Elly's Senses...

Chef at Home

2011-11-18T19:30:00.001+08:00

One of the popular spot for western food in kuching. Food serve here is at affordable price and gopd quality. Follows is the pictures of my yummy food.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

my first post using my samsung galaxy s2

2011-10-16T21:26:00.001+08:00

Testing on this application, blogger droid.
Hai..
Y do i still type wrongly most of the time. Should practise more on my typing skill onscreen for a hassle free blog experience in the future.
Anyway i am so glad with this new device that have so much varieties of application for me to use.
Most importantly they r free of charge!

Now anywhere and whenever i can finally blog.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

Mesmerizing beaches in Sematan and Lundu

2011-06-02T20:37:00.007+08:00

It has been quite awhile since my last blogging. I wish so much to blog here to share with you all how much I have enjoyed my trip to some places that I have been in these few months or it's already been years??!!

Phew.. time flies.

Well, no more words. I just want to share the beauty of one of the places of interest in Kuching that I feel that it's really a pity to just to keep the pictures at my computer's folder. Enjoy~

Tada.. for friends visiting Sematan or Lundu, here are what you may see there.

1. Gunung Gading National Park (at Lundu)

This is the biggest Rafflesia bud I have seen so far. I visiting Gunung Gading 3 times. First time, I wasn't able to see any. My second visit I could only spot a dead Rafflesia ( whole black ). The following picture taken in my third visit, can't get to see a whole flower yet. I got to know from others that the bud bloomed the next day I took this picture. Just not my luck. Hope that the fourth visit I will have the luck to see fully riped Rafflesia.

Follow along the track in the jungle, you will find several waterfalls. If I could remember correctly, the following is Waterfall 3. If you have the stamina to track higher, Waterfall 7 is the best waterfall of all but also the farthest waterfall.

To know more about Gunung Gading National Park.. please catch more information at the official website by Sarawak Forestry below:

http://www.forestry.sarawak.gov.my/forweb/np/np/gading.htm

2. Pandan beach

I fall in love with this beach when driving towards it. The whole scenery at that moment is so BLUE! Pandan beach is consider the furthest beach, which is quite deep into Lundu. It's really worth the time to drive till there.

Look at my pictures below. You sure love it. Do remember to try on the fresh coconut there. It's so refreshing and sweet. Get the biggest they have at RM4.

3. Retreat Training Center

The best accommodation to be found at Lundu is at Retreat!

Retreat is just slightly further a bit from Siar Beach Resort.

The building consists of conference room, penthouse and more rooms..

Swimming at the Retreats

Retreats training area

Comfy chalets

Retreats beach area

3. Sematan town

It's a small but peaceful town around 20 minutes driving distance away from Lundu town.

Right in front of the shoplots is the jetty.

4. Sematan Palm Beach Resort

It's the best resort in Sematan and the price is quite affordable. This resort has great swimming pool that just newly built around the end of 2010. Breakfast and Dinner is included in the room rate. Their meals are delicious. Definitely worth the price paid.

I have rented a chalet for 4 persons as in the picture. This chalet is just by the poolside.

Internal layout of the chalet. It really gives a cozy feel. Thumbs up!

Clean and neat bedroom at the upper floor

A view looking out from the top deck.

Swimming pool by the seaside

A weird stuff saw in the early of the morning before heading for breakfast.

Food... Food .. Food.. They serve tasty breakfast and dinner!

If you are visiting Sematan, do try to book a room at palm beach resort. :D

Which country need/ no need VISA for Malaysian?

2009-09-08T14:46:00.005+08:00

While surfing on the net, I came across on this informative piece of information for all Malaysian who likes to travel around the globe. Before going to another country, the most important thing to be checked is the VISA requirement. So here is a list of the countries as a reference to all fellow Malaysians.

