Welcome to the Second Half of 2015

It's July! Which means that we are already halfway done with the year. Pretty soon, we'll be bidding 2015 goodbye and welcoming 2016.

So, how was your first half of the year? Where did you guys go for holidays? Did you visit any new places or were you exploring and discovering new sights on familiar cities?

As for me, the first half of the year was rather slow, travel-wise. Work and study took most of my times away. However, I still managed to go for 2 vacations. The first was back in January when I went to Boracay, Philippines.

Pristine white beach in Boracay, Philippines

It was supposed to be trip with another travel blogger but she had to bail out due to family commitment. I'm not much of a beach person so the most I can spend are 4 days by the beach doing nothing. However, Boracay is more of a "since I'm here, might as well" for the main highlight for me is the Ati-Atihan Festival in Kalibo. What a colourful and lively festival it is.

Colourful parade of the Ati-Atihan Festival

The second one was my South Korea adventure in April with my friends. I was amazed and fascinated with the country, what with the constant import of Korean cultures in Malaysia, and I came back in love with it. The food, the people, the heritage, everything is just a delight. Plus, we went during spring, which means being surrounded with the lovely sakuras all the times. What a perfect way to spend my birthday.

Sakura trees everywhere

Street foods are aplenty in Seoul

Table full of Korean delights

I'm looking forward to the remaining half of the year, with tentatively 3 more trips to go. I say tentatively because these 3 trips are already all locked up and ready to launch and I'm considering another one during Christmas break. Let's see how it goes on that one.

2013 in Retrospect

Today's the last day of 2013! Time flies by real quick. I keep having this awestruck expression this time of the year every time. I guess I always regret not fully utilise all the days of the year. Anyhow, what are your celebration plans for tonight? I'm going to meet up with friends and just chill out this the year passes us by.

The last Southeast Asian country for me

How's 2013 been treating you? There was nothing much to brag about for me this year. Besides my usual travelling, I guess the most defining moment had to be my last day of work. I seriously am wondering how am I going to survive working in my next corporation, if and only if I'm hired, after that soul-sucking experience. Can someone please hire me to travel full-time? Haha.

Flying an aircraft thanks to #TSBreakAway

So, here's my brief travel timeline of the year.

Jan 2013   - Hong Kong for the second time. First Disneyland.
Feb 2013  - Philippines, my ninth Southeast Asian country.
Apr 2013  - Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Second Indonesian city.
May 2013 - Taman Negara.
Jul 2013    - Last day of work. Pulau Perhentian. Laos, my final Southeast Asian country.
Aug 2013  - Bangkok for the second time. Phuket. Sandakan and Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.
Sep 2013  - Cherating, my first media trip.
Oct 2013  - Selected for #TSBreakAway and met an awesome bunch of peoples.
Nov 2013 - Hulu Selangor, second media trip of the year.

Next year will be a busy year to write out all these adventures. As for my travel plans, 2014 will include Taiwan, Indonesia and Philippines plus other possible trips.

See you guys in 2014!

What Does Traveling Mean to you

This is a write-up for the #TSBreakaway contest organized by Tourism Selangor.

I have no idea since when I become a travel-holic. Like any addiction, your memory can be a bit hazy when it comes to finding the trigger point. My first taste of overseas vacation was in March 2011. It was nothing but a quick escape into the neighboring Thai city with a typical urban landscape. Yet, somehow, I came back all charmed and swore of doing more traveling once I graduated. Since then, I have been jet-setting once every few months over the years.

However, my insatiable wanderlust can be traced back to my nomadic childhood. Growing up, my family often move from one small town to another due to my father's work requirements. Before we can call the rented house we stayed in our home, we had to uproot ourselves to a new surrounding and the whole process of assimilation began again. Throughout these fundamental years, our weekends were filled with road trips back hometown and every now and then, family vacations to either Genting Highland or Kuala Lumpur. We found nothing unusual about it.

These family trips are something our whole family often look forward to as we can break away from the dry routines of our lives. We kids were gratefully happy to escape schools and home works while my mother smiled gleefully over weekends of chores-free. My father would be grudging out loud about the money spent but delighted in his heart. Quality times are spent among each other as we eat, sleep, explore, and basically doing everything, together.  

