The Big Apple & Maple Leaf Escapade

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The Big Apple & Maple Leaf Escapade

From 26th July – 12th August 2013





Within a short stint of 365 days, I was back to the North America for thTe second time. This time covering the Eastern parts of USA and Canada. The whole idea came about some time in February this year after meeting my 2 best friends William and Peter in Penang for a CNY reunion. Peter has been indefatigably coercing both William and I to join his planned tour of Greece in September but I tactfully turned down his kind invitation as seeing Canada was my priority at that juncture. Eventually William took side of my “Big Apple and Maple Leaf” sojourn.

Cosmos does offer a very comprehensive package ground tour of my choice seeing 10 cities in 14 days. However, the tricky part was to secure the Canadian Visa which William and I had a few rounds of logger heads. The visa requirement stipulated in the website was the most stringent thus far I had come across with most ridiculous compliance even for a simple photo. Thank God I went through that without any hassle.

I was suffering from a bout of cold and bad cough a fortnight before I took off. One week before I was voiceless and was so worried that might dampen my spirit of traveling. Miraculously the illness left my body upon setting foot in New York on the second day.





Day 1 – 27th July 2013, Saturday

The entire flight from KLIA to JFK Terminal 4 took about 22 hours with 4 hours transit in Dubai. Bought a t-shirt while waiting at Gate 15 of Dubai International Airport. We had 3 onboard meals before touching down in New York. All vegetarian servings which I requested when I purchased the air tickets.

In my wild imagination, my perception about the JFK airport was so sophisticated and packed with seas of passengers that I could get lost in a split second. The reality was the reverse. To me it’s dwarfed by our very own KLIA in terms of size and crowds. We got through the immigration with ease like what we did last year and I even got some good testimony from the immigration officer about the interesting places to visit in Quebec. Most probably he had unassuming passion for the French province or something else!

After pulling our luggage to the arrival hall, we boarded the Supershuttle which cost us merely $20 each from Queens to Manhattan. I was very attentive to all the routes passed by from a decent Queens borough to the city of skyscrapers in lower Manhattan. Phew …… was I choked with immense euphoria when I saw the Empire State Building, the GE and the Flatiron from a distance first time in my life! Saturday noon was no less quiet than any other days in New York. Pedestrians with hands full of shopping bags jostling across the busy 5th Ave, Madison Square and Times Square is a sight to behold.

After alighting from our Supershuttle right in front of Skyline Hotel at 10th Street, I was hoping against the hope I could get an early check-in for a good rest. Unfortunately my request was judiciously turned down. No big deal.

It was half past one and our enthusiasm of roaming the Big Apple was restrained by our hunger pangs. We spotted one Japanese café just right opposite of our hotel and we just settled down with some simple food like shrimp fried rice for William and vegetarian ramien for myself.

Walking amidst the matric streets and avenues did not seem to be too challenging but the jet lag was the pain in the ass. We managed to superficially covered a few places such as Street of Americas (aka 6th Street), MOMA (Museum of modern art), Times Square and Rockefeller Centre in less than 3 hours. I noticed William wasn’t too keen to adventure inside the MOMA and also other museums and galleries in other parts of the country.

The most rewarding part of our first day in New York was to enjoy the coziness of lying straight on our hotel beds. Nothing could beat that, I bet. Time flew and we were about to rush for our Broadway show at the Majestic Theater in 42nd Street. The queque for tonight’s Phantom of the Opera was horrendous even when we arrived at the theater an hour before the show. I was extremely excited to get the first glimpse of the interior of the Majestic. The usherers were marvelous and did a brilliant job of getting all the audience seated within a split second. Bravo! At 8pm sharp, the lights inside the auditorium started to dim and the orchestra preluded the overture of the Phantom of the Opera. The music was a surreal mix of ecstasy and fantasy ….. I wouldn’t describe it a seat-gripping suspense as I already knew the storyline and all the songs by heart. I wished I could sing along when the Phantom belted out the “Music of the Night”. The entire hall turned into a pin-drop silence. Despite no camera was allowed I noticed some Asian audience snapping a couple of photos with their cell phones during the “Masquerade” scene. I was too ingurgitated to waste no time on other trivial distractions! The performance ended with thunderous applause and standing ovation. I discovered William dozed off in the 1st act of the performance before the interval probably due to jet lag effect! Likewise it (jet lag) occurred to me when I retired to bed on the first night in New York!!





Day 2 – 28th July 2013, Sunday

After having our instant noodles for breakfast, we headed towards the subway station at 50th Street for our Statue of Liberty tour. Bought a metrocard which could last us for 6 trips but we could hardly deplete the entire amount.

