Tag: holidays

Rediscovering Post-Pandemic HONG KONG: 4 Days & 4 Nights Around Asia’s Dynamic World City for Less Than 30,000 All-In [December 2023]

In December 2023, my friends and I flew to Hong Kong for 4 days after winning free base fare tickets with Cathay Pacific. We joined the Hong Kong International Airport Authority’s World of Winners campaign in the Philippines, and we each got one roundtrip free base fare ticket valid until December 2023. My friends and I chose December as our travel month to avoid the heat (which we did not), and to have better weather in general.

Today, I will share with you what happened in these 4 days and 4 nights around Hong Kong. My friends and I have all been to Hong Kong in the past, but we still went for the usual sightings. Read on below to learn which places we visited and how we managed to fit everything in for less than ₱30,000 per person all-in.

Hong Kong SAR

Hong Kong is a special administrative region of the People’s Republic of China. The autonomous territory has its own government, economy, and currency. This highly developed territory is one of Asia’s financial and economic hubs; it is the center or base of many multi-national companies and corporations.

Hong Kong is one of the Philippines’ biggest travel markets. Many Filipinos fly between Hong Kong and the Philippines daily. It is also one of the favorite and first-time go-to destinations of Filipino families and tourists. Hong Kong grants Philippine passport holders a 14-day visa-free entry to the territory.

Plane Tickets

My friends and I won complimentary return base fare tickets with Cathay Pacific from the Hong Kong International Airport Authority’s World of Winners campaign. The HKIAA gave out thousands of roundtrip plane tickets to Hong Kong to people from around the world to lure travelers back to and revive Hong Kong’s post-pandemic tourism industry.

I only paid US$66.30 (₱3,638.99 charged by my local bank) each for taxes and fees for the return Cathay Pacific flights. I wrote about these Cathay Pacific flights in my previous flight reports: CX 912 Manila to Hong Kong and CX 901 Hong Kong to Manila. I hope you can check out these reports.

Accommodation

My friends and I went around Hong Kong for 4 days and 4 nights and chose Yesinn Youth Hostel @ Yau Ma Tei as our accommodation. It is a no-frills hostel with Hong Kong-standard-sized private rooms and private toilets. We paid ₱4,988.64 each for 4 nights in 2 standard bunk rooms.

I wrote about the property and our 4-night stay in this affordable accommodation. I hope you can check out the hostel of the day feature on Yesinn Youth Hostel @ Yau Ma Tei here.

Going Around Hong Kong

Hong Kong has an efficient transportation system. Everything is accessible by trains, subways, buses, and trams. The country’s transportation system is also synced with Google. It is easy to search and navigate your way around the territory if you have a working internet connection.

 

My friends and I bought and used the country’s Octopus Card for all types of transportation during the trip. The Octopus Card is a reusable contactless smart stored value card widely used around Hong Kong. It is also a widely accepted alternative mode of payment in the territory. We bought Octopus Cards for HKD200 each with HKD150 stored value and HKD50 refundable card deposit.

Internet Sim Card

My friends and I bought this internet sim card from Klook, paid ₱400.60 after discounts, and plugged it into one of our spare phones. We accessed and shared the mobile data through the phone’s mobile hotspot.

The internet sim card came with 80 GB of LTE high-speed data and 1,000 local voice minutes. The four of us did not even use up 25% of the sim card’s data allocation.

Travel Insurance

One of my non-negotiables when going on a trip is getting travel insurance. This insurance protects me from any happenings, delays, cancellations, or unexpected circumstances during a trip.

For this Hong Kong trip, I bought my travel insurance from Standard Insurance. I paid ₱350 for the Asia Protect Peso 500K insurance plan.

Places Visited in Hong Kong

As mentioned above, my friends and I are not first-timers in Hong Kong. We carefully chose the places we visited and took our time going around these places. Here are the places we have been on this four-day trip.

YAU MA TEI

We walked around our hostel neighborhood, Yau Ma Tei, while waiting for check-in. We came across a small local café, had a nice lunch, and immediately had our egg tart fix.

K11 MUSEA

K11 Musea is a modern, artsy, and beautifully designed shopping mall near Victoria Harbour. This uniquely designed shopping mall has hundreds of retail shops, restaurants, and entertainment spaces for all its visitors.

VICTORIA HARBOUR & AVENUE OF THE STARS

We visited Victoria Harbour and Avenue of the Stars for the nightly “A Symphony of Lights” at 8:00 p.m. light show.

NGONG PING 360 CABLE CAR

My friends and I took the 25-minute Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car to Ngong Ping Village. We took the glass cabin to the village and rode in the standard cabin on the way back. We got our tickets from Klook and paid ₱1,803.20 each.

NGONG PING VILLAGE, TIAN TAN BUDDHA & PO LIN MONASTERY

Upon arrival, we walked around Ngong Village and checked out the different shops. We also had our photos taken with the Tian Tan Buddha. We went up to the big Buddha structure and explored the museum inside. We also checked out the Po Lin Monastery before going back to Tung Chung.

