Life Journey...

Italy Part II

2010-12-22T21:17:00.022+08:00

Day 11: The Best of Tuscany Tour

Includes: a great guide, transport, delicious Tuscan lunch, cellar visit, wine tasting
Meeting Point: Walking Tours Office in Florence - Via de' Sassetti 1, 50123 Firenze
Meets in our Office at 8.30 am, returns by 5.30 pm

San Gimignano

- a walled hill town in the province of Siena, Tuscany, north-central Italy

The town grew in wealth and developed greatly in the Middle Ages due to "Via Francigena" the trading and pilgrims' route that crossed it.

Most famous Gelato in Tuscany!

Gelaterria de Piazza

Vineyard tour at Sovestro in Poggio

Followed by lunch:

Various types of Cheese, Ham, Buchetta and olives to go with our wine

Monteriggioni - a walled village

A medieaval ancient town surrounded by its virtually intact walls and 14 towers

Sienna -

A medieval city in the region of Tuscany

The Piazza where the colourful horse race, Il Palio, conducted twice each year during summer.

Dinner! Yummy!

Day 12: Florence - Lucca - Pisa

itinerary:
Florence sight-seeing
Walk around Renaissance Florence. Page 134-135.
-90mins
Walk to San Miniato al Monte (pg 130-131)
-2 hours
-paranomic views of florence
-Duomo, campanile and baptistry.
-Santa Croc (pg 72-73)
-Piazza della Signoria (outdoor Sculture Gallery)
-Uffizi - art gallery (pg 80-81)
Gelato at Bar Vivoli Gelateria (Via Isola delle Stinche 7r.), 730am to 1am

Train from florence to lucca, est 1.5 hours, Florence-Viareggio train line.
- Stroll in the city center.
- Sights: Lucca walls, San Michele in Forno, San martino Cathedral, Guinini tower

Florence Market

Florence Duomo

Santa Croc

Lunch at Florence Market

Tunnel leading to the walled ancient town of Lucca

San martino Cathedral

Exploring the streets of ancient Lucca

Gelato!

Walk around along the circumference of the walled-town

Shopping streets

Train ride from Luca to Pisa

Leaning Tower of Pisa!

Entertaining ourselves as we wait for the train back to Firenze

Day 13: Firenze - Roma

Departure: Firenze S. M. Novella (Ore: 07.00);
Arrival: Roma Termini (Ore: 08.45)

Take Metro B (Blue) towards Rebibbia and alight at Bologna
Check-in/leave bags at Kosher B&B - Via Ravenna 34

Itinerary:
(1) Colosseum(amphitheater)
Abt 1.5hrs to explore
Next to Colosseum is:-
(2) Arch of Constantine
Abt 15mins
walk along Via dei Fori Imperiali
(3) Piazza del Campidoglio
After Capitoline Hill, head east following the map for a
(4) Fori Imperiali (Imperial Forums)
Abt 30mins
(5) Forum Romano, Palatino (Palatine Hill), and Museo Palatino (Palatine Museum)
Abt 3 hrs
(6) The Pantheon
Abt 45 mins
(7) Fontana dei Trevi (Trevi Fountain)
Abt 20mins
(8) Scala di Spagna (Spanish Steps)
Abt 30mins
(9) Piazza Navona
Most beautiful square , best seen at night

Dinner near Campo de' Fiori, at Teatro di Pompeo - Da Pancrazio Restaurant
Piazza del Biscione 92 (near Campo de' Fiori)
Open daily for dinner. Closed Wednesday tel 06 6861246
In the ruins of the Teatro di Pompeo, this restaurant offers a unique archaeological ambience. Two dining rooms are decorated in the style of an 18th-century tavern, with cave-like designs sprawling throughout the whole restaurant. T. The servers here are very serious about their work, and will recommend what the chef prefers to cook that day. The saltimbocca and tender roast lamb with potatoes, which were recommended to us were absolutely delicious. The stuffed ravioli is a must for pasta lovers. A true Roman meal.
Reservation required if you liked to dine at the cave-like dinning hall. (We didn't get to dine there as they were fully booked for private function.)

Colosseum

Arch of Constantine
Highly photogenic memorial erected by the Senate in A.D. 315 to honour Constantine's defeat of the pagan Maxentius
View from Palatino (Palatine Hill)

The Pantheon

Giolitti (Via Uffici del Vicario 40) - Oldest ice-cream shop
Opening hrs: 7am to 130am
Check out the crowd!

Fontana dei Trevi (Trevi Fountain)
Toss a coin if you liked to return to Rome someday...

The Shopping street leading toScala di Spagna (Spanish Steps)

Spanish Steps

Sunset view from Trinita dei Monti Church

Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers (Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi) at Piazza Navona
Best known in the centre, whose four stone personification symbolize the wrld's greatest rivers: the Ganges, Danube, della Plata and Nile.

Day 14: Rome - Appian Way - Trivoli

itinerary:
(1) Catacombe di San Callisto
Abt an Hr
(2) Catacombe di San Domitilla
- oldest of all
Abt 45 mins
Leave Rome to Trivoli by bus
Stop for Lunch, before taking a bus from centre of Trivoli (abt 6.5km away frm centre)
(3) Hadrian's Villa (Villa Adriana)
Abt 1.5hrs
Return to centre of Trivoli for:-
(4) Villa d'Este
-Most beautiful hillside garden
Abt an hr
Back to Rome

Dinner at Jewish Ghetto, Sora Margherita
There's usually a line waiting to get into this tiny place, because the food is so good and the prices so low. Find Roman specialities here cooked to perfection, pastas, fried artichokes, usually an entrée of the day.
Piazza delle Cinque Scuole 30 (Ghetto) tel 06 687 4216
Open for lunch only Tuesday- Friday; lunch and dinner Friday and Saturday
However, we didn't make any reservation and they were already fully booked for the night. So, we ended at at Il Portico, which is at the next lane.

Villa Adriana

Villa d'Este

Day 15: Rome - SG

After breakfast, we headed for the airport...
Home Sweet Home~

Italy Part I

2010-12-20T20:40:00.040+08:00

Day 1: Rome
(SG to KL)
Flight: Malaysia Airlines MH610 Aircraft: Boeing 737-400
Depart: Sat, 25 Sep, 21:15
Arrive: Sat, 25 Sep, 22:15
(KL to Rome)
Flight: Malaysia Airlines MH14 Aircraft: Boeing 777-200
Depart: Sat, 25 Sep, 23:45
Arrive: Sun, 26 Sep, 06:05
Itinerary:
06:05 Arrive Airport
06:35 or 07:03 Airport to Rome via Metro Fr1 at Eur 8
- Available at the counter as well as the Termini news stand. (Tickets sold at the departure platform are more expensive.)
- Get your ticket stamped in a yellow validation machine just before using it. Ticket expires 90 minutes after validation.
Stop at Tiburtina and change to Metro B towards Laurentina, Alight at Termini Stazione

07:40 Leave Bag at Termini Locker,
***Buy Rome Pass at information counter at Termini stazione for last 2 days in Rome

08:30 Reach Vatican Museum to Queue
Vatican museum - free on Last Sunday of the Month!
Vatican Museums - Tel. 69.883.333

Other places of interest:
- Piazza San Pietro
- Basilica di San Pietro (St. Peter's Basilica)
- Castel Sant'Angelo

Dinner at Il Boom
Via dei Fienaroli 30A, Rome, Italy
+39 06 5897196
(no 1 of 1,961 in Tripadvisor)

Overnight at Dem Guesthouse

We queued 3 hours before we got into Vatican Museum

Basilica di San Pietro (St. Peter's Basilica)

Trastevere for Dinner!

Day 2 - Naples-Pompeii-Sorrento

Wake up at 530am
Check-out by 630am
About 10 mins walk to Tour Office Meeting point.

Mini South Italy Tours - 3 days/2 nights
Date: September 27-29, 2010
Tour departure: Piazza Esquilino 6 at 7.00 am
Departure from Apian line office, Piazza Esquilino 6 at 7.00 am
Please be there 15 minutes earlier.
Italy / Phone: 081-878-2645

Naples coastal tour

Pompeii -
The thriving resort town for wealthy Romans buried under ash and mud during the devastating eruption of Mt Vesuvius in 79 AD.
The ruins provide a fascinating insight into how the ancient Romans lived and include impressive temples, a forum, one of the largest known Roman amphitheatres and luxurious houses with frescoes. Pompeii was discovered in 1748 and excavations continue to this day.