NO / COUNTRY ENTRY/ REQUIREMENTS/ LENGTH OF STAY WITHOUT VISA/ LOCATION FOR APPLICATION/ REMARKS

1. AFGHANISTAN Visa Required Not Applicable Embassy in KL
2. ALBANIA Visa Not Required 90 days Embassy in KL Albania/Malaysia had signed an agreement for the partial
visa abolishment.
3. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Visa Required Not Applicable Embassy in KL The charge for Visa into US is USD45.00, equivalent to
RM171.00.
4. ALGERIA Visa Not Required 90 days Embassy in KL
5. ANDORRA* Visa Not Required - -
6. ANGOLA Visa Required Not Applicable Embassy in Beijing The charges for visa into Angola is USD35.00
7. ANTIGUA/BARBUDA Visa Not Required 6 months -
8. SAUDI ARABIA Visa Required Not Applicable Embassy in KL The charges for Visa into Arab SauIn: i) Visa for Umrah -
gratis ii) Visa for Pilgrimage - gratis iii) Visa for Visit -
equivalent to RM210.00 iv) Visa for Work - equivalent to
RM52.50
9. ARGENTINA Visa Not Required 30 days Not Applicable If entry with visa, 90 days length of stay will be given and the
charges is USD30.00. Visa could be obtained from the
Embassy in KL.
10. ARMENIA Visa Required Not Applicable Outside KL The charges for visa is USD50.00
11. AUSTRALIA Visa Required Not Applicable The Australian High
Commission in KL
a) Starting from 01/07/2005, Malaysians can request
for another type of visiting visa that is tourist visa, subclass
676. b) Tourist visa will be granted for a stay of
up to 12 months. c) Sub-class 676 forbids tourists from
committing any type of employment during stay in
Australia. d) Application can be made via Internet or at
the High Commission of Australia in Kuala Lumpur.
The fee is AS$70.00.
12. AUSTRIA Visa Not Required 90 days Not Applicable Austria/Malaysia had signed an agreement for the partial visa
abolishment.
13. AZERBAIJAN Visa Required Not Applicable The nearest Embassy The charges for visa into Azerbaijan is USD40.00
14. BAHAMAS Visa Not Required 90 days -
15. BAHRAIN Visa Required Not Applicable a) Sponsor in Bahrain b)
Entrance
a) Charges of BD25.00 for staying up to 72 hours only. b) If
the visa applied at the Entrance, the charges will be BD20.00
and will only be allowed to stay for 72 hours only. - the length
of stay could be extended with the Immigration Incretion.
16. BANGLADESH Visa Required Not Applicable (a) High Commission in KL (a) High Commission of Bangladesh will take 2 working days
to process the visa application. The charge for visa is
RM35.00 for single entry and RM70.00 for multiple entries.
17. BARBADOS Visa Not Required 90 days -
18. BELARUS Visa Required Not Applicable Outside KL The charge for visa is USD60.00.
19. BELGIUM Visa Not Required 90 days Not Applicable Belgium/Malaysia had signed an agreement for the partial
visa abolishment.
20. BELIZE Visa Not Required 6 months The nearest Belize General
Consul in Japan. (Tel : 00-81-
33440-9106)
21. BENIN* Visa Required - - No visa required for Official and Diplomatic passport
22. BERMUDA Visa Not Required 6 months -
23. BHUTAN Visa Required Not Applicable Refer to Remarks (a) All visitors to Bhutan will have to contact the following
address to obtain visa into Bhutan: Bhutan Tourism
Corporation Ltd. P.O. Box 159, Thimpu, Bhutan Tel. Bo:
(975) 2 22854, 22647, 24045 (975) 2 22479, 23392 (b)
Approved application will be given the visa at the Entrance
with charges of USD20.00.
24. BOLIVIA* Visa Required Not Applicable Outside KL The charges for visa is USD20.00
25. BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA,
SARAJEVO
Visa Not Required 90 days Not Applicable Bosnia-Herzegovina/Malaysia had signed an agreement for
the partial visa abolishment.
26. BOSTWANA Visa Not Required 90 days Not Applicable
27. BRAZIL Visa Not Required 90 days Not Applicable Brazil/Malaysia had signed an agreement for the partial visa
abolishment.
28. BRUNEI DARUSSALAM Visa Not Required 14 days Not Applicable (a) The holder of Malaysian Identification Letter must have a
visa to enter Brunei.
(b) Visa application into Brunei could be applied at the High
Commission in Kuala Lumpur. (c) The charges for visa into
Brunei: i) Single Entry - B$15.00 ii) Multiple Entry (not
exceeding 3 months) - B$20.00 iii) Multiple Entry (not
exceeding 1 year) - B$30.00 (d) Malaysian Emergency
Certificate is not recognized by the Government of Brunei
29. BULGARIA Visa Not Required 90 days - 6 months Not Applicable
30. BURKINA FASO Visa Required 30 days French Embassy in KL Base on reciprocal policy.
31. BURUNDI Visa Required Not Applicable Outside KL
32. CAMBOINA Visa Not Required 30 days At the Entrance For more than 30 days, get the visa at the
airport/entrance
33. CAMERON Visa Required Not Applicable
34. CANADA (Ottawa) Visa Required 6 months Not Applicable a) This requirement depending to the Immigration officers
Incretion at the Entrance. b) On the Emergency Certificate,
the Canadian Immigration only certified the document for any
lost of Malaysian passport in the North America. It cannot be
used to enter Canada from Malaysia and countries other than
North America.
35. CAPE VERDE ISLAND Visa Required Not Applicable Outside KL
36. CAYMAN ISLANDS Visa Not Required - -
37. CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC* Visa Required Not Applicable Outside KL
38. CHAD Visa Required Not Applicable Outside KL
39. CHILE* Visa Not Required 90 days Not Applicable Malaysian Emergency Certificate is not recognized by the
Government of Chile.
40. CHINA Visa Required Not Applicable Embassy in KL The charges for visa into China: i) Normal Visa - RM30.00 ii)
Express Visa - RM80.00
41. COLOMBIA Visa Not Required 90 days -
42. COMORES ISLAND* Visa Required Not Applicable Cairo/Paris/New York The Embassy of Comoros is limited. The Visa could also be
obtained as arrived at Yahaya airport
43. CONGO ISLAND* Visa Required Not Applicable Outside KL
44. COOK ISLAND* Visa Not Required 31 days -
45. COSTA RICA Visa Required Not Applicable In Japan/Taiwan (nearest) Email
address in Japan (e-mail:
ecrj@crisscross.com)
The charge for visa is USD20.00.
46. COTE D’VOIRE* Visa Required Not Applicable French Embassy in KL
47. CROATIA Visa Not Required 90 days Embassy in KL Croatia/Malaysia had signed an agreement for the partial visa
abolishment on 18 April 1996 and commenced on 10
November 1996.
48. CUBA Visa Not Required 30 days - The nearest Embassy of Cuba in Laos.
49. CYPRUS Visa Not Required 90 days Outside KL
51. DENMARK Visa Not Required 90 days -
52. DJIBOUTI REPUBLIC Visa Required Not Applicable French Embassy in KL
53. DOMINICA Visa Not Required 21 days -
54. DOMINICAN REPUBLIC Visa Required Not Applicable Outside KL
55. ECUADOR* Visa Not Required 90 days -
56. EGYPT* Visa Not Required 14 days Embassy in KL The charges for visa is RM10.00
57. EL SAVADOR Visa Required Not Applicable Outside KL
58. EQUATORIAL GUINEA Visa Required Not Applicable Embassy In Madrid 2 month advanced for apply
59. ERITREA - - -
60. ESTONIA Visa Required Not Applicable Outside KL Upon arrival with invitation letter
61. ETHIOPIA Visa Not Required Not Applicable In Tokyo The charges for visa is USD42.00
62. FIJI Visa Not Required 4 months Not Applicable
63. FINLAND Visa Not Required 90 days Not Applicable
64. FRANCE Visa Not Required 90 days Not Applicable France/Malaysia had signed an agreement for the partial visa
abolishment.
65. FRENCH GUINEA Visa Required Not Applicable Outside KL
66. FRENCH POLYNESIA Visa Required Not Applicable Outside KL
67. FRENCH WEST INDIES Visa Required Not Applicable Outside KL
68. GABON Visa Required Not Applicable French Embassy
69. GAMBIA Visa Not Required - Not Applicable
70. GEORGIA Visa Required Not Applicable Outside KL The charges for visa is USD30.00
71. GERMANY Visa Not Required 90 days Not Applicable
72. GHANA* Visa Required - High Commission of Ghana,
Kuala Lumpur
Enforcement of visa - immediate.
73. GIBRALTAR Visa Not Required Not Applicable -
74. GREECE Visa Not Required Embassy of Spain in KL a) Malaysian passport holder could stay for a maximum
of 3 months, if they are not working there. b) For more
than 3 months, visa is needed and the charge is
DM30,000.
75. GRENADA Visa Not Required - Not Applicable
76. GUAM Visa Not Required - Not Applicable
77. GUATEMALA Visa Required Not Applicable In Japan (nearest) Tel : 00-81-
33800-1830
78. GUINEA-BISSAU Visa Required Not Applicable Outside KL
79. GUINEA (REP)* Visa Required Not Applicable In KL US50.00 cash for Business delegation
80. GUYANA* Visa Required Not Applicable Outside KL
81. HAITI* Visa Required Not Applicable Outside KL
82. HONDURAS Visa Required Not Applicable Los Angeles/Japan (nearest)
Tel : 00-81-33409-1150 (Jpn)
83. HONG KONG Visa Not Required
(except Posting)
30 days Not Applicable
84. HUNGARY Visa Not Required 90 days Not Applicable Hungary/Malaysia had signed an agreement for the partial
visa abolishment.
85. ICELAND Visa Not Required 90 days Not Applicable
86. INDIA Visa Required Not Applicable High Commission in KL The charges for visa into India: i) Multiple Entry (3 months) -
USD5.00 ii) Multiple Entry (6 months) - USD20.00 iii) Multiple
Entry (1 year) - USD40.00 iv) Multiple Entry (5 year) -
USD100.00 v) Student Visa (Multiple Entry) - US50.00 No
visa required for Official and Diplomatic passport
87. INDONESIA Visa Not Required 30 days Not Applicable a) Malaysian Identification Letter holder requires a visa to
enter Indonesia c) Other than social/business purposes, visa
is required especially for Officers posted in Embassy/General
Consulate/Consulate-consulate of Malaysia and the
application could be made at the Embassy of Indonesia in
Kuala Lumpur. c) The charges for the visa: i) For
Social/Cultural Visit - RM75.00 Ii) For Limited Stay -
RM120.00 (1 year) iii) For Limited Stay -
RM150.00 (1 year/Multiple Entry)
88. IRAN Visa Not Required 14 days Embassy in Kuala Lumpur If an entry with visa, a 60 days length of stay will be given
and the charge for the visa is RM 60.00.
89. IRAQ Visa Not Required 14 days Embassy in KL The charges for the visa is USD50.00
90. IRELAND Visa Not Required 90 days Embassy in KL
91. ISRAEL Visa Required Not Applicable Outside KL
92. ITALY Visa Not Required
(Social Visit) Visa
Required (Official
visit)
90 days Embassy in KL For other Malaysian travel document holder and recognized
by the Government of Italy, visa is needed: i) Normal Visa -
Lire 48,000 ii) Transit Visa - Lira 16,000
93. JAMAICA Visa Not Required - Outside KL
94. JAPAN Visa Required - Not Applicable a) Staring 1.6.93, the Government of Japan had decided that
all Malaysian passport holders and other travel documents
are encourage having a visa to enter Japan even though
initially they are not required to apply for visa for an entry of
less than 3 months. b) Visa application into Japan is
available at the Embassy of Japan in Kuala Lumpur. c)
The visa application is free of charge. d) Malaysian
Emergency Certificate is not recognized by the Government
of Japan.
95. JORDAN Visa Required Not Applicable General Consular in KL Could also be taken at the entrance/airport. The charges for
the visa is RM17.81
96. KAZAKHSTAN Visa Required Not Applicable Embassy in KL For visitors staying more than 3 days, even though while
having a visa, need to report to the OVIR office, under the
Ministry of Home Affairs of Kazakhstan. Failure to do so is an
offence.
97. KENYA* Visa Not Required 30 days High Commission in KL
98. KIRIBATI Visa Not Required 4 months Outside KL
99. KOREA (North) Visa Not Required 30 days Embassy in KL North Korea/Malaysia had signed an agreement for the
partial visa abolishment in April 2000.
100. KOREA (South) Visa Not Required 90 days Embassy in KL South Korea/Malaysia had signed an agreement for the
partial visa abolishment.
101. KUWAIT Visa Required - - Entry visa to the State of Kuwait will be granted upon arrival
at Kuwait International Airport. Visa fees is KD5 (RM65).
102. KYRGYSTAN Visa Not Required Not Applicable Outside KL Embassy of Kyrgyzstan is in KL
103. LAOS Visa Required 30 days Embassy In KL Ppt. D/Gratis 2
weeks
Official passport holders are allowed to enter without a visa
for period of six (6) months as of 1 July 2004.
104. LATVIA Visa Required Not Applicable Outside KL
105. LABENON Visa Not Required 14 days Outside KL Islamabad, Pakistan
106. LEEWARD ISLANDS Visa Not Required 90 days Outside KL
107. LESOTHO Visa Not Required 30 days Outside KL
108. LIBERIA Visa Required Not Applicable Outside KL London
109. LIBYA Visa Required Not Applicable Embassy KL a) Visa application for social & travel purposes will need a
sponsor. For travel purposes, the sponsorship need be done
by the local travel agency in Libya and the entrance is in a
group’s basis, minimum of four people. The charge for the
visa is 5 Libyan Innar. b) Visa for business purposes will
need a letter from the Libya companies which sponsoring the
entrance for the person. c) Visit by the Government officer
for an official purposes, usually will be referred to the Libyan
Protocol Division. It will also need a sponsor’s invitation from
the relevant agency in Libya. The Supporting Letter or the
sponsorship from the Embassy of Malaysia in Libya not
necessarily accepted for a visa application for official
purposes. d) All issuance of visa will need a reference. A
time period of 3 weeks to 2 months is needed upon the
approval of visa.
110. LIECHTENSTEIN Visa Not Required 90 days Outside KL
111. LITHUANA Visa Required Not Applicable Outside KL
112. LUXEMBOURG Visa Not Required 90 days Outside KL
113. MACAU Visa Not Required 20days Outside KL
114. MACEDONIA Visa Not Required 30 days Not Applicable Macedonia/Malaysia had signed an agreement for the partial
visa abolishment
115. MADAGASCAR Visa Required Not Applicable
Consulate
Outside KL Honorary Consul in KL
116. MALAWI Visa Not Required 90 days High Commission in Tokyo (the
nearest)
Visa could also be obtained from the High Commission in
Pretoria when in transit.
117. MALDIVES Visa Not Required 30 days Not Applicable
118. MALI* Visa Required Not Applicable Outside KL Could be obtained in France
119. MALTA Visa Not Required 90 days Outside KL
