Travelog Asia 5.0 : Hong Kong & Macau

Hong Kong Macau 

Wanderlust. A perfect word for those who have a strong desire to travel around the world. With young people’s brightest mind, we can view the world and understand local cultures in the way that differs from other and the experience that we had is precious and priceless. Aside from embracing their cultures and lifestyle, through traveling, our maturity is beyond the normal stigma in understanding people’s life. In European countries, we can see their buildings and sculptures are under the influences of their own cultures whereas in Asian countries we can see it on the people itself. It is normal to get lost while exploring. Sometimes, we made bad choices while traveling and regret later on. In contrast, it somewhat makes the trip more memorable and adventurous.

Itinerary

1 August 2017

10:45 am: Departure from KLIA

2:30 pm: Arrival. Drop by Maritime Square and Tsing Yi Park.

4: 30 pm: Check-in Hong Kong downtown backpackers hostel in Chungking mansion.

7: 30 pm: Dinner. Hong Kong Space Museum, Avenue of Stars, Symphony of Lights, Clock Tower

9: 00 pm: Sleep

2 August 2017

8:00 am: Central Pier, Hong Kong Maritime Museum

11: 00 am: The Peak Tram, Sky terrace

1:30 pm: Wan Chai, Ammar Mosque

3:30 pm: Ocean Park Hong Kong

9:00 pm: Go Back to Hotel

3 August 2017

10:30 am- 9:30 pm: Hong Kong Disneyland

4 August 2017

8:30-930 am: Departing for Macau by Turbojet

9: 30 am: the fisherman wharf, Kun Lam Buddha, Macau Tower, A’ Ma Temple, The Golden Casino, St, Ruin Cathedral, Senado Square via private tour

4:30 pm : Ride the tram across  Hong Kong island

6: 00 pm: Rest at hostel

7:30 pm: Kowloon Mosque and Ma’s restaurant for dinner

9:00 pm: Ladies Market.

5 August 2017

10:30- 2:30 pm: Ngong Ping

3: 00 pm: Rest at Airport

7:30 pm: Depart for home since flight delayed.

11:00 pm: Arrived in KLIA

Expenses	Amount
Return flights ( Malaysia Airline)	RM 780
Etiqa Travel Insurance	RM 41.80
Travel Recommends Wifi Router	RM 95
HK Downtown Backpacker Hostel	RM 599.5/2
Hong Kong Disneyland ( book with Klook)	RM 296
Ocean Pak with HKD 100 voucher (book with Klook)	RM 216
Return Peak Tram Ticket	RM 51
Ngong Ping ( Crystal Cabin)	RM 127
Macau Return ferry ticket (Turbojet)	RM 163
Macau Private Tour	RM 272
Food and Souvenirs	RM 660
Total	RM 3,000

What to expect about Hong Kong?

HK is a modern and expensive city in the world. No matter how much you are trying to save, at one point you have to spend more money than you expected but teach yourself not to be a spendthrift. HK is not suitable for living condition particularly regarding their accommodation because it is too small and claustrophobic. The city itself is too suffocated. On the contrary, the public transport was superb. It was surprising as the way the local walks is a bit faster compared to Malaysian. It is normal to see people running in MTR station. As a Muslim, be prepared to bring extra tissues and water bottle before going to any toilet. Regarding places to eat, so far Kowloon and Wan Chai are the best places to find halal food. In addition, make sure you use lift if you are carrying heavy stuff. Extra tips while using the escalator, you need to stand on right side and let people walk on the left side, or else you will be given a sharp look from the citizen

Accommodation: Hong Kong Downtown Backpackers hostel.

I gave this place 4/10.  The room is too small and suffocated. What makes it is more suffering was the bathroom size was like the size of a big refrigerator. Imagine yourself living in the room for five days together with cockroaches as your companion. The reception was located on the other block and they didn’t clean up thoroughly as requested. The fee is not worth the stay. The only bright side of this hostel was the location is great! Easy access to public transport, tourist attraction, and shopping complex.