So confident that I led William to board the train supposed to stop at Battery Park Station but we ended up in Brooklyn! There were another 4 German passengers who shared the same fate as we so we adventured together as an extended group. Finally we arrived at our destination after 45 minutes of misadventure. I blamed it on the gloomy weather.

The ferry ride from Battery Park to Liberty Island took about 10 minutes. Frankly, I was rather frustrated with the overcast as it spoilt my mood of capturing the best of the Statue of Liberty. William and I circumambulated the towering statue for a while before we stopped at the rest place. After having a quick lunch at the Liberty Café we proceeded to the gift shop to scoop some of the liberty gifts as souvenirs for our friends & family.

Time spent at the liberty Park was considerably short as it started to drizzle with strong wind whirling up the disposed wrappers into the air. We quequed for almost 25 minutes before we could board the ferry back to Manhattan. Till now I still do not have a praiseful impression about the Statue of Liberty ferociously due to the bad weather we encountered on our first visit to the site. What a great disappointment!

Our next itinerary was to visit the Brooklyn Museum in Brooklyn. Took a subway from the Battery Park and the museum is located just a stone’s throw from the subway.

After having our dinner at the nearby Thai restaurant, we decided to take an early rest as we anticipated the next day would be even a more hectic day ahead.



Day 3 – 29th July 2013, Monday

Received a note from our Cosmos tour director the schedule for the 1st day of our tour. Her name is Barbara Burjiak (later on she shared with us that her father was originated from Russia). There were altogether 47 participants for this “Eastern USA & Canada Grand Vacation” tour. Majority of the members were from Australia and UK. Only 4 Asians on board i.e. William, myself, Peng & Mei or aka Mr. & Mrs. Eu ( 余 ). Both Peng & Mei had migrated to Australia for quite some time and this was their first retirement vacation. Mei was originally from Shanghai and Peng from Negeri Sembilan.

Barbara spotted William and I and introduced herself as she met most of the tour members the night before. She is such a bubbly and helpful person. An extrovert by nature. Our motor coach left Skyline at ten past 8a.m after loading tons of luggage into the coach compartment. Steve did a great job throughout our entire journey indeed.

A local guide by the name of Steve came on board and as we drove along, he shared with us many stories behind the names of the streets, architectures, landscape etc. Both William & I started to fall asleep not because we were bored by his commentary but due to the jet lag which we were not fully recovered from.

Steve made a stop at the Grand Central Terminal for lunch break. We had Chinese food for lunch.

The rest of the day was spent driving towards our next destination – Boston.



Day 4 – 30 July 2013, Tuesday

We stayed at a neat hotel in the university neighborhood. Quiet and serene except for some bell-ringing from the varsity cyclists. Ate my breakfast and bananas bought from Joe’s Trader grocery store the night before.

There was no pulling of luggage this morning as we had 2 nights stay in the same hotel.

Steve drove us to town area to meet up with our local guide from Boston. Visited a few interesting places especially those historical buildings blended so well with the modern skyscrapers. We had our pee break at the Boston Library before heading to Quincy Market near the Faneuil Hall. Barbara also pointed to us where 2 locals were killed in the recent Boston Marathon terrorist attack.

There were so many fun activities going on in the Quincy Market district with a good mixture of the locals and tourists engaging in street performances, dances and of course gluttony!

We surveyed all the food stores in Quincy Market and only the Thai store caught our attention. Honestly, all the Asian foods in the Northern Americas suck! I could always predict the standard menu on the smorgasbord i.e. fried rice, fried noodles, S&S chickens, stirred fried broccoli with beef, black-bean chickens and occasionally some stirred fried cabbage with carrots. That’s all! Therefore my choice of veg food was very limited with every time ended up with the same selection.

After our speedy lunch, we explored every nook and cranny of this district.

Steve picked us up at 2.30p.m to go back to hotel for a short rest before our Boston Harbor Cruise at 5.30p.m this evening.

There were quite a number of boutique shops with brands never heard before. Bought a pair of Crocs boat shoes at discounted price.

Our motor coach was caught in a massive traffic jam a few kilometers before the Boston Harbor due to a road accident and with her admirable wit Barbara suggested to the group to abandon the vehicle and walk towards our destination instead. There was no violent objection to her suggestion at all and all of us alighted the coach instantly and started marching on. Even the ladies in high heels and pretty dress were so agile that they braced against all the curious Bostonian stares.

The cruise was fine but it could be better if the weather was more sympathetic for my photo shooting desire. Although Boston skyline is not as stunning as New York’s, it’s pretty decent and has its own character.

