Tea and Scones

Step by step by step...

2010-06-07T10:31:00.003+08:00

I moved to Singapore early this year and have been introduced to the pedestrian lifestyle as part of the move. Oh well, I can safely say now that I have significantly reduced my carbon footprint by not personally owning a car. Though, I suspect with my husband having one, there is some carbon emissions involved. Anyway, I’d like to think I am improving my carbon footprint nonetheless. I digress...

With my new job in Singapore, comes a whole host of benefits, among them the STAIR MASTER! It is not what you think... behold the 137 steps (yes I counted!) which is the bane of everyone who works on Mount Sophia.

Going up this stairs is a challenge for the unfit (like me), particularly in our weather where it is either hot or hotter. I decided to give it a go on my first day on the job after having my lunch and walking up the stairs at 1.30pm in the hot afternoon. I made it to the top panting and puffing away and by the time I made it to my office block I discovered, that wasn’t the end of the torture as my office doesn’t have any lifts. So it is up another 3 flights of stairs to my office. I very nearly passed out when I got to the top! (I blame the heat! Yes, it is the heat!) So in total approximately 220 steps all the way to the top is as good as any fitness regime that anyone can recommend!

Thankfully, I have since discovered the joys of the shuttle bus which takes us up to the office at appointed times. Woe unto you if you miss the shuttle bus! Alas we still have to climb the 3 flights (83 steps) to our office. I do occasionally make the walk up the what I term now as the ‘killer’ stairs when I feel up to it just to get a bit more exercise. I am happy to report that I no longer suffer from any lower back aches or stiffness anymore with all this walking.

Suzhou April 2009

2010-01-18T09:12:00.007+08:00

One of the trips I made last year was to Suzhou in China to shop for my wedding dresses. We were told that there was a 'wedding street' i.e. a street that had rows and rows of shops which stocked wedding dresses and some related items. They were not kidding. It was an exhausting 3 days in Suzhou where we spent everyday walking from shop to shop in search of the perfect dresses.

Here are some pics of the trip.

We brought Ilia (my sister's Shih Tzu) along with us on the trip and sneaked her on the train and hotel in her bag. She was a good girl and stayed happy in there with her bone keeping her company.

Canal with curved bridge right outside our hotel. It was an oasis of peace in otherwise a brick and mortar area in Suzhou.

Cherry blossoms in bloom in April almost everywhere in China

View of the canal from the bridge. Very nice and green

With sis, mom and Ilia at the canal near the hotel

Having fun taking pics at a small bamboo grove at canal near the hotel

Ilia waiting patiently for banana treat! She loves bananas!

We somehow booked ourselves a triple decker bed train back to Shanghai! I had the top-most bunk and it was scary climbing up as the train was moving. There was barely any space to sit up on the top bunk and you would just need to lie flat for the journey. Thankfully mom and sis had a bottom bunk so we spent most of the journey just hanging out on the lower bunk.

Cherry blossom up close in Shanghai

A honest merchant in Shanghai! Spotted this from the taxi as we were stuck in traffic.

Road Trip 28 Dec 08 - 1 Jan 09

2009-11-20T16:09:00.007+08:00

I’ve always wanted to drive along the trunk roads leading around Peninsular Malaysia. I find it a much more interesting drive as there are sights to see, interesting little towns to pass and to stuff yourself with seasonal fruit from fruit stalls along the road side, especially if it is durian season.

I got my chance to do so at the end of 2008 when Patrick and I decided that we would drive north to Penang along the coastal roads and see the sights along the way.

We started our journey in Klang with a hearty breakfast of ‘Bah Kut Teh’ (Herbal Pork Soup) - the breakfast of champions for every Klangite. From there we made our way to Kuala Selangor. We decided to stop in Kuala Selangor and go up Kota Melawati as it has been years since I have been there. The view from the top of the hill was breathtaking and I could clearly see the entire Kuala Selangor Nature Park where I spent many a wonderful hours on bird watching trips and educational sessions. I remember when I was young there were plentiful and rather vicious long-tailed macaques but this time around it seems like they have been replaced by lovely docile Silver Langers even though there were quite a few of them, they were not aggressive and just sat around hoping to be fed.

Mommy and Baby Silver Langer

From Kuala Selangor we drove along towards Lumut and on either side of the road there were coconut trees dotting the horizon, as we passed Sekinchan, it was paddy fields and of course not forgetting the ever present oil palm and rubber plantations. The skies were a clear blue that day dotted with little puffs of clouds here and there.

Teluk Intan was a quick stop as I famous leaning clock tower there. It was a very hot day so we didn’t stay very long to enjoy the atmosphere of the town.

Dinner was a superbly scrumptious affair. On my uncle’s recommendation, we went to a little town called Pantai Remis to one of their famous local restaurants known as “Nangka kar” (translated from Hokkien to “below the nangka tree”) as this restaurant had a nangka tree our at the front. My uncle’s friend a local fisherman, had pre-ordered the food for the two of us and it was yummy. Deep fried prawn cakes, steamed fish, crabs, stir fried prawns and for dessert deep fried yam coated with sugar. It was heaps of food for the two of us but we heroically did justice to the food and tucked it away. After that fabulous meal. we rolled back to the car and made our way sleepily back to the hotel in Lumut.

One scrumptious dinner!

The next day we made our way from Lumut to Taiping. I have heard many good things about Taiping and have oft wondered about its allure. We stayed at the Taiping Golf Resort in a hotel room with a sweeping view of the golf resort. Not bad for a budget hotel. In Taiping we got a chance to have the old style Hainanese chicken chop at their local restaurant which is patronized by all races. Old style restaurants like this are few and far between and is probably a dying trend in Malaysia. Alas due to the rain, we were not able to fully enjoy the Taiping Lake Gardens and the Taiping Zoo. The lake gardens looked like a very lovely place to spend the evening with its moss covered trees spreading its branches far and wide and providing shade to all who walk by under its foliage.

We left Taiping after a equipping ourselves with a good store of pisang goreng (banana fritters) from a shop that sells solely that and other fried local fruits and sweet potatoes.

Hainanese Coffee Shop Chicken Chop

From Taiping we went on to the North South highway up to Penang to usher in the New Year. We hopped about Penang getting our fill of the usual Asam Laksa, Penang Prawn Mee, the Famous Penang Cendol and did some touristy sights before heading back home to KL via the highway.

A recommended trip to anyone who wants something different for their holiday. We are planning to do the East Coast trip next year!

Old style sundry shops found in smaller towns

It has been a month now!

2009-10-22T16:39:00.003+08:00

Wow, just realised that it has been just over a month since we have been married. Honeymoon's over. Life is now back to normal sans some deadline madness at work.

Everyone's asking me, 'So how's married life?'

It is good so far, but alas we are still in separate countries. So watch this space and I will tell you more about it once we are together in the same country and can really get into the whole marriage thing. :)

I just realised in the course of the year, I have quite a few trips to blog about which have been neglected and taken a back seat due to all the wedding planning. So I plan to remedy that in the next couple of months and do a little trip down memory lane and write about them.

Here's the montage of wedding photo shoot which we did a day before the wedding:

Wedding Photoshoot

Weekend break

2009-08-07T10:03:00.004+08:00

I’ve always loved spontaneity. Sometimes not planning for a day away or a trip or a get together and just happen to do it has resulted in great times and some fantastic memories for me.

This coming weekend is a long weekend for us i.e. my fiancé and I decided that we would enjoy Monday off and just have a long weekend. So it only occurred to us a couple of days ago that maybe we should take a break from all the wedding planning and work stresses and go somewhere for a night over the long weekend. I’ve been dying to get out of the city for a while and thought that going to Fraser’s Hill would be a great place to chill out, enjoy the fresh air and greenery and satisfy that bug in me that needs to be surrounded by greens.

Alas, this can’t happen! All accommodations in Fraser’s Hill have been booked out. Ok…so we tried Melaka seeing as we haven’t been there in a while too…that has been booked out too! Hmmm…maybe closer to home…just a weekend in KL city staying in a nice hotel and walking to the malls and lovely restaurants. Can you believe it? The entire KL is booked out!

It looks like Singaporeans celebrating their national day with a long weekend have booked out majority our holiday spots. Coupled by the fact that it is that time of the year where the tourists from the Middle East are also enjoying their summer hols here. While it is all good that they are boosting our economy but I want my weekend break!

Well that is spontaneity for you! Sigh! I guess I’ll just have to settle for a day trip to somewhere and have a little picnic which could work out just as well.

Pics & Video of Pocket

2009-07-28T18:48:00.004+08:00

Pocket will turn 9 months old tomorrow on the 29th July. She's now about 5kg and I think have probably reached her full growth. She's quite a character, barking when she hears us stir upstairs demanding that we come downstairs to play with her.

Our slippers are still surviving. We've worked out that she doesn't really chew the slippers per se but just loves to play with it. Her favourite game is tug and fetch with the slippers.

Here are some more pics of Pocket and a video of her antics.

Pocket at a doggy party

Pocket after a grooming session. A transformation from her usual scruffy muffy self as per video below. The hair tie lasted for about 30 minutes.

We're going to the chapel and we're going to get married...

2009-07-28T18:21:00.004+08:00

I'm getting married!!

My then boyfriend (now Fiance) proposed last December and since then it has been a flurry of activity for both of us planning for the wedding which will happen in 7 weeks time on September 19, 2009!

To date all the major items off the checklist has been ticked off and we are just tying up the loose ends at the moment with all the planning. So fingers crossed by next month our major task is just confirming the guest list and pampering ourselves before the big day.

I must say I salute all wedding planners who do this for a living. It is incredibly detailed and I am sure it is doubly worse having to deal with Bridezilla's who demand the best for their special day. Patrick and I have decided to keep things as simple as possible and even with that the amount of things to be done is still quite a lot!

Well we are at the last mile now before the big day and I have to say that I despite all the planning I can't help feeling a wee bit stressed given the demands of work and the wedding. Hopefully I can let it go closer to the date and trust that everything will go well in the hands of my capable helpers at the wedding.

