Under-RM2000 Travel: 6D5N Budget Bali Trip

Bali, for me, is one of those places that was easy to postpone a trip to, because it’s so ‘near’ to Malaysia and I could technically go there ‘anytime’. It’s only recently that I finally got my ass there.

Confessions of a first-time visitor to Bali: I *did not* know it was this big of an island:

*Not pictured: Nusa Penida, a smaller island located east of Zone 1 below

So… all this while, when y’all say you went to Bali, you really meant you went to one (or a few) of those places right? Because there’s no way you could cover them all.

I wish I could explore more areas but I only had 6D5N to play around with – well 5D5N would be more accurate, excluding airport travel times – so I decided on 3 nights in Kuta + 2 nights in Ubud. Kuta allowed me to explore Uluwatu, Seminyak ad Legian, while Ubud allowed me to explore Tegalalang.

Many of you recommended me to stay at Seminyak, Tanah Lot, Sanur and Nusa Penida. Next time around I’ll try to stay at those locations 🙂

Budget Bali Trip Overview

I went to Bali in December 2019. The exchange rate was around 100,000 rupiah = RM29~. In this article, let’s just round it up to RM30 to make the calculations easier.

Here are the major costs:

Flights.
I bought the flight tickets way in advance, around September 2019. Flights to
anywhere
in December are expensive and I knew I have to get this one sorted out first. In other months, I could’ve gotten return Kuala Lumpur-Denpasar tickets for ~RM300 or even less, but since it was December, my AirAsia tickets cost RM593.60 without check-in luggage or meals.

Accommodation
. Since I booked my flights super early, I had a lot of choices when it comes to accommodation. Basically, I considered every hotel/hostel which (1) cost under RM150 per night, (2) had amazing reviews, and (3) are located at central Kuta and Ubud.

Transportation
. Staying in town meant I could walk around, and spend less on taxis. More on this and airport transportation below.

Activities.
 I also allocated some money for trips to local attractions and activities, most of which pre-booked in advance. More on this below.

Food
. I budgeted a generous (or so I thought ) RM20 per meal. It was enough, but barely – you can’t escape tourist pricing 100% of the time.  I’d allocate RM30 per meal per person the next time around just to be safe.

Savings tip 1:
 If you want cheaper flights, avoid December in general.

Savings tip 2:
 I booked my accommodation via Booking.com via
Shopback
(note: referral link). Coincidentally Shopback was doing some travel promo to so I got upsized cashback too. After I decided which hotels I wanted, I compared the same place on a few booking sites – Booking.com, Agoda, Expedia etc – and picked the one with the lowest price and/or higher cashback.

Day 1 – Arrival to Bali

I arrived at Denpasar airport around 9.30pm, so it was quite late. After I picked up the travel SIM cards (Savings tip 3) and withdrew some rupiah from the ATM (Savings tip 4), we took a Grab to the hostel in Kuta (Savings tip 5). Checked in, went out for late dinner, hit the convenience store for some treats and went to bed by midnight.

 Some snacks bought from convenience stores in Bali. The Magnum was delicious!

Savings tip 3:
I got my travel SIM card from
Klook
 (note: referral link; get RM13.30 after you complete an activity). The price was good and most importantly, the staff helped to set it up on the spot. Get your internet sorted out early – especially if you need it to use Grab (see Savings tip 5)

Savings tip 4:
For once, I cannot promote the use of BigPay card for ATM withdrawals in Bali. Two reasons:

Maybe it was just my luck, but 4 out of 5 ATM withdrawal transactions I did at the airport were unsuccessful. That would have been fine, but
they considered the transaction valid and deducted the money from my account and now I have to go through the trouble to file a dispute form to claim it back
. Imagine, RM950, stuck for up to 60 days, just like that.

The two ATMs which I did manage to withdraw money from only allows up to 1.5 million rupiah withdrawal per transaction. That’s only RM450. I *could* make multiple transactions, sure, but remember each transaction comes with RM10 ATM withdrawal fee. One of the ATMs tacked on another 20,000 rupiah fee (~RM6) ON TOP of that charge.

Therefore, if you plan on withdrawing more than RM450, I would suggest exchanging your RM into rupiah at a money exchanger instead,
before
 you go on the trip. That would be the cheaper option.

However, it’s still a good idea to have some money in our BigPay card because many places like restaurants and hotels do accept card payments, and BigPay’s exchange rate is still better than credit cards. Get extra RM10 credit if you use my BigPay referral code INLALP7ZLE. To download the app, find BigPay in
PlayStore
 (Android) or
Appstore
 (iOS)

Savings tip 5
:  Use Grab in Bali. The local taxi companies hate it, but they also wanted to charge me 300,000 rupiah (RM90!!) for a 10-minute car ride from the airport to my hostel in Kuta. The lowest quote I got from the official taxi stand was still 150,000 rupiah (RM45). Compare that to just 80,000 rupiah (~RM24) for the same car ride via Grab. You don’t even have to re-install the app, its the exact same one!

Savings tip 6:
 You can even book motorcycle rides via Grab app in Bali. Do that if you’re a solo travellers, or even if you’re an adventurous group. So much cheaper than Grab car rides.

Day 2 – Exploring Kuta 1

I had a blast spending the morning half of Day 2 just walking around, leisurely exploring Kuta town on foot. We hung out at beautiful Pantai Jerman, then the weather got SCORCHING HOT so we sought refuge at the coffee shop with the coldest aircon setting.

At 2pm, our supir/driver/guide picked us up for our first tour activity from
Klook
 – Uluwatu Temple Sunset and Kecak Fire Dance, which oddly came with a 1.5-hour stop at Padang-Padang Beach, but was pretty and worth visiting so everything’s cool. The views at Uluwatu Temple was beautiful and the dance show was amazing, I really enjoyed my time there.

Savings tip 7:
 Unlike Luang Prabang, where you should totally skip the overpriced packages on
Klook
, in Bali I actually would recommend buying your activities from there. The simple reason is because the guides care about getting good reviews (or at least, avoiding negative reviews) and will truly do their best to give you a good experience.

My guides were great. They have umbrellas in case it rained, they helped me take pictures, they shared lots of information. The price is justifiable for that level of service and beats haggling with independent taxi drivers from the streets.

Day 3 – Exploring Kuta 2

I dedicated Day 3 as free-and-easy Kuta exploration day 🙂 The main streets are easy enough to navigate and it’s a very tourist-friendly town.

There are lots of things to see, touch, buy and eat. Lots of people will be jostling you to hire their taxi service, or buy their ice cream, or get a massage, or buy souvenirs. It got a bit overwhelming sometimes. I understand why people stay at resorts with private beaches, just to get some peace and quiet.

On the day, I walked from Line 3 Stop 1 until Line 3 Stop 5, then walked over to Line 4 Stop 9, then took the Kura Kura bus (Savings tip 8) to explore other areas, including Seminyak and Legian Beach.

Savings tip 8
: I have mixed feelings about the Kura-Kura bus. On one hand, it gives you a good overview of must-visit tourist attractions in Bali, and the flexibility to get there if you decide to. On another, planning your activities around its schedule was a bummer. I missed a bus and didn’t want to wait an hour for the next one so I took a Grab back to the hotel.

I’d suggest buying a Day pass if you enjoy being on a van that just tours around busy streets, so you can sight-see in comfort, without people trying to sell you stuff. But if that’s not important… then skip it and just Grab to any location you want. If you want to buy Kura Kura Bus day passes, they are sold for cheaper on the
Klook
 platform.

Day 4 – Going to Ubud

I had planned to take the Kura Kura bus directly to Ubud, but my travelling partner loved the Kecak Fire Dance so much (it was REALLY good!) that we decided to watch the Sahadewa Barong Dance too. We bought the tickets on
Klook
.

Upon arrival to Ubud, we explored Ubud town and also entered the Ubud Monkey Reserve Forest (80k rupiah entry fee, ~RM24). Didn’t plan to but glad I did – it was a visually beautiful location. Plus you can see baby monkeys!

Savings tip 9
: The Kura Kura bus pass is one of the cheapest (for tourists at least) options for Kuta-Ubud travel, especially for solo travellers. At time of writing, 1-Day pass is RM26.69 and a 3-day pass is RM40 person. A direct Kuta-Ubud Grab car ride would cost roughly 200,000 rupiah (~RM60), depending on location and time of day. You do have to book your seat in advance just in case it fills up.

Again, you can buy the Day Pass from
Klook
 platform. Remember to activate
Shopback
 so you get additional cashback!

Day 5 – Waterfall tour

Another tour booked on
Klook
 – a whole-day Bali Hidden Waterfalls Trip: Best of Ubud Waterfalls! Our guide picked us up at 8.30am and we made it to 2 absolutely beautiful waterfalls and a trip to the famous Tegalalang Rice Terraces.

Worth noting: skip this activity if you’re not physically active. We actually decided to skip the last waterfall and head back to the hotel earlier because all the locations had so many steep stairs and it was really tiring. Our driver said that some tourists do cut their trips short – as early as one hour in – upon discovering the level of physical exertion needed. I don’t want you to waste money and time.

After that we spent the remaining evening walking around Ubud town, trying out Luwak coffee (80,000 rupiah per cup or ~RM24) at a place which featured tame civet cats. It was quite the experience sipping coffee knowing it came from their poop. They were super cute though.

(They didn’t seem drugged, which was nice)

Savings tip 10:
 If you’re on a budget, make sure to tell your driver your lunch budget because they might take you to a very pricey – but admittedly nice – restaurant for lunch. I requested for a nasi campur place, hoping for below-50,000 rupiah per meal (~RM15), and he took us to this place where the meal cost 120,000 rupiah (~RM36) before taxes.

In the end we ended up at a roadside Nasi Padang place which overcharged us simply because we were tourists. Paid 70,000 (~RM21) rupiah for rice+chicken+vege+tempe combo. Had to grit my teeth to that one. At least it was delicious.

Also, while technically you’re not obligated to pay for his lunch, you might feel pressured to. I did because he kinda hovered around the whole time.

Day 6 – Departure

Nothing much for Day 6. Had a leisurely breakfast at the hotel, then a driver (also booked from
Klook
 – cheaper than quoted by the hotel) drove us to the airport.

