Travel Sights pbLog

Hottest on the Planet

2011-01-15T06:33:00.005+08:00

This must have the hottest Ramen on the planet - hotter than even the hottest Volcano Ramen in Ajisen's. I wasn't the one eating this - no I didn't have the guts, so I sympathized with the person eating it. He is a regular at Ajisen's and when he said it was hotter than any Ramen he had eaten, I knew he wasn't joking. The restaurant was very generous with its drinks though, refilling the glass regularly. I believe this helped to put out the incessant fire that must be jumping out of the eater's mouth.

Where do you find this restaurant? I believe its Lot 10 in Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is in the basement level.

Go there, if you want extreme torture.

Finnegan's

2011-01-01T09:24:00.001+08:00

This Finnegan's, an Irish Pub in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, has seen better days. This is the shuttered outlet at the junction of Bukit Bintang - reputedly the Orchard Road of Singapore, if only for the traffic jams on the stretch of road where the former pub is located. I have heard of Finnegan's many years ago from some hip people boasting about being there. I don't crawl pubs, so that's the extent of my knowledge. My impression then was that it was like the Zouk or St James Powerstation of today - but largely for the 'ang moh' locals (i.e. Chinese, Indians, Malays, etc. who behave like 'ang mohs'). Perhaps a closer relative is Harry's Pub.

But wait. The very next day I took this photo (17th December 2010), The Star reported that Finnegan's has been acquired by a local Malaysia watering hole businessman, Ronald Quay. He has renamed the pub to O'Quay's Irish Pub, and of course, by retaining its original business concept, is keen to restore the Pub to its former glory. This calls to mind Mr Mulani's acquisition of Harry's Pub, another Irish Pub several years ago and eventually turning it into a successful venture. Let's hope that Encik Quay will be just as successful.

Sights of old Beijing, or not

2009-06-18T16:20:00.008+08:00

Beijing, that old city of the Emperors. Such are the lanterns and lights that grace the night.

The houses are dilapidated, although caged birds continue to adorn the windows.

Common folks eke out a living, selling hot and spicy Beijing food.

Tourists are a common sight these days, not in the days of the dynasty, when the red devils are shunned and vilified.

But hold on, they sell Rojak in Beijing. Since when? Nope this is not old Beijing. Where is this then?

Tampines 1

2009-04-13T18:00:00.001+08:00

Here are a couple of pictures of the newest new thing in Tampines - the Tampines 1 mall. I snapped these with my mobile camera, so you will understand that they are not my best work.

The Barrage

2009-01-02T15:21:00.000+08:00

There is really a new place to go to in Singapore. The Marina Barrage. I thought it was just a dam. It is that and more. Its a place, where, if you want to, you can have a picnic with your family or your significant other while you admire the Singapore Flyer, which is the tallest structure of its kind in the world. Of course, on a rainy day, the view becomes hazy, as in these photos, but the view is still expansive. Besides the huge circular arc that leads up to the park, there is the gallery which features several rooms full of pictures, decor, etc. that tells about water and the related technologies that the barrage is an example of. There is also a scale model of the barrage mechanism that lets the water flow out to the sea in case the water on the side of the Singapore River gets too full during a huge storm. You are allowed to take photos in the gallery, but video is not allowed.

The only problem with this place is that there is no public transport there, and even if you take a taxi, there may not be any to take you out, unless, by chance, one comes in. And I am not too sure that any taxi will want to respond to a booking as there isn't any surcharge that the cabby can earn, unlike going to Singapore Expo or Changi Airport.

But if you own a set of wheels, it is really a place worth visiting. Plan your journey ahead because this barrage is in the midst of the huge construction going on to built Singapore's first Integrated Resort.

Bintan redux

2008-12-26T06:42:00.015+08:00

The Indonesian island of Bintan can be an idyllic getaway for the weary traveller caught up in the hustle and bustle of city life. To start off with, there is Bintan Club Med, for those who really want to relax and let the resort take care of everything, from organising activities for the kids to cooking up a storm to snorkeling. That's Club Med's style. But for those who have a limited budget, you can try Bintan Nirwana Beach Club or the lesser known Bintan Agro Beach Resort. Those more discerning will certainly check into the Banyan Tree Resort and Angsana Resorts, both promising Spa facilities and luxurious living quarters.

I was down in Bintan this month. Over the years, I have been to this island, which is 2 times the size of Singapore, about 3 times - all for holidays and relaxation. Frankly, there is nothing much else you can do on this island, unless you want to live and work there like the locals. I doubt that Singaporeans will ever survive the hygiene conditions. Anyway, there aren't any industrial parks on this island akin to those on the Indonesia island of Batam, probably because Batam is nearer to Singapore.

The first time I came here, the company I worked in, which has less than 15 people, treated its employees to a stay in Bintan Lagoon Resort. The second time I came I stayed in the Banyu Biru Villas, which are made up only of 2-storey Bungalows that accomodated from 4 to 8 persons. The family could cook their own meals here as all bungalows came with a kitchen. I have the best memories of my visits to Bintan here. We booked into an 8-person bungalow with the extended family, but one day into the stay, a nephew had tummy aches and the concerned parents took the boy home to Singapore. Over the next few days, others in the extended family left, family by family (they had committed to stay only that many number of days) until mine was left. Suddenly it felt spacious for 3 people to live in an 8-person bungalow, but I couldn't complain. It was really idyllic. All told, beach resorts can be quite noisy and crowded.

This year, I checked into a less expensive beach resort - the Agro Beach Resort. Bintan hasn't changed a lot since my last visit about 8 years ago. This time, I had the pleasure of a young tour guide all to myself as we travelled into town for a shopping trip. She is a native and a Chinese. We struck up a conversation and she told me about life on the island, the school system and the school that she attended as the bus passed by it. Schools in Bintan didn't teach English. The language of instruction was Indonesian, and they don't have a 'second language' taught in schools. Whatever other language they knew was picked up at home (their Chinese dialects) through their parents and elders. They learnt how to speak Mandarin through Singapore's Channel 8 Chinese language channel, watching the drama serials on TV, which they can receive quite clearly on this island.

I shared a little of what life was like in Singapore. She has relatives in Hougang, Singapore, which she lives with whenever she goes to Singapore. We compared notes on the good and not so good points about living in Bintan and in Singapore, on Bintan's relative under-development, compared to say, Malaysia or even Batam, and everything else in-between. I was sorry about the rest of the people in the bus, but as I had chosen the seat right at the front, it was only natural that she spoke more to me than anyone else.

Yes, coming back to Bintan never ceases to engage and refresh me.

Heavenly Heights

2008-11-10T17:23:00.003+08:00

The world is in recession now. Overseas travelling traffic has been hit. Airlines are scaling back on their flight services. Even premier airlines like SIA are reducing the number of flights to some destinations to save on costs. Many, who just cannot do without the travelling, are going to destinations nearer home.

