Another skyscraper!

This time it's the Taipei 101! Reaching the top in the fastest lift in the world, your ears will pop. This building stands out in Taipei and it's so high the top is covered in clouds. Entrance is from the 5th floor of the shopping complex and even on a non busy day the queue is about 30 minutes. Entrance fee to the observatory is TWD80. You get fantastic vistas at the top, including  a screening of how it was built. It also houses a 600 ton golden pendulum to damp the building from swaying strong winds. There's a little cafe at the top that also serves Taiwan beer! There's also an outdoor viewing platform.

Covered in clouds

Certified!

Fantastic Views of course!

Great Wall of China

After visiting China almost once a month for a year, we finally made it to the Great Wall. There are many sections to visit and the one we chose were recommended to be the most gorgeous section at Badaling. Left the hotel at 0800 and reached there around 9:30am by private car, delayed due to heavy traffic leaving the city. After and hour of so on the highway you can see beautiful mountains up ahead and as you get nearer you can see certain sections of the Great Wall and it was a wonderful scene.

Once we reached the place there were busloads of tourists and a long que at the cable car station. However it was very quick and we only spent about 15mins waiting in line. It was RMB 45 for entrance ton the Great Wall and RMB 80 for the cable car ride up and down.

Wonderful view going up and we cannot ask for a lovelier day of blue sky and crisp cool weather. It always difficult to find clear skies in Beijing. The only thing were that we taken aback by the overwhelming amount of people visiting the place. Imagine if we came on the week end, it is literally the Great Wall of People!

Nevertheless once you entered, the scenery was breathtaking. With the rolling mountains and the Great Wall snaking up down through ridges and the history behind it, it's really one of the wonders of the world. It's one of the must visit place other than the Forbidden City in Beijing. We are so happy to have finally made it.

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Location:Beijing

What a month!!!

What a fantastic month of flying! Just to name a few places we overnighted, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Manila, Jakarta and Bangkok again! Even went to Mukah!!!!

Chongqing

Rainy Hong Kong

Mall of Asia,Manila

Hello Mukah

Halim Airport, Jakarta

When in BKK

Had the opportunity to fly to Don Muang and did two nite stops. We stayed at the Grand Millennium which was close to most things. So first thing to do was to go for authentic Thai food! Found a cozy restaurant behind our hotel and the food was outstanding. Nevertheless you should also try food at the market or by the roadside, they are fabulous. Taste the local Singha beer and all the fresh and spicy stuff. Be adventurous and Go for a ride with those motorcycles taxi and tuk-tuk. If you are are into shopping you must visit the Jatujak/ Chatuchak market!!! You will leave there happy with lots of goodies.

Hotel view!

Motorbike taxi

Tuk-tuk

Fabulous food & beer!

Plus a Tattoo!

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Location:BKK

Tioman Revisited

Did a short trip to Tioman with a photographer friend. It was almost a "get up and go trip", decided to drive to Mersing which took about 4 hours followed by another 2 hours ferry ride to Panuba Inn. It was a really basic place, no TV, no Internet and even no towels! No worries.....soaked in the sun and sea, it was great!!

24 hrs in DOHA, Qatar

One thing that strikes me during my short stay in Doha was that there were  hardly any interaction with any Qatari locals. From flying in, our controllers were expats, our ground handling crews were either Pakistani or Filipinos. Taxi driver were African and receptionists and hotel workers were all foreign workers too. We stayed at the Wyndham Grand Regency, halfway between downtown and airport. We were upgraded to a suite but with a window view of some back alley. Afterall it's like middle of nowhere and the nearest mall is a 15 minutes walk. at 40+ deg celcius is a long hot and dusty walk. Our hotel is a dry hotel and although it's the middle east there are some hotels that have pubs and clubs. The problem is that most of these places either only let in house guests or you need to show your passport. We gave up after a few tries.
At the mall, all the service staff are also foreign workers! The only local I interacted was the money changer, the rates were good but don't forget your passport.
In the evening we went for a stroll near the bay, you can have a boat tour but with choppy waters and warm breeze blowing it would not be a good idea. The CBD has a spectacular skyline with modern buildings and the places just felt it's flushed with money. Workers were toiling through the night building even grander buildings. I wish we have more time to explore Doha and it's not fair to judge a city in mere 24 hours. Hope to be back and see more of Doha.

