Spent my Saturday in the two cooled conservatories at Gardens by the Bay; Cloud Forest and Flower Dome.

I think this is my fourth or fifth time of my visit to the the pair of huge glass-covered conservatories at Gardens by the Bay (named Cloud Forest and Flower Dome respectively). This time I’m heading there to check out the sakura blossom theme (2024 edition) happening only in this month (from 22 March to 21 April 2024 to be exact) in Flower Dome.

Don’t have the opportunity or budget to go to Japan to see sakura trees (cherry blossom) and so this is a good alternative (much more economical because it’s only SGD20 to enter both conservatories). Haha…Weather has been intensely warm recently too. Hence, it’s good to spend the hot afternoon inside these air-conditioned glasshouses. And of course there’s so much to see in there.

Me and my friend first went in to the Cloud Forest and spent a little over an hour in there. Scenes of cooling mist, playful elevated walkways, beautiful waterfall and sprouting landscapes in there continue to overwhelm me despite having visited the place multiple times. Even the giant column-less glass structure itself is an impressive sight to see along with spectacular views of the outside (Marina Bay Sands, CBD skyline, etc).

After that, we moved to the adjacent Flower Dome. Crowds are visibly larger in here due to the sakura blossom theme only happening in this conservatory. The air-conditioning here is also noticeably colder compared to Cloud Forest. Mesmerized by all the colourful and fascinating flowers (and sculptures/artistic installations) on display in here. There’s quite a huge variety of flowers in here. There are also various mini-gardens dedicated to different regions of the world.

The highlight of our visit today is of course the cherry blossom trees (and peach blossom too) set at the centre of the conservatory along with some gorgeous Japanese themed decorations such as suspended colourful paper cranes, Torri (traditional Japanese gate), replica of Golden Pavilion of Rokuonji Temple in Japan, paper lanterns, wishing well, etc. We spent about two hours in there and ended our visit after a quick glance through the gift shop at the exit.

Beautiful, isn’t it? As mentioned earlier, I have visited both conservatories a couple of times already and yet I still find the place very captivating and deserve repeated visits. The only thing is that it is weekend today and so there’s just too many people in there. We then made our way to the nearby Satay by the Bay hawker centre to have our dinner (got to eat my favourite satay there) and then walked back to the Marina Bay Sands waterfront promenade to see the daily water and light show called Spectra (I watched it for countless time already) before calling it a day.

Chill Saturday at the Peranakan Museum.

Finally, I’m back to resume my museum hopping mission on this weekend after having not able to do so since January. If you didn’t know, I had actually given myself a mission to visit as many museums or galleries in Singapore as I can this year. It is like I have given myself a new hobby on my free weekends although I’m not really a museum enthusiast.

Anyway, I do like to see interesting collections/displays though (but I will skip those explanation parts usually…haha) and will always be fascinated by the architecture of the museum itself. This time, I’m heading to Armenian Street to visit Peranakan Museum. The museum showcases the history of Peranakan cultures in Singapore as well as other Peranakan communities in Southeast Asia.

The below description from the museum explains the origin of ‘Peranakan’; South East Asia has long been a crossroads of the world, where trade has stimulated cultural exchange. Merchants and other travellers have connected the region to China, India, Middle East and Europe. Many of these people settled in this region and intermarried into local communities, creating a vibrant hybrid cultures which today are widely referred to as ‘Peranakan’.

The museum is not too huge and has 3 levels of galleries housed within a beautiful heritage building. Visit to this museum is complimentary for Singaporean and Permanent Resident (similarly to many other museums in Singapore too). I spent a little over an hour in there and had a great time exploring the various little sections of the museum. There wasn’t too many visitors during my visit early this afternoon too, making the visit more peaceful and relaxing.

There are a lot of instances where I took close-up of insanely beautiful and intricate details of the displays ranging from batik and jewellery to ceramic and even furniture. They were so cool! That’s it for my highlight of the museum visit today. I do wish the Peranakan Museum to be a bit larger though and has more seating areas for visitors. Now, which museum should I visit next?

5 days 4 nights solo trip to Dubai & Abu Dhabi, UAE.

It is Dubai!; the destination of my trip that I only thought of it two weeks ago. The idea of going on an impromptu vacation kicked in just a week before the trip itself and I immediately thought of Dubai. I always wanted to visit Dubai to see all the architectural landmarks and engineering marvels this city has built but have never done so till now. I have stopped at this city twice before on transit in the Dubai airport before continuing to fly to Europe in the past. I was not able to get out of the airport and explore the city back then which is kind off sad.

