Consider this post a little ‘filler’ for the emptiness lately.
Nearby Shanghai (about 1 hour away) is a cute little ‘water town’ called Zhujiajiao (I think that’s where I went). Its basically houses build along the river, with lots of boats around and nice little bridges across the river. The pic here is a typical scene in the water towns. More to come later on…
The artist’s rendition of a new World Trade Tower in New York. Notice something only Asians do when posing for photos? (yeah, I’m trying hard not to do it too often!)
One of the nice things you can do while in the Philippines is to go dolphin watching (provided not too many boats/tourists are out there). But you’ll have to wake up really early (5.30am!) for this opportunity. That’s sunrise time.
After about 20 minutes out on the boat, we spotted a group of dolphins!! It was really nice to see them swimming freely and playing around. They were jumping out of the water, and doing some stunts even (show off!). They followed our boat for sometime, then just swam away.
In Bohol, Philippines, one of the more popular tourist sights is the Chocolate Hills. It is about 30 mins drive from the city to the viewpoint. So you climb up one hill to have a fantastic view of the hills (which turns more brown in the dryer months).
One of the funny thing you can do on this viewpoint is jump right in front of a large screen of the hills. Wonder why nobody does it in front of the real hills???
Plus, why need to climb all the way up here just to jump in front of a screen?
While in Bohol, Philippines, I took the chance to see around the island. At one point, I jumped on this boat ride up the river. This was the sign on the boat.
But then, sometime later, the boat kind of went to the side towards this little shed by the river. It stopped here for a while, so we can see kids dance and collect donations…
Why do they always contradict themselves?
Was in a hotel in the Philippines, and imagine my surprise when I saw this sign.
How thoughtful, I thought. In a country where most are Christians, there’s a Muslim prayer room for guests at the hotel.
So I followed the sign to have a look. This was what I saw.
A prayer room for Christians!! (of course!)
Its so weird. I have no access to Facebook, Twitter, and my blog (Blogger) from China. Its like being cut off from the rest of the world!
I wrote the last post through Windows Live Writer. When I clicked on “publish”, it returned with an error message. So I thought that I couldn’t connect to Blogger. Mana tau, I got comments on that post (hope I got it published). So, it must have went through somehow. How frustrating it is not to be able to see your own blog!! arggh!
Anyway, small updates: Beijing is quite cold, and the strong winds will chill you to your bones! The good thing with the winds is that it blows the pollution away, and you get clear skies for a day. The next day, the smog is back and you barely see the sun. However, it was much better than the last time I came in March 08. Can’t imagine what it was like before!!
Ok – leave you with a pic of a free range chicken farm in Beijing.
Wah… new airport! Its so massive. A long long walk from the plane to the exit. Although the massive size, it wasn’t planned out so properly. There were definitely some bottle neck at some parts, e.g. when getting down the plane, everyone bottleneck on this narrow escalator (the only way in). But security was quite high, can check people so many times (especially for H1N1 – they were really paranoid).
The first restaurant you see greeting you at the airport – KFC. You expecting something else?
After another bottleneck to use the lift to the taxi stand, there’s a long line for taxis! And it comes in groups. Your batch of taxi comes, you rush to the taxi with all your bags and move on!
Oh, there’s also no connection to Facebook, Twitter or Blogger! (hope this goes through, and if it does, I cant see it to verify anything!)
p.s. I also need a t-shirt that says “I’m MALAYSIAN. I’m not Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Nepalese, Thai… etc”
There’s a place in Bangkok, often overlooked by tourists, called the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC). Last year, the place was relatively empty, but now it is attracting more visitors, mostly locals. Its pretty cool to see such vibrant art scene here in the city. How’s it like in KL these days?
Its just opposite MBK mall. So you can stop by here if you get tired of shopping (haha – I know some of you wont get tired of that!) or just stop by here half an hour before you begin. Its cool, and its free.
Spirally insides
Modern art – egg trays that suppose to represent ‘fire’ – go figure
Tribute to the King
There’s also outdoor art (see MBK in the background!)
Its nice to see healthy competition in Bangkok. Groups of youngsters are always practicing their break dancing skills on the BTS walkways. And now they get a chance to show off their talents. There was a competition right in front of the Siam Discovery centre, where the teams square off with each other. Enough said, here’s the pictures!
Lately I’ve been feeling rather uninspired. Not only to blog, but also to go out to take photographs (besides those for work). Having overwhelming work does not help either. My last set of photos seem to be way back in July (during Nepal trip)!!
Any ideas on how to gain back some motivation to go out and shoot some nice pictures?
Thailand is hit quite bad with the latest swine flu (oops, suppose to say AH1N1 flu). The latest news is that 160 people has already succumbed fatally to this disease.
