tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38102386896757101992024-03-06T01:05:04.895+08:00Elusive TravelsElusive Travelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13115641556102717553noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810238689675710199.post-8309229573366082192014-04-24T01:57:00.001+08:002014-04-24T01:57:10.569+08:00Memories of Siem Reap.....<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/C3iIE6rAtaI" width="480"></iframe>Elusive Travelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13115641556102717553noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810238689675710199.post-41504432693958407002014-03-31T17:58:00.000+08:002014-03-31T17:58:20.464+08:00Penang & Yogyakarta A Photographic Journey<!-- Start of Flickr Badge -->
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Elusive Travelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13115641556102717553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810238689675710199.post-15141795537657423002014-03-31T16:37:00.003+08:002014-03-31T16:37:41.097+08:00A double weekend in Penang, Malaysia & Yogyarkarta, Indonesia<div style="text-align: justify;">
My parents visited me in Singapore for a total of two weeks and rather than spend all that time in Singapore, we decided to visit Penang on one weekend and Yogyakarta on the other. It was a fantastic experience visiting these two places, each unique and offering a lof in terms of sightseeing, food and culture. </div>
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I'll start with Penang as that's where we went first. We departed Singapore on a Friday around 7pm and landed in Penang at about 9.15 pm. After a quick checkout we caught a shuttle bus to the centre of George Town where we then rode a taxi costing 12 RMB to Hotel Royal Penang which would serve as our accommodation for the next 3 nights. </div>
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We quickly unpacked, freshened up and then hit the road in search of a place to eat. Most of the hawker places were closed and after stopping a couple to ask where we could eat at such a late hour, we were given directions to a steamboat restaurant that was open till 5am. It was just 5 mins away and upon arrival I requested a table for three and we were given a menu to choose what we would like in the steamboat. About half an hour later our food was on the table. We were served a delicious combination of Tom Yam in one half and Black chicken soup broth in the other. Accompanied by with an assortment of various vegetables, fishcakes, fish slices, prawns, lobsters, chicken and pork, which we dipped into the broth to cook. Minus the pork, everything else was scrumptious and filling. Unfortunately, I didn't make a mental note of the restaurant's name. But, it is well known and almost anyone you ask on the street near the hotel would be able to tell you where it is.</div>
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The following morning, after a good night's sleep around 11am, we ventured out to Gurney Plaza by van, provided by the hotel. Gurney plaza is popular shopping mall located about 15-20mins from George Town bus station and about 25 mins from Hotel Royal Penang or is it less, I can't quite remember, in any case it's not that far. As far as shopping malls go, well it's the same as any other place, frankly with the abundance of shopping malls in Singpore that are literally dotted everywhere, I wasn't too keen. However, Mum thoroughly enjoyed wandering around the mall and I think Dad did so too. After some time at Gurney we headed to the main streets of George Town, where we pretty much spent the whole day wondering through markets, bazaars, shops etc absorbing as much as we could about local life, watching people go about their business, bartering for clothes, merchandise etc. I think we must have walked for a good 2-3 hours and I must have taken close to several hundred photos. With the evening approaching and feeling very much hungry we decided to head back to Gurney as I wanted to visit the famous Gurney drive hawker centre. </div>
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Located about 10 mins walk from Gurney Plaza, Gurney drive hawker centre is a sprawling metropolis of food stalls, serving the finest assortment of south east asian cuisine you can hope to find anywhere. Myself being a foodie, decided to try as many of the dishes as I possibly could. First on the list was Assam Laksa, a fish based tamarind flavoured laksa, probably the best I've ever had, next on the list was Popiah a rice flour type spring roll filled with vegetable which I thought was ok, we then tried some Satay which was fantastic, a large plate of spicy Char Kway Teow and finally some spicy Rojak, which is a salad of fruits and vegetables garnished in a spicy, sweet shrimp based paste. Our stomachs now full and not able to ingest any more we decided to call it a day and make our way back to the hotel. </div>
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The next morning, Sunday, we woke up at about 9am and after having breakfast at a hawker stall located behind the hotel, we caught a bus to the centre of George Town and then took another bus to Air Itam, our destination for the day was Kek Lok Si, the largest Buddhist temple in Southeast Asia. Whilst the temple is a beautiful marriage of Chinese, Thai and Burmese architecture, I didn't feel transported back in time and I believe this is largely due to the temple being heavily commercialised with shops at every level. Would I go there again, probably not but do visit if you want to get a photo or two of its exterior that clearly shows the cultural assimilations I mentioned earlier. <br />
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After the Kok Lok Si tour, we headed towards Air Itam train station where we visited another temple, much to our dismay the temple was abandonded and it looked like it had not been visited for quite sometime. Feeling rather dissapointed we headed back towards the station and caught a bus back to George town. We spent some time here wondering the streets untill it was time to eat and what better place than Guerney drive hawker centre. This was our second vist and armed with a food guide and map I was determined to try as much I could. I'd already tried a few dishes on the previous visit, but there was more to try, this was our last night here we had to catch a late night flight to Indonesia. <br />
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Our place of stay in Yogyakarta was in the small towen of Pakualaman, where the streets are crowded with batik shops, markets, cyclists, horses and carts, cars and no smart phones in sight.<br />
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Renowned for its Javanese fine arts, music and batiks, our main purpose for visiting Yogyakarta was to go back in time to marvel at the architecture and engineering feats behind the world's largest buddhist monument at Borobudur. We booked a tour pacakge from the hotel and left rather early in the morning as we wanted to see the temple emerge from the mountains during sunrise, sadly it was monsoon season and the tour guides failed to inform us that it would be a waste of time and money. Feeling rather dissapointed and annoyed, we got back in to the van and continued the drive, we had already been on the road for 2 hours.<br />
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After purchasing ( or should be it enlisting ) a tour guide, we enterd the grounds of Borobudur and what a marvel it was to gaze back in time at the largest Buddhist monument that had ever been built. Though of the Mahayana school of Buddhism, it appeals to schools of Zen and Theravada buddhism, the whole complex is akin to a giant mural that tells the life story of the Buddha, most impressing though is i'ts complex architectural structure that uses an interlocking system to connect the pieces together, like a giant puzzle, the subject of which many books have been written about and is unfortunately beyond the scope of this post. In total it took around 3 hours to explore the entire monument.<br />
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After Borobudur, we ventured a few kilometres away to visit the ancient pyramidesque temples of prambanan dedicated to Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva each reprensenting Trimurti ( Creation, Preservation and Destruction). Once again, the ruins serve as a testatament to the engineering marvels of ancient peoples. <br />
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After 3 nights the holiday had to come to and end, both Penang and Yogyakarta had offered us a cultural, historic and gastronomic holiday experience that has once again made me all the more appreciative of the world we live in. <br />
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Elusive Travelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13115641556102717553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810238689675710199.post-61457220477637345472013-06-03T11:55:00.001+08:002013-06-03T11:55:09.702+08:00Japan - A Journey in pictures<div style="padding: 0; overflow: hidden; margin: 0; width: 500px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8931813481/in/set-72157633892088389/" title="osaka+tokyo-21" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7398/8931813481_73e3d4021c_s.jpg" alt="osaka+tokyo-21" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8932546818/in/set-72157633892088389/" title="osaka+tokyo-20" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5449/8932546818_b3498bb8e2_s.jpg" alt="osaka+tokyo-20" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8932542298/in/set-72157633892088389/" title="osaka+tokyo-19" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7417/8932542298_4d4c01745f_s.jpg" alt="osaka+tokyo-19" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8931928297/in/set-72157633892088389/" title="osaka+tokyo-18" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2853/8931928297_90f90187d9_s.jpg" alt="osaka+tokyo-18" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8931927601/in/set-72157633892088389/" title="osaka+tokyo-17" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3683/8931927601_40a0134e2f_s.jpg" alt="osaka+tokyo-17" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8931926941/in/set-72157633892088389/" title="osaka+tokyo-16" style="display: block; padding: 0 0 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8534/8931926941_2f63a6c5bd_s.jpg" alt="osaka+tokyo-16" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><br clear="all"/><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8931925799/in/set-72157633892088389/" title="osaka+tokyo-15" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3691/8931925799_f801db7067_s.jpg" alt="osaka+tokyo-15" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8931925043/in/set-72157633892088389/" title="osaka+tokyo-14" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2876/8931925043_3ce18e5d75_s.jpg" alt="osaka+tokyo-14" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8932537218/in/set-72157633892088389/" title="osaka+tokyo-13" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3729/8932537218_288b259a7a_s.jpg" alt="osaka+tokyo-13" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8931922575/in/set-72157633892088389/" title="osaka+tokyo-12" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3738/8931922575_7ce56728a8_s.jpg" alt="osaka+tokyo-12" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8932533450/in/set-72157633892088389/" title="osaka+tokyo-11" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7373/8932533450_2bb53afcbd_s.jpg" alt="osaka+tokyo-11" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8931919289/in/set-72157633892088389/" title="osaka+tokyo-10" style="display: block; padding: 0 0 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5464/8931919289_06f2aa2ce3_s.jpg" alt="osaka+tokyo-10" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><br clear="all"/><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8931918357/in/set-72157633892088389/" title="osaka+tokyo-9" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3772/8931918357_0dcd9dd51f_s.jpg" alt="osaka+tokyo-9" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8931917705/in/set-72157633892088389/" title="osaka+tokyo-8" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7396/8931917705_a32c480a28_s.jpg" alt="osaka+tokyo-8" style="border:none; 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margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8932527554/in/set-72157633892088389/" title="osaka+tokyo-4" style="display: block; padding: 0 0 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7445/8932527554_40700a531f_s.jpg" alt="osaka+tokyo-4" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><br clear="all"/><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8932526354/in/set-72157633892088389/" title="osaka+tokyo-3" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2853/8932526354_79433987f4_s.jpg" alt="osaka+tokyo-3" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8931910879/in/set-72157633892088389/" title="osaka+tokyo-2" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5326/8931910879_468c80be57_s.jpg" alt="osaka+tokyo-2" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8931909503/in/set-72157633892088389/" title="osaka+tokyo-1" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3735/8931909503_49dd33ee6b_s.jpg" alt="osaka+tokyo-1" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8932521560/in/set-72157633892088389/" title="Kyoto-51" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3817/8932521560_6796a4b781_s.jpg" alt="Kyoto-51" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8931905735/in/set-72157633892088389/" title="Kyoto-50" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5337/8931905735_bcc5132c89_s.jpg" alt="Kyoto-50" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8931904509/in/set-72157633892088389/" title="Kyoto-49" style="display: block; padding: 0 0 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3795/8931904509_0d718c6f26_s.jpg" alt="Kyoto-49" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><br clear="all"/></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 5px"><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/sets/72157633892088389/">Japan - A Journey in pictures</a>, a set on Flickr.</p></div>Elusive Travelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13115641556102717553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810238689675710199.post-60013225060972918722013-06-03T11:33:00.000+08:002013-06-03T11:33:13.473+08:00Osaka and the return to TokyoWe caught the 206 bus from Kiyomizumichi around 5.30 pm, there were lot of people waiting for the bus and we had to let a couple pass before we could get on one as they were quite full. Around 6pm we arrived in Kyoto station and we proceeded to the JR lines to inquire when the next train to Kyoto would be. It was 6.45pm. We had a little time to ourselves so we stopped to have a coffee. Around 6.30 we made our way to the platform and shortly we were on the prompt 6.45pm shinkansen for Osaka.<br />
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At approximately 7.15pm we arrived at Osaka station. We were actually based in Universal City, without realising it my brother had booked a hotel right near Universal Studios. There were restaurants, TGI Fridays, Shonen-Jumo shops, warner bros stores etc I suppose it was less Japan than what Kyoto was. Anyway we needed to find our hotel and so I called them. However, just as the phone was ringing I spotted the hotel opposite the road. We checked into our rooms freshened up and then headed out for dinner. We figured we would dine at Universal City rather than going into Osaka as it was quite late now and we wanted to go early in the morning to visit the Ueno sky tower. We had a somewhat dissapointing dinner at a ramen place in universal city, surprisingly the first bad meal of the holiday and then it was back to the hotel for a good night's sleep.<br />
