Duty Free Incident

Dubai Airport would be a fantastic place to do duty free shopping. Ah, the choice and the price. I did get a few items for myself and of course, my family. It would have been more shopping if it was not for the terrible check-in service provided by the ground staff for SIA. SIA should really look into this. As a group, we had no idea where to, transferred from counter to counter, which made it a pain.

Anyway, after my shopping, I was walking around the airport, near the departure gate. Suddenly, my a pretty gal from our travel group called out to me. She looked worried and angry. An Indian chap was talking to her, asking her for the receipt of goods purchased. The shopping was done one floor below.

This Indian chap, did look like the guy responsible for the trolleys. He wasn't security. He said something about computer error to me and he wanted to check the receipts.

In reality, he was hoping my friend Y could not produce the receipts. Y was already frantically searching for the tiny pieces of paper amid her shopping. She did Shop! Y said that when she had trouble locating the receipts, he asked for some money. This made Y angry. When I showed up, the guy pretended that all was OK and disappeared.

In hindsight, I should have asked him for his ID and made some fuss. When I returned to KL, I found out in Bangkok, there is a ploy to trick visitors. In the duty free shop, after shopping, the salesperson would offer a gift to the visitors - say, a box of cigars. Since it is a gift, thinking it is part of the purchase, the visitors will take it. Alas, the visitors will be arrested later and be charged with theft. Certainly, a sum of 500,000 baht will make the charges disappear. This was actually published in the New Straits Times.

In short - be darn careful when we do duty free shopping. Keep receipts. And ensure that all free gifts are properly labelled as "free gifts". Oh yeah - this is why I pay with my credit card - if I lose the receipts, the credit card will still have a record.

Dubai

I was in Dubai recently. Prior to arriving in Dubai, I had the mindset that Dubai is an expensive place. Did not bother to prepare cash for shopping. When I arrived in Dubai - ah, that's when reality dawns.

I was fortunate enough to have a travel mate who's been to Dubai many times. First stop after arriving at 3am - nasi mandi - a type of rice with meat topping, near the clock tower. It wasn't cheap - about RM 30 per person, but the food was great.

Next stop - shopping for cloth. Wow. That was great. Spent more than RM 1500 on cloth. Got enough for 10 shirts and some for my girlfriends back at home. It was cheap, generally about RM12 to RM 30 per yard. Yes, they still use yards. 100% cotton - which is great to wear but a pain to iron.

Making shirts were cheap too. RM 30 each. The best part is, it could almost be done overnight. Fitting was perfect, although the tailor (Prince Taylor in Bur Dubai), did insist I try one first before making the rest.

Oh yeah - I guess I forgot to mention - it was a business trip. Business was bad, and I will write more on why in the next blog.

Time Travel

I just got back from Sri Lanka, in one piece. Yes, the security situation there is somewhat bad - it is like re-living in a page of the history books of the Malayan Emergency. The place certainly look like the British has just left recently.



This is a picture of a very old steam-roller. Hmmm. I've never seen it before. Wonder if it still works.

In Malaysia, things have moved forward so much. Is Sri Lanka nice? Yes, I would say it is. Malaysia is way too developed now. Hardly any green areas left. The politicians are too busy lining their own pockets, destroying history in the name of progress. Why can't they keep buildings by the British? That's character to the place. But heck no, building code in Malaysia seems to dictate that all old buildings must be replace buy uglier new ones.

Heck no, there was no action at all in Sri Lanka. Only action were that of military. The place is rather miserable. Shops begin to close at about 5pm and by 7pm, Colombo is a deserted town.

I received a rude shock when I arrived. On the way to the hotel from the airport, I noticed the driver was driving in the middle of the road, literally. So, I asked him why. The reply a very sobering "Roadside bombs, sir". As I sank deeper into the seat, I wished I did not ask. As X Files says "You cannot handle the truth".

No longer a common sight are mobile ice-cream vendors. Maybe still one or two more in smaller towns in Malaysia, but certainly not seen in Kuala Lumpur. Reminds me when I was a kid.

