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Campervan Road Trip in South New Zealand: Must-go-Places in Lake Tekapo, Mt John university Observatory, Timaru with Wild Blue Penguins (Part 3)

Hey everyone! Welcome back to my travel blog.
I’m so excited to kick off 2025 with a new post, continuing the story of my New Zealand adventure from May 2024. 
I know it’s taken me quite some time to finally wrap up this post, I hope you don’t mind the delay, and I truly appreciate your patience and support. 
A huge thank you to all of you who’ve been following along since the very beginning, it means the world to me! Please stay tuned for more travel stories coming your way, and I can't wait to take you on this journey with me.
After two incredible parts of stunning landscape, charming towns and amazing experiences, I am super excited to share what's coming up next.
If you missed parts 1 and 2, here's a quick overview. 
In part 1, I wrote about the campervan we rented from MAUI Motorhomes and our journey from Queenstown. We enjoyed the lively vibe and amazing views, then traveled to Te Anau, saw the stunning Milford Sound, explored the historic Arrowtown, and by Day 5, we reached the beautiful Wanaka. One of the highlights of this leg of trip was definitely catching the Southern Lights on the 4th night in Queenstown, an absolutely magical experience!
In part 2, I shared our time in Wanaka, surrounded by mountains and lakes, and also driving along the incredible Haast Pass, one of New Zealand's most scenic drives. After Wanaka, we stopped in Twizel, a peaceful town surrounded by nature, and then made our way to Mt. Cook, New Zealand's tallest peak. The drive was amazing, with snow-covered mountains, roiling hills, and clear lakes all around. Seeing Mt. Cook up close was something I'll never forget! Our trip continued to Lake Pukaki, where the water was the most brilliant blue I've seen. I took so many photos and also treated ourselves to some fresh raw salmon to enjoy the moment. 
And for today's post, let's wrap up our time at Lake Tekapo and Timaru before we head off to Christchurch, where we'll finally get a taste of some city vibes!


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Campervan Road Trip in South New Zealand: Must-go-Places in Lake Wanaka, Haast Pass, Twizel, Mt Cook, Lake Pukaki (Part 2)

Hello guys! Welcome to Part 2 of my unforgettable campervan road trip through New Zealand!
In my last post, I shared all the details about the campervan we rented from MAUI Motorhomes, which made traveling through this stunning country not only easy but also super comfortable. It was the perfect way to explore New Zealand’s most iconic spots.
Our journey kicked off in Queenstown, where we immersed ourselves in the vibrant atmosphere and breathtaking scenery. From there, we ventured through the charming town of Te Anau, experienced the awe-inspiring Milford Sound, explored the historic Arrowtown, and by Day 5, we had made our way to the picture-perfect Wanaka. If you haven’t read about it yet, make sure to check out my first update HERE; you won’t want to miss it! :)
Now, let’s dive into the next part of the adventure!
We kicked things off in Wanaka, a stunning spot surrounded by mountains and lakes, and then made our way halfway along the Haast Pass, one of the most breathtaking stretches in New Zealand. After Wanaka, we made our way to Twizel, a small but charming town tucked away amidst nature's beauty. From there, we drove to the majestic Mt. Cook, New Zealand’s highest peak. The drive was absolutely incredible; snow-capped mountains, rolling hills, and crystal-clear lakes lining the way. Reaching Mt. Cook in person was something I’ll never forget, it’s even more impressive up close!
Finally, we arrived at Lake Pukaki, where the water was the most vibrant blue I’ve ever seen. It was like something out of a dream, and I couldn’t resist taking a million photos. We also treated ourselves to some incredibly fresh raw salmon, which was the perfect addition to the day.
Curious to see more of the breathtaking views and hear about the next chapter of our road trip? Keep reading to find out what happened next! You won’t want to miss it!


