Mr Tiger's Travel Blog

Bali Break - Sights and Activities

2008-12-08T14:03:00.014+08:00

Tempak Sering

Famed for the spring water that is purported to improve the fortunes of those who bath with it.

S looking absolutely dapper in his flowy sarong.

The thing about visiting such holy grounds is that even if you are wearing longs and exempted from a sarong, you are still required to don a kung fu sash of sorts.

Lake Batur and Mount Kintamani

When we arrived at hilltop restaurant recommended by the driver providing a vantage view Mt Kintanmani and the lake, it was already very cloudy. The mountain top was already cloud-covered and one could hardly make out the lake.

Very soon, the rain came and the view was no more. Coupled with the lousy buffet food, S expression aptly sums up the experience.

A visit was also made to the Ubud terrace padi fields. Not spectacular but nontheless, pleasant.

Uphill from the fields, lies many shops where many crafts could be bought at significantly lower prices than the Ubud market downhill.

Beach

The day at the beach started with the free parasailing provided by the villa. It was enjoyable being high up in the air, enjoying the winds and tranquility. Just don't mind the slightly frayed parachute ropes.

Looming dark clouds threatening a "Benjamin Franklin". =P

Thereafter, a nice chill at the serene shallow beaches of Nusa Dua.

Tanah Lot

The landmark of Bali. Beautiful!

And they were wondering why the donations were not that forthcoming ...

Uluwatu

Located at a southern tip of the island. Took us 2 hour plus to get there. Really Ulu.

But the dramatic ocean cliff views more than made up for it.

This picture presents a member of the omni-present monkeys in a non-threatening pose. However, one should really tread with caution.

Babi Guling

Went to the Oka, adjacent to the Royal Palace. The spicy pork slices and fried veges were appetising but the supposed highlight - roasted pig skin - was so-so.

Bumbuh Bali

Meal at the multi-award winning Bumbuh Bali turned out to be decent but much less lip-smacking than the scrumpelicious dinner whipped out by our house-cook.

Bali Break - The Villa

2008-12-07T10:58:00.011+08:00

Chosen a private villa for a different experience. Was welcomed by the 2 house boys with a champagne and a cold towel. Overall, it was a great stay!

Nice little compound that we have with traditional thatched roofings,

Our own mini-pool with sun deck chairs

A comfortable pavillion to relax by.

A cooling dining cum chill area with surround hi-fi speakers.

Plus, we had a great cook who provided us an absolutely sumptuous dinner and pretty good breakfast.

Also comes with a car, driver inclusive, to bring us around at our own leisure! =)

Within the greater compunds, there's a 25m lap pool too.

Also a tennis court for us to relief our itch.

On top of it all, free parasailing and massage services are also provided.

Down-sides though:

Supposed to have free massage for all 4 of us, but were informed that there are only 2 slots left, and received no compensation. =(

The open settings of the dining area and pavillion provided some opportunities for the resident mosquitoes despite the presence of lit mosquito coils.

Rain on the final night attracted swarms of flying ants to the light over the showerhead in the bathrooms that was open-air and provided S a very memorable showering experience. =P ...

Bodies of flying ants floating on the pool the following morning

Overall though, it was still a great experience and worth a second visit. =)

Bali Break - The Beginning

2008-12-07T09:29:00.008+08:00

Inexplicably, was in need of another holiday break just 2 months after the Beijing trip! Sure hope that this does not become the norm...

So it was with much excitement that i embarked on the trip. Adding on to that, was the "thrill" of the potential backlash from to the execution of the Bali bombers a few weeks back. =P

The trip started reasonably enough, with the jetstar flight better than expected. (enough space for my gangly limbs, free croissant and water). The company of an insightful book helped too.

Upon arrival, expecting only the driver, I was warmly surprised by the sight of my travel mates mischieviously waving. The drive to the villa was somewhat atmospheric. The unlit streets enveloping us in a cloak of darkness, sometimes pierced by flashes from car headlights, and its hues changing with the shop signboards lining the roads. Had some fun bantering with my friends along the way. Was also reacquainting myself with the occassional heavy-hearted sights of begging mothers, with babies in tow, and also kids sleeping on road dividers and pavements. The scenes seem to strike one harder at night with the surrounding darkness focussing their sorry states ever more starkly. Was silent for some time ...

奥游北京

2008-10-01T17:59:00.005+08:00

奥运激情后，还是可以从街道上和媒体感受到对残奥的热情和重视。

From beijing

地铁站的安检

From beijing

当然，最佳的体验莫过于身历其境。就在旅程的最后第二个中午，我们便持着鸟巢的门票进入了奥林匹克公园。

From beijing

公园里的餐食选择不多，仅有麦当劳和老爸自认更好吃的自热饭盒。

From beijing

天津短打

2008-10-01T17:18:00.005+08:00

到天津去，最主要是乘搭刚起跑不久的高速火车。这全由中国研发的高铁堪称世界最快，时速高达350公里，北京至天津只需半小时。火车内宽敞、舒适、平稳，是个美好的体验。若能入座拥有专员服务又有天窗的特级坐席，更是锦上添花。

