Saturday, April 25, 2009
Auckland: Review and Others
First of all, a great news to share: I have been offered a scholarship for my graduate studies!!
This really solves all previous worry of potential money woes, especially coming of The Event. The interview was a little tough and I felt a bit like I was defending my dissertation. But God brought me through it all. I think I have become more and more argumentative and able to defend my points. Maybe I should consider law as my profession? Hehehe. Anyway I have never thought of myself as a scholar material...at least not by the standard of my results during the school years. A few saving graces might have contributed to me being awarded the scholarship...one of which was the fact that I had applied for a local degree. Hearing about people leaving for overseas degrees made me a little sian in the sense that I do wish I have a chance to study abroad as well. Especially after the recent stint in the States. Sigh. But I guess it is not to be. At least, I don't think I can sacrifice that much to let it be. One cannot be too greedy in life, I always think. In the age where individuality is prized above the collective, I still hold on to the belief that we must be considerate towards our loved ones and people we meet.
Let's talk about Auckland!
My work there went exceptionally well, to my greatest surprise. But then again, recently God has showered me with exceptionally wonderful blessing. It is wonderful, especially after spending the last two years or so with much challenges, sometimes working hard with no fruit of the labor to be seen.
The hosts there were exceptionally nice, especially this charming lady. I realise that the thing with Caucasians is that you gotta speak up and prove yourself. After that, everything went very well and I did not even really had to come out of my usually introverted self, because people just keep coming up to introduce themselves to me. I followed a bunch for various dinners, which was fun, despite the fact that I don't drink, which was quite a bummer especially when you are going with Caucasians, but health is at stake.
About fun! Auckland is not exactly the most fun place to be. In fact, it reminded me of Australia, which is somewhere I am not exactly keen on going back to, save for Tasmania. Even the much-famed Harbour was pretty blah, unless you are seeing it from a cruise or on board a heli. I made the right choice in going to Waiheke Island and taking the normal tour. But it was nothing to rave about either. The island was full of little beaches, houses built on steep cliffs (architectural marvel!) and of course, vineyards. The people there are also incredibly artistic, with little shops selling some pretty crafts. Auckland also sell some of the prettiest soft toys I have ever seen. But when the time came for me to utilise my full-day bus pass, I was at a loss as to where to go. The others on the tour stopped for only some refreshments too. And when the bus came to take us back to the harbour, we all hopped on. Or should I say, hobbled on. Because I noticed that, not only was I the only Asian on the island, I was also the youngest person there. All other visitors were retirees, some of whom had to rely on crutches etc. I was particularly impressed by this old man, who managed to make his way everywhere on his crutch and looked cheerful all the time.
Anyway, back I went to the city and had Valentino's gelato, which was perpetually full of customers. I am not sure if I ordered the wrong flavour, but I was not particularly impressed with my cone, with a caramel toffeeish flavour and passion fruit. Should have ordered chocolate instead. I don't have an adventurous taste bud. One of my friends during the trip had told me that she spent 2 years in Naples and Valentino's taste exactly like the gelato in Italy. I remember mine in Rome tasted way better, but it might have been the cold chilling me.
Speaking of taste bud, I found a fantastic restaurant serving ramen that tasted like Golden Dragon in Osaka!!!! So happy was I that I went thrice to Daikoku Ramen. If you wanna try it, it's at the intersection between Albert Street and Victoria Street in Auckland...I forgot the street name. I regretted trying the katsudon on my last night there...the ramen was wayyyy superior! Alas, I no longer had the space in my tummy for the ramen. The service was also great...every employee was Japanese. Prices were very reasonable too...about S$ 10 for a large bowl of ramen. I had ramen Santouka at Central upon coming back to SG, but for $19.50, it did not even compare to Daikoku Ramen. I would go back to Auckland for the ramen alone hehehe...
One place which everyone, especially tourists should avoid going to is the Victoria Park Market. Upon reaching Victoria Park, I was already disappointed. They should have called it Victoria Field instead, because that was all there was to it. You get the picture. The market was even worse. It was basically a group of little shops selling things of lousy materials which you can find in places all over Asia Pacific. The only one perhaps worth looking at is this stall of vintage clothing. But if you are petite like me, you will likely not to find anything you can fit in.
If you are into parks, Albert Park is a place you should not miss. It was a small but tranquil little park with pretty flowers and some statues, including one of Queen Victoria (in Albert Park, geddit?). There was also a clock tower of University of Auckland above the park...very beautiful! There are some art galleries near the Park, which I went to. Like the creativity of the people there. I aspire to use art galleries as inspiration for my house.
The Auckland Domain is also a must visit, but due to my momentary blurness, I walked all the way there and lost all energy by the time I got there hehe. It was also a pity not to able to see Auckland War Museum there.
Queen Street was not bad for shopping, but then I missed Newmarket because I waited till too late to go there. Queen St. was the nearest to my hotel, so I had more opportunities to check it out. Supre is a very affordable New Zealand fashion brand, although I find the material not too good. Glasson is slightly pricier but still very affordable. Parnell is a very pretty area with Victorian-inspired shops.
This really solves all previous worry of potential money woes, especially coming of The Event. The interview was a little tough and I felt a bit like I was defending my dissertation. But God brought me through it all. I think I have become more and more argumentative and able to defend my points. Maybe I should consider law as my profession? Hehehe. Anyway I have never thought of myself as a scholar material...at least not by the standard of my results during the school years. A few saving graces might have contributed to me being awarded the scholarship...one of which was the fact that I had applied for a local degree. Hearing about people leaving for overseas degrees made me a little sian in the sense that I do wish I have a chance to study abroad as well. Especially after the recent stint in the States. Sigh. But I guess it is not to be. At least, I don't think I can sacrifice that much to let it be. One cannot be too greedy in life, I always think. In the age where individuality is prized above the collective, I still hold on to the belief that we must be considerate towards our loved ones and people we meet.
Let's talk about Auckland!
My work there went exceptionally well, to my greatest surprise. But then again, recently God has showered me with exceptionally wonderful blessing. It is wonderful, especially after spending the last two years or so with much challenges, sometimes working hard with no fruit of the labor to be seen.
The hosts there were exceptionally nice, especially this charming lady. I realise that the thing with Caucasians is that you gotta speak up and prove yourself. After that, everything went very well and I did not even really had to come out of my usually introverted self, because people just keep coming up to introduce themselves to me. I followed a bunch for various dinners, which was fun, despite the fact that I don't drink, which was quite a bummer especially when you are going with Caucasians, but health is at stake.
About fun! Auckland is not exactly the most fun place to be. In fact, it reminded me of Australia, which is somewhere I am not exactly keen on going back to, save for Tasmania. Even the much-famed Harbour was pretty blah, unless you are seeing it from a cruise or on board a heli. I made the right choice in going to Waiheke Island and taking the normal tour. But it was nothing to rave about either. The island was full of little beaches, houses built on steep cliffs (architectural marvel!) and of course, vineyards. The people there are also incredibly artistic, with little shops selling some pretty crafts. Auckland also sell some of the prettiest soft toys I have ever seen. But when the time came for me to utilise my full-day bus pass, I was at a loss as to where to go. The others on the tour stopped for only some refreshments too. And when the bus came to take us back to the harbour, we all hopped on. Or should I say, hobbled on. Because I noticed that, not only was I the only Asian on the island, I was also the youngest person there. All other visitors were retirees, some of whom had to rely on crutches etc. I was particularly impressed by this old man, who managed to make his way everywhere on his crutch and looked cheerful all the time.
Anyway, back I went to the city and had Valentino's gelato, which was perpetually full of customers. I am not sure if I ordered the wrong flavour, but I was not particularly impressed with my cone, with a caramel toffeeish flavour and passion fruit. Should have ordered chocolate instead. I don't have an adventurous taste bud. One of my friends during the trip had told me that she spent 2 years in Naples and Valentino's taste exactly like the gelato in Italy. I remember mine in Rome tasted way better, but it might have been the cold chilling me.
Speaking of taste bud, I found a fantastic restaurant serving ramen that tasted like Golden Dragon in Osaka!!!! So happy was I that I went thrice to Daikoku Ramen. If you wanna try it, it's at the intersection between Albert Street and Victoria Street in Auckland...I forgot the street name. I regretted trying the katsudon on my last night there...the ramen was wayyyy superior! Alas, I no longer had the space in my tummy for the ramen. The service was also great...every employee was Japanese. Prices were very reasonable too...about S$ 10 for a large bowl of ramen. I had ramen Santouka at Central upon coming back to SG, but for $19.50, it did not even compare to Daikoku Ramen. I would go back to Auckland for the ramen alone hehehe...
One place which everyone, especially tourists should avoid going to is the Victoria Park Market. Upon reaching Victoria Park, I was already disappointed. They should have called it Victoria Field instead, because that was all there was to it. You get the picture. The market was even worse. It was basically a group of little shops selling things of lousy materials which you can find in places all over Asia Pacific. The only one perhaps worth looking at is this stall of vintage clothing. But if you are petite like me, you will likely not to find anything you can fit in.
If you are into parks, Albert Park is a place you should not miss. It was a small but tranquil little park with pretty flowers and some statues, including one of Queen Victoria (in Albert Park, geddit?). There was also a clock tower of University of Auckland above the park...very beautiful! There are some art galleries near the Park, which I went to. Like the creativity of the people there. I aspire to use art galleries as inspiration for my house.
