First time to Hyderabad

Hyderabad - Flew on SilkAir (Subsidiary of SQ) as Singapore Airlines does not fly to Hyderabad and the good news was that I was upgraded to Business Class.   Never flew on Business Class on SilkAir as this will be a new experience for me.   The seats are leather and brown in colour - 3 rows of total 12 seats - right in the front of the A320. 

The flight took off on schedule and it will be 4 1/2 hrs and I will be in Hyderabad.  There are minimal on-flight entertainment with small overhead screens.   The flight stewardess are very attentive and my choice of meal was mutton rice and it was delicious, then mutton was tender and the rice was perfectly cook.  Many times on SQ flight when I choose rice dishes - it always ended up with the rice being a bit too dry and not fluffy.

I was really surprise with the Hyderabad International airport - new and clean and well organized unlike many of the air terminals in India.   The immigration officer that attended to me was friendly and swift.   The drawback was the baggage - the waiting was quite a while.

Hyderabad was once the seat of India's richest princely state.  Hyderabad is booming again as a high-tech hub of the country's software industry.  It's a city whose bright future has yet to outshine its illustrious past.

I changed S$100 at the money changer at the airport and they charge me Rp100 for services - ultimately is still 20Rp cheaper than Singapore.   Oh well!!  There are no clear signs to show where the taxi counters but I was directed to one near the exit and it cost Rp 1450 for a ride to Mariott Hyderabad.  The counter lady said I got a Ford Fiesta for you - wow! like some big limo - it was sitting in a clanking sound of metal....not what I expect after a long flight over.  

The temperature was a cool 33 degree Celsius - and a very smooth ride through the highway to the Hotel.

Mariott Hyderabad located @ Opp. Hussain Sagar Lake, Tank Bund Road.

Hussain Sagar Lake

So hot...

Ho Chi Minh City - The weather is so hot! 36 degree celcius.  Woke up at 7.30am for a 9am meeting - changed and had breakfast and ready to meet the customer.   When the door boy opened the hotel door the heat from outside was overwhelming - got into the taxi and told the taxi driver to told the air-conditioner to maximum cold.   Even though the air-con was 'puffing' cold air - it was really working hard as it took a long time for the taxi to be cooled.   Driving down the road into a massive traffic jam.

After the meeting - decided to go for a walk in the heat after walking for a hour - I found a Vietnamese ice-cream shop - Bach Dang - hop right into that shop and it was a 'heaven sent'.  Nice cold tea for guest + icy cold towels for you to cool down.   Then the time come to choose the ice cream from the menu - I choose banana split ice-cream and it turn out to be very delicious.   For 55k dong + 2k dong for the wet towels - it's a good price.

Address:
Bach Dang Ice Cream Co. Ltd
26-28 Le Loi St., Ben Nghe Ward, District 1

Walking further down heading towards my hotel was a restaurant that caught my eye - wrap and roll restaurant.   The whole menu is mainly freshly rolled spring rolls and it is very delicious and taste very good.

Wrap and roll - http://www.wrap-and-roll.com/

I tried the all famous prawns and pork fresh spring roll and mustard leaf fresh spring roll - both taste so good.

The restaurant I tried was at : 62 Hai Ba Trung St, District 1

There are so many tourist in Ho Chi Minh City - maybe due to the civil unrest in Bangkok - Vietnam is benefit greatly from this...

So many changes since my last trip....

Ho Chi Minh City - The last time I was here was 6 Nov 2007 and so many changes can be seen through the skyline of Ho Chi Minh City many new towers and apartments are emerging.

The Omni Saigon Hotel that I last stayed twice is now changed to Movenpick Hotel Saigon. The Movenpick Hotel Saigon coincidentally is closed from March 2010 for major renovations.

The famous Rex Hotel is undergoing major renovations....

I also noticed all motor cyclist has to wear a head helmet which previously they do not have to wear one...safety.

Vietnam is on a fast track...

Ho Chi Minh City - Arrived at Ho Chi Minh City on time but the flight over was very bumpy and the captain had to distrupt service twice.   The weather is very hot at around 30 degrees celcius - paid 140,000 dong for an airport taxi to the Hotel.   It was a mistake to change my currency at Changi airport as the exchanges rates are much better in Vietnam - more than 100k dong more if you change here.

There are so many motor bikes weaving in and out of the traffic with no regards to the separator lines on the road.  Also the incessant honing of the honks - whethere necessary or not there will still honk.   At some roads - half of the road is shared by motor bikes.  I think when the population grows more prosperous it can be problem when there are more cars on the road, then problem shrink the sharing of the road to 25% like Taipei.

I am writing this blog on the taxi to the Renaissance Hotel Riverside in a traffic jam but the taxi is still moving but at a snail speed.  Just pass the Notre Dame Cathedral, Continental Hotel and then the famous Carvelle Hotel.

I can see my hotel - have to stop now...

The view from the 18th floor of the Club floor

Back to Singapore

Seoul - The Limo bus to the airport departs from the bus stop just outside Shinsege departmental store and leaves at 6:40am and I arrived at 8am - just 1 hr before departure.  A good timimg...

Seodaemun Prison History Hall

Seoul - As I had time on my hand - one of my customer and YJ decided to bring me to 2 interesting places that is a must for travellers to Seoul.  Surprise after 80+ trips, I have not been to neither of them.

Seodaeman Prison is a grim reminder of a time of sadness and sacrifices of which the modern Koreans benefit today.  It was also a reflection of how the extend of cruelty to another human being and we should never cross this path in the future again.   This prison was built during the Japanese occupation of Korea and it stood for 80 years as a living monument of grief for all Koreans.

A volunteer guide of elderly age took us around the Prison but she can only speak Korea which was translated for me via YJ.   Her patience was commendable in spite of the rain which we had to 'cuddle' at times under a small umbrella.

There were school children all around as it was an educational tour for them.  I think in Singapore we should bring our children to places to show how many people in Singapore sacrificed their lives during World War II and also the 3 years of Japanese occupation.    There are places that depict the scenes but unfortunately are not part of school's educational curriculum.  They go to  nice places like zoo, bird park, Malay village, Snow city, new water , etc but never to places that remind us who we were and the people that sacrificed for us.  Hopefully, someday it will change.

Huge rice cooker for inmates

This prison room are meant for 30 inmates

The small door to push food to the inmates

Rice scoop for inmates - the wood

 will be place in the rice scoop if the

inmates are being punished

At the end of the tour, this kind Korean lady gave me a booklet in English - there is a cost but it's free for me.

A Wet Spring

Seoul - Arrived at Incheon Airport - the weather is wet and cold 10 degrees Celsius.   I decided to stay at  Courtyard Seoul Times Square @ Yeongdeungpo.    The journey took about 2hrs and went the limo bus was nearing Times Square - I was comtemplating whether to stop at Shinsege Stop or final bus stop (which I thought would be nearer to the Hotel entrance).  I was wrong and had to back track to Shinsege Stop and continue walking to the Hotel entrance - quite a distance as I had to lugged my hard case luggage across the traffic light.   The Hotel is situated on the 5th floor.

Finally got into the room - set the temperature to 21 degrees for me to be nice and warm.  

12 noon - YJ came and we took a taxi to see one of our customer.