Monday 9 September 2013

Penang Secret Gardens of Earthly Delights Location And Map

We discovered the first garden, Ah Soh's Garden by accident during one of our murals hunting trip and were surprised to find out that there are actually more places like this in Penang! In conjunction with the Georgetown Festival 2013, there are actually ten "Secret Gardens of Earthly Delights" scattered all over Penang, waiting to be discovered! However, as of now, only 8 are fully completed. Since there isn't much information provided online, let us the Lady Travel Bugs be your guide once again and reveal the secrets! :)

1. Ah Soh's Garden by Alex Lee
Location : Along Weld Quay (directly opposite Liva Seafood Restaurant & Shell Petrol Station)



This is, by far the best and our favourite garden and it sets a really high expectation among all. We first discovered the garden at night, after the Victoria Street Project and had the opportunity to meet the Ipoh-based Alex and his parents, who are really nice and friendly. The Mom even helped us to take photos and give us tips on the best angles to take them! ;)

Sadly the pictures didn't turn up so good at night so we went back another day to take a good look around. From an abandoned housing lot at No. 41, Weld Quay, Georgetown, he managed to transform the whole place into a cute garden with settings of the old traditional kitchen. Really impressive!

2. Metal and Air by Wong Keng Fuan
Location : Junction between Kapitan Keling Road & Carnavon Street


Sad to say, there's no proper upkeep of this arch built between two shop houses and by the time we were there, the air plants were all dried up and dead :( If we have not read it online, we wouldn't have known that it is a part of the project as well.

3. Mosaic Koi Fish Pond by Adam Michalski
Location : Along Jalan Kampung Kolam, at the start of Carnavon Street


 An easier way to get to this is to go through the archway of Metal and Air above. Go all the way straight and you will see this artwork on your left, facing the road. This would be the second best Secret Garden that we discovered because the mosaic pond that contains the 8 art glass koi fish is simply breath taking! They look so real as if they are about to jump out! ;)

4. Theater of Ships by Joko Dwi Avianto
Location: Esplanade, between the City and Town Halls


At first, we would thought that the building was going under some construction. Imagine our surprise when we found out that it's also part of the Secret Gardens Project! One cannot help but to stop and admire in awe the structure which was shaped as boats using interwoven bamboos. It's something different, something unique, something worth seeing!

5. Fireflies at River Lallang by Vin
Location : Garden of City Hall, beside Dewan Sri Pinang

The concept was really interesting in that he created an imaginary river of ornamental grass consisting of lallang, cat whiskers, angel flowers, reeds and other willowy plants under a bridge. At night, the fibre optic lights would light up as if they are fireflies. However, sad to say, we felt that the place wasn't lighted enough and it didn't look as beautiful as what we had envisioned it to be. It's also hard to take photos as it was not lighted up enough at night as can be seen in the above picture!

6. Love Garden by Pe Yang Teng & Cassandra Chilton
Location : Along Love Lane  


We had a bit of trouble locating this urban setting garden as it's located in one of the small lanes along Love Lane. The lane is situated near to the Chulia Street junction. Just spot the blue lines design on the lane and it will lead you straight to the garden!

Alternatively, you can also access the garden through the open air car park of Reggae Mansion. Just walk in and the garden is located on the right hand side! The chairs will be blocked by the partition if you enter from there, so keep a lookout!

7. The Last Tree by Low Chee Peng
Location : Corner of Armenien Street & Beach Street


Somehow, we either missed this or walked passed it without knowing it's part of the Secret Garden series haha  If we are not mistaken, this is located directly opposite the "Children On A Bicycle" mural. The photo above is taken from the George Town Festival website. It depicts a tree with branches and is made from oxidized steel and cultured marble.

8. Oro Tonu by James Rickard
Location : MPPP Town Hall


This is located nearby the "Fireflies at River Lallang", just cross over the bridge and you will be able to spot it. We were there during night so we also missed this one out...So near yet so far! haha This piece of Angsana wood was retrieved by the City Council workers in late May. To give 'life' to it, James carved it into a shape of an anchor and hence, the name "Oro Tonu" which means "to give life to something that is nearing the end of its life". The photo above is also taken from the George Town Festival website.