It’s off-peak season for travel to Dubai now as the unbearable summer season for the city is kicking in from next month onward (from June till September). It’s still very hot over there now (above 35 degree celsius most of the time) hence lesser tourists/crowds. The airfares and fees for accommodations and some attractions are lower during this period of time. Hence, I’m going for it with tight budget in mind and while the temperature is still manageable for me who have been living in hot tropical climate my entire life.

This was actually my first ever solo trip to oversea purely for travel/vacation. I did traveled oversea by solo previously but that was for my higher education/other purposes. Hence I do felt nervous and excited at the same time. It all went smooth and according to plan. I had a fulfilling 5 days 4 nights in Dubai (including a one day guided tour to the neighbouring state of Abu Dhabi) at United Arab Emirates. I did it in only a little over SGD 2000 including the return flight (via Singapore Airlines…first time taking this airlines too) which already costs around SGD 1200 alone. I ate mostly at food courts/fast food restaurants and I stayed in a dorm at a backpackers accommodation (quite comfortable, not many people, and the place is centrally located at the Dubai Marina area).

The only unfortunate incident was that my luggage was quite severely damaged after my flight from Singapore to Dubai. Due to me rushing to the accommodation to check in on that evening of my arrival, I didn’t report the damage to the airport’s staff. Poor handling of luggage from the Dubai airport side. I ended up spending more to purchase a new luggage in Dubai…and that makes less spending for souvenirs.

Yup…so here’s below are the highlights/itinerary of my trip:

Day 1 – 11 May 2023 (Thursday)

• Head to Changi International Airport for afternoon flight from Singapore to Dubai (7 hours flight). Reached Dubai in the evening. Singapore time is 4 hours ahead of United Arab Emirates.
• After checking in to the hostel (Lunar Hostel Plus), had a brief evening stroll along JBR Beach and Smoky Beach (both beaches are side by side and JBR stands for Jumeirah Beach Residence). View the world’s tallest/largest observation wheel, Ain Dubai (250m tall) from the beach.

• Walk along the waterfront of the Dubai Marina, a large artificial canal city along a shoreline. My hostel is located in this area.

Day 2 – 12 May 2023 (Friday)

• Visit to Zabeel Park to view the Dubai Frame. It is the largest frame in the world with a height of 150m and width of 95m. It serves as a monument, observatory, museum and literally a frame for the views of old Dubai in the north and modern Dubai in the south. I didn’t enter inside the Dubai Frame.

• Visit to Museum of the Future. It is a very futuristic-looking building that houses exhibition space for innovative and futuristic ideologies, services, and products. Some has even described the building as the most beautiful building on Earth. I didn’t enter into the exhibition space though; I just wandered in the main lobby area and around the external of the building including the adjacent Emirates Towers‘ area.

• Visit to Downtown Dubai where the Burj Khalifa is. It is the current world’s tallest building/man-made structure at 828m high. Went up to the ‘At The Top’ observatory at level 124 and 125 (at around 450m above ground) of the skyscraper for spectacular views over the city. First time in my life entering into a floor level higher than 100.

• Also in the area is the Dubai Mall which is one of the largest shopping mall in the world by total land area. Checked out attractions in the huge mall such as the aquarium, a real dinosaur fossil display, ice skating rink, a large indoor waterfall art installation and an area dedicated as Chinatown. Plenty of things to see in the mall besides than the shops. Lunch and dinner in the mall.

• View the Dubai Fountain show which is one of the world’s largest and tallest fountain shows. A 5-minute show (different music & choreography for each show) in every 30 minutes in the evening daily. Burj Khalifa is also lit up with gorgeous LED projections in the evening daily.

Day 3 – 13 May 2023 (Saturday)

• Took a one full day guided tour (by ABC Tours, a local tour agency in Dubai) to Abu Dhabi, the capital of UAE.
• Outside views of the Ferrari World (first Ferrari-branded amusement park in the world), Etihad Towers, Capital Gate Tower (famously known as the leaning tower of Abu Dhabi) and Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental Hotel (a super luxurious hotel complex).

• Quick photostop at Louvre Abu Dhabi, the largest art museum in Arabian world. Designed by Jean Nouvel, the building appears like a floating dome structure with a large interesting web-patterned dome.

• Visit to Heritage Village, a small museum complex featuring a traditional village oasis that offers glimpses of life in the UAE before its oil boom.

