Made.

"Close your eyes and imagine where you want to be. Imagine the complete journey you need to take in order to get there. Now go pack. Your reservations have been made."

- Michelle Ustaszeski, American writer and photographer.

Travel News : Air Asia Imposes "Convenience Fee"?

I caught a little bit of news on this on Air Asia's FB page yesterday. And again today found postings about the matter on Trip Advisor.

An excerpt from a TA member's posting :

"Recently AirAsia has started adding an item called 'Convenience Fee' when one make booking with them. AirAsia introduced this fee stealthily - ie w/o any annoucement or notification.

Worse still, this fee is not shown anywhere in the fare calculation and ONLY appears on the FINAL page of your booking just before you confirmed your credit card or other payment details. I believe this is done intentionally so that for those who are not alert might missed this additional charge."

The 'convenience fee' is RM5 per person per sector. So for a return that's RM10 extra per person. I remember paying a convenience fee on Tiger Airways too. Am not sure whether it is the same rate for international flights.

Unlike the other services, this is not optional so that means we have no choice; boo. I wonder why no official announcement has been made, though apparently it has taken effect immediately, perhaps it's applicable from November onwards. Just be informed travellers!

No Fuel Surcharge. No Admin Fee.

But, say hello to Convenience Fee :s

Travel News : Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2010

From : The Star Online

Wednesday November 4, 2009

Lonely Planet puts country among best-value places to visit

LONDON: Malaysia is among world’s best-value destinations, according to travel guide firm Lonely Planet.

The British-based company, in its Best In Travel 2010 guide, said Malaysia “is a clever choice for travellers on the lookout for a bargain”.

Thanks to the economic crisis, Iceland and London were also among the top 10 destinations, which included Thailand, South Africa, India, Mexico, Bulgaria, Kenya and Las Vegas,

The annual snapshot book captures “the world’s hottest travel trends, destinations, journeys and experiences for the year ahead”, Lonely Planet said yesterday.

The economic collapse in Iceland meant the island was no longer punitively expensive, said the guide, putting the beleaguered country at the top of its best-value list.

Thailand, at number two, remained “perennially good value”, said the book.

Meanwhile, London’s days as a costly destination were now over, Lonely Planet said, thanks to the exchange rate which made it “much more affordable for visitors from abroad”.

The top 10 countries overall for travellers were El Salvador, Germany, Greece, Malaysia, Morocco, Nepal, New Zealand, Portugal, Suriname and the United States.

The top 10 cities were Abu Dhabi, Charleston (South Carolina), Cork (Ireland), Cuenca (Ecuador), Istanbul, Kyoto (Japan), Lecce (Italy), Sarajevo, Singapore and Vancouver (Canada).

Bali (Indonesia), Goa (India), Koh Kong (Cambodia), Southern Africa and southwest Western Australia featured among the top 10 regions. — AFP

* * * * * * *

An alright list by me. Morocco, anyone?

Travel Gear : An Update

Some months back I wrote about getting a few things for my travels.

So just an update:

(i) microfibre travel bath towel. Check. Got them in Singapore.

(ii) wide brimmed bush hat. Check. Got one in mossy green in Bako.

(iii) adidas kampung four stripes :). Check. Bought a pair in Kuala Penyu.

Changed my mind on :

(i) Combination locks because I found most of my little Tricircle padlocks that I can still use. Plus the good combilocks (TSA) I saw were pretty pricey and not within my budget.

(ii) Leech socks, because I'm just going to avoid leech-infested areas as far as possible. Easier, huh?

Oh and am definitely learning to travel light. So far I have only used my 38l backpack once, the rest of the time I rely on my trusty 28-30l backpack. I read somewhere that 3 pairs of every clothing is all you need for a trip, and I can't agree more. My back and shoulders will thank me for such light loads, especially when there's a lot of walking and moving around.

And yesterday I found and got a pair of binoculars, for my 'nature appreciation' outings.

