Articles from this Category
8 February 2020
Inland Temples Today I had booked through Traveloka a 12h rental car-and-driver for IDR130K (USD9.50) plus petrol and driver’s lunch allowance of IDR50K. I had the itinerary all decided and it was all within their “In Town” zone. With a pickup at 0930, I lay in bed and decided to check the zonal map once […]
7 February 2020
Leaving Singapore I tried to spend some time with my aunt in the morning as it was a very short visit on my part. At her age and with her special condition, she keeps to a certain routine. It appeared she wasn’t too fussed with my presence so I didn’t push it. Heading to the […]
5 February 2020
I had a leisurely morning at the museum. Pekanbaru’s museum is named after Sang Nila Utama, the prince from the broader region that founded Singapore, changing its name from Temasek to Singapura (which the English later changed to Singapore). It was a simple museum where I learnt new things about the familiar, things that I […]
4 February 2020
Leaving hometown Today I make my way from hometown Kuching to Pekanbaru via Kuala Lumpur, so that I’d end up in Singapore and then Bali in a few days time to get back to New Zealand. The Pekanbaru stop was brought about by some frequent flyer points which were expiring. So why, not?! My departure […]
20 January 2020
Long awaited arrival We descended into Bali airport and landed at 0050 with the cabin lights dimmed rather than off. It was still plenty bright, just like during take-off some six hours ago. I wonder if there is a maximum permissible brightness. Other airlines I fly with simply turn the lights off completely. There was […]
2 November 2019
Today I pick up friend Michelle from New Zealand who will visit and stay till my departure. She arrived yesterday morning and will leave five minutes before me next week. I had asked her to stay in town for the first night and given her some sightseeing tips to start off her stay before I […]
31 October 2019
Cruising the Bosphorus Today I have to kill the entire day before my flight to Kuala Lumpur at 0135 tomorrow morning. I stayed indoors after breakfast to attend to admin before checking out at 1130. My rough plan was to hop on one of the ferries. At one station, they were going to Hydarpasar which […]
30 October 2019
Dolmabahce Palace After breakfast, I took the tram to Dolmabahce Palace. This palace had been on my radar since my first visit 27 years ago. But having seen a few opulent palaces through the years, in fell down my priority list. But now, I have done and repeated many things in Istanbul, so it’s popped […]
29 October 2019
Leaving Sharm I got to Sharm el Sheikh airport just after midnight. With my departure at 0340 I expected check-in to open at 0040. A queue had built up and airport security started checking documents to enter the check-in area. I then realised it was for the Pegasus flight to Istanbul. I had a short […]
24 October 2019
Killing time Today I fly to Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt at 2120. I have time to kill after checkout till the flight. So it made sense for me to use my nice room to the max, till check-out. Since Istanbul is now quite familiar to me, it isn’t a wasted day in the marvellous […]