This post is the last installation for my volunteering trip to Myanmar and if you have missed the previous posts, here are the links - Day 1, Day 2 & Day 3. This post is a long overdue post. I know I have been dragging it for too long because I did this Yangon trip in November last year which is half a year ago. Time is passing by way too fast! We are saying goodbye to May and welcoming June! I am quite glad to say that I have a good and peaceful year so far.
We paid for this one day tour for only USD50 per person which is also inclusive of meals and entrance tickets.
Our first stop was Chaukhtatgyi Paya. The Chaukhtatgyi Paya houses the huge Reclining Buddha. The Reclining Buddha has 108 sacred symbols on the soles of his feet which represent the animate world, the inanimate world and the conditional world. The essence is that the Buddha is greater than all the three worlds.
Our second stop was Maha Pasana Cave (Great Cave). Despite the Great Cave’s name, Maha Pasana Cave is actually a man-made structure, built for the Sixth Buddhist Synod. It is a replica of India’s Satta Panni Cave, where the first Buddhist Synod took place.
Our final stop was Shwedagon Pagoda. Shwedagon Pagoda is massive and the architecture is very impressive. This is the must-go attraction when you visit Yangon.
The pagoda is covered with hundreds of gold plates and many jewels and diamonds at the top of the stupa. Jason and me did not take any picture together so that explains this photo collage. Throughout our close to 5 years of relationship, we did not really take many photos together. I think we are…erm…lazy to take pictures. Lol!
Depending on your birthday, devotees will choose one of this posts around the stupa and pour water above the marble buddha statues to offer their prayers. My birthday was on a Thursday and the symbol was rat. The number of times your pour water should correspond to your age plus one.
I have not really explored our neighboring Southeast Asia countries so I am pretty glad to visit Myanmar though this volunteering trip with 5Cs. The next SEA country I would love to visit is Vietnam. I dunno when I am gonna visit Vietnam but one day I will….
This is my first flight to China this year. Like finally! I love flights to China! Food is cheap! Everything is cheap! I love chinese food! I live like a Queen whenever I am in China. I re-visited YuYuan (豫园) and you can view my previous post on YuYuan here. I took a cab to YuYuan and the dishonest cab driver wanted to charge me more. The cab fare was RMB46 (SGD9) and I gave him RMB100. He only returned me RMB24 instead of RMB54, thinking that I wasn’t aware of the exact charge on the meter. I was traveling alone, a little scared but still, I demanded for my exact change and luckily he returned. A small tip for women traveling solo is that before you board a cab, you can check with your concierge the approximate cab fare and travel time to reach your destination. Stay vigilant and if something is amiss, do not hesitate to leave and board another cab. So yea, be careful.
I wanted to go to YuYuan because I have a craving for Xiao Long Bao (小笼包) and Nanxiang Steamed Buns Restaurant (南翔馒头店) is well known to both locals and tourists as the place to eat Xiao Long Bao. I wanted to try the famous Xiao Long Bao on my last visit but I did not have enough money and I was very determined to try it this time round. There was a super long queue on the ground level for Xiao Long Bao (10pcs) at RMB20 (SGD4). SO CHEAP RIGHT? The average queue time was about an hour. I tried to queue for 10 minutes and gave up when I noticed that there was a staircase leading to second floor. I went up to the second floor but there was some queue too so I continued my way to third floor. Voilà, there was NO QUEUE.
I was so happy that I did not need to queue and I was given a table immediately. Woah! I did a little research about the restaurant while I was waiting for my food. I then realized that there were 3 different levels of service and pricing at Nan Xiang. The ground level is for take away (forever long queue!) and the cheapest compared to second and third level. The second floor dining level is casual whereas the third level dining level is more formal with more options in the menu. No wonder no queue la! Lol!
I ordered the King Size Nanxiang Crab Roe Steam Soup Bun (蟹黄湯包). I sucked up the broth through the straw. It was super hot but damn shiok! I have wanted to order Nanxiang Drunken Chicken and Chicken Soup but I was informed that these chicken dishes are not available in the menu anymore. I was quite impressed that the restaurant has taken preventive measures against H7N9.
This is my favorite dish, Crab Roe & Pork Filling Steamed Bun (蟹黄小笼). The skin is thicker than the Ding Tai Fung’s Xiao Long Bao in Singapore but gosh, the filling is substantial and soupy. The broth is so much that it fills the spoon and I should have taken a picture to show! Damn good, damn shiok la! Simply the best Xiao Long Bao I have ever tried!
