Changi Point Park connector

Singapore - Brought my family to Changi Point Park which is located way past Changi Airport.    My kids played roller blading, skate boarding and wave boarding...

this is wave boarding....

Airport Emergency Hovercraft

Resting at the end of the Changi Broadwalk

Numerous sailing boats...look at the storm clouds on the horizon

We had a great time but it started to rain...

Zilver Restaurant

Sydney - After a busy day of meetings, Joe decided that I had a better choice for restaurant and gave me the honours for choosing tonight's dinner - Zilver Restaurant was my choice and it's a Chinese restaurant.   You can google it and the directions too..

http://www.zilver.com.au/
477 Pitt St,
Haymarket NSW 2000
(02) 9211 2232

The food is good and fresh, going by Australian standard not so pricey.    It worth going back again...

Habibi Restaurant

Sydney - Arrived into Sydney and was happy to be able to watch 3 movies.    Caught the taxi to Mariott Sydney - wow! so expensive - A$ 51 (and Aussie $ is hitting the roof @ 1.35 i.e. S$ 68.85) whilst my taxi fare from home to airport (about the same distance cost S$ 25).

Mariott Sydney is a nice business class Hotel located @ 36 College Street.  There are 2 Mariotts hotel in Sydney - the other is located at Circular Quay.  This Mariott @ College Street is just across Hyde Park. 

Met up with Joe and we went around town not sure what what we have in mind for dinner as most of the restaurants are closed, finally decided to hop into a Lebanese Restaurant; which coincidentally was also Joe last name - Habib - the restaurant is Habibi Restaurant, did not get any discount though!  This was my 1st time eating Lebanese food and not sure what I was infront of me - of all the dishes, the Garlic Chicken was most appealing to me.  It's an acquired taste....

http://www.habibirestaurant.com.au/

272 Cleveland St
Surry Hills
NSW 2010, Australia
(02) 9699 3200

Yakitori dinner

Tokyo - After our yakitori delicious dinner.  Joe and our customer decided to challenge on arm wrestling - so we cleared the table which was full of beer mugs and bowls.  

Joe and I walked around Tokyochu in the evening and we found a sports bar - we had 2 rounds of darts @ Yen 1000 per game.   We talked till Joe was dozing off and decided it was time to call it a night....

Tokyo...so hot!

Tokyo - The flight SQ 12 is delayed and we arrived 30 minutes late due to waiting for a few connecting passengers.  Whilst waiting, SQ 12 miss the window clearance to take off and had to wait again for Philippines controller to give the ok.  Finally, SQ 12 is off the ground.  

Upon landing, the weather is so hot...took approximately 1hr to reach TCAT and then 30mins via taxi to Hotel East 21.   I went to the mall next to the Hotel for dinner - my favourite haunt - Tonkatsu 'Pork Cutlet'.   I chose from the menu the Tonkatsu costingYen 1380 but the waitress showed me a lower price that is on promotion. 

This is the 2nd time that I have encounter this and both were in Tokyo.    I have not encountered such good behaviour any where in all my travels. 

Best Asam Laksa in Penang

Penang -  For Lunch, we head to the best Penang Asam Laksa is at the base of Kek Lok Si Temple.   The taste is one of best I have ever tried - you can taste sweet, sour, spicy all in one go.    Rate: 9/10 - Die, die you must go!!

Then off to the Best Chendol store in Penang.  This is a non-descript hawker peddling his famous Chendol and had queues of people lining up to buy from him.

A day to remember....

Penang - After our 1st meeting - we had lunch at the most famous Char Kway Teow store in whole of Penang.  Famous for the Big prawns Char Kway Teow @ Lorong Selamat - RM$ 6 per dish with 3 big prawns.  The dish was delicious maybe due to the fact that we had to wait for quite a while as each dish had to be individually fried and also there was a queue.    But on a healty scale - the dish is nearing the 'red' alert level with its high in cholesterol of oil and pork lard.    My rating of Char Kway Teow - 9/10 - die die must try!!

Char Kway Teow hawker donning google to cook

Yummy..Char Kway Teow

After lunch, we took the ferry across of Butterworth, it was nostalgic as my Dad brought me to Penang when I was just a small boy - there were any bridge joining Malaysia mainland to Penang - all had to go via Ferry.   The ferry looks about the same - must be about 40+ years old - still running like a great old dame. 

Inside the car on board the Penang Ferry

On the horizon, another ferry returning to Penang

Donny on board the Ferry

That's Edward with Donny...