The Auckland Domain is also a must visit, but due to my momentary blurness, I walked all the way there and lost all energy by the time I got there hehe. It was also a pity not to able to see Auckland War Museum there.
Queen Street was not bad for shopping, but then I missed Newmarket because I waited till too late to go there. Queen St. was the nearest to my hotel, so I had more opportunities to check it out. Supre is a very affordable New Zealand fashion brand, although I find the material not too good. Glasson is slightly pricier but still very affordable. Parnell is a very pretty area with Victorian-inspired shops.
Labels: Saya Affairs, Travel Diary
Friday, March 27, 2009
To New Zealand I go
I am leaving for Auckland tonight. Am actually feeling terribly nervous yet jaded and a whole host of other emotions. Just blogging as I think this may help calm myself down somewhat.
In my previous post about DC, I forgot to mention that I flew via ANA (All Nippon Airways). Yes, after watching the Jap drama starring Kimura Takuya as an ANA pilot a few years ago, my bro and I were actually really hoping to experience taking the plane that the actor supposedly flew in the drama. Well I must say that our expectations were much heightened, although the flights were still enjoyable ones overall. The food onboard truly left much to be desired, although most are still edible. Service, though, was impeccable. I fly very frequently and have experienced many different airlines, however I have yet to encounter one that provide service the way ANA does. The flight stewardesses were impeccably dressed and never seemed to have a hair out of place. Their make-up were thick, but tastefully applied. They all possessed grace in form and feature that were seldom seen in other places, especially those in European airlines, who often had this hard, standoffish veneer about them. The ANA stewardesses, on the contrary, were always full of smiles. There was never a time when I felt that my requests burdened them in any way. But plane-wise, I would think that SIA, Emirates or even Qatar Airways are newer and more comfortable. This goes for their inflight entertainment system as well.
In my previous post about DC, I forgot to mention that I flew via ANA (All Nippon Airways). Yes, after watching the Jap drama starring Kimura Takuya as an ANA pilot a few years ago, my bro and I were actually really hoping to experience taking the plane that the actor supposedly flew in the drama. Well I must say that our expectations were much heightened, although the flights were still enjoyable ones overall. The food onboard truly left much to be desired, although most are still edible. Service, though, was impeccable. I fly very frequently and have experienced many different airlines, however I have yet to encounter one that provide service the way ANA does. The flight stewardesses were impeccably dressed and never seemed to have a hair out of place. Their make-up were thick, but tastefully applied. They all possessed grace in form and feature that were seldom seen in other places, especially those in European airlines, who often had this hard, standoffish veneer about them. The ANA stewardesses, on the contrary, were always full of smiles. There was never a time when I felt that my requests burdened them in any way. But plane-wise, I would think that SIA, Emirates or even Qatar Airways are newer and more comfortable. This goes for their inflight entertainment system as well.
Labels: Saya Affairs, Travel Diary
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Travel Diary: Washington DC
Raine asked me for my blog address last week. Which reminded me that I haven't been updating it for a long time. Not that anybody will be following it. But blogging is still therapeutic as a form of journaling one's life. Not that I write down every detail of my life on it. Perhaps I am just the sort who likes to have the best of both worlds: to be in tune with modern technology and way of life yet still maintain the privacy and accompanying peace that comes from not putting up your whole life online.
Life is hectic for no rhyme or reason. Okay, there has been one main reason, which I am not discussing online. But another is that I am flying away (yet again!!!) to New Zealand on Friday. My last trip to Washington DC was great, but shameful in the sense that I couldn't be present for two of my dearest friends' birthdays. For one, I was too stingy to even message a happy birthday, thinking that I can do it when I touch down. Well, as you can guess, it never did materialise as I became too caught up with doing up reports and trying to regain rest. Some friend, you think. Yes, I fully admit to being a crummy one.
And guess what! It is going to happen again, except that it will be on my birthday. Hahaha. I have already postponed one invitation and I doubt the kind peeps will remember to make up for it when I return. Anyhow, retribution for the lousy friend (me).
Anyway, just a little bit about my Washington DC and post trip. Traveling abroad does broaden one's horizon and perspectives, especially when it comes to work. I did not truly deserve it, but my boss is a kindly old fellow who believes in grooming his subordinates. It felt a bit strange at first to be spending some time overseas with a superior, but soon, the ice broke. I guess I also learnt that I really ought to open my mouth more and make small talk as well as big.
DC as a city is lovely. But my first day there was miserable. Felt lonely, frightened and cold. Contrary to my fears, I did not actually suffer from jet lag in the sense of confusing day and night. But my appetite did. I couldn't eat anything other than soupy stuff, which didn't help considering that it was minus one degree celcius. After a futile half an hour of trying to feed myself beef pho in a Viet restaurant at M Street, I left behind most of the pho and only barely managed to finish the beef and most of the soup. And I resorted to buying Campbell's soup for dinner. Actually it was pretty therapeutic for the condition: Campbell's Chicken Soup with Rice. I loved the fact that my hotel room was equipped with a large refrigerator and stove, with pots, pans and cutlery. It even had a dishwashing machine and microwave oven! It was in fact the most comfortable room I've ever had, with two TVs, a lounge sofa, iron and board. The single beds were huge, almost the size of a queen-size. I still dream of sleeping there...uber comfy! If there had been one more person staying with me, it would have been ideal.
I spent the 1st day buying Kate Spade wallet, as ordered by a relative, after which I was too incapacitated against the wind and cold to move. After putting on a thicker coat and another set of wool sweater, I felt strong enough to walk to the neighboring street to buy a local phone. The shop was located underground. I felt a bit disturbed when I realised that I was the only girl in the shop and most of them were of ...uh...different ethnicities, to put it in the Singaporean way. I even got teased a bit, but I figured that those were harmless and it was still in the day. Anyway the local line was well-utilised and saved me a great deal of money, as I found out later.
But I must have been quite a sight, in my specs and borrowed Russian military-like overcoat. The next morning, I made my way to the National Mall like that. Perhaps some members of the CIA did found me a little suspicious, for all I knew. The DC Metro was very user-friendly. I quickly figured out the way to buy tickets and go to my destinations. The only issue I had with the Dupont Circle Metro was that it was very deep in, thus making the elevator ride in rather precarious. Not the best thing for someone with fear of heights.
The first view of the US Capitol was WOW!!! "I am in the United States of America!!!!!!!!!" That was how I felt. Although the Smithsonian Institute was tantalisingly close to the Metro exit, I decided to plough my way to the Capitol. It was a Sunday morning with slight drizzle and strong wind. And it was a long walk to the Capitol building. I did not realise the extent of the size of the National Mall until I walked around it. To cut the long story short, I reached the Capitol, stared at it for all it was worth, and went to the Air and Space Museum. If you haven't been there, you should!!! The Museum was a great mixture of interactive and informative exhibits. I also had my first solid food for the day: McDonald's cinnamon melts and hot cocoa, which was quickly digested in the cold weather. My appetite was slowly recovering, but not quite fast enough.
I ploughed on to the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Korean War Memorial before heading back via the Metro to meet my friend. We went to Krammers Book store, which is one of the more popular book stores in DC. DC has many, many book stores due to its intellectual atmosphere. Sadly, the ongoing economic crisis had apparently forced some old ones to close down. In the course of my visit, I was also to visit the Barnes and Noble at M Street and Books-a-Million.
I have also grown to love DC's pharmacies such as CVS, as they sell practically everything you need to survive. Their over-the-counter drug section were pretty amazing...vast and some of the things you wouldn't easily obtain here. I was very happy with the Carmex for Cold Sores lip balm I bought. Celebrities in magazines have raved about it for many years, but it was only then I realised how good it was. Very moisturising, yet not too rich, with a nice smell. I regretted not buying more while I was there.
I liked the American people, despite having a less-than-wonderful impression about them previously. They loved communicating and I could then understand why Asians could have been viewed with some suspicion due to our reserved nature. I always try to shake out of my quiet nature to return their greetings and try to find things to say. This applied not only to the official people we met, but also shopkeepers, waitresses etc. Perhaps I really should have studied there.
I would certainly have loved to study in Georgetown University. The whole area was lined with charming old houses, many renovated and re-painted. Perhaps for my Phd?? Oh well.
I found the quality of American-made apparel very different from what you get in this part of the world. The clothes I bought there are made with thicker and higher grade material. As a confession, I declare that I am now an Urban Outfitters addict. Loved its many labels and indie tinge! I actually spent close to 3 hours trying to decide what to buy *lol*. Way better than buying Coach bags, which designs I find rather generic.
With regards to the Chinese restaurants, yes, like what they wrote in story books, they give out fortune cookies!! My first one wrote: "You are about to inherit a large fortune." I laughed out so loudly that my boss was rather alarmed. There were not many Chinese in DC in general, save for a Mee Wah restaurant, where all the waiters appeared to be first-generation immigrants from Taiwan. I found the tipping system rather confusing, not to mention a hassle at times. But I guess it does improve service, to some extent.
I hope that this would not be the last time I visit the States as I guess I am beginning to buy into the American Dream hahha.