Savings tip 11:
Food at Denpasar airport is VERY EXPENSIVE so if you’re on a budget, bring some snacks or eat your meals beforehand.

Total cost for my budget Bali trip

In total, I spent RM1815.10 on my 6D5N budget Bali trip, all-in. Could it be cheaper? Sure, if you got cheaper flight tickets, but other than that my budget was quite lean as it is. I also stayed at cheap but private places (not the fancy resorts/villas), didn’t buy any souvenirs and didn’t visit the far-away places.

(I also forgot to buy travel insurance whoops don’t be like me kids)

Item

Budgeted

Actual

Flights

RM600

RM593.60

Pre-booked on
Klook

SIM card

Airport transfer (DPS)

Uluwatu temple

Waterfall tour

Kura Kura 3-Day bus pass

RM400

RM352

Hotels in Kuta + Ubud

RM375

(RM75 x 5 nights, per person)

RM374.57

Food, Drinks & Transportation

1,750,000 rupiah / RM500

(RM20 per meal x 20 meals + RM100)

RM369.28

Airport transfers (MY)

RM65

RM65

Entertainment/Entrance fees/Other fees etc

875,000 rupiah / RM250

(RM50 per day x 5 days)

RM60.65

TOTAL

RM2190

RM1815.10

Special thanks to everyone who shared your savings tips, including your itineraries, activity and location recommendations and others. Much appreciated, love you <3

Have anyone been to Bali? Any money-saving advice to share?

I’m flying in December, where flight prices are ridiculous (but it’s the only time I can go!) So I’m keen to save money in other expenses!

— Suraya Zainudin (@surayaror)
September 30, 2019

Anyone else been to Bali before? Where did you stay and how much did it cost? Let me know your savings tips in the comments section below.

Related: Previous travel –
Luang Prabang, Laos
,
Hong Kong
,
Maldives
,
Langkawi
,
Krabi,

Osaka+Kyoto
, and
Saigon

More pics/vids from the trip:

View this post on Instagram

Bali’s nature, architecture and commercial spaces completely rejuvenated me *happy sigh* ❤ . Coming soon: breakdown of the 6D5N trip, costing RM1881 all-in . #bali #denpasar #ubud #ubudbali #kuta #kutabeach #civetcat #kopiluwak #baliwaterfall #pantaijerman #uluwatutemple #padangpadangbeach

A post shared by
 Suraya Zainudin
 (@surayaror) on
Dec 22, 2019 at 6:55pm PST

View this post on Instagram

Videos to relax to: #padangpadangbeach (15k IDR entry fee), #uluwatutemple (30k IDR entry fee), #ubudmonkeyforest (80k IDR entry fee)

A post shared by
 Suraya Zainudin
 (@surayaror) on
Dec 23, 2019 at 5:26pm PST


5D 4N Below-RM2000 Budget Hong Kong Trip

I want to start this article by saying that I don’t like Hong Kong as a travel destination. You don’t feel relaxed as a tourist – it’s a city where only money and status will get you that premium.

I got ignored when asking a supermarket staff for help, got yelled at by a random uncle on the streets, got shoved by people everywhere, got my queue cut and just generally received horrible servicee. Rude people make me rude in return, so I hated myself there.

But… I’m glad I still travelled there. It contextualises the news I get from that part of the world. Now I understand better about the housing crisis, and what people do to cope with the high cost of living.

From conversations, locals confirmed that it’s common for retirees to move to other countries, like China, Australia and Canada. Their retirement money stretches further there, plus they get a better quality of life.

This is not surprising – Hong Kong was described as a concrete jungle, and that is so true. I imagine the lush outdoors and privacy are things that retired Hongkees crave for, after a lifetime in the city.

Hong Kong Trip Overview

My trip can be considered a solo travel trip (my sister, who decided to join me, stayed at another hostel). All in all, I spent just under RM2000 for a 5 days, 4 nights trip to Hong Kong. When I went in April 2018, RM1 is around HKD2 – easy to calculate.

It’s an expensive city to live in, no joke. Here’s what I did to save money:

Accommodation
. I saved money by staying in a hostel near Kowloon area (instead of mainland Hong Kong, which is a lot more expensive). It costs HKD960 (RM480) for 4 nights. If you go as a pair, you might get a decent 2 or 3-star hotel for RM500-800 PER night in Kowloon area, which has a very Chow Kit slash Petaling Street vibe.

Transportation
. This was reasonable. We got the Octopus card, aka their version of Touch N Go and used it for the MTR (train), ferry and tram rides. We also walked a lot.

Food
. Wtf. Sit-down meals are so expensive. Budget RM25-50 per meal here, and that’s for food court and cafeteria-style meals. Street food are priced okay, but I didn’t have a lot of those (cos many are not halal). The only street food I had was herbal eggs – 4 small eggs for HKD10 (RM5). Groceries are pretty expensive too, but we shelled out for this anyway because of food restrictions. I brought snacks from home – that helped a lot with the food expenses.

If you go to Hong Kong and want a good hotel and explore the culinary side of Hong Kong, expect to pay more than RM2000 per person for the same trip.

On the surface, there are a lot of activities you can do in Hong Kong. I jotted down the following activities in my notebook (the ones in * means we did them), plus the cost:

Disneyland* – RM258 on Klook

Ocean World – RM202 on Klook

Hong Kong Walking Tour (
link
) – technically free, but they expect tips

Day trip to Macau – cost of ferry ride

Day trip to Schenzen – cost of train and visa

Museums (History; Art; Space) – small fee, around HKD10 per entry. Apparently you can get in free on Wednesdays

Dragon’s Back hike – free

Explore Kowloon* – free

Explore Hong Kong Island* – free

The Peak tram* – HKD52-99

Ngong Ping cable car – RM67-92 on Klook

Symphony of Lights show* – free

Racecourse – cost of a small bet on a racehorse, just to experience the full vibe

Savings tip 1:
 Get promo flight tickets from AirAsia if you can. Mine was RM439 return without luggage. My sister bought later, and it costs her RM700+. I bought my flights and accommodation via Expedia from
Shopback
(note: referral link). So I got some cashback here, yay.

Savings tip 2
:  If you’re not a foodie, have food restrictions, or on a strict budget but don’t want to eat only street food, then prepare/bring your own food and snacks. Shit’s fairly expensive.

Day 1 – Arrival to Hong Kong Airport

After arrival, the first thing we did was pick up our SIM cards at the airport. Let’s just say I’m glad we got phone internet. Google Maps saved our asses while we were there, because asking people for directions was not something we felt comfortable doing.

I don’t know, most locals who I talked to made it seem like I’m wasting their time when I’m conversing with them. Don’t expect good service from people you’re buying stuff from, too (unless you go to premium places).

After internet was sorted out, we took the fast airport train to Kowloon (bought from Klook). We checked in at our hostels, got some food from the grocery shop, then explored Mong Kok area in Kowloon: the Ladies Market, the Flowers Market and the shopping streets around it.

 Flowers Market

It was Saturday, so the streets were predictably full. Some observations:

Sasa, the beauty shop, was everywhere

Their Guardian (the pharmacy we have here) is called Mannings, and they’re everywhere too

Older Hong Kongers seems to have an active social life. They were out and about everywhere. We saw some street karaoke and open dancing to (what I think is) old-school Chinese romantic music

Explore the nooks. Sometimes the unassuming escalators and stairs bring you to interesting, off-the-streets shops

Savings tip 3
: Klook sells both SIM cards and portable WiFi device. The former is a bargain for RM26, as opposed to the latter’s RM21-per-day charge. Find Klook at
Shopback
(note: referral link).  We also bought out return airport transfer train tickets from Klook.

Savings tip 3:

Don’t buy
 the Octopus card from Klook, though. They only sell the tourist version for RM47, which comes with HKD50 in pre-loaded credit (RM25). That means you’ll lose RM22 even if you use up all your credit.

Instead, buy your Octopus card at any MTR station in Hong Kong. It’ll cost HKD150, inclusive of HKD100 in pre-loaded credit plus HKD50 deposit. You can return your card and get back your unused balance and deposit – the only charge is HKD9 (RM4.50) as service fee if you return the card before 90 days’ usage (or something like that).

Savings tip 5:
Water at convenience shops are expensive! HKD12 (RM6) for a 1.5 liter-bottle was the cheapest we’ve found. Try to stay at a place where filtered water is provided FOC. If that’s not possible, then buy your water at the grocery shops, not at 7-Eleven.

Day 2 – Going to Hong Kong Island

You have two options going from Kowloon to Hong Kong Island: ferry and train/MTR. We prefer the ferry – the ride was cheap (HKD3~) and you can get a great view of Hong Kong Island.

This is a theory – I have no idea if this is true, but this is a theory anyhow – Sunday might be the designated day off for Hong Kong’s many foreign workers. Upon arrival, we saw many Indonesian and Filipino nationals camping in the public areas, including on sidewalks.

They even set up small ‘rooms’ made of cardboard, housing between 4-10 people, all eating and chatting and generally socialising. Good for them and all, but yeah, didn’t expect the smell of homemade fried noodles just outside of Louis Vuitton, you know?

In Hong Kong Island, we pretty much just walked around. If we were more into architecture, we would probably ogle and appreciate the skyscrapers a bit more. But for us, it was pretty much ‘oh, they’re tall and shiny’, that’s it.

Walking around Hong Kong Island was alright. Not that much to look at if you’re not actively shopping, if I’m honest. We went on the famous Central-Mid Levels escalators and walkways – the long one, the one that stretches more than 800 meters.

The best-value experience was the tram rides – it was just HKD2ish for any distance. Find them, the stops look like this:

For lunch, my sister took me to the Islamic Centre’s Canteen for a dim sum meal (
location
). The cafeteria meal costs us more than RM50 per person, but hey, I had dim sum in Hong Kong.

Mini-drama – I lost my Octopus card soon after that. Lost about HKD120 in value 🙁 We backtracked to try and find it, but in the end I had to purchase another one, sigh. Considering how the card is pretty much essential to daily life, it’s pretty surprising that you can’t get a refund on the balance if you lose it. I asked.

At night, we watched the Symphony of Lights show at 8pm.

