Travelogue341

で.say hi!

*Travelogue*
Noun (plural \travelogues\)
1. A description of someone's travels, given in the form of narrative, public lecture, slide show or motion picture.
2. A travel journal, also called road journal or travelogue, is a record made by a voyager. Generally in diary form, a travel journal contains descriptions of the traveler's experiences, is normally written during the course of the journey, and may or may not be intended for publishing.

*341*
Phrase (read \'three-for-one'\)
1. Where the journeys of three become one.
2. Where one place represents the bonds of three.

*Travelogue341*
A resting place, a welcoming home, a shared travel log for the three of us...
1. A commemmoration to our beautiful friendship; a witness to our exciting futures; a platform to tell the stories of new places and people we'll be meeting.
2. Because we have one another in our hearts, Travelogue341 is born.

Welcome to Travelogue341! We hope you enjoy our journeys as much as we do :)

た.connect

す.archives

March 2010 April 2010 May 2010 October 2011

る.friends

Basta Marian Suwono Ruam

々.stalkme

ち.extras

put anything here, up to you (:
plurkies, hates loves, bla and bla and bla (:
the more thingymajiggies you put here the more prettier it'll look

ジ.US<3

Ferina Tjahjana
a.k.a Big Pink Loooser ;)
Jan8 - Capricorn
Jakarta, Indonesia
Facebook

19532_342266777951_511992951_4811250_3950924_n

Phan My Linh
a.k.a Person, Cheesy
May19 - Taurus
Hanoi, Vietnam
Facebook 107b

Ruam Sira
a.k.a Rummy, Crappy
May9 - Taurus
Chiangmai, Thailand
Facebook Rummy333

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FerRaRu World Map

Asia, Pacific
Singapore - Malaysia (KL, JB) - Indonesia (Jakarta) - Vietnam (Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, Hue, Hoi An) - Thailand (Bangkok, Changmai)Cambodia (Phnom Penh, Siem Reap)
United States
CA: California City, CA: Los Angeles, CA: San Francisco, CT Yalesville, DC: Washington DC, MA: Boston, NY: New York City, FL: Hollywood
Europe
UK (Oxford, Bath, London) - Italy (Rome, Perugia, Venice, Florence, Milan, Pisa, Orvieto, Siena)
Middle East
Qatar: Doha

{inSeoul}

Sunday, October 30, 2011

it's been a while :) I have wondered if people do wonder what happened to this blog of us three. Are we still "together" in a sense? Are we still travelling and busy living our lives to the fullest?

The answer is yes. We are still very much "together" in an odd sense of "togetherness". Thanks to facebook and whatsapp, we are still having a great time with each other's silliness. It's tough, I admit. Especially when Ferina and Ruam have the odd habit of asking me how the other person has been doing in stead of setting a date or a time or just say HI and ask one another directly -.-" No, they are not fighting or whatsoever, it's just who they are :) and I have nothing to complain about.

To cut the story short, Fer and I reunite after a decade of separation -.-" just kidding, we just met each other again during the summer. She came to see me in Seoul, Korea from Japan while I was working as a teacher there, coming from Ashland, OR, USA. It's amazing how the world is tiny. It's amazing how love and friendship has the power to bring people together. It's never the distance, it's never about look at each other and carefully walk onward. It's more of less all about looking at the same direction.

so here for your entertainment, part 1 of many, Fer and Linh in Seoul - the journey of 2 silly girls

first meal together :) after Fer's half-ass hug for me @the subway station -.-"

@Hongdae, Coffee Prince - a high price for being fan-girls

with JinSol <3 Fer's friend and now mine, an amazing host of Seoul

There are still a lot of shots to be shared. Just a little bit first :) Don't u miss us after all?