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Around 10am the next day we made our way from Universal City to Osaka station to visit the Umeda sky building, a massive skyscraper that looks somewhat like a giant lego piece with a cool tube-like escalator that connected the two buildings together. It seemed to go on forever. Total cost per person is about 700JPY and at total of 173 and it's well worth it to get the spectacular panoramic views of Osaka. We spent a good couple of hours here before venturing back onto the road to Osaka station. It was now around 2pm so we decided to have some lunch and head back to Universal City.<br />
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Back at Universal City we did some more explorations, had some lunch and then after colleciting your luggage it was back to Osaka station. Our train wasn't for another hour, so we did some wandering around the station had a bite to eat to kill the time and soon we were boarded on the shinkansen back to Tokyo.<br />
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At 8pm that evening we arrived at Tokyo station and made our way to our hotel. After checking in and freshening up, we got ready and headed towards Akihabara where my brother's friend had arranged to meet us and take us out for a few drinks. After quick introductions at the station Colin, his partner, my brother and myself were sat outside a british pub enjoying a pint of beer and each others banter. Our friends soon left but I wasn't ready to go home just yet, so me and my brother decided to head into Shibuya and see what was happening around there, we got there around 1am and unfortunately everything appeared shut. Apart from a few eateries and Izakayas, not many places seemed open. Thousands of people were on the streets roaming aroud, some drunk, some trying to fag down taxis. After walking around for about half and hour we decided to just head back to the hotel. Unfortunately this cost us an expensive taxi ride since the train stations were not in operation at that hour.<br />
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The Next afternoon we explored the busy fashionista streets of Harajuku, which is a haven for teens who indulge in all sorts of extravagant fashions, hair styles etc. Harajuku street gets pretty packed, so be warned not to stay in one place for too long, you have to keep moving or you will end up crushed. The main reason for going there was to meetup with my mate who showed us around the massive Yoyogi park. We spent a couple of hours here wondeirng the park, watching various peforrmances and then it was time to head back home as we had plans to see a movie later that evening.<br />
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In the evening around 7pm we headed to United Cinemas for a 10pm showing of Iron Man 3, seeing a film on holiday is not my usual MO but this was the first film I was seeing with by bro in a long time and it was good fun. We also enjoyes a rather delicious and filling Korean meal prior to the film. After the moving, heading home back to Tokyo was a challenge since the usual route had been closed i.e since it was past midnight. Anyway in our attempts to find an alternate route home, I managed to befriend a young couple who were so kind as to take us all the way back to Tokyo. We exchanged contact details with the young couple and Im hoping to meet them again on my next visit.<br />
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The next morning, Sunday 28 April was a sad start to the day. I woke up at 8am to say goodbye to my brother who's holiday period had come to and end. You have all this fun and in one fleeting moment it all comes to an end. Anyway I said my goodbyes knowing that our next adventure was only a few months away. I was still rather sleep at 8am so I went back to bed.<br />
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Around 10am I wokeup, checked out and then headed over to Ginza where I would be meeting my friend Jules one last time before my flight in the evening. Jules met as planned around midday and the first thing he did at my request was help me find some traditional Japanese sweets. After that he took me to Tsukiji fish market. Though closed it was still busy with lots of people buying fresh fish, eating, trading etc. I cant quite remember the name of the little Sushi restaurant but the Sushi I had was probably the best I've had anywhere. Thank you Jules for your hospitality and generosity.<br />
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By now it was almost time for me collect my belongings from the hotel and make my way to Narita Airport. A few short hours later I would be on the flight back home to Singapore.<br />
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In Summary, I can honestly say that Japan has been one of the most fascinating and rewarding places I've been to. We covered a lot in 8 days but I do feel I've only just scratched the surface. A return trip is definitely due and with new found friends the next visit should be even more exciting. <br />
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<br />Elusive Travelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13115641556102717553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810238689675710199.post-6120802212400113212013-05-10T11:36:00.001+08:002013-05-14T15:00:20.705+08:00Double Trouble Tokyo and Kyoto - Let the real Japan adventure begin<div style="text-align: justify;">
The following morning on the 22nd, my alarm rang at 8 O'clock 'Oh crap' I said to myself. I was supposed to be picking my brother up from the airport. However I was too tired and so put the alarm forward another hour and went back to sleep. I figured my brother wouldn't mind waiting a little. I'm sure he would find a place to take a little nap. Bzz bzzz'' The phone was going off, I checked and it was a text message from my brother asking me where I was. I looked at the clock it was 9:30am! Damnit! I had slept an extra half hour. I quickly dashed to the bathroom got ready, got dressed and bolted out of the hotel and straight to the train station. It took me about 90mins to reach the airport.</div>
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Once at the aiport I was faced with a little drama, in my haste to get here I had forgotten to take my passport and they would not let me in past the arrival gates. Anyway, after a little convincing that I was here to pickup my brother and that he was new here and didn't know where to go, they allowed me to enter. At the arrival lounge I gave my brother a hug and we both headed down towards the train station. A short while later we were on the train to back to 'Asakusabashi' </div>
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Back at our hotel, my brother decided to take a nap while I once again visited 'Akihabara'. My brother charged me with bringing home some takeaway. But you see I got carried away at the 'Kotobukiya' store that had 5 levels of film, comic,manga statues, toys, t-shirts, dvds etc. I guess my 'geek mode' had kicked into high gear and 2 hours later I suddenly remembered, "Oh damn, Aiya needs food" So I quickly left the shop and started asking a few restaurants and other eateries around the area 'Omochikaeri' meaning "Take-away" but they all said no. I texted my brother and told them there was no take-away. He had still been sleeping, so I guess it was all well and good forgetting to inquire about take away. Also in my defense even if I had asked earlier the answer would still have been the same. </div>
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Later that evening around 7.30pm we both headed out towards Shibuya where we were going to have dinner at a seafood restaurant by the name of 'Kaikaya -By the sea' This place had been recommended to me by a friend. Before we could eat however, we had to find the place and it took of a lot of hunting around, asking for directions before we could find it. The funny thing is that it was right under our noses the entire time. i.e just 2 mins away from the station. </div>
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Kaikaya has a pub like decor and the staff all speak English. They are also very helpful when it comes to choosing what to eat. We enjoyed a delicious plate of assorted sashimi, Ebi tempura, two whole 'red-snapper 'and 'Yellow Tail (Buri)' and a big plate of Tuna rib steak. The food was absolutely amazing. Coupled with a nice bottle of Sake it was perfect. To top it off we also had a delicious serving each of 'Matcha" cheesecake. </div>
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After taking some photos and thanking the chefs and the waiters, we went back onto the road where we walked around taking photographs before deciding it was time to get back. The next morning the real holiday would begin . We were set for Kyoto, the historical capital of Japan and to many the real personification of what Japan truly is. Before going to bed though I jumped onto Hyperdia and took a look at the train times. I wanted to get there early morning around 10am but when I told my brother we would have to catch the 7am, he said can you check for mid-day arrivals. Haha he really isn't a morning person, unless ofcourse there is no choice. So the next best option without leaving it too late was to arrive at 11.30am in Kyoto. </div>
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The next morning we headed to 'Asakusabashi' station where we caught the train at 8.30am to 'Akihabara' and from there the the 'Yamanote' line to Tokyo. At Tokyo station we headed towards the JR (Japan Railway) trains to get to the platform where the Shinkansen (Bullet Train) would be departing for Osaka, with Kyoto being a stop on route. </div>
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The train looked magnificiently cool, I had seen them in photos before and in films and as kid I would always get excited seeing them, I cant deny that as an adult they still bring out the kid in me. We had the ordinary passes which meant we could only get in carriages 1-5 as this was unreserved seating, but there were plenty of seats so we had nothing to fear. For standard class but the leg room we had was incredible far more so than the trains back home in blighty. A short while later the train was on the move. It was quiet, It was fast but most of all you could not feel it, you knew it was fast due to the surroundings wizzing past. Coffee, snacks etc were served, my brother slept for most of the journey whereas I spent most of it watching the scenery and then watching my favourite episodes of "Cowboy Bebop" </div>
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At 11:30am the train arrived at Kyoto station. It was exactly the time specified in Hyperdia. Our hotel was located at Gojo, so we took the escalators down following the signs to the subway and caught the train to Gojo station. Our hotel was just 2 mins from the station. It was a beautiful hotel with wooden decor and really friendly staff. The room was also failry large and comfortable with an impressive bathroom. Now I must digress a little here to tell you about the toilets. If you have never been to Japan before it can come across as quite a mouth opener. Seriously the Japanese toilets are cool. They are equipped with automatic seats that are heated, have inbuilt shower, bidet functions, a dryer and also odorizing spray. It's just incredible and I was totally fascinated by it. The Japanese have spared no expense to make the Number 2 job a little bit more exciting. </div>
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Anyway, we unloaded our luggage and headed back out, we were really hungry now as we hadn't had any breakfast. </div>
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The streets of Kyoto, Gojo where we were based though not as vibrant as the likes of Tokyo still had an alluring sense about it, wide roads, shops, restaurants, intersections etc. We took a good walk around absorbing the sights and sounds and also smells before we settled at a little restaurant to have our first meal of the day. We settled for a small joint that served us a platter of sushi and sashimi. After that we headed back to the hotel to freshen up and decided to visit the Kyoto imperial palace.<br />
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When we arrived at the Kyoto imperial palace we walked around the gardens for a while but noticed there weren't many people to our dismay we found that the place was shut. We took a few photos anmd walked back to the main road. It was around 4.30 pm now and there wasn't much we could do as most of the other major sites were appraoching closing time too. So instead we headed back to the hotel where we rested a bit and then headed out to dinner.<br />
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The following morning after breakfast we took the train to the Northern Higashiyama region where to we visited the Nanzen-ji temple a beautiful 13th century Zen Buddhist temple that was built by emperor Kameyama, first as a retirement villa but later converted to a Zen temple upon the emperor's death. The temple is free to all except the sub temples and gardens. We visited one of the gardens which carried a cover charge of 600 yen (5.94 USD at the time of writing). rich greenery, a beautiful waterfall, bamboo , this is all the stuff you expect to see in a typical Japanese garden. <br />
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Splash Splash! It was starting to rain lightly. We braved it but very soon within ten to fifteen minutes it was pouring down rather heavy. Our next destination was the "Kinkakuji" - Golden Pavilion temple, but it turns out it was around 45 mins walk from Nanzen-Ji. We pulled out our trusted lonely planet guides and looked for what was closer, the station was onlly 2 mins walk away and it was still raining so we had to make quick decisions. We decided to head to Kyoto, grab a bite to eat, get ourselves and umbrella and then head to the "Ginkaku -ji" - Silver Pavillion temple.<br />
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With our newly purchased umbrellas we caught the bus from Kyoto station arriving shortly afterwards (around 15-20mins) at Ginkaku-ji. For your information the bus number you need to take is No.5 and it is located at bus stop A. The fair for an adult is 220 yen (2.18 USD). Anyway so back to where we were, there was a long road with signs leading upto the temple, we followed it up for about 10 mins before we reached the big gate of the temple complex. We had to pay around 600 Yen each to enter. The main attraction here of course is the silver roofed temple, o fcourse due to natural erosion and oxidisation the roof doesnt really look silver anymore, but I can imagine it must have shone brightly in its heyday. There is also meticoulously raked cones of white sand in the gardens, said to represent a mountain and river and a beautiful pathway leading further up the moutains that provides a scenic view of the pavilion from above. I can only imagine that the scenery would have been a lot more picturesque had the skies been blue, due to rain it was pretty grey but nonetheless we still enjoyed walking around here, and taking in the beauty in all its stride. <br />
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We had spent about a couple of hours wondering the gardens and temple complex and now it was time to head back to Kyoto. Most of the other temples would be closing and it was still raining. Unfortunately the bad weather on that particular day meant that we had to cut out a few places from our list.<br />
