Holiday Getaways

Melbourne 2010

2010-11-19T22:28:00.006+08:00

Melbourne City - June 2010

From Melbourne 2010

The night view of melbourne city

From Melbourne 2010

Great Ocean Road

From Melbourne 2010

The flight for a fantastic 12 Apostle's view

From Melbourne 2010

Some breathtaking sights from up above

From Melbourne 2010

Hanoi 2008

2008-09-06T00:00:00.004+08:00

Halong Bay

A 6 hours boat trip out to the islands in Halong Bay.

From Hanoi 2008

A cave on one of the islands.

From Hanoi 2008

Scenic view of Halong Bay.

From Hanoi 2008

View from top of a hill that we climbed up! Tiring 400+ steps..... :/ but all felt that it was worth the climb!

From Hanoi 2008

San Diego 2008

2008-09-05T23:20:00.005+08:00

Whale Watching

Cruising out to search for whales.....

From San Diego

A big blow from the whale....

From San Diego

Lots of dolphins.....

From San Diego

Ended with some lion seals on our way back.

From San Diego

Hokkaido 2007 Part 1

2007-11-27T21:10:00.000+08:00

7 Days Hokkaido Trip
24th - 30th October

Cambodia Part III

2007-05-20T13:52:00.000+08:00

Preah Khan

Built in the 12th century for King Jayavarman VII

The fourth enclosure wall bears 5 m garudas holding nagas. Buddha images in the niches above were destroyed in the anti-Buddhist reaction of Jayavarman VIII.

As we were walking towards the temple entrance we heard the sweet sound of child’s voice. We turned to find a boy gleefully singing and swinging on one of the overhanging branches of the trees surrounding.

The hot summer temperature of 38deg C didn’t seem to bother him at all! Seeing him, erased the frown from our sweaty foreheads and brought smiles on our faces.

Banteay Srei

Built primarily of red sandstone, this temple is dedicated to the Hindu God Siva and is one of the most unique temples of Angkor.

This temple was not built for a king unlike the rest of the temple. And the stone carvings are intricate and still very much intact. Also, the temple itself is more like a miniature of a much larger temple with doorways big enough to just to fit a six year old child!

The main sanctuary

Khmer inscriptions

Siva in the form of Nataraja

Cambodia Part II

2007-05-16T11:59:00.000+08:00

Ta Phrom

It was built by King Jayavarman VII as a Buddhist monastery and university. Unlike most of the other Angkor temples, Ta Prohm has been left in much the same condition in which it was found. The forest still engulfs it very much the way it probably did when it was found. This makes it one of the most exclusive and photogenic sites of Angkor.

These trees growing out of the architecture is the feature that distinguishes from the rest of the temples. Here you can see the massive roots of the silk cotton tree.

Perhaps, to a very large extent it is the trees that hold the entire structure together.

Tourists love to take photos at this particular tree root on their way out. I had to wait long to get these shots after the other tourists had cleared out.

Cambodia Part I

2007-05-10T12:00:00.000+08:00

April 2007

One of my colleagues, Smita, has been to Cambodia recently for a week. Here's her experience of her stay.

Siem Reap

Siem Reap City

The name literally means Siamese defeated referring to the victory of the Khmer Empire over the army of the Thai kingdom of Ayutthaya in the 17th Century.
Area: 10,299Km2
Population: 696,164 (1998)
Source: www.wikipedia.com

The locals playing the “kicking arrow”…It is no child’s play

Siem Reap river that flows into the Tonle Sap lake.

The wetlands of Cambodia – Tonle Sap lake & it’s floating civilization.

Floating civilization – many of these are Vietnamese refugees who thrive on the abundant waters of the lake.

A floating Catholic Church

A floating village

…and even a floating school.

The jewels of Cambodia – The Angkor Temples

The Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat was built for King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century as his state temple. It is the largest and the best-preserved temple at the site. Over the years it has been a place of worship for two religious groups — first the Hindus, praying primarily to Vishnu, and then to the Buddhists. Hence, here you find statues of both Vishnu and Budha.

