Sunday, 15th May 2011 After a delicious 烧饼 breakfast at 台中美 this morning, we headed straight to the High Speed Rail Station to purchase our combo tickets to Sun Moon Lake. For NT599 (SGD25.70), the bundle came with a return bus ticket to Taichung, 1 boat ride to Itasho, 1 round-trip pass on the cable car system and unlimited rides on the round-the-lake shuttle buses. There were other ticket combinations on sale at the tour desk. We just wanted a no-frills package that covered the bare essentials of the lake. My last visit to Sun Moon Lake was some 6 years back. I recalled having to board a bus to Puli from the chaotic Taichung Railway Station and transfered to another bus to bring me to the lake. There were no combo tickets available. And of ... read more

Monday, 2nd May 2011 Alas, we decided to ride on the KLIA Express Train on our way to the Airport. The modern train system was going to be one of the major highlights for our vacation in Kuala Lumpur. Now, this proved to be a relatively costly experience though, at a hefty RM35 price tag per person for the 28 minutes journey from KL Sentral (Compared to the RM74.30 taxi ride for 2 passengers). The journey was quiet and smooth as we sat down to gaze at the surrounding countryside as the train made its final push to the airport. I would love to take the train to the airport again provided I'm travelling alone and decided to save some money. Overall, this short trip made a nice break from our Lion City as we were ... read more

Sunday, 1st May 2011 It was great to be up and about by 9am today to kick-start our Kuala Lumpur campaign proper. After a forgettable KFC breakfast meal at Pertama Complex, we made our way to the Bank Negara KTM Station behind Sogo Departmental Store for our rail journey to the Batu Caves. With the completion of the Batu Caves extension line in July 2010, getting to the caves via public transportation was no longer a myth. Located 11km north of Kuala Lumpur city, reaching the caves by KTM Train probably took us more than an hour due to the long waiting intervals in between the spartan schedules. But the wait was relatively fruitful as I spent the time taking random shots of the train station. The train journey itself was comfortable as the modern cars ... read more

Sunday, 6th February 2011 Chinese New Year took on a special meaning for me this year. The 4.5 days long weekend provided some justice for my sleep-deprived body. More importantly, it provided ample opportunities for me to spend quality time with my family and to catch up with my friends and relatives. There was an influx of home invitations from my friends this year. I treasure such gatherings since there were a few of them whom I had not met for the longest time. For most, I probably had a chance to meet them a couple of times over the course of the year due to weddings, birthdays and some other private functions. I’m not exactly closed to each & every individual but I had fun engaging with them with all the latest gossips while trying ... read more

Tuesday, 4th January 2011 For once, we decided to have our breakfast at url=http://www.tripadvisor.com.sg/ShowUserReviews-g293916-d1597891-r91672946-Bangkok_Loft_Inn-Bangkok.htmlBangkok Loft Inn during the final day our stay. Never mind that it came with a 150 baht price tag per person as meal plans were not part of our room package. This was one of the few occasions where money was well spent as the spread was absolutely delicious. After our meals, it was time for us to say goodbye and depart to the airport for our early afternoon flight back to Singapore. For something different, we decided to try out the new Suvarnabhumi Airport Rail Link which cost 85 baht per person. Barely 4 months into operation, the Airport Rail Link was efficient and reliable in beating the morning traffic blue... read more