http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Budokan/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Budokan en-us Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:34:46 +0000 Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:34:46 +0000 Of Mondays Tuesdays of 19 20th October 2009When the morning sunriseBecomes a magic showBefore your very eyes Leave Yesterday Behind The Carpenters recorded 1978 released 2001 Heeding the advice from our tour guide we were wide awake by 4.30am this morning hoping to catch a glimpse of the morning sunshine over Halong Bay. The morning was especially chilly as I was trying very hard to r http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Red-River-Delta/Hanoi/blog-448364.html Day 3 Sunday 18th October 2009After saying goodbye to the friendly hotel folks at Hanoi we continued our voyage to Halong Bay about 3.5 hours drive from the capital. For USD95 per person we were given a night's stay on the midrange Halong Phoenix Cruiser including 4 meals on board. Fair enough even though we wished that there could at least be 2 bottles of drinking water available in each c http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Red-River-Delta/Halong-Bay/blog-447799.html As part of my ongoing efforts to contribute to the travel community I would normally pen down my experiences TripAdvisor.com after a hotel stay for the benefit of prospective travellers. I've gained valuable information from the website and it was time for me to give back to the community. As this Vietam blog was under development my reviews of Hanoi Elegance 1 Hotel was published. About the http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Red-River-Delta/Hanoi/blog-447753.html Saturday 17th October 2009Losing our way was never fun but it created instances for us to interact with the friendly locals on the roadCertainly we were off to a great start this morning after a couple of successful attempts to cross the busy streets of Hanoi the previous evening. Don't get me wrong we were still fearful of the notorious traffic. But this was the norm in Hanoi that we had t http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Red-River-Delta/Hanoi/blog-446906.html Day 1 Friday 16th October 2009Our Halong Hanoi Elegance discovery kicked off this morning when we boarded the Singapore Airlines flight to Hanoi about three and a half hours from Singapore. Located at the heart of the Red River Delta Hanoi is the capital city of socialist Vietnam home to about 3.7 million of the nation's 86 million people.Touching down at the Noi Bai International Airport at http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Red-River-Delta/Hanoi/blog-445458.html 2017022825313612898224515348802646928526209152345022238275972665730475304751229026366209602030926102652922479626085303402356723398240501998122797233842231212290251052431030528370272646529087247133034023567363353620821435122902281024180201972151865292 http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Singapore/blog-444041.html While exploring the Southern Ridges on National Day we chanced upon this wonderful Museum. Housed in a restored colonial house and nestled among the hills of Pasir Panjang the average visitor would have easily overlooked its mere existence. ldquoReflections at Bukit Chandurdquo was established on 15th February 2002 to commemorate the heroic efforts of the Malay Regimen who stood by the then http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Singapore/blog-427977.html On JetstarThe holiday mood was still burning in me even though we had cancelled our Bali plans. At the time of writing we haven't given up harassing Jetstar Asia for our flight issues. Calls had been made and a polite I read through and it wasn't nasty letter sent to the Customer Care. We hoped that a miracle would materialise even though chances are extremely remote. Afterall Jetstar had alr http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Singapore/blog-422224.html Afterall we are not going anymoreThe illfated Bali trip was supposed to take place tomorrow 23rd July 2009 but it was never realized due to a sudden turn of events both in Indonesia and at home. While Jakarta hotels were in the limelight for the bombings the same spotlight was shone on 3 of us by outsiders who werenrsquot involved in the trip to begin with. Afterall we tried our best to re http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Indonesia/Bali/blog-420931.html Debuts Thursday 16th July 2009 8pm on Channel UI had to agree to what 3846324067 had remarked during the show.There's a limit to what we could do to help them given a shortage of time and resources. What's more important was to let them feel that somewhere out there there's someone who truly cared for them.This was one of the rare occasions which I wouldn't want to miss an episode. For a http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Singapore/blog-419147.html While the world is mourning for the loss of yet another pop legend MJ these days mourning took on a different meaning for me ..... From a traveller's point of view the greatest loss would be the closure of Taipei's Maokong Gondola for an indefinite period of time. Never mind if my tribute came 9 months late. It was only while dishing out information from the tripadvisor forums that it occured to http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Taiwan/Taipei/blog-416344.html History unfolds itself at the Changi Chapel and Museum on Saturday morning. Delicated to the living memories of the many who suffered during the Second World War this small scaled museum contained artefacts and haunting testimonies of the Japanese Occupation.70 minutes from home and after 3 buses and 2 transfers brought me to the Museum grounds on the morning of 4th July 2009. Alighting from the http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Singapore/Changi/blog-415253.html The gathering was at the homely Hachi Tei Restaurant located at Tanjong Pagar. Tucked away along the quiet street of Telok Ayer the family restaurant boasts a relatively comprehensive menu modest prices. From bento sets to soba to sashimi there was a bit of everything for everybody.Eight of us gathered AL Ms C EK XMM Mr K Mr KFC and JC for my 29 years 363 days and XMM 2x years 361 day http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Singapore/Chinatown/blog-412100.html The English Heritage Series Presents .....Thursday 28th May 2009 to Saturday 30th May 2009Coming close to my last few days in the United Kingdom and possibly my final entry in this series. I decided to devote my remaining time in UK to the appreciation of the English Heritage. 1 The historic Dover Castle and the White Cliffs along the south eastern coast of UK.....Dover Castle was never part of http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/blog-408674.html Day 7 Wednesday 27th May 2009A day return trip to Shakespeare's hometown StratfordUponAvon did not come in cheap. I had to slice 66 from my travel budget for the transportation. Another 24 was spent for the admissions to the three houses of the Shakespeare's family. Straford was highly recommended by my great pal B who believed that I would fall in love with this charming town for its tudor http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Warwickshire/blog-407787.html The hometowns of William Shakespeare StratfordUponAvon and Roald Dahl Great Missenden are well within striking distance by rail from Central London. After staying committed in London for the past few days it was time for a change to embark on a series of daytripping excursions to complete my UK campaign. Day 6 Tuesday 26th May 2009London Marylebone Station was where my love affair for t http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Buckinghamshire/blog-407437.html 11 Days the Best of London Beyond Most comprehensive coverage of all central London attractions Historic ride on the London Eye Mamma Mia and Sister Act the musicals London's West End Discover the best of English Heritage Dover Castle the Stonehenge Shopping spree Regent Street Oxford Circus Camden Spitafield Markets Explore the hometowns of William Shakespeare and Roald Dahl http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/blog-406475.html Day 4 Monday 25th May 2009Small is beautiful as I checked into Easy Hotel Earls Court for my next 5 nights after bidding farewell to R this morning. R took time from his busy schedule to prepare what my final meal at his place. Pork spaghetti with plenty of veggies. Yummy I've a room to call my own even though this would be the smallest room I've stayed. The toilet was barely the size of a cubi http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Greater-London/blog-406031.html I'm glad to be here todayFrom the time I arrived till the day I left I still rate catching Mamma Mia the musical London's West End as one of the highlights of my stay. My seat may not be the best in the house I still enjoyed the experience. The audiences were up from their seats towards the final curtain call and gave the production an overwhelming response. Something which I have not yet see http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Greater-London/blog-405764.html Start Friday 22nd May 2009 5.10amEnd Saturday 30th May 2009 9.25pm I spent my first four days in London doing what an average visitor would comprehend. Absorbing the sights and smells of this sprawling capital home to 7.6 million Britons.The city of London is served by 12 Underground Lines dating back from 1863. At one glance the network seemed like a complicated plate of colourful spagett http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Greater-London/blog-404582.html