中国十大

Saw these best 10 lists in the local Chinese Newspaper.
从报章上读到由逾百万网友选出的中国最美旅游地

中国十大最美名山
1）黄山（安徽）
2）庐山（江西）
3）华山（陕西）
4）梅里雪山（云南）
5）泰山（山东）
6）武夷山（福建）
7）玉龙月山（云南）
8）四姑娘山（四川）
9）恒山（山西）
10）稻城三神山（四川）

中国十大最美名湖
1）青海湖（青海高原）
2）西湖 （浙江）
3）千岛湖 （浙江）
4）纳木错湖 （西藏）
5）泸沽湖（云南）
6）镜泊湖（黑龙江）
7）咯科纳斯湖 （新疆）
8）运城盐湖（山西）
9）武汉东城（湖北）
10）太平湖（安徽）

中国十大历史名胜
1）兵马俑
2）故宫
3）布达拉宫
4）长城
5）曲阜三孔
6）华清池
7）三星堆
8）都江堰
9）西安碑林
10）西安城墙

Hahaha...... I had been to one site in each list........
我到过各十大名单的其中一处........ 华山，西湖，兵马俑 and 西安城墙.

Coffee time in Suvarnabhumi Airport

While waiting for the return flight back to Singapore. Went to this coffee shop outlet, which run by Black Canyon Coffee, to have coffee and cake.

Coffee is common as others cafe outlet, but the cakes are really nice. We ordered a berry-berry cake (the one in pinky color) and a Cookie and Cream Cake. Our verdict is that it was better than S&P cakes.

My previous trips on Songkran Festival

Songkran........ The Thai New Year........

Three times in Bangkok in Songkran period but only really enjoy in the latest trip.
Why I didn't join in the fun in the previous trips?

It was because the first Songkran when I was there, it is my virgin trip to Bangkok. As I joined the tour package, before I could feel what is the Song Kran like, we were already brought out of town to Pattaya. However, before departing to Pattaya, we took a boat ride in to the 'floating market' (the one that most tourist had went). In the middle of the ride, the children staying along the river side 'attacked' us with the home-made water bomb that using the river water. By the time we arrived in Pattaya, the group of us started to fall sick one by one......... Not sure due to hot weather or the virus in the river water.

Due to the encounter during first trip, while I visited Chiang Mai in another Song Kran period, I did my best to avoid being splashed by the water while walking on the street....... I was so safe and dry for quite sometime till ............ I decided to go back to hotel and rest. I flagged a tuk-tuk (a truck like transport in Chiang Mai, unlike the one in Bangkok) to send me back to the hotel...... somehow on the way, the tuk-tuk driver stopped to pick up some more passengers. There I go, when two young girls boarded the tuk-tuk........ SPLASH...... I'm wet.......

As I had observed that some people obtained the water from the canal (or it should be river, the one that surrounded the old Chiang Mai city). Lucky, didn't fall sick when I adjourned to Bangkok.

Makan in Bangkok

Makan in Bangkok is always nice for me........

For this trip, group of us went for a Dim-sum A-la-cart Buffet in Sofitel Hotel at Silom. The restaurant is located in 38th floor (nice bird view). The price of the buffet is 588+THB per pax (drink excluded).

There are about 39 items (inclusive desserts) on the menu, we ordered nearly 25 items which some are repeated.

The dim-sum taste not much different from Hong Kong. The most likable is the rice roll with prawn (鲜虾肠粉)........

We almost order all the desserts in the menu. The mango pudding is nice but a bit too sweet lor..............

Beside that we also went to Chinatown (Yaowarat) for shark fin and bird net...... But my favorite there is the crab meat fried rice (Khao Pad Poo).

We had a dinner at road side of Silom, I had my favourite dish there... deep fried seabass with garlic and pepper....

Walking on the street or in shopping mall, we also come across lots nice food, snack or bit bites.......

Otar-Otar
Bought in the Chinatown wholesales alley/road. With strong Thai herb smell...... really aroy (delicious)
BBQ Squid/Sotong (Pla Muak)
The piece of cuttlefish (sotong) is huge and cost about 80THB (~S$3.40)....... The sotong is so huge that viewing from far, my friend mistaken it as toasted bread...... Hahaha...... The green chill sauce go with the sotong is so damn spicy....... 辣辣辣!!!!! But shiok..........

Pig Trotter Rice (Khao Ka Moo)
For so many times in Bangkok, I hardly ordered this dish as I afraid of fat meat. Well..... Who care this time, go for it..... WOW...... Yummy........