CITYGATE OUTLETS

After Ngong Ping, we went to CityGate Outlets and had lunch. We spent the rest of the day shopping and finding the best footwear and wardrobe deals.

VICTORIA PEAK TRAM & SKY TERRACE 428

We took the iconic tram to Victoria Peak and enjoyed the beautiful panoramic Hong Kong skyline from Sky Terrace 428. We got our Sky Terrace 428 and return tram tickets from Klook and paid ₱725.55 each after discounts.

CENTRAL

We walked around Central, checked out some shops, and had lunch at Five Guys.

MONGKOK

We visited the bustling and busy area of Mongkok on our second to last night. We met a friend for dinner and spent the rest of the night around the busy Ladies Market and Mongkok shopping district.

HONG KONG DISNEYLAND

My friends and I spent our last day at Hong Kong Disneyland. We got early entry tickets from Klook and paid ₱6,394.03 each. We got into the theme park an hour before the official opening time and enjoyed the new rides at the recently opened (at the time of our visit) World of Frozen. We rode multiple rides throughout the day and stayed until the iconic fireworks display and the theme park closed.

Also, we availed of Klook’s Hong Kong Disneyland Dining Voucher, which included a lunch meal and a dinner meal in selected restaurants. We also got free ice cream (or caramel popcorn) from this voucher. We paid ₱1,836.35 each after discounts.

Summary of Expenses

On top of all these expenses, I exchanged the Philippine Peso for Hong Kong Dollars prior to leaving Manila for this trip. I exchanged HKD940 for ₱6,956 in a money changer in Makati Central Square.

Here is a list of all my expenses for this 4-day and 4-night trip to Hong Kong in December 2023:

Disclaimer: The expenses above do not include personal shopping (from CityGate Outlets), chocolates, and other ‘pasalubongs’.

I spent ₱28,412.91 for a 4-day and 4-night trip to Hong Kong — plane tickets, accommodation, entry tickets, food, and pocket money included. Not bad, eh?

My friends and I got lucky by winning free base fare tickets with Cathay Pacific. If, by any chance, we get our tickets for ₱1 base fare, the whole trip will pretty much be in the same cost range.

This 2023 Hong Kong trip summary shows that traveling on a budget is still possible given the elevated prices of everything. One needs to carefully plan and choose the places to visit.

Have you been to Hong Kong recently? How was your trip? I hope you had fun! Which place do you want to visit again? I hope you can share your experiences in the comments section below. Do you have any questions about anything mentioned above? You may send them to me via email at contact@thewkndtravel.com.

Thank you for joining me in today’s 2023 Hong Kong trip recap. I hope to visit more and more places on a budget and share how I did it with everyone. Before you go, I hope you can like, follow and share my social media pages – Facebook and Instagram. This will help me increase my reach; it will also keep you up-to-date with the latest blog posts, itineraries and flight reports on this website. Thank you and see you in the next one!

PS. Photos were taken using my OnePlus 9 Pro.

3-Day Kuala Lumpur Weekend: Do-It-Yourself Below 20K Trip Around Malaysia’s Modern Capital City [July 2022]

Last July 2022, my friends & I took advantage of the relaxed border requirements & flew to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for a quick 3-day trip. We decided to fly to Kuala Lumpur since it was the cheapest international destination from Manila at the time of booking our air tickets. It was also my friends’ first-time visiting Malaysia. Allow me to share details of this quick & affordable 3 days around Malaysia’s modern capital city.

Airfare

I flew with Singapore Airlines to Kuala Lumpur a few days before my friends did & only paid US$146.69 return. The ticket initially cost US$199.70. I redeemed 7,665 KrisFlyer miles (which I earned back in 2019 from my trip to Europe) & got the ticket for the lower price mentioned above. My bank charged me ₱7,926.12 including foreign currency conversion charges.

The full-service ticket includes 25 kilograms check-in baggage allowance, 7 kilograms carry-on baggage allowance, inflight meals, personal entertainment system & 1.5 hours layover / transit (both ways) in Singapore Changi Airport. This Singapore Airlines ticket was definitely a good deal considering the ticket was booked a month before the scheduled flights & the airline provided full flight service.

My friends flew with Cebu Pacific Air to & from Kuala Lumpur & paid around ₱9,800 return. The ticket included 7-kilograms of carry-on baggage allowance. They opted to fly with Cebu Pacific Air because they found the airline’s flight times perfect for their schedules.

Want to know the difference between full-service carriers like Singapore Airlines & low-cost service airlines like Cebu Pacific Air? Check out this Flight 101 post about these 2 types of airlines.

I wrote separate blogs about my flight experience with Singapore on these flights to & from Kuala Lumpur. Head over to these flight reports to know more: Manila to Singapore, Singapore to Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur to Singapore & Singapore to Manila.

