Sam Fury's Blog, page 59

Bert’s Method for Finding the Cheapest Flights and Accommodation

This post details the exact method I use for finding the cheapest flights and accommodation. It is very straight forward and can take less than 30 minutes to find cheap flights and accommodation.

Finding the Cheapest Flights

If I know of a budget airline for the area I am traveling in then I check them out, e.g., Air Asia when in South East Asia.

I also go to my favorite flight comparison website.

I have tried loads of comparison sites and I know everyone has their favorite, and if you wanted you could pick a few and compare them, but I do not bother. This flight comparison website, for me, has consistently come up with the cheaper (or the same) airfares in comparison to other comparison sites (wow, I wrote comparison a lot in that paragraph!)

Also, unlike some sites, the prices don’t change once you have booked, which has happened to me a few times with other sites that claim to have the cheapest flights.

Finally, their customer service is pretty good and they send me vouchers by email. If you wanted you could book hire cars, hotels and even complete vacation packages.

Once I have found the flight I want on the flight comparison site I check it against the airlines website. Sometimes it is more expensive, sometimes its cheaper and sometimes it is the same. It’s worth doing as it doesn’t take long.

There are other things you can do like booking on certain days, clearing your cookies etc. but often I don’t bother – except booking in advance – I try to book at least two weeks in advance if I can. If you want details on other ways to save money as a traveler then check out How to Travel on a Budget by Aventuras De Viaje.

Finding the Cheapest Accommodation

I compare Hostel Bookers and Hostel World. These are the two websites I highly recommend, especially for hostels, although they also do other types of accommodation.

I’m not a big room sharing person since I like to work and stuff so I always try to find the cheapest private room. Often private rooms in hostels are actually more expensive than hotels. For this reason I also compare Agoda and Booking.com. Often all four of these websites have the same property at different prices, but watch to see if they have included tax.

You can spend hours looking through all the places in your price range trying to find the perfect place but I don’t bother. Instead I just put all four lists in order of price and between them I look for the three cheapest rooms in a decent location with wifi, then I just pick the best out of those three. Often they are more or less the same so the cheapest one wins.

There are many other ways to get cheaper or even free accommodation. Again, check out How to Travel on a Budget by Aventuras De Viaje if you are interested in that.

Well that’s it. I used to spend hours looking for the cheapest flights and accommodation. With the above methods for finding the cheapest flights and accommodation I can do both in under 30 minutes, assuming I have decent internet.

What is Your Method for Finding the Cheapest Flights and Accommodation?

The post Bert’s Method for Finding the Cheapest Flights and Accommodation appeared first on Survive Travel.

My Thoughts on Nichiren Daishonin Buddhism

The cover of the booklet

Recently I was handed a small introduction booklet about the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin, so I read it. This post summarises what I learnt about Nichiren Daishonin Buddhism as well as my personal opinions – this post will probably reveal more about my personal beliefs than anything else I have written on this blog.

I am not a religious person nor have I even done much research on any of them. My parents raised me as a Baha’i but I really couldn’t tell you much about it other than it is geared towards the one-ness of mankind and they follow the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh and his son Abdu’l-Bahá… and even just this little piece of information may be incorrect. I think I’m fairly well adjusted and although I am not 100% law abiding all the time, nor do I have any noteworthy compassion for my fellow man, I do my best not to hurt others.. which I think is better than most other religious people in the world.

I could keep on ranting about my personal beliefs on the general standing of mankind, but instead let’s get to the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin and my thoughts on that.

An Introduction to Nichiren Daishonin Buddhism

When I read the word Buddhism I automatically thought of the movie “7 years in Tibet“, vegetarianism, the masses of Buddhist temples in Vietnam, Sri Lanka and the Happy Buddha Statue.

The Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin is none of these.

Taken in Vietnam.

No Set Rules

The thing that kept me reading the booklet (no big feat, the whole thing took less than two hours) was the fact that there are no set rules (such as commandments) that you must follow. In Nichiren Daishonin Buddhism it is up to you to make your own moral and ethical judgements.

This one thing alone makes this religion better (for me) than others.

I do see the value in religions setting a “list of rules” for people to blindly follow. It seems to me that many of the people (not all, but many) that give themselves to these religions probably need someone to tell them what is moral or immoral to do, otherwise they would probably do all sorts of messed up stuff and think nothing of it.

I’m not suggesting that my personal moral code is better than Jesus’s (if he was even a real person) but I feel I have a pretty good grasp of right and wrong without religion – as do billions of people in China, a whole country in which the government basically banned religion. I feel safer walking the streets at night there than I do in the bible belt of the United States where Christian Nazi’s might beat the sh*t out of you, or in certain Muslim countries in the Middle-East where killing others seems to be part of the curriculum.

Anyway, let’s move on…

Buddha is in Everyone

Where many other religeons worship an outer being (Jesus, Allah etc), the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin states that Buddha is in everyone. I like to translate this as Buddha being life-force, or Chi (Qi), or even “the force”, so when I look at it like that, then yes, I totally agree. We are all just energy.

A Way of Thinking – Positive Thinking

Nichiren Daishonin Buddhism is really more a way of thinking than it is a religion, and the way of thinking they promote is very close to my current beliefs.

Basically the idea is that thoughts create. If you have positive thoughts, good things will happen, and if you have negative thoughts then negativity will be created – I agree with this. Nothing bad comes from positive thinking.

Photo Sourced from Twitter.

Cause and Effect – Karma

This is probably the main idea of this (and all) forms of Buddhism and is closely related to positive thinking. Everything you do has a future effect. Negative = negative and positive = positive. Sometimes this is easy to see, e.g., commit a crime = go to jail. Many times it is not so clear.

I do believe in cause and effect, but blind faith in Karma – not so much. When seemingly bad things happen to me I don’t think “oh.. I must have done something to deserve that”. I feel it is much more productive to incorporate positive thinking into the situation. When something seemingly bad happens I think “how can I make this a good situation”. At the very least I can learn a lesson.

Also, what many people consider as “bad”, I do not. I’m really more of a “it just is” kind of person.

