15. THAILAND (BANGKOK)

HALLUUUU ~ Bangkok – who doesn’t love this shopping heaven (especially for women) ? Aside from shopping though, there are also lots of great food (most importantly is cheap too!!) and sightseeing spots for you to discover the Thai culture and architecture. Today I will shared my latest holiday at Bangkok, Thailand 🐘. I went there from 21/2/2018 until 25/2/2018. This is my 3rd times at Thailand. I am so happy & grateful.

We arrived at Don Mueang International Airport at 1.48 pm.

When we reached Bangkok, my family and I took taxi & went to our apartment. Our apartment in the middle of town at Pratanum. I love so much because I can easily shopping and so on. Hehehe. Our apartment so beautiful and nice. (I want to show our room but the video is missing. Sorry) 

• PRATANUM MARKET

Pratunam Market is a treasure trove of clothes, textiles, fashion accessories, and handmade crafts at cheap, wholesale prices, making this very busy market popular with locals and bargain shoppers. The market open 24 hours. 

You can easily spend a whole day here if you’re a shopaholic. It’s retail therapy at its best. Without burning a hole in your pocket, haha.

So far, this is the best place to shop in Bangkok. Pratunam has multiple lanes with cheap and affordable shopping. The things are not only cheap but if very good quality.

After a whole day of shopping, head to the Pratunam food street for street food supper before we retire for the night. 😉 hahaha

For muslim don't worry because Pratanum Market had many halal foods and restaurants. Prices a little bit high but their food were delicious & good.

They called it "rotee" hahaha. I buy rotee with bananas & chocolates. So, yummy! You should try once you come here. 

• CentralWorld

CentralWorld is the largest lifestyle shopping complex in Southeast Asia, which has often been considered as shopping hubs of Asia. CentralWorld offers an unrivaled mix and range of products and services at prices that put the fun back into shopping for Thai consumers as well as international tourists.

It's a very big department store right in the center of downtown Bangkok. Many nice restaurants, many kinds of shops and a big set of cinemas! My family spent time the whole day here. 

There is a halal restaurant on 5th floor. The prices of food was affordable. An awesome foods at a reasonable price. The price The shopping mall were clean and very organized. There were a good mix of luxury international brands and local labels. There was also a large selection of sports brand.

• Damnoen Saduak Floating Market

First of all, we did not know which one to choose because it had 5 floating market in Bangkok!! 

I repeat 5 FLOATING MARKET!!! 

Don't worry I'll list 5 floating market in Bangkok : 

1. Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market
2. Damnoen Saduak Floating Market
3. Amphawa Floating Market
4. Bang Khu Wiang Floating Market
5. Bang Nam Pheung Floating Market

So many right? so, my family and I asked for people's recommendation and most of them said that Damnoen Saduak Floating Market is the best 🙌 So, we choosed it.

As you all can see from the picture above, the floating market is very crowded with tourists and their local peoples. 

We spent more time there because we want saw an unique experience and culture. Its so enjoyable.

My family and I saw the locals on their daily life paddling their goods along the banks of floating market. It is definitely an unique experience with riding a boat through the market. It is my first time riding a boat. I am so happy and excited!  

We saw their local communities around us and the boats nudging each other, eating some fruits and had a great time. It was an unusual and unique experience. 😉

• Blue Spa & Massage

I like this place. Clean, simple, quiet. This is my first time massage. My family and I had my head + shoulder + foot massage. When she massage me I felt pain, amused, and more. Overall I am enjoy it and relief. 

14. MELBOURNE PART 2

• Maru Koala and Animal Park 

My family and I had an enjoyable time there. There are many different types of animals like Tasmanian Devil, koala, wallabies, kangaroos, emus, wombat, peacocks, lamas, tortoise, lizards, horses and some other animals. The visitors can feed the animals. The animals here are very lovely and cute.  Theres a talk and demostration on feeding animals. Their staff was so friendly.

We were only here for an hour but it was a nice place to see some Australian wildlife that we wouldn’t see in another country. This was my first time seeing most of these animals and what fun is  I can face to face with the animals.