As I grow older, I begin to venture out on my own. My first solo trip was to Vietnam back in 2012 and I remembered feeling scared as hell. Why didn't I ask my friends to go with me? What if I come across thieves and robbers while on the road? Should I do this or perhaps, that? All sort of questions were in my mind, all begging to be answered.

However, as the initial shock wore off, I began to enjoy myself, opened up to sights and sounds the country has to offer, talked to the locals as well as fellow travelers. At the end of the trip, I came out feeling liberated, no longer confined by the fear of the unknown. Don't get me wrong. I am still afraid whenever I set my feet on a new place, but fear has lost its grip in dictating my life.

When I am traveling, I often see a different me. I am more easy-going, less prejudice and more open-minded. I am guided by my interests every times I travel which often revolves around heritages and historical monuments. My love of cultures, civilizations and arts comes as a shock even to myself as I often thought myself as a man of science. I guess traveling has unveiled my true self.

There is nothing quite like traveling. A simple exploration can bring you new friends and broaden your mind and knowledge, changing the way we see the world. Such liberation is a gift, one that can easily obtain with just a step out of your cocoon, and that is what traveling means to me.

All My Photos Are Lost, Thanks to Air Asia!

I just came back last Sunday night from my Philippines trip and after a hard tossing of my stuffs, I found out my external hard drive which I brought along with me for the trip, went missing. It was still in the luggage when I checked it in for my flight back but was no longer there anymore after retrieving my bag. Clearly, someone has been rummaging through my bag!

Also missing from my bag were my old phone and few hundreds Ringgit. This is the first time I experience such thing with Air Asia. I already logged in a complaint form and am waiting for their reply. Though doubt will receive any information worth celebrating (unless they told me they found my external), I still want to hear some form of explanation.

All my photos for the past few years were all in my external hard disk and without any backup. All my travel photos, my university years, my family shots, all lost in nowhere. How can I ever trust you again?

Happy Chinese New Year

恭喜发财! Happy Chinese New Year!

Today's the second day of Chinese New Year. How's everyone's celebration has been? For me, it's the same old every year, a day of binge eating, receiving ang pows, playing card games and mahjong, etc. This has been the traditions in my family and will remain so.

Anyhow, I will be flying off the Philippines on the fourth day of Chinese New Year (13 February 2013). After the third day, Chinese New Year is turning into a boring affair and since I'm off the whole week, why not scout to someplace for fun and exploration?

My Philippines trip will be a 5-day vacation and I'll spend most of the time exploring the country's largest island, Luzon. I will be heading up north to Laoag City first before slowing going back south. As my flight to the island country is through Air Asia, I will be landing on and departing from Clark International Airport, which is about 2 hours from Manila. Hence, you need to allocate some extra time for the shuttle between the two cities.

I will share more about my Philippines trip once I came back. Till then, continue having fun in the Year of Snake!

The First Flight of the Year

This is just an announcement. I'll be flying off tomorrow morning for the first time of the year! Location is some place I've been to before. More on that when I come back from my trip.

The first trip of the year and it is with my sister and a friend of mine and his sister. So, two sets of brothers and sisters exploring the city, with me serving as a pseudo-guide.

Just less than 12 hours away! See you soon!

Reviewing 2012

Happy 2013! 2012 had ended its run (that was fast!) and now we are in the brand new year, which means, all new travelling to be done. But, before we rush ahead, let's me count back to my extensive travelling that I had done since the commencement of this travel blog of mine (April 2011).

