Euro Travel & More

A lot of airport has come a long way .. from the days that i used to fly some 20 yrs ago.  Even in Antigua, the departure lounge after security, I can use my Mac memory laptop on do my work and go on the internet.  So convenient.. and so easy .. once you know how.  And Israel .. Tel Aviv, I didn’t have any problems with getting online either.  So yes, I’m pretty sure .. that most Airports will keep you connected.. even if your flight is delayed, you can still chat with your girlfriend now on IM or Yahoo.  Gone are the days.. where you are stranded.. and you have to wait in line .. to use the phone, if you didn’t have roaming on your own cellphone.

This is the Malaysia Airline Lounge in Melbourne Tullamarine.  i was actually quite surprised that the Malaysia Airline Lounge was quite a pleasant experience.  But don’t forget your boarding ticket before heading over to the lounge.  If you are flying business class, you are entitle to the facilities of the lounge .. like any other businessman.

Cozy and quiet .. not many businessmen around at this time of the morning.

Eating and drinking area.

No liquor for me.. but the bar is definitely full as you can see here.  My overall impression of the Malaysia Airline lounge was quite impressive, i really like that they are not intrusive.. and let you do your own things.

You can’t really blame me for wanting some Mcdonald’s after 3 weeks in India right..?  But don’t get too disappointed if you don’t find your quarter pounder or big Mac here.  The Hindus don’t eat beef .. since the cow is a holy animal.  Wonder if “Holy Cow” the expression came from India.  Anyhow.. you can choose from chicken or lamb in your burger.. else you can also choose a vegetarian meal call the McAloo Tikki .. which is actually potatoes, peas and spice made into a pattie.

The taste..? i’ll have to say .. there were spices.. but nothing spectacular .. and the fries were so-so.  I had the chicken Maharaja Mac and a co-worker of mine had a wrap.  He said.. it was ok.  Anyhow.. if you are going for McDonald’s .. don’t forget that the street food is way better.. be a little bit more adventurous eh.

I was in Glasgow for 4 yrs.. and one of the very first thing, my host brought me to visit was the Glasgow Cathedral. The history of the cathedral is rich..! My first thought..?? Magnificent..! it was a very, very impressive church. This is one of the few Scottish medieval churches to have survived the Reformation unscathed. It is breathtaking, a beauty and a wonder. The architectural of the building is not something you find now .. in this time.. and I love the painted panes in the church. If you are ever in this area, you should visit Glasgow Cathedral, it is on the east end of Cathedral Street and not far from where Castle Street becomes High Street. You can’t missed it.

I used to travel a lot for work and my family and friends would joke about me living out or my luggage.  In fact I traveled so much for work I sometimes didn’t even unpack because I was gonna be using the same clothes and same luggage depending on which region I would be in next. Dating was not always possible because who would want a girlfriend who’s only around once a month.

For someone like myself or my spouse (I traveled too much and my spouse was too quiet and shy), we could definitely have used a service like Great Expectations for they have been helping people connect and find love for over 30 yrs.  They are not a matchmaking service but they do create opportunities for singles to meet and mix.  All members are screened to ensure that they are alright and good members. I know of many singles who could really benefit from this service.

The Swissotel The Stamford, Singapore.. has a very special place in my heart… not only did i worked here for a year.. i also became a long-staying guest for another 2 before leaving Singapore.. and embarking on my new adventure. I got to see the hotel.. its management.. as an employee and as a guest. What a twist of fate.. i’ll have to say… that the company i worked for .. decided to use The Stamford as their resident hotel… but that was more than 10 yrs ago.

Touted as Southeast Asia’s tallest hotel, Swissotel (formerly known as Westin, The Stamford) offers a panoramic views of the neighbouring countries.. like Indonesia and Malaysia. With more than 1200 room, you can guess as much as I that the Swissotel, Stamford is used mostly by tour groups.. wherelse.. The Plaza is mostly for businessmen.

The locality of the hotel is right smacked in the middle of town.. near MRT .. buses.. shopping centres.. the museum.. and just about anything and everything. The hotel houses restaurants and cafes .. italian.. japanese, szechuan.. and it even has an observation deck now call Equinox.