120. MAURITANIA* Visa Required Not Applicable Outside KL
121. MAURITIUS Visa Not Required 90 days High Commission in KL
122. MAYOTE Visa Required Not Applicable Outside KL
123. MEXICO Visa Required Not Applicable Embassy In KL Applicants should obtained an Approval Letter from the
Embassy of Mexico in KL before enter Mexico
124. MOLDAVA (Rep.) Visa Required Not Applicable a) Embassy in Beijing b) At the
airport/entrance, if there is no
Embassy established at the
country.
Visa could only be applied upon invitation from the host
country or by purchasing the tourist voucher from the
registered agency.
The charges for the visa: a) Normal visa - USD40.00 b)
Transit visa (single) - USD20.00 c) Transit visa (double) -
USD40.00
125. MONACO Visa Not Required Not Applicable Outside KL
126. MONGOLIA Visa Not Required 30 days The nearest Embassy Single : RM 103.45 Double : RM 133.01 Multiple : RM 266.02
127. MONTSERRAT Visa Not Required Outside KL
128. MOROCCO Visa Required Not Applicable Embassy in KL
129. MOZAMBIQUE Visa Required Not Applicable The nearest Embassy
130. MYANMAR Visa Required Not Applicable Embassy in KL The charges for the visa into Myanmar: (i) Social Visit Visa -
USD18.00 (ii) Business Visit Visa - USD36.00
131. NAMIBIA Visa Not Required 90 days Not Applicable
132. NAURU Visa Not Required Not Applicable Outside KL
133. NEPAL* Visa Required Not Applicable Bangkok The charges for the visa into Nepal: i) Single Entry (15 days)
- RM38.00 ii) Single Entry (30 days) - RM63.00 iii) Double
Entry (30 days) - RM100.00 iv) Multiple Entry (60days) -
RM156.00
134. NETHERLANDS Visa Not Required 90 days Not Applicable a) Netherlands/Malaysia had signed an agreement for the
partial visa abolishment Social/Business (not exceeding 3
months) - will not require visa by having a valid return ticket
and sufficient in financial. b) Staying & Working (more than 3
months) - with visa. Approval from the Ministry of Justice and
issued by the Embassy of Netherlands in Malaysia (except
for the officers of Embassy who are attached to the
Netherlands, need to get the MVV Pass “Machtiging
Verloping Verblijf” from the Embassy in KL which had been
approved by the Ministry of Justice over there)
135. NETHERLANDS ANTILLES Visa Not Required 14 days Outside KL
136. NEW CALEDONIA Visa Required Not Applicable Outside KL
137. NEW ZEALAND Visa Not Required 90 days Not Applicable (a) Malaysian Surat Akuan Pengenalan holder requires to
have visa for an entry into New Zealand. (b) Visa application
into New Zealand could be obtained at the High Commission
of New Zealand in Kuala Lumpur.
138. NICARAGUA Visa Required Not Applicable In Japan (the nearest) Tel : 00-
81-33499-0400 Fax : 3499-
3800
139. NIGER* Visa Required Not Applicable Outside KL Visa 30 days - CFA 30,000.00 + CeIns 15,000.00 Visa more
than 30 days - CFA 50,000.00 + CeIns 15,000.00
140. NIGERIA* Visa Required Not Applicable High Commission in KL
141. NIUE* Visa Not Required 30 days Outside KL
142. NORFOLK ISLAND* Visa Not Required 30 days Outside KL
143. N. MARIANA ISLANDS* Visa Not Required 30 days Outside KL
144. NORWAY Visa Not Required 90 days Outside KL
145. OMAN Visa Required Not Applicable Embassy in KL The charges for the visa: i) Social/business - RO 10 ii)
Bisnes (multiple) - RO 15 iii) Transit visa - RO 7 iv)
Investors - RO 11
146. PAKISTAN Visa Required Social - 30 days
Business - 3 years
High Commission in KL a) Starting 16/10/2000, visa is not required for touring
purposes and ‘landing permit’ will be given - 30 days at any
entrance of Pakistan. b) For business visa - need multiple
entry visas (3 years) for investors from 44 countries that have
investments in Pakistan.
147. PALESTINE Visa Not Required 3 months Embassy in KL By road
148. PANAMA Visa Required Not Applicable In Singapore (the nearest) The charges for the visa is USD45
149. PAPUA NEW GUINEA (Port
Moresby)
Visa Required Not Applicable
150. PARAGUAY Visa Required Not Applicable In South Korea
151. FRANCE Visa Not Required 90 days Not Applicable France/Malaysia had signed an agreement for the partial visa
abolishment.
152. PERU Visa Not Required 90 days Not Applicable Visit for business purposes and to further on study will need a
visa to enter into Peru with the charges for the visa is: i)
Business - 17 consular sol ii) Study - 25 consular sol
153. PHILIPPINES Visa Not Required 21 days Embassy in KL The Government of Philippines do not recognized Group
Travel Certificate/Passport issued by Malaysia. Malaysian
who wants to visit Philippines is advised to use the
International passport only.
154. POLAND Visa Not Required 90 days Embassy in KL Malaysia/Poland had signed an agreement for the partial visa
abolishment.
155. PORTUGAL Visa Not Required 90 days Embassy of Spain in KL
156. PUERTO RICO Visa Required Not Applicable Outside KL
157. QATAR Visa Not Required 14 days a) Sponsor in Qatar b) At the
Entrance
a) The charge for the visa is QR 200.00, for a period of 2
weeks only. b) If arrives and returns by Qatar Airways
only: - Staying period of 2 weeks - The charges is QR
105.00
158. CZECH REP. Visa Not Required 90 days Not Applicable (a) Czech Rep./Malaysia had signed an agreement for the
partial visa abolishment. (b) While staying in Czech Rep.,
visitor will be required to present the following: i) US20.00 -
for a length of stay less than 10 days. ii) USD280.00 - for a
length of stay more than 10 days.
159. REUNION Visa Required Not Applicable Outside KL
160. ROMANIA Visa Not Required 30 days Embassy in KL a) Romania/Malaysia had signed an agreement for the partial
visa abolishment in 1999. b) The charges for the visa into
Romania: i) Single Entry - USD25.00 ii) Multiple Entry -
USD60.00 iii) Individual Tourist - USD25.00 iv) Transit
(Single) - USD15.00 v) Transit (Double) - USD25.00
161. RUSSIA Visa Required Not Applicable Embassy in KL
162. RWANDA Visa Not Required Not Applicable Outside KL
163. SAMOA (American) Visa Not Required 30 days Outside KL
164. SAMOA (Western)* Visa Not Required 30 days Outside KL
165. SAN MARINO Visa Not Required Outside KL
166. SAO TOME & PRINCIPE* Visa Not Required Not Applicable Outside KL
167. SAUDI ARABIA Visa Required Not Applicable Embassy in KL
168. SENEGAL* Visa Not Required Not Applicable French Embassy in KL
169. SEYCHELLES Visa Not Required 90 days High Commission in KL
170. SIERRA LEONE* Visa Not Required Not Applicable Outside KL
171. SINGAPORE Visa Not Required 14 days Commission in KL
172. SLOVAKIA Visa Not Required 90 days Not Applicable Slovakia/Malaysia had signed an agreement for the partial
visa abolishment.
173. SLOVENIA Visa Not Required 14 days Embassy in Singapore Slovenia/Malaysia proposal of agreement for the partial visa
abolishment is still under negotiation.
174. SOLOMON ISLANDS Visa Not Required 90 days Outside KL
175. SOMALIA* Visa Not Required 30 days Outside KL
176. SOUTH AFRICA Visa Not Required 30 days Commission in KL
177. SPAIN Visa Not Required 90 days Embassy in KL a) Spain/Malaysia had signed an agreement for the partial
visa abolishment in 1995. b) Other than the following visits,
visa is required: - business negotiation/ recreational/ press
conference/ sports/ official duty/ visiting relatives/ investment/
attending conference/ medical treatment
178. SRI LANKA Visa Not Required 30 days Commission in KL
179. ST. KITTS - NEVIS Visa Not Required 30 days Outside KL
180. ST. LUCIA Visa Not Required 30 days Outside KL
181. ST. VINCENT + GRENAINNES Visa Not Required 30 days Outside KL
182. SUDAN* Visa Not Required Not Applicable Embassy in KL On Arrival Applicants should obtain an Approval Letter
from the Embassy of Sudan in KL before enter Sudan
183. SURINAM Visa Not Required 90 days Not Applicable Surinam/Malaysia had signed an agreement for the partial
visa abolishment.
184. SWAZILAND Visa Not Required 3 months Outside KL
185. SWEDEN Visa Not Required 90 days Embassy in KL
186. SWITZERLAND Visa Not Required 90 days Embassy in KL
187. SYRIA Visa Not Required 14 days Jakarta Upon arrival - Damascus
188. TAJIKISTAN Visa Required Not Applicable Embassy of Russia in KL a) Sponsors need to send the invitation to the Consular
division for Foreign Ministry of Tajikistan in Dushanbe, for
approval. Approval will be sent to the Embassy of Russia in
KL for issuance of visa. The charges for visa is USD 40.00 for
a week (the application process will take a week) and USD
80.00 for an automatic visa (application will take 2 days).
189. TAIWAN Visa Not Required 14 days stay Economic & Cultural Centre of
Taipei in KL
The charges for visa into Taipei: i) Single Entry -
RM100.00 ii) Multiple Entry - RM200.00
190. TANZANIA* Visa Not Required - The nearest High Commission
in KL
191. THAILAND Visa Not Required 15 days Embassy in KL and Consulate
of Thailand in Pulau Pinang or
Kota Bharu, Kelantan
Other than social/business visit, visa is required.
192. TOGO* Visa Not Required Not Applicable Outside KL Visa 30 days - US$ 40.00 Visa 60 days - US$ 70.00 Visa 12
months - US$ 150.00
193. TONGA Visa Not Required Outside KL
194. TRINIDAD & TOBAGO Visa Not Required Outside KL
195. TUNISIA Visa Not Required 30 days Outside KL Jakarta
196. TURKEY Visa Not Required 90 days Embassy in KL
197. TURKMENISTAN Visa Required Not Applicable At the entrance Turkmenistan/Malaysia had signed an agreement for the
partial visa abolishment on 30 May 1994 (including diplomatic
passport).
198. TURKS & COCOS ISLAND Visa Not Required 90 days Outside KL
199. TUVALU Visa Not Required 30 days Outside KL
200. UGANDA* Visa Not Required 90 days High Commission in New Delhi
201. UAE (Dubai & Abu Dhabi) Visa Not Required 30 days Embassy in KL
202. UKRAINE Visa Required Not Applicable a) Embassy of Ukraine in
Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) b)
22nd Flr, Menara Tan & Tan,
207 Jln Tun Razak, 50400
Kuala Lumpur (Tel : 03-2166
4372)
a) Malaysian citizens residing in Malaysia must apply for visa
at the Embassy of Ukraine in Malaysia. The procedure to get
the visa will depend on purpose to entry Ukraine: To visit
Ukraine, Malaysian citizens need an invitation letter. i) The
invitation letter from the host Ukrainian organization,
enterprise, company, person. ii) The invitation voucher (letter)
from the registered travel agencies in Ukraine must be
bought together with the hotel cost, travel services. The price
for the voucher is subjected to number of nights booked.
Without the paid reservations, the invitation voucher cannot
be sold. Normal process of visa clearance procedures
is up to 10 working days. In the case of urgent consideration -
5 working days - the consular fees should double. b) The
charges for visa if applied at the Embassy of Ukraine in
Malaysia are subjected to the Embassy. 1) Business
visa - 50 USD (RM191.90) 2) Service visa - 40 USD
(RM153.52) 3) Private visa - 40 USD (RM153.52) 4) Tourist
visa - 30 USD (RM115.14) 5) Transit visa - 30 USD
(RM115.14) 6) Employment visa - 50 USD
(RM191.90) 7) Student visa - 20 USD (RM76.76)
8) Religious visa - 50 USD (RM191.90) 9) Cultural
visa - 40 USD (RM153.52) 10) Science visa
- 40 USD (RM153.52) 11) Media visa - 40 USD
(RM153.52) 12) Visa for humanitarian mission - Free of
charge
203. UNITED KINGDOM Visa Not Required 6 months Not Applicable
204. URUGUAY Visa Not Required 30 days Not Applicable If entering with visa, a 90 days length of stay will be allowed
and the charges for the visa are USD42.00. The visa could
be obtained from the Embassy in KL.
205. USA Visa Required Not Applicable Embassy in KL
206. UZBEKISTAN Visa Required Not Applicable Embassy in KL or the nearest (a) Visitors who wish to come to Uzbekistan need to receive
an invitation from the sponsor, including the reason of
visiting, location to be visited and the visitor's job designation.
The charge for the visa is USD50.00 for a period of one
week. (b) Visitors arriving at the CIS countries and Russia
will be allowed to transit at the airport for 72 hours. For those
who wish to leave the airport, need to obtain a transit visa
before coming to Tashkent. The charge for the visa is around
USD 30.00. (c) Visitors need to present their proof of
accommodation, while staying in Uzbekistan, such as the
hotel receipt, as when required to do so. Failure to this will
cause the person a penalty of USD40.00. (d) NO OTHER
FORM OF CHARGES SHOULD BE MADE ONCE THE
VISITORS ARRIVED AT TASHKENT AIRPORT. (e) Visitors
need to declare the amount of money that they would bring in
and out later (must not exceed USD 10,000.00). Visitors also
need to declare their jewelleries, especially if they are
wearing the items. (f) Bringing out the antique item is
prohibited. Purchase of painting and sketches (non-antiques)
could be made upon the permission letter from the seller and
Ministry of Culture. (g) All payments for services
paid/received, such as the flight and train ticket, hotel and
translator, is in US dollar.
207. VANUATU Visa Not Required 30 days Not Applicable
208. VENEZUELA Visa Not Required Not Applicable Embassy in KL Visa Not Required while in transit at the airport.
209. VIETNAM Visa Not Required 30 days Embassy in KL a) Diplomatic/Official Passport - visa for visit in not required,
but need to obtain of visa “gratis” that is valid for a period of 2
weeks. b) Going ASEAN matters - need to present the
invitation letter together with the visa application form. c)
Social visit - single entry visa is required. The charge is RM
75.00. However, the Republic of Vietnam often charges
between RM 150 - RM 320 for a visa.
210. VIRGIN ISLANDS Visa Required Not Applicable Outside KL
211. WESTERN SAMOA Visa Not Required 30 days Not Applicable The charges staying for more than30 days is A$50.00
212. YEMEN ARAB REP. Visa Required In KL
213. YEMEN (P. DEM. REP.) Visa Required Not Applicable Outside KL
214. YUGOSLAVIA (SERBIA &
MONTENIGA)
Visa Required Not Applicable Embassy in KL
215. ZAIRE (Rep. Of) Visa Required Not Applicable Outside KL
216. ZAMBIA* Visa Not Required 90 days High Commission in New Delhi Will Visa Required if travel by land.
217. ZIMBABWE Visa Not Required 90 days High Commission in KL
* COUNTRIES CLASSIFIED UNDER YELLOW FEVER INFECTED/ENDEMIC

