:: When She Travels The World ::

14D13N winter holiday in Iceland + Scotland + Ireland

Monday, August 14, 2017
By Iva
3 Comments

I'm going to Iceland in Feb/March 2018.

Yes, AGAIN. Many asked me, why Iceland again? If you have been following my blog, you would probably know that I visited Iceland 2 years ago (October 2015 itinerary). I spent 4 nights there and supposed to visit Reykjavik city, Golden Circle, National Park, geyser and etc but due to bad weather and we lost our way on the 2nd day, we missed out the entire Golden Circle route, we did not manage to walk around Reykjavik too. Also, we were there in October, it was not possible to visit ice cave.

So this time, I want to go back to Iceland to see the majestic ice cave, hike on the glacier, pet the Icelandic horse, drive on Golden Circle route and not to forget, chase the northern lights again.

I'm just so in love with Iceland.

Since it's my 2nd visit to Iceland, I should have travel the entire Iceland, make it a round trip on Ring Road, but I do not have enough time to cover the whole Iceland (which needs minimum 7 days) and I'm greedy, I want to collect a few more different countries' immigration chop on my passport,

Ireland and Scotland also included in this coming trip.

I wanted to use London as my base and explore UK at the same time, but Finnair offers the cheapest fare and it gives the best travel time (only 2 hours transit and arrive Iceland in the morning) to Iceland. It's also not as convenient to transfer in between different airports in London. I gave up London in the end. Finnair is still the best (and most convenient) choice to travel if you want to go Iceland from Singapore.

Singapore – Iceland (transit via Helsinki) – Scotland Edinburgh – Ireland – UK Northern Ireland

Highlights

Hike on beautiful glacier in Iceland
Visit to amazing ice cave in Iceland
Viewing of northern lights in Iceland
Horse riding in Iceland
A night stay in charming private castle in Ireland
Visit to Game of Thrones filming locations in Ireland

Accommodation

3 nights airbnb private home stay in Iceland
2 nights glacier hotel stay in Iceland
2 nights airbnb private home in Scotland
5 nights airbnb private home stay in Ireland

Day 0

Midnight flight from Singapore to Iceland Reykjavik (2 hours transit via Helsinki) at midnight

Day 1
Upon arrival Reykjavik in the morning 9:30, collect rental car, buy SIM card, grocery shopping and head straight to Vik. Visit Seljalandsfoss waterfall / Skógafoss waterfall / Musée de Skógar / Dyrholaey
Stay overnight at airbnb private home stay at Reynisfjara beach (Vik)

Day 2
Drive to Jokulsarlon Lagoon. Visit Svartifoss waterfall / Skaftafell / Vatnajökull National Park (Entrance)
Stay overnight at Fosshotel

Day 3
Private ice cave day tour
Stay overnight at Fosshotel

Day 4

Drive to Golden Circle route. Visit Thingvellir National Park / Strokkur Geyser / Gullfoss waterfall / Kerið Crater / Skálholt Cathedral / Faxi waterfall
Stay overnight at airbnb private home stay

Day 5

Drive to Reykjavik. Visit Þingvellir national park / Blue Lagoon. In Reykjavik, visit church Hallgrímskirkja (9am – 5pm adult kr. 700) / visit church Domkirkjan (weekday 10am – 430pm) / Shopping Laugavegur shopping street and Skólavörðustígur street / Sun Voyager sculpture
Stay overnight at airbnb private home stay

Day 6

Depart from Reykjavik to Edinburgh. Visit Edinburgh
Stay overnight at airbnb private home stay

Day 7

Collect rental car, day trip out from Edinburgh
Stay overnight at airbnb private home stay

Day 8

Depart from Edinburgh to Dublin. Drive to UK (Northern Ireland Portrush), visit Belfast / The Dark Hedges / Giant's Causeway / Dunluce Castle

Stay overnight at airbnb private home stay

Day 9

Drive to Galway. Visit Cliff of Moher

Stay overnight at private castle

Day 10

Drive to Killarney. Visit Killarney town.

