Do we need visa if transit?

Travelling & Transit in Visa Required Country.

I would like to remind of all traveler this important  thing that can save us thousand.

Sometime we think that by flying to a final country that transit to visa required country such as India, Arab Saudi, Sri Lanka by multiple air carrier can save us money but please be careful if is consist low cost carrier and full carrier.

If you fly low cost such as Air Asia, there are only a point to point carrier and will not give you a boarding pass to your final destination. Same go to IndiGo and few more.

It is advisable for you to get full carrier such as Malaysia Airlines, Saudi Airlines, Emirates, Sri Lanka  which they may have connection direct to your final destination.

I met a lady that fly from Kuala Lumpur to Abu Dhabi but need to transit at Kochi need to buy a new ticket as she don't have a visa to India. 

Recently our friend that want to fly back to Kuala Lumpur from Abu Dhabi
but transit in Kochi can't fly too as they needed visa because they use different airline.

Check with your airline first before you fly.

I flew to Dubai via Jedda by Saudi Airlines, the country need visa but as a transit passenger we do not need to. I even call the airline to double confirm this. It save us a lot.

Dubai Dinner Cruise.

We really enjoy the dinner cruise tonight.
The food choice is a lot and we were serve coffee, welcoming juice, starter and variety of main dish and dessert.

We join the cruise with a travel agent but it seem that there are many choice of cruise operator doing the service in Dubai Creek. We were charge AED150 per person but I believe the rate if we go directly will be around 80 to 100 AED. 

In this 2 hour cruise we were then entertain by many show such as Arab Traditional Dance, Magic Show, Camel Show is so funny and annoying. Please enjoy the video.

We wish we can come back here again with the Kids and mum when we have more rezeki .
In Shaa Allah.

  

  

Travel With Free is Mind.

Hi to all.  I am an avid traveler.  Through my 50 years, I have been to all of Europe, all of the Middle East, Most of Africa, India, Russia and a couple of the South American Island nations.  I often see people asking the same question - "Is it safe?"  Let me give you all some advice.

Women are not treated the same in every country.  As such, you need to respect the customs of that nation.  Be aware by doing some research.  When I travel as a woman alone, I always bring the clothing specific to that nation.  You can't and should not assume that they will think its okay for you to go without hijab just because your nation doesn't customarily wear it. Also be aware in most Arab countries, a woman travelling alone shouldn't run around in the markets assuming that it is okay.  In many countries, you would not see a single woman in the marketplace with the exception of tourists. This makes you "out of place". Not a target. In fact some of the most respectful and kind people I've met in my travels were from areas that the media has stirred up intense fear.  That's not to say you should or shouldn't go there - I always went. But make decisions based on your own levels of acceptance.  You can't decide based on someone else's recommendations. You will also find that countries you thought would be safe and reasonable are often more dangerous.  I had someone attempt to rape me in the USA so my opinion is very jaded with regards to returning. But I have felt respected in countries like Turkey, Syria, Pakistan, many others. If in doubt, carry a head scarf.  This is the same in orthodox christian countries when entering a church.  They would prefer you cover your head. Its their church you are visiting.  Respect that.

If you are an LGBTQ traveler, as my daughter and her partner are, know the tone of the area.  Places like some Eastern European and African countries are probably best to not hold hands and just travel as "friends". It can be a little more difficult for gay men than gay women but you can research the area first.  In general, people will leave you alone in some of Europe (they will stare) but Northern Africa can be a bit dicey. Join the LGBTQ Facebook pages of the country before you go and ask. However, again, the biggest homophobia she has ever confronted was in the USA. 

There are always travel advisories available through government sources.  If you are really interested but still can't find information, contact the embassies via email.  That's one of the reasons they exist - to aid travelers. I've had my passport stolen a couple times (France, Scotland and Italy) and the respective Canadian Embassy was very helpful each time. 

