GuangXi, China. 19 - 26 September '09 [Nanning - YangShuo - Guilin - XingAn]
The first encounter was when the reservation officer called and informed that the taxes for my trip has increased, and they needed me to pay for the difference. The amount difference was not much per person (S$12) but after my further questioning on what has increased, why only they booked my tickets then when I have reserved 4 spots 2 months earlier etc, the officer got rude. Of course I read many reviews online about travel agents having rude officers, since you have paid your deposit definitely you can't back up on the package, but it's not how a customer should be treated! We need to know our rights. The officer was threatening me to make decisions on either paying up the difference or just forgo the trip. So I demanded to talk to their manager and yes, I made a big fuss about the whole issue. Thing is, it's not only about the money, the whole procedure of getting China travel visa was handled unprofessionaly too. They got my passport and yet they never made record of my passport details, resulting in numerous calls here and there. Perhaps they were unlucky to get me on the wrong time of the day. Any other day might be better but oh well, there are always reasons to whatever that happened. In the end, I never pay the difference, they decided to absorb the cost for me. They still took the time to make sure I never tell a single travellers in the trip about this so called "benefit", talking about the lack of professionalism.
The trip itself was pretty okay. It's a combine trip made of travellers from different travel agents (re.Namho). Namho charged slightly higher than Five Star Travel, I have made my comparison study before the trip. Our travel guide is a local Guilin person, a mother of 1. She was good in my opinion, my family shared the same thinking. Other than that, the itinerary was dull. I said so because throughout and after the trip, I don't miss GuangXi. The famous Guilin was not being covered well in the itinerary causing much regrets and disappointments. Don't get me wrong though, it's a beautiful place. For someone layback, it's a paradise. Unfortunately being in a tour group may take all the "beauty" away i.e. lousy itinerary, shopping stops, long drive hours etc.
We watched 2 shows while in GuangXi. One is the famous outdoor Liu Shan Jie (刘三姐). The performance is directed by the talented Zhang Yi Mou. Almost all of the performers are farmers / fishermen by day. This show gives them a platform to improve their standard of living, and at the same time, something worthy to showcase to the whole world. The performance utilizes spectacular lights and sound system to make full use of the natural beauty. Another performance is an indoor 梦幻漓江. This is more of the "standard" Chinese acrobatic shows. I wasn't able to enjoy the performance much since the hall was too crowded giving the claustrophobia feel. Some of the performers are really handsome/pretty. We were able to take photographs with them when the show was over.
Aside from all the prejudices/sentiments, I still am a Chinese at heart.
Malacca. Malaysia. 7 - 10 August '09
Singapore Botanic Gardens. Cluny Road. Singapore. 18 July '09
One has to reach there early to avoid the glaring sun. Mind you, it can be extremely hot and humid during the day as we are in tropical country, people! Regardless of the shades, I could still feel ultra exhausted and dehydrated.
This garden provides numerous photo opportunities. Swan lake, Swiss Ball fountain, National Orchird garden, etc...it's a true photographer heaven. For me who is a newbie, I found the place to hold magical moments. My first trip didn't seem to last very long and I wasn't able to venture into the isolated corners where they might hold more to behold. Well, there is always second, third and fourth chance! Unlike Sungei Buloh Wet Reserve, this garden is packed with joggers, families and dogs. A great short getaway from the metropolitan red dot.
Bukit Langat Look Out Point. Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia. 13 - 14 June '09
We arrived early morning and was greeted by loud hip hop music that got me grooving despite being tired from 2 days sales and marketing meeting the days before (and the late night entertainment that followed *shhhhttt beer*). Our activities for the first day include Bhangra Aerobic, indoor and outdoor games, jungle trekking, BBQ and karaoke. The games were not very impressive since I have higher expectation from a company that has been dealing with corporate events for years.
The second half of the day was slightly better as we got on our feet and challenged the physical games. Magic Carpet, Tarzan Swing and Balance the Brick were exciting but we were not able to finish the whole 5 stages since it started to pour heavily. Despite the unfriendly weather, we continued to conquer jungle trekking which was something that I regretted doing. It was awfully wet, muddy, slippery and taxing. But still, I felt jungle trekking was the only activity where I could see team spirit. The guys stayed back to give a helping hand to all the girls. Yeah, I know, man and woman could never be equal in terms of power and energy, and that's why I am blessed to be female. I fell once and dirtied my pants. Luckily tho I have my colleagues who was supporting me. I could felt his arm muscles tighten as I fell down, and I must say I now know what I need to look for in a man. Muscles...arm muscles to be exact is a turn on (LOL).