Labels: Ferina, My Linh

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Happy Birthday from Chiang Mai

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Dear Rachel,

I know you miss this

and this

As your birthday present, you can have it, but only if you come to Chiang Mai.
I am a kind person, so you'll have this, too

and this

and this for dessert

as well as this

So there, I already give you your birthday presents, so come and take it yeah!
Hehe just wanna wish you all the best, my best eating mate!!! xDDD
Hope we can rock the eating world again soon as a duo ;)
Happy Birthday! <3

Labels: My Linh, RuaM

3 Comments

Otanjyoubi Omedetou

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Dear Person,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!
I meant to send you an sms last night but for some weird reason it kept on failing T_T
anyway, on your 21st birthday I wish you happiness throughout your life and wisdom (BPL wisdom - haha kidding) : )
looking forward to seeing you here!! ^^

Love,
Big Pink Monster

1 Comments

Studio Ghibli Museum

Saturday, May 15, 2010

As promised, here is my account of my visit to 三鷹の森ジブリ美術館 or literally translated as "Ghibli Museum of the Mitaka Forest". For those who don't know, Ghibli Museum is a studio that produces animation movies created by founder Miyazaki Hayao. If you have ever watched a Ghibli movie before, you will find that it is different from other Japanese animation movies. The stories have a beautiful plot, with superb animation and soothing songs, as well as a hidden message behind each movie. One of my personal favourite is one called "Spirited Away" : )

(note: i am in LOVE with the mouse from "Spirited Away". Its name is Boo ^^)

Off we go to Studio Ghibli Museum! FYI, you can't buy tickets on the spot. You have to go to Lawson (a convenience store) and purchase your tickets there. My friends and I booked one week before; each ticket costs 1000 yen (around SGD 15).

700 metres away...

300 metres away..

At the main entrance, you will be greeted by Totoro, from the movie となりのトトロ(Tonari no Totoro/My Neighbour Totoro).

First we went to visit a room where there is a Hall of Fame of all previous Studio Ghibli productions. Absolutely no photography inside, but I managed to capture a few! It is really hard to do so with all guards watching.

These are all miniature sized! Looks like a real office right?

The interior of the museum. So pretty, I'd love a house like this!

Stained glass windows with Ponyo characters on them (from the movie "Ponyo on the Sea by the Cliff"

Next we walked outside and climbed a long flight of stairs. It was worth it, because outdoors there was a giant Laputa statue! This is a character from another Ghibli movie called "Laputa in the Sky".

Indoors there is also a Neko Bus (Cat Bus) but it is only for very young children to play. They are allowed to go inside and play with little black balls (with eyes) that are supposed to represent germs. Cute germs, though : P

BOO SURROUNDED BY GERMS!!!

There was a special room for exhibitions.. and lucky for us, the "Ponyo on the sea by the cliff" exhibition was on!! The graphics were beautiful. Too bad only these few pictures because the guard kept eyeing us...

A few more shots of how the museum looks like from the outside

Even though my pictures don't do the real museum justice, I guess one word to describe my experience there is: magical. Museums are really meant for the eye to take in all the sights, not by photography. So I'd like to come here again someday, with both of you, and marvel at all the stuff I couldn't capture on camera..

Sayounara!

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Tan Da Spa: A trip back to a Vietnamese generation's childhood.

Monday, May 10, 2010

Place: Tan Da Spa Resort

Location: Tan Linh - Ba Vi - Ha Tay

[visit http://www.tandasparesort.com.vn/ for more details and pictures of the pool - which I failed to capture, being afraid people may think I am a pervert -.-" Anyway, there is English version there but it's not working for me. There is also online booking for room and certain sevices]

*_*_*_*

Located 2 hour drive away from the center of Hanoi - in good traffic (which never happens -.-"), Tan Da Spa is truly one good place for a family breakaway from the crowded and busy city life. Offering a wholesome experience, suitable for every single member of the family (from great grandparents to great grandchild) Tan Da Spa is becoming a hot sot for Hanoi families who seeks for tranquility during the weekend.