            About the places

Hong Kong Disneyland.

Oh.my.god. I can still can’t move on from this place. What I had was amazing and something that I could not forget.  I had a superb experience like being in a musical theatre, watching a spectacular fireworks show, a plentiful of magical studio and taking several scary thrill rides. Upon arrival, the security will check your bags and no outside food is allowed. If you want to buy their souvenirs, bring extra money as a lot will be used for snack and beverages.  Also, don’t forget to plan your day in Disneyland wisely as you should not miss all shows and parades as this will be lifetime experiences. I can assure you this place is worth the money. Despite arriving so early, I still didn’t manage to try all the rides and join every show as the theme park was so big and a lot of things occurred at the same time. In my opinion, if you had to wait for more than 30 minutes, I would suggest you sacrifice it and go for other attractions. We enjoyed ourselves until its closing time.

Ocean Park Hong Kong :

Another iconic theme park located in the South part of Hong Kong Island. You can stop at the Ocean Park MRT station which is directly in front of the main entrance. We were wrong to put this in our itinerary later in the evening as it requires a day to cover all areas of the park. The park is separated into two part, the Summit, and the Waterfront which connected via the ocean express and cable car. This theme park would not only give you a joyful entertainment but it also an educational theme park which somehow instills awareness about marine and also Asian wildlife. Don’t forget to finish your day in ocean park with a mesmerizing light and Symphony lake show.

The Peak Tram :

The entrance was located near the iconic building of Hong Kong, the Bank of China. We booked our express pass ticket via Klook app.  Return ticket and entrance to sky terrace were included in the package. Luckily, we took the express pass so the time can save for other places as the line was too long. Up there, it was like entering a shopping mall on the hill. You can also purchase a ticket to enter Madame Tussauds and Trick Eye Museum. We spent about an hour up there, capturing all amazing shots and sceneries. We went there at noon in the summer and it was freaking hot.  I would advise you to apply sunblock and also a moisturizer.

Ngong Ping :

Ngong Ping is a place located in Lantau island just beside Hong Kong Airport. After checking out from the dreadful hostel on our last day there, we go here straight away bringing our luggage along. To be honest, we regretted so much for not renting a locker because later on, we keep dragging our luggage around that place. We waited excruciatingly as the queue during the weekend was crazy. Overall, we waited about 1.5 hours to ride the cable car. The pain was paid off as we enjoyed a breathtaking view from the cable car. The journey took about 22 minutes and there were few spots with a perfect view of the island and the city. No wonder  Ngong Ping

cable car experienced was recognized as one of the best in the world. We chose the crystal cabin as we can also see the view beneath our foot but it not good for those who are afraid of heights. Up there, you can walk around at Ngong Ping village, watch a drum show, test yourself to climb up dozens flight of stairs to get closer to Buddha Statue and visit the Po Lin Monastery. Again, don’t forget to apply sunblock if you visit here during the summer.

Ammar Mosque and Islamic canteen:

Located in Wan Chai area which is within 3km walking distance from Wan Chai station. The mosque is surrounded by building and it is quite confusing to find it as there is dome as a mosque sign. With the overall of 6 floors, the first three floor is the praying hall and the canteen is located on the sixth floor. The price is affordable and I can assure you it worth the money.

Symphony of Light:

The light show start at 8:00 pm daily as one of the famous attraction in Hong Kong city. The performance is the combination of light and sound together with outstanding effects like music and laser light. The performance lasted about 15-20 minutes so pretty sure it can make your hand tired. The best spot to view the performance is at Avenue of Star, which can see Hong Kong island clearly. If you are rich enough, you can take Aqua Luna cruise to view the performance on the sea.

