A visual and audio feast at Taman Fatahillah

I have not felt inspired to write for half a year now. So apologies to those who have been reading this blog.

Today, I spent the day exploring Jakarta on foot. What a totally exhausting day it turned out to be.

My route spanned a total 8km from Plaza Indonesia to Taman Fatahillah, and included visits to Monum Nasional (also known as 'Monas' or 'Sukarno's final erection') and Museum Nasional.

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Perhaps it's way past my usual lunchtime hour, but I did not really relish the Batavia Burger and Fatahillah Punch at Batavia Cafe. At IDR150,000 after tax, it's not exactly a cheap meal.

After finishing my lunch, I walked around Taman Fatahillah.

You can find people peddling all kinds of stuff in the square. Above is a picture of a man selling macabre souvenirs in the forms of amputated feet, hands, fingers. Certainly, eye-catching and attention grabbing. But I am not sure how many takers there will be at the end of the day.
An One-Man-Operation (OMO) amusement ride powered by human leg power. The kids sure had fun.
I also saw oversized dolls (wayang puppets) dancing to deafening Indonesian traditional music.

I'm totally exhausted now. But I'm sure thankful I had good weather for the whole day today.

Gotta go now. Ciao.

Crime in Sing City?

(The following post may contain disturbing images. Parental guidance is advised.)

I thought I was witness to a crime scene.

'Gruesome' sums up my whole experience.

There were four 'corpses' in the art installation. A common theme that runs through is death by impalement. By not one instrument, but multiple ones. Murder weapons range from brooms, toilet bowl brushes to saws and screwdrivers.

Louie Cordero drew his inspiration for this art installation 'My We' from the recent spate of murders of people single Frank Sinatra's 'My Way' in Filipino karaoke bars.

I certainly hope there are no copycats in real life.

Take a step in Simon Fujiwara's mind, as you wander through 'Welcome to the Hotel Munber'. He spins a tale of oppression and release, with inspiration drawn from his personal experiences living in his parent's bar and hotel in Spain in the 70s.

There are 2 other art installations at the Singapore Art Museum, as part of the Singapore Biennale 2011. These include Julian Gothe's 'Events during Flood' and Ryan Trecartin's video works.

Stay tuned while we bring you other highlights from Singapore Biennale 2011 in future blog entries.

Celebrating Singapore's 100 years of aviation

16 March 2011 was a landmark date for Singapore's aviation history.

It marked exactly 100 years of aviation. To commemorate this event, the Singapore Aviation Centennial Celebrations was launched last night with a gala dinner.

Indeed, Singapore has come a long way. Visit Singapore and see the iconic air traffic control tower below, as you land at the Changi International Airport.


Don't forget to visit the old Kallang Airport, which is also one of the venues for this year's Singapore Biennale 2011.

This year's Singapore Biennale will feature the works of 60 artists from 30 countries.

Crave for a tasty American burger in Hanoi?

I have been scouring the streets of Hanoi. I constantly risk my palate to continue bringing you the unsung food outlets, bars and restaurants.

Sometimes, the disappointments have been so bitter. But I choose not to write about them.

On this occasion, I find something truly worthy of sharing.

Introducing: My Burger Mỹ

They serve the Super Works Mỹ Burger - an absolutely mouthwatering burger, with nice char-grilled beef petty, jalapeno peppers, chillis, thin strips of fried bacon, toasted cheese, and hot buns. A real bargain at VND125,000.


Also seen in the picture above is a glass of totally refreshing strawberry smoothie, specially made for me. It wasn't even on the menu. They serve smoothies made from seasonable fruits. What's in season now are pineapples, bananas, and mangoes (VND30,000). The mixed fruit smoothie is made from those fruits, and strawberries (VND35,000). As it's a special order, the strawberry smoothie costs VND35,000.

Besides burgers, they also serve Mexican food (e.g. nachos, burritos), and ice cream.

All these wonderful food brought to you by a wonderful American chef, who has been living in Hanoi for 3 years already.