So no more items on my shopping list, for now :)

Da Vinci : The Genius in KL

Since travelling throughout Europe is still a wish in the distant future, it'll be some time before I can realise my dream to see Leonardo's greatest works.

Well, what do you know : for now Italy can wait :), as Pusat Sains Negara has brought Da Vinci - The Genius, an acclaimed exhibition, direct and all the way from Italy, so we can get to know more about his life as an inventor, artist, scientist, anatomist, engineer and architect.

It runs from 1st October 2009 to 17 January 2010, so since I will have a trip to KL during the period, I will make it a point to visit the exhibition.

I need tickets, so here's Daniel The Gallivanter to the rescue. Thanks!

The tickets are RM25 per adult FREE, by the way. If you would like to have one FREE, all you have to do is read here.

Now to figure out where Pusat Sains Negara is.

Project Alpha : Kenny Sia, The Travelling Marathoner Blogger

Hands up - those who don't know who Kenny Sia is.

Celebrity blogger? Marathon runner? And now, fitness centre entrepreneur?

I had the honour (?) of meeting - or rather, bumping into - him twice :)

The first encounter was at the Borneo International Marathon in KK last year, and then this year it was at the Rainforest World Music Festival in Kuching. On both occasions, he was very friendly and obliging to small talk and such from blog stalkers like moi.

Took this pic of Kenny, view from the rear at RWMF 2009.

In Episode 7, Kenny the Shy One enjoys a massage session, cut short because he had to ...

So, in this Project Alpha that's currently running, he talks about not having a girlfriend because of the all the travelling that he does; which seems to be every other day from what his blog. I like to read his blog especially when he posts about his travels overseas (and for that reason I read Nicole too).

I say : haiya Kenny, very simple solution; bring your girlfriend along in your travelslah!

If not, I volunteer! As travel buddylah ... :P

It's A Rat's Life

An excerpt from an email I just received:

The Rat - Forecast for 2010

The Year of the Tiger is going to be fast-paced for the Rat, which in itself does tend to make them slightly uncomfortable.

But it is essential that they go with the flow and seize opportunities and take adventures – this year is going to be important for them. A lot of Rats may have dreamt of travel in 2009 but were unable to take trips either due to financial or work commitments. This year will be so different! Travel will feature strongly for many and if there is dream destination in mind, it may become a reality during 2010.

Notice the word, travel? *BIG GRIN*

Indo-endo : Last Few Pictures

Some pictures from Jogja that I just received from Masami-san.

Me and Masami. She's a teacher in a kindergarten/playschool in Tokyo and is an avid traveller.

Walking towards the main site.

By this time it felt like we were getting baked under the sun.

The temples of Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma.

Sayang Kinabalu

"Tinggi-tinggi Gunung Kinabalu,

Tinggi lagi sayang sama kamu .."

The above lines come from the song every Sabahan should know, written by successful local songwriter Asmin Mudin, and sung by his brother Kimin Mudin. The song has been adopted by Sabah Tourism as Sabah's official tourism promotional theme song for the 10 years, and why not, I say.

View of a mist-enveloped Kinabalu at about 0730.

I love this song - so much so that when I hear it, it makes me want to get up and dance the sumazau, with my two left feet and gangly arms.

A short post for today; this morning we had an early start to Ranau to check out the Pesta Durian, Pesta Kubis and Mt Kinabalu Climbathon that's being held this weekend.

"Banyak sayur boleh pilih-pilih" - vegetable patches on the slopes.

We arrived early at Pekan Ranau, had breakfast and then went to the venue for the durian fest. Quite merry but not as much as I expected, went round the exhibits and decided since the programme only starts at 10 am, we would to go to Kundasang.

A display of various types of Durian Ranau.

A contraption to 'peel' the durian - come to think of it I've never attempted to open up one myself. Not good with parangs.

Not much to write about Pesta Kubis, since the main events started yesterday. Ended up buying durians and vegetables from the stalls.

