[Attraction Review] Spaland Centum City, Busan, South Korea

Address: 35, Centumnam-daero, Haeundae-gu, Busan. 부산광역시 해운대구 센텀남대로 35 (우동)

Price: 
Adults: Weekdays 15,000 won / Weekends & National Holidays 18,000 won
Students: Weekdays 12,000 won / Weekends & National Holidays 15,000 won
Early-visit ticket & Nighttime ticket: Weekdays 10,000 won / Weekends & National Holidays 13,000 won

Review: 

The place of Jjimjil-bangs' and saunas.

 The entrance.

After entering the Jjimjil-bangs area (separated into male and female corners), we were to put all of our belongings (including clothes) at the women's locker area. I was tried with eye ice-cream of naked women there, casually walking around, blowing their hair, doing make-up, chatting..etc. At first it was a culture shock, as we were not that comfortable of being naked in public. But seeing how they were so at ease in their own skin, we tried to assimilate. At the spa area, we realise there were many families there. Granddaughter, mother and grandmother scrubbing each other and chatting.
Obviously no photos were allowed in this area.

After about 30mins, we went to the sauna area. On the way we saw many people lying on the floor sleeping, some of them were eating hard-boiled eggs. The sauna were themed:  Pyramid Room, Bali Room, Yellow Earth Room, Hard Wood Charcoal Room, Salt Room and so on. It was so comfortable with the heat, music and smell that i briefly fell asleep.

Pyramid room

 There's signage outside of each spa

We felt so refreshed after the experience!

[Food recommendation] Hackethals, Berlin, Germany

Address: Pflugstr. 11, 10115 Berlin, Germany

Price: below 10 euros for the dish, and the beer was less than 5 euros

Website: http://www.hackethals.de/, do email in a few days in advance to book. the restaurant was full house soon after we sat down. If not, you can try your luck by being there earlier than the opening hours. 

Review of Hackethals: The house beer was one of its kind. It was so nice! I tried many other beers but nothing matched theirs. I love their portobello mushroom pork chop as well,  it was so tender and complimented their beer very well! High recommended! I would visit this restaurant if i goes Berlin again. The son of the owner spoke English, you can ask him to do recommendations (the menu was in German).

[Food recommendation] Gold Mine Restaurant, Bayswater, London, United Kingdom

Address: 102 Queensway, London W2 3RR

Price:  A plate of duck rice costs 8.50 pounds

Review: I don't usually eat skin, but the skin was so good that i just scrapped off the fats and eat it. the meat was also very tender, and the highlight was the sauce. Being Asian, I have eaten a lot of duck rice, but this one still wowed me. (p.s. Just order the duck rice will do, the pork was normal).

(picture credit: https://www.zomato.com/london/gold-mine-bayswater/menu)

[Food recommendation] The Golden Hind, Marylebone, London, United Kingdom

Price: around $15-$20SGD

Address: 73 Marylebone Lane, London W1U 2PN

Review: We had our dinner at the famous restaurant “The Golden Hind”. The fish and chips were SUPERB. It was a real fish (you can choose what fish you want), and the meat was very tender and juicy. The restaurant owner came to chat with us. He was very surprised that we spoke good English. And after he found out we were from Singapore, he identified us as a Commonwealth country and stated that many of his customers were Singaporeans J

I ordered Haddock (i think).

(i can't remember what my friend ordered, either Plaice or Halibut)

(picture credit: https://www.yelp.co.uk/biz_photos/the-golden-hind-london?select=_k627-a3ANLsItD4QgmxkQ) 

(picture credit: https://www.yelp.co.uk/biz_photos/the-golden-hind-london?select=xVAHVPpfmEkzHcfCTg4Rcg) 

(picture credit: https://www.yelp.co.uk/biz_photos/the-golden-hind-london?select=ryftM6iZ9u35zltt7oECOg) 

[Food recommendation] Dorset Cafe, Marylebone, London, United Kingdom

Meal: Breakfast

Price: within SGD$10

Address: 27 Melcombe St, London NW1 6AG, United Kingdom (near Baker Street Station)

Review: The staff were quite friendly, especially when they knew we spoke English.

The chicken was so tender and savory. *heart eyes emoji*

My friend commented that the bacon was very fresh too!

Menu (credit: https://www.zomato.com/london/dorset-cafe-marylebone/menu)

Exterior of cafe (credit: https://www.zomato.com/london/dorset-cafe-marylebone/photos) 

[Food recommendation] Bonjuk Porridge, Seoul

I ordered Abalone porridge.

It is very healthy, tasty and i like the side dishes. one of them is even pork (tasted a lot like braised pork rib)!

It has franchise all over Seoul.

[Food recommendation] Me Ijeu Wellbeing Korean Restaurant, Mazeland, Jeju, South Korea

It. Was. The. Nicest. Bibimbap. In. My. Life.

It was a buffet style restaurant located inside Mazeland, where you can mix and match what Korean cuisine you want to eat (bibimbap - vegetarian or non-vegetarian, BBQ wrap...etc.). There's lots of different types of vegetable, which i've never seen before but it's super nice.

Most people there are Koreans, it's like a canteen style of restaurant that can accommodate hundreds (?) of people. After you're done with your meal, you are required to clean up after yourself and get a hot cup of beneficial tea on your way out.

See this blog for more description and photos of the restaurant. i didn't think of taking any photos in the restaurant.
http://tayleechin.blogspot.sg/2014/08/maze-wellbeing-korean-restaurant.html

[Accommodation review] Chalet Bel Air, Wengen, Switzerland

Chalet Bel Air (Wengen)

Website to book: Airbnb

Cost: around $95 pax / night. It might seems expensive but it's one of the cheaper accommodation at Lauterbrunnen / Jungfrau area.