• Visit to Abu Dhabi Marina Mall for lunch.

• Visit to Qasr Al Watan, presidential palace of UAE. The palace is built in 2017 not for the residences of the royals or leaders but as a place for hosting foreign leaders, for main government’s meetings/summits and for public visit. It is an intricately designed and ornately decorated palace with massive volume and spaces.

• Visit to Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the largest mosque in the country. It is also the largest and grandest mosque that I have ever visited. The mostly white-coloured mosque is built mostly of natural materials such as marble stone, gold, semi-precious stones, crystals and ceramics. The mosque is large enough to accommodate over 40 000 worshippers at a time. The mosque has the world’s largest carpet in the grand hall, features a courtyard of floral floor design and is considered to be the largest example of marble mosaic in the world and has seven huge chandeliers that incorporate millions of Swarovski crystals.

• Back to Dubai before sunset and took time to walk along Dubai Marina again (this time walk from the other side of marina). View the Cayan Tower (a twisting skyscraper) along the marina. Visit to Dubai Marina Mall for dinner.

Day 4 – 14 May 2023 (Sunday)

• Visit to The Pointe, a waterfront retail destination at Palm Jumeirah Island to view the luxurious Atlantis The Palm Hotel and Atlantis The Royal Hotel.

• Take monorail from The Pointe to Nakheel Mall. Go up to the Palm Tower at level 52 to visit ‘The View at the Palm’ observatory for magnificent views over the entire Palm Jumeirah Island, Dubai Marina, Downtown Dubai, Burj Al Arab, Ain Dubai, etc.

• Visit to Souk Madinat Jumeirah, an Arabian bazaar complex with beautiful close view of the Burj Al Arab, world’s only 7-star hotel. Lunch in the complex.

• Visit to Jumeirah Mosque for outside view only. Opened in 1979, the mosque is said to be the most photographed mosque in all of Dubai.

• Visit to Old Dubai area. Visited the Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood (one of Dubai’s oldest heritage sites with much of original infrastructure and narrow alleys preserved and intact). Also visited the adjacent Al Seef Heritage Street where traditional Arab souks lined this beautiful heritage district.

• Took abra (traditional water taxi) to cross Dubai Creek over to Deira side of the city.

• Visit to various souks in Deira region, particularly the famous Dubai Gold Souk, a traditional market of over 380 retailers, most of whom are jewelry traders. The Dubai Gold Souk is also host to the largest ring in the world weighing 64kg.

• Back to Downtown Dubai again in the evening for shopping for souvenirs at the Dubai Mall (and dinner) and one last look of one of my favourite skyscrapers, Burj Khalifa. View the Dubai Fountain from the other side of the artificial Burj Khalifa Lake. Also visit to the Time Out Market (Souk Al Bahar), a retail mall famous for culinary hotspots which is also adjacent to the lake.

Day 5 – 15 May 2023 (Monday)

• Visit to Dubai Miracle Garden. It is the world’s largest natural flower garden and only opens generally from October to April every year. For this year, it opens until early June. There are plenty of beautiful floral sights in the garden including a life-size version of the Emirates A380 which also broke the record as the world’s largest floral installation. The garden also features hearts tunnel, floral castle, Smurfs village, lake park, etc.

• Visit to Mall of the Emirates, another large mall with beautiful architecture (particularly the huge domes and arched glass roof). The mall is also host to Ski Dubai (the Middle East’s first indoor ski resort and snow park). Shopping and lunch in the mall.

• Return to hostel to check out and head to Dubai International Airport in the afternoon for flight back to Singapore. Arrived in the early morning next day (16 May 2023).

It was an awesome and fulfilling trip. You may check out more pictures posted in my social media (Facebook and Instagram) posts too. I managed to see and admire all the sights that I wanted to including the Burj Khalifa, Palm Jumeirah, Burj Al Arab and Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. I have to admit that it was a bit rushed though to fit all into just 5 days. Anyway, did you notice that most of the attractions in Dubai are some sort of record holders (world tallest, world largest, etc)? If it isn’t big or grand, Dubai is not going to build it! Haha.

It’s a miracle that I was able to fit so many places into just 5 days 4 nights (technically only just 3 full days in Dubai and 1 day in Abu Dhabi in total). The consequence is that my legs are feeling the pain now from all the excessive walking I had in Dubai for the past few days. Literally around 30 000 steps each day (tracked from iPhone health data).