Arrived at Butterworth

After our meeting, we drop by a wholesale store for some cheap and good snacks.  Whilst we were waiting in the car - some plain clothes policemen walk up to our car and request that we come out.   There was a panic on our faces as these policeman looks shaggy so my friends had to call the help line to verify that they were policeman.  Indeed they were....   Because I was a Singaporean with no passport - these policeman wanted to put me in jail for it.  We had to follow their car not sure where they were going to bring us to but with unexpectation right into the Police Station.    We had to pay them off making us RM$ 150 poorer in our pockets.   It was an eye opener to see how the actual people that should protect you became the predator in our predicament.  

In the evening, we did not want this incident to spoil our mood - we decide to have a good meal at a Seafood Restaurant - Good Friend Seafood Restaurant.  With the technology age of GPS - there is no way you will be able to find this restaurant.   The road leading to this restaurant is dark and it is smack right behind 2 buildings....it took us a while to reach there.   But upon arrival, it was worth the journey - the food was heavenly. 

Seafood called 'helicopter'

Giant Prawns

Special cooling drink found only in Penang

Edward in the Background

Donny with the Special Penang Brew

Good Friend Seafood Restaurant: 9/10 - must must try and go.  Cheap and really good food.

Penang Food Galore

Penang - One of my favourite places for a food junkie.   I flew via SilkAir, SQ regional airline - the plane was full and the flight was short - 1hr 10 mins and we arrived on Penang airport tarmac.

I met my channel partners there - Donny and Edward (whome drove from KL to Penang - a 4hr drive), we had a number of appointments the next day.  

I took the airport taxi but the driver took me to a wrong Hotel - G Hotel ( a very nice hotel).   I had to pay another RM$ 10 to bring me to Gurney Hotel as the other end of Gurney Drive.  


Hotel: The Gurney Hotel
Located @ 18, Persiaran Gurney
Comments:   The hotel and room has a mediocre decor with nothing great to shout about.  2 of the air-cons were leaking water onto the carpet.   There were cracks on the tiles and the btw tiles were black with dirt.  Will not stay there again.   Their hotel photos on the website looks impressive but it is far from reality and badly needed renovation.

Dinner was a Hawker fare just outside Sunway Hotel - we had Lor Bak, Char Keow Teow.

Drove back to Gurney Driver for Supper - Donny had to join the queue for Rojak (malaysian salad with prawn paste) - one of the most unique taste I have ever had...

Back to Taipei

Taipei - The last time I was in Taipei was 3 years ago.   I have  a regular driver, Mr Chang that will meet me at the airport but sadly I was told by his wife that he passed away.   He was a good man....

Upon arrval, took the airport taxi to the The Westin Hotel.  

Located @ 133 Nanking East Road, Section 3 Taipei 104 Taiwan

In the evening, I went with Chung-Li to a stylish Italian restaurant on the 88th floor of the Taipei 101.   It was a beautiful view from the top of Taipei 101.   Taipei 101 also has the world's fastest elevators. These can transport passengers to the 89th-floor observatory in a mere 39 seconds.  To prevent the building from swaying during typhoons or earthquakes, an 800-ton, US$4 million, ball-shaped damper is used to dissipate lateral vibration to a spring system underneath.

http://www.taipei-101.com.tw/index_en.htm

Daegu, 4th largest city in South Korea

Seoul - Arrive at Seoul KTX train station bound for Taegu to meet a potential new partner. The train leaves at 9am bound for Daegu and will arrive in 1 1/2hrs time.

Kraton

Jogyakarta - Kraton or The Palace, where the real sultan of Yogyakarta (Sultan Hamengku Buwono X) who is also the Governor of Jogja and all of his family live. It was built in 1757, in this castle you will find genuine form of old Javanese culture. This is real worth a visit.

Borobudur Temple

Borobudur - It as a very interesting 1 1/2 hrs drive from Jogja to Borobudur.   We had a tour guide and driver all to ourself  - it was good.    

On the way to Borobudur Temple

Motorbikes everywhere...

 

Upon reaching Borobudur it was a spectacular site to behold, the biggest Buddhist temple of the world built around the 8th century. This temple is structured from about 55,000 sqm andesite stone (volcanic rock) and structured without any adhesive. This temple was buried under layers of volcanic ash until it was excavated in 1815. Since its restoration in the early 20th Century, which took 10 years with donations from UNESCO. Six square stone platforms topped with three round platforms, are host to 2,672 relief carvins, 504 statues of Buddha and 72 stupas surrounding the main dome, each containing a statue of Buddha.

 

Borobudur Temple

Borobudur performance

Another Borobudur performances....

More like lego in children's play...maybe the biggest and ancient Lego ever built. Just beware of the many touts plying everything from T-shirts, Kris (traditional knife), wooden puppets, etc.

Borobudur Temple view from afar...

Climbing up the Borobudur Temple

There are many Buddhist carvings all around the temple. The carvings along the various levels of the monument convey the Buddhist version of the cosmos, starting from the bottom with portrayals of the world desires, pilgrims spiral up each level, passing through different realms to reach nirvana at the top.