北京南站

From beijing

到了天津，当然少不了到狗不理一尝包子。结果却是领略名称的由来。 =P

From beijing

不一样的红绿灯。

From beijing

到了鼓楼步行街和五大道晃了晃之后，便乘车到象征天津先进的天津博物馆，想一看究竟。博物馆外观果然壮观，

From beijing

但却发现。。。

From beijing

吃喝在北京

2008-10-01T13:33:00.006+08:00

老实说，觉得北京的食物不对味。觉得多数不是咸就是油，甚至又咸又油。=P 从胡同里的小餐室到较著名的便宜坊烤鸭店和东来顺涮羊肉，都觉得不怎么样。

From beijing

细数全程，倒是一些非道地北京食物让我们吃出了味。榜首竟是源自台湾的康师傅牛肉面！牛劲十足的汤头、幼嫩的牛肉和QQ的面条，滋味之美好可从老爸的笑容见证一斑。

From beijing

另一入榜的也是个连锁店，和禾谷。这中式的麦当劳，售卖的金瓜粥和豆奶味甜鲜美，吸引了我们上门吃了两回早餐。

From beijing

其他入围者有桂林人卖相诱人的桂林金牌米粉。。。

From beijing

和簋（GUI3）街的新鲜烧烤金枪鱼

From beijing

北京购物篇

2008-09-27T17:15:00.011+08:00

很意外的，这回买了不少东西。

日本休闲服装品牌Uniqlo有个绝妙的译名 - 优衣库。不仅质地优，减价商品更是超便宜。图案T-Shirt（当地人称为“文化衫”！）只需4块，Polo-T 只卖8块！到底有多好买呢？我共去了三回，而次次都有收获！

另一个满载而归的地点是潘家园旧货市场。

From beijing

其实，这名称具有误导性，我就在那买了两幅新的油画。一幅挂在公司，另幅（下图）摆在家里。

北京的书局也很好逛，一买就买了七八本，漫画、图书一应俱全，是个不错买礼的地点。

最扯的应该是老爸，竟买了两包共三公斤的小米。回家打开行李箱时还发现包装破了，使小米洒落各处，真是有点哭笑不得。

现代@北京

2008-09-27T14:50:00.004+08:00

国家大剧院

有人戏说北京有三栋名“鸟”建筑：鸟巢、鸟蛋（国家大剧院）和鸟尿（水立方）。这回除了“奥游”北京一番，也不免俗地到了鸟蛋瞧一瞧。

国家大剧院不失为国家表演艺术的顶级殿堂。不仅外观前卫夺目，里头的装潢也是高雅堂皇。可惜少了一出吸引人的演出，让我们步入表演厅，完整地体验。

From beijing

中央电视台大楼

暂不开放。

From beijing

世贸天阶

From beijing

历史＠北京

2008-09-14T14:56:00.012+08:00

已不是初访北京了，于是主要景点如长城、紫禁城、颐和园和天坛都没再去。

胡同

要认识北京的历史，一定少不了胡同之旅，而当中拥有众多历史景点的烟袋斜街是个不错的选择。

From beijing

用三轮车穿街走巷不仅省下好几公里的脚程，也多了三轮车夫的一路讲解。

胡同这名词有个趣味性的解释。据说，蒙古人初到北京，观察到巷子都聚在井周围，而打水时是“hu...tong...hu...tong..."作响，于是便有了这个称呼。

车夫也解释“门当户对”的由来。门当指在大门前左右两侧的石块或石像，户对则是门楣两侧的圆柱形木雕或雕砖。门当的大小、户对的多少又标志着宅第主人家财势的大小，因而有了这个说法。

李连杰的体育母校。

一边坐着三轮车赏风景，一边听着车夫讲述的历史点滴，我们就这样的度过了一个阴凉又悠闲的中午。

From beijing

北京猿人

对北京猿人的兴趣一部分源于杨宗伟样貌上的相似．但这兴趣却几乎在兜兜转转的前往过程中给砸了．历经了两个多小时的公交车行程，最后一段还要搭个五分钟的出租车，方才到达了北京猿人遗址　－　周口店．　若有兴趣的话，必要做好事前充分的查询，抑或与团相游才是上上之策．

From beijing

与祖祖祖．．．先的合照．

From beijing

亲临课文里读过的山顶洞让老爸一圆儿时的梦想．

From beijing

望穿秋水盼车到

老爸同行后记

2008-09-14T11:49:00.007+08:00

回忆起旅途中的各个片段，我发现最可贵的不是景点，而是旅途上与老爸难得的促膝而谈，和与老爸有关的点滴。

有一回，一位服务员叫了我一声“大哥”，老爸便笑着更正他说，“他是我儿子，应该叫声小弟吧。”我尴尬地暗笑：“老爸，虽然我知道在你心目中，你的孩子永远是长不大的，但你的儿子已三十了，样子又‘臭老’，你就饶了他吧！”

另一次，一位公交车上的售票员，叫了老爸声“老先生”，并在车子转弯时，关切地扶了一下。看着老爸历经岁月的脸和那头白发，惊觉老爸真的老了！顿时想起老爸的“小弟”之说，更是百感交集。。。

///

很开心终于能实现与老爸一同旅行的承诺。他是一个不错的旅伴。以老爸的年纪来说，他的体力还真不赖。自由旅行一路上的上上下下，走走停停，对他都不是大问题。更令人佩服的是老爸乐观的态度，几次的冤枉路和问路时遇上的白眼，他也不厌烦。他说，若不是兜了个圈，也没机会看到另一番景象。

