Euro Travel & More

Phnom Penh has changed quite a bit since I was last there according to a friend who had just got home from there.   She said there was a  steel building just at every corner they turned in a cab.   So yes – not only is Phnom Penh a touristy place now – it’s pretty industrialize too.  Check out the evening market at Sisowath Quay but they were more for food – if you are into trying local cuisine but if you have a weak tummy – i think you should skip that.

Don’t be too surprised if you are frisked when you visit the Heart of Darkness – the security is really tight there and it’s not about the terrorists that they are afraid of – but more like the locals trying to gun down each other in a dispute – so i heard.  For those who loves their drinks – Phnom Penh is the place to be – because they are dirt cheap – we had our filled that night and went bar hopping till wee hours in the morning.   More on Phnom Penh in another post.

The Bayan Tree Resort in Asia must be one of the most luxurious resort I’ve been to – but one wouldn’t expect anything less from the Bayan Tree brand who have been around for many years now.   We were attracted by the spa and massage they offered and the privacy of  your own pool.  Within the resort itself – they had many restaurants and 24 hrs room service – if you don’t want to get out of your room.  There were  massage tables in the privacy of your own room or even if you were to set out on the private beaches in Phuket – you an see many canopy of rooms with massage tables all around  – it’s like we’ve gone to heaven.

Private pools in each room that faces the sea and you can have your breakfast, lunch and dinner here.   In some suites – in know they even have an LCD TV right by the pool and the jacuzzi.

Breath-taking view of another of our friends room.

Enjoy and relax under luscious coconut trees.

And a scented bath before your massage – to end your day.

The girlfriend who was visiting her in-laws in Colorado had invited me and some of my friends to go with her one year and we agreed.  The host were very gracious and brought us to the Grand Canyon for a day tour.   It wasn’t too far from where they lived and we took a road trip and arrived way before lunch.  The sight was breath-taking of course and we only managed to take a few photos because  – the in-laws wasn’t feeling too hot.

You can imagine how hot it was – but there are tour buses if you are not living nearby and want to go visit the Grand Canyon – we saw quite a few that day.

Some people do a little hiking – some a little rafting – some just sit around taking a sip of water and enjoying the wonders of the world – but we ?  we ate – hahah!! we brought a picnic lunch.

The Southern Rim of the Grand Canyon seems to be the most popular -  layers and layers of rock here.  And if you are a first time hiker – the Bright Angel Trail apparently will be your best bet.  The Grand Canyon is known as a very spiritual place. People come here to find peace and/or be amazed by the grandness of our planet.  So if you are in Arizona – make sure you make a trip up here – shuttle buses do come up here.

For those who have never been to Malaysia – the rustic part of Malaysia is usually the best part – not only do you really get to feel and experience the real culture of the Malaysians – one get to try out the famous durian – king of fruits – by the roadside.  You don’t see this very often in Kuala Lumpur but if you travel further into Malaysia like Batu Ferringhi – you will see many of these stores around – and these are the most awesome places to eat.  Don’t be deceived by the dirty looking environment – because they are not only cheap but they have the best durian here.

Some awesome view after taking the windy and spiral road up to Batu Ferringhi.

No ! no ! i’m not turning my travel blog into a food blog -  but somethings cannot be missed when you are traveling right? with travel comes food – comes shopping and lots of food – besides sightseeing – so yes – when I find something really good – I just have to share it and when you are in Philly – you have to try the Belgium Waffles.

The ones that i had were nice and fluffy – i had mine with maple syrup while the friends had theirs with ice cream – but the waffles were so huge – you would have to share it – if you eat like me – and i am a big eater I tell yer.

Well – almost summer – we were there in May this year.  If you remember – i complained that the many times we went to the Niagara Falls was still in the winter – sometime in March or April – but this time we went in May instead.  Unfortunately, as you can see – the weather still wasn’t perfect either – it was quite gloomy that day.

And I’ve noticed that if you visit the Niagara Falls earlier in the day – the traffic is almost none – you got the whole street to yourself.  Sure we saw some people but unlike in the summer – where there is folks all around.

The bridge that joins – Canada and USA – the Rainbow bridge – i believed it is called.  And here I tell you how i became a illegal crossover to USA some 11 yrs ago.  You see i was just visiting then – and the spouse’s cousin and us decided to go to Niagara Falls but took a wrong turn and went towards US custom.  I didn’t have my passport with me – so i was detained and had to swear that i wasn’t trying to enter USA as a stowaway – HAHAHAHAHA!  But the immigration in USA was pretty thorough and even checked my credentials and tried to verify who i was with immigration Canada.  It took a good hour before we were sent on our way.

There – Niagra Falls from the Canadian side.

Maid of the mist – take  a boat tour across the Niagara River – don’t forget to wear your rain coat – if  you don’t want to get wet.

A magnificent sight

A closer look at the fall.

No i wasn’t there silly – but the nephew was – his company sent him there – a US based company – with lots of perks like health care for the entire family with Blue Advantage – I often wonder if it was anything like the Blue Cross here. But it is always good to have some health insurance if you are traveling a lot like the nephew of mine.

There was a parade for the opening of the show – but he was pulled away to attend a meeting – so this was the only picture he got – bummer!

This is the Netherland and Holland Pavilion

The Croatia Pavilion

The Australian Pavilion – look at the line up!  i guess ppl do like to be in Australia eh.  If you are not a participant – you can still buy a passport to enter the expo -  and of course lots of food to try out and souvenirs that one can buy.  The Shanghai Expo is a cultural exchange for lots of countries coming together in one place – as you can see – it is a huge event – i wished i was there  – large scale expo like these are only hosted by countries with the capability – not only in manpower but resources to accommodate tourists and event planners from various countries.  Shanghai is definitely proud of itself.