Entry Requirements

Malaysia still imposed entry requirements at the time of this trip. Fully-vaccinated passengers were exempted from pre-departure & on arrival testing requirements & quarantine but were asked to provide & verify vaccination status prior to their flight. We were also asked to register & obtain the Digital Travelers Card (Blue Traveler Card) at least 3 days before the scheduled flight. Partially vaccinated or unvaccinated passengers were asked to provide pre-departure test results, take on arrival testing & isolate / quarantine for a few days. They were issued the Home Surveillance Order (Red Traveler Card) that was checked during the check-in process.

As of 1 August 2022, Malaysia has removed all entry requirements for all incoming international passengers. All travelers are allowed to enter the country regardless of vaccination status & are not required to provide negative test results & undergo quarantine. All quarantine orders related to Covid-19 have been lifted by the Malaysian government.

Please note that these entry requirements may still change from time to time. Make sure to check the Malaysian government’s website, MySafeTravel, days before your trip for any changes in the entry requirements. You may also check these requirements on your airline’s Covid-19 travel information pages.

KLIA to Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) is located in Sepang District, about an hour away from the main city of Kuala Lumpur. There are several ways to go to Kuala Lumpur from the airport & vice versa. The fastest & most expensive way is via the KLIA Ekspres. This train service takes about 40 minutes & costs RM55 one-way or RM100 return.

The cheap & more affordable option is via the hourly bus trip to & from KL Sentral. The fare costs RM15 one-way & the trip takes about 1 to 1.5 hours depending on traffic. Private transfers are also available via Klook & KKday for a little over ₱700.

I took the bus from KLIA to KL Sentral & paid only RM15. On the way back, I booked a private transfer from my accommodation back to KLIA. I paid ₱736 for this private transfer & was picked up from my hostel.

Accommodation

My friends & I stayed at Hotel Westree KL Sentral. My friend Junelle & I booked 3 nights in their superior twin room & only paid ₱2,633.93 for the whole stay. We took advantage of Traveloka’s 20% off promotion & got a ₱650+ discount. We paid the hotel ₱878 per night – that’s ₱439 each per person per night. That is almost the same rate as some hostels in Kuala Lumpur.

The hotel is located at 142 Jalan Tun Sambanthan, Brickfields, right at the back of NU Sentral Shopping Mall. It is close to the KL Sentral Monorail Station & a few minutes walk to the KL Sentral bus terminal & KL Sentral train station. The property is also near a number of convenience stores, shops & restaurants. Its location is a 10 out of 10.

Hotel Westree KL Sentral’s room was just right. It has 2 single beds, air conditioning, a big closet, a desk & a large mirror. It also has a private toilet & shower with complete amenities. The hotel doesn’t offer a breakfast option but has a small shop near reception. They also have a water dispenser near the lounge area where guests can refill their water containers free of charge. The property allows guests to leave their luggage before check-in or after check-out.

Transportation Around the City

Going around Kuala Lumpur is easy. Almost all of the places to visit are accessible by train, monorail, or by bus. My friends & I were lucky because train & bus rides during our visit were free of charge. The government announced free MRT, LRT, BRT (bus rapid transit), monorail, Rapid KL bus & KTM Komuter rides in Klang Valley for a month from 16 June to 15 July 2022. This free ride service followed after the launch of the new MRT Putrajaya Line.

Outside these trains & buses, visitors can also book ride-hailing applications such as Grab & Air Asia Ride. You read that right! Air Asia has a ride-hailing subsidiary operating around Kuala Lumpur. My friends & I used Air Asia on selected rides during our visit. They have cheaper rates compared to Grab.

Places Visited in Kuala Lumpur

My friends were only in Kuala Lumpur for 3 full days. We visited as many places as possible in this short span of time. We also met one of my friends, Geof (from my Siquijor, Siargao & Myanmar trips before), who’s now based in the city. Check out the places we’ve been to in these 3 days.

DAY 1 – BOTANICAL GARDEN, MERDEKA SQUARE & CHINATOWN

Day 1 started with a train ride to Pasar Seni Station & a breakfast meal at a local hawker place. We had our chicken & rice meal for RM8 & a glass of cold the Tarik for RM2.50.

After breakfast, we headed to the bus stop & found out that the old bus route to the botanical garden is no longer operational. We then decided to just walk for 30 to 45 minutes to the Perdana Botanical Garden. We walked around the botanical garden for about an hour. Entrance to the botanical garden is free.

From Perdana Botanical Garden, we took an Air Asia Ride to Suria KLCC. We walked around the shopping mall & then checked out the Petronas Twin Towers from the outside.

After going around KLCC Suria & the Petronas Twin Towers, we took the train from KLCC Station to Masjid Jamek Station. We walked a bit & decided to have a late lunch at Secret Recipe near the Central Market. I got their vegetarian fried rice satay meal for around RM20.

