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1st Road Trip in New Zealand – Day 1

yeohcm — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 11:08:02 +0000

Road Map

This was my 1st road trip in New Zealand. It started from Christchurch (A), 2 nights in Queenstown (D) and 1 night in Franz Josef (G). We tried to squeeze in as many places as possible in 4 days and i will provide as much information as I could which was requested by some of my visitors.

Preparation: *important

Map of cause NZ’s Map
Book your accommodations
Plan your route, so that you don’t miss any exciting place.
Car
Check your car’s conditions (Oil, Water, Air, registration, WoF (Warrant of Fitness), wipers & etc.)
Prepare your food. (drinks, bread, fruits, junk food & etc.)
Warm clothes
BBQ kits (if you’re planning for BBQ)

As early as 6am, we departed from Christchurch with empty stomach and heading to motorway (highway). Then, we had a light breakfast at the rest area.

That was our main transportation of this trip. Emm….I’m talking about this cute little white car instead of that luxurious campervan. :p

It’s no harm to bring any travel guide book with you in case you plan to change your route.

the view on the way to Lake Tekapo

Panorama View – Click to enlarge

Lake Tekapo(B) – one of the must-visit place

It was spring season. Thus, there were heaps of colorful flowers along Lake Tekapo.

Church of the God Shepherd

Situated on the shores of Lake Tekapo is the Church of the Good Shepherd, which, in 1935, was the first church built in the Mackenzie Basin. The church at Burkes Pass, St Patrick’s built in 1872 was the first church built by pioneers as a joint community effort, by Anglicans Presbyterian and Catholic settlers. Also a joint venture between Presbyterians and Anglicans, St Columba in Fairlie was built in 1879. The church at Lake Tekapo was designed by Christchurch architect R.S.D. Harman, based on sketches by a local artist, Esther Hope. The church is arguably one of the most photographed in New Zealand, and features an altar window that frames stunning views of the lake and mountains. [source]

Lake Tekapo with snow capped mountains as background

After we left Lake Tekapo, we proceed to Salmon Fish Farm somewhere near Twizel. We bought 1Kg of Salmon for our barbecue. It was relatively cheap compared to fish market.

Extremely Fresh Salmon

Then, we continued our journey to Queenstown which took about 4-5 hours.

On our way, we visited AJ Hackett Bungy, The pioneers and inventors of modern day bungy jumping and extreme personal challenges. We didn’t try bungy jumping as we were planning to try something more extreme and more exciting…… stay tuned next post.

This is our accommodation in Queenstown – The Black Sheep Queenstown. The room rate was quite reasonable and situated just two minutes walk from downtown which was extremely convenience. It was quite clean and equipped with various facilities.

Hooray, BBQ Time !! We’ve prepared Chicken wings, sausages, bread, drinks, fresh salmon that we bought and so on. All BBQ facilities were provided by The Black Sheep Queenstown.

After our dinner, we visited down town of Queenstown.

Private Hotel??

Casino, Bar, Pub ……

Vintage Steamship which carrying tourists across Lake Wakatipu to the Walter Peak High Country Farm.

Happening Pub

Along quayside

::::::::To Be Continued::::::::

……stay tuned for my next post…………What’s neXt ?? eXtreme ChallenGe~~~~

2009 Haeundae Sea Festival

yeohcm — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 12:40:29 +0000

I can’t believe how time flies. I can still clearly recall how much fun we had at the Haeundae Sea Festival last year.

Last Saturday, we went to Haundae Sea Festival again which is held annually at Haeundae [해운대] Beach, Busan.

Sadly, This would be my last opportunity to join a bunch of friends to this exciting festival as I’m leaving Korea very soon.

This year, the number of ‘gang members’ to Sea Festival has increased compared to last year. And, we were more well-prepared with picnic foods such as JapChae [잡채] (Korean fried noodle), Malaysian-style Curry Chicken, sausages, drinks and so on.

Group Photo before making ourselves dirty

As usual, you can only see never ending of parasols when you reach Haeundae Beach.

Pirate Ship ??? @_*

where is the end?

having fun with mum, lovely~

on-duty Life Guard

Kids were having fun

Hey, i suppose you need more Air for the tube.

Cheers~~~~1 2 3

What else ? Oh yes, i know what you are looking for……………………Bikini Girls

:::::: Random Shoots ::::::

Sunbathing~~

Innocent Girl *_*

Oily & Shinning

Nice pose

Cheers~~Say “KimChi~~~~”

3 BIG Hats @_@

Opps, Sleepy Bikini Girl ZzZzzzzz~~~

=.= “Women in Black”

Having fun~~

Last but not least………”Simply snap“

Visit 2009 Haeundae Sea Festival if you happen to be in Busan, the festival ended on 9th August 2009. [More Info]

Happy Summer !!!