Part of this optional excursion was to savour the famous Boston lobster at a classy restaurant in downtown. We were seated with Peter and Lorraine Daly but both of them did not opt for the lobster set. The Dalys was the most elderly couple in our group in their late 60s, I think. We became instant friends. The lobsters we had was so squashy with little flesh or rather hollow. Didn’t quite enjoy the meal.





Day 5 – 31 July 2013, Wednesday

Woke up at 5.30a.m and had buns for breakfast after morning prayers. According to Barbara today’s journey would be the longest in the entire tour. Later I figured it out it took us more than 7 hours on the road to reach Quebec City. Kudos to Steve as he was very professional in his job as the tour driver. He really took care of the safety of his passengers very well. The scenery was great especially when we drove past the White Mountains National Park area.

We stopped at Bath, New Hampshire for a 1.5 hour lunch break. Very surprised the café did serve vegetarian sandwiches which both of us grabbed at one go! Hang around and snapped some pictures after our quick bite.

The ride from Bath to Canada is tiresome. Upon arriving at the immigration check point, all of us were asked to disembark the motor coach. The immigration officer asked me and William a couple of questions and allowed us to continue with our journey. It took us another 2.5 hours drive before we checked into our hotel in Quebec City. The hotel was located quite far off from the Upper / Lower Town so we decided to rest early after our dinner (Thai food at nearby food court).



Day 6 – 1 August 2013, Thursday

No luggage outside door today. Left hotel at 7.30a.m for the sugar-shack breakfast.

We were driven to an outskirt with lots of maple trees providing a lovely lush of green. The lady owner welcomed us with open arms. She demonstrated to us how the maple sap is gathered in a tub everyday and this process reminds me of our rubber tree tapping. Without much ado she ushered us into the café for our sugar shack breakfast. The menu looked fine with sausages, bacons, meat pies all seasoned with maple syrup. Tasted yummy too!

I bought a few small bottles of maple syrup in maple leaf shape.





Our local guide from Quebec City was a French lady who spoke flawless English. Our first stop was at the Lower Town in Old Quebec City with a magnificent view of the Chateau Frontenac from afar.

From Wikipedia:

“The Château Frontenac is a grand hotel in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, which is operated as Fairmont Le Château Frontenac. It was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1980. Prior to the building of the hotel, the site was occupied by the Chateau Haldim and, residence of the British colonial governors of Lower Canada and Quebec. The hotel is generally recognized as the most photographed hotel in the world, in large part because of how it dominates the skyline of Quebec City.

The Château Frontenac was designed by American architect Bruce Price, as one of a series of "château" style hotels built for the Canadian Pacific Railway company (aka CPR) during the late 19th and early 20th centuries; the newer portions of the hotel—including the central tower—were designed by William Sutherland Maxwell. CPR's policy was to promote luxury tourism by appealing to wealthy travelers. The Château Frontenac opened in 1893, six years after the Banff Springs Hotel, which was owned by the same company and similar in style. Another reason for the construction of the Chateau Frontenac was to accommodate tourists for the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, however the hotel was never finished in time.

The Château Frontenac was named after Louis de Buade, Count of Frontenac, who was governor of the colony of New France from 1672 to 1682 and 1689 to 1698. The Château was built near the historic Citadelle, the construction of which Frontenac had begun at the end of the 17th century. The Quebec Conference of 1943, at which Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Mackenzie King discussed strategy for World War II, was held at the Château Frontenac while much of the staff stayed nearby at the Citadel.

Although several of Quebec City's buildings are taller, the landmark hotel is perched atop a tall cape overlooking the Saint Lawrence River, affording a spectacular view for several km. The building is the most prominent feature of the Quebec City skyline as seen from across the St. Lawrence.

In 2001, the hotel was sold to Legacy REIT, which is partially owned by Fairmont, for $185 million. When Canadian Pacific Hotels was renamed Fairmont Hotels and Resorts in 2001, the hotel became Fairmont Le Château Frontenac.

In 2011, the hotel was sold to Ivanhoé Cambridge, and work began on replacement of the main tower's copper roof, at the cost of $7.5 million. An image of the roof was printed on polypropylene safety netting and hung from scaffolding to hide the refurbishing project from view.”

There was an overcast that morning which hinder me from taking good pictures. Wasn’t too pleased with that but gotta live up with it. The walking around the old town area was just relaxing.

Places we covered inter-alia Quartier Petit Champlain a narrow pedestrian street teeming with boutiques and bistros which have

managed to keep a New France air about their décor. At the end of the alley, the Casse-Cou or Breakneck Stairs are home to welcoming terraces, perfect for enjoying summer.