Coastal view on our way to Sorrento

Sorrento City at Night

Day 3: Amalfi

itinerary:
Buffet breakfast.
Amalfi Day tour with our personal driver (arranged at the hotel reception)
Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

View from our Hotel at Sorrento

View of Mt Vesuvio

Gorgeous Coastal view of Amalfi Coast

The Girls and our Cute Driver..

Day 4: Capri Island Tour

itinerary:
Buffet breakfast.
Departure to Capri by steamer. Weather conditions permitting, visit the Blue Grotto.

The enchanting island of Capri has been long been considered southern Italy's finest jewel where the extraordinary beauty of the land and sea and the frequent presence of prestigious visitors imbue it with a magical atmosphere. Overlooking the stunning Bay of Naples and Mount Vesuvius, it has always been one of the favorite resting places for the privileged. Once home to the Roman Emperor Tiberius, today Capri offers a perfect get-away-from-it-all holiday destination.
- Check out the island’s magical Blue Grotto. The strange and unique refraction of light causes the water in the grotto to glow an ethereal blue. While away some hours in the charming towns of Capri and Anacapri.
- Check out the ruins of Emperor Tiberius’s villa east of Capri town.
- Return to Marina Grande and then transfer to Anacapri.
- Lunch in a typical restaurant followed by a visit of Augustus Gardens, with a view of the Faraglioni.

Return to Rome at aprox. 9:30pm

Accomodation:Yes Hotel (abt 15 mins away from Appian Way)
via Magenta, 15, Rome, 00185 Italy 800 1205131

At the Jetty

Capri Island

We were transfered to the little boat just so that we can get into the Cave to witness the legendary Blue Grotto!

Coastal view of Capri Island

The view from the ropeway

Well-paved slopes leading to the sparkling blue sea...

Day 5: Rome-Venice

Itinerary:
Wake up at abt 5am
Departure: Roma Termini (Ore: 06.45)
Arrival: Venezia S. Lucia (Ore: 10.33)

Check-in Plaza Hotel at Viale Stazione 36, Mestre,Italy

Take train to Venice (Abt 10mins away)

Venice : 1/2 day
- Bascilica di San Marco
- Grand Canal (Rialto - Ponte di Rialto) and Accademia Bridges for photos of canal view)
- Gallerie dell' Accademia (Eur 6.50; 815am - 715pm)
- Palazzo Ducale (pretty oink gothic powerhouse behind the Venetian Republic
- I Frari (Stern Gothic Catherdral lit up by Titan's Assunta) Eur 3; 9am-6pm
- Scuola Grande diSan Rocco (wall-to-wall Tintorettos) Eur 7; 9am-530pm
- Palazzo Grassi (contemp art meets baroque grandeur)

*Hop onto Line 1 of Vaporetto down Grand Canal in the afternoon, as the Istrian stone bridgebeins to blush with sunset

At Roma Termini Stazione at 6am in the morning!

Briefing Fang on the itinerary for Venice...
Zzz..

Beautiful street in the evening

After a heavy meal, we decided to walk back to Venice train stazione
Venice at Night...

After walking for 30 mins along the back alley, we realised we were lost!
...And Venice is actually quite big.

After much effort, directions given by kind-hearted souls and 3 pairs of tired feet,
we finally found our way to the vapourette stazione located at the western end of Venice.

Day 6: Murano-Burano-Torcello

Itinerary:
Continental buffet breakfast at Plaza Hotel
Venice island hopping: Murano - Burano - Torcello

Murano
Major attractions:
- Museo del Vetro (Museum of glass,10am to 6pm Thu to Tue; Eur 5.50),
- Murano Collezioni (10am to 5pm - brick warehouse showroom by famed galss designers); and
- Chiesa dei SS Marie e Donato (9am-noon; 3.30-7pm,Mon - Sat,Campo San Donato)
best known for 12th century Virgin Mary Apse mosaic

Burano*** (Must-Go!)
- Great photo galore opp amidst artists' platte of brightly-coloured houses
- Enjoy leisurely lunch at Trattoria al Gatto Nero (No. 1 restaurant in trip advisor)
Fondamenta della Giudecca 88, 30142 Burano, Italy
041-730-120
- Burano is also famous for the vaguely lemony, vanilla crumbling biscuits in ring or S shape, which are ideal for dunking in desert wines
- might want to visit Chiesa Di San Martino (Piazza Galuppi; admission free; 8am-noon, 3-7pm Mon-Sat) : 16t Century church for Crocifissione by Giambattista Tiepolo.

Torcello**
(a 3min T-line ferry hop frm Burano)
-Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta
- Museo di Torcello
- Hemmingway's room at Locanda Cipriani

Murano
wet & gloomy day...
Luckily we got our Umbrellas!

Ferry ride to Burano!
Check out our matching t-shirts!

Check out the heap of Shells at the bay

Burano is known for their hand-made lace

The colourful and brightly painted houses in Burano lit up the gloomy skies...

Leaning tower of Burano

Torcello - the smallest island of the 3

Dinner at Bepi Restaurant (located at Mestre)!
Yums!!

Our t-shirts raised a few eyebrows and
provide some fun and laughter to our new found friends at the restaurant...

It was quite funny to see the restaurant patrons' surprised look when I took off my trench coat and scarf to reveal the bright blue t-shirt, white berms and slippers!
I was being teased for being so inappropriately dressed.
Haha... Check-out my slippers and berms!

Day 7: Venice - Stresa
Venice: 1/2 day to explore and lunch
0700 Wake up and breakfast
0830 Leave Mestre for Venice
0900 Venice walking tour

By 1230 Lunch and head back to Hotel by 14:00 (2pm).
To leave Plaza Hotel and head to Venice for train by 14:30 (230pm)

(Might need to print out tckets at self-service station)
Train Departure: Venezia S. Lucia (Ore: 15.20);
Arrival: Milano Centrale (Ore: 17.55)

Departure: Milano Centrale (Ore: 18.25);
Arrival: Stresa (Ore: 19.20)

Check-in at Hotel Moderno

Exploring Venice by foot

The Most Expensive toilet!!

Lunch at Bepi Restaurant again as the food were the Best we had so far... And Best of all, it is very reasonably priced!
The hospitality we received made us feel so much at home!

Stresa at night

Dessert and Coffee at Stresa town

Day 8: Lake Maggiore Island-hopping

Cold and gloomy weather....

We missed the F1 Grand Prix in Singapore,
But we were lucky to witness the Italian Grand Prix!

Check out the motorist cool outfit!
No wonder they say Italian are always well-dressed!Beautiful garden at Isola Bella

Day 9: Lake Maggiore - Milan - Florence

Itinerary:
Train Departure: Stresa (Ore: 08.39);
Arrival: Milano Centrale (Ore: 09.35)

Milan
Departure: Milano Centrale (Ore: 17.15);
Arrival: Firenze S. M. Novella (Ore: 19.00)

Accomodation:
Tourist House Vittorio Ricci
Via De' Martelli 7
Firenze Italia
Tel: +39-055-2657600

Waiting for our train at Stresa Stazione in the morning!

In Milan...

Day 10: Florence - Outlet shopping
The Mall outlet
We were too busy shopping to take pictures.

Our dinner:
Smoked Salmon Salad
Ham & cheese Sandwiches

(To be continued.)

Anniversary trip to Lijiang

2010-11-29T16:38:00.030+08:00

Day 1: 13 Nov (Sat)
Old Town Lijiang - 大研古镇 (Dayan Ancient Town)

Arriving in style~
In my boots and trolley bag...

However,...
the uneven cobbled street Does make it uncomfortable to walk in my "stylo" boots...

Having our first lunch at the restaurant near our Inn..
Surprisingly, not too bad!
Food is not overly oily, nor salty as what we had experienced in our Har'Er Bin trip.

Chanced upon this kitty that's stuck on the roof...
We stood there for 10 mins, watching how she tried to maneuver her way across the roof tops.
Scary... But I don't know how we could help her,
so Eugene suggested we continue exploring the Old Town.

