Tag: seafood

Batam

3 Days 2 Nights Trip at Harris Resort Batam

Post author By Ronald Tan
Post date November 5, 2010
No Comments on 3 Days 2 Nights Trip at Harris Resort Batam

This short trip to Batam was made on 10th Sept 2010 (during the long weekend of Hari Raya Puasa), together with the same gang of friends that went to Malaysia (See “A Day in Kuala Lumpur 2” and “A Day in Malacca“). Our package at Harris Resort Batam is as below. It’s slightly more expensive than usual due to the holiday peak period.

It Is Good Deal @ Harris Funky Room (Old Wing Room)
Adult twin sharing: $127.00 per person
Child without bed: $36.00
Infant: $18.00

Package price includes:
– 2 way ferry tickets
– 2 way land transfers
– 2 nights stay with daily breakfasts
– FREE one time lunch or dinner for paying adults and children.
– FREE one time 30mins bicycle ride for two per room per stay.
– FREE one game of bowling for two per room per stay
– FREE access to sauna, cold plunge pool at H Spa & fitness.
– FREE access to Wi-Fi internet within hotel premises.
– FREE one time two-way shuttle services to Nagoya Hill for all paxs.
*Depart hotel 1100hrs & 1400hrs (Batam Time)
*Depart Nagoya Hill timing 1430hrs & 1730hrs (Batam Time)
*FCFS basis, guests MUST register at bell counter soonest or at least 02hrs before departing time.

Package excludes:
– Singapore terminal tax $20.00 per person pay at Harbourfront Centre
– Batam terminal tax $7.00 per person pay at Waterfront City Batam Terminal

The ferry ride was rather fast and we reached Waterfront City Batam Terminal in less than an hour but getting through the immigration took some time due to the bulk of travelers. Above shows a shop selling variety of products, just as you walk out of the immigration. We bought tons of food, snacks, beer, etc here!

Land transfer from Harris Resort Batam. It was only a few minutes drive from the ferry terminal.

We were given twin rooms despite requesting for double bed rooms during our reservation. I think those who took the first ferry out from Singapore manage to get the limited double bed rooms as there were lots of travelers checking in. We checked-in to our rooms and then took a walk around Harris Resort Batam (mostly pool area). Then, we went to the restaurant to have a small bite as we missed lunch and it almost nearing dinner time (4pm).

The pizza looks great but we didn’t eat it as the portion is rather big and we were going to have dinner pretty soon. Our dinner will be using the “FREE one time lunch or dinner for paying adults and children” which is included in the package. The free dinner was …. 🙁

Harris Resort Batam – Old Wing (we are staying here).

Harris Resort Batam – This is the new wing and it will cost a tad more than the old wing. We had a sneak peek at one of the rooms (during housekeeping) on the ground floor and it seems smaller than the old wing rooms.

We went to the bowling centre to play the “FREE one game of bowling for two per room per stay” in our package. You have to rent the bowling shoes but it doesn’t comes with any socks!

Nice swimming pool at Harris Resort Batam.

If you are early, you can grab one of these sheltered seats. How nice it would be to relax here (with beers)!

Lobby area of Harris Resort Batam. The lifts that we used daily! Hehe…

Beach area near Harris Resort Batam.

Small yacht berthing at nearby dock near Harris Resort Batam.

We took the free one-time return shuttle services from Harris Resort to Nagoya Hill for shopping. We had made the reservation for the shuttle service one day earlier.

We wanted to try the original Ayam Penyet Ria but it was closed. By the way, there is a Ayam Penyet Ria in Lucky Plaza (Singapore)!

Food street at Nagoya Hill. Lots of food for you to choose!

77 Es Teler – We tried one of the desserts which is very much like Ice Kacang. There is also a Es Teler in Singapore too! It’s at Far East Plaza Singapore.

Our bedroom at Harris Resort Batam, we wasn’t able to get the double bed room so we improvised on our own. Haha!

The rest of the area in our bedroom at Harris Resort Batam.

Bathroom at Harris Resort Batam. It’s clean but the hot water is pretty inconsistent, sometimes it’s hot and most of the time it’s cold! Wahaha!

