Eating my TOES

Food, food, food.....I have been eating "toes" lately. Lots of them. Tomatoes, potatoes as my dinner and lunch.

These seems to be the staple winter diet here. In the smaller supermarkets, tomatoes, potatoes, onions(in all their varieties), make up more than half of the "vegetable section". The rest of the space are taken up for guess what- carrots and all the rest of the "roots", parsips, turnips and beet roots. Yeah, there is also the cabbage family-lettuce, red, savoy and just cabbage taking another 10 percent or so of the vege section? "Siao pai chai", if available, usually takes up a coveted top shelf. Two of these heads sell for 1.29£, yeah, that is more than £5.00/kilo. Hmmm, i wonder if the price search engines like kelkoo or price runner does a price comparison on grocery.

You just cant escape from these two ingredients-potatoes & tomatoes in every meal you have. Oh yes, onions too! I think I must have been eating more onions in the last two weeks than I would normally eat in a year.

Open a recipe book, and you will see onions in all the soups, and stews. Onions go into my ommelette, stews, soups, mashed potatos, salads etc, and yes even my porridge.

If you want to have something filling or even just a snack, you cannot escape from potatoes. Potatoes in stew, soups and pies, mash potatoes, chips, bake potatoes, potato salads etc.....there is no escape from it.

If you are sick of potatoes and want to get some pastas for a change, you will face tomatoes. Tomatoes is also another star ingredient here. Everywhere you turn, you will see tomatoes. Even when ou decide to go unhealthy and head to a fast food centre; tomatoes will appear in your sandwich or burger, and of cource the tomato sauce! (No chili sauce, terrible!!!)

And the best part is when you are sick of all these 'western food'; you can have a flavour of the east in the form of curry. Then all your "toes" and also the onions will go in in a big nice pot. yeah, you just cant escape from it!

Maybe it is just time to learn cooking skills? recipe books or cook shows, it is time to devour these!

Let it snow let it snow

Finally the first snow of the year for London. I would have missed it if not for my SO who rushed back just to tell me that the snow flakes have fallen. Everyone was hoping mad for white Christmas, but the snow only fall on the 27th, a busy day for shoppers as the sales have started!

I went to South Kensington Palace and the gardens to see how it look like in snow. Quite nice actually, but the blanket of snow were a little too thin, and melts quickly. Many people are still on a holiday and families have came out to play, making snowman etc. I took some nice photos of this, and will upload it later. Oh ya, the palace shop has a good public toilet- free- and it comes with a toilet seat sanitizer. (Hmm.. I have a growing obsession about locations of FREE public toilets, what with all the hot coffee going down my system. You have to pay 50p for a pee in for some of them- more than enough for a meal in some countries)

The squirels were out 'playing' in the snow. One actually took me for a tree and climbed up. The claws are scratchy. Those near the palace were extremely poeple frinedly, having been well fed by tourists. If I were to be a squirrel in my next life, let me live in London, not in Asia, where I am considered as food.

more photos of south kensington garden

The autumn leaves on the South Ken Park lawn. A breeze would bring in a nices pictre of rustling leaves and some brids taking flight.

The pics below are taken on a bright sunny afternoon(rare occurence). However,they looks "cloudy", as I am using my Nokia 6100i. Give me a better camera and I give you better pics! (Christmas is coming, hint hint.)

A nice cloud hanging over the round pond. Shadows are people, looking or feeding the feathered creatures.

Below is a brighter pic. different angle. The "dots" are the fat birds, ducks , geese, whatever. (All good for dinner afetr a HOT bath an an hour in the over, according to my SO)






















This is the Broadwalk. It was once the place to be seen. there are many benches along this road, and in sunny days, can reading or simply lazing around with theird dogs here.












This is a picture with Kensington Palace at the background. The pointed spire is a church quite somewhere around Kensington High Street. There are many big "houses"(actually many are embassies) behind Kensington Palace.


This is a pic of two balding trees. Trees and turn bald in just 3-4 days. Amazing!Regreted not taking a picture of the same tree everday to show "progress"!

London: Bird fever, not flu

South Kensington Park in a crisp late autumn morning is just serenely beautiful. In just two short weeks, I witnessed the change of the colour from greenish yellow (which disappointed me- it looked dirty!) to all shades of yellow and the occasional dash of red in some trees. The lawns are composed of grass that is still very green and pattern with shades of yellow leaves which had fallen. With some “hairy” dogs (I swear the dogs here are much more fluffy and hairy) runny across them, it was a very beautiful picture.

My significant other and I headed to the Round Pond, wondering whether we will be catching someone playing some miniature controlled boats.

The pond was obviously busy, but not with boats. There were so many swans and ducks of all sizes and colours. The primitive “China Man” in him immediately thought of the sweet, tender and juicy roast goose we had at Yung Kee and wondered whether the swans would taste that good too. The fat ducks will surely be yummy, may be as good as those at Four Seasons, the famous Chinese restaurant in Bayswater. And oh, look at the pigeons, aren’t they FAT!! Wouldn’t they be perfect for a roasting!


These “rats with wings”, as Londoners call them because of the mess they make, were everywhere. Unlike us urban Asians who shy away from all things that fly and are wild because of the bird flu scare, the Londoners do not seem to be affected. In fact, the papers just reported an increase in “bird feed”- balls of seed, vegetable oil and all things that are delicious for our winged friend. If I were a pigeon, I would fly here too- where we would be fed till fat instead of being fed to some fat tummies; where people feed me with mouth watering seeds instead of salivating at the sight of our fat and feathered bodies.

Children and elderly alike seem to derive much pleasure in feeding the feathered friends (soon to be turned fiends when bird flu strikes). Coming from a place where the reports of bird flu in neighbouring countries resulted in the “precaution” through “culling” of anything (whether wild or domesticated) with two legs and feathered wings, we were pleasantly surprised and at the same time a little worried about the “ignorance” or “recklessness” of people here! Of course, SARS have not struck here and the animal activist would probably equate any of such mass culling to Auswich in animal world.

Other than some cases of bird flu in Romania, I have not heard much of it since I came here. Until the danger of bird flu become really near and obvious, I too would join Londoners in admiring these beautiful feathered creatures, and enjoy guessing which greyish white dots on the pavement is a gum and which are the pigeon “bombs”. My other delight is of course, laughing at my SO paranoia of bird shit.

I guess, I just had to enjoy the serenity before throngs of tourists come to town in spring. With the popular stretch of hotels in Inverness Terrace and Bayswater Road, the place will be crowded!

London's cold is ok. The dryness kills me!

I drink up lots of water here, much more than when I am in a country that hits 25-30C everyday.

Lots and lots of it. I can finish more than 500 ml at night, as this tropical girl is just not used to the dryness of central heating! My throat is so dry that I wake up in the middle of the night to gulp water. Thank goodness i found cheap "still" water in Tesco supermarket: 75p for 3 bottles of 1.5 litre! Oh ya,dry throat and mouth is accompanied with halitosis!

I have been mentally prepared for the cold, but at the end, it is the dryness that bugs me. The skin on my hands are so chapped. Tiny wrinkles start to form on my hands and the corners of my eyes!I can hardly imagine that it is my skin! In a week or so, I have slapped more moisturiser on myself that what i would normally take 6 months to finish. Even that does not seem to help. Things that I brought here seems to be not "powerful" enough for this English weather! (Except BodyShop's body butter)

My hair is getting dry and frizzy. Almost every morning is a bad hair day. Static, yeah. I do a revision on this topic every day looking at how my hair stands up. I have changed my shampoo, and for the first time in many years use a hair conditioner- lots of it. Even that does not seem to help much.

Boots have since become one of my most frequented shops. I bought a big bottle of Olay Beauty Fluid. (The other brands are so much more expensive here!) I would have never touch it before this because it is GREASY. Only my mum would use something like this. However it is now my saviour. My mild Fancl washing power is too drying, and could only be used once iin 2 days, or after I have been walking alot and sweating. It is this Olay fluid which I am using now to "cleanse" my skin in morning and night. I use it just like I would use my cleansing oil. (I really regreted not taking my cleaning oil along).

How I wish Christmas would come sooner. Then I can hit the shops again with my shopping list.

Moisturiser.
Hand cream.
Lip balm.
Leave in conditioner.
A really pwerful moituriser for our cracked heels.

Eating out in London is expensive!

For the average traveler, food bill can come up to quite a lot.

For a traveler who likes to eat, food bill can easily be as much as accomodation in some of the more expensive places. London is one of such places.