Yunan "Shi Ba Guai" -
Apparently they are famous for the 18 different types of weird delicacies...
e.g. Worms, scorpions, nymph, etc, etc...
Definitely not game enough to try this! Would you?!

Food street where the stalls sell the typical Lijiang fares
I like their "Yang Rou" and "Niu Rou Chuan" (Lamb and Beef on giant satay stick)!
10 RMB for 3 sticks of any choice.
Though they called it "Mao Niu" and "Shan Yang rou"...
I doubt it's real as these can't be this cheap.

Posing along the pavement. *Funny Pose*
One reason why we love Lijiang Dayan Ancient Town is because of
the water running through the streets.
Romantic~

The pub area in the day.

"Wen Cang Gong" - The temple perching at the top of Dayan Ancient Town.

You are supposed to get the best view of the Ancient Town from there...

Kids playing along the little stream

Playing with "Wa Mao" as I relaxed at the courtyard.
"Wa Mao" is the cute and vivacious dog at our inn and in fact, the inn is named after him!

Keeping myself warm by siting at the "fire place"
and drinking freshly brewed tea with the locals.

Dayan Gu Chen at night!

Eugene trying to navigate around the Ancient Town with his map...

And we finally found the place where we were supposed to attend a concert...
Traditional Naxi Music!
(Eugene were enjoying with his eyes closed!
Just short of playing symphony with the band on stage...)

Day 2: 14 Nov (Sun)
2 Days 1 night local tour to Shrangi-la 香格里拉
- View point where we can see "Haba Shan" (Haba snow mountain) and "Yu Long Xue Shan" (Jade Dragon Snow Mountain)
- 虎跳峡 "Hu Tiao Xia" (Tiger leaping gorge)
- 小中甸牧场 (Tibetan style Cattle ranch)

View of the snow mountain at the restaurant where we had Lunch

小中甸牧场

Tibetan style house

Beautiful mountain range

Day 3: 15 Nov (Mon)
2 Days 1 night local tour to Shrangi-la 香格里拉, part II
- Shrangri-la

Pudacuo National Park

I think my furry hat is attracting the squirrels!
Perhaps they are mistaking me as one of them..

Chanced upon another furry friend as we walk along the trail..

forest in its pristine conditions

We also spotted a woodpecker!

Misty lake

Horse Ranch

After we left the National Park, the Sun came out!!
Argh..!!

Yangtze first bend

Random view of the mountains from the Yantze First Bend's viewing point

Back to Dayan Gu Zhen at night!
View from the pub where we chill...

Our new found friends from Chendu,
also our regular meal khakis during our Shrangri-la trip

We took a stroll along the pub area after our drinks..

Beautifully lighted streets on our way back to Wa Mao inn

Wa Mao came to our room to look for me!

Day 4: 16 Nov (Tue)
玉龙雪山 (Jade Dragon Snow Mountain)

Breakfast at a nearby restaurant before we set off..

Dou Jiang You Tiao and Bee Hoon for breakfast.. Nice!

Cheap and nice breakfast from this restaurant

We saw this doggy relaxing on the swing!
The doggy sure knows how to enjoy life!

Hey, it's the same kitty that was trapped on the roof the other day!!
Glad that it's safe and sound!

Impressions Lijiang!

玉龙雪山
Awesome!

On the way to take the cable car to 云杉坪

云杉坪
The place where you can get a closer view of the beautiful snow-capped mountain

W can't get enough of the gorgeous view...

So happy, I started to dance...

白水河

蓝月谷
Eugene told me this place looks like Jiu Zai Gou!

Further down 白水河 and 蓝月谷,
you get amazing view of the waterfall and the snow mountain

黑龙潭公园
We asked our driver to bring us there after 玉龙雪山
since we have already paid the conservation fee..
And the view is awesome!

Another view of 玉龙雪山 outside the 2nd entrance
where you get a view of the snow mountain without having to pay for the conservation fee...

Checking in to our Garden Villa at Banyan Tree Lijiang (丽江悦榕庄)!
Best resort I ever stayed so far...

And Eugene ordered BBQ dinner
at our Villa to celebrate our 2nd year Anniversary...The Main Chef for that night!

And the assistant chef...

Impeccable service and attention to details!
The decorated our Bed with rose petals and
prepared a huge cake and a bottle of red wine as it is our wedding anniversary!

After all the food, we decided to skip our initial plan of visiting Shu He Ancient Town...
And headed for a soak in the heated jacuzzi pool in our Villa instead.
Truly an enjoyable experience despite the chilly night!

Back to our huge , cosy bed!

View of our day bed in the garden ....

Beautifully landscaped pool in Banyan Tree

Taking a morning stroll to She Hu Ancient Town..
ANd I couldn't resist snapping pictures of the snow capped mountain...Eugene asked me to take a picture of the streets...
I immediately squatted down and snapped a picture of this Cutee little pup running towards us!
Ooh... look at those puppy eyes, I almost wanted to bring it home!

Ok, now a proper picture of the street that Eugene wanted...

They say this ancient town has a more authentic feel as there are still Naxi people staying there... Check out the crops growing infront of the houses!

Our breakfast!

I have been wanting to ride a horse...
Initially, Eugene refused to let me ride the horse/pony despite my constant nagging...
Finally, he relented and we hired 2 Naxi horses/ponies to bring us back
to Banyan Tree from Shu He Ancient Town.
Look at how elated I was!

It was a bargain at 20 RMB! We managed to drive a good bargain as we thought that 丽江悦榕庄 is very near. However, after a long while, we realised that it is actually not very near....
And the horse/pony owners had to walk with us as we took the ride,
so we decided to pay them more...

Taking a couple shot with our horses/ponies outside 丽江悦榕庄

Going for another dip in the heated jacuzzi after our morning stroll...
Don't be fooled by the sunny weather, it is still chilly in the day!

Back to Dayan Ancient Town and hike up to the viewing point at "Wen Chan Gong" for photo...

Fungi Dinner before we head to the Airport!

W thought we had a wonderful trip and a perfect end to our trip ...

However, our flight from Lijiang to Kunming was delayed for 3 hours+++ and caused us to miss our connecting flight from Kunming to Singapore!

Eugene was brooding over the impending flight delay at the airport as he was worried about meeting his sales target for the month. I finally managed to cheer him up a little and consoled him that it might not be so bad after all since the airline would be making arrangements for us at Kunming and we will get to visit Kunming for a day! But when we reached Kunming airport, the nightmare begins..

There was nobody at Kunming airport receiving us, and airline crew was at the main hall! As it was already past midnight, all counters were closed and when we managed to find 2 staffs, they refused to help us as they were not from "that" airline, and even refused to lend us their phone (which is on the counter) to contact CEA airline helpline. I got so angry that I started scolding them! Finally, they relented and lent us their phone and we were asked to go to the International Departure hall as there happens to be a flight out to Seoul at 2am. (Imagine if there's no late flight out that night, I really don't know what would happen to us...)

We ran to the departure hall and were relieved to find the CEA crew, and after some calls, they told us that the earliest flight back is 9plus pm next day. They asked us to call a certain sales desk to book our return flight back the next day morning as they are unable to reserve any tickets from their side (weird). Then, they arranged for an accommodation for us (Kunming Zhong He Dang Pei Xun Zhong Xin Da Jiu Dian) and told us to take a cab there ourselves!

On the cab, the driver were puzzled where this place was, but after calling told us that this is not "Da Jiu Dian" (Hotel) but a training centre and started asking us why we are going to a training centre at this hour!

When I heard that I wanted to check-in at other hotel, however, it was very late and Eugene suggested to go to that training centre in case the airline crew couldn't find us.

However, the horror came when we checked into the room! After switching on ALL the lights, the room was still dim and gloomy, lamp shades were broken, some lights were not working, and the toilet was filthy! I couldn't make myself sleep in that room... ANd since we couldn't make any calls from our room, I had to go to the reception desk and call CEA operation helpline... After going several round, we managed to talk to the help desk at Shanghai, But the lady said she couldn't do anything as she's not at Kunming and there's no 24 hours helpline at Kunming! I finally gave up and Eugene asked the reception if he could give us a better room as the lights in ours were not working. We changed to a slightly better one (least the lamp shades were not broken and it doesn't have that strong stinky stench) and went straight to bed without bathing.