The Sun rising ahead of us…
Time: 5:35AM

The Angkor Wat –It is absolutely awe inspiring to watch the magnificent monument unveil itself at dawn with the first light of the day falling on its towers and slowly revealing to you the shear size of the structure in mysterious ways.

Depending on the time of the year, the sun can rise as early as 5am. On April 2nd, 2007 we were lucky to have had a full-moon day the night before and hence we caught this splendid view of the sun rising ahead of us while the moon was setting right behind us. (Note that the Angkor Wat temple is facing due East.

… and the Moon setting behind us
Time: 5:35AM

Yet another view of the Moonset. This view is from the open ground in-front of the Angkor Wat. Everyone here is waiting to see the Angkot Wat unveil itself at 6am. There were fewer people than we expected at that time of the day which adds on to the peaceful atmosphere there. The temple is surrounded with dense forest which makes the place echo with the sounds of the birds and the other creatures breaking the silence of the night.

There are many locals who offer you chairs and coffee, at a price of course! So, the best thing to do is to bring your own coffee in a thermos and breakfast and simply enjoy the beauty unfold. We brought our breakfast packed at the inn however coffee would’ve been great.

The next few shots are of the temple at times just few minutes apart slowly revealing the “gopuras” (towers) and the vastness of the Angkor Wat. This photo was taken at 6am.

Time: 6:00AM

Time: 6:15AM

Time: 6:25AM

Top View

Along the corridors of Angkor Wat…

The epic of Ramayana

The Heaven and Hell gallery

Nails being driven into a mortal

The depiction of the Churning of the Ocean of Milk

Here you see Vishnu on top of Kurma (turtle) situated right at the center of the gallery being pulled on either sides by the Asuras (giants) and the Gods. It is sort of like a celestial tug-of-war where the rope is the snake Vasuki wrapped around the Mount Mandara churning the sea of milk.

Churning the sea for 1000 years released a seminal fluid that creates a divine ambrosia, amrita, the essence of life and immortality. Many other treasures are also flung up. Born of this action are apsaras, or celestial dancers, a purely Khmer innovation

Asuras at the tail of Vasuki

Yama, the God of death, mounted on his vehicle, the buffalo

Suryavarman II, the builder of Angkor Wat

Tourists offering incense to the Gods

Buddha avtaras

Center tower of the Angkor Wat

More about Hong Kong

2007-04-23T13:15:00.000+08:00

Hong Kong is an all-year-round destination. It enjoys a mild climate from the middle of September to the end of February, while the weather from May to mid-September is rather warm and humid.
Hong Kong is geographically compact, so visitors are never too far from shopping and major sights. Hong Kong also boasts one of the world's most efficient, safe, affordable and frequent public transport systems. Whether by taxi, ferry, rail, bus or tram, you can get around easily and catch wonderful glimpses of the city along the way. Most hotels are located in the heart of the city, in Central, Wan Chai and Causeway Bay on Hong Kong Island and in Tsim Sha Tsui and Tsim Sha Tsui East in Kowloon.

When it comes to shopping experience, Hong Kong has everything in abundance. Hong Kong's street markets are always full of excitement. The market stalls are where Hong Kong's dedicated shoppers display their bargaining skills. This is where you go if you are looking for cheap bargains. Hong Kong's well-designed shopping mega-malls cater to every taste and budget. These vast emporiums combine boutiques of brand names from every corner of the world. Enjoy the fine dining and gourmet food outlets in Hong Kong's malls, offering everything you could ever desire under a single air-conditioned roof.

Hong Kong's cuisine is renowned for its exotic fusion of Eastern and Western flavours along with a wide variety of culinary delights. Its cultural blend, proximity to mainland China and reputation for quality have made Hong Kong a Gourmet Paradise. Many of Hong Kong's districts brag a unique ambience and selection of food. There are more than 9,000 restaurants offering almost every cuisine under the sun, so each dining experience in Hong Kong is vastly different. No trip to Hong Kong would be complete without trying dim sum. These are delightful, mouth-watering snacks served in steaming bamboo baskets and eaten with pots and pots of Chinese tea for breakfast or lunch. Steamed pork buns, shrimp dumplings, beef balls and pan-fried squid with spicy salt are just some of the local favourites.