My Burger Mỹ
Address: 5 Hang Bac Street, Hoàn Kiếm District, Hanoi
Tel: 84.4.73090777
Mobile: 0912 223 966

The Race To Save The Hồ Gươm Turtle

Everyday, for the past two weeks, a crowd will gather during the day to watch the rescue obsession.

The hapless victim: the reverential Hồ Gươm turtle

I understand from my Vietnamese friends that news about the rescue mission has been broadcasted daily. I witnessed the news broadcast about the turtle today.

During the day, they will even peer through a mini-telescope from their office building overlooking the Hoàn Kiếm lake to see the progress of the mission.

Why is there such great interest over a turtle?

Well, the Hồ Gươm turtle is no ordinary turtle.

According to Vietamese folklore, the Golden Turtle God, Kim Qui, gave a magic sword to Lê Lợi, who became an emperor of Vietnam and founder of the Lê Dynasty.

One day, when the King was out boating on a lake in Hanoi, he saw a large turtle surface. The turtle told the King to return the sacred sword that had helped him defeat the northern Ming aggressors now that peace had returned. Lê Lợi unsheathed his sword and threw it to the turtle, who dove into the depths of the lake. Efforts to find the turtle and sword were unsuccessful. Lê Lợi acknowledged that the sword had gone back to the Kim Qui, and renamed the lake "Hoàn Kiếm" (Lake of Returned Sword).

Given this backdrop, it is not surprising there's so much excitement among the Vietnamese when they see the turtle. In fact, seeing the turtle is supposed to bring them good luck.

What happened to the Hồ Gươm turtle?

The legendary turtle has been injured by red-eared turtles, an exotic species. My Vietnamese friend said these red-eared turtles came from China, and may have been initially adopted as pets, before they were eventually released into the lake.

Pictures of the injured turtle have captured the imagination of the nation. They have revealed injuries on its neck and shell. Scientists have also claimed that it is suffering from fungal infection and pollution.

According to VietNamNet, it is an endangered species. Besides it, there are only three other giant turtles in the world, including one in Hanoi’s Dong Mo Lake, one in Hoàn Kiếm Lake and two in China.

You can read 'The death of the giant turtle in Ngoc Son Temple' for more information about the last giant turtle to die in Hoàn Kiếm in 1967.

Don't miss the cherry blossoms this year!

The cherry blossom festival beckons.

Around this time every year, Japanese waits in eager anticipation of the cherry blossoms (桜 sakura). The cherry blossom festival heralds the arrival of spring, and marks the beginning of the school and business year in Japan.

Starting from last year, thousands of volunteers have taken part in the Sakura Project to track the arrival of the cherry blossoms.

Japanese will lay down blue mats on the grass patches in parks to indulge themselves in their traditional custom of flower viewing (お花見 Ohanami),and drinking sake while viewing the cherry blossoms (花見酒 hanami-zake).

In the video that follows, you can see many mesmerising images of the sakura blossoms from last year.

Cherry trees blossom once a year, and cherry blossoms do not last long.

If you want to catch the cherry blossoms this year in Japan, you have to book your flight and accommodation soon.

They assumed the food was good :P

This was the customer feedback form that triggered it all.
I was so inspired I decided to write a review 'They assumed the food was good :P' on TripAdvisor.

During the process of submitting the review on Khazaana, I was prompted to rate the place. In the process, the link to the image I was trying to upload was dropped.

I failed to notice this, and as a result, the image was not uploaded, even though the review specifically mentioned about the 'offending' picture. :P There's also no way right now for me to refresh the review and upload the picture.

What will you have done if you see the form? Feel free to leave your comments. I will love to hear your views. :)

Weekend Getaway to Ancient Capital of Vietnam

We enjoyed glorious weather yesterday. Thank god for that. After two days of planning, we were on our way to our weekend getaway in Hoa Lu, the ancient capital of Vietnam.

A boy holding a Hoa Lu (Lu flower) branch.