                                                   

                                                    Macau :

We booked two tickets for Turbojet, a ferry to Macau island via Klook app as it provides the cheapest price to that place. The journey took about an hour and the seat is spacious and comfortable. Upon arrival, we took a private tour around Macau. Of course, it is a bit pricey, but we decided to sacrifice a bit from our savings so that we can save time, more place to be visited and escape the scorching Sun. If you are on a budget trip, you can buy a hop on- hop off bus ticket to travel around Macau. Our trip was short and pack as we been to a lot of places in a short period of time. Starting from the Fisherman Wharf, we visited the Lady Buddha, Macau tower, A’ma Temple, the Golden Casino, St, Ruin Cathedral and lastly Senado Square. It was an amazing experience as I watched people gambling for the first time in my life. I know there is nothing to be proud of, but at least I understand better why Islam prohibited us to gamble in life. We tried their famous Macau egg tart and it was superb! At the  St. Ruin Cathedral and the Fisherman Wharf, I can feel the European vibes as the building had the influences from their culture. Starting at 9:00 am, we ended our short trip in Macau at 2:00 pm.

My trip to Hong Kong by far was the most enjoyable, unforgettable and worthy yet expensive. From entering a big casino to watching other religion praying, I also got to taste their halal delicacies and practice my mandarin little by little. Even though I haven’t plan yet to come back there, but I would highly recommend you to put Hong Kong in your list together with a lot of savings. It is a place to go with friends and family.

Thank you for your time reading my blog. Do support and promote my blog to your friends.

Best wishes, J

Travelog Asia 4.0 : Penang 2017

Travelog Penang 2017 

 By : Muaz Ezhar

Itinerary :

17 August 2017

11: 00 am: Depart from Setiawangsa. Exit via Sungai Buloh.

3: 00 pm: Arrive Copthorne orchid Hotel and rest

5: 30 pm: Batu Ferringhi & Dinner

7: 00 pm: Penang Times Square and Gurney Drive

8:00 pm: Rest

18 August 2017

8:00am: Masjid Kapitan Keling and breakfast in little India

9:00am: Bukit Bendera

11: 30: Escape Adventure

5: 30: Entopia

7:00pm: Gurney Drive, Little india, and Dinner at Restoran Kapitan

9:00pm : Rest

19 August 2017

11: 30am: Check out hotel

12:00pm : Georgetown ( Armenian Street, Chew Jetty, Fort Cornwallis)

3:00pm: Masjid Negeri Pulau Pinang

3:30pm: headed back home

7:30pm: arrived KL Sentral

About the Places

Penang Hill

15 minutes drive from Georgetown world heritage city or you can take the bus to here. The parking lot is available for those who drive here. Entrance fees, RM 10 for an adult but you can get 50% discount for student price. We are lucky enough as we only need to wait for five minutes for the tram, perks of being here during weekdays J. Highly recommend taking the front sub-tram as you can enjoy the direct view of the rail and city. If you’re afraid of heights, better don’t.  The view was spectacular on the top, together with calm breeze air as you can’t experience while you’re in the city. You can also enter owl museum and love garden up there with additional fees. Feeling of something romantic, bring your lock and secure your love as it will last forever.

Escape Adventure

An extreme theme park located in Teluk Bahang, further away crossing Batu Ferringhi Beach.The entrance fee is about RM 83 and just add up about RM 17 for beverages and locker. Don’t forget to bring your sports attire and some extra clothes because you’re getting drenched with sweats and the rush of adrenaline will force you to do more exciting and challenging activities. Ticket is per entry and no outside food is allowed. Bring along your action camera like GoPro or Yicam to catch memorable moments while you are doing the activities.In addition, warm up before you go for any activities to avoid any muscle strain and any injuries which can be avoided. Don’t freak out, the safety and precautions are managed well and seriously. Thank god nothing happen for us. If you want to eradicate your height phobia, craving for an adrenaline rush, up for any challenge, this place is highly recommended! Go to their official website for the facilities and activities prepared there.

 

 Entopia

Have you ever been to Gardens by the Bay in  Singapore? Have you been dreaming to part of the Avatar world? Then, Entopia is the place. The place is just beside Escape adventure and you get here after a tiresome day of playing at Escape theme park. The entrance fee is RM49 which I thought it is expensive but Nah, I won't ask for a refund. Other than being a butterfly garden, you can also get to know new species about insects and most of the flora. With the beautiful landscape and interior design, it is a perfect place for photography which can be uploaded on social media and gain LIKES.