The sun is setting soon. Taken at a seafood restaurant near to the Waterfront City Batam Terminal.

Dinner at a kelong-style seafood restaurant near to the Waterfront City Batam Terminal. I can’t seem to remember the name…

Fried chicken and Sambal Kang Kong.

Chilli crabs.

Hot Plate Tofu.

Black pepper crabs.

Daily breakfast at Harris Resort Batam was rather lacking but not entirely not consumable.

A pet monkey at a restaurant beside Harris Resort Batam.

The restaurant beside Harris Resort Batam, where we had our lunch, before leaving for our ferry back to Singapore. We had actually requested for early ferry departure in the morning but it was already full so have to settle for the afternoon one.

Fried Chicken Rice Special.

One of the ferry at Waterfront City Batam Terminal where we were waiting to board our ferry back to Singapore. The trip went by without a lot of photo taking as there wasn’t really much to shoot! Also, we didn’t venture far away from Harris Resort Batam to engage in other activities as we were traveling with children. It’s really a “getaway”! Haha!

Bali

A Day in Bali 1

We met up with our English-speaking driver at 8.30am (after breakfast at Kuta Beach Club) at our hotel lobby. I have booked for his services via email before reaching Bali and he charged Rp 400,000 per day (around 10 hours) which includes 7 passenger vehicle with air-con, driver, gasoline and parking fees. After engaging 2 full days of his services (visiting around Bali), I found him to be honest, polite, safe (driving), punctual and willing to accommodate (change of plans, itinerary taking more the 10 hours, etc). Highly recommended! I forgot to take a photo with Ketut but I will definitely use his services again when I travel to Bali the next round! His contact details are below:

Driver: Ketut Darmayasa
Email: ketut_balidarma@yahoo.com
Hp: +62 85237151520

Today’s itinerary will be:

Ubud
Tegallalang Rice Terrace
Kintamani Volcano
Coffee Plantation
Uluwatu Temple
Jimbaran Bay (Seafood)

First stop – Ubud market. If you are interested in cultural shopping, you may visit Tohpati Village (hand-made Balinese batik), Celuk Village (Silver craft centre), Lodtuduh Village (painting craft) and Mas Village (Wood carving) while on the way to Ubud.

Food and drinks stall in Ubud market.

Ubud market- Balinese bamboo wind chimes.

An overview of Ubud market. It was slightly drizzling when we were there. 🙁

Ubud market – wet area where many food products are sold to the locals.

Balinese performing their morning prayers at a temple located at Ubud market.

Warung Babi Guling Ibu Oka at Jl. Tegal Sari No 2. Ubud. It was not opened yet when we arrived so we waited around for a while. It’s better to be early than late as they close once they sell out for the day. By the way, Warung Babi Guling Ibu Oka was also recommended by Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations show. 🙂

We got a table inside and made our orders – Daging Babi Guling Rp 40,000, Sprit (drink) Rp 7,000, Fanta (drink) Rp 7,000 and Krupuk (crackers) Rp 7,000.

Daging Babi Guling Rp 40,000 at Warung Babi Guling. This is superbly tasty! Yum yum! We only ordered a small portion to share as we wanted to go on tasting other delicacies.

Next, we ask Ketut (driver) to bring us to Bebek Bengil (Dirty Duck Diner) which was located a stones throw away at Padang Tegal, Ubud.

The interior of Bebek Bengil (Dirty Duck Diner) – very spacious area with Indonesian-styled seating on a raised platform. Fantastic setting and ambiance!

Famous Bebel Bengil Crispy Duck Rp 68,000 at Bebek Bengil (Dirty Duck Diner). This rocks!

We also ordered Barbecue Pork Ribs Rp 65,000 at Bebek Bengil (Dirty Duck Diner). I still prefer the Bebel Bengil Crispy Duck! 😛

Other then the above, we also ordered 1 Avocado Juice Rp 24,000 and 1 Mango Juice Rp 26,000. Total for the meal is Rp 211,365 (including 5% service and 10% tax).

While eating halfway, it started to rain and we got stuck in the our pavilion so we really took our time to consume our food. For every pavilion, I noted there was 2 waitresses around waiting for any call for service. When it was raining, they also quickly help to lower the blinds to shield us from the splashing rain. The rain was big but short…and we were able to continue with our journey.

