My Travel Tabloid

Gd Day Mate! 30 Apr - 7 May

2010-08-25T21:34:00.018+08:00

We finally made our way to the UK after some anticipation on the ash cloud that hovered over the UK and Icelandic skies. We got really worried. It's totally impossible that we reschedule our trip cos Alex was leaving and there was no other way of rescheduling anything at all. It was simply madness!

The tiring part was taking Emirates to London, with stopovers at Colombo and Dubai. Being my first time on Emirates, it was definitely exciting and an eye opener for me. The touch screen entertainment system was awesome! The system was very cool with high tech features (even more so than Kris Flyer). They had lotsa movies, dramas, musics, cartoons, games and you name it, they have it. They've got the latest collection of movies just waiting for you to click on it.

After some 14 hours of flight (if I don't remember wrongly) we finally landed at London airport. This is our first time to UK so we were pretty excited. I felt the chill when the winds blew past us right at the airport doorway. I wasn't expecting such weather, according to BBC weather forecast. It got me really really worried...We took a Gatwick express right to the heart of London city centre - Victoria station where the coaches, train and tube convened in one. All I wanted to do was to go indoors to hide. Hide away from the cold bitter winds. We took a short walk with some navigation around Victoria to reach our B&B Hotel Georgian. It was one of the most reasonably priced hotel in the area. It was nice, small and cosy for us. The first thing we took out was our cup noodles! We were god dead hungry. Instant noodles never tasted so good!

Above: Ever busy London Victoria and our Georgian Hotel

We began our walk back to the station to get our Oyster card. It was the multi use card that enabled us to move around the city conveniently. Much like our EZ Link card. We walked along Oxford Street, first to get a nice coat for me. Wasn't planned but no choice. Stumbled upon an H&M sweater/jacket just nice for me. When we came out and headed for dinner, it started drizzling. The weather in London was gloomy and very unpredictable. We settled for a decent meal at Garfunkels. Though the pounds had dropped to our favour, it was still considerably 'expensive' for us Asians to shop and dine in London.

Our day 2 started early with watching of the Change of Guards at the Buckingham Palace. There it was crowded and packed with tourists, all trying to take a peek at the guards. The queue and crowd formed as early as 9+ am or so, as the procedure/ceremony took place only at 11.30 am. It was bright, hot and sunny and my head was on the verge of burning! After that we headed to Big Ben via the tube and had MacDonalds for lunch. It was crowded again with tourists. Next we rushed to the Wembeley stadium off the city for Mr Lim to catch a glimpse and capture some momento shots. We then rushed to the Mdm Tussauds for the tour. It was (according to Mr Lim) much larger than the one in HK and more impressive. I bet. It was again an eye opener for me and I was glad we made the trip to Mdm Tussauds. After the tour, it began to rain again. How dampening. It practically rains everyday. We walked along the streets in Leicester Square and came to Chinatown somehow. Had our dinner there and began walking again. By then I was too cold shivering from the weather than nothing interested me anymore.

Above: The Changing Guard ceremony and Big Ben

The Wembeley Stadium (look at the differences in the sky within a day!)

This is truly a wax figure

It rained again the next morning. We visited the impressive Natural History Museum the next day. We queued for about an hour in the rain, and it was very cold. Most of the museums in London are free, as part of the Government's effort in educating the public about the artefacts and the history behind them which I thought was great. It was enriching and fruitful for us both. The scale of the exhibitis, the extent of the breadth and depth of the content and the upkeeping of the items greatly wowed us. After the tour, we headed to Covent Garden but nothing fancied me. What was enticing really was the Pizza we had at Covent Garden, restaurant called Pintti. It was large and tasty! It was a good pizza I must say. After a hearty meal, we made our way to Harrods at Knightsbridge (if I don't recall wrongly) The department store was huge! Magnificently huge and organised with class! Range of goods are fairly expensive and high end. I could only browse thru most of them. I bought several stuff from Harrods merchandise store and couldn't tell the time after that. Having some time on hand, we took the tube to view the London Tower Bridge. It was very chilly and I couldn't tolerate the bitter weather! The wind froze my face and my mucus couldn't stop flowing. After some picture taking we quickly head back to London Victoria. Dinner was back at Victoria station @ The Shakespeare, where we tried the British favourite of Fish & Chips. It had alot of peas which I hate but the overall dish was not too bad.

The Tower Bridge

We got up reallllly early on Mon morning to make our way to Victoria station again, this time to take a cab to Marble Arch Hotel to join the Insight Tour. First sightseeing stop was Cambridge University. Yes, where all our GCE O and A Level papers are marked, assessed and developed. The campus certainly didn't look like a campus. It still maintained its rich heritage, with a cathedral in it, and modernised with lots of retail outlets in there, making it look like a small town on its own. Only bicycles are allowed on campus. Brands of shops are similar to brands you can find outside so that's why I say it certainly doesn't look like a campus. What's funny and interesting was the change in weather again. It suddenly rained, and rained hail. It was my first time experiencing this and it's truly memorable. I didn't realise it was hailstones until one tourist exclaimed it was hailstones, and umbrellas started flipping over in response to the heavy winds and rain. We continued our journey to York and put up a night there.

A pasty shop in the Cambridge campus

We began our journey early in the morning to head to Edinburgh, capital of Scotland. The borders was so seamless that I almost missed the signboard indicating "Welcome to Scotland" I managed to quickly fire a shot that captured this in time. Scotland is a beautiful place. It is smaller than Britain but a fine city that's not too crowded like London and maintained its charm anyhow. We only had a day in Scotland before we head back to Britain the next day, to Liverpool. Of course on our way back we passed Lake District where we had a nice lunch in a little cafe, with beautiful al fresco dining.

Upon reaching Liverpool, instead of joining the Beatles tour, we headed straight for Goodison Park, before heading to the mall to get the Everton merchandise.

Mr Lim's favourite team

The next day, we visited Chester, followed by Stratford-upon-Avon, birthplace of William Shakespeare. Still very cold then..

By the time we reached London it was almost evening. Our place at Hyde Park wasn't too bad.

Not too bad an apartment at 75 pounds per night

Only gripe I had was the bed and the pillows were too soft for my comfort. Other than that it was perfectly alright for me. It was only 5 min walk to the Queensway/Baywater train station, and 5 min walk to the stretch of road with eateries. Alot of Asians hung out there, with many Chinese/Cantonese restaurants in the vicinity. We settled for duck rice/wanton noodles for 2 nights there (Gold MIne and Four Seasons).

The Fried Rice never tasted so good

We could not even let go of a second to shop in Oxford Street again on our last day. I bought many things from Marks & Spencer (2 pound hand cream, 2 pound body lotion and 2 pound bath gel), H&M items and several others. We took a cab to London Victoria again this time to take the Gatwick Express back to the airport and say byebye to London. The most annoying thing was BA was delayed for 2-4 hours that pissed many of us off. Then there was a hysterial screaming hyperactive kid who could not stop running, screaming and crying for attention. After waiting impatiently, we finally got on our plane to make our way home...

it was a long tiring journey..

Let Me Fly to UK

2010-04-20T20:06:00.004+08:00

My trip to UK on 30 April has been booked, paid and prepared, until one fine day when Eyjafjallajokull at Iceland decided to spew its pent up anger on Mother Earth. The last time this volcano erupted was 20 March (a minor one) and prior to that, in 1823! And of all time, some 200 years later it had to erupt now on 14 April 2010, 2 weeks before my flight. This eruption threw volcanic ash several kilometres up in the atmosphere which led to air travel disruptions and major monetary losses (going by the billions) worldwide starting on 15 April 2010, including the closure of airspace over most of Europe. Most of the airlines likes Qantas, SQ, KLM were banned from flying to Europe. And that includes my flight, Emirates as the London airports are now closed! Travellers were left stranded in airports all over the world as they are unable to make their way back to their country. My sympathy goes out to the victims.

Image on how thick the ash cloud was! (google)

The icing to the situation was that the ash was said to be clearing up and according to the geologists study, the ash cloud will be moving towards Canada. Some airlines have also progressively started to operate in limited zones. That is certainly good news for me. But till then, I can only hope and hope that my trip can materialise without delays and inconvenience.

Bintan Agro 17 18 April 2010

2010-04-20T19:25:00.011+08:00

What could be better than a $168 weekend getaway, with the company of some good friends? The deal was perfect! $168 for a 2D1N stay a Bintan Agro Beach Resort, consisting of return ferry, transfers, breakfast, lunch and dinner. We were all excited and geared up for it! I deserved a good break after my back and neck breaking Topping Out Event in April.