After lunch, we walked to Masjid Jamek Lookout Point @ River of Life, then to Masjid Jamek Pedestrian Bridge & back to the Masjid Jamek station area. We didn’t bother to go inside Masjid Jamek Mosque because we were in wearing shorts.

We then went to see the Sultan Abdul Samad Building from the outside & walked around Dataran Merdeka (Merdeka Square) – the country’s Independence Square.

We dropped by the KL City Gallery to have our photos taken in the iconic I ❤️ KL sign, then headed to the Central Market to meet my friend Geof.

We walked along the Petaling Street Market & headed to Kwai Chai Hong to take photos of the murals.

We had our dinner in the famous Lan Zhou Mee Tarik Restaurant. I ordered their beef daoxiao (knife-cut) noodles paired with their beef barbecue stick & a can of Sprite. The whole meal only cost me RM22.

After dinner, we had our first round of drinks at Pik Wah Restaurant. We then headed to Bukit Bintang to meet with my friends from Couchsurfing for another round of drinks.

We missed the last KL monorail trip so we took the last train to Muzeum Negara Station & walked back to Hotel Westree.

DAY 2 – BATU CAVES, BUKIT BINTANG & KL SKYLINE

Day 2 started with breakfast at McDonalds KL Sentral Station. After breakfast, we took an Air Asia Ride to Batu Caves.

My friends & I went up the 272 stairs to see what’s in the cave. The whole trip up to the cave & back took us around 30 minutes. We left Batu Caves before 11:00am & took the KMT Komuter train back to KL Sentral.

We went back to Hotel Westree to freshen up. Just before lunch, we walked to Little India to check out the area & also drop by the Catholic Church of Our Lady of Fatima.

We took the KL Monorail from KL Sentral Station to Bukit Bintang Station & had lunch at Lot 10 Hutong – a food court / modern hawker center at the lower ground floor of Lot 10 Shopping Mall. We bid our goodbyes to my friend Geof & then went to order food for lunch.

I got char siu pork rice meal & char kway teow (stir fried noodles) with chicken for lunch. I also shared hokkien mee with one of my friends. I can say I ate a lot during that meal.

After lunch, we walked around Bukit Bintang. We’ve been to Jonetz by Don Don Donki (their Donki store originally from Japan) & mostly around The Pavilion Mall.

Around 4:00pm, we took an Air Asia Ride to KL Tower. We bought our tickets (RM110 each on site – I suggest that you buy ahead of time from Klook) & went up the Sky Deck & Sky Box. We took photos with the glass boxes & waited for sunset & night time.

At 7:30pm, we went down from KL Tower & walked to Suria KLCC. We again took photos of the Petronas Twin Towers at night. From Suria KLCC, we walked to the Bukit Nanas Monorail station & took the monorail to Bukit Bintang Station.

We dropped by Jonetz by Don Don Donki to buy some stuff before heading back to Hotel Westree again via the KL Monorail.

DAY 3 – GENTING HIGHLANDS & CHINATOWN (AGAIN)

We checked out from Hotel Westree at 7:00am & walked to the KL Sentral Bus Terminal to take our 8:00am bus to Awana Bus Terminal. We bought the return bus tickets in advance from this website & paid RM18 roundtrip.

The bus trip took about an hour. Upon arrival at Awana Bus Terminal, we had breakfast in one of the convenience stores. Most of the restaurants were still closed. Minutes before 10:00am, we went up to the cable car station & took the regular cable car up to Genting Highlands. PS. We bought the cable car tickets ahead of time & only paid RM31 for a one-way standard gondola & one-way glass bottom gondola.

We walked around Genting Higlands shopping malls & theme parks for a few hours. We had our lunch in the food court. I had chicken char siu rice for the main meal & cendol for dessert.

Around 1:30pm, we took the glass bottom gondola down to Chin Swee Station & walked to the Chin Swee Caves Temple. This Chin Swee Station stop is a free stop on the return gondola tickets.

After an hour, we took the cable car again back to Awana Station & went around some premium outlet stores beside the bus terminal.

At 4:00pm, we took the bus from Awana Bus Terminal back to KL Sentral Bus Station. We went straight to Chinatown to buy some last-minute pasalubong & to have dinner. Around 7:00pm, we took the train back to KL Sentral, walked to Hotel Westree to get our stuff.

Junelle & friends walked to the bus terminal to take the 8:00pm bus to KLIA Terminal 2. Meanwhile, I booked an Air Asia Ride to my next hostel – The Beds KLCC.

Summary of Expenses

I mentioned in the title that this 3-day trip cost below 20,000 all in. This total cost does not apply to me since I stayed in Kuala Lumpur for 8 days. However, it does apply to my friends who went there for 3 full days. Let us look at the breakdown of expenses below.