Well, why not take that logic one step closer - closer to home, that is. Many would forget that, in the rush to get out of the country, there are interesting places in Singapore that are new and probably remains unexplored. Take for example, the relatively new Alexandra Arch and Henderson Waves, which stretches from Mount Faber at the southern tip of Singapore to Kent Ridge on the west. These names themselves already evokes excitement and hints of adventures to come. These are a number of footpath and bridges that connects several hills in the south of Singapore right up to the western coastal area in Kent Ridge, the home of the National University of Singapore and Haw Par Villa.

I took a walk, well, not the entire stretch, but have seen enough to wonder at the ingenuity of our National Parks Board in creating these heavenly heights of greenery, which have become part of the Southern Ridges. The Henderson Waves boast the highest pedestrian bridge in Singapore. It is also, as the National Parks Board boasts, "one of the best spots in Singapore to catch panoramic views of the city, harbour and the Southern Islands".

Take a miss of Chiang Mai. There's the Souther Ridges in Singapore.

The Elephant disappears

2008-11-08T16:46:00.001+08:00

The vicinity of Buangkok MRT station was once a deserted place. So much so that SBSTransit kept putting off putting its already built Buangkok MRT station into operation because there was enough critical mass to justify the return on investment. It took a couple of white elephants and a very helpful Charles Chong, the MP for that area, to do a serious rethink. The MRT was finally opened on 15 January 2006, slightly under 3 years ago today.

The place has developed into a bustling area, with two perennially full (at least on Saturdays and Sundays) dining places and a smattering of shops. It's a nice little place, if you want to head there the next time. Meanwhile, here are some shot I took of the place today.

WangFuJing

2007-06-16T06:54:00.007+08:00

Beijing's Wangfujing Jie (Street) is a little of Singapore's Orchard Road and Chinatown rolled into one. It is also somewhat like Shanghai's Nanjing Jie (Street) where trams travel up and down the long long pedestrian mall. At the time of my visit though, there is still construction work going on along Wanfujing's boulevard.

Like Nanjing Jie and Orchard Road, branded shops and department stores line the Wanfujing boulevard. Like Singapore's Chinatown, there are many shops selling typically Chinese products - such as herbs and tea. Like Chinatown, there are small traditional shops dotted around Nanjing Jie.

In Wangfujing, you can enter a side street that is a bustle of activity, much like what Singapore's Chinatown used to have. Chinatown still has them now, but it is more sanitised. These series of streets sells traditional and popular Chinese food and souvenirs. It even has a Chinese Opera show that seems to run on and on. Children will be delighted to find shops selling 'Tanghulu' - or crystalline sugar-coated haws on a stick available at some of these stores. Eating them was another thing though. I found the haw pretty sour. If not for the sugar-coating, the haw would be almost inedible. I remember eating the same in Shanghai in December last year. Somehow, it tasted less sour and more pleasant.

One of the more common cuisine is the meat on a stick or barbecued meat. There are various, ranging from cuttlefish to pork to chicken to beef to lamb. True to character, there is nothing that the Chinese would not eat The sticks are really long and has more meat compared to Singapore's satay. Well worth a try. I wasn't so adventurous so I only ordered a couple of other noodles, minced beef and and 'jiaozhi' - all of which are edible but not fantastically so.

You have to soak up the atmosphere....

Happy Valley

2007-06-15T08:32:00.000+08:00

Happy Valley Amusement Park in situated about 10-15 minutes taxi ride from Jianguomenwai Road. It is an amusement park styled after Disney and Universal Studios theme parks. It is quite sizeable, hosting themed locations such as the Lost Maya(n) Empire, Atlantis, Ant Kingdom and the obligatory features such as roller coasters (I counted three of them, each with varying degrees of challenge), Vertical Elevator, 4-D Theatre, Game Stalls, and what looked like an Indiana Jones themed location showing the adventures associated with treasure seeking. Of course souvenir shops dotted the whole park for visitors to take home a little of the memories through its merchandise.

We arrived at about 11.15am by taxi, which charged us RMB80 - not by meter although it was a taxi. But the cabbie was willing to fit 5 of us in his cab, so we wouldn't run the risk of getting separated and lost. We learnt much later from Alex Wu, the Chief Concierge at Paragon Hotel, that in Beijing, only taxis with a car plate number starting with 'B' is legally licensed. All others are illegal and if the operator/driver of these 'taxis' are caught, as was the driver that drove us back from Happy Valley to Paragon Hotel was, he faces a potential fine of thousands of dollars.

Anyway, back to the theme park. We could tell that the kids loved the place, particularly a multi-layered enclosure much like the kids' player area you'd find in Downtown East. The enclosure is wrapped round with mesh ropes to prevent the small cushion balls from getting out of the enclosure. What were the cushion balls for? To throw at each other, of course. There were several ball cannons for greater effect. Not only kids were having fun here, but young adults as well!

The park is pretty big, so we paid RMB20 for a maximum of three rides on the electric buggies. The first ride, we took through the whole park with the driver giving us an overview. Its probably what every new visitor to this park should do. We were almost drenched at Atlantis. One of the attractions here is a boat that would slide down from atop a hill and make a big splash when it reaches the bottom. But people were deliberately standing around to get drenched. Such was the huge splash it created every time the boat dived into the water.

Towards the end of the day, at about 6pm, we attended a show which is located at the entrance of the park. This show had athletic kids do slam-dunks over various obstacles, caucasians doing a Chinese dance, and acrobatic displays by on bicycles and skates. Very entertaining indeed. That was a good way to wrap up the day at this theme park.

Forbidden Transport

2007-06-15T07:29:00.000+08:00

Today was for the children, and the child in all of the rest of us. We visited Happy Valley in Beijing. At first, I wasn't very hopeful that it would turn out to be fun. In the first place, we hopped onto a taxi that charged us the un-metered fare of RMB80 - about S$16 - way above the type of rates that I am used to when I traveled in Shanghai in December last year and March/April this. This in spite of the fact that it was clearly a taxi.

But he was willing to fit the five of us in his cab in a single trip. We didn't want to kick up a fuss, so we went along with the proposition. The trip was pretty smooth and uneventful. We reach our destination in about 10-15 minutes. The return journey proved to be very different. It was late - about 7.30pm - and we had just walked out of the shopping mall just across the road from the Happy Valley Amusement Park with loads of stuff we purchased earlier at Happy Valley and Tesco Supermarket. We were again propositioned for transportation. In Singapore, this activity is called touting. It can be quite irritating, but sometimes useful. I looked out on the roads and didn't see any available taxis cruising around. So we asked for the price and he quoted RMB60. That's RMB20 less than when we came, so we agreed to take his car. It wasn't even a taxi, just a small private car. It was quite a squeeze for four people in the back seat. I sat in the front - the privilege of having the biggest frame size of the group.

