Travelogue around Asia Pacific

My experience of taking taxi in Kuala Lumpur is an adventure. There are 3 types of taxis in Kuala Lumpur - Airport taxi, Budget taxi and Premier Taxi. The taxi situation is so bad that if you type in "KL taxi scam" - you have more than a million hits. There is watchdog for Malaysian taxi called Teksi Gila - in Malay means "Crazy Taxi" Airport Taxi - It is safe and regulated if you purchase at the counter. DO NOT TAKE THE TAXI TOUT - they are the ones that stand inside the airport saying "taxi" - it is not regulated with no insurance cover. This airport taxis are white in colour. The main job of this airport taxi is to bring you from KLIA to your destination. Just go to the airport taxi counter, tell the counter lady your destination and pay accordingly. I have tried this and like it because this system is that it is regulated, the driver will bring you to your destination at the shortest path possible and the counter has the ID of the driver. Budget Taxi ...

Review: Hotel Renaissance Friendly staff abound this hotel - each staff wears a smile readily it makes you feel very welcome. The hotel has a East Wing ( formerly the New World Hotel ) and West Wing. The hotel is also located a 5 minutes walk to the "Bukit Nanas" monorail - which is just across the road. You need to be extra careful crossing the road because the pedestrian lights does not turn green and you do not know when is the time to cross or not. So, I had to time the red light and green light to make my way across the road but had a little help from a taxi driver when crossing the road - he was waving me to cross. Also about 15-20 minutes walk to KLCC - taxi about RM$4-$10 depends on the type of taxi. Restaurant: Eden Village @ Chulan Square - $$$$ - a western seafood and steak restaurant. Just not my type of seafood restaurant. This restaurant serves prawns, lobsters but not my favourite, crabs. Maybe too messy for a western diner? but one consolation is that I like ...

This is what is happening in Singapore, dengue is back with vengeance. I had dengue fever in 1998 and recovered but Dengue has many strains and it can be fatal if I am bitten the 2nd time by another strain of dengue virus. The danger is that there is no current cure for Dengue fever and it affects badly the elderly and the young. Every residents in Singapore have a responsibility to ensure that no stagnant water remains any where within one's home. Singapore experienced its worst dengue fever outbreak in 2005 when 19 people died from the disease and more than 13,000 were infected. Dengue is caused by the Aedes mosquito and is normally associated with poorer tropical countries. Visit www.dengue.gov.sg SINGAPORE: An 85-year-old retiree died from dengue shock syndrome on 28 April after being warded at the Tan Tock Seng Hospital three days earlier with symptoms of breathlessness, vomiting and fever. More cases of dengue have since surfaced. The latest figures from the National Enviro...

One of my joys in business travelling is eating different cuisines, most of the time cooked differently in style and taste. Unfortunately, business traveling also has it perils – diseases and food poisoning are the main causes. To avoid it, I need to be well prepare for the journey ahead and not hastily try every food and drink that is placed in front of me. Before I embark on any journey, I normally check my government health site about any health warnings that I need to be aware of, the health standards and requirements in the country of my destination. India In was in 1994, my first trip to Mumbai and Bangalore, with the limited knowledge from friends and relatives I was aprehensive about this trip and decided to be extra careful. I had the necessary jabs - Typhoid and Flu vacination and was careful of what I ate and drink, making sure the food was always piping hot and the drinks are void of ice. Why ice? because ice is made from the tap water. On a hot day in Mumbai, when your min...

A 6.3 earthquake measured by the US Geological Survey, on the Laos-Burma border rattles towers and people in Bangkok, yesterday. The earthquake took place at around 4pm - about the same time I was in the limousine leaving the airport. Now, I know why so many office workers were standing outside their buildings creating commotion and confusion. The powerful quake's epicentre was near the border in the far north, but the capital's soft foundations were blamed for intensifying the tremors by three or four times. The soft clay is the reason why the tremor was felt in Bangkok even though the earthquake took place 700 kilometes away. The City of Bangkok is underlain by a thick deposit of soft highly plastic marine clay that poses severe foundation problems. As I saw many people outside the buildings - it dawn upon me that it is the last thing to do as thousands of glass planes can come down with horrendous results. Do you know what to do when a strong earthquake hits? If you are indo...

Today, was my first trip back after the coup at the new Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport. This airport is huge and the arrival would be more welcoming to have some plants, flowers, paint the pillars to liven up the airport. The weather is a bit hotter than Singapore at 32 degree Celsius. Surprising the departure atrium is so much nicer and lively, what a contrast. Transport at the Airport I took the Airport Limousine taxi from AOT Limousine counter just outside the arrival gate – it was quick and efficient – zapped my credit card for B1,100 for a London cab. A Mercedes taxi would have cost me B1,500. But after the first 15 minutes, I should have chosen the Mercedes limousine taxi instead. The ride on a London cab was very uncomfortable and bumpy even going at 100km/hr. This is the first time I strapped on a seat belt sitting at the back seat of the taxi, I normally don't. It was the solid yellow handle bars sticking out around the back seat cabin that gave me the creeps. What if there ...