Chanting

According to Nichiren Daishonin, in order to offset any bad Karma all you need to do is chant “the one essential phrase” twice a day. The longer/more you chant, the more good Karma you will create. This is the “essential phrase”:

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo

Myoho-renge-kyo is the title of the Chinese translation of the Lotus Sutra. The Lotus Sutra is the highest Buddhist teaching. Nam is Sanskrit for “devotion”. So basically you are chanting the devotion to the Lotus Sutra. The booklet also gives a more detailed translation of each of the words.

For me the chanting of this one phrase is kind of “iffy”. Luckily the booklet also states that you do not have to believe in it at first. Just do the chanting and good things will start to happen. When you see the proof, you will start to believe, and to be fair, you are not really giving anything up but your time.

Actually, to me the chanting is really just a form of meditation. I already do Yoga Nidra and I can definitely see the similarity. In Yoga Nidra you recite to yourself a Sankalpa which is a short sentence you use to “program” your subconscious. The chanting is the same idea, only they tell you what to say.

Also, chanting in a group appeals to me. Ever been in a temple when everyone is chanting? I like it.

So at the very least, chanting will help to put you in a meditative state which in turn helps to clear your mind, and if there is the chance to build good karma at the same time, then why not give it a go.

Spreading the Word

This is something I do not agree with. I don’t care what religeon you are, don’t push it on others. But I guess “spreading the word” doesn’t necessarily mean pushing it on others. It’s not like these guys are going door to door or preaching in public. Perhaps they mean just talking about your positive experience, like you would if you went to a good restaurant.

The reasoning is that you chant to build karma for yourself. You have good fortune, so why not help your fellow human beings by letting them in on the “secret”. Maybe I just don’t care about my fellow human beings enough. I’ll tell the dog, he’s always been good to me (although I am telling everyone who reads this about it…)

Photo Sourced From Pininterest.comsapnavnichiren-daishonin-buddhism

Ongoing Life

I am not sure if I believe this, because how can anyone really know what comes after our time on earth, but it is a nice idea. There is no heaven or hell (actually, that I do believe). Instead the vessel just dies (your body) and then your energy just kind of waits around until it is “reborn” into a new vessel – sounds pretty close to re-incarnation.

Well this post is getting kind of long so let me quickly wrap up the remainder of the information in the booklet and then give some final thoughts.

The rest of the booklet kind of just talked about concepts such as the ten worlds, the nine consciousnesses and the history of Buddhism which were interesting but nothing I felt I needed to dwell on.

It also talks about the three aspects of the practice being faith, study and practice.

Faith – The act of chanting is the faith. Have faith in the chant and chant once in the morning and once in the evening.

Study – Study the Buddhist teachings. The Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin is not about blind faith.

Practice – Apply the teachings in your life.

Final Thoughts on Nichiren Daishonin Buddhism

Personally I believe that most religions are lies. They were invented and used (and are still used) to control others. Many of them are just elaborate businesses with awesome tax breaks. They create wars although they are supposed to create peace and often people use them as a scape-goat, like some guy murders lots of people and then says God told him to do it.

I do see the value for those that need a moral system, but I feel my personal value system does a pretty good job of that.

If I were to pick a religion the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin would probably be it. Overall the general concepts pretty much line up with what I already believe.

* Everything is connected and we are all just bundles of energy.

* Positive thinking.

* Cause and effect.

* No set rules.

* Meditate daily.

* Improve yourself.

I do realise, however, that just reading the small booklet and going to a couple of chant sessions probably does not really show the depth of the religion, but it is as far as I would like to delve. Any further and I might actually become religious!

The post My Thoughts on Nichiren Daishonin Buddhism appeared first on Survive Travel.

How to Cook 5 Delicious Thai Dishes

Learn how to cook 5 delicious Thai dishes by video. Learn to make Pad Thai, Suki (a Thai Noodle Soup), Tom Yum, Thai Green Curry and Penang Curry straight from local restaurant owners in Thailand.

During a brief visit to Patong Beach in Thailand to meet up with friends we found a small outdoor “food court” one evening where the food was awesome (and cheap). We asked if they could give us some cooking lessons, and they did, and didn’t even charge us (we did give them a pretty good tip afterwards though). Each of us chose a dish and they basically just made it in front of us while telling us what they were doing.

Tom Yum

A sour and spicy soup loaded with healthy stuff. Good for hangovers.

Tom Yum

Suki

Suki is a Thai Noodle Soup dish packed full of healthy ingredients. A lot of good flavors going on in this dish.

Suki

Penang Curry

Probably my favorite of the Thai curries and possibly my favorite curry in the whole world… although there is lots to be tested in India when I get there in March 2016!

Thai Green Curry

A classic Thai curry dish, almost as delicious as the Penang… almost.

Thai Green Curry

Pad Thai

Another classic Thai dish. This was made in a different restaurant than the other four dishes… just two doors down.

And here are all the completed dishes on the table ready for us to eat. One of my friends had already eaten half the Suki before we had finished cooking!

The restaurant peeps gave us some local fruits which they dip in salt and chilli. I think they were sour mango and pomelo.

Local Fruits

What’s Your Favorite Thai Dish and Do You Know How to Cook It?

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Tanawan Phuket Hotel Review, Patong Beach, Phuket, Thailand

This is a Tanawan Phuket Hotel review in Patong Beach, Phuket, Thailand. It also includes directions, pictures and other useful information as well as some (perhaps not so useful) personal ranting.

For the short version of this review scroll to the customer reviews at the bottom of this post. The first one is from me (Bert) .

I chose the Tanawan Phuket Hotel because on the map it said it was just down the road from the Graceland Phuket Resort (where my friends stayed). Either I messed up looking at the map or it is incorrect.

Tanawan Hotel Review, Patong Beach, Phuket, Thailand

Cost: 12.61usd / night

Address: 162/44-45, 162/88-89-90 Phung Muang Sai Kor Rd., Patong, Phuket, Thailand 83150

Apart from my mistake of being too far away from where my friends where staying the Tanawan Phuket Hotel was pretty good, especially considering the price.

The location seems out of the way but actually is pretty decent with only a 10 minute walk from the Jungceylon shopping center. Another five and you’re at Bangla Street and another five and you’re at the beach.

Right next door is a legit massage parlour with the cheapest prices I saw in Patong. Also, they hire scooters at a pretty reasonable price.