Having the Welcome Drink

I woke up really early at 620am. Sky was dark and I was feeling very groggy. Had a quick shower and was on my way to Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal. I saw Joyce first and reckoned Mandy and the rest would be late. We decided to have a quick breakfast at Kiliney. Before we knew it, the gang was already queueing to get the ferry tickets!

It was a gruelling 2 hour ride in the ferry with no air con (or hardly!). To while my time away, I listened to my mp3 on some of my fav songs... took a short nap and we were at the Bintan ferry terminal. The other parts of Bintan like the Nirwana, Bintan Lagoon Resort were only an hour away. This one was further south and took slightly longer than usual. Thought that was it. Hot and stuffy ride. The mini bus ride to the resort was even worse! Small, cramp, limited seats and practically no air con! Jayce and Jo had to be escorted to another mini bus as ours was full! The ride to the resort was 1 hour, all bumpy, stuffy and uncomfortable. My only hope was that the resort would be something nice and clean. Something worth going for.

True enough the place wasnt too bad. It was quite new. We had the pool and restaurant just right outside our rooms. The place was rather quiet and not so commercialised. The room was decently equipped. Simple and clean. Everyone was tired after the long ride and decided to take a short nap after lunch...

The pool with the sea behind it

Before we knew it, when everyone woke up, it was late and we totally missed the water sports! How sickening! It was quite disappointing as the tide was low and the centre was closed for the day. We then decided to take a further rest before heading to Sun Moon Kelong Restaurant for a nice dinner. It was good. Simple yet delicious. We had a foot spa thereafter by the beach, that wasnt so much like a foot spa. The foot massage only lasted like 5 min and the rest of the time was spent filing and polishing our toe nails! All we wanted was a food massage.. And to make things worse, the Korean group had some sort of a company retreat with speeches, loud blasting music and karaoke that irritated all our nerves by the beach. By the time it ended, our session also ended. And with mozzie bites. The only thing good was the sky was clear and we saw many many stars... we were 'star struck'.

Water sports at the beach

Scrumptious Lunch at Sun Moon Kelong Restaurant

Walking on the sea during low tide

Come morning Jo rang us to say Jayce wasnt feeling well and had to head back to Sg earlier to see the doc. We brought forward our massage and forgo our water sports activities. Awww... whats a beach holiday without frolicking in the sand and indulging in some fun water sports? Anyhow, we all wanted to come back earlier. So after the 1 hour massage (originally from 2 hours), we had a marathon shower and boarded again the tiny, cramp and stuffy bus back to the terminal. The 2 seater chairs like a 1.5 seater, seemed more appropriate for 1 pax. I was half falling off my chair throughout the journey. The ferry ride again was stuffy.. we were ALL perspiring our way back.

We were all so relieved to step into the customs area where the aircon never felt so good! After passing through the customs and Xray machines, we almost fainted looking at the taxi queue. After queueing for half n hr, and making countless calls to taxi companies who always claimed there were no cabs in that area, Joyce and I decided to take the SBS bus instead to Tanah Merah MRT station.

Overall rating for this trip: 6 / 10

...

Escapade to Thailand

2009-11-02T11:58:00.033+08:00

Part I - Ko Samet

Ko Samet is a relatively small island off Rayong province, about 3 hr drive from BKK. It sounds crazy cos t

his is my 2nd trip to Thailand this year, in 1 month! After much search, planning and recommendation from a friend, I shortlisted Ko Samet as my little getaway before I embark on a new career this week.

Map of Ko Samet

The journey to Samet island is long and tedious but definitely worth it if you want fine sand beach with clear blue waters. I started off by taking Thai airways to BKK international airport. I took a 3 hour gruelling bus ride at the Public Transportation Centre to Rayong after touching down at the airport at 940am and catching on the 1040am bus. The fare cost me 120 baht (about SGD $5). The public bus is old but clean and decent enough for this price. Initially I was rather disturbed when I boarded the bus full of local Thais. I felt outcast. But after some time I got accustomed to it. The cleanliness of the bus mattered more.

Public Transportation Centre

Upon reaching Rayong, a female driver came up to us offering a ride to Ban Phe Pier. It was a new private salon car and I guessed she was not a licensed taxi driver. She charged us 200 baht for a 20min ride. It was 1.40pm. We were stopped midway by a police. Apparently she got caught ferrying customers when she was not a licensed driver. After much talking and shoving away my cash in hand, we concluded that we were her 'friends' and she was helping to ferry us to the pier. It was a close shave.

At Ban Phe Pier there were several vendors offering ferry and speedboat services to the Samet island. We opted for the 300 baht speedboat that only took us 15min compared to ferry that can take 45 min. And with that, you would need to take a taxi to the resort as it stops by the main pier.

True enough, the speedboat was speedy. But my first intial disappointment came when I alighted the boat and walked to the resort in water. The beach was mall and the resort looked small. I didn't expect this. And this was the only resort I could see on the land. I expected huge long beach/beaches with nicely decorated resorts dotting the island.

View of Samed Club Resort from the Pier

We checked in at the hotel main dining area. It was a small resort by the beach with one main lobby cum dining area. This is it. I tried to have positive talk with myself and tried to be optimistic about it. There could be other beaches further down, from what I understood from the internet resources. After checking in the porter brought our bags to our hill resort, walking past the swimming pool which I recognised from the internet. It looked exactly the same. The pool is of decent size and it's very clean. Good. It was so tempting to take a dip in the pool rightaway under the sweltering weather.

Interior of the room

We walked up a flight of stairs to the hotel room and it was a mozzie infested area. The lush greenery and plants allowed mozzies to thrive! It was a long long flight of stairs up to our room but if you want a hill resort, that's it. We washed our feet with the water readily provided outside each room before we stepped into the room. The room was hot and stuffy by the afternoon but spacious and nicely but simply decorated. After settling down, we went for a swim at the pool followed by a walk down to the 'town' area. It was about 20min walk to the 'market' where there's a 7-11 and some water sports centre. We booked a 4 hr snorkelling trip for the next day at 400 Baht. Dinner wasn't very fantastic but it was packed with tourists. I only usually go to places where there are customers. After dinner, it began to pour while we were walking back and had to hop on to a taxi back to Samed Club when it was only a mere 10min walk. There was a National Samed Park entry which is payable but we weren't sure if we could go in, so we headed back for drinks at the dinng area and retire for the night.

Morning came early at 8am with strong sunlight into the room and dining area. I expected a simple fare of breakfast with only coffee/tea and some bread with jam. I was quite plesantly surprised to see a wide array of food selection. They have scrambled eggs, fried eggs, french toast, fried noodles/congee, fried rice, breakfast cereals, different types of breads, croissants, soft roll and juices. I was delighted! I took about 3-4 slices of toast bread cos it was simply too delicious to resist. Having breakfast by the beach was sure a welcoming and inviting experience which I've never done before. The sun rays were very strong but it didn't deter me from enjoying my breakfast there.

Shortly after, the vendors from the snorkelling centre picked us up in their motorbikes to the pier. It was a normal ferry with 8 of us on board, plus 2 other snorkelling assistances/boat drivers. We went round the Samet island and had 2 diving spots.

Splash! The water was salty but it was a good experience to dive from the boat. The Caucasians on the boat dived from the 2nd level upper deck. I chickened and dived from the first deck and it took me 5min to pluck my cuorage to do so, even with my life vest on. After splashing into the water, I realised it wasn't so difficult after all! The fishes swam around me but away from me quickly after anyone dives into it. Snorkelling is actually quite tiring for me but it was an experience after all. To see the different fishes in the water. The corals were not fantastic and I'm not a big fan of corals. They scare me with their brown looking rocky surface. After about 30min of snorkelling and swimming, we had a bbq lunch on board. Simple fried rice with chicken kebab and fruits. Fishing was next. I caught 2 fishes and all the fishes caught were bbqed on board. Next we went on for our 2nd snorkelling spot, which by then I was very drained from swimming. We rounded up the tour with a visit to the fish farm. We bought fishes for 10baht where we could throw in and feed the fishes. They attacked the fish like monsters!

By 4pm we were very very tired. We relaxed by our small private beach and enjoyed a book. And by that I truly mean private beach because there was no one else there by Samed Club guests. Now I begin to appreciate Samed Club!