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Campervan Road Trip in South New Zealand: Must-go-Places in Queenstown, Southern Light, Te Anau, Milford Sound, Arrowtown (Part 1)

Hey there! Welcome back to my travel blog! Can you believe it’s already November? We’ve got less than two months left to say goodbye to 2024!
The fourth quarter is always a whirlwind for me because I love taking time off to travel. 
At the end of October, I took a week off to visit Shenzhen with my family for a short getaway filled with food hunting and shopping. It was a fun trip, especially since I had the chance to show my parents around places I’m familiar with, and of course, treat them to some delicious food and great shopping. I think they really enjoyed the week and had a wonderful time.
Before I shared my Shenzhen trip, I thought it would be the perfect time to kick off my first post about my incredible 3-weeks New Zealand adventure from May. I’ve been promising to update you all on my New Zealand itinerary for months, and I’m finally ready to share it with you!
We spent 15 unforgettable days traveling New Zealand's South Island in a campervan, starting in Queenstown and ending in Christchurch. Along the way, we discovered towering mountaions, peaceful lakes and charming towns, each stop prividing its own distint experiences. Afterward, we spent 4 days in Christchurch, exploring the city and its surroundings by car. And finally, we flew to Auckland to begin our North Island adventure, discovced its cultural sites and unique experiences. 
For me, this journey was about fulfilling a dream: taking my parents to New Zealand. While they’ve traveled to many places in Europe, the U.S., China and Australia, New Zealand was the one major destination they hadn’t visited, so checking this off my bucket list was truly a special moment.
Of course, the trip wasn’t without its challenges. Traveling with my parents, both of whom are 80 years old and hadn’t traveled in over 4 years, required a lot of planning. A long journey could be tough for them, and driving around in a campervan added some extra challenges. Still, we were excited to make this dream trip a reality.
The month we spent together created memories I’ll always treasure. It was a blessing to see my parents enjoying the breathtaking sights of New Zealand, and I feel so fortunate to have shared those special moments with them. This adventure not only brought us closer but also gave us memories that will last a lifetime.
I’ll be sharing the itinerary in four parts, each highlighting the key destinations and memorable experiences along the way. Be sure to stay tuned for all the details about our campervan adventure!


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5D4N in Guangzhou 广州: Hotel Review, Delicious Food, Places to Go, Fang Jiong Bin 方泂镔 Concert

Hello, blog! Haven't been here for months.
I actually haven’t been very active on my blog in 2024.
Work is busy, and most of the time, after I come back from work, I just love sinking into the sofa and chilling out with Netflix.
It's become my go-to way to de-stress and recharge after a long day.
I spoke with an old friend a few weeks ago when we ran into each other at an event.
We both had to admit that blogging isn’t as easy as it once was.
With the rise of social media and its more immediate and interactive formats, maintaining a blog now requires a greater investment of time and effort—writing detailed posts, editing pictures, and organizing content all demand a lot more work than simply sharing quick updates on social platforms.
We both miss how excited and committed we used to be about blogging and miss for those simpler times.
However, even with these challenges, I’m not giving up on my blog.
I want to keep the spirit of my blog alive and continue sharing my experiences, even if it means putting in extra effort.
So, from this month onwards, I’m going to work harder on my travel posts.
Speaking of travel, if you follow me on IG @mizhippo, you probably noticed that I took a month off in May to travel to Melbourne and New Zealand, and then a weekend trip to Guangzhou at the end of June.
I’m excited to document everything here and share it with all of you. 
I hope that by capturing these travel experiences, I’ll be able to preserve these memories and make them accessible for everyone to enjoy.
Before starting my month-long getaway to Melbourne and New Zealand, I’ll start with a recap of my Guangzhou trip first.