So, here goes:

Countries I've Visited (number of times):

Thailand (3), Cambodia, Macau (S.A.R. of China), Hong Kong (S.A.R. of China), Singapore (2), Indonesia, Vietnam, Brunei, Myanmar

Cities/Islands I've Been To:

Hat Yai (Thailand); Phnom Penh & Siem Reap (Cambodia); Bangkok (Thailand); Macau; Hong Kong; Kuching (Malaysia); Singapore; Langkawi (Malaysia); Semarang (Indonesia); Ho Chi Minh City, Hoi An & Hue (Vietnam); Bandar Seri Begawan (Brunei); Labuan (Malaysia); Johor Bharu (Malaysia); Malacca (Malaysia); Yangon, Bagan & Inle Lake (Myanmar)

Cities/Islands that I've Visited Countless Times that it's Almost Like My Home:

Penang & Genting Highland

Numbers of Airports (excluding LCCT and KLIA): 7

Phnom Penh International Airport (Phnom Penh), Suvarnabhumi International Airport (Bangkok), Macau International Airport (Macau), Achmad Yani International Airport (Semarang), Tan Son Nhat International Airport (Ho Chi Minh City), Da Nang International Airport (Da Nang), Brunei International Airport (Brunei), Yangon International Airport (Yangon)

Numbers of Ferry Terminals: 6

Taipa Ferry Terminal - Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Pier, Kuala Kedah Ferry Terminal - Langkawi Jetty Point, Serasa Ferry Terminal - Labuan International Ferry Terminal

Numbers of UNESCO World Heritage Sites I've Been To: 7

Melaka and George Town, Historic Cities of the Straits of Malacca (Malaysia), Angkor (Cambodia), Historic Centre of Macau (Macau, SAR of China), Borobudur Temple Compounds (Indonesia), Hoi An Ancient Town (Vietnam), My Son Sanctuary (Vietnam) & Complex of Hue Monument (Vietnam)

Top 5 Most Memorable Trips:

5. Wicked in Singapore

My first live musical and it was amazing! Wicked is simply great. Worth every single pennies. Read about it here.

4. Hong Kong (Ocean Park, The Peak, etc)

Growing up with TVB series on regular staples, Hong Kong feels very familiar yet strange to me. It is like you can't believe you are actually in the island for real. Ocean Park, The Peak, Symposium of Light; all these Hong Kong attractions are must-do activities. All I can say is 4 days in Hong Kong is NOT enough. See for yourself what I have to say about Hong Kong.

3. Cycling to My Son Sanctuary from Hoi An

As I had blogged about recently, this adventure of mine is seriously mind blowing for me. 40 - 50 km in distance and I actually cycled to the place itself? In a foreign land with no knowledge of the language itself? Damn, I now know my limit is pretty non-existence.

2. Going to Cambodia with my University coursemates

4D/3N trip with late arrival and morning departure flights, and still manage to cover both Phnom Penh and Siem Reap? That's a feat that can't be defeated. No doubt it was all in a rush (we spent less than 4 hours in Angkor Wat!) but it was nothing but fun, fun, fun! A worthy farewell to our university years. Click here for my entries on Cambodia.

1. Bagan Archaeological Zone, Myanmar

Maybe it was my last trip of the year, hence, making it more memorable, but the vast landscape of Bagan is stunning. I spent 2D/2N there and still wasn't enough. Definitely not to be missed, sunrise and sunset in Bagan. You won't regret waking up super early for the view. More on Myanmar soon.

2012 has been a wonderful year for me with my travel resolution of visiting all ASEAN countries about to be realized comes this July 2013 (last on the list, Laos). For 2013, I'm expanding my Asia coverage to include either North Asia or South Asia into the itinerary. Plus, there will be one epic 2013 trip that I'm planning right now. Details are still fuzzy but one thing for sure, it will be LEGENDARY!

Last Trip of the Year

2012 is coming to an end and I intend to go out with a bang!

Not satisfied with my Brunei trip, I decided to go for another vacation, this time, crossing another country off my Southeast Asia list. I guess my resolution to cover all the ASEAN countries (excluding Timor Leste which is still off limit for me at the moment) will come true comes July next year.

I will be flying this Friday for a 5 day holiday, coming back next Tuesday morning. Can you guess which country I'm going to? Here's a hint, it's a country that I have yet to visit before.

Map of Southeast Asia

See you soon!

p/s I guess I won't be able to finish off my Vietnam trip before year end as I hope. Well, I tried and that's the only thing that matter, right? I'll continue after I'm back from my trip.