Life is hectic for no rhyme or reason. Okay, there has been one main reason, which I am not discussing online. But another is that I am flying away (yet again!!!) to New Zealand on Friday. My last trip to Washington DC was great, but shameful in the sense that I couldn't be present for two of my dearest friends' birthdays. For one, I was too stingy to even message a happy birthday, thinking that I can do it when I touch down. Well, as you can guess, it never did materialise as I became too caught up with doing up reports and trying to regain rest. Some friend, you think. Yes, I fully admit to being a crummy one.
And guess what! It is going to happen again, except that it will be on my birthday. Hahaha. I have already postponed one invitation and I doubt the kind peeps will remember to make up for it when I return. Anyhow, retribution for the lousy friend (me).
Anyway, just a little bit about my Washington DC and post trip. Traveling abroad does broaden one's horizon and perspectives, especially when it comes to work. I did not truly deserve it, but my boss is a kindly old fellow who believes in grooming his subordinates. It felt a bit strange at first to be spending some time overseas with a superior, but soon, the ice broke. I guess I also learnt that I really ought to open my mouth more and make small talk as well as big.
DC as a city is lovely. But my first day there was miserable. Felt lonely, frightened and cold. Contrary to my fears, I did not actually suffer from jet lag in the sense of confusing day and night. But my appetite did. I couldn't eat anything other than soupy stuff, which didn't help considering that it was minus one degree celcius. After a futile half an hour of trying to feed myself beef pho in a Viet restaurant at M Street, I left behind most of the pho and only barely managed to finish the beef and most of the soup. And I resorted to buying Campbell's soup for dinner. Actually it was pretty therapeutic for the condition: Campbell's Chicken Soup with Rice. I loved the fact that my hotel room was equipped with a large refrigerator and stove, with pots, pans and cutlery. It even had a dishwashing machine and microwave oven! It was in fact the most comfortable room I've ever had, with two TVs, a lounge sofa, iron and board. The single beds were huge, almost the size of a queen-size. I still dream of sleeping there...uber comfy! If there had been one more person staying with me, it would have been ideal.
I spent the 1st day buying Kate Spade wallet, as ordered by a relative, after which I was too incapacitated against the wind and cold to move. After putting on a thicker coat and another set of wool sweater, I felt strong enough to walk to the neighboring street to buy a local phone. The shop was located underground. I felt a bit disturbed when I realised that I was the only girl in the shop and most of them were of ...uh...different ethnicities, to put it in the Singaporean way. I even got teased a bit, but I figured that those were harmless and it was still in the day. Anyway the local line was well-utilised and saved me a great deal of money, as I found out later.
But I must have been quite a sight, in my specs and borrowed Russian military-like overcoat. The next morning, I made my way to the National Mall like that. Perhaps some members of the CIA did found me a little suspicious, for all I knew. The DC Metro was very user-friendly. I quickly figured out the way to buy tickets and go to my destinations. The only issue I had with the Dupont Circle Metro was that it was very deep in, thus making the elevator ride in rather precarious. Not the best thing for someone with fear of heights.
The first view of the US Capitol was WOW!!! "I am in the United States of America!!!!!!!!!" That was how I felt. Although the Smithsonian Institute was tantalisingly close to the Metro exit, I decided to plough my way to the Capitol. It was a Sunday morning with slight drizzle and strong wind. And it was a long walk to the Capitol building. I did not realise the extent of the size of the National Mall until I walked around it. To cut the long story short, I reached the Capitol, stared at it for all it was worth, and went to the Air and Space Museum. If you haven't been there, you should!!! The Museum was a great mixture of interactive and informative exhibits. I also had my first solid food for the day: McDonald's cinnamon melts and hot cocoa, which was quickly digested in the cold weather. My appetite was slowly recovering, but not quite fast enough.
I ploughed on to the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Korean War Memorial before heading back via the Metro to meet my friend. We went to Krammers Book store, which is one of the more popular book stores in DC. DC has many, many book stores due to its intellectual atmosphere. Sadly, the ongoing economic crisis had apparently forced some old ones to close down. In the course of my visit, I was also to visit the Barnes and Noble at M Street and Books-a-Million.
I have also grown to love DC's pharmacies such as CVS, as they sell practically everything you need to survive. Their over-the-counter drug section were pretty amazing...vast and some of the things you wouldn't easily obtain here. I was very happy with the Carmex for Cold Sores lip balm I bought. Celebrities in magazines have raved about it for many years, but it was only then I realised how good it was. Very moisturising, yet not too rich, with a nice smell. I regretted not buying more while I was there.
I liked the American people, despite having a less-than-wonderful impression about them previously. They loved communicating and I could then understand why Asians could have been viewed with some suspicion due to our reserved nature. I always try to shake out of my quiet nature to return their greetings and try to find things to say. This applied not only to the official people we met, but also shopkeepers, waitresses etc. Perhaps I really should have studied there.
I would certainly have loved to study in Georgetown University. The whole area was lined with charming old houses, many renovated and re-painted. Perhaps for my Phd?? Oh well.
I found the quality of American-made apparel very different from what you get in this part of the world. The clothes I bought there are made with thicker and higher grade material. As a confession, I declare that I am now an Urban Outfitters addict. Loved its many labels and indie tinge! I actually spent close to 3 hours trying to decide what to buy *lol*. Way better than buying Coach bags, which designs I find rather generic.
With regards to the Chinese restaurants, yes, like what they wrote in story books, they give out fortune cookies!! My first one wrote: "You are about to inherit a large fortune." I laughed out so loudly that my boss was rather alarmed. There were not many Chinese in DC in general, save for a Mee Wah restaurant, where all the waiters appeared to be first-generation immigrants from Taiwan. I found the tipping system rather confusing, not to mention a hassle at times. But I guess it does improve service, to some extent.
I hope that this would not be the last time I visit the States as I guess I am beginning to buy into the American Dream hahha.
Labels: Saya Affairs, Travel Diary
Friday, February 20, 2009
Washington DC!
I'll be flying off for work trip to Washington DC tonight. The weather is freezing, but I'm excited to be in the US, and in the capital city, no less! Looking forward to the transit at Narita Airport too.
Labels: Saya Affairs, Travel Diary
Friday, November 21, 2008
Ho Chi Minh City!
Raine and I decided to go on a trip to HCM as Tiger Airways was having a 4 cents promotion. Our ticket costed just $177 per person! Overall, we liked HCM better than Hanoi.
The view upon landing was already promising. The new airport, completed just last year,resembled Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport, albeit much less crowded and not much shops and eateries within.
The roads in HCM were wider than those in Hanoi. And, although there were more vehicles, especially motorcycles, there, somehow it was not as chaotic. Still, crossing the roads were hazardous operations and we always held hands in fear! Hahaha.
The food was cheap and great! I actually took pictures of ALL the food we ate and still drool whenever I see them. While in Hanoi, we got all the Chinese-like food, HCM has all the 'authentic' (ok, as a historian, I know this is a really subjective phrase, but for the lack of a better word!) food like rice paper spring rolls and pho (rice noodles). Vietnamese uses a lot of vegetables in their cuisine and I like it! Developed a liking for basil leaves, which they provide with every dish. We also tried banh xeo (pancake with pork and shrimp inside) and other stuff. On recommendation, we went to Santa Lucia, an Italian restaurant with lovely ambience and lovelier food. The restaurant reminded me of wanting a boudoir-style deco in black and purple for my room next time hmmm. For anyone interested in trying many Vietnamese food from all the regions at one go, Guan An Ngon is a good place to visit.
Most of HCM's tourist attractions did not interest us that much, unfortunately. I liked the colonial French buildings such as the City Hall, Notre Dame Cathedral (the statue of the Virgin Mary was alleged to shed tears of blood last year), Opera House and the Post Office. HCM is definitely much more cosmopolitan and still retains some of that colonial buildings and charm.
The Cao Dai Temple, which I have heard so much about in Prof Lockhart's lectures, was pretty interesting as well. However, the journey there was really long, about more than 1 and a half hour. And the ceremony was rather boring to watch. I guess I was really eager to see the syncretism part, which was the defining feature of the faith. But you could be forgiven for thinking that nothing beyond Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism were part of the syncretism. I could hardly observe the Christian element, although a plaque told us that Victor Hugo was supposed to the spiritual chief of missions of the faith! And the triangle sign with an eye inside on every window bore striking resemblance to the Freemason's symbol.
Chu Chi Tunnel reminded me of a place in Australia, where you go through open park showing how the early settlements lived. Chu Chi showed you the forests where the Vietcongs fought in, complete with wax statues of Vietcong soldiers. Eery when coupled with dark skies and drizzle. They have an exhibition showing the various ingenious traps that the Vietcongs fashioned out of simple things like armchairs and doors. You don't wanna mess with these people. But the highlight had got to be the infamous tunnels. We were told that we were allowed to try walking inside for 30 metres, 60 metres, and if you are strong enough, 100 metres. So in I went, to the scariest experience in HCM. The tunnel was illuminated by some well-placed lights, but it was still dark enough to make you think about being buried alive. And it has this smell that added to the effect. The air was also thin, making breathing difficult. I was stupid enough to walk frog-legged in the beginning, rapidly exhausting myself. We missed the 30 metre mark and did not realise it until we emerged at the 60 metre place. My arms were trembling and legs were feeling jelly. I breathed the fresh air in hard. Our guide told us that 2 men never survived in there, but for some reason, if it had been a woman and a man, they were able to survive. Now that's a mystery. Because I am pretty sure that I will die even if I am alone inside. The claustrophobia alone is enough to snatch that will to live in you. So I cannot do but admire the Vietcongs for their spirit and determination.
