Hong Kong & Macau - Shop, Eat, Party !! - the 'Ideal Life'

Time of Travel - October

Macau Hotel  - Galaxy hotel

Hong Kong Hotel - Butterfly Wellington

Weather - Pleasant

Visa is at arrival at hk!!! If you plan to go to macau first, then at hk airport there is a gate from where you can directly board the ferry to go to macau. We made a mistake and we exited to get our baggage and then obviously we could not reenter.

So to reach macau, you can take a bus, for which the bus ticket is available directly outside the airport and go to the ferry terminal. Bus ticket is cheaper than going by taxi and it is a very comfortable journey (no complaints there). On reaching the ferry terminal there are many options of ferries. We took the cotai ferry. Once you land at macau, whichever hotel you are booked in - the respective hotel shuttle bus will do a pick up for you for the hotel.

Casino to play at - Venetian. Hotel recommended to stay at - Venetian - It is better than galaxy.

Clubs - MGM has a club open till really late. Forgot the name but you should try it.

Restaurants - Portofino at venetian - very good food. Food court at venetian is also good. Hard Rock cafe - average. Food Court at Galaxy - not that good.

There is a Swimming pool at galaxy with the Waves function - so it is fun.

BUT macau also has bungee jumping and other touristy places. Also, if you do venture out to buy food or alcohol - do ensure you have macau dollars because local stores dont accept HKD.

P.S. - DO pick up souvenirs from Galaxy Hotel - and its free. Its a fancy pack of playing cards and a torch.

Hong Kong

Restaurants -  At mid levels, central and soho - lot of restaurants and bars
i-dragon - for dimsum brunches through the week.
I-Caramba for mexican food.
Koh thai - for thai food at lkf - opposite tonic.
Habibi cafe for lebanese food, right next to Butterfly Wellington.
Kyoto Joe - for sushi!
Ebeenezers for late night pizzas - at LKF
Mask of Si Cheun, Kowloon - definitely worth a visit.

Shopping  - Local Brand LAMB- nice for clothes and shoes.
If you Want to buy cheap shoes - one mall in tsim tsha tsui - same bldg as bossini - cheap shoes and bags and good to look at to.
Cotton On - Another place at central.
Forever 21- Causeway Bay else H&M, Gap, Zara - you will find at Central.

Mens - shop from bossini for sure!! or g2000 or giordano.
Ffolio for watches.
Swimwear - Sabina's or ozzie pozzie(central, lkf, midlevel area - you can google it)
Street Shopping - for neons and funky stuff at central.

Clubs - LKF -all the clubs - tonic highly recommended. You can buy alcohol from 7/11 if you find it too expensive outside.
Aqua- rooftop club at peking at tsim tsha tsui next to harbour bay.
Tsim tsha tsui - also has a small open bar street.

Bachelorette items - available to buy at central on the streets .

Cake - Cake-A-licious - you can buy cupcakes, bachelorette cakes (lyndhurst terrace at central).

Tip - IFC Mall in Central has access to airport baggage check in - so please check that , if you are living in central.  And it is a good mall to shop in and munch on some garrett cheesy fries :)

So, we spent an entire week eating, shopping and partying hard!! -LKF is the place to be, if you are a party animal!. Somebody even did tell us on the last day of our trip that there are some nice places at the beachfront also - so if you do get a chance, do make a trip there.

Photos - coming up soon....

If you do need information on the touristy things to do - I could even send you the same as this was my second time to hk. The first time all I did was sightseeing!!

Jodhpur - A city of 'blues' and 'hues'

Popularly known as the 'Sun City', Jodhpur is a land of historic beauty of India.

How to get there : Train, Air or Bus. Only two airlines frequent there - Jet Airways and Air India.

Hotel - We stayed at Pal Haveli at Ghantagarh. Its a heritage hotel. Given its prime location in the market area, its beautiful architecture and the warm hospitality, it is definitely a place to stay in a budget of 3000 per night.

Touristy things to do : Visit Mehranagarh Fort and Umaid Bhavan Palace.



Mehranagarh Fort
Entry Fee - Rs. 50 for an indian.

Sheesh Mahal at Mehranagarh Fort

If you are a fan of architecture, history and arts, Mehranagarh is definitely a place to visit. It is one of the most well preserved and mantained forts of India. And you definitely must see the sheesh mahal. It is unreal.
And even if you are not a fan of royal history, you could visit the fort for its adventurous activity. The zipline by Flying Fox. It is for Rs. 1200 and there is student discount also so do not forget to carry your id cards. And I highly recommend everyone to do the zipline. It is SAFE. And yes, please do carry your own keds, because if you dont you will be wearing the sweaty sticky stinky shoes of the person who wore them before you. And that I am sure you would like to avoid. The sweaty gloves, I doubt you can avoid wearing those as I doubt most of you would not have a pair of leather gloves lying at home, but if you do, do take it.

Batman was shot here at Mehranagarh Fort

Blue City view from Mehranagarh Fort

P.S. -  This is from where you see the city turn 'blue' so keep your eyes open.


Umaid Bhavan Palace

Umaid Bhavan Palace

When I think Umaid, I think 'grandeur', 'splendour' 'royalty'.  When you dream of a wedding that spells of magnificence and ancestral royal lineage this is where you make it come real.
We had made a reservation for dinner. The dinner was very average and not many options to satisfy a vegetarian palette. And without booking our dinner, it would be difficult to enter the palace in the night unless you are staying there.
There is also a museum there which we missed out on as we couldnt make it on time, but that is accessible at a nominal fee.

Foodie Places to go to in Jodhpur
'Gypsy' restaurant at sardarapura C road. It serves all kind of cuisines. We tried the thali there.
At the same road there is a chole kulcha street vendor.
Jodhpur is known for the rajasthani food, kachoris and mirchi vadas.
If you are a true connoisseur of food you must eat the street food at jodhpur. Its deli!! And you must also try the sweet matka lassi and soda pop to drink.
Hanuwant Bhavan for dinner - You must seat yourself on the rooftop and take in the breathtaking and mesmerizing view of the Umaid Bhavan Palace.
On the Rocks - If you still are missing out on the city life then you can find some cocktails here.
I had breafast at the rooftop hotel of this restaurant. You must have the aloo parathas there, its yumilicious!!

Shopping
Sardarapura C Road is mainly the shopping area as well as the market place in and around ghantagarh.
Handicraft industry is really popular. You could buy mojdis from here.

Travelling In and around Jodhpur - Use auto rickshaws. There is no fixed price so do use your bargaining skills well.

This is it for now about Jodhpur!! 
P.S. - Photos will be soon uploaded.