:::::The End::::

Manila, Philippines Short Trip

yeohcm — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 17:24:28 +0000

I’m so lucky as I had another opportunity to travel oversea for presenting my work in international conference before finish my master study. The most important thing is “It was Fully sponsored trip again”~~~

This time the destination was Manila, Philippines. YES! “Maynila” for the Filipinos which is the capital city of the Philippines.

Everything You Need To Know About The Philippines!

However,too bad I had only 2 days in Manila as i wasted 2 days for transiting in Japan. So, i “googled” around and found some must-visit places in Manila. Let’s see…….oh yah, This is my 1st oversea trip with my babe, D90.

Taken when departed from Japan to Manila

Just after my conference, i visited Philippines Largest Mall, Mall of Asia which is right on Manila Bay in Pasay City, Metro Manila. I like its slogan aptly puts as ” No other Mall comes close“.

The SM Mall of Asia is the largest in the Philippines and is the third largest in the world, at least by floor size, it ranks behind the Golden Resources Mall in China and the West Edmonton Mall in Canada.

What has been FullyBooked ?? You should know what they are selling ?

I jumped on this vehicle to Mall of Asia namely Jeepney. Philippines’ most popular means of public transportation. Extremely Cheap !!!

Just beside the Mall of Asia is a nice Bay walk, San Miguel.

Dating on the bay~~~how nice..

Friendly Filipinos

Just after the rain at Manila Bay

Center of Attraction

Bay + Mall

My dinner. Cheap and Nice.

Saw some funny t-shirts. “FatnessFirst”

“nobalance” LoL

In front of the mall which has a huge bronze globe similar to Universal Studios.

===========Day 2============

Dropped by Rizal Park, was the site of the execution of Jose Rizal, the national hero of the Philippines.

Most important day for Filipino, the Independent Day.

The main tourist site of Manila is Intramuros,(Spanish for ‘within the walls‘).

INTRAMUROS, the old capital of Manila, was built in 1571. It remains a monumental, if ruined, relic of the Spanish period in Philippine history. It is a city within a city, separated from the rest of Manila by its crumbling walls. This ancient capital had well-planned streets, plazas, the Governor’s Palace and churches. However, many buildings were reduced to shambles in World War II.

Old building

The Manila Cathedral is the fifth stone church of Manila.

It was destroyed and rebuilt several times. From the air, it appears as a giant cross.

Fort Santiago

It used to be the seat of the colonial powers of both Spain and the U.S. It was also a dreaded prison under the Spanish regime and the scene of countless military police atrocities during the Japanes occupation. Here, too, Dr. Jose Rizal spent his last hours before his execution on Bagumbayan. (now Rizal Park).

Dr. Jose Rizal, Philippines’ national hero

Intramuros is too huge and i was rushing for time. So, i hired a Calesa.

old cannon

:::My Conversation:::

Me: Hey, i thought we should use the opposite lane.

A: Yes, that rule is for human, but this is Horse !!!!

Me: LOL….. fainted~~~~

I just knew Calera don’t need to follow the rule.

Crowded Chinatown

intercrossing cables

Traffic jammed….Horse knows it well too.

Behind colorful Jeepneys…..By the way, we were on a busy main road.

::::On my way back::::

nicely packed Dinner….it was so Yummy~~~

Departed from Japan back to Korea. Breathtaking view. Might be Fuji Moutain

“Salamat” means Thank you in Tagalog (Filipino)

========The End========

Everything You Need To Know About The Philippines!

Geoje Island Trip

yeohcm — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 16:35:13 +0000

Geoje Island [거제도] often known as Koje island is on the southern coast of Gyeongsangnam-do province, South Korea. Geoje Island is the second largest island in South Korea after Jeju Island.

Our ship

Haeguemgang – scenic island

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Touring inside Haeguemgang

lonely seagull

Small island

Next, we visited Oedo-Botania which is one of the shooting scenes of Korean Drama-Winter Sonata.

Great view

Stairs to the heaven

Flowers~~

Center of attraction

Heaven ??!!????

Exact shooting spot of Winter Sonata (Last eps.)

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one of the sculptures

Art

===Beach===

Best dating place :p

Crystal clear water

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===Korean War Museum===

At one bridge on the Taedong River, they came across refugees clinging to the twisted girders of a destroyed bridge as they tried to cross the river. The girders were still intact and connecting, so the people used these metallic supports to get to their destination. Some were half-frozen. Some plunged into the icy river.[source]

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Learn Korean Online Here

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====The eNd====

Lijiang, China

yeohcm — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 15:47:27 +0000

Next, my trip proceeded to another interesting historical city, Lijiang 【丽江】. Lijiang is located in northwestern Yunnan Province, China. It has traditionally been occupied by Nakhi minority [纳西族]. Thus, people there are called 胖金哥 and 胖金妹 (pàng jīn gē, pàng jīn mèi, male and female respectively). Seriously, this is how you address people when you are in LiJiang. You shouldn’t call them “ah boy or ah girl“.