For much of the journey, the driver did not switch on his air-con. I thought it was ok as the roads were relatively free of traffic and we were moving along. He only switched it on when we entered the part of the city with more traffic lights and vehicles. The strange thing was - he asked us while driving if our destination was the ??? building. My wife instantly recognised that Chinese name and we said yes. Funny that he didn't asked if our destination was the Howard Johnson Paragon Hotel. I just didn't want him to drop us off at the shopping mall where we would have to lug our shopping across to the Hotel. For S$12 taxi service in Beijing, we deserved more. In the event, when we reach our destination, I unwittingly directed the driver onto the road just in front of our Hotel, albeit on the other side of the road. He would turn in to the Hotel, but I wasn't prepared to argue. I paid him with a 10 dollar and 50 dollar RMB notes, but he returned the 50 to me because it was torn at one corner. So I exchanged it with another.

At about that moment, I head commotion outside the cab. Some official had come by to check on us and the driver. They began to question my companions - where we were from, what we were doing, whether we called for the transportation, or was offered the ride, and if so, how much we paid for driver. For the un-initiated, this look pretty scary - to be stopped in the night by somebody in some official uniform and assisted by a plainclothes person. But the uniformed person assured us that if we were offered the transportation service, it wasn't allowed. He then asked for my ID, which I duly obliged. Then he ticked off a list of questions on his 'form' and recorded my answers, including my HP number, address - the Hotel just across the street, etc. Finally he asked me to sign on the completed form. Mindful of not putting my signature on any document, particularly a document which I couldn't make out in the dark of the night, I didn't an initial, but the official requested that I write my Chinese name. He did seem honest about the whole thing, so I obliged. He also asked me to write on his pad that I had received the RMB60 back from the car driver, which I did through my companions.

Throughout the whole incident, the official seemed sincere, he didn't take about money from us - in fact he 'gave' us a free ride, he wasn't threatening and explained his motives reasonably clearly to us. On my part, we cooperated with him, though I gave him the wrong HP number, not deliberately - I was just confused at that time to think clearly. But there was only one of the number number which was wrong. Somehow, I just didn't want correct my unintentional error.

That done, we crossed the road back to our Hotel. We didn't know what happened to the driver. I was told that he was questioned, but whether he was arrested, fined, or whatever, I don't know, though I would have liked to know. I am surprised by the active enforcement action regarding the illegal hiring of transportation in Beijing. I was glad that I didn't engage any transportation for our 'forays' to our destinations. So far, we have either taken the subway, metered taxis from the Airport, and the public bus. The only exception was our journey to Happy Valley.

We speculated that this enforcement action was to clean up the unlicensed transportation racket ahead of the Beijing Olympics in 2008. Certainly, the Central Government does not want to hear complaints of unlicensed activities during the Olympics - that will be akin to the Government of the People's Republic of China losing face over its inability to govern and control illegal activities.

Whatever the reason, we got a free 'taxi' ride and we weren't in any trouble anyway. We probably would have incurred RMB60 in 2 'legal' taxis - one taxi could seat at most 4 passengers - so the money wasn't an issue as far as we were concerned. Call it a bonus, though it is at the expense of this illegal operator. I suppose he has earned enough from his 'premium' fares in his previous trouble-free runs that a RMB60 loss is not that big a deal. The only problem is his trouble with the law. One thing that still troubles me is that the arresting officers didn't wear uniforms that read "Gong An" - China's police. I noticed this when the officer was taking down my statement.

I only hope that my records are not abused. Somehow, I don't think it will. Much as we hear about widespread corruption in China, I must congratulate the Beijing Municipal Authorities on their active engagement in making sure that tourists do not get the short end of a deal.

Long Live the PRC!

Forbidden City

2007-06-14T07:17:00.000+08:00

The Forbidden City - the home of Ming and Qing Emperors for over 500 years, is steeped in Chinese history, culture and superstitions (referred to as Feng Shui today). It is not for me to give a full account here of these historical aspects of the Forbidden City - you would do well to pick up one of many books specifically describing this City.

One thing I can say here is that the City is HUGE - Chinese emperors of yore really lived it up! But then we should be mindful that the Emperor not only had his home here, this was the place to conduct the affairs of state, administer the Imperial Examinations and worship the God(s). Before we had our SOHO, the Chinese Emperors have already invented it, only it was not small.

As you enter the City, there are small little exhibit halls, each charging a small entrance fee, that showcase various aspects of Palace life and culture. In my opinion, these are probably not worth your time, though the money is not an issue. Each of these are priced as low as RMB5 per entry.

You can also eat at one of the many 'eating places' in this City, which occupies the buildings outside the Palace proper. Be forewarned - the food tastes terrible though the portion is huge. And if you are a stickler for clean toilets, you are in trouble. There are public toilets, but they emit a strong stench, probably because the cleaners can never clean them due to the constant stream of people using them. Also there are not many toilets to start off with. If you have a weak bladder, the Forbidden City is indeed forbidding.

While most of the outer perimeter of the Forbidden City is free for your to roam free of charge, entrance to the Palace (also known today as the Palace Museum) proper will set you back RMB60. It is worth the money though. The history of this Palace goes back hundreds of years that unless you are a history expert, it will be impossible for you to know or understand what you are seeing. You can rent a talking machine, which you can sling around your neck, that gives you a running commentary of various parts of the palace. It costs RMB10 for a Chinese version, RMB50 for an English version. There are other language versions too. But you need to pay a refundable deposit of RMB100. I almost rented one, but, in retrospect, I must thank the lady in front of me in the queue. She took so long that I gave up waiting. I found out later that a 'live' commentary was much better - and cost not much more. So we entered the Palace with nothing but the guide map that came with the entrance tickets in hand.

As in most places of interest, you get accosted by people offering their services, either to take you on a 40 minute tour, or something. They can be parasitic, but you must remember that you are in a foreign land, so no matter how irritated you get, you must maintain a degree of civility and politely refuse. They will still come after you, but these people are just trying to make an honest day's living, so bear with them. They aren't that bad. They are offering a service, they are not there to rob or anything - at least that's how I see them.

When you enter the Palace, there are guides dressed in blue who will offer a one and a half hour guided tour of the Palace grounds for RMB150. They will even offer to take a video of the entire guided tour, using their video camera, or even yours, if you have one. If you use theirs, you'd have to pay RMB50 for the DV-Tape, which is quite cheap. So the video-taping is not an extra above the RMB150. If it rains on that day, you can get an umbrella rent-free! Just pay RMB20 per umbrella, which will be refunded entirely to you when you return them the umbrella at the end of the tour.