While we can travel off peak, like in this frosty winter and save on accommodation and flight bill, there isn’t much difference in foot bills. Most eating places in London starts from around £5 a meal. 3 meals out comes up to £15, easily not forgetting your snacks and water. The only way to save is avoid restaurants, and find a accommodation where you could do some simple food preparation, eg having a microwave oven and a small kitchenette. Food from supermarkets are cheap. Big box of cereal for about £1. 1.2 litre of ORGANIC milk for around £1 as well. I often joke that it is cheaper to drink milk than coke here. Bread is really cheap, and you can have all the varieties you would like, so is cheese, ham and sausages. If you prepare you own meals like sandwiches, you can feed yourself well for less than £5 per day, and spend the money shopping and seeing more of London!

Travel Checklist- London!!!

Let me do another quick check list for a tropical gal hitting London in late November. This will be different from my warm and humid travel to Bangkok checklist.

This will be a long long trip, and I plan to shop for most of my winter clothings there. Have done my homework and here it goes!

Travel check list for London- what every woman should prepare/bring to London on a chilly November/December.
Added some new entries in BLUE: after try the trip (Jan 06).
Updated Oct 2007

The usual stuff and other things for the unpredictable weather:

1. Credit card- remember to ask for an increase in credit limit a few days before travelling. All your SGD, RM and Baths will melt into ounces when changed into pounds! [UOB was the most generous, and straight forward in it.] If possible, bring a credit card which has a chip and pin function. Those with magnetic strips should work, but at times, you will face sales staff who don't give a damn about trying to make them work.
   
2. Cash and ATM Card : How much? Depends on how much you want to shop and whether you are staying in some B&Bs or hostels that do not accept credit cards. Some establishments charge extra for credit cards. I think the ATM cards are a good option, at a fee of only around SGD5 per withdrawal. My only grouse is banks like DBS only allow up to S$2000 per day, and if you depend on it for something major like hotel bills; you are in trouble. And change your money to pound sterling before you leave. Not only will your cash be less "thick", the rates in UK are generally very bad.
   
3. Umbrella? Forget it... if it rains, your umbrella will not help much. My friend's theory is you need a British brolly to take the British rain. I am advised to bring a raincoat or a very good water resistant coat or Parkas. Rain? it never actually "rained"; not in the sense we actually understand what "rain is". It is the persistent, intermittent, whole day long, light showers . Most of the time, all I needed was a scarf over my head. A water proof jacket will be really useful. Wind could be strong though.
4. Disposable panties! Panty liners! Double protection to keep my long johns clean :P If you run out of it, go to Marks and Spencer and get "real" panties (5 in a pack for £4) good quality, and a good excuse to shop. Don't bother shopping for disposables here. They are almost always as expensive as the real thing.
   
5. Good comfortable pair of walking shoes or nice BOOTs. Non-slippery types. Not to forget SOCKS. Will buy SHOES there, since the shoes there are usually very comfy and perfect for Miss Big Foot. [P/S: I found out that the cheapish and a little ugly looking blue socks provided by BA or Qantas in their toiletry kits is the BEST in keeping warm, so dun throw those away. They are thin- dry quickly, light, but keep your feet warm better than most socks.]
6. Wet tissues ....esp if room is not ensuite. I just read that it is scientifically possible, although rare to get sexually transmitted diseases through the sharing of toilet seats. Otherwise, get those baby wipes from one of the supermarkets. Those supermarket brands are significantly cheaper than the branded ones.
   
7. Lip balm & super moisturising moisturiser. If you are not fussy about brands,you can always buy them in Boots, and travel lighter!
8. Your phone charger/extra battery
9. The key to stay warm is layering, esp when the weather fluctuates so much. Checked and confirmed that brands like Topshop is much cheaper here. Bringing along two FTY long johns (skin tight, warm enough), body hugging T-shirts, my turtle neck sweater and a warm jacket. Gonna take along my nylon stockings too. (need 2 layers under jeans if it is windy) Dun look down on these flimsy things. It keeps you warm!The multipurpose warm shawl(the best thing I brought, other than my jacket) as well.
10. 3 in 1 Milo!! Gonna make my own warm drink before I hit the bed. Unfortunately most hotels there still provide only coffee and tea. (no need to bring if you have time to hit some supermarkets) Food is generally cheaper in the UK! If you budget some time to visit a supermarket, then you can pack significantly less things!
    

This is something that can't be taken along but must be done. FLU JAB!! To be taken a few weeks before hitting London.

Bring along also a multimap printout of your hotel, or the area that you would like to stay in. (www.multimap.co.uk) You can print out the list of nearby supermarkets, restaurants, laundrettes within a certain distance from your hotel. etc I found this really useful. Look out for supermarkets or convenience stores. The common ones are Tesco, Sainsbury and M& S. Tesco is usually the cheapest of the lot. Some are smaller in size and meant to be 7-11 equivalents. Eg. Tesco Express is the smaller one, and things are more expensive than those in a Tesco Metro. Head for teh bigger supermarkets if there is one nearby. Not only you get more choice, things are cheaper!

check out my post about money saving tips when visiting Oxford.

Not all rubs are the same

Just came back from my shoulder massage. Hmmmm.... Still works to relieve some aches. But it is just not the same. This guy have a tendency to press certain points on your elbow and wrists to induce the feeling of numbness and I did not like it. I prefer the usual guy who spend a lot of time on my shoulders and smooth out every single knot on it.

Digital camera

A digital camera is what every traveler should have, esp one who loves to blog. Must make a mental note to hunt for a digital camera again.

They salesman at this big big chain or electronics shop put me off that day. I asked for a recommendation for a good entry point camera, and he showed me all those on the high ends. Hmmm :(

Heading for a good rub-head and shoulder massage

I am gonna go for a good shoulder massage.
Yes, good old seated shoulder massage. My neck and shoulder have been stiff after sitting here for so many hours.

I find that it is kind of unfair to these guys at Ko Hong. They have so far been consistently good (although I heard that the standards do varies sometimes). What is a neck and shoulder rub is like, friends have asked me. I know most gals are too shy to try it, since the masseur for this kind of rub is usually a guy. If you have tried it (and have stones for shoulder muscles like I do), you would have understood and appreciated why it is usually guys.

For one, the strength that they need to apply to "melt" my "stones" (this is how I refer to my stiff and bulging muscles) is no joke. My usual therapist, a small sized forty something "uncle", even have to stand on stools and and apply the weight of his body on his elbow to clear the knots I have. As you would have imagined, this could be painful sometimes, especially when the knots are worked on, and certain acupoints are hit. I sometimes refer to these 20-minute sessions "buying a torture".

Other than the neck and shoulder, they also massage the hands, crack the fingers and sometimes your back and lower back as well if they noticed that the stiffness originates from there. The session is usually not really painful, at times quite comfortable. At times, the discomfort and pain sometimes persist for a couple of hours after the massage. It all depends on how "stiff" you are when you go there.

But why do i go back to it?

It effectively clears my tension headache. I still remember a lecture a long time ago which talked about different types of headache. One type stands out to me- tension headache.

Tension headache is the type that some people complains can't be tamed by paracetamol or NSAIDS. Not suprised. The root of the problem is tense muscles, particularly those two long stips of muscles that are connected from the shoulder, passing through the back of the neck and almost circling the skull.

When I go for a massage, I asked for more attention on these culprits. And the massage have served me well as a headache prevention.

So, have I justified my S$200/10 session rubs? Ok. i am heading for a good rub before the stiffness build up further!

Foot massage in London

What is the cost of doing a massage in London?? The massage addict in me plays this question over and over again. Finally I decided to google for it!

Foot massage
For a foot massage in North London, I have to fork out £35 for a 1.5 hour session. That works out to about £23/hour or 1600B! Argh! It is 4-6 times the cost of doing it in Bangkok! And North London is not exactly " central". At this rate, I got to think many times before getting a good rub for my soles.

And now it scares me very much too to find out from another website that you just need to attend one day of lesson from 11 am to 5 pm and you get to be "CERTIFIED" and " registered" with some prestigious sounding associations. I am also quite curious with the fact that the "Thai foot massage" offered seems to cover hands as well in London.

Aromatherapy, Thai massage Tui Na, etc?
Hmm.. most websites are pretty "discrete" about it. Got to call for more information. However I read somewhere that it is easily £40-$100 per hour. While I question how "authentic" these massages are, I know that I do not have to worry much because at this rate, I will definitely be deprived of it.

Place for a good "clean" massage in London?
As the term used in massages seems to vary from place place, I think I better learn the correct terms. Indian Foot massage and Thai Foot massage is DIFFERENT! Would not want to end up in some places which offer "extra services".

Learnt two interesting things today

I learnt two interesting things today while reading other's blogs.

Pulau Weh is a paradise which survived Tsunami. For a person who had just been to Perhentian Island to scream that it is beautiful, it is must be beautiful!