Entrance to Kinabalu National Park was free for today to encourage visitors for the Climbathon. We could hear the gongs being played for the finishing runners and walked from the reception towards the Visitor's Centre where the finish line was. A bright clear day and hot sun - I must have gotten a very good dose of Vitamin D :)

Everytime in KNP, I always stop by at this information board.

View of the finish line - supporters and spectators waiting for the runners.

This guy was basking in the sun right after the finish line, complete with a book!

This was already about 1130 am.

And on the way back we swung by Kota Belud to catch a late glimpse of the Tamu Besar. At the KB junction we stopped at a stall to buy some more wild durians and some fresh tuhau.

'Dahit' and fresh tuhau.

"Apa guna pergi luar negeri,

Tengok Kinabalu,

Hati saya rindu"

Home is where the heart is :)

Now I am thinking of a short holiday in Kundasang soon.

Indo-endo : Bandung

The Lodaya 2 Pagi pulled out at 0930 out of Jogja Station and got underway towards Bandung, 385 kms away, estimated travel time 8.5 hours.

I tried to recall the last time I was on a long distance train journey, and I think it was those days on British Railways from Lancaster to London.

Very comfortable seats, I had the row all to myself so I took advantage of the extra pillows.

And pardon my jakun-ness, I thought the adjustable foot rest was a really nifty feature.

The main stops were at : Kutoarjo (1030), Kebumen (1100), Gombong (1115), Kroya (1145), Kawunganten (1250), Banjar (1400), Tasikmalaya(1500), Cipeundeuy (1600), and finally reaching Bandung at 1755 hrs.

The journey was quite scenic I must say; kampung scenes just like what we have of padi fields, kebun sayur, ubi kayu, pisang, small houses, musollahs, kids playing, mums doing household chores and so on.

Welcome billboard. Tobacco companies are still allowed to advertise, and they do so heavily both in print and on TV (great adverts, by the way).

Stasiun KA Bandung from Jln Kebon Kawong side. I got out from the other side and got rather lost.

Arriving early evening, I experienced the infamous machet (traffic jam) throughout the city and it gave me this massive headache, on top of trying to get more Rupiahs and getting a place to stay as I did not book in advance.

A bad picture of the machet; yeah that was how my head felt. Bad headache afterwards.

The kindly driver drove me to the money changer and later to Paris Von Java where I had my dinner and also bought a 3-pin adapter to charge my handphone and battery. So I did not manage to take any pictures at all on that day.

After confirming the next day's arrangements with the driver, I got back to the hotel tired and took my shower, then settled in. Their SuperSport channel had the Gunners vs BirmCit live so I caught the second half and watch them win 3-1. Classy.

The next morning, after breakfast I took a walk around the neighbourhood and went to look for an internet cafe as well.

At the 24 hour warnet; buzzing with kids playing online games; stank of cigarette smell. Urgh.

At 9:00 am I was back at the hotel where the driver was waiting to drive me to Tangkuban Perahu.

A sizeable weekend crowd was already there when we arrived just under an hour later. The sulphuric smell reminded me of Poring. The area where eggs can be boiled is further away, I decided I needn't see it.

Kawah Ratu, the main crater.

A painting depicting the whole TP recreation area.

Donation box for mosque restoration.

Quite the standard menu here.

Interesting, almost arrid, landscape.

Scarves for sale.

Horse rides.

He's selling these furry hats and bags.

On the way back, we drove through their horticultural zone, where all types of flowers and plants are on sale. Really pretty stuff, apparently people drive all the way as far as Jakarta to get their plants here.

I was back at the hotel at 1:00 pm and checked-out to find another place around Kebon Kawong. After inspecting Hotel Arimbi (very budget, basic), Perdana Wisata (out of my budget), Hotel Serena (okay, a bit old), I found Hotel Unik which belongs to the same company as Hotel Serena. Hotel Unik is newer and fresher looking, under 2 months old and located on the same alley as Kartika Sari.