My biggest peeve was that many people in HCM seemed bent on treating us tourists as cash cows. People in HCM are generally friendlier than those in the North. Many a times, Raine and I got free instructions on the streets and we did not even ask for them! People are just willing to go the mile to help, like our friendly contact there, Jennifer Tranh. But taxi drivers and shop keepers are another bunch altogether!
Almost all of the taxi drivers would pretend not to owe you any change. This happened even though we took care to use the reputable Vinasun taxi. In fact, our worst experience was with Vinasun, with a lady driver. Upon stopping us near our hotel, she turned behind, her face transforming from a demure Viet lady to a witch-like face (Lorraine and I swore there was an aura of black magic inside the cab!), demanding 20,000 dong (our ride only costed 16,200 dong). Unlike our previous experience in Hanoi, we kept cool and asked her why. She told us in Vietnamese. And she kept trying to reach out to our wallets. I told her we don't undertstand Vietnamese. Raine saw a security guard nearby and wanted his help. The driver then appeared visibly frightened. But she still threw the 200 dong onto the floor when we gave her exact. So I just gave her 2000 dong more and we left, memorizing the taxi license plate number. We told our hotel receptionist about the issue and she then reported the case to the Vinasun company. Our cab back to the airport tried to fleece us USD 2 for the gantry payment out of the airport. Oh well.
The silk shops near Ben Thanh market should be avoided unless you are a die-hard spendthrift like myself. I still feel a bit sore paying about USD 34 (after hard bargaining) for a ready-made ao dai, gorgeous as it is. The shops inside Ben Thanh are not much better either, or we are not good bargainers. I guess the influx of tourists into HCM has altered the standard of living and mentality of the people somewhat. Anyway, if you are into the bag brand Ipanima (sold at Singapore's Mandarin Hotel for $300-$500!), you can probably find similar-looking bags at these silk shops for far cheaper price. I had though of purchasing some Ipanima bags for selling, but changed my mind. Anyway, some of the silk embroidered bags, purses and shawls are really lovely, which I guess cannot be found in Singapore, and that makes good souvenirs.
The view upon landing was already promising. The new airport, completed just last year,resembled Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport, albeit much less crowded and not much shops and eateries within.
The roads in HCM were wider than those in Hanoi. And, although there were more vehicles, especially motorcycles, there, somehow it was not as chaotic. Still, crossing the roads were hazardous operations and we always held hands in fear! Hahaha.
The food was cheap and great! I actually took pictures of ALL the food we ate and still drool whenever I see them. While in Hanoi, we got all the Chinese-like food, HCM has all the 'authentic' (ok, as a historian, I know this is a really subjective phrase, but for the lack of a better word!) food like rice paper spring rolls and pho (rice noodles). Vietnamese uses a lot of vegetables in their cuisine and I like it! Developed a liking for basil leaves, which they provide with every dish. We also tried banh xeo (pancake with pork and shrimp inside) and other stuff. On recommendation, we went to Santa Lucia, an Italian restaurant with lovely ambience and lovelier food. The restaurant reminded me of wanting a boudoir-style deco in black and purple for my room next time hmmm. For anyone interested in trying many Vietnamese food from all the regions at one go, Guan An Ngon is a good place to visit.
Most of HCM's tourist attractions did not interest us that much, unfortunately. I liked the colonial French buildings such as the City Hall, Notre Dame Cathedral (the statue of the Virgin Mary was alleged to shed tears of blood last year), Opera House and the Post Office. HCM is definitely much more cosmopolitan and still retains some of that colonial buildings and charm.
The Cao Dai Temple, which I have heard so much about in Prof Lockhart's lectures, was pretty interesting as well. However, the journey there was really long, about more than 1 and a half hour. And the ceremony was rather boring to watch. I guess I was really eager to see the syncretism part, which was the defining feature of the faith. But you could be forgiven for thinking that nothing beyond Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism were part of the syncretism. I could hardly observe the Christian element, although a plaque told us that Victor Hugo was supposed to the spiritual chief of missions of the faith! And the triangle sign with an eye inside on every window bore striking resemblance to the Freemason's symbol.
Chu Chi Tunnel reminded me of a place in Australia, where you go through open park showing how the early settlements lived. Chu Chi showed you the forests where the Vietcongs fought in, complete with wax statues of Vietcong soldiers. Eery when coupled with dark skies and drizzle. They have an exhibition showing the various ingenious traps that the Vietcongs fashioned out of simple things like armchairs and doors. You don't wanna mess with these people. But the highlight had got to be the infamous tunnels. We were told that we were allowed to try walking inside for 30 metres, 60 metres, and if you are strong enough, 100 metres. So in I went, to the scariest experience in HCM. The tunnel was illuminated by some well-placed lights, but it was still dark enough to make you think about being buried alive. And it has this smell that added to the effect. The air was also thin, making breathing difficult. I was stupid enough to walk frog-legged in the beginning, rapidly exhausting myself. We missed the 30 metre mark and did not realise it until we emerged at the 60 metre place. My arms were trembling and legs were feeling jelly. I breathed the fresh air in hard. Our guide told us that 2 men never survived in there, but for some reason, if it had been a woman and a man, they were able to survive. Now that's a mystery. Because I am pretty sure that I will die even if I am alone inside. The claustrophobia alone is enough to snatch that will to live in you. So I cannot do but admire the Vietcongs for their spirit and determination.
My biggest peeve was that many people in HCM seemed bent on treating us tourists as cash cows. People in HCM are generally friendlier than those in the North. Many a times, Raine and I got free instructions on the streets and we did not even ask for them! People are just willing to go the mile to help, like our friendly contact there, Jennifer Tranh. But taxi drivers and shop keepers are another bunch altogether!
Almost all of the taxi drivers would pretend not to owe you any change. This happened even though we took care to use the reputable Vinasun taxi. In fact, our worst experience was with Vinasun, with a lady driver. Upon stopping us near our hotel, she turned behind, her face transforming from a demure Viet lady to a witch-like face (Lorraine and I swore there was an aura of black magic inside the cab!), demanding 20,000 dong (our ride only costed 16,200 dong). Unlike our previous experience in Hanoi, we kept cool and asked her why. She told us in Vietnamese. And she kept trying to reach out to our wallets. I told her we don't undertstand Vietnamese. Raine saw a security guard nearby and wanted his help. The driver then appeared visibly frightened. But she still threw the 200 dong onto the floor when we gave her exact. So I just gave her 2000 dong more and we left, memorizing the taxi license plate number. We told our hotel receptionist about the issue and she then reported the case to the Vinasun company. Our cab back to the airport tried to fleece us USD 2 for the gantry payment out of the airport. Oh well.
The silk shops near Ben Thanh market should be avoided unless you are a die-hard spendthrift like myself. I still feel a bit sore paying about USD 34 (after hard bargaining) for a ready-made ao dai, gorgeous as it is. The shops inside Ben Thanh are not much better either, or we are not good bargainers. I guess the influx of tourists into HCM has altered the standard of living and mentality of the people somewhat. Anyway, if you are into the bag brand Ipanima (sold at Singapore's Mandarin Hotel for $300-$500!), you can probably find similar-looking bags at these silk shops for far cheaper price. I had though of purchasing some Ipanima bags for selling, but changed my mind. Anyway, some of the silk embroidered bags, purses and shawls are really lovely, which I guess cannot be found in Singapore, and that makes good souvenirs.
Labels: Saya Affairs, Travel Diary
Friday, July 18, 2008
Off to Hanoi
In case I don't get to blog anymore, I am leaving for Hanoi with Lorraine, her Mister and mine next Wednesday. Will explore Halong Bay and Hanoi city while staying at the famous Old Quarter. I still cannot think of what I want to tailor. Hopefully it will be fun and get my mind off some concerns.
Labels: Travel Diary
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
新年快乐，心想事成！Travel Diary: HK, Shenzhen, Macau
Just to wish my dear friends reading this blog a very happy Lunar New Year!
The New Year is a very different one this year as it is the first that I spent overseas. Relatives were surprised to hear that I was off to Jakarta on the first day...right after downing our family's customary longevity noodles. The reason, besides, the long weekend, was because my nuclear family decided to embark on the sponsored trip to Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Macau.
This being my 3rd trip to Hong Kong in 1 year, I was not particularly enthusiastic. But Hong Kong proved able to surprise still! Well, for one, I finally realised my childhood dream of going to Dysneyland. Understandably, I am already past the age for the dream land...many of the rides are less than thrilling. But it was still a really cute place which managed to resurrect many of the childhood images to reality. I especially liked the fountain at the entrance, which had a whale with Mickey riding a wakeboard atop the water it blew out. Mickey actually bobbed up and down, adding to the realistic effect! And I loved the fireworks at Sleeping Beauty's castle that marks the theme park's closing time every night. Oh, and I think everyone should try out the 4D attraction...you can actually feel as well as smell! It would have been much, much better to go to such theme parks with friends, but oh well.