Location:  Wengen, near the Wengen train station.

Size of accommodation: A private room and shared area

Accommodates: 2

Location: 3.5/5. It is 5 mins away from the Wengen Train Station. There's Coop (super mart), pub and souvenir stores around in the small town. Wengen is one of the two stations you will need to be at if you want to go up to Jungfrau. Thus, the location is very strategic. In addition, as it's on the mountain, even if it's summer, it's not hot. The view from the accommodation is rather nice as well.  

Cleanliness: 1/5. What's with the bed bugs, hair on the bed, messy rooms, and dirty pots and pans? It might be an one-off event because there's a lot of positive comments on his page. But the Korean couple and us were very put off by what we saw.

Host(s): Didn't see the host. His friend came to fix the things after we feed back to him.

Design: 4/5. See pictures above. Looks nice if not for the cleanliness.

Facilities: wifi, you can use the kitchen to cook your stuff. There is microwave (that the owner's friend brought over on the last night when we were leaving).

Security: You're given a set of code to the main door after the reservation is confirmed. And you can lock your room's door. There's a security camera at the living room. There's another room where other tourists (may or may not) stay.

Additional comments:

• I think there's a pub/restaurant below, so it is a bit noisy, but still bearable. There's a long flight of stairs and no lift.
• Neighbours seems friendly.
• I would recommend staying in Wengen if you're going to Jungfrau. You can observe the weather and buy the tickets in the wee morning at the station. The scenery and environment of the small car-free town is so nice. It really feels like a holiday, away from the hustle and bustle.
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Disclaimer: this post is not sponsored. The above is entirely my personal opinion.

[Accommodation review] VI VADI HOTEL downtown munich, Munich, Germany

VI VADI HOTEL downtown munich, Munich, Germany

Website to book: Agoda and many other hotel booking websites

Cost: Comfort Twin Room with Garden View (there's no garden view!!!), no breakfast -60/pax/night

Location:  Marsstreet 6-10, Maxvorstadt, Munich, Germany 80335

Size of accommodation: 25 sq m

Accommodates: 2

Location: 3/5. It's rather near the Munich Main Station, again good for travelers who have luggage and are transiting via the main station (to other nearby countries). However, it is also at the red light district, though the other side of the station seems to be where the actions are at. There's a lot of smokers around the district. In general, we still feel rather safe. 

Cleanliness: 3/5. 

Host(s): Don't expect much.

Design: 3/5. standard hotel room.

Facilities: wifi is slow in Germany in general. There's no fan and no air-con in the room, and the lift is very slow.

Security: As written under location

Additional comments:

• The so-called garden is a small backyard with some potted plants (?) and grass. There's no view at all. But at least it's not facing the road. We asked the receptionists where's the garden and they laughed
• There's no fan and aircon. at night you'll need to open the window for ventilation.

Disclaimer: this post is not sponsored. The above is entirely my personal opinion.

[Accomodation Review] Intercityhotel Berlin Hauptbahnhof, Berlin, Germany

Intercityhotel Berlin Hauptbahnhof

Website to book: Agoda  and many other hotel booking websites. Agoda gave the cheapest rate when we book that time.

Cost: Standard Double Advance Purchase including City Travel Card (no breakfast) - around SGD$60+/pax / night

Location:  5 Katharina-Paulus-Str., Tiergarten, Berlin, Germany 10557

Size of accommodation: 20 sq m

Accommodates: 2

Location: 4/5. It is just a building away from the Berlin Main Station, it is best for travelers with luggage and will be taking train to other parts of Germany. The station is a huge shopping mall itself, when the weather is not good, you can just stay in the station to shop the day away. Thee's also a 24-hr pharmacy in the station. Even if the hotel is not in the vicinity of the attractions i.e. museum island, the free city ticket during our stay made up for it.  

Cleanliness: 5/5.

Host(s): Rather unfriendly receptionists

Design: 3/5. Standard hotel room, but it's clean and comfy.

Facilities: wifi (Germany's wifi/data in general is quite bad, so don't expect much)

Security: Just 5 mins walk away from Berlin Hbf, in general is quite ok. 

Disclaimer: this post is not sponsored. The above is entirely my personal opinion.

[Travel Tips] How to reserve tickets to the Neuschwanstein Castle when the website is in German

Website: https://www.hohenschwangau.de/1293.0.html 

Tips: Book as soon as you can!

Step 1: click on the castle (s) and museum (s) you want to visit

Step 2: Fill in this page accordingly and submit (refer to the screenshot below for the English version of the form)

Step 3: Once confirmed (which is not immediate, you may have to wait for weeks like what i did), they will send you a pdf confirmation via your email, which will state the ticket price and latest pick-up time.

Step 4: Go to the ticket reservation queue directly to pick up your tickets.

[Travel Tips] Types of travel adapters Singaporean need (will be updated periodically)

It is only based on my personal experience. 

Power socket in London (and Great Britain)

Credit: http://www.visitlondon.com/traveller-information/essential-information/electricity#KyX6HTI3Kc2L3mYK.97

Travel adapter required: Nil.

It is the same as Singapore. Basically a lot of things are similar between Singapore and London (i.e. traffic rules…etc.).

Power socket in Germany and Switzerland (or Europe in general)

Travel adapter required: As below.

As you can see, the universal travel adapter (below) can't fit into the wall socket. It will not hold securely.

To charge multiple devices, this is what I’ll do (or course you can’t go overboard in case it causes short circuit)

Power socket in Korea

Same as the one for Europe (see above)

Power socket in Taiwan (to be verified when I go Taiwan again next week)

Credit: http://taipeidreams.com/2011/09/how-to-use-my-electronic-gadgets-with-taiwan-electricity/