Don't mind my mess :P

Tuty told me Kartika Sari is famous for its pastry (and only available in Bandung) so I stopped by and tried out the individual portions, quite yummy I must say. I especially liked their savoury local kuehs, my favourite is the potato croquette with a little green chilli sticking out of it, as well as the pulut-bakar-like kueh, I can't recall the names.

Inside spacious Kartika Sari. They didn't allow close-ups of the pastries though.

Baked cheese brownies - yummy, a combination of sweet and salty tastes. The brownies kukus is also soft and yummy.

After checking in I proceeded to Pasar Baru Trade Centre. It was so crowded, both with locals and visitors and I heard some Malaysians too. No pictures, I didn't feel comfortable whipping out my camera every now and then in the crowd. They sell many many things here over the 5 (?) floors, mostly clothings and bags and shoes.

Later, I decided to go straight to Dago on an 'angkot', a mini van that's everywhere in the city centre. I actually stopped at the wrong place (too far up) and had to take another angkot to go back down the road. So there at Dago I spent about 2 hours traipsing around the outlets. Didn't really damage my purse much, and managed to find a few things that I wanted.

Coffee break.

Batangor and siomay with its gravy. Tasty.

Throwing caution to the wind, I had a quick bite of batangor and siomay from a street vendor and it was very tasty. After another hour or so, I left Dago to return to the hotel, also in an angkot, albeit I had to switch angkots halfway as the direct angkots have ceased service for the day.

On my last night in Indonesia, I had a very late dinner at this newish Chinese resto called Golden Duck and then walked 15 minutes to get to an internet cafe (actually it's inside someone's house); got back to my hotel at around midnight. Woke up late the next morning, had breakfast and went for my morning walk before stopping by at Kartika Sari to buy some brownies back.

My last meal in Bandung, which was the breakfast at the hotel. Anything rice always comes with the kerupuk.

Checked out and went to the airport early, only to be bored as it was really small and there's nothing to browse. Long story short, was in LCCT by 1830 and had to wait for my 2125 flight to KK.

* * * * * * * *

Between the two cities, I'd go back to Jogja if given the chance. Indonesia is a very affordable place to travel to, even on a budget, you'd have options. Now, if you intend to splurge, it's even better!

One day, some day?

Indo-endo : Jogjakarta Part 2

A mish-mash of my Jogja trip.

I was quite surprised with myself that I did not really had much appetite for food while in Jogja. Maybe it's because I was chugging water all the time for fear of collapsing in the heat. Tsk tsk, I can be such a puteri lilin sometimes ;P.

I asked what is a must-eat in Jogja and was told it was Nasi Gudeg, which is basically rice with stewed jackfruit, served with rendang-like chicken and kulit cape ('sapi' skin, I found out). It comes in many variations; with chicken, komplit etc. Mi baso was everywhere too mainly sold by pushcart vendors.

So, for my first meal there I had nasi gudeg ayam at the roadside stall ('lesehan pojok') along Jln Malioboro, and ordered some lalap as well; a side 'salad' of raw sliced cabbage, cucumber and some ulam served with super hot sambal that had me in tears. Later I was told my becak-man that the locals won't be seen dead eating at those stalls, it's only for tourists and out-of-towners.

Street vendors are everywhere, here the lady sells nasi gudeg.

Wasn't crazy with the taste of this teh botol, I thought it tasted very 'pharmaceutical' but it was strangely addictive especially when served chilled.

I did not have the heart (nor guts) to try out Kopi Luwak - firstly it's USD 8 per cup and secondly, it's basically coffee beans out of a civet's backside.

After dinner I walked the whole length of Malioboro, with a side swerve into the mall, where I tried a keropok ikan Palembang (just okay) and also got myself a refreshing glass of yummy lovely avocado juice, drizzled with chocolate syrup (why? I forgot to ask them to hold this).

Wandered in and out of the many batik and souvenir shops, subjecting myself to endless friendly harrassment from the sales staff. Oh dear. I got a tee and a Mraz hat :)

Becak-men were also a plenty, and I spotted these interesting ones:

Dedicated to RvP.