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Around 5.30pm we arrived back at our hotel and did some research on where we could have dinner. I then remembered that a friend of mine had given me a list of places to eat in particular Ramen in Kyoto and so we headed to an area called Pontocho one of Kyoto's most atmospheric dining areas. Certain restaurants here are pretty exclusve and require the right connections and fat wallets. It is also the place where Maiko are seen. We were able to see a couple but they didnt stay inthe vicinity long enough to take photos. We were quite hungry so I started asking people where I could eat ramen. Eventually the directions given led us to a small ramen bar tucked away in a little corner. It was your typical ramen complete with the smells and slurping sounds making it the complete authentic experience. I must say the ramen was so good! It was, as they say in Japan "Oishii!!!"<br />
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It was now close to 10pm, we had another early start tomorow as we wanted to cover the Southern Higashiyama region and Arashiyama as we were headed to Osaka in the evening. <br />
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The next morning we took the train the Kyoto station to Arashiyama. Located in the western regions of Kyoto is
famous for its natural beaut, particularly popular during the cherry
blossom and autumn colour seasons. Ther are also many temples to be seen
here but what I was most interested in is the famed bamboo groves. If
you have seen the movie House of flying daggers, you will know exactly
what I describe. Acres of lush bamboo trees towering all the way up
creating a breahtaking canopy. The bamboo groves are just five minutes
walk from Arashiyama station. The road along the bamboo groves leads
towards a few shinto shrines, a few quiet roads with small cafes and
beautiful green fields. By around 1pm we had made our way back to the main streets of Arashiyama
and we stopped at a restaurant where we had the most amazing lunch that
I've ever had. It was a dish called Chazuke a simple dish consisting of
rice and fish where green tea is poured onto the rice and eaten along
with the fish. It is simple yet delicious and as always presented like a
work of art. In fact I would go so far as to say that no one presents
food quite like the Japanese.<br />
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Around 2pm we returned to Kyoto station and from there caught bus number 206, around 20 mins later we stopped at Kiyomizu-michi which was about a15 min walk away from our final destination in Kyoto. The Kiyomizudera temple - litterally Pure water temple. So named because it was built on the site of the Ottowa water fall's pure waters. I believe the temple dates back to around 780AD. Anyway it is a magnificient temple complex that attracts thousands of visitors from all over Japan as well as from other countries. In total it takes around 2-3 hours to visit the entire complex. The main attraction is the large wooden deck and also the water well where hundreds flock to get a taste of the pure water.<br />
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After returning from the temple grounds along the side streets were we greeted by a group of school childen around 8-10 years old who wanted us to take part in a little survey, so we obliged. They spoke to us in English telling us their names, where they were from and then asked us a few questions. I was totally amazed at how well mannered and well disciplined they were. They thanked us with smiles for our time and soon they left our company. <br />
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Kyoto - Japan's ancient capital rich in history, culture and food had provided us with an enriching experience that would last in our memories for a long time, but now it was time for us to head back to Kyoto as we had a train to catch to Osaka. <br />
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Elusive Travelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13115641556102717553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810238689675710199.post-43342166402722245392013-05-06T00:16:00.000+08:002013-05-07T11:23:58.313+08:00Tokyo and Me.<br />
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Japan is a country I have been fascinated with since my teens. I guess exposure to Anime and Japanese movies from a young age had peaked my interest. For many years I had been planning a visit to the land of the rising sun, however work and other commitments got in the way.</div>
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This year however, I finally did and as I write this blog it has been just over week and a half since I returned to Singapore . I am still feeling the holiday blues. I had been touring Japan for 8 days, visiting Tokyo (3 nights) Kyoto ( 2 nights ) and Osaka. (1 night) It has been one of the most amazing holiday experiences I've ever had.</div>
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Let me take you back to the 20th of April where it all began. I arrived at Narita Aiport terminal 1 around 8am local time, and spent around 35-40 minutes going through immigration and customs, queues were pretty big but they more or less moved rather efficiently. </div>
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After clearing immigrations, the first thing I needed to know was which train I needed to take to get to my hotel. I had decided against taxis as they were known to be very expensive over long distances, so I popped down to the train station and spoke to the staff: "Sumimasen Asakusabashi ni doyatte ikeba iidesu ka ( excuse me , how do i get to Asakuksabashi) They gave me a number of routes, all of which seemed complicated at the time, but in reality couldn't be more simpler. I decided to take the longer of the routes as I figured I'd get to see a bit of Japan by train. The train arrived promptly without any delay and I enjoyed seeing the country whilst on the move for about 90 minutes. There were 2 changes in total.</div>
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Once I arrived in Asakusabashi, I contacted the hotel to ask them whether I could walk from the station. Turns out the hotel was just 5 minutes away. Anyway, at the hotel I dropped off my luggage as check-in was not till 3pm and decided I'd spend a couple of hours getting lost and taking photographs. The latter part however proved futile as my camera battery had died. Turns out I had left it on in the bag during the entire flight. So, instead I decide to use my iphone which was better than nothing I guess.</div>
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Asakusabashi is a quiet area with a few busy streets, I was rather keen on finding some good food so spent a good hour or more walking around till I found this little gem tucked away ( I wish I remembered the name) I went inside and they welcomed me with the usual 'irashai masen' literally meaning 'welcome' and was asked to take a seat. I was given the menu but it was all in Japanese. Whilst I can read hiragana, my Kanji is all but non-existent so I spoke, 'suminasen, eigo no menyuu wa imasuka ?( excuse me, do you have an English menu?) the reply was 'sumimasen' which I understood to mean that they didn't. Hmm what to do now, I don't eat red meat and the menu had no photos, so I told the waiter to recommend me something. I told him I didn't eat pork or red meat , but fish and chicken were good. He told me to wait and then suggested a few selections from the menu that he described as being delicious. OMG he was right, it was absolutely delicious, It was a serving of cold soba noodles, a plate of assorted sashimi and a side of yakitori. Simply, mouthwateringly delicious. I was very satisfied, thanked the chef for the meal and then made my way out onto the road. It had started to rain, not heavy but enough to get wet, so I popped into a convenience store to buy and umbrella. Just as I came out of the store, the rain stopped, 'sod's law' I thought to myself and decided it was now time to make my way back to the hotel where I would take a little nap for a few hours before deciding to head out again. </div>
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At 6pm that evening I headed out to "Shinjuku" which is about two or three stops from Tokyo on the Yamanote line. The first thing that struck me was how busy it was, restaurants, shops, the street littered with neon lights, people going to and fro and traffic flowing in every direction. I got my camera out and began snapping away, in awe of the colorful neon signs, the huge manga posters, the plethora of restaurants and the sheer vibrancy of it all. Very soon however, it started to get cold to the point where my ears felt like they were being sliced off , so I decided I really needed to cover up. After wondering around for a bit I stumbled across a little shop where I was able to buy a cap to warm my ears. Feeling rather peckish now it was time to find some food and it didn't take me very long. The streets of Shinjuku are littered with places to eat, mostly on different levels with each floor offering a different dining experience. It's a mixture of fine and casual dining. That night I was so hungry I had two dinners. The first was 'ebi tenpura' with steamed rice and an assortment of fish along with a nice bottle or I should say flask of warm sake l can still taste the food in my mouth, it was so good. The next meal I had was at a little izakaya, where I enjoyed chicken katsu with rice and another serving of sake. Back out on the streets once again snapping away, I quickly decide to whatsapp my sister to see if my brother had boarded his flight as I was expecting early next morning. The news that I received was not great, due to an accident at heathrow there had been a huge traffic jam which unfortunately resulted in my brother missing his flight. So now instead of arriving on Sunday 21st, he would be arriving on the 22nd Morning. </div>
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Early next morning around 9 O'clock I headed out to Akihibara AKA electric town where the whole place is bustling with amusement centres, electronics and all manner of gadgets and equipment you can think of. There are also cosplay style cafe's where girls dress up as maids etc. I would describe Akhibara as a mix of weird, geeky and cool all rolled into one. You simply have to be there to believe I spent a few hours there looking for a Naruto Statue - Gaara of the sand but could not find the model I was after. ( I never did) and by noon I decided to head towards Tokyo station where I would be meeting a friend. </div>
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Jules my friend, who is actually a Japanese gentleman living in the UK and my younger sister's work colleague took me to a fantastic restaurant at the Shin-Marunouchi where they served "Oden" It's one of my favourite types of Japanese cuisine, simple but flavorful. The closest thing to compare it to would be "Hot Pot" I guess. After our delicious meal we headed out onto the streets of Tokyo where we walked to the Imperial Palace and took a walk through the scenic palace gardens, admiring the smell and sight of colourful flowers, lush green trees and imperial archiecture. We also stopped by a small museum that gave a little insight into the history of the Imperial Palace. After we had toured the gardens, we headed towards Ginza.</div>
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Ginza, easily accessible from Tokyo via the "Ginza-Marounochi" line, is best described as an upscale area of tokyo complete with high-end department stores, restaurants, cafes etc that cater to all people local and foreign. It is said that Ginza has the highest concentration of "Western" shops in Tokyo. We wondered through a few shops before heading into a cafe for a nice cup of coffee and some desert. After the desert I headed towards the Uniqlo store as I wanted to get a jacket and Jules headed home. </div>
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At around 7pm after getting a jacket and taking several photographs on the streets of Ginza, I returned to Tokyo station and then caught the "Yamanote" line to "Shibuya. </div>
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Shibuya, is best described as Tokyo's most vibrant, chaotic, and colourful shopping and entertainment district in one of the 23 city wards of Tokyo. It is the home of Japan's youth and fashion culture consisting of over a dozen major department stores catering to all sorts of customers. </div>
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The most popular exit from Shibuya station where people meet is the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hachik%C5%8D">Hachiko </a> exit. Once you exit the station you are faced with one of the most spectacular city sights you are likely to ever see in Asia. It is a five-way intersection that is heavily decorated with neon signs and giant video screens. The streets get flooded with people every time the traffic light shows the green man. If you have seen the movie "Lost In Translation" then you will know exactly what I am referring to. </div>
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It was approaching 10 pm and I was getting fiercely hungry, so I began approaching fellow pedestrians. "Doko ni ramen ga taberu dekimasu ka" (Where can I eat ramen?) I asked. Most of the time the one's who would stop and talk were Japanese ladies. they gave me a few choices and I decided to go to the nearest one they pointed out to me in relation to where I was. At the Ramen bar the menu was both in English and in Japanese. This made it rather easier to select what I wanted and soon I was gobbling up a delicious hot bowl of Ramen. </div>
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It had been a long day of sightseeing, enjoying the sights and sounds of two of Tokyo's most popular city wards and by now I really needed to sleep, so off I went back to the hotel. My brother would be arriving the next morning and I had offered to collect him from the airport. </div>
