Finally i am able to start on my first proper entry to my China trip.

As i have mentioned in my brief updates before, this trip was simply an eye opener and surprisingly, China turned up to be different after a spell of five years or so, since my last visit there. However, to be fair, my previous trip there was only for work, never for plainly sight seeing..perhaps, being on a holiday makes you feel different,however, this trip was part work for me, as i was accompanying some five groups of folks to explore two province of China, namely the Jiang Xi area and the Zhejiang area

Started off with flight to Xiamen before connecting a flight to Nanchang. In flight service was good but but was a wee bit worried about the size of the plane, which was a B737. However, after the first twenty minutes, size doesn’t matter anymore but its performance! It flew really well and the flight crew were great and all in all, it was really a pleasant flight .

Never been to Xiamen before but was rather impressed by the size of its airport.However, though huge in size and looks fantastic, the ground staff really have to buck up.Its a long journey for them before they can match the facade of the infrastructure.But the biggest surprise was the wc.It seems that most thought that toilet hygiene in China leaves much to be desired but imagine my surprise when i saw the following Poopoo facility! A picture is worth a thousand words! wonders of all Wonders!

There is actually an automatic wrap-a-seat function wor!!!!!! So Clean wor!!!!!!

Ha! have to continue the story ya?Flight from Xiamen was on a even smaller craft,a B757.. a little rocky but still okay la..

Any smaller i would have freaked out but anyway , sevice was good la…

Finally, we arrived in Nan Chang and on the flight there, i got to know the first group of the many groups that signed up with five stars tour and they were really lovely and funny bunch of guys and gals. Got into the bus and we arrived in NanChang and checked into Our first hotel of the trip!

It boast a rating of Five stars and on the whole, it was a rather impressive hotel..

After a brief clean up, we headed for dinner where i met the rest of the four groups and photographs moments were endless! After which, we went for a light/water display which took some of our breath away..

It was almost dreamland immediately after the show, for we were all rather tired from all the flying done that day….Tommorrow, we are moving on and the first stop, Jing De Zhen!

I have always wanted to visit this town. not because i love the porcelain vases and stuffs from there, but because when my father was still around, he simply adored all the vases and figurine from there and since young, i was constantly told, by him, that this town produces the best wares and finally, i am here…..

After a divine day in the town of porcelain, we went on to Wu Yuan, where we stayed for the night and i made my first entry there in the room, when i found a computer in my room..

And i found these too…hmmm…

male love lotion… you can…hmmm…only ten yuan wor…..

ANYWAY,

Dinner was a happy affair as all tucked into their food, which the chefs were instucted to make it less oily and less salty..

The Next Day liao……….

Bright and cheery, we all embarked on a brand new day of sight seeing and we headed to discover the lovely sight available at wu yuan..

Not much is needed to be said , i think the pictures says it all…

Much more to be done and told.. till time permits, this is all for now..

TO BE CONTINUED…..some highlights are as follows..

Oh well, might as well carry on..This is San Qing Shan, direct translation three clear mountain(ha!) and it is simply divine.The climb up was taking up our breath but the view was simply breath taking.. You feel as though you , as tacky as it sound, you are in heaven..almost expecting other immortals to fly around and suddenly xiao qian and lao lao would fly past you…..however, not everyone is able to climb that many steps and fortunately for those who can’t climb, there are these unfortunate strong willed guys who will bring you up in this interesting contraption…

There are a few rest stops up there where you can stop and have a drink, eat some stuff and buy some souvenirs..They cost just a tiny weeeny bit more as the stuffs are..hmmm…mountain lifted up..

After the climb, i thought that perhaps i kind of a like the idea of mountain treking and perhaps one day, i might just go climb mountains..

In retrospect, as i now look at these pictures i have taken, i am glad that i have chosen to climb up the mountain and if i hadn’t do so, i wouldn’t know wats up there..Kind off a like life isn’t ? without actually going the extra mile, we wouLd never know what that path will lead to…..

TO BE CONTINUED..

Tasmania, an isle down under, proves to be a haven for one who worships nature..where the air is fresh and temperature hits down under..Under the Tassie sky we romped the isle for a good seven days, drinking in the sights of cradle mountain, walking with fairy penguins and basking in the frail sunlight, in a temperature of 4 to 15 degrees, where the biting cold hits your frail joints when the wind blows…….

After a good long seven and a half hours of flight time, arrived in Melbourne International airport where i promptly snap a pic of myself, a sort of a ritual as i always do it on trips, so that i could always remember how i look and felt at that point of time. Frankly, the flight there wasn’t so comfy..Its on a 747 megatop, which is rather old and wonder why humans are reduced to be sardines when they travel…Hmm….