But the trip was kinda marred by the herald of the coldest winter in China, which affected the three regions we visited. Hong Kong normally only experiences minus 10 degrees for about two days in the year. But this time round, it stretched for more than a week! Needless to say, Shenzhen and Macau were more affected. I fell sick after an entire day out in the cold in Shenzhen. Not exactly a pleasant experience for a holiday. Delicious Hong Kong food became less flavourful as the result...sigh.
I liked the performance reenacting the battle between Genghis Khan and the Ming dynasty in Shenzhen. It involved a lot of horse riding and the performers were all excellent riders, showing acrobatic feats atop the horses. Have always wanted to learn horse riding.
I bought my Apple notebook in Hong Kong! The prices were much lower than those in Singapore. But there was no free gift...I only got an optical mouse and a normal laptop case. But anyway, here is to a new beginning with Apple! And, as usual I couldn't resist popping down to H&M, but the only great buy was a lace-trimmed black umbrella, which was cheap and lovely. Shopping is difficult when you were out with two men who complained incessantly about shopping being a huge waste of time and asking you to hurry it up. We vowed to organize an all-girls shopping trip next time.
Anyhow we managed to lug all that heavy purchases of food and notebook back to Jakarta, where I slept like a log till about 11 am, wishing I did not have to come back to work, ever. Planning a volunteer trip this year. Anyone in?
The New Year is a very different one this year as it is the first that I spent overseas. Relatives were surprised to hear that I was off to Jakarta on the first day...right after downing our family's customary longevity noodles. The reason, besides, the long weekend, was because my nuclear family decided to embark on the sponsored trip to Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Macau.
This being my 3rd trip to Hong Kong in 1 year, I was not particularly enthusiastic. But Hong Kong proved able to surprise still! Well, for one, I finally realised my childhood dream of going to Dysneyland. Understandably, I am already past the age for the dream land...many of the rides are less than thrilling. But it was still a really cute place which managed to resurrect many of the childhood images to reality. I especially liked the fountain at the entrance, which had a whale with Mickey riding a wakeboard atop the water it blew out. Mickey actually bobbed up and down, adding to the realistic effect! And I loved the fireworks at Sleeping Beauty's castle that marks the theme park's closing time every night. Oh, and I think everyone should try out the 4D attraction...you can actually feel as well as smell! It would have been much, much better to go to such theme parks with friends, but oh well.
But the trip was kinda marred by the herald of the coldest winter in China, which affected the three regions we visited. Hong Kong normally only experiences minus 10 degrees for about two days in the year. But this time round, it stretched for more than a week! Needless to say, Shenzhen and Macau were more affected. I fell sick after an entire day out in the cold in Shenzhen. Not exactly a pleasant experience for a holiday. Delicious Hong Kong food became less flavourful as the result...sigh.
I liked the performance reenacting the battle between Genghis Khan and the Ming dynasty in Shenzhen. It involved a lot of horse riding and the performers were all excellent riders, showing acrobatic feats atop the horses. Have always wanted to learn horse riding.
I bought my Apple notebook in Hong Kong! The prices were much lower than those in Singapore. But there was no free gift...I only got an optical mouse and a normal laptop case. But anyway, here is to a new beginning with Apple! And, as usual I couldn't resist popping down to H&M, but the only great buy was a lace-trimmed black umbrella, which was cheap and lovely. Shopping is difficult when you were out with two men who complained incessantly about shopping being a huge waste of time and asking you to hurry it up. We vowed to organize an all-girls shopping trip next time.
Anyhow we managed to lug all that heavy purchases of food and notebook back to Jakarta, where I slept like a log till about 11 am, wishing I did not have to come back to work, ever. Planning a volunteer trip this year. Anyone in?
Labels: Travel Diary
Monday, October 15, 2007
Johor Bahru
At the time when JB is still notorious for lack of law enforcement, I went there last weekend. It must be said that Malaysia holds a special place in my heart, both for the many memorable things that had happened there previously and its indescribable charm which suited me particularly well. I like its rustic simplicity, the lack of polished zing that most cosmopolitan cities like Singapore and Shanghai have. I like the fact that this gives a semblance of what the air smelt like and how things looked during my childhood days.
Although we went there specifically to eat, shop and watch movie, those were the last things I expected to enjoy when I was there. But, surprise, surprise, enjoyed them I did. As if Singaporeans need to be reminded how good JB is for these activities.
For one, the movie "Lust.Caution" directed by Lee Ang, was good. Really good. Even after the cuts made to explicit scenes. I was glued to the screen with its impossibly good cinematography, great costumes, and even better acting by newbie Tang Wei and veteran Tony Leung. Lee Hom showed that he has more than good looks and voice in the movie, too. Being a linguist-wannabe, I particularly doted on the great usage of languages in the movie, Shanghainese, Cantonese, English, Japanese, all with the right diction. Not wanting to be a spoiler at the time when the movie is still screening, all I can say is, for those who have yet to catch it, what are you waiting for!
I never realised that shopping is good in Malaysia till last weekend. The rows of shoes in City Square managed to tickle that temptation bud within me! The prices were reasonable too. Of course, food is usually cheap and good. I never had the desire to try those snow ice thingie till last week. Very nice! The ice is shaved in the most special way so that it is fluffy, and the taste of the icing is even. On whim, we ordered the one with raw egg on top and it is really not as bad as it may sound.
Although we went there specifically to eat, shop and watch movie, those were the last things I expected to enjoy when I was there. But, surprise, surprise, enjoyed them I did. As if Singaporeans need to be reminded how good JB is for these activities.
For one, the movie "Lust.Caution" directed by Lee Ang, was good. Really good. Even after the cuts made to explicit scenes. I was glued to the screen with its impossibly good cinematography, great costumes, and even better acting by newbie Tang Wei and veteran Tony Leung. Lee Hom showed that he has more than good looks and voice in the movie, too. Being a linguist-wannabe, I particularly doted on the great usage of languages in the movie, Shanghainese, Cantonese, English, Japanese, all with the right diction. Not wanting to be a spoiler at the time when the movie is still screening, all I can say is, for those who have yet to catch it, what are you waiting for!
I never realised that shopping is good in Malaysia till last weekend. The rows of shoes in City Square managed to tickle that temptation bud within me! The prices were reasonable too. Of course, food is usually cheap and good. I never had the desire to try those snow ice thingie till last week. Very nice! The ice is shaved in the most special way so that it is fluffy, and the taste of the icing is even. On whim, we ordered the one with raw egg on top and it is really not as bad as it may sound.
Labels: Travel Diary
Monday, September 10, 2007
Waiting till the cows come home
As a rule, nobody likes waiting. I used not to mind it. I would sit patiently at bus stops, just waiting for that vehicle of a certain number to carry me to my destination to screech to a stop in front of me. Then board it. And just chug along to wherever I needed be. And I would wait for friends, relatives. For some reason, guy friends keep me waiting the most *lol* But most of all, I would while away my life waiting for God to bring certain things to pass in my life. Career, relationships...
But now that I am working, I no longer like to wait. I have to learn to compose myself when people take longer to come to their points in conversations sometimes. But the grandaddy of all waitings has got to be waiting for your relatives to pick you up after work, at least at this moment when I am typing this. I am exaggerating very little when I say that I have grown extremely weary of it. Especially when you follow another relative very early in the morning just so that he can drop you off at work. So in effect, I put in 12 hours of work each day, not exactly because I have to in terms of workload, but because I have to wait for a convenient time to be picked up.
I know, I really should not be complaining, especially when this means I am saving transport money and you can say, time *groan* It is only the mental drainage of sitting too long in front of your PC, because you don't want to waste your waiting time unwinding because that will mean backlog the next day. And having to get up earlier and go home later than you are supposed to, when your body's all fatiqued.
So it was real nice when Mister gave me a lift home last week, before official knock-off time. Hey, I guess I am entitled to it, given the fact that I come in an hour earlier than others? Anyway I was home nice and early, when the sun was still shining and settled down into a cozy nap. *Bliss*
I also managed to claim my off day, which I used to visit the National Museum. I saw The Prince of Gowns, Benny Ong's works, which featured 10 gowns of his design. Interesting! It was a great feeling, to be away from work when everyone else is working.
By the way, I found a stall selling Kee Wah mooncakes from Hong Kong at Takashimaya basement! Delighted, I rushed down to buy the large box of its oh-so-delicious butter egg rolls which I did not get for myself when I was down in HK last month. I will always miss HK, with its great and cheap food and transportation, cool service, vibrant environment in general. It is hard to be bored there. I miss luncheon meat instant noodles, almond drink, herbal tea, guiling gao, dim sum... And I miss Victoria's Peak with its breeze and great view of HK, Stanley for its quaint seaside town-ness. I even miss our hostel, Dragon Hostel (Mongkok) despite not really sleeping well cos of the fact that the room din have a window and the bed creaks haha. Miss the proprietors, Stanley and his cute father. Strangely, I even miss the odour of the smelly toufu that perpetually hang about the ground level of our hostel building, which I had sworn never to eat after an experience swallowing it in S'pore. And I kinda regret not eating :p heehee.
And yes, in case you are still wondering, I am still waiting....