I am now 5 months old

2009-03-30T15:45:00.004+08:00

It has been a busy 2 months since Pocket joined the household. She has almost doubled her weight and everyone loves her and she has developed into quite a little character.

Spoiled rotten, she is the center of attention in our home. Whenever anyone comes home, she expects to be given attention and petted. If you don't acknowledge her, she will bark her indignation!

In her little mind, every visitor that comes to the house is there solely to play with her and her alone. Hmmm...she is starting to seem like a demanding Queen! She is now the Queen of our home and even dog haters (my mom & aunt) now love her and are amused with her antics.

No slipper is safe from her. The corners of our shoe cabinet is chewed to bits. She delights in eating EVERYTHING from stones, to sand and leaves. She has even picked up slugs and snails from the garden.

Our young lady has a little temper too! If you remove the slipper that she was chewing, she barks her disatisfaction!

Pocket indulging in her favourite pastime...

Hello! I'm Pocket

2009-01-29T15:51:00.003+08:00

My name is Pocket! I am 3 months old today. I arrived home with my new mummy yesterday evening sitting in a car boot organiser. I was very good. I stayed in the box the whole drive home.

I love running around the house and flopping on the floor. When I am tired, I sleep in my little tent like a log!

Last night I was very good and brave as I spent the whole night alone in my cage. I didn't make one whimper the whole night. This morning I have lots of energy and decided to start chewing everything I can get my mouth on.

Come play with me...

Lots of licks,
Pocket

PS. This is how I look like and I am in my favourite floppy position

I want that job!

2009-01-15T22:49:00.003+08:00

Job Description:

Tourism Queensland is seeking applicants for the best job in the world! The role of Island Caretaker is a six-month contract, based on luxurious Hamilton Island in the Great Barrier Reef. It’s a live-in position with flexible working hours and key responsibilities include exploring the islands of the Great Barrier Reef to discover what the area has to offer. You’ll be required to report back on your adventures to Tourism Queensland headquarters in Brisbane (and the rest of the world) via weekly blogs, photo diary, video updates and ongoing media interviews. On offer is a unique opportunity to help promote the wondrous Islands of the Great Barrier Reef.

Now doesn't that sound enticing to you?

The best part is that this is a real opportunity and not a hoax. The Queensland tourism authority is willing to pay someone AUD$150,000 for 6 months to promote Hamilton Island. As this job got quite a bit of media coverage, everyone in the whole world is applying for it including applicants from the far reaches of Mongolia. I guess the cold snap that is hitting the Northern Hemisphere at the moment is also giving incentive to the applicants to apply to be in the warm and gorgeous Hamilton Island at the entrance of the Great Barrier Reef.

Stretching for 2,600 kilometres, and composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands, the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, Australia is the world’s largest coral reef system. The World Heritage Listed area supports a diversity of wildlife including whales, dolphins, sea turtles and more than 1,500 species of fish.

Now that is definitely a real attraction! I am going to work on my application now.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

2008-12-24T14:41:00.004+08:00

After months and months of reading other blogs which had pretty pictures for their header, I finally figured out how to add one to my blog.

So here it is folks, a pic taken at the Angkor Wat main temple as the sun was rising.

Somehow last year, I made the trip to Angkor Wat but never did blog about it. I have loads of pics and the trip was fun. A 2 year late blog? Hmmmm...

Anyway, watch out for this space...more blogs to come. Got a roadtrip around Malaysia lined up. So that should prove interesting.

In the mean time folks, have yourself a Merry Christmas & a Blessed New Year!!

Deck the Halls with Bells and Holly, falalalalalalalala...

2008-12-01T21:44:00.004+08:00

It's that time of year again!

Couple of weeks ago I walked into the Jusco near my office and came face to face with a huge X-Mas tree in front of me. Thought to myself "Gosh is it that time of year already? How quickly the year has flown!"

Xmas decorations are EVERYWHERE! In the malls that is! Of course at our neighbour down south, it can be found all along Orchard Road in Singapore as they annually deck out the street. I remember as a kid, it was THE thing to see i.e. make a trip to Singapore to see the Xmas lights.

The theme this year was a little hard to figure out. I initially thought it was Kiddy Candyland or something given the following decorations (spot the real kid):

And THIS:
But I was enlightened by fellow blogger rpmNut that the theme this year was "A Sweet Christmas in Singapore". The official blurb : The decorations center around the Sweet Family who live in Christmas Town and run a Sweet Shoppe. Looks like my guess wasn't too far off.

Not to be outdone, the Xmas tree in the Takashimaya shopping centre is made out of little teddy bears. How cute. I wonder if they have a 'Guess the number of teddy bears contest?" We also spotted Xmas trees made out of Coca Cola bottles too.

Alas, the beauty and joy of the Xmas lights in Singapore have also succumbed to commercial exploitation with the decorative heart below sporting a Hitachi ad. Oh well, someone has to foot the bill.

PS. All the pics were taken with my brand new phone! It was my present to myself and I was testing out its night shot capabilities.

Langkawi (August 29-31, 2008

2008-09-20T09:50:00.000+08:00

To celebrate the Malaysia’s Merdeka Day (Independence Day) long weekend, we decided to visit Pulau Langkawi (Langkawi Island). I have not been there for years and thought it would be a good to visit the island once more. After all my first trip there was a short one and we didn’t get to go around the island.

Upon arrival it was very easy to pickup a rental car and of we went driving around. Of course it was very easy to get around. You definitely can’t get lost. Just one or two main roads and it is an island after all.

Look at the gorgeous scenery behind me

Our first stop was to have lunch at the Langkawi Fish Farm. Food was ok though I think it is a little on the pricey side. Then we stopped off at the duty free shops to pick up some duty free liquor. Langkawi has special duty free status for the whole island. So shopping centres there are filled to the brim with cheap alcohol, chocolates and strangely enough branded dining sets. All the ingredients for a great party including the dining sets of course. One can’t have a fabulous party without matching plates and bowls. Ha Ha!

Despite all these elements, Langkawi has remained relatively idyllic and quiet. Not unlike Phuket and Pattaya where seedier elements are evident. A much underrated holiday destination but a very delightful and highly recommended one.

View of Telaga Tujuh Waterfall from the cable car

The highlight of my trip was the cable car ride to Gunung Mat Cincang, the highest peak in Langkawi. The cable car ride provided fantastic vistas of the forest below and of the Telaga Tujuh waterfall (Seven Wells). Upon reaching the top, the view of the surrounding countryside is amazing and very inspiring. As it was morning, the air was cool in the shade with clear blue skies and a beautiful sun shiny day. It was lovely to just to be there and absorb the scenery. It was amusing to note that even at the top of this scenic place is not immune to commercialism in the form of a foot reflexology stall. What an ingenious idea! You can get a foot massage while enjoying the view. Though with hundreds other tourists milling around watching you, I wonder if it will be relaxing at all.

Reflexlogy Stall ad posted at strategic positions to attract customers

We drove around the island, snoozed on the beach (got burnt and roasted) and generally had a very relaxing beach side holiday. I would definitely come back to Langkawi again. Now to look out for cheap flight promotions.

Suspended bridge at Gunung Mat Cincang. Don't look down if you are afraid of heights.

On our last day which was the National day, we noticed something very interesting happening while we sat on the deck chairs at the beach. There was a flag pole with the Kedah and Malaysia flag bobbing up and down in the sea along the beach. Then we realized it was a man swimming with a flag pole attached to himself. In a show of national pride, he swam up and down along the beach quite a few times. As it was our 51st independence day, I was wondering if he was going to swim 51 laps. I’m not sure if he did.

National pride. Merdeka! Merdeka! Merdeka!

The gorgeous Telaga Tujuh waterfall. You can walk up about 350 flights of stairs to get to the top of the waterfall

A scorpion we saw on our way out from the waterfall

2+1 in Jakarta

2008-08-27T10:16:00.000+08:00

To alleviate some of the traffic problems in Jakarta, the city introduced a rule whereby on certain main streets in Jakarta during peak hours, you are required to have a minimum of 3 passengers in the car. I guess this law was imposed to encourage car pooling and to minimise the number of cars on the main roads during peak hour.

However, thanks to the ingenuity of the people, this law did not have the intended effect but have created a new stream of income and 'job' for the people. Every morning and evening you would see on the smaller streets before you hit the main '2+1' areas, people standing around looking at the cars with their index fingers indicating 1. You may wonder what they are doing but essentially it is a way to earn easy money.

These people are what they call 'jockeys' and they earn their living just hopping into cars from one destination to another to make up the numbers. So if you have just 2 person in your car, i.e. driver and passenger and would need to get to another part of town quickly via the '2+1 areas' then you pick up a 'jockey'. It is kind of a win-win situation whereby both party gains. The passenger gets to their destination on time while the 'jockey' earns about Rp.10,000(about USD1)

However as with all schemes and tricks, the authorities have cottoned on to this and if caught one can be fined up to Rp1million (approx USD100). However I wonder how often does one really get caught as the number of people waiting by the side of the roads were quite numerous.

Re-visiting Shanghai & Hangzhou Pt 2

2008-08-12T13:09:00.004+08:00

Shanghai didn’t make that much of an impression on me on my last trip there. My sister and I found that we didn’t instantly take to the city as we were probably just skimming the surface of the vibrant pulse of the city. I guess when you are a tourist; you do miss quite a bit if you are just hanging out there for a couple of days.

This time around we spent about 1 week in Shanghai and walking around the area surrounding my sister’s apartment and discovering the little shops along the way was a thrill. Even visiting the local Carrefour was very enjoyable. We spent time just figuring out what the locals love to eat there and the salad bar, the dumplings and the different buns that they have. It was all so yummy. I’m getting hungry thinking about it now.

Glancing at the the little alleys and roads that are filled with curios and quaint shops each time we were on our way to a destination always tempted me to ask the taxi to stop and to let us explore some of these streets.

This time around we visited the Yi Yuan area which was and old part of Shanghai with a host of buildings with old architecture which has been converted into a bustling hub of tourist shops. Despite it being a touristy spot, it was quite an interesting place to explore just to be hit with a myriad of colours of the plethora of offering for the tourists from jade jewelry to art to knick knacks of all sorts.

