Getting Data Sim in Kansai

So I visited Japan for the Cherry blossoms earlier this year. While I was there, i bought so-net’s Prepaid LTE Data Sim card. Unlike b-mobile which needs to be pre-ordered and shipped to the airport, so-net’s prepaid data sim are sold either via a vending machine or a shop inside the Airport. Which is of course, extremely useful for people who decide to splurge on a data sim card in the last minute. Not to mention the data plans are the cheapest by far.

 

Official website:  http://www.so-net.ne.jp/prepaid/en/index.html

 

 

Misadventures by Bus to Mongolia

As part of my transsiberian adventure and desire to visit Mongolia, I decided to cross over to Ulan bator(Mongolia) from Ulan Ude (Russia ).

If you are here looking for information about crossing the UB from UU, then check out this other website and spare yourself my emotional roller coaster.

The horror of staying close to 24 hours on the train coupled with the high price, made me decide to take a bus over instead. With the help of my Ulan Ude Hostel owner, I was able to get my hands on a Ticket to Ulan Bator for 1500 rubles (no commission, nothing).

The plan was to stay 2 nights in Ulan Ude and then catch the 730am bus to Ulan Bator. Anna from the hostel indicated to me roughly where I should go to board the bus and I also went down personally (on the first day) to check the boarding station and route out.

Splendid Salzburg (Austria)

The beautiful little town made world famous by the movie ; "Sound of Music" and of course, for being the birthplace of classical composer Mozart Amadeus Wolfgang.





Composer Mozart Amadeus Wolfgang was born in 27th January 1756 in Salzburg, Austria. The young talent first performed for the King of Austria when he was 6. He soon went on to compose many of the classical scores we now adore.

Review: Schützenbach Backpackers & Camping / Hostel

I had a dormitory Bed with Schützenbach Backpackers & Camping / Hostel while I was in Lauterbrunnen for 6 nights. This is my review of the place.
 
Name: Schützenbach Backpackers & Camping / HostelAddress: Schützenbach, 3822 Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland
Tel: +41338551268
Website: Booking.com 
Price: €33.5 (price varies depending on season & room types)

Review: Garni Wolf (Val Gardena, Italy)

I stayed 3 nights amongst the magnificent Dolomites and stayed in Garni Wolf. Here's my review of the place.
 
Name: Garni Wolf
Address: Street Plan de Gralba 25, 39048 Selva Gardena Valley (BZ)
Tel: 0039 0471 795035
Fax: 0039 0471 794359
Email: info@garni-wolf.it
Website: Booking.com
Price: €40 - 70 (price varies depending on season)
 

 

Review: Sommerhostel Salzburg (Hostel)

I stayed 3 nights in the Sommerhostel Salzburg hostel and liked it a lot. Here's my review of the place.
 
Name: Sommerhostel Salzburg 
Address: Strubergasse 1, Lehen, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
Website: Booking.com
Check in: 14:00 - 16:00 hoursCheck out: 14:00 - 16:00 hours
 

Review: Sony Alpha 5000

I am a photo enthusiast who currently owns a Canon 700d along with 2 other canon Point and shoot cameras (Canon g12 & Canon ixus 1000). I am nothing near a good photographer but I have been trying to learn and has gotten some progress with my canon 700d. However for my 5 weeks Europe trotting trip, I've come to the conclusion that lugging a dslr around is not only extra bulky but also extra dangerous since i will mostly be staying in dormitory hostels.

Here is my simple /non - technical  review of the Sony alpha 5000 after lugging it around for 5 weeks. I am writing based on my experience as a simple user who wants nice photos easily and not as a hardcore photographer .

Model: Sony Alpha A5000 (White coloured)
Kit Lens: 16mm - 50mm
Free gift: Sony 8gb SD card (15mb/s)
Price: SGD$364 (*Price fluctuates) + SGD18 (shipping)
Bought from: Qoo10

*Edit: I recently dropped my camera lens down & the lens is now wonky. I contacted the Qoo10 seller multiple times but didn't get a respond. While dropping and spoiling the lens is not covered under the warranty, I just thought I should let you guys know about my less than desirable experience with the seller - after all, someone else might have a problem with the camera that is covered under the warranty. Granted though the camera is incredibly cheap and if you are careful with it, there isn't too much to fear. Just thought I should follow up on this entry.

Megabus Stops in Rome, Venice, Milan & Paris

I just returned from a 5 weeks trip and to facilitate my budget travel, I took Megabus coaches a lot from one country to another.

If you are not familiar with Megabus, it is an intercity Bus service that is pretty famous for their low fares. Their wikipedia description attached below.


Megabus website: http://uk.megabus.com

" Megabus, branded as megabus.com, is an intercity bus service of Coach USA/Coach Canada and DATTCO (a non Stagecoach company, under contract) providing discount travel services since 2006, operating throughout the eastern,southern, midwestern, and western United States and in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Megabus is notable for using curbside bus stops instead of traditional stations, low fares starting at $1, and in recent years, operating a point-to-point network of routes with buses making few stops en route to their destination. "

source: Wikipedia

I took the Megabus for the following routes; Paris to Cologne. From Rome to Venice. From Venice to Milan and from Milan to Paris.

This blog entry is to share details about the bus stops for Rome , Venice, Milan and Paris because Megabus does such a lousy job of describing their Bus stops to their potential customers. The information here will be useful for anyone planning to travel with Megabus and departing/arriving from these points.

Picturesque Prague: Old Town Square

I came to Prague with almost no expectations. Sure,  I've seen the photos and videos and I know there are songs that reference it. But all those didn't quite seap into the brain of this traveller who doesn’t usually have a taste for city scape.

Review: Penzion & Hostel Sofi (Prague)

Name: Penzion & Hostel Sofi
Address: Jeremenkova 304/55, Prague, 147 00, Czech Republic
Website: Booking.com
I stayed 3 nights in Prague at Penzion sofi in their mixed dormitory. Here is my simple review of the place.