But now that I am working, I no longer like to wait. I have to learn to compose myself when people take longer to come to their points in conversations sometimes. But the grandaddy of all waitings has got to be waiting for your relatives to pick you up after work, at least at this moment when I am typing this. I am exaggerating very little when I say that I have grown extremely weary of it. Especially when you follow another relative very early in the morning just so that he can drop you off at work. So in effect, I put in 12 hours of work each day, not exactly because I have to in terms of workload, but because I have to wait for a convenient time to be picked up.
I know, I really should not be complaining, especially when this means I am saving transport money and you can say, time *groan* It is only the mental drainage of sitting too long in front of your PC, because you don't want to waste your waiting time unwinding because that will mean backlog the next day. And having to get up earlier and go home later than you are supposed to, when your body's all fatiqued.
So it was real nice when Mister gave me a lift home last week, before official knock-off time. Hey, I guess I am entitled to it, given the fact that I come in an hour earlier than others? Anyway I was home nice and early, when the sun was still shining and settled down into a cozy nap. *Bliss*
I also managed to claim my off day, which I used to visit the National Museum. I saw The Prince of Gowns, Benny Ong's works, which featured 10 gowns of his design. Interesting! It was a great feeling, to be away from work when everyone else is working.
By the way, I found a stall selling Kee Wah mooncakes from Hong Kong at Takashimaya basement! Delighted, I rushed down to buy the large box of its oh-so-delicious butter egg rolls which I did not get for myself when I was down in HK last month. I will always miss HK, with its great and cheap food and transportation, cool service, vibrant environment in general. It is hard to be bored there. I miss luncheon meat instant noodles, almond drink, herbal tea, guiling gao, dim sum... And I miss Victoria's Peak with its breeze and great view of HK, Stanley for its quaint seaside town-ness. I even miss our hostel, Dragon Hostel (Mongkok) despite not really sleeping well cos of the fact that the room din have a window and the bed creaks haha. Miss the proprietors, Stanley and his cute father. Strangely, I even miss the odour of the smelly toufu that perpetually hang about the ground level of our hostel building, which I had sworn never to eat after an experience swallowing it in S'pore. And I kinda regret not eating :p heehee.
And yes, in case you are still wondering, I am still waiting....
Labels: Review, Saya Affairs, Travel Diary
Monday, August 13, 2007
Hong Kong Photos
Hi Peeps,
I just came back from Hong Kong last week. Here are the photos:
http://community.webshots.com/user/PhoeJenn
I just came back from Hong Kong last week. Here are the photos:
http://community.webshots.com/user/PhoeJenn
Labels: Travel Diary
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Travel Diary: Hong Kong
Hong Kong was a different experience for us as we basically went free and easy. Due to personal reasons I did not research a lot into travelling there, but the transportation there was so well developed that it was easy to get around whether by bus or MTR.
I vote Hong Kong's Chep Lap Kok airport as the best I have been to, other than our own dear Changi Airport. The waiting lounges are spacious and accomodative enough for one of the busiest airports in the world. Shopping there was also good, with enough variety to keep any shopaholics satisfied. The food there was great as well. Tried 鱼蛋面 during our transit to Beijing...very springy and fragrant!
Recommendation: Do try out the Airport Express, an MTR line that runs from the airport to Hong Kong. It costs about HK$70 per pax and runs through some of the loveliest places in Hong Kong. The MTR is spacious enough for any luggage size. There are very helpful attendants at the stations to not only show you around, but also help you with your luggage when boarding. The MTR also has its own TV station that provides nuggets of information about Hong Kong, with the voice coming out from the headrest behind you. You can adjust the volume to your preference, yet it is not disturbing to other passengers. Thumbs up!
Everything in Hong Kong simply screamed out: "Buy me! Buy me!" So beautiful were the workmanship and quality. I now understand why some people travel to Hong Kong just to shop. Branded things tend to be cheaper there, except perhaps the cosmetics, which Singapore still wins for price competitiveness. They also carry wider variety.
The salespeople were very, very friendly and helpful as well, very different from those horror stories in the pre-1997 days. They willingly get you whatever you need, give tasteful recommendations and smiled and thanked you even if you end up not buying. Most of them now speak Chinese also, so no worries if you do not speak a word of Cantonese like myself. August is a good time to shop there as it is the sale period for summer clothing.
Tip: Do buy shoes your normal size during winter time. I bought a leather pair smaller than my normal ones because it felt loose there. But once I come back, I noticed it is now too tight. Remember: your feet shrinks during cold weather.
Recommendation: Do try out the tram. It costs only HK$2 for any distance travelled and is a great way to experience old-world charm while looking around.
Food in Hong Kong is good, good, good! The Hong Kongers really take their food seriously. Tried a simple century egg and pork porridge on the first night, to find that the pork was so sweet! The bakeries there are very good for a meal on the go. They serve coffee or tea as well. Hong Kong style milk tea is to die for. Cafe Coral or 大家乐 is great for value meals. Service at restaurants are generally wonderful as well.
Lan Kwai Fong is worth a visit if you are into night life. Super happening even on a Wed night.
My cousin was right. Hong Kong guys are very good-looking heehee :) The girls all look like they stepped out of those fashion magazines. Indeed, Hong Kong is a fashion capital!
Overall, Hong Kong is definitely worth a visit for its shopping and dining experience.
I vote Hong Kong's Chep Lap Kok airport as the best I have been to, other than our own dear Changi Airport. The waiting lounges are spacious and accomodative enough for one of the busiest airports in the world. Shopping there was also good, with enough variety to keep any shopaholics satisfied. The food there was great as well. Tried 鱼蛋面 during our transit to Beijing...very springy and fragrant!
Recommendation: Do try out the Airport Express, an MTR line that runs from the airport to Hong Kong. It costs about HK$70 per pax and runs through some of the loveliest places in Hong Kong. The MTR is spacious enough for any luggage size. There are very helpful attendants at the stations to not only show you around, but also help you with your luggage when boarding. The MTR also has its own TV station that provides nuggets of information about Hong Kong, with the voice coming out from the headrest behind you. You can adjust the volume to your preference, yet it is not disturbing to other passengers. Thumbs up!
Everything in Hong Kong simply screamed out: "Buy me! Buy me!" So beautiful were the workmanship and quality. I now understand why some people travel to Hong Kong just to shop. Branded things tend to be cheaper there, except perhaps the cosmetics, which Singapore still wins for price competitiveness. They also carry wider variety.
The salespeople were very, very friendly and helpful as well, very different from those horror stories in the pre-1997 days. They willingly get you whatever you need, give tasteful recommendations and smiled and thanked you even if you end up not buying. Most of them now speak Chinese also, so no worries if you do not speak a word of Cantonese like myself. August is a good time to shop there as it is the sale period for summer clothing.
Tip: Do buy shoes your normal size during winter time. I bought a leather pair smaller than my normal ones because it felt loose there. But once I come back, I noticed it is now too tight. Remember: your feet shrinks during cold weather.
Recommendation: Do try out the tram. It costs only HK$2 for any distance travelled and is a great way to experience old-world charm while looking around.
Food in Hong Kong is good, good, good! The Hong Kongers really take their food seriously. Tried a simple century egg and pork porridge on the first night, to find that the pork was so sweet! The bakeries there are very good for a meal on the go. They serve coffee or tea as well. Hong Kong style milk tea is to die for. Cafe Coral or 大家乐 is great for value meals. Service at restaurants are generally wonderful as well.
Lan Kwai Fong is worth a visit if you are into night life. Super happening even on a Wed night.
My cousin was right. Hong Kong guys are very good-looking heehee :) The girls all look like they stepped out of those fashion magazines. Indeed, Hong Kong is a fashion capital!
Overall, Hong Kong is definitely worth a visit for its shopping and dining experience.
Labels: Travel Diary
Friday, December 15, 2006
Travel Diary: Shanghai
Shanghai is a very cosmopolitan place, although it made me feel slightly claustrophobic with all that tall buildings. But it has very nice parks. It also has the most authentic Western food resturants and indeed, as our local guide Chandra told us, when you come to Shanghai, the buildings remind you of Europe due to its heritage as a Western enclave.
The winter is not a good season to see Shanghai though, not only because of the cold, but also because of the rain and fog. The leasing company that sponsored our trip was good enough to arrange for a dinner atop the 东方明珠塔, in the revolving restaurant which served international buffet. It was a very romantic spot, with the restaurant lit with candles. But the fog prevented us from seeing the view of Shanghai from the tower! Very, very disappointing indeed.
The rain also made our trip to 豫园 and 南京路 inconvenient. Many of us had to purchase umbrellas. My Dad was experienced enough to pack umbrellas for us beforehand, which came in really handy.
But 豫园 is worth a visit when you are in Shanghai. It was simply astounding to see the corruption that enabled the owner to build such a lavish house...a miniature palace, I must say! But sadly, our guide did not explain the place well or enough, just basically tumbling through the entire place.
I loved our cruise on the Huangpu River. Indeed, Shanghai at night now rivals the view in Hong Kong, as we told the head.
A group of us youths (excepting Mom, who tagged along heehee) went to the famous 新天地 after the day's programme was over. The atmosphere was truly great and I think Orchard Road could learn a thing or two about X'mas decorations from them! We went to a pub called Paulaner Brauhaus and it was really happening! I liked the live band there. A drunk guy at the next table suddenly lit up a sparklers costing 100 yuan and sang "Happy Birthday", which we immediately took up with the Indonesian version. A lot of interaction went on between us that night, to the point where the guy even nearly kissed one of our group member, Michael! He also challenged one of the guys to a beer drinking competition! We had the house beer, this one called Munich Lager, which was really good! The guys filled up my jug again when I finished the last drop and I drank till my head spinned when I stood up. Our handsome tour guide from Indonesia, Teddy told us that most of the cafes in 新天地 are owned by movie stars. Definitely worth a visit.