At night, we ventured to town again and this time we walked into the National Park. We didn't really have to pay to go in as what everyone did. We discovered new haven. Pubs and restaurants lined the area like it's a new haven! It's very different from the outside road where there were only small stores, small restaurants, cafe houses, internet cafes and a single road where there were motorbikes and pedestrian walking. Old and small dwellings were everywhere. So coming here to this place, Sai Kaew was definitely an eye opener. We walked along the stretch of restaurants and settled on Ploy Talay Seafood Place. It was crowded with Korean and other Caucasian tourists. Variety of seafood wasn't too bad and they had other dishes as well. Dinner only cost about 600 baht for 2, including tiger prawns, rice, meat and vegetable dishes and several drinks. Dinner is on tatami on the mat, on the beach. Nice experience. There was live entertainment (fireman show and a live band) The fireman show was impressive. The boys were young and did daily fireshows to entertain the crowd at night. We both tried the pancakes (crepe) and roti pancakes (pratas) with chocolate nutella and bananas. They are simple crepes but they taste so good! And everyone puts on weight during holidays. This is no exception.

We rented a full day ATV for 1200 baht for 24 hours. We took the map and rode down to Ao Wong Duen, another beach on Samet island. Apparently there are 14 beaches on the island and price range vary quite drastically for different standards of resorts on the island. After seeing other resorts, I'm actually very appreciative and happy with Samed Club. I think it offers a very good service and though it's small, it is clean, with a private beach. There are not many tourists here on this private beach. It's yours to use! And there aren't any peddlers hovering around you. There is only one single road to drive in the island so it wasn't very difficult to figure out the locations of the other beaches. However it can get quite dirty with the pool of mud dirt and soil during the ride.

Enjoying Orange Shake by the beach

The sand at Wong Duen is fine soft and powdery! It's nice to walk on soft sand but it was too hot. The water is clear and turqoise blue against the blue sky. The waves hugged the shoreline and I bobbed in the waters when the waves round in. It was fun! That day was a cloudless day. There were many tourists on this beach and it seemed like the town has come alive amidst all the muddy dirt tracks outside, hardly with a soul. Everyone packed the beaches with the various beach houses there. Here there are numerous beach huts offering food drinks, a few convenience store and food peddlers strolling up and down the beach selling fresh cut fruits, sarongs and massage services. Caucasians were everywhere, and hardly any Chinese Asians. I was among the rare few. I got a good tan for about an hour or two before heading to Sai Kaew Beach (the place where we had dinner).

After another 15min ride through the dirt and grime, we were at the same spot where we had dinner. It looks stunningly different from night. All deck chairs lined the beach and Caucasians lie on the beach chairs or towel on the sand, enjoying a good rub of massage under the sun. The sun was scorching but everyone enjoyed it. I took a couple of mins of swim in the sea and a couple of moments under the beach umbrella. You could also get tanned even hiding under the shade. I applied numerous layers of dark tanning oil and face sunblock, and baked myself in the sun again. By night, I was dark and tanned. Slightly burnt but worth it.

Dinner was again at Ploy Thalay but we had different food this time. We booked a minivan under Suriya Tour for our bus back from Rayong to BKK city. That cost us 250baht for 3 hour ride. We rode the ATV back to hotel and we packed our things ready to check out on Fri morning 12pm.

On Fri mornng, It was time to bid Samed Club and Ko Samet farewell after spending 2.5 days there. I must say I still prefer Samed Club now after seeing other resorts. I would give it a 4 out of 5 :)

We had a long 20 min wait for the VIP coach to arrive Suriya Tour office, but it wasn't so VIP afterall. The bus reeked of urine and it was not as good as I had imagine. I endured the torturous 3 hour ride and soon enough we reached BKK city. As always I was very frustrated with the jam and decided to alight at one of the BTS and take the BTS to SILQ. I'm not one who would tolerate jams and waste my time and money that way. It was defintely faster to walk or take BTS.

Part II - Bangkok

SILQ is not easy to be located as it is out of your sight as you walk along Soi 19. It's located behind Sacha's Uno and CIty Lodge from ASOKE BTS . According to the net, it is a new boutique hotel. Captured by the modernity and location of it, I booked it almost immediately after comparing with a few others. The price factor (67 baht per room per night w/o bfast) sounded like a good deal to me. It is modern with flat screen tv, fully equipped bathroom, numerous cable TV stations, spacious, clean, neat and nicely decorated. I would strongly recommend this place.

Dining area

Main lobby

Room that got upgraded

And since this is my 2nd trip to BKK in 3 weeks, I know my way inside out and I know my bearings pretty well. From one BTS or MRT to another, it seemed so easy like going to Orchard Road. And a good tip to note, avoid cabs and tuktuks if possible. Cabs are always stuck in jams, and some drivers don't understand English well. Tuktuks are relatively more expensive so it's economical to walk from one point to another. I walked from Ratchathewi BTS to Amari Watergate for tailor made clothes, and walked another 20min to Central World. From Central World I walked through Siam Square to get to MBK. It's all very possible. And it's good if you want to walk, stop and shop and randomly enter into any malls. Sometimes after all the heavy snacking and dining you need to walk to shed them off.

Total damage: about $900 SGD approx

Pleasure derived: Priceless

Central Europe Tour 25 May - 6 June 07

2009-03-28T10:03:00.045+08:00

This is one of my other super delayed blog entry :S

It was a Central Europe Tour to Czech Republic and Austria via QF/BA that we planned on our own. It was painstaking as we had lotsa maps to read, plan and analyse. We even scrutinised each bus route, where it would take us and the various opening hrs of the musuems and such.

We took a flight and transit in London before heading to Vienna. The massvie delay at Heathrow airport for 8 hrs ruined our entire plan. The 8 hr delay made us really tired and restless at the not-so-efficient and cracky airport. We loitered around aimlessly, watched people go by and wasted our time away...

When we reached Vienna, it was dark. We made our way to Innsbruck the next morning lugging our luggages along. Innsbruck is like a small town. You can easily cover it within a day or two.

Some of the key highlights:

The Golden Roof, Innsbruck

The Golden Roof is a landmark in Innsbruck, Austria built in 1500. It was decorated with 2657 fire-gilded copper tiles for Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor. The reliefs on the balcony show coats of arms, symbols and other figures in his life. (Wikipedia)

Swarovski Gallery

This is every girl's favourite (not diamonds but crystals)

My prized posessions :P

Traditional Austrian dish (chicken)

It was quite expensive for a lunch but yummy though!

Typical meal would cost like this:

Chicken or beef builion 2.60 EURO

Chicken soup - traditional style with noodles 4.10 EURO

Hungarian Goulash soup - 4.10 EURO

Roast Pork 8.50 EURO

Grilled Beef 10.90 EURO

and this is an ordinary restaurant, not something very fancy.

Our accomodation : Hotel Der Salzburger Hof

Below: Salzburg is the birthplace of Mozart.

Below: It was snowing on the mountains in Salzburg, but bright and sunny at the foot of the mountain (Hellbrunn Palace). Strange!

Park at Hellbrunn Summer Palace

The Sound of Music Pavilion

Below: Scholoss Leopoldskron (A scene used in The Sound of Music)

Fortress Hohensalzburg

View of Salzburg from Fortress Hohensalzburg

Train station in Salzburg to Vienna

It was very cold though it was spring time...

Belvedere Palace, Vienna

Be prepared for long walks as the palaces are pretty huge and vast. Viewing of the entire place could take up to an hour or more.

Ferris Wheel at Vienna Prater

Vienna's Prater boasts more than 250 attractions: from the Giant Ferris Wheel (Riesenrad) to nostalgic ghost trains, merry-go-rounds, go-cart rinks, arcades, and stands for games of skill to ultra-modern rides that propel your adrenaline (and yourself) to lofty heights. (but dont set your expectations too high)

St Stephen's Cathedral

Blue Danube River, Vienna

Remember the classical music.. or the commercial with the furry cat on tv?

Czech Republic
We arrived Czech Republic via Eurail. Pretty fast and smooth... and we didn't even realised we had crossed the border! Don't fall asleep as you need to get your passport chopped and checked..

Lotsa food stock up...

We took a stroll down the Old Town. Almost half n hr... take it as a leisure walk and you won't feel it's tiring :)

The Astronomical Clock

The Prague Astronomical Clock or Prague Orloj is a medieval astronomical clock located in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. The Orloj is mounted on the southern wall of Old Town City Hall in the Old Town Square and is a popular tourist attraction. The Orloj is composed of three main components: the astronomical dial, representing the position of the Sun and Moon in the sky and displaying various astronomical details; "The Walk of the Apostles", a clockwork hourly show of figures of the Apostles and other moving sculptures; and a calendar dial with medallions representing the months. (Wikipedia)

Prague Castle

It was a dark and gloomy weather. Hence the pictures were not so perfect. The Prague Castle, an ancient symbol of the Czech lands, is the most significant Czech monument and one of the most important cultural institutions in the Czech Republic. The Prague Castle was most likely founded in around 880 by Prince Bořivoj of the Premyslid Dynasty (Přemyslovci). According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the Prague Castle is the largest coherent castle complex in the world, with an area of almost 70,000 m². A UNESCO World Heritage site, it consists of a large-scale composition of palaces and ecclesiastical buildings of various architectural styles, from Roman-style buildings from the 10th century through Gothic modifications in the 14th century. The famous Slovenian architect Josip Plečnik was responsible for extensive renovations in the time of the First Republic (1918-1938). Since the Velvet Revolution, the Prague Castle has undergone significant and ongoing repairs and reconstructions.

