Vietnam: Winter - February 2008

I like Hanoi. The chaotic city has its own charm. The people were very busy with their lives. Bicycles, trishaws and motorbikes were "flying" everywhere. They were so busy with their own activities and that ironically made me feel safe in their midst. Am I making sense?

How can you feel that it was dangerous to walk at night when there were so many decent looking young ladies on motorbikes and bicycles enjoying themselves?

We were staying at the Old Quarter. Hanoi would not be Hanoi without its Old Quarter, a maze of streets dating back to the 13th century. We witnessed first-hand its present-day chaos, maybe just a different version of the old chaos, when specialised trade guilds were responsible for each street.

A visit to Hanoi would not be complete without taking a cruise of Halong Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The "green" water was quite soothing to the soul. Canoeing was part of the cruise package. The price of Halong Bay-City Tour-Water Puppet Show was US$58 per person. The water puppet show was funny and interesting. You should experience it at least once in your life ;)

We were there from 24-28 February 2008. The weather was great, suitable for walking and shopping ;p Air Asia return flight was RM520 for two.

All in all it was a good holiday. If you have nowhere in mind to go for an extended weekends trip, maybe you can consider Hanoi.

I've uploaded 226 photos for your viewing pleasure. You can access them at my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/mkhasha.n.travels/. Go to the photo albums.

Njoy!!

Santai, Shopping, Solace - Quarter 4 2007

 

I started my one-year career break (2007/2008) with a short "santai" holiday in Port Dickson. A town of one hour drive from Kuala Lumpur. For those who are not familiar with the Malay language, "santai" means relaxing.

 

Nothing exciting happened though. Even the sea looked a bit sombre in late October. The raining season had just started..

Next I went to Bandung, Indonesia with my mom for a shopping excursion in November. We managed to grab Air Asia "free" tickets. It actually cost us RM350 and we need to book 7 months in advance!

 

Bandung is well known for their factory outlets, fake branded handbags and Muslimah fashion apparel. We didn't buy any fake stuff. No point toting "branded" fakes.. I would rather buy cheap originals anytime :)

 

We bought a lot of spicy snacks. It was really cheap compared to Malaysia. The only complain was.. we should have bought more ;p I bought a lot of tops too from their factory outlets and my mom bought a lot of fancy head scarfs and "jubah" at their market.

 

All in all it was an enjoyable mother-daughter shopping trip. The weather was also quite pleasant. The hotel we stayed was pretty good too. Within walking distance to the market. Very convenient cause we can then unload all the stuff that we bought at the hotel before we continue our shopping. What is with women and their shopping huh?

 

Year 2007 was wrapped up with a spiritual journey to Mecca and Medina, Saudi Arabia in December. I just realised something.. I did my own version of "Eat, Pray, Love" in 2007 prior to the debut of the film in 2010 ;p

 

This was actually my second time to these Muslim holy cities. The first was back in year 2002. We went for a small pilgrimage then called "umrah". The visit was coupled with a visit to Iran. In Iran we explored Tehran, Mashhad and Qom. We visted Iman Reza's, one of 12 imams of Shia, shrine at Marshhad and his sister's shrine Fatimah at Qom.

 

What I remembered most about Iran was apricots and cherries. They were in abundance and really cheap! I taught the apricots were small peaches back then! They were really sweet. The cherries were superb too. Iranians love to eat fresh salads. The meals served during the tour were normally consist of rice, grilled chicken/mutton/beef and salads. No special gravy.. just olive oil and mint.

 

Their heritage buildings and shrines were covered by small mirrors. Very beautiful engineering. Their women at small town were required to cover themselves with a piece of big cloth called "chador". It doesn't have to be black though, it can have prints and be colourful ;p Women at big cities like Tehran were more modernly attired. The cars were mostly old Datsuns. Consumer goods choices were quite limited but those available were pretty cheap. People there who can speak English can speak very well. Enough of Iran. I have more to tell but I digress ;)

 

Back to my spiritual journey.. I spent a total 44 days. 34 in Mecca and 10 in Medina. This pilgrimage cost around RM10k per person. The weather was pleasant and I can sum up my experience with one word: INSPIRING. It inspires me to think about my beliefs. I'm still thinking and reassessing them as we speak :)

 

Point to note: All the pictures were taken before the facebook and smart phone era where every single thing must be picture-recorded for posterity ;p So please forgive the small number of photos. Most especially in Saudi Arabia. I don't bring camera to business trips. More so during my journey to find solace. So all the pictures were taken using my pathetic camera phone.