This trip was also there to clear off my leave (had quite a lot of accumulated annual leave from my company) and also to clear off my mind for a while after undergoing down moments since end of March. At least the planning and the trip itself gave me a much needed distraction and excitement.

I enjoyed the trip overall. If I can have one more day, I would go on one of the popular things to do in Dubai; desert safari. I missed that one because I have done similar activity in Egypt few years ago and that I didn’t plan that one extra day earlier. Hmm…hopefully my next travel would be in this coming July to Hong Kong only if I am able to get the tickets to watch Sammi Cheng’s concert which will be on public sale this Wednesday. Once a trip was over, it’s time to think of the next one. Hehe…we have a world to see!

Visiting SEA Aquarium again after 5 years.

It’s 4th July today! Happy Independence Day to the United States! It’s a usual weekend here in Singapore but me and my friend decided to pay a visit to the SEA Aquarium on Sentosa Island which had its first day of reopening today as well! It has been closed since the start of circuit breaker on early April.

We decided to visit the attraction on its first day of reopening itself because the place is not visited by any crowds on the days prior our visit and it would be all clean and disinfected before receiving back visitors today (we felt a bit safer). We were also surprised by the less amount of people visiting during our time over there in this afternoon. So, it’s a great and slightly different experience compared to my previous visit to the aquarium around 5 years ago where I still remembered there were a lot of heads in front of you blocking your view to each tanks. This is my second visit to SEA Aquarium.

Today, we got to enjoy viewing the fishes in a much more relaxed way and had the views all by ourselves for a long period of time. We spent about 3 hours in there (longer than what we expected). There is also a promotion going on right now which is only valid for this month; SGD 29 per pax for an entrance ticket for residents (not for foreign tourists). So, why not?!

I took a lot of pictures in the aquarium and in the meantime, I also took the time to enjoy seeing the variety of fishes in each tanks. The aquarium is not too big, but it never fails to amaze me with beautifully designed tanks and quite a huge number of species of marine life we got to see in it. This is also the first time I’m seeing live feeding to the sharks by several divers in one of the large tanks. The only disappointing things are that the dolphins are missing and that there are no seats provided in the aquarium (we had to keep walking although we are tired in the mid journey).

These pictures don’t do enough justice. Seeing them in person gives you a much more surreal experience.

I have seen news somewhere some time ago that the SEA Aquarium (which is now already is one of the world’s largest aquariums) is to be expanded later on, taking over the former adjacent attraction ‘Maritime Experiential Museum’ (which I had visited in the past too) that has closed down few months ago. So, maybe sometime in the future, I may visit the aquarium once again to check out the new sections offered (but certainly, not that soon…).

My wonderful 9 days 7 nights trip to Egypt!

I’m back! I have just returned home recently after a long 9 days 7 nights vacation in Egypt with my parents during this Chinese New Year break. In general, I had a very enjoyable trip despite having needed to take a lot of tiring flights (4 international, 2 domestic), hefty price tag to pay for the trip, and required to wake up super early on multiple days to follow our tour schedule.

In this trip, I have visited most of the famous attractions in Egypt, from its capital Cairo to Aswan and Luxor. I have taken over a thousand photographs (expected due to the many awesome temples and scenery there) too. I’m not that fancy on Egyptian food and fortunately, most of our meals were Western style as we spent some nights on a cruise ship and had some meals at hotels’ buffets.

Without further ado, here are some of the awesome shots I have taken at the trip (only limit myself to put 50 photographs here out of the over 1000 shots I have taken):

Ruins of Memphis ancient city, Cairo

Sakkara step pyramid, Cairo

Great Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx, Cairo

Khan El-Khalili Bazaar, Cairo

Citadel of Salah Din and Grand Mosque of Mohammed Ali, Cairo

Egyptian Museum + Mummies Room, Cairo

High Dam, Aswan

Unfinished Obelisk, Aswan

Philae Temple, Aswan

Nubian Village, Aswan

Abu Simbel Temples, Aswan

Temple of Kom Ombo, Kom Ombo

Temple of Edfu, Edfu

 

Colossi of Memnon, Luxor

Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, Luxor

Valley of the Kings, Luxor

Karnak Temple, Luxor

Luxor Market, Luxor

Nile River Cuise (from Aswan to Luxor) + Felucca Ride + Esna Lock

Other random pictures – City view of Cairo, hot air balloons + sunrise over desert + keeping all the entrance tickets (including tickets to toilet which is chargeable there)

We have also visited several local shops selling Egyptian papyrus, alabaster stones, cotton and essential oils. I only bought a miniature set of 3 pyramids (represent the 3 Great Pyramids of Giza of course) and a magnet for my house fridge. I’m not keen into most Egyptian souvenirs except for the sand art bottle that I couldn’t find in Cairo (bought one at Dubai International Airport during my flight transit instead as a consolation..haha).