Final Day: Back to Malaysia from Incheon International Airport

2009-08-31T23:19:00.004+08:00

Final Day: Amiga Motel - Incheon International Airport - Kota Kinabalu International Airport - Kuching International Airport - Home Sweet Home ^ ^

Our final stop in Seoul was the Incheon International Airport. It's time to say goodbye to South Korea and back to reality in homeland again.

The free transport appointed by Innostel almost got us late for flight as the driver was lost in the attempt to fetch another 2 Japanese tourists to the airport. Gladly, we reached at the airport just in time and got ourselves checked in safely.

We rushed to the designated terminal with this internal train and in less than one hour time, we were already boarded on the plane (Malaysia Airlines).

It would take 5 hours to reach Kota Kinabalu, and we transited on the next flight back to Kuching. Finally, we were home at around 9:30pm. Tired but very grateful for a safe journey.

Day 11: Seoul - Back to Capital City

2009-08-31T23:13:00.011+08:00

Day 11: The Shilla Hotel- Jeju international airport- Gimpo Airport - Amiga Motel - Namdaemun Market - Myeongdong - Kwanjang Market - Amiga Motel

We have ended our Jeju island experience and checked ourselves in to Amiga Motel. For those who is looking for information on Amiga Motel, here are some pictures about it.

The main door of Amiga Motel
The room. We got ourselves the smallest double room for a short stay only. This room is tiny but complete with all the basic facilities. The young lady ( I think is the owner's daughter) is very fluent in English. You could talk to her in case you need anything else. Other staffs, although they cannot converse in English, they are kind and helpful at all time.

I would still prefer Kara Motel to Amiga Motel, for better and larger room, more complimentary items, cheaper price and more strategic location. Highly recommended the big room with computer and internet access at Kara Motel that cost only KRW35 000 per night.

We visited Namdaemun market. If you are planning to buy souvenirs for friends and family, here is the best place to visit with more variety items available and mostly at wholesale price (you need to buy in bulk too).

On this very last day, finally we got ourselves the ever famous "Samgyetang" (ginseng chicken soup - KRW12 000) at a shop in Namdaemun market. This dish is served with the rice stuffed in the chicken's tummy. Taste quite plain but for those who would love it to be more salty, a plate of salt is together with the dish.

We were running out of time, we went for a short walk at Myeongdong. A very busy street with all Korean branded cosmetics and clothes everywhere. There are also many street stalls selling all kind of accesories from hair to toe. Basically, this place is full of women's stuff.There were plenty of food stalls in Kwanjang market and we got our supper there, tasting their local vermicelli and "yong tau foo" soup.

A pharmacy across the road from Kwanjang market at the nearest subway station entrance (Jongno-ga 5, Exit 13) from Amiga Motel.

Day 10: Jeju - Relaxing day on the beach

2009-08-31T23:09:00.004+08:00

Day 10: The Shilla Hotel

This day was purely resting and relaxing day. Most of the time we were napping until the day was not that hot, we walked along the beach. I rented an air-filled tube and enjoyed playing with the waves. The beach were crowded with many people that enjoyed the sea breeze and water splash activities. There were people riding on a banana boat and surfing as well.

Before leaving Jeju island, we have this famous local barbeque pork (black pig) together with vegetable again. This should be the tastiest food of all the food tasted in South Korea. :D
KRW24 000 for 2 person share.

The pork is cooked with red hot charcoal underneath.
Purple and white flowers at The Shilla Hotel compound. (similar to lavender, I wonder if they are??)
The Shilla's clock tower...
Horse carroage service at night. Treat yourself as a queen and a king with this horse carriage service.
The flowers seen in the daylight.

Day 9: Jeju - Drived in one big circle of the island

2009-08-31T22:56:00.009+08:00

Day 9: The Shilla Hotel - Hallim town- Jejusi- Yongduam Rock (Dragon head rock) - The Mysterious Road - Manjanggul Lava tube Cave - The Shilla Hotel

Lunch of the day was grilled fish....

and seafood soup..
side dish with taugeh...
At the beginning, the plan was to go to Hallim park but I was lost and missed the destination and ended up we went to a further place at jejusi. We almost missed the Yongduam rock with some confusing road sign.

Here's the Yongduam rock, a rock which is unique because it resembles a dragon head.

The next destination was the Mysterious road, where the road which seems to be going uphill with our naked eyes is actually going downhill. A lot of cars were testing the magical effect of the road at free gear sliding along the road.There were many stones statue next to the road.

Finally, we reached the must see site in my list, Manjanggul Lava Tube. It was very far from jejusi, which has taken me around 2 hours to reach. Most of our valuable time was consumed in driving to the destination. What a long drive!

Manjanggul Lava Tube, another UNESCO world natural heritage, is worth visiting. It is very cold in the cave, I guess, it's around 18 degree celcius so be reminded to bring a jacket there.

The entrance of lava tube.

A fake volvano upon entering the entrance of the lava tube.
I was taking video.. :D

At the very end of the cave, you would be able to admire the longest lava pillar in the world, formed from solidified lava. Lava rocks at the surrounding area.
Resembled the lava pillar in the cave.

Other existing lava tube system in Jejudo.
This was my very last day for the car rental service. I would have to bid goodbye to this dashing car later at night.
For a tiring day, we awarded ourselves with a local buffet at Han's Place, closed by to the ICC at Jungmun Resort. A sumptuous dinner that cost KRW24 500 per person.

Day 8: Jeju - We've gotten a car!!

2009-08-31T22:38:00.007+08:00

Day 8: The Shilla Hotel - Oedolgae - Cheonjiyeon Waterfall - Jeju Folk Village - Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak (Sunrise peak)[UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site]- The Shilla Hotel

I rented a car. I was hoping to get a small and compact car but in view of peak season, none of the small car was available. I was suggested to take the Hyundai Sonata, a middle class car. No choice and therefore I paid and began to drive in this white charming sonata.

Challenges of driving in Jeju.. big size car, squeezy parking, left handed driver seat, auto gear and in a foreign island.

Ease of driving in Jeju... wide highway (3 lanes), less cars, English signboard, clear direction to the tourism spots and GPS system in the car (in Korean only).

Initially, the plan was to go westward of the island and we ended up driving to the east of the island. Therefore, we continued to visit all the tourism spots we would pass by in the east.

First spot we reached was Oedolgae (lonely rock), a special rock standing all alone separated from the shore. On the way to see Oedolgae, who saw the local stacking up the small rocks just like in the picture below. No clue what does this mean.... if anybody know, please drop by a comment. :)
Oedolgae at the back.

The famous series, 'dae jang gum' has a few scene shots here.

If you looked carefully, you would notice a man was lying down at the left, with his nose pointing up. The big rock standing represents a woman. I overheard about this explaination from the other tourist there, when you admiring the rock from the viewpoint of Art.
The next nearest destination from Oedolgae is Cheonjiyeon waterfall. The road from Oedolgae to Cheonjiyeon was very steep and crooked. My car was hit by branches growing by the roadside while driving downhill. It was scary to drive at that road!

Safely, we reached at Cheonjiyeon waterfall.
The waterfall steps behind me.
This waterfall was used to generate hidroelectric.
Lunch of the day... "za jang fan" ... mixed sauce rice. It was a delicious meal despite its look in the picture.
Side dish of dried beancurd.
My darling's lunch, clear soup noodles.
Another side dish.. green chillies.
I drove further, about 40 minutes later we reached Jeju folk village. This is the shooting spot of the famous drama, "dae jang gum".

Women in the older day carried the big bottle at their back to retrieve water from the water source. The statue showed how exactly the woman pour the water into container.The Korean are very proud with their pottery making skill.
The roof of the houses are very different from the folk village's house seen in Seoul. It was tied in grid due to strong wind and heavy rain in Jejudo.
The traditional standing swing.
In Jeju island, almost all the household family own a pair of this rock statue, usually place at the entrance, to keep the family from the bad spirit and any harm.

Another 40 minutes drive, we reached at Seongsan Ilchubong Peak (Sunrise Peak). This place is indeed beautiful during the Sunrise as seen in the professional picture shown in a previous entry. Sunrise peak is one of the UNESCO world natural heritage in Jeju island. It is a must visit place in my list. :)You will need to climb the stairs for around half an hour to reach the peak. The appearance of this peak changes every season of a year, showing different senses of beauty.

Seongsan town beneath Seongsan Ilchubong, surrounded by the sea.
At a distance away is the Udo island, which was produced by explosive interaction of magma and groundwater.

It was quite late. We hurriedly returned back to The Shilla Hotel to prepare for the conference banquet at night. A western style of dinner in the banquet.

Day 7: Jeju - Aimless Jungmun Resort Self Exploration

2009-08-31T22:12:00.006+08:00

Day 7: The Shilla Hotel - The Hyatt Hotel - Cheonjeyeon - Jungmun Town - Chinese Temple - The Shilla Hotel

I decided to walked around Jungmun Resorts area, instead of accompanying my darling to ICC again. Not far from The Shilla Hotel, while walking towards the Hyatt Hotel, I saw this ancient building. This building seems to be a restaurant selling korean food cuisine. I think so...

The compound of the building is very spacious for car parking I suppose.Here I have reached Hyatt. Around 10 minutes walking distance from The Shilla Hotel.
Hyatt Hotel is situated on uphill facing the sea.

A beach only accessible from Hyatt Hotel. There is another beach "Jungmun beach", which is wider, is easily accessible to the public and residents from The Shilla Hotel.
Many of them enjoyed the water sports around, including motorboat and hanging in the air with parachute.

I met with a Korean girl who was travelling alone. She brought me to the nearby tourist center when I asked her about what was her plan for the day. Since she pointed out that she would be going to ICC, which I already been, I decided to continue to go on my own way again. Thus, I reached Cheonjeyeon Waterfall, 5 minutes walking distance from the tourist center.

The water is so blue... due to it consists of cobalt. It is written on the introductory board that this waterfall is believed to be a bathing place for the deities and fairies. This waterfall is big and it has 3 waterfalls. When there is heavy rain, the first waterfall will be formed with the water falling down along the wall.

This is the second waterfall formed about minutes away walking distance from the first one.

I am standing on a curve bridge with many of the fairy figures carved by the side of the bridge.

After crossing the bridge, I encountered the 5 blessings pond with different animals represents different blessing, including wealth, health, career ....
An observatory for the visitors to enjoy the view of Jungmun Resort and beach.

Lastly, I reached the third waterfall, that is another 15 minutes walking distance away from the second waterfall. The paths are all well-built and very convenient for everybody to visit this place, regardless of any age.

There is also a stage for performance on special occassion. The background is decorated with all the 7 fairies. Erm.. one is replaced by me. :P
I moved on with exploration of the tourist sites nearby but I have been walked for 1-2 hours, passing by the Jungmun town and then continue walking, until I saw a board pointing to go to a temple. Before reaching the temple, I walked through an village nearby, with very less of human and vehicle trace. I was quite worried on the safety and almost gave up when I saw an under renovation temple deep inside the village. My perseverance kept me going until I have reached this paradise.

This is a huge Buddhist temple. There is a big and tall buddha in the temple.

Upon my arrival at this place, there were already some local visitors praying for the family. I would have missed such a great architecture and paradise if I chosen to give up half way my journey just now. Perhaps, the Buddha has led me here. The serenity of the surrounding and the beauty of the view of sea right in front of the temple have made this place to be so SPECIAL!

Due to extreme tireness from too much walking (from 10am - 4pm), I decided to return to the hotel. No more walking!!! I was lucky that this temple was one of the airport bus stop (Bus Route 600). I spent KRW1000 as the bus fare to return at the doorstep of my hotel.

As for dinner, we treated ourself each a bowl of abalone porridge each, that cost KRW15 000 per bowl. My comment... expensive and does not taste as good as I thought (quite tasteless with a few pieces of abalone).

Day 6: Jeju - IEEE-FUZZ 2009 tutorials in ICC, Jejudo

2009-08-20T13:21:00.005+08:00

Day 6: Shilla Hotel - ICC - Shilla Hotel

Today is a pre-conference day. A series of tutorial sessions is held and offered free of charge to all conference participants. Well... I quietly sneaked into the group as well for a short tutorial session. :D

Surrounded myself with yellow canola flowers (fake), as I missed the season which was in April. No more canola can be seen on the island now (August). :(
There was this ASEAN-Republic of Korea Summit held before in ICC this year.