Next destination, we went to Tegallalang Rice Terrace.

Tegallalang Rice Terrace – offering a spectacular view of rice terraces.

Tegallalang Rice Terrace is also known for having the longest row of art shops in the whole of Bali. I had initially planned to have lunch here but we were too full after the breakfast at our hotel and snacks at Warung Babi Guling Ibu Oka and Bebek Bengil (Dirty Duck Diner). Haha!

Next, we went to Kintamani (Mount Batur), which is an active volcano and it has erupted about 24 times since year 1800 and still active up to now. On the right side is Lake Batur, the largest lake in Bali and is used as an irrigation source. With the beautiful panorama and cooling weather, it is clearly the must-visit place for tourists!

For those more who are more adventurous, you can try trekking at Mt. Batur to catch the sunrise, you start the trek around 2am and trek for 3hours before reaching the optimal point for watching the sunrise. I wanted to plan for this but had violent reactions from my travel mates. Haha!

Following, we went to a Oka Agro Wisata Bali (Farm / Coffee plantation) at Br. Temen, Susut, Bangli (Jurusan Tampaksiring – Kintamani) Bali. Here you can see a Balinese roasting out Bali Coffee.

Guess what? The famous coffee seeds that are digested and then dumped out by Luwak (Asian Palm Civet). From left to right, coffee seeds that are dumped out, coffee seeds that are cleaned and coffee powder (roasted and grounded). I didn’t dare to open the container which has the dumped out coffee seeds to take a whiff. Haha!

We were given some samples for tasting. From left to right, ginger tea, lemongrass tea, chocolate, Bali coffee and ginseng coffee. I find all of them nice! By the way, they also sell the powder here so if there is anything to your liking, you can buy it. We bought 1 packet of 450g natural lemongrass tea (100% organic) at Rp 180,000.

Free Bali tobacco for anyone who smokes! Natural as well! ^^;

There is a kept Luwak (Asian Palm Civet) for all visitors to view. The Luwak must be sniggering that all these folks are eating my dump! Wahaha!

Since we are here, just gotta try the Luwak Coffee at Rp 30,000 per cup. I thought it was very aromatic but too heavy for my taste but nevertheless, it’s still a very good coffee! My friend said it was not his cup of tea, of course it’s not, because it’s a cup of coffee! Wahaha! Corny joke… 😉

Uluwatu Temple – Please take off your glasses, hats, earrings, hair pins or anything loose. Otherwise, the monkeys around will snatch it away from you!

Fantastic view of the cliff and the ocean.

Uluwatu Temple, built on the cliffs of Indian Ocean.

Here comes the monkeys…there are many of them and they are very fast! If they managed to snatch anything away from the tourists, there are some locals around to help recover the item by feeding the monkeys. In return, they ask for tips from the tourist when they are returning the item. This incident was witnessed by me!

Pura Luhur Uluwatu is one of Bali’s kayangan jagat (directional temples) and guards Bali from evil spirits from the SW, in which dwell major deities, in Uluwatu’s case; Bhatara Rudra, God of the elements and of cosmic force majeures. Visitors are not allowed into the temple’s compound.

Look at the amount of people around to catch the sunset. The further end is a circular stage where many people are gathering around to get good seats to watch an art dance called Kecak Dance, which is held every night at Uluwatu Temple. It costs Rp 70,000 and starts at 18：00.

Sunset at Uluwatu Temple (landscape).

Sunset at Uluwatu Temple (portrait).

Sunset at Uluwatu Temple (portrait & using dynamic mode).

Sunset at Uluwatu Temple. The sun is dissappearing soon and we chose to leave before the rest of the tourists move off to avoid any jam in the carpark.

Finally, it dinner time and we headed off to Jimbaran Bay for seafood. We took a while to locate the Lia Cafe Jimbaran (my choice as it’s reasonably priced) as our driver wasn’t too sure of the place. The other place in Jimbaran Bay, which I will try if I have more time will be Sharkey’s Seafood.

Fresh seafood for selection at Lia Cafe Jimbaran.

You dine at the beach area overlooking the sea. For those who are able to come earlier, you can catch the sunset from here too!

