Gearing up for the 10 Day Trip ~ Before we set off The Air Tickets Preparing for the 10 Day Central Japan Trip started late last year when we first booked our air tickets online. Back then, Northwest Airlines was having their $399 promotion which flew direct to Tokyo Narita Airport. The timing was excellent. An early morning flight departing Changi at 6.20am and a late evening flight from Tokyo. The offer was simply too irresistable to be missed. Rail Pass We purchased the 7 Day Japan Rail Pass at $371 which was good enough for the bullet train rides between Tokyo and Osaka. We were glad that the pass was valid for airport train transfers and JR railway transport within Tokyo and Osaka. Worth the money invested! Accomodation We will be staying 3 nites ... read more

The Finale Our final day in Kuala Lumpur. After a quick breakfast, Mr Lee drove us to Putra Jaya - the new administrative capital that houses the impressive Mosque and the Prime Minister Office building (reminds me of the Taj Mahal in India). A good afternoon was spent driving around and admiring the buildings and bridges in the vicinity. The rest of the day was spent roaming in the city centre inKL Times Square and its immeditate vicinity in Bukit Bintang. It was fun taking the cute KL Monorail that reminds us of the new Sentosa Express. Our last dinner was at this nice restaurant in the suburbs with a nice ambience. Unfortunately, the seemingly lack lustre service was a real turn-off. Overall, these 4 days have been eventful for me as we covered areas beyond ... read more

Day 2 ~ 30th December 2006 We left CY’s house early today to kick off our 2D 1N trip to Penang. On our way, we picked up R at her house close to the Mine’s Wonderland in KL suburbs. Her Dalmatian struck me - so cute & adorable and I bet this was the first time I saw the breed before my very eyes! Anyway, it was breakfast time at this Dim Sum shop at Cheras. Popular among the locals, we only managed to find a table after some difficulties. After breakfast, the journey continued to Tapah, a popular rest station along the North South Highway. Long famous for its sweet guavas, we bought some but they weren’t as nice as the samples we tasted. On a brighter note, I found the restroom at Tapah to ... read more

Adding on to my collection of Melaka was this family trip last Christmas. Ok, it took quite a while for me to pen this entry partly because most of my experiences were not new (read: old). And of course, so much had happened at work that I was simply too tired to update and maintain this blog space. Only managed to find time to do it this long lunar New Year holidays while clearing my annual leave. Basically, the experience was similar to previous trip partly because we stayed at the same hotel (Puri), ate the same food (laksa, cendol and Kenny Roasters chicken) and visited the same old places (Jonkers Street, St Paul's Hill etc). Update: another new shopping mall has opened recently which gave the old Mahkota Parade Shopping Mall a run for their ... read more

Welcome to Thailand's largest Island, Phuket Our silkair flight landed safely at Phuket International Airport at 2.05pm today. Thank god, there weren’t long queues at the custom area. In less than 20 minutes, we were out of the airport where our transfer to Patong Beach was waiting for us patiently at the arrival hall. It was another hour before we reached our hotel, Royal Paradise situated amidst the hustle and bustle of the Patong Beach area. Some of our observations upon arrival: "Preliminary contact with the local people showed that in terms of friendliness, they were not so forthcoming compared to their Bangkok and Chiang Mai counterparts." "Years of contacts with tourists enabled many to master the English Language. Most of the signboards in the Patong Area are in English and there are no Thai addresses ... read more