当然老爸归老爸，旅途中还是难免有些唠叨、说教，耐心缺缺的我有时会顶嘴。老爸，你大人有大量，就原谅你这不懂事的儿子吧。=P

北京欢迎您？

2008-09-14T09:52:00.008+08:00

这回到北京是在奥运后的三个星期，残奥的举行期间。“北京欢迎您”是京奥的标语之一。但在北京的第一天感觉却是相反的。

启程前的准备不多，酒店周围又没网吧，于是第一天便花了大部分时间在找路与找资料。可能是当天的运势差，大多数的人竟以敷衍、冷漠、甚至恶劣的态度回应，让我们兜了好几个圈。他们的基本心态可以用两个字来形容，那就是势利。店员在交易后便对人的询问一问二不知，游客服务站人员在得知我只要查询资料，而不是订购旅游团时后就开始敷衍塞责。路人就不说了，连公共交通和游客服务站人员也是如此，实在叫人心寒。

也许是转运了，或许是较会看人了，第二天起，问路就比较顺遂。虽然还是会碰些钉子，热心帮忙的人却更多。其中在各个主要去处的奥运志愿者服务站，更是帮了个大忙。

另外，值得赞许的是与新加坡相比，乘搭公交时，让位给老爸坐得人更多。这种敬老的美德确实比我们文明的多了。

总结来说，经历还是尚好的。话虽如此，还是不禁想到在奥运热情和志愿者消散后的北京，是否依然让人感到欢迎？

Roland Garros

2007-06-24T11:08:00.000+08:00

The highlight and grand finale of the trip is Roland Garros. The tickets that we got are for the Philip Chartrier Court for Monday and Tuesday of Week 2. (i.e. 2nd day of Round of 16 and 1st day of Quarter-finals).

Monday featured Djokovic vs Verdasco, Hewitt vs Nadal, Clement/Llordra vs ??/??. [ok, as with most tennis fans, i don't really care about doubles.] Tueday featured Ivanovic vs Kutsnetsova, Henin vs Serena Williams, and Federer vs Robredo. Can't complain about the line-up as every match featured a player of interest. Only regret is not seeing Sharapova in action with her trademark shrieks. =(

The most memorable match has to be Henin vs Williams. For me, it was a David vs Goliath story, with pint-sized, lion-hearted Henin against Williams with the Nadal-sized arms. Like most of the crowd, i was rooting whole-heartedly for Henin and having fun do it, booing at Williams when she disputed line-calls and even clapping at her errors when the points got tight. =P

For 1.5 sets, i really tot that Williams is going to turn-ard anytime, reduce her errors a bit and blast Henin away. It was disappointing when Williams collapsed in the last half-set and just gave the match to Henin, contrary to a tight 3-setter i was hoping for.

Another highlight for me was getting up close to the players, watching them warm up in the practice courts. We had the privilege of catching Jankovic, Vaidisova and Chedvakadtze in action. Jankovic was immediately recognisable form far with her distinct Pan-asian exotic features. For Vaidisova, even up close, it took us some time to recognise that it was her probably because her features are not distinct from a typical blond lady. Jankovic had displayed more positive body language through-out the practice and, SK and I went on to predict correctly that she would prevail in her match against Vaidisova. Too bad that there are no booths at Roland Garros where we could place such bets. =P

2 surprises as i roamed around the grounds during break-time:

Mary Pierce interviewed along major alley. Not as big in person as i thought she is.

Dojokovic interviewed by ESPN at the staircase.

Other roam-around pictures.

Other match photos.

Swiss Stop-Overs - Interlaken & Lausanne

2007-06-24T09:10:00.000+08:00

The accoms at Hotel Stechelberg is at the base of the steep trail that we were to embark to Gimmewald. The room and bed are a tad small but the view is quite stunning. The room window is like an gateway to a lostland, allowing one to step right into the mountain-embraced fields, shadowed by low-hanging clouds. In the early morning, the view gets more interesting as the misty clouds rise slowly from almost ground level and drift with the softwinds sweeping across the field. Another commendation goes to Hotel Stechelberg for the warm-hearted "Ah Ma" serving the breakfast, fussing over her guests like her children/grandchildren.

The full day at the Interlaken area was unfortunately marred by rainy weather. The supposed impressive view along our steep trek to Gimmewald was obscured by the all the mist and clouds. The gondola ride from Gimmewald back down though made up a bit with the excitement of the steep descent and the decent view that it offered over the valley.

It was the day in which we had the best workout as we followed up our steep trek with an hour's session of tennis and another 6km trek up from Lauterbrunnen to our accoms at Stechelberg. The tennis experience was a refreshing one, with the enjoyment of cool weather and Alpine scenery.

The weather turned out bright and sunny the next day.View of Inter-laken Lakes on the way to LausanneUnfortunately, we had to go already to Lausanne for a visit to Musee de l'Art Brut, featuring artworks of the mentally- disabled/unstable.

The artworks are not exactly haute art but it was more of a voyeuristic experience, as one relates the artworks to the accompanying life-stories of the artists.

Santa Margherita & Portofino - Warm Italian Aunties, A Fiesty one & the Mediterranean & a

2007-06-20T20:29:00.000+08:00

Could still remember the excitement as the Mediterranean coastline came into view of the train window. The captivating sights of rocky cliffs against the mesmirizing blue of the sea affirmed that our decision to re-route away from Rome was a correct one. During this while, one of the Italian aunties that we have been "talk"ing to, beamingly directed our attention from sight to sight, like an experienced tour guide.

The word "talk" was used as we both spoke little of each other's language. However, that did not dissuade both of the Italian aunties from interacting with us, sometimes via entertaining rounds of charades. When we reached our stop at Santa Margherita, the auntie that has yet to alight stood up, shook our hands and wished us "Bon Voyage", and even waved us goodbye fondly as the train pulled away! Talk about warm-hearted!