According to folklore, the ancient king used the

Hoa Lu branch to practice swordsmanship. The ancient

capital was named after the Lu flower.

It took about 2 1/2 hours to travel from Hanoi to Hoa Lu by bus, inclusive of a 20 minute rest stop at a souvenir gift shop.

Our APT Travel Coach

On arriving in Hoa Lu, we entered through a majestic gate (unfortunately, the bus driver did not stop, so I could not snap a picture of it).

A trip to Hoa Lu includes visits to the King Dinh and King Le temples. Many Vietnamese still pray to the ancient kings at this temple. They still believe that their prayers will be answered by the spirits of the dead kings.

Entrance to the King Dinh and King Le temples	Just outside King Dinh temple
Alter to King Dinh	Devotee praying for divine assistance

King Le temple

After the temple visits, we went for our buffet lunch. Not inclusive of drinks, which we paid for ourselves. It was a large spread of crackers, rice, fried noodles, french fries, salad, chicken and pork cooked in different ways, and fruits.

Originally, I was worried that the food would not suit my vegetarian friend. However, he found enough variety of vegetables and fruits to satisfy himself. A 'crisis' was averted - he had made an earlier request for vegetarian food.

After the satisfying lunch, we embarked on our boat trips to Tam Coc, famous for its 3 caves.

Tourists waiting at Tam Coc Wharf

Getting onto the boat

Off they go!

The boat trip was the most memorable part of the trip.

The boats can accommodate up to 4 or 5 passengers. But if you are a tourist, your travel guide may tell you that each boat can take up to 2 passengers.

The boatwoman started off by peddling with both oars. Then she did something unexpected. She decided to peddle with her feet instead.

Our capable boatwoman pedding with her feet!

She did so for most of the boat ride, except at the start and end of the boat ride. I observed later that many other boatmen and boatwomen also did likewise.

My friend and I also helped to row the boat with oars. It was definitely good exercise under the bright sun.

Majestic mountains

More scenic views

Deep crevices in the mountain face

I could not have asked for anything better: sunny weather with occasion cloud cover, luxurious greenery, great scenery, enjoyable boat ride and friendly boatwoman. The highlight was undoubtedly rowing through the largest and longest cave, when we were greeted by a refreshing cool breeze.

Cool refreshing boat ride through the largest cave	It's good fun to pit your rowing skills against others!
Fishing in Ngo Dong River	Captive monkey - it sometimes bear its fangs when taunted by onlookers
Rest stop after passing through the 3 caves - convenience does not come cheap.	Rowing our way back to Tam Coc Wharf

How to get to Hoa Lu-Tam Coc

You can enquire about travel options to Hoa Lu-Tam Coc at the numerous travel agents around the Old Quarters, Hanoi.

1. By private car - you can arrange for a private car for USD 135 with an English-speaking guide. That works out to USD45 per person for a party of three persons.

2. By package tour - There are standard, superior and deluxe options.

• Standard tour: priced at USD 17 - USD 18. You get a set meal valued at VND30,000. (USD 1 = VND 22,000 today).
• Superior tour: priced at USD 22 - USD 26 (depending on the number of persons, and your choice of travel desk). Caters for 14 to 22 persons on a single tour bus. Includes a buffet spread valued at VND100,000 per person.
• Deluxe tour: priced at USD 27 - USD 30. Coach is supposed to be better than for the standard and superior tours. The buffet spread is supposed to be better than that for a superior tour.

You can also opt for a bicycle ride from Hoa Lu to Tam Coc. The additional cost varies from USD 3 to USD 5.

I used the Sinh Cafe at 100 Ma May to book a tour for a party of 4 persons. I only realised later that the APT Travel agency is just a stone's throw away along the same Ma May street.

Booking a tour through a hotel's travel desk may be dearer by USD 3 to USD 5.

Universal Studios Singapore resumes Battlestar Galactica rides

"Screams back as Battlestar Galactica ride re-opens"

I can only read this piece of news with envy.