Of cos, I must order the original flavor, Fresh Pork Filling Steamed Bun. The broth was flavorful and rich with fats. However, it will be better if the meat is more tender. And YES, I FINISH EVERYTHING all by myself! The bill only came up to RMB130 (SGD26). Damn worth it with such delicious Xiao Long Bao! I have tried the Nanxiang outlet in Singapore but it is not as good as the Shanghai’s outlet.
I took the train back to my hotel. The 20 minutes train ride only cost RMB4 (SGD0.80). Cheap! When back to my room, I enjoyed my mango bubble bath with coconut scrub (great combination) and then a 2 hour call in full body oil massage. Guess how much the 2 hour full body oil massage cost? ONLY RMB185 which is less than SGD40!! CHEAP AND SHIOK!
I think I deserve to enjoy my life because I work hard… Work Hard, Play Hard and Enjoy life!
Hello, my dear readers! I know it has been quite awhile since I have updated my blog…like about one month? I just came back from my most recent trip to Hong Kong and San Francisco. I am very lucky to have been rostered flights to Hong Kong-San Francisco in March and then in May again. Such flights are not easy to come by and more so to be rostered again in less than two months. Oh yes, I love the States! And I am planning to go on a two-week vacation to the States this year. I had wanted to go to Yosemite National Park on my last visit in March but I was kinda lazy to go and I did not have any travel companion! But I was so inspired by my two flying friends Sophia and Simna who visited Yosemite on a tour alone. If they can do it alone, I also can do it right? And I booked a one day tour to Yosemite via biodiesel mini coach fromIncredible Adventureswhich costs USD158.
There is complimentary pick up from any of the hotels in San Francisco city and my pick up came at 7am. I was really tired cos we had only touched down in San Francisco the night before at 9pm, having worked through a 14 hours flight from Hong Kong. My body clock did not have enough time to adjust from the GMT+8 in Hong Kong to GMT-7 in San Francisco which is a freaking 15 hours difference. I was determined to sightsee even if I was walking around like a zombie. The 4 hours long drive to Yosemite was scenic and I enjoyed many incredible scenery along the way. I love scenic train/coach/car rides! Even though the rides can be long at times, I enjoy looking out on the beautiful window-framed scenery. A few of my memorable rides include the trip from Zurich to Lausanne, Milan to Venice, Los Angeles to Las Vegas, Sydney to Blue Mountains, Japan school trip and of cos this trip to Yosemite too!
This is one of the past fire activity that has happened in Yosemite. According to the tour guide, fire in Yosemite has many faces. Fire in Yosemite might not just be a negative force but it can also be beneficial to the forests. Natural-occuring fires allow the recycling of nutrients to the soil while reducing the amount of dead debris. This in turn helps in the sprouting and regrowth of plants.
After a long 4 hours drive, we finally arrived at this pit stop to take some photos. The mountain view is captivating and the clean mountain air is truly a breath of fresh air. It is like taking a break from everything to enjoy nature and its wonder.
I met a young Danish woman who is also traveling alone in this tour and she commented that there is no such nature landscape in Copenhagen but flat land. I was like….Singapore more pathetic leh!! Oh man…tell me about it. Okay lah, we have Mount Faber, Bukit Timah, Bukit Merah, Bukit Batok, Red Hill…. HAHAHAHA…
This was our second pit stop El Captain to take photos. Beautiful!
The next pitstop is the Yosemite Falls. The best time to see waterfalls is Spring with the peak flow in May, where most of the snowmelt occurs.
This is the mini coach for the tour that we took which can sit around 14 pax.
After the tour, we stop near the base of Yosemite Falls where we were given about 4 hours of free time to explore Yosemite. I was quite lost so I just took my map and walked to the Lower Yosemite Fall Trail.
I wanted to take photos of the waterfalls but this adorable little girl came in front of me so I just took a snapshot of her.
My colleagues asked me if I have seen the Yogi Bear during my trip. The answer is a big NO. I guess I was not lucky enough to see these Black Bears. I have only seen Black-Tailed Deer and Squirrel which are commonly spotted in Yosemite.
There are a couple of day hikes you can do in Yosemite and of cos with the limited free time I had, I went for one of the easiest hike which is the Mirror Lake trail. You can take the free shuttle bus and stop at shuttle stop #17 and from the shuttle stop, there is a paved trail thats lead directly to Mirror Lake.
The water was calm, offering a beautiful reflections of the surrounding landscapes. I wish I had more time to enjoy the scenery and one day is definitely not enough to explore Yosemite.
Yosemite – Checked! It was yet another memorable trip…Till then!
I love flights to Los Angeles because the first trip that I did last year July was so great with super awesome company. It was not an easy feat to visit Grand Canyon and Las Vegas but we did it. It must be one of the best trips ever in my flying memories. This is my second time to Los Angeles and I am so glad that I have great company for this trip too. We rented a 7 seater SUV for one day and embarked on our road trip to visit the Hollywood Sign and Santa Monica.