Day 6: 18 Nov

The next day, after a quick breakfast, we spent a long, long time trying to call the airline in order to arrange for the connecting flight back. And the receptionist refuses to assist us in anyway! I reckon if we didn't try so hard to call them (CEA), they probably forgot about us!

A day unplanned for, but nevertheless, we decided to leave our yucky room and visit "Shilin" - Stone Forest which is about an hour and half bus ride away after the call to CEA.

View from the Gazebo, which is located in the middle of the bigger Shilin

Love the colour mix!

Back to the City:
As it was still early after our visit to Shilin, Eugene asked the cabby to bring us to the shopping district to cheer me up after the traumatic experience last night. It is one of those rare days where he would n0t give me that "killer" looks when I enter a shop... Unfortunately, I didn't have the mood to shop!

Scotland

2010-10-21T00:00:00.047+08:00

3 Sep: SGD - London

Met up with Serene & Daryl for dinner at Clos Maggiore. Reputed as one of the Top 10 restaurants in London and also known for its romantic atmosphere (...though I'm not so sure if the atmosphere is still as romantic when we were there!). And as always, Serene makes sure we get a spot there by booking in advance.

Moi & Serene posing with the breadsticks

(Photo: Courtesy of Daryl)

4 Sep: London - Edinburgh
0840 ETD London City Airport
1000 ETA Edinbugh AirportStart of our road trip after we collect our car from Avis at the airport!

Our Car for the road trip in Scotland!

Itinerary:
- Rosslyn Chapel
- Melrose Abbey
- Scott's view

-Dryburg Abbey

Accomodation: Turnberry Hotel (Starwood)

Our room!

Bathroom
View from our room - golf course

Jacuzzi & Swimming pool

Golf course

5 Sep: Continue our Road trip to the western side

Itinerary:
- Culzean Castle

- Drive through Glasgow to Loch Lomond

- Glen Coe

Waterfall at Glen Coe Pass

- Fort William

Quaint brick houses at Fort William

-Accomodation: Taransay B&B, Seafield Gardens, Fort William PH33 6RJ

View from the dinning room

Our room

6 Sep: Road to the Isles

Itinerary:

- Glenfinnan Viaduct

Glenfinnan Monument

- Ferry to Mallaig ETD1215 (1/2hr)

Random view on our drive to the hiking trail to Old man

- Old Man of Storr (1.5-3hr)

Mid-point..

The Official Navigator

Finally! The view from the top

Trying to show how strong the wind is...

Package sandwiches for lunch with the million dollar view

Kilt Falls

- Fairy Glen (1-2hr, 1.5km)

- Neist Point (1hr, 2.5km)

- Dinner at Carters rest (reservation in advance required during booking)

1st Class view at the Dinning room

Accomodation: Carters rest, Upper Milovaig, Glendale IV55 8WY

7 Sep: Isles of Skyle

Breakfast at Carters Rest - Salmon Omelette

Tallisker Whisky Distillery Tour

Itinerary:
- Quirang (3hr)

Lunch at Three Chimneys (highly recommended, reservations recommended)

Accomodation: Bla Bhein, Crossal, Carbost IV47 8SP

View of the Red Cuillins from the porch

View of Black Cuillins from our room

View of sunset from the other window

8 Sep: Isles of Skyle - Glen Affric

Breakfast at Bla Bhein
Cows strolling by the road...
Scottish highland cows spotted on our drive to Loch Coruisk

Itinerary:

- Loch Coruisk boat trip (3hrs, inclusive of 1.5 hrs hike: 10.45, 12.15, 14.00)
Package lunch during the Hike

The shore where we took our boat..

Sea lions spotted on our boat trip at Loch Coruisk

- Eilean Donan Castle

- Glen Affric: Dog Falls (2.5h) River (45min)

Urquhart castle on the shore of Lochness

Accomodation: Shenval, Inverness-shire IV63 6TW SCOTLAND

9 Sep: Glen Affric - Lochness
Itinerary:
- Hike to the rivers, trail located at the end of the road (recommended by Shenval hosts)

The view from the top still looks stunning despite being clouded by the morning mist

Breathing in the fresh air during our morning stroll at Glen Affric

- Glenmorangie Single Malt Whisky Distillery tour
We went straight for the tasting..

- Rosemarkie Fairy Glen: Twin waterfall

- Drive in search of Heather: Edderton, Struie, Glen Loth (though we didn't go there)

Random spots along our drive...

Accomodation: Cairngorm Guesthouse, 139 Grampian Road, Aviemore PH22 1RP

10 Sep: Cairngorms - Edinburgh
Itinerary:
- Loch an Eilean, Cairngorms
Option 1- Walk @ the top: 11.20, 12.00 (2.5hr) 13p; OR
Option 2 - Funicular: From 10.00 10p, 1way 7p

We chose Option 2.
However, due to weather conditions, we didn't get to see any view at the top...

The view on our drive down...

- Drive-by Stirling Castle

- Return the car at Edinburgh Airport
1950 ETD Edinburgh Airport
2110 ETA London City Airport

Taking the flight back...

Overnight at Daryl's

11 Sep: Cambridge

Itinerary arranged by Serene....

Eugene basking in joy as Daryl & Serene took over the baton
and be our tour leaders for the day...

Queen's College

Queen's college courtyard

Interior of King's College Chapel

Where we had our nice seafood lunch..
Mathematical Bridge
Daryl & Eugene
Once the Sun's out, the punts started appearing...
King's College Gatehouse...

12 Sep: London - SG
Breakfast at Macdonalds with Daryl & Serene before heading toward the airport for our flight back...

1155 ETD London
13 Sep, 0745 ETA SG

Xiuwan's Wedding

2010-05-23T22:00:00.005+08:00

23 May 2010

On a beautiful day....

I'm very honoured to witness my dear friend's special day...

More photo-taking sessions as we waited for the cue

before Wan goes down for the Grand March-in...

Looking pretty as we took the lift down...

Wishing Xiuwan and Hua Fang a blissful marriage!

Corrine's Bridal Shower

2010-05-02T10:22:00.022+08:00

The Glowing Star for today!

At Keppel Marina, before we set off...

Excited about our cruise trip out to the Southern coast...

Starters before the Mains (pastas, grilled squids, prawns and salmon)...

A fully well-equiped yatch:

Living hall...

Master bedroom...

(there's another common room)

Common bathroom...
Blushing brides to-be

Marina bay view in the distance

The Gorgeous Sunset

Chilling at the deck and enjoying the tender sea breeze...

Jia Jia, Corrine and Xiuwan...

Jia Jia, Moi and Xiuwan

Finally... our new toy is here!

2010-03-29T00:12:00.004+08:00

Dinner at Ippudo

2010-03-25T00:16:00.001+08:00

A small cozy set-up, and always crowded during meal times. We finally managed to try it on Wednesday night when Dew went earlier (he said the Queue starts coming from 645pm, wow..!).

We had quite a good experience, though I thought their popular buns is rather average.

After trying so many ramen restaurants in Singapore (Ramen Santouka at Central, Marutama at Central, Yoshimaru ramen along EC, Tampopo, Menya Shinchan, etc), we thought this is one of the best! You get to choose how you want your noodles to be (soft, medium or hard) and they have quite a reasonable variety of ramen with different soup base. For both our orders, the soup base is rich, and yet not too salty. The normal cha siu that comes with my Kyushu seasonal ramen is slightly tough..but the more fatty version in Dew's ramen is nice- melts in your mouth)

I guess the only thing that put us off is the long queue. So, do go early, coz I don't think the ramen would taste as nice if you go tto queue 1 hr for it.

Random pics of my little cutie pie(s)

2010-03-16T01:12:00.010+08:00

lounging in his sunday's jumper

in his space suit

touched with his first outing since a long while ago...

pensive in his space suit

tears of joy?

or sorrow (thinking that he' going to be abandon?)

upset with his new look

Birthdays!

2010-03-16T00:47:00.008+08:00

I have been wanting to collate the pictures taken during our birthday lunches... Now, it's finally in!