For lunch, William and I went into a cosy little French restaurant in Lower Town. I had grilled salmon. The weather started to clear

with a relief of some blue sky and cool breeze which made our expedition bearable and more convincing.

Steve sent us back to hotel at 2.30p.m for a good rest.

Tonight’s dinner was one of the most “glamorous” ones in our entire trip – dine and wine at the Chateau Frontenac. Despite the drizzle which turned into bigger droplets later on didn’t dampen our spirit of having fun. Everyone was dressed to the nines to anticipate the jubilation. However when we entered the main lobby of this UNESCO inscribed grand hotel, I sensed that the hotel might be over-rated if I compared that with our very own E&O in Penang.

After taking our seats in one of the dining rooms, we were being served with different types of liquor and wines. The waiter gave William a strange look when he ordered just an orange juice! Everyone just relaxed in the best company of their newly made friends. Barbara occasionally walked in and out of the few small crowds making a toast and snapping pictures with her guests. We left Chateau Frontenac at about 7pm and adjourned to the French Restaurant just a couple of blocks from the hotel. We felt duped as we assumed the dining would be held at CF as well! Anyway it was a fun night out and good ambience too.




Day 7 – 2 August 2013, Friday

Rained in the morning. Left Quebec City and headed towards Montreal. It wasn’t a long journey. Arrived in Montreal about noon so was just timely for us to get down for lunch.

Montreal is another French speaking city but more sophisticated than Quebec. Lots of tourists gathered at the Place Jacques Cartier with many activities going on. After having our Italian lunch (which was just plain salads and pizzas) we walked a little in the nearby streets. I nearly sprained my ankle when I missed a step on the cobblestoned street. Phew!





The city tour started at 1p.m till around 3pm. Covered most of the important sites within the city area including the Underground City which is unique in Montreal. Steve drove us back to check-in to the hotel at 3.30p.m. The hotel room in Montreal was one of the biggest ones thus far. We decided to walk to the St. Catherine Street in downtown Montreal after a taking a cat’s nap.

Montreal is just another mega city with lots of skyscrapers and fashionable boutique shops offering the best quality of products.

Things are not cheap in Canada though and sometimes I find the prices are too exorbitant due to the double tax system (provincial sales tax & goods and services tax ) which could go as high as 15%!<(MISSING)/i> on one single item in Montreal and Toronto. In fact when I bought a Swiss Gear laptop carry-on bag at C$59.99 but the taxes were C$8.98 (15%!)(MISSING) and after converting into ringgit at RM221.65 it’s more expensive than the promotional price in Malaysia only at RM165!

After having our dinner (Chinese fast food) at the Underground City food court, we window-shopped at a couple of the shopping malls and also watched an open-air fashion parade performance.



Day 8 – 3 August 2013, Saturday

Left the hotel at 8.15am this morning to continue our journey to Ottawa – the Capital of Canada. The 2-hour drive was pleasant on this Saturday morning.

My first impression on this capital city was everything looked so archaic but very organized. The most attractive landscape in Ottawa in my opinion was the Parliament Hill. It looks something like the London Big Ben Tower at one glance.

The city tour included a brief visit to the Museum of Civilisation which allowed us to take a picture with the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police). Steve dropped us at the street mall for lunch and we had to make our way back to the hotel later. Again, we had Chinese food at one of the up-market restaurants in downtown.



Our next visit was to the Maman at the National Gallery of Canada. The National Gallery of Canada acquired the sculpture in 2005 for 3.2 million dollars. At that time, the price was deemed excessive by some critics, as it took around the third of the annual budget of the gallery.

This was one of the tourist attractions I wanted to see in my plan.

From Wikipedia:

“Maman (1999) is a sculpture by the artist Louise Bourgeois. The sculpture,

which resembles a spider, is amongst the world's largest, measuring over

30ft high and over 33ft wide, with a sac containing 26 marble eggs. Its abdomen and thorax are made up of ribbed bronze. The title is the familiar French word for Mother. The sculpture was created by Bourgeois as a part of her inaugural commission of The Unilever Series in 1999 for Tate Modern's vast Turbine Hall.

The sculpture picks up the theme of the arachnid that Bourgeois had first contemplated in a small ink and charcoal drawing in 1947. It alludes to the strength of Bourgeois' mother, with metaphors of spinning, weaving, nurture and protection. Her mother Josephine was a woman who repaired tapestries in her father's textile restoration workshop in Paris. Bourgeois lost her mother at the age of twenty-one. A few days afterwards, in front of her father who did not seem to take his daughter’s despair seriously, she threw herself into the Bièvre River; he swam to her rescue.”

