Saturday, 27th September 2014 After our gathering at NUS in the morning, it was time for me to make my way to Johor Bahru for the rest of the weekend. H would only arrive at the hotel around seven plus in the evening. So I did the check-in on his behalf while taking a quick rest at the url=http://www.tripadvisor.com.sg/ShowUserReviews-g298278-d3359745-r231310824-AmanSari_Hotel_City_Centre-Johor_Bahru_Johor_Bahru_District_Johor.htmlAmanSari Hotel. Located directly behind the newly opened Komtar JBCC, the hotel was an easy walk from the customs complex. Our room at the top level 17 came with a good view of the city's skyline. While this was just a basic, no-frills hotel, it had most of the things that ensured a comfortable stay - strong WIFI connection, cable TV, nice air-conditioning and clean bathroom. All these ... read more

Sunday, 21st September 2014 With the clear blue skies that greeted me, I finally had a chance for an early morning swim at the hotel's beautiful pool today. This was followed by my favourite soya bean and porridge breakfast at the Pavilion Shopping Mall. When it was time for me to depart to the airport for my afternoon flight home, I decided to ride on the airport express train that would bring me to KLIA Terminal 2 in 33 minutes. This was a nice welcome change from the exorbitant taxi fares to the airport. I was impressed by the new terminal which came with a rather useful shopping mall. Since I was early for my flight, I had ample time to make use of the complimentary access to the Plaza Premium Lounge. This was rather useful ... read more

Friday, 19th September 2014 I signed up for a day tour through my guesthouse to cover a couple of places around the Cameron countryside. As it was raining the night before, I was praying hard that the rains would not repeat itself as we drove towards the highest point on the highlands, the Gunung Brinchang (2,032m). Along the way, our rover paused for a photo-taking break at the Boh Tea Plantations where the guide gave a brief introduction of the tea harvesting processes. I loved tea plantations as it gave a peaceful outlook against the backdrop of rolling hills in the countryside. The scenary was featured again and again in the travel literature that I came across while researching for this trip. It was nice to picture myself within the wide green expanse against the clear ... read more

Thursday, 18th September 2014 Good morning Cameron Highlands! The time was 7am as I disembarked from my coach bus as it pulled into Tanah Rata Bus Station. I was welcomed by a cold gush of morning breeze as I made my way slowly to the guesthouse, located at the edge of the town. Still, the walk took no longer than 10 minutes as I soon reached the doorstep of url=http://www.tripadvisor.com.sg/ShowUserReviews-g1497917-d4697044-r231340879-Arundina_Cameron_Highlands-Tanah_Rata_Cameron_Highlands_Pahang.htmlArundina, my home for 2 nights. As it was still too early for me to check-in, I left my luggage with them after a quick breakfast to commence my own exploration of the town. I was thankful that I managed to catch some wink on the bus the night before which gave me the energy to embark on the trail to Parit Falls. Starting from Century Pines ... read more

Saturday, 6th September 2014 "She doesn't try very hard to become the next establishment overrun with tourists and visitors. What she does offer to her guests is a very comfortable environment with a friendly price tag and equally friendly staffs." My weekend staycation at the url=http://www.tripadvisor.com.sg/ShowUserReviews-g294265-d2526267-r227454586-Village_Hotel_Katong_by_Far_East_Hospitality-Singapore.htmlVillage Hotel Katong was a pleasant one. Taking over the premises of the former Paramount Hotel, the Village Hotel was nicely refurbished under the Far East brand name. Even though the hotel is located at the heart of the charming (read: busy) Katong / Marine Parade neighbourhoods, it was never overwhelmed by crowds (read: peaceful). After a crazy week at work, short weekend breaks like this charged my batteries really well and it is the pe... read more