After plonking our bags in the hotel, we headed towards the beach to take advantage of the warm sunshine that we had missed for a few days. Lying on the stony beach took a while to get used to. But thereafter, having the sunshine warming the body on a cool 20 degree day, the feeling was simply "shiok"!

The next morning, we headed to Portofino, sort of a Monaco-like area, where the Richies park luxury yatches, chill out at costal homes and shop at Prada, LV. Along the way there, have heard SK mention that Portofino's beautiful harbour have propelled it the pages of many magazines and photo-books.

Well, it is really a pretty sight but not too impressed about it. What i enjoyed more was the good conversation that i had with SK on the way.

In the afternoon, we proceeded to Rommagiore to see the famous Cinque Terre, which are supposed to be impressive sights of 5 fishing villages against a rocky coastline. Unfortunately, it was rained out and we had to head back.

On the return trip, i was quite disappointed. Then came along , a skinny conductor auntie who demanded to see our tickets. To our surprise, we are actually to have the tix validated at some machines. We tried to explain that it was an honest mistake as the tix and signs are all in Italian, and the ticket sellers did not tell us anything. But the "garang" lady refused to listen, and insisted repeatedly "25 Euros a ticket! You pay! You Pay!!!" Feeling pissed about spending 10 euros per person on the return tickets, seeing nothing and now having to pay another 25 Euros, we dug our heels and stuck to our ground.

She then threatened " No pay. Police come and **Clack**!!" gesturing the handcuffing action, to which SK replied., "Good!! Police come and we explain." Fired on, she whipped out her phone and proceeded to dial, and stormed off.

Following that, feelings of excitement and anxiety circulated in me as thoughts of being stuck in an overcrowded and smelly cell, and the novelty of a once-in-a-lifetime experience alternated the spaces of my mind. Stop after stop, i was half-expecting the sight of awaiting policemen at the stations.

Finally, when we reached our station of Santa Margherita, we found no sight of any policemen nor even the conductor. That suited us more than fine, and we walked off, wondering if she really believed us or if she thought that it was really not worth the trouble.

Florence Highlights

2007-06-17T15:57:00.000+08:00

Just when i thought that Venice was the last i would see the last of tourist swarms, i was wrong! Florence has it fair share, the manifestation in queues outside Florence's most popular museums, the Uffizi and Accademia. The former houses a great collection of all the Renaissance artwork, while the latter has Firenze's world famous attraction - David. Typical queue time for the former is 3-4 hrs while the latter is about 1-2 hrs. The advance tickets which cost a premium of 3 Euros is a wait of 2 days for the former and 1 day for David.

One small section of the queue outside Accademia.

With limited time and not wanting to suffer from Museum-backaches, we decided on David. In fact, a good replica of David could be found in open space at Loggia della Signoria, next to Uffizi. And besides the free admission, open space also means photo opportunities with David! There are also replicas of many other great but less famous statues in the area.

Notice where the lady is focussing her camera on!

Palazzo Vecchio
Da Vinci Sculpture (outside Uffizi)

Ponte Vecchio

However, with the restoration of the original David in 2004 and the ideal setting that Accademia has positioned it, the Accademia was still very worth a visit. David is positioned at the centre of a room with a dome roof the end of a 15m long corridor, perched on top of a tall pedastel. Such was the visual impact, that it pulled me immediately, ignoring all other exhibits along the corridor. Being close to the statue in the conducive settings made me appreciate at how magnificent it is in its life-like realism.

Another satisfying meal of the trip would be at Mario's, close to Accademia. Mario is a small and cosy family-run outfit, serving Italian food with home-made wholesomeness. It has received numerous mentions on both local and international travel and food guides, and is well visited by locals and tourists alike. What i had was ravioli and beans soup. Though not exqusite in terms of taste dimensions, it more than makes up with its sincerity in the generous use of fresh ingredients. In fact, so generous was the use of beans in the soup, that i had a fartingly good time thereafter.

The other major attraction of Florence would be the Duomo, which is interesting in the seemingly Islamic influences on the design.

The interior though is nothing to shout about, with the exception of the well-ornated ceiling, as its deco is like most Europenan churches.
Gate of Paradise at Battistero, next to the Duomo.

Mini vehicles are a common sight in Florence, with centre crossed by narrow streets. Besides mini-cars, mini-buses and mini-lorries also dot the city.

Gelato outlet recommended by LP.
Really enjoyed my flavours of chocolate, rum and coffe. Have seen a gal got 6 different flavours packed in her cup!

Touristy Venice

2007-06-17T11:41:00.000+08:00

The sight of the Grand Canal upon stepping out of the train station surprised me, as i did not realise that the train station was at the centre of Venice.

Sights along Grand Canal

Wanna a taste of gondola but don't want to pay big bucks? The gondola ferry services that get you from one side of the canal to another could be an alternative.

Over-crowded vaporetta on a rainy afternoon. Made me think of the Titanic song.

Interesting Confectionery.

Postmen using trolleys for delivery and accepting of mails.

Ard San Marco Piazza, where tourists and pigeons swarm are at their peak.

Ghetto for Jews, instituted by the Venetian Republic in 1516 as a compulsory residence for Jews. Interestingly, the term ghetto seems to originate in Venice, a contortion of the word geto, which means to throw/cast.

The sight that really stuck me was the sight of San Lazzaro Degli Armeni. The entire island had fortress-like walls forming its perimeter, and waves lashing against the walls. It gives the impression that the walls had been built from the depths of the sea.