My friend paid ₱9,758.27 for the Cebu Pacific Air roundtrip ticket to Kuala Lumpur on Cebu Pacific Air. Prior to flying to Kuala Lumpur, she paid her share on the following: 3-night accommodation at Hotel Westree (₱1,316.97), Genting Highlands return bus tickets (₱227.83), roundtrip cable car tickets (₱396.74) & KLIA to Hotel Westree transfer (₱410.34). On the day of the flight, she paid the required travel tax worth ₱1,620.

She brought a pocket money of RM500 (conversion rate of ₱12.50 per RM1 = ₱6,250). This pocket money was enough to cover 3 meals per day (averaging RM10-RM20 per meal including drinks), all Air Asia Rides we took, bus ticket back to KLIA2, KL Tower Sky Deck & Sky Box entry ticket (RM110) & treats (pasalubong) she bought from Jonetz by Don Don Donki & Chinatown.

She spent ₱19,980.15 all in for this 3-day weekend in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I believe this total trip cost is affordable & acceptable given the following reasons: (a) this trip was booked a month before the intended travel dates, (b) high fuel prices which resulted to higher fuel surcharges in air tickets & (c) current inflation rate. Gone are the days (at least for now) that return international tickets with Cebu Pacific Air were below ₱3,000.

That sums up our recent trip to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The pandemic & the current world crisis may have changed a lot of things, but our love for discovering new places, investing in experiences & traveling on a budget remains. Do you have any questions about traveling around Kuala Lumpur or anything mentioned above? Feel free to post them in the comments section below. You may also send in your questions & comments via e-mail to contact@thewkndtravel.com.

Thank you for joining me in today’s trip to Kuala Lumpur. Please look forward to the next one! Before you go, can you visit my social media channels –Facebook & Instagram – and like or follow them? Thank you.

PS. Photos were taken using my OnePlus 9 Pro.

N9 In Straya Series: Walking Around MELBOURNE Part 2 – Hipster Laneways, Communal Spaces & Modern Areas

Last month, I revived the N9 In Straya Series & started talking about our 8 days & 7 nights adventure in Melbourne last April. First, I shared with you the list of parks, gardens & heritage places we visited during the trip. I also gave you some details about Flinders Backpackers, our cheap but super cool hostel in downtown Melbourne. I still have a lot about Melbourne to share & allow me to share some with you today. Let me talk about the laneways, communal spaces & modern areas we visited during the trip.

Note: As mentioned in the previous blog, tram rides within Melbourne CBD are free of charge. Also, the city is very accessible by foot.

Melbourne is known for its hipster laneways, coffee shops & everything artsy. I may not be a coffee-drinker but this city is full of small artsy shops offering special coffee, avocado toasts & pastries. My friends didn’t go to many coffee shops (we went to milk tea shops instead lol) but surely went to some of these laneways & alleys. Let me share with you some of these places below.

DEGREAVES STREET

Degreaves Street is a short pedestrian street that connects Flinders St & Flinders Lane. It is a famous place to eat a hearty brunch, get your morning coffee, avail your afternoon snack or buy your evening dessert. This vibrant street has become a famous go-to places for both locals & tourists. You’ll often see shops / stalls having random queues for something cheap, hippie or artsy.

HOSIER LANE

Hosier Lane is Melbourne’s famous graffiti street. This short lane is full of random & sophisticated street arts. International & local artists put on graffiti in the walls about anything & everything about the world. There are some iconic arts, some controversial while most of them are just random ones. These street arts or murals are not as organized as that of Penang‘s but they give a different experience whilst walking along the paved way.

FEDERATION SQUARE

Federation Square is a one-of-a-kind cultural precinct located opposite Flinders Station. This communal space is a venue for cultural events, arts & world-class activities. It also has bars & restaurants, making it a perfect place to just hang out & chill.

CHINATOWN

Just like any other city around the world, Melbourne has its own local Chinatown. It is in this place where you will have your rice fix (I know – very Asian). It’s also the place to have cheap food & souvenirs. We had our 1st lunch in the famous Shanghai Street Chinese Restaurant – cheap & good Chinese food.

COLLINS PLACE

Melbourne has a lot of modern & intricately-designed retail & commercial buildings. One of these buildings is Collins Place. This commercial complex was designed & built way back in the 1970’s & up to now, still embodies the true Melbourne character. The structures are unique & are well-maintained. It’s also a good place to meet with friends for random eats & drinks.

MELBOURNE CENTRAL

Melbourne Central is a massive commercial, retail & transport hub in the city. It has hundreds of specialty stores, bars & restaurants which makes it the best place to go out with friends. You can find both local & international clothing, footwear & accessories brands here. It’s also the best place to shop in Melbourne. This complex is located in the heart of the city in the corner of La Trobe & Swanston Streets.

YARRA RIVER

Yarra River is a body of water that originates from the Yarra Ranges & runs through the Melbourne Business District. This river played a very important role in the daily lives of the early city inhabitants. It made the lives of those living in the upper areas easier to transport everything to & from the city. Now, the city-part of the river serves a tourist destination, giving the visitors a perfect view of the Melbourne skyline. A walk by the banks of the Yarra River is a perfect way to start or end your day in the city.

