On Cloud Nine

Came across these 'cloud formations' on board the plane yesterday.

The English Language. In China.

These photos were taken during our "From Xian to Beijing" trip in Y2001......let's hope after so many years, the standard of English has improved!

Unfortunately, there were no digital cameras then and the quality of the pictures have deteriorated over the years :-(

The sign actually says "One green grass makes the world beautiful". Probably some direct translation from the Chinese phrase!

Technically, I suppose there is nothing really wrong with the phrase, but whoever 'receives' rubbish?!

Oh woe the camera flash, the deterioration of the photo and my scanner, but the sign actually says "To take notice of safe, the slippery are very crafty".

I do believe these signs are as much a 'tourist attraction' as the terracotta warriors and the Forbidden Palace!

Clear Waters

I've been around to so many places, but have never been to Redang Island. Due to some work in Terengganu, we made a side trip to Redang to view a property ~ the Coral Redang Island Resort.

Of course, something has to happen. Enroute there, our boat encountered some problems (there was water in the petrol!) and we ended up running on one engine to reach Redang. Well, engine trouble aside, the trip was a really good break from what we had to 'endure' in Setiu....!

Crystal clear waters, white sand beach, kampung set up, idyllic atmosphere. Hope we can get to manage the place soon...!

Nightmare Toilets

One of the main taboos for many tourists visiting countries in Asia is the TOILET. I believe every person who has ever visited China would have his/her own little 'horror' stories of the public toilets - no doors, left behind poo (ugh), the 'wonderful' odour emiting from the place, etc. Worse stories are from those who traverse into the interior of the vast country, where even proper toilet cubicles are scarce and tourists are told they will just have to make do with the tall grass as cover! Experienced travellers will tell you this is where an umbrella becomes really handy.

God forbid that I will ever have such encounters!!!

Of course, these scenarios are not limited only to China. Countries like Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, etc. and even Malaysia all offer similar 'experiences' to tourists, especially if one travels further into its countryside and little villages, where facilities are scarce and tourists even more scarce!

Below here is one such toilet we came across in Vietnam. But at least this one had doors. And well, if you have to go, you have to go.......!

Ho Chi Minh Museum

The Ho Chi Minh Museum in Hanoi is really something. I'm glad we took a few hours out from our shopping frenzy to do some 'tourist' stuff and came here! I'd thought that it would be something like the one in Ho Chi Minh City but wow!, I was so mistaken!


It was a really well-planned and well-designed place, and very modern and artistic. More like an art museum. I imagine it must have been planned and designed with the help of the French. Everything was very well documented, and original documents were so well preserved in individual glass casings that could be turned, like pages. If not for the reminders of the Vietnam War, I could have been in a museum in France.

Macau in May

This is my 3rd trip to Macau. Nothing much has changed, except more new major Hotels coming up and the Fisherman's Wharf has finally opened. Although, to our chagrin, we found out the hard way that the shops in Fisherman's Wharf only open at 12 noon! Although many major Hotels like Wynns, Sands, Crown, Venetian have opened, and more upcoming projects like Hard Rock and St. Regis are under construction, most of Macau has not really caught up with the concept of tourism, and especially, mass tourism.

Admittedly, most tourists go to Macau for the casinos. However, the main tourist sight at St. Paul's ruins, although has an abundance of retail shops, does not have a wide choice of F&B outlets. Their widely acclaimed 'most important temple', the A-Ma Temple and Village, was nothing more than, well, a temple. To quote my Aunt, "it looks just like the temple in Kajang."

St. Paul's Ruins

Buying the famous 'Wife' and Almond Biscuits



'Three Lamp Junction' - popular local market

The Venetian Macau

What started out as a small family break in Macau (me and parents = 3) turned out to be a full fledged family outing of 10 persons! Gosh, and I ended up as unofficial tour guide. And for the first time in my life, I did not do any prior proper research, especially in where to eat. Oh well..... So we ended up eating only in the Hotel. Anyhow, it's not such a bad thing anyway, coz don't think Grandfather would have relished the idea of going out to eat much!

We stayed at the Venetian, the most talked about hotel in Macau right now. Stripping away its hype of having the biggest casino in the world, my first impression of the Hotel was somewhat of a letdown. In my mind, I was expecting it to rival Sands Casino Macau, but what I saw was just a plain big square area with not much character. The Hotel is basically a copycat of everything Venetian, without the material quality. One just simply cannot replace marble with plaster. It is just not the same. Sigh.

Boasting 3,000 all-suites, each suite room is approximately 750 square feet. However, it was another let down. With such a huge space, not much thought was really given to the layout of the room. It ended up as a brand new Hotel with an old-fashioned layout.

Connected to the Hotel and Casino, is a huge retail block, the Canal Shoppes, complete with canal, gondolas and singing gondoliers. Shops were mainly on the mid to high end, with tasteful window designs/layouts.