Savings tip 6:
 Take the tram, get to the top deck and do your people watching from there. It’s much calmer than walking around. Outdoor cafes – my preferred and usual go-to spot to do people watching while on holidays – was a rarity.

Day 3 – Disneyland

Of course we went to Disneyland! It was a good day – we had company (Matan, an Israeli dude my sister brought along from her hostel), the weather was good, we caught all the good shows and the crowd was not horrible. We even went on some rides twice!

You know, I keep forgetting that Disney is more than Disney characters. I forgot they also own Marvel and Star Wars – as evidenced by the Iron Man Experience and Hyperspace Mountain rides. That was a pleasant surprise. Jarvis speaks in Cantonese there, fyi.

Meals in Disneyland Hong Kong was crazy expensive. HKD140 (RM70) and above is common for a set meal. To save money, I brought snacks and refilled my water bottle at water coolers – find them near toilets. I don’t think you can bring pre-packed meals, but snacks are fine. Thank God, because I was legit worried when we need to get our bags inspected (mandatory).

I bought a pair of sunglasses. Coincidentally mine broke. Totally needed it, it was glaring hot. Or so I tell myself 😛 It was HKD178.

Savings tip 7:

Klook sells Disneyland tickets at cheaper rates. I also saw (but didn’t buy) discounted tickets for Ocean World, Ngong Ping cable car, ferry tickets to Macau and more from Klook. I can recommend it – no printouts required. Browse Klook from
Shopback
(note: referral link) for additional cashback in addition to their discounts.

Savings tip 8:
Bring a water bottle (and some snacks) into Disneyland.

Day 4 –
Hiking at Dragon’s Back

Museums
 Just wandered around…

Day 4. I’ve never been so bored on vacation on just Day 4 before.

Ok, so the original plan was to go hiking at
Dragon’s Back trail
.

It rained, so that was cancelled.

Then we thought, okay, let’s check out the museums.

It was Tuesday, THE ONLY DAY THE MUSEUMS ARE CLOSED.

So we kinda walked around aimlessly. Found a halal Indian/Middle Eastern restaurant with a lunch deal (HKD45/RM22.50 for roast chicken salad and a drink). Walked through a park, that was nice. They had these giant cartoon characters. Here’s one of them. I have no idea who he is, but I thought he looked the coolest.

Then we got bored again. Googled ‘things to do in Hong Kong indoors’. Everything that came up was boring: bowling, shopping, escape games, indoor trampoline.

So we decided to go to The Peak for a view of the city. We didn’t originally plan for this, or I would have bought the tickets on Klook, too.

The tram up to The Peak was alright. Charmingly colonial, if you ignore the darker side of history.

Temperature is noticeably cooler. There was a 3D gallery for picture-taking. We got the HKD99 tickets which include entry to an over-glorified rooftop (they call it Sky Terrace 428, or the ‘viewing platform’).

There were just two sorry benches there. If you sit down anywhere else, you’ll get yelled at (I got yelled at).

After a couple of hours at The Peak, after we browsed all the shops there (it’s like a micro Genting Highlands – Madam Toussands is there too), we got bored again.

The rest of the night was not memorable – we went to what was supposed to be a ‘happening’ mall called Times Square, hoping to be entertained, but soon got bored of that, too. Our malls are nicer to hang out in.

In the end, we just decided to pack some food – my sister Googled and found a halal shop at a dingy food court. She got duck rice (HKD45/RM22.50), I got mutton curry (HKD66/RM33) – can I remind you these are food court prices?

A side visit to Ladies Market in Mong Kok got my sister some key chains as souvenirs. I’m pretty sure a local man cursed my sister in Cantonese, for bumping into him while walking the narrow path between shops at Ladies Market. Tired and in low spirits, we called it a night and headed back to our respective hostels.

Savings tip 9
: Skip the pricier HKD99 The Peak ticket that includes entry to Sky Terrace 428 at The Peak. Instead, buy the HKD52 tickets for just the tram ride. To get more or less the same view, sit at one of the restaurants
one floor below.
It’ll cost you the price of a meal or a drink, but you get to sit down and actually appreciate the view.

Savings tip 10:
If you still want the entry to Sky Terrace 428, get your tickets from Klook. Cheaper than buying at the location.

Savings tip 11:
If you want to buy anything at Ladies Market, be prepared to bargain
hard.
To give you an example, the key chains my sister wanted was HKD150 for 5 pieces. She bargained that down to HKD40, and it’s possible to go even lower than that.

The shop owners are thick-skinned when it comes to business, and can get physical. This one woman grabbed my sister as she walked away, refusing to let go until I said  “No!” loudly.

Savings tip 12:
I usually buy small snack packs as souvenirs, but the ones I saw were not worth the price. However, I can say that beauty products in general are okay-priced there. Face masks at Sasa make interesting souvenirs, especially the ones with animal faces on them. They’re cheaper in Hong Kong than in Malaysia – I checked.

Day 5 – Leaving Hong Kong

You can guess that by this point, I was keen to leave Hong Kong. Our flight was at 6ish pm though – plenty of time to waste.

But, if I may say so myself, we wasted it well. We got to the airport early, bought ourselves tickets to The Avengers: Infinity War, which was just released on the very day, and watched that on IMAX 3D. It was HKD120 (RM60), inclusive of the glasses, but one of the highlights of the trip.

I’m sorry to keep going back to how rude Hong Kong people are, but they were. On the flight back, a child kept kicking the back of my seat, so I told the mother to keep an eye on the child. She looked angry, replied back something in Cantonese (no idea what, but angry tone), then let her child continue kicking my seat for the remaining 2 hours.

I was so happy to be back in Malaysia. People are so much more kinder here. I won’t take that for granted anymore.

Savings tip 13:
If you’re hungry at the airport and on a budget, you can buy instant noodles at 7 Eleven and eat that. There are water coolers around, too, to refill water bottles. (I probably saved at least RM50 in water costs thanks to my water bottle).

Total cost for my budget Hong Kong trip

In total, I spent RM1968.50 for this trip. Not a huge amount, I’m glad – will save my money for better places.

I welcome all Hong Kong-specific budget hacks you have, too – share in the comments section. I would also welcome cultural hacks. Is it possible to get better treatment? When I came back and shared Hong Kong stories, some people who’ve been there was like, yep, that sounds like Hong Kong.

Breakdown of expenses in the table below. But unless it’s a business trip, and unless you’re specifically looking for a Disneyland experience, I’d suggest going to other countries for a holiday, instead.

Item

Budgeted

Actual

Flight tickets KL-Hong Kong (AirAsia)

RM439

RM439

Accommodation (Booking.com)

HKD960 (RM480)

RM480

Klook pre-payments  (SIM card + Disneyland + Return airport transfer)

RM500

RM26 + RM246.50 + RM65 = RM337.50

Food & Drinks

HKD1400 (HKD100 per meal x 14 meals) (RM700)

HKD520 (RM260; includes groceries)

Public transportation (bus, ferry, tram)

HKD500 (HKD100 per day x 5 days) (RM250)

HKD250 (RM125; including Octopus card replacement)

Entertainment/shopping/souvenirs

HKD600 (HKD150 per day x 4 days) (RM300)

HKD654 (RM327)

TOTAL

RM2669

RM1968.50

Related: Previous travel –
Maldives
,
Langkawi
,
Krabi, Thailand,

Osaka+Kyoto
, and
Saigon, Vietnam


Hack: Best website EVER to look for cheap flights

(Hint: It’s not AirAsia.com)

———

I am a budget-conscious traveler. If you are under 35 and grew up under AirAsia’s promise of ‘Now Everyone Can Fly’, chances are you are a budget-conscious traveler, too.

I admit that
sometimes
 I feel entitled and expect to get cheap flights. In my defense, AirAsia spoiled me. Constant offers through various media channels made me believe that I
deserve
 that RM9 cheap flight ticket.

But as much as I love AirAsia (big fan!), today I am going to give you my ultimate hack in getting cheap flight tickets. It may include AirAsia, it may not, but you will get the
best possible price for cheap flights.

When you want to travel, you will need to decide these three things:

Location

Date

Duration (of trip)

Budget travelers usually take flight prices into consideration. At some level, it might even affect your travel decision. For example, you might decide to leave one day earlier in order to shave RM150 off the price of your flight tickets.

There’s a lot of websites that can help you compare prices of flight tickets. AirAsia, for example, can easily show you how much flights cost on another day. But of course you are excluded from other airlines. With other websites like Skycanner, you can only check a country at a time.

What if you can check all options in one website, for the ultimate cheap flights comparison?

The hack to get cheap flights

It’s called
Google Flights
.

If you click on the page, you’ll come to a very standard page. Where do you fly from? Where to? Departure date? Return date?

But do me a favor – click on ‘Explore Map’. It’s in the red circle.

This is a mere snippet of what you may see:

My map is zoomed way out, but look – you can see the
 flight prices to go to different cities in the map itself
! I used random dates for this example. You can see that it costs USD198 to go to Tokyo, USD140 to Hong Kong, USD 65 to Jakarta, etc.

All the red dots represent airports, so if you zoom in more, you can see prices of local flights, too.

Let’s say I am interested to visit Tokyo, Japan. I want to see if USD198 is a good price for my dates (20-24 January 2016). I click on ‘Tokyo’. This is what I get:

Look! USD198 is indeed the best price for the dates chosen! More information about the flight is in the red circle. In this case, Vietnam Air is the service provider. The flight has an 11-hours layover at the Hanoi airport. If I am a hardcore budget traveler, this wouldn’t be much of a problem. If I wanted something faster on these specific dates, I can select other options.

Cool? Here’s where it gets cooler. What if you want to compare the prices for different departure dates? You click on your departure/return dates. It will show you three options. The first is Calendar.

As you can see, USD198 is still the cheapest option for KUL-NAR.

Even cooler: the middle button – Flexible dates. Here you can easily click on a super user-friendly matrix. You can easily see how much it costs if you take different departure/return dates.

It’s interesting – you can see that in this case, Mondays are bad days to depart and Wednesdays/ Thursdays are bad days to return.

A same-day depart/return flight costs a whopping USD673 0.0

You can scroll the dates backwards/forward, too. I personally like longer stays – I might select 17-26 Jan 2016 because it costs the same as 20-24 Jan 2016.