Surprises in Salzburg

2007-06-16T16:02:00.000+08:00

Sazlburg was a half-day stop-over. It resembles my idea of a typical Swiss town. Clean and tidy town with low-rising pastel-coloured shophouses lining narrow cobblestone streets.

Can't say that it is really picturesque but 2 unplanned events made the stopover a memorable one.

First was this walk-around town procession held to celebrate the birth of Radio Maria (yes, as in Mother Maria). The procession went about town, punctuating the chorusses of their upbeat holy songs with flails of arms in the air and waving enthusiastically to the town citizens who have opened their windows to check out what the din was about. Amused by the happennings, we followed the crowd till their approach to the ending point at a hilltop nunnery where Maria (protaganist of the Sound of Music story) came from.

This was followed by an about-town wandering. Upon passing by a pub, SK was approached warmly by two intoxicated angmohs to help them play a prank on their mate by placing his glass of wine at the top of a door frame. He gamely agreed but with the semi-drunk ang mohs providing a base for his ascent, his attempt was unsuccessful.

One of the ang mohs was grateful and then invited us to join them for beer. In his intoxicated state,we found out that they belong to some fratboy-like group who have gathered from all over Austria for some occasion.

Colourful Vienna

2007-06-15T23:03:00.000+08:00

Upon reflection, Vienna, despite not endowed with world-famous attractions, turned out to be the most colourful city for me in this trip. Well, colourful not in the literal sense, but more of the multi-dimensional stimulating experiences. Here's an account.

We started Saturday with a morning visit to Naschmarkt to experience local life and for our brunch. The sight greeted us upon exit from the metro surprised me. It immediately reminded me of the "thieves market" in Singapore, with mass of hawkers selling used goods a la garage sale style. For a moment, i thought that's it to Naschmarkt, a sharp contrast with the grand, stylish Vienna that i had in mind.

But as we ventured furthered, we found the more well-organised part of the market, with regular European style market-stalls selling mainly foodstuff. After strolling for an hour plus, with fruits bought along the way as brunch appetizers, we decided that its time for the real brunch!

Settled for a cafe in the midst of the market, we had a long and leisurely brunch of wine and XXXL Wiener Schnitzel, which looks very much like chicken chop. The main differences between schnitzel and chicken chop was that the former is veal and that the latter is more flattened and has a thinner layer of batter. The XXXL was well-qualified, as it is about 3 times the typical size of chicken chop in Singapore!

It was a nice break from the crowd and heat of 30 degrees out, and also a great vantage point for people-watching. =)

In the afternoon, we proceeded to Schloss Schonbrunn, palace of the Austrain Habsburg empire. The 40-room tour was really educational and engaging with short and sweet commentary from the audio guides, providing insights into the lifes of those who lived there and an episode of how young Mozart captured the hearts of the royalties. The Royal Apple Struddle Show, which we both looked forward to, was a disappointment though, with the apple struddle below par. =(

So, this is what a lemon tree looks like!

It was a hot day in Vienna.

Sun shining through the vine-covered corridor archways resembling constellations of stars in a cloudless night sky.

St Stephen's Cathedral. Church where Mozart married, his children chirstened and corpse received final sacrament.

The Heldenplatz area showcases the new palace built by Habsburg Empire in the late 19th century, of which most have been converted into public facilities like libraries. Looking at how grand and glitzy many of the structures are, it makes me wonder if it was a deliberate decision for the Habsburgs to adopt a somewhat pacifist by marrying their ladies to rulers of neighbouring empires and concentrate on building splendid structures to be admired by future generations.
SK adjusting his family jewels??!!

In the evening, we wandered ard the main shopping streets, where there were also many street performers. Attracted by a large circle of people that have gathered, we found an artiste performing the diablo. (the chinesse che3 ling2). A PRC lady walked by and remarked loudly in Mandarin, "Tian1 Ah4! Zhe4 wo3 ma1 ye3 hui4!"(Oh god! Even my mum could perform that!)

Very true that many PRC people know the art of diablo playing. But soon, we understood why he was drawing a crowd. He was really funny and engaged his spectators well. It helped that he was not a bad diablo performer with tricks such throwing and, importantly!!, catching a diablo to 10 plus storeys high, and throwing a diablo against the 5th level of a building and catching it from the bounce. SK remarked that being topless helped too! =P

Upon arriving the Opera House, we discovered that all standing tickets (3.50 euros) are sold out. The only tickets left are the 95 and 125 euros ones are sold out. I surprised myself and SK, by reacting in a very disappointed manner about it. Well, as the cliche goes, u don't know how much u treasure it, till u lost it.

The disappointment was somewhat compensated for when we chanced upon a huge-scale outdoor party in front of Rathaus. There was a real buzz in the air with thousands of people gathered in the outskirts of the party grounds to gawk at celebrities and ordinary citizens too, dressed up in outlandish costumes, arriving at the red carpet. It was funny at see some grand old dames lapping up the atmosphere, eagerly snapping pictures of the drag queens in the midst.

Vienna Choir Boys perform at Burgkapelle in the Sunday morning. The venue is really a small chruch, with very limited standing room for non-paying audience, and many people ahving to stand outside. In my 30 mins there, the voices of the boys descended from the upper deck of the church, as if heaven-like and i could only catch view of the "vienna old boys" who were singing at the altar.