SOUTHBANK

Southbank is a booming urban neighborhood located in the south of the Yarra River. It now an area of tall commercial & residential buildings. Southbank currently has Melbourne’s tallest observation deck in Eureka Tower. A 100-storey building in Southbank is currently under construction & will be Australia’s tallest building by roof height in a few years. The area of Southbank by the Yarra River is also a great place to have a morning or night stroll. It’s also the perfect place to have a pint of beer with friends overlooking the city skyline.

VICTORIA HARBOUR

Victoria Harbour is the Docklands precinct where Collins & Bourke Streets meet. This picturesque harbour has a stunning & relaxing view of Docklands, Marvel Stadium, Newquay & some parts of West Melbourne. Please do not compare this with Sydney Harbour because this place is way behind the famous New South Wales harbour.

SOUTHERN CROSS RAILWAY STATION

Southern Cross Railway Station in Docklands is Victoria’s major transport hub that links Melbourne to regional Victorian cities & even other Australian states like New South Wales & South Australia. This station is the main hub of Skybus – the only bus transport service that operates between the city & Melbourne Tullamarine & Avalon Airports. The station also serves as the departure & arrival points of interstate buses. The station is also connected to the city loop making it easier to transfer to Melbourne’s other railway hub – Flinders Street Railway Station.

This pretty much sums up all the interesting places we’ve been to within the City of Melbourne. However, the adventure didn’t stop there. My friends & I booked 3 well-recommended day trips to the countryside which you will know more about in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!

View from the 66th Floor of Light House Melbourne – a beautiful skyscaper in Melbourne CBD

Have you walked around the Melbourne central business district in the past? How was your experience? What was your favorite spot in the city? Share some details in the comments section below. If you have anything to ask or share to me, feel free to send an e-mail to contact@thewkndtravel.com & I’ll respond as soon as I can. Don’t forget to follow me & please please please also help me in promoting my social media channels – Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

Thanks for your time & see you in the next Melbourne post. ✌️

PS. Photos were taken using my HTC U11.

N9 In Straya Series: Walking Around MELBOURNE Part 1 – Parks, Gardens & Heritage Sites

Last August 2018, I went to Australia for a week-long trip with my N9 friends, Shane & Leng. We spent days around Sydney’s heritage sites & country icons, tried the extreme rides in Scenic World Blue Mountains, toured Hunter Valley & had a taste of the best wines in the region & walked along the beautiful Bondi & Coogee Beaches. I also had the chance to spend a few days with my relatives in Brisbane. It was the perfect dry winter trip, away from the humid & rainy Manila.

We all got multiple entry visas on our 1st application (find out here how we did it) & we agreed to fly to Australia again before our visas expire. Fast forward to April 2019, we all flew back to Australia for another week of adventure.. But this time, in Melbourne! Yes, we went around Melbourne & Victoria in general for 8 days & oh boy, we had a great time. I cannot wait to share everything in this platform. This trip to Melbourne also means I’ll be reviving the N9 In Straya Series which started last year.

We were joined by my good friend, Lord of LordAroundTheWorld, for the first 4 days in Melbourne. Lord was the one who invited me to go to Its The Ship 2018 last November. We had the best party nights on board a cruise ship – good times. Anyway, I will be dividing the trip write-ups into 6 or 7 sections & I’ll try to remember as much details as I can.

FLIGHTS

Last year, I paid around ₱11,500 all-in for a return ticket to Australia. Yes, that cheap! We flew with Cebu Pacific Air, a low-cost carrier, for 8-hour trips to & from Sydney. The experience was alright, though nothing beats flying with a full-service airline. Given our planned dates fall on the high (Holy Week) season, we decided to fly with the same airline in their Melbourne route.

This time, I paid around ₱15,000 for a round-trip ticket to Melbourne, Australia. The ticket only included shared baggage with my friends, no in-flight entertainment or food. Both flights were on time which were good. However, the experience was terrible. The flight was full, we had no space to change seats & have a row of seats to ourselves. The cabin was noisy in general & the service was a bit slow. The crew were fantastic, there were just around 400+ passengers on board.

This Melbourne ticket is amazingly cheap considering higher fuel prices & taxes. I’d still take the same flights but not during peak seasons.

ACCOMMODATION

My friends & I stayed in Flinders Backpackers in the center of Melbourne. We got a 3-bed dormitory room (perfect for us 3 – Lord got his own bed in another dormitory room) for 8 days & 7 nights. I will talk more about the hostel, its location & our experience in my upcoming hostel of the day feature. Watch out for that.

WALKING AROUND MELBOURNE

Last year, my friends & I joined the I’m Free Tours in Sydney & we had a nice experience. We opted not to take the I’m Free Tours Melbourne because we already know about the history of Australia. It would’ve been nice to know more about Melbourne in that walking tour but my friends didn’t want to take it again. Instead, we explored the city on our own. Trams are free within the central business district plus everything in the area can be reached by foot. Today, allow me to share with you the list of heritage & historical sites, parks & gardens we went to in the city.