At Yi Yuan gardens

Clubs along the Bund is also highly recommended as it made a change from just walking on The Bund to sipping your wine while enjoying the view of the Pudong area from across the Huangpu river.

My sis and her friend Dream. Check out the view in the back

Despite spending a week in Shanghai, there were so many things more to do, more nooks and crannies to explore. There is more to this city than meets the eye. I think I may make one more trip here to dig a little deeper. My only disappointment with the city is the level of pollution here. Arriving back in KL and breathing in the air as we departed the airplane made me realize how incredibly polluted the air is in Shanghai. I hope China can manage their pollution levels in its haste to further it’s growth.

Yummy lamb kebab style from Xin Jiang province. A must have!

Xin Jiang black beer. Very nice and smooth.

Testosterone City

2008-07-29T22:03:00.000+08:00

Tonight for a couple of hours, Shah Alam turned into testosterone city as it hosted the match between Chelsea vs Malaysia at the Shah Alam Stadium. While I will acknowledge that there are a significant number of women football fans, but it would be predominantly men.

What I noticed on my way home earlier this evening was that every other car had a bunch of guys all dressed up in their favourite team colours be it Malaysia or Chelsea and looking very excited and hyped up at the chance to see their favourite teams in action. A poignant sight was a father taking his young son to the game on his motorbike. The little boy was decked out in Chelsea team jersey, clinging on to his dad as their wound their way around the traffic to the game.

Hearing the distant roar of the spectators as their cheered their favourite team from my home brought a smile to my face. Football, the game that unites the world.

Re-visiting Shanghai & Hangzhou (June 14-21) Pt 1

2008-07-26T23:10:00.007+08:00

While I love exploring new places, I also really do enjoy re-visiting places that I have been before. It adds a different perspective to your whole enjoyment of the holiday and you of course discover new things. There is no longer the rush to ensure that you see everything and you can enjoy the relaxed pace of the journey.

So back to Hangzhou and Shanghai I went, this time with my mom, Patrick and my sis whom met us in Hangzhou and we had a great, relaxing trip.

Hangzhou is still me a piece of oasis in the midst of a bustling city. The contrast still amazes me. We spent more time around the lake area this time and looking across the Xi Hu (West Lake) on my right side are skyscrapers dotting the hazy skyline on the overcast day. On my left, there is the Baoshu Ta pagoda(The pagoda is a 1933 reconstruction of a Soong dynasty tower) surrounded by lush greenery I think it is this piece of oasis gives meaning to the people of Hangzhou. The lake feeds the people of Hangzhou with its delicious fishes, provides tourism income and also calms their soul.

We took a walk on the “Shortened Bridge” and there were both locals and tourists just having a lovely stroll or cycling around. Across the lush leaves of the lotus plant, we suddenly spotted what looked like an eagle about to plunge into the lake to fish. With my interest in bird watching I was absolutely fascinated by this and then as the ‘bird’ swooped across the surface of the lake, we realized it wasn’t a bird at all! It was a very well made kite in the shape of what looks like a bald eagle and flown skillfully by a man by the side of the lake. He must do this either daily or fairly frequently as his skill was marvelous to watch. We were so entertained by it that we applauded his skill after the ‘performance’.

A must see is also Lingyin Si (Temple of Soul’s Retreat) in Hangzhou. It is a beautifully constructed temple dating back to 326AD. It is surrounded by a lush nature park in which there were lots of stone carvings of Buddha and various Buddhist related tales. Some of the statues and carvings were intact but some has seen the ravages of age and war. It was a good call by Patrick to check out this place.

Sis, Mom and I at Lingyin Temple

With the weather in Hangzhou a cool 27 degrees celcius, it we definitely had a great time strolling around and having good food. After 2 days in Hangzhou, we made our way to Shanghai to be greeted enthusiastically by my sister’s dog, Ilia!

Re-visiting the yummy fish in the hot and sour soup. Delicious!

At the Soong Town again, this time we shot cannons at targets. Good fun!

Mom & Sis testing out their skills at crossing the floating wood bridge

Patrick and I furiously pulling ourselves forward on a cart

A Soong Dynasty wedding carriage bounced around. I must imagine that the brides to be would be violently 'car sick' and not look their best when they arrive on their wedding day.

The entrance to our hostel with our lovely room and balcony where we are

At the Xi Hu near the Shortened Bridge. Look at the lush lotus plants growing behind me. The leaves were huge!

A golden statue of a water buffalo in the lake. Wonder why they had it there?

This is Ilia!! Isn't she the cutest?

China Funnies

2008-02-25T22:30:00.002+08:00

A trip to anywhere would not be without its share of quirks due to the traditions and customs of the country. But I think in my books for now, China takes the cake. It was quite fun to be on the lookout for some of these quirks during my trip there.

Take a look at the traffic light below. It took me a while to figure out how the whole thing works...I was rather amused watching the traffic lights for the first time in my life. Could have stayed there the whole day.

Checking in to a local budget hotel chain, we chanced across this packet of condom lying on the bedside table. Very concientious of them to offer it but of course, nothing comes free...Take a closer look at the tag line on the packaging though: " To be love, to do love"

Now most hotels have a price list of items in the room, just in case you happen to take like say a mug or the bathrobe from the room. Now this hotel takes it one step further...take a closer look at the next pic.

Toilet Porcelain Seat anyone for RMB750? How bout the Commode at a bargain price of RMB900. I think they don't cover the shipping and installation charges to your home though.

Spotted this picture while strolling around in the park surrounding the West Lake in Hangzhou. Sweet innocence. :)

This is one sign which I could not fathom the difference. What is the difference between the soft waiting lounge and the 'hard' or rather rigidity waiting lounge? Does one come with cushioned sofas? Unfortunately for us, we were directed to the rigidity waiting lounge so I didn't get a chance to compare.

I believe the police and the mall owners are trying to tell you something...can you work out what it is?

Shanghai, Hangzhou & Suzhou Nov 2-10, 2007 (Pt 2)

2008-02-09T22:18:00.000+08:00

Suzhou, famed for its canals was surprisingly another major industrial city. We were here for only a day or so therefore didn’t have the luxury of exploring the city properly. However we did get a glimpse of some of the canals which criss-crossed the city.

Visited the famed Garden of the Administrator, where many famous poets from China would sit while they sip their tea in the gardens and write the famous stanzas of Chinese poetry. The garden was extensive and it was really relaxing and enjoyable going around to see the different facets of the garden, the beauty of the plants and art of a Chinese garden.

I would have liked to take a cruise up the canals of Suzhou but we were not lucky enough to find out where the pier was to take the boats from. We were also told that it was quite expensive and wasn’t worth the ride. Oh well…maybe you can share your experience if you did take the boats up the canal.

Back to Shanghai we went. I must confess that we didn’t see a lot of the city itself as most of our time was spent shopping. *grin*

However, a visit to Shanghai is never without the obligatory walk along The Bund. The views of the colonial buildings was lovely with stark contrast to the modern buildings across the river in the Pudong side of the city where the modernistic Pearl Tower was outlined in the evening skyline.

A stroll around the People’s Square was an interesting walk to just observe the people around us. I suspect majority were tourists. We chanced upon some Chinese tourists too from Suzhou who were keen to find out more about what we have seen in China. It was interesting talking to them and finding out what they do and their aspirations. One of them was selected to be part of the welcome committee for the Beijing Olympics. China is putting a lot of effort in to making the Beijing Olympics a huge success.

The trip to China turned out to be quite an interesting one as it was my first encounter with China. I must say, despite having traveled in other foreign cities, traveling in China was definitely a challenge for me despite having minimal understanding of the Chinese language. Having said that, Shanghai is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in China, I wonder how I would fare in the other cities. Probably, badly…haha! This year, the plan is check out Xian to see the terracotta warriors. Will keep you posted.

Adeline & I in the Administrators Gardens

Some men playing Chinese Chess. Probably part of their daily routine. Looks like a great way to hangout with friends.

One of the best seafood porridge we had in Suzhou. The hot porridge went fabulous with the chilly November weather then.

Some friendly Chinese tourists we met. The guy was picked out of 300 ppl to join the welcome committee for the Beijing Olympics.

Art deco buildings in Shanghai. Reflective of the Colonial past of the city

More Colonial style buildings along the Bund. The building in the far end with the yellow lights is the Customs building.

The Oriental Pearl TV Tower across the Bund in the Pudong district

Shanghai, Hangzhou and Suzhou - Nov 2-10,07 (Pt 1)

2007-12-05T21:41:00.000+08:00

As I landed in Shanghai, I was half expecting to hear the opening strains of the famous Hong Kong TVB series, “The Bund” to play. However I was greeted by the hustle and bustle and the mad Friday evening traffic of Shanghai. The taxi ride to the hotel was definitely better than any rollercoaster ride that I have been on. I soon realized after a couple of days in Shanghai, the taxi drivers there are a class of their own. Sit in the front seat at your own risk.

The next day, off to Hangzhou we went. Allen (my sis’ friend from Xiamen) joined us for this weekend trip. Thanks to him, getting tickets and navigating through the mysterious ways of traveling in China was made easy. Upon arriving in Hangzhou, it was quite amazing to note that it is a huge bustling industrial city. Where was the beautiful West Lake (Xi Hu) which Hangzhou was famed for and where does it sit in this huge sprawling industrial mass? My question was to be answered later…

After settling into our hotel, off we went to visit Soong Town which is an amusement park modeled after a typical town in the Soong Dynasty era. En route to Soong town, the scenery very quickly changed from industrial city to lovely rolling hills and country side. Dotting the base of the hills were tea plants for the Chinese tea production which Hangzhou is also famed for, the Dragon Well tea (Long Jing Tea)

At Soong Town, tourists are regaled by skits, kung fu shows, story telling, staff dressed in the clothes of the era and playing roles such as black smiths, shopkeepers and entertainers. You even get to dress up in clothing of that era just to have your picture taken. We were entertained by the antics of the other tourists. Surprisingly despite the apparent tackiness of the whole place, we really had a good time exploring the place. Even tasted some Chinese wine and tried our hand at archery, the old school way.

