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My Bios
Me, my Oakleys and a 1973 Cherry Red Mustang (not mine) in Norway (It was 170,000 Nok) makes a mean photo combo.
Name: Robin
Sex: Male
Race: Chinese
Nationality: Singaporean
Hair: Black
- Fav TV Programs: CSI, The X-files, West Wing
- Fav Movies: Shawshank Redemption, Fight Club, Star Wars, Catch Me If You Can and Moulin Rouge.
- Fav Sports: Pain(t)ball, Basketball, soccer & tennis.
- Fav Pastime: Reading, managing my stock portfolio, online games and of course traveling. Been to a few places like Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Netherlands, Norway, Philippines, Scotland, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan and Thailand
- Fav Music: (anything from Mozart to Nirvana. Love Narah Jones, Smashing Pumpkins, Maroon5, Craig David currently.)
- Fav Food: Sashimi & anything spicy like satay, tom yum soup, curry, BBQ stingray...
- Fav Drinks: Coke, Vodka, Jack Daniels
- Fav Fiction Authors: Anything from Tom Clancy, Terry Goodkind, Jeffrey Archer, Raymond E Feist & Dan Brown.
- Fav Comics: Baby Blues, Foxtrot, Dilbert, Calvin & Hobbes & Sherman Lagoon
- Fav Color: Blue (azure)
This website was first conceived after my month long Europe backpacking trip in 1996 because I find travel guides somewhat lacking in details and often full of hype. My objective was to produce a down-to-earth guide about touring Singapore for backpackers.
It was also my first few web projects. Back then doing up a webpage was tedious using only Notepad (I taught myself HTML during my sophomore year). My first 2 web projects flopped because it was about me (it was the rave then to have a webby of yourself and your fav links) and the other about my fav TV program - The X-files. Neither had the content to compete with the numerous sites out there that was garnering most of the traffic. So naturally, my love for travel and my knowledge about my country presented itself to me and I found a niche for such content. Maintaining this is still a hobby of mine. During the dotcom boom of the late 90s, I had at least 20 companies knocking at my door wanting to pay me to advertise their travel sites.
My philosophy in page design is still KISS (Keep in Short Simple) which I often fall short. After 8 years, chucks of information are still somewhat disorganised simply because of the lack of time to redo them. It was only in mid 04 did I change the design of this webby and reorganised it somewhat (There are still bugs that I have to find time to fix).
Recent Trips
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Nov 2005
Chiang Mai being on the northern highlands (300m above sea level) is cooler and makes walking around much more pleasant than Bangkok. The pace of life is slower than in Bangkok.
The smog isn't as bad but is getting worse. People are just as friendly, taxi & tuk tuk drivers just as competitive and want to give you the best deal of the century by bringing you around town for a price. They were pretty surprised when they learn my intent to walk around town.
Wats and more wats, frankly, I am sick of wats. We toured the night market. I bought a few knocks off Tees for fun. Whites tend to be quoted higher price and are unable to bargain down to the level which I can. Their best price tend to be US$1 more than mine for tees.
Brisbane & Cairns, Australia
Oct 2005
Spend 5 days in Brisbane/Gold Coast & 7 days in Cairns. We had a great deal on the Qantas air tickets. Pay for the fare to Brisbane and they throw in a domestic flight to Cairns for free. The catch was the flight back was on a Australian Airlines instead of Qantas. It doesn't have individual TV screen or video in demand. What it lacks in frills is more than make up for in the excellent service far surpassing Qantas.
Brisbane.
Agghh, met another racist idiot in Brisbane. This time in a downtown departmental store. The well dressed idiot elbowed my wife, who was a few feet away and whispered "Get lost maggot". When I got to know about it he was already making his way down the escalator. Shouted at him to stay where he is but was held back by my wife. The idiot quickly left the building. What's with him picking on weaker targets? Did he felt threatened?
Some of you may say it's an isolated incidents I agree. It doesn’t change my views that most Australians aren't racist but the fact remains that encountering such incidents as a tourist does make one wonder why am I so lucky to meet one. How many more are but are just not outwardly so? Maybe you think I am over sensitive. Would reading a famous actor feel about racism makes you think otherwise? Read the article on Lawrence Fishburne (Matrix actor) on racism in Australia. He compared it to the "vibe" similar to America in the 1950s. Then there are the many others who aren't. For e.g. One truck driver asked me if I was ok because I stopped my car along the road.