Too dark here, so I have to use the flash to show you what’s on the table. 🙂 We ordered a large Bintang beer here for Rp 30,000.

Here comes our side dishes – soup, salad, potatoes, rice, vegetable and 4 different types of sauce.

Lia Cafe Jimbaran – Paket (package) B consists of fish (0.5 kg), crab (0.5 kg), prawn (7 pcs), clams (7 pcs), 2 soft drinks, soup, salad, potatoes, rice, vegetable, 4 different types of sauce and dessert (fruits) for Rp 200,000. My friends had this!

Lia Cafe Jimbaran – Paket (package) C consists of lobster (0.5 kg), crab (0.5 kg), prawn (7 pcs), clams (7 pcs), 2 small bintang beer, soup, salad, potatoes, rice, vegetable, 4 different types of sauce and dessert (fruits) for Rp 290,000. My partner and I had this! We both love it!

I think we had dinner for almost 1.5 hours and Ketut (driver) waited patiently at the carpark for us to finish. By the time he sent us back to hotel, it was already 9.40pm and over 13 hours since he met up with us in the morning at 8.30am. No complains from Ketut. Superb attitude!

Passing by the hotel bar area and there was a live band going on. It was a Saturday night!

The receptionist at Kuta Beach Club told us that our room have been changed to a double bed configuration. They have previously told us to pack our luggage and they will move it to the new room once it’s ready (since we are out). So here comes the photos of the room…the table lamps are of different colour…

Kuta Beach Club – Standard Double Bed room. Well, I got the room (at a good location) at around S$100 per room per night so it’s decent enough for me but my partner was complaining about the dirtiness of the washroom, the bedsheets, mosquitoes, etc, etc, etc…

Kuta Beach Club – our double bed room is on the ground floor as opposed to the twin bed which was on the second floor. I believe all room types comes with their very own private balcony for relaxing but this particular location is good as it faces the swimming pool!

The next day, Ketut (driver) will be meeting us at the lobby at 9am. The itinerary is as follows:

Jatiluwih Rice Terraces
Pura Ulun Danau (Lake Bratan)
Pacung Rice Terrace (Lunch)
Gitgit Waterfall
Pura Tanah Lot (Watch Sunset)
Dinner

Please do check back again!

Penang

A Day in Penang 2

Third day in Penang. Same usual process of going for the free buffet breakfast as the previous day (see A Day in Penang 1), then headed out to KOMTAR (Malay: Kompleks Tun Abdul Razak) bus station to take Bus 204 to Penang Hill (last stop). Since I reached around 10.45am, I bought the earliest round-trip ticket RM4 for 11:00am at Penang Hill Railway ticket counter. Actually, I did come to Penang Hill the previous day too (as it’s nearby Kek Lok Si) but I have to wait for 2.5 hours for the next available rail. Thought it was a time-waster to just sit and wait, so decided to come back early the next day.

Finally boarded the 11:00am funicular railway. It was really crowded and cramped!

Leaving the main station and going upwards to Penang Hill. The funicular railway will not take you straight to the top, you have to change trains halfway.

Finally arrived after 30 min duration. Another group of visitors will take the same funicular train down.

Panoramic view of the city, 830m above sea level. It’s cooling up here! 🙂

Funicular train on it’s way down.

Jungle trekking is one of the popular activities in Penang Hill. Another attraction is Canopy Walk, which is a suspension bridge hanging over the treetops. Would love to do both but I just don’t have enough time as I need to collect biscuits from Him Heang and then meet up with my partner at hotel at 3pm! Sigh….

Is that the faint image of Penang Bridge?

Waiting area for the funicular train leaving Penang Hill.

At the top of Penang Hill, there is tea kiosk, restaurants, souvenir stalls, mosque, Hindu temple and Bellevue hotel.

Another view of city of Penang. Seems to me it’s kinda cloudy today and wasn’t able to see so clearly.

Bukit Bendera is the Malay name for Penang Hill, which refers to Flagstaff Hill, the most developed peak.

Walking around to explore. Noted that are some stalls around here.

A stall selling grasshoppers that care delicately made from leaves.

Seems to be an area where you can take photo with snakes.