The park was not over-crowded and spacious with lot of koala and birds in it. My family and I touched the kangaroos and feed them. I can closely saw the koala and fortunately they are awake. hehe Alhamdulillah. 😆

• Nobbies Centre, Phillip Island

The Nobbies Centre is an ecotourism destination located at Point Grant, on the western tip of Phillip Island, Victoria, Australia.

I swear, this scenery was so beautiful and I felt the peaceful, wonderful and calmness. I am grateful to be able to see the creation of Allah SWT. We took the time to go there about 2 hours only. We went there by car. I vomited in the car (don't worry, my mom gave plastic to me 😅) because that day I was unwell and because of the curved roads. 

My family and I took the boardwalk path to see the rock formations. There are also lots of nesting boxes. I think, this place is good for a short roadside rest.

• Phillip Island Chocolate Factory

My family and I visited the Phillip Island Chocolate Factory. The founder-owner-manager of the factory is Panny. He from Malaysia (I am very impressed because people in Malaysia opened a big factory in Australia). He has a vast experience in cocoa industry. It took him decades to have the courage to create his own chocolate factory in Australia after working in various cocoa plantations. With the help from the locals, Panny created his dream which is his own chocolate factory. 

We loved this place, great displays, chocolate tastings, I can know how chocolate made and 'make your own chocolate bar with strange flavour' machine.

The chocolate is a bit more expensive, but it is hand made, not mass produced by machine and their taste so delicious and nice. The staff were friendly and helpful.

At noon, we ate at their cafe (Guess what? it also have Malaysian food. Alhamdulillah). Their foods so yummy 😁 It have a lot of foods, such as curry, fried rice, briyani and so on. I am visited here for lunch and I had an amazing curry🍛. I know, curry at a chocolate factory, it's odd but works!!! I love this so much !! 🙆

So byebye guys. I will end my writing about Melbourne. 👋👋👋

13. MELBOURNE PART 1

Hello guys ~ today I will continue my blog with new country which is  M E L B O U R N E  !  Do u heard about Melbourne ?  Melbourne is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in Australia and Oceania. 😊  The country so beautiful and clean. There's no rubbish on the street, road and everywhere.   I really like their good attitude.

Here the list of the places that I went : 

• Queen Victoria Market

The Queen Victoria Market is a major landmark in Melbourne, Australia and at around seven hectares is the largest open air market in the Southern Hemisphere. It is also have halal food such as kebab, chapati & more. Many fresh food especially strawberry, blueberry and cherries.

Even if you’re not buying, it's still a great place to visit.

• The American Doughnut Kitchen

The American Doughnut Kitchen van is a familiar sight at the Queen Victoria Markets. Fantastic doughnuts filled with strawberry jam. Probably one of the best doughnuts I've ever had in Melbourne and the dough is perfectly fluffy! the jam isn't too sweet. Perfect snack after a day of shopping at the market. 

• Brighton Beach

This is a very pretty beach located not far from the city. The colourful beach boxes are iconic and extremely pretty. It also make a fantastic backdrop for photos! 

This is a very popular place so it gets really busy with tourists like me. Hehehehe.

The sand was nice and the day my family and I went there, the water was very clean and can saw clearly some fishs and Marine life.

• Melbourne Zoo

Over 250 species from around the world can be found in the beautifully landscaped settings of Melbourne Zoo.

Melbourne zoo was great. The zoo was easy to access by public transport, we just caught the tram from Melbourne city. It's well laid out, interesting, plenty of quite nice food available and good coffee. The animals here are beautiful and well looked after. The animal enclosures are well presented and accessible with good viewpoints. The route around the park is well signed and there are always staff around to answer questions. Timed presentations given by staff are also interesting. Plantings including trees and flowers add much to the ambiance of the zoo. The zoo keepers are friendly and have heaps of knowledge. First time I saw koalas and Kangaroos in real life, beautiful zoo where you can found a variety of animals. Definitely a must to do in Melbourne. 💘

• ACMI Melbourne

The Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) is Australia's national museum of film, video games, digital culture and art. ACMI Melbourne is a unique institution in the heart of the city, located in Federation Square.