As we slowly walked back to our hotel we saw many famous landmarks along the way which triggered me to revisit them in the later part of the day.

Our hotel room in Ottawa was a suit with a decent bedroom, lounge and a kitchen. We decided to split our adventures this evening as I wanted to take the sunset cruise along the Rideau Canal while William was keen to explore on the nearby stores. My plan for the cruise did not materialize as there was no sunset that evening!

With a map I found my way back to the Parliament Hill area. There were so many areas which we missed during our morning city tour. Managed to snap hundreds of goof photos in the area. Total walking time was 6 hours from 4pm till 10p.m. That included a stop to watch the laser show reflected on the Parliament Tower from 9.30p.m till 10p.m. Had my supper at a Japanese café diagonally opposite our hotel. A minor argument cropped up with William upon returning as he bought me some food which I told him I had already eaten on my way back to the hotel. Did I sound ungrateful?!?


Day 9 – 4 August 2013, Sunday

My trip was getting more titillating as we approached the next 2 main destinations i.e. Toronto and Niagara. We made a stop at Kingston for lunch. Had Chinese food as usual. The lady owner spoke with a typical “toi-san” accent and out of curiosity I asked her where she was originally from and the reply confirmed my intuitiveness. However no special discount given even we were distantly related! We nearly missed our bus as we spent some time shopping for some fruits in the nearby grocery.

Toronto is the largest city in Canada and 4^th largest in the Northern America. Was very excited as I knew I would be meeting my Facebook friend Priscilla Chan whom I never met or spoken before. She is a friend of Ng Kee whom I befriended during our MET community activity in Penang.

Barbara led us to the City Hall and walked a fair bit in that area before returning to our hotel in the afternoon. Waited for our luggage to be sent up to our room but it was delayed till 6.10p.m even though we already checked in at half past 4p.m.





Priscilla arrived early and was waiting at the lobby. Upon meeting her, I handed her a small gift from Penang. She drove us to the Chinese restaurant near the Toronto Harbor place. The lobster dish was extraordinarily delicious as compared to the one we had in Boston. I think it could be the type of seasoning and the way the Chinese chef prepared this delicacy. We chatted everything under the sun as if we knew each other for centuries. William was a good sport too. After our dinner of 2 hours she sent us back to the hotel around 9.30p.m and I told her I would reciprocate her hospitality when she visits Penang one day.



Day 10 – 5 August 2013, Monday

We had a late start-off as our harbor cruise would only start at noon. Had buffet breakfast at the hotel restaurant for C$10 each and stuffed my tummy with loads of fruits and other sausages / bacons. From the hindsight, I think that was the culprit which caused my stomach to bloat for the next few days! All due to my own greed!

There was no local guide for Toronto so Barbara took charge for the day. The most impressive landmark in Toronto is the CN Tower which no one could miss from any angle. I need to confess that Barbara is also very proficient in taking portrait pictures for her clients!

We joined the optional excursion i.e. harbor cruise from noon till 1.00pm. The weather was superb and captivating for outdoor photo-shooting especially zooming the Toronto skyline from the waterfront. Almost everyone received gorgeous sun tan from this excursion.

Barbara gave us a couple of options whether we would like to stay back in downtown or follow the bus back to the hotel. We chose the former. Since we had a heavy breakfast this morning so food would be the last thing on our priority list. We went into the Eaton Shopping Centre to get some cool air as it was scorching hot outside. William bought an Apple casing for his cell phone whereas I got a Nike and Reebok t-shirt at discounted price.

It was half past 2 when we left Eaton Shopping Centre. We walked to the Chinatown within 45 minutes and didn’t realize we had walked quite a distance. William had a bowl of Shanghai dumplings which he had to doggie bag for his dinner as the serving was huge enough to feed 2-3 persons. Bought some fruits and Chinese pastry from the local stores in Chinatown before walking back to our hotel which was 4 km from Chinatown!

At 7.30p.m my cousin Ah Har Cheh and her family arrived at the hotel lobby to bring me out for dinner. It was so whimsical to meet up with them after so many years. The Ling family migrated to Canada in 1975 and at that time Eevon was still a new born baby in her mom’s arms. Kudos to the IT era which reconnected me with Eevon via Facebook and made this reunion a reality. We had some western food in the nearby restaurant and our topic of conversation ranged from the good old days to the economic and political outlook of Canada as well as Malaysia. Even though it was merely a 2.5 hours gathering I felt very contented that we eventually made it. Returned to hotel at 9.30p.m and retired to bed early after a fruitful night.