Charles Bridge in the foreground with Castle behind

Charles Bridge

Paintings, souvenirs and artefacts are common on the Charles Bridge, mainly targetting the tourists.

View of Prague from Petrin Tower

Traditional Czech dish (pork with blue cheese)

Cesky (outskirts in Czech)
Český Krumlov is a small city in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic, best known for the fine architecture and art of the historic old town and Český Krumlov Castle. Old Český Krumlov is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was given this status along with the historic Prague castle district. (Wikipedia)

Traditional Czech dish (roast pork with dumplings and sauerkraut)

Czech Beer (Budweiser)

Hotel in Prague (SGD 88 per room per night for 3 of us)

End of tour.

From Russia with Love (24 May - 2 June 06)

2008-10-30T12:09:00.024+08:00

This is definitely one of my worst ever delayed travel blog entry! 2006! Ayez...

It was the inaugural SQ flight to Moscow. We were pretty excited about it and had long wanted to discover Russia - the once taboo place to be in. What do we all know about Russia? Dodgy? Cold? Siberia? I didn't know much so this was definitely an eye opener. The history is way too deep for anyone to grasp in a single breadth so I shall not bore the reader to death. More information can be found here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/rs.html

Ours was a CTC group tour mainly made up of the elderly folks who had some spare cash and time to roam around the world.... 1st stop: The Red Square in Moscow! Red Square Red Square - that familiar bricked expanse in the heart of Moscow is located just outside the Kremlin, along its Eastern wall. Think of Red Square, and you'll undoubetdly recall pictures of those May Day parades, from the years when the Soviet Military displayed its might, respectfully passing before the Soviet leadership atop Lenin's tomb. But Red Square's history stretches back way before the Communist Soviet Union, back to the days of Czarist Russia. In the late 15th Century, people came to this square, called Torg, or marketsquare, to purchase food, livestock, or other wares. By the late16th Century, it was renamed Trinity Square, and served as the main entrance to the Kremlin. The Red Square of today is more than 500,000 square feet of open land. A place where people gather to celebrate official state events, to be photographed in front of favorite sites, or just to drink in the historic splender.

St. Basil's Cathedral At the Southern end of Red Square, just outside the Kremlin, sits the cathedral of St. Basil the Blessed. Perhaps on the most familiar and glorious sites associated with Moscow and the Kremlin. (more info here)

This is the famous underground train stations. Opened in 1935, it is well known for the ornate design of many of its stations, which contain outstanding examples of socialist realist art. We had a chance to stop by a few stations to experience the busy train rides and explore the allure and beauty of the stations. Each station is unique in design. They are so lovely, intricately designed and exquisite. It certainly looks more like an art gallery than a train station. Some stations (akin to our Raffles Place) is terribly busy at the peak hours and trains whizz by every few seconds. Get a strong foothold otherwise you will literally be swept off your feet!

Yes these are lamps, wall mosaics found at various stations!

Porky pig for lunch. But only managed to take appetisers :(

We travelled from Moscow to St Petersburg via overnight train. Shared by 3 of us in a cabin, it was a tough night with narrow corridors and cramp creeky beds. For those travelling alone, pls pls lock your cabin. We have heard many horror stories where people break into your cabin while you are asleep and steal your belongings.

We rocked our way to St Petersburg the next morning. I definitely prefer St Petersburg. It is more cultural, simple and clean. It has got this strong rustic cultural flavour to it. Not as busy and hassle free from what you see in Moscow.

In Russia, expect to walk and see lotsa palaces and cathedrals. Forget about shopping and scenic landscapes. Here, immerse yourself in the rich Russian history of the Tzars, the rulers of Russia, the different eras, cathedrals of varying opulence and the different winter and summer palaces. See, so much that I can't quite describe them well. We waited in the queue in the cold to enter the Catherine Palace. Apparently, during Elizabeth's lifetime, the palace was famed for its obscenely lavish exterior. More than 100 kilograms of gold were used to gild the sophisticated stucco façade and numerous statues erected on the roof.

Below: The Peter and Paul Cathedral is dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul, the patron saints of the fortress (Saint Peter being the patron saint of the city). The current cathedral is the second one on the site. The first, built soon after Peter's founding of the city, was consecrated by Archbishop Iov of Novgorod the Great in April 1704. (Wikipedia)

Swan Lake is a ballet, by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, composed 1875-1876. The scenario was fashioned from Russian folk tales as well as an ancient German legend, which tells the story of Odette, a princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer's curse. Most of us went for this and boy! The theatre was packed!

We also watched the Moscow circus. It was entertaining but more like a cheap thrill. Something like what you will pay to get to see at make-shift amusement parks in HDB vicinities. But it was very traditional, engaging poodles, lions and other animals in the show. Brings back memories of the circuses I used to go with my parents when I was little. Paid a little price for it to get into a tentage held at some open field in make shift chairs and bare grass floor.

There's nothing really much to shop in Russia. We just walked, hanged around and bought some chocolates. Below: this is one of the main shopping street. But supermarket shelves are packed with Vodka! Russians drink Vodka like water. Mainly they enjoy it and also to keep themselves warm but they tend to get a bit too rowdy...

You've heard of white nights. Typically in St Petersburg due to its geographical nature, they experience white nights - nights that don't turn dark! What could be more romantic than a walk along the banks of the city's rivers and canals in almost broad daylight, no matter what the time of day? No other major European city can rival this experience nor the atmosphere on the streets of St. Petersburg during the summer months - lively, friendly, romantic and bustling with people throughout the night as well as the day! St. Petersburg is the world's most northern city with a population over 1 million, and its stands at such a high latitude that the sun does not descend below the horizon enough for the sky to grow dark. In fact night becomes curiously indistinguishable from day, so much so that the authorities never need to turn the city's streetlights on! We came out of the Swan Lake ballet at 11pm and it was still bright! Seemed like a matinee.

Their days in the calendar are mostly filled with cool, chilly winters and autumns. Summer time is the only time where they can get out to get a bit of warmth. Otherwise, it's long cold winters...unbearable! Imagine Siberia...

In Russia, never miss the Russian Dolls souvenir!! A matryoshka doll, a Babushka doll or a Russian nested doll, also called a stacking doll, is a set of dolls of decreasing sizes placed one inside the other. "Matryoshka" (Матрёшка) is a derivative of the Russian female first name "Matryona", which was a very popular name among peasants in old Russia. The name "Matryona" in turn is related to the Latin root, "mater" and means Mother. So the name is closely connected with motherhood and in turn the doll has come to symbolize fertility.

See the gifts that I've bought back.. :)

Well done! back to Singapore now.

A 2D 1N recharge @ Bintan

2008-10-30T11:09:00.009+08:00

I finally had my long overdue break to Bintan. Though it was my 3rd trip to Bintan in 3 years, it was the best deal I could get - clear sea, affordable trip and a good way to recharge and relax.

My first trip was to Nirwana Gardens. It was okay, not too bad for the price I paid. 2nd trip was Bintan Lagoon Resort. After you have stayed in a much better resort, you wouldn't want to settle for something less compromising. So this 3rd trip, I wanted to try something different again. After checking with several agencies and getting different quotes, I settled for Angsana Bintan. It is a subsidiary of Banyan Tree, at about half the price. A 2D1N stay cost me $168, excluding the $2.20 security tax, $10 fuel cost, $2 departure tax. It was a pretty good deal. And it was the last day of the Beijing Olympics.

So off I went. I received a very warm reception upon arrival. I was brought into this mini conference room where I did the check in administrative matters and was served a welcome drinks and some cookies. This place was cosy and air conditioned. Not too bad.

It was a gloomy weather then. I headed to the pool anyhow and took a stroll by the beach. It wasn't quite up to my expectation of a Banyan Tree sister company but it was ok. The pool was very crowded despite a Monday, not a weekend. We joked about the pool being international - tourists from Hong Kong, Singapore, Italy, Britain etc. Kids had lotsa fun there.

We had lunch at the Lotus Cafe. The cafe had a high ceiling, and a very open concept. People who arrive at the lobby would be able to view the entire cafe and watch what you are eating :)

We had a choice of Asian or Western cuisine. The Asian Cuisine comprised of fried noodles with satay and chicken wings. I ordered the Fish Burger which tasted fantastic with the special sauce.