I'm Off for Another Trip!

After my last trip to Singapore, I have been home bound for few months and now, finally, I'll be jetting off to another country in Southeast Asia. I'm one step closer to realising my dream of travelling to all the countries in the region with just three more countries to go and those three countries will soon be visited next year!

Until then, see you next Tuesday!

Frequently Asked Questions About My Semarang Trip

In less than 24 hours, I will be onboard in the Air Asia flight to Semarang, Indonesia. Every times I tell people that I’m heading to Semarang, the first question that pop out would be, where is Semarang, followed by, why did you choose this place instead of, say, Jakarta or Yogyakarta? Another popular question would be, what are the attractions over there in Semarang?

To be honest, I had not heard of Semarang until I saw the promotion on Air Asia. Back in late 2011, Air Asia was launching new routes to Semarang, Indonesia and Surat Thani, Thailand at a promotional price. Since it’s rather cheap and I have yet to been to Indonesia, why not start with Semarang? So, in view of my approaching holiday, I thought of answering these few questions before I fly off to the Indonesian city.

Where is Semarang?

Semarang is located at Java, situated right at the centre of the island. It is the largest city in Central Java and back in the colonial era, this Indonesian city is an important port. It is actually quite near to other major cities in Java such as Solo and Yogyakarta, all under few hours of journey.

Why Semarang?

Being a cheapskate that I’m famous for, whenever I want to travel to a new country or a new place, I always hunt for cheap flight and what cheaper than Air Asia and its launching price? My return trip to Semarang only costs RM126.00 inclusive airport tax and fuel surcharge.

What to do/see over there?

As it is in Central Java, it is quite easy to go to other cities surrounding Semarang. It is actually two to three hours ride to Borobudur, the famous Mahayana Buddhist monument in the UNESCO heritage listing, which I will be going, for sure. Another religious complex within the proximity of Borobudur is the Prambanan, a Hindu temple compound dedicated to Trimurti.

While both complexes are outside of Semarang, this does not mean there is nothing interesting in the city. Lawang Sewu is a famous landmark in the city. Originally built as a railway station for the Dutch East Indies, the basement of the building served as a prison during the Japanese invasion and is rumoured to be haunted with ghosts of the past.

There are also many fascinating colonial buildings left behind during the Dutch era in Kota Lama which I always enjoyed admiring at. These beautiful remains of the past are something worth protecting of as it is part of our history. That is why I like walking along the old Chinese shophouses whenever I’m in Penang or admiring the British colonial buildings in my hometown Ipoh.

There will be more entries on Semarang after I come back from the trip. Till then, wish me a safe flight! 

*TO BE CONTINUED*

新年快乐！

This Year of the Dragon marks the second cycle of the Dragon Year for me. Being a Dragon myself, somehow, I don't feel any special affiliation towards it other than it's another Lunar New Year. And the fact that it has been raining non-stop (even now, it's raining heavily at the moment!) suggests that indeed, it is the this year is the Water Dragon as claimed by a lot of people. Anyway, the author of this blog wishes all Chinese around the world Happy Chinese New Year and may this year of Dragon brings prosperity and health to your doorstep. Let's look at the three popular shopping complexes in the KL Triangle in their Chinese New Year decoration.

Cherry blossoms blooming beautifully in Time Square

Sungei Wang goes retro with old Chinese shoplots as deco

The mighty dragon conquers Pavilion as the main attraction

恭喜发财！

GONG XI FA CAI!

2011 - Year in Review

It had been an eventful year, to say the least. In fact, eventful is a bit of an understatement considering how globe-trotting (or more like Asia-trotting) I have become. When this blog was created back in April, I just came back from my first oversea trip to Hat Yai, a city in Thailand popular among Malaysians. Since then, I had been flying here and there, visiting one country after another, gaining more insights into the life I want to lead. It became clear to me that I am not going to lead my life where the goal is to earn money and then use the money to earn more of it. Of course, earning money is definitely one thing I need to do in order to feed my travelling bug but money will be secondary when it comes to priority. World exploration is something I want to do and will try to achieve in this new year.

