The Invasion
I have to "embargo" some postings till a later date. Till then, here is one of the pictures that I like.
Sunday, May 07, 2006
Yuxi, Kunming - 2nd week of April 2006
Welcome to China!
My first trip to China and it's to the Yunnan province. If you have no idea where it is, it's inland towards the west of China, bordering Vietnam. I took an MAS direct flight from Kuala Lumpur and arrived in Kunming about 3.5 hours later. The flight was about 70-80% full with lots of Malaysian & Chinese tourists.
The drive to Yuxi on the new highway takes slightly more than an hour.
A rather decent room. Standard furnishing. The only negative comment must be the rock solid bed! I had the shock of my life when I sat down on the bed after the long journey and almost had a slipped disc! Surprisingly, it didn't affect my sleep or did I feel any ill effects of the bed during my stay there.
While the room does not have cable broadband, it does have WIFI signal provided by the local telco. Unfortunately, there's no way for a roaming line to subscribe to the wifi services, it has to be a local number....another reminder that I am in communist China.
Oh, and yes all the blog services websites has been blocked. The only way around it (if you want to view your own blogs) is to log in thru blogger.com - they block blogspot.com but not if you are in blogger.com in editing mode.
Even the the US diplomatic blunder about the mixup between China and Taiwan's name has been blacked out in the CNN broadcasts.
The view of the rather spartan bathroom. Everything works just fine and there's even hot water, so it isn't that bad.
The very basic mini-bar. Note the absence of any instant coffee. I found out the hard way that people here don't drink coffee, not even in the restaurants. You can have all the tea you want, but not coffee. Thank goodness I have my emergency cache of coffee.
The thing I love most about this place is the wide roads for cars and also pedestrians. They have also made it a habit to have lots of trees and spaces for them to grow beside the road. You can see it from the following pictures taken around Yuxi. You know the place is a driver's paradise when you don't see any traffic lights at major intersections.
Some very nice looking shop houses being built. Oh just look at the trees, and the pedestrian walk.
My first trip to China and it's to the Yunnan province. If you have no idea where it is, it's inland towards the west of China, bordering Vietnam. I took an MAS direct flight from Kuala Lumpur and arrived in Kunming about 3.5 hours later. The flight was about 70-80% full with lots of Malaysian & Chinese tourists.
The drive to Yuxi on the new highway takes slightly more than an hour.
A rather decent room. Standard furnishing. The only negative comment must be the rock solid bed! I had the shock of my life when I sat down on the bed after the long journey and almost had a slipped disc! Surprisingly, it didn't affect my sleep or did I feel any ill effects of the bed during my stay there.
While the room does not have cable broadband, it does have WIFI signal provided by the local telco. Unfortunately, there's no way for a roaming line to subscribe to the wifi services, it has to be a local number....another reminder that I am in communist China.
Oh, and yes all the blog services websites has been blocked. The only way around it (if you want to view your own blogs) is to log in thru blogger.com - they block blogspot.com but not if you are in blogger.com in editing mode.
Even the the US diplomatic blunder about the mixup between China and Taiwan's name has been blacked out in the CNN broadcasts.
The view of the rather spartan bathroom. Everything works just fine and there's even hot water, so it isn't that bad.
The very basic mini-bar. Note the absence of any instant coffee. I found out the hard way that people here don't drink coffee, not even in the restaurants. You can have all the tea you want, but not coffee. Thank goodness I have my emergency cache of coffee.
The thing I love most about this place is the wide roads for cars and also pedestrians. They have also made it a habit to have lots of trees and spaces for them to grow beside the road. You can see it from the following pictures taken around Yuxi. You know the place is a driver's paradise when you don't see any traffic lights at major intersections.
Some very nice looking shop houses being built. Oh just look at the trees, and the pedestrian walk.
Philippines - Linden Suites Again - Mid April 2006
I was back in Manila, the Philippines and I was put up at the Linden Suites again. Not that it was a bad thing, but in fact it got an additional star for a big "improvement"!
The kitchen now comes with coffee percolator and a bag of grounded coffee, good for two cups, that was replenished daily!
The suite I have this time has a different layout but has essentially the same furnitures. Another wonderful stay.
The kitchen now comes with coffee percolator and a bag of grounded coffee, good for two cups, that was replenished daily!
The suite I have this time has a different layout but has essentially the same furnitures. Another wonderful stay.
Sunday, March 26, 2006
Taal Lake, Tagaytay - 26th March 2006
This is at Tagaytay. It's actually a dormant volcano that is filled with water creating a lake with a lot of islands on it. Really enjoyed the view eventhough it was slightly hazy most of the afternoon. In the evening the place starts to get really cool and comfortable.
From the picture below, you can see the fishing village along the edge of the lake.
From the picture below, you can see the fishing village along the edge of the lake.
Philippines - Sonia's Garden,Tagaytay - 25th March 2006
[updates below]
Tagaytay is located south of Manila, about more than an hour's drive away on a weekend drive. I had very gracious hosts who brought me to Sonia's Garden, which is really off the main road. However, through word of mouth, this bed and breakfast establishment is very well known as we had to book for lunch 2 days before.
Oh, did I mention that most of the greens are from their own garden. And they had a great salad and pasta spread.
After lunch, we had a walk about the garden. Below are photos of some of the flowers in the garden there. Of course it doesn't do justice to the place. It's a nice cosy garden with lots of benches to sit and enjoy the breeze.
[updated: 17th July 2006]
Sonia's Garden is actually called "Sonya's Secret Garden".
The official website is :http://sonyasgarden.com/
Address:
Barangay Buck Estate, Alfonso, Cavite, Philippines (near the vicinity of Tagaytay City, Philippines)
For reservations: call or text +63-9175329097 or +63-9175335140 Email us at: info@sonyasgarden.com
How to get there:
From South Superhighway exit Santa Rosa and turn right towards Tagaytay. Upon reaching main Aguinaldo highway, turn right toward Nasugbu, Batangas. Go past Tagaytay Rotonda and proceed for 10km. After Splendido Golf course adn Sunrise Hill make a right turn on the Buck Estate. Drive for 2km and watch out for Sonya's on the left side. Use the first gate and drive towards the end of the driveway and make a right towards parking lot.
Tagaytay is located south of Manila, about more than an hour's drive away on a weekend drive. I had very gracious hosts who brought me to Sonia's Garden, which is really off the main road. However, through word of mouth, this bed and breakfast establishment is very well known as we had to book for lunch 2 days before.
Oh, did I mention that most of the greens are from their own garden. And they had a great salad and pasta spread.
After lunch, we had a walk about the garden. Below are photos of some of the flowers in the garden there. Of course it doesn't do justice to the place. It's a nice cosy garden with lots of benches to sit and enjoy the breeze.
[updated: 17th July 2006]
Sonia's Garden is actually called "Sonya's Secret Garden".
The official website is :http://sonyasgarden.com/
Address:
Barangay Buck Estate, Alfonso, Cavite, Philippines (near the vicinity of Tagaytay City, Philippines)
For reservations: call or text +63-9175329097 or +63-9175335140 Email us at: info@sonyasgarden.com
How to get there:
From South Superhighway exit Santa Rosa and turn right towards Tagaytay. Upon reaching main Aguinaldo highway, turn right toward Nasugbu, Batangas. Go past Tagaytay Rotonda and proceed for 10km. After Splendido Golf course adn Sunrise Hill make a right turn on the Buck Estate. Drive for 2km and watch out for Sonya's on the left side. Use the first gate and drive towards the end of the driveway and make a right towards parking lot.
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