Massage... while the Thai have their unique "body massage", the Indians have their "foot massage". Yeah, one use the body to massage you while the other uses the foot! Better double check what you are asking for!

(I have always wondered why the Thais dun call their "foot massage" as "finger massage" or "stick massage". Yeah, they use a wooden stick to press the acupoint!)

I just want a flight ticket: Why is it taking me so much time?

A flight ticket to London and back. That is all I want.
Why is it taking me so much time?

I am spending hours searching for the ticket.
what am I looking for? A cheap ticket which allows me to change my date of return within a six month period, since my plan is sto stay there "a couple of months", with no definite return date yet.

I am combing through the sites and I am full of complains here. Here is a list of my pet peeve
1) No indication of which currency they are using. "$"- means which country's dollar? USD? C$, SGD? I have to search for the type of currency (sometimes to no avail). Ridiculous! Despite all those talking about globalisation and reaching to customers all over the world, these sites seems to forget that many countries use $ sign as well. Dun mislead me into thinking that a ticket plus tax to London cost $700 plus. My interpretation of $ is SGD. Orbitz, cheapticket.com and hotwire are some of the sites.

2) You need to supply your personal information before you get information. Since when does a customer need to supply all the details, from passport numbers to addresses and phone numbers and emails etc just to find out more about a product? These top airlines must have forgotten who is king.

3) Please do not bombard me with all those terms, i am not a travel agent! Just tell me in plain simple English whether I can change my date of departure after booking. And if you decide to fine me for being fickleminded and yet cheapskate at the same time, tell me how much is the administrative charges for changing my departure date. I do not understand why they cannot spend some time writing these simple information but can go on and on about telling me that I have the privilege of getting a full refund should I be dead. If the ticket is so cheap that you will not allow me to change my mind, just tell me, "no changes and refunds are possible, unless you are dead or dead sick".

4) and yeah.. tell me those terms and conditions(including the luggage allowance) up front. there must be a link to it the moment you make me happy with the display of low fares. Dun make me choose flights etc, only to be told at the last one or two steps the terms and conditions. And tell me if i dun like these terms and conditions, how much more i have to fork out to get what i want. I will gladly pay the differece.

6) please, tell me about the planes (i expect this froom airlines, although not from the middle men). I actually have a preference. Yeah, I travel cheap, but still have the extra one hundred or two to spare for a more comfy flight.

Cathay have one of the best sites, you can actually choose your seats when you book! I love this so much that I was contemplating a detour and stopover in HK, as I do not have to remend me to check in as early as possible- at the 48th hour prior to departure to get a nice seat. And yet, why do I have to fill in all the details before I can see the fare rules?? I am a typical internet shopper and I browse. You understand? I browse and compare. I want the info quick. I need to info to make my decisions. I am not interested to fill up forms just to find out the terms and conditions. Duh! And please dun add to my agony by reminding me that the fare migt change if I choose a flight of a different timing. Just list all the flights and timing! Learn from BA/Qantas in this aspect.

kayak.com gave me hope, as it claims that it searches hundreds of airlines websites and showthe available fares.

I was not impressed. My excitement and expectation which was built up while watching the the green bar indicating that they were churning my results crashed when i say the 13 pages! My first impression of the results is, " oh dear, you do not need to display all the different flight and all the "sellers" on the page and gave me 13 pages of results".

As an impatient consumer, I just want to see where to get my cheap tickets. Lump all those flights by the same airline together, whether it is a morning flight or night flight. Since there are a handful of people who are particular about the timing, add a filter function! You know what made me mad? After dilligently going through 13 pages of results, I hit "book now" and what turned up was an apology:

"We strive to include every airline on earth with accurate flight information and direct booking links. You have chosen an airline that we do not yet have a direct link with yet but we are working on it."

Well. Not only there were no direct link to the sites. Worse still, they brought me to a site which is not my country of residence and I could not book or even check flight information from the site. I needed to hit many more buttons to reach the correct site, and enter the booking information all over again.


BA wins hands down compared to many airlines when it comes to tranparency regarding the fare rules. There is a link at early stages ofthe booking to it, and the display the amount for taxes early. No last minute suprises. However, BA drove their business to Qantas by not offering a cheapskate traveller like me an option of getting frequent flyer miles. I thought I saw world traveller's membership a couple of months ago. May be i am wrong but all I see now is the Executive club. Read- take business class before you get your miles, no FF miles for ecconomy passangers!

Ok. A pauper like me would not be spending so much $$ for a plush-er seat for that ten odd hours. (Call me calculative, but the price difference is sufficient for me to get a new set of sofa) What do I do? Join the qantas FF club and book from Qantas! If I do miss BA very much, i will just select a BA operated flight since they have a code share! Woo all the business class people you want to, just dun forget that many of us fly on business while on business but fly economy when we want to economise and go shopping! If you make me unhappy at the back of the plane, you will have a harder time pleasing me when I am at the front.

Misa's site made a good attempt at tranparency by even listing all the booking classes and fares. However, these alphabets like W, H, Q, D I ring no bell to someone like me, and I spend one hour reading all those fine prints. If you want to include these terms, provide a "dictonary" to explain what it means. If I can understand these info, I will not need spend time to fill in a form to get you to spend time to find out about my tickets for me. I would just call and book!

Despite the large amount of ticket bookings throught the internet, there are still a lot to be improved by these portals. Airlines that have friendly portals will gain alot of business while those who don't will definitely lose out. After spending tens of thousands to build a site, have they tested how user friendly it is for the customer? Having standard typical functions are just not enough. Your typical customer will one day might have an extra condition when booking, and the system fails to meet up to expectation. This is a good way to lose a customer. Dun believe it? Try.

so .. where is my ticket after spending so many hours? I gave up. I am relying on the good people at misa to find me a ticket.

Ghost Protection in hotels! Protect them or against them??

A recent survey in UK showed that there are more people who believed in the existence of ghosts than the existence of God. Hmm, probably there are a lot of people who are like me, able to feel the presence of the unseen and unheard than feeling the presence of God.

I am not surprised with these developments, considering the immense popularity of Feng Shui gurus like Lilian Too and the likes.

A kind friend had sent me a popular mass circulated email titled:

Ghost Protection in Hotels (the title made me laugh).

I have received a similar email many times, especially from fellow travel bugs.

I decided to post the email here as I found most of the advice pretty sound. Those in blue are excerpts from the email and my own comments are in black.

Hello, For all of u who love traveling.

OK, here's some believes of the hoteliers:

Every single hotel, there shall be at least a permanent room which should be left vacant at all times. No matter how full the hotel is, they are not to sell that room(s) to any guest. It was said that special room was "reserved" for those "special visitors". So, if you plan to stay in some hotel, always book in advance. Try to avoid walk in. If the receptionist told you there's no more room available, do not insist one anymore or try to bribe them to give you a room. If you do that, most of the time the room you have will be that "special room".
Hmmm I am not too sure about this. May be someone in hoteling industry can provide more clues. However, I always thought that hotels keep some spare room for emergencies?

Sometimes those "special visitors" might go to other rooms also, so here's some tips on how to protect yourself:
Before entering your room, always knock on the door first, even if you know the room is vacant. After you enter the room, if you felt very cold suddenly and have "chicken spore", leave the room quietly immediately and go to reception to request to change room. Most of the time the receptionist will understand what's happening.
I have been told that the idea of knocking is to not to "alarm" the other guests. To me it is more like not to alarm myself. I always knock on the door. I would not want to "catch" someone inside. A scatter brain like me easily go to the wrong room.

After you enter the room, immediately switch on all of the lights, and open the curtain to let the sun light in. This is a MUST. Both from the practical and superstitious point of view. You would not want to discover that you have a view of a garbage dump later, or the lights are not functioning well. The sunlight is also a good disinfectant. Other than that, the "yang" energy can also "cleanse" the room. May be some Fengshui enthusiasts have other explanations.

Before you go to bed, arrange your shoes so that one of them is upside down. Some say this is representing yin& yang to protect you while you're asleep. I am a firm believer in this, especially after an experience of what happened when my hubby put my shoes away. I wonder whether the modern Feng Shui gurus have alternatives to this shoe thing. There is always a risk of forgetting, when you are very tired.

Always leave at least a lamp on while you're sleeping, preferably the toilet's lamp. If you're staying alone and they have give you a twin bed, do not sleep with the other bed vacant, try to put your things like luggage on the other bed before you sleep. Some lights always offer a sense of security, although I do not believe that little light could scare anything away. I heard about the luggage thing from my colleague too. Any Feng Shui or other explanations?