The most satisfying dining experience in the entire trip has to be the lunch at Cafe Sperl. Not only was the main meal of beef slices succulently excellent, the cafe maintained its early 20th century deco well, and had an air of tranquility. Dining indoors, one is enveloped in the atmosphere of it all. I almost feel that time has stopped and at times, as if i was brought back to the early 20th century. The peacefulness and the immense satisfaction from the experience recharged me totally, and added a spring in my steps, as i headed for the Opera House tour.

As with the Schonbrunn tour, the Opera House tour, led by our attractive guide with a Eurasian look, was a highly informative one. Was surprised to learn that, as early as the late 19th century, the stage had the capability to change entire scenes via 3 mechanisms: rotation on the ground level, elevation of an entire level from beneath and cascading of scene props tied to poles from the top.

Newspapers are mainly sold via self-service bags tied to lamposts. Talk about trust!

(Mis)Adventure in Prague - Gone in a wink of the eye

2007-06-14T23:41:00.000+08:00

We reached in the inter-city bus interchange in Prague with our backpacks and was about to pay for the bus tickets to Cesky Krumlov when SK discovered that his wallet is gone!
What followed was a considerable period of searching for police station to report the loss (strangely, Prague citizens dun seem to know where their police stations are as checks with them are futile) and concurrently calling back to cancel the credit cards.

When we did reach the police station, SK was asked for identification (i.e. passport) but alamak!, it was left in the backpack deposited at the bus interchange. After some time, the police report is finally made. Despite the pain of losing 100 US$ and the trouble from losing the cards, SK was still in remarkable humour about the whole thing. He even acceded to my request of taking the following photo with his report document, a la criminal style, as a funny memory.

Later, he recalled one period in which he could have lost he wallet. It was on route to the bus-interchange when we were caught in the metro morning rush-hour. Having secured no anchor point in the crowded metro, SK was pushed ard, with his big backpack on him, by the mass of bodies ard him. A lady, one or two bodies away from him, smiled and then winked at him, presumably at his predicament. according to SK, She was not really pretty. Instead, her disproportionately big eyes accentuated by thick rimmed dark-coloured glasses made her a little scary. Despite that, SK winked back playfully, and then gazed away, continuing to endure his ordeal in the crowded carriage. Sometime later, the lady was about to alight and winked at SK again. But SK was no longer in any mood to reciprocate. For all we know, the lady might have worked with an accomplice, and the second wink was her signal for "i got ur wallet & u don't know it"!

Magical Medieval Town - Cesky Krumlov

2007-06-11T21:32:00.000+08:00

Quaint, little medieval town that is a 3 hrs bus-ride from Prague.

At the estimated time of arrival, our bus pulled into a modern bus interchange. A Korean auntie asked excitedly the Czech guy besides her, "Cesky?! Cesky?!"

Thankfully, the Czech guy had the sense to ask her "Krumlov?", as the bus had pulled into another Ceske, Ceske Bedujovice that is. There must be at least a hundred places starting with Cesky/Ceske, which means Czech essentially. The bus was actually an hour late. With that, she yelled at another young countryman (looked like he did not sleep for days) who had bolted out with his luggage, once the bus door is open. Imagine if they just got off like that!

Our accoms there is a pension along the alley steps to the castle and our room had the good fortune of having 2 windows overloooking the alley, which we enjoyed as we had our breakfast. The room had a cosy wooden theme, comfy beds and was well-maintained. Together with the low price of only 900 Czech Korunas a nite, it was definitely the best accoms we had in terms of quality and value for money!

Tredelnik- Sweet, doughy pastry from a little shop near the pension.

The period which i most enjoyed myself was from the evening to night period, where the herds of day-trip tourists have left and most parts of the town and castle has turned almost deserted.

For a while, i was mesmerised by the cat, who in a very human-like pose, leaned out of the window to observe its surroundings.

At times, i felt that i am left in a medieval wonderland, exploring its mystique and beauty.

Another icing on the cake was the great dinner that we had. The datrk beer was simply delicious, and the garlic soup had zing to it. The main meal of pork medallions, veges and potatoes is a big portions huge enough to feed two, and that makes up for the average taste.

Come night time, we chanced upon a town tour led by two ladies in medieval costumes carrying fire-torches. Though they were explaining in Czech, the whole atmosphere was interesting enough for us to follow them for a distance. The next day, i learnt at the tourist info that there is another Englsih tour avail. Too bad,we got to know that too late.

WWII-like train station on way from Ceske Krumlov to Vienna.

Makan & Transport in Prague

2007-06-11T19:43:00.000+08:00

As with many european ex-communists countries, many metro stations are dug really deep. (as shelter in event of full-scale eruption of Cold War perhaps??). Escalators could stretch up to 4 levels high. Acrophobes beware!Dinner at James Cook Restaurant, next to our accoms. 3 types of fish served. The 'ikan bilis' was the absolute *bestest*, blending a tender, juicy interior with a crispy skin.
Trams are very common in Prague. New trams, retro trams, ... they all have it.
Cafe Louvre in Prague. The order was traditional Beef Goulash with 2 types of dumplings. The dumplings are a misnomer, imo, as they look and tastes like slices of bun! Unexpectedly, the tomato-like chilli packs a big punch. Together with the Art Noveau deco and the fun "newspaper" menu, an overall satisfying lunch experience.

Prauge - Old Town & New

2007-06-10T13:51:00.000+08:00

The star of Prague Old Town has to be the astro-clock. It attracts crowds at the stroke of every hour, with its figurines parading past opened windows, ending off with the sound akin to that of a clown's whistle.

