Whiling away the afternoon..

A cuppa.. And my Lonely Planet. 

As I spent this afternoon holed up in a cafe called Alley No. 5 in Malacca. Malaysia. Random thoughts just flashed past my mind. 

Malacca is a city that I used to be so familiar with that I'll do a yearly 'pilgrimage' up from Singapore. And I always used to stick to the same old Jonker Street and after a while.. Without thinking. I could tell you how to walk and where are some of the places worth stopping by for food. 

But my notion of Malacca being an easy place to walk around vanished 2 years ago when I met Gus. My Airbnb host. He has been based in Malacca since 2010 and there are places where only locals go but he'll show us around too. 

I got to know Malacca better. From a local stand point. And since then.. Malacca has changed. I see how the locals are proud of their culture. Their roots. Of how their daily lives are and their jobs and roles in this little tourist-drawing city. 

This year.. This trip marks my 3rd. My first alone.

The places I went with Gus today were places I never knew.. Never been. Lest the weekly market behind his Airbnb and this cafe I was at this afternoon. 

I enjoy how friendly I've become with the locals. How we became friends and keep track of each other's lives via social media. :) 

Like at Alley No. 5. Oren. The owner/barista. He saw me fishing out a book from my bag and he went like 'Doing your 'homework' for Russia ah?' Or when his older brother Yalu walked past and asked me 'You're back? Alone?' And proceeded to talk to me about Gus other Airbnb like we've known each other for ages (which we ain't.. I only got to know him better this year.) 

And when another of their friend came over for a drink. We were chatting across the different tables and just whiling the afternoon away. 

It's a simple lifestyle. A simple trip up Malacca. But what made it all so special are the friends I've made here that makes me come back so much more often. 

Travelling to familiar places never cease to amaze me each time I go back. And that's probably the magic of travelling. <3

It's been a while..

My Trans-Siberian book I bought this year.. With the Russia travel guide a friend gave me. 

It's been a long while since I'm here blogging. I think stopped somewhere after closing down that page I had. Hmmmz. 

So what made me come back? Coz as I was researching on my Trans-Siberian trip next year. I realized there's not a lot of information on the trip and the planning. I'm not talking about the typical tour group trips. But rather. The DIY kind trip. I've only found a good webpage (read more here: http://www.railway-train-travel.com.au) by a couple who shared from their planning to during the trip and details. Had a friend who linked me up with her friend who also captured some of her accounts on the Trans-Siberian too (you can read more here: http://burtontravels.blogspot.sg/). 

So I decided to blog about the planning and the happenings during the trip (when that happens) and post-trip (if there is any) as I guess in a way. Besides wanting to share my experiences and how I got about doing it. To serve as a memory to myself that I can do all of this alone. 

And the story begins...

Ever since I went Russia (Saint Petersburg. Novgorod and Moscow) last year with Contiki (no.. I stopped blogging by then. So sorry.. No stories to share. ;P). I started dreaming about doing Trans-Siberian. It felt like a daunting journey.. But little did I know how close to the truth I was. 

I have a sabbatical next year that I am taking. So I decided to do the Trans-Siberian during that period. 

What exactly is Trans-Siberian? In simple terms. It's a train journey across Russia and Siberia. Starting in Moscow and usually ending in Vladivostok. Spanning 7 different time zones. It is also the longest railway in the world (at a length of 9289 km and still expanding). There are a total of 18 stops on the Trans-Siberian journey and it also branches out in the Trans-Mongolian and Trans-Manchurian. If you were to take the train journey straight from one end to the other. It will take you 10 days on the train non-stop. You can read more on the background and history brief here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-Siberian_Railway. 

Daunted yet? :) 

I have already started researching on where to go. What to do. Where to stay. And studying Cyrillic (or at least trying to recognize the words) since the beginning of this year. Along the way plans changed. And new additions were added. :) 

So why Trans-Siberian? Coz I'm hooked on to the history. The culture. The architecture. And the beauty of the nature of the country. And that it was something that I guess I want to do while I'm still young and in good health. 

What popped up as I was planning? That the thought of visiting Keukenhof Gardens in Netherlands came up. And when I realized how close Netherlands is to Belgium (I have cousins living there). And a friend asked why not do a day trip to Paris from Belgium as I am unlikely to fly and just visit France on its own. Then there is a Eurail pass that covers Netherlands. France. Belgium and Luxembourg for S$400. And thinking of going down to Ho Chi Minh on my way back from Vladivostok before coming home.

