balik with Chocolate sprinkles, condense milk,
LOTS OF SUGAR
And then we just spend time at this HAPPY CAFE, because we are happy. No, we just wanted to sit and listen to live band. Then we just headed back to Svarga Resort and chilled at our pool. Had local instant noodle and just talked.
Day 2 - Mount Rinjani's waterfall + scooter ( nearly 2 hours one way)
My breakfast, that I have very carefully placed and positioned to fill up the empty places on that plate.
We learnt from today's breakfast session, that you can order your meals to your room :D
But we choose to have it by the pool anyway.
We had already asked the reception to help get us scooter for 9 people (2 seaters, 5 scooters)
One scooter rental was about 50,000 rupiah a day. Petrol was sold all around the island in little bottles. (you usually see the bottles with faint yellow liquid outside small shops along the road)
1 litre would cost you 9,000 - 10,000 rupiah.
Just posing, found out I'm really bad at scooter-ing
You have to really check your bikes. One of ours punctured halfway and had to pay for repairs.
let's all ride under the sun!
Going uphill
I would say this is their version of The Great Ocean Road
Stopped by for photos
The blue hues of the ocean
There was a cave, I ti
Apparently, there was also a Pink Beach and Batu Payung, the eroded stone by the ocean. I would really say this was Lombok's Great Ocean Road. Really lovely view of the ocean throughout the whole drive up to Mt. Ranjini.
But it started pouring. Our guess was because it was near the mountains. Best advice for scooters? Bring your own rain coats. Or you can end up like us!
Team purple - lovely petite couple, David and Joey
Pretty much feeling like ultraman
We ended up paying 80,000 rupiah for raincoats. Too expensive but we just want to get on with the journey. It was ridiculous to keep stopping and it was already nearing 4pm.
Lombok locals do not wear helmets but when you are on the road, it's best for us foreigners to wear. Also, keeps you from rain and sun.
I think we took the longer route. Because it was so difficult. we passed by a village.
Doesn't feel quite right
Upon reaching, (which we finally did after my scooter fell) we parked at the public area. Paid parking fee (5,000 rupiah) and entrance fee. (10,000 rupiah). Due to the lack of time, we only went to the first waterfall.
There were 3 of them actually but requires a lot more time.
Le messy scooter ride hair
The mighty waterfall
It has a very very powerful flow so be careful approaching it.
Hence the videos below. You can see us walking cautiously
Freezing waters, brrrrr
Group picture! missing 2 people
Boys will be boys
Our way back to Senggigi passed by padi fields
Scooter gang
Padi fields
We took cabs from Svarga Resort to town for local cuisine. If you are riding a scooter, beware of the locals wanting to charge you for parking your scooter.
Local cuisine and BBQ fishes are so good and cheap! We basically ate at a huge lorong restaurant shop.
I highly recommend Mie Goreng and Avacado fresh juice.
Day 3 - took a private boat to Gili Trawangan, cycled to catch sunset
We checked out at 11 and gotten cabs to Bangsal, where the public boats where scheduled to Gili Trawangan. However, we were approached by the locals and got distracted. Ended up getting a private boat. We agreed to private boat for 9 going to Gili and coming back to Bangsal, packaged with transportation to the airport (with a stop at Mataram for sight seeing in between, since we had hours to spare before our flight)
You can negotiate the price. Because it can be ridiculously high. So in total we paid 2.7 million rupiah for the whole return package.
The cabs will only stop you at the entrance and there was a fair bit to walk to the jetty. We paid to seat the horse carts. It's actually walking distance but we just wanted to try for experience.
View from the inside of the horse cart
Pretty tight squeeze in here! >.<
We were slightly shocked when there were two vehicles in front of us, apparently the private boats have a another jetty.
Picture source : CheeShyan
many of the private boats parked around the jetty
Our private boat for 9
The ride was HOT and very quick. We took about 10-15 minutes to the jetty (with good weather)
Upon landing at the Jetty, the waters were so clear, you could see them fishes swimming! ^0^
You could rent a bike for a day for 50,000 rupiah. But we walked to our hostel, M Gili. Budget travel style! Here's what a shared dorm looked like!