These tour guides are professionals. We learnt that they are trained and need to be certified before they can act as guides. Because they go into some historical fact during the tour, they must be accurate with their commentary and also be able to answer tourists' (your) questions. Our lady guide came across as well trained, warm, and knowledgeable. She also learnt from her past customers who had expert knowledge on some remote bits of history at certain exhibits. These she readily shared with us. Now, that's humility and an acknowledgement that no one person knows it all.

At almost the end of the tour, in the place where the Empress and concubines lived, there is a Souvenir shop. Remarkably, our guide left us to our shopping because we wanted to browse around. Normally, a guide would tie up with some retail shop. In this case, it wasn't part of her itinerary, but she gave us the space and time.

At the end of the tour, we have to sign off on her 'ticket' and give her a rating - 'Excellent', 'Satisfactory' and 'Poor'. She was a great guide, and for all her effort, we rated her 'Excellent' and on top of that, tipped her RMB100!

I don't know about the machines, but this personal guided tour was definitely worth the price! The only thing I missed was her name. But never mind, we took a photo with her.

People's Square

2007-06-14T06:46:00.001+08:00

I had a great day at one of the most famous, and perhaps also notorius, places in Beijing - Tian An Men Square and the Forbidden City - once the home of China's emperors.

The notoriety that Tian An Men Square acquired was quite recent - 1989 to be exact, when hordes of Chinese congregated onto the vast Square to agitate for democracy. China was just only recently being opened up to the world, but this demonstration was too much for the authorities. The result was that the Chinese government sent in the tanks to disperse the crowd and sent Zhao Ziyang, then-Secretary General of the Chinese Communist Party, political exile for sympathizing with the demonstrators. He never recovered his political position - he died in 17 January 2005 - still under virtual house arrest.

Today, the Tian An Men Square incident, dubbed 6-4 (because it fell on June 4) - when the crackdown by the Chinese Authorities broke up the demonstration and arrested key student leaders - is still being remember by thousands of pro-democracy people, particularly in Hong Kong SAR. Today, this Square is peaceful which belie that June 4 day. A Mao Tse-Tung (or Mao Zedong) Memorial - formally named the "Chairman Mao Memorial" - is being renovated to honour the founding father of Communist China, and no doubt in preparation for the Beijing Olympics in 2008, when the world will descend on Beijing.

The square is patrolled by the Police (Gong-An), but there is nothing sinister in this. The Gong An do not look intimidating at all - they are there to preserve order, which is well and good. The Square is huge and surrounded on all sides by Roman-columned Buildings - the National Museum, Chairman Mao Memorial, the People's Parliament Building, and not least of all, the Forbidden City (Gugong), which was the home of Chinese emperors for over 500 years. The last emperor - Pu Yi, was only 3 when he ascended the throne and was kicked out at 5 when the Han Chinese overthrew the Qing dynasty, first in Wuchang (in Wuhan) in 1911 and subseqently gathered speed in other parts of China.

Although the nationalist Kuomingtang (KMT) took over where the Qing Empire left off, it didn't quite consolidate China until the Communist Party of Chairman Mao Zedong came along. In 1948, the Communist Party of China constituted a united China. The KMT had to settle for the island of Taiwan. These and similar twists and turns in the history of China demonstrate the truth of the saying:

"The empire, long divided, must unite; long united, must divide" - (Luo Guanzhong, circa 1600 during the Ming Dynasty, writing in Three Kingdoms)

Picture: Monument to the Heroes. Situtated in the middle of the Square.

First into Beijing

2007-06-13T05:22:00.001+08:00

Finally, after a journey that began this morning at 8am at Changi Airport, I arrived at Beijing Capital Airport. Beijing is a busy city. It is also, unfortunately, a hazy city. The air quality leaves much to be desired. The number of people from foreign lands must have increased an order of magnitude since Beijing and China in general, opened up to the world.

Even so, going through customs at Beijing was a breeze. There was a whole row of customs booths available - maybe 50 or so of them - all manned - to get the hordes of travelers through. One interesting feature at every booth is a voting panel. Commuters can express their rating of the customs officer serving them as they wait to have their documents checked and verified. And the customs officers are very efficient and fast. I didn't have enough time to figure out what the panel was about before I was cleared - it was that efficient and fast.

In some other airports, for example, those in Malaysia, the customs officers seem to take pleasure in making commuters wait in line and wait in front of them as they check the travel documents - at least that has always been my impression for one or two times I have used KL International Airport (KLIA). And even when multiple booths are available, not all of them are manned even when the crowds come in.

But back to Beijing. I didn't lose a single luggage and was well out of the airport in a jiffy. Taking a taxi is very much like that in Changi Airport. You line up for the constant stream of taxis coming into the pickup/waiting area. In some airports, you have to fight for one. I had no problem communicating my destination and was off and out of the airport in double quick time - just like in Changi.

The journey was also quite smooth and fast. We only encountered heavy traffic as we moved into the city proper. The one thing of concern in Beijing is the air quality. It is bad, really bad. That's when you start to make comparisons with Singapore. Whenever travelers remarked that Singapore is sooo... clean, we take it for granted. But these visitors are not being patronising - just being honest. Compared to Singapore, Beijing has this pall of dust all over the city, starting even from the airport. I was getting worried for the two kids who are traveling with me. Both of them have a history of asthma.

We arrived at our hotel - the Howard Johnson Paragon Hotel, just across from the Beijing Railway station - in slightly under an hour.

Onward Beijing

2007-06-13T05:05:00.000+08:00

I am traveling again, this time to Beijing, China.

I left Singapore yesterday by Thai Airways on the morning flight, stopped over at Thailand's newest (and much maligned) Suvar-nabhumi Airport before taking the connecting Thai Airways flight. I didn't spend much time in Suvar-nabhumi Airport as I rushed for then connecting flight. I had to rush because Suvar-nabhumi Airport is very big and my connecting flight was located at the other end from the arrival hall. As this was my first time at this airport, I took some time to figure out how to get there. The directional signs were good, but could have been better. I was lost at one point and had to ask for more detailed directions. This though the signs were in English.

Initial impression is that shopping looks good. My companion said that she would spend more time here on the way back as our stopover then would be no less than 3-hours! Normally, this is a drag but travelers can eat up a whole 3-hours if the shopping is interesting enough. I only pity myself and my son, who would have to endure the wait as my wallet gets lighter and lighter. But that's next Monday, so I shall not think about it until then.

But the customs inspection was terrible. At least for some travelers. Some Thai customs officers went through the luggage with a fine tooth comb, and that took up a lot of our time. But they were not intimidating. You just have to factor a bit more time when you want to get through Suvar-nabhumi Airport.