Visit the seafood restaurant on the kelong. Take the transport by the resort to the kelong and enjoy the really cheap seafood dinner.

Breakfast was an international spread. Good enough. Checked out at 12pm and continued to laze by the pool... and till the time we had our massage at the spa. There were several types of massage services to choose from. There were head massages, feet massages, body massages and different types of body massages. It was a little pricey but it was good! We started off with the usual feet wash followed by the massage itself. The ambience was good, service was remarkable and the massage itself soothed all our aches away. I fell asleep midway. The after service was worth commending. They served us cakes and we had to fill up a feedback form. The masseuses had genuinely high service levels which I thought was lacking in our local spas here. They were warm and friendly.

It was not long before the day was gone, forcing us to head back to the ferry terminal.

It was a short but enjoyable and relaxing treat. Just a note, they use SGD and don't forget to bring the credit card.

Sawasdee - Hello in Thai

2008-10-22T23:48:00.030+08:00

The last unforgettable incident was in 2006 when my wallet was pickpocketed in Chatcuchat. That ruined my entire trip with no cash and no card to use. Anyway since the airfare was pretty cheap ($247 with check in luggage fee included) and I had some leave to clear, why not?

Exchange rate for $500 ($250 Karmun and $250 myself) was 23.38 = 11,640 Baht

2nd exchange rate for $100 ($50 Karmuin and $50 myself) was 22.8 = 2,280 Baht

Flight - 6.30am Tiger Airways (Budget Terminal)
Flight back - 11.30pm

I had high recommendations for Suk11 backpackers' inn. Since it was so highly recommended and a low budget one, I thought no harm giving it a try. Suk 11 is a very cosy and small hostel. No frills. Simple and cost with many foreigners checking in. It's quite well known. The only gripe I had was mozzies and cob webs. Yeeks!

This was the entrance

Main reception.

It was a long and narrow corridor.. quite difficult if you are carrying trolley luggages.

Spider webs around the front yard where you can take your breakfast

We left our luggages at Suk 11 upon arrival and left off for makan. Actually I was more tired than hungry. Anyhow, we settled for Pad Thai in a nearby Thai restaurant. Not too bad but could be better. It cost me $3.90. Can't complain much :)

First stop for the day was Platinum Mall! It's a wholesale retailing mall where you can get really cheap stuff if you buy in 3 or more pieces. Some stores offer 2 pieces for wholesale price. We practically shopped from 11am till 3pm without lunch and stopping, it was a non stop marathon! Why isn't there an award for this? It was lots of bargaining, shopping, walking, trying, talking and more bargaining. Fun it was, but definitely tiring. We explored about 5 floors of Platinum and I got myself lots of clothes, pouches, bags and more. One piece of top was practically SGD $6!! Darn cheap. We both ran out of cash.. had to withdraw from the ATM machine. Thank God for that. It saved our trip! We continued to shop again before heading back to Suk 11 to offload our stuff.

Accessories mannequin stand at Platinum. Only $$8.60 per stand

Headed to MBK after that to get contact lens for Jaime. It's relatively cheaper there compared to Sg. After shopping in Platinum, there's hardly anything to purchase at MBK other than some food stuff and tidbits. We were so tired that we didn't have any energy nor mood left to walk around. It was a torturous painful stroll. We left pretty early. Took the BTS back to Na Na station and back to shower and bed.

Breakfast was a simple affair at Suk 11. The main reception/lobby/dining area is simple but nicely done up. Thai ornaments, antiques donned the whole area and sometimes you really wonder what those stuff are, where they are from and how old they really are!

Breakfast spread with the DJ console behind. Music played: Bossa Nova

Breakfast was simply sliced bread, croissant, fruits, banana muffin, jam/butter and coffee/tea.

Day 2 was a tiring day for us. It was pouring in the early morning... we were terribly worried that if the rain persists, our trip to Chatuchat would be ruined. We got down to the lobby to have our breakfast at 9am. Luckily the rain began to stop. Took a train from Na Na station to Mo Chit that cost us only 40 baht. ($1.70). Our spree started from about 11am. We tried to organise our trip by referring to the map. But it somehow couldn't work. We were practically clueless where we were. The Chatuchat market was a labyrinth! You will never know where you have it, missed or looking for. It's totally incredible. The stores were small and look pretty similar. It's either you purchase something when you see it, or miss it altogether. The probability of looking for that same shop again 40min later is close to nil. It was quite stuffy and wet due to the rain in the morning. Nevertheless, we walk and prowled the market from 11 - 6pm! We only managed to take our lunch at 3pm at this small food stall in the market. Minced chicken with onions and nuts. It was delicious! We continued walking and practically buying something from every shop we visited. Items are so cheap and irresistible. Mainly because it's cheap. Good for birthdays and X'mas. I bought leather keychain straps that can be customsied to your name, bags, accessories, soap and aromatherapy stuff as well as slippers! They are horribly cheap. When we walked out of the market then only we realised many stores were closing and it was dark! Yes, at 6pm. We had to head back to Suk 11 to offload, and prepare our next journey.

Next was Central World (formerly known as World Trade Center). Lingeries are a steal in Thailand. We got our stuff at Isetan. Shopped and walked a little and it was late. End of day 2.

The third day was our last day in Thailand. We had a quick breakfast (yes same things again) and checked out at 11am. Left our luggage behind and took a train to Siam Paragon - Paragon Department Store. Loaded on more lingeries again. This time we had more time to walk around. And what was cool about this mall was it is big, posh and spacious. Of course, since it's posh, everything is pricey. But I like the very cool touch-screen shopper directory.

After Paragon, we proceeded to Siam Square, akin to our Holland Village in Singapore. It had a whole area of small boutiques with the latest fashion in store. Of course, prices here were more expensive compared to Platinum or Chatuchat. Some items were the same. but some slightly better I would say. We didn't eat our lunch again as we were saving our stomach for a 2 hr full body massage at 3pm. Our last stop was Siam Center. We bought shoes again. $8 per pair. Came across this toilet sign that was so interesting I had to snap it.

The massage was refreshing at only $20 - head to toe massage where you could experience the crackling sounds of your bones. Our dinner was Tom Yam Soup and Pineapple Fried Rice at Suk 11.

It started drizzling again. It was 6pm. We quickly got a cab to Bangkok International Suvarnabhumi Airport. There was a terrible horrible jam outside our hostel, which is usually the case in Bangkok city. Our flight was 810pm and we were very worried of missing the flight. I had to report back to work on Tues morning 830am! We kept harassing the cab driver how long the jam would take, and if we could really get to the airport in time. He assured us.. jam would be an hour, and we would reach the airport by 715pm. I felt a little relieved as this was coming from the native. Tried to relax a little.. talked to Karmun about our overall spending trip and before we knew it, we were out of the jam. Passed 2 toll stations (70 baht) in total and the cab fare came to about 270 baht ($11.70) excld. the toll. We reached the airport surprisingly and coindentally at 715pm! We hurried to check in our luggages. Mine was about 6.8kg, from 5.7kg when we first checked in. We felt sooo relieved after checking in. We walked a bit at the airport and did our 7% VAT refund. (yes for overspending!) Goods must be purchased from stores displaying the 'VAT Refund For Tourists' sign. VAT refunds only apply to goods taken out of Thailand within 60 days from the date of purchase. Goods must have a value of at least 5,000 baht (including VAT), and single purchases must have a value of at least 2,000 baht per day.

I was dead tired by the time we were on the plane. And fortunately, the late check in gave us a row 1 seat. More leg room :) My comments for this trip? Bring more cash!

The Italian Job (30 Apr - 10 May 08)

2008-09-25T21:36:00.050+08:00

It was a tough choice between Germany or Italy. I was actually fine with either so we went with the group consensus. It was Wai Fong and Siew Chuin again and it went as far back to 2006 to Russia and 2007 to Czech Republic and Austria.

Some info:

Exchange Rate: 2.145

Price of Package: $3,820 with Pricebreakers (Tradewinds)

30 Apr: SG to Milan

9 May: Rome to SG

It was a gruelling 12 hr 45min flight. I was so tired and dazed from the day's work in order to save a day of leave. I couldn't sleep on the plane so I had a movie marathon of movies like Sex and the City, PS I Love You, Kung Fu Dunk and some others. Torturous!

Finally after the 12th hr we landed in Milan. First stop aws the Duomo di Milano - one of the most famous buildings in Europe. It is a particularly large and elaborate Gothic cathedral on the main square in the city centre of Milan.