The buffet breakfast (which was free) is decent with eggs, fruit, rice, noodles, cereals, bread/toasts, coffee, tea, orange juice etc and changes some of the dishes for variety.

Good breakfast with eggs and fruit available – my two favourite breakfast items.

Upon check in you receive and free drink voucher and also 10% off a the restaurant.

The room is of a decent size with everything your need. Water pressure could be a bit better in the shower.

Good bed. Balcony faces another building.

You get two free bottles of water a day, fresh towels etc. and the internet is really good most of the time. Everything you would expect from any half decent hotel.

Shower pressure could be better.

I was very happy with my stay at the Tanawan Phuket Hotel and would stay again.

Book your stay at the Tanawan Phuket Hotel.
Getting to the Tanawan Phuket Hotel, Patong Beach, Thailand

From Bangla street or anywhere near there just walk away from the beach (East) and then turn right on Phang Muang Sai Kor Road. Keep walking until you see it. It’s next to a family mart.

From the airport either catch a taxi (800Baht) or a mini-bus (180Baht). Both will take you to your hotel. The mini-bus will stop halfway at a tour agency where they try to sell you tours. If you don’t want to be hassled just tell them you have been to Patong before and have already done all the tourist sightseeing last time.

To get back to the airport the Tanawan can arrange a mini-bus back but it is cheaper to get it from one of the tour booths on the street. 200 baht per person (Tanawan charges 230Baht). 800 baht for a private car.

Map of Patong Beach

Book your stay at the Tanawan Phuket Hotel.
Share your Tanawan Phuket Hotel review below, or if you have any other questions, thoughts, alternatives etc., feel free to share them in the comments

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20 Must Try Thai Foods, Thailand

Discover 20 Must Try Thai Foods including pictures, costs and other useful information as well as some (perhaps not so useful) personal ranting.

This is a selection of Thai foods that I tried when I went to Patong Beach in Thailand. For many of these dishes I did not take a proper note of costs, but unless your eating at a resort restaurant I would not pay any more than 200Baht for any Thai dish in the Patong Beach area, and although I have never been anywhere in Thailand (yet) I feel like Patong Beach may be one of the more expensive places in the country – still pretty cheap.

1. Thai Noodles

Cost: 120-160Baht

The first item on my list of must try Thai Foods is the first thing I ate in Phuket. I went for a walk along Bangla street and saw a little food court. I basically just asked for a plate of Thai Style Noodles with pork and this is what they gave me. It wasn’t quite Pad Thai but pretty similar. I liked it.

The fruit juice was also pretty good. Fresh mango and orange for 120 baht. I ended up getting alot of fruit juices and shakes during my stay in Patong Beach.

Thai Noodles – Not quite pad thai but pretty similiar and just as delicious

2. Yellow Noodle Salad Thai Style

Cost: 80Baht

Raw onion and two minute Maggie style noodles. Still pretty good. 80Baht from the food court on level three in Patong Square near the Jungceylon shopping center.

Yellow Noodle Salad Thai Style

3. Penang Curry

Of the different types of Thai curries, Penang Curry is probably my favorite. Not much else to say about that.. it’s delicious.

Penang Curry – my favorite Thai curry

4. Thai Green Curry

Thai Green Curry is maybe a tad below Panang on my “good f*kin’ curry lists” – it too is pretty spectacular.

Thai Green Curry

5. Tom Yum Soup

Tom Yum soup is hot and sour. I think traditionally it is with seafood, but you can also get meat or vegetarian versions, which is good for me because I’m not a big fan of seafood.

Although made differently in other places it is comparable to Suan La Tang (China) or Laksa (Malaysia / Singapore). According to my Malaysian family it is good for hangovers / motion sickness / dizziness type ailments. I tested it, it’s pretty good. Lots of herbs and stuff.

Tom Yum – Similar to Malaysian Laksa or Chinese Suan La (hot and sour).

6. Fried Noodles

Pretty similar to Chinese style fried noodles. They used a thick rice noodle (He Fen in Chinese, Char Kway Teow in Malaysia). It was pretty good.

Fried Noodles

7. Pineapple Rice

This dish was pretty amazing and the presentation didn’t not-help. Has pine nuts inside it which was a pretty big winner for me.

Pineapple rice – pretty frigin good.

8. Mango Sticky Rice

Mango Sticky Rice is a must try Thai desert. Mango is one of my favorite fruits so having it fresh on the side was awesome. The sticky rice is sweet with condensed milk on top.

I’m not big on deserts (except ice-cream) but this was pretty good.

9. Pad See Ew

Pad See Ew is an interesting dish. Flat rice noodle stir fry (choose what meat) on an omelette pancake. Tasted pretty good.

Pad See Ew

10. Gai Phad Med Ma Muang

The English translation of this is stir fired chicken with cashew nut. It, like all Thai food, was very tasty. There are many other stir fry dishes like this. Very similar to Chinese style dishes.

Gai Phad Med Ma Muang a.k.a. Stir Fried Chicken with Cashew Nuts

11. Pad Thai

This is probably the most famous Thai dish in the world, and for good reason. It is absolutely mouth watering and it is hard not to order it for every meal. Also, it is usually one of the cheapest items on the menu.

Pad Thai – It’s good all around the world – its better in Thailand!

12. Satay

Pretty much the same as Malaysian satay. BBQ’d meat on a stick with some satay sauce.. yes please!

Satay with satsy and sweet chilli sauce. Check out the presentations.. love pineapple.

13. Street Pancakes

Absolutely delicious! The one pictured below is banana and chocolate, but there are all sorts of stuff, including egg and cheese if you feel like something savoury.

All the Pancake Stall people seem to be young teenage boys.

40-50 Baht depending on the filling you choose.

Banana, Chocolate and topped with condensed milk.

14. Suki

Suki is a Thai style noodle soup which uses glass noodles in a slightly spicy broth.

We found this little outdoor restaurant about a ten minute walk from the main tourist part of Patong Beach. Food was cheap and good and we even got some free cooking lessons.

Suki – A Thai style noodle soup with glass noodles.

15. Wild Boar Red Curry

This little number cost 150 Baht from the same place we got Suki. They leave the fat on which gives it a bit of crunch.