Here's the map we've created especially for you! For a better view, click on the link here:
Penang Secret Gardens Map

 

Tuesday 3 September 2013

MAS Holidays Discounts and Promo 2013

Hey guys!

We recently learn from a friend of ours that MASholidays is having a super promo! Surprisingly, this promo was not heavily advertised so a lot of people may still be unaware of the fantastic bargains that MAS has to offer. Now, don't say that the Lady Travel Bugs did not share with you this piece of good news the moment we found out!

Believe it or not, our lucky friends managed to book their holiday to Osaka, Japan for only RM1,800 per person for 8 days, 7 nights! And yes, the RM1,800 is INCLUSIVE of everything including the air fare, accommodation, insurance, and taxes! This is a SUPER GOOD DEAL!

All these may sound too good to be true so we personally checked MASholidays. True enough, we found a deal to Osaka, Japan for 7 days, 6 nights for RM2,151 all inclusive which is still cheaper than the usual non-promo air flight tickets to Osaka! To add to that, the dates we found are during the popular sakura season as well!



We even provide you with the screen shots as you seriously have to see it to believe it!



We also found a deal for a 6 days 5 nights trip to Paris, inclusive of accommodation for only RM2,998 per person!


This deal would be suitable for all shopaholics who want to just go breathe the air and and shop till they drop! ;)


Quickly go hunt for your dream holiday packages before they are all snapped up and do share with us if you manage to grab the offer!

Cheerios!

Monday 2 September 2013

Review: The Nanta Show @ Hongdae Theater

Nanta is the longest running show in Korean history, first debuting in October 1997 and it's still going on strong till 2013.

Cookin' Nanta since 1997 

That statement alone is good enough to convince us to fork out a bit and go for the non-verbal comedy show which incorporated that traditional "samu nori" rhythm, a traditional Korean percussion music. There are a few Nanta theaters scattered all over Korea, there's even one in Jeju so you'll be spoilt for choices.

However, us being the Lady Travel Bugs, we are always on the hunt for good bargains. Months before our departure date, we kept checking back on Nanta's Official Site as they update their site with various offers quite frequently! Do check their site out and book your tickets online to get the best deals! :)

Ms Mushroom posing with the Nanta's chefs

The story line is pretty simple with 4 cooks rushing against time to prepare for a wedding banquet within 1 hour. It may be non verbal but trust us, you'll be laughing from the start till the end of the show. They creatively used cooking utensils to make music and turn simple words like "Onion", "Cabbage" "Potato" and "Tomato" into a song! What we found most impressive was the nephew catching the flying plates at top speed...How in the world did he do that?

It's a good experience overall and do include this in your itinerary if you have the time and needed a good laugh. If you want to be more involved in the show, make sure you get seats nearer to the stage as not only will you be splashed with flying cabbages but you might be picked to go on stage! Who knows, you may meet "The One" there since there's a fake marriage ceremony on stage :p

Photo of the stage we secretly took *cheese*

We got lucky that the Hongdae Nanta Theater was having a 30% discount in conjunction with their anniversary special so we ended up paying only 35,000 won each for our tickets. The original priced tickets are about 40,000 won to 70,000 won which can be pretty pricey. We can't say for sure that the show is worth the price that you are paying for!

*swoons...* many cute actors and actresses

For those who are on a tight budget, perhaps you can give this show a miss. If it makes you feel any better, we have no intention to re-watch this show again in the future. Once is more than enough just for the experience! ;) 

Sadly, we just found out from Nanta's Official Site that the Hongdae Theater is now temporarily closed and will only reopen on 9th September, 2013 with a new production called "Music Show Wedding". Would this be the next best thing after Nanta? ;)

Don't panic though, The Nanta Show is still available at the Myeondong, Cheongjeongno and Jeju theaters. Click on the links to check out their location! :)

Our happy faces after the show!

Till then, Happy Nanta-ing!