The last button shows the price graph. Here you will see a bigger picture of the flight prices. Useful to just confirm what you already know – this particular flight is a
 freaking deal.

And that’s how you know you got the best price for your destination 🙂

Don’t know where to go? It’s also fun to let Google suggest you a location by clicking ‘I’m Feeling Lucky’ (circled). Let’s try it out.

I got New York. It costs USD954 via Korean Air. Not bad.

Just for fun, let’s see if we can get a better price to New York.

Jackpot! See the red circle – Google gave a tip for an even cheaper flight! It now costs USD663, if I make the trip earlier by a day!

I just saved about a third off this flight. Super easy.

Try it out. It’s one of my favorite travel hacks ever. Do you find it useful? Know an even better hack to get cheap flights? Share in the comments!

If this article helped you, share it okay 🙂


My HelpX Experience – An Alternative Method to Travel on a Budget

If you want to travel overseas but not spend TOO much on it, this article is for you.  To be clear, this article does not give you typical ways to save money while traveling/choosing a travel package.
You folks already know how to do that, and you can also refer to
my travel articles
.

Rather, this article is to review an alternative method to travel on the budget – via
HelpX
.

HelpX stands for Help Exchange

What is HelpX? Exactly what it says on the website. It’s an “online listing of host organic farms, non-organic farms, farmstays, homestays, ranches, lodges, B&Bs, backpackers hostels and even sailing boats who invite
volunteer helpers to stay with them short-term in exchange for food and accommodation
.”

HelpX
 is considered a volunteering platform, and more widespread in Western nations – I’m talking Europe, (North) America, Australia, places like that where these travel methods are more accepted. Without food and accommodation to worry about, your travel costs gets way, way cheaper.

Is it legit? As someone who’ve used it, yes. I’ll share my HelpX experience below.

Note: I am not paid for this review. Just sharing my amazing experiences.

My HelpX experience

The gist of HelpX travel is – contact hosts you like and ask if they have space for you on your preferred dates. If they say yes, book your ticket and turn up.  Some hosts prefer shorter stays, some prefer longer. Hosters and Helpers can give each other reviews, so you can see experiences of volunteers before contacting them.

You can make a HelpX account for free, but you have to pay the HelpX membership to contact hosts. Becoming a member of HelpX costs 19 Euros for 2-year membership.
If you plan well, you can travel for up to 2 years, which
 is extremely worth it.

All hosts expect you to work in exchange for food and accommodation, but in reality this was only like, 4 hours a day, more or less. The type of work also greatly varied.

Personally, I did 3 stints with HelpX:

Rural France for 7 weeks in 2009,

Balingup, Australia for 3 weeks 2010, and

In a hills-part of Japan for 1 week (can’t remember the year nor actual location)

Hopefully this will give an idea of what happens in a HelpX experience.

1st HelpX Experience – France

I was hosted in rural France, in lower Normandy. My hosts, a retired British couple, picked me up from the airport. This was my first stint, and for some reason they agreed to take me in (a newbie during the time) for 7 weeks.

It was honestly one of the most beautiful and memorable experiences in my life.

My main ‘work’ was taking care of farm animals. These included 3 goats (one of them extremely horny), 2 geese (one named, without irony, ‘Lucifer’), 2 dogs, 5 cats (including 1 old, blind, deaf, arthritic cat with liver problems, but otherwise very sweet), a bunch of rabbits and guinea pigs, and a bunch of chickens.

The work was easy enough – wake up, feed the goats, geese and chickens, collect the eggs, feed the guinea pigs, clean the pen every other day, walk the dogs, cuddle the cat, stuff like that.

After ‘work’, I did whatever I wanted. Most of the time I read books (they had a big collection), or go online, or take walks. They had a cherry tree that I climbed (I kinda ate the whole tree, whoops). It was very rural – the nearest town was some drive away, but it was peaceful and slow. The host took me to a few touristy places, but that was only out of the kindness of his heart.

There’s a very personal story here: about a week in, I was told that the lady’s cancer came back. They asked if I wanted to leave, but by this time I was extremely attached to them, so I said I’ll help around. In a few weeks, her health worsen. She passed away about 4 weeks in, in her home, surrounded by her family and loved pets. I will always remember that I fed her last meal: chocolate pudding.

It wasn’t sad, per se. She was a very joyful person. She was just like, ‘I hope I get to reincarnate into a seagull so I can steal your fries’. I am very happy I got to meet her. RIP Debbie.

2nd HelpX Experience – Balingup, Australia

My second HelpX experience was in Balingup, a town about 3 hours north of Perth. I stayed 3 weeks with a couple who owned an organic farm and slept in an old van in front of their farm. It was fitted with a good mattress and blinds – a lot more comfortable that you’d think.

The couple had an ambitious goal of collecting every type of seeds from Australian plants. They were very environmentally conscious, and promoted sustainable farming.

That means no chemicals. I brushed my teeth with baking powder and washed my hair with apple cider vinegar. Even human waste gets decomposed into (supposedly good quality fertilizer). Most items were handmade, thrifted or traded. However, they do have a generator which provided electricity for a couple of hours a day – needed that for internet.

My work there was also quite minimal. I don’t know if I appeared to be useless for hard labour, but I was given just simple stuff. I seeded artichokes, planted onions, and weeded. They taught me a lot of stuff that I still practice/incorporate into my life today – how permaculture works, making jam, how to knit, and handling an op-shop (second-hand shop).

I will always remember this place as the place I beat my fear of the dark. The generator was turned off at night, and I navigated my way to the van outside the house with a manual light. This is one of those things that you have to wind up to generate enough electricity to light up, and I would wind it for
hours
because I was scared of the dark.

But as my arms got tired, and the light dimmed, and I got scared, looked up to the sky in frustration… and I saw the galaxy. The beautiful, magnificent galaxy.

Now I don’t mind living in places with no electricity, if you can give me that view. It was
gorgeous
.

3rd HelpX Experience – Japan (I forgot the prefecture)

I wanted to visit my Japanese host family, so to make the trip extra memorable I squeezed in a week-long HelpX experience, my third.

My host was an elderly Japanese man, who took me to his second house, a place that he rents out for short-term vacationers. I was supposed to help him with the cleaning up and general homekeeping before the next tourists came in, but in reality I was more like a granddaughter accompanying a grandfather.

He treated me to fancy sushi, made me homemade yogurt, introduced me to his neighbours (including someone who appeared to be an ex-yakuza, judging from his tattoos), and even discouraged me from working so he could take me on photography trips.

You see, he was a photography buff. We went to take pictures of proud Mount Fuji, witnessed the changing colours of leaves in forests, and he was happy to show me his nature photography collection.

I mean, I still worked – I helped him to clean the toilet and sweep and stuff (had to earn my keep right), but he would thank me profusely. He was a sweet man. I wish I stayed on longer.

Those are my HelpX experiences. If you choose to go, your experiences will not be the same as mine.

I had extremely good experiences, but to be fair some HelpXers had terrible experiences too. You’re basically juggling a friendship/family/worker relationship so you have to keep all these in balance so you, or your host, won’t be taken advantage of.

It also boils down to your personality. Are you willing to adapt?

HelpX is good if you are willing to follow the schedule of your hosts, and are willing to forgo typical tourist experiences/locations. It’s also great if you want to have a taste of the rural life without the long-term commitment, see if the Harvest Moon life is for you.

Why I support HelpX-type travel

I believe people need to travel and see the world. Not only this is personally enriching, experiences-wise, but you also get to practice your language skills, and get to know different types of people. Your worldview is broadened.

However, I also know travel – especially long travel – is not financially accessible to most people. Therefore platforms like HelpX (and WWOOF – similar but focus on farm work) allow you to save money on accommodation and food.

You may ask – can I do this with my friend/partner? Yes, you can. Some even travel from one host to another as a family. I’ve met them on my HelpX experience. I’ve even met couples with toddlers. However personally I’ve only done it solo so I can’t elaborate too much on this.

If you want to know more about how it works, or just generally more info so you can start HelpX-ing too, let me know. I would recommend it to anyone who is easygoing and open to alternative travel.


Planning An Ipoh Day Trip? Here are 13 Places to Add In Your Ipoh Itinerary

Planning a day trip to Ipoh? It’s just 2, 3 hours away from KL. I lived there for a year, and here are 13 places, activities and food places that I can recommend you to add in your Ipoh itinerary.

As a bonus, and considering the economy, the places in this list are also budget-friendly and affordable to experience… if you don’t go overboard with the shopping and eating that is.

Under each recommendation, I added Google Map Search keywords that you can type in to find these places. Just use Google Map to locate them.

#1 – Concubine Lane Ipoh (2 hours)

Concubine Lane Ipoh is a must-go location. Go for a walk to look for the murals and go in the small shops selling knick-knacks. If you have the munchies, highly recommend you to buy an egg tart or two.

Google map search:
 ‘Dataran Kong Heng’ ; ‘Concubine Lane Ipoh’

#2 – Dataran Kok Heng (1 hour)

Dataran Kong Heng is very ‘industrialist chic’ with an abandoned building vibe, and a great place to take instagram pictures. On weekends, they also have a mini flea market.

#3 – Yasmin Ahmad Museum (1 hour)

It is not a bad idea to combine #1-3 during your Ipoh day trip, especially if this is your first time visiting. Simply go to Dataran Kong Heng, walk along Concubine Lane Ipoh, then visit Yasmin Ahmad Museum. They are all located in Ipoh city center and nearby each other, within walking distance.

The entry fee to the Yasmin Ahmad Museum is just RM5 donation, ridiculously cheap. If you enjoy Yasmin Ahmad’s work, you will like this place.

Google map search:
 Yasmin Ahmad Museum

#4 – Eat at Restaurant New Hollywood, a halal Chinese food court (1.5 hours)

Restaurant New Hollywood is very packed on weekend mornings, but worth going. They have chee cheong fun, curry mee, lobak, and many other delicious items. Try the famous Roti Goyang.