Photographs exhibited at ICC from the Professional Photographers that has capture the beauty of Jeju island.

Stalactite and stalagmite of a Lava Cave
The land blooming with flowers... Mount Hallasan viewed from the Manse-dongsan hill.
All about lava tube...
Sunrise peak...
Here's our lunch at Delizzia in ICC. The price is quite expensive as compared to the eatery shops outside.Gorgeous blue flowers... :D... what is the flower's name?? If anybody know...
More canolas.... I still see plenty of canolas ( as in the ads board) even though it is already August.
New friend in ICC. A kind lady who promoting about Korean culture voluntarily in ICC. You could probably see her around if you are going to ICC Jejudo for conference.
I'm the famous photographer here.. haha.. the hairy weeds in the summer breeze.
At the back is the International Convention Center of Jeju island (ICC).What was the dinner?? I have very vague memory, maybe it was the cup noodles, the cheapest food around ( usually KRW 1000 per cup) and we have all different flavors of cup noodles as our breakfast for the days we stayed on Jeju island.

Day 5: Jeju - Flying to Jejudo

2009-08-20T13:16:00.006+08:00

Day 5: Kara Motel - Gimpo Airport - Jeju International Airport - Shilla Hotel - Area at walking distance from the hotel ( Lotte Hotel, Korean House Restaurant, Teddy Bear Museum, Shopping Mall, Sound Island Museum) - Shilla Motel

I was in the airport, enjoying my lunch at Lotteria ( a local fast food chain). Eating fast food is considerable cheaper than eating rice in the airport.
The traditional drum with harmonious colors.
An alien spotted at the airport.
The airplane that took me to Jejudo..... ASIANA the best airlines in year 2009. :D Due to short distance journey, only drinks were served on plane.
We were at Jeju island and the following are the pictures of our room in The Shilla Hotel, claimed to be the best hotel in Jeju island.

Only one bottle of mineral water is complimentary. Others need to pay.
The left hand side are free to use while the right hand side all with a price attached.
A saving box with password that can be easily reset by the guest.
Spacious toilet with one standing shower and huge bath tub, plus complimentary toiletries.
Dinner time: Side dishes as followed.....

Sour pickle.
Spicy kimchi.
Salty squid.
Sweet brinjal.
Milky Corns.

Here's the main course: Charbroiled pork ... ( BBQ )

Famous black pig meat on the island.
When the meat are cooked, you cut the meat to small pieces and wrapped it with the vegetable below.Also include some onion in the wrapping as well as the special sauce.Put the whole vegetable into your mouth and enjoy the juicy pork and strong taste of sauce. Highly recommended. This is super delicious.

The chef was cooking.....
While the glutton was enjoying the food... yummy!

Nearby tourist spot (walking distance) at Jungmun resort area.... the teddy bear museum. The paper wind mills at the entrance of Sound Island Museum.

Today Total Spending:

Lunch --------------------------KRW 5 700
Taxi(Jeju airport - Shilla)-------KRW30 000
Dinner -------------------------KRW24 000
Cup Noodles (2x) --------------KRW 2 400

Day 4: Seoul - So much walking...

2009-08-18T22:35:00.020+08:00

Day 4: Kara Motel - Jongmyo Shrine - Changdeokgung Palace - Gyeongbokgung Palace - Gwanghwamun - 63 Building- Hangang Park - Yeouido Park - Kara Motel

Well, today, we went to visit as many tourist spots as we could. Finally, my darling has recovered from his fever. The injection taken the day before was really a miracle injection.

The first station was Jongmyo Shrine due to its closest to Kara Motel, just a walking distance that take about 15 minutes. According to my plan, we supposed to visit this place on Sunday but due to unforeseen circumstances, the plan has to be postponed. One bad thing was Jongmyo Shrine closed on every Tuesday. Therefore, I could only take a picture of its main door instead of visiting the internal premise.

Pictures at Jongmyo Shrine:
There are many retirees enjoying their pastime at the park.

Then , we went to Changdeokgung, which was also walking distance from the shrine. Only on Thursday, visitor is allowed to walk around by oneself (more expensive than guided tour). Other than that, we have to choose on guided tour into the palace.

On our way to Changdeokgung ....
Korean traditional apparels:

Hanbok, female traditional apparel.
They have this at the main door to keep them from any bad thing:

At Changdeokgung main gate:

The plan of the palace:
Cute drawing on the toilet doors:

The entrance ticket:
The main hall, where the king would sit when meeting his officers:

Officers standing position according to rank:
The lowest rank:
A big hall where the officers assembled when met with the King:

The King's throne:
A passage connected from the King's room to the Queen's room:
Guardians of the Hall:
Heating system to heat the floor during the cold days:
In the Secret Garden at the backyard of the palace:
The old trees need something to hold on:
Library at my back:
The oldest tree in the palace, aged 750 years:
A monkey face alike at the branch:

Gyeongbokgung is closed on Tuesday. So we could only take some pictures from the outdoor:

At the main door of Gyeongbokgung:
Pagoda in the palace:

Colourful Gwanghwamun:
Well-decorated with vibrant colors of flowers:

A leafy giant?Poisonous delicacy, pufferfish/ globefish
The honorable man at Gwanghwamun:

Another main attraction of the day was Building 63. We spent the rest of our day in here.

See who's at my back.. a photo with "JACK".Here's the brainy, Mr Einstein.
Meet my new friend.. the giant octopus.
The dolphin.

The king Penguins.
Cutie penguin. Beware it will 'tok' you.
Cutie penguin kissing the fair lady.

This reminded me of Happy feet.. cute.

Sea turtle swimming leisurely.
A dinosaur fish, given by South Africa to Korea as a gift.
Piranha.. they are carnivorous!

The seal.
Spider crabs... look at their long legs.

Breathing in the water. Fish swimming across my face.Ugly sea creature... Giant octopus in real! The mouth is constantly breathing.Sea horses.
Lazy lizard is sleeping with tongue out.
Electric eel, if you go near it, you will get electrified!
Dinner of the day: Bibimbap, basically a mixture of all vegetables and egg in a big bowl.
Skyline of Seoul, view from the 60th floor of Building 63.

On the 60th floor, there's also a gallery which prohibited from shooting pictures but we managed to have some pictures taken at the corner of the gallery.
When strolling at Hangang park, on our way back to subway station. Beautiful bridge across Hangang bridge in Seoul. Many of the local enjoy cycling, dating, picnic and admiring the beauty of Seoul River (Hangang).
The air was fresh and pleasant to walk but we have walked extra miles due to we have missed the subway entrance a distance away. Therefore, we took a U-turn back to the path we both sore legs. Somebody was complaining all the while for so much walking :P ......

Today total spending:

Changdeokgung entrance ticket ------------KRW 6 000
Drinks -------------------------------------KRW 2 000
Lunch -------------------------------------KRW 6 000
63 SkyDeck + 63 Seaworld + 4D movie ----KRW46 000
Dinner ------------------------------------KRW 12 300
Drinks ------------------------------------KRW 5 300

Day 3: South Korea Trip: Seoul - Impromptu Visit to Seoul National University Hospital

2009-08-18T04:23:00.009+08:00

Day 3: Kara Motel - SNUH - Dongdaemun - Insadong - Kara Motel

On the second day in Seoul, my darling was still having very high body temperature and the rashes on the body were more serious, spreading to all the skin surface. In view of this critical situation, his health was in danger. Therefore, the itinerary planned earlier would have to postpone. Instead, the most main destination was changed to Seoul National University Hospital.
Getting to the Hospital was not as easy as I thought. I got into the first taxi and told the taxi driver to go to the hospital. I tried to pronounce the sentence I obtained from the internet, Seoul-dae byongwon-euro kapshida" ("Let's go to Seoul University Hospital"). The taxi driver was unable to understand what I was trying to convey due to my bad pronunciation I supposed. Well, it was not that helpful to copy the romanized Korean words, instead the best way would be showing him "서울대학교병원" (Seoul National University Hospital) or requesting a call to translator service, which the phone number could be found on the sticker sticked at the passengers' seat window. I didn't notice the translator service until I successfully made the third taxi driver understood what I was saying. The taxi was on meter so the trip charge was reasonable ( from jongno-3 ga to SNUH: KRW1700).

Directly we asked the information counter for help and the staff was very kind to lead us the way to International Healthcare Clinic with higher English proficiency staffs. The first doctor we met was a dermatologist, suspected the patient have drug allergy and caused eruption. An injection and a list of medicine was given.

We returned to the International Healthcare Clinic and was asked whether the patient would like to take A(H1N1) test due to high body temperature and the test was expensive at KRW 500 000 ( around RM 1500). We were startled.

After that, we were given another option, free of charge test which was provided by another 3rd party healthcare center. For this service, it would take 4 days to know whether the patient in infected by A(H1N1) but the patient would need self-quarantined. I suppose mask and some medicine will be provided. Arghhh... can't imagine to have 4 days stucked in a motel room in South Korea.

At the end, we chose the paid service provided by SNUH, which within 1 hour time, you would know whether you got infected by A(H1N1). The test was simple. The doctor took some samples from the throat for the test.

Waiting... waiting... waiting......

Suddenly we were asked to go to Emergency Department. Nobody telling the result yet. We were so anxious. Then finally, one of the doctor in Emergency told us that the result showed negative. She explained that the first test result have the accuracy of 70% and there will be second test result in another 4 days to be 100% confirm the patient is free from A(H1N1). Treatment will need to be given within 48 hours after being diagnosed if you are A(H1N1) patient.

Thank God!! What a great relief. :D Finally, he could get proper treatment for his fever. The doctor prescribed the medicine to relieve the patient current symptoms ( to reduce fever, the sputum, cough and kill the oral germs). When it's time to pay for medical fees, we was charged at KRW260 140, surprisingly the test for A(H1N1) was not KRW500 000 but the medical fees still cost us a bomb! Medical fees is much cheaper back in Malaysia and we should be very grateful.

We reached the hospital:
The suspected A(H1N1) patient:
Our country is already in the list of contaminated region since May 26th, 2009:
Seoul University Hospital Museum:

From 11 am to 5 pm, we were stucked in the hospital. At last, it's over. We went for a walk at Dongdaemun (one station away from the hospital). Most of the shops sell women's clothings and shoes. The place was very crowded. We did some window shopping and took some pictures then back to motel.

A visit to Dongdaemun:
Chongyecheon Stream is a popular relaxing spot here:
Dinner time:

A started with a bowl of soup:
yummy Kimbap:
Octopus feast:

There are many skyscrapers at the area which mostly selling clothes:
Dongdaemun Gate at night:

On the way back to motel, we saw a street with many stalls, and at the end led us to Insadong, the famous antique street. It's kind of late so most of the stalls were preparing to close. We called it a day and return to motel for a good rest.

At the Insadong street:

Today Total Spending:
Taxi ----------------------------------------KRW 1 700
Dermatology Medical Fees ------------------KRW 39 750
A(H1N1) test & Emergency Medical Fees ---KRW260 140
Dinner -------------------------------------KRW 14 000
Cuttlefish ----------------------------------KRW 5 000
Drinks -------------------------------------KRW 3 500
Drinks -------------------------------------KRW 4 850
Missha ------------------------------------KRW 30 000

Day 2: South Korea Trip- Seoul - I am in Seoul... but...

2009-08-16T20:54:00.010+08:00

Day 2: Incheon Airport - Kara Motel - Chongyecheon Stream - Korean Hanuk Village - Kara Motel

We took a flight from Kota Kinabalu to Incheon, Seoul at 12.50am, 16th August 2009. The flight departed as timed. Our flight landed at Incheon at 5.50 am ( Malaysia time ) or 6.50 am ( Korea time). We were sitting at the very front seat of the plane but we were last to get down from it.