The rain cometh

2006-12-29T07:40:00.000+08:00

I had been expecting sun, sand and surf in the year end break in tropical Southeast Asia this December, but nature had other plans. I was virtually cooped up in my Hotel Room in Batam, Indonesia, all day for 2 days. The view of the hills from my room often indicated if the day was going to be wet or very wet. In this picture, a dense mist has descended on the hills, covering the entire outline of its peaks.

This next picture, taken from the same angle on another day, shows the outline of the same hills, but just only.

It was that bad.

Old bicycle habits in a new town

2006-03-29T10:44:00.000+08:00

Sengkang town is relatively new in Singapore. It is situated in the Northeast corner of Singapore, just next to the coastal town of Punggol. A distinctive feature in Sengkang is its Integrated Development in the town centre, which has a Residential Condominium, a Shopping Centre, a Bus Terminal, an MRT and an LRT station together with its Operations Centre, all rolled into the same location. But alas, such new-ness and sophistication are spoilt by Sengkang residents who practice the park-and-ride philosophy but do so indiscriminately. This series of photos are self-explanatory.

Singapore is not that orderly and law-abiding after all, is it? This is not a posed picture. The bicyles in the picture are chained to the signpost and this happens everyday, without fail. It seems that the Land Transport Authority (LTA) (or is it the Pasir-Ris Punggol Town Council - PRPTC), isn't doing enough enforcing their own rules after spending taxpayers' money putting up this refurbished signboard. Yes, this same signboard was peeling not too long ago, and I wonder why the people who restored the signboard (must be LTA or PRPTC, right?) to its prestine condition never noticed the bicylces. Amazing feat of blindness or ignorance (or bo chap, as some Singaporeans will say). I wonder if the people at LTA or PRPTC see any meaning to life in the job they (are supposed) to do for which they draw a salary funded out of taxpayers' money. Or are they biding time till 62 to be released from the drudgery of life in Singapore? This situation has persisted for well over a year now. How Sengkang residents can take the LTA or PRPTC seriously is beyond me. In fact, it looks like the residents are playing I-dare with the powers that be by blatantly disregarding the order right under their noses. For a prominent and high traffic area (both of the human and vehicular types) in Sengkang's Town Centre, I wonder why this blatant violation of the law wasn't highlighted earlier? Must be bo chap again.

I suppose the LTA or PRPTC was waiting to be caught with its pants down. Well, it got what it waited for. I am ashamed to be looking at their err....signboard, I mean.

Star Wars - The Last Days

2006-03-25T06:10:00.000+08:00

I went to the Singapore Science Centre yesterday to view "The Art of Star Wars" exhibition. It has been on since November 2005 and will end in 9 days' time, on 3 April 2006. So if you haven't been down there, you'd want to take note of the closing date.

Was it a good exhibition? Yes, because for the first time, I saw actual life size models of Star Wars characters, as well as the detailed models of the sceneries and ships that were used in the filming of the Star Wars movies. I have always wondered how George Lucas could create a whole universe and film it in such convincing detail. I knew that models were used, but you have got to see the models themselves up close to fully appreciate the possibilities. Flash photography is not allowed, but you can take non-flash photographs with your digital cameras. The effect can be quite movie-like. This is one of the pictures I took with my sub-compact. Framed drawings and sketches line the walls from Episodes I to VI, all brightly lit on its own. Someone was going from picture to picture, recording each on his digital camera - without flash!

The exhibit also explains, with many examples, the various filming techniques that Lucas' ILM uses in movie making. And a lot of the related Science fiction and fact were explained and discussed at these exhibits, such as the science of cloning (remember the Clone Wars?).

If you haven't seen it, consider going. I think you will like it. For an $18 adult ticket, you not only gain entry to the exhibits, you also get a limited edition (only 20,000) nickel medallion coin with Darth Vader on one side and the Year of the Dog 2006 on the other side. This coin is minted by the Singapore Mint. Its a collector's item.

P.S. The exhibition has been on for some time so I am not surprised that some of the activity-based exhibits are not working any more! But this is a minor blemish on an otherwise interesting exhibition.

Zoo evolution

2006-02-04T07:15:00.000+08:00

When Zoos were first conceived and designed, they allowed human visitors to roam the grounds freely to view the animals that are safely locked up in their cages. Over time, this was seen as a form of cruelty to animals. It was also thought that if animals could roam freely so that they could be viewed in settings that were more natural, more could be learnt about them in their natural habitat.

Many zoos have made this change in their design with varying degrees of open-ness. The Singapore Zoological Gardens is one of these. Animals can roam in larger habitats outside of cages. In the Animal World in AFamosa Resort, which is situated in Malacca, it would seem that human visitors have switched places with the animals, as this photo shows. Visitors are locked up in a moving cage on a lorry, which drives them around the natural habitat of the animals in the zoo. If we interpolate the story of the Planet of the Apes, this scene would look very familiar to the apes! This photo was taken while I was similarly 'locked up' in a caged lorry.

Bird's Nest Flattery

2006-01-17T07:03:00.000+08:00

I spotted this shop in Chinatown selling Bird's Nest, a very popular Chinese delicacy which is at once expensive and supposedly good for health. Well, this wasn't what made me take a snap shot of this shop. Rather, its the name of the shop, which sounded very similar to a very popular Korean soap opera named Dae Jang Geum or Jewel in the Palace. This soap (or serial as its more commonly called nowadays) is very popular not only in its native Korea, but also in Hong Kong as well as Singapore. I am sure that it is just as popular wherever there are Koreans, Chinese or perhaps even Japanese. I was glued to this serial when it was broadcast in Singapore. The thing is - I am not normally a 'serial' fan.

Well, apparently this shop decided to make capital out of this wildly successful serial by naming the shop after the show, even right down to the fonts for the Chinese title of the show, shown here on the shop's signboard. The only difference is the last Chinese character. Here, the character means 'Gold'. In the serial, that last character stands for "today". But phonetically, the two words are the same. So the resemblance is unmistakable. Long after the serial is forgotten, this shop (if it is still around then, that is), can become a conversation piece about 2003's most popular Korean serial.

For more on "Dae Jang Geum", see:

Jewel in the Palace
Dae Jang Geum Theme Park
Han Cinema - Dae Jang Geum

Sweet smell of wealth

2006-01-13T06:59:00.000+08:00

Well, gold and silver are not the only things Chinese hanker for during these festivities. There are others, such as peanuts, melon seeds, sweets and sweetened pickle fruits, amongst others. This shop sold a variety of melon seeds and peanuts, which are displayed by the sacks. People just helped themselves to them, sampling them, but I suspect, not intendng to buy any. Out of curiosity myself, I sampled the (Red) Soiled Baked Peanut (bottom left), which is going for S$5.00 per 500 grammes. It was really tough, and I decided that it wasn't a nut I wanted on the table when I served guests for the New Year. Its a good opportunity to sample some of the other unusual peanuts, as well as Melon Seeds, like the Hong Kong Roasted Red Melon Seeds (bottom right) going for $3.00 per 500 grammes and the Dragon (Eyed) Melon Seeds at S$8.00 per 500 grammes(?) (bottom right). They look georgeous, don't they? Nothing like garish red to bring out the atmosphere of celebration and fortune during the Lunar New Year.