Fortunately, its only about one hour flight time to Hobart, which we walked over to the domestic airport and boarded this lovely fire engine red Virgin Blue aircraft..They are rather strict with your hand carry though..everything have to be stowed away..even a small little waist pouch have to be placed under the seat in front of you..

Upon arriving in Hobart we started our tour, visiting first, the fruit farm.On the way, upon arriving in Hobart, we crossed the bridge in the city, of course picture time again. The bridge resembled the one in Macau, rather pleasing to the eye and picture worthy..

Tasmania is famous for its abalones ,oysters and scallops and what you see above is the Barilla Bay oyster farm..actually, that would be the cafe and boutique shop of the farm. rather interesting way of farming though..as they have to haul the oysters too and from the sea, sort them out by sizes… It is educational to know that Tasmania is one of the least polluted place on earth and thats why its produce whether its seafood or agricultural stuffs are of good quality.. and the air.. hooo..really fresh….

The temperature there is rather amazing..its end of winter and approaching spring ..occasional showers that really freezes you! But,after the rain, there is always the lovely rainbow, which we saw twice on this trip…

this is over at launceston…

One of the scenic places that i enjoyed would be the lovely historical town of Richmond, which is about 25 km from hobart..The quaint sandstone bridge that you see in the picture is the oldest surviving bridge in aust, built in 1823 …

All in all minus the group that went down, i think there are only another twenty souls at this scenic spot…

Hobart and launceston is a relatively quiet town..quaint and serene..rather like Mosman in Sydney..here are some of the sights you might see..

blue skies and puffy white clouds…

having trees this old really adds character to the city..

good to sit and watch the world goes by…pensive thoughts of retirement?

Sunrise In Hobart

Quaint historical buildings in launceston..

You might wonder if Hobart is just about a wee bit too quiet ..Don’t fret..there is always the Salamanca Market if you long for some human touch..

Most of the buildings here are made of sandstones, an architectural trademark of Tassie..

There are about three hundred stalls thronging the streets on a saturday at the market, which is located at princes wharf..here you could find lots of stuffs, from locally made made handicrafts to german sausages..

Huon Valley is one of the places that we visited and the Tahune airwalk is really something. It is one of the latest attractions in Tassie and a great place for forest lovers…

Huge tree!

If you were to ask me what would be the place that i really loved in Tassie, its gotta be Cradle Mountain..Why?…You’ll see…

Very much into shadow pic..sometimes shadows say alot more…

pure serenity…tranquility……

The Crew…..

Sunset time..when darkness takes over..

This is taken on the night of the mid autumn..

Temperature dips down to six degrees in the mountains….

This is the lodge that we stay in.. Very nice wor! Quaint on the outside, modern inside! V nice to have a fireplace in the room!

Caught this wallaby in the morning just outside my cabin.. they are all over the place, like cats in sgp… very cute and bouncy…

These are some of the group members that went on the trip..very lovely people! had much fun with them….

Thousand of miles away from home.. yet, very much at home under the tassie sky.. What have i learnt on this trip? many. As you might know, i was unwell before the trip and during the trip, about the fourth day, sickness took over in a very bad way..was shivering in cold, feverish and coughing badly..however, what kept me going was the unconditional care and concern the people around me gave and that really saved the day..also, the medicine bag that my mum packed for me really did the trick! she had me well covered…even though i thought she is over the top with the flu medicine, cough drops, tablets for dry throat etc etc.. One of the best moment of this trip is when i get to cuddle a Koala.. the moment it reaches out and clasp its arms around me, it felt really good, as it hung on to me in absolute trust..

It has been a true wonderful experience in Tassie..a really good break for me as i am really running out of steam..Thank you to the wonderful 45 friends on this trip who made these seven days amazing and memorable..

One day i shall return to Cradle Mountain..to explore the mountain and be cradled…wait for me…wait for me……

T his is ” The Oriental Hotel Shop”.Do not be mistaken, for this shop is not within the premises of the world reknowned Oriental Hotel of Bangkok but tucked away on the ground level of “Siam Paragon”, the almost new mega shopping mall next to Siam Square. This shop is very much like a High society shop, with customers that are more atas la.. the angmoh food there is simply sooooooo divine..From sandwiches, scones,pate,biscuits,pastry..its simply heaven!

Beautiful settings and array of colours…

Gooseliver and herb pate and my all time favourite Scones with fresh cream and homemade marmalade and strawberry jam

Good food encompasses 色香味 and that is what you’ll find in this exquisite shop! The decor of this eatery is simply amazing! The price? Okay la..Looks more expensive than it actually costs! Floating above the kitchen area, a beautiful chandelier!