It is winter now in Egypt but still the Sun over there is intensely glaring (that’s good for taking pictures though). This is my first time seeing vast desert and my first time riding on camel and horse carriage too. In conclusion, I do had a very enjoyable trip. A lot of memorable experience in this travel and feeling of awe looking at the magnificent tombs and temples and knowing more on the rich history and culture of ancient Egypt. I am particularly intrigued by the scale of the ancient buildings, their near-perfect symmetry, the intricate carvings/facade works on the architectural elements, and the brilliant play of light and shadow. For people in architecture field like me, this travel is simply excellent.

Now, it’s time to start thinking on where to go for the next Chinese New Year break in 2021.

Awesome new year 2020 countdown at Marina Bay!

Happy New Year again! I woke up quite late today as I just returned home at 2am last night after attending the massive new year 2020 countdown event at Marina Bay, Singapore. It was a very fun and memorable experience as it was also my first time seeing Singapore’s new year fireworks.

Me and my friend reached around the Marina Bay at about 6.30pm and the place was already very crowded. Many people have already booked their spot along the waterfront for the best view of the fireworks in the evening. We considered ourselves being there slightly late already. Anyway, we still managed to get a good spot along the Jubilee Bridge and we only takeaway our dinner to catch that spot early.

Even the view of the surrounding before the countdown event starts was already amazing with the sight of the glittering skyscrapers at the CBD, Merlion and Fullerton Hotel, Marina Bay Sands and Helix Bridge, Singapore Flyer and Esplanade. By 9pm, the whole Jubilee Bridge is packed and was already barricaded to prevent overcrowding (I can’t even get out to to go to the washroom). Felt like we were all animals locked in a cage waiting for release…haha.

First set of fireworks goes off at 9.30pm. Then, there are a number of live performances, light projections and circus act around the waterfront to start off the countdown event. Fireworks display officially went off from 10.30pm onwards…all the way to 12am for the finale. This is the longest ever fireworks display I have ever seen (1 hour and 30 minutes!). At first, I thought that fireworks will only begin at 12am for typical countdown event. Conclusion; Singapore is rich!

We were actually more fascinated by the flying drones show than the fireworks display itself during the event. I was captivated by the different animated patterns that the 500 drones manage to create on the sky. The sight was simply wonderful and breathtaking!

Finally it’s 12am after we were there waiting for over 5 hours. The moment that we have anticipated for long. The surrounding exploded into massive noise and cheers when clock strikes 12am and it’s now officially year 2020. The fireworks ended few minutes later with an epic finale that got us jaw-dropped.

Then, seeing the massive amount of people leaving the area after it all finished also made me jaw-dropped again. The crowd is insanely huge. Fortunately, the MRT will be extended to 2am for the night. We waited a while for the crowd to disperse before we leave. That’s the reason why I only managed to reach home at 2am.

It was really a fun, spectacular and memorable way to end 2019 and start off 2020 with a bang!

Jewel Changi Airport shows the world how an airport can be super awesome.

Jewel Changi Airport is a mixed-use development at Changi Airport in Singapore that comprises of indoor gardens, attractions, a hotel, aviation facilities, and a mall of over 300 retail and dining facilities. The main attraction of this ‘mall-in-airport’ complex is an indoor waterfall which is the largest in the world at 40 metres tall. Pictures of the majestic waterfall has been circulating on the internet for some time now since its preview opening earlier this month (11th April). Jewel officially opened to the public on 17th April 2019 (10 days ago).

I have to be there to witness the awesomeness of this structure, and this weekend is the perfect time for it (I was back in Malaysia on last weekend and hence I have to wait it out till this weekend to visit it). I also heard that the crowd last weekend is insane. I went there this afternoon and there are still a lot of people. I’m in disbelief and shock after seeing hundreds of people queuing for certain stores or restaurants there (Shake Shack, Pokemon, A&W, etc).