Welcome to Saigon !  the spouse said to me when we visited Saigon aka Ho Chi Minh City aka Vietnam for a short trip some 6 months ago.  It had been more than 10 yrs since we last visited Saigon and the last time i was there was also for work.  Saigon the land of many opportunities and lot of history – the good, the bad and some ugly.  Where the ladies I’ve seen are the most hardworking people and the humblest and in my humble opinion in need of good wrinkle removers because the sun is so hard on them.  But they smile and tell me each wrinkle lines tells a story.

Saigon has changed a lot – just by looking at all the high rise building and everywhere our cabbie turned – there was another new building sprouting out.  I felt a little overwhelmed when i came back for this trip with the spouse who was on business.

Dong are what they are called – the currency used in Saigon – and 100,000 Dong is about $5.45 in Cdn.  Yes – lots of money to carry – the same for when you are in Thailand or China even a bit of Malaysia – where the currency seems so big and huge but the value is so little.

Many of their older buildings are now restored and used as restaurants.

Shophouses on the ground floor and on the top are living apartments – a lot of expatriates lives here because it is in the center of town and convenient – i hear that rent isn’t that expensive in this area as compared to the rent in Hong Kong.

Road side eateries are my favorite but i strongly advise against if you do not have a strong stomach.  Food is like $0.20 – $0.50 for a meal in this store.

Karaoke anyone?

Shop houses for eating like this one is everywhere in Saigon and they are relatively cleaner although more expensive than the roadside stores.  But if you want authentic Vietnamese food – here is the best bet.

We tried the more posh restaurant -  located at Nguyen Thiep Street, District 1 – and wasn’t disappointed – love the fusion decor and the fusion food too.

Love the fruit stores !  missed this terribly because they don’t have it here in Canada.

Some local fruit – i don’t remember what it is called – but it’s a cross between a mandarin orange and a lemon – taste sweet though.

More street store with sweets/desserts.

Yes! saigon is this modern – they have an Esprit building – just for shopping at  Dong Khoi street, also in District 1.  The entire ground floor is for shopping and the upper building are offices.  I have so many pictures to share but that will be for another day and another post.

Feeling a little nostalgia and also mostly because I’m missing home a lot lately – the cousin sent me some recent pictures of Chinatown from home.  And home is not in China – where most people here in Canada thinks i am.  I guess – when they see a Chinese – they just assume we are all from China – hahaa!  but just like the Westerners thinks we all look alike, the Westerners look very much the same to me too – unless they are people I know very well.  So when i was reading about  herbal phentermine one day and a customer walked in asking about something – i had mistaken her for the spouse’s cousin – hahah!

Truth be told – i rarely go to Chinatown when i was home – i never really appreciate the beautiful and restored buildings but as you can see – they are very beautiful building and the government of Singapore tried to make every inch of Singapore look as beautiful as possible for both the tourist as well as the residents in Singapore.

Some people only goes there once a year for Chinese New Year but many older folks i know goes there every morning for a brief walk – a – bout and then coffee in the clans near the temple.

It is very interesting to see the many temples in Singapore – but i never go – because my mum wasn’t a believer and she never really allowed us to go into temples.  How i wished i could turn the clock around and won’t take these beautiful statues for granted.

The inside of the temple as you can see – is very beautiful as well.  In Chinatown, they not only have temples for the Chinese but mosques as well for the Muslims.

I’ve walked this passageway before – i hope soon – i can bring my kids home with me.

Yes.. a trip down memory lane for me when my best friend was just in Macau and brought back some wonderful pictures.  Macau was one of the many places that were on my first year’s trip out of Singapore and while reading about apidexin scam the pictures kept coming in and i thought i should look for some to post them up.

Macau has changed a lot since the last time i was there some 15 yrs ago – but one thing that never changed are the many casinos there – in fact i hear there are more now.   Anyone who have been to Macau would recognized the Grand Lisboa – i had stayed here when I was in Macau.  The 400 luxurious rooms were huge and it wasn’t really expensive either – I’m guessing they hope you leave the rest of your money in the casino as well.  Don’t forget to check out their famous Lotus Pond in the hotel’s lobby.

Yes – there you have it – the casino of course.

A gigantic statue of Guan Yin (that wasn’t there when i visited last)

The Museum of Macau is all about the history of Macau – it’s up on a hill of a 16th century fort – check out the canons and artillery they used back then.

The famous Ruins of St Paul’s – how can anyone miss that right – even if i were to go there every year i would want a picture of the Ruins. Many movies and tv shows were filmed here.

Signs everywhere now.

The Pou Tai Un Temple in Taipa.

The Observation Tower in Macau – also known as the Macau Tower

Up at the Observation Tower – you not only see the awesome views of the entire Macau, you can dine there – watch a show there, shop and of course go for a thrilling walk on the Skywalk – where you walk on glass flooring.

Here I leave you with one of the views of the Macau Tower – both day and night views are different – just like in Paris. By the way – Stanley Ho the owner of the many casinos in Macau – almost all – was in Auckland when he saw the Sky Tower there that he commissioned a similar one to be built in Macau.  The work started in 1998 and opened for the first time in 2001.  Like i said – i have many stories to tell about Macau – next would be the things you can buy and eat in Macau.