With all the pastries,pate, scones firmly tucked in my tummy..i am definitely happily strolling along the road to being fat and i guess the next best move would be some sensuous exercise…..Gym? Well…Kind Of……

“Health Land” is where you should go to be strong and healthy! Nestled away along the famous atas “Sathorn” road, this is the place to rest your ravaged body!

This is one of the most affordable yet clean and atas place for a good massage.Choose either the traditional thai massage or the aromatherapy massage. The charges are most reasonable but i do advise you to call and make a reservation..they are almost perpetualy packed..

After worshipping your own body, its time to pay respect to the heavenly bodies ..Located next to the Hyatt Erawan Hotel, the world rekowned :Four Face Buddha..

Some years ago, its been said that the buddha descends on every thursday nights thus explains the crowd there every thursday, after eight pm. However, recent study reveals that the time of descend is still on thursday but however,is in the afternoon..But even if you are not a buddhist, it is a site to visit as this shrine, located at the cross junction of chidlom, is very much a huge part of Thai culture today………

The road to being fat started off with water shortage problem,aka the watergate incident.However, if you mix “business” with pleasure,any incident would hardly defeat a good seat and a lovely movie.

B y now it is pretty apparent that i am heading towards the land of a thousand smiles,Bangkok.. Besides the wonderful sights and sounds, one has to kowtow to the Thai food and shopping culture .On this trip, i got fat..well, pleasantly plump around the waist and of course,developed a power puffed cheeks.. All the food! Glorious Food! Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!! I have died and gone to heaven! How can one maintain a diet while on a holiday, especially in the heavenly Thai kingdom, where even roadside stalls titilates your taste buds and escalate you to heights you could never imagine..very much close to orgasm..and my oh my, many times over… So let’s see what got into my tummy and how i loved/loathed it….

My very first lunch in Bangkok which consist of a plate of healthy “Som Tum”,which is papaya salad and a delectable bowl of Pork noodles,done in the same fashion like beef noodles in singapore. I think the best som tum is from ‘Ortokor” market right across chak tuk chak…and i think ortokor market is absolutely amazing.However, since this time i did not manage to stay for the weekend, som tum anywhere would do….

Chicken Rice…some say that only in Singapore that you find the most amazing Chicken rice..however, i beg to differ.. This chicken rice stall sits in a cramped up little spot just in front of Burger King along Silom road (Saladeang)only after ten pm in the evenings. This is my staple food in BKK(bangkok)..I wouldn’t feel that i am really in bkk if i did not have my usual two servings of this chicken rice..why two you might question..simple..first of all it is too delicious to be true, secondly,the servings are pretty small and most importantly,好事成双!!! I might be biased though,as i have patronised this stall for many years and they have never ever let me down..You can choose to have it uncuthmm,i mean ..with the skin or without the skin..hmm..anyway, the chilli ..aroy MAK!!!!

Gorging away..heaven by the roadside….

On this trip i discovered another delicious stall that i would now add to my list of food that i die die have to eat while i am in BKK. Just along the same stretch of road, barely three metres away, is a “Kway Chup” stall that’s been there for donkey years whose presence has never been acknowledged by yours sincerely by however, this trip i am feeling rather porky and after whooping down two plates of chicken rice, i decided to have a bowl of kway chup and it ended up looking like this:

Unbelievable!!! i have actually denied myself this wonderful mixture of pig intestines swimming in a hot pool of peppery soup,occasionally dipping into a red sea of lemony chilli…. To make up for this mistake, i hereby dedicate the following pictures to the owner of the fabulous stall…

to be continued……..

After the airplane saga, which i hereby name it as the ” watergate” incident
i realise that all of us need a little humour now and then to tide us over..and by the way, the esteemed water bottle is Evian and yes, there is an air crew right outside the WC after dinner is served..As for the carrier, need i say more? But I still do love them mak mak even after the watergate incident..can’t be mad at them especially when they look so fetching in purple and they have the most delicious Thai cuisines on board..

And so i sat there and waited , along with the other passengers who are starting to complain amongst themselves.Some even took out their handphone to commiserate with loved ones that are somewhere out there. Finally, an hour later, the steward came back on ” Halo Lady and gentlemeeeen..we are cho happy to tell you that we have solved the pobblam! the water cannot be fixed!” I almost fell out of my chair when i heard that. Fortunately, before i burst into great peals of laughter, he continued” We now waiting for a bottle of water.Please be informed that during the flight you can still use the toilet.You can still flush but there is no water at the tap. Don’t worry,after you use the toilet, our crew will be there for you with a bottle of water to wash your hands. We cho happy to solve this pobblam and now we wait for a bottle of water and then we can take off. Thank you krup”

Ten minutes later, i believe more than one bottle of water boarded the plane..and with all passengers and water bottles settled in, the plane took off into the night……….