The next day, the mystery was answered, the West Lake was just this amazing area just outside on the border of the city whereby walking around the lake, the peace and serenity is such a contrast to the industrial nature of the city which can be felt just as you set foot outside the park that surrounds the lake.

We made it to visit General Yue Fei’s mausoleum. He was a famous general during the Soong Dynasty and is the epitome of loyalty to the Emperor to the extent that it lead to his death. He is Allen’s hero, hence a visit here was quite enjoyable as Allen gave us a little bit of a history lesson to the two “bananas” who were accompanying him on this trip.

Allen left to return to Xiamen and my sis and I made our onward journey to Suzhou…

I got weighed-in the old fashion way and amazingly enough, he got it almost right! Who needs weighing scale when you have this fellow around!

Food stores complete with the chef cooking in clothes of the era

Cheers! Sipping on rather strong Chinese wine with rather cute wine cups

Allen, my sis and I at the wine shop with the 'shop keeper'

Archery the old fashioned way

Molasses candy in the shape of the Phoenix. Hand drawn on the spot by the 'stall owner'

Statue of General Yue Fei

Belum - Temenggor, Perak, 15-17 Sept 06

2007-09-08T22:52:00.000+08:00

“Sudah ke Belum?” (Have you been to Belum?)
“Belum.” (No)

Now I can answer a resounding “Sudah!” (I have!)

This opportunity came about when Malaysian Nature Society launched a signature campaign to fight for the forest complex known as the Belum-Temenggor forest complex to be strictly gazetted as national park and also to stop the logging that is threatening this ecologically bio-diverse area. As part of the campaign, there were overnight trips organized to allow the public the opportunity to see this beautiful area.

I jumped at the chance to see this wonderful pristine forest and joined one of the trips.

A pre-dawn start to the trip, where I joined Mike, Jaron and Azmi on the car pool to arrive in Grik by lunch time. Then it was off to Banding Jetty, i.e. the entrance to the Belum-Temenggor Forest reserve to catch our boat to the campsite. Along the way, it was beautiful views of hills covered with dense forests. What was amazing to contemplate was that this was all part of the Temenggor dam which actually flooded a huge area of forests and the islands that we see now are actually top of the hills in the now flooded valley. Skeleton remains of hard wood trees which were not logged prior to the flooding of the dam dot the edge of the islands, creating an instantly recognizable image of Temenggor dam.

Our campsite was a simple open hut at the mouth of a little stream called Sg Halong. During our stay there, this deceptively bubbly stream turned into a raging torrent, which threatened to sweep away the bridge which connected one side of the camp to another during an evening downpour. That’s rainforest rivers for you…small but deadly.

A main highlight for me on the trip was the chance to observe a unique phenomenon which happens only in Belum Temenggor during August – October each year. This was something recently discovered by our scientists. It is the flight of the hornbills en masse to and from the fruiting trees somewhere in the forest complex. I am not talking about 10-20 hornbills but hundreds!! Specific species observed are the Wreathed Hornbills and Plain-pouched hornbills. On one of the scientific expedition, the total count of hornbills observed passing was about 2000 individuals!!! Our base camp was strategically located to view these beautiful, big birds. I had the best time viewing them in the morning and evening. And on one of the mornings at dawn, we took the boat out to see these birds all roosting in the trees prior to them departing to forage for food. It was an amazing experience for me and something I would never forget. An interesting fact to note, is that despite Sarawak being the Land of the Hornbills, not all 10 species of the Malaysian hornbills can be found in Sarawak. However, ALL 10 species of hornbills can be found in Perak in this wonderful forest complex. MNS is currently undertaking a study of the horbills in the Belum Temenggor Forest Complex and have made several exciting discoveries. For more information see http://www.mns.org.my/artabout.php?aid=58

Something else that I wanted to see during this trip was to see the largest flower in the world, Rafflesia, in bloom. When I spoke to Wye Ping, the trip coordinator, she mentioned that there was a Rafflesia about to bloom and that we may be lucky to catch it in bloom. Alas, luck was not on our side…although the flower was a huge bud and was almost at the point of blooming, we were probably a couple of days to early. However we got to glimpse the huge bud which would give us an indication of the size of the flower.

During the trip, we were shown also the sight of logging activities happening in the forest complex. It was heartbreaking to hear that the orang asli who live around the area are finding that their water sources were increasingly polluted by the siltation caused by logging activities. Their food sources and harvests from the jungle have also been affected by logging. Since then, with the campaign by MNS, we have managed a small success whereby the Perak government promised to stop all logging activities by 2008. It remains to be seen how much forest is left behind once the loggers and politicians are done with it. Let’s hope that the outcome is more positive than negative.

I’d definitely love to come back to this amazing location. Despite all the leeches we encountered on the treks, I believe it is one place I would never tire off!!

View of the mist covered lake at dawn from the campsite. The peace and sounds of the jungle as it woke up was just music to my ears

Lantern bugs which can be found aplenty in this forest complex. However according to our orang asli guide, they can be found on specific trees only. Always a pair of them..

The variety of fungus and mushrooms that we encountered on our trek was amazing that I took to photographing them. Very pretty...

Rafflesia bud about to bloom

A rafflesia which has previously bloomed and has rotted away. Apparently once bloomed, the flower lasts only a couple of days before it quickly disintegrates.

This rafflesia site was quite a healthy one as we could see plenty of buds around. Not all of them will bloom into a flower though

Logging activities...you can see clearly from this pic that there is a diffrence in the water colour. The brownish water is due to siltation of the river that flows into the lake.

Great Argus (a type of pheasant found in the jungles of Malaysia) tail feathers. I believe some are from the male bird and one from the female bird. Of course we did not pluck these feathers from this very elusive bird. These feathers were collected by the orang asli from known 'dance' sites in the forest. The male Great Argus regularly performs an elaborate dance in a cleared area to attract a mate. I believe it is illegal to bring the feathers home.

My fellow car poolers. From left to right: Azmi, me, Mike and Jaron

Kiddie Kamp 2006

2007-08-07T22:09:00.000+08:00

Last year, Malaysian Nature Society Selangor Branch decided to try something out by organizing a half a day trip for kids from 4 years and up. Though we have named it Kiddie Kamp but it isn’t exactly a camp but just a day out with the kids and showing them nature in our very own backyard.

The venue was the Kota Damansara Community Forest which is a fantastic green lung and has amazing biodiversity right in the heart of Klang Valley. It has a short trek with plenty to see and explore.

All the volunteers turned up bright and early at 7.30am but there wasn’t a kid in sight! We were all a little worried on the turn out but thankfully, the parents and kids started arriving just a little past 8am.

A total of 10 children below 12 turned up and a batch of 10, 14-yr olds joined the group. The youngest was a cute 3 yr old who was a little shy initially and then opened up. With goodie bags in hand, everyone made their way into the trail. The older kids were taken on a different route from the younger ones.

While explaining to the children, on the various species of plants and that certain plants preferred water, us volunteers were confronted with the question of “Why did the plants prefer the water?” Of course, me not being the botany expert, the lame answer was “Cos the liked it?”

The kids had to collect 5 items for a show and tell and they had a lot of fun collecting the items. During the show and tell, the older children were all ears while the younger ones amused themselves, drawing on the notebooks provided to them. One little fella went off into a world of his own and started singing his own little song, oblivious to whatever that is happening around him.

After 2 hours, we made our way out and gave out certs to the kids for a successful walk through the Kota Damansara Community Forest Park.

Due to its prime location in the heart of the city, the Kota Damansara Community Forest Park is constantly under threat from development. One of the most accessible green lungs in the Klang Valley area, the Malaysian Nature Society and the residents are constantly fighting a battle to prevent any development through the reserve. If you are a resident in Kota Damansara and its surrounding area, do contact your local resident association to add your voice to prevent this lovely area from being developed. Alternatively join us at Malaysian Nature Society (http://www.mns.org.my/) to support conservation in Malaysia.

The Pink Party - 23 June 07

2007-07-08T22:43:00.000+08:00

Another year older and one hopes a little wiser too…well yet another birthday has come and gone. This year I decided to have a party to celebrate. I know, I know, my birthday is in June and what am I doing blogging about it in July. Well…it was a great party, what more do I have to say!

Anyway I digress…So, there I was toying with the idea of having a party. Now, a party is always fun. However to make it a little more interesting, I decided to have a theme…yes, you guessed it…a PINK PARTY! The rule was that everyone that came along had to have something pink on them. Be it a watch, a shirt, a dress or even and accessory. Brilliant ol’ me, actually worked out the theme AND sent out the invites before working out whether I had the outfit to go with the theme. So the next couple of days were spent frantically rummaging through my wardrobe in search of the pinkest item I could find…thank goodness, I found it! Phew! I even found a cute pair of pink shiny stars hair band to go with it. The boys kept trying to eat it the whole night! Caught in the act! I have pictures!

Well, Joyce, our bar-tenderess extraordinaire, decided that we would have a “Pink Pant-Stir Bar” and that we would have pink drinks too! That idea turned out fabulous. Not only did she mix up the best drinks it was the most colourful too. Of course she mixed a couple of killers, like the Flaming Moz (in which there was like a triple shot of 3 types of alcohol! Ugh!)

Well, I didn’t go as far as providing pink food. Hmmmm… wonder how would we do that…? Pink satay definitely won’t work! But of course, one had to have a pink cake.

Everyone turned up in some form of pink! There were frantic last minute trips to the nearest shopping mall for the guys but they made it in pink! Thanks guys for making the effort! Everyone looked so good! Check out the Pink Parade! We also had the prize for the best pink! Eric got the prize. And what was the prize? It was a pink bead set. Now Eric has to make us all a necklace with his bead set for the next party…

Great company, good food and a whole lot of alcohol! A recipe for a great party! It was one of the best parties! Thanks everyone!

So what will be our next party theme?

The Pink Ladies!

Khimmy, Joyce and I

Winner of the Best Pink!

Let Sleeping Cats Lie...

2007-04-28T12:31:00.000+08:00

I'm actually more of a dog person but I have encountered some cats along the way which have exhibited a few peculiar traits. I think cats are a little more eccentric at the best of times and have their little quirks.