I went to Tan Da Spa with my extended family <3 last April (don't hate me for only posting it up now). The two beautiful girls in my pictures are Hanan and Rima (with Rima in a full dress and Hanan wearing a top and a denim skirt), my extended cousins. With my camera robbed, I apologized for taking only some of the pictures - taking credit for only editing though ;)

Tan Da Spa was inspired by the lost childhood of our parents' generation. My parents were both born in Hanoi. However, during the last Vietnamese war, at the age of 6,7 my parents, their brothers and sister, friends and neighborhood friends all had to leave Hanoi for the villages due to safety reason - avoiding American bombs in the middle of the night. One thing for sure, memories of the war were still somewhat bittersweet in their once innocent minds. There will always be fear of the war, fear of loosing and separation, fear of starvation and the longing for Hanoi, still those wooden houses behind the bamboo trees were the most tranquil moments of the war. There they were protected, brought up, their they learned the love for a city, a few hundred miles apart.

In my generation, most of us were born and grew up in Hanoi. As of me who origin from this capital, never truly experience a life like this: a childhood with the pigs the chickens, with the water buffalo and the well behind yard. Tan Da Spa is almost a perfect place for reminiscing the beautiful memories. So here I come, here I come to know more about my parents' my aunts' uncles' childhood, and stories under the cooling shadow of the trees

Pix above:

A model of a typical well-off Vietnamese house in the countryside.

In Tan Spa, it is offered to the guest in the hotel structure. There are 4 rooms inside, a parents room, next to a children room, a living room and a nice bathroom. There is a yard in front, an outdoor stone table.

I would love to recommend it for a family stay, approximately 2 nights max

Foot massage

Tan Da Spa attempts to live up to their "spa" title. There is a swimming pool (which you have to buy the ticket for entrance), a sauna (ticket comes with the swimming pool, so it's for free once you purchase a swimming ticket). I praise the pool for its cleanness - truly the best I have seen in the North of Vietnam. When you walk along the side of the pool, you really don't experience this "yuck" feeling underneath your feet. Even the common bathroom is constantly cleaned by the staff. Towels are given for free, just like hotel service. :)

Foot massage service is actually separated from the swimming ticket, so you will have to pay extra for it. I did, and it was 3 star, if rated. Certainly it was over priced, almost doubt what a foot massage usually cost in Hanoi. Still, the business is doing well. I guess, this is due to convenience. Guests come here with open minds and open pockets

Pix of Hanan:

We were playing with the ingredients, the herbs for the food massage. I saw ginger, lemon grass, hot oil... Your feet kinda smell really great after the massage - u you don't mind smelling your feet, i assume ;)

Pictures of Rima outside the Treatment rooms

There is a beauty salon here, well equipped with modern machines. These room are pretty private, with one side facing a beautiful lake.

a FAMILY experience

Grand parents can take a walk around the "village road", breathing in fresh country air. Parents can go for a good massage, sauna. Mothers to spa, and Fathers can hit the tennis court. Children at teenage will surely enjoy the swimming pool, or they can accompany their younger siblings to a "couple" bicycle ride around the compound (bicycles are for rent, single or couple, all available in good condition) Little babies may want to join Tan Da Spa's kindergarten, vibrantly decorated with babysitter service offers. After a good day relaxing, families can gather for a good wholehearted meal in either one of Tanda Spa's Restaurant. The food is mediocre, nothing remarkable apart from the freshness of the ingredient. Once bored, we can all meet each other in the Karaoke room, though I am sad to say, there isn't much Korean music available :P There are also 2 business meeting room for rent, 2 coffee shops and other services attended to you 24/7

Overall, Tan Da Spa brings you back to a true Vietnamese village life, with the countryside concept. You will come across a green banana tree, a beautiful wild flower falling unappreciated on the ground, a fishing pond, many traditional Vietnamese houses. I would love to recommend it to a family of three different generations to come together and share some bonding time. One thing I highly praise this Spa for is the security and the pleasant staff service. My cousin forgot her bag in one of the dining room and only returned after almost 4 hours. It wasn't there anymore but was kept safe in the reception area for us to retrieve. I did have wonderful experience with my family and would love to return in the next 3 months or 6 - you know, I am not really a "countryside" and "nature" person, indeed

and this is for you, thx for reading my review, dear wonderful readers

The pix I love the most, taken by me, retouched : ME ALSO

Labels: My Linh

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by dotted lini 2010 // visit her blog // thanks to him for the bg