classy bangkok

my last trip was 4 months ago, visited helsinki. hence, i was dying to stop working and get out of malaysia. as i just started working, i have no big cash to spend! with a budget of rm 1200, i dont have many choices. rm 1200 is surely not enough for a shopping trip at singapore and countries like indonesia and philippines have be avoided at the moment! means, with such a small amount, i can only go to the land of smile, thailand. initial plan was phuket... but raining season over there! so, i ended up at bangkok. rm 1200 might not be much but it certainly can get you very very far in bangkok! i stayed at a 4* hotel for three nights, went for drinks at skybars everynite, dined at nice restaurants and even went for a half day tour... all in just rm 1200! no wonder bangkok is full of tourists and not kl!

whenever i mentioned bangkok, people will somehow relate it to the sex industry! for many people out there, bangkok is the sex capital of asia but not for me! hence, i went there to prove that bangkok has more to offer and how pathetic it is to think nothing but prostitution. i'm really against exchanging money for sex! stop prostituting, people!!! anyway, a conversation took place at my office just a day before my trip...

colleague 1: where you going?
me: bangkok
colleague 2: yeh... cari ayam!
me: (rolled eyes and annoyed)

during my 4 days at bangkok...i explored many new places which i have never explored in my previous trips to bangkok. i went two different skybars/ rooftop bars! personally, i prefer moon bar at banyan tree hotel. the setting/ layout is better plus the 360 degree view of bangkok is truly amazing, just breathtaking! what else can be better than to drink a glass of martini while seeing sunset over bangkok? im pretty sure i will go there again... love the martini! love the view!

i have visited bangkok many many times before (since i was five) but somehow i have never been to any floating market. this time around, i booked a half day tour and ended up at damnoen saduak. the money was so well spent! it was very interesting to see how sellers making living on the canal. it was also my first time eating a bowl of noodles while siting by the canal side with the vendor preparing the noodles soup on a small boat. awesome experience!

i'm not just famous for being a great traveller, i am also famous for being a shopaholic! somehow, i ended up my bangkok trip with just one t-shirt and a few packs of pork jerky! since i got back from europe, i kinda lost my desire to shop! is not that asia has less thing to buy but the brands i like are too expensive over here. i'm now saving money... instead of buying here, why not save and go back to europe for a great shopping trip?

i'm not really a fan of thai food but i'm a big fan of thai desserts! why i don't like thai food? i don't enjoy eating sour food! most thai dishes are kinda hot, spicy and sour! as for the desserts, i love the sweet egg yolk desserts (thong yip, thong yot and foi thong). most people think they are too sweet but for me... the sweetness is just perfect (i gotta admit, i have a very very sweet tooth... gotta thanks my dad for it!!!).

bangkok is a budget destination with a twist! with just rm 1200, i pampered myself for 4 days! gosh! i really wish i can be in bangkok now... i need more martinis (with a breathtaking view, of course)!

please click here for the pictures taken at bangkok!

missing europe!

two months have passed since i got back from europe. my life is full of positive energy at the moment. but somehow, 30% of my soul is still not here (kl) with me! when i was young, i fantasized too much on europe. hence, 30% of my soul didnt fly back to malaysia with me. when i have nothing to do, i will look at the photos i took over there...

here, i listed some of my favourite and less favourite places in europe...

most beautiful cities
1) paris, france
2) prague, czech republic
3) stockholm, sweden
3) vienna, austria

most beautiful towns
1) cesky krumlov, czech republic
2) brugge, belgium
3) cuenca, spain

most friendly cities
1) amsterdam, netherlands
2) stockholm, sweden
3) helsinki, finland

best museums
1) musee du louvre, paris, france
2) van gogh museum, amsterdam, netherlands
3) british museum, london, uk

most beautiful palaces
1) chateau de versailles, paris, france
2) schonbrunn, vienna, austria
3) palazzo reale, caserta, italy

most beautiful castles
1) tower of london, london, uk
2) edinburgh castle, edinburgh, uk
3) durham castle, durham, uk

most beautiful cathedrals
1) la sagrada familia, barcelona, spain
2) st john's co-cathedral, valletta, malta
3) duomo, milan, italy