Another tip to protect yourself...When you enter your hotel room, look for the Bible. Most hotel place the Bible inside a drawer. However, if upon entering, you see the Bible on the table, DON'T STAY IN THAT ROOM! It means "special visitors" are there. If you see the Bible opened up on the table, LEAVE THAT ROOM IMMEDIATELY and request a change of room!!! It means the "special visitor" is really creating trouble in that room!! My frequent traveler friend (who is not superstitious at all) swears by this. Hmm I would not take a chance.

And here's some tips on protecting yourself in the cinema. Do not attend the first screening of any movies in the cinema. By the first screening, I mean the first time the movie is shown in that particular cinema. Reason? The first screening is meant for the "special visitors". However, if you insist on going, then sit somewhere in the middle. The first and last rows are reserved for "them" !!! Be warned.... Hmmm. Not sure about this. sounds like the same theory applied from the Chinese opera shows. My mum would not allow my to follow my grandpa to the first few days or any openings, as those are the days that are meant for the "good brothers".

FIY- the Chinese refers to ghosts as "good brothers", as they believe that we should not be talking about them. Talking about them will attract them !

Related post:

A traveler's tales of the 7th month: different worlds ocupy the same sphere........

cheaper flights from bangkok

Today's Saturday edition of the local papers taught us a trick- getting a flight from Bangkok.
It is supposed to be cheaper, especially for First class and bussiness class. I grinned when I read it.

If you could afford those classes, savings may not be that important to you. afterall, most people fly those classes when they are on comany expenses. So why bother about taking a flight to Bangkok, and then taking a flight from bangkok again? It is those travellers like us (read- cattle class citizens) who gets trilled with these bits of savings. Every bit counts!

I am going to do a comparison and check those sites this weekend, and post the results here. :)

What has McDs got to do with cheap airfares?

Cheap air tickets when you eat a McD's meal?

Wow! Can you imagine it? You have a chance to get a cheap Tiger Airways ticket when you buy a chicken wrap. Hmm call this creative tie up but I dun see how people are biting(pardon the pun). I go to McD for my kaya bun, not to find air tickets. The only way i could imagine a tie up between Mc Ds and Tiger is when Tiger serves McDs (the chicken turnover would be fantastic!) . Why not consider that instead?

Buy a chicken turnover wrap and get one free when you take Tigers? Board Tigers and get a Mc Ds voucher offering 10% discount? That sounds more like it.

Damnoen Saduak-The colourful floating market

Juvenile taut or future best saleswoman?

We had to walk along a wooden walkway that was supposed to lead to the tour buses. Along this covered walk way, there were many people hawking jewelery, handicrafts and all sorts of souvenirs-anything that allow the tourists to bring back some memories of Thailand. This is obviously a tourist trap!

A wooden set of chopsticks and place holders caught my eyes. It would be a perfect gift for my friends who have just moved into their own love nest.

It is quite amazing how the little girl (probably around 10 years old) quickly realised what caught my eyes and quickly handed the set to me, and punched the price into a calculator. 1500B! Wow, that was really expensive! I was put off by this rip off, and quickly put the set back. What ensued made me uncomfortable.

“How much you want, tell me”, she held on firmly to my arm. I was quite take aback my this aggressive approach. I just said “No, thank you”, as firmly as I could. “1000B?” “No, thanks. I shook my head and tried to walk away. “750B?500B? Ok, ok 350B.” At this point of time, our eye balls almost popped-out of our eye sockets!

Ok, we were poor bargain hunters. Instead of grabbing this relatively good deal (I am sure she could offer 250B as well), we shook our head, said our “No, thank you, and walked off”. We are more indignant about the rip off than recognizing the good bargain. Oh no, we failed to apply the basic principles of negotiation!

Read more about my experience in Damnoen Saduak:

1. Damnoen Saduak: The colourful floating market


2. Alfresco dining at Damnoen Saduak


3. Visiting Damnoen Saduak in a James Bond boat

Juvenile taut or future best saleswoman?

Juvenile taut or future best saleswoman?
We had to walk along a wooden walkway that was supposed to lead to the tour buses. Once out in the open area, we just had to do a left turn and head to the other side of the canal. Along this covered walk way, there were many people hawking jewellery, handicrafts and all sorts of souvenirs. A wooden set of chopsticks and place holders caught my eyes. It would be a perfect gift for my friends who have just moved into their own love nest.

It is quite amazing how the little girl (probably around 10 years old) realised what caught my eyes and quickly handed the set to me, and punched the price into a calculator. 1500B! Wow, that was really expensive! I was put off by this rip off, and quickly put the set back. What ensued made me uncomfortable.

“How much you want, tell me”, she held on firmly to my arm. I was quite take aback my this aggressive approach. I just said “No, thank you”, as firmly as I could. “1000B?” “No, thanks. I shook my head and tried to walk away. “750B?500B? Ok, ok 350B.” At this point of time out eye balls almost popped-out of our eye sockets!

Ok, we are poor bargain hunters. Instead of grabbing this relatively good dead (I am sure she could offer 250B as well), we shook our head, said our “No, thank you and walked off”. We are more indignant about the rip off than recognising the good bargain. Oh no, we failed to apply the basic principles of negotiation!

Read more about my experience in Damnoen Saduak:

1. Damnoen Saduak: The colourful floating market


2. Alfresco dining at Damnoen Saduak


3. Visiting Damnoen Saduak in a James Bond boat

Alfresco dining at Damnoen Saduak!

Alfresco dining at Damnoen Saduak!
We took a while to recover from our experience with the little girl and headed to the market again. We saw some locals indulging in alfresco riverside dining, tucking into noodles and ice-cream sold by women in boats. All that was needed was two wooden planks. One served as the table, the other as the seat.

Despite our hesitation about the hygiene standards (after the canal tour), we still could not resist trying the ice-cream. Oh, that was a once in a life time experience, one that will be forever etched in my mind- just like how I still have a mental picture of my first “sundae in flames” experience in Swensons’.

We ordered one cup of ice-cream each. She scooped out the ice-cream from some curious looking stainless steel bin into two small styrofoam cups, and put them in a net. The net look something which you use to scoop fishes out of an aquarium, and was attached with a long bamboo handle.

In one deft stroke-whoosh! The ice-cream appeared right before out eyes. We picked up the cups and placed 20B in the net. “Whoosh….” And our money was now safely in her pocket. Her “stunts” turned two “intellectuals” into giggling school-girls. Her ice-cream made us wanting more! However, she had paddled away, before I ordered my second scoop. In her place, someone selling fried bananas appeared. It is amazing how they could row around with a big wok of boiling oil.

Travel insurance: To buy or not to buy.

Travel insurance. To buy or not to buy?

The phrases: 'SOS international', "flown to Singapore", "evacuated" caught my eyes. Some lucky fellas (among all the unclucky ones), were actually flown to Singapore to get their treatment, instead of staying back in the crowded hospitals in Bali.

No, it is not that Singapore provide better treatment etc. It is the fact that they could get out of the place which hurt them into a safer place; the feeling of escaping from hell that is invaluable. I am sure the victims felt relieved when then were safely in a copter or plane, and knew that they are accompanied by capable medical professionals to another place where they can be healed, where family and friends can see them and provide them with all the love and support in those trying times. That is the priceless part of these emergency evacuations, other than the fact that sometimes, it does make a big difference in terms of medical treatment received.

One question came to my mind. Who foot the bill?
Come on. It is a copter with well-trained emergency doctors and pilots on board. Pick any among the three, and the "rent" or "salary" for a few hours is no small peanuts. Now you have a mini convoy... what is the bill? Ok, just guess how many digits. Five? Six? Four is impossible. Who paid? the government?

Government? OK. May be some governments have some "peanuts" to spare to lift you out. But what about the country which I am a citizen? Will I be "rescued"?

This thing is covered by most travel insurance! Yupp.... even ordinary citizens like us get a chance to have a mini Air Force One team should we get that unlucky.

Do Travel Insurance Cover terrorist acts?
Yes , many do! But read the fine prints. Either it is a good marketing strategy or conscience on the part of insurance companies, many include a clause of covering acts of terrorism, including biological and chemical warfare! Cool!!

Not long ago, I read in the local papers that travel insurance is one of the most lucrative policies for the insurance companies. I am sure all of us have parted with our hard-earned money in exchanged for a 'peace of mind'. After reading that article, I made up my mind about no more travel insurance for me, unless I go to the US, where a short visit to the local general practitioner can set you back by a decent sum.

Hmmm... with the terrorists getting so busy and yours truly refusing to stop travelling, it might be prudent to think of getting a travel insurance. I do not want to live in fear. But if something hit me badly, I want to be surrounded by my loved ones. Ok. I am shopping for my travel insurance next!