We started our day with breakfast at IHOP (International House of Pancakes). IHOP offers different styles of pancakes such as chocolate chip, strawberry banana and new york cheesecake pancakes, etc but the original pancake is still my all-time favorite. There is also syrups of several different flavors like old fashioned, blueberry, strawberry and peanut pecan to choose from. If you like to have good, affordable and some big portion american breakfast, IHOP is the place!
I like to go out in a big group cos it means bigger fun! it feels more….Togetherness! The group includes Cassandra, Sulwyn, Rendy, Kelvin, Natalie and Gwen. The driver is none other than the “bitchy mama” in our group, Kelvin! I really appreciate the task of the driver cos it can be so tiring to drive on the road for the whole day. And of cos a road trip will never be possible without a driver. This bitchy mama didn’t allow anyone to sleep on the car cos he will bitch, bitch and bitch if he/she dares to doze off. I was constantly battling against the Zzz monster if not will kena bitch. Haha.. It was so tough because the time difference between Los Angeles and Singapore is freaking 15 hours. While I was having my breakfast in the States, everyone in Singapore is snoozing away. Poor thing, right?
Our first stop was the Hollywood Walk of Frame. Heehee.. I am so thick skinned to put my name on the star. Lol!
Guess who I met in Hollywood? Jack Sparrow!
Our next stop was the Hollywood Sign. I have finally seen the famous Hollywood Sign and not in movies!
And…Of cos we had to take a group shot with the iconic Hollywood Sign!
We had to take jump shots too! Woah!
Do we look like a girls’ group in this picture? Haha..
Our last stop was Santa Monica.
We then went our own way to walk around the shopping districts. The weather was pleasant and it was a nice walk around the city.
When dusk fell, it was time to say goodbye to Santa Monica and we headed back to the hotel. An awesome trip! And I look forward to the next one… Till then…
Cherry blossom in Japan has its record earliest start this year. Cherry blossom is short-lived beauty and unfortunately, I missed the full bloom period in Tokyo. The cherry blossom around the Fuji Five Lakes typically peak around mid april. Therefore, I decided to visit one of the five lakes, Lake Kawaguchi, hoping to catch a glimpse of Japan’s famous cherry blossom season.
Bavani & Me
You can take a Keio express bus from Shinjuku Highway Bus Terminal, which is just a two mins walk from Shinjuku Station West Exit. The one way journey takes about 2 hours and costs 1,700 yen (SGD22). There is one or two buses departing every hour from the bus terminal.
Bus ticket (Shinjuku to Lake Kawaguchi)
\ Retro Bus
The retro buses are the easiest way for tourists to get around. A 2-day pass for the unlimited use of retro bus costs 1000 yen.
CHERRY BLOSSOM!!
Bavani, Me & Cassandra
Mount Fuji
Lake Kawaguchi is one of the best places to view Mount Fuji from a close distance. We didn’t get a good view of Mount Fuji because of the clouds.
Kachi Kachi Ropeway
We took the Kachi Kachi Ropeway to an observation point to see Mount Fuji and Lake Kawaguchi. The ride departs every 5 to 10 minutes and costs 700 yen (SGD9) for the round trip.
Bavani & Cassandra
Cassandra, Me & Bavani
That’s how we spent our day. I am so glad I have the two girls to accompany me on this trip. I don’t think I will get my butt out of the hotel to visit Lake Kawaguchi without their company. Thank you girls!
Singapore? Yes, you saw that right! I am finallyyyyy blogging something about Singapore! Singapore, my country, my homeland! In case you have been reading my blog and you are still not sure where I am from.. I am a Singaporean! *Tadah* Singapore is NOT part of China. Our forefathers fought hard for our independence. Even though Singapore is a small little red dot on the map, Singapore is a nation on its own. I get frustrated when someone asks me where I am from and they go, “Oh… China I know!” You dumb***! -.-”
Anyway… Coming back to the topic… This is the first Tokyo Auto Salon event in Singapore! I am not into cars but I thought I can use this chance to shoot portrait photography. I have always wanted to take portrait photographs but I am not thick skinned enough to approach strangers. I feel really embarrassed to take photos of the showgirls but I have already paid SGD25 for the entrance fees so I MUST shoot!
I have to fight with everyone…and of course most of them are men! *Erhem* There are many different types of showgirls in the exhibitions.. models.. ah lians.. CMI ones.. xiao mei mei (aka sweet young things).. Some of them is really pretty.. Life is so unfair ok!
This photo is my personal favorite in the album! Pretty, demure and elegant!
