Author archive
15 January 2013
Booking for next year Having retired too early last night, I woke around 1am. I realised that this was also the first day of AirAsia’s latest zero-fare sale (shortest fights are zero-fare but longer flights are at tiny prices). I managed to buy HKG-KUL-KCH-KUL-HKG for next Christmas for about NZD200 (11 hours flying) uninterrupted by […]
14 January 2013
Above: The countryside between Heho and Mandalay is very red. Would you do this to a friend? I’m leaving my hotel in Yangon today where I have been chatting to an Israeli guy there too. He seems to be in Yangon indefinitely, waiting for his friend to come from Bangkok at a date that hasn’t […]
13 January 2013
There was an early-morning feel when I stepped out of the hotel after breakfast at 0830. Businesses and stalls were just starting to open up and the air was still very cool in the shade. Walking to the Botataung Pagoda, it becomes apparent that Yangon is the Havana of SE Asia when it comes to […]
12 January 2013
Exploring & Airline Ticketing After breakfast, I took a walk around the Sule Pagoda neighbourhood. There were a few churches, mosques and a synagogue tucked between the many old concrete multi-storey blocks. More men wear pants now than during my previous visit, when the longyi (sarong). It is still common for women and children (and […]
11 January 2013
Above: Dinner on kindy-chairs. Due to natural light in my room being obscured partially by an external wall (and thick curtains), I didn’t wake up till around 9am. I hadn’t slept well last few nights; I seemed to wake up a fair bit feeling sweaty. I put the disturbed sleep down to the pseudoephedrine which […]
10 January 2013
Above: Hakka Noodles in Ipoh. I broke with tradition today. After two dimsum breakfasts in Ipoh, I opted for Hakka noodles washed down by the famous Ipoh white coffee. All two coffees I had in Ipoh were excellent and cheap. It’s not hard to be good when you roast the beans in butter (or margarine) […]
9 January 2013
Today I wanted to go to Kellie’s Castle, an incomplete castle built by a Scottish businessman around 1915. I did that after another dimsum breakfast as my first one didn’t disappoint in terms of the quality and quantity of fillings. The castle is about 30 minutes by car from Ipoh but took me 2 hours […]
8 January 2013
A geriatric doctor, not a geriatrician I needed to see the doctor to check on my fluey ears and chest. There were plenty of choices around the hotel but upon enquiry some of them were “specialists” of various kinds. Strange that they’re not marked as such … perhaps the doctors have had experienced in various […]
7 January 2013
Above: Poached chicken and beansprouts, and rice noodle soup topped with shredded chicken, are two of Ipoh’s famous dishes.. I landed at KLIA LCCT 20 minutes ahead of schedule on AirAsia. I had booked online a bus to Ipoh allowing for 2h30 in between. So I had a leisurely lunch. I kept an eye out […]
31 December 2012
Above: Taking the boat back to the apartment. After an early breakfast, I taxied out to Supadio International Airport. I had to wait briefly for check-in to open even though it was 90 minutes prior to the flight. We were delayed for about half hour. The MASWings flight was very empty despite the zero-fare promotion […]