One of them is their sleeping positions. Many cat owners will vouch that cats sleep ALL the time. Except for the 1 hour a day where they decide to stroll around from one spot to another or to get to their meal. Or perhaps go beserk and run around the house for no reason at all.

Meow is a cat with one of the funniest sleeping positions I have encountered. Each time he sleeps, he exudes a deep sense of peace and relaxation that can get really annoying to watch especially if you are having a busy day. Below are some of his favourite sleeping positions. My personal favourite is when he covers his eyes. It is as if, the light in the room is too bright and he has a paw over his eyes to shade out the light.

Another cat below is Mahsuri. She used to be the Malaysian Nature Society Cat and had a little cushion bed in the MNS shop. Everytime you go to the shop, you will see her curled up in a ball to fit the round cushion bed. She's quite a long cat, but she loves that cushion bed and took a great liking to it and uses it as her favourite nap place when she is in the shop. She's now moved to a kind a caring home and doesn't live at the MNS headquarters anymore.

Along the East Coast from Lanjut to Kuantan

2007-04-22T17:27:00.000+08:00

Sometime in August 2006, a group of MNS friends and I planned a trip to Kuantan for the MNS AGM but decided to take the scenic route. When I say scenic we really did scenic. We left KL and went through Negeri Sembilan, across the main range down to Lanjut, Pahang (for those clueless where this is, it is near Kuala Rompin - look it up on the map of Peninsular Malaysia).

Well along the way, we came across this town with a big, big name. Bandar Muadzam Shah. It has a huge Hollywood sized sign that marked the entrance to the town. I was fascinated, we turned in hoping to find a huge development right in the middle of no where but it turned out to be a small town with a couple of rows of shops, a huge 'padang' (field) a bus station and one petrol station. Turns out that this is one of the university towns where there is a University Tenaga Nasional nearby. Wonder if the big town name sign makes up for its size or were there hopes of turning this into the flagship township?

Along the way up north from Lanjut, we stopped off at one of the resorts which was totally empty. This resort fronted a lovely beach and the best part was no one was there, though it was a long weekend. With the lovely breeze blowing on a hot afternoon, I could have snoozed in that hammock. (If only the hammock was long enough....)

Scenes like the pictures below just evokes a sense of peace and calm in me. Just being there on that day and taking a break from our journey at this idyllic spot made me feel that there is beauty all around us. We just need to take some time out from our hectic lives to appreciate it. It is nice to know that in the rush to modernisation, Malaysia still has these little beauty spots which has not been spoilt by brick and mortar resorts.

Where has time gone? Time to start blogging again!

2007-04-22T17:14:00.000+08:00

It has been a year now since I have been back from England. Gosh has time flown by. Well, due to work and other commitments i haven't been able to travel as much as I did when I was in UK. But I have managed to see some places around Malaysia and around the South-east Asian region.

I will post some of my trips here. So here's to more Tea and Scones stories from me...or shall I say, Teh Tarik and Roti Canai instead since I am now back in Malaysia?

Greece Part 2: Crete and Patmos

2007-01-01T14:00:00.000+08:00

Crete Island
Crete Island is one of the largest island within the Greek Isles. It is famed for its beauty but due to our limited time on that island, we spent most of our time in the main town Iraklio. The atmosphere in the town is akin to that of Penang Island in Malaysia. The roads are just as narrow and there is a small bit of pedestrian walkway which lies alongside its multitude of shops. Walking along the street is highly distracting as each shop has its attraction be it the sweet dessert delights which are enticingly displayed or the unique costume jewelleries which Crete island is famed for. Also the hunger inducing smells of the souvlaki (kebabs) shops which are peppered along the main thoroughfare.

Although our visit to Crete was a short one but we managed to see the ruins of the Knossos Palace. It is believed that Crete was the place of birth of the Greek civilisation. The Knossos Palace was home to the Minoan rulers. The legend of the minotaur, a beast who is half bull half man originated here.

Knossos Palace, Crete Island

Group picture at Knossos Palace: me, Magda, Joyce, Aunty Sandy and Carol

The fort at Iraklio Port at Crete

Sleeping on the 'ferry' back to Athens. For some reason they call the ships that take you to the islands, ferries. But they are the biggest ferries I have seen...

This is a 'Ferry'...

Patmos Island
On to the ferry again for our journey to Patmos Island. This island famous not only for the lovely azure seas surrounding it but it is the place where St John received the word of God for the Revelation chapter of the Bible. We stayed at my friend Joyce’s aunt’s bed and breakfast which is located on a cliff overlooking the gorgeous blue seas. Even though it is winter in Greece, the islands still have the clear blue skies which attracts droves of tourists to the islands in the height of summer.

As it was winter, I believe we were the few tourists on the island. As this island is alive during the summer, winter provides a different perspective of the islands. We met some friends of Aunty Sandy and Uncle Alex who run a tourist shop in the town and also live on the island. Adonis (yes that’s is his name) and Anthoula were great hosts and were kind enough to take us on a tour around the island. We drove around all points of the compass of the island. From the rocky beaches up north to the highest peak on the island. An interesting point to note is that there seems to be a correlation between the highest peaks and religion…at any high point of the island, be it a small hill or the highest hill, there will be a church located there.

We trekked around the island from the monastery and walking down the hill to the beach (to insert beach name.) We had a bit of an adventure as we got to the beach, we realised that we were on the other side of the island. It was the opposite side to the main town, AND, as it was winter, bus services were not running. So…we asked a local, how long would it take us to walk to Skala (to check name). A lady told us about 15=20 minutes. So we decided, fine…15-20 minutes is easy seeing that we have been walking for the last couple of hours. We started to walk…and started to discover that the going was UPHILL…great…15-20 minutes later, we were no where near anywhere and the skies were turning dark and threatening to pour! So a wild scheme hatched, we would hitch a ride off whoever that was coming along…So we stuck out our thumbs and to our amazement, a kind old man on the motorcycle stopped. Joyce hopped on…that left Carol and myself. So we continued walking and hoping that a nice person in a car will stop for us…Just as the rain started to pour, two guys on motorbikes stopped. Carol took a look at both, and pointed to the smaller one and said “you take that one!” When I looked at that bike, I realised it was a tiny motorbike and the guy who was riding it pretty much filled out the seat. Now, most people say I am thin but I don’t think I am THAT small….the space that I had to sit on was like less than half a butt cheek in width. I was terrified half the time on the bike that I would slide off!! ESPECIALLY going uphill…I could see the headlines, “Tourist slides off bike!!” Joyce who arrived earlier was waiting at Skala and as we rounded the corner, she saw Carol with a big grin on the back of one bike and then there was me, holding on for my dear life!!! It was very funny!!

I must visit Patmos once again during the summer and see the difference in the vibe of the island when it is buzzing with lots of tourists and also enjoy the lovely sun, sand and sea!! But I suspect that our trip during the winter was quite special as everyone there was a little more relaxed and had time to spare for crazy Malaysian tourists who visit in the winter. Visiting some of Uncle Alex and Aunty Sandy’s friends and all their generosity and warmth made up for the cold winter weather.

One Last Fling – Greece (March 10 – 20, 2006)

2006-04-21T20:55:00.000+08:00

After a year of travelling, I just could not resist one last trip to Europe before I hopped on that plane to Kuala Lumpur. So I joined my friends Joyce and Carol on a trip to sunny Greece. Our trip started in the birthplace of civilisation, where great philosophers were born, Athens. From Athens, we visited the island of Crete and then on to Patmos island.

Athens:
Athens is a lovely city and it was great to just wander around its nooks and crannies and absorbing the atmosphere. A visit to the Acropolis and the famed Parthenon was on the top of my list and from the top of the hill the 360 degree view of the city of Athens was magnificent. Particularly when the sun came out from behind the clouds, and its rays hit the multitude of white-washed walls revealing a dense collection of buildings which stretches as far as the eye can see to the hills in the distance.

Athens is a great combination of new and old. One can’t help comparing the two ancient cities, i.e. Athens and Rome. While both have very old civilisation, Athens seems to have a more modern feel. I personally felt that Rome’s heritage was better preserved in comparison to Athens. I did get a chance to see THE Olympic stadium i.e. the very first one. It is very well preserved and I believed they have restored it. Alas, they do not permit visitors within the stadium, so I could not run a victory lap around it.

An amphitheatre at the Acropolis. This amphitheatre is still being used till today. In summer there are concerts held here.

At the Acropolis with the Parthenon in the background. It was a very wet morning but thankfully when I got to the top, the rain stopped and the sun came out with its heartwarming rays!

View of Athens from the Acropolis

Top of the Parthenon where the friezes are located. The scaffolding that you can see in the picture are ongoing works of restoration on the Parthenon.

These are the friezes found on the Parthenon. They have been removed to preserve it from weather erosion. Work is on-going to restore the Parthenon with new marble being added to the sections that have been damaged. It was weird seeing white gleaming marble versus the yellowed and eroded old ones. I'm not sure if restoring it may be a good idea.

Some ruins found in Monastiraki in the heart of Athens tourist district. In the background on the hill is the Acropolis

These orange trees are a common sight on the streets of Athens. While they look appealing, be warned...these oranges or known locally as 'neraji' are extremely sour! Locals find it funny when they see tourists unknowingly picking the fruits and tasting them.

A Byzantium Church. With the Greek Orthodox religion, the styles of the churches here are vastly different to that of most of the Western Europe. However they are similarly ornate with pictures of the saints adorning the walls. People would walk in and light a candle and kiss the picture of the saint.

I came across the changing of the guards outside the Town Hall by accident. It was fascinating to watch as this was entirely different from the one held at Buckingham Palace. As it was a Sunday, they closed the main street while it was being held. Also note the ceremonial uniform which is different i.e. a little more plain if it is a weekday.

Yummy gelati ice cream which was very refreshing despite it being a cold and wet day in Athens. With such an array to choose from we were at loss at which flavour to have. They all look so nice.

A pic of us with some Greek army boys who were sitting at the Town hall in Syntagman Square. I believe that military service is compulsory for the Greek men similar to that practiced by Singapore.