Food center at the top of Penang Hill for you to chill out or eat.

Somewhere on Penang Hill, there is this 32 pounder cannon, weighing 2.75 tons. This cannon was probably transported from town to hill as an ornament or to warn the presence of pirates.

Sri Aruloli Thirumurugan, or better known as the Penang Hill Hindu Temple, is one of the oldest Hindu temples in Penang.

Old wooden funicular train of Penang Hill Railway, used from 1923 to 1977.

Taking another look at the city view before leaving Penang Hill. The journey also takes about 30min down and after which I took bus 204 back to KOMTAR area.

From KOMTAR, took a short stroll to New World Park along Jalan Burma (beside Tune Hotels Penang).

Food Court at New World Park. Huge selection of food available!

Koay Teow Th’ng (粿条汤) RM4.

After my lunch at New World Park, I went to Him Heang to collect my orders – 2 boxes of Tau Sar Pneah (豆沙饼) at RM19 and 2 boxes of Beh Teh Sor (马蹄酥) at RM13.

At Him Heang, I also bought 1 packet of preserved nutmeg (sweet) RM2.80, 1 packet of preserved nutmeg (sweet & salty) RM2.80 and 1 packet of liquorice nutmeg at RM4.30. Buah Pala is the malay word for nutmeg.

Left the Him Heang products back at hotel and met up with my partner. Then took a cab for RM12 to Gurney Plaza to walk around again! There is Dragonball Z Heroic Christmas Live Show happening at Gurney Plaza. I was a Dragonball fan when I was young (hmm…maybe I still am now …)!

G Hotel Penang at Gurney Drive. Should have stayed here instead but my partner mentioned that it might be a hassle to travel daily to Hotel Royal Penang for her training. It’s such a nice hotel – surely it can make up for the travel time! 😛

Walking along Gurney Drive sourcing for dinner.

We decided to try Bali Hai Seafood Restaurant at Gurney Drive, Penang as I was attracted to the Bali-themed decoration.

Huge selection of fresh seafood available at Bali Hai Seafood Restaurant. You can come up to this area and choose what you like to have!

Steam Live Prawns 300g RM24++.

Sambal Asparagus RM12++.

Fried mussels with Aroma Spicy Sauce RM15++.

Chilli Crab with Steam Buns RM52++. Oh yes, also had 2 bottles of Carlsberg at RM27++ to go along with the meal too!

Night setting of Bali Hai Seafood Restaurant. Very nice!

After the dinner at Bali Hai Seafood Restaurant at Gurney Drive, we took a cab to New World Park at RM15. Wanted to try Old Town White Coffee before I leave Penang.

Old Town White Coffee.

Mango and Cranberry Smoothie at Old Town White Coffee.

The next morning, we arranged for hotel limousine service to drive us to Penang International Airport after we had our breakfast. Reached the airport and immediately checked-in our luggage.

There was still some time left before our flight boarding so we relaxed at The Coffee Bean and shared a cup of Mocha.

This trip was pretty short for me as I only had 1 and 1/2 days to explore around. There were several attractions that I wanted to visit but did not due to the short stay. The next time I return to Penang, I will make sure to stay at one of the resorts at Batu Ferringhi and relax! 🙂

Penang

A Day in Penang

Recently my partner had to go Penang (Malaysia) for some training and since I was on annual leave, I decided to accompany her there and spend the whole day exploring around on my own. Actually, we wanted to catch the morning flight but it was sold out so we settled for the 3.45pm SilkAir flight from Singapore to Penang. Arrived at Singapore Changi Airport T2 early so we went for a short coffee session after we have checked-in our luggage.

Walking towards our boarding gate. The departure display was already showing “Last Call” so we hurried our footsteps. 🙂

Reached Penang International Airport after 1 hour 20 mins journey. We are staying in Hotel Royal Penang and have arranged for airport pick-up service. Arrived at the hotel within half hour.

Work desk, TV console and mini-bar area at Hotel Royal Penang. We bought the red wine on the desk at the duty-free shop at Singapore Changi Airport so that we can bring it out for dinner later.

Wash Room. My partner noted that there was some urine stains on the toilet seat! Apparently, it was not cleaned thoroughly!