The conversation over lunch on Monday nearly had me choking on my tender and juicy piece of meat. I'm not referring to a pretty gal, but to some Australian Angus beef. And the topic during lunch? "How come there were no bombs this morning". The locals were wondering why hasn't the Tamil Tigers bombed a police station or the public transport. Apparently, the bombs are usually on Mondays and Fridays. Looks like the Tamil Tigers have a better SOP than Nible2.

I prefer Indian food to Sinhalese food. Pharmaceutical drugs are cheaper in India than in Sri Lanka. In any case, I bought some Cupid 50 (equivalent of Viagra) for about RM3 per tablet - that's less than USD 1 per tablet. Oh, more on Viagra later.

I did a double-take when I first say the letter boxes there. Yup, that's GR - from the era of King George V. I have never seen those before. No ER II emblems because Sri Lanka gained independence (according to my tour guide) before Queen Elizabeth II's reign.

The Elephant Orphanage was fun. This place is between Colombo and Kandy. I did some touring on Saturday, after being informed that it was safer to be outside Colombo. Believe it or not, it was a business trip and not a holiday. But it sure sounds like a holiday.

Anyway, back to the Elephant Orphanage - there are actually only 3 or 4 orphaned elephants there. The rest of the elephants? Oh well, it could be called a resort. Interesting especially when we get to pat the elephants.

Visited another temple in Kandy - the Tooth Relic. It is said that this temple contains a tooth from Buddha. The tooth is said to be collected from the cremation pyre.

The place was very serene and yes, I did enjoy visiting the temples. Only concern was, this place was bombed by the Tamil Tigers back in 1993, if I remember correctly. Heck, all my office colleagues told me that they only targeted public transport. So much for local input!


I did buy a lot of tea - it was cheap and yes, they are good. Got myself a white sapphire, but it appears I have dropped it in less than 72 hours after buying it. Haiz. Guess precious stones are not the thing for me. Good thing it wasn't a diamond or a gift for a loved one.

Stayed in Hilton JAIC Towers. They are service apartments, but like a hotel in many ways. My suite was USD 105 per nite, and it had three bedrooms. It was a little too big for my liking - especially when I am alone. Can be scary at night. One morning, when I got up, I released that my bedroom door was slightly ajar. I was pretty sure I locked it the night before. Anyway, I rather believe I have a bad memory than the other alternatives - someone came in, or there is ghost after all. I rather live with bad memory. May not be able to handle the truth.

With such a nice hotel, I only wish H was with me ... to enjoy some intimate moments together. Gosh, I do miss travelling with her.

All in all, I did enjoy myself in Sri Lanka. It was dangerous but exciting. It was like a page out of the history book - but hey, that's the "Good Old Days" everyone is talking about. I sure hope to return to Sri Lanka again.

When was the last time you prayed?

During my last trip to India, my colleague took me to see a clairvoyant. How much do I believe in a clairvoyant? Well, I believe a monk sums it up the best... the future is uncertain. I do believe that the future is uncertain.

The clairvoyant did make some predictions, but one questions that got to me was "When was the last time you prayed?". I admit that I am not a religious person, but I would have felt better if I could have answered "10 years ago". Why? Because at that point of them, I did not even know or remember when was the last time I prayed.

Not praying is one thing. Cannot even remembered the last prayer is really bad. I could not even say I do not pray. Urrggh. This is really bad.

So, nett nett, what does this mean. I think I will spend less time having fun or travelling for business. Time to spend some time on other stuff. I do not believe in spending too much time praying per-se (I think the time can be better spent doing something else) or spending money to build a bigger temple / church. I rather do some charity work whereby the money goes to the poor.

Coming weekend, I intend to go to Montfort Boys' Home's fun fair / Open House Carnival. After that, I would try to spend more time doing pro bono tuition for the poor. I am worried what subjects could I teach after all these years away from the academia. Then again, I am sure there are areas that I can contribute towards.