Stay overnight at airbnb private home stay

Day 11
Day trip from Killarney to Dingle Penisula
Stay overnight at airbnb private home stay

Day 12
Drive to Dublin. Visit Hore Abbey / Rock of Cashel / Dublin town
Stay overnight at airbnb private home stay

Day 13
Depart from Dublin to Singapore (9 hours transit in Helsinki)
Take airport bus to Helsinki town. Visit Temppeliaukio Church, market in Helsinki

Day 14
Arrive SG

Budget/pax (in SGD)

Air ticket 1300
Accommodation 1265
Car rental 1000
Petrol 300
Meals 500
Ice cave tour 550
Blue Lagoon 130
Shopping 300

Total SGD5345

Asia

Top 10 good food must eat in Hokkaido

Monday, August 14, 2017
By Iva
0 Comments

Hokkaido, Japan's food paradise. You can find all sorts of delicious thing. Make sure to give yourself chance to try out as many types of food and restaurants you can . Here is the list of the top 10 finger licking good food you can't miss in Hokkaido.

1. Crab

Kani Honke or Kani ya are famous crab restaurants in Sapporo among tourists. We went to Kani Honke outlet at Susukino. Every guest will get to dine in private room. If you don't eat crab, do not visit this restaurant. It is all crab dishes, crab porridge, crab sashimi, grilled crab, fried crab cake and etc. Crab lover should pay a visit to this restaurant. Read my day 1 trip report for more photos.

2. Soup curry

Soup curry is something which you can only find it in Hokkaido, especially Suage+ S oup Curry is very popular among local, we saw a long line when we were there at 9pm. We queued for about 30 minutes for 2 bowls of soup curry. A bowl with Hokkaido fried chicken and another bowl with mixed vegetables, both were ordered with spiciness level 4 more spicy. Soup curry is not the usual thick gravy kind, it is more of a soup than curry. I thought it would be rich in flavor but it taste like curry flavor Maggie Mee instead. I'm not a fan of this and it is overrated. Well, you may like it? Read my day 2 trip report.

3. Genghis Khan BBQ

We went to this well known Mongolian style lamb BBQ in Sapporo for dinner, だるま本店 Daruma Honten. It is located in a small alley in between two buildings which can be missed easily. Lamb is not common in Japan except Hokkaido as most Japanese do not take lamb. So this Genghis khan BBQ can only be found in Hokkaido. It's a very small shop which can only fit not more than 10 people at a time. 2 of us were sitting so close (almost skin to skin contact) to the diner next to us, I have to sit further from the table so my man can have more space. Your hair, your winter coat, yourself can be full of the BBQ smell after meal. This restaurant serves only mutton, no other type of meat. I don't usually eat lamb because of the strong smell, but this one is really good and there is no funny lamb smell at all. Their menu is very simple, just 3 different kinds of lamb. Click on the link above, you will see the menu with pictures then. It opens daily from 5pm to 3am. Avoid the usual dinner peak hour, come early if you want to try this out. The wait can be more than an hour during peak hour. You don't want to stand in the cold. Credit card is accepted. Highly recommended!

4. Hokkaido wagyu beef

If you are not a fan of mutton, like me (but please try Daruma Honte, their lamb is damn damn good!), wagyu beef BBQ may suit you. I went to this Gyu-kaku BBQ restaurant near our hotel. Gyu-kaku also has a few outlets in Singapore but I just wanted to visit them in Hokkaido, as personally I feel the meat quality is better.

5. Ramen

If you are a fan of ramen, you should come to this Ramen Yokocho (ramen street) in Sapporo where many popular ramen restaurants can be found here. We ended up eating at Teshikaga ramen 弟子庄. It's a small shop which can only hold not more than 10 guests at a time. It's pretty good to have a bowl of delicious hot noodle soup in a cold winter. Read my day 2 trip report.

6. Sushi

Otaru is well known for sushi and there is this sushi street. It is about 200m long and has a few big sushi restaurants such as Masazsushi 政寿司, Nihonbashi 日本桥, Shikamaz 寿司和食, Yamatoya 大和家, Machino 町の寿し and 20 over smaller sushi shops. We choose to dine at Masazsushi. We ordered sushi set, chawanmushi and chutoro sashimi.

7. Fresh seafood

Hakodate morning market is open every morning 5am (start from 6am during winter). Fresh seafood such as salmon egg, crab can be found here. Many nice restaurants are also in the market area. It's a nice place to do last minute souvenir shopping. It's a market, so you can actually bargain with these vendors to get cheaper price. You can also order fresh grilled seafood in the market. Read my day 9 trip report

8. Hokkaido dairy product

Hokkaido is famous for its dairy product. The rainbow tower ice cream from a stall beside art museum. It looked beautiful on picture but didn't taste that nice actually. Better don't waste your money on this but you should still try Hokkaido ice cream.