Wild Boar Red Curry

16. Ice Roll

Kind of like Cold Rock ice-cream but they freeze condensed milk (I think). Lots of different flavors available. 80 Baht from the market across the road from the Bangla Muay Thai Stadium.

17. Tom Kha Gai

This is a soup dish with a massive amount of different flavors. I got it from some little Rasta restaruant just north of the beach front food stalls to the north of Phuket Graceland Resort.

Coconut soup broth with ginger, lemongrass, chillies and some other stuff. It tasted awesome but would have been better with a touch less spice. Cost 120 Baht.

Tom Kha Gai

18.Papaya Salad

Picked this one up from a beach-front restaurant in Rawai Beach. Out of all the Thai foods I tasted this was the worst… and it was still good! Perhaps a little spicy but some good intense flavors going on.

Papaya Salad

19.Thai Sweets

I picked these up for my Malaysian family so as I write this I haven’t tried them. A variety of fruit flavored candy, which I assume are made from the fruit they claim to be.

100 Baht a packet seems to be the standard price. Buy a few and get a deal.. I bought four for 350Baht but I don’t barter very hard.

Thai Sweets

20. Street Foods

The last thing on my list of must try Thai foods is to sample the street food, and there’s lots of it to have a go at.

On my last day I discovered this guy across the road from the Graceland Phuket Resort selling noodles and rice with pork or chicken from his cart. I wish I found him earlier, I probably would have gone to him every other meal.

I got noodles and pork for 80 Baht, and that was from the beach across the road from an “expensive” resort so I’m sure you can get it cheaper.

Noodle soup from a cart guy.. better than a lot of the meals I had in pricey restaurants.

What Other Must Try Thai Foods Have Your Tried? Let Us Know in the Comments

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18 Things to do in Patong Beach, Phuket, Thailand

Discover 18 things to do in Patong Beach, Phuket, Thailand. Includes short reviews, directions, pictures and other useful information as well as some (perhaps not so useful) personal ranting.

I hadn’t planned on going to Thailand until after India about mid next year, but some good friends from Blue Star were going so I thought I’d pop over to meet them.

1. Party on Bangla Street

The first thing on my list of things to do in Patong Beach, Phuket, Thailand is to party on Bangla Street. When the sun falls this street is definitely not for minors, although I did see parents with their young kids walking around. Perhaps they had no idea what it was going to be, but they’ll probably be answering a lot of awkward questions later.

Actually, if you just stay on the main road you won’t see anything too promiscuous, just don’t go down any side alleys or inside any building that you can’t see inside from the street. Some of the other items on this list are in Bangla Street but I felt they deserved a number on their own.. you’ll understand why when I get to them.

Bankor Street – Great for people watching.

2. Traditional Thai Bamboo Tattoo

I didn’t do this but I’m guessing traditional Thai Bamboo tattoos are more painful than regular tats – and regular tats were painful enough for me.

Angelina Jolie got the co-ordinates of the birthplaces of her adopted children tattooed on her tradition bamboo thai style… or so I read.

3. Thai Massage

Thai massage is definitely a must do while in Patong Beach. It is like a cross between massage and the masseuse putting you in yoga poses. I really liked it but I can understand how it is not for everyone.

I would definitely not classify it as a gentle massage.

The place next to my hotel (the Tanawan Phuket Hotel) was 150Baht for 60 minutes. That was the cheapest I saw. Most places are about 200 to 300 unless you choose somewhere really flash.

4. Muay Thai Competitions

I trained in Muay Thai when I was a teenager and am still into fighting arts so this was a must do for me, and I recommend it for all unless you are very against this type of thing.

For 1100 Baht we got to see seven matches, 3 of which ended in KO’s. These where the cheapest seats in the cheaper stadium, but included a shuttle to and from the hotel and a singlet. Since we chose the smaller stadium it means even the cheap seats were pretty close to the ring.

I got the tickets from one of the touts on the street which are actually cheaper than the advertised price on the flyers.

You get dropped off quite a bit earlier than the fights begin so you can go have dinner at the restaurant before hand. Do not order the BBQ which they cook out the front – the meat tastes weird. Everything on the menu (that we ordered) was good.

Below a video of the Muay Thai Fights in Patong Beach. It is in the smaller Patong Stadium as opposed to the Bangla Stadium which is closer to the center of town, bigger and a higher ticket price.

There are kids fighting at the start, then teenagers and then the adults. I know some people may object to kids fighting but let me just say that these guys are well trained and the bouts are very controlled. There is probably less chance of injury when training/competing in Muay Thai than there is when playing football.. and no-one seems to object to that.

“But kids shouldn’t fight”… well as an act of violence no-one should fight, but everyone should learn to protect themselves and in competition it is the same as any other sport.

5. Go to the Beach

Well.. it is called Patong Beach. Jet skiing, para sailing, beach massages, food and drinks, over-priced massages (400Baht) etc… all available at the beach.

It ain’t called Patong Beach for nothing!

6. Get a Fish Massage

This can be found in many countries but since I did it here I thought I may as well include it. The general price seems to be 100Baht for 10 minutes but we came across one that was 100 Baht for 15 minutes. If you have ticklish feet this might not be for you, but after a few minutes you get used to it.

I guess the fish are eating the dead skin.

7. Get a Massage

I know I already put Thai Massage on the list but this is for all the other types of massage you can get. Almost anything you want depending on the shop, and many aren’t shy about offering “extras” especially if you are not walking around with females.

If you are not into the extras thing just say no, or go into the ones that say “No Sex”. I feel like if it doesn’t say “No Sex” then they probably offer extras. The ones that do not offer extras seem to be cheaper also.

The only other massage I ended up getting besides the Thai Massage was a foot one. It was nothing like the ones is China which actually hurt. This was very pleasant. They put mild deep heat on your legs and feet and give a pretty good massage. They also do your arms and shoulders. Of course, every place is slightly different. The foot massages are usually the same price as the Thai massage… about 200Baht.

I did want to try Thai Herbal Steam massage but ran out of time on my last day, but I’ll just get one when I go to Thailand again.

8. Ping Pong Show

Oh my god! This “sexy show” is the least sexiest thing I have come across, but for those that do not mind a bit of filth I recommend having at least a sample, because I doubt you can come across this so liberally anywhere else in the world.