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<br />Elusive Travelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13115641556102717553noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810238689675710199.post-77432572402465507922013-04-19T01:26:00.001+08:002013-04-19T01:26:23.122+08:00Siem Reap<div style="padding: 0; overflow: hidden; margin: 0; width: 500px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8661282780/in/set-72157633276780824/" title="Siem Reap - in Pictures" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8123/8661282780_b8429aeafe_s.jpg" alt="Siem Reap - in Pictures" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8661265802/in/set-72157633276780824/" title="Siem Reap - in Pictures" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8117/8661265802_19bb069911_s.jpg" alt="Siem Reap - in Pictures" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8660165865/in/set-72157633276780824/" title="Siem Reap - in Pictures" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8119/8660165865_ec0b63a2d4_s.jpg" alt="Siem Reap - in Pictures" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8661267544/in/set-72157633276780824/" title="Siem Reap - in Pictures" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8117/8661267544_a9b0317dc5_s.jpg" alt="Siem Reap - in Pictures" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8660164941/in/set-72157633276780824/" title="Siem Reap - in Pictures" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; 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height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8660168045/in/set-72157633276780824/" title="Siem Reap - in Pictures" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8116/8660168045_1ff3c88563_s.jpg" alt="Siem Reap - in Pictures" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8661269744/in/set-72157633276780824/" title="Siem Reap - in Pictures" style="display: block; padding: 0 0 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8125/8661269744_eb5026cd91_s.jpg" alt="Siem Reap - in Pictures" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><br clear="all"/><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8661270506/in/set-72157633276780824/" title="Siem Reap - in Pictures" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; 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padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8121/8660170101_66338a6d8c_s.jpg" alt="Siem Reap - in Pictures" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8660170415/in/set-72157633276780824/" title="Siem Reap - in Pictures" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8113/8660170415_971ae471e3_s.jpg" alt="Siem Reap - in Pictures" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8660170601/in/set-72157633276780824/" title="Siem Reap - in Pictures" style="display: block; padding: 0 0 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8117/8660170601_6e40a86328_s.jpg" alt="Siem Reap - in Pictures" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><br clear="all"/><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8660170801/in/set-72157633276780824/" title="Siem Reap - in Pictures" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8126/8660170801_803440e5f3_s.jpg" alt="Siem Reap - in Pictures" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8661272504/in/set-72157633276780824/" title="Siem Reap - in Pictures" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8121/8661272504_f68b6199e2_s.jpg" alt="Siem Reap - in Pictures" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8661272930/in/set-72157633276780824/" title="Siem Reap - in Pictures" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8125/8661272930_f6171acd44_s.jpg" alt="Siem Reap - in Pictures" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8660175401/in/set-72157633276780824/" title="Siem Reap - in Pictures" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8121/8660175401_f5414538c2_s.jpg" alt="Siem Reap - in Pictures" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8660172477/in/set-72157633276780824/" title="Siem Reap - in Pictures" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8126/8660172477_1db65714fe_s.jpg" alt="Siem Reap - in Pictures" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8660172799/in/set-72157633276780824/" title="Siem Reap - in Pictures" style="display: block; padding: 0 0 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8115/8660172799_c5a0b9399f_s.jpg" alt="Siem Reap - in Pictures" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><br clear="all"/></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 5px"><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/sets/72157633276780824/">Siem Reap</a>, a set on Flickr.</p></div><p>Photographic journey of Cambodia's gateway to Angkor</p>Elusive Travelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13115641556102717553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810238689675710199.post-33301163636918003682013-04-19T00:51:00.003+08:002013-05-09T23:57:16.992+08:00Angkor Wat, Tomb Raiding, Amok & more.... 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<u><b>Arrival in Siem Reap - 11th April 2013</b></u></div>
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We arrived in Siem Reap airport around 7pm which was actually 2 hours later than our scheduled arrival time. This was largely in part to a "technical fault" on Jetstar which resulted us having to disembark and then catch a "newer plane" (captain's words). Anyway once we arrived at the aiport we had to fill out a Visa form and then along with a single passport sized photo and 20USD our visas were processed. </div>
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Once we exited the aiport there were a couple of options presented to us in terms of travel. There were buses that took you directly into the heart of Siem Reap and also taxi services. Seeing as we had already lost time, we opted for a taxi which cost 7 USD for a twenty minute journey into town where our hotel was.</div>
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<u><b>Hotel Somadevi and our first taste of Cambodian cuisine.</b></u></div>
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The hotel located in the centre of town greets you with beautiful Ankgor architecture in its interior, a large swimming pool, courteous reception and concierge, a large dinner/breakfast hall and free wifi in the lobby. Rooms cost around 45USD a night and are of a pretty decent size, large enough to accomodate 2-4 persons. </div>
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Feeling rather famished after a long trip we quickly unloaded our luggage and jumped in a tuk-tuk, stopping at Pub street for a cost of a 1 USD. Pub street is littered with restauratns, on street barbecues, pubs, spas, markets, arts and crafts and plenty of tourists and localites. After strolling around for about 10-15 mins and taking photographs we happened across a restaurant, "Cambodian Soup" where we had our first taste of the local cuisine. For 20 USD we enjoyed a delicious meal that included two drinks, spicy Cambodian soup, Khmer chicken curry and Khmer Amok, a local curry usually served with steamed fish though you also get the option of chicken or pork cooked in a spicy coconut curry. </div>
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Our stomachs were now full and to help ease the digestion we took a stroll into the night market where locals and tourists alike were busy bartering for various items such as paintings, clothing, arts, crafts, watches, jewellry you name it. I myself was paricularly interested in a small vendor that was selling retro camera equipment, 8mm, 35mm, polaroids, daguerrotypes and a few other items I'd not seen before. As much as I was tempted, I did not buy anything, perhaps I should have.</div>
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Nearing 10pm it was time now to head back to the hotel as we had an early start the next morning to witness sunrise at Ankgor Wat. </div>
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<u><b>The Splendour of Ankgor Wat - 12th April</b></u></div>
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Built around 12AD Ankgor Wat covering an area of 500 hectares is the world's largest religious monument, based predominantly on Hindu architecture. It was built by King Suryavarman II and though initially a hindu religious monument it soon became adorned with Buddhist architecture at the turn of the 16th Century. Over a period of several hundred years the temple went through many changes and as a result what we see today is a marriage of two similar yet different religious beliefs adorning this magnificient wonder of the ancient world. Though Ankgor wat temple is the main atrraction it is surrounded by dozens of smaller temples each with its own unique history. </div>
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Now that you have but a small glimpse of what Ankgor Wat is, let me take you back to the morning of April 12th. "Beep Beep Beep" What is that noise I wonder, then I wake up and realise it is my alarm reminding me to wake up, it is 4.30am. After slowly geting out of bed and getting ready we headed down to the lobby where we were greeted by our guide Mr Ross Savuan. </div>
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On the road to Angkor we purchased a day pass which cost around 20 USD each and then carried on driving towards the temple complex. At 5.30am droves of visitors had already started to litter the place, all keen to see the sun rise illuminate the ruins of Angkor Wat. </div>
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SLR in hand I pressed forward finding a comortable spot with a decent view waiting for the sun to rise, we waited and waited, it was now almost 6.15am but still no sign, then around 6.30am we witnessed it arising but alas that was shortlived since there was too much cloud resulting in an obscured view of the rising sun. I did manage to snap a phew photographs but soon it was evident that we were not going to see any more, so we decided it was best to head back to the hotel for morning breakfast. </div>
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Back at the hotel our guide informed us that he would be picking us up at 9am to continue the tour. Breakfast at the hotel was the usual continental, English and local foods that are common in almost any hotel. I enjoyed a healthy serving of omlette, cereal, a nice plate of fruit and a cup of tea, after that as we all do, spent time updating Facebook until our guide arrived promptly at 9am.</div>
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Our first stop was visiting Bayon temple built in the 12-13th century for Mahayana Buddhist King Jayavaraman VII, after his death it was later redesigned according the preferences of the successive Hindu and Theravada Buddhist kings. </div>
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What you can expect to see here is a magnificent wall gallery depicting events from Khmer history, stories from the Mahabharatha and daily life of the Khmer people. The upper terrace of the temple is adorned with Lokesvaras who are synonymous with Mahayana Buddhism as symbols that embody the compassion of Buddha and are also sometimes seen amongst Theravada Buddhist art. The guide mentioned there were around 200 of these. The most spectacular however are the faces of Bayon, 4 in total which seem to mysteriously follow you wherever you wander. It is believed that the King was depicted as one of the Lokesvara giant faces that adorn the towers, though there has not been any decisive evidence to prove that this was indeed the case. Regardless, it is a truly breathtaking sight. </div>
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After about 1.5 hours at this site we moved to the next temple Baphuon, dedicated to Hindu god shiva, it too carries the classical style of the Bayon temple and much like Bayon was later converted into a Buddhist temple at the turn of the 15th Century. I highly recommend you climb to the top of the towers to enjoy spectacular views of the ancient ruins.</div>
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Lunch included we must have spent around 2-3 hours visiting the various temples before we headed back to explore the ruins of Angkor Wat, the prized jewel of the Angkor kingdom. Our guide who was very well versed in Khmer history carefully took us around the temple over a span of 3-4 hours explaining every little detail from the smallest rock to the giant towering behemoths, every nook and cranny of the temple was described in vivid detail combinining mythlogy and history. We also explored the ruins where the film Tomb Raider was shot. I do not do justice by trying to explain the grandeur of Angkor Wat in such a few words, one really needs to be there to revel in all its glory.</div>
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The last stop of the day was visiting another temple atop a small mountain with panoramic views of Angkor Wat. We had hoped to catch sunset as it brought the land into darkness. However, we were instead welcomed with a downpour of torrential rain resulting in us having to quickly scurry down the mountain.</div>
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At around 6pm the tour had ended and we were driven back to our hotel where we were soon expecting our buddy to join us.</div>
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<u><b>Khmer Street BBQ & Two Cambodian Kids</b></u></div>
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As you can imagine, with all that site seeing in the blistering heat and humidity we were now extremely hungry and needed to re-energise. Our friend arrived shortly after we got back to the hotel and we all jumped in a tuk-tuk for 1 USD stopping at Pub Street. We wondered around for a bit before settling at a streeet bbq. It didnt take us very long to place orders for rice, tiger prawns, chicken, salad and fish and 3 coconut shakes, which seems to be a popular refreshing beverage. I highly recommend you try it should you visit Siem Reap.</div>
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Whilst tucking into our food we noticed a few people running and appearing rather paniced, they were hiding near the tables, one had a baby as well. I looked on at them wondering what it could be. I learned later that they were running from police, though I never fully understood why. Soon after I witnessed something that tore me apart, a young boy, bolted into the street to a table next to us and grabbed a few measly pieces of leftover bones, looked back in the direction he came from and then darted around the corner. We could see him sat a few feet away with his back turned to us. The whole episode was playing in my head and my friend sensed this and she said "Do you want me to go speak to him and see if he wants to join us" I nodded. She went over and had a chat with the boy, in the meantime we ordered a serving of Khmer chicken fried rice which we wanted the boy to have. </div>
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The little boy joined us at our table, we learned that he was six years old, could speak a little English, liked to swim and had a very cool hairstyle. His mother we learned was at home sleeping, which was really sad since it was 10pm at night and this boy was out fending for himself. </div>
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Woooosh!! Woooosh!! it started raining again, this brought out a whole bunch of kids who seemed to revel in it all, they came upto us or rather to the boy had a little chat and then darted back out onto the street. They seemd rather content in soaking in the pouring rain. Our little friend took the opportunity to wash his mud ridden hands in the rain water, he was about to take his shirt off and join his play mates in the pouring rain when the rain suddenly stopped. It had ended almost as suddenly as it had started. </div>
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It must have been a good twenty minutes now since the little boy had joined us, so we asked the waiters whether the food was ready but alas it wasn't. The poor boy was starving and we were getting impatient but there was nothing we could do. Shortly after a little girl who was a friend of the boy joined us and we were now a crowd of five, the girl was hungry too and wanted some food. The little boy told her that she could share his food. "Excuse me, excuse me is the food ready?" We asked again and this time it was. I could see the kids' eyes light up as the food was brought to the table. We split the food into two portions and watched them devour it all. They both smiled at us several times and thanked us more than once, those smiles warmed our hearts and to me that was probably one of the most memorable moments of the holiday. Stomachs full, the little kids soon parted our company and as it was getting late we decided it was time to head home too. </div>
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<u><b>The Floating Village & Craft School for the disabled - 13th April</b></u></div>
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Around 7.30 am our guide Savuan, picked us up and we drove a few miles down the road to Chong Kneas. Here we took a boat which ferried us around for approximately 1 hour. The floating village as the name suggests is a village built entirely on water. It is home to a large community of Vietnamese and Khmer folk complete with markets, schools, police and most of all people with a real zest for life. Smiles all around, beautiful scenery all make this a truly wonderful place to explore. The daily life for the men at least from my observation appeared to be fishing and the village itself dedicated to making fish paste - A really foul smelling condiment which seems to be very popular here. </div>