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6 Days 5 Nights in Guilin 桂林 @ Guilin 桂林 & Longsheng Town 龙胜 (Part 1)

Hi there, my dear readers! How has everyone been since the start of 2024?
I hope you're all doing well.
I've been incredibly busy since the beginning of the year, trying to keep up with all the tasks that keep popping up.
It seems like there's always something that needs to be done! :)
It's hard to believe that it's already March, and I just realized that I haven't written anything since my last post on the final day of 2023. Time really does fly!
Today, I wanted to write a long post about my trip to Guilin in December 2023.
I usually travel in December, whether it's a short or long trip because I believe a year-end trip is a time to enjoy and relax after all the hard work throughout the year.
So, during last year December, I traveled to Guilin with my eldest sister's family, along with my brother-in-law, and my 2 nieces, Jia En and Kai En.
When we decided to travel to China, the first thing that came to my mind was that I wanted to use a travel agency.
I like using a travel agent when I go to China because it can be a bit hard to travel on my own.
Places are far apart, and it can get complicated, going with a travel agent helps me to avoid all the hassle and makes the trip easier without using too much of my time on the planning.
Besides, I also enjoy listening to the stories about China shared by the local tour guide, otherwise, I wouldn't know anything about the places we visited.
This trip, we choose Airlink Travel Agency because my sister had joined their China tours before and she thinks the packages they offer are pretty worth the price.
Our group consisted of only 13 people, a size I find ideal; neither too small nor too big.
I paid a total of RM2800, excluding travel insurance and 1-2 admission fees.
For me, it's quite worth it, considering we stayed in 4-5 star hotels, and the food they served were excellent too.
Well, there is one reason why we paid such a cheap price; this tour included shopping stops.
If you prefer to avoid these stops, you can pay an extra RM500.
If you ask for my opinion, I would say it's worth paying the extra RM500 without hesitation.
My shopping stops experience during this trip wasn't great, and I'll share more about it below, please continue reading to find out more about my experiences. #hehe
So, without further ado, let's start my Part 1 travel story at Guilin City and Longsheng Town right away!

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Visit Taiwan Kaohsiung 台灣高雄 @ Where to Go and What to Eat?

Hello everyone!
I'm back to continue my travel blog about my trip to Kaohsiung.
I last updated my travel post in Sept, thanks for staying with me. :)
So, some of you have asked why I choose Kaohsiung for this trip.
Well, one of the main reasons for my choice was to experience life in a smaller city and find relaxation, as big cities tend to feel somewhat stressful to me.
Additionally, I also found out that Kaohsiung is conveniently close to Tainan, just less than one-hour ride on a high-speed train, this allowed me to explore two places in one trip, which sounded like a great idea. #hehe
Besides, Kaohsiung is also Taiwan's second largest city, boasts a rich history as a port city, influenced by various foreign cultures such as the Dutch, Japanese and Chinese, which have a lasting impact on its culture and development over the years.
So I thought it would be great place to explore more about Taiwan.
In my previous blog post, I shared information about our accommodation in Kaohsiung, you are feel free to read my full review about the Greet Inn at HERE, where I included special pomo code that valid till Dec 2023. 
And today, I'd like to talk about the places we visited, and the delicious local food we enjoyed during our trip.
I hope you'll enjoy reading about our adventures in Kaohsiung!


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4D3N in Chiang Mai @ An Adventure Filled with Friendship

Hello and welcome to my blog!
Since I got back from Chiang Mai in May, life has been super busy, filled with a flurry of activities, a multitude of tasks to do, and a busy schedule to meet, which explained why I haven't had the chance to write on my blog.
Anyway, even though this post is coming a bit late, I really wanted to write down all the special moments during the 4D3N adventure in Chiang Mai.
It's a trip that holds a special place in my heart, as I got to spend precious moments with my uni mates. 
I'm hoping that when we're all 60 years old, we can look back at this post and remember the amazing time we had together in 2023.
This trip was really excited because we all flew from different places; some of us from KL, some from Kuching, others from Hong Kong and Singapore. 
Our last big meetup was in 2018 when we went to Taipei, and because of the pandemic, we couldn't see each other for almost 5 years. 
Well, thinking back to 2018, when we last met in Taipei, we never thought it would be so long before we meet each other again.
Haven't been seeing each others for 5 years is quite long, especially when it comes to a long-distance friendships.
We all went through different experiences and changes in our lives, but deep down, we always missed the comfort and laugher we shared together.
Big thanks to our group leader, Stella Ling, and group assistant Yee Hong, for putting this whole trip together; from the beginning to the end, they've taken care of everything.
So, without further ado, let's get ready for this long post in Chiang Mai as I'll be covering all the interesting places, activities, restaurants and cafes we visited. :)