Just the word “global pandemic” has caused fear into so many people. Weird trends start to pop up…
Not only do everyday people try to wear the mask all the time (unsuccessfully, as sooner or later they partially pull it down to expose their nose to they can breathe better), but “fashion” masks are now the new trend.
The better way to actually prevent the disease is to avoid touching your face, and washing hands more frequently (wash for at least 30 seconds with soap). Hand sanitizers are being sold out everywhere. And many places, posh shopping malls included, provides free hand sanitizers.
Now you know things are getting out of hand, when every other commercial enterprise just want to get into this trend…
Airlines giving antiseptic towelettes!
Oh, by the way – here’s a story of an infection despite all the mask wearing (note how this story is just a small sub-story). Read more about the effect of the mask here. Remember, masks are more important when YOU are sick to prevent your germs spreading! What is more scary, is the NORMAL flu going around killing 250 x more people than swine flu. Beware!
Does this make you feel queasy?
No, your eyes has not gone wonky. The glass is made to be tilted. This is served up at one of the highest rooftop bars in Bangkok (63rd floor!). That’s why this place is called “Vertigo”.
Come only if you’re not afraid of heights. The sunset here is magnificent! Take a cab to the Banyan Tree hotel and see it for yourself. One of the must-see places in Bangkok.
Notice how the “easy way” is scratched off…
The route up…
There it is! Aahh… should have taken my helicopter…
Hmm… was a cloudy day (rainy season mah)
And finally you can see the nice view of Pokhara and the lakeside from up here. Too bad it was cloudy, otherwise you can see snow-capped mountains in the background! For clear skies, don’t come during rainy season (May – Aug)
My tip is – don’t put the flower right in the centre of your frame and watch your background (should be as clear/simple as possible).
Will look good always!
On July 18th, it was the Worldwide Photowalk. There was a few groups in Bangkok, and quite a number of them filled up fast. I managed to join the group in Chinatown. About 50 people, led by a leader, walked around a set route in Chinatown and snapping photos along the way.
The leader would then select the best photo of the group. No, that is not mine. I have a long way to go. But anyway, enjoy some of the shots I got.
Family is gonna move house soon, but only 5 mins away from the current one. Dad currently busy managing the renovations.
Mom + Dad gonna take the master bedroom with a huge closet (walk in closet?). Bro’s gonna have 2 rooms combined to have more space for his toys. Me? I’m gonna be given the smallest room (also will be the “guestroom”), measuring 9x10 feet! Room colour looks iffy… maybe I can help make it better when I’m back.
Or maybe the cats will be happier to have it.
Lately (since about April) all the ATMs in Bangkok will charge a stupidly high fee for each withdrawal. They’ll charge you THB 150 – and that’s on top of your own bank charges!! So imagine having to pay something like THB 250 per each transaction. You better make full use of each withdrawal and draw out the maximum of THB 20,000 (but you still pay 1.25% extra) each time, and only if necessary.
So please bring more cash into Thailand next time!
And tips for Malaysians – the best exchange rate you can get from here is from K-bank (the rest has really horrible exchange, and a lot of difference too). Calculate from here if you get a better rate in Thailand or Malaysia.
Paragliding seem to be very popular in Pokhara. This is mainly because you can sail around the mountains of Annapurna, which has some of the highest peaks in the world.
It normally costs USD 100 for 30 minutes flight, but I got a 10% discount due to low season. It was monsoon season, so the area was pretty cloudy. The mountain was hiding behind thick clouds for most of the ride.
So they will drive you up the Sarangkot hills for take off. This is also a popular hiking spot to view the mountains.
Birds flying in the air. Which is usually a good sign, because they use the thermals to glide around – which is used by the paragliders to float upwards.
The getting ready and just before take off is the most scary part of the whole thing (like the feeling just before hopping onto a roller coaster).
They strap stuff on you (apparently, its your “chair”). Then the guide says “when I say walk, you walk. When I say run, you run. Don’t sit before we take off”. When its time, he says “walk” and “run” and you’re trying to do as he says, but the sail pulls you in so many directions all at once. Before you know it, you’re hurling yourself off the cliff!!
The sights are fantastic. You float over Pokhara city and the lake, some countryside with paddy fields, and of course, with the mountains in the background (or just a glimpse through the clouds).
My feet in the air!
My pretty sail.
Some part can be a bit nauseating, especially when your guide brings you round and round or worse – doing some aerial stunts/acrobat! If you’re queasy, be sure to warn them before hand! But before you know it, time is up. Then you move towards the landing spot, just beside the lake.
Your guide will tell you how to land. Apparently, there are 2 ways – you can land on your feet or land on your bum (which was what I did, apparently not enough wind or something).
The whole paragliding experience was worth it! And you even got a certificate after flying. Best time to go is after the monsoon season (September onwards) when the sky is clear and you get nice mountain views. But book early!
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