July'09

Nov'09

[missing pic - can s'bdy send me?]

Dec'09

Mum's Birthday

2010-01-15T22:36:00.000+08:00

White Christmas at Northern China

2010-01-10T22:33:00.055+08:00

As it was a trip planned at the very last minute, we had no choice but to get a package tour which could still bring us to a winter wonderland...

In the end, we took up the "8 Days winter fantasy" package with CTC (Ch8 is featuring the same itinerary by CB this week)~
Day 1: SGP-Shanghai-Dalian
Due to heavy snowing, our flight was delayed for about 4 hours during our transit at Shanghai airport.
Highlights at Dalian: North Bridge, Tiger Bay Theme Park, Lushun Harbor, Lushun Museum

Day 2 to 3: Dalian - Shenyang
Shenyang: Imperial Palace, Shenyang Financial Museum Former Residence of General Chang Hsueh-Liang

Former Mansion of General Chang

Former Bank owned by General Chang

In the Imperial Palace compound

Day 4 to 5: Jilin - changchun
Jilin: Rime Scenery (skipped - our tour guide said that there would be very low chance of sighting. For Rime to be formed, there are Three criteria: 1- temperature must be around -20degree; 2- wind speed not more than 3 and 3 - highly humid atmosphere, so it has to be near a water source where the water will not freeze at such low temperature), Deer Farm, Korean Village (skipped - our tour guide said that there would be no performance during this period)
Changchun: Jingyuetan Ski Resort

On our way to the Ski slope

Winter wonderland...the view outside our hotel

Snowing today!!

Trying to be a snow angel...

At the vicinity of the Deer farm

But we were more interested in the snowscape than the deer farm...

Day 6 to 7: Harbin

Harbin highlights: Sun Island Ice-Snow World, Central Street, St. Sophia Orthodox Church Square, Zhao Lin Park Ice Lantern, Ice Sculpture, Flood Prevention Monument

It's so cold, the vapour turned into ice on the lashes and eyebrown

The trend for this season....

We missed the Rime, but check out the "wu song" on my furry hat...

Disney Theme Ice sculptures in the next few pics...

Checking the waether forecast at the hotel lobby

Visiting the Siberian tiger reserve...

Majestic creature

At Sun island...

Snow sculpture

At the Ocean theme park...

Artic fox that reminded me of hamster...

And, finally....

Harbin's ice festival

There's even Merlion (representing Singpapore!)

Posing with Guai Guai, the artic fox

(Interesting Fact: This is the first time I did not take any photos of the food/meals we had during the entire trip. The reason is quite obvious, I wonder why there are some participants in the CB travel program who thinks the food is nice.... ?!!!

I believe if I'm one of the participants filmed, they will definitely censor the part with me away.)

Christmas 2009

2009-12-24T14:28:00.001+08:00

Our very 1st Christmas tree...

Set-up by Dew...

Decorated by Moi...

X'mas party with my Secondary School Claasmates...

X'mas log cake, Turkey, Ham, roast beef, sushi, wine ...

and gift exchange

and of course,

not forgetting a mini-birthday celebration for our birthday boy, Peter

Another X'mas party with my Buddies...

Introducing the Chef for the night!

Menu
Roast Chicken with lemon and spices
Black pepper beef cubes
Brutwurst Suasages
Served with roast potatoes, slices of Gammon ham
and Salad with turkey, grapes and italian dressing

Green tea ,Magaritas, Bailey and various cocktail...

Gift exchange...
Li & Fang bullying Boon's new baby...

Check out our bar tender for the night...

Dinner with Dez~

2009-12-16T16:28:00.000+08:00

Sashimi Dinner at one of my favourite place...

Best of all, it's a treat from my younger brother, Desmond!

Western Europe Part V

2009-12-01T21:43:00.021+08:00

Day 8 - Belgium

Road trip to Wallonia

Trying award-winning beer at Gauloise Brewery

Day 9 - Belgium

Road trip to Leuven

Day 10 - Belgium

itinerary:
Brussels!
Tried all things famous in Belgium...

Chocolates! We tried most of the famous chocolatier in Belgium (Mary, Wittamer, Pierre Macollini and Leonidas. Regretted not trying Neuhaus though) As these are freshly made chocolates, and it has to be consumed within 1 week, we couldn't buy back any. Sad!

At las, with the recommendation of Christian, we bought back limited quantity of Galler. It's really good too and soon we regretted not buying more!

The street with all the major chocolatier

And of course, we got to try the mussels!

The Famous Mussels Restaurant near Grand Place

Look out for these Interesting comic painted on buildings

(note: Tin Tin is from Belgium!)

Day 11 - Belgium/London

itinerary:0747 Took train from Ottignies to Brussels
0827 Brussels Midi Station
0935 Took Eurostar brussels to london
1031 London, check-in and left our luggauge at hotel
1130 Buckingham Palace/Changing of Guards
Lunch at Bumbles
Went to get Tickets for tonight's musical at Leceister square
- Houses of Parliament/Big Ben
- Tower of London
- Trafalgar Square
- Tower Bridge
Dinner at Rock & Sole Plaice (supposedly the best Fish & Chips in London)
West End Musical - We will rock you

Overnight Intercontinental Park Lane

Day 12 - Cotswolds

itinerary:

- Windsor Castle

- Salisbury Cathedral & view

- Stonehenge

- Avebury

Overnight at Cornerways B&B, Bath (65 pounds)

Day 13 - Cotswolds

itinerary:

- Roman Baths

- Bath Abbey, Pulteney Bridge

- No. 1 Royal Crescent

Overnight Elvington B & B, Boughton-on-the-water (48 pounds)

Nice cosy place. The room we took was sweet.... colour theme: pink, and lots of laces

Famous Roman Baths - Bath

Day 14 - Cotswolds/London
itinerary:
- Bourton on the Water

- Upper and Lower Slaughter

- Bibury

- Burford

- Chipping Campden
- Oxford
and back to London:
- Tate Modern Museum
Overnight Intercontinental Park Lane

Lower slaughters

Day 15 - London/SG

itinerary:
- Portobello Market
- Westminster Abbey - Evensong
- St Paul
Then... lastly, took a Metro to airport
2205 ETD London Heathrow T3 (SQ321)

~ Home Sweet Home ~

Western Europe Part IV

2009-11-16T00:00:00.015+08:00

1st Oct'09 (Thu): Day 6 ~ Paris - Belgium

Visiting Janice, Patrick & Nathalie

Sweet Nathalie

Lunch at L'astrance

Last Stop in Paris - Eiffel Tower

2nd Oct'09 (Fri): Day 7 Belgium

Old Town - Ghent

Western Europe Part III

2009-11-10T23:16:00.036+08:00

29 Sep (Tue) ~ Day 4 Loire Valley
0750 Depart "Paris Montparnesse" station
Train ticket (Eur 34)
0853 Arrive "St Pierre des Corps", collect rental car from Avis office at the station
Car rental for 2 days (Eur159.5)

Gardens of Villandry

famous for its beatiful gardens... And I love the idea that there're unlimited grapes for you to eat as you stroll around the garden...

Apple Orchard along our drive...

with the freshest and sweetest green apple I've ever tasted

Candes St Martin

This is one picture taken with much effort...

Fontevraud Abbey (Abbaye de Fontevraud)

Beautiful 12th century monastery, which houses the tombs of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Richard the Lionheart

Lovely pink flowers growing wild at the backyard of the Abbey...

Sumptuous Lunch of a HUGE potful of Mussels
Posing for a victory shot after finishing the Whole Pot (with the help of Dew, of coz)!

Château of Azay-le-Rideau
Picturesque scenery~ reflection of the traditional french chateau on the calm river

Vineyard at the back of the Chateau
We found a small vineyard, but Vic brought us to a BIGGER one...
It's so big, I couldn't see where it ends!
The Grapes up-close

Dinner at L'epicerie - #1 out of 25 restaurants in Amboise
Remember to make reservation to avoid dissapointment!

30 Sep (Wed) ~ Day 5 Loire Valley

Breakfast at the Dining Room
Sumptuous spread with various choices of homemade jams.

It's so delicious, we just got to get one!