 

Back then in 2007 we were not allowed to take pictures in the holy mosques so no cameras were allowed. If you bring any, it will be confiscated. It is much different now with the advent of smart phones with excellent camera. They finally realised that it is futile to prevent people from taking pictures in the mosques ;p

 

You can find the 20 pictures of Port Dickson, 34 of Bandung and 18 of Mecca at my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/mkhasha.n.travels/. Go to the photo albums.

Njoy!

Twin Cities: Summer - August 2007

 

This twin-trip was not actually a holiday. I was having a back to back business meetings in two continents. This was totally abnormal in my line of work thus worth mentioning in my blog ;p

 

During business trips I normally don't bring my camera. I will just make do with my pathetic camera phone if ever I need to take a photo. I made an exception to this one cause it was London!!! Also because this twin-trip was my last meeting before I went on one year career break and I want to take photos of my colleagues just incase I decided later to retire for good..

 

What I loved most about the first of the twin-trip was Malaysia Airlines Business Class. Eating "satay" and having "teh tarik" on air was awesome! Another thing I love was the "nasi ayam" made by my host-friend. I was a lousy cook back then, so I was impressed when my friend can actually cook!

 

Since my trip to London was short and mostly occupied with meetings, I tried to aim for only three touristy thingy to do. First one was to visit the Tower of London, the second one was to watch as many musicals as possible and the third one shopping. Specifically for the Marks & Spencer's Oatberry Cluster Mini Bites.. That dessert is really one of the best in the world!

 

Tower of London was a failure cause the queue at the ticket booth was so long. I was too tired after 12 hours flight and don't really want to waste time queuing. Luckily I managed to catch two musicals. Les Miserables and Lord of the Rings. Lord of the Rings was great. Les Miserables was truly miserable.. I actually fell asleep during the intermission and struggled to keep my eyes open for the rest of the show. A Brazilian beside me also slept.. so it was not only me alone who found it a bore :(

 

What I love about the second of my twin-trip was Singapore Chilli Crab that our working group had at Clarke Quay. I was also fond of their Night Safari.. Eventhough it was nothing like the real safari in Africa but Singapore being Singapore.. it was really well done :)

 

If you have been following my blog, you should know by now that I'm an "aspiring" photographer with not-so-great cameras. So keep that in mind when you look at the photos of this trip.. most especially the Singapore ones.. ;p

 

You can find all 80 of them at my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/mkhasha.n.travels/. Go to the photo albums.

 

Njoy!!

Egypt: Spring - April 2007

I think the Egyptians are lucky. They don't have to build anything great to entice millions of tourists to come to their shore every year. Their ancestors had done it for them thousands of years ago and brilliantly too! Their ancient architects and engineers were true geniuses if you ask me!

The picture above was given to me by one of the tour members. Awesome right? It was the picture of Abu Simbel complex. Click on the picture for a bigger size photo.

What was unique about this trip was the multiple mode of transportation that we took during the trip. Besides the normal aeroplane and bus rides, we sailed in cruise ship and falluca. We took a ride in horse carriage and also a short travel on camel. Finally, the sleeper train from Luxor to Cairo. Seven altogether ;p

Local food during this trip was unfortunately not to my taste. For one thing, they always serve them cold and it was pretty bland. Which was a surprise cause I would think that since their prior civilization was so grand, it will somehow got translated to their food as well..

Their Giza Pyramids were majestic. The Spinx was smaller than I expected though. Cairo bazaar was a disappointment. The sellers were just too aggressive so it made the window shopping experience not as enjoyable as it should be.

This tour was organised by Parlo Tours. 10 days 7 nights. 23 April to 2 May 2007. It covered a few major cities: Luxor, Aswan, Cairo and Alexandria. Airline: Qatar Airways. Transit at Doha but this time round no more free city tours offered by the airline cause there were more flights to Kuala Lumpur now compared to few years back. Tour price was RM4.5k per person.

If you're interested, I've uploaded 217 photos of this trip. You can find them at my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/mkhasha.n.travels/. Go to the photo albums.

Njoy!!

Malaysia: Summer - July 2006

Are you one of those who simply can't resist taking photos with flowers whenever they go on holidays? If yes, then all these pictures are dedicated to you!