New Delhi

As mentioned, I was in New Delhi a couple of weeks back. India, as usual, never had a dull moment for me. I've been to Mumbai many times, but this is my first visit to New Delhi. Naturally, I expected it to be somehow, like Mumbai.

Boy, I was wrong. New Delhi hardly had any traffic jams. The only time with traffic congestion is when the roads were closed for VVIPs to pass. Fair enough. Generally, it was a lot less congested. More space, less people. However, in terms of food, I would prefer food in Bombay. Food in Delhi has is rather 'spicy', too much chili for me. Hotel rooms were less expensive and the room was better than the Mumbai rooms which I had.

Anyway, no point of me writing too much. Here's many photographs, which will speak for itself.

New Delhi Airport undergoing renovations. Not a sight to welcome visitors, but hey, that's India.

Indians are known to be very thrifty, but someone forgot to tell send them a memo. Do not de-face their own currency. They love to use any small white space on their own currency to do calculations.

A boy by the pavement, pouring coffee into small cups. The coffee will then be served to office workers, presumably they have ordered for it. Guess this must be a regular service.

Fruits for sale! Being darn brave, I've actually eaten a fair deal of fruits in India. And lots of Indian food. Whatever it is, I have never had food poisoning in India. Amazing India.

When I was arrived in India for the first time, I could not help but to feel I just got off a time machine. The first time I landed in Bombay, I did think that the British just left the day before. Design of things were from another era. For example, picture above shows the car of some ministers or VVIP. It is a very old design, but it is a fairly new car. They just keep to the old design, with the old look. I love this very much. It makes the place unique, not filled with modern looking cars. This gives the place character.

Sadly, due to the security threat, sandbags and bunkers are a common sight. This was pictured at the entrance of a night market. Why can't people just live in peace? What can one get out of bombing another place? Crazy isn't it?

Part of Humayun's grave. Humayun's grave is actually the tomb prior to Taj Mahal. I've not seen the Taj Mahal, but Humayun's tomb is really impressive. By chance, the photographs did turn up very nice. The sky was just so blue, so clear, not a cloud it sight. It was bloody hot! Oh well, can't have the best of everything. To enter the tomb, the cost for local is Rp 10. For a foreigner like me, it was Rp 200. What more can I say?

Some travellers at Delhi airport.

On the way back to Kuala Lumpur, I had an old plane, courtesy of MAS. It was really old! Good thing I got home safely.

Ashtrays were still available!

General view of the cabin. No personal entertainment system.

Old seat belt buckles. Reminds me when I was a kid, going back to Ipoh on the Fokker planes.

Beats the heck out of me, but the safety signs are in German.

First Aid

With the lots of travel, I have heaps in my first aid 'kit'. It can be considered a minor pharmacy by now. Here are some of the items that I have, but first, a word of caution.

I am no medical expert and this information is only good for first aid. It is no substitute for proper and professional medical advice / care. It is useful for temporary pain relieve but seek medical help as soon as possible. Listed drugs are based on advice given to me, but you should talk to your medical practitioner on what drugs are suitable for you. All drugs have side effects and may be unsuitable for certain individuals.

What's in my first aid kit:

• Panadol, soluble
• Panadol for period pain (H use to take it)
• Condoms
• Carbon pills (do not find them useful)
• Buscopan ('pain killers' for stomach)
• Duspatalin (lets stomach and digestive system to relax)
• Imodium (to stop diarhea)
• Gascol / Disflatyl ( to get rid of gas from digestive system )
• Alcohol Swabs (good to clean public toilets before using them)
• Super glue (who knows - usually for my shoe)
• Digital Thermometer
• Maxalon (to stop vomiting)
• Clarinase, Clarityne, Sudafed, Actifed (cold medication - warning, some of them cause drowsiness).
• Band aid
• Solimat (cough mixture)
• Broad spectrum antibiotics (in extreme emergency)

The worst case of illness I had, when travelling was:

Food poisoning in Boston. It happened about 18 hours before I boarded my flight back to KL. I spent most of the time in the toilets of Boston Airport. Imodium did not appear to help much. Thankfully, it stopped when I boarded the plane. Did not want to imagine spending 7 hours trans Atlantic in a small toilet. What would happen should there be turbulence? Not funny.