Still building at night.

Hotel Lobby

City in the background

 Doha Airport

When in Shanghai!

Pearl Tower

When visiting Shanghai, usually the 1st pace to visit is the Bund. The vista on the other side of the river is spectacular with the iconic Pearl Tower some of the tallest buildings in the world here. Therefore 2nd off the list would be a visit to the Pearl Tower. It looks like a rocket and have fantastic 360 deg viewing galleries. Ticket is RMB 120 per person. Try not to visit on a public holidays for even on non, the glaring loudhailers used by the tour group leader is really annoying. The best view would be the outdoor platform with see through glass floor. Warning: Acrophobic are not welcome!!

Standing on Air!

Hold on tight!

Fantastic Views

Within walking distance is the 101 floor Shanghai World Financial Center, the 2nd tallest building in the world and also the Jin Mao Tower, the 5th tallest in the world. The SWFC has an observatory and both housed the Hyatt hotel starting from the 56th Floor up. The bar at the 87th Floor Park Hyatt offers a spectacular view. The Grand Hyatt lobby restaurant has a fantastic atrium, you'll get dizzy just staring up.

SWFC and Jin Mao Tower.

Bar with a view!

  Grand Hyatt Atrium

Beer hunting in Perth

Have not gone Down Under for a very long time...and this time it's to Perth. I always remembered the crispy clear blue sky and the friendly people from my last trip to Sydney years ago. Unfortunately this time around I 'll remember how expensive things are! We stayed at the Pan Pacific and it's walking distance to the pier and Northbridge. First stop was the Lucky Shag Pub by the waterfront. Very nice view of the Swan River and a great way to spent the afternoon session here.

Other notable watering holes are The Mustang Pub which caters for an older crowd who likes to dance to country and western including rock and roll. Then there's Rosie O'Grady, Universal and The Brass Monkey. Universal has a live band too. Average price of beers is AUD 9, equivalent to almost USD10. You'll have to que and pay at the bar and that is about as much service you can get! Welcome to OZ mate...cheers! Mineral water at the convenient store is AUD2.50!! So bring lots of cash when visiting Australia!

The Lucky Shag!

Local beers,,,cheers mate!

ANZAC DAY.....Look!

Langkawi revisited

Suppose to have a couple of days in VTSM but unfortunately things don't always goes as plan and ended up in WMKL instead. Made the best of it, cheers!

Ahhh...cheers!

Beer hunting in Shanghai.

Landed on a cold evening in Hongqiao, Shanghai and after a long days' work what better way to unwind with cold beers in a cozy pub. After a couple of nice places in downtown decided to go back Hong Mei Pedestrian Street. Here the street is dotted with nice pubs and bistros notably, Papas Bierstube which serves  wheat beer and dark pilsener brewed in house. Opposite is the Bamboo bar, full of expats with live band and good food and further down is The Shanghai brewery which serves their own house brand!

Papas in house brewery.

Wheat Beers.

My fav!

Nice too!

Delicious Shanghai noodles.

Nice lunch near Naning East 

Playing tourist!

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR! Gong Xi Fa Chai!

Almost every year we get invited to Uncle Jit's place during CNY to see the lion dance. So far this year, it's the best  yet. The Lion is really animated and playful,it was such a thrill and a joy to witness it. Wishing all my friends a happy and prosperous year of the Rabbit. May good health and wealth be showered upon the year of the Bunny. Gong Xi Fa Chai!