When I visited the Universal Singapore Studios last Friday, the Battlestar Galactica Cyclon and Human rollercoaster rides were still closed for repairs.

My friends who visited the rides before their closures said that these were the star attractions of the theme park.

In any case, I still managed to enjoy myself during that last visit. My best experience was on the Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure in the 'Lost World' section. Be prepared to get wet. In fact, the person sitting directly opposite us was half drenched at the end of the ride. I escaped with minimal 'damage' after the watery ride, due to my seating position in the circular raft.

My other adventures included (in order of decreasing satisfaction): the Canopy Flyer (also in the 'Lost World' section), Shrek 4D Adventure ('Far Far Away' section), and Revenge of the Mummy ('Ancient Egypt').

Universal Studios Globe at entrance of Universal Studios Singapore

Easy access to Automated Teller Machines

Welcome to Hollywood!

As for food, you can refer to my earlier post 'Welcome to sunny Singapore'.

I will have to wait until my next visit to try the Cyclon and Human rides.

Cricket Fever Grips Indian Subcontinent

Large crowds stood around coffee shops. Loud cheers rang out from time to time. Police officers were present to maintain crowd control. That was the scene at Little India in Singapore last Saturday.

That day marked the first match of the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup. The 2011 Cricket World Cup is the tenth edition, and is being hosted by India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

On that day, India was playing Bangladesh. According to ICC Cricket Test Teams Rankings, India is the world's top- ranking cricket playing nation, while Bangladesh is ranked 9th. India eventually won by 87 runs.

If you are an avid cricket fan, you may be interested to know the schedule of the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup.

You can also catch the Cricket World Cup Live Streaming here.

The cricket fever that has gripped the cricket-crazy nations of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka has also spread to the Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan communities in Singapore.

Little India is a popular place among Indian, Bangladeshi and Pakistan nationals, working in Singapore. On this occasion, it was not surprising to see them congregating at coffee shops to share in the moments, as the match was being played out on big screens, or broadcasted on radio.

Chinese New Year Sights and Sounds in Singapore 2011

This majestic towering statue just outside the Fu Lu Shou Complex represents the God of Prosperity. As we enter the Year of the Rabbit, the Chinese believe that their fortunes will change, according to their Chinese zodiac signs.

The base of this God of Prosperity statue is 12-sided, with 12 different panels, each carrying general advice in terms of fortune, prosperity and luck for the 12 zodiac signs.


Chinese New Year is a time of shopping for auspicious decorations, foods, flowers, and new clothes. Chinatown is especially busy and crowded just before the Chinese New Year.

Buying red melon seeds for blessing of having many children	Taiwanese sweets stall - Buying sweets helps to sweeten up one's life	Auspicious Chinese New Year banners
A German selling German sausages at Wuerstelstand	Shopping at Chinatown before Chinese New Year	Preserved Chinese sausages ("lap cheong")
Pomelo stall. Pomelo is a symbol of good luck and prosperity	Crowd thronging through the streets and alleys of Chinatown	Pumpkin stall. Halloween? Pumpkin seeds symbolise a wish for many male children

We bring you a clip on the highlights of the Chingay procession in Singapore.

Singapore Buzzing with Record Tourist Arrivals

The Singapore Tourism Board is definitely proud of its latest achievement - a record 11.6 million visitor arrivals in 2010, with Indonesia, China, Malaysia, Australia and Indonesia being the top 5 sources of visitor arrivals.

According to the news bulletin, these visitors spent a total of $18.8 billion, with the majority of tourism receipts being generated by shopping, sight-seeing, and entertainment.

Singapore is obviously a magnet for tourism. Here is my list of top 5 reasons for visiting Singapore, a few of which are already so obvious, as they have been mentioned above:

1. Invest-tourism: Despite cooling measures taken by the Singapore Government of late, significant drop in property prices is unlikely. When I visited the Altez condominium project launch showroom at Tanjong Pagar (right in the heart of Singapore's Central Business District) three days ago, the direct promoter from the property development firm confidently told me that prices will not come down. In fact, the property development firm will ensure that the price of the next unit sold will be higher, if not at least equal to the price of the last comparable property unit sold.
   