I also got food poisoning in Bangkok, Thailand (which stupidly, I took raw oysters) and Singapore. Yup, supposedly clean Singapore, after lunch at a food court, knocked me out of action for two days. Getting food poisoning in Bangkok was serious too. I was running out of medication, and all the food was spicy. Suffered for about three days. I am careful with my food when I travel, but as they say, shit happens (no pun intended).

In India, strangely, I never had food poisoning. I am very grateful for this. The worst in India was cold. I picked it up just before leaving for Mumbai. My nose was running for the whole day. Imagine blowing your nose ( constantly leaving for the wash room ) while doing a due diligence on another company. Ended up taking a day off in the hotel. Recovered much later when I was back in KL.

Many times, I have used my first aid kit to 'rescue' fellow colleagues. They would be happy to have some medication and sometimes, almost immediate relief. As I would always tell them, I have everything except birth control pills. Actually, that's no longer true. Lately, I have been carrying Prostinor around. You know why...

Bali

Well, are more pics and stories from my Bali trip. It was a few weeks ago, but I finally have the type to blog it.

As mentioned, we got a very nice room at a bargain of USD 60 per night. H and I stayed at Inna Kuta Beach Hotel, which is next to the beach, close to Legian Street. It a peaceful, safe (IMHO) and clean hotel. Good facilities with free breakfast. Staff is friendly, speaks English (as possibly other languages). In short, yes, I would want to return to this hotel if I visit Bali again.

Pool at Inna Kuta Hotel.

This is our 'room'. Large room with a dining area. No kitchen, but we didn't plan on cooking. The down side is, there is another room right next to us, in the same bungalow. The two rooms are separated by two wooden doors. Let's just say that the doors are not very solid and there is a little, just a little sound that passes through. The problem is, during our very intimate (long) moments, H would make a lot of noise, if you get what I mean. We try to keep it down, but it's difficult. We don't care if they neighbours know that we are screwing, but I don't want to bother them.

Hmmm. That's my idea of good fashion. H's sexy dress by the bed side the next morning. Hehehe. It took me some time to find my shorts, which was between the bed and the mattress. Don't ask how.

In general, we made love twice a day. It's so nice to wake up in the morning, hugging H. One thing leads to another, and we will end up having sex. At night, we would definitely take our time making love. I enjoyed kissing her, hugging her, eating out the breasts - she gets noisy already, playing with her pussy, eating her out; doggy style is her favourite but we both love to hug each other, kiss and fu*k at the same time. Very intimate. In the afternoons, she's naughty - she would give me blowjobs but won't let me cum - to save it for the night. Hehehe.

While having sex on the beach sounded very naughty and tempting, the both of us didn't want to risk it. We were not afraid of getting caught but didn't want any sand on the more sensitive parts of the body!

Speaking of the beach, this is the view right outside our room. Wow! The other quirky thing was, they have lifeguards. Safe areas to swim are marked with a red and yellow flag (Swim between the yellow flags). Unsafe areas are marked with red flags. As usual, most would think the red flags are for decorative purposes only, swimming and diving in areas marked unsafe. I sure hope nothing bad happens.

Like any tourists, no holidays would be complete without souvenirs. The worst places to buy souvenirs are from the stalls outside tourist areas - such as just outside a temple. Bad idea. It would be a major rip off. They have no price tags, and super inflated prices. You need to bargain for a 90% discount. That's not my idea of shopping. I am on holidays. Why should one waste his time and energy haggling over price? Why get ripped off?

So, with some luck, we found a great place to shop for souvenirs - Omega Handicraft which is along Legian Street, Kuta. It's about 10 minutes from the hotel, by foot. Everything has a price tag and the prices are reasonable. Very wide selection of products. Highly recommended place to hunt for souvenirs.