Hence. From a simple Trans-Siberian. Suddenly I have an overwhelming list of places to cover together. :P

As of now. I have only bought my tickets to Amsterdam. And from Belgium to Saint Petersburg. My flight ticket from Singapore to Amsterdam is on Garuda Indonesia (direct 13 hours flight) for S$535 and from Belgium (on Brussels Airlines - 4 hours) for S$119. Will need to buy the Benulux-France rail pass by the end of this month so that I can get the 1 free travel day on top of the 4 travel days.

So yeah. It's time to find back my mojo for writing. Regardless who may be reading this blog. :) 

Safe travels to all. Wherever you may be heading! 

The purpose in life..

It's been a long time since I'm here blogging. Most of the time I just share photos and articles. But this morning. I was reading an article in the newspaper which was talking about how a girl quit her job to travel and find herself. And it got me thinking. 

A little background about the article. This girl's a Uni graduate and came out to work in the corporate world. She got tired of climbing the corporate ladder and wanted to find herself. So she took off to Guatemala for 3 weeks. Hoping to find what she really wanted in life. There she met travellers who are as lost as her and did not know what they wanted to do with their lives either. Until she met a yoga instructor (who is now her boyfriend) and she opened a restaurant there and an agency helping others to look for jobs for Spanish teachers. That was 4 years ago that she left Singapore and she seems to have found her purpose in life. 

What I want to share here is this. If you want to find yourself. You do not need to leave the corporate world. Neither does it guarantee that once you leave and travel you will be able to find yourself. And I strongly disagree with the fact that travellers are lost. I have met and known travellers who know exactly why they are travelling. And travellers who are travelling to find themselves - but not lost. 

I've a full time job and in the corporate world. I face the corporate ladder and dog-eats-dog world every day. But do I know what I want to do with my life? I do. I know that this job I have now allows me to earn enough to continue travelling when I have the time. But it doesn't mean that I lose myself when I stop travelling. 

In the 9 years that I am in this full time job of mine. I travel. I travel to places that I grew up dreaming of. Never thinking they will come true one day. I travel alone. Living by the day.

Travelling opened up my eyes to the places beyond the horizon. It made me come back more appreciative of what I have and taught me things that education did not.

One of the first few places I travelled to alone.. Malacca, Malaysia.

Another one of the first few places I travelled to alone.. Taken at the foot of Mount Phousi, Luang Prabang, Laos. 

I didn't only take the less trodden path. But I splurged once in a while when I went to DisneyLand in Hong Kong. Universal Studios in Osaka. DisneySea in Tokyo. Of course with every splurge it came with a price. But have I ever regretted spending more money than what I brought over? Never. I worked so hard back home. Why shouldn't I treat myself a little better when I'm away?

With Mickey in DisneySea, Tokyo! 

I learnt to appreciate the beauty of Mother Nature. Especially when I started backpacking to The Philippines.

Kids playing on the sand bank in Batanyan Island, Cebu, Philippines. 

A 8 hours banca ride from Coron to El Nido, Philippines. 

Sunrise in Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia.

I made new friends along the way and hung out with them.. Just like a local. =) 

My friend and I sitting on the ledge of a waterfall in Siquijor, Philippines. 

And a family and me rafting away in Bali, Indonesia.

 I went to places that I never even dreamed of sometimes. Learning the ways as I go along. 

On top of one of the 5 peaks in Mount Hua Shan, Xi'an, China.

Floating down the Yellow River on a pig skin raft, China.

Drinking horse wine - neat - once we got down the bus in Inner Mongolia, China. 

And to fulfill my dream of getting to Tibet. I planned and on a whim. Signed up for the tour and off I went! My first destination that was crossed off my bucket list! 

Beautiful beautiful Lin Zhi, Tibet, China. 

Of course a visit and climb to the Potala Palace is a given! Lhasa, Tibet. 

Another place on my bucket list was to backpack to Sri Lanka. I love the hospitality. The people. The nature. What I didn't really enjoy was the food.. Coz I came back home and swore off Indian food for a good 9 months!

Sunrise from our 'tent' in Madulkele, Kandy, Sri Lanka. Across us was the Knuckles Range. Breathtaking!

Finally seeing the fishermen on stilts in Galle, Sri Lanka!

Just not too long ago. I took a 3 weeks break and went back to the Philippines and decided that after procrastinating for so long. It's time to pick up scuba diving. Never have I accomplished something that I'm so proud of. Till the extent that I'm thinking of doing the divemaster course too!