Carvings on the wall

that's Joe and I

View from the Top

Another beautiful view from the Top

Taman Sari/Water Castle - Quite a disappointment as it was dilapidated and badly need renovations and restorations to her previous glory. Built in 1758, it used as a splendid pleasure park of the Sultans and Royal families. Place of errie ruins, underground passages and a large subterranean mosque.

Me and the Tour Guide a the entrance

dilapidated water castle

Royal swimming pool ???

Entrance to the underground mosque

Ngasem/Bird Market - This is the oldest bird market in Jogyakarta and been operating since 1809.

So many people in the Bird Market

Batik Factory - Indonesia traditional art, Batik textil printing and the word 'batik' origins is Javanese and from Jogja.

Kota Edge/Silver Town - Visted a Silver making factory. This town is famous as the producer of fine burnished silver.

Yogyakarta

Jogyakarta - Commonly called Jogja by the locals, and is Java's artistic and cultural centre, and is the place to see the best of the island's creative talents. This is a small city and life evolves around the sprawling Sultan's 18th Century palace in the centre of town, where the royal family still lives and traditional art and music performances are often held.

Arrive at The Phoenix Hotel located @ Jl. Jenderal Sudirman No 9. Is is a beautiful and well maintained hotel. The ambiance is like the Grand dame 'The Raffles Hotel'.

The view from my room's veranda

The Hotel swimming pool

Another view of the Hotel swimming pool

Interetsing Status within the Hotel

A good place to have dinner is Gadjah Wong, famous restaurant in Jogja that serves very good food and the ambiance is fantastic.

Joe with his beer....

Joe thinking !!!

Budget Airlines - Bane

Singapore - I read a good article in today Sunday Times on the hidden cost of flying on the cheap.

1. Once a booking is confirmed, it will cost anything from $70 to $100, depending on the airline, to change flight or passenger details for a round trip. Fare top-ups will apply if you were originally scheduled to leave on a slow day such as Tuesday or Wednesday, and now want to fly over the weekend or during the school holidays, when the airlines charge more.
2. Change fees - these are subject to fare top-ups. Airlines allow customers to book new flights provided they did so within a stipulated number of days of the originally scheduled departure date. Typically, such waiver period last a week or two.
3. Low-cost carriers do not give refunds. And if they do, the refund process can be tedious and can wait for months for the refunds to be paid.
4. Flight is cancelled or delayed for whatever reason, you will not get a drink or a bite out of the airline while you wait at the airport, and it will not put you up at a hotel either.
5. If bags are lost or damaged en route, do not expect a hardship allowance or quick compensation. Read the fine print on the when claims must be made upon returned.
6. Getting in touch with budget carriers can be tough especially in a crisis. Nobody picks up the phone and there is no email contact for customer service either.

Fly low-cost by all means. There are many good deals out there and, most times, nothing will go wrong. But if something does - a coup here or an earthquake there - it is always good to know where your airline stands on matters such as flight cancellation and refunds.

Mercury poisoning in Food??

Singapore - Toxic effects from ingesting fish containing mercury, a liquid metal harmful to humans. Sea creatures absorb mercury deposited in oceans due to natural occurences such as underwater volcanoes or man-made causes like industrial pollution. Fishes higher up in the food chain (like tuna, swordfish, salmon, etc) accumulate higher level of mercury compared to smaller fishes.

The symptoms of mercury poisoning are fatigue, muscle weakness, impairment of speech, vision, hearing and memory loss. In severe cases, it may lead to brain disorders or even death.
Cooking doesn't remove mercury from fish because the metal is bound to the meat. The fish will contain the same amount of mercury whether it's eaten raw or cooked. So it's all the same whether it's sushi or barbecued sambal fish.

Be careful where you next eat your sushi !!

NamHanSanSeong

Seoul - Before lunch my channel partner took us up a nearby mountain for a scroll.  Namhansanseong (literally "South Han Mountain Fortress") is a park at an elevation of 480m above sea level, immediately to the southeast of Seoul. It is located on Namhansan ("South Han Mountain"). It contains fortifications that date to the 17th century, and a number of temples.  

 

NamHanSanSeong - South Gate

Tony and OB Kwon

Info on NamHanSanSeong

Garlic and Fish Tear Liquor

Seoul - Koreans are the world's largest consumer of garlic and most notably they would make everything from garlic. I had alcohol made from garlic tthat helps blood circulation and rules out insomnia and hypertension.  

Tony, Young Jin and I had dinner with Dr. Na in a Korean Sashimi restaurant - the sashimi was not good because it was served frozen.  But we had 'fish tear' liquor  with a very fishy taste.   

Young Jin drinking his Fish Tear Liquor

Tony knocking back his Fish Tear Liquor