Something very puzzling - dicks for sale. To be precise, wooden phallus on sale. They cost about Rp 25,000 each (or RM 10 / USD 3 each). Like real-life, they come in all shapes and sizes. The puzzling part is, why sell dicks? I wonder does the local women use them as dildos? Surely their men can satisfy them.

In any case, I bought some too, as a gag gift. And bought the biggest I could find - for only one purpose. No no, not to use it as a dildo. My original equipment works fine. If my partners want a dick, they can just give me a call and I will satisfy them. :) If I ever resign from Nible2 - correction, when I resign from Nible2, I will show it to my bosses and ask them to ... You get the idea.

Could they at least sell wooden phallus and a statue of Buddha separately, for crying out loud?

I bought a lot (Rp4.5 million) of Indonesian Rupiah before I left KL. Ran of money into Day 3. The gross under-estimate was due to the fact that credit cards are not widely accepted. Cash is preferred. So, I had to buy more currency in Kuta. There are many currency traders along streets. Some would offer Rp2650 for each ringgit. Some were offering up to Rp 2980 for each ringgit. At first, I didn't know. I went to one which offered Rp 2980. I wanted to sell RM 300.

That stall itself was shady, at the back of a shop, under a staircase. Figured out it was illegal. In any case, I was feeling brave (H was waiting outside). They proceeded to give me the Indonesian currency, close to Rp 800,000, all in Rp 20,000 notes. It was a huge stack. In Indonesia, they have Rp 50,000 and Rp 100,000 notes. But these crooks, preferred the Rp 20,000 bills for only one reason. They cheat.

After I've counted the stack of Rp 20,000 bills, one of the guys helpfully stacked it back nicely for me. That's when I knew I was being tricked. During the stacking process, very quickly and I didn't observe it, he must have removed some of the bills. I recounted the stack again, and sure enough, it was short of Rp 200,000 this time. I told them that it's short. So, they had to cough up the 'missing' cash. I did get a good bargain (they suffered a lost in exchange) but I was nearly cheated. One has to be brave to deal with these crooks.

Moral of the story - after one has counted the notes, do NOT let anyone else touch it.

I could not help but to post another picture of Jimbaran here. A must visit and must dine place in Bali. Very romantic place.

Strangely, there were few Indonesian food outlets along Kuta. Most of them served Western food, or Japanese food. H and I preferred local food when we travel. Fortunately, we were introduced to Made's Warung along Legian street. It has good food, cheap, good service and most important - Indonesian cooking!

That's the sign of Made's Warung. Always busy. Starts at 8am. However, I don't see many tourist up and about at that hour. I certainly would be in bed with H enjoying each other's body. Anyway, back to the subject of food. How good was Made's Warung? We dined there for four meals, including a breakfast. Each time, we ordered different dishes. My favourite was the noodles in soup ( I cannot recall the name ). H loves soups.

On Day 3, we took a cab to Denpasar. One way was about Rp 80,000 but it is a lot cheaper to rent them for a day. The cheapest being the cabs by the road side - but do be careful. We went to Denpasar Market. A local lady, speaks English, decides to tail H and I. At every shop, when we asked the proprietor for the price, she would interrupt, mumbles to each other in their local dialect, and replies to me in English. The problem was, the prices were greatly inflated. Mind you, Malaysians can speak some Bahasa Indonesia, we needed no translator and we definitely knew the products well! They weren't foreign to us. Bananas went for Rp 15,000.

So, it took us something for H and I to shake of this unwanted agent. We did so leaving the market. Then, we got smarter - we approached the market from a side entrance. Looks like the agents were only waiting in front. Oh, I got some good avocados, bananas (for Rp 2500 only, but decided to pay the old lady Rp 5000), rambutans and some spices.

Denpasar Market.


For the rest of the day and Day 4, we went touring, to various tourist spots: temples, beaches. I cannot recall where some of these pictures were taken but they are certainly beautiful places. As for temples, we only walked on the outside. I don't like to enter the temples per-se as a tourist - it is meant for prayers! Anyway, that's my belief.

An elaborate door arch.