Flinders Street Station

Flinders Street Station is Melbourne’s main train station. It was built in the 1850s & then transform into what it is now in the early 1900s. It is Australia’s first railway station. The station serves the whole Victorian metropolitan network. Flinders Street Station also has one of the world’s longest train platform at 708 m long.

St Paul’s Cathedral

Located opposite Flinders Station & Federation Square, St Paul’s Cathedral is another heritage structure built in the late 1800’s. It is an Anglican cathedral in Melbourne, the cathedral church of the Diocese of Melbourne & the seat of the Anglican Primate of Australia.

Royal Exhibition Building

Royal Exhibition Building is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Carlton Gardens, Victoria. It was built in the late 1800’s & has been used for events & exhibitions in the city. Up to now, the place is used for those types of functions. Note that this building is undergoing a multi-million renovation & is expected to be completed by 2020.

Carlton Gardens

Carlton Gardens is a 26-hectare site located a few streets from the main city. This massive open space has the Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne Museum & IMAX Cinema in it. Just like the Royal Exhibition Building, Carlton Gardens was also declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004.

Shrine of Remembrance

The Shrine of Remembrance is a war memorial that is dedicated to all Victorians who served in the war, particularly during the World War 1. The shrine is located outside the Central Business District, but is only a few tram stops from Flinders Street Station.

Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne

Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne is a 36-hectare botanic garden located at the south of the Yarra River. This botanic garden is home to thousands of plant species located along slopes, garden beds, lakes & lawns. This botanic garden serves as a breakout space & a bonding place for people who wanted to take a break from the busy city life. Entry to the garden is free of charge.

Fitzroy Gardens

Fitzroy Gardens is another 26-hectare block of greens at the back of the Parliament Square. This massive parkland is another park that is located within the Melbourne CBD. The Cook’s Cottage can also be found in this park.

Parliament House of Victoria

The Parliament House of Victoria is the house or meeting building of the Victorian Parliament. This historical & heritage landmark is located along Spring Street, beside the Old Treasury Building. The building was under renovation during our visit last April.

Old Treasury Building

From the name itself, the Old Treasury Building used to house the Treasury Department of the Government of Victoria. This old but beautiful building has then been transformed into a museum of Melbourne History.

St Patrick’s Cathedral

St Patrick’s Cathedral is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne. It is also the seat of the Archbishop of Melbourne. The church was built in the 1850s but took a while to be completed. The cathedral is located in Cathedral Place, right at the back of the Parliament Building.

Old Melbourne Gaol

The Old Melbourne Gaol used to be a prison that held the country’s notorious criminals. It also had records of people being executed & hanged. It stopped operating as a prison after the world war & has then become a museum. Entrance fee to the museum is at AUD 28 per person, quite expensive to be honest. My friends & I decided not to go inside because it was out of our budget.

Queen Victoria Market

Queen Victoria Market, locally known as the QVM, is one of Victoria’s famous landmarks. It is an open air market that serves as the main trading hall for Victorians & for visitors. We visited the QVM on a Wednesday night & it was also the 2nd night of the Europa Night Market. This night market showcased different food, delicacies & drinks from selected European countries.

State Library of Victoria

The State Library of Victoria is the state’s central library. Built in the 1850s, it is Australia’s oldest public library & at the same time world’s first free libraries in the world. The library has various reading & collections room where locals & visitors can have a look. I’ve been to this library twice last April, 1st one with Lord & the 2nd time with my N9 friends. This is by far one of my favorite places in Melbourne. The view from the topmost floor of The Dome is just stunning.

This ends the list of parks, gardens & heritage sites we’ve been to in Melbourne. I’m sure we’ve been to more but I can’t remember the other ones. Melbourne is such a nice city. Its buildings are combinations of heritage listed brick ones & modern & contemporary ones. Its one of those cities where you won’t get tired of walking around.

Have you been to Melbourne in the past? What is the most interesting building you’ve been to? How was your visit? Feel free to send your thoughts & experiences in the comments section below. Do you have any questions about the matters above? You can also send them via e-mail to contact@thewkndtravel.com. Don’t forget to follow me & please please please also help me in promoting my social media channels – Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

Watch out for more Melbourne content in the future! Thank you for reading.

PS. Photos were taken using my HTC U11.

N9 in Straya Series: SCENIC WORLD BLUE MOUNTAINS – Nature & Adventure In One Place

Hello & welcome to the final installment of the N9 in Straya Series. Last week, I shared with you our Hunter Valley Wine Tasting Tour from Sydney. My friends & I had fun going around wineries & cellars & trying the best wines these businesses have to offer. Today, I will share with you some details & photos of our day trip to Scenic World Blue Mountains.