   Singapore's properties are definitely up for grabs, and with no foreign ownership restriction, a stable government, a clean and safe environment, these properties represent attractive investments.
   
2. Shopping: Orchard Road is traditionally associated with shopping in Singapore. After a SGD40 million overhaul over the course of 2+ years, starting from 2008, Orchard Road pedestrian walkways have been expanded, and there are Urban Green Rooms, to be used for art exhibitions, mini performances, and major events like Chingay. New retail malls have also sprouted up, including ION Orchard, Orchard Central, TripleOne Somerset, and 313@Somerset. You can check out the list of Orchard Road shopping malls here.
   
   But this is fast changing. You can also check out shopping malls at Marina Bay, HarbourFront, Vivocity, and even in the heartlands.
   
   If you are shopping for electronic gadgets, do pay a visit to Sim Lim Square.
   
3. Entertainment: The opening of Universal Studios Singapore in the Resorts World Sentosa integrated resort has brought the magic of Universal Studios movies to Singapore. You can now experience the thrills of rollercoaster rides, and other movie-themed attractions.
   
   If you are itching to try your luck at gaming, you can visit Resorts World Sentosa or Marina Bay Sands.
   
   You can also enjoy cultural and artistic performances at the durian-shaped Esplanade Theatre.
   
4. Sightseeing: The popular attractions include Chinatown, Little India, Kampong Glam, Arab Street, Sentosa, The Singapore Zoo and Night Safari, Jurong Bird Park, Chinese Garden and Japanese Garden.
   
   A recent attraction is the Singapore Flyer, which is a significant landmark in Marina Bay. Inspired by the likes of the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the London Eye, the Singapore Flyer is the world's largest observation wheel, offering passengers views of the beautiful Marina Bay skyline, and glimpses of neighbouring Malaysia and Indonesia. You may like to read about the use of feng shui in deciding the direction of its rotation.
   
5. Eco-tourism: For those into eco-tourism, you might want to explore the nature trails of Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, explore the unspoilt Chek Jawa wetlands on Pulau Ubin (one of Singapore's offshore islets) or bird-watch at Sungei Buloh Park.

Celebrating Tết

On the 23rd day of the 12th month of the Vietnamese lunar calendar (4 days ago on 26 January), the Vietnamese prayed to the Kitchen God (Ông Táo) with offerings of sugarcanes, fruits and chicken, so that he can ascend to the heavens and make a favourable report of the family when he meets the Jade Emperor. Some of the prayer items are shown below:

Prayer Chicken

Mandarin Oranges

Due to the unforgiving cold weather, the peach blossoms (hoa đào) have suffered. (Read 'Cold ruins peach blossom harvest' here). So I can show you the rather unspectacular sight of a rather bald pink peach blossom tree. Apologies for the fuzzy image of the hoa đào flower up close, but you may be just able to make out how it looks from the flowers in the background of the picture on the right.

Pink peach blossom (hoa đào) tree

Close-up view of hoa đào

The Vietnamese government has declared that the period from 31 January to 7 February 2011 will be official holidays for Tết. Tết falls on 3 February, and coincides with the Chinese Lunar New Year this year.

Already the Vietnamese people are returning in droves to their home towns, leading to massive traffic jams everywhere. You can see motorcyclists with all kinds of bulky items on their bikes - pots of kumquat, hoa đào, large boxes, etc. Everyone is going back home to attend the important reunion dinner on the eve of Tết.

If you are travelling to Vietnam during this time, be prepared to pay expensive prices for food in upmarket restaurants. Most shops will be closed during this time. For 31st January and 1st February, banks will also keep some of the branches open for basic transactions.

Our next destinations will be Malaysia and Singapore. So stay tuned.