My Open Water session in Camiguin, Philippines.

Fish feeding in process in Batangas, Philippines.

Heading down into the unknown off White Island in Camiguin, Philippines.

And seeing a white tip reef shark so close while down under in Maldives is the icing on the cake!

I learnt. Through backpacking and staying in hostels. And through driving on road trips. I don't need to leave the corporate world to find my purpose in life. I know what I want and I go for it! 

To the diamond of the far east and back..

Although it started out as a work trip to Ho Chi Minh City. I had 3 free days after and decided to visit some of the more famous landmarks and dabble a little in the cafe scene and the local morning scene. =) 

Ho Chi Minh City. Also known as Saigon. Is named after the leader of Vietminh. Ho Chi Minh. What was once a small fishing village grew and became a metropolitan hub. A lot of historical sites are still around with a good mix of cityscapes. (read more at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh_City) 

In the 3 free days I had. Besides the daily drinks I had. The cafe hopping I did. 2 things stood out among the rest: catching the AO show in the Saigon Opera House and having breakfast in the park with the locals amidst the chirping and songs of the birds. Photo blog to ensue. =)

First up. Saigon Opera House. 'One of Ho Chi Minh City's most prominent landmarks, the Saigon Opera House was custom built in 1897 by French architect Eugene Ferret. In 1955 it was transformed into South Vietnam's Assembly House and has undergone several refurbishments since. It is only open to the public during events.' (read: http://www.citypassguide.com/en/destination/ho-chi-minh-city/attractions/architecture/the-opera-house)

The only way to see the interior of the House was to go for a show. Which was what I did with 3 other friends! =D

An old school chandelier.

The art student captured this shot of me 'coz I want the chandelier by the pillar..'

And here we are in a row: second row seats for USD$50!

The interior of the hall. I was telling the art friend that it would be simply awesome if it was a Shakespeare play instead. Old Victorian style of building with an old English play.. Le sigh.

Night view of the Opera House.

Before I went on this trip. I was planning to catch the birds in song at the local park: Tao Dan Park. It was something interesting that I picked up as I was reading my Lonely Planet guide. (read: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/vietnam/ho-chi-minh-city/sights/parks-gardens/tao-dan-park). So instead of sleeping in after late night out. I crawled out of bed and met a friend and off we went in search of the birds (and of course breakfast)!

The pushcart for drinks. Limited drinks.

And food. I only saw eggs. Bread. Vege.

This was the scene in the park. Retirees and people on the way to work grabbing a drink.

Actually I wanted hot tea. But it came as tea + ice + sugar + calamasi = iced lemon tea. But my friend got her iced coffee right. =)

A simple breakfast.

And the activities in the park.

A scene where bird owners were 'sunning' their birds in the morning sunshine. Only from 7am to 9am daily. After 9am. Most of the birds are brought away.

Finally my hot tea and friend's iced coffee (again). =)

Sometimes all I want during my travels is to indulge myself in what the locals do. That's how I learn and get to know their culture better. =)

A growing list!

As a kid growing up in a family who doesn't really quite travel. I was encouraged to travel with friends and see the world once I start having some spending power. I always remember my first trip (excluding school trips) out with a friend was when I was 17 and we headed up to Cameron Highlands and Kuala Lumpur on a 4 nights 3 days trip. 

I was proud of myself then coz I earned the money to cover my own expenses and I had no need to ask my parents for money. I remembered feeling excitement pumping in my veins and I couldn't sleep well the night before. Hahaha. I remembered packing and repacking my luggage (yes - luggage!) coz I was fearful of leaving out anything. And when the trip came. I was blown away by the whole experience. Of travelling in a coach in the middle of the night up the winding highway to Cameron Highlands. Of feeling chilled by the weather up in the hills. And of seeing the BOH tea plantation rolling out in front of me like a panorama that never seems to end. Kuala Lumper was quite the city trip (though what marred the experience was me getting food poisoning). 

Since then. I've started to make it a point to travel once a year and I've never looked back since. I've been to countries with friends. From Indonesia. Malaysia. Cambodia. Thailand. Sri Lanka. Hong Kong. Macau. Maldives. Philippines. Japan and Taiwan (once bringing my mummy along). And South Korea and Australia for work. Solo travelling became me after I tried travelling to Laos for the first time and ever since I've been to China (mainly for Tibet). Indonesia. Malaysia and Philippines (yearly since 4 years back).

