Traveblogue

20100221

Passion and Labour of Love

Travelling can be tiring but rewarding and enriching. Similarly putting the experience into words can be tiring and rewarding too. Tiring because it can be very tedious, having to choose the best of the best photos from hundreds of them. Rewarding because it makes one feel a sense of self-fulfilment to see the journey turn into life-long memory and record. It all boils down to passion and labour of love!

And I have been painstakingly looking through New Zealand South Island and Milford Track photos for the last… Oh, I have lost count! But, happy to have completed after three months! Perhaps it is also time that I improve my vocabulary, running out of words…!

To read about the South Island and Milford Track accounts, click on the respective photos
below.

20100202

What's in the Name? Crab!

Took a commuter train to Port Klang, then a ferry to the island called Pulau Ketam or Crab Island last Sunday. To find out more, click on the crab below!

20100201

Looking Forward to More Adventures in 2010

2009 has been a rather fruitful year as far as travelling is concerned. And the year ended with a 28-day (North and South Island) New Zealand tour.

And I started off 2010 with a visit to South India – Kerala state and Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu, travelling in a true back-packing style. I enjoyed the experience and the adventure so much that I am looking forward to more…

To find out more about the New Zealand North Island tour and the adventure of South India, click on the respective photos below. As for the South Island (of New Zealand) account, it is still being penned – it was a long journey!

20090822

Bhutan through My Eyes

I took in a breath of fresh air, and let out a sigh of relief – after three months, I finally turned my journey into ‘journal’. As I painstakingly looked through the photos and recalled each moment and each day, I was reliving the whole journey, it was like I was travelling again. And I could vividly see…

…the mountains, the splendid view, the clear blue sky, the snow falling, the rough and bumpy journey, the treacherous road, the rivers flowing, the birds chirping, the beautiful flowers, the horses refusing to budge, the laughter of the people around, the smiles on the faces, kids playing, kids going to schools, the dzongs, devotees twirling prayer wheels in one hand and moving the beads in the other while chanting, the hot chillies dish…

And I have one wish – I wish one day I could be back there again, to explore the unexplored. But, if only it is not so expensive, yes, IF ONLY…

To find out more about the journey and the country, log on to Bhutan (Phuentsholing, Thimphu, Punakha, Paro).

20090805

Update on India (Sikkim) Trip

After two months back from the trip, I finally put up my 'Great experience in Sikkim' on my blog. Log on to India (Kolkata, Darjeeling and Sikkim) for details.

But this is only half of the trip, another half to go! That is – Bhutan. Hopefully, not another two months before it is up!

20090520

Good-Driving Habits – Reminder from India

All along the highways and mountain roads in India (saw them in Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim areas, not sure about other parts of the country), one can see the ‘good-driving-reminder’ road signs for drivers such as the one below. Perhaps, Malaysia should have something similar too.

Other examples are:-

Good drivers seldom hurt.

Leave early, drive slowly, reach safely.

Drive with care, life has no spare.

Speed thrills but kills.

Make safety a habit.

Life is short, don’t make it shorter.

Drink and drive, you won’ survive

Don’t gossip, let him drive.

20090323

1 to 10, 10 to 1 Story

The ‘Original’ Version
1 day I go 2 climb a 3 outside a house to peep. But the couple saw me, so I panic and 4 down. The man rushed out and wanted to 5 with me. I ran until I fell 6 and threw up. So I go into 7-eleven and grabbed some 8 to throw at him. Then I took a 9 and try to stab at him. 10 God he run away. 10 I put the 9 back and pay for the 8 and left 7-eleven. Next day I called my boss and told him I was 6. He said 5, tomorrow also no need to come back 4 work. He also asked me to go climb a 3 and jump down! I don't understand. I am so nice 2 him but I don't know what he 1.

My ‘Egyptian’ Version
1 day I went 2 Egypt. At Giza, I saw the 3 biggest and most famous pyramids, 4 a moment, I was speechless. We then went for a 5-minute camel ride. 6 of us took a photo in front of the Pyramids. Supposed to have 7, but one went missing! Wao, it was g8! 9t time came, still thinking of the Pyramids. 10, I fell asleep and dreamt of the Pyramids.

10 days later, I came back, still thinking of Egypt, day time, 9t time, Egypt. Indeed Egypt is a g8 place to visit. After a 7-day break from the subject of Egypt, I started to put my experience on my blog. 6tting in front of the computer night after nigth looking for the best photos was not easy, as there were 100s of them. But 5nally, I did it.

4 eleven years, I talked about visitng Egypt. So much talk, but never materialised. Suddenly, with 3 phone calls to a travel agent, I found myself on the plane and I was on the way, 2 excited to hold back my emotion.

Yes, finally I saw the GREAT 1DER of the WORLD!

20090316

How It All Started

While looking through some old photos, I stumbled upon these photos (below 2) and it reminded me of ‘How it all started’.

Born and bred in Penang, I had never trekked up to Penang Hill until some time in the early 90s. During that time, some of my nieces were in high school / universities; and to unwind and relax, they would walk up to Penang Hill (via way of the tarred road located just outside the Botanical Garden). One weekend when I was back in Penang I decided to join them.

While these nieces subsequently went on their separate ways to pursue their dreams of getting degrees, establishing their careers etc., I found and established a new hobby – seeing places through the hard way – trekking, camping, caving, etc.

I spent many of my weekends feeding the mosquitoes and leeches in our local jungles; getting myself dirty caving; chilling and enjoying natural massage at the many beautiful and spectacular waterfalls.

There were occasions when I had ‘million-star’ instead of 5-star accommodation, where the sky was the ceiling, and hard ground, my bed.

My first test of serious trekking was when I trekked up Mt Kinabalu in 1993. Perhaps, for the first time ever, I felt a sense of achievement – yes, I succeeded in scaling the mountain and stood proudly atop the summit of Malaysia’s highest mountain.

At the summit of Mt Kinabalu (4,101m)
A re-survey in 1997 re-established the height as 4,095m

After a lapse of more than ten years, I went caving recently when a friend invited me to join her and some friends to the Dark Cave in Batu Caves. It was a very interesting and shall I say, challenging experience. It was educational too. Perhaps, it (caving) would be my renewed hobby before my knees start to ‘creak’ louder and more often!

At the entrance to the cave, before the ‘fun’ starts
(These photos were courtesy of Mr Chin M P,
an avid traveller / trekker / photographer)

Crawling, wriggling, sliding, twisting and turning to
get through the small gap of the cave. The ground was
muddy and uneven and mind you, this is not the smallest
gap / opening and the path is not straight!

Tackling a very steep, slippery and narrow path

Real natural beauty (above and below)

After the ‘fun’
Everyone came out unscathed and smiling

20090102

Lost in Translation

A friend lent me this book called Lost in Translation: Misadventures in English Abroad. It is produced by an author and journalist, who has 'scoured the globe's tourist destinations for the finest example of... instances of unintentional communication catastrophe from around the world' (quote from the inside cover of the book).

Here are some of the examples scanned from the book - only some as it is not only too tedious to scan the whole book, I might be 'sued' for reproducing the book illegally.