The "Cave" where the wine are stored...
Lovely Kitchen

Chateau des Ormeaux
Listed as one of the Top B&B in Tripadvisor and it's not difficult to know why...

Dew with Vic outside Chateau des Ormeaux
- Parting shot before we continued on our road trip

"Our" Lovely Chateau ...
Reminiscence of our luxurious and royal stay

Continuing on our road trip
to visit some of the famous sites and Chateau in Loire Valley
Admiring the scenic view along Loire Valley...
One fine example would be Blois City (pictured across the river)

Château de Chambord
The Biggest of all chateau in Loire Valley
Interiors are decorated with period furniture...
If there's only one Chateau that you should go, it has to be this!
Indulge yourself in the Renaissance architecture as you expore the castle's 440 rooms and surrounding grounds

Leonardo da vinci's house

Quaint little house, but interior is not so special.
Definitely not worth the entrance fee in my opinion...

Passage of trees leading to Chenonceau Chateau
I love the walk along the path lined with tall trees on both sides...

Chenonceau Chateau
Classic castle over the Cher river

The train ride back to Paris in the evening...

Western Europe Part II

2009-10-27T23:57:00.010+08:00

28-Sep (Mon) - Paris ~ Brittany

0735 Paris Montparnesse - St Malo

Train tixs: Eur 44 for 2 paxs

1038 St Malo - Dinan - Mont St Michel Day Trip
Tour price: Eur 160 for 2 paxs

The most relaxing day for dew dew...

Mt St Michel entrance tix Eur 15 for 2 paxs

1905 Rennes

Train tixs back to Paris: Eur 44 for 2 paxs

2110 Paris Montparnesse

Overnight Le Grand Intercontinental

The walled (old) city of St Malo

The wonderful citadel of Dinan

Mont St Michel - The Abbey known as "Mount in peril from the sea"

and also the highlight of this day trip!

The abbey - Up close

The Opera house next to our Hotel

Western Europe Part I

2009-10-25T17:42:00.019+08:00

26-Sep (Sat) ~ Paris
0655 ETA Paris CDG

Breakfast from Lauderee Royal

- macarron and pastry on the go.

*Tips: Get the Museum Pass for great value for money as it gives you free access to over 60 museums and monuments in and around Paris!

0900 Louvre

*Tips: 99 Rue de Rivoli entrance is supposedly less crowded

Tea at Angelina - Mont blanc and the Hot Chocolate (Africain)

** Must try the rich, creamy and decadent hot chocolate

St Chapelle

- renowned for its magnificent stained-glass windows on its upper chapel

But before I reached the upper chapel, I was totally mesmerized by the richly coloured trefoiled arcades as I stepped into the lower chapel...

Notre Dame

Gargoyle keeping watch over Eiffel Tower

Ice cream at Berthillon

The Original ice-cream palour along Rue Saint Louis En Li'ile.

And you wonder why the queue is so long...

1900 Dinner at le Relais d'isle

Reservations recommended as the restaurant is really small and popular. Traditional crusine with the melodious sound of the piano

Lovely shophouses along the street as we walked to Pont Neuf after our dinner

2130 Cruise with les Vedettes du Pont Neuf

Eiffel Tower at night

Beautiful~

Overnight Westin Paris

27-Sep (Sun) ~ Paris

Although thi picture is not very nice, it's really meaningful to us...

The view of Eiffel Tower from our upgraded "Suite" ~ courtesy of Westin Paris

0900 Versailles (Rive Gauche Station )

Itinerary in the afternoon:
Champs elysee - the legendary shopping street in Paris! Mainly window shopping.. LV, Chanel...etc the parisan iconic brands. But alas! I couldn't bring myself to splurge on bags (due to some very good reasons...)

L'arc de Triomphe

View of Champ Elysee from the top of L'arc de Triomphe

Dinner at Le Procope with Pierre

Very highly recommended restaurant by FromXXs. It is the oldest cafe in Paris and its interior has been carefully preserved through the decades. I love the traditional setting and the traditional french fare. Most importantly, the food is great without burning a hold in our pocket (Abt 25-30 Eur for 3 course set menu)!

Overnight Westin Paris

Dad's Be-lated Birthday Dinner

2009-08-16T22:38:00.004+08:00

A simple dinner near my parent's place was enough to make my Dad happy. Despite that, my Brother and I quietly promised ourselves that we will bring our parents to somewhere better next time...

My Dad & Mom

(and of course, my cheeky nephew who refuses to take a proper picture)

The Family Portrait

Bridal Shower

2009-08-16T13:00:00.010+08:00

Preparation by my dearest friend....

~ The Headgear ~

The materials used for the 2 headgear created with 3 different Looks.

(Model: Pooh, Designer/Make-up artish/stylist: Evelyn)

Truly impressed with the efforts taken by Evelyn...

For those who knows her, I'm sure you're impressed with the headgear too!

And a night of fun, laughter and tears at Thumper on 9 Nov'08...

2009 New Year at Shanghai

2009-07-13T22:42:00.025+08:00

We took an overnight flight to Shanghai and spent our New Year countdown at Changi Airport.... and something "interesting" happened ... (that nearly spoiled our Holiday)

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Right after we completed the Check-in procedures, Dew realised that the stack of RMb in his bagpack was gone!

And I asked sheepishly: "Oh.. you mean the RMB were in THAT white envelope in the front pocket of your bagpack?...."

"...I thought it was an envelope from our previous trip, so I took it out and left it on your desk....."

His face turned crimson.

"... .... ..."

"Hey... it's new year Soon...! Let's count down.... 3...2..1...Happy New Year, Dew!!..."

Dew: "What a New year "surprise"..."

And I spent the next 10 - 15mins coaxing Dew.....

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Day 1 - Shanghai

We checked-in at The Hyatt at the Bund and left our baggage at the conceirge.

When we went back at about 12pm, they checked us in at the wing with the view of the Oriental Pearl.

In the evening, when we went back to the Hotel, they moved us to the room with the view of The Bund.

The room was reserved for using Dew's points, which do not guaranteed us any room with a view. Despite this, they tried their very best to fufil our request! I must say, Hyatt's service is incredibly good!

Breakfast at Nan Xiang

Yummy!!

A walk after our breakfast...

Here's the 1st room, which we checked in during the day...

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Back to the story on how we survived the trip without RMB in our pockets. We actually had a couple of hundred RMB as our emergency cash stashed away in a secret compartment of our bag. With that, it lasted us for a day - only sufficient for needs (like cab fares and coffee).

And we paid for our Nan Xiang brunch using credit card...

Luckily, we were meeting Dew's friend, Li Tong for dinner! And Dew felt so bad having to borrow money from his friend. And, as I did not bring enough warm clothing, his wife lent me her jacket too! And that really helped me survived the trip to Hangzhou and Suzhou!

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Day 2 - Day trip to Hangzhou

Hang Zhou Xi Hu (杭州西湖)

Gorgeous Night Scenery from

"Vue" at The Hyatt at the Bund - Open roof-top bar

Seeping cocktail at the "day-bed"

And obviously, it's freaking cold at night...

Day 3 - Suzhou 苏州
Though it was drizzling, the gardens were beautiful. In fact, the rain created a poetic and romantic atmosphere at the Suzhou Gardens...

And that's me having fun!

Day 4 - Zhu Jia Jiao, Water Village 水乡朱家角

Most delicious "Zhong Zi" - Meat Dumpling I have ever tasted!

This store is very famous, and it was featured on TV before.

Checked out the "Zhong Zi":

As you take a bite, the meat filling in the centre melts in your mouth, and the fragrance of the chewy and tender rice lingers in your mouth...

It's so good that we Bought back some.

A common scenery there...

The view outside our restaurant

Back to Shanghai City

Last look at the Glitzy City before we take a cab to Airport for our flight back home.

My (new) Dad's Birthday

2009-07-06T23:21:00.006+08:00

Creating a little "surprise"

The cake was prepared,

candles lighted ...

When footsteps drew nearer,

the lights went-off....

... ... ...

HaPpy BiRthDaY DAD!!!

Dew's Family Shot~

Happy Birthday Dad!