Others include the Synagogues, Old Town Square and the Powder Tower.

Indian cultural parade at Old Town. A number of the Ang Mohs in the parade though seem to be more interesed in creating a ruckus rather than celebrating the Indian culture.

On the other hand, the star of the New Town would defintely be the Dancing House.

In remembrance of the students of Prague Spring.

Charles Bridge

2007-06-10T12:25:00.000+08:00

The other must-visit in Prague would be Charles Bridge. Huge crowds could be avioded if you reach there before 9.

Do not miss out the 2 gold-plated stone carvings at the bridge-side. Reputed to bring good fortune to those who have a hand to it.

The real magic is tuned on at night time with superb atmospheric lighting at Charles Bridge and Prague Castle, which could be viewed from the Charles Bridge area. Add on the mood music, courtesy of the artists on the bridge, Charles Bridge is definitely the place for romance.

Prague Castle Visit

2007-06-10T11:04:00.000+08:00

The Prague Castle is the residence of the Czech President (and of course, that of the past rulers of Prague) and is 1 of the main sights of Prague. The following pix shows one of the side entrances. An observation at the entrances is that tourists tend to flock to the guards ont he right to take pictures with. A closer inspection reveals that the right guard is, of course, the more good-looking one. Wonder if its a coincidence or a deliberate arrangement?

We managed to catch the change of guards by chance at the main entrance at 4p.m.

In which the star attraction would be the St Vitus Cathedral, with its Gothic architectural style and intricate interior deco.

There is also a tower that you could climb up about 300 steps to get a bird's eye view of the castle and the city beyond.

The great thing is that entrance to the St Vitus Cathedral is free. The entrance ot the other parts of the castle, like the Royal Palace and Golden Lane as pictured below, are much less impressive (esp Golden Lane which is nothing but a row of souvenir shops with a Disneylike medieval facade) but incurs an entrance fee of about 10 euros.

And naturally, no self-respecting castle would do without a torture quarters. Prague Castle's is housed in Dalibor Towers. The tool featured inflicts torturous stretches to its victims.

Van Gogh Museum & World Press Photo Exhibition

2007-06-09T15:12:00.000+08:00

Another star attraction in Amsterdam would have to be the Van Gogh Museum. Do pace yourself though. We completed all the exhibits in less than 80 mins minute, but paid a price with the non-stop viewing resulting in "Museum-backaches".

Well, back to the paintings. The following self-potrait is definetly my favourite, as it applies the pointilism technique brilliantly to highlight the soulfulness of the eyes.

After a good 20 mins rest to soothe our backs, we proceeded to the World Press Photo Exhibition at Oude Kerk. My favourites inlcude the series on the authoritarian ex-Turkmenistan President, which created a Stalin-like regime, Muslim devotees praying on the precarious ruins of an earthquake-ravaged mosque, and the post-match potraits of football players. But the pictures that stunned me the most are the ones of a leopard seal tearing its prey apart. Do check out the pictures at www.worldpress.org

Windmills!

2007-06-09T14:41:00.000+08:00

A travel the Netherlands could not be complete without a visit to actual functioning windmills. And for that, we decided to take another trip out of Amsterdam to Zaanse Schans.

It was quite an eye-opener seeing the interiors of one, understanding on how the windpower is harnessed not only for crushing and grinding but also for pounding.

Zaanse Schans i supposed to have a whole lot of other touristy stuff like the cheese tranport races and people in traditional costumes walking around. But all these would only start days later when summer begins and the tides of tourist flock there. Only cheese-making demo was avail then.

During the train trip there, you could spot modern ones, in the form of wind turbines!

Sex in Amsterdam

2007-06-09T14:11:00.000+08:00

Two of the well-known attractions in Amsterdam are related to sex: The red-light district and the Sex Museum.

It is interesting to note from the Lonely Planet write-up that prostitution was legalised and regulated in the Netherlands as early at the 19th century by Napolean, in a bid to contain the spread of STDs then. The most famous means of promotion would of course be the window prostitution, or commonly known as "fish-tank", where the pros promote their assets behind full-length glass doors.

Two observations:
1. There are lots of watchers but i have spotted no "buyers". Wonder if it is indeed a profitable business, with windows rental rangin from 60 to 150 Euros a day, or if they are heavily subsidised by the Dutch Tourism Board.
2. There are no male "sellers". Wonder if any pro-feminist activists have kicked up a big fuss about that before. =P

Well, naturally, no photos to show for this "attraction". Anyway, photo-snapping of the win-pros are prohibited.

As for the Sex Museum, it's pretty much overhyped, especially in this age where the theme is rampant on the mass media. Perhaps, the remotely interesting part is on the historical porno materials and sex tools.

Kuekenhof Gardens

2007-06-09T10:59:00.000+08:00

Kuekenhof is reputed to be the world's largest gardens and a real sight during the tulip bloom season. Look how BEAAA-utiful it is!

ok, actually, this picture was taken from a poster at the souvenir shop. We went there on the last day (20th May) and was forewarned that most of the tulips have wilted. nevetheless, for those with an appreciation for flora and an area to relax, Kuekenhoff makes a good stop. The following are the actual pictures that i have taken

Open-Air Lifestyle in Amsterdam

2007-06-09T10:30:00.000+08:00

Went to the Noordermarkt, an open-air market, in the residential Jordaan area on a Sat morning. It was really bustling with activity. Goods of almost everykind are sold, and at low prices too. A sampling as follows: Polo-Ralph shirts sold at 10 Euros (prob imitation), ladies shoes at 10 Euros too and towels at 1 Euro only.