Day 11 – 6 August 2013, Tuesday

Left hotel at 8.00a.m for Niagara – the highlight of the entire tour.

Stopped at 2 spots for morning / loo break. Arrived at Niagara Falls Duty Free Centre at about 11a.m. Most of the group members rushed in to splash on duty-free goods except for the Eu couple and both of us and instead we went across the road to see the great falls. Besides, I also ran across the road to buy a Hard Rock Café t-shirt. After the shopping spree, Steve drove us to another spot with a better view of both the US & Canadian falls. No message was conveyed for the time to return to the coach but Barbara was just too busy to organize a public “picnic” to introduce the local drink to us. I deserted the group to go ahead with taking more pictures on my own which later I regrettably found myself “lost” and couldn’t trace any of the familiar faces from our group. Keeping my composure, I tried to trail back to where the bus last stopped. Very fortunate that I saw Barbara gesturing her hands as she headed back to the bus signaling as if she had lost me. I guess if I were one minute later the whole group would have abandoned me and moved ahead with the next itinerary. Thank God I was saved by the guiding angel! I felt much apologetic as I entered the coach.

After learning that lesson well, I made sure I stayed with the group closely for the rest of the day. Next we boarded the Maid of the Mist to get closer to the falls. Everyone seemed to be cheerful despite the queque to board the ferry was horrendous. The splash of waters from the falls added excitement to the ride. Some were drenched but still in high spirits. Both of us were very cautious and only droplets stayed on our facial areas for a while.

I had falafel for lunch as my stomach was bloated. Came back to hotel at about 4p.m. took a short nap till 6p.m. Just quashed the idea of returning to the Niagara Falls to watch the night scenes as my legs did not want to cooperate with my desire. Had dinner at nearby Pizza Hut but couldn’t finish even half of it.




Day 12 – 7 August 2013, Wednesday

We got up exceptionally early at 4a.m due to 2 reasons. Firstly today’s 1^st day of the 7^th lunisolar month for early prayers and secondly we were heading back to the States.

Waited about 20 minutes before the bus ahead of us cleared the immigration. The Immigration officer was friendly and only asked me a couple of basic questions. The weather for the whole day was cloudy but no rain.



Stopped for early lunch at 11a.m. we also made the right choice of packing the vegetarian food for tonight’s dinner. Stomach still upside down. Both of us competed in breaking wind whenever opportunity arose. Disgusting!



After 4 hours of drive finally arrived at Lancaster at 4p.m. we did not participate in today’s Amish Dinner with the rest of the group due to reason # 1 above. Our perception about Lancaster being a small & boring town cost us a good deal of seizing cheap branded goods in the neighborhood outlets.



Our shopping spree only started at 7.30p.m and the first outlet we ventured into was Fossil and we bought a pair of sunglasses each with very good bargains. Next we hastened into Coach and spent about half an hour to grab a few signature items. Got a wallet at only $60 (RM198) where the same item was sold in Malaysia at RM825! CK was the last outlet we patronized and the shopkeepers getting a bit impatient as were still going in and out of the fitting rooms.



Day 13 – 8 August 2013, Thursday

I had one muesli bar and some fruits for breakfast as my stomach condition not fully recovered.

Stopped at an Amish Farm to learn about how the Amish people live and also their cultures & customs. Next we stopped at Kitchen Kettle where Barbara treated each of us an ice cream. We also packed our lunch (veg sandwich) there.

From wikipidia:

“The Pennsylvania German language (usually referred to as the Pennsylvania Dutch language, or simply as Dutch, in American English; usually referred to in Pennsylvania German as Deitsch, Pennsylvania Deitschor Pennsilfaanisch Deitsch) is possibly spoken by more than 250,000 people in North America.

It has traditionally been the language of the Pennsylvania Dutch, descendants of late 17th and early 18th century immigrants to the US states of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina from southern Germany, eastern France (Alsace and Lorraine) and Switzerland. Although for many, the term 'Pennsylvania Dutch' is often taken to refer to the Old Order Amish and related groups exclusively, the term should not imply a connection to any particular religious group. The Amish and Mennonites originally made up only a small percentage of the Pennsylvania German population.

All aspects of Amish life are dictated by a list of written or oral rules, known as Ordnung, which outlines the basics of the Amish faith and helps to define what it means to be Amish. For an Amish person, the Ordnung may dictate almost every aspect of one's lifestyle, from dress and hair length to buggy style and farming techniques. The Ordnung varies from community to community and order to order, which explains why you will see some Amish riding in automobiles, while others don't even accept the use of battery-powered lights.