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We stopped for a short break in one of the markets and soon found ourselves being chased by a boy with a snake, asking for money. Is the snake used as a scare tactic to coerce you into giving money or is it supposed to attract you? Not really sure but I'll leave that upto the interpration of whoever visits the floating village on their next holiday to Siem Reap. Either way, we donated and soon made our way back to the boat for one last tour of the village before we stopped athe the Craft School. Here we saw many local crafts wood, painting, sculpting. silk weaving all painstakingly bought to life by talented young artists who were either blind, deaf or mute. </div>
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<u><b>Angkor Museum, The Red Piano, Tomb Raider cocktails and Acrobats - 13th April</b></u></div>
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The tour of the floating village ended around midday and after refreshing ourselves with Cambodian iced coffee we went back to the hotel, thanked the guide for all his help during the last two days, invited him for a group photo and then headed out to lunch. We ate at a local restaurant where my friend helped a group of Chinese tourists decide what to order. Somehow, after our delicious lunch we ended up being part of a group photo with the tourists, which was rather amusing. After a heavy meal, we were feeling pretty tired so thought it best to head back to the hotel rest for a little and then make our way back out to visit the Angkor Museum. </div>
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Angkor Museum located centrally in town just around 10 minutes from our hotel charges 12 USD for foreigners and 2 USD for locals. There are 7-8 galleries in total each room explaining Angkor's history from ancient times to the present day. The most spectacular of all though was the room of 1000 Buddhas which houses the worlds largest collection of Buddha statues. There was also a spectacular scale model of the entire Angkor Wat temple complex. The whole tour lasted around 2.5 hours and for 12USD we couldnt really complain. After the tour we decided to visit the outdoor circus, "Phare" to purchase tickets for the 7.30 pm showing of "Eclipse" My friend had a voucher that would get half price and she tried her best to convince them to discount all three tickets but unfortunatley they wouldn't budge, so we decided to head to town for dinner and hope that we could grab two more magazines that had the vouchers. </div>
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We jumped in a tuk-tuk and stopped at "The Red Piano, a Western/Khmer restaurant located in Pub street famous not only for its signature "Red Piano" but also for serving the Tomb Raider cockail. One that was created by Angeline Jolie oduring her visit to Siem Reap while filming "Tomb Raider" The cocktails were a mixture of lime, cointreau and some other ingredient that eludes me now, I found it a little too sweet for my taste buds. Dinner was a serving of Green Thai and Red Thai curry with steamed rice and also salad, which was OK, compared to the other places we had dined at the previous nights. </div>
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It was approaching 7.30 now and in the meantime our friend had contacted a couple of her buddies, one in particular was one of the organisers for the "Phare" acrobatic circus. They drove us to the venue and the look on the faces of the salesman who denied discounting 3 tickets was priceless as we were granted free entry. </div>
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Eclipse, is a story of a young man who is considered an outcast in his village for being different, he is bullied and beaten and unable to take it any longer, prays for divine intervention. The gods turn him into a beautiful woman who enchants the villagers, but soon find themselves in the midst of a mysterious plague. The entire story was brought alive by the sounds of traditional instruments and gravity defying acrobats that left us with our jaws wide open and eyes popping out of their sockets! The performers were incredible, easily one of the best I had seen. We had joked earlier that if the performance had been unsatisfactory our friend would be in trouble but they certainly delivered and more. A truly wonderful way to end the night. </div>
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<u><b>A bit of shopping, goodbyes & The Flight home to Singapore - 14th April.</b></u></div>
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Throughout the holiday we had seen lots of arts, crafts and various other local artefacts that had caught our eye and the last day would be the day to explore this avenue and make any purchases we deemed necessary. My friend purchased a few paintings and some sovenir t-shirts whereas I simply settled for a beautiful painting of the "Floating Village" which is now sat in my bedroom waiting to be hung up, I can't seem to make up my mind as to where it best fits. Anyway we had great fun, touring all the different markets, looking at the various goods and haggling for better deals. It reminded me of my trip to China where I haggled at Silk street though, this was on a much smaller scale. </div>
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By now it was time to leave and after saying our good byes we made our way to the airport, where we would fly to Phonm Penh for a 30 minute stopover before jetting back home to Singapore.</div>
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Sensational! This is the best word I can use to describe our experiences, from the splendour of Angkor Wat to the people, the food and witnessesing an entirely unique way of life in the "Floating Village" we had a truly memorable holiday. </div>
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Elusive Travelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13115641556102717553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810238689675710199.post-62201856210690048092012-12-14T17:40:00.001+08:002012-12-14T17:40:31.566+08:00Photographic Journey of Australia - Melbourne, Sydney and Cairns<div style="padding: 0; overflow: hidden; margin: 0; width: 500px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8271119243/in/set-72157632245266566/" title="Australia-120" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8483/8271119243_6a4c8e4f71_s.jpg" alt="Australia-120" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8271118905/in/set-72157632245266566/" title="Australia-119" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8078/8271118905_8696be7135_s.jpg" alt="Australia-119" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8271118667/in/set-72157632245266566/" title="Australia-118" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8495/8271118667_a069df8235_s.jpg" alt="Australia-118" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8271118377/in/set-72157632245266566/" title="Australia-117" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8057/8271118377_349b6b0ba3_s.jpg" alt="Australia-117" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8271118077/in/set-72157632245266566/" title="Australia-116" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8199/8271118077_fb0917e2f9_s.jpg" alt="Australia-116" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8272184948/in/set-72157632245266566/" title="Australia-115" style="display: block; padding: 0 0 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8351/8272184948_e07bee8521_s.jpg" alt="Australia-115" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><br clear="all"/><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8272184676/in/set-72157632245266566/" title="Australia-114" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8355/8272184676_f280e35c53_s.jpg" alt="Australia-114" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8272184394/in/set-72157632245266566/" title="Australia-113" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8206/8272184394_69dae5b2a3_s.jpg" alt="Australia-113" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8272184168/in/set-72157632245266566/" title="Australia-112" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8065/8272184168_bda8e59903_s.jpg" alt="Australia-112" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8272183864/in/set-72157632245266566/" title="Australia-111" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8219/8272183864_28ba0f82b6_s.jpg" alt="Australia-111" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8271116389/in/set-72157632245266566/" title="Australia-110" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8487/8271116389_5845956928_s.jpg" alt="Australia-110" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8272183056/in/set-72157632245266566/" title="Australia-109" style="display: block; padding: 0 0 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8059/8272183056_d9dc9b235c_s.jpg" alt="Australia-109" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><br clear="all"/><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8271115595/in/set-72157632245266566/" title="Australia-108" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8203/8271115595_4fc4c09d13_s.jpg" alt="Australia-108" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8271115247/in/set-72157632245266566/" title="Australia-107" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8070/8271115247_c1f98c7dc5_s.jpg" alt="Australia-107" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8271114901/in/set-72157632245266566/" title="Australia-106" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8350/8271114901_1689b5db02_s.jpg" alt="Australia-106" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8272181820/in/set-72157632245266566/" title="Australia-105" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8353/8272181820_2b2550b3d7_s.jpg" alt="Australia-105" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8271114321/in/set-72157632245266566/" title="Australia-104" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8216/8271114321_6d84b754b1_s.jpg" alt="Australia-104" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8271114163/in/set-72157632245266566/" title="Australia-103" style="display: block; padding: 0 0 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8224/8271114163_59435639ba_s.jpg" alt="Australia-103" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><br clear="all"/><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8272180988/in/set-72157632245266566/" title="Australia-102" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8364/8272180988_73178624b3_s.jpg" alt="Australia-102" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8271113515/in/set-72157632245266566/" title="Australia-101" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8362/8271113515_b039413eda_s.jpg" alt="Australia-101" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8272180146/in/set-72157632245266566/" title="Australia-100" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8500/8272180146_33480f0c1e_s.jpg" alt="Australia-100" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8272179812/in/set-72157632245266566/" title="Australia-99" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8206/8272179812_45d5644c6c_s.jpg" alt="Australia-99" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8271112621/in/set-72157632245266566/" title="Australia-98" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8490/8271112621_be69020c00_s.jpg" alt="Australia-98" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8272179396/in/set-72157632245266566/" title="Australia-97" style="display: block; padding: 0 0 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8483/8272179396_a49bd739cb_s.jpg" alt="Australia-97" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><br clear="all"/></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 5px"><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/sets/72157632245266566/">Photographic Journey of Australia - Melbourne, Sydney and Cairns</a>, a set on Flickr.</p></div>Elusive Travelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13115641556102717553noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810238689675710199.post-17448141536521138322012-12-13T15:12:00.003+08:002012-12-13T15:12:42.295+08:00A weekend in Melbourne...<br />
We landed around 6pm on Friday 7th December at Melbourne airport after a five hour flight from Cairns. At the airport we booked a Sky Bus return journey that costs $28/per head which took us to Southern cross station, and from there we took a free shuttle bus into the city to the Crowne Promenade hotel where we spent the weekend.<br />
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The first thing I noticed when entering the metropolis, was that the look and feel of the city was similar to London, in the sense that you had towering skyscrapers but lots of old buildings and side streets that reminded me of Oxford and Regent street in London. <br />
Gettting around the city was fairly easy, around 10-15 mins walk to Southerncross station and about and eight minute walk to Flinders Street station. There are numerous ways to travel around the city, buses, trams, taxis or simply just walking.<br />
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Since we were quite tired we decided to relax at the hotel, grab a quick dinner and then at night we decided to check out the clubbing scene. The Hotel recommended us to pay a visit to Fusion and Co, we opted for fusion and for the first time in 2 years it was a fantastic experience to be in a club that played R&B music, a genre of music which seems to be lacking in Singapore's nightclubs. Another good thing was that as guests of the hotel which owned the Crowne entertainement complex where Fusion and Co are located, we were given free entry. Overall the club is a great venue if you want to enjoy good music, and dance, the crowd can be a little hit and miss depending on which nights you go. Co which we visited on Saturday and Sunday night was also similar to Fusion.<br />
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On Saturday morning after being well rested, we had brunch at Brown Sugar Cafe located at 25 Block place and then we headed over to Flinder's street station and hopped on the City Circle tram, an old style tram providing a free tour of the city with a recorded voice telling you all about the important locations, we passed Melbourne Aquarium, Docklands, Etihad Stadium, City museum and many other locations. It's a great way to see the city and you also get to learn interesting facts. As it's a free service you also tend to find a lot of people using it as a quick way to get to their next destination without having to wait for the paid tram service.<br />
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The tour lasted one hour, after which we visited David Jones department store to buy Christmas pudding for my aunt, who had invited us over for dinner at her house in Dandenong, located in the suburbs of Melbourne. Around 6.45pm we headed by Taxi to Dandenong arriving at my Aunt's around 7.30, after many discussions and laughs we enjoyed a delicious Sri Lankan home cooked meal before saying good byes and making our way back to Melbourne around midnight where we then decided to go clubbing at Co. <br />
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The rest of the remaining days, we spent wondering the city trying out different foods and night life and on the last day, Monday 10th we metup with an old school friend of mine whom I had not seen in 17 years. We left each others company with a promise that the next time I visit Australia we would visit more of Melbourne, in particular "Great Ocean" road and take a road trip around the outback, which I was told was an amazing way to see the country especially for a keen photographer like myself.<br />