Of course the room are not cheap… but I think you can get good rates with the right tour agent or if you have a corporate account with them. Meeting rooms and convention center is readily available of rental.. and the bustling of life at the hotel can overwhelmed some… but a good stay at the Swissotel is expected.. because they really take care of all your needs.. from spa, swimming pool.. fitness center.. and food, room services.. and just about anything you can think of.

1263-rooms

I get asked a lot about what one can do, when they are traveling with babies.  Some people don’t even think of traveling at all, just because they have a baby.  And you know what i tell them..??  what foolishness eh. Well.. there are a few tips and tricks when you are traveling with a baby,  first thing first, you have to make sure that you bring things that smells familiar and similar to baby even though the hotel may say they provide crib and crib bedding .  By bringing along your own, you are most likely to get a better nite rest.  Trust me.. bring her favorite toy.. and her favorite pillow, they are easy to bring along .. and can just squeeze into a carry bad.  Try it.

One very important thing one must know about is The Car Connection when you are traveling.  Be it a car rental for an Audi a8 while on vacation or even a car rental while you are on business.   Both require some analytical method of choosing the right car for the right moment.  If you are like us here in Canada whereby we don’t carry certain kinds of cars here and need to import them across the border, it is always good to learn about a car before renting or buying it.

TheCarConnection.com gives you a whole range of automobiles to choose from and to read up on, providing real reviews and recommendations from their customers. Launched in 1997, they not only give excellent coverage of the car design, make and model, but also news on auto shows and the latest vehicles.  The reviews that you read are what we as buyers would like to hear and learn before purchasing a car.  Also, since they are reviews consolidated by all other real reviewers and their extensive network of experts, you will get unbiased results from your car search.  Search for a review by the car’s make or by price range, is entirely up to you.  It is easy to navigate, even for someone who is not so technically inclined, I can understand and work the site efficiently.  Check it out yourself.

I have to tell yer all.. that I am not really that familiar with Gold Coast – Surfer’s Paradise, afterall, I had only been there twice.. so really not much .. i can really tell. But you all know i was stationed in Sydney for 6 months, so during some long weekends .. we took a short 3 days trip to Gold Coast or Melbourne.  So here are some of the pictures I would like to share with you.  Gold Coast is a very popular destination for holiday makers from around the world.

Here we have the largest shopping center in Surfers Paradise called Centro Surfers Paradise.  Located at the corner of Paradise Boulevard and Cavill Mall, you can’t missed it.  Lots of souvenirs that you can buy for friends and family.. and don’t forget those awesome surf boards.

Entrance to the beach of course.  There weren’t many people around it was still pretty cold.. this time of the year.. . just starting to warm up.

Spring time in Gold Coast is quite pleasing.. .as you can see.  The beach is quiet.. and so are the malls. Behind the beach, there are high rise apartments.

An interesting sand sculpture and just so you know.. you can get lessons for surfing twice a day.  Donch forget Pacific Fair and Harbourtown for your shopping needs.  One is located at the South of Surfer’s paradise and the other on the North.

Traveling around the world was really an eye opener for me and that is the main reason why I wanted to journal things down to share with everyone.  For all those who know about my traveling blog and enjoy it like my girlfriends, friends and family do, they do ask me about my  web hosting choice.  Of course not only those who travel want to blog about their experiences, people who are first time parents or those who ventured out and decided to become entrepreneurs may want to tell their stories as well.

I used to use a very popular web host but they disappointed me so badly I just couldn’t stay with them. Now when anyone asks me for recommendations, I direct them to this free site where people like me and you can get help to choose the right web host for our needs. If you are doing it for personal reasons you can consider a basic host and package and if it’s for business then they have other, better, recommendations.  This site is so simple to use that even someone like myself who is not that geeky or technically inclined can understood what they are trying to tell me. Besides the cost, they also share with you which host is the most reliable when it comes to uptime, that was the most important to me because I hated the downtime issues my previous host had and never seemed able to fix. So if you want to find a good host for all your traveling adventures, check out webhostingchoice.com.