Five People Killed In Bali's Bomb Blasts

Bali Bombed AGAIN!!!???!!!!The bombing triggered me to do something-Book my air ticket. In case you are thinking that I am booking my air ticket, you are wrong. I am planning my trip to London- another terrorist target.

The latest news said 6 explosions rocked Bali, and lives are lost again.

This is totally mindless. Tourists are victims again. What have they done, other than indulging in what I love to do? Travelling, doing a bit of shopping and enjoying the food? So what if some went to night clubs and such? Do they deserve death?

Let's not let this series of bombings deter us, the travel bugs from globe trotting. We will go where we want to go. Period.

We will still book our tickets, book our hotels, and enjoy our trips.

intellectual

Foot massage at Bangkok's International Airport

Reflexology, especially foot reflexlogy is one of the best form of pampering, esp after all the walking. For a traveler, the legs are often the most tired and overworked part of the body.

I had a leg cramp at Bangkok airport. Since we were eating at the fastfood area near to Changs’ we decided to have a quick foot massage. This place is not a 'spa', but you get a picture window overlooking the landing and take off strips of the planes!

We thought we had enough time for a quick 30 minute massage before running off. After all, we had slightly more than an hour. We had told them how hurried we were, but they still took their own sweet time to bring the water, soap and brushes to wash your feet before starting the massage, and walk slowly to get the towel to rub off the cream after that. I had to point to an aeroplane taking off and then to my watch before they get the message, and quickly finish up, charge us, and off we went! A 30 minute foot massage turned out taking almost 45 minutes.




It takes at least 30 minutes to walk to the gate and clear immigration from Chang’s. We had to run. We almost missed our plane, after entering through the wrong terminal. Luckily, the terminals are connected, and the immigration officer let us in.


Although we felt that the young girls there were not as skilled as those we met in Chinatown, and the price slightly more expensive than in town, it was still heavenly. We felt much lighter after the massage, and had a very good sleep on the plane. I am really tempted to take up one of the massage course offered in Thailand.

More travel experience coming soon!

Travel topics coming up!
Massage experience in Bangkok
Almost late for the plane!!! Foot massage at the airport!
More about massages- Boran Spa at Twin Towers Hotel, Bangkok

Joining tour groups to visit places outside Bangkok
Visiting the floating market at Damuen Saduak- The picture perfect market scene
Bang Pa In (summer palace) conclusion :I want to be a Thai King
Ayuthaya: The ancient city

Grand Palace and Wat Pho area
Grand Palace- an amazing "golden" architecture.
Grand Palace- so , this is how they restored it?
The tauts and gangsters around Grand Palace
Temple closed! Wat Pho closed? Big Buddha closed? Dun believe it!

Floating market in Damuen Saduak. Should you join group tours?

Among the tours around Bangkok, we have always put off going to the floating market, because of the distance and the varying reviews received. I have joined a half-day tour, and been-there-done-that recently. I think the floating market is a MUST see. Not only that, you must see it fast. Damuen Saduak is the last surviving real floating market largely beacuse of the distance away from Bangkok, which in a way discourage tourists from heading there.

The disadvantage of a tour group
I joined a larget group tour, and honestly if you have the money, do otherwise. Get a private guide and have a private tour. The reason is simple. You can get there earlier, and spend time enjoying the real stuff; not stopping half an hour in a 'coconut factory' which is just a tourist trap. I don't mind the trap if it is after the visit to the floating market, but it was before!

Therefore, I reached there around 10:30 am. The sun was hot, and the real action ie the locals doing their daily marketing was over. What I saw was mainly tourists. Although it was a little over the top, I just could not stop slapping myself with sunblock. The sun was practically grilling me!

Despite this, the tour was still amazing, and I have no complains. Afterall, 700B for this experience and the sights was more than worth it!

We took a James Bond boat (long tail boat) from the jetty to the market.
As we travel along the klong, we had an interesting glimpse of the life along the waterways. We saw a young couple having some TLC time- bathing together infront of their house in the klong. It was the 'best moment' for us, and I could see people clicking their cameras away, but perhaps the "worse" for the couple. Yes, people bath in the water ways. I also saw middle-aged women doing their laundry, and getting a bath at the same time. And there were also children standing along the klong, waiting for our boat to pass so that they can jump in for their fun time!

That is their way of life
Our tour guide kept reminding us- a bunch of tourists from Singapore, Hong Kong , UK, US etc to not feel sad or ask 'how could these people live this way?' That is their way of life for generations, and they are happy! I am sure they are, esp if people like us stop disrupting their life with the noisy long tail boats.

Rich man poor man in the same neighbourhood
The klong is basically a 'street'. I saw "rich man's house "- built with brick with nice verandah and big engine powered boats in the "porch", and I also identified the "poor man's house" - practically empty, made of wood and attap, and had a small rickety sampan in the "porch".Yes, it is a neighbourhood street. You see grocery shops along it, and people stopping infront of these shops in their car-equivalent(boat) to buy things too!. That is a 'drive through service'? I tried to picture McDonalds opening shop there. ha ha...

I could see some of them are pretty well off, with the trappings of modern lifestyle. However, instead of a car, I saw boats 'parked' in the 'porch'. I also saw washing machines-with both the inlet and outlet hose dipped into the klong waters.

Private vs group tour?
If you are travelling from Singapore, I think I saw a great deal from Asia Travel, starting from 500B/person for a half day tour. Otherwise, I suggest checking out the private tour companies in Bangkok to hire a guide! I think it is worth it to pay slightly more and spend more time there. Afterall, private guided tour in Bangkok is among the cheapest in the world.

I will write more about about the market itself next. Stay "book-marked"!

Tour guide or guide book?

Should you get a tour guide or guide book?

IMHO, it depends. It depends
- where you are going to visit
-whether you had sufficient time reading up
-whether you will come back again
-how big is your group

The last point is of course an uncertain answer. What I could say is if you are from a really faraway country and you think you have very little chance of ever visiting this country again, you could consider yourself as falling into this category.

Where are you going to visit?

• Is that place accessible without private transport?
• Does that place have a lot of interesting history or culture ?

Eg if you are going to Ayuthaya and The Summer place and you a a first time visitor, I suggest getting a tour guide (1600B for group tour using coach and a river cruise, and 3500B for a private guide with private car, tickets, and buffet lunch by Bangkok Smiling Tours). This area is not that accessible, and there are plenty of places to cover-under the HOT sun. You will be glad that you could seek 'refuge' in the air-conditioned car/bus between the sites. The place is also full of history and lots of interesting details, and these are not put up at the sites. You just get simple brochure in Bang Pa In and nothing at all in some sites. Therefore, having a guide makes sense!

Do you have suffifient time to read up before you go?
The eyes cannot see what the brains do not know. If you do not read up well before you go to Ayuthaya or the Grand Place for example, you will miss alot of things. At the Grand Place, there are plenty good books detailing the history and the architecture of the Palace and the Wat Phra Keow. At Ayuthaya, you might find yourself staring at some ruins and bricks scattered here and there. I was glad I had a guide who told me about what these were eg ruins of palace grounds, corner stones of temples etc and why certain places were more 'ruined' that others. Otherwise... you wasted a trip.

Will you come back again?
I went to Grand Palace twice within 2 years, and will go again in a few months time, if possible. I must be nuts? The first time round, I spent about 4 hours there, wandering around, refering to guide books, pamplets and the books we bought at the compound. We really tried hard to 'capture' the fascinating and awesome place in our minds and hearts. However, we were just too tired and thirsty under the scorching sun, and missed a lot of things. We only realised what we saw was so and so after reading the books agaiin when we reach home. I went with my good friend again two months ago. I thought I knew that place pretty well. To my pleasant suprise, I learned a lot of new things about it! I am definitely going back for a third time. This time will be armed with a digicam and a notebook!

How big is your group?
Simple mathematics. The bigger your group, the more cost effective it is! You could consider private car tours and not the group tours which tend to be more rushed!

Should you book before you leave? Yes and no.
Asia Travel for example, offers a slightly cheaper rate than when you actually book in Thailand. I generally find that booking through the internet can sometimes be 100-200B cheaper/person than booking through the tour agents available at your hotel lobbies. I suggest shopping aroud for it.

If you are from US/Europe, book from an Asian based company!You get much better deals! Yes, much better deals than the packaged deals offered by the brand names in your home country. Surf the net a little and do some comparison. Many of these Bangkok based tour companies accept booking online. If if you decide not to book immediately, it still help you to make decisions when you need to book at the hotel.

If you are going around sept and through the rainy season, booking fr Bangkok after checking the weather is an advantage. (Book 1-2 days before) The rain will keep you away from many outdoors places.

Thai massage- just what I need now!

I want a good massage, a really good massage. I wish I am at a spa somewhere out there (Hua Hin will be nice!!) I am aching all over the past two weeks, thanks to my arthritis!