Yoghurt and cream puff from Niseko Takahashi

9. Sweet souvenirs

I know Shiroi Kobito is famous and it's everywhere, even in Singapore, so please do yourself a favor, try something else in Hokkaido.

Le Tao, famous for its double layers fromage cheesecake. Fellow Singaporeans now do not need to travel to Hokkaido for this, LeTao had just setup a takeaway kiosk at ION Orchard basement 1 since December 2016.

Read my day 3 trip report.

Cream puff from Rokkatei 六花亭

If you happen to be there, you should buy their famous Marusei butter sandwich.

This one also another must buy, Kitakaro 北果楼 Okaki (flavored rice cracker).

These shops can be found in Sakaimachi street in Otaru

10. Lucky Pierrot

Lucky Pierrot is a very famous hamburger chain which you can only find in Hakodate. Food came in big portion and the price was also reasonable. It's a good choice if you are overloaded with seafood or sushi. It's open until quite late. Read my day 8 trip report.

Here is my Hokkaido trip video

Interested to visit Hokkaido? Check out my itinerary and click here to read day 1, day 2, day 3, day 4, day 5, day 6, day 7, day 8, day 9 trip report

Asia

2016 Hokkaido Winter Holiday - Day 9 in Hakodate

Saturday, August 12, 2017
By Iva
0 Comments

Click here to read day 1, day 2, day 3, day 4, day 5, day 6, day 7, day 8, day 9 trip report

We checked out and left our luggage in hotel lobby and headed to hakodate morning market. It is open every morning 5am (start from 6am during winter). Fresh seafood such as salmon egg, crab can be found here. Many nice restaurants are also in the market area.

Hakodate morning market is just a minute walking distance from Hakodate station.

It's a nice place to do last minute souvenir shopping. It's a market, so you can actually bargain with these vendors to get cheaper price.

White corn is sweeter than yellow corn.

You can also order fresh grilled seafood in the market.

We didn't have enough seafood inside the market so we decided to try this seafood buffet JPY2800 per pax.

90 mins eat all you can seafood buffet. Different kinds of shell seafood, crabs, big prawns, damn shiok.

It's just right outside the market.

After we had sumptuous meal in morning market, we continue our day to Fort Goryokaku. You should visit Goryokaku garden if you are in Hokodate, it's a beautiful place. As for the tower, hmmm entrance ticket is a bit pricey (840 Japanese Yen per pax), only go if you want to snap a picture like mine. If not, I think you can just google the same kind of photo online, save your money.

Fort Goryokaku looks great in four seasons. There are about 1600 cherry trees planted at Fort Goryokaku and attract many tourists during spring season. Goryokaku festival is held in summer, usually the 3rd weekend in May, commemorating warriors died in the civil war and you will see Meiji Restoration Parade of about 1000 men dressed in combat attire. Hakodate historic pageant in July/Aug aims to reproduce the history of Hakodate. During winter months from December to February, few thousands lights illuminate the star-shaped moat.

Take Hakodate bus and alight at bus stop Goryokaku Koen Iriguchi and walk 7 mins. Alternatively, you can take tram and alight at tram stop Goryokaku Koen-mae and walk 15 mins.

We flew back to Singapore from Hakodate via Tokyo. Hakodate airport is a small airport, nothing much. I should have planned my route reverse in a way that I fly home from Sapporo. Sapporo airport is bigger, busier, more interesting and family friendly. A lot more things to see, to do and to SHOP in Sapporo airport.

Here is my Hokkaido trip video

Interested to visit Hokkaido? Check out my itinerary and click here to read day 1, day 2, day 3, day 4, day 5, day 6, day 7, day 8, day 9 trip report. Top 10 food must not miss in Hokkaido.