The activity also extends to the cafes circumferencing Noordermarkt, with customers packing them to the hilt.

Kids are not left out either, with a kids playground and performer in the midst.

In contrast, could hardly see any mulit-storey shopping centres in Amsterdam and the only one that i found was quite muted in activity.

The penchant for open-air living extends to busses too with open-top busses. Cool!

Water-front Living in Amsterdam

2007-06-09T10:15:00.001+08:00

There are lot of canals in Amsterdam, and many residents enjoy water-front living, with their houses and boats lining along its famous canals. That is me standing one of its more beatutiful tree-lined canals.

Some even take it further by making boats their houses, complete with house number, mail-box and electricity supply.

Nation of Bicycles

2007-06-09T09:45:00.000+08:00

As many of us know, the Dutch people love to bike around. So common are them that i believe that the title of "Nation of Bicycles" should really go to them rather than China.

Best evidence is in the following picture.

Have seen a lot of mulit-storey carparks, but a multi-storey bicycle park? Defintely a first for me.

And looking at the extreme measures some people take to secure their bikes, bike theft seems to be quite a common problem.

Finally, a word of advice for those who like to bike around Amsterdam, their left-hand drive and criss-crossing of tram-lines, bus-lanes and bike paths could prove to be tricky. Be warned!

Dutch Height & Udders

2007-06-09T09:03:00.000+08:00

, From the moment, i touched down at Schipol, queueing at the customs, i had felt it... The Dutch are really a tall people! In fact, it is not just the young people but the older generation too. According to an article that i read some time back, it puts the average height of Dutch males to be 1.83m, making them the tallest in the world. In fact, my feel about it was so acute that it immediately cured my slouch problem, as i had to correct my posture to be just of average height among the Dutch.

On our first evening in Amsterdam, SK and I were chilling out (pun intended =P, it was about 13 degree celsius then) in Vondelpark. As we engaged in the voyeuristic activity of people watching, we once again marvelled at the height of the Dutch. Being the good Science stream students that we are, we then put forth theories/hypothesis on the reasons for the "outstanding" Dutch people.

One of the bold theories i had put forth is that the effect of the terrain of the nation on the height of its people. As known to many, the Netherlands is one of the nations with the lowest terrain, with many parts below sea-level. This contrasts with Nepal, the Himalayan Nation, whose people are much less "outstanding". However, i was hard-pressed to give a reasonable answer as why that is so.

And then, during a day trip outside the Dutch capital, we believe that we hit the Jackpot. The cows that we saw appear really well-fed, and their udders were huge! If the typical milk cow has a BMI of 20X, my guestimate would put the Dutch cow at the obese range of around 30X. If any nation would like to make its people "stand-out", just drink Dutch milk!

Mini (Mis)Adventure in Amsterdam

2007-06-08T23:23:00.000+08:00

I was with some excitement when i touched down at Schipol at 6.40a.m. partly, as this would be the longest trip that i ever taken. i would be travelling with SK for this trip, a long-time friend that i have not met in 2 years. Also, this trip features many of the european places that i would very much like to visit. Last but not least, the last 2 days, we are going to fulfil one of our personal dreams, which is watching Roland Garros live!

Schipol, despite supposedly being one of the best and most efficient airports in Europe, disappointed me though. I queued at the customs for 20 mins and waited at the luggage belt for 30 mins. Upon clearing the customs, the lady at the airport info counter looked as if i owed her 5k and pointed vaguely when i asked for the tourist info counter, which was hidden in one of the shop alleys of the airport.

It was about 8.15a.m. when i finally cleared with the airport stuff and took the first of my busses to my accoms. Upon arriving at the Amstelveen bus interchange to change another bus to my accoms also in Amstelveen (a suburb at the outskirts of Amsterdam) i was struck by how quiet the bus interchange was! During my 10 minute wait for my bus, there was nobody else in the interchange, save for an odd cyclist who wheezed through the interchange. The interchange was as large AMK bus interchange and looks new and modern, complete with giant electronic schedule screens, size of those at airports.

Being an ever pragmatic Singaporean, i thought to myself, " What a waste of money!!" But then again, the desertness could just be that it's a weekend morning thing.

After hopping on my bus, i cheerily requested the roly and kind-looking lady bus driver to inform me at the Graaf Florisaan bus station, which is a short walk to the accoms. As i admired the beautiful suburb scenary through the bus window, i also checked from time to time the name of the bus stations as the bus station. I also noticed that degree of urbanisation increased as we went along and thought that the bus must be nearing the accoms. Then i saw the following sight -

Shit!! must have missed the bus station! i quickly re-positived myself, treated it as a good city orientation cum sight-seeing bus ride and took it all the way to Amsterdam central. I congratulated myself too for the excellent foresight of copying also the directions from Amsterdam central to the accoms.

Unflustered, i took the return bus. This time again i requested for the bus-driver to inform me, but took the extra precautions of taking the seat just behind the passenger's entrance area (to be within the driver's view, of course!) and memorising the names of the few bus-stops before the one i was due to get off.

When i got off the bus at 9.50a.m., i followed the copied directions excitedly, eager to having get to the accoms finally. After following the directions for 2 right turns, i found that i did not see what i was supposed to, and thus it was wrong directions!

After directions from a gentleman, i finally reached the accoms at 10.10a.m. A good 3.5 hrs after i touched down!