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