Fool's gold, sellers' tea

2006-01-09T06:35:00.000+08:00

The Lunar New Year is always full of colour, gaiety and shopping for that new dress, bag or other brightly colour clothes, as well as sweet goodies. Retailers often fall over themselves to meet this seasonal demand, and where better to come to sell or buy them than Chinatown? I remember that my parents used to make their annual 'pilgrimage' to Chinatown this time of the year to pick up some things for the Lunar New Year. Oriental Emporium was still around then. We lived in the far north of the island in the British Naval Base in the 1960s and 70s (and Chinatown is in the deep south). There weren't any subway train at all then. The bus journey easily took at hour one way, if not more, and these buses weren't air-conditioned either. I rarely, if ever travelled with them 'down town' for these shopping trips, not even after we moved to middle-of-the-island Ang Mo Kio, which cut the travelling time and provided greater comfort through air-con buses and trains.

The price of gold has gone up recently, but there's plenty here, silver even. All fake of course, but symbolically essential nevertheless. Money begets more money, and that's what the Chinese look forward to in the New Year. So if you decorate your homes with these money, or 'eat' them, then you will indeed have a good beginning to the New Year (if you believe in these omens, that is). These 'money' are typically chocolate shaped in the form of ancient China's money and today's coins wrapped in faux gold and silver foil. Actually, the people who make the real money are the people who sell these 'money'!

Ushering Spring to Singapore

2006-01-08T11:44:00.000+08:00

Well, there is no Winter in Singapore, nor Spring, since its situated in the Tropics not too far away from the Equator, but the country still celebrates Christmas, which has just passed (too quickly for many, I am sure) but Spring is upon us, i.e. the Lunar New Year, which falls on 29 January this year (2006) - the first day of the Lunar New Year (sometimes also called the Chinese New Year). Celebrations are already beginning. Yesterday evening, in Chinatown, there was a fireworks display graced by non other than SM Lee Kuan Yew and his wife. That's also where you can perhaps see and hear real firecrackers going off 'live'. Firecrackers were banned in Singapore a long time ago, making the New Year much quieter. Anyway, this photo shows a quiet Chinatown street just hours before the 'party' which commenced at 7pm. The road has already been closed to traffic. I was there with my wife doing some shopping. While she shopped, I went around the place smelling the atmosphere and snapping some pictures. We decided not to stay for the evening because there was a hungry boy waiting at home for dinner.

Light and darkness@Orchard

2005-12-28T06:31:00.000+08:00

That's the boulevard along Orchard Road on Christmas day before the sun went down. By then, the crowd was already quite thick. It wasn't so thick that we couldn't make our way along the boulevard though. Then again, this spot was outside the main party area which started along the stretch of road fronting Ngee Ann City. When we reached the Paragon, where the crowd was the thickest and where the stage for the night's performances was, we quickly got off the road onto the pavement and made our way towards Orchard MRT station. We weren't waiting for the dancing to begin.

When the sun had set, the lights all along Orchard Road came on to give the place a genuine party atmosphere. I believe the lights stretched from the Dhoby Ghaut MRT station at one end of Orchard Road to Tanglin at the other end. By then, the road was suitably filled with people from all over. I could see Chinese, Indians, Caucasians, and others that I suspect were China Chinese, Taiwanese, Japanese, India Indians, etc., all enjoying the occasion. There were gigantic and powerful loudspeakers at strategic spots along the road, blaring out the sounds and music for the night. Although I left before the party began, I got a taste of things to come when the artists rehearsed their songs 'live' through these very same speakers. Awesome...the speakers, I mean.

Peace and the Pigeon

2005-12-27T05:28:00.000+08:00

While we were making our way down Orchard Road among the many floats on display, we heard somebody excitedly calling her daughter to quickly stand in place to have her picture taken with the pigeon. A pigeon? On a noisy and crowded Orchard Road? It must have lost its way or something. But we realised soon enough that she was referring to a float with a huge Dove - that symbol of peace.

No wonder peace is not universal, when people so readily mistaken a dove for a pigeon, and the mistake is passed on to the younger generation. ;=)

Christmas Party @ Orchard

2005-12-26T07:09:00.000+08:00

Last evening, after Church service, I accompanied my wife and son down to Singapore's Orchard Road to have a look-see-experience of the Christmas party that evening. Both of us really hate crowds, and my son was pining for his computer games rather than a walk down the busiest road in town where cars are not allowed today. But we went anyway.

The last time I was down there on such an occasion must be 15 years ago. I remember vividly accompanying my team mates in a diploma course I was pursuing then down to Orchard Road. The toughest project that I have ever worked on with them for the last couple of months was completed and it seemed the right time to unwind. There was a similar party on that night and I thoroughly enjoyed myself then.

This time around, it was more subdued, but nevertheless enjoyable as we soaked in the sights. The sound hadn't really started then as the party was scheduled to start only at 8pm. We were there at 6pm. But there was enough to see. The picture on the right shows the tallest Christmas tree along the road that day, and it is situated just in front of Paragon Shopping Centre. This is also the first time my son was walking down a car-less Orchard Road during Christmas. We had previously avoided the place because of the crowds - and he was still young. We walked from Somerset MRT towards Tangs, weaved between and among the crowd, had an ice-cream each with a pepper-flavoured taiwan sausage thrown in for my son, took some pictures with my sub-compact 4 megapixel digital camera, and exited at the Orchard MRT station at about 7.30pm, well before the party started, and headed home.

Large and noisy parties weren't our cup of tea. It was enough to have had a taste of the evening's events. Besides, my son was happy that he was going home to his beloved computer.

Rail Travel

2005-12-25T09:04:00.000+08:00

The train ride up to Malacca was quite pleasant and comfortable. Maybe its because we went first class, where the seats are quite big with a lot of leg room. There is ample space to store our luggage and we were off soon enough, and on time, without too much of a wait. The only thing about travelling by train is you need to be quite energetic when you use the washroom/toilet - especially when it is in motion. (Actually you don't have a choice as the washroom/toilets are NOT available for use when the train stops at any station). That's because the cabin keeps swaying from side to side so you need to make sure that you do not sway too much with it. Otherwise the room will be a mess with you know what, and its not due to reasons arising from constipation or something similar.