You should also put this place on the list.

Georgetown

It is a big city that has been recognized by UNESCO for its heritage site. You can spend half-day touring around the city. You can walk, ride trishaw or you can circle around the city with a bike. Bring along a cap because our Malaysia is known for its temperature. There are a lot of restaurants, shops and museums that you can drop by like Ghost Museum, Food Museum, Teddyville Museum and much more. You can walk through Armenian Street, Chinatown, Chew Jetty and Little India. If you valued arts, there are a few interesting spots across the streets of Georgetown and overall it is known as Penang Street Art. For some delights, you can take an order from Kapitan restaurant which is known for the best Naan bread.

Accomodation: Copthorne Orchid Hotel.

A four-star hotel located by the beach at Tanjung Bungah. 7 minutes drive to Batu Ferringhi and 15 minutes drive to Georgetown. Promo price at RM 180 per night booked with booking.com. The room is spacious with a double bed which can accommodate up to 3 people. Facilities like swimming pool, gymnasium, sauna and Jacuzzi are also provided by the hotel. For more information, you can have look at their official website.

Petrol: RM 90 for three days departing from Kuala Lumpur.

Tol fees: RM 43 per trip from KL – Penang via Sungai Buloh exit

Thank you for reading.Hope this would benefit you to plan your next vacation!

Travelog Asia 3.0 : Bandung 4D3N

-BANDUNG, INDONESIA-

Return Flight: RM 290 ( AirAsia without check-in luggage)

Expenses : 1,900,000 IDR

Accommodation: Free! ( I stayed at my friend’s place, somewhere in Tubagus)

Itinerary

15 April 2017

#Bandara Airport- Cihampelas Walk-Technology Institue of Bandung-Museum Geology- Gedung Sate – Gasibu – Teras Cikapundung – Asia Afrika- Masjid Raya Bandung – Braga Street. 

16 April 2017 ( Southwest of Bandung)

#Kawah Putih- Situ Patenggang – Ranca bali waterfall-tea plantation- Wilena hot spring – Kartika Sari

17 April 2017 ( Northeast of Bandung)

#Tangkuban Perahu-Floating Market- Lodge Maribaya- Farmhouse

18 April 2017

#Bandara Airport- KLIA 2

Attractions ( recommended)

Kawah Putih : 5/5

Kawah Putih

Entrance fee : 50,000 IDR

Ontang-Anting fee: 15,000 IDR return

From the city, the journey took about 2.5 hours to the south including the heavy traffic and hilly road. Upon arriving, you need to take a ride with ontang-anting to go to kawah putih and the journey took another 15 minutes. Don’t forget to bring a face mask to cover your nose because the volcano is alive and still producing Sulphur. Inhaling sulfur for more than 30 minutes is not good for the body. Better bring your own or else you have to spend another 5,000 IDR per mask. I got carried away by the view because the view was amazing and I didn’t even realize I was there for more than an hour. I started feeling a cramp in my tummy indicating that my visiting time is enough.  Sure it is a place you must go when you visit Bandung.

                                                                                      Tangkuban perahu

Tangkuba Perahu : 5/5

Entrance fee: 200,000

It takes about 1. 5 hours to reach there. Again, the panorama was mesmerizing. The view is still fresh in my mind. We were unfortunate as we arrived up there after the raining and it was heavy. I barely can see the steam produced by the volcano. For a Muslim traveler, there is a big mosque there and the food is halal.  Food is not a big problem as most of the citizens are Muslim. This place is entirely different from Bali. Bali is a nice place for someone who wants to tan their skin at a sunny beach. It was a magical place.Back to Bandung, it always raining and windy all the time. Don’t forget to bring your jacket and prepare an umbrella or raincoat.Besides, beware of those people who are selling stuff up there. They might sell you with a very high price. You can go other places to get souvenirs for your beloved family and friends.