It is a bit of a scam but only because the people that tout the shows on the street lie to you. If they just told the truth they would probably get just as many people because it is definitely something unique. The one we spoke to said it was free entry, which it was, and you have to buy at least one drink. Obviously the drinks are going to be expensive, but the girl said it was 500Baht for the first one and 99 Baht for each additional one. We did manage to get the first one for 500 Baht (after a little protesting) but additional ones were definitely not 99baht.

Also, they say the show goes for 60 minutes and you are supposed to see about 20 different things, but in reality they break up the actual show with other things. We ended up leaving after about an hour, and probably only saw 5 of the 20 things, but I’m sure if you stayed in there for four hours you’d get to see it all.

What things do you see? Well it might be a bit crude to explicitly explain it… let just say a big array of things, live and inanimate, come out of a “woman”. I put woman in “‘s because I am pretty sure the one at our show used to be a man – judging be the size of her hands and muscular definition.

Where is this? Bangla Road. You do not need to try to find it. Just go to Bangla road.

9. Spank Street

Spank Street is also on Bangla Road – well, on a side street off it (next to Freedom Street). It’s not really called spank street, we just nick-named it that because you walk down it and sexily dressed ladies spank you with a foam stick. I found it pretty entertaining. The street has many bars and strip clubs – but they aren’t like Western strip clubs… they are a bit more full-on.

The spanking is up ahead.

10. Rent a Motorized Scooter

We got ours from the Tanawan Hotel for 250 Baht for 24 hours plus 100 Baht deposit (which we got back) for each helmet. We could have got them for 200Baht down the road but thought getting them from the hotel would safeguard against any dodgy-ness.

Hiring a scooter for a day is a great way to see some of the things outside of the Patong Beach area.

We wanted to extend the rental for another 6 hours but they wanted to charge a full day.. not very good business in my opinion.

11. Big Buddha

This is mainly famous for the view from the top, which is impressive but unfortunately has a lot of construction going on which by the looks of it will last at least a year, probably a few. Still worth going to have a look though.

Big Buddha. There was an awesome view but pictures ruined by the construction.

12. Beaches

I know I have already mentioned going to the beach, but this is for the beaches outside Patong, of which there are many because Phuket is an island.

I think this is Karon Beach, but it might be further south.

13. Visit the Islands

There are full day tours, half day tours or you can just catch the boat yourself. Visit the outer-lying islands, swim in the beaches and go snorkelling. I did none of them but would have if I had a few more days to spare.

This is the view from the Buddha on the side without the constructions. You can see isands out there right? That makes it releveant

14. Eat!

Food in Thailand is AMAZING! Check out this post on Must Try Thai Foods.

Tom Kha Gai

15. Learn to Cook Thai Food

We found a small outdoor “food court” one evening where the food was awesome (and cheap). We asked if they could give us some cooking lessons, and they did, and didn’t even charge us (we did give them a pretty good tip afterwards though).

Each of us chose a dish and they basically just made it in front of us while telling us what they were doing. We made Pad Thai, Suki (a Thai Noodle Soup), Tom Yum, Thai Green Curry and Penang Curry. I videoed each of them (badly) and put them all on a different post. Learn how to cook 5 delicious Thai dishes here.

16. Catch a Show

These next two things I didn’t actually do.

There are a number of stage-shows you can see in Patong Beach, but unfortunately they involve tricks with animals, which I personally feel is cruel. No, I am not a vegetarian. Yes, I see the hypocrisy. I could rant on about this subject but I won’t.

There was one show that I thought would have been okay.. Siam, but I decided to have dinner and drinks with my mates instead.

17. Go to Phuket Town

We planned to do this on the day we had the scooters but ran out of daylight. You could also catch a bus there which apparently costs 30 baht and takes 30 minutes. I do not know where the bus leaves Patong Beach but it arrives at the Phuket town market. The buses leave every 30minutes from 0700 to 1800.

A taxi either way shouldn’t be more than 400Baht. Go for 250 and see.

The above information on getting to Phuket town from Patong beach was taken from WikiTravel.org/en/Phuket_Town

18. Go to Rawai Town

The last thing on my list of things to do in Patong Beach, Phuket, Thailand is to visit Rawai. Rawai is a small village just outside Patong Beach. We went there on the day we rented scooters.

The view from where we ate lunch in Rawai.

Well that’s it for this list of Things to do in Patong Beach, Phuket, Thailand. Please add or correct stuff in the comments.

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Phuket Graceland Resort Spa Review – Patong Beach – Phuket – Thailand

This is a Phuket Graceland Resort Spa review in Patong Beach, Phuket, Thailand. It also includes directions, pictures and other useful information as well as some (perhaps not so useful) personal ranting.

For the short version of this review scroll to the customer reviews at the bottom of this post. The first one is from me (Bert) .

I didn’t actually stay at the Phuket Graceland Resort Spa (I stayed at the Tanawan Phuket Hotel) but my friends did so I went there pretty much every day. It’s a really nice resort.

Phuket Graceland Resort Spa Review – Patong Beach – Phuket – Thailand

Cost: From just under $60US/night if you book at the right time.

Address: 190 Thaweewong Road, Patong, Phuket, Thailand

This is a really nice resort. Three or four pools – one of which is easily 100m long, bowling alley, snooker, gym (but no sauna), bar and restaurant, a really good breakfast buffet (so I was told) and across the road from the beach.

Part of the Lobby.

It takes about 10 to 15 minutes to walk from the Phuket Graceland Resort Spa to Bangla Street.

View from the balcony.

The rooms are nice too with a bath, good view (I guess this depends on you room) and everything else you would expect from a half decent hotel.

There is a bath-tub also.

Inside the room.

The grounds are big so a bit of a maze. We walked into the wrong building more than once.

Just around the grounds

Book your stay at the Phuket Graceland Resort Spa
Getting to the Phuket Graceland Resort Spa

From Bangla street or anywhere near there just walk toward the beach and then turn right. Keep walking until you see it. Its extremely hard to miss.