Hello Blue Mountains National Park! 😍

Blue Mountains National Park is a famous go-to place of people visiting Sydney. This World Heritage Site is the perfect place for everyone’s nature needs. It has a lot of walking tracks, camping sites, trekking & outdoor activity areas. It is also the home of the famous Three Sisters, Echo Point, Katoomba & Wentworth Falls.

Group photo at the Cliff View Lookout. Thanks Shane for the photo!

One of the famous destinations in Blue Mountains is Scenic World Blue Mountains. It is a private tourist facility located in Katoomba that offers great views of Jamison Valley, Three Sisters & Blue Mountains in general. The facility has 4 main attractions – Scenic Railway, Scenic Walkway, Scenic Cableway & Scenic Skyway. I will share more information about these attractions later in the post.

Applying for an Australian tourist visa soon? I shared with everyone how I applied for my visa a few months ago. Check out these 6 easy steps on how you too can get your visa to Australia.

How We Went By Public Transportation

Katoomba Station is the nearest station to the Blue Mountains!

Scenic World Blue Mountains is very accessible from Sydney. We took the Blue Mountains Line from Sydney Central Station to Katoomba Station. The ride takes roughly 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours & 5 minutes, depending on the stops included in the trip. One way train ride costs AUD 12.20. After getting off at Katoomba Station, we walked for 110 meters to the Katoomba St before Bathurst Rd bus stop. We boarded Bus 686 to Scenic World Blue Mountains. The bus ride took us 30 minutes to the tourist facility. We took the same modes of transportation back to Sydney. By the way, the Opal Card works for both the train & bus rides.

Guide map to locate the stop of Bus 686

Attraction Tickets

Scenic World Blue Mountains tickets cost AUD 37 – 43 per person, depending on season. We got our discounted tickets from Klook. My friends & I paid AUD 29* each instead of the regular ticket price on the day of visit. Redemption was easy – there is a dedicated fast line for tickets & vouchers purchased online.

Three Sisters & Jamison Valley in one photo 😍

*Regular tickets during our visit were at AUD 33 per person because 1 of the 4 attractions was closed & under redevelopment.

Scenic World Attractions

Scenic World Blue Mountains has 4 main attractions. Of these 4, Scenic Cableway was closed due to an ongoing upgrade of the cableway cabins. My friends & I enjoyed every second spent in the other 3 attractions.

Scenic Railway

Welcome to the Scenic Railway!

Right before boarding the world’s steepest passenger railway

Scenic railway is the world’s steepest passenger railway in the world, with seats that incline up to 52 degrees. The glass-roofed carriage passes through a cliff tunnel & a forest before reaching the final stop. The ride takes about 5 minutes per way & passes through a 300+ meter railway.

View upon getting off the train 😍

Scenic Walkway

Pathways around the rainforest 😍

The Scenic Railway exit will lead you to the Scenic Walkway. It is a 2.4 kilometer pathway around the base of Jamison Valley. The elevated walkway gives stunning views of the rainforest. Walking around the forest can be tiring & relaxing at the same time.

What a peaceful & relaxing place..

Scenic Skyway

The other side of the Scenic Skyway

The Scenic Skyway is a little over 10-minute cable car ride suspended 270 meters above the forest. The ride goes back & forth a 720-meter pathway & gives a 360-degree view of Blue Mountains. The ride also gives the best views of the Katoomba Falls, the Three Sisters & the Jamison Valley.

View from the aerial cable car – beautiful!! 😍

That’s me after the thrilling Scenic Railway ride!

My friends & I had fun in the rides & walking through the peaceful rainforest at the foot of Jamison Valley. There were other nice places to visit such as the Echo Point Lookout & Wentworth Falls but we didn’t have enough time & we had things to do back in Sydney. A visit to the Blue Mountains is a perfect nature day trip from the very busy city life. I am so glad we took this day trip.

The day trip up to the Blue Mountains was worth it! 😍

This pretty much sums up our day trip to the Blue Mountains. This is also the last post about our N9 Sydney trip last August. Thanks a lot to everyone who took their time to read all the blog posts.

In case you missed the other posts, allow me to give a quick recap about the trip. My friends & I took our time exploring Sydney by foot. We joined a free walking tour & went around different heritage buildings & city icons. We also went on day trips to the Hunter Valley, the suburban beaches of Coogee & Bondi & the beautiful Blue Mountains National Park. I left my friends in Sydney & spent a weekend with my relatives in Brisbane. It was indeed a packed but fun week in Australia. I look forward to visiting Melbourne soon!

Do you have questions about Scenic World Blue Mountains or Sydney in general? Don’t be shy & post ’em in the comments below. You can also send it to me via email to contact@thewkndtravel.com. I’ll try to answer your queries as soon as I can. Don’t forget to follow my social media pages – Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. Like & share my Facebook page too!

Again, thank for reading & see you in the next Australia trip! ✌️

PS. Photos were taken using my HTC U11.