Other then tons of shopping and food, there's also many other attractions to keep yourselves occupied. Places like the Peak, Giant Buddha, Ocean Park and Hong Kong Disneyland will ensure your fun filled trip in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong

2007-04-18T23:56:00.000+08:00

December 2006

I had a great time in Hong Kong during 2006 Christmas Season. The mood was quite different as compared to Singapore. Although it was only a short weekend, but I manage to visit quite a few places in Hong Kong. Definitely Hong Kong's Disney Land was one of them.

These are some of the rides you can find in there. Generally, the theme park has less exciting rides compared to others thus it is a good place to go to if you have young kids.

I would say this indoor roller coaster is the most exciting ride you can find in the whole area.

Hong Kong's Disney Land has many interesting shows like what you see above. This is their Disney parade just like Singapore's Chingay. This parade will bring all our familiar childhood characters back to live.

This was the Christmas tree light up on Christmas eve. Quite a grand lighting followed by continuous snow long one of the streets. Many people gathered to watch the light up and hang around there to soak up the Christmas mood.

This is the reason why many people stayed till 9pm in Disney Land. The fire works! Is was really fantastic. You will not regret staying to watch it. It is a 10-15mins show using "I can show you the world" song with the castle as the background. The fireworks was simply amazing. I've got some videos but just too big to be uploaded.

After a long day in here, its time to say good bye.....

The very next day we were at Ocean Park. This place was so crowded almost every ride had a queue for over an hour. Here you will be able to find more fun and exciting rides. Maybe thats why it is so crowded.

This rotating tower gives a good view to the park and the sea.

I was there just in time for the sea lion's feeding time follwed by the dolphin and sea lion show.

Since its Christmas season, they made their divers doing the feeds to dress up in Santa Claus suits.

One of the many sharks in the Shark's aquarium. It's teeth was really horrible to look at.

I manage to catch a sun set view in Ocean Park before leaving.

And yes, this is the view and crowd in Hong Kong on Cristmas eve. The Christmas lighting view was captured at xing guang da dao.

More about Perth City

2007-04-16T18:57:00.000+08:00

The centre of the Perth metropolitan area is the Perth CBD located on the Swan River around 10 km inland. The CBD is the premier business and shopping centre together with the adjacent Northbridge as well as the entertainment centre.

Positioned on the south west of the continent, the city experiences a mediterranean climate with wet, mild winters from June to August (daily maximums around 15C) and hot, dry summers from December to January (daily maximums around 35C). The best times to visit are during spring between September and November and autumn between March and May.
There are a lot of restaurants in Northbridge just across the railway line north of the CBD. Mainly Southern European (Greek, Italian etc) and Asian (especially Indonesian and Vietnamese) restaurants. The seafood restaurants are also recommended. Northbridge gets very busy Friday and Saturday night.

One of the drawbacks of Perth is the lack of late night dining. Very few places will serve food after 10pm at night, with the notable exception of some excellent out-of-the-way Asian eateries and the other cafes in Northbridge.

Fremantle is a good option for getting out. It's easy to get to by train and has enough restaurants, bars and coffee shops to keep you well fed and watered. South Ice has a coffee strip that is popular from the morning and on through the day; about the only place around Perth that's alive from dawn to dawn.

Fremantle, about 20km south-west of Perth CBD is the original port and still supports a major maritime industry. Although part of the continuous built up area that is "Perth," it is considered by most locals to be a different city. Small enough to walk around comfortably with attractions that include the Maritime Museum. Popular with the locals as a place to go for a coffee and even more laid back than Perth.