Shared Dorm with attached bathroom at M Gili.
Rented bikes that came with locks. Please ensure your bike has a functioning light bulb. It does get dark at certain roads at Gili Trawangan. And the roads have potholes everywhere!
Nasi Campur
We ate at Green cafe, which was the cafe by the jetty front. At night, there will be a food court with sooo many variety of local cuisine.
And after that, we went to the beach!
Chill time by the beach!
Go Pro Group Shot
Bintang beer, their local brew. Small bottle for 30,000 rupiah. What a view!
Good looking people everywhere! *I AM SERIOUS!
Hello Gili Trawangan!
There are so many good looking westerners everywhere and they are all so young. Both the males and the females.
Covered up Asian girls spotted.
Sun decided to hide behind the clouds so we came out to play
clear waters, much love
And with our bikes, we travelled to the sunset side of the island. The jetty front is apparently the sunrise part of the island.
Just laying around in a hammock
The shallow waters
The "mirror" waters
Group picture by the swing
But the place we were at wasn't the famous sunset swing spot. But we will do that tomorrow!
Ended the night having the night market food and had free time. We signed up at the booth nearby the jetty front for a snorkeling package for 3 Gili islands ( Gili Trawangan + Gili Meno + Gili Air) plus lunch for 120,000 per person (about RM 35). It was a public boat. The public boat (glass bottom) is enough. You don't need to get a private boat for this.
Day 4 - Snorkeling, shopping, Ombak Sunset, watching the stars and live band bar
Our snorkeling package is from 10:30 AM to 3 PM. We had to gather at 10 AM at the booth and choose our preferred meals (I took the chicken steak meal).
We were the only asians at that time. Understood that it was tourist low peak season.
They had a whole range, starting from fried rice, to hamburgers to poultry meals and to spaghetti. Then being asians (and we don't usually swim in deep sea waters), we took the life jacket and snorkeling masks that came free with the package.
To proof that we were really the only asians in our group.
Remember I said good looking females and males? These guys could easily pass off as celebrities/singers/artist
Hello good looking!
Stop at Gili Air for our lunch.
The cutest couple!
Our snorkeling spots covered turtle spotting, shipwreck, and more turtle spotting!
*but personally, Pulau Perhentian, Malaysia has better turtle spotting and they are in a bigger number!
The front of the boat shot!
Upon returning, we walked around shops and found out bikinis, and even to a mailing shop! (to mail postcards)
We then cycled to the famous Ombak Sunset swings!
Sunset time would be around 6:30 PM so we started out 5:30 PM and cycled though the village off road path which was behind M Gili and directly to Ombak Sunset.
THERE WILL BE A QUE TO TAKE PICTURE
water level will be slightly below your knee level, best to wear slippers or your flip flops to walk over. The sea bottom are crushed dead corals and are quite painful to walk on barefooted.
Making my que time worth it
you could also walk along the shallow shores
Such serenity, much mirror
Guys approved!
There was also a double swing but the que was madness!
Couple shot
No swing, sunset shot
Group shot
No filter or edit, just pure sun and mobile phone camera
The famous swing by Ombak Sunset, there are 3 of these.
We then cycled back and ate again at the food court. Food prices vary from 30,000 rupiah onwards. Food options were grilled fish, nasi campur, grilled meat.
Went cafe/bar hoping. This cafe/bar was by the ocean along the jetty front.
Happy birthday Chee Shyan!
And we went slightly further from the happening area and just chilled while star gazing.
Proceeded to a live band bar, Suka Suka. Good stuff.
Day 5 - private boat back to Lombok, stopped to sight see at Mataram and to the Airport
Apparently there was a tiny mountain peak to hike. My friend woke up, cycled and hiked up.
The rest of us woke up, cycled around the island. There was a part of the route that you would need to push the bikes by hand.
Sun decided to hide from us.
It was about 7:30 AM
Gotten some anklets/bracelet for 30,000 rupiah each
I recommend trying Fried Rumpai Laut. *Fried Seaweed*
It was really good. I got it at Mataram.
And that concludes my Lombok + Gili Trawangan trip.