Images of spas start to float in my head and I think I am getting schizophrenic about spas and massages. Hua Hin, Banyan Tree Resort, The Datai...... wow! The Davis at Bangkok will be a good boutiques hotel choice too. Heard that they have a good spa!

You see, I am a sucker for a good massage, anytime but esp when my arthiritis and perhaps fibro was flaring up. Bangkok did what my doctors could not do. Yes, I spent a week in Bangkok and I got better! I did what most doctors who frown about. And I would not advise any arthritic to do what I did, it may really make you worse. Thai massage is not 'gentle massage'!

They offer awfully cheap and good quality massage in Bangkok. I remember getting the herbal massage in Wat Pho. It was painful in certain places when the massuer work on it. However, I had a nice distraction; I really enjoyed observing the Thais observing the caucasians or farangs. To see a petite lady working a man twice her size into a grimace is something that is funny? I am not sure, but I was surely amused. This 'entertainment' made me more relaxed.

When you are more relaxed during the massage and do not 'resist' the deep pressure your masseur is applying, the pain is less. I have also to learned to breath in and out based on the rhythm the massuer applied. Yes, I suspect that there is a rhythm. And you can see these small bodies actually rock with each pressure applied to intensify the strength. No wonder a Thai massage is supposed to be a 'dancelike' thing. You are expected to coordinate with your massuer and focus on the massage you are getting . If you do this, which I eventually learned and achieved, you get in to a very relaxed and almost meditative state.



At Wat Pho, they do not advise a daily massage, but I was just too much in pain and my muscles had tensed-up and bunch up like rocks. I am every massuer's night mare.

Thank goodness, I only need to spend about 300-400B daily, and I get 1-2 hours of massage everyday. I had alternate days in Wat Pho (I doubt they will entertain me daily, and I could explain to them why I needed everyday, since we did not speak a common language), and at the shop opposite my hotel.

Thai massage do wonders to your legs, especially your thighs. They cleverly bend your legs to different angles to reach those deep tissues. Painful at first, but it worked wonders. By the second or third massage, I could feel the muscles around my hips, knees and ankles loosen up. The hard knots or bands also dissapeared. I could not achieve the same effects with my regular Tui Na (chinese style massage), and also the Javanese massage, Balinese massage and Swedish massage.

The traditional Thai massage concentrate more on legs and the back. If your shoulders are killing you, I suggest getting an oil or aroma massage at your hotel spa or some more touristy place. I realised that these massuer pay more attention to head, shoulder and wrists, perhaps due to their experience with tourists. Those really 'traditional' places will work your legs and back more and less on your shoulder or wrists. They are particularly great after lots of walking. Is it due to the fact that 'traditionally, most people use these muscles more?

Whatever pain you have, try your best to communicate to them. Language may be a barrier, but i realised that most of them are really keen to help, and will look at whichever part you point to to examine and check whether you are in pain. After all, Thai massage is supposed to be a branch of medicine and you will notice that those massuers in Wat Pho and some other places will actually put their hands together and 'mumble' something before starting the massage. I am told that they are asking for their 'medicine deity' for clarity of mind to focus on 'healing' their 'patient' and also pray for your 'wellness'.

Got to end here... my arthritis is killing me again . I need a Thai massage ! ( not body masage).

This "Thai little boy" is now a dad!

I had been using Nattawud's(aka Gor) websites for my researching the places I travel to whenever I went to Bangkok, and to gain an insight into Thais' life. His website is one of the best online travel guides for Thailand.

To my suprise, I found out that he is now a dad at the ripe old age of 18, and have a two year old daughter. He is also a regular columnist in Bangkok Post every Tuesday, and work full time as managing his sites.

I remember this very cute chubby boy's 'school projects'- especially those featuring the amazing Ayuthaya and his life in Thailand. I was very impressed with the amaturish website then, for it was packed with observation and important facts, from the eyes of children who were trying to find out more about their own culture and history. His is definitely one of my favourite online travel guide providing very good and "sincere" information for the traveler.

That was the travel website that gave me to urgency to visit this ancient city, which ia about 1 hour plus away from Bangkok. The ruins in Ayuthaya is threatened by floods every raining season. With each flood, more damages are done to those 'ruins'.

Air travel: Cheap can also mean "good service"!

Blogging about that Tiger Airways promotion made my subconciously compare the level of service received while doing my in-flight shopping. Paying for an expensive air ticket does not mean you get good service.

I was very happy with my experience at Tiger Airways although the perfume I wanted was out of stock. Compared to my experience in another carrier, this level of service was really something unexpected. I could only look at the lovely chain on in the catalogue.

I was flying to HK in a "best-airline" and was going to do some last minute shopping for my grand aunt. The service I reeived totally tarnished my otherwise very good impression and experience with the airline.

While they gave excellent service to the Gucci-clad Caucasian couple sitting next to me and showed them all the watches they wanted, I was treated as invisible. Yes, invisible. I must have said more than 10 "excuse me"s (Yes, I wanted that chain badly!), but they never bothered about me. Hello.. I was not paying half price for my air ticket, why am I getting a less than half hearted service?

You know what, the couple was not too happy with how they treated me. The lady did not buy the watch she liked in the end. She whispered to me with a wink "I think I can get this somewhere else".

I will save money on my flights next time and spend it on other stuff.

Other than less leg space (which is not a proble for me, since I am no giraffe), everything is ok. Clean toilets, clean seats. what more can I ask for? I will go for Tiger on these short flights.

Cheap Air tickets : Tiger Airways' sales is now on!

Hi fellow travel bugs,

Looking for cheap air tickets?

The tiger airways offers are now on! This is definitely THE cheapest airfares you can get for these destinations. Make sure you book it quick. Otherwise, you will not get the cheapest seats at the best flight times.

They use e-tickets! Even if you are back-packing in the region and have no 'permanent address', you can still buy it. All you need is your credit card and and passport number to book.

I tried the Singapore-Bangkok flight before. Not bad! In fact I considered really value for money: punctual flight times, clean toilets, good service. You cannot complain about their food; they do not serve meals. However, you can buy piping hot Nissin cup noddles for around SGD 2, and order the other snacks or beverage from them. So just bring some spare change along and you will get some decent snacks.

My pet peeve is dirty toilets in flights. Tiger Airways' was clean- much cleaner than many of those "full-carrier" flights which I had been on. I saw the flight attendent checking it now and then.

You can't expect the variety you get on SIA or Cathay in their inflight shopping. You still get your usual Lancome travel packs and the other standard things. However, their Elizabeth Arden Green Tea EDT was a really cheap!!! Cheaper tha other in-flights!!!I was so disappointed when it was out of stock. But my attendant was really nice and let me try on other perfumes, including one from Gucci. She was really really nice.This really consoled my disappointment.

Review of my flight experience with Tiger Airways:
Timing - Ok punctual! Took off 15 minutes late due to some problems but still arrived 15 minutes early, in fact. Did the pilot "speeded"??
Seat- Ok if you are less than 165cm. 165-175cm: bear with it. 175cm onwards: all the best. If there is tall guy sitting behind, dun take the seat unless you want a free "back massage".
Toilet- great! Clean!
Food-the noodles was a great idea. Variety of snack are ok.
Service- I met a great team, with one very very pretty and professional flight stewardess.
My impression of her- she is one of the best!
Take off and landing- the pilot was good. Did a good job.
Safety: was it a two-engine plane?? Hmmmm....

Verdict: Tiger Airways anytime for flights less than 4 hours, esp with these promotions.

Note: Do not hurry to book hotels through the website. Shop around and compare first. I did not fidn their partners' offers exactly cheap.

Declaration: This blogger is in no way affliated to those airlines. I have nothing to do with that "Octopus" there. We are of a different species and origin, and I believe I came to this world first. :D

Hotel: Cheap or chic?

Booking of hotel is usually a headache for gals.
We want it cheap, chic, safe and if possible within walking distance to all attractions! If you want these things all thrown in, I suggest you give Bangkok a miss. You can get all the other things in your list, except the walking distance part. Bangkok is huge, and there are so many places of interest. Fret not, the taxis there are really really cheap. You will reach most places with less than 100B

Bangkok is a hotel haven
Even a pauper like me can afford to go 5 star (ok, at least 4 star) if I want to. Push that "be sensible" button in your head and you know that if you give up one star, you will get your massages and many more pairs of shoes!

My favourite site is asiarooms
Ok, I ONLY use Asiarooms for my Bangkok hotels. So far, I cannot find any other cheaper place. Orbitz and others may give similar rates, but they will also charge you a service charge! (usually around 10USD). No way. I just become extra stingy when it comes to spending on these things for Bangkok trip. I can get a lot of fun with 10USD. And don't bother to spend time checking out those so called last minute discount hotel rooms, they are never as cheapas Asiarooms, at least for Bangkok.