This is my second favorite and she is Ms Popular. She has the most cameras flashing on her. There is always crowd everywhere she goes.
She looks damn cool!
The next Tokyo Auto Salon will be coming up in Bangkok from 20-30 June 2013 and they have a Thai showgirl to advertise it in the exhibition.
The Japanese showgirls have bodyguards to take care of them and shove the way.
The Japanese girls are so nice!! They stop in front of me to let me take pictures of them and still wave to me. She knew that my first picture was blur and she still stop to let me take second picture. But second picture still blur… This is why I love Japan! The Japanese are so nice, friendly and polite! I will be blogging about my recent Japan trip after this post so please stay tune alright.
Talking about cars…
My dream is to own a Volkswagen Vintage Beetle. Hopefully that one day will come…. :)
This is my third post on our overseas volunteering trip to Full Moon Orphanage and if you would like to read the previous posts, here are the links – Day 1 & Day 2.
The children wore the same shirt on the third day of our visit. They looked so cute and the girls could’t resist taking a group picture with them. If you are wondering what is the yellowish-white paste applied on these kids’ face, it is called thanakawhich is made from ground bark to provide protection from sunburn and promote smooth skin.
The children begin their morning worship singing as they gather at the common hall. The singing start off with a cheerful tone and halfway through the session (2:30min onwards) , the children raise their hands and some close their eyes to focus and sing. I am not a christian and I do not understand what they are singing. But…I am so moved. For some reasons, I really reallyreally want to cry so badly and I struggle to hold back my tears. It feels like these children are making a humble plea to god, “please pick me up and hold me.” Every child in this orphanage has their own little story. I am not trying to be righteous but I must say for whatever reasons, it is still an irresponsible act to abandon your children in an orphanage. You have created a life…It is your responsibility to take care of your children, shower him or her with love and please don’t take away their rights to have a complete family. It is like taking away a piece of their life and it is never going to be complete again.
The menu for lunch consists of rice, vermicelli, corn, eggs, mixed vegetables and hotdogs. These children has an amazing appetite and they ask for at least 2-3 times to refill the rice. It feels like they are stuffing themselves to eat as much as possible. I have no idea if they have enough food to eat everyday or if they get to eat meat in their diet. The villagers also come to the orphanage with big buckets to get free food. This makes me wonder that the children staying in the orphanage might be leading a better life than the villagers. A large population of the locals live in poverty and it is not unusual to see families living in self-made huts made with straw and wood along the roadside.
Father Joe, the founder of Full Moon orphanage, bring some of us to a tour around the village. They have built a windmill to power electricity for the home and also grow their own food. To sustain the home financially, the older kids will go out and work to earn money
Met this little girl in the village and she looked so cheeky in the second photo. My brother said this little girl look like me when I was small. I used to have such boy-cut hair style like her when I was in primary school. Do you think we kinda look alike too?
The little girl hold my hands and followed us back to the home together with her brother. Heehee.. She likes me!
Some photos of the animal that I took during the tour…
Back to the home and we begin the “finale” of the night. Here is my boy Jason and he has a lot of fun with this toy gun. My little cutie is so cute! I am so glad that he is able to join me on this volunteering trip. Throughout the three days, we sweat so much under the burning sun but I enjoy volunteering with Jason because we can share this meaningful experience.
It is an evening with dance and laughter! We have our “Super Gangam Boy” (the boy in black t-shirt) who led us to dance Gangam Style.
The last activity of the night is Piñata. The children will take turns to hit the bag (full of candies) with a stick which is suspended from a rope until it breaks. The candies will then fall out from the bag. The children have some fun rushing to collect the candies.
And it is time to say goodbye… We form a big circle and the kids take turns to shake hands and bid farewell to each and everyone of us. It is an emotional farewell with the kids saying, “Please come back again”, “God bless you”, “Hope to see you again”, “We will miss you”.
Some of the children were teary-eyed and a few came to me and my boy to take photos. I really have no idea how we have impacted them but it was such a touching moment.
Goodbye Is Always The Hardest To Say…
I was on the verge of tears but I tried my best to hold back. I didn’t want to let it be a sad goodbye. This home is a happy place and all these kids have so much fun playing, flying kites and running around freely. The kids stand along the road, wave and bid goodbye to us as our bus drives off. This must be the emotional goodbye ever.. And it hits me pondering what tomorrow brings for them after we have left.
This volunteering trip to Myanmar with 5Cs is the most meaningful thing I have done with my boy. We were sunburned but it is all worth it to bring a smile on these kids’ face. This trip won’t be possible without the dedicated effort of the project leaders and 5Cs committee. They are really a great bunch of people! Kudos to them!