most beautiful bridges
1) karluv most (charles bridge), prague, czech republic
2) tower bridge, london, uk
3) ponte rialto, venice, italy

most beautiful squares
1) grand place, brussels, belgium
2) piazza san marco, venice, italy
3) piazza navona, rome, italy

most beautiful parks/ gardens
1) parc guell, barcelona, spain
2) the garden of palazzo reale, caserta, italy
3) princes street gardens, edinburgh, uk

best european beers
1) leffe, belgium
2) budweiser budvar, czech republic
3) beck's, germany

most beautiful streets
1) avenue des champs-elysees, paris, france
2) royal mile, edinburgh, uk
3) victoria street, london, uk

most beautiful rivers
1) seine river, paris, france
2) grand canal, venice, italy
3) river thames, london, uk

most boring cities
1) helsinki, finland
2) manchester, uk
3) frankfurt, germany

most dirty cities
1) naples, italy
2) rome, italy
3) paris, france

most unfriendly cities
1) rome, italy
2) edinburgh, uk
3) venice, italy

most dangerous cities
1) naples, italy
2) rome, italy
3) paris, france

kl! kl!

i have came back from europe for more than a month now and have completed my first month with technip. everything is pretty smooth and nice at the moment! i might not be making a lot of $$$ but i'm pretty happy with what i have now.

i was very doubt on my decision before i came back but now, i'm more than happy to be back. somehow, my root is here! no matter how far i go or how long i'll be away, i will still come back here. kl is such a nice city! i think i will be around for another 2-3 years.

my parents are my strength! they are always there for me. sometimes, i did think i have disappointed them. no matter what, i love them more than anything in the world! i will be an extremely good son, i promise!

a big thank to technip and hood for giving me a chance to prove myself. after being jobless for so many months, i'm so eager to gain back all the knowledge i once mastered. i really enjoy being a pipeline engineer. many of you might not believe this... but hey folks, i love doing those pipeline analyses and design works.

my friends are just great... i'm so glad that we are meeting again. my colleagues/ office mates are extremely amazing. after not being together for almost two years, i'd feel like the bond between us is actually stronger and you guys are even more "funny" and "yellowish" than before. and you guys should stop blaming me for triggering the "yellow" side of your brain.

no matter where i go... travelling can't be separated from me! i'm going to conquer india and china! india is always a dream to me... going there will be a huge challenge for me. i have a big issue with cleanliness and hygienic matter. anyway, i will kick off my asia exploration at myanmar in october and vietnam in december this year. next year, hopefully, i will have no problem going to china, maldives, laos and sri lanka.

life is just great... no matter where we are, as long as we believe we can! life can be extremely beautiful. thanks to my family and friends for being so supportive and added so much colours to my life.

John Denver - Leaving on a Jet Plane

leaving on a jet plane!

two more days, i will be flying back to kuala lumpur for good! i'm still very doubt on the decision i made. somehow, my parents are happy and excited! for myself, i have mixed feelings! im a bit upset for leaving here (i love europe) but at the same time im quite excited as i will be meeting my family and friends again.

the past 20 months have been very exciting (the best in my life)! i actually dont wanna leave europe but i dont have any other option. i have already been jobless for 6 months and if i keep waiting, i might get myself into serious mental illness (i already suspect myself of having mental disorder). the recent recession hasnt recovered and pound is still very weak. not just in the british soil, the situation in mainland europe is pretty bad as well. with chaos in greece, icelandic volcano still erupting, financial problems in spain and portugal and so on... maybe leaving europe isnt a bad decision.

anyway, i have yet to get enough of europe. i have not yet stepped into greece, croatia, portugal, norway and poland. i really wanna go to those countries! im sure i will be coming back to europe in the future. europe is like a heaven to me! beautiful places and great shopping. i need a few more pairs of paul smith shoes! after 20 months of shopping in europe, i think i will not be buying many things in malaysia. everything in malaysia is so overpriced! so, i gonna target of visiting europe once a year, starting 2011.

i'm still in uk but my parents already have plans for me in malaysia! they want me to get an apartment in kl and settle down. i dont really believe in marriage and they knew about it but my mom is still hoping for miracle. anyway, hope she gonna understand one day! what can i get in kl? aside for stupid politicians, overpriced clothes/ shoes and low wages, kuala lumpur isnt that bad! i can have many good friends around me and eat good food everyday and the most important, i can see my parents very often!

as for my travelling life, there are still many countries in asia which i have yet to travel. where will be next for me... for rest of 2010, i hope i can make it to laos, sri lanka and vietnam. in 2011, hope i can make it to china and india!

well... going back to kl isnt that bad after all! hope i can get back to technip and enjoy the life in kl i once had! all the best to myself!