Sticky Rice with Mango (Khao Niao Man Mung)
The all time favorite dessert for most people.............. I prefer the one with egg custard.

Deep Fried Chicken Wing
The middle portion of the chicken wing was halved and deep fried. Some hawker added sesame seed in the batter while other may just fry with Pandan leave. Whenever, I saw this and stomach has some space........ Without fail, one packet in hand........ 一边走一边吃.........

Anyway, there are countless roadside snack hawkers in Bangkok.........
Fish Ball noodles, Char Siew Rice, Thai Laksa, Dumpling Noodles, Pad Thai, BBQ Chicken, Thai Salad, Chicken Rice.......... on and on and on.........

Mmmmmmm...... Yum Yum.......


Hereby, I would like to recommend this Weekend Market (Chatuchak market) stall for it's chili cuttlefish (鱿鱼)........ chewy and spicy.......... 吃了口腔留鱿鱼香......嘻嘻嘻嘻........

When will be my next trip there ???? !!!!!!!! ........

Bangkok

Sawadee Krup.....

Bangkok, a place where I almost can considered as 2nd home.......

Had been in Bangkok for countless times, however, to coincide with the Water Festival (Song Kran), this trip is the third time ). But really taking part in it, this trip is the first time (I'll reason the two miss out in the next post)

Day before the Song Kran (13th Apr 09), observed that along the Silom Road (near the Saladaeng BTS Station side) started piling with bottles of water.

Along with the bottles of water, they are also selling packed of cookies like thing. Later discovered that these cookies like staff in fact is powder cubes, mixed them with water, you can start smearing it on other peoples' faces during the Song Kran.

On the actual day, arrived at Silom Road... WOW!!!!!! The Saladaeng area is fully packed with people. You could use people mountain people sea (人山人海) to describe the place.

While the group of us started to walk into the crowd..... OH NO...... Water started to pouring at us....... or I should said shooting at us....... Everyone go CRAZY........
Eventually, I stopped taking pictures and kept my camera......

Here I COME!!!!!!...... Joined in the fun. Instead of using the water piston (troublesome lah.... once run out of water, you have to stop to refill via buying the water), I just bought the powder cubes with a container ..... Mixed with water to form a mud paste and then....... started smearing it on others. Some of the people used iced water..... eeerrhhh........

Finally, when I returned to hotel, I was at this state........

Whole body is wet and face smeared with the powder.
Anyway, really enjoyed the occasion and have so much fun.

Sawadee Pi Mai (Happy New year).......

Just a gentle reminder, for those who wanted to experience the fun of Song Kran, do prepare yourself first, have your wallet, handphone and other important staff protect in a plastic bag, Try not to wear any glasses, they will smear powder to your glasses (I did saw people wearing goggles). Bring extra set of clothes in your bag, just in case, you are not allowed to enter your hotel when you are all wet and covered with powder. Last thing, if you want to take pictures, better get a waterproof camera.

Start.......

Had created this blog last Mar but have not been posting anything yet.
Anyway I just returned back from Bangkok, thus will start to post something new.
Yet, I'll also will post something that is old and not so old.

Everybody like to travel to another country to see places of interest with our own eyes, eat the actual local delicacies of it's original taste (many foreign food had it's taste modified as to suit the locals taste buds); experience thing that you cannot get in Sg such as hot spring.

Ever since I made my first leisure trip to Genting (trips to JB for makan not counted) many many years ago. I started to make effort to travel whenever I could (of course time and $ to be considered).

Collectively the countries that I had been whether on leisure or official works:-

Malaysia - Malacca, Pulau Tioman, Pulau Besar, Pulau Tinggi, Pulau Pangkor, Cameron Highland, K L , Genting Highlands, Desaru, Pulau Sibu

Thailand - Been to Bangkok for numerous times. My friends and colleagues commented that it is my second home. Other parts of Thailand that I visited : Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Pattaya, Hatyai, Phuket.

Indonesia - Pulau Batam, Pulau Pinang, Pulau Balai, Bali

Hong Kong, Macau, Vietnam (HCM), Myanmar, Taiwan (almost the whole taiwan main island), Nagoya (Japan), Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Paris (France), Amsterdam , Egypt

As for China, in addition to my previous leisure visit, I was working there for several months and I had opportunities to visit some of the places such as Suzhou, Shenzhen, Xi An, Tianjing, Shen Yang, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Shanghai.

I'll let the ball roll soon......... please look forward for my postings.