Many people make trips to other countries all the time and one of the most important thing to take into consideration is " Are you covered when you are overseas? ". Since I make lots of trips within in a year - I took up an annual travel insurance which is much cheaper. When my family travels with me - I get for them a single trip travel insurance which will cover them for the duration of the trip. Think about if something happens... you do not have enough money to pay for medical bills your flight gets cancelled your tour agent just declared bankruptcy you became too sick to travel You missed your flight connection due to flight delays your personal belongings just got stolen Have I convinced you?....read on. It’s always better to be safe than sorry. Annual or Single Trip Travel Insurance? Single-trip travel insurance covers you for one specific holiday. Buying annual travel insurance covers you for several trips over the course of the year and can offer large savings in com...

Singapore - If you ask any Singaporean do you know where is Pulau Semakau, their response might be: - Ugh? or Se-bak-kau (in Hokkien it means "4-eyes monster") or a "blur" look in their eyes. In fact, Pulau Semakau is a largely man-make island with mangrove swamps that host some of Singapore's most colourful marine species, double as a dumping ground for incinerated waste. The fact certainly impressed American journalist Eric Bland on a recent trip, as he lauded the island as a potential useful conversation and waste management model for other cities. He said "The only visible trash is a bit of driftwood on the rocky shore, marking high tide in an artificial bay. Water rushes out of the bay through a small opening, making waves in the Singapore straits. The smell of rain is in the air....." You would never know that all the trash from Singapore's 4.4 million residents is being dumped here 24 hours a day, seven days a week - and expected to last til...

Question: How many litres of paint is used for the first Singapore Airlines A380? don't know...read on. European plan maker Airbus has started paintwork on the first A380 for Singapore Airlines following the completion of cabin installation for the aircraft. The A380 will stay about three weeks in the company's paint shop in Hamburg, Germany, where in addition to the actual painting, most of the other preparatory work such as cleaning, grinding, masking and unmasking the 3,100 square metres of surface of the A380 will be done. SIA has ordered 19 of the giant planes, with the first to be delivered in October this year. Answer : About 3,600 litres of chromatic-free paint is used for three layers of paint (primer, customer-paint, top-coat) for an A380. Only about 600 to 1,000 kg of paint stays on teh aircraft. Each layer measures about 0.12 mm and is able to withstand differences in temperatures of about 100 degree Celsius. Airbus is applying the most modern and environmental-frie...

Thou shall not expect to find things as thou as at home, for thou hast left home to find things different. Thou shall not take anything too seriously, for a carefree mind is the start of a good holiday Thou shall not let travellers get on your nerves, for thou hast paid good money to enjoy yourself. Remember to take half as many clothes as thou thinkest and twice the money. Know at all times where thy passport is, for a person without a passport is a person without a country. Remember that if thou had been expected to say in one place, thou would have been created with roots. Thou shalt not worry, for he that worried hath no pleasure When in a country not your own, be prepared to do somewhat as they do. Thou shalt not judge the people of the country by the people who hath given thee trouble Remember thou art a guest in other lands and he who treats his host with respect shall be honoured.

Drinking large amounts of alcohol might not only leave you with a headache in the morning - it could also shrink your brain. The warning comes after reseachers examined the brains of more than 1800 people, ranging from former and non-drinkers to heavy drinkers. Using Magnetic resonance imaging scans, the study found that people who had more than 14 drinks a week had an average 1.6% reduction in the ratio of brain volume to skull size campared with non-drinkers. Study author Carol Ann Paul, of Wellesley College in the US said the effect was slightly larger in women than men, and drinking large amounts of alcohol seemed to have the greatest impact on brain volume among women aged in their 70s. While previous research had shown low to moderate alcohol consumption helped reduce cardiovascular disease, she said, the new findings revealed a very different result of brain volume - which can be seen as a measure of brain ageing. "Greater alcohol consumption in negatively correlated wit...

Canberra - The weather is nicer and cooler in Canberra around 8-10 degree celsius - The Federal Capital of Australia. All the governments offices and foreign embassies are located here. Whilst taking a taxi to my destination - I notice the Singapore Embassy, Japan Embassy, Chinese Embassy all within the same vincinity. I stayed at the Hyatt Hotel Canberra for 2 nights, Canberra's only five-star hotel, is conveniently located in the national capital's Parliamentary Triangle, minutes from Canberra's major tourist attractions, the city centre and government offices. Heritage listed, this luxurious boutique hotel has been restored to its art deco grace and charm with extensive renovations elevating the hotel to the prestigious Park Hyatt branding. The atmosphere is one of a welcoming 'home away from home', a genteel estate surrounded by landscaped lawns and gardens.