Farewell to London

2006-03-04T23:32:00.000+08:00

After being in London for almost a year and meeting many fabulous people and having seen many fascinating places, it is time to bid it farewell.

My year here has been great and I have truly enjoyed my time here. Special thanks to all the people whom I have met during my stay here who have made it special. I'm sorry to leave but I think it is time for the next part in the adventure of life.

Rest assured I am going to continue this blog. I will chart my travels around Malaysia and the region. The travel bug hasn't died yet, I still want to see bits of the world. So I'm hoping to have a trip to Hanoi, Vietnam sometime towards the end of the year. In the mean time, with my activities in Malaysian Nature Society, I hope to show you a bit of Malaysia too.

Below are the pics from my farewell party. Thanks to all that came along for the celebration. Look forward to seeing you all soon in Malaysia.

All of us at Sway Bar

Katie Lang and I

Kuan Fai and Kelly

Graham, Claire and Kenton

My London Underground Map souvenir which everyone signed next to the stop where they lived. What a great going away present! Thanks Maggy!

Maggy and Kelly

My housemate Chris and I

Maggy, James and I

Heather and I

Everyone having a great time!

Bits and pieces of London

2006-03-02T10:05:00.000+08:00

My friend Joyce visited from Malaysia and we spent a day going all around London doing the touristy thing

From left; Katrina, me, Joyce, Carol and Jackie with the Tower Bridge in the background

This pub is called The Hung, Drawn and Quartered. Guess where this pub is located? In the vicinity of Tower of London where many prisoners were hung, drawn and their body quartered and sent to each end of the country.

A beefeater or the yeoman in the Tower of London. No one knows exactly why they are called the beefeaters.

This is King Henry the Eight's suit of armour. I guess having 6 wives gives him a little bit of a complex doesn't it?

Columbia Street market which has all types of flowers and plants for sale. With spring approaching the place is packed with people buying bulbs and plants for their homes and garden. The street is a myriad of colours.

These poor rabbits are destined for the cooking pot. You can find wild game for sale at the Borough market. Some days they have pheasants for sale too.

Camden Town and market is another interesting feature of London. This area has clothes and knick knacks of all sorts. Some of the shops have very unique sign boards in 3D.

Another interesting sign board in Camden Town

As a prelude to my trip to Greece, I went to the British Museum to see some of the Parthenon Marbles which are displayed there. These marbles were 'brought' by Lord Elgin to England and sold to the British Museum.

This bronze bell was discovered in Klang, my hometown! Joyce and I were delighted to find our hometown featured in the British Museum.

They even had a map to show where Klang is located.

Porto, Portugal (Feb 25-27, 2006)

2006-02-28T08:52:00.000+08:00

Port and Portugal…all these names originated in the town of Porto, the second largest city in Portugal. Both Katrina and I visited this quaint little town hoping to catch some winter sun after a couple of months in dreary London.

Walking around this city, you get a sense of familiarity and then it hits you…Melaka! The Portuguese has left a huge architectural imprint on Melaka. The buildings in Porto all have the coloured tiles lining its walls and gorgeous works of art painted on ceramic tiles. A feature that we noted seemed to adorn the exterior of most churches. I loved the feel of this city as it still retains much of a country town feel and the old section of the town by the river, Ribeira now holds the UNESCO World Heritage status.

Sitting on the banks of the Douro river having a meal or sipping port and watching the world go by is one of the nicest things that one can do in this city. We were quite happy to do this especially when the sun is shining and Portugal has very nice coffee to offer and of course port. Of course port tasting at the cellars rates highly on the things to do scale.

Food here was excellent. The speciality in Porto is the tripe stew. I’m not the greatest fan of tripe but having tried their stew which was cooked with kidney beans, I have to say it was delicious. The Portuguese seem to have rice as part of their meals however it is served differently from Asian cooking. Not quite how the Italians have their risotto. I wonder if they did retained some influences from the countries that they ‘ruled’?

The Portuguese also left a little legacy in the Bahasa Malaysia language. Malaysians would recognise the following words:

igreja - gereja (church)
manteiga - mentega (butter)
sabonete - sabun (soap)
quiejo - keju (cheese)
garfo - garpu (fork)

I think Porto is a lovely city to visit for a weekend if you are looking for a place where you can do a little sightseeing but also to relax and soak in the atmosphere.

Capela das Almas de Santa Catarina (chapel). The ceramic tiles painted with biblical scenes are a common feature on churches here

Waxed pig's head seems to be a culinary specialty here. This window display was stacked with quite a few of these. I didn't get the chance to sample this...how unfortunate...NOT!

There was a little festival happening while we were there. Most little kids were dressed in various types of costume. Some sort of carnival before the start of Lent.

Decorative tiles adorning the front of buildings. Sadly some building were not maintained and there are those where all these tiles have fallen off. This feature is mainly seen in the old section of Porto

Sao Bento Railway Station. The walls of this station was adorned with fantastic works of art all drawn on the ceramic tiles

Typical buildings in the Ribeira, the old part of Porto

A view of the Ribeira from the opposite bank of the Douro River

Outside one of the main cathedrals in Porto, Le Seu

Kat and me, port tasting

It was interesting to note that there is the ruby port, tawny port and white port. It is made of blends of different grapes. The difference between the ruby and the tawny port is how it is stored to oxidise.

These boats were used to transport the port in the huge casks to the port cellars across the river. Note the bridge in the background. Porto is known as the city of bridges as it is linked by 7 bridges all with different architectural styles.

This is the view we had while having lunch and coffee on most days

This is one of the poshest McDonalds I have ever been to. It is decorated with chandeliers.

Edinburgh (Feb 10 - 12, 2006)

2006-02-14T18:58:00.000+08:00

I made a trip to Edinburgh with my aunt, who was visiting from Australia. We caught the train there and arrived on the most beautiful day that Scotland could offer. The sky was blue and the sun was shining…a rarity during winter in Scotland.

We had our Scottish lunch and of course tried the famed Scottish dish, the Haggis. I personally liked it very much. So what is haggis made of? It is made of minced heart, liver and various organs of the sheep and cooked with toasted oatmeal and boiled in sheep’s stomach. I think if someone were to be given it without knowing what it is made of and how it is made, they would tuck it in as any other meal. I thought it tasted like any mince dish and didn’t think too much of the ingredients.

As the day was too lovely to stay indoors in our lovely B & B, we took one of those sightseeing buses which provided us with the chance to see the whole of Edinburgh. It is a beautiful city and very picturesque with its old buildings and Edinburgh Castle looking over the whole city. It was nice to walk around in the winter sun and enjoying the atmosphere and the pulse of the city.

We also took the opportunity to take a day trip out of Edinburgh to Stirling Castle (where the Scottish rulers used to rule over the land). It was near here that William Wallace (most of you would know his story from the movie, Braveheart) lost the battle and was taken to the Tower of London and was hung, drawn and quartered. From Stirling Castle we drove through the Trossachs National Park, an area of spectacular beauty despite it being a wet day. We finished our trip at Loch Lomond one of the lochs with the largest surface area in Scotland. Loch Ness has is the deepest loch hence the myth of the Lochness Monster or Nessie as it is affectionately known.

I think on my next trip to Scotland, I would like to time it for the summer to see the munro’s (Scottish terminology for hills) all covered in splendour of the purple blooms of heather and also the beautiful countryside.

Sir Walter Scott's memorial. Sir Walter Scott is one of the celebrated Scottish writer and poet. Among his historical novels are Ivanhoe and Rob Roy.

Robert Burns Memorial. Robert Burns, another celebrated poet and writer. The Scottish celebrate Robert Burns Day where Burns Supper i.e. haggis is served with tatties and neeps (slang for potatoes and turnips) and of course whiskey!

Edinburgh Castle, the home of the Scottish Royalty including Mary, Queen of the Scots.

My aunt Christine, seated at the royal dining table at Stirling Castle

My aunt and I at Loch Lomond. It was a really wet day and after walking around in the rain, there was a break in the weather and the clouds parted to give us a glimpse of the beauty of the Loch.

Chinese New Year in London

2006-01-31T06:36:00.000+08:00

I can't say that this is my first Chinese New Year away from home but it is definitely my coldest Chinese New Year to date! As I could not have the usual reunion dinner with my family, I decided to have a reunion dinner with some friends instead. So I had a small Chinese New Year party in my home and served up the very Malaysian dish of Nasi Lemak.

Chinese New Year decorations for my home!

Reunion dinner with my housemates and friends on Chinese New Year Eve

On the first day of Chinese New Year, we went to China Town to see some of the events planned for Chinese New Year celebration. There was a stage set up on Trafalgar Square with Chinese dances and some Kung Fu exhibition. We go to see the firecrackers in Leicester Square. China Town was full of people and it was absolutely packed till they had to post policemen to block all entrances to the area for crowd control.

It was definitely a different Chinese New Year! Alas no 'ang pows' (red packets) for me this year!

The Malaysian contingent. Some visitors from home and some Malaysian friends based in London.

My housemates, Chau, Chris, Marzena and I

Firecrackers in Leicester Square. Crowds of people turned up to watch the parade and festivities organised by the City of London

Chinatown in London, all lit up with lights and lanterns. There was also the traditional lion dance going from shop to shop to bring luck to the businesses

Katrina and I, in China Town. It was a very cold day!

Richmond Park

2006-01-23T05:44:00.000+08:00

A planned last minute trip to the Cotswold didn't quite happen and we decided to save the day and make the most of the day! So we opted to head to Richmond Park. It turned out to be a nice day after all. A good walk in the park and we saw the resident deers and ended up in a lovely pub and had the best lunch. We even scored a discount on the lunch due to a delay in our meal which we didn't quite notice after finishing a bottle of wine. :)

Chris and Kerstin

View of the Thames from the hill

Ugly duckling turning into a beautiful swan

Beautiful swan

Deers in Richmond park. Chris and I were having a debate on whether the deers would chase people and dared me to go as near as possible. The look in the alpha male's eyes made me think twice.

Sausage and mash, a traditional pub meal in England

Where shall I go next?