I'm afraid I'm also one of them. Not the chronic kind though cause I like taking photos with buildings too ;p

My mom simply loves flowers. So, because of her I will occasionally go to flower shows in my locality whenever it is convenient (ample parking bays and somewhere that I know how to drive to.. hehe GPS is still alien to me).

I will normally go early in the morning and aim to be back by noon. Why? Can't stand the hot sun even after donning my hat. Can't open an umbrella either cause I might poke on someone's eyes!

After going to a few of them, I think our local flower shows are quite good. The flowers displayed were as good as overseas shows. In my humble opinion, the only thing we lose out is the weather. Hot and humid are not a good combination if you plan to spend hours outdoor. I suppose you should enjoy it more if you are not a "Puteri Lilin" like me ;p

The Malaysia International Landscape and Garden Festival was held at Lake Garden, Kuala Lumpur from 6-16 July 2006. Entrance fee was RM3 per person. This is a yearly affair but nowadays it is called "Floria" and are generally held at our administrative capital of Putrajaya.

I've loaded 90 photos for your viewing pleasure. You can access them at my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/mkhasha.n.travels/. Go to the photo albums.

UPDATE: I went to another flower show - Floria - in Putrajaya on 7 July 2012. Since I do not have a lot of pictures to share nor stories to tell, I've decided to just tag the photos in this posting instead of creating a new one.

You can access photos of 2012 Floria, Putrajaya at my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/mkhasha.n.travels/. Go to the photo albums.

Njoy!!

Cambodia: Summer - April 2006

Our trip to Siem Reap like the rest of the tourists were for the sole purpose of going to Angkor Wat - the largest Hindu temple complex in the world. Built by King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century dedicated to Lord Vishnu.

Eventhough the temple was huge and impressive but to me it lacked the charm of other ancient heritage sites. For one thing, the stones were of black-greyish kind. So it made me feel a little bit depressed.

I found that I was more amazed by the Temple of Ta Prohm. Built in the Bayon style largely in the late 12th and early 13th centuries. Huge trees are blended into the walls and rocks hugging the giant roots gives the temple a surreal appearance.

Nothing much to do here except visit the ancient temples and buy multicoloured sapphires. Actually I'm not really sure that the "sapphires" sold are actually authentic. Here, they have all sorts of colours. And the sales girls claimed all are sapphires! I think I'm probably one of many that was conned.. hehe whatever..

Siem Reap is just like a small underdeveloped town. I've been to Phnom Penh before in 2003 and I think the capital was much more vibrant. During my visit then, Phnom Penh just got their new spanking airport and I was told that it was built by a Malaysian company. The locals speak French more fluently than English due to their past history with the French.

We went on our own for this trip. The plane tickets for two by Air Asia cost RM322. We were there from 14-17 April 2006. If you wish to go, I think 3 days-2 nights are more than sufficient.

I've uploaded 63 photos. You can access the photos at my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/mkhasha.n.travels/. Go to the photo albums.

Njoy!!

Australia: Winter - June 2005

 

What I remember most about this trip was the tour leader, Alex. Until now whenever I joined a tour, when the tour leader reminded the participants to check their passports, handphones etc etc.. I will always remember Alex and his stories of his experience as a tour guide. They were so funny! 

 

Another thing that stand out of this tour was the fact that our tour bus actually broke down on our way back from the Blue Mountain! Unbelievable right? I mean this is Australia, the first world country.. where everything should be tip-top. Even the third world countries that I visited thereafter.. so far so good. No break downs. We were stuck for 1.5 hours before the replacement bus came. To err is human huh?

 

We also managed to squeeze a visit to our friend's house who migrated to Australia. She lives at a lovely suburb in Sydney. During the visit, she introduced me to a "sweet" grapefruit. Grapefruit and sweet somehow doesn't jive in my book. But now whenever I'm lucky enough to eat a relatively sweet grapefruit, I will remember her :)

 

This tour was organised by Reliance Travel. From 3-9 June 2005. The tour price was RM5.3k per person. It covers three cities: Brisbane, Gold Coast and Sydney. This was my second visit to Sydney. The first time was before my "digital camera" era in early 2002. We went to Sydney and Melbourne then.