Together with another colleauge, we met up with my partner’s boss (based in Penang) at the hotel lobby and he drove us to a kampong-styled restaurant somewhere in Bukit Tambun for dinner. The journey took around 1 hour as the traffic was peaking. Anyway, the first thing I noticed when we reached the restaurant was the Horseshoe crab. Hmm….wonder how it taste like? Oh, I also heard that you might get poisoning if you eat the wrong part? Is is true?

The rest of the seafood delicacies the restaurant have to offer.

Was about 7.40pm when we arrived at Gee Seng Seafood Restaurant (義成海鮮樓) and there was already quite a huge crowd of local diners there.

Some spiked snails that you need a toothpick to dig out the meat and dunk it into sambal chilli before devouring it. First time trying and it’s not that bad!

Stir-fry clams. The gravy works well on the white rice that we having. 🙂

Chilli crab with man tou (deep-fried buns).

Baked mud crabs. Comes with a wooden stick to crack the shell!

Prawns coated with salted egg yolk. Heavenly!

Well, the total damage for the dinner for 4 person worked out to be around RM110 and I find it really affordable! So next time if you are in Penang, please do visit Bukit Tambun as there are numerous seafood restaurants with vast offerings of fresh and cheap seafood!

After the dinner, we head back to the hotel to rest as my partner needs to wake up early for her training the next day. So for me, I just made some notes on which attraction in Georgetown I will be visiting the next day. After all. the inner city of Georgetown is a UNESCO World Heritage Site! 🙂

Japan

A Day in Sapporo 1札幌的一天 (一)

Post author By Ronald Tan
Post date June 27, 2009
3 Comments on A Day in Sapporo 1札幌的一天 (一)

9th May 2009 – After a good night sleep from yesterday’s exhaustion, we woke up early and ate the free breakfast at hotel. Then, proceed to Susukino Subway Station (3mins away from my hotel) – still empty as it’s still early. 7.40am on a Saturday morning 🙂

Tickets counter – English available at both the table of fares as well as the machines. We didn’t buy any tickets as we were using the one-day card (for Sapporo City Subway only) that comes with the Sapporo-Otaru Welcome Pass. The Sapporo-Otaru Welcome Pass (All JR Hokkaido trains between any stations in Sapporo and Otaru Station and all subway lines in Sapporo) can be purchased from JR Information Desk (JR Sapporo Station West Exit) at ¥1,500 per passenger.

Subway platform – also empty. Took from Susukino Station to Odori Station. It’s only a station away but since we have the 1 day Subway pass, so decided to make full use of it.

From Odori Station, we took a 5min short stroll to Nijo Fish Market – a cluster of stalls selling fresh and dried seafood as well as vegetables.

Prawns, scallops, sea urchins awaits you to devour them. And It’s all live! LOL.

Crabs too! The stall that I patronize also provides the cooking of the seafood that you purchase from them so that you can eat them fresh.

The stall owner on noticing that I was snapping away on my camera, immediately hauled up a King Crab for me to shoot. Such a nice gesture! We bought a 500g packet of premium grade large size Dried Scallops at ¥5,000 from him too.

Proceeded on with the journey to Maruyama Park (link in Japanese) from Odori. The whole platform to ourselves again.

The underpass towards Maruyama Koen. Maruyama Koen is the most popular “Cherry Blossom Viewing Spot” in Sapporo and it houses over 1500 cherry trees. It is bustling with people during the “Hanami” period. Prior to reaching and to my dissapoinment, I have already knew that I have missed the full cherry blossoming by 1 day and it’s already withering (updates from Tenki – Japanese only). Nevertheless, the planned trip still went on.

Notice the animals emblems on the floor – believe suppose to build anticipation to the nearby Sapporo Maruyama Zoo which houses more then 200 speices of living things. Other nearby attractions inlcude Okurayama Ski Jump, Sapporo Winter Sports Museum, Asahiyama Memorial Park, Rose Garden Chizaki, etc.

A very beautiful and grand building just right in front of Maruyama Koen (5 mins walk from Maruyama Koen Subway Station). Also a lot of cars are unloading their wares here.