This is for Stevie G.

Barca. Should be Henry.

This guy, I don't know who from Inter.

Somewhere near the hotel, I went to a batik painting shop; apart from the common patterns there were some really good artwork. Got myself a small black and white one.

Art Studio owner - I forgot his name.

Went to bed at midnight, drifted in and out of sleep, with a little bit of anxiety on the possibility of missing my 5:00 am pick up to the temples the next morning. Oh, and I couldn't charge my phone or camera battery as they didn't have a three-pin adapter. Hmmph.

* * * * *

Bedhot Resto, where I had lunch of Java fried rice and spinach soup.

eFeM Resto, where Masami and I had dinner before the Ramayana show.

I found the gangs (back alleys?) of Jln Sosrowijayan fascinating; they deserve a post of their own.

* * * * *

After my temple outing, I went to the Tugu train station to buy my ticket to Bandung the next day. The one-way ticket on executive class costs Rp 160,000; with an ETD 0927 hrs and ETA 1745 hrs.

The counter service was painfully very leisurely; the young girl was thankfully all smiles.

Waiting for my 0927 Lodaya Pagi train.

I was a bit fearful of crossing the rails just like that, even though it's safe as there are security personnel here and there. Railwayttrackcrossingphobia, that's a new one you read it here first.

I enjoyed Jogja very much, it's small and laid back yet big enough to have everything and it's got some kind of hippie vibe :). There were some places I didn't get to go like the Kraton (closed early) and Kota Gede so I really would like to return one day.

Next : onwards to Bandung!

Indo-endo : Jogjakarta - Part 1

This trip was booked way back last November (yes, it was that long ago) during an Air Asia sale as it was ridiculously cheap then. So I bought the flight tickets then and left the trip to sit on the shelf until recently.

At first I thought twice about going, what with recent incidents as well as the calamities, thankfully all is well and no one even bothered with any 'sweeping'.

Jogja's main attraction is undoubtedly Candi Borobudur, the world's largest Buddhist temple. It's also Indonesia's third main tourist destination after Bali and Jakarta, and I can understand why.

Commemorative stone, with the temple in the background.

I read this before I ascended the steps.

Enter east, exit north.

View towards park entrance.

Before going up.

Simple information on the relief panels.

The East steps.

Pradaksina : a Hindu rite that here basically means going round the temple in clockwise direction.

No climbing allowed. Very tempting though to catch views from certain angles.

This was on the middle level of stupas, if I'm not mistaken.

A Buddha statue, without its stupa?

Looking down from the upper levels.

There were a number of headless Buddhas, stolen by relic hunters.

Playing with shadows.

Serenity.

The quiet, serene setting is perfect for meditating - this lady had a little candle and flower with her; I hope I didn't intrude her privacy.

These are called 'reliefs'.

Information board describing the relief panels on the Rupadhatu level, numbering 1300 in total.

Taken by a fellow traveller from Holland.

I was trying to study some of the reliefs.

This was a study in expressions when a small moth flew by.

You can still see misty mountains in the horizon.

The unfinished Buddha, that was thought to originate from the main stupa.

After two hours of roaming around the complex, we had our breakfast at a stall within the park - it was really getting very very hot at this hour and it was only just 8 am!

We then proceeded to Mendut temple, a 15 minutes drive. This was a smaller temple, with a huge banyan tree in the compound.

A single temple.

The huge banyan tree, with men continuously sweeping its surroundings.

One of the three statues inside dark Mendut.

Would take years to grow one.

Prambanan was next - oh what a sight! I was told to magnify that feeling 100 times more for Angkor Wat :)

Awestruck at Prambanan.

Scaffolded temples.

Prambanan, about 30 minutes from Jogja, is a Hindu temple complex, and was quite badly affected by the quake in May 2006. The three main temples of Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma, are off limits and undergoing repair works.

The intact shrine, surrounded by ruins of the rest.