From the airport either catch a taxi (800Baht) or a mini-bus (180Baht). Both will take you to your hotel. The mini-bus will stop halfway at a tour agency where they try to sell you tours. If you don’t want to be hassled just tell them you have been to Patong before and have already done all the tourist sightseeing last time.

Map of Patong Beach

Book your stay at the Phuket Graceland Resort Spa
Share your Phuket Graceland Resort Spa review below, or if you have any other questions, thoughts, alternatives etc., feel free to share them in the comments

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11 Free Things to Do in Shenyang, Liaoning, China

Discover 11 free things to do in Shenyang, Liaoning, China. Includes short reviews, directions, pictures and other useful information as well as some (perhaps not so useful) personal ranting.

Shenyang is a massive city. There is lots to do there and even though I spent four days I didn’t run out of free stuff to do.

1. Food Street

The first thing on my list of free things to do in Shenyang is to eat street food, which I guess technically isn’t free because you have to pay for the food. I’m sure there are loads of food streets all over Shenyang. This one just happened to be very close to my accommodation.

The food street near my accommodation. Lots of BBQ but many other things also.

Getting to the Food Street

Walk from Shen Yang Bei Zhan or Jin Rong Zhong Xin metro stations.

Bus numbers 105, 333, 503, 334 and 224 can drop you at Fang Chan Chao Shi ������������ which is just down the road from the Wen Xin Ru Jia Bin Guan.

See the map at the end of this post.

2. Underground Fashion Mall

There is a mall underground dedicated to fashion items, mostly clothes. There is also a food court down there.

Inside the Underground Fashion Mall.

Getting to the Underground Fashion Mall

Walk there from the train station. Take the metro or a bus (206, 216 or 203) to the Shen Yang Zhan ��������� stop, which is out the front of the train station.

Go south on Nan Jing Nan Jie ������������. This is what the entrance looks like.

The Underground Fashion Mall from street level.

3. Zhong Shan Gong Yuan

Zhong Shan Gong Yuan (������������) is one of quite a few free parks in Shenyang. Like most parks in China you are not supposed to go one the grassed areas, i.e., keep to the paths. I managed to find a good place for a nap on the top of a hill. It was grand.

A nice stroll in Zhong Shan Gong Yuan.

Getting to Zhong Shan Gong Yuan

Take the metro to Tai Yuan ������. Walk south on Nan Jing Nan Jie ������������ until you get to the park.

4. Statue of Mao

This statue of Mao is more interesting than the other thousand or so Mao statues in China, in particular the peasants and soldiers around the base. Apparently it is the largest statue of Mao in China.

There are so many Mao statues in China, but this one has an interesting base.

Supposedly the biggest Mao statue in China – but I don’t know if that is true.

There were some guys flying kites in the square (kite flying is really popular for middle aged / older men in China) and they got really friggin’ high. I was amazed. Imagine the pictures they could get from up there if they mounted a small time delay camera.

I’ve circled the kites.

Getting to the Statue of Mao

The closest metro station is Shen Yang Zhan (���������). Follow the map at the end of this post.

5. Shi Fu Guang Chang

Shi Fu Guang Chang ������������ is just a big concreted area in the middle of the city where people come to dance, jump rope, Rollerblade etc. Great for people watching especially at dusk when the pylons come to life.

At night the pylons light up and change colors.

Great for people watching.

Getting to Shi Fu Guang Chang

Take the metro to the Shi Fu Guang Chang station.

6. Liaoning Provincial Musuem

I was pretty impressed by the Liaoning Provincial Museum. It has three permanent exhibitions (Jade, Porcelain and Scripture) and when I was there it also had three temporary exhibitions.

No lighters or sharp objects are allowed. Water is okay.

Don’t be fooled, this thing is friggin huge.

Opening hours for the Liaoning Provincial Museum are 0900-1700 between April to October (last entry at 1600). Between November to March it closes half an hour earlier. It is also closed on Monday’s except for public holidays. It is closed on Chinese New Year Eve.

Getting to the Liaoning Provincial Musuem

This was a bit of a mission but it was worth it. I had information that the Liaoning Provincial Musuem was next to Shi Fu Guang Chang, and it used to be but now it is located out of the city.

Get the metro to Bai Ta He Zhan (������������). Exit C and walk up this path.

When you exit the metro station walk down this path.

Go to this road train stop.

The road train stop is in the middle of the road.

Catch the Number 1 road train to Yun Xing Zhong Xin Zhan ���������������. Walk in this direction, which is south down 3rd Zhihui St (������������).

When you get off the road train walk in this direction.

The museum is on your left, you will not miss it.

The front of the museum. I feel it was worth the trip.

7. Bei Ling Yuan and Qing Zhao Tomb

I stumbled upon Bei Ling Park which is pretty easy to do because it is a fairly large park.

Inside Bei Ling Yuan.

Inside Bei Ling Yuan is also the Qing Zhao Tomb which is a World Cultural Heritage Site. You can not go into the tomb area but the stroll thorugh the park to get to it is nice.

Qing Zhao Tomb – A World Heritage Site.

Near the tomb site there is a list of all the tourist things to do in Shenyang of which there are quote a few. There is a map also.

Getting to Bei Ling Yuan and Qing Zhao Tomb

Catch the Metro to BeiLing Yuan Station (������������).

Bus numbers 136, 231, 213 and 217 will also go there. The bus stop is called Bei Ling Gong Yuan (������������). Bus 217 and 136 can be caught from the north train station.

8. Wu Ai Market Place

The Wu Ai Market Place ������������ is a mecca of stuff. I reckon you could just about get anything (legal) you wanted there. Each floor has god knows how many stores and there a five floors per building and I think there are 4 buildings. Each floor specializes in a certain type of thing, e.g., fabrics, kitchenware.

One of the very many rows of shops in Wa Ai.

On the fifth floor in one of the buildings is a pretty good food court.

Five floors per building. It’s a big marketplace.

Apparently it closes at 1500.

Getting to the Wu Ai Market Place

The Wu Ai market place is on the corner of Re Nao Lu ��������� and Xiao Nan Jie ���������.

You can walk there if you are in town. Check the map at the end of this post.

You can catch buses 157, 326, 134, 334, 800 and 503 to Feng Yu Tan Jie Re Nao Lu ��������������������� and then cross over the intersection.