Be aware that if you are going to a city or country with a high tourism level, such as Rome or Egypt, you'll get soaked.  Just count on it.  I have never been much of a fan of these areas and if going there, I would just do so on a tour.  But I like to backpack so they are typically not on my itinerary.  Besides, there are much nicer and cleaner places to go. The Pyramids are cool, sure, but I'd rather go to Ethiopia for their amazing food and outstanding hospitality. 

The Lonely Planet books are helpful.  Buy them.  They are worth the money.  Also, every country in the world has an Expat Facebook page.  Join them.  I learn more from those conversations than through gossip or otherwise.  I have often let travelers come and stay in our home when they are visiting Estonia. You will find the same on the other pages.  You will also learn the best way to travel.  For example, it would be foolish to fly from my city of Tallinn to Helsinki and then off to London.  Its much cheaper and certainly more enjoyable to take the ferry across (30 euros) and then get catch a flight to London.  

The absolute best place to find accommodations, in my opinion, is Booking.com.  If you have an issue, and I have had one or two, they take care of it for you.  Also, if you are traveling from North America, you should buy the plane ticket to your first location and then buy the rest while traveling.  North Americans pay outlandish amounts of money for their travel. I just booked a holiday for my brother to come here from Canada.  By booking direct with the airlines and from my location here in Europe, I saved him over $500.  

In Europe we use Taxify.  Its considerably cheaper and easier than other taxi services.  Load it on your phone.  It works great and I use it all the time. You'll also find that the drivers are often expats and willing to help and/or show you around.

Learn how to say Hello and Thank you.  Other than that, as long as you buy a sim for your location, Google Translate will help you out like crazy.  And as it often does a shitty job of translating, this can also make you some new friends as they laugh at google instead of you. Some of my best friends happened because I asked a question about a taxi and Google translated it as "where is my broom".

Finally, and I have found most important, learn the currency in the location.  This is very important.  If you have no idea what is the market value for what you are buying, it is likely you will be soaked.

Emirates PALACE Abu Dhabi.

If you have EXTRA budget to sip an Espresso with 24 karat Gold Flakes at AED75 you can do it here while enjoying the majestic view and architecture of this building.

An iconic Abu Dhabi landmark, this beautiful hotel blends Arabian splendour with the latest luxuries to create a magical and memorable experience. During daytime, the hotel’s golden-sandy colour contrasts with its fresh green gardens, silvery water fountains and the blue sky. At night, the hotel’s lighting changes subtly, featuring a majestic rainbow-changing effect over the main dome.

The main Palace building stretches over a kilometre from wing to wing, and its gardens and surroundings spread across 100 hectares. The hotel features 114 domes, with the central dome at an imposing 72.6 metres above ground. Gold, mother of pearl and crystals dominate the interior. The Palace has 1,002 chandeliers, the largest weighing 2.5 tonnes. Another memorable Palace feature is its two handmade wall display carpets, portraying the palace itself and each weighing a tonne.

Guests and visitors can wander through the majestic halls and corridors – a showcase of Arabian design, with grand central passageways and arched ceilings – and choose from over 200 rooms, all decorated in a comfortable yet chic style and boasting lavish cultural touches. Culinary highlights include modern Chinese cuisine at Hakkasan, fine French fare at Le Vendome and award-winning local dishes at Mezlai Emirati Restaurant.

   

   

  

Easiest way to get to Abu Dhabi from Dubai Airport.

There are few way to get to Abu Dhabi from Dubai International Airport:.

1. Bus.

When you arrive the arrival hall, get to bus stop just outside the airport. It will be clearly shown. Take bus C01 to Satwa Bus Station. Before you get into the bus, you need to buy pass card that can be use  up to Abu Dhabi and down town Dubai at the airport. Ask the counter. No cash receive in the bus. It will cost you 15 Dirham.

From Satwa Bus Station (the last station), you may need to change to Bus X13 and go to Ghubaiba Bus Station for 3 Dirham.

There are lot of bus from Ghubaiba that run every 15 minute to Abu Dhabi for on 25 Dirham.

2. Car.

Rent a car if you wish to stop along the way and explore the city. The rental is quite Cheap around 100 Dirham one day.

