Good Bye 2011

One last post and one last picture to sum up the year 2011 for me.
Taken from my last overseas trip of the year to Penang on 11th Dec 2011.

Time waits for no man, this year for me was like travelling at the speed of sound. I can't even remember what I did a few days ago.

See you in the year 2012!

Shanghai, China 7th Nov 2011

My write ups are getting shorter nowadays, too busy and impatient to note down all the details plus a failing memory is not a good sign, it means life is getting more stressful. This Blog which was created to record travels and to release stress is getting stressful to update now! Hahaha!

Lots of flying around the world and drive ups to Malaysia this year, this most recent trip was to Shanghai, China.

I had heard a lot about Shanghai in the recent years, it's old world charm and history was widely publicised and well documented. Shanghai people were described as proud and business minded.
I arrived at 6:00am in the morning, didn't get a good sleep on the flight. We managed to check into the hotel after an hour long Metro ride from Pu dong International airport. It was during the peak morning working hours. I will just describe it as "cosy" in the train, lots of squeezing.

First impressions on the Bund, their most famous riverside front where all the movies and documentary were always showing, was not impressive. It looked too much like our Singapore river and City Hall colonial buildings. Not impressed.
The less developed parts of the city were the more interesting parts but unfortunately I did not have the luxury of time on this trip. I did manage to visit one of this place called Tian Zhi Fang for dinner. It was an approximately 200m long old housing area converted to retail space with the original tenants still living in the upstairs houses! Really unique!! It was very authentic and real and the idea was fantastic, the shops there were tiny little 3x2m spaces. Artists, craftsman, Designers, young entrepreneurs were all there having their own little space and the quality of the crafts and Designs were of high standards. How I wish our so called "Chinatown" had such a vibe.

That and the weather was the only salvation of my impression on Shanghai. If I get a chance to visit again, I will spend more time to tour the real side of Shanghai.

One thing that I remember strongly was the food there, it was very oily and salty. I never though I'd miss Singapore food overseas but it actually happened! The taste there was just too strong for me.

Anyway, I had only skimp a tiny surface of Shanghai, next target is Beijing, hopefully.

Kedah-Penang-KL, 6-10 September 2011

Went down to Kedah state recently for a business trip. Kedah was pretty laid back compared to the other states that were not controlled by the opposition. It was not very developed but at least the roads are not too bad(in terms of Malaysian roads that is). Lots of padi fields around, looked a bit like Thailand's landscape. I didn't take much pictures of scenery this time, maybe due to the nature of the trip. Instead, most of the pictures are of food!! Every factory I visited was followed by an eating session! Plus we went on an eating spree on our own after meetings! Hahaha!! Pig!!

The places we had meals were very nostalgic to me because we use to have similar eating places in Singapore not too long ago. Which is why, even when some of the dishes didn't taste that great but mentally it was to me, 5 star Michelin quality!!

Looking at all the food picture is making me hungry again!!!!

Pulau Sibu, Malaysia, 9th-11th July 2011

Went to Pulau SIbu recently. The last time I was there was like 20 odd years ago.

We drove to Tanjung Lehman jetty in the morning, reached there at around 9:30am.

Waited a short while for other passengers but they didn't show up so the boatman signal us to go.

The boat ride normally will take 30mins by slow boat but as we were on a high speed boat we took 15mins on a bumpy ride.

The old wooden jetty has made way for a new concrete one but the remaining chalets look the same as before.  

It was a full board trip so all meals were provided. The cost for 3 days 2 nights were around S$160.

The water was not particularly clear this time of the year due to the proximity to the mainland and moreover the side I was staying was not facing South China Sea which had less pollution.

Anyway, less talk and more pictures, enjoy.

GuangZhou, China 5-15th June 2011

Wow, it's been 5 long months since my last update. It really has been hectic the last five months. I have been travelling more often this year compared to last year. In the last five months I have been to China, Italy, Malaysia, USA and back to China again. This Sunday I was supposed to go China again but my company decided last minute to cancel the trip. It was a relief actually, as when you travel for work often, you will realise that the whole momentum of your work, private life and bio-clock is thrown into chaos. Luckily, I've trained myself over the years to be less worrying or maybe it's just getting old. Otherwise, I'll be very frustrated.

Just got back from Guangzhou last week and the toll of travelling has caught up with me. I was on medical leave from Thursday to Saturday. The weather did not help either. China was really blazing hot, I really had a hard time going around places with my T-shirt totally drenched in my own sweat!This was my toughest China trip to date as previously it was all done in much friendly climatic seasons. My next China trip is in August, so I hope it's cooler at least in the evenings by then.

I hope to have time to do more updates, I need to learn to work more efficiently.