There are theaters where movies are shown but we spent all of our time enjoying free stuff, including a Virtual Reality show. This is such a fantastic place. My family and I only went as we had some time before our flight but I wish we could have stayed longer! 😢 

The staff were so enthusiastic and knowledgeable. The section on indigenous people reclaiming the use of their own image was particularly good. The interactive section is amazing - you can make your own flip book, get 360 degree photos taken of you, experience virtual reality, and lots more. Other displayed items included old projection equipment, costumes and interactive displays. On various occasions there are various exhibitions and at the time of my visit there was showing indie films. ACMI includes a cafe and eat in dining facilities and has a couple of different galleries and cinemas.ACMI is suitable for all types of visitors including individuals, couples and families.

12. UMRAH PART 4 (MAKKAH)

I would just like to share with readers of this post, one of my favourite (du'a).

---

"O Allah, 

grant us your Divine Love, spread love and peace between us, 

grant us the love of those You Love,

grant us the love of those who love You,

grant us the love of doing the things that earn your Divine Love,

please make our love to You the thing that we love the most."

Ameen

---

"Ya Allah, 

berikan kami Kasih Ilahi, menyebarkan kasih sayang dan kedamaian di antara kita,

berilah kami kasih kepada orang-orang yang Engkau Sayang,

berilah kami kasih kepada mereka yang mengasihi Engkau,

berilah kami cintakan melakukan perkara-perkara yang mendapat Cinta Ilahi anda,

jadikanlah cintaku kepada Engkau perkara yang paling kami sukai"

Amin

---

As I type these du'a, flashes of memories of my time in the most beautiful and grand masjid, as I was there. How I miss the most blessed place where I had the chance to pray and to seek forgiveness. 

On the whole, my umrah trip was a spiritually, emotionally and mentally fulfilling and satisfying journey for me. 

When I was doing my tawaf around the kaabah, deep within my heart I felt grateful like I've never been before. I am thankful for the breathes that I am able to take. I am thankful that I've been blessed with perfect senses to see, speak and hear. The only thing for me to do now is to believe and to be aware of the signs of the Greatness of God from what I see, speak good things only and really listen to and obey His Call instead of just hearing. I am still feeling it. 

A view of Kaabah in the evening

I pray, for all my readers, May Allah (swt) invite you all there again. May Allah (swt) call each of His Ummah to the Holy Kaabah. May the words of “Labaik Allahuma Labaik” become the rythym of our hearts always earnestly seek to recite. Ameen!

11. UMRAH PART 3 (MADINAH TO MAKKAH)

After an approximately 5 days in Madinah, it is time for us to go to Makkah to perform our Umrah. Since all of us are entering the Haram-land of Makkah (why it's been called Haram-land is because Muslims are not allowed to do unlawful acts in that particular area) and it is compulsory for everyone to be in the state of ihram symbolized as a sign of respect to the Haram-land of Makkah. 

All of us already wore Ihram clothing.

We left the hotel at approximately at 10 am and reached Bir Ali shortly after travelling for a distance of 7 kilometres.

Masjid Bir Ali

As we proceed from Bir Ali to Makkah, all of us are encouraged to read Talbiyah. It was such a touching moment when the Talbiyah was read by the mutawwif. As I was looking out through the windows, I started thinking in disbelief as I could not imagine how difficult it was for the Prophet to perform the Hajj, having to travel from Madinah to Makkah. The weather is extremely hot and dry, and there is nothing along the road except for the bare hills and dust. And just imagine the time required as the main transportation means was only Camel. I really thank the Prophet for all his determination in expanding the syiar in Islam. 

We stopped over for our Zuhr & Asr prayers at a place similar to those back home, called "R&R". It is obviously a desert area. We had our Nasi Arab provided by Andalusia and the place is packed with people from different walks of lives.

Nasi Arab

We arrived Mecca in the evening. After that, we went to Masjidil Haram after checking in at our hotel called "Hera' Palace".