Upon closure inspection, it’s actually hosting a wedding reception. 🙂

The location signboard that shows your whereabouts and the nearby facilities. From it, I can see that there is a baseball stadium, track and field, theme park, etc.

The sun shining on the flowers makes it look so vibrant.

Tall trees that seems to reach out for the sky!

Walk in deeper to Maruyama Park and saw this sight everywhere. Folks lay out their floor mats and wares (table, chairs, food, charcoal, drinks, beer, etc). What amaze me is that it’s 9.00am in the morning and many people are already there to choose the best location and mark their terriorty. Maybe it’s a planned weekend hanami (still continue even the hanami period is over) and boozing session with family and friends.

After strolling down the park, the feeling that I got is both tranquil and relaxing (with cool and fresh breezes intermittently blowing). Ah, there is a lingering smell of barbecue food in the air as well. That makes my stomach rumble. :=D

A row of stalls selling various drinks, food, toys and souvenirs.

A close up view on one of the drink and food stall.

Another stall selling blown-up toys for children. It’s hung on to a stick at one end and held by children on the other end, much like Chinese Lantern style. I wonder whether they can be lighted up?

The walkway towards Hokkaido Shrine.

Another view of the walkway towards Hokkaido Shrine. It’s a cooling pleasant walk despite that the sun is shining bright.

Near the entrance of Hokkaido Shrine, there is a Chōzuya (stone wash basin) whereby worshipers and visitors performed cleansing (purification) by washing their hands and mouths prior to praying. Using the dipper, first rinse the left hand then the right, after which rinse the mouth with water from the cupped left hand. The washing of hands with water is called Temizu.

The grand entrance of Hokkaido Shrine.

Here’s the procedure on how to pray at a Shinto Shrine. Facing the enshrined god, deposit some money into the offering box and then bow twice. Clap your hand twice and after that bow one more time.

Amazing and delicate architecture. Simply love the use of the gold (not sure whether it’s real gold).

A showcase of the famous and popular sake from Hokkaido. During ancient times, sake used to be produced in the Shrine’s wine hall.

Another view.

Spotted a wedding ceremony on-going at Hokkaido. This draws a lot of attention and causes many tourists to snap away (including me).

Terrific scenery – with all the beautiful colors standing out.

A macro shot of the flowers.

Another macro shots of flowers.

Lunch time – Teriyaki Chicken Burger Set Meal at McDonald’s ¥590.

Ebi Filet-O Set Meal at McDonald’s ¥630.

Ishiya Chocolate Factory – A short walk from Miyanosawa Subway Station. Production tour is at ¥600 per adult and it comes with one piece of their well-known Shiroi Koibito chocolate. Before reaching the production viewing gallery, there is a short walk that takes you through the history and culture of chocolate.

The production plant for their famous flagship product Shiroi Koibito – a soft flavoured layer of white chocolate sandwiched in between two thin layers of crisp cookies. Absolutely delicious!

Spotted Astro Boy statue after the end of the tour. The stairs takes you down to the shop where it has the whole selection of products Ishiya is offering. Bought Ishiya Shiroi Koibito (24 Qty) at ¥1480 and Ishiya Shiroi Koibito (27 Qty) at ¥1785. Yeah!

Ishiya Shiroi Koibito Park.

Beautilful park with disneyland styled buildings. At the end of it, there is a store selling Ishiya Ice-Cream (same flavouring as their chocolate) at ¥250. More views of the park follows.

Bought our dinner from local supermarket on our way back to hotel as discounts are given usually after 7pm. Omurice Bento ¥400 (was ¥450 before discount), Rice and Noodle Chicken Katsu Bento ¥380 (was ¥480 before discount) and Fried Dumpling ¥380.

Kirin Afternoon Tea ¥150 for dessert.