Do I regret spending my money on travelling? Definitely not. These are experiences that have made me who I am today. And today I am a much more seasoned traveller (and the luggage is lesser seen! =P).

Credits to: http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/

So you may ask now. 'Why this post?' Well. Coz I'm starting my planning for my 2 months trip in a couple of years time (love my company for giving sabbatical leave of 2 months) and I do need ideas and suggestions of where to head to. =) 

I was thinking of covering South America or Europe or Africa in 2 months. But there are factors I'm worried about. Like it being a place I can only 'touch and go' without being in depth in the place. And along the way there are places that have been eliminated and here are the remaining (though ideas are truly welcomed =))

Credits: http://www.staydu.com/

Credits: http://truenomads.com/

The Netherlands.

What I want to do? 

I wanna see the fields of tulips! Of the famous windmills of Holland! Of the canals in Amsterdam!

But on a more serious note. There's definitely more to Netherlands than just that. I want to visit the museums (especially Van Gogh). Anne Frank House. The Heineken brewery and red light district just to name a few. I wanna taste the stroopwafles and have a cup of koffie verkeerd. I want to have a piece of hollandse nieuwe haring and poffertjes. *grinz*

Credits: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/

Credits: http://www.traveldepartment.ie/

Austria

What I want to do?

Of course visit the hills where 'Song of Music' was filmed - Salzburg! Immerse myself in an opera in Vienna! And visit all those places where the famous music composers once reside - Mozart, Haydn and Strauss!

I do want to go to the Danube Island. Visit a palace. Do some wine tasting and visit some micro-breweries. Oh heaven!

Credits: http://www.cbc.ca/

Credits: http://www.trekamerica.com/

Canada

What I want to do?

It's more than just taking the train. More than kayaking in the Rockies. More than seeing the Niagara Falls. It's more to visit my inaanak (godson in Tagalog) in British Columbia and his Dad. So if I could head over it's more for my emotional being than the scenery (though that's a bonus!) 

Credits: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/

Credits: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/

Credits: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/

 Credits: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/

Scandinavian countries

What I want to do?

Denmark. Norway. Sweden and Finland. Iceland. There's so much to see and do. I want to see the Santa Claus village! See the Northern Lights! Sit on a fjord! And perhaps some skiing!

The Northern Lights have attracted me for as long as I can remember. And to be able to see Santa Claus village in real life would be awesome. Staying in an igloo sounds just about right too! Visiting the original Legoland would also be fun! Hahaha. I love Legos. *heartz*

Credits: http://static.guim.co.uk/

Credits: http://static.guim.co.uk/

Argentina

What I want to do?

Tango in the streets! See the magnificent Iguazu Falls! Hike up the Andes if I can!

But the wine and the reserva faunistica peninisula valdes where I can see the wildlife along the coast would be out of this world. Being able to visit the capital - Beunos Aires - and soaking myself in the cultural city would be fascinating.

Credits: http://kiwianne.com/

Italy

What I want to do?

Float down the canals of Venice! See the Colosseum! Stand next to the tower of Pisa! Drink an espresso!

Hahaha. Italy was never high on my list until I met 2 travellers on my last trip in Siargao and I guessed the pictures they painted of their home was too vivid for me to forget any time soon. Especially when not long ago a friend just came back and was raving about the country. I want to visit Florence and walk down the small winding roads through vineyards and countryside. 

Credits: http://static.donquijote.org/

Spain

What I want to do?

See the Sagrada Familia! Learn flamenco dancing! Enjoy tapas washed down with some local wine/beer!

I want to walk along the streets of Las Ramblas and party in Ibiza (though I'm not much of a party animal!) I want to be part of one of the biggest festival ever - La Tomatina! Hahaha. The movie 'Walking on Sunshine' made it looked so fun! I've already started planning my outfit! Looking for white tops (that can be discarded immediately) to bring! =D

Credits: http://www.jigneshbapna.com/

Credits: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/

Prague

What I want to do?

Be at the Christmas Market in the Old Town Square! Amble along the cobblestoned streets of Charles Bridge! Pay a visit to the Old Jewish Cemetery and get lost in Prague Castle!

My last inspiration for the 2 months has gotta be being there for Witches' Night. Catch a puppet show.  Have a gulas and a koblihy with some local craft beers. And of course visit a cathedral too! 

Definitely a long list.. 8 places I want to go. But which will be the best? Let's hear from you! =D