Here's why ....

My darling is having rashes all over his body with very high body temperature ( yes, still having the symptoms at the time of writing this). Worried to be quarantine due to AH1N1, quickly my darling seeked medical assistance from the flight stewardess. The flight staffs were very kind to help us pull through the process. They have invited the medical staff on board for an inspection to confirm that the sickness has nothing to do with AH1N1. Thank goodness, after checking, the medical staff let us off because the patient does not have most of the symptoms. Reason for the rashes still unclear and I think it could be allergic to medicine as it happens after he took the medicine the day before. Then he told me a friend of his got something similar, could he be infected?? But it was one or two weeks ago. Another speculation is dengue fever?? Could it be?? Seems like no dehydration happening yet. Hopefully tomorrow the rashes would just vanish!

Thanks to innostel, we were served with free airport limousine service. The innostel staffs were very kind and helpful. We reached our hotel with no hassle. From incheon to the city center took us 45 minutes (similar to KLIA to KL city center).

So, we reached Kara Motel and will stay in the same motel for 3 nights. Very strategic location. Besides this motel, there are plenty other motel around the area, some are very fancy from the outlook. We upgraded our room with a computer, bath tub and more spacious. 35000 krw ( RM 105) per night, really value for money. The person in charge of this motel is very helpful too, with his limited english vocabulary and he even gave us a bunch of grape-alike fruit when we checked in. :D

Due to the patient need more time to rest, today, we went to very few spots, including, Cheongyecheon stream for a cool feet dipping experience and Korea Hanok Village to admire the ancient building. Korea very closed by to Korea Hanok Village is under construction. From the information gathered online, there is usually wedding ceremony "performance" around 12-1 pm. We didn't manage to see it because the schedule has changed to 2 pm on Saturday, not today (Sunday). Just not our luck. The sun was scorching hot!! Summer ~ ~ as hot as in Malaysia. Best thing of Korean Hanok village is FOC entrance and in conjunction of an event for the weekend, something about to Know Korea Traditions.... there were many stalls for all visitors to have hands-on experience on the ancient games in Korea.

Pictures at Chongyecheon Stream ... crystal clear and super cooling water in a hot summer day:

Top up your T-Money Card is as easy as ABC with simple English instructions:

Scenes at the Korean Hanok Village, walking distance from Chungmuro station:

There are many paper posing in the village. Take pictures for free.

The thing I was holding is called Jige, which in the older days, the Korean invented this tool to carry things on the back.

The main entrance is behind me:
Another tool which I have no idea how the Korean utilizes it as it is heavy.
Namsan Tower is just nearby to this folk village. We didn't plan to go up to the tower as we planned to visit Building 63 instead.
An overview of the village:
There would be a series of performance in the late evening in conjunction with Festival of tradition culture experience:
I think ahjzuma is roating the corns in a traditional way:
Traditional standing swing:
For the sweet tooth:

Rocky water tap:
Squarish lotus plants:
The traditional drums, free to play:

I bought these but they don't taste as good as they look:

If you are planning to visit Seoul on a budget trip, I would recommend Kara Motel for its price, location and spacious room. This room cost only KRW35 000 and all the drinks are complimentary and toiletries are all provided. Computer with internet is free to use.

Pictures of room 701.... due to no computer monitor in this room, we were changed to room 301 with exactly the same setting.

We went to a small eatery house for our dinner. Luckily there's a worker from China who can speak mandarin and we managed to order big pot of fish soup with many Korean side dishes. Quite a big portion and cost us 20,000 KRW.

Hungry... these were all the side dishes served:

A bowl of cold soup:
Cuttlefish sliced:
Salad:
Some kind of squash:
Wasabi mixed with soya sauce:A big pot of fresh fish soup. The soup was very delicious, filled with all the sweetness of the fish... salivating....

Spending record for today:
Reload for T-Card(2) ----------------------20 000 krw
Local kuih ( lunch) --------------------------9 000 krw
Upgraded Room ---------------------------15 000 krw
Dinner -------------------------------------20 000 krw
Korean biscuits ------------------------------5 000 krw
Missha (sunblock+mask) -------------------11 800 krw
Total spent: --------------------------------80 800 krw

Day 1: South Korea Trip - First time in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

2009-08-16T20:30:00.009+08:00

Day 1: Kuching - Kota Kinabalu (transit to Seoul)

As the transit point to Incheon, Seoul, South Korea, we reached Kota Kinabalu yesterday at 5pm. As planned, we visited One Borneo as said to be the largest mall on the Borneo island. However, there were controversy to go to One Borneo because at the beginning, we thought One Borneo should be quite near to the Kota Kinabalu International Airport, but actually, there's 40 minutes distance away... ~ far~~~ with expensive taxi charge. One way to One Borneo from Airport was charged at RM50, and taxi we took on the return to the airport was RM40. WOW!!!~~~ Sakit hati.. total of RM90 spent on taxi alone.

One Borneo is just next to UMS. Students in UMS are lucky because One Borneo provide free shuttle bus to their campus. There are 3 hotels sharing the whole big building with One Borneo. I guess that's what makes it the biggest. I am quite disappointed because the shopping centre has limited shops, not that big as I expected. There are Giants, Daisho, Skin Food (Korean cosmetic) and most of the franchise restaurant - Fish & co., KFC, McD, Big Apple and more. I am still prefer Midvalley with more shops and variety choices of food!

Some pictures of 1 Borneo:

Waiting for midnight flight at Kota Kinabalu International Airport:

August is a peak season in Jejudo?

2009-08-14T10:13:00.008+08:00

I have been trying to rent a car from Avis car rental online but sadly I got the reply from Avis saying that all the cars has been rented out. I suppose August is really a peak season. In that case, I would have to rent a car personally at the Jeju international airport later instead of doing it online here. Cross fingers... hopefully can get a cheap and good deal.

Happily I have exchanged some cash from RM to Korea Won yesterday at a local money changer ( a money changer next to Everise, Jalan Padungan, Kuching) at a rate of 0.288 slightly better rate from the first money changer I enquired ( in Tun Jugah Plaza) at a rate of 0.29.

To be a Millionaire is nothing difficult nowadays... :D

Turning thousands into millions. :D

Reminisce The Days in Paris - Finale

2009-08-09T22:38:00.004+08:00

Reminisce The Days in Paris - Part 12: Famous Landmarks

2009-08-09T22:27:00.004+08:00

Reminisce The Days in Paris - Part 11: The Modern City

2009-08-09T21:48:00.004+08:00

Reminisce The Days in London - Part 10: Back to the Ancient Age

2009-08-09T21:17:00.003+08:00

I was in love with this architecture. So beautiful. Wanted to get the best shot of it so more than 10 pictures were retake :P.

St Pancras station

A view only can be seen in London.

More pictures of St Pancras Railway Station.

Oxfort Street is the shopping paradise,

Highly paid job, even as a bus driver.

The national museum was our next destination. So many treasures to be admired! The museum is huge... We couldn't finish all because our feet were sore. Too much walking.

Statue of the Easter Island

The mystery of Crystal Skull

The Mummy!
Is this real??
Mummy and more mummy. Animals too was mummified.

Handless sculpture

My Favourite spot with cheap strawberry.

At the end, my shoes were spoilt due to too much walking.. time to buy a new shoes!

Picking the cheapest shoes I could get. At the end, I got an Diadora sport shoes for 8 pounds. Shoes are so cheap if you are earning pounds. So envy people staying in UK.

Got my International Driving Permit Ready!! ^ ^

2009-08-09T16:07:00.003+08:00

Early in the Friday, I went to JPJ located at Jalan Kuching-Serian to apply for the International Driving Permit. The office was located at Blok B. By filling up a form, with the documents brought ( photocopy IC, photocopy driving license and 2 passport size photo and RM150), the whole process can be done smoothly. Waited for about 10 minutes, my International Driving license was then ready. :D

RM150 for 1 year is quite expensive... more expensive then applying for an international passport. Well, for the sake of convenience to travel at Jeju Island later, this license is needed. Yoohooo... let's enjoy the Jeju trip.

Now I am legal to drive at any country listed in the license.

It's a book.

This document is crucial for renting car abroad

Funny Advertisements Brighten the Day!

2009-08-06T14:51:00.003+08:00

Enjoy.. I simply love the ads below, so creative and hilarious. :D

Planning for South Korea Trip

2009-08-05T10:21:00.009+08:00

Recently, I am very busy arranging for my trip to South Korea, which is less than 2 weeks time now. The trip will be from 15th August 2009 until 26th August 2009. It is another backpacking trip again, same as the trip to London and Paris last year.

Arghhh.... So many tourist information to read. The headache part is to plan where to stay, which places to visit as well as to study the map for the journey.

Task 1: Flight booking... done

Round trip flight tickets
Kuching -> Kota Kinabalu -> Seoul (MAS)
Seoul -> Jejudo (ASIANA)
Jejudo -> Seoul (ASIANA)
Seoul -> Kota Kinabalu -> Kuching (MAS)

Task 2: Accommodation booking... done

16-19 Aug. 09: Kara Motel, Seoul ( 90000 KRW for 3 nights, quite cheap :D )

19-25 Aug. 09: Shilla Hotel, Jejudo

25-26 Aug. 09: Amiga Motel, Seoul ( 35000 KRW per night )
A blog on the direction of getting to Amiga Motel.. thanks to the blogger!
http://www.wretch.cc/blog/abowtais/24893727

This site is very useful to book for budget hotel to stay in Seoul. From July till December 2009, they even provide free airport limousine service for user that has completed reservation through this website (innostel).
http://innostel.visitseoul.net/eng/main/main.php

Task 3: Itinerary planning ... in the progress

Studying the map at:
http://emap.visitkorea.or.kr/Scripts/EngMap.aspx?beginCmd=mapurl&pos=45712529-13525357

Grateful there's a map in english because hardly can find one online. :)

Task 4: Car rental in Jejudo ... undone

Might be done on the spot when reach Jeju Airport

Task 5: Apply for International Driving Permit from JPJ .... done (on 7th August 09)

Phoned to JPJ as asked about the procedure.

Documents needed are:
(a) 2 passport size photos
(b) photocopied of driving license
(c) photocopied of identifcation Card

I was told by the officer that I can receive the international license after 5 minutes. ( hopefully :) ). As long as I can get it on the same day, then won't be any issue.

Extra:
While browsing for information on South Korea, I came across a forum which informed us about the discount coupons available at some websites. Konest provides many coupon but all in Japanese!~. The list is as below:

http://visitkorea.or.kr/enu/HD/event/enu_20090610/main_pg.html?coupon=0#

http://www.seoulnavi.com/coupon/coupon_list.php

http://www.konest.com/data/home.html

Information provided by the blogger :
http://tw.myblog.yahoo.com/jw!1kzr0OKRHBZOD_y5z6MsdBf...d=833&prev=-1&next=808

Well.. till then.. continue planning my trip.. :D

Reminisce The Days in London - Part 9: Duo Again

2009-07-27T22:52:00.004+08:00

Almost 4pm. The conference should be finished. That's the end of my self-adventure. :D

Waiting patiently at the lobby.

Yeah! Finally he had appeared.
It's cold outdoor after raining. A picture with the main entrance of Middlesex University Hendon Campus before leaving.

A very huge cathedral by the road side on the way strolling to Hampstead tube station.

Reminisce The Days in London - Part 8: All By Myself

2009-07-19T00:44:00.005+08:00

It's another brand new day again. The 4th day we stepped foot in London. This day, I was traveling alone as my companion was engaged in a conference whole day.