Right now, I just want to summarize what I had done in this one short year of 2011...

March - First oversea trip to Hat Yai, Thailand. It was a short 2D/1N trip but very memorable for it was something spontaneous and lack of plan (yet full of it). It was also the month where I made my first passport! In fact, within days before my Hat Yat trip. This just show how 'snap-of-fingers' fast it was.

April - The birth of the blog. We share the same birthday month.

May - I bade farewell to the Pearl of Oriental as I was finally finished with my degree study. Goodbye, study world. Hello, uncertainty. I also went to Cambodia which was a place worth visiting, at least once in your life, especially Angkor Wat. The sad thing about the trip, it was too fast, too furious, until we didn't have time to catch our breaths.

June - Another totally spontaneous trip to Thailand, this time Bangkok. Before Bangkok, I went to Hat Yai for another round with my family and relatives, came back Malaysia only to fly in a week time to Bangkok. Crazy, right?

July - This time around, I went to Hong Kong and Macau, two S.A.R. countries of China. I loved it there, especially Hong Kong. In fact, I wish I can just stay there and not coming back. But, reality has to hit me hard in the face.

August - I was officially broke. Job hunting began.

September - As my family and I went to Kuching to send my sister for her degree study in UNIMAS, I, on the other hand, was in my convocation ceremony, graduating with a second upper class bachelor degree in applied sciences. Oh, yea, I also received call that I was hired and expected to work next month.

October - A new chapter of my life, this time, set in the working world.

November - Nothing exciting happened. November, the dull month.

December - My last trip of the year which was the neighbouring country of Singapore. Even though it was just a bridge away, it took me 23 years to finally visit this Lion City and the main draw was Wicked! the musical. I guess I will talk more about the trip next year.

With today being 1st January 2012, the year 2011 was finally all wrapped up and red carpet is being spread out to ceremoniously welcome the arrival of 2012. Happy New Year, everyone!!!

Singapore - Wicked, Here I Come!!!

Due to the fact that the damn connection at the mamak stall is superbly slow (plus, I'm preoccupied...), I have to continue the remaining few entries on Macau after I'm back from my vacation. In about 3 hours time, I will be on board on my train ride to the Lion City. The main attraction for this trip has to be the Wicked musical that I'm going tomorrow night! Can't wait the popular musical which is guaranteed to be a defying gravity experience, for good.

See you in a week time!

*TO BE CONTINUED*

Kuching - Live From Kuching!

Currently, I'm in Kuching, Sarawak, both as a family vacation and to send my sister for her university study. We just arrived early this morning and are now resting in the room, a beautiful and rather affordable family size room at 360 Xpress Citycenter. More on it later when I'm back home.

'Till then. Adios.

August - It's Raya and Merdeka Day!

A quick shout out to everyone out there! Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri maaf zahir batin and selamat menyambut Hari Kemerdekaan ke-54! It's a double celebration this time around as Raya falls on the same date as Merdeka Day but as always, the more, the merrier. Just enjoy the holidays like I do and go travelling during this break.

July - It's All Ended

I'm back!!!

It's all over already, now that the final trip of mine has already ended. I can't believe how time flies by when we were having fun.

Hong Kong and Macau are fun, to say the least. It's summer when I went there but it was nothing like summer, what with the rain and all. Yea, it was often drizzling throughout my trip there. And it was summer sale there. Everything was so cheap, I ended up buying quite a lot of stuffs.

Anyway, I'll talk more about it after I finished blogging about my Bangkok trip which was ONE MONTH AGO. Damn that connection of mine at home. Need to go outside to surf the Internet.

I'll start with my Bangkok trip tomorrow. Till then, adios!

July - It's Time for Macau and Hong Kong

In few more days, I'll be flying to Macau with my friends and it will surely be a fun and memorable trip. Right now, am busy planning the trip (procrastination is my good friend :-)), hence, I have been leaving my blog unattended. Plus, that damn Internet of mine.

Anyway, I realised that I still have my Bangkok trip to be talked about (another fun filled adventure it was..). Unfortunately, I guess it has to be waited until I come back from Macau.