It took me over an hour to take various pictures of Jewel, particularly its central iconic waterfall (of course) from various angles and positions on different levels of the mall. The canopy park on the highest level is not opened yet (will be opened on June). I left Jewel quite early as I don’t like huge crowd (I have to skip the evening light show…have already watched it online from videos by others). I have seen what I wanted to see and here are some of the amazing shots I have taken:

Jewel Changi Airport certainly shows to the world how an airport can be super awesome and different. You do not only put a mall into it, but you create something unique to turn it into a spectacular destination. The glass-dome structure and the indoor gardens do remind me of Gardens by the Bay. It looks like Singapore is really good on such thing. By the way, Jewel is designed by Moshe Safdie, the same architect behind the iconic Marina Bay Sands. My first impression of it; it’s like entering Jurassic World! Such a beautiful building!

Awesome 10 days 8 nights Eastern Europe trip during CNY 2019 break.

Good times pass by so quickly. There goes the conclusion of my long 10 days 8 nights trip to Eastern Europe. The trip took place from 2nd to 11th February 2019 during the Chinese New Year break and covers 6 countries; Germany, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland and Czech Republic.

Day 1 (02/02/2019 – Saturday)

First light from Kuala Lumpur International Airport to Muscat International Airport (at Oman) and then second flight to Munich International Airport (Germany). Basically spending whole day in various airports.

Day 2 (03/02/2019 – Sunday)

Heavy snowfall greeted our official first day of trip. Snowfall made it hard for us to walk in the city for the city tour. Wet environment, no sun, freezing temperature and snow-covered walkways made photographing a challenging task.

Had a quick city tour at Munich (Germany) and visited Marienplatz, the central square of the city.

Then, we proceed to Salzburg, the place famous for being the home of the popular late music composer, Mozart. We then visited the Mirabelle Garden (not picturesque during winter unfortunately). Then, we moved on to Vienna in the late afternoon.

Day 3 (04/02/2019 – Monday)

Commenced the day at Vienna (Austria) with city tour (photo stop) at The Ring Road, Opera House, Parliament House, Johann Strauss Statue, St. Stephen’s Cathedral and Town Hall.

Next, we proceed to visit Schonbrunn Palace, a huge baroque-styled palace that contains 1441 rooms and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Ended the day at Pandorf Outlet for quick shopping. Brought my first ever luxury branded wallet here. Then, we moved on to Budapest.

Day 4 (05/02/2019 – Tuesday)

It’s the first day of Chinese New Year! Had a city tour at Budapest (Hungary) to view the Hero’s Square, Parliament House, Chain Bridge, St. Matthias Church, Central Market Hall, Citadel Hill and Fisherman’s Bastion.

Spent the afternoon on a 1-hour cruise ride along the scenic Danube River. The view is spectacular and I took a lot of pictures here. Then, we proceed to another city; Bratislava.

Day 5 (06/02/2019 – Wednesday)

Quick city tour at Bratislava (Slovakia) with visit to Bratislava Castle, Presidential Palace, Michael’s Gate and Old Town area.

Spent the whole afternoon on long journey to Krakow.

Day 6 (07/02/2019 – Thursday)

Began the day with a city tour of Krakow (Poland). Visit to Jagiellonian University, Wavel Hill, Royal Castle, Old Town area, Cloth Market Hall and St. Mary’s Church. The main square of Krakow is breathtaking.

Then, we had an awesome visit to Wielicka Salt Mine. This is my first time visited a tourist attraction so deep below the ground (over 130m underground at one section).

Day 7 (08/02/2019 – Friday)

Only one tourist destination for today before continuing the journey to Brno. Today, we visited the infamous Auschwitz Concentration Camp. It is the largest Nazi concentration and extermination camp and is now a museum for us to learn more of the World War II history, particularly the suffering of the Jewish in Nazi German era.

Day 8 (09/02/2019 – Saturday)

We moved on from Brno to Prague (Czech Republic) for a city tour. Visited the Prague Castle Complex, Saint Vitus Cathedral, Golden Lane, Charles Bridge, Parizska Street (street for luxury brands shopping), Old Town and the Square. The Old Town Square is another fantastic spot for photographs.

Day 9 (10/02/2019 – Sunday)

Time flies. It’s already our last day of trip. We head to a brewery tour at Pilsner Urquell Brewery at Plzen (don’t like the bitter taste of this local beer). Then, we moved on to our last tourist attraction, the BMW Welt in Munich, a multi-functional exhibition facility of BMW. It’s the spot for car lovers.

Finally, we head back to the Munich International Airport for flight back home.

Day 10 (11/02/2019 – Monday)

Whole day spent at the airports just like on the first day of the trip (but now is on the other way round). Reached home in the evening. There goes the end of the trip.