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<br />Elusive Travelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13115641556102717553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810238689675710199.post-15599703162881918142012-12-06T17:23:00.000+08:002012-12-06T17:23:06.612+08:00A day out at Daintree Rainforestit's 6pm in the evening and I've just returned from another fantastic day, spent exploring the Daintree rainforest. Located in the wet tropics world heritage area, it is the oldest surving rainforest in the world that has been home to a biodiversity that has remained unchanged for hundreds of millions of years from ancient ferns, to the more evolved flowering plants. It is also home to birds like the Cassowary that has also been relatively unchanged for many thousands of years. <br />
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The tour began this morning at 7.45am courtesy of Billytea tours in a 4WD. There
must have been a total of 20-30 in our group, some locals, some
international. After about an hours drive we arrived at our first stop of the day, the Daintree river, where we stopped for tea and then took an hour long river safari where we saw many varieties of Mangroves, flowering plants including the "Lang Lang" whose oils are used in the manufacturing of Chanel perfumes, several egrets and the world's smallest species of Kingfisher "Flashing Azures" that move extremely swiftly making them impossible to capture on camera, while moving. <br />
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The river was home to about 70 crocodiles, ten of which had been given a name but only two that I can remember,"Scarface" who the river safari guide mentioned was the Alpha male and the largest in the area and "Forest Gump" who we managed to catch a glimpse of. He had his entire body submerged in water with only a portion of his snout and eyes visible, they blend into the surroundings making them very difficult to spot, and we were also informed that they can leap pretty high, thus at all times were advised to have our hands inside the boat. <br />
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The cruise had come to an end and we headed to the next destination, the Alexandra range where we stopped to admire panoramic views of the surrounding rainforest and wet tropics and then set foot along an elevated guided National Park Boardwalks. Once more we saw many different types of fauna and flora, but we were mostly in search of the elusive Cassowary, a giant flightless bird native to north-eastern Australia and New Guinea. Unfortunately as it was an extremely hot day our guide informed us that the birds were probably snoozing and would have been out very early in the morning, still we did manage to see an Orange-footed Scrubfowl. The total walk must have lasted about 45 minutes to and hour, after which we stopped for lunch at Lynch Haven a tropical restaurant located in the Daintree area, and also enjoyed feeding a couple of Kangaroos.<br />
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Our bellies now full , we headed drove past along Bloomfield track before arriving at Emmagen Creek where some of the group enjoyed a swim in the crystal clear stream of the rainforest bundant with plenty fish, beautiful brightly blueish purple butterflies and thankfully no crocodiles. A small campfire was set-up (well a portable gas powered camp fire ) where the guides brewed a massive pot of local "Billy Tea" with water obtained from the Emerson Creek. Along with the local tea we also enjoyed serving of exotic fruits, Papaya, Jack, Starfruit, Black Sapote and Passionfruit.<br />
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We'd tasted Billy tea enjoyed exotic fruit and now it was time to head towards Cape Tribulation beach. The stunning panoramic views of the ocean surrouded by the Cape its truly breathtaking and made for some fabulous photo opportunities. Many of us would have loved to have swum in the ocean with its warm waters this time of the year, unfortunately it was also pristine season for "Marine Stingers" and "Box" jellyfish so we were advised to stay clear of the water. I guess it is one way of nature telling us that for a certain part of the year, 'you can look but you can't touch' <br />
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The tour had come to and end by this stage and we were heading back home, where we also crossed the river via cable ferry which was a first time experience for me. At the end of the day it was a fantastic trip, but I wish that I had seen some of the animal species shown in the brochures, or documentaries about Daintree. It makes me wonder, if the species of animals that we know of still remain elusive, then what else must be out there that we have no idea about, not just at Daintree but all over the world, yet here we are spending millions of dollars trying to find life on other planets.<br />
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For more information about the Daintree tours, take a look at the "Billy Tea Tour" website:<br />
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http://www.billytea.com.au<br />
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<br />Elusive Travelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13115641556102717553noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810238689675710199.post-35007827931135702772012-12-05T17:26:00.002+08:002012-12-05T19:20:57.441+08:00Adventure At The Great Barrier ReefI am sat by the swimming pool sipping a delicious Mai Tai as I blog. It has been a long arduous but sensational day spent at one of nature's natural wonders, the Great Barrier Reef, stretching for 2300km and classified under UNESCO as a world heritage site. <br />
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The journey commenced this morning at 7am, where we drove about an hour to Cairns where we then boarded a catamaran. Once aboard the catamaran we were introduced the fantstic crew, who provided us with safety information and quick guide on how to wear the snorkel gear after that we cruised onto the inner reef, Michaelmas Cay.<br />
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Once we reached the inner reef, the seascape and surrounding vicinity was breathtaking in its beauty, dark blue waters with shades of green, with hoards of terns flying above. The catamaran came to a stop and we were all advised to put on the stinger suits and snorkel gear and we were then divided into two groups, those who wanted to take the introductory snorkel tour from the boat (open sea) and those who wanted to take the tour starting from the beach. As it was my first time, I opted to start from the beach. <br />
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There must have been about seven or eight pax in the introductory snorkel, which lasted approximately 35mins. The view under the ocean was nothing short of spectacular, multidues of colours and the corals formed something akin to an underwater forest. In some respect it is truly overwhelming to see the biodiversity that exists at the reef. We saw many different kinds of choral, hard ( brain, boulder, blue stag) and soft the names of which I can't remember. We also saw schools of blue-green damsel fish, which accquire their name as they change their colour to green when in distress, "Damsel in distress" brightly blue-green coloured parrotish and several giant clams, and a number of angelfish and rabbit fish. Time was up and we all got back on the boat where we headed further out to the open sea to the outer reef.<br />
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At the outer reef there is no beach, so you pretty much start your snorkelling from the boat itself, at the outer reef we saw more of the hard and soft corals, a Turtle ( unfortunately I didn't ask how old he was), a sea cucumber, a beautiful blue starfish and a reef shark as well as more parrotfish, rabbitfish and several whitetail dascyllus, once again the beauty witnessed here cannot really be described in words and must truly be seen with the naked eye to really appreciate nature's offerings.<br />
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Next stop was hastings reef where we boarded a glass bottom boat for a quick tour of the corals where we saw more of the same corals and fish species but was also lucky enough to witness a giant clam snap staggeringly fast in spite of its size.<br />
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Now I suppose you are all wondering how to go about visiting the reef, one word Sea Star. This was the reef tour operator we used and they offer excellent value for money, at $185 AUD, some of the things included are, 5 hours out on the reef, glass boat tour, introduction to snorkelling and diving, tea, cakes, lunch and limitless supply of water, really excellent value for money. The crew were exceptionally helpful, friendly and really out to ensure you had a great time. Really can't recommend them enough.<br />
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For more details, take a look at their site:<br />
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http://www.seastarcruises.com.au <br />
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and also their Facebook page:<br />
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http://www.facebook.com/seastarcairns<br />
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Any of you readers who were with me on this tour are more than likely going to find photos of you at the above facebook link.<br />
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It has been a marvellous experience at the Great Barrier Reef , one I would not forget and an experience I am more than likely to re-visit again, next time armed with a protective water case for my camera so I can relive the memories.<br />
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Elusive Travelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13115641556102717553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810238689675710199.post-31730619870044647532012-12-02T18:22:00.001+08:002012-12-02T18:22:18.853+08:00Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera HouseAs I write this I am sat in the lobby of the Shangri-La hotel charging my camera battery after enjoying dinner at Opera Bar, Sydney Opera House with a fantastic Jive band playing classic tunes that had the crowd on their feet. <br />
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Sydney Opera house, as most of you know is a stunning piece of architecture hailed as one of the greatest buildings of the 20th century. It is synonymous with this city and as a matter of fact without it one could say Sydney would not be Sydney. If you thought it looked amazing in photos, you were right. But if you thought that was the best way to see it then my friends you are very mistaken. Any photo pales in comparison to seeing it with the naked eye. Located on the Harbour, which is also home to another Sydney landmark, 'The Sydney Harbour bridge' known locally as the 'coat hanger'. It is simply breathtaking and at night when lit up will leave you in awe.<br />
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The battery on my camera has sufficient charge, so I am now headed up to the 36th floor of the hotel for some panoramic views of Sydney where I will take some photos of the Opera house. After that its back down to circular quay and along the Harbour to take some night shots of the opera house, bridge and Luna park all beautifully illuminated at night. <br />
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This city with its rich culture, friendly people, great food and plenty of entertainment has offered a fantastic travel experience and is definitely worthwhile visiting again.<br />
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Elusive Travelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13115641556102717553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810238689675710199.post-12809574792827803302012-12-02T14:00:00.001+08:002012-12-02T14:00:34.521+08:00The Sydney Adventure..I arrived in yesterday (Saturday) afternoon, and after being picked up by my friend wasted no time in hitting the road. We drove to Akuna bay where we stopped at Karungai National park. We were hoping to see a few wild Kangaroos and Koala bears but unfortunately we weren't lucky enough. However, I did manage to get some stunning photographs of the surrounding landscape treating your eyes to stunning panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean. <br />
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After wandering through the national park we decided to turn back as it started to rain and getting caught in a torrential downpour is not something I had planned for.<br />
Just as we hit the road the rain stopped and the skies cleared, we felt inclined to turn back but pressed on towards Newport beach, where once again I reveled in the beauty of the Pacific Ocean and golden sand beaches.<br />
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Darkness soon approached and we headed into centre point where we walked on George street, Pitt street, and circular quay stopping at city extra restaurant to satisfy my hunger with a delicious serving of pumpkin soup and generously large seafood pie, a scrumptious meal costing $40 AUD per head for the dinner.<br />
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It was now 1am and my lack of sleep had taken its toll on me so it was time to call it a night.<br />
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Elusive Travelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13115641556102717553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810238689675710199.post-80328692281621949192012-10-30T14:44:00.001+08:002012-10-30T14:44:20.919+08:00Kuala Lumpur in Pictures<div style="padding: 0; overflow: hidden; margin: 0; width: 500px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8137612875/in/set-72157631886268396/" title="Kuala Lumpur" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8194/8137612875_b977a2ae09_s.jpg" alt="Kuala Lumpur" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8137613365/in/set-72157631886268396/" title="Kuala Lumpur" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8188/8137613365_4ec48f8d63_s.jpg" alt="Kuala Lumpur" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8137613151/in/set-72157631886268396/" title="Kuala Lumpur" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8191/8137613151_dc1c5107e9_s.jpg" alt="Kuala Lumpur" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8137613649/in/set-72157631886268396/" title="Kuala Lumpur" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8475/8137613649_8fdbec65bb_s.jpg" alt="Kuala Lumpur" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8137645558/in/set-72157631886268396/" title="Kuala Lumpur" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8475/8137645558_9133eee210_s.jpg" alt="Kuala Lumpur" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8137615231/in/set-72157631886268396/" title="Kuala Lumpur" style="display: block; padding: 0 0 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8467/8137615231_fec695900c_s.jpg" alt="Kuala Lumpur" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><br clear="all"/><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8137615425/in/set-72157631886268396/" title="Kuala Lumpur" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8196/8137615425_1b81171fb5_s.jpg" alt="Kuala Lumpur" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8137646566/in/set-72157631886268396/" title="Kuala Lumpur" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8192/8137646566_65ebc6c66d_s.jpg" alt="Kuala Lumpur" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8137624345/in/set-72157631886268396/" title="Kuala Lumpur" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8328/8137624345_33c2d6857f_s.jpg" alt="Kuala Lumpur" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8137624143/in/set-72157631886268396/" title="Kuala