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Exploring Betong: A Comprehensive Guide for a 4-Day 3-Nights Itinerary

Hello guys! Welcome back to my blog!
As some of you may already know if you follow me on Instagram @mizhippo, I recently took a short trip with my family to Betong, a charming town located in the southernmost province of Thailand, Yala.
It was a fun and relaxing short gateaway, and what surprised me the most was that this small town had so much to offer, in terms of attractions and activities; from beautiful natural landscapes to unique culture experiences.
During my trip to Betong, I had the opportunity to explore the town's famous landmarks and indulge in its delicious food. Besides that, I also visited a few local cafes, which gave me a glimpse into the local way of life and experience the town's unique blend of coffee and culture.
I received several direct messages on Instagram asking about the details of the trip, so I decided to share all the bits and pieces of a 4-days 3-nights trip to Betong.
This post is going to be long as it will cover all aspects of my trip, including my accommodation, dining experiences, and places I visited.
I hope my sharing give you some valuable information when you planning your own trip to Betong.
So, sit back, relax, and let's dive into my adventure in this charming town in Southern Thailand!


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Elysian Gangchon Ski Resort Ski Tour @ Trazy.com, Korea's #1 Travel Shop

Welcome back to my Seoul post! :)
Today, I want to share one of the highlights of my trip so far - skiing!
To be honest, I never really planned to travel to Korea during the winter because I knew it could be really tough with freezing temperatures that sometimes drop below -10 degrees Celsius.
I've been there during the winter back in 2013 and it was quite a shock for me.
But since Kay and Stella only had a long break in December, and it had been a long time since we had  traveled to a country where it snowed, so we decided to plan our trip to Seoul during winter. 
We hope to be able to relive some of the memories from our time in Michigan, and experience the joy in the snow again. 
So, I looked for fun winter activities that we could do at Trazy.com, and skiing was at the top of our list.
Kay had never been skiing before...it was Stella's first time at a ski resort in Korea...and I had only had a short ski experience in Korea back in 2013, so we were all excited to hit the slopes in Korea and experience the unique culture and beauty of the country. 
We are pleasantly surprised that it ended up being one of the highlights of our trip, and it was a trip we'll always remember. :)
Big thanks to Trazy, Korea's #1 Travel Shop for taking care of all the arrangements, we had an amazing time on our ski trip, and they really made it a memorable experience for us!
If you're planning your first ski trip to Korea, I hope this post has given you some useful information, and hope that my experience can be helpful for anyone planning a similar trip in the future.
And, if you want to see some videos of our skiing experience, you can check out my Instagram stories, find me at @mizhippo, I've highlighted them into "Seoul Dec 22" for some funny clips. :)



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Top 10 Things To Do In Busan For 5D4N @ Busan, South Korea

It took me a while to think of how to start my travel blog in Busan.
It's already been six months since I traveled to Busan, and during the last few months, I received a lot of messages from you guys asking me about the attraction places to go, what are the important sights in the city, and also what are the must eats in Busan.
I remember the last time I went to Busan was about 3 years ago.
It was a very nice trip with my girl friends; though it was just a 2D1N stay in Busan with a basic overview of the city, but the city left me with a very positive impression and since then I always wanted to go back again.
This time, I brought my parents, especially my dad who never been to South Korea before.
I'm hoping to give my dad a good memory and impression about South Korea, so I decided to bring him to Busan instead of Seoul.
I think Busan is relatively easy to get around, people are friendly, and the city is not as crowded as Seoul yet pretty good for a relaxing holiday.
We traveled 5D4N in Busan, and I decided to put down a list of things to do and places to go in Busan for you guys, hopefully the post will be helpful for you if you're planning to go there.
Let's cut all the craps, and get it started!



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