Kings Park is a large beautiful park full of native flora located in the middle of the city. The best views of Perth can be found here. Visit the modest but beautiful war memorial. (Bus 37 from St Georges Terrace. Also 39 on Sundays. Within Free Transit Zone)

Australia - Perth

2007-04-15T19:40:00.000+08:00

Magaret River (2006)

We arrived in Perth's International airport after a 4hr flight from our hometown. The cool breeze outside was refreshing for people like us who came from a warm climate. After clearing the customs, we were transferred to a van which brought us to magaret river where we were supposed to stay for the next 5 days. This is where our adventure begins....

This is where we call our home during our stay in magaret river, Wharncliffe Mill. The environment is pretty nice and peaceful. At least it is a break from the hectic routine for most of us who are working. The climate there is rather dry but cool even when it is 12noon. However, we never expected to be wearing many layers and still freezing in the night.

This is the one of the caves we visited. When we were told that we will be exploring this, some of us were excited but of cause some will be quite worried. We never get to see caves like this in Singapore so its some new for all of us.

My group was brought to this cave on the 2nd day in Magaret river, Calgardup Cave. This is a tourist cave open to the public. As we entered, it looks less scary as there were proper platforms for tourist to walk on. All we needed were torches to lite our way but never did we expect to stop at this area where we were being brief on what to look out for while climb up. Yes, our overalls were not just to keep us warm, we climb and crawl our way through the cramp, dark and damp cave. All of us moved in a single file using any part of our body to cling on to anything we can find along the way just to maneuver our way through. It was a little tough at difficult areas but all was worth while as we will never get such an experience back home.

We did a little bit of kayaking too. It wasn't a very long expedition but we got a taste of Australia's water condition. That experience made me feel that Singapore's waters is actually very clam. We paddled to the island across and disembark to explore a bit. All of us climb to the peak where we got a fantastic view of the ocean behind us. The initial plan was to paddle around the island but was called off as the waves in front were too dangerous for non season kayakers like us. However, we were still brought to the edge of the island to take a peep at the waves which convinced all of us not to go any further.

We camped over night at a beach where we will start our trekking the very next morning. As the sun sets rather late, we got some free time to hang around after our tents were pitched. This is my group of crazy buddies who were with me thoughout the trip. Some of us wanted to go for a swim but decided not to after the kayaking where we found out how icy cold the water is. Sun set was pretty nice but the sky at night was fantastic with the stars shining right above us.

Our next adventure is to embark on our 14km trekking route by the beach. 14km seems quite fine just by looking at the number but when we start to feel the soft sand under our feet, we knew life won't be so easy. We will be trekking on the cape to cape walk track which lies along the coast. The scenery was unbelievable, the group had difficulties moving on as many people just wanted to capture the breath taking view in their cameras. Below are some of the views along the track.

This is the final and most exciting activity for us in Magaret river. We are at the abseil and natural rock wall. This abseil site is a challenge for many of us but an unforgettable experience. When we our way down to the half way mark, a turn of our heads will open us to the blue ocean with waves hitting the rocks right beneath us.

This vertical wall with only a few cracks where we can put our fingers into was almost impossible for any of us to keep our body hanging, not to mention pulling ourselves up there. However, many of us made an attempt to challenge the wall on the right hand side where there was a gap for us to squeeze our way up. :p

Well, a five days adventure in Magaret river was indeed a very memorable experience for all of us. It will be nice if we could get a break like this every year! All good things have to come to an end. As we were making our way back to Perth city, we stop by the chocolate factory where many people bought tons of chocolates. This is my first time seeing my friends paying more then a hundred dollars for chocolates!

We had some time at the winery too. Fans of alcohol enjoyed themselves at the bar tasting a variety of wine.

After all the fun we had, and yes, it is back to reality....

Phuket

2007-04-13T22:23:00.000+08:00

If you are looking for a short getaway, Phuket could be one of your choices. Patong Beach in Phuket is one of the most famous beaches around ensuring a fun filled trip. During the day, Patong's curved sandy bay is a hive of activity with parasail and jet-ski operators, boat drivers, beach vendors and masseuses all vying for the attention of the many visitors relaxing on the beach chairs. Those looking for more to do than sunbathe can try their hand at diving, sailing, elephant-trekking, ATV-riding, Harley Davidson tours, sea canoeing, bungy jumping, water-skiing and more, all of which can be arranged at the many tour desks set up around town and in the hotels.