Warning
I never had any problems with Asia Rooms, and so did my friends. However there are some postings on the internet about overcharging etc.

My biggest problem so far is requesting for a non-smoking room. They cannot specifically confirm a non-smoking room or you. After being smoked out in HK, I have a phobia of smoking room.(I will tell more about the disgusting experience next time)

Calling the agents can be a drag. Their English may not be that good (They can understand you, but you got to speak slower), and they speak SLLOOOOOWWWLY. Thank goodness the long distance call was not that expensive. My word of advice, if you need to call them make sure you call off-peak or using budget lines. The time taken will be longer than you what had expected.

Checking in early helps ???
I am not terribly sure of this, but the only time I did not have a very good room was when I checked in around midnight, and graciously let everyone go before us. We regreted being so gracious. We had the last room along the corridor, and the room did not smell exactly fresh. You can tell it had not been used/aired at least for a week. We could not change rooms, cos we had the last room in a fully packed hotel.
Hotel tips

• Slippers and toothbrush sets are usually not in your room (if you go 3 star), but you can request and get it free.
• Tip that guy who brought it for you generously. Come on, you can afford to be generous in Bangkok. Give at least 20B! You can then be doubly be reassured that you will get everything done smoothly. If you need anything else, it will come in doubly quick time. Hot water etc. Even your room may be extra well cleaned.
• If you are really supersitious, knock before going in. Thais believe in this as well.
• Tip from a well travelled sales friend- check for the Bible/Quran/Buddhist prayer book. If it is closed, it is ok. If it is opened, ask for a change of room.
• Another tip : Leave your shoes at the door/near your bed, one face up, the other face down.
• Explore the hotel services eg massage. Many health centres are open until 2 am, and you can book a massage after a late night out in the comfort of your room.
• Before you book your massage service, get out of the hotel and look around. You will definitely find some cheaper alternatives for the massage.

Oh ya, never ever ask for a BODY MASSAGE.

International calls - my autoroam nightmare

How do I make/receive international calls when travelling? Use my autoroam! Yes, no call back service, discount international call cards or anything else. Just the autoroaming on my mobile phone.



I have almost forgotten about the unhappiness I had about the autoroaming service from my service provider, until their customer service officer irked me again today.

I hate to call service hotlines, not even when I am slapped with an unbelievable amount of autoroaming charges. I just got to rant here after being rudely cut off by their customer service officer.

Incident 1- which I had actually forgotten
You was in Bangkok for a holiday with my friend, and I fell really sick there. My phone was on autoroaming, with calls diverted to my hubby's phone just in case some impt clients called.

When the bill came, I had a heart attack. There were so many calls, some of them less than 1 minute apart, and usually lasts about 1 minute. I even had 5 calls within a few minutes! The bills also did not state clearly whether it it outgoing or incoming calls. I was really suprised when I saw the bill, as my handphone did not register those missed calls, and so did my husband's handphone.


It was not possible for me to make those calls, cos I was sleeping like a log and having high fever. International calls on autoroam is expensive, who on earth will be stupid to call every minute? Where did the calls come from ? Was there a ghost in my hotel room making and receiving those calls? It added to what I heard on the grapevine regarding mysterious autoroam calls,
just that mine is a tad to many. However, I was really busy then, and like most goody goody people living in this place, just paid up my bills without kicking a fuss.

I forgot about the incident and happily renewed my contract a few days ago.

Incident 2 This is it!
Today I regretted renewing my contract. They had offered me ''free'' voice mail as a promotion when I signed up another line. The promotion period was one year, and ended last month. Typical to their style, they started charging you for these ''value added'' services without informing you about these charges.

I know their style well, and being the typical ''tame'' customer, called their hotline and requested them to stop the service. Stopping their service requires one day, and yes, as of this time, I am still being charged for my voicemail. I thought being a super loyal customer with multiple lines would give me a chance to ''feedback''.


I asked the lady over the phone nicely:
Me: Can I provide some feedback about this? This is not the second time I am encountering this, and I am sure many customers also feel the same. You might want to note this down ...
xxxCustomer service officer: Sure, go ahead.
Me: Can xxx give inform us B4 the charges start or ask us whether we want to continue before charging because....
xxxCustomer service officer(She CUTS in abruptly!!): Ok. Thank your for calling......
Me (I actually got angry!): Excuse me I have not finished yet!!!!

Darn!!!
I was thinking of asking them to consider sending us an sms to remind us.... just like how efficiently they remind me whenever I am late in paying the bills. Now come to think of it, I am sure the smart people up there have thought of how convenient this is for customers, but they just do not want to do it. The smart aleks through that it is possible for them to earn some extra dollars because many people will give up cancelling it (they will be lost in their hotline, which require you to push many right buttons before a CSO appears). Perhaps that is why they are not supportive of true number portability.

But I tell you what, when number protability comes I will be the first customer to run. Even without number portability, we (family) will change all our lines, one by one, to some other more decent service provider. No more feedback. We just take our bussiness (albeit small) to somewhere else.


And as for my travels? I am going to check out those call back cards and stop being the 'autoroam queen'. Although I usually will not use public phones outside hotels, especially when I am alone in an unfamiliar place (I believe that is a sitting duck for robbery and other crimes), I will reconsider. Phonecards, prepaid mobile card, call back cards, whatever. I am going to find an alternative.

Earning money for my Bird nest

I wish I am in Bangkok now. I can imagine doing the typical Sunday routine there. Wake up after a good sleep, check out the buffet spread offered for breakfast at the hotel and headthen to JJ (Catuchak) market. At this time of the day, I would be leaving JJ market for the comfort of air-conditioned shopping at MBK or Siam Square.

Why am I not there?
1) I need to complete some work here
2) I am broke

I just read the Problogger's website. Wow, so much money! There seem to be so many people talking about Adsense and stuff like that. I see Adsense, Adsense and Adsense everywhere. They are all talking about SEO(Search engine optimisation) etc etc. Hmm, is there such a thing called techniques in optimizing websites to earn money from it? There must be really alot of people interested in it, judging by the number of website advertisements I saw on his website that is supposed to be offering advise about these things? Of course, I am always as curious as a cat and went to check all those website. WOW! I did know know there are such interesting things. Hmm afternoon well spent!

Can you really earn that much from hitting the keyboard from the comfort of your home (or hotel!) ?? Hey, these people are talking about thousands of dollars. I spent some time reading the things that these people did. I will be happy if I ever get to earn 20USD/month. This is sufficient for a coconut (it is served in a coconut, not bowl) of premium bird nest at Nam Sing. (Branch 1: China Town (Yaowaraj) Bangkok.TEL：(66) 2222-6292, 2226-3682 Branch 2: FL., 3 MBK Center,Bangkok. TEL：(66) 2611-4787). And please, dun stinge when you actually go there. At least get the 200B birdnest. Go for premium birdnest and you will get the real stuff.

Girls, do you want a body massage in Bangkok???

Massage massage.....The most common question that I get is:

''That place got hanky-panky?"

My reply:

"So you want a place with or without???" :D

My most important advice:
Never ever ask for a BODY massage!

I was asking the cab drive to recommend a place with good BODY massage (trying to distinguish from the FOOT massage), and wondered why he gave was quite shocked and turned around to take a good look at us at the next red light.

Then he started; about recommending an Italian couple and they thoroughly enjoyed. He asked us about our budget. Well , we were ok about anything not too outrageous, as I was aching everywhere and dying for a massage.

Apparently some popular places cost a few thousand dollars an hour. At that time, I was really curious and asked what is so special, and how come the locals will go for something so expensive. My Thai colleague told me that she goes for those 180B (2 hours) massage! Only then the driver realised we had a communication problem.

In Thailand , body massage means using someones's body to give you a massage.
How is it done?? Imagine that! Since we were stuck in a jam, he went on and on to give quite a lot of details to 'enlighten' us.

According to our driver, these are very popular among men: tourists and locals who are rich enough. The men get pampered like 'kings' there. They can pick and choose which girl they like, and the lastest craze were young teenage girls from Chin* with 'fair soft skin' and 'very sexy body'. They 'really know how to make you happy'. After taking their pick, the men will be given a bath by the girls. 'They bath with you, everything wash, clean, then can start'.

''They use their body to give you massage, not hands! Then after the massage you can do anything you like. What you want, just tell her. No problem. Clean. Very high class. Everybody must wear condom. When you go in , they will give you one condom''.