Sit-down BBQ hosted by Mr & Mrs Terence Tan

2009-06-28T16:34:00.005+08:00

The Official BBQ Guys

Dew Dew taking a pic with the men at work...
and Moi, the Official Photographer ...

and part-time Winglets attendant...

The whole gang at

Mr & Mrs Tan (in Orange) BBQ party

Yoshida Sushi Bar

2009-06-27T21:14:00.000+08:00

I have been wanting to try Yoshida Sushi Bar again...

and finally, I went back, but only for the set lunch.

Onsen Tamago

semi-runny yolk with a hint of tamarine taste in the light shoyu sauce

Chirashi Bento

generously covered with various types of shashimi (firm, crunchy Hamachi, melt-in-your mouth Otoro, thick succulent Hotate, .......) you couldn't see the rice.

Shashimi Set

If you are a fan of Sashimi, I would opt for Sashimi set, rather than Chirashi set.

Yummy....

And all set is served with your choice of clear or miso soup.

We opted for clear soup - made of fish broth.

I am sure I will go back for more...

Dew's Birthday Dinner @ Garibaldi

2009-06-09T16:49:00.005+08:00

Menu

Spinach Salad with Grapefruits, raisins, hazelnuts and dried parma ham

Tuscan Cannellini Beans thick soup with prawns

Risotto with asparagus and parmesan cheese

Spagettie with cod fish, zucchini and dried mullet roe

Roast lamb tenderloin with potato gratin and grain mustard sauce

Chocolate and hazelnut parfait

Tiramisu Birthday cake (complimentary)

Overall experience was good ~ Nice fine dinning restaurant at reasonably good price
I supposed 'coz it's Italian food, so food presentation is simple, but great on the tastebud. Mostly importantly, it's easy on the wallet.

Le petit déjeuner ~

2009-05-22T21:35:00.000+08:00

Reminiscence of France for my Dew ....

Ho Chi Minh City

2009-05-03T21:20:00.001+08:00

Day 1: SG-HCM
Jeanette and moi headed to HCM one day earlier before Serene join us on the next day...

From the airport, we had 2 options to get to our Hotel:
1 - Metered taxi (cost abt US8. SASCO TAXI has a counter just beyond the baggage carrousels, where you can prepay for a taxi.
2 - Airport bus! 3500 dong only. No. 152, departs every 15 minutes. Stops at both international and domestic terminals before making regular stops along De Tham Street (Pham Ngu Lao area) and international hotels along Dong Khoi Area.

And for some reasons, we chose option 2!?!!
Well, we managed to get to the Hotel safely as the drop-off point is only 5 mins away from our hotel and the bus ride is decent.

Majestic Hotel overlooking Saigon River

They have got nice colonial style rooms. Spacious and clean.

After checking in, we took a cab straight to Sinh Cafe(a local trusted tour agency) to book our tour for Day 3 & 4.

Thereafter, a quick lunch before we took a cab down to The White Lotus Spa to pamper ourselves! We took a scrub and wrap, plus hot stone massage packages (about 2.5hrs session) and it cost about US$60.

http://www.whitelotusspa.com.vn/

Address: 7/2 Phung Khac Khoan St

Da Kao Ward, District 1

Tel/Fax: +84 (08).38242451

After SPA, we tried searching for a recommended restaurant, but realised the restaurants were closed for renovation.

In the end, we settled for Dinner at Pho2000

Their Pho Bo is really nice. The seafood is nice too, just that the soup is slightly sweet.

Day 2: HCM City Tour/Ben Thanh Market/SPA

Serene reached the Hotel really early, and we were still in bed when she called! And I realised I did not switched on my Mobile... Luckily, there's Jeanette....

Trying out the Vietnamese hat...

And we have: The mysterious girl, cute safari ranger and the traditional viet girl!

The park infront of CityHall

After a long stroll down the busy streets, we found Trung Nguen Cafe for breakfast

After breakfast, we can even buyTrung Nguen coffee powder for our family and friends.

Serene and Jeanette getting all excited when they realised the Kem Bach Dang (Vietnamese ice-cream) that we were looking for all morning is right besides the cafe where we were having breakfast!

(What's upsetting is that we actually missed the more "up-class" Kem Bach Dang ice-cream restaurant just opposite the more run-down outlet that we were all so excited about! If you look hard enough, it's just beside the cinema on the left.)

Posing at Ben Thanh Market tibits corner

Up to a certain point, the market can get quite stuffy with all the things going around you,

and all the stuffs packed in the tiny stalls...

And we wonder what makes Serene's World twirl non-stop...
~ Serene feeling all Dizzy...

(*Hint: It's definitely not the heat)

Tada~!

I heard these tonic wine made with exotic creatures is going to make you really strong, but I',m sure this is not going to work for Serene.

After shopping at Ben Thanh Market, we walked to Quan An Ngon for lunch.

Jeanette and Moi getting ready to dig in!

Must-try! Their Clams are so fresh and juicy that we ordered 2 servings!

Banana boiled in coconut dessert with peanuts is really good too!

Quan An Ngon
Tel 8257179
138, Nam Ky Nghia Street
Mains cost around 17,000 – 60,000 dong
Opens at lunch and dinner
Surrounding the garden style patio is a ring of cooks at individual stations, mixing up softly spiced creations in the open air. An excellent selection of traditional Vietnamese dishes.

As we were walking down the streets of HCM,

I managed to snap a pic of Serene looking all-excited...

Guess what's making her so excited....

Check out the bikes!

That's the reason Serene is getting all-excited everytime she crosses the road.

After a supposedly light lunch (no carbo, just dishes to share), we rushed to La Maison de L’Apothiquaire, where we had made an appointment (reservation recommended for this highly popular SPA).

64A Truong Dinh, District 3

Ho Chi Minh City

Tel. : +84-8-3932 5181 / 3932 5082

It slightly more expensive than The White Lotus, but the SPA experience is really good! For a pampering and luxurous treat, I would definitely recommend La Maison de L’Apothiquaire. However, for more value, it would be The White Lotus

Thereafter, Dinner at Temple Club!

On the 2nd floor of a beautifully restored colonial villa, Temple Club serves delectable Vietnamese plates such as fish with tamarind or shrimp in coconut milk

Temple club
Tel 829 9244
29 Ton That Thiep Street
Mans cost 70,000 – 130,000 dong
Opens lunch and dinner

We love the decor!

Day 3: Cu Chi Tunnel Tour

Breakfast: Pho Bo Tai - Nice!

Gathering at Sinh Cafe, as we waited to board the bus...

Check out the crowd!

Sinh Cafe

238-246 De Tham Street

(beware of fakes)

Cao Dai Temple

Tay Ninh town – capital of Tay Ninh Province and serves as headquarters of one of Vietnam’s most interesting indigenous religions – Cao Sai. (read more at http://www.caodai.org/pages/?pageID=1) the Cao Dai Great Temple was build between 1933 and 1955. Tay Ninh is 96km northwest of HCMC. The Cao Dai Holy See complex is 4km east of Tay Ninh.

Prayers Session

The famous touristy shot...

Going into the tunnel...

After Cu Chi Tunnel, we took a cab to Mandarine...

Mandarine
Tel 822 9783
11A Ngo Van Nam Street
Mains cost 60,000 dong
Opens lunch and dinner
The fine selection of traditional dishes on offer draws on all regions. The food is superb and the traditional music performances make it an all round good bet

Based on above, we didn't suspect that it could be a fine dining restaurant until we reached there in our day singlets, shorts and flats....

Luckily, we were not turned away for being so underdressed...

Live music performance at night

Day 4: Mekong Delta Tour

After the long tiring ride back to city, we went back to our Hotel to wash-up before we head out for our last night at Lush.

Lush
2 Ly Tu Trong Street
Anime-themed bar that gathers an attractive mixed crowd. The wrap around bat takes centre stage and is great for people watching.

Day 5: Home Sweet Home

Hong Kong - Shopping, Makan and More Shopping!

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Day 1: 11 Apr'09 ~ SGD - HK; Shopping!

Earliest flight by Jetstar with the Girls!

Accomodation: Butterfly at the Prat
Nice, modern and very new boutique hotel at Prat Avenue. A really convenient location as it's right at Tsim Sha Tsui, minutes away from Nathan road, and walking distance from ferry terminal (to Hong Kong island)

We jetted off for our lunch at any Char Chang Ting near our Hotel after checking-in.