Amish Dress

Symbolic of their faith, Amish clothing styles encourage humility and separation from the world. The Amish dress in a very simple style, avoiding all but the most basic ornamentation. Clothing is made at home of plain fabrics and is primarily dark in color. Amish men in general wear straight-cut suits and coats without collars, lapels or pockets. Trousers never have creases or cuffs and are worn with suspenders. Belts are forbidden, as are sweaters, neckties and gloves. Men's shirts fasten with traditional buttons in most orders, while suit coats and vests fasten with hooks and eyes. Young men are clean shaven prior to marriage, while married men are required to let their beards grow. Mustaches are forbidden. Amish women typically wear solid-color dresses with long sleeves and a full skirt, covered with a cape and an apron. They never cut their hair, and wear it in a braid or bun on the back of the head concealed with a small white cap or black bonnet. Clothing is fastened with straight pins or snaps, stockings are black cotton and shoes are also black. Amish women are not permitted to wear patterned clothing or jewelry. The Ordnung of the specific Amish order may dictate matters of dress as explicit as the length of a skirt or the width of a seam.



Technology & the Amish

The Amish are averse to any technology which they feel weakens the family structure. The conveniences that the rest of us take for granted such as electricity, television, automobiles, telephones and tractors are considered to be a temptation that could cause vanity, create inequality, or lead the Amish away from their close-knit community and, as such, are not encouraged or accepted in most orders. Most Amish cultivate their fields with horse-drawn machinery, live in houses without electricity, and get around in horse-drawn buggies. It is common for Amish communities to allow the use of telephones, but not in the home. Instead, several Amish families will share a telephone in a wooden shanty between farms. Electricity is sometimes used in certain situations, such as electric fences for cattle, flashing electric lights on buggies, and heating homes. Windmills are often used as a source of naturally generated electric power in such instances. It is also not unusual to see Amish using such 20th-century technologies as inline skates, disposable diapers and gas barbecue grills, because they are not specifically prohibited by the Ordnung.

Technology is generally where you will see the greatest differences between Amish orders. The Swartzentruber and Andy Weaver Amish are ultraconservative in their use of technology - the Swartzentruber, for example, do not even allow the use of battery lights. Old Order Amish have little use for modern technology, but are allowed to ride in motorized vehicles including planes and automobiles, though they are not allowed to own them. The New Order Amish permit the use of electricity, ownership of automobiles, modern farming machines, and telephones in the home.

Amish Schools & Education

The Amish believe strongly in education, but only provide formal education through the eighth grade and only in their own private schools. The Amish are exempt from state compulsory attendance beyond the eighth grade based on religious principles, the result of a 1972 U.S. Supreme Court ruling. One-room Amish schools are private institutions, operated by Amish parents. Schooling concentrates on the basic reading, writing, math and geography, along with vocational training and socialization in Amish history and values. Education is also a big part of home life, with farming and homemaking skills considered an important part of an Amish child's upbringing.



Amish Family Life

The family is the most important social unit in the Amish culture. Large families with seven to ten children are common. Chores are clearly divided by sexual role in the Amish home - the man usually works on the farm, while the wife does the washing, cleaning, cooking, and other household chores. There are exceptions, but typically the father is considered the head of the Amish household. German is spoken in the home, though English is also taught in school. Amish marry Amish - no intermarriage is allowed. Divorce is not permitted and separation is very rare.”



Spent another 2.5 hours on the road before arriving in the capital of USA – Washington DC. Was informed that no building in Washington DC can be built higher than the Capitol Hill. Fascinating! Our first stop in the capital city was to visit the National Museum of American History in the National Mall District. Too little time to see so many things in the museum.



Our hotel in DC was located in another residential suburb not a touristy area. We participated in the last optional excursion tonight together with almost the entire group. The restaurant we dined in was mid-range with lots of locals as well. I had veg lasagna while William had crabcake. We were the noisiest group cracking up lots of jokes in the restaurant. After dinner, we went for the illumination tour covering a few well known landmarks of DC.




Day 14 – 9 August 2013, Friday

A lie-in day and no pulling of luggage out to the door.

Marsha was our local guide for DC. A petite woman probably in her 60s but very knowledgeable. Our first stop was to visit the Arlington Cemetery where President JFK and Jacqueline were buried there. Later adjourned to the Vietnamese / Korean War memorial. We had a group photo taken in front of the Lincoln Memorial under the hot sun probably more than 20 cameras to operate with. Our city tour ended at the Capitol Hill where William and I decided to walk (40 min) to the Chinatown for lunch. The weather was hot and humid in DC almost like Malaysia.

We were indeed greedy for ordering more than what we could consume. Frankly the portion was huge enough to feed 2 Asian adults. The taste was totally flat and gotta request for more seasoning and chilly to overcome it.