Unlike older locomotives, present KTMB train runs on petrol (I think), so you don't have to contend with smoke at all. All cabins / cars are air-conditioned, so it is pretty clean. That also keeps the noise to a tolerable level as the metal rolls on the rail. Overall, I had an enjoyable rail journey up the lower half of the Malay Peninsula. I wouldn't mind going further next.

Singapore from inside-out

2005-11-28T06:15:00.000+08:00

I haven't been travelling a lot lately, only to and from work, which is routine and quite mundane. So I haven't shot anything worth posting for the pleasure of readers of this photoblog. I still haven't been travelling, but I took some breadth-taking pictures of Singapore from inside-out, i.e. pictures that were taken in the heart of the business district in Singapore looking out to the eastern side of Singapore from a high-rise commercial building recently.

Needless to say, these pictures cannot be taken easily, and certainly not by tourists as they will not have the opportunity of standing in the spot from which these pictures were taken. The first of these shows the bay at the mouth of the Singapore River, now transformed into a bay area through years for land reclamation. At the top right is the Benjamin Sheares Bridge, which leads to the eastern part of the Island. On the bottom left corner is Clifford Pier - a historic pier - where boats and ships used to call to pick up passengers bound for trade and cruises. Many of its cruises have now been shifted to the Harbour Front, a pier just across from Sentosa Island.

Fun in the sun

2005-09-27T06:00:00.000+08:00

I mentioned in my previous blog entry that I had a fantastic time at the Berjaya Redang Beach Resort. Indeed, its a great place to relax, if that's all you want, or go snorkeling if that interests you, or both.

The resort is made up of many chalets surrounded by rich and lustrous flora, as this picture will attest to. Its a panoramic view of the surrounding chalets taken from the second floor room where my mother stayed during this particular trip.
If you are more interested in snorkeling, the hotel organises these snorkeling trips around the island in the afternoons. For S$30, or more if you need to rent the snorkel and goggles, you get to spend about 2 hours going around the island on a boat to dive at 5 or 6 places. Its really fun, and best of all, the whole family can join in. And I mean the whole family. My mother, who is pushing 80, gamely came along, sat in the boat to enjoy the scenery although she did not snorkle. The youngest among the family is 7 years old.

There are private boats for hire which also provide round the island snorkeling expeditions too. Their times are more flexible, but you need to bargain the price with them. The resort, of course, does not encourage nor recommend this, so you take your own risk if you want to do this.

Berjaya Air is a great way to fly

2005-09-26T06:44:00.000+08:00

I had a very uncomfortable trip to Redang Island on Berjaya Air recently although the Berjaya Redang Beach Resort stay was fantastic. The problem was with the air-conditioning in the plane going to the resort.

My family and I boarded the plane at Seletar Airport. It was a typical hot and sunny day in Singapore. When the plane didn't take off soon enough, it became hot and sweaty in the cabin. You could see the sweet air hostesses (3 of them) sweating under their make-ups, the poor ladies. These small planes don't have video entertainment, or board games, so the wait got uncomfortable as time passed while the plane remained land-bound.

Although it is not in my habit of doing so, I wrote a letter of complaint while waiting for the plane to take-off, to the effect that the flight was very uncomfortable, particularly when my family consists of young children and an old lady.

The plane did finally take us to and from our destination. We had an enjoyable holiday. The flight back on the same airline was smooth and comfortable.

Some weeks after this trip, I received a letter from the company, Berjaya Air. It referred to my written complaint, admitted fault, apologised and offered me 50% off on any Berjaya Air ticket up to 10 persons within the next one year.

I am impressed, not only because of the offer of 50% off, but that the management did bother to investigate my complaint and give a reply. So the next time I fly Berjaya Air, I will have full confidence that everyone in the airline company cares about me as their customer.

Well done, Berjaya Air!

Korean Origami

2005-09-01T07:00:00.000+08:00

Almost every eating place I go in Seoul, serviettes are presented in this unique manner. I appreciate this simple yet effective presentation of this almost essential piece of paper at dining tables. It is better than having them laid on the table where they can get soiled accidentally or get blown away. And, usually, there is only one available at any time (and sometimes none at all). I am sure diners like to have these around when they need them. In this 'Korean' way, there is bountiful supply. It is also hygienic and convenient.

Panorama

2005-08-29T05:45:00.000+08:00

Its amazing what my sub-compact camera can do. This the morning scenery from the Berjaya Redang Beach Resort early in the morning (about 7am). It presents a panoramic view of the morning breaking. It was taken sometime in May 2005.

Well, I lie. This panoramic picture is a composite of two pictures which I stitched together using the ACDSee software that came with the camera. Fool you, didn't I? Still, I think it was a good picture.

By the way, all the pictures here were taken by me. So they belong to me. If you want to make use of them, please let me know who you are and your purpose(s) in using them. I am generally generous, and allow you to use them with the proper acknowledgements, but I do not want them to be used for purposes which I think are objectionable (such as in porn sites), not that they are of interest to these publishers in the first place.

Ethan Allen in Korea

2005-08-28T12:16:00.000+08:00

Ethan Allen (furnishing) store in South Korea is a stone's throw from Hard Rock Cafe. I once had a hand in setting up the Ethan Allen franchise in Singapore. That must have been 8 years ago. Unfortunately, for various reasons, it never got established.

How was I involved? Well, I was asked to talk to an EA franchise store in San Jose, California when I was in Sacramento on a study course. My mission was to find out about the use of IT in its operations. I did that, but as I mentioned, what I learnt never got applied.

The owners of this franchise EA store in San Jose (a father-son team - I have since forgotten their names) were very hospital and I had a very pleasant visit. I'll always also remember the taxi ride from SF to San Jose and back. Its a quick way of seeing some parts of California within a short time. As usual, I didn't speak much during the journey, although I thought I should - but then I'll miss the scenery.

As the photo shows, the footpath outside this store in Korea is slopping. It reminds me of the many buildings in SF where buildings tend to be built on slopping footpaths. Some of these slopes are quite steep. Unfortunately, I didn't have a camera with me then. It was also the first time I saw the Golden Gate Bridge - all in its glorious red colour - nothing golden coloured about it - or was it the wrong bridge?

Blind man's crossing

2005-08-25T20:15:00.000+08:00

It that my eyes or does this sign show a blindfolded person crossing the street / zebra-crossing? I don't know what the Korean characters mean, but even if we used the image as a universal language, the meaning on this sign seems inexplicable.

Well, ok, I'm just pulling your leg. I think the paint is peeling on the signboard, so it looks as if the person has a blindfold on. It certainly is not my camera, I can assure you.