Asia

2016 Hokkaido Winter Holiday - Day 8 in Hakodate

Wednesday, August 02, 2017
By Iva
0 Comments

Click here to read day 1, day 2, day 3, day 4, day 5, day 6, day 7, day 8, day 9 trip report

Getting here and around

You can travel to Hakodate by plane or by JR train which both options are pretty straightforward. Click here for train schedule. Other than JAL, ANA and Air Do, international airlines such as Eva Air and Air China do have flights flying into Hakodate airport. Click here to find out what other airlines operating in Hakodate airport.

Most attractions (Mount Hakodate ropeway, Russian Orthodox Church, Red Brick Warehouse, Fort Goryokaku and etc) in Hakodate can be easily accessed by trams and bus. Click here for Hakodate transportation guide.

The bus ride from Hakodate airport to Hakodate JR station is quite short, took us about 20 mins. Click here for airport shuttle bus schedule.

The hotel that we booked, Loisir Hotel Hakodate, is only a minute walk from Hakodate station. It is now renamed to Four Points by Sheraton.

What to see in Hakodate

Hakodate night view is known to be one of the best in Japan. We wanted to go Mt. Hakodate before sky get dark at 4pm, but the weather was not good so we didn't go there in the end. You can take tram number 2 or 5 from Hakodate station to Hakodate Ropeway, a 10 mins walk from Jujigai tram stop.

We head over to Kanemori red brick warehouse, this place is mainly selling souvenir and food. I have also seen other old brick warehouses transformed to shopping and entertainment complex in Yokohama (Akarenga) and Otaru. We walked from hotel to brick warehouse. You can also take tram number 2 or 5 from Hakodate station to red brick warehouse, a 10 mins walk from Jujigai tram stop.

There was performance and fireworks during Xmas season.

What to eat in Hakodate

We had our dinner at Daimon Yokocho. It's a place where you should not miss it if you are in Hakodate. Most restaurants at Daimon Yokocho cater for dinner crowd which start operating from 5pm onward.

This was in one of the lamb BBQ restaurant in Daimon Yokocho. I prefer だるま本店 Daruma Honten in Sapporo. See my day 2 trip report.

Hakodate morning market and Fort Goryokaku are another popular tourist attractions. See my day 8 trip report for more information.

Here is my Hokkaido trip video

Asia

2016 Hokkaido Winter Holiday - Day 7 in Noboribetsu

Wednesday, August 02, 2017
By Iva
9 Comments

Click here to read day 1, day 2, day 3, day 4, day 5, day 6, day 7, day 8, day 9 trip report

Getting here and around

We took direct bus from Lake Toya Donan bus terminal to Noboribetsu. It's a highway bus and took only 1.5 hour to reach Noboribetsu. Alternatively, you can also take Donan bus in front of Noboribetsu station to Noboribetsu.

Noborobetsu is one of the top onsen resort in Japan. It's very commercialized due to its popularity. I choose to stay in onsen ryokan Takinoya instead of onsen hotel like Daiichi Takimotokan and Noboribetsu Grand Hotel.

What to see in Noboribetsu Onsen

Jigokudani aka Hell Valley, is a valley formed in an explosion crater from an eruption of Mount Kuttara. It was given the name of Hell Valley because of its countless geysers and bubbling springs. Natural spring water is piped to many hotels and ryokans in this area.

This is by far my most favorite attraction in Hokkaido.

Tessen-ike is a steaming geyser located at the end of the Jigokudani walkway. Sulfur smell all over the valley but it's bearable.

I enjoy the scenery here and I love hiking here. Wear a pair of good hiking shoes, road can be icy and slippery during winter. It's not difficult to navigate, you can always refer to the display map at every junction. Also, keep a look out for lookout points for photography. Each lookout point has different awesome view.

After a stroll at Gokuraku Street 登别温泉街 (pretty nice street, many eateries and shops there), I went back Hell Valley again at 3pm to capture photo of Hell Valley at dusk. The light at dawn and dusk is magical.

Further down from Hell valley is the Oyunuma natural foot bath.

This natural foot bath is a great place to take a break after a long walk in the forest. No entrance fee, just come here, sit down and relax on rustic chairs and benches made of logs

The walk from Jigokudani to foot bath is spectacular.

Noboribetsu is a small town with lots of onsen hotels around. The room we booked in Takinoya was not cheap (JPY 80,000 per night for 2 including dinner and breakfast), so we decided to spend as much time possible in the room to fully enjoy the facility. We went back to ryokan after our visit to Hell Valley.

In room private onsen.