Early in the morning, we visited LaShiHai 【拉市海】which is a country protected lake. We ride horse and enjoyed the beautiful scenery of LaShiHai. The journey took about 3 and a half hour from car park to lake with horse. Actually, that was my first time in my life to ride a horse. I done quite wElL and enjoyed very much. “Yihh…..Harrr……..”

trip-mates

Horse named “Harly” and I

Crossing the stream carefully….

resting….after served us for more than 3 hours.

After our lunch, we visited The world famous Old Town of Lijiang 【丽江古城】which is a UNESCO Heritage Site.

The town has a history going back more than 800 years and was once a confluence for trade along the old tea horse road. The Lijiang old town is famous for its orderly system of waterways and bridges. The old town of Lijiang differs from other ancient Chinese cities in architecture, history and the culture of its traditional residents the Nakhi people [source]

writtern by ex-President of China, JiangZeMing。

Entrance of Lijiang Old Town.

Notice the Nakhi writing [纳西文] (middle).

The buildings in old town are unique and attractive with skilled crafts.

After our dinner, we watched the LiJiang traditional performance which has won numerous international awards namely, “LiShuiJinSha” 【丽水金沙】. The show was awesome, it portrayed olden Nakhi Empire and its people life. The decoration, sound system, lighting, performers and so on were InCreDiBle. ( ⊙ o ⊙ )！

one of the scenes.

Performers with traditional costume. o(≧v≦)o~~

awesome performance !

Showing all minorities’ costumes in LiJiang.

We were told that the day view and night view of Lijiang Old Town are totally different. (⊙_⊙)？ Thus, after the show, we proceed to Lijiang Old Town to have a look. Indeed !!! Amazingly, all buildings in old town have been decorated with lights and so on. I was crazily taking photos here and there but too bad….without a DSLR…. (+﹏+)~

Happening pubs in old town. ( ⊙o⊙ )

Whole old town of Lijiang is surrounded by this stream.

It was quite late so most of the shops have been closed.

Restaurant

I had a tea in this pub. got “feel” right !!! O(∩_∩)O

Lonely, quiet street.

If you have any chance to visit LiJiang, i would highly recommend you to visit Old Town of Lijiang !!! \(^o^)/~

::====TheEnd===::

Kunming, China [1]

yeohcm — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 16:15:51 +0000

I’m so glad that i have this golden opportunities to present my works in an international conference in Kunming, Yunnan Province, China [昆明.云南省]. Anyway, don’t worry i will NOT blog about my works and conference here.

I met a lot of people from all walks of life with different backgrounds, countries and so on. Almost everyone asked me this ‘standard’ question when i met them.

[Conversation in Mandarin]

A: 你从哪来？【Where are you come from?】

Me: 马来西亚。【Malaysia.】

A: 哦，马来西亚？你怎么会说中文啊？【Wah, Malaysia? How come you know how to speak Mandarin?】

Me: 我们在马来西亚有接触到中文教育啊。【We (Chinese in Msia) did study Chinese in Msia.】

A: 哦，你说得很好啊。【oic, you can speak very well.】

Me: 是吗？还可以吧【Really? Thanks.】

So, communication is not a problem for me in Kunming. Asking direction from anyone by the roadside is an easy task as people in Kunming is so friendly and helpful. Some even walked out from their shop to point the way for me.

Of Cause before flying to Kunming, i google-ing around to find any yummy food to eat and interesting place to visit in Yunnan. As saying goes “All works and no play make Jack a dull boy“, besides participating the conference, i visited around Kunming as well as joined a local trip to few interesting places like Dali 【大理】 and LiJiang【丽江】. Okok…cut the crap….let’s view photos…….

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One of the famous local foods in Kunming is Guo Qiao Rice Noodle 【过桥米线】. How they get the name? For more info. English | Chinese

Two well-known rice noodle franchises.

::Guo Qiao Rice Noodle::

hot soup covered with an oil layer so that it could preserved the temperature of the soup.

Ready to eat !! Yummy~~~~very nice….. still drooling when posting this pic~~

another type of noodle: Mushroom chicken rice noodle

Happening area in Kunming: Jin Ma Bi Ji Fang 【金马碧鸡坊】where a lot of shop lots can be found here.

Yunnan local products and foods fair in conjunction with seagull festival.

Busy street.

To be continued……….