Farmhouse

Farmhouse : 5/5

Entrance fee : 20,000 IDR

You must come to this place! A very nice place for hipsters to take photograph. Thank god my friend is a skilled photographer (also thanks to his phone). Here, you can exchange the ticket a variety flavors of milk. There is a hobbit house, open-farm concept where you can feed and touch the sheep, cow, and rabbit. You can also play with sugar-glider.  The other part of the farm is where you can experience your journey like you are in Holland. You can also rent for the Holland attire. Pardon me because I don’t know the name of the attire. Since I am not loaded, I am not renting any attire. HuHuhu.  Creating a memory here with my Samsung would be enough.

#It sucks so much when your phone got problem the entire day. Thank god I brought my YiCam. 

                                                                                       Floating Market.

Floating Market : 4/5

Entrance fee : 20,000 IDR

Haha, I thought this is more like in Thailand, where you ride on a sampan and go between the shopping boats.  Just hold your expectation and read through my writings. Other than shopping around the floating market,  you can ride on your personal boat, kayaking and play with rabbits. You can also enter the garden and miniature park. These additional activities require you to pay more, 20,000 at most depending on what kind of activites you wanted to do.You can also rent a kimono and take pictures at the Japanese park. If you are coming for a family trip, you can rent a gazebo for lunch and just for a resting place.  I am sure you will enjoy this place.

Lodge Maribaya

Lodge Maribaya : 4.5/5

Entrance fee : 15,000 IDR

Have you ever been to Switzerland? If you don’t, like me, you can come here to get the feeling of being in the hilly areas with pine tree background. The view was jaw-dropping.  This place is located 30 minutes drive from Tangkuban perahu and very near to Tebing keraton. My driver suggests to drop by and watch the sunset at Tebing Keraton but we can't make it as it was raining that day. Back to the Lodge Maribaya, there are a few activities such as the sky bamboo, sky-swing, and sky-bike which is kind of bucket list thing to do. Each picture taken will be sold at 10,000 IDR  and the picture was totally worth buying. Don’t worry, you can choose not to buy if you think your Samsung camera is good enough. Each activity will require you to get a ticket at 15,000 IDR and you have to queue up get a perfect shot!

Ci-Walk : 3.5/5

Cihampelas Walk

It is more like outdoor factory outlet where the shops are just above the traffic. I called it the “ sky-shopping” place as you can buy things at a lower price while enjoying the scenery of the city. If you can’t stand the heat, maybe you can shop inside the shopping mall.

Kartika Sari

This place is a heaven for the aunties. A great place for the makcik-makcik to buy kerepek, some kind of light snacks to bring back to Malaysia. Of course! My mother requested me to buy a few kerepek that can’t be found in Malaysia. Overall of 45,000 IDR for 3 type of kerepeks. There is also food court here where you can taste their local cuisine or you can even eat Malaysian food here.

Transportation

Bandung is a nice place for a family trip. It is a great place for bonding time within the family.  You can rent a car with pak supir or you can drive it yourself but I would like to suggest with the Pak Supir as you can enjoy your trip without the risk of getting lost. The traffic there was pretty hectic, I stuck in jammed with overall of 6 hours for four days.  Besides, your trip will be more memorable depending on the hospitality given by the driver. My driver to the south was very friendly and he drove quite fast! However, maybe my luck is out since I got a slow and quiet driver for my trip to the North. Other than that, some part of the road in Bandung is “ extreme”. It was a bumpy ride. If you can take a nap, that’s mean you are a hardcore sleepy head. The rate depends on the type of car with 12 hours service. I booked an Avanza rate 600,000 IDR per car ( ALL-IN ) to the south. For the north, the rate was 500,000 IDR (parking excluded). Below is my suggested Pak Supir :