Had an awesome time joining this trip (a guided tour with a group of 42 people). I took about 500 photographs! The good thing for this guided tour is that daily lunch is on our own which allow us to try local food at our preference. Certainly enjoyed this trip (except for that one or two days in the middle when I was not feeling well – vomiting, and also except for the lengthy and uncomfortable flights). This is my third time visiting Europe and it’s another unforgettable experience.

 

 

 

29th SEA Games Kuala Lumpur 2017 opens with surprisingly good opening ceremony!

The 29th South East Asian (SEA) Games Kuala Lumpur 2017 has officially opened with a magnificent opening ceremony held just now in Bukit Jalil National Stadium. I am not in Malaysia but I am glad to be able to watch the ceremony live just now from YouTube. It began on 8.17pm (20:17 time for this year of 2017). I didn’t have high expectation of the ceremony, as you know, it is Malaysia. I remembered that our opening ceremony for 1998 Commonwealth Games was nothing exciting and I don’t even remember a single moment from the ceremony in 2001 when we last hosted this SEA Games.

Then, I am left surprised. The opening ceremony just now was actually good. Not to the point that it was incredible or out of this world, but it is still a great show. We of course cannot compare this to Olympic-level ceremonies. This is considered breathtaking at SEA Games level. The ceremony is short (just two hours) and I’m fine with it. The official speeches were short (good too). The first half of the ceremony is dedicated for all the official procedures like flags parade, athletes parade, and oaths taking. Then, came the second part that I’m looking forward to which is the performance segment.

I’m surprised that the role of the creative director is given to a Chinese this time. Cool. That’s a wise decision. I’m not intending to be racist here but giving major role to a Chinese in Malaysia is a very seldom occasion. Give us a chance and we will deliver. And he (forgot his name) delivered. I’m amazed by his ability to combine the traditional shows with contemporary elements for the performances. It’s hard to do that and he accomplished it. I can still experience the unique diversity of Malaysia (and ASEAN overall) through traditional dances and outfits, but at the same time, listening to vibrant modern music and seeing high-tech colourful lighting and projection all around. The choreography and synchronisation aren’t at the best but the effort is there. The presentation appeared to be like a mess for a time but overall, the energy was there.

Before watching the show, I have fear that the ceremony will be overwhelmed with very traditional dances and songs. I’m now certainly in relief. The songs during the performance are also great and complements to the energetic atmosphere of the almost fully-packed stadium. As for the stadium, I love the newly refurbished stadium. It looks awesome with the new skin cladding and modern LED lights. A major disappointment of the ceremony would be the cauldron. It’s just a huge chunk of cylinder mimicking ‘oil lamp’ (the broadcaster said so). That part is supposed to be intense and exciting. The end result is not. Lack of effort on this crucial part of the ceremony. And I don’t even know the last torch bearer. Apology but who is she? The last torch bearer is supposed to be someone who is the most excellent in world sports. By the way, where is our beloved Datuk Lee Chong Wei? He is not appearing at all in this ceremony. He is the best choice for that spot.

Last but not least, the concluding fireworks is awesome although I wish for more. Generally, the ceremony is great and is a good effort but it lacks ‘wow’ moment. There literally isn’t any ‘wow’ moment in the show. All the ‘suspended in the air’ show in the ceremony fall short of excitement too. The idea of having LED lights installed at the side of audiences’ seats reminds me of the same situation for London 2012 ceremonies. Well, I’m fine for this idea to be reused again to make the show better. Now, the games begin and we will see if Malaysia could reach its target by winning over 111 golds and topping the medal tally. The games will end with a closing ceremony on 30th August 2017, which is coincidentally the eve of the country’s 60th anniversary of independence celebration.

(Images in this post are from The Star Online and YouTube screenshots)

5 days 4 nights CNY 2017 trip to Hanoi, Vietnam

Hi…I’m back to my blog after disappearing for almost a week. My trip to Vietnam with my family has just ended. When I returned home yesterday, it’s already February and half of the Chinese New Year festival has already passed. Time flies, especially when it is enjoyable time. Here below is my highlight of the trip to Hanoi, Vietnam from 29th January 2017 to 2nd February 2017 (5 days 4 nights) with many lovely pictures to share.

29th January 2017 (Sunday)

The flight to Hanoi was at around 9am and so we have to be at the airport by 6am (3 hours earlier). Hence, we have to wake up at 4am (still middle of the night) and has to leave home by 5am. That’s so early and the consequence of it is that we had lack of sleep for that night. The flight to Hanoi took a little over 3 hours and the best thing this time during the flight is that I’m able to catch breathtaking aerial view of KL city as well as Genting Highlands.