Google map search:
 ‘Restaurant New Hollywood’

#5 – Drive around Tambun area, then go buy pomelo/ limau bali (2+ hour)

Tambun area and its surrounding is SO beautiful. On a good day, you can see details of the mountain range. At certain places, you can walk up and view the high, gorgeous, prehistoric walls up close. There are tiny crevices housing families of birds, and many varieties of insects (ProTip: wear mosquito repellent), and just… amazing plants that somehow grow on what is essentially a big rock.

Drive around, enjoy the view then go buy what Ipoh is famous for: pomelo. A good-size pomelo is about RM10. Pick a shop that offers free samples. Some of them can even help you to remove the skin, so you can enjoy it on the go.

Google map search:
 I have no particular routes to suggest, but you can try Ipoh-Tambun-Tanjung Rambutan-Tambun-Pomelo shops-Ipoh. Plenty of pomelo farms and shops along ‘Jalan Tambun Baru’

#6 – Attend Garden Market at Food Truck Garden (2+ hours)

Garden Market happens every Friday, Saturday and Sunday after 6pm. They have food trucks, preloved market, open cinema, and local performances.

Super hipster. Very cool side of urban Ipoh.

Find out more
here
.

Google map search:
 ‘P.O.R.T. (People of Remarkable Talents)’

#7 – Go to Sunday flea market  (2+ hours)

Credit to Attila Siha

Ipoh Sunday flea market is also known as Memory Lane Ipoh, as well as Pasar Karat Memory Lane. It starts early on Sunday morning, and ends early: 7am-12pm.

This is probably the best flea market I’ve attended in Malaysia, so far. None of those flea-market-but-actually-tudung-market. People actually sell good
junk
 treasures.

Google map search:
 ‘Memory Lane Morning Market’

#8 – Kek Lok Tong Cave Temple (2+ hours)

Credit: See Tatt Yeo

It’s a temple. It’s a cave. It’s a park. It’s Kek Lok Tong Cave Temple!

If you’re the slightest bit interested in:

Rock formations
Caves
Stalactites and stalagmites
Buddhist temples
Miniature figurines of tiny people doing stuff
Miniature stuff in general like bonsai and stuff
Tame (?) geese (Disclaimer: results may vary)

Go here. Entrance is free, but donations encouraged.

Google map search:
 ‘Kek Lok Tong’

#9 – Gunung Lang Recreational Park (1+ hour)

Aka the cheapskate’s version of the Banjaran experience. Entrance is free, and you can purchase boat tickets to the attractions area, where apparently there’s a mini zoo.

Alternative: Sneak into The Haven. It’s a luxury condominium with hotel, and security is tight, but gosh if you can bullshit your way in, the view will take your breath away. Just say you want to go to the restaurant there or something.

Alternative if you’re ballin’: Have a couple thousand ringgit in loose change? Just go to The Banjaran. Even I haven’t been here, but I know people who do, and every time they talk about it they have this dreamy face on.

Google map search:
 ‘Gunung Lang Recreational Park’; ‘The Haven Resort Hotel & Resort Ipoh’ ; ‘The Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat’

#10 – Bike along River Walk @ Kinta Riverfront Hotel (2+ hours)

Rent a bicycle (test it first, some are wonky) then just cycle around this area. It’s very cooling during late afternoons. Watch lovebirds whisper sweet nothings to each other. See a couple of displays about Ipoh’s mining past. If you’re lucky, you might find a couple doing their engagement/wedding shoot.

Google map search:
 ‘Kinta Riverfront Hotel & Suites’

#11 – Eat chicken wings at Wing Zone (1-2 hours)

I lol-ed before adding Wing Zone in this Ipoh day trip guide. Wing Zone is an
American-style joint serving Americans-style buffalo wings,
 with celery and blue cheese dressing on the side. It’s ridiculous and slightly pricey, but it’s also delicious. The joint have non-stop MTV (or similar) music video channel and fast WiFi.

It’s worth a visit because it’s fun to choose between like a million flavours of chicken wings.

Google map search:
 ‘Wing Zone Wings Burger Flavor’ (??? but that’s what it says!)

#12 – Drive to Tanjung Rambutan and see the famous hospital (1-2 hours)

It’s really just another building, but you can’t help to be excited to be in Tanjung Rambutan because of its reputation as mental illness recovery area.

For you non-Malaysians, let me elaborate. It’s pretty common for parents to threaten to send misbehaving kids to the Tanjung Rambutan Hospital. I don’t know how this came about, but it’s just a place you hear about since you were little. If you tell Malaysians you visited here, they’ll get a good appreciative laugh out of it.

Google map search:
 ‘Hospital Bahagia Ulu Kinta’

#13 – Walk and eat at a local Ipoh pasar malam

I’m not familiar with ALL pasar malam in Ipoh and surrounding areas, but I know they have it nightly or almost nightly.

(Technically I should call this Ipoh night trip not Ipoh day trip, lol. Pasar malam starts from about 7pm until late.)

Every night @ Gerbang Malam (Ipoh city centre)
Tuesday @ Medan Ipoh (nearby AEON Kinta City Mall)
Wednesday @ Stadium Perak
Thursday @ Taman Perindustrian Tambun

Google map search:
 ‘Gerbang Malam’ ; ‘AEON Kinta City’ ; ‘Stadium Perak’ ; ‘Pasar Malam Taman Perpaduan’

Note: The days may change without notice, so if the info/location here is wrong let me know

What other things to do in Ipoh?

Hope you like these recommendations! Hope you will enjoy your Ipoh day trip, while you save up for
international trips
 🙂

For those of you who have been to Ipoh, what did you add in your Ipoh itinerary that is not included here? Please add in comments, would love to try your recommendations 🙂


Budget Travel Japan: 4D3N Japan for RM2500 (Osaka+Kyoto)

Fun fact: I was an exchange student to Nagoya, Japan. 1 year in 2005/06. Went to high school and stayed with a host family. Japan is like my second home. It feels welcoming, familiar. I was happy to go back there recently, even if it was just for 4 days.

This was my fourth trip to Japan, and first through Kansai Airport. 4 days was way too short, but I took what I could. This is my budgeting for the trip, costing ~RM2500, covering Osaka and Kyoto. Read on for savings tips and travel recommendations 🙂

Related: Previous travel –
Krabi, Thailand

2 weeks before my budget travel Japan trip: Booking flight and accommodation

I decided on Osaka because I really missed Japan and it was the cheapest flight. Then I added in Kyoto just to maximise my travel there. In hindsight, I spent way to much time transiting between places, but it was still nice. It made the trip feel longer.

The exchange rate when I left was 100 yen = RM3.90. A bit too high for my taste, but still a manageable amount. Flight aside,
Japan is expensive
. There’s no but about it – the standard of living is high, and space is premium. RM2500 is high for a 4-day trip – I can get at least 2 Asean trips out of it – but hey,
Japan
.

As such, I budgeted carefully. The RM2500 included my flight cost, which was about RM900.  I set aside 1000 yen per day for 3 days travel, with an additional 2000 yen for Osaka-Kyoto travel. I was too lazy to get the ICOCA card (like their RapidKL card), which ironically would make things more convenient, but you should get that too.

Accommodation-wise, I budgeted RM250-RM300 per night, and there were plenty of options for non-dorm, non-capsule hotel, non-love hotel places at this price bracket. Any lower you’ll have to resort to less private, but cheaper options.

Savings tip 1:
I booked my flights and accommodations via
Shopback
(note: referral link) for the 1% (AirAsia) and (Booking.com) 8% cashback, respectively. I also stayed one night in
AirBnB
 (note: referral link; get RM90 in travel credit).

Savings tip 2:
Use a cashback credit card, and layer them as much as you can. I received AirAsia BIG points for this trip as well. Read my how to maximise cashback credit card article
here
.

Day 1 – Full Day Osaka

Arrived in Kansai Airport in the morning, took the Nankai line towards Shin-Imamiya station (ProTip: if you don’t know where to stay in Osaka, around this area is a good bet, especially if you value convenience to/from airport).

Visited:
 Osaka Castle, Umeda/Osaka Station and the sprawling malls, Conan supermarket (like Mr DIY but better!)

I didn’t really notice this before, but it’s really obvious now – many touristy places have signs and announcements in 4 languages: Japanese, English, Chinese (Mandarin?) and Korean. And there were a lot of Chinese tourists (characterised by big group tours and somewhat loud clothes that kinda stood out) and Korean tourists (characterised by those cheekbones and red lips) – they were everywhere at touristy areas.

Savings tip 3:
 Use
Hyperdia.com
 to find out your train schedule and fare. I got cheaper train rides because of this website. There are many, many train lines in Osaka, and transferring between them are usually more expensive. This website helps you to find routes and stations within walking distance so you’ll get to save some money!

Savings tip 4:
 A pocket wifi is extremely, extremely handy. In my arrogance, I almost went without it, but so glad I decided to shell out this expense. I was contemplating getting one from a service provider in Japan, but dude those were expensive! I finally went with a Malaysian-based service provider. RM13 per day, so for 4 days my total wifi cost was just RM62 (including RM10 delivery, but you can also waive this by collecting from KLIA2). The company is called
Travel Recommends
 (note: referral link) and they also loan pocket wifi to other countries for reasonable prices.

Seriously, if you go to Japan take Tip 3 and Tip 4. Trains are super confusing there.

Savings tip 5:
 If you want to eat sushi (and you do!), but at an extremely affordable price, I highly recommend Muten Karazushi. It’s a kaiten sushi chain where each plate of sushi is just.100.yen.each. With tax, it’s 108 yen, which is even cheaper than most plates at Sushi King. A big lunch for 2 cost us just 1490 yen. Look at all the options!

Savings tip 6:
 You’ll see a lot of vending machines in Japan, especially for drinks. You’ll want to try some of them. I suggest Calpis Soda, interesting Coke/Pepsi (they have Pepsi Sakura, Diet Coke Lemon, etc), Green Tea, Coffees, and more. Look for 100 yen vending machines, not the 150 yen ones. Some places even have 50-60 yen drinks vending machines.

Day 2: Travel to Kyoto

Left Osaka for Kyoto. With the help of Hyperdia, we got on the train with the cheaper fare. At Kyoto Station, you can store your luggage for 500 yen (instead of 700 yen for small locker in Osaka Station). Take the Bus day pass – it’s only 500 yen for unlimited bus travel (each individual ride is 230yen). Kyoto was one big makan fest: I had so much food.