Buses 117, 273, 246, 132 and 274 go to Wu Ai Shi Chang ������������ which is out the front of the market.

This is what the entrance looks like.

The front of the Wuyi Market Place

9. Qing Nian Gong Yuan

Qing Nian Gong Yuan ������������ is yet another park in Shenyang. It has a few lakes and as all parks in China, is great for people watching and general relaxation in an otherwise bustling city.

View of Shenyang skyline from Qian Nian Gong Yuan.

Getting to Qing Nian Gong Yuan

You can walk from the Wu Ai Market Place (#8 on this list of free things to do in Shenyang).

Buses 212, 222, 224, 333, 134, 173, 117, 132, 334, 800, 126 and 291 can drop you at Feng Yu Tan Jie Xi Bin He Lu ������������������������ which is out the front of the park. I am sure there are other buses that go to other sides of the park.

For some reason bus 212 calls the stop by a different name.

The name that bus 212 calls the bus stop.

10. The September 18 Memorial Museum

The 18 September memorial museum is easier to get to than the Liaoning Provincial Museum (#6 on this list of free things to do in Shenyang) and in my mind it more interesting.

From what I gathered it seems that a short time after WW1, on September the 18th (I’m not sure of the year) the Japanese decided to try to take over the world and figured that they first needed to take China. They did something and blamed it on the Chinese (what that something was I must have missed) which gave them a good excuse to invade. After a little bit the Northern Chinese decided to revolt. Some time later the rest of the nation decided to help. In the end the Russian’s stepped in which I think ended the war within a few days. The war lasted fourteen years.

Inside the 18 September Memorial Museum.

Why didn’t the whole of China join the rebellion from the start? China is massive and has bucket loads of people. I think if the whole country joined forces surely they could have fought the Japanese off pretty quickly.

What was especially interesting was how blatantly one sided the story they tell is. I’m not saying that the information is false, actually I believed most of it. It is also quite clever how they slag off the Chinese government that I guess was in charge of the country at that time. They are sure to mention that it was the Communist Party that encouraged the revolt. At the end they say how the two countries are now friends, but since they Japanese haven’t changed their history books (meaning that the Japanese do not teach about these events in their schooling etc.) they still need to be careful not to let the Japanese imperialism rise again.

At the start of the museum there is this that basically states the atrocity of the Japanese. Click to enlarge it.

I wonder if it says the same thing in Japanese. It also has Russian and Chinese.

What’s funny to me is that there are many things that they Chinese government did/do to their own people that they make a massive effort to censor from the public, Tianmen Square being a very good example. Hypocrisy is the point I am getting at.

In any case, this was a good museum and it has enough English so you can follow along the time-line. I’m even going to name it as my favorite of these free things to do in Shenyang.

Getting to The September 18 Museum

Bus numbers and 212, 253, 299, 325, 328, 399, 163 and K106 will drop you at Jiu Yi Ba Li Shi Bo Wu Guan ������������������������, which is out the front of the museum. If you came from town you will have to cross the road.

Here’s what you see out the front.

The front of the museum.

11. Night Market

The last thing on my list of free things to do in Shenyang is the night market which was near my accommodation===. It is a small night market but there it is nice for a night stroll and also has a good amount of street food.

The night market around the corner from my accommodation.

Getting to the Night Market

Walk from Shen Yang Bei Zhan or Jin Rong Zhong Xin metro stations.

Bus numbers 105, 333, 503, 334 and 224 can drop you at Fang Chan Chao Shi ������������ which is just down the road from the hotel.

Map showing Wu Ai Market and Wing Nian Gong Yuan. Click to Enlarge.

Map showing the Wen Xin Ru Jia Bin Guan and surrounding area. Click to Enlarge.

Map showing the underground fashino mall. Click to Enlarge.

More Things to Do in Shenyang, Liaoning, China

They may not all be free but there are lots more things to do in Shenyang. Visit my go to website for things to do while traveling to discover more things to do in Shenyang.

Well that’s it for this list of free things to do in Shenyang. Please add or correct stuff in the comments.

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Wen Xin Ru Jia Bin Guan Review, Shenyang, Liaoning, China

This is a Wen Xin Ru Jia Bin Guan review in Shenyang, Liaoning, China. It also includes directions, pictures and other useful information as well as some (perhaps not so useful) personal ranting.

I had booked to stay at the Post Hotel for 70rmb a night but when I got there they said they gave the room away. Apparently if you do not show up by 1800 that is what they do. Out the front an older lady took me to some different accommodation. Not really a hotel but good enough for a night. It was 120rmb but I think the price was jacked up due to me being a foreigner. It had hot water, Chinese toilet, computer, wifi and in a really good location right next to a food/market street.

The next night I moved to the Wen Xin Ru Jia Bin Guan (������������������) which was just around the corner. This was more like a hostel, completely Chinese but much more professional than the previous one.

Shenyang Accommodation Review, Shenyang, Liaoning, China

Cost: 60rmb for a shared bathroom, 130rmb and up for a private bathroom.

Address: 56 Tuan Jie Lu, Shenhequ District. ���������������������������56���.

At first I got the cheapest room. It was a shared bathroom. The room itself was okay. A bit small but had a kettle, decent bed, TV and air-con. The bathroom was clean enough (Chinese toilets) but only two of them for a fair amount of rooms. There was always a wait.

I moved to the cheapest private bathroom room the next night. Apparently it should have been 130rmb but because I was swapping (as opposed to checking in for the first time) the price dropped to 110rmb. This room had a little bit more space. The bathroom was a bit small but good enough for me. Western toilet and towels. Decent shower pressure and good hot water. This room also had aircon, kettle, TV and a desk.

Internet is good throughout the whole place and surprisingly not very noisy.

Excellent location.

Staff didn’t speak English but were nice.

Inside the room with the private bathroom. Small but has everything I needed.

The Wen Xin Ru Jia Bin Guan is accommodation that is not on any booking sites. If you want to be safe, you can book your accommodation in Shenyang before you get there.

Getting to Wen Xin Ru Jia Bin Guan

Walk from Shen Yang Bei Zhan or Jin Rong Zhong Xin metro stations.