Oh, yea. I also just came back from a weekend escape to Penang yesterday with my school friends and I was the designated driver and tour guide, which I enjoyed doing it. In fact, I truly love bringing my friends here and there around places. Another good point about this Georgetown trip is that it was a road trip, something that I also loved. But make sure your car is in good condition if you were to embark on one yourself as I had learned through the hard way. More on that later.

Anyway, that's about it for now. When I come back, I'll have plenty of time to write already, that is until I found a job which I seriously need. Here's some photos from Bangkok to end this post with.

I saw Jackie Chan there!

It was a majestic adventure at the Grand Palace

Make sure you are loaded with money to buy till you drop!

June - It's the Month of Thailand

How time flies. Few weeks back, I was anxious of my Cambodia trip and now, that adventure had already in the past and am now looking forwards to visiting another great city in Southeast Asia, Bangkok. Other than my Bangkok trip, I also will be going to Hat Yai again (read about my first trip here), this time with my family. In another word, it's Thailand time.

Time to take out my remaining Baht from my previous trip

Home Sweet Home and Off I Go to Cambodia!

It was a bittersweet moment at the terminal bus, wishing the place I called home for three years of my life goodbye and heading back to my hometown, Ipoh. Dear Penang, you had gave me too many memorable moments that I will remember greatly and while I am bidding farewell to you, it will never be a permanent goodbye for I simply cannot resist the charm you had on me. So, expect to see me soon!

Home I may be but it will not be for long for I will be heading off to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Wednesday morning. Since I will be having a good portion of the morning and afternoon by myself, I will be exploring the city and observing the way the people live over there. I will drop by the Royal Palace, a beautiful building that house the Cambodian' royalties. Wait for my pictures when I return!

While I may be away, I will continue posting on my blog, mostly about the places and eateries I went during these few days before returning home and also some of my hometown delicious food. Hope it will entertain you guys and draw you back for more. X-D

I guess that's about it for now. Excitement is streaming through my veins. Mr. Wednesday, come faster, please.

P/S Something that I missed about Penang is the Wi-Fi. I HATE going online at home. Super slow. Back in my university, at the very least I can online smoothly and not waiting for the damn freaking page to load for ages.

Penang - Sad Farewell at Penang Bowl

The ball rolled along the lane, straight and steady, reaching the end and knocking down all of the pins at one go. It was a strike, something that does not come often to me. I was surprised by it while my friends continued teasing. It was the beginning of what would be, possibly, the last gathering with my fellow coursemates.

The plan was to go to Penang Bowl and have some fun time bowling first before heading to our dinner and later, chit chat session. We had to wait for some time as it was rather crowded there but the wait was worth it. Indeed, the bowling session was fun and interactive and everyone enjoyed rolling the balls.

Simple game but endless joy and laughter

After the game, it's time to fill our stomachs as most of us had been starving for some foods for quite some time already. Dinner at 10 pm? I bet that's the first time for some of them. We went to a hawker stall somewhere along McCalister Road, next to Asia Cafe. I forgotten the name of the cafe but the food there are quite nice. I love the pan mee that I had and the pizza my friend ordered. We sat and chatted for like quite some time before deciding on another location where we can enjoy the atmosphere and talked our hearts out. So, we ended up at Bed.

Located along Pulau Tikus

But instead of talking our hearts out, our times flew by playing childhood games. We had the 'spicy spicy sushi' or 辣辣寿司 but instead of having the wasabi-filled sushi, we opted for some painful punishment. Suffice to say, we filled the atmospheric (and peaceful) room with our boisterous natures, indirectly forcing people surrounding our tables to leave as they can't stand us any more. Haha. Not our problems.

The interiors of the bar

When the night was no longer young, we took some group photos and we went our separate ways, like how we are doing right now. Everyone is heading back to their home towns, bidding goodbye to this lovely island with no foreseeable future of coming back here again after our convocations.

I'll miss you guys! Sincerely grateful to know you bunch of peoples and proud to claim you guys as my friends! All the memories will I greatly cherish till my death or when I had Alzheimer's. Wish you guys a smooth future ahead!