2006-01-17T19:36:00.000+08:00

Hmmm...I'm trying to work out where to go at the end of February. I actually really want to go to see the Northern Lights but I think that is a little out of my budget at the moment.

So possible locations are Lisbon, Porto (both in Portugal) or Seville in Spain. Well it would be nice to be somewhere relatively warmer after being in the cold weather for a while now. Though the winter hasn't been that cold and it has been fairly good for the past few days with max tempratures up to 9-10 degrees celcius. It has warmed up a bit from the cold days of 3 degrees.

So any suggestions will be welcome or tips on what to see would be helpful!

Ice Bar

2006-01-06T17:15:00.000+08:00

A last minute booking and we were off to try out something different instead of the usual Friday evening drinks in a bar/pub. We went to check out and to freeze ourselves in the new Absolute Ice Bar. It is literally what its name is...an ice bar, where the walls and bar and tables and chairs are all made from ice and kept at a frozen -6 degrees.

We were provided capes and gloves and got our vodka cocktails in our very own glass made out of ice! Very cool! There was even a bottle carved out in the shape of an Absolut bottle.

Due to how cold it was in there, we were only allowed to stay there only 45 minutes which was very well as my toes were frozen and it took more than 10 minutes to feel that they belong to me.

Absolut-ly frozen!

Wonder how many people tried to lick the wall?

Ice glasses.

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A clear, cold day along the street where I live. It was extremely quiet over Christmas

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This is the sprinkling of snow that London got on the 27 December. It looked like someone got out some icing sugar and lightly dusted the cars on the street

2005-12-28T07:18:00.000+08:00

A little Christmas spirit in my home

Winter Solstice (Dong Zhi)

2005-12-22T23:20:00.000+08:00

Today is the Winter Solstice and it is going to be the shortest day in the year and the longest night for the Northern Hemisphere. As I type this blog, looking out the window the day is starting to get dark and it is now 3.30pm. It can only go up from here! So the days will start getting longer and brighter but as my colleague points out it won't get any warmer yet.

It is also traditional for the Chinese to mark this day with a celebration to welcome the arrival of winter. It is celebrated with a family reunion and dinner. A traditional sweet dessert made of glutinous rice balls, 'Tang Yuan', is served too.

Advent Party at Kerstin's

2005-12-18T06:56:00.000+08:00

An invitation to Kerstin's place for another party. This time it was an Advent party where mulled wine and stollen (a traditional German Christmas cake) was served. Plus Kerstin also made up batches of cookie dough and it was a tough competition to see who had the most original cookie cutter. I think Maggy won this year with her animal cookie cutters. Though the Kenton's handshaped cookies deserves a mention.

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Advent candle, cookies, chocolates and prosecco...all the ingredients for a great party

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Cookies we made. Look at all the cool shapes!

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Kerstin and Dirk

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Jonathan and friends

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Oops...who broke the glass...(Left: Kenton, James and Claire)

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Maggie, Kerstin and I

Doggy in the window

2005-12-17T20:12:00.000+08:00

This morning as I was having my breakfast in the lounge, I looked up and looked across the street at my neightbour's window. Something moving caught my eye and it turned out to be a cute terrier (I'm not too sure of its breed), Scottish I think...

The terrier must have climbed up something to enable it to look out of the window at the street below. It was so cute. It would do this for a couple of minutes and disappear and reappear again. I wonder what goes through its mind when it sees cars passing and people all bundled up against the cold walking by. I'm sure it is happy that it is in a nice and warm house while the others are out there braving the cold snap today.

Munich & Salzburg ( 3 - 7 December, 2005)

2005-12-11T06:16:00.000+08:00

As Christmas approaches there is a tradition of Christmas Markets in Europe which are held for a month before Christmas. As its name suggests it is all things Christmassy. Germany was one of the places to visit for a Christmas market and after reading various bits and pieces, I chose Munich as my first German experience. It was my first sight of an entire countryside covered in snow. A magical sight from the window of the plane as we approached Munich.

The trip did not start off well with our flight delayed due to severe weather in Munich and my luggage did not arrive in Munich when we got there. Despite the delays, we (my housemates Chau and Chris joined me on this trip) were rewarded by the sight of falling snow as we travelled from the airport to the city by train. However it was only snowing for a bit as we approached the city, we could see snow on the ground and on the roofs but skies were gloomy and it was drizzling.

We wandered down to the town centre, Marienplatz and it was lovely to see all the stalls selling their Christmas wares. Most of the stalls were selling all the wonderful baubles to decorate the Christmas tree and it was the first time I wished that I had a huge Xmas tree to decorate at home. Some of the decorations were hand-painted glass balls, hand made star shaped straw decorations and lots of other unique decorations that I have never seen before. There were lots of food stalls too selling different sorts of wurst (sausages) and to keep you nice and warm while you shop there’s always mulled wine. (Yum!!) For those who don’t know mulled wine is just wine which is sweetened and spiced and is served warm. I loved it…and was quite happily having little mugs of it as we went along. They serve it in lovely little mugs which you can keep if you want or to return it for your deposit of €2.

We made a day trip to the magical fairytale Neuschwanstein Castle outside Munich. It was lovely to take a day trip there by train and to see the castle built by King Ludwig I (also known as Mad King Ludwig). The castle was also the inspiration for Disney’s Sleeping Beauty Castle. The countryside surrounding the castle was covered in snow and on our journey there, it was a thrill to see the snow-capped peaks of the Alps. The castle was lovely and inside it had a lot of lovely murals which depicted various epics including the medieval romance of Tristan and Isolde. We were taken on a tour of the castle but I was a little disappointed as the tour didn’t go into depths of the stories which covered the walls. However the castle was as beautiful inside as it was outside, though sadly it was never completed and King Ludwig only lived there for a few months before his death.

No trip to Germany is complete without a visit to a Brahaus. And we dutifully made our way to a few of the brahaus around and had our obligatory steins. (A stein is about 1 litre of beer in a mug that is so heavy to lift! Those beer maids are super strong and could carry about 6-8 at a go while I was struggling to lift my stein with one hand. Oh well I can cross off being a beer maid at Oktoberfest as one of my alternative careers.) It was a tough job to finish a stein but someone had to do it! J And of course a stein is also needed to wash down a whole pork knuckle which was delicious!

Thankfully I got my luggage back after 3 days and could go to Salzburg with all my gear. From Munich we caught the train to Salzburg which was an hour and a half away from Munich. On the first night we had a lovely grilled trout dinner at a small homely gasthaus. Unfortunately my housemate Chau developed an allergic reaction to the trout but thankfully she got better the next morning. We wandered around Salzburg which is split into two parts i.e. the old town and the new town. Salzburg is a quaint little city and very compact and definitely can be seen all in one day. As it was winter, the snow made it a little more magical. The old city is very much a pedestrian place as the main streets are almost like narrow alley ways with the shops and their wrought iron guild signs. The wrought iron signs weren’t only limited to the shops but also found in their cemetery which I found a fairly cheerful place with all the colours. They had a little Christmas market too which wasn’t as crowded as the one in Munich but with just as much charm. They sold similar goodies to that in Munich albeit a little different.

We made it up to the Hohensalzburg Fortress which overlooks the whole city but unfortunately it was a fairly wet and dreary day so the view was obscured by the mist, which was a bit of a shame. Of course, one can’t go to Salzburg without being bombarded by the Sound of Music as this was the place where it was filmed. We signed up for the Sound of Music tour and saw most of the locations but unfortunately the one place which I wanted to really see which was the Palace of Leopoldskron, the place where they shot the outside scene of the house on the lake, was now a private property and we could only gaze on its magnificence from across the lake. However the tour allowed us to see some of the lovely snow covered country side around Salzburg and I had my first ever experience of falling snow. It was magical and quite fun to have the snow falling all around you and to have it in your hair and clothes. I was thrilled, I got my wish to see and experience falling snow. Another highlight of the tour was the unexpected trip to Lake Mondsee. Being on the lake and surrounded by snow capped mountains was fantastic albeit cold. However after the tour, I have to say that I am quite happy not to watch or to hear any songs from Sound of Music for a while.

As I bid farewell to Salzburg was walking towards the plane, it started to snow again. Only that this time it was not light fluffly flakes but fat wet ones which was a little bit unpleasant but it was a fitting way to end the trip we settled in the plane for the take off.

2005-12-11T06:13:00.000+08:00

Marienplatz, Munich

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An Advent candle wreath. To mark the arrival of Christmas you would light one candle each Sunday before Christmas

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Some of the baubles on sale at the Christmas market in Munich

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Other delightful fresh wreath and traditional decorations available at the market

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Someone has to do the hard work and finish those beers...(from left Chris, Chau and me!)

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Neushwanstein Castle, Bavaria (picture courtesy of Chris)

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The view from Neushwanstein Castle

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The view of Hohensalzburg from our hostel room

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The celebrated resident of Salzburg, Mozart. There was even Mozart chocolates too!

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Wiener schnitzel and beer...yummy...it is actually Vienna style schnitzel.

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St Peter's cemetery in Salzburg. Note that they have wrought metal plaques instead of tombstones

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Leopoldskron Palace. The lake was frozen and it was only early December

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View of the Salzburg country side where I had my first experience of falling snow

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At Mondsee, we saw the church in which the ‘wedding’ of Maria to the Captain was filmed in the movie. It shows you how good camera tricks can be as it seemed in the movie that the church was a huge one as Maria walked up the aisle to meet the Captain but in actual fact the church is fairly small and the aisle isn’t very long. This picture is the main altar at the church

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On Lake Mondsee...my ears got so cold standing out on the boat on the lake.

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On the bridge dividing the old town and the new town in Salzburg

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

2005-11-30T17:36:00.000+08:00

It has been fairly cold in London in the past few weeks and everyday I am well bundled up against the cold. Last week it was forecasted to snow in England. As usual, everywhere in England got snow but London...we just got a cold cold wind!!

I'm hoping to have a white Christmas but that we have to see. It usually doesn't snow in London till January or February though the bookmakers are taking bets on whether it will snow for Christmas. They have reduced the odds now to 3-1. I can't believe that the people here bet on the weather too!!