Lumpur" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8328/8137624143_dc47d4d8ac_s.jpg" alt="Kuala Lumpur" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8137623897/in/set-72157631886268396/" title="Kuala Lumpur" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8043/8137623897_82f0181b84_s.jpg" alt="Kuala Lumpur" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8137654254/in/set-72157631886268396/" title="Kuala Lumpur" style="display: block; padding: 0 0 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8045/8137654254_ac7a466324_s.jpg" alt="Kuala Lumpur" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><br clear="all"/><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8137623449/in/set-72157631886268396/" title="Kuala Lumpur" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8049/8137623449_98dcd1e7bf_s.jpg" alt="Kuala Lumpur" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8137653720/in/set-72157631886268396/" title="Kuala Lumpur" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8053/8137653720_a9a30d92ba_s.jpg" alt="Kuala Lumpur" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8137622821/in/set-72157631886268396/" title="Kuala Lumpur" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8332/8137622821_2edd5b7f99_s.jpg" alt="Kuala Lumpur" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8137622079/in/set-72157631886268396/" title="Kuala Lumpur" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8044/8137622079_5180808baa_s.jpg" alt="Kuala Lumpur" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8137652332/in/set-72157631886268396/" title="Kuala Lumpur" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8472/8137652332_e3e32fc793_s.jpg" alt="Kuala Lumpur" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8137652026/in/set-72157631886268396/" title="Kuala Lumpur" style="display: block; padding: 0 0 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8191/8137652026_3224e07c8f_s.jpg" alt="Kuala Lumpur" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><br clear="all"/><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8137651680/in/set-72157631886268396/" title="Kuala Lumpur" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8328/8137651680_af79bab324_s.jpg" alt="Kuala Lumpur" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8137651420/in/set-72157631886268396/" title="Kuala Lumpur" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8051/8137651420_aa23fcd187_s.jpg" alt="Kuala Lumpur" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8137651180/in/set-72157631886268396/" title="Kuala Lumpur" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8191/8137651180_b1ec9c05ab_s.jpg" alt="Kuala Lumpur" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8137650940/in/set-72157631886268396/" title="Kuala Lumpur" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8467/8137650940_be55a437cf_s.jpg" alt="Kuala Lumpur" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8137620133/in/set-72157631886268396/" title="Kuala Lumpur" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8183/8137620133_18067899a6_s.jpg" alt="Kuala Lumpur" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8137650556/in/set-72157631886268396/" title="Kuala Lumpur" style="display: block; padding: 0 0 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8045/8137650556_9e408fbe1d_s.jpg" alt="Kuala Lumpur" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><br clear="all"/></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 5px"><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/sets/72157631886268396/">Kuala Lumpur in Pictures</a>, a set on Flickr.</p></div><p>As promised folks here are the photos from my weekend trip to KL. Sri Petaling Street, Masjed Jamek and Petronas Towers. <br /><br />A fantastic city that I shall be visiting again in the very near future. </p>Elusive Travelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13115641556102717553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810238689675710199.post-72338736937390963692012-10-26T17:02:00.001+08:002012-10-26T17:02:00.489+08:00Kuala Lumpur City GalleryOnce again I am sat at OldTown white coffee after visiting the Kuala Lumpur City Gallery. Along the road I have seen the stunning piece of architecture that is the Masjid Jamek mosque as well as the Sultan Abdul Samad building which is perhaps the first example of Moghul architecture in Malaysia. <br />
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The gallery itself serves as a small museum of sorts serving to enrich the visitor with a brief history of Kuala Lumpur. It was interesting to learn that that the city was originally a tin mining settlement and that Kuala Lumpur itself means 'Muddy Estuary'. Aside from the small historic gallery there is also a gallery on the second floor that showcases the entire city as a miniature sculpture, complete with roads, trees etc.<br />
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For a free gallery it has served it's purpose, no more no less.<br />
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Now I am off to take the LTR for a random tour of the city before the final stop at KLCC. If timed correctly I should arrive there to see the city in all it's vibrant glory at night.<br />
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<div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhym5AFi3OhNvyjpSG_KyJel20E2E993o4gBUyIpl-ZZGLJZSHNjZfhIcVj-7uQ2sAmZa-xmhDcfiEKVoOoVfFaZ9a8OS2XBq7aMgl3kLC_88evUB9S5Zl30dDmAUBsZltxDlEfL_0MNm1n/s640/blogger-image-791341993.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhym5AFi3OhNvyjpSG_KyJel20E2E993o4gBUyIpl-ZZGLJZSHNjZfhIcVj-7uQ2sAmZa-xmhDcfiEKVoOoVfFaZ9a8OS2XBq7aMgl3kLC_88evUB9S5Zl30dDmAUBsZltxDlEfL_0MNm1n/s640/blogger-image-791341993.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJlsvvh87C6_FGrn9mHpI5zjm8Hy-Oob4Pre0vJdggjorXnCQ4DrW-07Hxf5PxmO_Dqc6_rQB91ooYXhQKaxNgJg9V-h9ehn3tf1rJ0wtDvFpaFjbbDtjU6_utXNXgE04HdrHujSi628Dy/s640/blogger-image--917118418.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJlsvvh87C6_FGrn9mHpI5zjm8Hy-Oob4Pre0vJdggjorXnCQ4DrW-07Hxf5PxmO_Dqc6_rQB91ooYXhQKaxNgJg9V-h9ehn3tf1rJ0wtDvFpaFjbbDtjU6_utXNXgE04HdrHujSi628Dy/s640/blogger-image--917118418.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP7jXbRVp-_3tMT8nM2nivoHf_-fPtfeAJyTBeVQDFWPxPb0lkYhERVfn-cNWXkxhOkkB3vDWTtxEQ1-B82Qx-zSnnvu-AzG6s0Gfk4rr3KVMytKtbuxz2S5Cewr4NPF25PZDuofbEXQXP/s640/blogger-image--1542001984.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP7jXbRVp-_3tMT8nM2nivoHf_-fPtfeAJyTBeVQDFWPxPb0lkYhERVfn-cNWXkxhOkkB3vDWTtxEQ1-B82Qx-zSnnvu-AzG6s0Gfk4rr3KVMytKtbuxz2S5Cewr4NPF25PZDuofbEXQXP/s640/blogger-image--1542001984.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGQDLnZfw7ketiw7RgJDDlNFnNmqMEj0M2if8bF4CaHM3c4-ThaJqdGliKaD-2avpzBWXqJb7zUH5NdxybONzjo7k4B4OJ-gvly683phLnh9vuc9lFesgcAGDGow1NFO9tP4-SrO52YVAX/s640/blogger-image--1356470680.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGQDLnZfw7ketiw7RgJDDlNFnNmqMEj0M2if8bF4CaHM3c4-ThaJqdGliKaD-2avpzBWXqJb7zUH5NdxybONzjo7k4B4OJ-gvly683phLnh9vuc9lFesgcAGDGow1NFO9tP4-SrO52YVAX/s640/blogger-image--1356470680.jpg" /></a></div>Elusive Travelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13115641556102717553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810238689675710199.post-4199306865059329632012-10-26T14:43:00.001+08:002012-10-26T14:48:11.531+08:00The KL story so far...As I write this I am enjoying a delicious cup of Xi Mut tea at a shop called Old Town White Coffee located inside Central Market (More about this market later). Please forgive any typos that are bound to occur as I am writing all this on my IPhone.<br />
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Ok, so what's the story so far? Well, I have just spent the last 2.5 hours or so wondering Petaling street (KL's Chinatown) and the surrounding vicinity stopping by to take photos of the Guan Di temple, built in 1888 to commemorate one of China's greatest warrior generals who served Lu Bei during the Han dynasty of the three kingdoms period. <br />
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Next was a quick stop to take some photos of the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple built in 1873 as a place of worship for those of the Hindu faith. This however doesn't perturb people from all walks of life admiring its firm architecture.<br />
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Much of Chinatown is akin to a huge bazaar with everything from clothes, fruits, food and drink to your typical touristy merchandise. I guess it is no different from other Chinatowns in many other countries, save for the fact that the food IMHO is a lot cheaper!! A large plate of delicious fried Kway Teow at 5.50RMB is a bloody good offer in my books. <br />
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Do you remember Central Market ? No, well shame on you for not paying attention! Formerly known as KL's Wet Market it was built in 1888 initially serving as gambling premise before shaping into the Central Market we see today. There are over 228 shops inside most of them dealing with arts and crafts, thus making it Malaysia's largest arts and crafts centre.<br />
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So there you have it folks, the story of KL so far. I shall leave you with a few photos (sorry for poor quality as I can't upload from my SLR at this moment).<br />
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Next destination KL city gallery. <div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjortE0rxTFz8DQgnSTBstvtdcy4AvTI-HgGY1oWALa2bajpQoMDBs5vfW2WPKerSjljCz3qp0OxYAq8KepufMVy7GM7G_2_gpqfpQOxH534HlYSeQdTKg3c91JynGx4_Np_BeLDDJQ_UPQ/s640/blogger-image--94108099.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjortE0rxTFz8DQgnSTBstvtdcy4AvTI-HgGY1oWALa2bajpQoMDBs5vfW2WPKerSjljCz3qp0OxYAq8KepufMVy7GM7G_2_gpqfpQOxH534HlYSeQdTKg3c91JynGx4_Np_BeLDDJQ_UPQ/s640/blogger-image--94108099.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-iVhGSnKjFLNRHXZUcjkYJ7B6mLte9v14lI7U7xB-4QeOqjvVzxVtrtqQyx1SAXBCFgisHGCmZAsFwmQ9ESC7_Ego0Wmp1_yCswWorqP4lyGuHt3HNqjIEXj495blXpXFFPeucAt4IUzU/s640/blogger-image--65692525.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-iVhGSnKjFLNRHXZUcjkYJ7B6mLte9v14lI7U7xB-4QeOqjvVzxVtrtqQyx1SAXBCFgisHGCmZAsFwmQ9ESC7_Ego0Wmp1_yCswWorqP4lyGuHt3HNqjIEXj495blXpXFFPeucAt4IUzU/s640/blogger-image--65692525.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpYwdPKCs0TDVS9kTWxQv4y3EqITtSDr4kPJus381HcwHFXOyKzEBGuFo_0sdLpo-NV4ACwQEt19M2TOhAjST2ZkPfZUjg8tny_qpbSCcQV3lLYSSyZts7lAC0Fop0psgR8BlyPkjMKEbu/s640/blogger-image-815589229.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpYwdPKCs0TDVS9kTWxQv4y3EqITtSDr4kPJus381HcwHFXOyKzEBGuFo_0sdLpo-NV4ACwQEt19M2TOhAjST2ZkPfZUjg8tny_qpbSCcQV3lLYSSyZts7lAC0Fop0psgR8BlyPkjMKEbu/s640/blogger-image-815589229.jpg" /></a></div>Elusive Travelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13115641556102717553noreply@blogger.com0Oldtown White Coffee Central Market 10 Jalan Hang Kasturi, Kuala Lumpur3.143509 101.695269tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810238689675710199.post-43487998956153253472012-10-25T20:39:00.001+08:002012-10-25T20:43:51.210+08:00On the road to KL<br />
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My usual MO to KL has been to take a flight. However, for this long weekend I was not able to get a suitable flight that would ensure a morning arrival tomorrow (Friday 26th). As such here I am taking a bus which has an estimated journey time of 6 hours. Yeah I know, some of you are probably thinking 'Oh my God' but honestly the bus is spacious, fully air conditioned and most of all comfortable. Really can't ask for anything more.</div>
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It's 8.40pm now and the bus has just started the journey from Golden mile tower, which is a short walk from Nichol Hill MRT. In a few hours I shall be sleeping before I wake up at my next stop Berjaya Times Square in KL</div>
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For those interested the website I used to book my tickets was </div>
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http://busonlineticket.com</div>
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$35 SGD is a pretty good deal.</div>
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Stay tuned for my next blog update.</div>
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For now it's G'night.</div>
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Elusive Travelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13115641556102717553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810238689675710199.post-44630226061711267552012-09-24T02:18:00.001+08:002012-09-24T02:18:55.056+08:00Katy Perry - Singapore Grand Prix 2012<div style="padding: 0; overflow: hidden; margin: 0; width: 500px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8016430581/in/set-72157631605172959/" title="Katy Perry 10" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8462/8016430581_a227baf3e4_s.jpg" alt="Katy Perry 10" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8016429431/in/set-72157631605172959/" title="Katy Perry 9" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8457/8016429431_543f61712c_s.jpg" alt="Katy Perry 9" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8016431268/in/set-72157631605172959/" title="Katy Perry 8" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8456/8016431268_f5884d78ea_s.jpg" alt="Katy Perry 8" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8016429990/in/set-72157631605172959/" title="Katy Perry 7" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8435/8016429990_cd6224ac13_s.jpg" alt="Katy Perry 7" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8016428462/in/set-72157631605172959/" title="Katy Perry 6" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8038/8016428462_b942923ed0_s.jpg" alt="Katy Perry 6" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8016426798/in/set-72157631605172959/" title="Katy Perry 5" style="display: block; padding: 0 0 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8173/8016426798_584cb07444_s.jpg" alt="Katy Perry 5" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><br clear="all"/><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8016425648/in/set-72157631605172959/" title="Katy Perry 4" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8030/8016425648_002b50a784_s.jpg" alt="Katy Perry 4" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8016424272/in/set-72157631605172959/" title="Katy Perry 3" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8035/8016424272_dd0e0faebb_s.jpg" alt="Katy Perry 3" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8016420123/in/set-72157631605172959/" title="Katy Perry 2" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8312/8016420123_0800fcb8b3_s.jpg" alt="Katy Perry 2" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8016419439/in/set-72157631605172959/" title="Katy Perry 1" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8315/8016419439_0a3a1857c8_s.jpg" alt="Katy Perry 1" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><div style="padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://l.yimg.com/g/images/gallery-empty-icon.gif" style="margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"></div><div style="padding: 0 0 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://l.yimg.com/g/images/gallery-empty-icon.gif" style="margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"></div><br clear="all"/></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 5px"><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/sets/72157631605172959/">Katy Perry</a>, a set on Flickr.