Shanghai girls are known to be very good-looking and this gal at the pearl shop was really lovely, having the prettiest eyes I have ever seen. The bachelors in my group were endlessly happy muahahaha.
Recommendation: Strawberries at this time of the year is good! I bought mine for 10 yuan from a roadside peddler.
Try the 小笼包 at 豫园. The queue was very long and we were quite full so we did not try it. But someone else did and enjoyed it. They have some interesting flavours like crab meat that I hardly see in Jakarta or Singapore.
Overall, I enjoyed this sponsored trip in my own little way. It was new in the sense that it was the first Indonesian tour group I participated in. The language took a bit of getting used to and as I wrote, some stuff were lost in translation. But it was not as bad a thing to travel with biz associates because, contrary to what I had expected, we did not know many of them and thus it was much like travelling with any other tour group. Outside of work, everyone is fun to be with and shy as I was, I do try to open up and make friends.
Of course there were moments where the line between friendship and the practical necessity of biz networking started to blur. Some people obviously chose their "friendship" carefully and did everything to cement relationships to further their own biz interests. I was a bit upset when Mom pointed out something to me, but I thought better of it later. Whoever everyone talked to were also sometimes scrutinized by others. Still, you couldn't help but admire the social skills of some of them. I just got a call from one of them this afternoon and had had requests for personal English tuition in S'pore and outing before I go back, many of which I truly wonder if it was just basa-basi （客套话). But it was an eye-opener and learning experience. I also discovered something about myself that is rather startling, which is a bit too private for public blog but not to any close friends who may wanna ask me about it.
The winter is not a good season to see Shanghai though, not only because of the cold, but also because of the rain and fog. The leasing company that sponsored our trip was good enough to arrange for a dinner atop the 东方明珠塔, in the revolving restaurant which served international buffet. It was a very romantic spot, with the restaurant lit with candles. But the fog prevented us from seeing the view of Shanghai from the tower! Very, very disappointing indeed.
The rain also made our trip to 豫园 and 南京路 inconvenient. Many of us had to purchase umbrellas. My Dad was experienced enough to pack umbrellas for us beforehand, which came in really handy.
But 豫园 is worth a visit when you are in Shanghai. It was simply astounding to see the corruption that enabled the owner to build such a lavish house...a miniature palace, I must say! But sadly, our guide did not explain the place well or enough, just basically tumbling through the entire place.
I loved our cruise on the Huangpu River. Indeed, Shanghai at night now rivals the view in Hong Kong, as we told the head.
A group of us youths (excepting Mom, who tagged along heehee) went to the famous 新天地 after the day's programme was over. The atmosphere was truly great and I think Orchard Road could learn a thing or two about X'mas decorations from them! We went to a pub called Paulaner Brauhaus and it was really happening! I liked the live band there. A drunk guy at the next table suddenly lit up a sparklers costing 100 yuan and sang "Happy Birthday", which we immediately took up with the Indonesian version. A lot of interaction went on between us that night, to the point where the guy even nearly kissed one of our group member, Michael! He also challenged one of the guys to a beer drinking competition! We had the house beer, this one called Munich Lager, which was really good! The guys filled up my jug again when I finished the last drop and I drank till my head spinned when I stood up. Our handsome tour guide from Indonesia, Teddy told us that most of the cafes in 新天地 are owned by movie stars. Definitely worth a visit.
Shanghai girls are known to be very good-looking and this gal at the pearl shop was really lovely, having the prettiest eyes I have ever seen. The bachelors in my group were endlessly happy muahahaha.
Recommendation: Strawberries at this time of the year is good! I bought mine for 10 yuan from a roadside peddler.
Try the 小笼包 at 豫园. The queue was very long and we were quite full so we did not try it. But someone else did and enjoyed it. They have some interesting flavours like crab meat that I hardly see in Jakarta or Singapore.
Overall, I enjoyed this sponsored trip in my own little way. It was new in the sense that it was the first Indonesian tour group I participated in. The language took a bit of getting used to and as I wrote, some stuff were lost in translation. But it was not as bad a thing to travel with biz associates because, contrary to what I had expected, we did not know many of them and thus it was much like travelling with any other tour group. Outside of work, everyone is fun to be with and shy as I was, I do try to open up and make friends.
Of course there were moments where the line between friendship and the practical necessity of biz networking started to blur. Some people obviously chose their "friendship" carefully and did everything to cement relationships to further their own biz interests. I was a bit upset when Mom pointed out something to me, but I thought better of it later. Whoever everyone talked to were also sometimes scrutinized by others. Still, you couldn't help but admire the social skills of some of them. I just got a call from one of them this afternoon and had had requests for personal English tuition in S'pore and outing before I go back, many of which I truly wonder if it was just basa-basi （客套话). But it was an eye-opener and learning experience. I also discovered something about myself that is rather startling, which is a bit too private for public blog but not to any close friends who may wanna ask me about it.
Labels: Travel Diary
Travel Diary: Beijing
The trip to Beijing was slightly disappointing for me because I had expected to get so much out of the trip to the capital. Perhaps it was because the whole thing was conducted in Malay and some stuff were probably lost in translation. Our local guide happened to be a Mongolian girl who studied Malay by the way. And also probably because most people were not as interested in history as me or my Mom. But still, it was amazing to find out that a lot of those who worked in the tourism industry actually know Malay or Bahasa Indonesia and some actually spoke it very fluently.
It was also an endless source of irritation to keep being brought to shops selling stuff like medicine, jade and pearls and wasting valuable time that could be used to see places like the 颐和园。By the time we reached 颐和园 it was close to dusk and worse yet, my camera started to jam so I couldn't take pictures till we reach Hong Kong. Having said that, 颐和园 was indeed breathtaking and one could not help but think of the excesses of the late Qing dynasty which surrounded its building. The lake was frozen and some people were walking on it. It must be lovely to go there in summer.
Some attractions in Beijing were also closed for renovation in preparation for the 2008 Olympics. We could not see the 故宫 in its full glory, which was a huge pity. In fact, 2008 seemed to be the buzzword for Beijing these days, with the icon appearing everywhere. Still the City was astounding in size and we walked but only 5 km of it. My fingers were frozen stiff even under the gloves, so much so that I could not fiddle with my camera and I probably look like a terrorist hiding under the hood of my brother's jacket to keep my head and ears warm. But overall we brought enough of the right kind of clothing to keep us warm during the trip.
The 天安门 Square was beautiful at night, lit up with lights. I never knew it was actually immense till I set foot on it. 长安街, the street where it is located, is actually an extremely broad street. One could not help but feel the sense of history when you stand there.
Our trip to the 天坛 was a short one and my impression came more from seeing the group of senior citizens at the courtyard outside than the Temple of Heaven itself. They made an interesting sight, playing games from chess to kicking 毽子. Sometimes I think it's never too early to start preparing for old age, from eating healthily, exercising to keeping your mind active just like them.
My favourite part of the trip to Beijing had got to be climbing 万里长城. I never realised just how steep some parts of the wall is. It made me wonder how the guards in the past actully run up and down without the railings to support them. And in winter, it can be bitterly cold, like that day when we went up. But we soon felt hot and even sweat after climbing. I only conquered the 1st post because my Mom was not feeling too good after reaching there. An old uncle in our group actually went all the way to the 6th post (envy, envy). Think I could have easily conquered the 4th post myself (ego, ego).
We also went to watch a performance by an acrobatic troupe. I have watched acrobatic performances on TV before but watching in real life was a different experience. Nervous drops of perspiration also formed because as destiny would have it, a certain big head sat on that empty place next to me and talked to me throughout the entire performance. I have always been shy of conversing in Bahasa becos my manner of speech betrays the fact that I dun use the language often. And now I had to do a bit of those PR thing when I am just a green lass with nothing to commend herself. I was not in the mood for socialising during the entire trip actually, but things still happen as God would have His way. Anyway, the head was an easy person to talk to, as it turned out. I have met small fries who throw their weight about but this head had a way of socialising in a humble yet friendly manner which really impressed Mom and I. But hmm...if there is one thing I learnt, it is that 日久见人心. In the biz world especially, it is perhaps better to reserve judgement. And sometimes, I learnt that I should learn to differentiate between 客套话 and words from those who truly have your interests at heart and not take everything at face value, sad as it is. I dun think I have become more cynical...I think this is perhaps what maturity is about...learning to see beyond the masks that some people put on.
Overall, I would love to visit Beijing again because there were so much we did not cover.
Recommendation: Do try 燕京啤酒 in Beijing. The texture is light and it goes down smoothly. But do beware because my throat was very, very dry the next day after downing a few glasses.
Tip: Petroleum jelly is a lifesaver during winter especially if you have Sahara Desert for skin like me. You can use it on top of your normal moisturiser and as lip balm. I did not suffer from chapped lips or peeling skin at all this time round.