Originally, altogether there were 224 small shrines in the temple complex, now almost all are in ruins. I saw only one that looked complete. Apparently, a temple or shrine will only be rebuilt if it had at least 75% of its original stones.

View from the front, just before my camera gave up on me :(, I had to rely on Masami's camera for the rest of the pictures. Hopefully she'll be able to email them to me soon as she gets back to Tokyo.

Accommodation-wise, I stayed in Hotel Merbabu on Jln. Sosrowijayan, and then moved to Hotel Mataram along Jln. Pasar Kembang, near the Tugu Train Station. Both hotels include breakfast in their rates.

Hotel Merbabu.

Hotel Mataram.

On the second night, I decided to catch the Ramayana Ballet at Puriwisata since I won't be able to make it to the one the next evening at Prambanan itself. I was pleasantly surprised that it was performed nightly without fail since 1976, in an ampitheatre located near the Sultan's Palace. I went with a new friend from Tokyo, Masami, whom I met at Borobudur.

At the Puriwisata, entrance to the ampitheatre.

Main cast taking a bow - poor quality pic :( Need to practice my night shots.

With the stage behind me.

p.s. Pictures to come later hopefully, blogger is slow to upload. Updated.

"There Are Places I Remember ..."

Just fell in love with Jason's rendition of the old Beatles fav, In My Life.

Performed Oct 11, 2009 in Chula Vista, CA.

Credit:Thanks to SharkReefMini

My perfect theme song for those long reflective moments.

Mo' Money?

For those bitten by the travel bug, I think the ultimate dream would be to travel the world.

Preferably with all the time and all the money that is needed.

For most people, the dream gets a rude awakening when reality sets in, we have doubts ranging from 'I don't have the time' to 'I don't have the money' to may be even 'I don't think I can do it'.

I know I am one of them. Especially the $$$$ part.

It is timely then that I stumbled upon this wonderful article by Christine Gilbert, from Almost Fearless.com.

The best bits? She writes:

The problem is, as far as goals go, it’s almost impossible to achieve unless you’re willing to compromise something else. First, let me quickly tell you why more money and travel don’t necessarily go hand in hand

More Money = Less Time = No Travel

Don’t believe me? Ask anyone with a lot of money how much they travel. Then ask anyone who travels how much money they have. Retirees don’t count. Neither do lottery winners. How many hours per week do the people who make double your annual salary work?

And this:

Don’t spend as much. I know spending feels like a reward for all that hard work, but unless you get control of it, you’ll outspend your earnings, no matter what you make. Cut your spending in half and you just gave yourself a 50% raise.

She closes with this gem:

Make more money if you want, but don’t let it become more than it is – a means of exchange so you can buy back your life.

Reading this made me think a bit, and may be my food for thought for the next few days. I certainly do not wish to end up with more money but no life.

Will be away from tomorrow onwards to somewhere I had second thoughts of going to due to recent incidents.

*Fingers crossed* and God-willing, everything will be alright.

Mission Accomplished : Borneo International Marathon 2009

Another to-do struck off my list :)

I ran (and walked) the 10K in the BIM and even got a finisher's medal! Way heyyy :)

Borneo International Marathon has lived up to its name - The Beautiful Run. A lovely morning, perfect weather with a light cool breeze from the sea. Last year when I was a volunteer, it was scorching hot.

The runner's kit - all packed inside the lovely eco-bag sponsored by Sabah Tourism.

Proud or not? Oh yes :P

Before flag-off at 6 am.

I stopped a few seconds to snap this pic of Mount Kinabalu.

Next year, I may try the half; will add it in my 2010 list that's fast taking shape now that we're already in the last quarter of 2009.

Out Of Place, In My Mind

This may seem out of place (not being travel related at all), but never mind.

Hydrangeas are simply lovely, don't you think? I hardly see it around anymore; many many moons ago they were blooming beautifully in my grandparents' garden.

I am not sure what suddenly brought about this memory of things past.