Gelato, something which everyone is familiar with, originated from Italy. Gelato means frozen in Italian. It is a type of ice cream. The basic difference between gelato and the usual ice cream is that it doesn't contain as much air, and is therefore more intense in flavour. It is healthier than an ice cream as it is made with all natural ingredients and contains fewer calories and less butter fat. A scoop of 3 flavours typically costs about 3.50 Euro.

Next we visited the area of House of Juliet Museum , where the famous Shakespeare play was held in Verona (I think so!)

On Day 3, we headed for Venice! Known as Venezia in Italian, it is a city in northern Italy. Here, journey through canals lined with palaces, vibrant squares and numerous bridges linking the 117 islands of Venice in gondolas. A gondola is a traditional Venetian sculling boat which were for centuries the chief means of transprotation within Venice. It cost us about 25 Euro for a half hour ride. That's expensive I would say. But for the ocne in a lifetime experience, why not? Since Venice is made up of islands and bridges, it is a zero car zone. Travel to the ferry terminal via your regular transport, then hop onto the boat to get to Venice. There, you will see lotsa people, bridges and gondolas but just no car. Yeah no ERP speed cameras and TP too!

View of Venice from Rialto Bridge

Next we gathered at Piazza San Marco, often known as St Mark's Square which is the principal square of Venice. It is the central landmark and gathering place of Venice and is extremly popular with toursits, photographers and Ventian pigeons. The Piazza has always been seen as the centre of Venice. It was the location of all the important offices of the Venetian state, and has been the seat of the archbishopric since the 19th century. It was also the focus for many of Venice's festivals. The Piazza is dominated by the Basilica, the Doge's Palace and the Basilica's campanile,

You can find fresh fruits everywhere!

Day 4, there was an optional tour to the Factory Outlet where I got my Furla wallet for 36 Euro. There were also brands like Calvin Klein and PRADA. We didn't have much time to shop and there wasn't very exciting brands there.. and everyone complained. So the tour guide had no choice but to bring us to another factory outlet. Well, I guess you can't satisfy everyone. More shopping meant lesser time on sightseeing tours and travelling on the roads.

Next stop was Florence. We visited the Basilicia di Santa Maria del Fiore. It is the cathedral church of Florence. The basicilia is notable for its dome desgiend by Filippo Brunelleschi. This dome has a long history, which I shan't describe here, because I'm not very familiar with it myself!

Masks are very common in Italy but I'm not sure why.

While the local guide took us on a tour in Florence, we noticed that the streets were lined with goldsmith shops. The Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge) is a Medieval bridge over the Amo River, noted for still having shops built along it, as was once common.

Butchers initially occupied the shops, the present tenants are jewellers, art dealers and sourvenir sellers. What we couldn't resist was the aroma of freshly baked waffles!

Carlo Lorenzini, better known as Collodi, was a Florentine children's writer known for the world-renowned fairy tale The Adventures of Pinocchio. So expect to see lotsa pinnocchio souvenirs around.

Here in Italy, you can find lotsa interesting Tshirts and lotsa fake soccer jerseys. Name it and you will have it! Also another common sight is the Italian branded aprons which are so cute to resist. I bought one pasta apron for my domestic helper. She was delighted.

Day 5 was a tour to Pisa, where Leaning Tower of Pisa is located.Pisa is a city in Tuscany, central Italy. Pisa was the birthplace of the important early phycist, Galileo Galilei.

Next stop, Sienna. Picture below was taken by Kar Mun, on our way to Sienna. Sienna is one of the beautiful cities in Tuscany where the colour, Siena Red got its name from as it is built mainly on bricks

The Palio is traditional medieval horse race that is run around the Piazza del Campo (main Square) each year.

Day 6 was a drive to famous walled city of Assisi where Mt Subasio is perched halfway up. (nothing much to mention).

Day 7 was an exciting day for us. We headed to Naples. Do you know that Pizza originated from Naples? It started way back in 18th century where it was common for the poor of the area around Naples to add tomatoes to their yeast-based flat bread. And so, pizza was born. The dish gained popularity and soon Pizza becasme a tourist attraction as visitors pronged to naples to try the local specialty.

We were off to Capri Island for the day. The first point of visit was the Blue Grotto. It is a sea cave on the coast of the island where the sea seems to be lit from underwater. It is a magnificent blue colour, hence the name. Apparently sunlight passes through an underwater cavity and shines through the mineral rich seabed, creating a blue reflection that illuminates the cavern. Not everyone can get a chance to get into the cavern at anytime. It is highly dependent on the tide level for the day.. we were so lucky then.

This was the highest of Monte Solaro, reachable by a chair lift (8 Euro for 12 min panoramic journey).

Al fresco dining on the hill top.

This was our dinner - pizza, fruits, fruit juices and roast chicken. Yum, Yum!

Day 8 - Pompeii was an optional tour which most of us opted for. It was a historic site that was truly worth visiting. It is the excavation site that provided extraordinary detailed insight into the lift of a city at the height of the Roman Empire. Today it is a tourist attraction of Italy and a UNESCO World Heritage Site that was destroyed, completely buried by the ashes of the catastrophic euroption of Mt Vesuvius on 24 Aug 79 AD.

Day 9 was a tour in Rome. My impression of Rome wasn't a very pleasant one. I felt that the streets are stained with graffiti and so crowded. There was hardly any clean and quiet areas where one can stroll for a bit of sightseeing. It was congested like any other city. First stop was the Colossuem, originally the Flavian Amphiteatre. It is an elliptical amphitheatre in the centre of the CIty of Rome, the largest ever built in the Roman Empire. Capable of seating around 50,000 spectators, the Colosseum was used for gladiatorial contests, animal hunts, executions and dramas based on classical mythology and public spectacles. It remained in use for nearly 500 years with the las recorded games being held there as late as the 6th century.

The Trevi Fountain is the largest and most ambitious of the Baroque Fountains of Rome. We tossed coins into the fountain and rumours had it that you will visit Rome again.

Last stop for our trip was the Vatican Musuem which is not to be missed. The museum is the public art and sculpture musuem in the Vatican City which displays works from the extensive collection of the Ronan Catholic Church. According to our guide, Vatican City is a city on its own, with its own system and legislation. What's interesting is it has its own postage labels, and surrounded by walls to demarcate from the rest of the city of Rome.

The Tapestry Gallery and the Gallery of Maps inside the Vatican Museum.

St Peter's Basilica is a great building in the center of Christianity. The opulence of the building's interior bears testimony to the wealth of the catholic church in the 16th century. The largest church in the world, it has a 218 m long nave. The basilica's dome, designed by Michaelangelo, is the largest dome in the world.

The famous Spanish steps.

While waiting for the plane at the airport back to Singapore, I actually bought a mini soccer table for 27 Euro. It was cute as I like playing the real socer table game. I can't find this in Singapore though..

The places I have fond memories of were Capri Island and Sienna. But I probably won't visit Italy so soon again. Food in general is expensive and I can't survive on pasta everyday..... but branded goods like Miu Miu, Prada and Furla are about 30% cheaper.

Mabuhay! Welcome to Philippines (6 - 11 Nov 07)

2007-11-13T23:49:00.007+08:00

Day 1
It had been a very hectic week for me. With a blink of an eye, I was already packing and making my way to the Philippines! I had been sleep deprived for days but I was darn looking forward to it.

Irene and I took the Philippine AIrlines to Manila before heading to Boracay. We simply couldn't believe that we were indeed really on our way to Philippines after months of planning and anticipation. The 3 1/2 hour flight was very intolerable with kids on the right of the aisle, kids behind our seat and kids all around the plane whining, crying and kicking the chairs. We suffered our way through the tiresome journey. We peeled opened our eyes upon arrival and we jumped with zest when the plane touched down the grounds of Manila. Mabuhay! It is an expression used by the Filippinos to say 'Welcome' 'Hello' or greetings. It is also used to exclaim 'long live'.

The hotel representative by the name of Edmund from Heritage Hotel picked us up at the airport. We were in desperate need to visit the loo, and it took us about 10 min to look for one! It was half a round outside the airport entrance and we were busy snapping pictures outside the airport while Edmund was waiting. Coincidentally, the driver assigned for our pickup was also called Edmund. Both Edmunds had been nice to us. One thing about Filipino is they are warm and very hospitable. I guess it's their culture.

There was a slight jam on the roads of Manila at 4 in the afternoon. Despite the jam, we reached Heritage Hotel within 20mins. It wasn't very far from the airport actually.