This would have been a great place for a beer, with H on my lap. It was really windy, overlooking the sea beneath, listening to the waves breaking.

Not to be left out, we attended a Barong Dance - a traditional Balinese dance. It tells a very interesting story. The only damper was the rain. It did clear up eventually.

I end this blog with a picture of the memorial at Legian, Kuta - to remember the victims of the senseless 2002 bombings. I feel sad that the world has to come to this. I still think business in Bali is affected. Kuta certainly isn't very crowded. Oh well, that's part of life. If only people learn to accept things and not fight it. Even if they must fight it, go face to face with the US Army or the Australian Armed Forces. Why take it out on a group of innocent tourist?

Odd balls... and other photos

I've seena number of rather quirky things during my travels, and yes, at work too. Here are some pictures of those worthy of mention.

This picture was taken in Bali, Indonesia. I was surprised that all the motorcycles actually stopped behind the white line. We don't see this often, even in Malaysia.

Unfortunately, this picture was taken in Bali, Indonesia as well. It tells a completely different story, with five fellows on one bike. Kids without helmet. Once again, not common in Malaysia.

Lorries / trucks in India (especially in Mumbai), love to have the "Horn Please OK" 'bumper sticker'. I have no idea what it means. The place is certainly noisy enough without additional encouragement. This particular truck as transporting dangerous chemicals - but the it indeed has a very colourful warning. If you zoom into the photo, the danger sign is spelt "Dagner".

These two pictures are my all time favourite. It is taken at the Mumbai International Airport. This must be the biggest Emergency Break Glass in the world. Usually, it is small pieces of glass. But how on earth is someone expected to break this piece of glass? In an emergency? India is indeed truely unique. I reckon there is a chance that one might get more injuries from breaking the glass than the actual emergency.

Pics!

Well, here are some pics of my latest trip to Germany.

Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) has to be one of my favourite airports. It has a great selection of shops and prices are very reasonable - especially liquor, cigarettes and perfume. Lots of restaurants, from high end to low end. Duty free is good - ciggies are only RM 45 per carton (less than EUR 10). In case you are wondering, I do not smoke. The only place I've seen with slightly cheaper ciggies is Singapore Airport.

I have no idea what this building is, but it is in Hannover, Germany. This pic turned out very nice. It was taken on my Nokia 6800. After I arrived, I've decided to walk around a bit. I try not to sleep during the day, otherwise, it would take a long time to get over the jetlag. Got over mine in less than 24 hours upon arrival. Sweet. :)

I had my first Magnum Yogurt in Munich, 2 years ago. I fell in love with it at first bite. Yummy. Every since then, I have been craving for this ice cream. Strangely, they do not have this flavour in Malaysia. It's not very sweet and it's frozen yogurt!

Hannover Hbf (main train station). A good landmark to meet someone in Hannover. However, if you want to shop, there is a Kaufland (I think that's how it is spelt), just behind Etap Hotel. Etap Hotel is on the left, after back exit of Hannover Hbf. Pic is the front. Don't be deceived by this picture. The skies were clear, but it was rather cold - at about zero degrees Celsius. Cold for a Malaysia, where the sun practically shines every day and the average temperature is 24 degrees C.

Was in Hamburg for a day trip. One of the few cities in Germany with a lake. A very nice place, more happening than Frankfurt. And yes, there's a lot of good seafood and a red light district. Not that I was spending much time with the gals!

Here are two pictures of my hotel room in Steigenberger Hotel. A welcomed changed indeed. It was luxury compared to my room at Etap Hotel. The large LCD TV as a nice to have but unfortunately most programmes were in German, I think. Deco was nice. Bed was very comfortable. Oh, if only I could share the room with H. I am sure we would have enjoyed the room, and each other!

Curiously, I cannot remember where did I take the picture below. Was it in Frankfurt or Hamburg? Hmmm. I have a terrible memory.

This is the first installation of pics. More to come, of my other trips event perhaps. Got some very nice pics to share. Most of them are not that great, but one always gets one or two good photos.