As for me, a 4 days 3 nights trip was lined up with jet skiing, parasailing, diving, ATV and definately not missing the night shopping as well as food!

On the day of arrival in Patong beach, we spent the first afternoon walking around the town as well as sourcing for a dive operator. We headed to Rachai Yai and Rachai Noi islands for our dive the next morning. At the dive sites, we saw stone fishes, sting rays, lion fish as well as many schools of fishes. Marine life there was not as good as described by many people. Probably most of them were destroyed by the Tsunami. :( Dives sites which we visited were Banana Bay, Manita Rock and Lucy Reef.

The All Terrain Vechicle(ATV) seem something interesting thus we decided to have a go at it. We were brought to an off road terrain which seem rather dangerous at first. The terrain was very steep and bumby with alot of gaps on the road. Initially I thought i would fall off the vechicle or get trap but i was surprise at how it managed to grip onto the ground even when we are tilted at about 45 degrees. The trick was just to follow the guide's path very closely. Overall it was quite an interesting experience and we manage to get nice scenery views.

Advance Open water

2007-04-12T22:35:00.000+08:00

March 2005 : Tioman

I was back at the same place about a year later for my advance open water course. This time monsoon season just ended thus was a bit worried about bad water conditions. Visibility was not as good as my basic course but we manage to sight a few marine life which was new to us.

We had our equipments packed neatly before arriving at our dive site.

This was the visibilty range during our dives.

We spot this huge sting ray on our very first dive in this trip. This sting ray is easily 2m wide! It was an amazing sight. Everyone paused while it glided pass our group.

Some of the marine life spotted during my trip.

This is the crown of thorns. Seem quite harmless but any diver that steps on it can get themselves into serious trouble.

A blue spotted sting ray was seen resting under some corals.

And of course this is myself trying to get a nice background for a good shot. :)

These photos were taken at the following dive sites, Jahat, Bahava Rock, Renggis and Labas.

More about Tioman

2007-04-12T11:53:00.000+08:00

The island is about 24 miles from the east coast of peninsular Malaysia, with three of its peaks rising to about 1,000 metres and visible far out in the South China Sea. Much of its 44 square miles is covered with tropical rain forest. A narrow coastal strip is partly cultivated, and on it are found small villages and settlements, with a local resident population.

Tioman has some of the best dive sites in the South Asian region, With 18 dive sites to choose from. They can offer exiting dive sites for newcomers as well as more challenging dive spots for experienced divers. In the close range, there are 12 spots where you can go to on your daily dive trips.

Waters around the island can have visibilty ranges between 8m-25m and temperature of 26C-32C.The underwater landscape is of granite rock, a perfect ground for coral growth which provides shelter and food for fishes and other marine life. Tioman offers you a large diversity of hard, soft corals and spounge corals. The shallow, calm waters of dive sites near Tioman, such as Pirate Reef and Renggis Island, are ideal for training and less experienced divers, as well as photography.

Explore the swim-throughs at Labas along the dense fan coral garden at Fan Canyon or enjoy the soft corals on one of our wrecks. With extensive coral reefs teeming with a wide variety of tropical fish large and small, Tioman also has over a dozen wrecks offering something for every level of divers.

My first diving experience!

2007-04-11T22:38:00.000+08:00

Pulau Tioman - June 2004

Tioman (Malay: Pulau Tioman) is a small island, 39 km long and 12 km wide, located off the east coast of peninsular Malaysia.

My first open water dive ever! Nervous yet excited. My diving buddies were all eager and ready with our equipments to take our first breath of air under water. The water look so welcoming isn't it?

Following the mooring rope down was a little scary for all of us but everything was forgotten once we started to see the beautiful fishes. First sight of nemo....

This fish followed my diving group for almost 15mins.

Under the sea....under the sea.

These pictures were taken while we were diving at the following sites, Malang Rock, Telok Kador, Lapas and Reggis.