We realised that the time in Vietnam is one hour earlier than in Malaysia. Our first destination in Hanoi is Ba Dinh Square. It is a plaza (main square of Hanoi) that has the President Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum (he was the first president of Vietnam) and the Parliament House. Next, we walked and visited the nearby President Ho Chi Minh’s Residence with exhibition of his office, presidential cars and the One-Pillar Pagoda.

Then, we went to take a view of the West Lake and visited Zhen Guo Temple which is by that lake too. I don’t smell any air pollution but the sky there is cloudy and foggy all day long (same for everyday of the trip too). That is not good for taking pictures.

30th January 2017 (Monday)

Today we took a 2 hours and 30 minutes bus ride to Ninh Binh province. There, we took ‘sampan’ (traditional boat) ride at Tam Coc, which is often referred to as the ‘Halong Bay on the land’. It is as though we have entered the lost world seeing the river and the hills around you over there. One interesting thing are that the people used their legs instead of their hands to drive the ‘sampan’ and we got to pass through several dark low-lying caves while on the ‘sampan’ on the river.

 

Then, we went to the Bich Dong Temple and Pagoda that sits on the side of a hill. After that, there’s another 2 hours bus journey to reach Halong Bay and we immediately settled at hotel once we reached there. We stayed at villas of the hotel named Royal Halong Hotel. On the evening, we visited the casino in the hotel which is very small.

 

31st January 2017 (Tuesday)

Perhaps the most exciting day of the trip as we head to the main attraction of Vietnam, Halong Bay. It is one of the seven natural wonders of the world. We boarded a small cruise ship and toured around the vast region of the bay where thousands of islands with different forms rise from the sea. We then ride a thrilling speed boat to explore the bay further. We also visited Tien Cung caves where there are interesting rock formations beautifully illuminated in the caves by the bay, and climbed a hill to catch an aerial view of Halong Bay. That view is majestic from the pavilion on top of that hill and that means our tiring climb to the top is rewarding. Visit to the bay ended with a seafood lunch on the cruise itself.

In the afternoon, we visited a Pearl and Mineral Geological Museum. It’s not a museum. It’s basically a place with many people persuading you to buy their stuff. This is one of the disadvantages of following tour group. Then, we visited a small indoor night market where the locals sell their products like woodworks, paintings, fake goodies, souvenirs and snacks but we are not interested on them. We also managed to watch a water puppet show (famous in Vietnam) in our hotel.

1st February 2017 (Wednesday)

Today we took a 4 hours bus ride back to Hanoi. Once reached Hanoi, we had a wonderful buffet lunch in a huge restaurant and it is super crowded with tourists. I could have taken a lot of plates of food but couldn’t do so because of the huge crowd queuing to get them, and the excessive tourists from China made it worst with their rude behaviour. After that, we visited the Hoan Kiem Lake with a Turtle Tower on a small island in the middle of the lake. There is also a temple besides the lake and a red bridge.

We also took trishaw ride to explore the 36 Ancient Streets, a cluster of traditional streets in the busy capital of Vietnam. The tour guide gave us plenty of time to do shopping there but there is nothing we love to buy over there. Hence, time is like wasted. What’s more disappointing is that the rest of our tour group members decided to skip a tourist destination just to give them more time to shop at the 36 Ancient Streets. The place we skipped is the Temple of Literature (First University of Vietnam). What a waste…thanks to the ridiculously foolish tour group members.

2nd February 2017 (Thursday)

There is no more tourist attractions for us to visit today. Just getting a bit more rest in the hotel room while enjoying the view of the city in the morning. After checking out from the hotel, we immediately went to the airport for flight back to Kuala Lumpur. Back to home at around 6pm.

The tour group we participated here is by Golden Deluxe Travel company. The price for one person is RM2200 and that not includes additional RM150 for several additional arrangements during the trip (speed boat ride at Halong Bay and trishaw ride at 36 Ancient Streets). The tw0 hotels we stayed are very good and comfy and their breakfasts are excellent too. The food served outside is generally acceptable but we just couldn’t adapt to their tastes and styles. We do not dare to try the outside food that they served by the side of road due to poor hygiene. We only bought some snacks and a decorative magnet home. Generally, Hanoi is a great place to visit and the main attraction, Halong Bay is truly exceptional.

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