We unloaded our stuff.. took a breather... and took a walk down the streets outside our hotel. Our first bite was Kenny Rogers. We were dead hungry! Kenny Rogers being Kenny Rogers, we thought we were in for good tasty food. We ordered a chocolate marshmallow muffin with Roast Chicken Sandwich. The food failed big time. We were so hungry but the sandwich wasn't palatable at all. After we filled our growling tummies, we continued to prowl the streets. There were many picture perfect moments on the streets with children beggars sprawling the streets, dusty roads by the sunset, smoky jeepneys emitting harmful soot, taxis and passerbys. The streets were polluted but that's the way of life in the Philippines! Kids came up to us begging for money when they knew we were tourists. My bulky DSLR didn't help and we seemed like the only 2 tourists around. People were hogging around us. I guess there aren't many tourists in the Philippines. We got stares from everyone in the street who saw us. Friendly stares I mean. The kids and adults alike fight to pose in front of our cameras. They got all posey, cheeky and funny all to get our attention. The kids even started to pull my bag, tab my hand and nudge me. The sun set at about 5.30pm and it was challenging to shoot street candids in dim lighting. The streets of Manila were very much like those in Bangkok, with street hawkers selling food and knick knacks. We walked the open air street market for an hour. No time for shopping, just exploring the city and only shooting. We were so captivated by the culture, and the way of life. I think we've been too pampered in Singapore!

We arranged to meet our friend Molly (a friend of Marc, a fellow Filipino in Singapore) in the evening after work. We met Molly at the hotel lobby. No picture no description on how Molly looks like. I was rather amused by the name. He appeared formal and stern in his office wear. The initial meeting was abit tense and apprehensive. but we all lightened up a bit as he drove us around. He brought a friend along who was waiting in the car. Patrick is his name. Patrick seemed young and friendly. Chirpy and energetic. Both Molly and Patrick drove us around the city to visit the Fort Santiago, Philippines Film Center (where it holds Transvestite Shows very much like Thailands Cabarets), Roxas Boulevard and little Spanish Town called Intramuros, where there is still strong Spanish influence in the architecture etc. The sad thing was, it was only 7 in the evening but it was pitch dark. We couldn't see the church nor fort nor the buildings clearly. Manila is interesting and really happening. The restaurants were crowded, there were people everywhere, street lights were colourful and the city is bustling! There's so much to explore and see in Manila.

We settled for dinner by the bay near Roxas Boulevard. Molly and Patrick ordered local food which we wanted to try. We had fried lard! Sizzling Fried Lard in hot plate! Gosh. I don't eat fried lard here. Just a bite was enough. Good experience. Wouldn't qualify myself for Fear Factor. Well at least we tried. We also had Fried Kang Kong, Soup with Tuna Belly and Roast Pork. Well, we were tired so we didn't have much appetite. I must say food in the Philippines is affordable. Had a long chat with the guys.. about volcano, bomb, storms in Philippines, jobs etc etc etc..... we only left at 11+.

Day 2
On day 2, we met the guys again to make our way to Tagaytay City at about 8am in the morning. It was about 2 hour drive. We were heading to visit the Taal Volcano, which was surrounded by another volcano. How amazing! And there was a lake within a lake. Taal Volcano is located about 60 km SSE of Metro Manila. It is a complex volcanic system composed of a small volcanic island (Volcano Island), located within a lake-filled complex caldera. The ridges around Tagaytay and surrounding towns are in fact believed to be part of the crater of the old volcano. Today, these ridges form part of the border of the 18-mile-diameter Taal Lake and stretch 32 kilometers from Mount Batulao to Mount Sungay. I couldn't quite picture it, so I had to see it for myself. I had to google it when I come back. And I heard it's still active. And we are going right to the top to view the crater. Along the way, we stopped at the Mabini shrine - national hero of Philippines. We continued the journey to a resort, where we had a quick lunch and took a boat to the village of Taal. The little village was simple and life was so peaceful and ordinary. People stayed together in the village, with dogs and cats in the household. They had about 100 over donkeys to bring tourists up the volcano everyday. It was a hot afternoon. We got onto our donkeys and started our journey up the volcano (we were actually in fact already on a volcano, remember a volcano within a volcano, and the lake where we took a boat was already a lake in a volcano) I had never ridden on a donkey before so this was a truly memorable experience for me, what's more going up an active volcano. It was difficult for me to balance on the saddle, one hand holding the reign, one hand holding my camera and overall body balacing on the donkey. I took out the cover of my lens and just shot at whatever I saw. I was so worried the donkey might miss a step and trip! The lady guiding the donkey was very kind, and she chatted with me. She was 3 months pregnant, and her husband was sick. She had to do this everyday despite the sun. Donkey riding is fun I must say. The sun was scorching and burning every inch on my skin and scalp. It was about 30min donkey ride up the volcano. There were many tourists along the way. Many thought I was a Korean and they went 'Hello' in Korean. The route was all rocky and unpaved. I was already 80% burnt. We finally reached the top. The view is magnificent! Priceless and awesome! We could see the whole crater, within a larger crater surrounded by the outer volcano. Now I began to understand what it meant by volcano within a volcano. It was worth the ride and burn. We stayed for about 30min or so and I badly needed a loo. The loo on top didn't look very inviting so I endured..... all the way down again. It was another 30min ride down. Took the boat back to the resort and made our way to another stop - Palace in the Sky. Without a doubt this offers the most speculator view of Taal Volcano. According to the Filipinos, Palace in the Sky was the unfinished mansion during the term of former President Ferdinand Marcos. It had since been converted and renamed the People's Park in the Sky. The Palace in the Sky was built for the official state visit of the former US President Ronald Reagan. The Reagan's cancelled their trip due to the general unrest and Marcos' problems at the time. And the mansion was never completed. The spot can be reached after traversing a long winding road uphill. At the gate of the complex, visitors are greeted by the vista of the vast expanse and the cool mountain breeze coming from different directions. I didn't manage to have any time to buy anything from the small souvenir shop downstairs. Thought I could try my luck again elsewhere.....It was almost 5pm and the sun was setting.

We made our way down to have our dinner. It was another 2 hour drive. We settled for local burgers - Jollibee. No, not Jollibean like what we we have here. It's Jollibee, the Filipino version of McDonalds. They have a huge chain of outlets just like McDonalds, if not more. We had to try it. After a hot and sunny morning, it began to pour heavily as we stepped into Jollibee. We had burgers and fries. The Sarsi tasted different. Not sure what's the difference, but it sure was different from our local Sarsi and Root Beer. Their burgers are tasty! Juicy and tasty. Molly drove us to visit his place in Alabang. According to Marc, Alabang is the 2nd top most expensive estate in the Philippines. (I only realised that when we were back in Singapore!) It was like a landed property and he had 2 domestic helpers. I met his wife Janice, and his 3 adorable kids. China, Amanda and Sean. They were such lovely kids! Amanda was very hyperactive when she saw us. We took the chance to download our wonderful photographs onto Molly's PC and we also viewed their pictures taken in Boracay in 2006. Janice ordered pizza and we were told to bring a box back to our hotel in case we were hungry. Gosh we've been pigging out alot ever since we came to the Philippines. We headed back to our hotel at 10+ and it was late for both Molly and Patrick as they needed an hour drive home from our hotel. We felt really bad..

Day 3
We had to wake up early to make our way to the airport to Kalibo. To get to Boracay, we had to take a domestic flight from Manila to Kalibo Airport, take a 2hr ride van to Caticlan ferry terminal (like our Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal) which was near the Caticlan Airport then a 10min boat ride to Boracay terminal. From Boracay terminal, it was another 10 min van ride to our hotel. It was tiring!!! To our surprise, it was very touristy in Boracay. There were many other fellow Filipinos, Koreans, Asians and what have you on the island. I thought it was not as commercialised and touristy as Cebu, but I guess I was wrong. There were many shops on the island and the cluster of shops was called D'Mall. It was an area where they have a minimart, surf shops, spas and lots of F&B outlets. You will be spoilt for choice. The van stopped by the road and the porter had to carry our luggage and walked us on the sand for another 5min to our Sun Village Resort. It was a very small resort which could be easily missed anytime. We were abit disappointed at the room. It was small and had only one queen size bed for both of us. There was not much walking space. No dressing table. No tables. The bathroom was small and limited on facilities. We began to appreciate our Heritage Hotel. Thank god we were only there for 2 nights. We unpacked our stuff and walked to the beach. It was heavenly! Pristine white beach with clean sand. The sand was very fine and the water was very clear. The island was very crowded. The long stretch of island was dotted with many F&B outlets, outdoor massage areas, shops and tourists. It was really very commercialised and not quite what I expected. But I enjoyed the waters and spectacular beach. We wanted to book our water sports activities but there was very strong competition from each sea sport shop. The sea sport coordinators all followed us up and down the beach trying to sell their package to us in their not-so-perfect and difficult-to-understand English. We tried to bargain and get the best price with alot of haggling done. We finally settled for 1800 peso ($60) Jet skii for 2 of us, 2400 peso ($80) beginner diving each, ATV and Parasailing. We did Jet skii and Parasailing on our first day at Boracay. The sun was setting and it was a perfect moment to do Parasailing. I felt like I was flying in the sky. It was very peaceful, tranquil and quiet in the air, where the sun was setting by the horizon. The sky was orange and beautiful. No words could better describe it. I looked down at the waters and it was darn scary! What if I fall???? The ride took about 20min while Irene waited on the boat. As it came to an end, the boat driver slowed down and let me take a dip in the waters with my parachute still on. It was fun. Next was the Jet skii. As it was already dark, it was a bit difficult to Jet skii at that hour. I didn't have a good sense of balance so Irene took charge of the Jet skii. We sped like there was no tomorrow! At night, we had dinner at Cafe Del Mar. The grilled chicken meal only cost me about $8! It was nice to dine by the beach, on the sand. We also invited the island boys for a drink - the boat driver and Aman who sold us the package after the 30min negotation.