This particular gyoza place, Chao Chao Gyoza is highly recommended – had the shrimp gyoza and vegetarian gyoza. Super delicious, lively atmosphere, cute staff, foreigner-friendly. I told this one staff in particular that he’s handsome and I think he blushed.

Visited:
 Kinkakuji (ie the temple that was so beautiful a Buddhist monk committed suicide because of it; 400 yen entrance fee), Gion area (fun area to walk through)

After Kyoto city was somewhat explored, it’s time to head to the hotel. Took the bus to Yamazaki Ryokan, which kindly upgraded my room. Extremely worth the money for a Ryokan experience. Bought lots of food throughout the day from Isetan food market and had a nice chilled out night.

There was this TV show about how different graters can affect the taste of grated daikons. Lady was testing at least 5 different graters, resulting in extremely fluffy grated daikons to extremely course grated daikons. Each taste-test was followed by long audience ‘eeeehhhhh’. Lol. Never change, Japan.

Savings tip 7:
 Many malls and supermarkets sell food/have food markets that will sell food at discounted prices before they close. Go between 9-10pm and you’ll get many delicious stuff at cheaper rate. I got most of the food below for good prices. From clockwise: Matcha dessert with bean paste filling, onigiri (umeboshi, katsuo), soy sauce dango (108 yen from Lawson’s), kani cream korokke, salad with goma dressing, salmon bentou, side dishes (garlic shoots and shrimp stir fry, sweet and sour shrimp, and some vege sesame dish).

Day 3: Arashiyama and Osaka

Left the ryokan for Osaka, with a stop at Arashiyama. Arashiyama was dope! Go here and walk through the bamboo path. So serene, very cooling. Touristy area in a good way. Cute rickshaw abangs with beautiful, sturdy legs (
OMG those legs
). Old-school trams. Lots of things to see and do. Can’t recommend it enough!

Saw this cute stone couple, where people obviously balanced money on them. I thought it was adorable.

Left Arashiyama with a heavy heart to go back to Osaka. Spent the rest of the day at Dotonbori and just walked around. Dotonbori is massive and a great place to just go window shopping. I visited some shops but didn’t really find anything I wanted (at the price I want). But I did manage to eat a lot 😀

Had lunch at Yayoiken (chain store; set meals ~1000 yen). Ordering food in Yayoiken was easy – they had the automatic machine thing where you select what you want, insert money, and give out tickets. The menu comes with English translation. Hand the tickets to the waitress and she’ll bring your food to you in no time. I can recommend it.

Walked around, had sweet potato taiyaki (180 yen) which was freshly cooked from the grill. Like a barbarian, I bit the head off first then promptly burned my tongue so naturally I angrily ate the rest until finish.

Must-eat: Takoyaki (600 yen for 12) and Okonomiyaki (380 yen for squid). See the gooey bit? That’s the best part. It was a hot, sticky, delicious mess of a meal.

Walked to DenDen Town, the Akihabara part of Osaka and went through anime shops. I was really, really into anime when I was younger but now it’s kinda meh, so I didn’t buy anything. I also browsed through sex shops, where I saw silicone vaginas of mermaids. Let that sink in for a bit.

Saw this Pokemon poster – had to take it discreetly. Ash said “Hey, be mine”. Moe! Blushing cute things are my weakness. Unf.

There were so many visually stimulating things to see, hold and try. There were pet shops with heart-melting tiny brown toy poodles that jump around excitedly. There were young high school couples trying their luck with the crane machines (‘UFO Catchers’). There were groups of women taking purikuras and sharing the pictures. I like the fashion and the accessories and the quality of items offered and – guiltily – the consumerist culture.

Alas, it got dark too fast so I had to head back to my hotel to pack – my flight is early on the next day 🙁 Thankfully I stayed near Shin-Imamiya so it was an easy 40 mins train ride to the airport.

Savings tip 8:
 I’m sure you’ll want to get souvenirs. Kansai airport has 2 tax-free shops selling: flavored Kitkats (sighted: Hokkaido Melon, Matcha, Wasabi), Pocky, popular snacks including Shiroi Koibito. They also have mp3 players, rice cookers, watches, and some Disney stuff. If you want them to bring back home, it’s a good idea to arrive earlier and just buy from here, it’ll save you 8%.

Savings tip 9
: Or just do what I do for souvenirs – supermarket. I bought shit ton of furikake and ochazuke packs. Small, light, affordable.

Total cost for Osaka+Kyoto trip

~RM1500 for flights, accommodation, pocket wifi, and travel to airport. Plus 27000 yen for everything else (~RM1000). So total was around RM2500. You can make your own Osaka+Kyoto trip cheaper by selecting other accommodation and maybe not eat as much as I did (but where’s the fun in that?), but otherwise my budget is pretty lean as it is.

Breakdown below:

Want to know anything specific about travelling to Osaka or Kyoto on a budget? Ask in the comments ? Liked this? Share it!

Item

Budgeted (yen)

Actual (yen)

Kansai airport to hotel (return)

2500

1840

 Food+Drinks

15000 (5000 per day)

11405

Shopping/Entertainment

5000

3625

Transportation (within city)

3000 (1000 per day)

2620

Transportation (Osaka<>Kyoto)

2000

1710

Extra

7500 (2500 per day)

5800

TOTAL

35000

27000


Birthday trip: Krabi, Thailand (plus savings tips)

This year for my birthday I gave myself the gift of travel. I went to Krabi, Thailand for 3 days 3 nights. Here’s how I spent my time there, and how much I spent for everything. Hope you’ll find the savings tips useful, for your own Krabi budget travel!

A week before – Booking flight and accommodation

A week before the trip, I was still deciding where to go. I contemplated Osaka, Kathmandu and Bali before settled on Krabi. The reason? Expedia’s last minute package was extremely good value for money.

I mean, flights and accommodations for 3 nights in a 4-star resort were a whopping… RM500. There were even packages going for RM300+! Chiang Mai was more or less the same price, so that’s another good budget travel option as well.

I like value for money more than I like cheap, so I took the nicer hotel. 10/10 would recommend! It was near enough to the beach and far enough from the noise and crowd.

 Credit goes to website

Savings tip 1:
For last minute trips,
Expedia packages
 are pretty decently priced. Book from
Shopback.my
 and get RM66 cashback from Expedia. (note: referral link)

Savings tip 2:
 We didn’t hire a car, but it would have been nice. If you’d like to book one, you can use
DiscoverCarHire
 (note: affiliate link) – checked the rates, fairly affordable.

Savings tip 3:
 Use a cashback credit card. I used my credit card with 5% cashback for online payments.

Day 1 – Arrival to Krabi and going to Ao Nang

Travelled from Ipoh to KLIA2, hopped on the flight, and arrived in Krabi International Airport by 3pm local time. Took a bus to Ao Nang (150 baht),  checked in, oohed and aahed over the fancy amenities (Bath robes! Private verandah!), then went out for lunch at hawker stalls. Unlike my previous trips to Thailand (this was my 4
th
 time), halal food in Krabi was easy to find 🙂

My friend wanted to go rock climbing at Railey, so we walked around the shops area to look for packages. We managed to get a half-day rock climbing package including boat fee and hotel pickup for 900 baht. Considering the boat ride itself costs at least 100 baht one-way, I think we got a good deal. Full-day rock climbing costs 1500 baht.

Savings tip 4
: If you’re going to Krabi and unsure of where to stay (your options: Downtown Krabi, Ao Nang, Railey, and Koh Lanta), I suggest Ao Nang. It’s a good place to transit and (with the exception of Downtown Krabi), prices in stores are cheaper than the rest. For example, water, which you’ll drink a lot of. Water in Ao Nang is like 14 baht, while water in Railey is 30-40 baht. There’s also a lot more competition in Ao Nang – good for you.

Savings tip 5:
If you stay at Ao Nang and want to go rock climbing, get a package from Ao Nang itself. The price for the same package is 1000 baht in Railey, and that does not include the boat rides. By the way, full-day rock climbing costs 1500 baht. It was a reputable shop, too. King’s Climbing or something.

Then we walked around on the beach, had dinner, had drinks, and on the way back to the hotel I got a feet massage for 250 baht.

Day 2 – Rock climbing at Railey

Were picked up from the hotel at 8.30am and joined by another girl, Yanelle from Seattle. I kinda knew she was American because she was talkative (this time, in a good way). We were dropped off at a pier, and took a longboat to Railey West.

Guys. Ao Nang beach was beautiful, but Railey was spectacular. Beautiful, fine sandy beach. Tall, proud limestone cliffs. We chatted excitedly all the way to the shop, signed a waiver form, got fitted with shoes and harness, and our guide Han brought us to the rock climbing area. I was super excited! We were about to rock climb at Railey, one of the top rock climbing spots in the world! He said that the area is easy and suitable for beginners.

Well, he lied. Or at least, they really overestimated their beginners, because I’m an actual beginner and as nice as he was, I call bullshit on the ‘easy’ part.

Within 5 minutes the picture above was taken, I tore a chunk of skin from my middle finger, and heavily bruised both my knees. I failed to reach the top. At least I tried. -_-

We were done by 11am ish. The boat back to Ao Nang was at 5.30pm. We decided to go to Tonsai. Railey Beach and Tonsai Beach was separated by a huge chunk of limestone, so you have to either get around it, or wade your way through it (high tide). Railey Beach (not pictured) is to the left of this pic.

For those of you not in the know, Tonsai is where serious rock climbers go. It’s a dirtbag lifestyle (this is said with pride) – small, cheap shacks with only the bare necessities, no electric during the day (unless they have generators), showers optional, drugs consumed without judgement. I did not manage to ‘open my third eye’, but bring an extra 500 baht or so if you do want to.

Somehow – and I didn’t realise this until it was too late – we took the long, jungle way in.  It was fun at first, but as we got to the hill part, it got un-fun real quick. We trekked for almost ah hour. It was the kind of adventure that you effing hate when you’re in the middle of it, but as soon as we arrived at the beach side and passed the walls of graffiti, I knew it was worth it. The walk along the graffiti-ed wall was great, I really enjoyed it. Lots of references to rock-climbing culture.