After accompanied him to Middlesex University Hendon Campus, I was ready to proceed to other tourism spots nearby the neighborhood.

Stepping out from Colindale tube station, you still need to walk quite a distance to reach Royal Airforce Museum (RAF Museum). Thanks to all the signboard available by the road side I could safely reach my destination.

Here's the building of RAF Museum. It was drizzling softly and I was searching for the entrance and I finally, found it here.
Aeroplanes on display outside the entrance.

There are ships too.
Some of the aeroplane on display (real planes). There are very huge area to cater place for all these planes. Never seen so many different kind of aeroplanes in my life before. Really eye opening.

BEWARE!! Bomb!

Torpedo.
The control of the jet. So sophisticated!

A demo of the aeroplane's control. Each button is explained on the information board. Very educational!~
Fully-equiped pilot on seat.
This one resembles one of the jet in TRANSFORMER. :D

A proof that I have been to RAF Museum. So tough to take self potrait without a tripod. (my hand too short :P)

Another hall exhibits the jetfighters during World War II.

Next destination is the Kingwood House. Got to know about this place when researching about London through the internet. One of the must-see venue as mentioned in the site.
I was unsure which bus stop to halt the bus and I ended up at Brent Cross shopping mall. The final stop!

Interesting notice board. 100 pounds per hour!! ( RM600 per hour). Therefore don't simply park your car there.Neighborhood around the area.
Many different fruits (a lot not available in Malaysia) for sale. So fresh!
Finally reached Kenwood House.I was so surprised that I need to take this path to reach Kenwood House. Kinda scary as I couldn't see where the path lead to.
It was drizzling and windy. I was cold and frightened! Not a soul was around.

After a short walk, what a good relief! I saw the house.

The front scenery from the house entrance.

The left scenery. The path which I came from.

The path at the right.Me at the entrance. Due to no photography is allowed indoor, no photos were taken. The house is very spacious and full of expensive paintings. Each painting has a story to tell and all is well-explained at the pamphlet next to each painting. The architecture and the furniture in the house is worth to mention too.

Jack Straws Castle. A unique building I saw when on the way back on a bus from Kenwood House.

Reminisce The Days in London - Part 7: Night Walk

2009-07-18T23:35:00.004+08:00

After changing to a new hotel, we were so tired to walk further due to unknown miles taken the day before which caused both of us in fatigue and legs sore. So we decided to skip a few other museum that we planned to visit in the itinerary, and we enjoyed our lunch ( plentiful of drumsticks and strawberry ) and take a nap in the better looking hotel room.

What was next?? It's time for dinner!

We decided to stroll around the place we stayed in search of food and have a night walk to admire the scenery at the center of London.

Below is the picture taken just 2 minutes walking distance from our hotel. Yeah.. we were staying fairly close to the Tube/Train Station. That's my intention at the very first place for the ease to travel to Paris later. :D

Scenery at the back is the Kings Cross Tube station

Scenery at the back is the St Pancras Train Station (next to Kings Cross tube Station)

We took a bus to the city center; one of the place we passed through is Euston Station. Same as in Singapore, the bus will only stop at designated stop. It's so easy to travel in London!

Tada!!! Strolling in cooling breeze of the night, enjoying the wonderful scenery. Night view across the River Thames.

I found James Bond while searching for toilet! Hehe.. let's take a picture.
Really enjoy the relax feeling at night by the river.

Very artistic monument near a gallery close-by.
London Eye at night. Cool!

Demanded to retake of this picture several times for the most perfect AQUARIUM.

It's late. We don't know what time is the last tube. Better hurry to go back to our hotel.

Westminster station ( A tube station just right opposite The Palace of Westminster @ Houses of Parliament)

Reminisce The Days in London - Part 6: Moved to a better B&B

2009-07-17T01:04:00.004+08:00

After visiting the Buckingham Palace the whole morning, we took tube back to our B&B hotel at Earls Court for check out. Yeah, we moved to a bigger B&B hotel this time.

The B&B (Hotel California) chosen is just walking distance from St Pancras Station/ Kings Cross Tube Station. I chose it on purpose for the convenience of leaving to Paris on a very early train for the coming day.

Below are the pictures of our new B&B room. Much better than the previous one and surely more pricey, around 100 pounds per room.

The drumsticks and strawberries had been our meals for some days. Perhaps this the cheapest sumptuous meal we could get.

I miss the strawberries so much!!

Reminisce The Days in London - Part 5: Visit to Buckingham Palace

2009-07-17T00:36:00.008+08:00

The next morning, our destination was the famous Buckingham Palace. The day was very sunny. We left our room early just in case we were lost in somewhere. We can't afford to be late as the Guard Exchange Ceremony would start at 11 AM. Thank God! The place wasn't too hard to find as many visitors from the Victoria tube station is heading to the same destination. We were actually just follow the flow. The picture below is the first building saw when we were out from Victoria Tube station. Very western feel!.. Of course.. we were still in London, weren't we?

Yeah! We have reached at the front door of Buckingham Palace. Let's take a picture. :D

It was still quite early before the ceremony start but quite a lot of tourist were already there booking for the best place to view the ceremony.

While waiting for the event to begin, we took more pictures of the well decorated roundabout and garden in front of Buckingham Palace.

First time seeing the real Lavender.

It's very hard to get picture together as we didn't have a tripod along. This is one of the very few pictures we have together.
Some short clips I took when the guard was changed.

After finished watching the whole ceremony, we proceeded to queue up for to buy the entrance ticket for "The Queen Gallery & The Royal Mews" + The State rooms. Buckingham Palace is only open during the Summer period when the Queen is not around. So, this is a golden opportunity that not to be missed, regardless of the expensive entrance ticket ( around 29.50 pounds per adult) -> about RM180 to enter the palace~
Some pictures of the Buckingham Palace's backyard. No photography is allowed when visiting inside the palace but I would say it's quite worth the pounds spent.

Reminisce The Days in London - Part 4: Back to sleep...

2009-07-16T23:39:00.004+08:00

After all day walking, finally we were back to our small and cozy B&B inn (Windsor House Hotel). The building of the B&B we stayed in looked like the following.

Whole day was misty and cold outside. This B&B was by far the cheapest accommodation (with bathroom en suited) and closest to the tube station (Earls Court), which also act as the interchange of tube lines, that I could find online.
Despite of the limited space of the room, all the basic facilities were good enough and the location was definitely added many marks for this place. We have stayed here for two nights.

The bathroom was indeed squeezed which exactly like a mobile bathroom but thank God that we didn't need to share bathroom with anybody else.

This place have everything that you need as all the eating and grocery shops are just within walking distance. The neighborhood is quiet at night and busy in the morning.
Found Scooby-doo sold in a bakery shop.. so cute!

Reminisce The Days in London - Part 3: @ London City

2009-07-16T11:29:00.003+08:00

From Greenwich, now we have returned to the London city. On our way walking around, we saw some street artist perfoming. Below is a series of the street artists performing.

MERLIN

A GREEN LIZARD

KING AND QUEEN ( like in the Harry Potter)

BONELESS MAN

DUSTBIN GUY :P

THE CLOWN

A MAGICIAN ( perfoming with the audience)

After walked past the artists, we have reached to a nice-looking bridge. With pointed poles at the sides, made me recall on the bridge in Putrajaya, Malaysia.
This bridge is Hungerford Footbridge.

Got a picture with the LONDON EYE while crossing the bridge.

Crossing Hungerford Footbridge.

Freaking hungry. McDonald for our lunch that day.

Pigeons are all over the place.

Here's the Bicycle Racing that have resulted many of the roads closed which made us walk extra miles in search of bus stop to Greenwich.

While walking around, we have reached the National Gallery of London.
MDCCCX???? How may is it?

In front of the Gallery.
Charles James Napier... Who is he?

The lion... is it from the "wardrobe"? (The chronicles of Narnia)

Posing with the sculpture standing so high up!

One more picture of the National Gallery as no photography is allowed inside. Many famous artists' work that you can admire in the gallery ,included SUNFLOWER!
VISIT MALAYSIA... !!! Let's promote in London.

More about Malaysia in London.

This guy on the horse seems to be the one in the movie "Night at Museum". Unsure...
The red telephone booth. Must take a picture of this. :D

This booth just located outside the exit of THE NATIONAL GALLERY SAINSBURY WING.

This wild-flowers look like "taugeh" but very pretty too.

Police on the horseback again. Usually in the park.

A building full of pictorial carving.

Not sure what name is this place. Somewhere near St James Square Garden.

A monument commemorate those who served and died during Second World War.

This soldier is so kind to march for me when I am there shooting a picture of him.
Have a picture with another soldier. Up close..

Nah.. i'm not the woman of world war II... but the ladies on top were ( which the photographer didn't capture)

Something we saw by the street. A riot?

The sculpture at the back is Oliver Cromwell. This name sounds familiar. Have I read about him in our history book?

One of the door at Houses of Parliament. "Sovereign's Entrance"

Up close with Houses of Parliament. This architecture is magnificent! Just couldn't stop taking more pictures of it.

Thai-liked roof in a garden.

Tower Hill. "The tower of London is World Heritage Site"

At the back is the Tower Bridge London.

Scenery across the River Thames.

Guess what name is this tunnel?
Tadaaaa.... it's DEAD MAN'S HOLE.. what a name.
Starbucks...
Colorful artistry works.

Like this picture. Love the feel.
Beautiful dining place.
Got a nice background for self-portrait.

Reminisce The Days in London - Part 2: @ Greenwich

2009-07-15T13:02:00.011+08:00

Look!!! Policemen patrolling on a horse.. how awesome!

You can actually see it in most park of London. Horse riding seems to be still very common in London.

My favorite part about Greenwich is not just only the vast green field that is so beautiful but also, there are many doggies around - all kind of breeds to be admired! (Doggie, my favourite pet).

Who is this man in black??? Let me read on his plate:

"JAMES WOLFE, 1727-1759, Victor of Quebec"

Well, I still don't know who is he.. must be someone great. :D
Guess what he's looking at. Let me show you at the following pictures.

The scenery of London city. Mr Wolfe seems to be watching London at all time. You surely be amazed by the whole view if you were here. I just love this place - Greenwich.

What you can see here??

From Left:
Greenwich Power Station, The O2 (Millennium Dome) - the dome with pointed poles, and further at the back of The O2 is Lower Lee Valley (2012 Olympic Park).

From the left:
Cutty Sark Greenwich Pier, Hampstead Heath and Highgate, NMM Galleries (Neptune Court), Old Royal Naval College ( the building with two towers separated at the center), The Queen's House and National Maritime Museum ( the most front magnificent squarrish building) and Docklands (Canary Wharf) - a group of tall building at the right back.

Envy this pigeon here.... it looks fat. Sure eat very well in London.

I like the design of this gate.. can I bring back home?? :P
Crossing the gate, it will lead you to Greenwich town and exit the Greenwich garden.

Walking past Greenwich town and not far from there is the main entrance of National Maritime Museum. FREE ADMISSION.

Please note that all places I visited in London is free admision unless stated otherwise. :D

A giant flower! Actually, it's a propeller to be used by submarine. It has been carefully designed to reduce the underwater noise to the minimum . :)

Miss Britain III. A submarine??

The Ship.

This part is very educational. It teaches visitor how wave is formed and you can even experience it yourself.

Man made Tsunami.

That door leads to Queen's Gallery (FOC).

At my back is the Old Royal Naval College.

England Rose... the national flower of England, right?

Next stop is the Royal Observatory Greenwich.

