Tuesday, 27th April 2010 I left my guesthouse early this morning for my long journey to Suwon where the Korean Folk Village was located. The village was recommended by J and since it was within the limits of a possible day excursion from Seoul, I decided to pay her a visit. Arriving at the Suwon Tourist Office at 9.20am, I was disappointed to learn that the first shuttle bus to the folk village was 10.30am. With more than an hour to spare, I decided to complete my half eaten breakfast at the Angel in Us Cafe. Ordered a hot coffee and a crab and egg mayo sandwich (weird combination). I showed up faithfully at the Tourist Office at 10.25am for my shuttle. As there were only 4 of us for the 10.30am run, our bus ... read more

Sunday, 25th April 2010 After a night's rest at the Hongdae Guesthouse, I was ready to start my quest in Seoul this morning. Even with zero knowledge of the Korean vocabulary, getting around the Seoul Metropolitan area was a breeze thanks to the efficient and modern subway network. Train announcements were made in Korean and English. In some stations, there were even announcements in Japanese and Mandarin to cater to the mass exodus of tourists from these 2 East Asia Powerhouses. Within each station, there were enough signages to bring me to the correct exits for my final destination. Seongsan was my first stop this morning where memories of the 2002 Seoul World Cup was still fresh. The World Cup may be over but it left behind an impressive stadium. However, the gates leading to the ... read more

Saturday, 13th March 2010 A quiet 2 Day 1 Night weekend breakaway on the eastern shore of Batam Island, the url=http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g297717-d447157-r58529912-Batam_View_Beach_Resort-Batam_Riau.htmlBatam View Resort may be aging gracefully. But it provided an ideal avenue to spend quality time with friends and getaway from the city life. About 35 minutes from Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal, we arrived at the resort sometime after 11am on Saturday. Our superior room was a mixed bag. While it was facing the carpark directly, the corner of the balcony offered breath taking view of the Batam Straits =) Throughout our stay, we took all our meals at the resort restaurant (that's 2 lunches, 1 complimentary breakfast and 1 dinner) as we were too lazy to join in the local shopping spree. Instead, we spent 3 hours whiling our time going through ... read more

Saturday, 27th February 2010 My quest for "adventure" continued in Krabi this morning. I had a confession to make though. My "adventure" was nothing quite like rock climbing, scuba diving and kayaking activities which the Krabi locality was well known for. Instead, armed myself with a chopping board, I proceeded to the Ao Nang Thai Cookery School for a crash course in Thai Cuisine this morning. The price tag itself was never cheap as the school fees was at a touristy price of 1,000 baht. This was the kind of prices we were expecting to pay after my market research. Without much foundation in cooking in general (mum would never like me to invade her territory at home), learning how to whip up 5 Thai dishes at one go was itself an "adventure" for me. Surprisingly, ... read more

From Japan to the World The first time I heard of the story of Hachiko was during our first visit to Japan during the spring of 2007. 3 of us chanced upon the bronze statute of a dog at one of the entrances leading to Tokyo’s Shibuya Station. We later learned that the statute was sculpted in remembrance of a loyal dog, Hachiko who lived through during the 1920s-1930s. For many years after the passing of his owner, Hachiko was a familiar face at the Shibuya Station where he would wait for his owner’s return every other evening. After the passing of Hachiko, a bronze statue was created in remembrance of his enduring loyalty. I was certainly glad to have caught the movie on its opening day :) ... read more