Bus numbers 105, 333, 503, 334 and 224 can drop you at Fang Chan Chao Shi ������������ which is just down the road from the hotel.

See the map at the end of this post.

Getting to/from Shenyang Airport

I discovered two ways to get to Shenyang Airport, besides using a taxi. The first is the airport shuttle.

Airport Shuttle to Shenyang Airport

Take the metro or a bus (206, 216 or 203) to the Shen Yang Zhan ��������� stop, which is out the front of the train station.

If you take the metro then use exit C and walk straight down the road, i.e. south on Sheng Li Nan Jie (towards McDonalds but stay on the left side of the road).

If you take the bus you should be on Sheng Li Nan Jie when you get off. Walk South.

Bus numbers 237, 240, 501, 279 and 103 will also drop you on Sheng Li Nan road. Get off at Sheng Li Da Jie Nan Yi Ma Lu (������������������������).

Look for this sign.

Walk towards this sign.

At ground level will be this sign.

This sign is out the front of the Airport bus ticket office.

Go into this building.

This is the ticket office.

Go to window four to buy your ticket to the airport. It costs 17rmb.

The airport bus takes about an hour to get to the airport. It leaves every half hour from 0600 to 1800. If you can, buy your ticket ahead of time as they may sell out.

Map showing where to catch the airport bus. Click to enlarge.

Public Transport to Shenyang Airport

A combination of metro and road-train will also get you to the airport.

Catch the metro to Bai Ta He Zhan (������������). Take exit C and walk down this path.

When you exit the metro station walk down this path.

Go to this road train station and the #2 to the airport.

The road train stop is in the middle of the road.

The road-train costs 2rmb. I didn’t actually do it so I do not know how long it takes, but I would give the whole journey a two hour berth assuming you are leaving from town.

Map showing the Wen Xin Ru Jia Bin Guan and surrounding area. Click to enlarge.

The Wen Xin Ru Jia Bin Guan is accommodation that is not on any booking sites. If you want to be safe, you can book your accommodation in Shenyang before you get there.

Share your Wen Xin Ru Jia Bin Guan review in the comments, or if you have any other questions, thoughts, alternatives etc., feel free to share

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Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge Review, Dandong, Liaoning, China

This is a Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge review in Dandong, Liaoning, China. It also includes directions, pictures and other useful information as well as some (perhaps not so useful) personal ranting.

The Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge is a a border gate between China and North Korea. It might be the closest you can get to North Korea without actually going into it, although perhaps there are foot crossing borders elsewhere. The Sino-Korean Friendship bridge is not crossable by foot.

This China- North Korea crossing is now a tourist attraction made possible as only China can.

Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge Review, Dandong, Liaoning, China

Cost: 30rmb

Address: Dandong, Yalu River.

I would love to actually go into North Korea (and it is definitely possible) but since I have already made plans it seems I will have to wait at least a few years to do so. I figured since it is kind of on the way from Inner Mongolia to Shenyang that I may as well make a stop to the border. Actually, the train from Manzhouli passed through Shenyang to get here.

The first thing I noticed when looking over the river to North Korea was that they had a kind of theme park of which a roller coaster and ferris wheel could clearly be identified, but not a soul using it. Did they just build that so that is what we would see?

An unused roller coaster.

As I walked further towards the bridge I noticed this guy with his telescope looking into North Korea.

Along the board-walk. Notice the guy to the left ‘spying’ into North Korea.

The Chinese government loves to display that they are better. Here they have built arches on their side of the bridge. On the border of Russia in Manzhouli the Chinese border gate is also clearly dominant over Russia’s.

China with its slightly better bridge.

There are actually two bridges. The original one was blown up by the American’s during the Korean war to stop the supply line from China. The Chinese side still stands. I don’t know if they rebuilt it or it was left undamaged, but apparently the North Korean’s chose not to rebuild their side so the Americans could not deny blowing it up.

The second one is the one they use for real, and the original one is the one you can pay 30rmb to walk on. The above photo is of the full bridge which they use and it is taken from the first bridge. You can see the big cement stump which is the remains of the North Korean side of the bridge.

Before actually going onto the bridge you can see a few memorial type things such as anti air-craft guns and this monument.

Monument, I can’t remember what it is for.

From the bridge you can see the skylines of China in comparison to North Korea. It is a big difference.

Guess which side is North Korea.

You can also see people riding bikes and such on the North Korean side. They must be able to see all the people on the bridge looking in, not to mention the China skyline. I wonder what they think about that.

You can also go on a rented boat and they will take you pretty close to North Korea. I don’t know the price. There are also cruises I think.

See the little speed boat taking people pretty close to North Korea.

This is what it looks like at night. Almost complete darkness on the North Korea side. There’s a lot of trucks coming over at night. They may be there during the day as well but I didn’t notice them. I am guessing they are Chinese supply trucks.

All the bright lights typical of China leading into the darkness of North Korea.

Getting to the Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge

First you need to get to Dandong. I did it by train.

From the train station you can walk there in about 30minutes. You could also catch a bus 303 to the Wen Hua Guang Chang ������������ stop and walk east along the boardwalk for a few minutes. Other buses that go there are the 105, 121 and 127.

From the Donghe Leisure Guild you can walk there. Check the map at the end of this post.

Buses that go to the train station are 204, 205, 219, 303, 304, 121, 128, 124 and 111.

Other Things to Do in Dandong

I didn’t spend much time in Dandong so I didn’t make a “Things to do in Dandong” post, but there are a few other good things to do here. Check out Wikitravel.org/en/Dandong

The one thing I did do was sample some Korean foods. My favorite was Korean Liang Mian (cold noodles). Chao Xian Liang Mian. ������������. There are some failry pricey Korean restaurants but I found this at a small place near the Donghe Leisure Guild for 10rmb. Actually the food in general here is cheaper than when in Xinjiang or Inner Mongolia. The same Gai Fan dishes are about half the price.

Korean Liang Mian. Delicious!

This is the shop where I bought the liang mian, the blue sign. It is marked on the map.

In a supermarket along the river-front – lots of Korean snacks.

This was 6rmb. It is filled with sesame seeds but you can get different fillings.

Click to enlarge.

Share your Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge review in the comments, or if you have any other questions, thoughts, alternatives etc., feel free to share

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