The nightlife is beautiful at Boracay. It was a total transformation from day to night. At night, colourful lights illuminated the beach. Lanterns hung from the trees and the colours from the pubs brought the beach to life! It was vibrant. After Cafe Del Mar, the island boys brought us to CocoManga. It was a hip discotheque on the island. There were many Filipinos. I tried San Mig Light (San Miguel). We were dead tired by 11 so we headed back to the hotel.

Day 4
The itinerary for next morning was diving! I've always had fear for the unknown in the deep waters. But I decided to try it since I was in Boracay and I've always wanted to try something different in my life. Life is short, so do whatever you can while you are still able to. I plucked up the courage and went for it. There was a 20min video session followed by a thorough lesson by the Dutch instructor, Angela. I felt like worms were crawling in me as I was still eefy about the dive. We put on our dive suit which took us 10min! It was thick and heavy. We had already burnt enough calories while putting it on. We then carried our oxygen tank, flippers, mask with the dive jacket worn on and walked to the beach - beginner on shallow waters. It weighed a ton! I was so afraid I would fall backward and hurt myself. It was really heavy. Then, I tried my first dive in the shallow waters. I had alot of difficulty inhaling and exhaling. Angela told me I was anxious and I was hyperventilating. I tried to calm down and took regular breaths. I tried to equalize my ears and went a bit deeper. I felt giddy and faintish. Maybe it was motion sickness. I gave myself several chances and went down again to prove myself wrong. I couldn't take it. I left midway and headed back to the shores. It was a torture for me, and I will never dive again. Or attempt to dive! I took off the jacket and the ever-so-heavy oxygen tank and sat by the beach to wait for Irene. She went deeper and deeper into the waters. She had to give up halfway too because she got panicky in the waters that made Angela worried for a deeper water dive. In her frantic moment during equalizing, she pulled away her regulator! That was the last straw for Angela. Angela had been very kind and patient to both of us so we decided to pay the full amount for the dive though we didn't finish it. What a waste for us. Anyway I'm proud to say that at least I attempted diving! As Irene went back up for a shower, I took a dip and swam at the beach. It was hot, but I didn't manage to get a good tan. Again, time wasn't on my side.

After lunch we did a bit of shopping around. We didn't have much time to shop so I grabbed whatever souvenirs I could see along the beach and went for our ATV session. It was actually driving a rugged vehicle on the off beaten track in Boracay. It was all sandy and full of rocks in the treacherous dirty road. It was fun, but tiring as the roads were all bumpy. The whole ride took us 1 hr but to our surprise (which Aman didn't inform us) the instructor took us to Mt Luho. The highest point on Boracay, Mount Luho rises to an altitude of about 100 meters above sea level. The panoramic view from the top makes the demanding climb (or ATV ride) worthwhile, though travelers are well advised to exercise caution in undertaking the ascent. On top of Mt Luho, there was a wooden viewing deck (that was a bit dangerous) where we would see the ENTIRE BORACAY ISLAND! It was magnicent. We realised we were only walking up and down a small tiny portion of our beach when we saw the entire island right beneath our feet. This view was fantastic. Simply breathtaking.... and it was a view to die for.

When we reached the beach, Irene wanted to do a 2nd round of jet skii. It was late and all the drivers were off work. There wasn't any Jet skii available but one driver took advantage of the situation to charge us 2000 peso. Of course Irene didn't take it. In the evening we tried the Choco Banana Milkshake at Jonah's. It's a must try for all tourists on Boracay island. hmmmm yum. We ended the night early as we had to head back to Manila rather early the next day. We were truly exhausted.

Day 5
We took a morning flight back to Manila. The vans and coaches were waiting by the ferry terminal at Boracay (and we almost got into the wrong coach cos I said 'to Caticlan Airport'! luckily Irene corrected me).... it was another 2 hour draining ride to the Kalibo Airport. We reached Manila at about 1pm. Had lunch at Mcdonalds (just had to try the McDonalds in different countries) It wasn't as tasty as ours. But it was a good experience! We visited the Baclaran Church, also known as Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Patrick told us that miracles happen at this church. We prayed and lit the candles. Irene bought some rosaries for her family and got it blessed by the priest there. After that, we took a cab to SM Mall of Asia, the largest mall in the Philippines. We only had 2 hours of shopping before meeting the guys for dinner. We started off with the supermarket where I bought mineral water, sky flakes (one of their local favourite) and gums. We walked around a bit and was pretty surprised by the tight security in and around the mall. When we entered, we had our bags checked. When we stepped into one of the boutque, there was a security guard on duty. I felt safe. I managed to grab a few stuff at very good prices. But after the walking and shopping, we were only at probably one third of the entire mall. I managed to capture some pictures of the Olympic size ice skating rink. It seemed fun! Molly and Janice met us at the boutique Maldita. That was when my credit card could no longer be used. I had overspent! And it was only three times in a day. Okay that meant no more shopping. We had dinner at a Japanese Restaurant at the mall. We chatted till 11pm and we were the last customers of the day. Molly and Pat were so sweet. They gave each of us a gift. We also gave them a packet of dried mangoes and biscuits from Boracay. Pat drove us back to our hotels at 12mn and he joined us at our hotel for a chat. We wanted to check out the casino at Heritage Hotel. The hotel and the streets outside seemed empty, but the casino was different! It was packed! Everyone seemed alive at 1am and energetic at the tables but we were all tired. Pat was nice to offer to bring us around on our last day on Sunday to Makati. It was already 1+ in the morning and he had to go through an hour drive home. He suggested meeting at 8 the next day, but somehow it become 10am :)

Day 6
It was already day 6, which meant it was the end of our trip. We had a 240pm flight to catch so the morning tour was quite rushing for us. Patrick brought his cousin along for the tour to Makati. It is the major financial, commercial and economical hub in the Philippines, often referred to as the financial capital of the Philippines since many global companies have their offices and headquarters in the city. Makati is noted for its highly cosmopolitan culture, also being a major cultural and entertainment hub in Metro Manila. Many expatriates live and work in the city. Makati is also home to many first-class shopping malls, which are located at Ayala Center and Rockwell Center. The city also has many of the country's five-star hotels like The Peninsula, the Shangri-la Hotel Makati and the Intercontinental Hotel Manila. We visited the shopping malls - Glorietta where the bomb took place 2 weeks before our arrival and the shops around. We had lunch at Chowking - a chain managed by the owners of Jollibee - which served express Chinese food. It was interesting. A plate of fried rice cost us 60 peso ($2). The total bill for 4 of us was only 402 peso ($13) and Irene and I each forked out only $6.50 for the guys with drinks! Food is really affordable in the Philippines. After lunch we made our way to the airport. It rained when we were leaving. We bade goodbye to the guys. My heart was filled with sadness as I had to leave this beautiful country and part with the wonderful people I've met during this trip. They made our trip so perfect and fulfilling.

The lady at the check-in counter told us there wasn't any flight back to Singapore anymore! We almost fainted. We had to catch our breath. I had to rush for a wedding dinner that evening. After some checking she managed to give us a seat, but separated. I didn't mind as long as we have a seat. We met another fellow Singaporean who was doing videographing and humanitarian work in the Philippines. The plane took off at 330pm and we were soon back home at 645pm.

It was back to reality for me.

Before I end off the chapter on Philippines, here's a few basic conversational Tagalog which are useful to learn:

Hello: Mabuhay
How Are You: Kumusta Ka
Good Morning: Magandang Umaga
Good Afternoon:Magandanghapon
Good Evening: Magandang gabi
Beautiful: Maganda Ka
Expensive: Mahal
How Much: Magkano
Thank You: Salamat
Thank You Very Much: Maraming Maraming Salamat