It was also an endless source of irritation to keep being brought to shops selling stuff like medicine, jade and pearls and wasting valuable time that could be used to see places like the 颐和园。By the time we reached 颐和园 it was close to dusk and worse yet, my camera started to jam so I couldn't take pictures till we reach Hong Kong. Having said that, 颐和园 was indeed breathtaking and one could not help but think of the excesses of the late Qing dynasty which surrounded its building. The lake was frozen and some people were walking on it. It must be lovely to go there in summer.
Some attractions in Beijing were also closed for renovation in preparation for the 2008 Olympics. We could not see the 故宫 in its full glory, which was a huge pity. In fact, 2008 seemed to be the buzzword for Beijing these days, with the icon appearing everywhere. Still the City was astounding in size and we walked but only 5 km of it. My fingers were frozen stiff even under the gloves, so much so that I could not fiddle with my camera and I probably look like a terrorist hiding under the hood of my brother's jacket to keep my head and ears warm. But overall we brought enough of the right kind of clothing to keep us warm during the trip.
The 天安门 Square was beautiful at night, lit up with lights. I never knew it was actually immense till I set foot on it. 长安街, the street where it is located, is actually an extremely broad street. One could not help but feel the sense of history when you stand there.
Our trip to the 天坛 was a short one and my impression came more from seeing the group of senior citizens at the courtyard outside than the Temple of Heaven itself. They made an interesting sight, playing games from chess to kicking 毽子. Sometimes I think it's never too early to start preparing for old age, from eating healthily, exercising to keeping your mind active just like them.
My favourite part of the trip to Beijing had got to be climbing 万里长城. I never realised just how steep some parts of the wall is. It made me wonder how the guards in the past actully run up and down without the railings to support them. And in winter, it can be bitterly cold, like that day when we went up. But we soon felt hot and even sweat after climbing. I only conquered the 1st post because my Mom was not feeling too good after reaching there. An old uncle in our group actually went all the way to the 6th post (envy, envy). Think I could have easily conquered the 4th post myself (ego, ego).
We also went to watch a performance by an acrobatic troupe. I have watched acrobatic performances on TV before but watching in real life was a different experience. Nervous drops of perspiration also formed because as destiny would have it, a certain big head sat on that empty place next to me and talked to me throughout the entire performance. I have always been shy of conversing in Bahasa becos my manner of speech betrays the fact that I dun use the language often. And now I had to do a bit of those PR thing when I am just a green lass with nothing to commend herself. I was not in the mood for socialising during the entire trip actually, but things still happen as God would have His way. Anyway, the head was an easy person to talk to, as it turned out. I have met small fries who throw their weight about but this head had a way of socialising in a humble yet friendly manner which really impressed Mom and I. But hmm...if there is one thing I learnt, it is that 日久见人心. In the biz world especially, it is perhaps better to reserve judgement. And sometimes, I learnt that I should learn to differentiate between 客套话 and words from those who truly have your interests at heart and not take everything at face value, sad as it is. I dun think I have become more cynical...I think this is perhaps what maturity is about...learning to see beyond the masks that some people put on.
Overall, I would love to visit Beijing again because there were so much we did not cover.
Recommendation: Do try 燕京啤酒 in Beijing. The texture is light and it goes down smoothly. But do beware because my throat was very, very dry the next day after downing a few glasses.
Tip: Petroleum jelly is a lifesaver during winter especially if you have Sahara Desert for skin like me. You can use it on top of your normal moisturiser and as lip balm. I did not suffer from chapped lips or peeling skin at all this time round.
Labels: Travel Diary
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Beijing, Shanghai & Hong Kong
Dearest friends,
I will be in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong from tomorrow till the 14th. Not exactly looking forward to the freezing temperature, especially when I just recovered from yet another bout of illness, nor the fact that we are travelling with biz associates. But hmm...at least the ticket is free! And it will be great to see Beijing at last and imagine that I am in the cast for those period dramas I have watched all these years (not to mention singing "One Night in Beijing" for real). And to visit Shanghai and HK again.
So long, farewell!
I will be in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong from tomorrow till the 14th. Not exactly looking forward to the freezing temperature, especially when I just recovered from yet another bout of illness, nor the fact that we are travelling with biz associates. But hmm...at least the ticket is free! And it will be great to see Beijing at last and imagine that I am in the cast for those period dramas I have watched all these years (not to mention singing "One Night in Beijing" for real). And to visit Shanghai and HK again.
So long, farewell!
Labels: Travel Diary
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Travel Diary: KL and Klang
Reading Sophia's blog reminded me of my trip last week to KL. Enjoyed it quite a lot...I have always been fond of Malaysia. We stayed at my cousin's rented house at Klang, 50 km away from KL. The house having only the bare (I emphasize on this word), I had a good time helping make it more habitable.
Caught a glimpse of life in Malaysia through him. Unlike Singapore, where the transportation is so convenient that it makes it unnecessary for everyone to own a car, one literally cannot live without a car in Klang. There are cases of each member of a family owning a car each so as to be able to function in their daily tasks. It is also hard to mask the fact that you are not Malaysian when you don't speak either Cantonese or Malay. Good thing my Bahasa still came in handy.
How can a trip to Malaysia be complete without good food? Cousin brought us to a roadside stall lit only by 2 fluorescent lamps at the cooking area and none where the tables were. It was not much of a culture shock for me, having seen and dined at one of those in Jakarta (there, they are sometimes lit only by kerosene lamps), but it was to my younger cousin. We also had Bahkut Teh for breakfast on 2 consecutive mornings. The portions were small and the soup resembled gravy more than anything, being thick. They also tend to use pork knuckles instead of ribs. And they gave you fork and spoon instead of chopsticks to eat the bahkut teh, which struck as us being a bit unconventional. But of course "unconventional" is subjective, isn't it? Heehee it's only a matter of cultural differences.
I recommended Jalan Alor to them at KL and tried to get the wonderful duck and charsiew rice we had for grad trip last year, but they din serve at night, sadly. Still, duck rice and wantan mee at other stalls were good as well. I also liked the lotus root soup. But the winner had got to be this cha jiang mee at the Pasar Rakyat bus terminal. The noodles was a bit greenish and it was accompanied by this great yong tau foo-like soup with a most delicious (I think) tau foo. Think the tau foo-like thingie was fried with egg, giving it the most fragrant and unforgettable taste. Utterly yummy! We were disappointed at the satay we place we tried, but hopefully we find nicer ones if we ever go back for another visit.
Shopped a bit at KLCC while the men went to watch "Battle of Wits". Darn. Neva jio me! Anyway, I had been to KLCC before but I neva realised that it has a performance hall. Saw that they are performing The Nutcracker. Hmm...maybe next year's X'mas.
We went on the 18-seater coach by Konsortium. It has personal entertainment set, where you can choose to listen to music or watch a movie. I watched "Fearless" again and found myself still enjoying it as much as the first time. Watched a bit of "The Constant Gardener" too. Very thought-provoking movie. The seats were very cool...you can adjust the 2 separate foot-rests and also the back with the buttons on the seat. Money well-spent.
Caught a glimpse of life in Malaysia through him. Unlike Singapore, where the transportation is so convenient that it makes it unnecessary for everyone to own a car, one literally cannot live without a car in Klang. There are cases of each member of a family owning a car each so as to be able to function in their daily tasks. It is also hard to mask the fact that you are not Malaysian when you don't speak either Cantonese or Malay. Good thing my Bahasa still came in handy.
How can a trip to Malaysia be complete without good food? Cousin brought us to a roadside stall lit only by 2 fluorescent lamps at the cooking area and none where the tables were. It was not much of a culture shock for me, having seen and dined at one of those in Jakarta (there, they are sometimes lit only by kerosene lamps), but it was to my younger cousin. We also had Bahkut Teh for breakfast on 2 consecutive mornings. The portions were small and the soup resembled gravy more than anything, being thick. They also tend to use pork knuckles instead of ribs. And they gave you fork and spoon instead of chopsticks to eat the bahkut teh, which struck as us being a bit unconventional. But of course "unconventional" is subjective, isn't it? Heehee it's only a matter of cultural differences.
I recommended Jalan Alor to them at KL and tried to get the wonderful duck and charsiew rice we had for grad trip last year, but they din serve at night, sadly. Still, duck rice and wantan mee at other stalls were good as well. I also liked the lotus root soup. But the winner had got to be this cha jiang mee at the Pasar Rakyat bus terminal. The noodles was a bit greenish and it was accompanied by this great yong tau foo-like soup with a most delicious (I think) tau foo. Think the tau foo-like thingie was fried with egg, giving it the most fragrant and unforgettable taste. Utterly yummy! We were disappointed at the satay we place we tried, but hopefully we find nicer ones if we ever go back for another visit.
Shopped a bit at KLCC while the men went to watch "Battle of Wits". Darn. Neva jio me! Anyway, I had been to KLCC before but I neva realised that it has a performance hall. Saw that they are performing The Nutcracker. Hmm...maybe next year's X'mas.
We went on the 18-seater coach by Konsortium. It has personal entertainment set, where you can choose to listen to music or watch a movie. I watched "Fearless" again and found myself still enjoying it as much as the first time. Watched a bit of "The Constant Gardener" too. Very thought-provoking movie. The seats were very cool...you can adjust the 2 separate foot-rests and also the back with the buttons on the seat. Money well-spent.
Labels: Travel Diary
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