Trip Solo ke India

Aku nak share sedikit tips pasal trip solo ke India baru-baru ini. Mungkin ada info yg boleh membantu. Sori berterabur penulisan kali ini.

- Currency mereka
  Rs 100 bersamaan RM5.75 (kadar time saya tukar).
Bagi mereka Rs 100 tu ibarat nilai RM10. so apa-apa, korg kena bargain semurah mungkin. Mungkin korg akan terpengaruh bahawa RS200 tu sekitar RM10-11 duit kita jer.so dh cukup murah.mmg betul tapi bak saya kata RS200 ibarat RM20 bagi mereka.besar tu bagi mereka!
Contoh nak bagi faham: 
Air mineral besar negara kita standard RM2.
Negara mereka Rs20. Angka sama (cuma tambah 0) tapi kita dah tahu bila kita convert ke duit kita hanya sekitar RM1.15 jer.
So kalau mereka jual 40/50 rupees contohnya, penipu tu kecuali kat airport.

- Digalakkan guna simkad India. Saya guna Idea.dapat internet 1.4 gb tiap hari. Namun, org ramai cadangkan  Airtel. Cari pejabat Airtel xjumpa time tu. Dengan simkad India, pergerakan kita lebih meluas dan memudahkan urusan.

-  Pengangkutan dalam bandar - guna auto rickshaw. Murah. Kena tawar. Kekadang guna motosikal sebab lagi murah. Olacab pun ada motor. Kekadang harga online lagi murah. Contoh, saya nak pergi Jaipur Airport dari Hawa Mahal. Tanya auto rickshaw tepi jalan ada yg nak minta Rs500 sedangkn book online sekitar Rs150 - 200.
Last-last saya naik motor book via olacab baru Rs100.
** nak book olacab kena ada simkad India. So download apps olacab.

- Mostly restoran kat sana pure 100% vegetarian. kalau korg jenis yakin, blh proceed. Cari fine restaurant.
If tak, cari kedai halal cuma ssetgh tempat susah sikit mcm kt Kalka.
** Kat Simla ada satu kedai Islam kat lower bazaar cuma tersorok. Kari ayam sedap gila.
** kat Jaipur, boleh try nasi biryani Muhammadi Palace. Sedap! 
** Kat Agra, try nasi biryani kat south gate Taj Mahal . Ada stall. Sedap gak. Area situ ada juga Muslim jual mee/nasi/roti inti telur

- Jangan sesekali minum air paip. Aku pun tak galakkan kumur sebarangan esp nk gosok gigi. Mula-mula aku buat tapi gusi/bibir aku mcm sumthing so aku sanggup gosok gigi guna drinking water / mineral. Ini terpulang kpd masing-masing.

- Aku ada download apps Zomato (mcm grabfood). Aku order online & mknn sampai kt hostel. First order ada diskaun.

- bila korg nk pegi hotel (contoh walk dari stesen train), pengusaha auto rickshaw akan follow & tawar sampai hotel. Jgn percaya if mereka kata jauh sdgkn jaraknya 100-200 meter. Seboleh-bolehnya mereka nk kita naik walau dekat ( Ini standard scam kat kebanyakan negara) 

- Senang nk communication kat sana sbb kebanyakan mrk phm & tahu jawab in english.

- Pengalaman aku semasa naik auto rickshaw, driver secara tiba-tiba nak tukar note Rs1000 kpd nilai yg lebih kecil dengan aku. Aku rasa tak sedap hati, so aku geleng je kepala. Mungkin duit palsu. Aku bukan nk judge orang tp berhati-hati lebih baik.

- Pernah bargain naik auto-rickshaw, bila sampai destinasi dia minta lain.aku bising-bising dan terus blah. 

- Pernah jalan kaki seorang diri pukul 4.30 pagi dari hostel ke station keretapi (dlm 1-2 km je).Aku terjumpa org & tanya mana laluan. Dia minta follow dia je. Ntah aku pula yakin jer. Dia tunjukkan jalan shortcut masuk terus ke landasan. Cuak2 juga namun Alhamdulillah ok.