And of Course, my first order at HK will be Niu Zai Mian and Hot Milk Tea!

Yummy!

After lunch, we shopped NON-STOP , and amazingly, we didn't cover much ground (probably 400m along Nathan Road) and our hands were full with shopping bags at th end of 6 hours!

My Favourite Ice-cream in Hong Kong!

Lusciously smooth, creamy soft softee...

(PS: Check out our shooping bags, within the few bags

contains 1/2 of our purchases for our 5 days trip: 6 bags, 6 shoes, 1 Shirt, 2 Skirts,etc..)

Day 2: Hong Kong Island, Stanley, Happy Valley, The Peak

We had a quickBreakfast at another local Char Chang Ting before we start our day for the sight-seeing.

And Obviously, we can't get enough of the Niu Zai Mian

Simple looking, but still delicious!

Waiting to board the Ferry to Hong Kong Island

Along the rocky coast of Stanley

Another touristy shot infront of an Interesting sign-board

"Part-time Pedestrain Area"

Waiting for "Xiao Ba" back to Central

"Happy Valley" - no race today, wasted trip,

So shall take another touristy pic!

Atop HK trolley Bus

- A typical scenery ok HK streets

Day 3 - Macau!

One of the Best Dim Sum brunch I had!

Recommended Dish: Chan Fen with Crispy Ebi, Bird's Nest Egg Tarts, etc etc...

Can't remember the name of the restaurant, but it's Located near Prat Ave, along Canarvon Road (Any conceirge at the hotel will know about this restaurant)

At the Ferry waiting area...

Here we come, Macau!

Day 4 - Shopping!

Afternoon tea at Char Chan Ting,though aren't good as Day 3 Breakfast, it's definitely better than what we can find at Singapore's bakery!

Little Knick-knacks at Temple Street

Dessert at "Xu Liu Shan" with Ponder

Their "Yang Zi Gan Lu" is Sooo.... nice!

Where our Hotel is Located...

Day 5 - Shopping at Lai Chi Kwok; Home Sweet Home!

A nice little surprise....over the weekend

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Saturday...a little surprise party

On a usual saturday afternoon, I went back home after my grocery shopping with a slight headache from the afternoon heat. A little cake filled with candles greeted me as I stepped inside my house.

Wow...! ..... A birthday cake?!! But my dew dew was with me all these while, so who could it be?!

The house looks empty.

I started searching around... First, the kitchen and the common bathroom, next, the master bedroom and the attached bathroom... When I peeked inside the "to-be" study room, I saw some bags lying on the floor.

Before I could react, a few girls sprung on me and I literally "jumped"!

What a startling surprise!

The "gang" hidding in the make-shift storeroom as they waited patiently for our return...

And not forgetting to take some pics, while they "hide"...

The Girls... (Fang, Li and Boon)

The guys... (Rodin, Daryl and Leo)

The mischiveous faces, as they plotted how they should "surprise" me...

Still hysterical from the "surprises"

(Erm, stop counting those candles, the idea is to fill the whole cake with candles, and it doesn't mean anything.....)

Thanks Dew....

Thanks for planning this little surprise for me

and I know it ain't easy to plan for something like this while in India for the past week...

Oh! and thanks for the yumilicious Choc-a-Bloc chocolate cake ,

which I have been yearning to try!

(moist chocolate sponge cake coated generously with rich creamy chocolate. Yummy!)

And of course, thanks to all my dear friends for being part of the nice little "party".

(Thanks for capturing the beautiful moments Leo)

Sunday... Pot Luck

Guest: Miaoqun & Jason, Miaoyan, Xiao Yi and Ling & family (Richard and her 2 little darlings).

Menu for dinner: Roast duck, char shao, Braised tofu with brocolli, sambal veg, fried bee hoon, fried rice, seafood pizza, bbq chicken pizza, almond jelly cocktail (made by MY) AND chocolate cake.

So nice of MQ and MY to prepare the cake for me...

Honeymooning on the West Coast! (Part IV)

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27Nov'08: LV to Grand Canyon

Drive to Hoover Dam then to Grand Canyon

Grabbed our brunch at Macdonalds before our proper lunch at Al Tovar

As the Grand Canyon is covered totally by fog, we decided to check out the Grandeur of Grand Canyon at Imax.

Overnight at Best Western Grand Squire Inn

28 Nov'08: Grand Canyon to Dessert Hills Premium Outlets

We decided to check out Grand Canyon again...And Phew! Luckily the fog is not back!! We managed to stop at a few look-out point for photos before driving off to our Last shopping Stop!

Another 5 straight hours of non-stop shopping!

Overnight at Best Western Pasadena

29 Nov'08: LA
La Brea Tar Pits for its huge collection of fossils extracted from the tar pits.

Lunch at Musso and Frank

Some other sights:-

- Chinese Theatre, hollywood

-Getty Centre

Overnight at Hollywood Orchid Suites Hotel

30 Nov'08: LA

Checking out LA beaches front - Santa Monica , Venice...

Forest Gump bench outside Bubba Gump Shrimps restaurant:

Trying our best to imitate Tom Hank's signature look as Gump

Farmer's Market with Lunch at Gumbo Pot, followed by home-made ice-cream, coffee and donut for tea, and Dinner at Koi.

The most expensive parking during our Trip!

Overnight at Howard Johnson Anaheim

1st Dec'08: LA - Disney Land!!!
Truly magical experience, not bad for my 1st Disney experience!

Goofy !

Christmas Theme Mickey outside Adventure Land

Dinner at Denny's

Overnight at Howard Johnson Anaheim

2nd Dec'08: LA - Disney Adventure Land

Adrenlin rush, after taking the rides at Adventure Land, the rides at Disney is no longer thrilling for me. But the magic is still there. I love their fireworks and happy music blaring through their speakers throughout the whole magical kingdom.

Mickey in Adventure Land

Sharing our Turkey Leg lunch...

3rd Dec'09: LA- Universal Studio
Breakfast at Johnny Rockets before our visit to Uuniversal Studio Hollywood
Dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimps

Interesting theme park, but I still prefer Disney Land.

Drive to Slovang

Overnight at Kronberg Inn

4 th Dec'09: Solvang - San Simeon

Breakfast at Mortenson's ...

and a nice walk around the Dannish-looking streets.

The Most-photographed Inn at Solvang

Next, drive to San Simeon
(en-route) Lunch at Steamers
I love the clams! Super-duper delicious!

Piedra Blancas for the nice sunset...

... and elephant seals

Overnight at Sea Breeze Inn

5th Dec'08: San Simeon - Carmel

Morning visit to Hearst Castle

(remember to book your tickets online to avoid a wasted trip)

Takeaway Lunch - Hearst Ranch Beef burger

Point Lobos walk

Explore 17-mile Drive - Shepard's Knoll, Point Joe, Bird Rock, Lone Cypress, Fanshell overlook, Ghost Tree, Restless Sea

Pebble beach along 17 mile drive (Carmel by the sea)

Another beautiful sunset along 17 mile drive

Dinner at Rio Grill

Overnight at Highlands Inn - Sea View facing with real fireplace

6 Dec'08: Drive to Monterary Bay

Our long drive back to SF for our flight back along California One highway, en-route to Monterey Bay.

Some other sights not pictured here:-
Butterfly Grove

Lunch at Seawife (nice, reasonably priced, and very friendly owner)

Brave, Inquisitive squirrel checking us out for some snacks

as we check out the coastal views from

one of the look-out point along California One Highway.

I guess this is one of the main cause of squirrel pancake along the highway: A kind act, which cause tragedy to these cute, little things

Moon Jellyfish at Monterey Aquarium

Coastal view from Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park

Sunset along California 1 highway

Half Moon Bay

A nice end to our honeymoon...

Lunch at Leo's

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Sumptuous philipino lunch, great fun, delicious snacks and great coffee for our teabreak...And of course, all these wouldn't be possible with our wonderful Hosts ~ Leo and his sister, Ollie!

2nd Row: Moi & Dew, Ollie, Leo, Rodin, Daryl, Suling
front: Siting & Terence