William bought another bottle of heel balm in the nearby pharmacy which was effective for his dry soles. We also bought a few Chinese buns for the next day breakfast.

Time to get back to the National Mall. On our way back, I visited the Smithsonian National Museum with lots of Asian arts on display while William preferred to rest on the bench outside the museum. As we approached the Smithsonian Castle where we were supposed to gather, many of our group members were already waiting there. Some were inside the castle having a cuppa while others just sharing some light moments with their clique exchanging topics on their coverage.

Steve arrived on the dot at 4.30pm to send us back to our hotel. Took a short rest before going out for our dinner at

the nearby Thai Restaurant.



We took a slow stroll at the promenade enjoying the last sunset in Washington DC. We revisited a lot of our childhood stories

and really had a great time pulling each other’s legs too.





Returned to our hotel at about 8 plus and started to repack our luggage for the departure. A very tiring but rewarding day.

Slept at 11p.m.




Day 15 – 10 August 2013, Saturday

Checked out at 7.30a.m. Next stop - Philadelphia.



Stopped by a rest area in Delaware (the first state) for morning break. Bought a green t-shirt and a bottle of juice.



Arrived in Philadelphia at 11 plus. So many places to cover with so little time. Barbara showed us to the Visitors’ Centre and briefed us the main areas to see such as the Liberty Bell in the Pavilion, Independence Hall, Congress Hall, State Library etc. Didn’t take many photos as it was gloomy and the fatigue was so overwhelming.

We continued our journey back to New York with two Aussie couples leaving for their next destination at the Newark Airport.



Finally we were back to New York for the second time at about 2.30p.m. We bade well to each other after Steve dropped us at the Skyline Hotel. After storing our luggage, we walked across the road to have Japanese food like what we had 2 weeks ago. The shop owner recognized us and we had a small conversation.

William preferred to go back to hotel lobby to update his facebook whereas I visited the Central Park on foot. The park was very crowded on the Saturday afternoon with children having great fun at the park zoo.

After refreshing at the hotel toilet, we charted a taxi to the JFK for our departure home. The black driver yelled at us for not tipping him after we alighted from his vehicle! We just ignored him as we had already bargained the price which included tipping before we agreed on the ride. New Yorkers are suckers!

No hassle for us to check in at JFK as we were way ahead of our scheduled departure. Thus spent some time at the duty-free shops. Had Chinese food for dinner again. Our flight took off at 11p.m without any delay.



Day 16 – 11 August 2013, Sunday (crossover to Monday, 12^th August)

Arrived in Dubai International Airport at 7pm local time. Since we only had 2 hours for transit, we just grabbed a seat and rested for a short while. At about 8.30p.m when we decided to go in but the officer stopped William from boarding due to no more seat available. We were flabbergasted when we were told that William’s flight was deferred to 2.00a.m! Mine was ok due to a connecting flight to Penang. We really put up a scene when the manager refused to let William through. We used both soft and hard approaches but either fell on deaf ears. I asked William whether he minded if I went ahead with the 9.00pm flight and gracefully he nodded. I sped to the plane like a lunatic and thinking I was the last passenger who made frantic appearance inside the aircraft after all it was already 2 minutes past the flying time! The scene inside the aircraft was rather chaotic due to a lot of seat swapping among other passengers. This really gave me a bad impression on Air Emirates. An Indian guy from Mumbai sat beside me and we had some good conversation throughout the flight.



On the other hand, William was still stranded in Dubai and I was dead worrying about his safety. However next day when I texted him about his agony and helplessness in the transit lounge surprisingly he was quite jovial about the entire episode. The crux was he was offered to fly back from Dubai to KL in business class and the airline even offered him a return ticket to New York for the mistake committed by Air Emirates! Of course being an honest guy and a Buddhist he declined the free flight but just took up the business class seat. It was indeed a blessing in disguise.

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Photos

New York Times Square
The hustle & bustle of Times Square

MOMA
One of the exhibits in MOMA

New York Broadway
Watching Phantom of the Opera musical at the Majestic Theater

Broadway
Broadway, New York

New York Broadway
The interior of Majestic Theater, Broadway

Liberty Island
Statue of Liberty

Boston Marathon Finish Line
2 innocent people were killed by a terrorist attack in June 2013 near the Boston Marathon finish line

Downtown Boston
Our smart cookie Barbara gesturing to her followers behind "This way mate!"

A Frenchman serenading melodious songs to the crowd

Downtown Montreal
Open air fashion parade

Toronto gathering
With cousin and her family at hotel lobby