My hope is to see falling snow. I have seen snow once before in the Blue Mountains of Melbourne in Australia. But to experience falling snow, that would be a first. I'm off to Munich and Salzburg this weekend. It is snowing there but I'm not sure if we will get snow over the weekend. It is forecasted to be sleet which is frozen rain bits, different from hail. So either I get to experience my first snowfall or my first sleet...I think I prefer the snow. :P

A walk from Hever to Leigh, Kent

2005-11-13T00:44:00.000+08:00

Another walk in the beautiful countryside of Kent. This time it was on a crisp autumn day. And we were lucky that the day dawned fine and it didn't rain at all. Though the ground was muddy in some sections and we got mud all over our shoes.

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At the entrance of Hever Castle where they were filming the BBC programme Songs of Praise

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An ornate cabbage...pretty isn't it?

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I don't think this even needs a caption

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Group picture. Left to right: Chris, Wendy, Gavin, James, Claire, Maggy and me!

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See Maggy run! We were trying to do a group shot with our cameras and had a mad scramble to get into the shot. Maggy didn't quite make it before the pic was taken

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Knight in shining armour - a 21st century profession?

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Muddy, muddy shoesies..and this was only half way through our walk.

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An interesting weather vane

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A Y stile, another different type of stile found in the countryside. It is used as a way to prevent the sheep/cows from wandering off the land.

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Towards the end of our walk, we crossed a field of sheeps and in the distance we could see the moon rising as the day started to get dark.

Gdansk, Poland (Nov 4-7, 2005)

2005-11-09T19:07:00.000+08:00

A trip to Poland was on the cards for me as I have told my friend Joanna, that should I ever get the opportunity, I wanted to visit her home country. After all she has seen quite a bit of my country while she was in Malaysia. My friend Jackie joined me on this trip.

I caught my first glimpse of Gdansk from the plane when the man who was sitting next to me proudly pointed out of the window of the plane and said to me proudly. ‘Gdansk, my city.’ It was a beautiful sight to see the church tower rising out of the myriad of buildings that makes up the city. We arrived in Gdansk and had our first little adventure straight away. Instead of taking the straight bus to town we hopped on another bus which takes us to a train station and then caught a train to Gdansk. Along the way we passed autumn forests on either side of the road as the bus rapidly filled up with locals, our introduction to the very efficiently run transportation system in Gdansk.

It was interesting to wander around the town and the buildings seem similar to that in Amsterdam. It is amazing as you look around as this town was fairly affected during the World War II. But looking around today, you can hardly know that this place was badly hit. I only realised how badly this town was hit when we went to the St Mary’s Church, reputedly one of the largest brick church in the world. Its interior was very austere and plain but you can imagine that this church must have been very grand and ornate from the various pieces within the church. Alas we didn’t get a chance to go up the church tower for a view of the city as it was closed for the winter.

Joanna brought us to Sopot, which was a city about 20 minutes by train from Gdansk for dinner. Gdansk, Sopot and Gdynia makes up the Tri-City (Trójmiasto) conurbation. Interestingly we went to this wooden hunter’s lodge which was a replica of the type of lodges that you find in Zakopané in south of Poland. The lodge was decorated with pelts and heads of animals such as deers etc. We had our first dinner here and it was yummy.

As always when one travels with a local, one gets to see a little more of the city and less touristy sights. Both Joanna and I share a passion for birdwatching and she brought me to the nearby Ptasi Raj(pronounced ptassy rai) in Sobieszewo (so-bishewo). It was a great walk and I got to see a few lifers such as the Bullfinch and some different species of gulls. Jackie got a small introduction to birdwatching. We walked along a deserted beach and saw the Baltic Sea which looked really clear and I think to date it will be my northern-most sea. Unfortunately towards the end of our walk it drizzled steadily and by the end of the walk we were fairly wet and cold. Thank goodness non of us caught a cold. The end of the walk takes us past the Wisla river which is has made its journey through the whole of Poland. If the river could tell tales, it would tell of the different cities that is has seen along its journey past Krakow (pronounced as Krakoof in Polish) and Warsaw (Warshavia).

One highlight was a day trip to the Malbork Castle. This immense castle was built by the knights of the Teutonic Order which was one of the military orders which was formed during the crusades. They are the contemporaries of the Knights Templar which would be more familiar to the most of you. The castle was huge and it was hard to imagine how this Castle was also bombed out in WWII. It has been painstakingly restored and is still in the process of restoration. Despite being built in the 12th century, the castle has a clever heating system where a large furnace at the bottom of the castle channels the heat through the floors and has little openings to warm the rooms of the Grand Masters and also the main halls. A neat trick I must say. The castle today is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

As with all my trips, one cannot go by without mentioning the food. Polish food is very much a meat eater’s delight. There isn’t much variety as could be seen from the shops but you can have the same dish in different places and they all make it slightly different. Food like bigos (a cabbage stew) and pierogi (dumpling) were a highlight. Another feature was the soups, I loved the zurek (which was a potato and sausage soup) and another interesting one was the beetroot soup (barszcz).

We had a bit of unfortunate time when on our first night, our hostel ran out of hot water. Joanna, kindly offered us to stay at her comfy and lovely new home. Thanks Joanna for being a great host and putting us up at your place.

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Along the Motlawa canal which runs through Gdansk

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Day out in the reserve...it was a wet wet day!

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Our first dinner at the Zakopane lodge: Bigos, Shaslick(a kebab sort of thing), Fried goats cheese (left corner) and potato pancakes (on the right)

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At the wooded hut replica of lodges in Zakopane

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There's a funny story to this picture. When Jackie and I arrived we walked past this row of florists which had lots of wreaths outside their shop. I remarked to Jackie saying that this town can't have that many funerals. It was very strange. We found out later that it was a Polish memorial day a few days earlier and people are visiting the cemetries in memory of their loved ones who has passed on. Hee hee...

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Shops along the main street Ulica Dluga in Gdansk

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This interesting astronomical clock not only tells you the month and season, it also indicates the zodiac

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These ornaments are made out of amber. Gdansk is famed for its amber and Jackie and I had the best time shopping for them. I never knew that there were so many shades of amber. They had white, black, gold, yellow and greens of various shades.

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Among the autumn leaves

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Malbork Castle after the WWII - note the devastation and compare it with the next picture.

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At Malbork Castle

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Joanna, Jackie and myself on our last night in Gdansk. We were toasting with Goldwasser a local speciality liquer with 23 karat gold flakes inside.

Barcelona, Spain (15-18 October, 2005)

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This trip was my first time ever travelling alone. I wanted to try it out and it was quite interesting to see whether I would or wouldn’t like it. My plan initially for Barcelona was to party and do shopping after being a little bored of museums and exhibits. But my plans changed everyday and I got to experience a bit of the city and also saw a little of the countryside during my 4 days.

It is a city of architecture thanks to its resident architect and a man with fantastic ideas and vision, Antoni Gaudi. His works is scattered around the whole city and it culminates with the monumental La Sagrada Familia (The sacred family) which is still being built today. Arriving at the underground stop at the Sagrada Familia, I expected to walk a bit before finding the place. As I emerged out of the station, I looked around to get my bearing and turned and WOW!! It took my breath away! The building was enormous! Here’s the link to what it is all about as it is too involved to write it out here http://www.sagradafamilia.org I personally found it interesting how Gaudi was building a church dedicated to the Holy Family and has basically used a lot of elements and symbols of nature to illustrate the building. Symbols which can be regarded as pagan symbols however it was a celebration of nature and the beauty of God’s creation. I spent the whole morning there and also had the good fortune to see a castieller (I think that is how it is spelt) where they form a human pyramid up to 6-10 people high. The person on the highest bit is usually a kid. Quite scary to watch. It was accompanied by a little band playing the trumpets and guitars.

Food...I found the Spanish had so much variety and lots of different flavours!! The only gripe I had about travelling alone was I needed someone else to help me eat the food. So that I could order more. My first night, I went to a tapas bar in Barceloneta and had the most lovely grilled sirloin beef with fried peppers. Had to order by pointing to things people ate as the bar man spoke no English at all and I not much Spanish. Sitting at a tapas bar at the local market, Mercat La Boqueria and having a tapas of fish and beer was yummy and exciting to watch the local populace around me eat! Ooh just thinking about the food now is making me hungry again and I want to have a tapas.

After two days in the city, I felt that I needed to see some countryside so I made my way to Monserrat, a monastry on top of the only limestone outcrop in the Catalunya region. It was just what I needed, the views were amazing and the peace and solitude there was amazing. I can see why the monks chose this place as their place to reflect and worship. There were lovely trails around Monserrat and it was nice to be on those trails and sometimes find yourself alone. My only regret was that I wasn’t wearing proper walking shoes and could not walk as far as I wanted to.

Flamenco…although it is more the domain of the Andalucian region, there were a few flamenco bars in Barcelona. I learnt a new thing. For some reason I have always thought that Flamenco was performed by women only. But went to a show where there was a flamenco band and a guy performing it. It was riveting and the music was very haunting. Though it was a short performance but I came away wanting to know more and was amazed by the experience and the emotions that are involved in the dance and the songs.

Barcelona was shopping heaven for me. The fashion there was very trendy and everyone in the city dressed so well including the guys. Even grandma was trendy. The bonus bit for me was that clothes was significantly cheaper than in London. So I happily shopped there and got most of my winter gear including a lovely winter coat from Zara! To all you MNG and Zara fans out there, those two brands are only the tip of the iceberg of the fashion in the city…they have plenty more. I’d like to come back here again.

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This is actually a clock which lights up at the appropriate glass indicators. Guess what time I took this pic.

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Inspired by the trees in the woods.

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The Nativity scene on one side of the Sagrada Familia

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A cone shell. One of the many symbols of nature decorating the Sagrada Familia

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These represent the emblems of the Archbishops in Spain

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Castillers at the Sagrada Familia

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At Parc Guell

2005-10-27T21:10:00.000+08:00

Parc Guell, Gaudi trying his hand in landscaping a park

2005-10-27T21:09:00.001+08:00

If the Gingerbread house in Hansel and Gretel should exist, this is it! Another Gaudi creation.