My sleeping arrangement was to sleep in a tent. It was quite spacious actually, with air-conditioner attached. But since my whole Singapore female team decided to bunk in into a chalet room, I decided to leave my cozy tent as well. There started my torture of having to sleep on the parquet floor since there wasn't enough space on the bed. With a freezing temperature of 16'C, I wasn't able to have a good night sleep. Instead, I added more sore to my already painstakingly stiff body.
For our second day, we played Lego and interactive quiz that were just so-so. The yoga, however, was trully refreshing and "awakening". I pulled a couple of muscles and I knew at that moment that I would not be able to walk properly for the next couple of days. My muscles were on strike. The main event was paintball which I have covered in my "Dailies Blog".
Although the event itself was not very memorable...but I felt a slight hesistance when we were about to leave the place. Especially when MYH team started to leave one by one, I came to realization that it's the end of an activities-packed weekend. I also regretted for not being open enough to get to know more people. At event like this, I always hoped that I could mingle and be the "real" me. However, being surrounded by colleagues, I still could not take off my mask completely and I guess, this is one of the drawbacks of team bonding activities. Not everyone is ready / willing to walk out of their comfort zone.
Anyway, cheers...and thank you for an interesting outing!
Kota Kinabalu. Sabah. Malaysia. 9 - 12 May '09
St. John & Kusu Island. Southern Island. Singapore. 2 May '09
St.John Island: " A former penal settlement, this large hilly island has been transformed into the perfect locale for a weekend get-away, with swimming lagoons, beaches, picnic grounds, trekking routes and soccer fields. "
Kusu Island: " A giant sea turtle saves two shipwrecked sailors – a Malay and a Chinese. As an act of thanks, the two men build a Chinese temple, a Malay shrine and a huge turtle sculpture. So goes the legend behind this island. Today, Taoists still make annual pilgrimages to the Tua Pekong Temple during the ninth lunar month while Muslims visit Kramat Kusu, the Malay shrine. "
Taken from Uniquely Singapore website @ visitsingapore.com
St.John and Kusu Island is easily accessible from Marina Bay pier. A short ferry ride of approximately 15 minutes and voila, welcome to this "undiscovered" islands. Why "undiscovered"? Reason simply being the lack of public awareness on the whereabouts and even the existence of these small islands. Well, I couldn't really blame the public as my own experience showed that these islands are not that great afterall. There wasn't anything spectacular of a scenery that would pull me to these islands again.
I went to these islands with 38 homosaphiens from a society called Indo Six. This is a Christian community that I got to know from a friend. I am not a Christian but mingling/networking is another plus since most of the people that I got to know there are executives themselves. Frankly, that was the largest gathering that I have ever joined in my past 2 years here.
We played simple games, lunch and most importantly, a photo hunting session. It was astonishing to see many photo enthusiasts alike. Unfortunately, all of them are true follower of "C" while I am a "N".
There wasn't much things to shoot in St.John Island. Perhaps, I have been to better islands, St.John island looks like a rundown, under-develop island (well, it's not actually). The lack of activities and attractions in this island bores me. In the end, I chose to shoot my friends instead...therefore the lack of good photos to show here. Kusu Island is slightly better than St.John Island. Kusu Island houses a traditional Chinese temple and apparently it is popular among local Chinese especially during the Lunar New Year. I also went to the muslim temple where the nice uncle prayed for my health, success and family.
It was a tiring day since the sun was shining brightly. I was exhausted and dehydrated since there wasn't a single stall that sell food and beverages in St.John island. I have to wait 'til later part of the day to buy a regular bottle of mineral water in Kusu island that cost me SGD1.80. My curiousity was fulfilled and I must say, I am slightly disappointed. Anyway, it was an okay destination. Nothing much to boast about.
Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve. Neo Tiew Crescent. Singapore. 25 April '09
" Set in 130ha of mangroves, ponds and secondary forest is a rare oasis of natural wonders and tranquility, home to unique plants and animals, as well as wintering grounds for migratory birds." (Taken from Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve trail guide, sponsored by HSBC under its Care-for Nature programme, which is dedicated to help conserve and protect living resources).
Last Saturday, my friend and I went to explore the untouchable Sungei Buloh. I got to know this place through clubsnap.com, a well known local forum for all photography enthusiasts alike. A nice user has posted information about this open competition in one of the threads and it caught my interests. Having purchased DSLR not long ago, I challenged myself to try the limit of my skills and creativity....well, don't be surprised if it's the lack of it that you see.
I left my place at 7.20am to meet my friend at Paya Lebar MRT. I was late since my alarm didn't ring, I stupidly set it to the wrong day. From Paya Lebar MRT, we took approximately an hour MRT journey to Kranji MRT. Once in Kranji, we bought simple breakfast at Mr.Bean which succesfully caused me stomachache later in the day. We patiently waited for public bus service number 925 but it was to no avail. In the end, we decided to take taxi that costed us approximately S$7.00/way.
Amazing....I never knew Kranji Beach exists! Honestly, I feel the atmosphere there is a lot fresher and better than East Coast Park. The mere reason being (I think) that Kranji is a far place for CBD and I doubt anyone would want to spend 1++ hour to reach there just for the beach (in our case, we took almost 2 hour). However, if you haven't been there, it's good to explore and expand your view about Singapore. I really liked it there although I didn't have the opportunity to get down from the taxi and stroll along the beach. My lost I believe.
Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve is about 5 to 10 minutes drive from Kranji Beach. During weekends, adults have to pay S$1.00 entrance fee that will contribute to the preserverance of its nature environment. Once we stepped in, we decided to join the guided tour around the boardwalk area but the phase was slightly too slow for us. We were lucky to spot 3 huge water monitor right next to the information center. No one was there so the monitors were ours for a quick 2 minutes *haha*.
The remaining day was a blur. Aside from the overly-bright and hot day, we are two old bones too heavy to walk (I am just blaming my age!). At first we anonymously decided to take the beginner path that covers 1/3 of the whole reserve. The trail guide mentioned it would take us approximately 2 to 3 hours walk. We were quite confident with the numbers. But my oh my, being photography freaks that we are, we took almost 2 hours to cover a short 1km path. To make matter worse, my stomach started aching halfway and we have to head back to the information center as that is the only place with decent toilet. The one inside the reserve is a single mobile toilet that scare the chicken out of me.
All in all, Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve is a unique place for nature lovers. Make sure to wear comfortable clothes and shoes. Also note, since this is jungle alike place, mosquito repellent is a wise option as those huge flying creatures suck blood more expertly and the rashes they left remained for couple of days after.
In case you are wondering, my friend and I spent 6 hours at Sungei Buloh and we covered almost 7km path. I was drained.
Perhentian Island. Kuala Terengganu. Malaysia.
9 Apr - 14 Apr '09
Along with Good Friday which falls on Friday (dugh, obviously?!), my usual travel team and I decided to spend the long weekend in Perhentian Island, Malaysia. Surprisingly for me, not many people know this place, unless they are into beaches, diving or the kind. For you who have no idea where this beautiful island lies at, you may have heard of Redang Island from the famous HK/Malaysia/Taiwan movie "More More Tea Inn". Perhentian Island is a mere 1 hour boat journey from Redang Island. From Singapore, normal couch will take approximately 10 to 11 hours to reach Jerteh or Kuala Besut where one will need to take additional 1 hour of speedboat journey from Kuala Besut port to Perhentian Island. Perhentian Island itself is divided into Big Perhentian Island and Small Perhentian Island. For this trip, we chose Big Perhentian Island and stayed at Awana Resort for 4D3N duration.
We reached our resort at 9.30am and decided to stroll along the beach to take photos. We were honestly quite dissapointed with the beach in front of our resort as it is basically empty, no corals and not to mention, variety of fishes or the lack of it. A friendly man who was our escort for this trip told us to be patient since he will be bringing us to 6 snorkel spots later that day. Albeit being adviced to rest and reserve our energy for an intensive snorkel plan after lunch, as a group of energetic youngsters, we rent kayak for an hour long and I was burnt up to my thigh. Basically, the generous application of sunblock SPF120 did not help much.