And the beach. The beach. Guys, Tonsai beach was even more beautiful than Railey. I could cry.

We sat at a bar (Freedom Bar, above) by the beach and watched some white people climb and swim and sunbathe nearby (while I rigorously applied more sunblock). My friend was excited over the permanent slacklines (one on sand, one in the sea). I swam and lost a hairband.

By 4pm-ish, we decided to go back to Railey. And this time, we took the actual shortcut, so it was only 10 minutes. My friend bought kebab for dinner (of all things) and I got some local snacks from a sweet old lady – boiled corn, boiled sweet potatoes, boiled peanuts, and a young mango with chilli salt – for a grand total of 80 baht.

By this time I was pooped. I wanted nothing more than to go back to the hotel, have a warm shower, and rest. Unfortunately, the storm came as we walked towards the pier for the return boat trip back to Ao Nang. I was dry when I got in the boat, and by the time we arrived (which I was legit thankful for, the sea was choppy), I was soaked again from the rain and seawater.

Noteworthy – this was the same night that KL roads got flooded after that huge thunderstorm. So yeah. Scary ride. There were some other girls in the same boat ride and let me tell you, they. were. not. happy.

Day 3 – Chilling out in Tonsai

Woke up SORE. Day 3 was my free and easy day, and instead of going for a massage or something sensible like that, I wanted to go back to Tonsai. I really, really liked the graffiti and the vibe in Tonsai in general. We briefly considered going snorkeling, but I brought my hammock along and dammit by hook or by crook I will use it on this trip.

I got what I wanted: took pictures (this is big for someone who rarely takes pictures) and found a great spot for my hammock. I swear I had tears in my eyes as I took in the view, it felt perfect. I had so-bad-its-good snacks in my bag and that was lunch. It was a nice, chill day.

Until we had to go back to Ao Nang. It was low season, so aside from the two of us, there were no one else to share a boat with. Do you know how much it costs to take a 10-minute boat ride from Tonsai to Ao Nang, if there were 8 of us? 100 baht each. How much if just the two of us? 400 baht each. For bleeping bleep BLEEP’S sake, IT’S JUST A 10 MINUTES RIDE. Also, what?? This is like charging passengers double the ticket price if the bus is half-empty! Pricks.

In the end, we had no choice. We had to charter a whole boat to get back to Ao Nang beach, because we have to check out at 5am in the morning 🙁

Savings tip 6:
If you find yourself stuck in Tonsai like me, don’t use the boats at the furthest end (where everyone tell you to go). Take the one in the middle instead. They’ll go down to 600 baht.

Day 4 – Ao Nang to Airport then back to Ipoh

Day 4 was mostly traveling back to Ipoh. Because I got a super early flight, we could not take the cheap bus to the airport and had to take a private taxi instead.

Savings tip 7:
The hotel will quote 800-1000 baht for the 30-minute ride from Ao Nang to the Airport. Ask around – you can get one for as low as 500 baht. Mine was 600 baht split between 2 people.

Savings tip 8
: If you can help it, don’t take such an early flight. Early flight = no cheap bus.

How much did I spent, in total?

Total cost for Krabi trip

RM500 for flights and accommodation, plus 4000 baht for everything else. Breakdown below:

Want to know anything specific about traveling to Krabi on a budget? Ask in the comments 🙂 Liked this? Share it!

Item

Budgeted (baht)

Actual (baht)

Krabi airport to hotel

150

150

Hotel to Krabi airport

300

300

Massage

300

250

Boat to Railey (return)

300

300

Water/Drinks

800

1500

Lunch x 3

600

Dinner x 2

300

Special dinner x 1

500

500

Rock climbing

1000

900

Extra

450

100

 TOTAL

5000

4000


My 2D2N KL to Hatyai Train Trip – Cost Breakdown & Tips!

In November 2022, my partner and I took a short KL to Hatyai train trip and took the ETS to Hatyai from KL Sentral.

This article covers (1) how we get from KL to Hatyai via train (and van), (2) cost breakdown of our KL to Hatyai trip, and (3) general tips you can use to make the same trip 🙂

The exchange rate at the time was approximately RM12.78 to 100 baht. Here we go!

How to get from KL to Hatyai by train

Taking the ETS to Hatyai for a weekend trip is easy enough in theory:

Buy ETS to Hatyai train ticket (we departed from KL Sentral)

Book accommodation

Exchange MYR to THB

But, the ‘going there’ part is actually a bit more complicated, because the
KL to Hatyai train actually stops at Padang Besar KTM, which is 1 hour away from Hatyai
. So, you have to:

Figure out your train to Hatyai departures and arrivals (takes 5.5-6 hours from KL to Padang Besar KTM, the last ETS train stop)

Figure out how to get from Padang Besar KTM to Hatyai (takes 1 hour++; your options: van and/or train and/or taxi)

Make sure to budget in enough time for 4x immigration queues per return trip (for me, as short as 5 mins and as long as ~20 mins)

P/s – Immigration opens from 6am until 10pm (Malaysian time) and 5am until 9pm (Thai time) so if you arrive outside those hours, you’ll need to wait

Do all this while mentally factoring in the 1-hour time difference between Malaysia and Thailand so you don’t accidentally miss your ride!

So actually, even though Kuala Lumpur and Hatyai are near geographically, you should expect the total time needed to get from KL to Hatyai – I mean from getting out the door until arrival to your hotel in Hatyai – to take around 8-12 hours or so, depending on waiting time.

As for where to go in Hatyai and stuff, it’s not hard to find out whatever information you need when you’re there. Just ask the booth attendants, or your fellow Malaysian travellers in the train or van. Most people are friendly and helpful 🙂

You can also check out the blogs of these fellow travellers:

TRIP KE HATYAI 2 HARI 1 MALAM NAIK TREN ETS DARI KL SENTRAL + TREN KLASIK + VAN

SOLO TRAVEL TO HATYAI

My 2D2N KL to Hatyai train trip

My itinerary looked like this:

Going there – KL to Hatyai train and van

ETS train from KL Sentral to Padang Besar KTM – depart 10.50pm, arrive 4.18am.
Cost: RM102 per person

Van from Padang Besar KTM to Hatyai hotel – depart 6ish am (when immigration opens; took 1.5~ hours including 2x immigration stops.
Cost: RM30 per person

Coming back – Hatyai to KL via van, taxi and train

Van pickup from Hatyai hotel to Malaysia-side immigration – depart 12pm ish, took 2~ hours including 2x immigration stops.
Cost: RM25 per person

Taxi from Malaysia-side immigration to Padang Besar KTM.
Cost: RM15 for 10 mins ride :/

ETS train from Padang Besar KTM to KL Sentral – depart 3.50pm, arrive by 9.30pm.
Cost: RM76 per person

But this was my itinerary, not yours. Your train timing might be different, so decide based on that. Here are all the links you need to plan your trip:

KL Sentral to Padang Besar ETS –
https://online.ktmb.com.my/

[Option 1] Padang Besar to Hatyai – via
train
 (only runs 2x a day);

[Option 2] Padang Besar to Hatyai – via van (runs during immigration hours – will depart when van is full)

You can book the van from booth at Padang Besar KTM, it looks like this. When I asked around, apparently the price used to be RM20-25, but apparently it has increased to RM30.

Hatyai Makan Trip = Success!

My Hatyai trip was just a weekend trip and I had only one goal: to eat as much delicious Thai food as possible. Happily, I achieved that goal 🙂 Here are some pictures of the food we had on the trip (scroll for more pics).

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Suraya Zainudin (@surayaror)

You can’t go wrong if you hit these places:

ASEAN Night Bazaar (or any of the other night bazaars)

Khlong Hae Floating Market

Central Festival Mall (yes, the mall. Don’t knock it, the food court area is AWESOME)

Order from Grab Delivery (for Muslims, you can search by Halal)

I am happy to report that the food is CHEAP and GOOD. At most places, the range is between 40-70 baht per dish – RM5 to RM9. The seafood sets I saw cost 100-200 baht – RM13-26 per head. Unless you only eat at fancy places, I think you can eat well on around RM50 budget per person per day.

My 2D2N KL to Hatyai train trip: total cost

For 2 pax, we spent:

RM358 on return ETS train from KL Sentral to Padang Besar

RM125 to get from Padang Besar to Hatyai Hotel (Van + taxi)

RM228.80 on 2 nights accommodation at hotel

Around 1700 baht or ~RM220 on 2 days of food

Around 300 baht or ~RM40 on shopping (mostly I bought Thai cooking paste because it’s not bulky and much cheaper there than here!)

Total: RM971 for 2 pax. I could make it cheaper if:

Took the classic train from Padang Besar to Hatyai (60 baht or approx RM7.70 instead of RM30 per way)

Only book 1 night accommodation instead of 2

Book cheaper accommodation (you can get a pretty okay place for RM60-RM80 per night)

If I did all these, it would bring my trip cost down to approx RM750 or so but no regrets, we had a good time 🙂

General tips for your own KL to Hatyai train trip

Here are some things you might want to keep in mind for your own KL to Hatyai train trip:

1)
Plan around train times and immigration opening hours
. If you don’t, you might waste time just waiting

2) The
Padang Besar to Hatyai classic train
 is cheaper than van (60 baht vs RM30). I actually wanted to take this option instead of the van, but the timing didn’t work for us. If I took that, I would need to wait at Padang Besar for 5 hours instead of 2 hours.

3)
Bring an umbrella
 in case it rains (we almost got soaked while dropped at immigration)

4) Unless you can sleep anywhere, I wouldn’t recommend taking the
overnight ETS.
 I couldn’t sleep at all on my train from KL to Hatyai – fellow passengers were noisy and the lights were bright. But up to you.

5) If you arrive at Hatyai hotel super early and before check-in time, say 8am or so, I would recommend
booking the night before
 so you can check in immediately upon arrival to rest. This added RM100+ to my cost but was the best decision I made the whole trip!

P/s – Don’t forget to activate
Shopback
 when you book from Booking.com or Agoda, might as well earn cashback

6) Recommended to
pack light
as stairs/infrastructure are not in the best condition and you might struggle with heavy luggage

7) You can buy Thai sim card at Padang Besar KTM, but I just bought day passes from
Yoodo
 – just RM5 per day (or RM13 for 3 days)*. I know other telcos charge waaaay more than that

*Note: This is price for Thailand. Different countries, different prices.