He went on and on to 'tempt' my husband and I to give it a try. Ha.. ha.. no thanks!
If you want to get a full body massage, either ask for Thai massage or traditional for the traditional Thai massage. These are done with your clothes on (fully clothed). If you like the swedish/balinese style or just something that is more gentle, ask for ''oil massage'' (clothes off, panties on).

''Foot massage'' is extremely popular (and no, they do not use their feet to massage you, they massage your feet). However, take note that ''foot massage'' includes your calves and up to the area around your knees. So if you are wearing as skirt, you might not be confortable getting a guy to do it for you.

My travel suggestion: Make sure you try the Thai masage at least once, and pick a 2 hour session if you can. The best place to try? Wat Pho. Although slightly more expensive that the typical massage set up, it is worth it! I sometimes go to Thailand just to get a dose of the real thing at Wat Pho.

Wat Pho opening hours and fees
Open daily from 8:00am until 5:00pm.

Fees
Thai massage
Half-hour massage 150 B
one-hour body massage-250
one-hour massage with herbs 350- make sure you wear pants and clothes that do not stain easily
600 baht per hour for outside services

Foot massage 45 minutes- 250 baht

Tips: Wear something lose and comfortable, and do not stain easily if you want to try the herb massage. However, they will provide you a change of clothes at no extra cost. Mornings on weekdays are usually less busy, but be aware that you might feel more sleepy after the massage, esp if you have not been getting enough sleep (too relaxed?). If that happens, rest a while before heading to your next stop!

You can read more about my Thai massage experience.

How to get there? I always go by cab! This is where I head to after my Grand Palace visit, and before I head for my late lunch in Chinatown.

But if you decide to try other ways, here are the info you need:
1. Bus Nos. 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, 25, 32, 43, 44, 47, 48, 51, 53, 82, 103.
2. Air-conditioned bus Nos. 1, 6, 7, 8, 12, 44
3. Chao phraya Express boat. Get off at Tha Chang pier, Tha Tien Pier or Pak Klong Talad Pier, then walk through Thai Wang Road entrance.

(Beware, the cab drivers like to take you for a 'ride' if you flag a cab around the Grand Palace area.)

Hint: always suft the net for the lastest promotions. Even established places sometimes offer a 10-15% discounts if you bring a printout of their "cuopon". I will write more about spas and massages next time!

Checklist for travelling to Bangkok

Travelling check list- what every woman should bring!

1. Credit card- better to bring both Visa and Mastercard. I have seen shops accepting on but not the other. Bring at least one credit card, it will come in handy when you suddenly see somthing gorgeous.
2. Cash! How much? depends on how much you want to shop. You need not do the exchange at the airport in your home country. There are plenty of little machines and kiosks in BKK airport for exchange purposes, and these give you good rates. Just insert your USD/SGD/RM and watch them turn to Bath!! Unless you are exchanging a lot of money, it is not worth the special trip to your favourite money changer. Tip... make sure you keep some cash in your hotel safe, we advise at least 1000B for your exit airport tax (500B), and cabfares + a little extra for last minute airport shopping. BKK is a place that we squeeze even the last Bath out of ''rational'' shoppers due to the good bargains. As I am a credit card person, I find that around 1000B per day is enough as a 'small change'.
3. Sunblock! Cap! sunglasses? Umbrella? Forget it... if it rains, your umbrella wll not help much. My favourite sunblock is Sunkiller, definitely the best in terms of coverage, and it is non-oily!
4. Disposable panties! It is worth investing in the ''cotton'' ones, although they are double the price of the ''paper'' ones.. you will definitely feel more secure and comfortable in it.
5. Camera!
6. Good comfortable pair of walking shoes/sandals. If you need to go to Grand Palace, make sure you bring along a pair of shoe which cover up your toes, they guards may not let you in if you are wearing your fav pair of TeV**sandals. But then again, this depends on whether you will be heading there straight or after doing some something.... read more about shoes in in my ''BIG WIDE feet -- the FEMALE BIG-FOOTs guide to getting pair of shoes in Cinderella land''
7. Disposable chopsticks! If you are very adventurous about road side food, and like me .. want to try EVERYTHING, and EVERY STALL which looks terribly crowded, bring one or two pairs of disposable chopsticks. While the washing standards done in the road side stalls are comparable or even better than many places in Singapore-Malaysia... let me warn you that they RECYCLE DISPOSABLE chopsticks!!!!!! It is not a exactly appetising to when you are handed a pair of dripping wet recycled chopsticks which had been washed in soapy water. Recycle chopsticks are permeable(do not have the coatings like your regular wooden chopsticks).
8. Wet Tissues (body and face) BKK is extremely hot and humid, and let me warn you , you will SWEAT big time and STINK. It will be quite embarassing to try out clothes in that state! The wet tissues how in really handy to give your self a wipe down. As my skin is pretty sensitive, I usually buy a small packet of baby wipes in Watsons or Guardian before heading there. This is something that you got to buy in your home country, in a place where you are familiar, and I suggest you try out these wipes first before you actually bring them there (Test whether you are sensitive to it, and try to buy something that is not fragranced). I tried to get it in BKK, and was really disappointed. I found them.. but they were in huge banded packaging... I guess mums always look for savings and bargains. Other than wiping myself, my baby wipes have also cleaned tables, chairs, toilet seat in my hotel room (yeah... I did that). It will also be handy when you REALLY need to do your big bussiness in a public toilet. (Note: This is not something impossible to happen... after eating so much!!)
9. A tiny bottle of soap/ one of your cheap facial cleanser samples- this is for washing your hands after going to toilets. Toilets in major tourist attractions and shopping centres are world class, but many of the lesser places do not have soap. To a foodie like me, my own bottle of soap will come in handy when I need to eat the tidbits that I bought, or use my fingers to pick up some nice food samples. (otherwise.. it is quite yucky to use your fingers after the toilet trip.... yucks.....)
10. Your phone charger/extra battery
11. A luggage that is at least 2/3 empty....to lug back all your stuff. I have seen may girls bringing the large size trolleys luggage there ... haha. Whether you want to bring extra bags depend on whether you want to get another piece. Luggage bags in BKK starts around 199B!
12. Clothes- skirts. I used to go for pants, but I realised that they are very useless when I need to try clothes!
13. Optional: Travel detergent n plastics hangers!-- if you like to travel extremely light like me, I think a small bottle will be very handy. I use it to wash the new T-shirts that I buy and also my sweaty smelly T-shirts. I usually bring 2-3 light weight and flat plastic hangers and put them at the bottom of my luggage. These do not take up space and will be useful to hang up your clothings. I do not like to use those wooden hangers in hotel rooms for my wet clothes or clothes that I need to wear....

If you got these things in your bag, I would say... relax and just go! You could almost buy anything you want/need in BKK! wait.. how about toothpaste and toothbrushes? If you paid USD25+ for your hotel room, you should have it there. What happens if you do not see it in your room?? Just call the housekeeper-- ask and you will get it.. FREE. Yeah... you might need to ask for your paper slippers too.

Well actually you need not bring anything but your cash and credit card :D

Here is a different travel check list for cold and wet November London: Travel checklist for Nov London

Sky Train in Bangkok

The BTS website is an excellent interactive site which will even show you what are the attractions that are near a station. BTS is not cheap. If you have company (2 or more persons), it is always cheaper to go by cab, except perhaps the trip to Cathuchak (aka JJ) market. For that, my experience shows me that it will usually come up to about 100B, beacuse the driver will take you for a ride. 100B may not be that bad, it is the fact that he took up your prime early morning shopping time! 10:00 am is not as HOT as 11:00 am!

To travel from Chinatown/Grand Palace to town, the river taxis are a great idea. Again, you will be spared the ''ride'', the jams and you get to enjoy travelling down the famous river. Check the Chao Phraya services here.

Do what the locals do-taxi from airport

before you join the custom clearance Q and get your immigration things done, look out for some maps. Personally prefer the maps obtained here as they are more detailed(and drawn to scale) than what the concierge provides.

When you arrive at the arrival hall, look for the sign of ''departure hall''. Look for the escalator and go up to the floor. Take your taxi from there!

Just say ''hotel name, bai meter''. Bring with you your booking receipt from your hotel. Usually this also contains the address in Thai language. If the driver look confused after you told him your destination, just how him the address. Remain calm and tell him to go by the expressway, which they usually refer to as the tollway. You might have to 'pay as you go' , ie paying for the toll charges whenever you reach a toll gate. It is 20B per gate, and there were 2 gates before you reach downtown. so get 2x 20B ready!

How much does this cost? 250-300+B, after tipping!

Oh yes.. the driver understands your "by meter"... The Thais say "bai meter" for it anyway.

but... if money is not a problem.. just save the hassles. Just "order" an Bangkok airport pick up service through the internet or your hotel.