Flight of asiana

2005-08-24T20:10:00.000+08:00

This is the plane that I flew back on 13th August 2005 from South Korea. It is seen parked at the Korea's Incheon International Airport, preparing for its direct Korea-Singapore flight around 4pm Korea time. I took this picture near the passenger gate. Incheon Airport has wide clear glass walls that allows passengers to look right onto the tarmac for a breadth-taking view of the airplanes.

Asiana Airlines pilots were on strike then, but these striking pilots only flew the Boeing aircraft. Airbus aircraft pilots were not on strike. According to what we were told in flight, this is one of Asiana's newest aircraft. This is borne out by Airbus' website (www.airbus.com), which confirmed that Asiana Airlines took delivery of these A330-300 aircraft last December (2004). The plane is comfortable and the journey home was uneventful, except for too frequent announcements over the intercom, which disrupted my movie viewing.

I can't complain, though. Quite a number of movies were available on demand basis - Million dollar baby (now I know why it won an Oscar), Kingdom of Heaven (lousy show), and a couple of others. For a 6-hour flight, I could easily cycle through two full movies and have time left-over for some short films. Great entertainment! And I was flying economy! A really good deal!

Poison Food

2005-08-23T20:13:00.000+08:00

The puffer fish is known to be the most poisonous fish, yet it is caught, cooked and eaten as food. This restaurant in Seoul advertised this deadly fish on its menu (actually, on its entrance). It looks like it is the restaurant's star item on the menu.

According to sources, puffer fish can be eaten when prepared and cooked correctly. Nevertheless, it is a 'delicacy' that is rarely available, must less featured, in any restaurant menu. If you must eat, learn a little more about it first: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pufferfish

Signs and wonders

2005-08-22T21:04:00.000+08:00

I snapped this sculpture of a pointed finger in downtown Seoul. I wonder what it signifies. I never went close enough to look at the base of this sculpture to get enlightened on its meaning. I suppose one of the purposes of a sculpture is to stimulate thinking and imagination and elicit some personal meaning or inspiration. That's why in almost all images you see in print or media, the sculpture is featured more than the description of it.

So my not taking a closer look is deliberate. But what does this sculpture mean?

We are No. 1 (in/of what?)
Look up in the sky, its a...
Ouch, my finger hurts!

I leave it to your imagination. Be inspired.

A Bar Fight

2005-08-21T06:50:00.000+08:00

Whatever is a tent bar? A place where people unwind with a glass or more of liquor in a tent? That seems to be what this picture suggests. Unfortunately, I didn't go much further than across the road where this picture was taken, so I can only guess.

This bar (if it is one) is quite prominent, what with its gigantic orange-coloured tent sticking out of a building. It's just across the road from Hard Rock Cafe Seoul. I suppose the people who set up this tent bar are trying to give Hard Rock Cafe a run for their money. Both places have prominent markers - this tent for the Ju Ju bar and the signature guitar for Hard Rock Cafe along a boulevard just outside its premises.

A Tent Bar

Hard Rock Cafe

P.S. If this blog is starting to look like a travel blog on Seoul, I have no apologies. I spent much of last week there and used the opportunity to take photos of some interesting things I saw. Don't worry, the photos will run out and the memories will recede, then I'll move on...

Ladder 49

2005-08-20T00:23:00.000+08:00

Fire hydrants are usually situated next to roads where the fire fighter can park the fire engine. This allows them to attach the hose to the hydrants to draw water. This building in Seoul is a bit different. The fire hydrant seems to be sticking out of the building at the side, rather than on the ground. I suppose that these are purpose built fire hydrants for that specific building. The buildings around here seem to each have similar fire hydrants designed in the same manner.

Fire Hydrant sticking out of the building instead of the ground

Ancient Palace and Modern Buildings

2005-08-19T21:18:00.000+08:00

Seoul has 5 ancient palaces. They are open to the public for viewing and in some cases, guided tours are organised at certain times of the day. These guided tours are very useful because you understand the place much better at the end of the day. But what caught my eye wasn't about the history, customs and practices of the ancient residents of these palaces, interesting as they are. Instead, I marvelled at how these ancient buildings (well, some have undergone extensive restoration) stand side-by-side with modern ones today, as this photo shows.

The old with the new,
The ancient architecture with the modern ones,
The quietness of the old and the bustling of the new,
The faded colours of the old and the vibrant colours of the new,
The dead with the live

Home away from home

2005-08-18T21:26:00.000+08:00

Usually, when you travel overseas, especially on packaged tours, you get put up in hotels or similar lodgings meant for tourists. This means that the sights and sounds of the place will be tailored for the tourist. It always doesn't feel like home.

Last week, I put up in a hotel that is on the west side of Seoul City, nearer to the airport side than the centre of the city. It is a 'remote' side of the city for the tourist, but I enjoyed it more because I get to see more of the way Koreans go about their life - to work, to the supermarket, working in their workshops, etc. In a sense, it felt very much like home, away from any glitzy and glamour of the city. Instead, the landscape around the hotel is dotted with local restaurants - mostly small ones, metalworkshops, mom-and-pop shops, car workshops and the like. It feels safe too, not unlike a neighbourhood in Singapore. That's why I took a couple of photos of this vicinity, to remind myself how familiar the place looks.

There is something to be said for putting up in hotels away from the buzz. Anyway, the subway system in Seoul is quite comprehensive, so I can just hop onto a subway train and arrive at virtually any part of the city. A typical fare of up to 15 stops or thereabouts is about W1000 - about S$1.80 - which is not too expensive. Taxis operate by meters but I am told it is more expensive, unless you share the cab fare with someone else.

A mom-and-pop shop just across the hotel

A yet-to-open Workshop in the morning

A neighbourhood restaurant

Road leading to the Yongpyeong subway station near the hotel

Common Travel Destination

2005-08-14T23:50:00.000+08:00

The toilet is the most often visited destination whether you are travelling abroad or staying at home. Whilst you may have the greatest of difficulties ordering a meal or taking a taxi to reach a particular destination (unless you are an experienced traveller), there is one place that nobody seem to have problems with - the toilet - and it is a must visit destination, if only because nature always calls, often at the wrong time. But you never have difficulties figuring out which of the two doors to enter without embarrassing yourself and possibly others. That's because we don't rely on the words on the toilet door. Rather, the graphic on the sign-board will be a better bet of having it correct.

These Male/Female graphics can be quite varied from place to place, ranging from the boring skirt/no skirt profiles to more fanciful ones, such as this sign that is used in the IT World Amusement Center in Seoul, S Korea. Although stereotypical - the guys have the short pointy hair and the gals have the ribbons / bow, it goes right with the place's theme and emphasis on Technology. Its a great design.

This place is not too far away from Seoul Land, an general amusement park with all the fun rides you'd expect, such as roller coasters, bumper cars, shot x go, etc. Really mindless fun! While you are there, hold on to your head and don't lose your mind...