8) Bring your
Bigpay
 or
Wise
 debit card – places like malls and 7-Eleven accept them and rates are better than credit card

Any more KL to Hatyai train trip to share?

Lots of Malaysians have made the same KL to Hatyai train trip, some multiple times, so I’m sure you have more tips than I do 🙂 What advice and tips would you give to someone wanting to make the same train to Hatyai from KL trip? Share with us in the comments!


4D3N Langkawi Weekend Trip (On a Budget)

I feel like travelling overseas, but am not keen on the horrible exchange rates right now. One day, while happily browsing Google Flights and dreaming of Europe (use it! You get to
save money on flights
), I found cheap tickets to Langkawi. RM102 for return tickets, including fees. Even though I didn’t exactly have a burning desire to go to Langkawi, I couldn’t resist the price and booked it on the spot.

And that’s how I went on a 4 days 3 nights Langkawi weekend trip. This guide is suitable for those of you going solo/duo travelling and wants to be somewhat comfortable but on a budget. Because of the weather (it rained 80% of the time I was there), this guide is also more general and flexible in nature.

Related: Previous travel –
Krabi, Thailand
 and
Osaka+Kyoto

Langkawi overview

There are a lot of places to stay in Langkawi at various price point. If you want action/nightlife/tourist vibe, stay in Pantai Cenang. If you want laid back small town, stay at Kuah. If you want fancy as shit hotels, there are a few hotels at a few private beaches – be prepared to pay a lot for those, I’m saying RM1000+ and more per night.

My budget for accommodation was just RM500 for 3 nights. That turned out to be fairly easy, but I think you have to book a couple of weeks in advance for the top-rated places. To make the trip more fun, I booked accommodations at two places instead of one (both at Pantai Cenang).

Langkawi is cheap for a few things, but these 4 things stand out:

Alcohol
. Sighted RM2.50 cans of beer.

Chocolate
. My sister asked me to get her Pepero. Price in Langkawi: RM21.90. Price at airport: RM42.90. BIG DIFFERENCE OK

Tobacco
. Sighted RM6.60 packs of cigarettes.

Seafood (selected places, mostly Malay restaurants).
 Had a huge dinner for two and ordered a whole bawal emas, tomyam, vegetables and an egg dish – the bill was just RM50+.

I know Langkawi is also famous for a few outdoors activities. I didn’t go on any of them, but I did manage to snap this picture for you guys. It’s good for your budgeting if you want to try any of them. (The first one is RM35 in case you can’t see the price).

Savings tip 1:
 I saw the flight on Google Flights, but booked my flights via
Shopback
(note: referral link) for the 1% AirAsia cashback.

Savings tip 2:
 Check if your bank has collaborations with travel websites. I was going to book my accommodation via Shopback for the 6-8% cashback, but found out that CIMB offers
10% discount for bookings on Expedia
. I checked across several websites and found that this was the cheapest option for me at the point.

Savings tip 3:
Use a cashback credit card, and layer them as much as you can. I got 5% cashback from my credit card, and received AirAsia BIG points for this trip as well. Read my how to layer in my cashback credit card article
here
.

Day 1 – Arrival to Langkawi

As soon as we landed, it started raining… and didn’t stop until end of Day 3. In fact, it was full-on storm. I would complain, but the same storm flooded parts of Malaysia and Thailand and (last I heard) killed 18 people. So yeah, no complaining from me.

I booked Night 1 at the famous Tubotel and drove there with my rented car (collected at airport). It was full of college-y white people, but the place itself was nice. I thought they only offer tubes, but they also had container rooms – dorms fitting up to 16 people in a room.

 Credit: http://www.thegoodsonjourney.com/

I got the tube with sea view, and liked the experience. The only thing was the price. At RM196.91, this was a bit higher than what I wanted to spend for a small (albeit novelty) bedroom without attached toilet. And this price is after the CIMB discount, too. Even if I thought they were pricey, to their credit, Tubotel’s breakfast service was great – really enjoyed the freshly baked bread and drip coffee. And the bed was comfortable and I got the company of this sexy lady, so.

Savings tip 4:
 Try to go during low season. Accommodation, car rental and other services are cheaper. Low season means non-school and non-public holidays. Weekends are not considered peak – I know this because I was charged low season rates.

Savings tip 5:
 Unless you just want to stay in one spot, rent a car – taxis are expensive. Apparently it costs RM20 from the airport to Pantai Cenang, one-way. My rented Myvi costs just RM200 for 4 days 3 nights (pick up and return at Langkawi International Airport). I used
this car rental service
. Was good, but I wish they filled up the petrol beforehand so we didn’t have to make the petrol station as our first stop! If you’d like a more professional car company, you can use
DiscoverCarHire
 (note: affiliate link) – checked the rates, fairly affordable too.

Day 2: Langkawi Cable Car

On Day 2, I checked out from Tubotel and left for Skycab area – the home of Langkawi Cable Car and SkyBridge. I thought it would be boring, but this turned out to be the highlight of my trip – rain and all. You can easily spend a whole day there, and I think as an attraction it was extremely value for money! Here are the packages they offer (accurate as of time of writing).

Not knowing any better, I took the Basic Package for RM30. It includes:

Cable ride to the top.
 Absolutely gorgeous view. Try to spot the two waterfalls, one of them the famous Telaga Tujuh Waterfall. SkyBridge is at the top, but it was closed due to the weather. Still had an amazing time.

SkyDome.
 Ever wanted to ride a roller coaster ON FREAKING MARS? Didn’t expect this at all, but super fun, almost VR-experience.

SkyRex.
 A Jurassic World-ish ride. Better than you think!

They also have a bunny zoo, free entry. I bought bribes (carrot sticks) for RM2 per cup. Worth it for the temporary love and affection <3

At this area, there are a lot of shops selling Langkawi knick-knacks and prices are surprisingly fair, considering this place is a tourist hub. Plenty of food options at affordable prices, even if
a restaurant staff did get possessed while I was having lunch
. She’s OK, it only lasted a few minutes.

Next time, I would love to try other packages containing more attractions 🙂

Savings tip 6:
 Bring your MyKad because you need that for the (cheaper) Malaysian rates at SkyCab. Non-Malaysians, you’re out of luck. They will apparently check if you buy the Malaysian tickets.

Muslim tip:
 Bagi salam kat sini wei. Macam keras sikit.

After this, I went to check in at a budget accommodation called The Cottage. Booked a Malay-style cottage for 2 nights. Budget-wise, this was more my style  – 2 nights here was cheaper than one night at Tubotel, and with attached toilet too! RM145.56 in total. I would recommend it – you can walk to the beach and the shops from here, yet it’s still far enough from the noisy crowd. They have friendly cats and roosters that wake you up in the morning.

At night, we just walked along shops on Pantai Cenang. There were a lot of construction and roadwork, but I think in a couple of months it’s going to look beautiful.

Day 3: MawArt and Night Market

So I was travelling with a friend who has never tried Nasi Dagang (!!!) Browsed online and apparently Nasi Dagang Pak Malau was recommended. Drove there. Alas, the shop was closed as he’s on holiday -_- So we made do with a breakfast at a local warung/small restaurant.

By chance, another customer, a real friendly guy called Jay said hi to us. He recommended the Pulut Nasi, then invited us to come over to his friend’s batik art studio nearby. Charmed, we did. And I’m so glad, because we actually bumped into the good people of MawArt – they are local artists from Langkawi! Fun fact: They’re called MawArt because the village they stay in is called Kampung Mawat.

I loved chatting with them. The house is very artsy and they have a very good vibe and super hospitable. They henna-tattooed me – my favourite souvenier from Langkawi 🙂 Their modern batik paintings are damn cool. See their
Dragonball
 batik at their
Facebook
 page!

After this I went back to The Cottage and just chilled out. It was raining so we watched Netflix’s The Crown series (it’s very good btw). The staff at The Cottage was friendly and gave us a great tip –
Night Market/Pasar Malam at Beras Terbakar near the airport.
 Google ‘Beras Terbakar’ and you should pass by it.Went there, was not disappointed. It’s a local’s market with plenty of dinner and snack choices. It’s there every Sunday from 6pm onwards. If you’re going for a Langkawi weekend trip, definitely make a stop here.

Savings tip 7:
Food at Cenang Beach was expensive. Tourist area. Drive around to the less-touristy areas to enjoy better food prices. Just find a place where locals eat and the food should be good. When in doubt, find Malay food – they tend to be cheaper.

Day 4: Duty-Free and back to KLIA2

I was ordered to bring back chocolates, so I went to a couple of Duty-Free shops to try and compare prices. They were quite similar actually, so feel free to just go to one place and buy everything from there. If you buy a variety, the cost should even out.

Some of the things they sell at duty-free shops: Local and international chocolates and candies, tobacco, alcohol, luggage, sports/swimming attire, durian products (freeze-fried, coffee, chocolate), fish satay, shrimp crackers and squid snacks, seashell bowls and plates, batik, cookware (Pyrex, Tefal) and gamat (sea cucumber) products. Some places sell local medicinal items, too. I tried tongkat ali tea and almost spat it out. No, I don’t feel my batin improving.

Total cost for my Langkawi weekend trip

In total, I spent RM1239.47 for this trip, all-in. It would have been cheaper if I shared some expenses, took the train and did not spend too much on chocolates, but I’m happy with the savings from Accommodation, Flights and Car Rental. If you cap your meals to RM10 per meal (definitely possible), shared rooms and car rental,  and spend less on shopping, you can easily make the same trip for under RM1000. Breakdown below:

Want to know anything specific about travelling to Langkawi? Ask in the comments – I might not know but others reading this might ? Liked this? Share it!

Item

Budgeted (RM)

Actual (RM)

House to KLIA2 (return; Grabcar)

150

145

Food+Drinks

180 (20 per meal x 9 meals)

200

Accommodation

500 (for 3 days)

342.47

Car Rental

240 (80 per day x 3 days)

200

Flight tickets (KLIA2 – LIA)

102

102

Shopping/Entertainment

300 (100 per day)

250

TOTAL

1472

1239.47