21/05/2010

flirting with the romantic side of europe!

czech has long been in my wishlist but somehow i didnt manage to go until a week ago. czech is so different from other european nations i have visited. the country is extremely beautiful and being a budget traveller, it is a dream destination... everything is so cheap! a superb bohemian dinner (with czech beer of course) costs not more than 7 pound. for 8 days, i used less than 200 pound for souvenirs, transportations, entrance fees and meals.

i kicked off my czech expedition at the world renowned city, prague. somehow... i'd feel like i was in korea rather than in an european country. i saw koreans everywhere!! i'm 100% sure they are korean. why? japanese are more polite and talk with manner and 10 out of 10 korean aunties perm their hair (is it a culture thing? no idea). back to prague... the city is so inspiring and absolutely romantic! the city is just like a painting...

Prague Castle

St. Vitus Cathedral

Prague Castle

vltava river, prague

church of st nicholas

charles bridge

prague city

on day three, i took a bus to south bohemia and visited ceske budejovice and cesky krumlov. ceske budejovice is the home to the famous beer, budweiser. i have lost count on how many bottles/ glasses i have drank in czech. ceske budejovice is a nice city but nothing to be amazed. the story is kinda different with cesky krumlov. the town is so charming (of all the old towns i have visited in europe, only bruges in belgium can rival this place). for those who are planning to go to czech, make sure you include this charming town in your itinerary. i'd feel like i'm there to film a fairytale.

ceske budejovice

cesky krumlov

day four, i explored two charming towns, telc and trebic. telc is the home to a very beautiful town square. telc is listed in unesco world heritage list. trebic is famous for its old jewish quarter which is also a unesco world heritage site. it was my first time visiting a jewish area (hope my muslim friends wont hate me for it). beside the jewish quarter, trebic also has a very beautiful square and basilica.

telc

trebic

on day five, after checked-in at the executive room at holiday inn brno, i took 1 hour bus ride to komeriz. the chateau in komeriz is listed in unesco world heritage list. komeriz is a very relaxing town with beautiful park and garden. after done exploring komeriz, i took another bus ride and arrived 1 and a half hours later at olomouc. olomouc is an extremely beautiful city (100 times better than ceske budejovice and brno). the city has many squares, fountains and architecture wonders. i snapped more than 100 pictures at the main square (horni namesti) alone. the holy trinity column is so damn cool! but somehow, olomouc isnt a very popular tourist spot. it should deserves the limelight like other czech cities.

komeriz

olomouc

day six, i explored lednice, a small town in the south of brno. sadly, the beautiful chateau was on renovation. to be honest, the nearby park isnt as interesting as described. i should have visited the nearby town (valtice) as well. from pictures, valtice seems to be a very nice place for a spring afternoon walk. anyway, i spent the rest of the afternoon at brno city.

lednice

brno

on day 7, i spent the morning in litomysl. i really like litomysl. the chateau is a unesco world heritage site. it isnt a very big or grand castle but very pretty. i will let my pictures below do the talking.

litomysl

day 8, i explored the famous kutna hora. the town is the home to a very eerie and spooky church/ ossuary. bones are used to decorate the church! it definately not a place to go after dark. the town also has many other interesting churches/ cathedrals.

kutna hora

czech has so much to offer! the whole country has many interesting attractions and so much to learn and of course, good beer! after spent slightly more than a week in czech, i finally understand why everyone wanna go there! the country is so beautiful and fit everyone's budget. i didnt need to spend a fortune to enjoy the best in the country! czechs are helpful and friendly which made my whole trip even more meaningful. folks... start planning your czech exploration now and i am sure you wont regret!

for more photos, click here.