1.            Pak Joni: 085692179807

2.            Pak Asep : + 62 813 20635551

It was a hell of a ride. This is the beauty of backpacking and traveling with your best mate! A lot of places that I went were unplanned. Shout out to my crazy partner Thariq Suryanto as we been through the traffic jam, bumpy road and lots of unexpected moments together. I hope all you enjoy reading my blog and stimulate your conscious part of your brain to go travel and see another side of the world. Happy traveling everyone!   :) 

Health risks of being obese and overweight

Introduction

Obesity and overweight are defined as excessive or accumulation of fat under the skin or surrounds visceral organ that may give impact on health(1). Obesity and overweight could cause more death than underweight. Obesity and overweight are significant health issues in these modern days as they cause a wide range of non-communicable diseases such as coronary heart disease, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, stroke and several cancers (2, 3). It affects in rising number of the population worldwide; for instance, in the United Kingdom, recent research found out that 24/100 men and 25/100 women were categorized as obese. Worldwide, overweight and obesity cause 2.8 million deaths years each year(2). Many studies had been conducted by the scientists worldwide to identify the health risks that are related to the prevalence of obesity and overweight among the population.

Risk Factors of Being Obese and Overweight.

The fundamental cause of obesity and overweight is due to imbalance in the dietary intake and increasing sedentary lifestyles which cause high calories and fat value. Raising awareness among the public on the negative effects of excessive body weight is seen as the first step to encourage the public to take care of their own weight and to have better understanding about the associated risks. World Health Organization has provided a guideline on the methods to assess body weight based on the Body Mass Index( BMI) and Waist Circumference for adult and the use of Centile Graph for obesity in children. BMI is also used by most general practitioner to assess someone's weight in diagnosing whether their health is at risk or not. It is a measure of a person weight related to his/her height. Figure 1 is the guideline for body weight classification based on BMI readings : 

Prolonged sedentary lifestyle can exacerbate the adverse outcomes of being obese. It makes you more likely to have conditions including:

• Cardiovascular disease and Stroke.
• High blood pressure.
• Diabetes ( Type 2)
• Some cancers ( prevalence: colon, breast, kidney and esophagus)
• Gallbladder disease and gallstones.
• Osteoarthritis ( most affected areas: knee, hip, back)
• Gout.
• Breathing problems, such as sleep apnea (when a person stops breathing for short episodes during sleep) and asthma.                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Studies had proven that there several factors that lead to obesity. There are :
• Genetics: If you came from "big" family, you should come out with weekly plan for diet and exercise. Due to inevitable genetic issue of being obese, one should  know that the genes also contributed to the amount of fat stored and its distribution in the body.
• Family Lifestyle:  Parents should portray a good lifestyle to their children like have a proper meal time, go out to the park together and exercise and less eating fast food. Some researches suggested that family members may have similar eating habits.
• Medications : Some drugs can lead to weight gain if the person doesn't follow the rule of eating it. These medications include some antidepressants, anti-seizure medications, diabetes medications, antipsychotic medications, steroids and beta blockers.
• Social and economic issues : Avoiding obesity is difficult if you don't have safe areas to exercise. Similarly, you may not have been taught healthy ways of cooking, or you may not have money to buy healthier foods
• Pregnancy : During pregnancy, a woman's weight necessarily increases. Some women find this weight difficult to lose after the baby is born.
• Lack of sleep : Not getting enough sleep or getting too much sleep can cause changes in hormones that increase your appetite. You may also crave foods high in calories and carbohydrates, which can contribute to weight gain.  
  
                                                                                                                                           
  To sum up, it appears  that being overweight and obese can lead to adverse health outcomes and may become fatal. Although being overweight is seen as a common issue among people these days, it somehow affects negatively on the human body physically and mentally. Early education and awareness among people are needed, specifically for parents to help monitor their children in their diet. For children who have been categorized as obese, they need to receive extensive treatment and care to reduce the probability of getting any associated diseases in the future. Regardless which level of society we belong to, each of us should have a healthy and balanced diet, exercise regularly and avoid sedentary lifestyle in order to gain better health to improved life-expectancy(5). Last but not least, a person who suffers from obese should seek help and motivation from any health professionals or general practitioner.