If you come to Greenwich, of course, you must not miss this ever so famous, Green Meridian Line... where GMT time started (00:00).

The black cylinder here is part of a telescope used last time.

The green dome can be opened for star gazing using telescope.

Well, before the current Meridian, there is actually a few others and the below one is the first British National Meridian.

The Meridian that we are using today.

" The Prime Meridian is an imaginary line running north-south throught Greenwich. In 1884 the line was names teh world's Longitude Zero by the International Meridian Conference. Every position on earth is defined by its longituede (its distance east of west from Greenwich) and its latitude ( the distance north of sourth of the equator). Both latitude and longitude are measured in segments of a circle: degrees, minutes and seconds."

I'm standing in between the 0 degree Longitude of the world. By crossing the line, I have travelled from 0 to 360 degrees. :D

The Meridian needle?

Then, that's the end of Greenwich tour and we shall back to the London city once again.

Before leaving the place, glance longer at the refreshing scenery in Greenwich. FYI, cool breeze keep blowing too.. SO so so COOL N FRESH!

A kid wind skating? (with a flying parachute)

Mesmerizing view of a church across the big green field.

Coco and Oreo with Red Balloons

2009-07-13T20:24:00.003+08:00

Two balloons were brought back from a wedding dinner. Both Coco ( the black Australian Silky Terrier) and Oreo ( black and white cocker spaniel) were having fun playing the balloons.

Aren't they cute??

Transformer Fever: The Petronas Collection

2009-07-08T21:40:00.005+08:00

The latest Transformer Collections are bought today; both the Prime Optimus and Megatron. Thanks to the great cashier of Petronas that the collections can be bought before the advertised period. The all four transformers; Bumble Bee, Star Scream, Megatron and Prime Optimus are ready to stand proudly on the shelf. :D

Prime Optimus

Prime Optimus Transformation

Megatron

Megatron Transformation

When Megatron and Prime Optimus meet

The first bought Bumble Bee.

Bumble Bee

Bumble Bee Transformation

Second purchase of Star Scream from Petronas.

Star Scream

Star Scream Transformation

A Tribute to Michael Jackson.. His Living Story

2009-07-08T15:50:00.005+08:00

"Living with Michael Jackson is a documentary, in which British journalist Martin Bashir interviewed Michael Jackson over a span of 8 months, from May 2002 to January 2003. It was shown first in the the UK on 3 February 2003 and in the US three days later on ABC, introduced by Barbara Walters.

Martin Bashir put the proposal to Jackson as a way to show the world the truth about him and make nothing off limits. Jackson's decision to make the documentary was made on the suggestion by his close friend Uri Geller. It later emerged that Geller had turned down another bid for the interview by journalist Louis Theroux. The interview was very unusual, as it had been extremely rare for Jackson to allow such access to his personal life, or to talk so freely about his traumatic childhood. Nevertheless, he did show some reserve when asked to discuss other personal issues, such as the plastic surgery he has had.

Jackson felt betrayed by Bashir and complained that the film gives a distorted picture of his behaviour and conduct as a father. He claims that Bashir, in the final version of his interview, used only that material which supported Bashirs opinion of Jackson, which was not a favorable one.

Jackson filed complaints with the UKs Independent Television Commission and the Broadcasting Standards Commission. Jacksons lawyers claimed in a British High Court case against Martin Bashir and Granada TV that the documentary was a breach of contract and breach of confidence. The proceedings were put on hold when Jackson was charged with 10 felony counts in late 2003, but the proceedings could continue after since Jacksons acquittal. However this is unlikely following his death."

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Part 10:

Reminisce The Days in London - Part 1: In Search of Bus Stop

2009-07-06T23:31:00.013+08:00

The pictures are as good as they were taken due to my laziness to edit any of them with Photoshop... Just enjoy the pictures ok? :D

Date: 6th September- 14th September 2008
Location: London and Paris

The flight to reach London (Heathrow Airport) from KL has taken 13 hours! I didn't have such a long flight before. Furthermore, I was flying from Kuching, so I need to take another extra 1 and a quarter hour of flight. After all, it was quite a pleasant experience which I have drank several glasses of red/white wine on the plane. :P It helped for an undisturbed sleep throughout the journey. The time actually fly very fast as what I did was sleep, wake up for nice plane's meal, sleep, then another meal, then sleep.... also in between I have finished watching two or three latest movie on board. (some movies not even showing in local cinema yet)

It's already evening time, around 3 pm (couldn't remember exactly the time anymore, btw, it's already almost a year) when I stepped on foot on England's soil. First day, didn't really do much but just have dinner and sleep for the remaining of the day to be rejuvenated.

The fun began on the Second day! :D

According to the plan, Greenwich would be the first destination. It's easy to reach Greenwich if only there's no special event happening at town. There was this Bicycle Racing and caused several road closure, which one of it involved the route of the bus to Greenwich!

Ok, fine.. now need to walk extra miles... and eventually, we were lost in the city due to wrong direction given to the passer by. :(

Couldn't really blame them as well, because the Londoners also didn't expect the road pointed was closed and we ended up walking a big circle around the city center.

Along the way, we saw.......

London's Taxi

All the Taxis in London are in black. From the outside it looks small but in fact, its interior is quite spacious, especially for us the Asian, who are rather smaller size than the local there.

An "Ancient" Clock Tower

Not sure whether it's ancient or not, but it does look old to me. Many of the buildings in London have this bricks exterior. I like the view of this brick architecture!

Palace of Westminster

I was amazed with this beautiful architecture. The view was indeed breathtaking across the River Thames....

Big Ben, the clock tower

Automatic Ticket issuer

The photos followed were taken on a double-decker bus when on our way to Greenwich. Ya.. finally we have found the correct bus stand. What a relief!

A Church Near the City Center

The famous Double Decker Red Bus

An opened window

The bus has no air conditioner but by opening the window on top, the air blowing in is COOL! I love the temperature there. The whole city is like a big air-cond room.

A restaurant

I like the way the flowers is planted at the building. So sweet!

Elephant & Castle Tube Station

Typical London Architecture

Bus Stand BB

To move around London is very easy with a very systematic public transportation, similar to Singapore. (unlike Malaysia)

PC World

Tesco

Tesco is everywhere in London. :)

A local house

Guess what are them.. Moo Moo Recycle Bins

The London Street

The Green

We recognized that we have reached our destination by seeing this big greenery.

Main gate of Greenwich

Autumn is coming...

The trees were turning to yellow symbolized that Autumn was on the way.

Makan-Makan At Rakutei Japanese Restaurant

2009-07-05T01:34:00.021+08:00

The main door of Rakutei Japanese Restaurant

I have visited Rakutei Japanese Restaurant on Saturday ( 4th July 2009) for their order buffet lunch. This is my first visit and thanks to CK for introducing this place. ^ ^

Here are the details of the restaurant:

Rakutei Japanese Restaurant
No.88, Grd Floor, Crown Square Shopping Centre, Jalan Pending, 93450 Kuching
(082-346612)

Opening hours:
Mon-Fri : 11 am-2 pm & 6 pm-9:30 pm
Sat, Sun & Public Holiday: 11 am- 9:30 pm

Map of Rakutei Japanese Restaurant

Japanese Order Buffet @ RM55 nett!

You can get discounted price at RM50 if you are a member of V-card/ Crown Square Club/ My Privilege Card.

Yasai Tempura (Vegetable Tempura)

If you are a Tempura's fan, you sure will enjoy the tempura here because there are variety of them in the menu. :)

Potato Salad

Kimuchi (Sour marinated vegetable)

I quite like this Kimuchi, it is some sort like Kimchi but it mixed with more types of vegetable, such as carrot and cucumber. There is some grind peanut in the mixture which make this dish extra delicious and fragrant.

Age Gyoza (Fried Dumpling)

Salmon Salad Temaki & California Temaki

Ebi Tempura (Prawn Tempura)

WAH! Big prawn.. :D

Yasai Tempura & Kaki Tempura ( Vegetable Tempura & Oyster Tempura)

Sanma Shio Yaki (Grilled Pike Mackerel Fish with Salt)

Salmon Batayaki (Salmon With Butter Sauce)

Unagi Kabayaki (Grilled Eel Fish With Teri Sauce)

Look at those thick Unagi... yummy isn't it?

Sashimi Mori (Limited to one order per person)

Like the Sashimi the most. Too bad only limited to one order. Besides sashimi mori, mochi under the dessert category also limited to one order per person.

Kaki Furai ( Fried Oyster)

Tai Karaage ( Deep Fried Red Snapper)

Well, personally, I think this taste like the fried fish we always eat in Chinese restaurant. :)

Tofu Den ( Beancurd With Miso Paste)

This tofu is served cold with sweet miso paste on top. It is so soft and smooth and with a little coldness, the tofu taste mild sweet itself. From my opinion, this tofu is similar to our ever famous chinese 'to fu hua', taste like a dessert. Yummy!!! Recommended for a try.

Ika Batayaki ( Squid With Butter Sauce)

All in all, the whole meal is really worth the money spent. Just RM55, without extra taxes.

I have a "fishy" lunch here because the orders made are mostly fish. :)
That's natural since fish is the most expensive of all in the menu. I bet that's what most people will do in a buffet, to choose the most expensive dish of all.
So far, Salmon Batayaki and Unagi Kabayaki are my favorites!

The best part is most of the dishes are accompanied with some green vegetable which is really good for digestion. With the greenies, this meal is so much healthier.

Most of the dishes in the menu has english translation and for some that does not include the translation, just ask for the help fromthe kawaii waitress-in-kimono there. They are more than happy to help. :)

(Note: Some words that I have asked for translation: wakame = seaweed, lidako= baby octopus)

Well, if you are reading this, do give Rakutei Japanese Restaurant a visit.

Hmm.. why am I advertising them for free? :P
Well just for sharing! :D

Touching Speech in Memory of The Love One

2009-07-02T21:33:00.004+08:00

While waiting for the video to be loaded.. here's the content extracted from it:

@ A Funeral...

" ... I'm not going to say praises about my late husband, not today. Neither I'm going to talk about how good he was. Enough people have done that here. Instead, I want to talk about somethings that would make some of you feel a bit uncomfortable. First of all, I want to talk about what happened in bed.

Ever have difficulty starting your car engine in the morning?

* korr keeee korr keeee korrr keeee*

Well, that's exactly what David snoring sounded like. But wait, snoring wasn't everything. There was also rear end wind action going on as well. Some nights, it would be so forceful, it would wake him up.

"What was that?" he asked.

"Oh! It's the dog." I would say. "Go back to sleep, Dear."

All of you might find this very funny but towards the end of his life and his illness was at its worst, this sound indicated to me that my David was still alive. And I wouldn't get just to hear the sound again before I sleep.

In the end, it is these small things that you remember, a little imperfection that make them perfect for you.

So, to my beautiful children, I hope one day, you too find yourself life partners who are as beautifully imperfect as your father was to me......"

The sentence that really close to my heart is "In the end, it is these small little things that you remember, a little imperfection that make them perfect for you."

It teaches to accept the imperfection of others as no one is perfect in this world. Nobody can be 100% fits all our liking. We have to love who the person is and cherish the little imperfection which would remain as the sweetest memory later on.

Family is important. :)

Credits to: Thinkfamily

About this video:

"Funeral" is a new TV commerical launched by the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS)(SINGAPORE) which looks at relationships in a different light, through a woman at her husband's funeral. Ultimately, the TVC celebrates the beautiful imperfections that make a relationship perfect. This is fresh off MCYS latest Viewers' Choice 2008 win for last year's Family TVC which promotes the importance and value of family bonding. (With Chinese subtitles.)