- Nak shopping, bargain kow2. Igt pesan aku Rs100 tu ibarat RM10 kita (walau nilainya RM5.75). So Rs100 sebenarnya kau dh blh dapat souvenir menarik yg sama nilai RM10 di negara kita. Mmg best shopping sini.
Beg sulam sendiri yg besar & Aku anggap sgt cantik boleh dapat Rs200 jer @ RM11.50 jer.

-  Korg blh book online direct kt indian train website (IRCTC). Cuma complicated time nak sign up. Rujuk seat61 website, mereka ada bgtau step nak sign up. Once dh dpt sign up, korg blh akses & beli semua destinasi termasuk toy train. Limit boleh beli 6 kali tiap bulan. 
** Aku naik toy train Kalka - Simla - Kalka (ketinggian 2200 m) . Pemandangan indah nian ala2 swiss. 

- Setakat aku naik semua train yg aku book online, mereka dtg check dgn hanya minta sebutkan nama. Xyah print pun xpe.mereka xcheck pssport.just pastikan korg naik coach,  seat yg betul.

- Kalau korg nak beli kt kaunter, mereka akan bagi tiket yg sah dlm 3 jam. Maksudnya korg kena naik mana2 train yg pergi ke destinasi tersebut dlm tempoh 3 jam. 
Contoh korg beli tiket kat kaunter pukul 7 pagi. So mesti naik mana2 train before 10 pagi.
Jangan naik yg reservation train/coach.  Jgn salah naik class. Macam aku beli kelas ketiga tapi naik sleeper class. Serius aku xtau sbb tiket tu sgt simple. Lagi 5 min nk smpai aku kena denda Rs310. Sakit hati betul padahal dh nk siap2 angkat beg. Apapun silap aku.

- Kesimpulannya, India mmg kotor, tak teratur, serabut tapi aku suka India. Nilai estetikanya amat tinggi. Pandanglah India secara terbuka, korg akan terpesona. So far ramai friendly & aku rasa safe. Namun sentiasa berhati-hati sgt penting.
Itu sahaja. Xigt lagi apa nak tulis.huhu.
India patut dilawati oleh semua kaki pengembara. Banyak benda yg menarik untuk dilihat. India begitu misteri buatku. Aku pasti kembali.

Gambar 1: Roof top dari Sai Palace Hotel.murah stay sini! Superb view

Gambar 2: Simla city (atas pergunungan). Tempat ni bertangga-tangga.

Gambar 3: Golden Temple, Amritsar 

Gambar 4: Hawa Mahal,Jaipur

Gambar 5: Pergunungan di Simla berlatarbelakangkan Banjaran Himalaya (yg ada snow tu)

Joyful Firefly Trip at Kampung Kuantan.

Today I drove 65km towards Kuala Selangor to witness the beauty of our very unique of Malaysia and Selangor.

We depart at 2pm from City Centre in a bid to see the sunset of the majestic Sky Mirror. I should have Google more for the info. This trip is organise by private operator. We need to board once a day boat trip around 12pm from the jetty. It cost us RM25/pp for adult and RM18/pp for kid.

Since we already miss the trip, we decided to Just hang around there with nothing much to do. We went to Taman Ikan Air Tawar but it close. We saw a lot of monkey and we feed them. It is so joyful.

While waiting for the Firefly trio that start at 7.45pm, we head for a dinner. Hujan mencurah curah and we feel dissappointed as we can't see it. Habis dinner, luck is on our side, hujan reda and we drive to Kampung Kuantan.

We pay Rm50 for one boat that can accomodate all of us. If we take a boat at Pasir Penambang it will cost us RM25/pp per adult and RM15/PP per kid. Mahal jauh beza.

We were brief by the  boat Men, he is very knowledgable. Banyak sejarah, conservation done to keep the area attractive for Kelip Kelip. We were so amaze of the huge volume of the firefly. It feel like lampu raya over there.

Please bring your mosquito repellant or you will be attack a lot by them.

Indeed another life experience tried. Alhamdulillah for being on our side with the rezeki, the good weather and dark moon.