 

Sydney during my first visit was much more exciting. Most probably due to the weather. We went there in early March. Early autumn, where the daylight hours were longer. Bondi and Manning beaches were still a happening place. This time round it was a bit surreal that at 5pm.. it was already dark! And nobody is crazy enough to take a dip in the water ;p

 

I've uploaded 157 photos for your viewing pleasure. You can access them at my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/mkhasha.n.travels/. Go to the photo albums.

 

Njoy!!

Western Europe: Spring - March 2004

This trip took a place in my history as the most expensive shopping that I ever did overseas. Never to be repeated. I bought an Omega watch and an orange colour pearl set set in Lucerne. I also bought a diamond ring in Amsterdam.

On hindsight, the watch was a useful buy. The other two were just nice-to-have. I got caught in a shopping frenzy. I plead temporary insanity ;P Lesson learnt. Nowadays whenever I travelled, I will only buy their local food and fridge magnets :)

The other unique thing about this trip was half of the tour members disappeared in London! I was told that this phenomenon was not uncommon. It seemed like the Western Europe tours arranged by our local travel agents were used as a means for the youngsters to get to London to work illegally. No wonder some of them didn't even look like tourists and the tours even though expensive were always sold out.

The youngest in the "jump ship" group was 18 years old with tattoos on his body. But I think he was detained and not allowed to enter London. They probably sent him back to Brussels. The young ladies and some of the young men managed to get in. Now you know why the UK Government want to slap entry visas on us.

This trip was organised by Parlo Tours. It was from 25 March to 4 April 2004. There was a stopover at Doha and like the last time, we were given a free Doha tour. I'm sharing two photos of Doha. The weather was very pleasant this time round :)

The price of the tour was RM5.5k per person. We covered 11 cities / towns: Paris, Lucerne, Engelberg (Mount Titlis), Heidelberg, Schaffhausen (Rhine Falls), Lake Titisee (Black Forrest), Cologne, Amsterdam, Brussels, London and Doha. 7 countries in 11 days: France, Switzerland, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, England and Qatar.

Although it was pretty hectic, it was a very enjoyable trip . The weather was superb too. The scenery were awesome! I've uploaded 243 photos of this trip for your viewing pleasure.

You can access them at my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/mkhasha.n.travels/. Go to the photo albums.

Njoy!!

India: Autumn - September 2003

 

I must apologise upfront. I don't really have that kind of fuzzy feeling when I thought of my visit to India. I don't know why but I can only remember the not so positive stuff. A bit weird... cause I went with the ladies, so the company and shopping were great.. and yet... Hemmm...

What I remember was.. I've never seen the air hostesses so busy serving drinks during a flight. Not the fruit juice or plain water like flights to other places.. but tray after tray after tray of beers. The bell for calling them also rung almost non-stop thoughout the flight from KL to Delhi.

What I remember was.. almost the whole tour members got sick. The ones that were "safe" surprisingly was the more senior members of the group. I guess the junior members' immune system were not that strong after all ;p If I'm not mistaken, it took me close to 3 weeks after we came back to recover fully from the cough. The cough was no joke .. it was not the lady-like kind :(

What I remember was.. the stark contrasts everywhere. The opulent buildings of yesteryears vs the dilapidated buildings of the present time. People with huge mansions vs people living on the streets among the animals. Modern sanitary vs the primitive kind. It truly made me feel sad..

What I remember was.. the scary tricycle rides. The driver somehow feels that he was more entitled to the road than the big bus and lorry. Well maybe that's the road hierarchy there.. the smaller vehicles got the right of way? Whatever it was... I'm happy that I've survived that and live to tell the tales ;p

Okay enough of that. Let's think of the positive things about this trip. I don't want to discourage people from visiting this historical country. As I said before, I went with the ladies so the shopping and company were wonderful. We had all our meals at the 5* hotels.. so the food was good. Taj Mahal was awesome. So does the other UNESCO World Heritage Sites. That basically sums it all right? More often than not the reason why people visit India is Taj Mahal.. so that was definitely not a disappointment :)

This trip was from 11-19 September 2003. The actual days spent there were 8 days 7 nights. We covered three cities, the famous Golden Triangle: Jaipur (Pink City), Agra and Delhi. This tour costs me if I remember right, RM2.5k (shopping excluded ;p).

Do browse the pictures .. it will give you the feel of India that I cannot express in words. I've uploaded 247 photos for your viewing pleasure.

You can access them at my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/mkhasha.n.travels/. Go to the photo albums.

Njoy!!