五月九日-休息了一整晚(昨日行程)，我们一早就起床吃早餐-酒店提供免费早餐!之后,我们到薄野地下铁(三分钟路程)，时间算早，人不多应为是星期六早上。:)

售票处-票价表和售票机都有英文字母.我们没买票应为较早前已经买了(一天)札幌市营地铁专用车票,适用于札幌-小樽。札幌市营地铁专用车票(可适用于所有JR北海道列车和地铁-通往札幌和小樽)，车票可在JR信息台购买(JR札幌站西口)，(1,500 日元/一人)。

地铁平台-也是空的!从薄野达到大通。只是距离一站，应为有一天同行票，我们决定好好利用。

从大通站，走了一小段路到二条市场-一整排店售卖新鲜蔬菜和海鲜。

有新鲜的虾，干贝，海胆等着你品尝! LOL

螃蟹!我们光顾的点也为客人烹调所卖的海鲜，你可现买现吃!

店主看到我猛拍照，便抓起一只帝王蟹让我拍。 🙂 好友善!我们在这家店买了一包500克的上等干贝价格5,000日元。

继续前往円山公園的路程，地铁站还是冷冷清清。:)

前往円山公園的地下道。円山公園是札幌樱花季节最流行的“赏花景点”有多达1,500棵樱花树。这是“赏花”时期最多人的地方.在抵达之前，我已经知道做过”赏花”季节,虽然失望但还是决定依照行程进行。地上的动物图案代表着住在札幌市円山动物园的两百多种动物。其他周边景点有大仓山滑雪跳台，札幌冬季运动博物馆，旭山纪念公园，玫瑰花园等等。

一座非常漂亮和雄伟的建筑就在円山公園前(距离円山公園地铁-5分钟路程)。许多车在这卸下物品。

仔细看，原来在举行婚礼招待会。 🙂

地图显示目前的位置和附近的设施。明确的显示有棒球场，田径，主题公园等等。

太阳出来了，花也灿烂多了。

高大的树木，似乎到了天空！

深入到円山公园，这个情景到处都是。居民把草席和用具(座子，椅子，食品，木炭，饮料，啤酒等)。让我最惊讶的是，目前只是早上9.00就那么多人选好位置。可能是”赏花”周某(虽然樱花已结束)但还是和庆朋好友继续烧烤活动。

走完公园，突然感到宁静和放松。问道香喷喷的烧烤味，这时肚子咕噜咕噜得叫! :=D

一排店售卖饮料，食物，玩具和精品。

其中一家卖饮料和食物的店。

另一个出售巨型玩具的摊位。挺像中国的灯笼。

北海道神宮的行人道。

在明朗的天气下步行，感觉挺不错。

北海道神宫的入口处有手水舍 (石洗手盆)让参拜者洗手和漱口。在水盘里会放置杓子并注满清水，参拜者首先用杓子取一瓢水，洗完左手，右手之后，再将水倒在手里漱口，再洗一次左手之后，以杓子中剩下的水来清洗杓子。

北海道神宫的大门。

在神社参拜的步骤。面对神明，钱币丢进钱箱，鞠躬两次。拍手两次再鞠躬一次。

惊人和微妙的建筑。喜欢金色 (不知道是不是真金)。

展示北海道著名和最受欢迎的日本清酒。在古时代，日本清酒是在神馆大殿酿制的。

另一个角度。

刚巧碰见正在举行婚礼的新人。吸引了很多游客拍照(包括我在内)。

非常漂亮和鲜艳的花草树木。

花草的近攝。

更多花草的近攝。

午餐時間-麥當勞紅燒雞肉漢堡套餐(价格590日元)。

Ebi Fillet-O Set Meal at McDonald’s (可能是-麦香虾肉漢堡套餐价格630日元)。

白之恋人-从宮之澤地鐵站走一小段路。生产游览每人600日元，附加一片著名的Shiroi Koibito 巧克力。前往生产观景台有一小段制作巧克力的历史。

生产厂的著名旗舰产品Shiroi Koibito – 软层的白巧克力夹心饼干。绝对美味！

游览结束后看到了铁臂阿童木。往路梯口走就会走到商店，那儿有全部的巧克力商品。买了白巧克力夹心饼干(24片价格 1480日元 , 27片价格 1785日元)。

白色恋人公园。

有迪士尼乐园风格建筑的公园。最后，有一个商店卖白巧克力味道冰淇淋。接着，更多公园的照片。

晚餐-是当地超市的折扣蛋包飯盒400日元(折扣前450日元)，鸡排饭盒[饭和面](折扣前480日元)和锅贴380日元。

麒麟下午茶150日元。