Snorkel trips around Perhentian Island were splendid!! Although I prefer Paya Beach Resort at Tioman as compared to Awana Resort, but the beautiful underwater world made up for the lost. We were first brought to this secluded beach and 2 friendly instructors taught the basic of snorkelling. How to wear the life jacket safely, how to wear the mask appropiately to avoid getting water into your eyes and they also patiently taught us the way to blow water out from the snorkel pipe. I was really bad at latter part. I panicked whenever there was water but overall, snorkel is an easy task....relax your muscle, look down and be prepared to enter a whole different world of fishes, corals, turtles, sharks and jellyfishes...all presented to you in High Quality or High Definition colour.
For our first day, we swam with 3 mid sized sharks, 3 huge turtles and 2 mini turtles, 1 stingray, hundreds of clown fishes otherwise known an Nemo, we touched anemone and it was really shocking to feel the suction on your palm, sea clam, etc etc. The friendly instructor (Tan) dived and showed us many creatures upclose such as sea urchin, starfish and corals. We were also brought to mineral water spring from where Perhentian Island claimed its name. According to Tan, locals and foreigners alike have to stop at this spring to wash away their tiredness after being in the sea for a long day. To stop means "berhenti" and therefore Perhentian Island aka "Stop" Island. I am not very sure with the originality of this story, but whatever that is good, it's always better to respect.
There isn't much night life along the beach at Awana Resort. However, for a holiday of this sort, you can't expect to drink beer all night long. My recommendation is to have a slow dinner / drink at one of the quieter pub, have a quality talk with your mates and enjoy the night breeze. I have to admit, this is the kind of activity that I miss most in Singapore. The serenity, the peacefulness, the simplicity, the magic to blend with nature. As it was Lunar calender the 15th, we were blessed with bright night under the full moon. Awwwhhh romantic moment.
For our second day, we were scheduled to do island hopping. Alighting on one of the speedboats, we went to Redand Island for its famous "More More Tea Inn" replica which was built next to Laguna Redang Resort. Took a couple of shots there. "More More Tea Inn" used to be one of my favourites movies back in schooling days and that was the time when I had my first relationship. Nostalgia. The beach at Redang Island is crowded with snorkel enthusiats and visitors. What a HUGE difference from Awana. Laguna Redang itself is a grand, oversized resort with bar, pub, archery and a port of its own. If you can't stay being idle during those spare time, Laguna might be your choice. We also visited Lang Tengah Island and the 3 ladies grabbed coconuts while resting. The guys prefer Ribena and crysanthemum tea, what a weird choice. Our second day snorkel was as amazing as the first. We spotted 4 baby sharks, 2 HUGE garoupa (toddler's size I can say!), murray eel, soft corals, more nemo, sword fish etc etc. I am still waiting for photos from my friend's cam, will make sure to share once ready.
We didn't do much on our third day there. Our schedule includes jungle trekking but most of us were having bad sunburnt, we decided to skip. We played in the hotel's swimming pool for hours, lunch, nap, stroll along the beach, more photos taking, dinner, snooker, rest and relax activity. As our coach heading back to Singapore is only at 9pm the following day, we signed up for city tour at Kota Bahru for RM35.00/person. We visited Sleeping Buddha temple, Sitting Buddha temple and also Thailand border where they are selling duty free goods. The city tour was forgetable and perhaps if I could turn back time, a bad decision. We should have just stayed at Perhentian Island until 4pm.
Our bus back to Singapore was delayed by an hour. However, our agent was a real nice man he called up our driver to accompany us at the bus station. I was quite confused at first as I thought we could handle everything well on our own. We are frequent travellers anyway. But to my surprise, as the night was getting deeper, less and less people were at the bus station and it was pitch dark...I was extremely thankful for our driver who was patiently waiting for the bus with us. The bus ride home was looooooooong, it took us 12 hours to reach Singapore.
Tiring, but I will definitely give Perhentian Island another visit. I made this wish while I was on the speedboat leaving Perhentian.....I will definitely be back.