</p></div>Elusive Travelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13115641556102717553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810238689675710199.post-17254099326521560102012-09-24T02:09:00.001+08:002012-09-24T02:09:43.995+08:00Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds<div style="padding: 0; overflow: hidden; margin: 0; width: 500px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8016390000/in/set-72157631604848962/" title="Noel Gallagher" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8458/8016390000_8fe8d62b7b_s.jpg" alt="Noel Gallagher" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8016388994/in/set-72157631604848962/" title="Russel Pritchard, Noel Gallagher and Tim Smith" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8182/8016388994_5c0f0911a7_s.jpg" alt="Russel Pritchard, Noel Gallagher and Tim Smith" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8016387796/in/set-72157631604848962/" title="Russell Pritchard - Bass Guitarist" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8449/8016387796_772f96abc7_s.jpg" alt="Russell Pritchard - Bass Guitarist" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8016384137/in/set-72157631604848962/" title="Noel Gallagher Solo" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8173/8016384137_01536f2433_s.jpg" alt="Noel Gallagher Solo" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8016383617/in/set-72157631604848962/" title="Noel Gallagher and Tims Smith" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8304/8016383617_7a750331e0_s.jpg" alt="Noel Gallagher and Tims Smith" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><div style="padding: 0 0 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://l.yimg.com/g/images/gallery-empty-icon.gif" style="margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"></div><br clear="all"/></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 5px"><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/sets/72157631604848962/">Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds</a>, a set on Flickr.</p></div>Elusive Travelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13115641556102717553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810238689675710199.post-7441493383369562582012-09-24T02:03:00.001+08:002012-09-24T02:03:22.100+08:00Singapore GP 2012<div style="padding: 0; overflow: hidden; margin: 0; width: 500px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8016347121/in/set-72157631604779014/" title="Singapore GP Final Race 4" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8459/8016347121_c7ebdcc83c_s.jpg" alt="Singapore GP Final Race 4" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8016362066/in/set-72157631604779014/" title="Singapore GP Final Race 3" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8307/8016362066_e1414af989_s.jpg" alt="Singapore GP Final Race 3" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8016358617/in/set-72157631604779014/" title="Singapore GP Final Race 2" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8306/8016358617_ff6ba4ec38_s.jpg" alt="Singapore GP Final Race 2" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8016350430/in/set-72157631604779014/" title="Singapore GP Final Race 1" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8459/8016350430_ec6d7e8152_s.jpg" alt="Singapore GP Final Race 1" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8016357551/in/set-72157631604779014/" title="Jeson Button - Driver Parade" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8454/8016357551_ffaf5361f0_s.jpg" alt="Jeson Button - Driver Parade" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8016358826/in/set-72157631604779014/" title="Felipe Masa - Driver Parade" style="display: block; padding: 0 0 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8309/8016358826_2c4155a555_s.jpg" alt="Felipe Masa - Driver Parade" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><br clear="all"/><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8016355403/in/set-72157631604779014/" title="Pastor Maldonado" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8438/8016355403_10f23e87bd_s.jpg" alt="Pastor Maldonado" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8016353999/in/set-72157631604779014/" title="Lewis Hamilton" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8297/8016353999_55c8a8c987_s.jpg" alt="Lewis Hamilton" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8016352395/in/set-72157631604779014/" title="Jenson Button" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8181/8016352395_6662624a69_s.jpg" alt="Jenson Button" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8016352866/in/set-72157631604779014/" title="Ferrari Challenge - 4" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8439/8016352866_872108c4e0_s.jpg" alt="Ferrari Challenge - 4" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8016352330/in/set-72157631604779014/" title="Ferrari Challenge - 3" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8300/8016352330_5f08f01184_s.jpg" alt="Ferrari Challenge - 3" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8016351686/in/set-72157631604779014/" title="Ferrari Challenge - 2" style="display: block; padding: 0 0 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8315/8016351686_604c593810_s.jpg" alt="Ferrari Challenge - 2" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><br clear="all"/><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/8016348911/in/set-72157631604779014/" title="Ferrari Challenge - 1" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8037/8016348911_eee2bfdba2_s.jpg" alt="Ferrari Challenge - 1" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><div style="padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://l.yimg.com/g/images/gallery-empty-icon.gif" style="margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"></div><div style="padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://l.yimg.com/g/images/gallery-empty-icon.gif" style="margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"></div><div style="padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://l.yimg.com/g/images/gallery-empty-icon.gif" style="margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"></div><div style="padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://l.yimg.com/g/images/gallery-empty-icon.gif" style="margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"></div><div style="padding: 0 0 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://l.yimg.com/g/images/gallery-empty-icon.gif" style="margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"></div><br clear="all"/></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 5px"><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/sets/72157631604779014/">Singapore GP 2012</a>, a set on Flickr.</p></div><p>The Sensational Singapore Grand Prix 2012</p>Elusive Travelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13115641556102717553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810238689675710199.post-3161917120759728672012-09-24T00:14:00.001+08:002012-09-24T00:14:05.049+08:00Singapore Grand Prix 2012Here I am another year and another awesome night to remember. Katy Perry just ended the Singapore GP with a bang!!! Prior to that we had the main event which was a thrilling race resulting in Sebastian Vettel taking the top prize followed by Jenson Button and finally Fernando Alonso. <br />
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Noel Gallaher's High flying birds rocked the stage after the driver's parade and played tunes both old and new. The crowd certainly went wild for 'Don't look back in Anger' which was a fitting finale.<br />
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Speaking of finales, It has been a sensational night, however I am tired and must now make my way back home. Thank god I bought my cattle prod or I fear I may never get out of here.<br />
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I know most of my readers here are eager to see the photos and I promise they will be up later tonight/evening/morning wherever you are.<br />
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Elusive Travelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13115641556102717553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810238689675710199.post-18618097507810365762012-08-31T05:12:00.002+08:002012-08-31T05:12:55.258+08:00Paralympics London 2012<div style="padding: 0; overflow: hidden; margin: 0; width: 500px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/7894224864/in/set-72157631326508144/" title="paralympics-3" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8290/7894224864_049dee989e_s.jpg" alt="paralympics-3" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/7894231548/in/set-72157631326508144/" title="paralympics-4" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8297/7894231548_f636dccbd3_s.jpg" alt="paralympics-4" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/7894237722/in/set-72157631326508144/" title="paralympics-5" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8452/7894237722_899de3daff_s.jpg" alt="paralympics-5" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/7894241926/in/set-72157631326508144/" title="paralympics-6" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8303/7894241926_ff0c0e2137_s.jpg" alt="paralympics-6" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/7894250484/in/set-72157631326508144/" title="paralympics-7" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8309/7894250484_8e74efef1f_s.jpg" alt="paralympics-7" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/7894257494/in/set-72157631326508144/" title="paralympics-8" style="display: block; padding: 0 0 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8309/7894257494_7c5965f23c_s.jpg" alt="paralympics-8" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><br clear="all"/><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/7894265354/in/set-72157631326508144/" title="paralympics-9" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8175/7894265354_4937b9df16_s.jpg" alt="paralympics-9" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/7894274894/in/set-72157631326508144/" title="paralympics-11" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8303/7894274894_2f6451537a_s.jpg" alt="paralympics-11" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/7894282106/in/set-72157631326508144/" title="paralympics-12" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8435/7894282106_30f70c3c2c_s.jpg" alt="paralympics-12" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/7894384824/in/set-72157631326508144/" title="paralympics-13" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8460/7894384824_490809f3f8_s.jpg" alt="paralympics-13" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/7894389166/in/set-72157631326508144/" title="paralympics-14" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8435/7894389166_5ac62cc1a3_s.jpg" alt="paralympics-14" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/7894378268/in/set-72157631326508144/" title="paralympics-15" style="display: block; padding: 0 0 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8173/7894378268_e353dfec47_s.jpg" alt="paralympics-15" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><br clear="all"/><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/7894394934/in/set-72157631326508144/" title="paralympics-16" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8035/7894394934_fa75cf4acb_s.jpg" alt="paralympics-16" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/7894325896/in/set-72157631326508144/" title="paralympics-18" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8459/7894325896_221bd5befe_s.jpg" alt="paralympics-18" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/7894330588/in/set-72157631326508144/" title="paralympics-19" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8460/7894330588_890307bd2f_s.jpg" alt="paralympics-19" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/7894335512/in/set-72157631326508144/" title="paralympics-20" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8032/7894335512_18f197c783_s.jpg" alt="paralympics-20" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/7894342182/in/set-72157631326508144/" title="paralympics-21" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8452/7894342182_fc3dc13b19_s.jpg" alt="paralympics-21" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/7894348254/in/set-72157631326508144/" title="paralympics-22" style="display: block; padding: 0 0 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8447/7894348254_3e868b67c6_s.jpg" alt="paralympics-22" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><br clear="all"/><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/7894354046/in/set-72157631326508144/" title="paralympics-23" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8177/7894354046_0a5f920f37_s.jpg" alt="paralympics-23" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/7894359258/in/set-72157631326508144/" title="paralympics-24" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8439/7894359258_50fc1a68dd_s.jpg" alt="paralympics-24" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/7894402972/in/set-72157631326508144/" title="paralympics-25" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8296/7894402972_e5330458a9_s.jpg" alt="paralympics-25" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/7895942782/in/set-72157631326508144/" title="paralympics-26" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8442/7895942782_17051d7360_s.jpg" alt="paralympics-26" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/7895953280/in/set-72157631326508144/" title="paralympics-27" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8450/7895953280_37ea3a2d6a_s.jpg" alt="paralympics-27" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/7895960810/in/set-72157631326508144/" title="paralympics-28" style="display: block; padding: 0 0 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8302/7895960810_54eabcdd52_s.jpg" alt="paralympics-28" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><br clear="all"/></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 5px"><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7952984@N02/sets/72157631326508144/">Paralympics London 2012</a>, a set on Flickr.</p></div>Elusive Travelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13115641556102717553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3810238689675710199.post-49657442794093468842012-08-31T05:12:00.000+08:002012-08-31T05:14:03.213+08:00London 2012 ParalympicsLast evening saw London once again take to the centre stage of the world as they hosted the 2012 Paralympics in a dazzling spectacle of sight and sound.<br />
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Originating in England 1948, the first paralympic games, then known as the wheelchair games was the brain child of Dr Ludwigg Guttman who created the games as a form of rehabilitation excercise for patients who had suffered spinal damage. Now 64 years later the games would return home. And they would return with a bang.<br />
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The main theme of the paralympic opening ceremony revolved around equality and the creation of the universe. Narrated by one of the foremost authorities on theoretical physics Steven Hawking.<br />
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Thousands took to the stage depicting the creation of the universe and also highlighting the discoveries of one of Great Britain's greatest scientists Sir Isaac Newton. There were fireworks, flying umbrellamen, and over 4000 paralympian athletes who all made this possible.<br />
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Performances from artists known and unknown both helped to make the opening ceremony one that would linger in the hearts of not just British but those around the world as a true testimony to how at the end of the day despite our differences, we are all equal.<br />
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<br />Elusive Travelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13115641556102717553noreply@blogger.com0