Gold Coast/Surfers Paradise.
Drove from Brisbane to Gold Coast and as far south as Coolangatta. Did the rides in Movie and Dreamworld. Go early to take the most popular rides before the crowd comes. Some queues was as long as 90 minutes after lunch.
Cairns
The first impression I have for Cairns is that it has got to be the most touristy city I ever been. 70% of the shops downtown are opened to cater to tourists. Nearly all the touristy shops have Japanese speaking staff and Japanese signs! Restaurants have menus in Japanese! 80% of the Asian tourist there were Japanese. Everywhere I went I was greeted in Japanese. It seems like the whole place is set up to suck money from Japanese tourists. This place feels a bit fake.
I went Tandem Skydiving with Paul's Parachuting. It was a new experience for me. Can't say it's as exciting as rollercoasters rides but fun all the same.
Went Scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef. Another first for me. The rest of the days were spent driving to Kuranda, Palm Cove, Port Douglas, Barron falls etc. A word of advise on driving. There are many winding mountain roads, rent a car with better handling capability. The Gilles Highway (a 19km of winding mountain road gateway to Kuranda) was a tad exciting for my rental, a 2 months old Camry with 15" rims. People are doing a crazy 60kmh on numerous 30kmh turns! I was doing 40-50kmh on those turns and had been tailgate a few times. Had to let them pass whenever possible.
The flight hoem was ho-hum.
Penang, Malaysia Nov 2004
3 days trip and I get to go back to Penang again. This time round we stayed at the beach resort instead of George Town. Sadly this trip would be a reminder for me of the tsunami that occurs in Asia on Boxing Day 2004 because I flew there exactly one month before the tradegy on the 26 Nov 04. Can't complain, the trip was free and I chilled out.
Manila, Philippines Oct 2004
This was a short 3 days trip to Manila via a short Singapore Airlines flight. I packed more bermudas than pants anticipating the hot weather.
After an uneventful flight, we touch down on the international airport, MIAA. Immediately the scene was not unlike Jarkata or other 3rd world country Airport. A newer Airport was only for their national carrier.
MIAA was chaotic. Not the kind of airport you can relax and waltz through and enjoy the place. But one of you want to get out of the hustle and bustle fast.
Airport security was layered and pretty good. If you have no business there, you can't go in. Armed guards can be seen.
Once out of the airport, I managed to find my ride to our apartment in Makati City. Traffic was a killer. Everybody horn! For no good reason.
The horn can mean anything from "Get out of my way" to "What's with this traffic". Our Service Apartment was right smack in Makati City and we waste no time looking for lunch. The malls there are very modern and in contrast of the slums areas just lying a stone throw from the City fringe. Security is a serious business in these malls after a few cases of the muslim militant group bombed a few. Bags were checked and everyone get frisked each time you enter a mall. The guards are armed (automatic pistols usually) and only female guards frisk the female shoppers. Initially it was a culture shock, but I was glad that the guards take their jobs seriously and were courteous about it (They greet you with a smile!). You can even tell if you have entered a more 'dodgy' mall because the guards there packed shotguns or assault rifles.
I did Intramuros (the ruins of the Spanish colonial capital of the Philippines.), Rizal Park & visit some churches there. Touts were everywhere in Intramuros trying to persuade us to hitch a ride on their horse drawn carts around Intramuros. They even trail us trying to get us to change our minds even after we politely declined them. I tried to blend in by dressing down but guess I must have failed miserably cause they have a good eye at spotting us.
I wasted a lot of time searching for a particular brand of dried mangos for our friends and family (7D Mangos). Ended up with one bloody heavy carton of them and never understood why they wanted it since Singapore also sells them albeit slightly more expensive.
On the food front, we tried Jollibee, an indigenous version of fastfood that I believe capture more market share than good ol Ronald McDonalds simply because they served local dishes as well. We also tried local dishes in a restaurant belt in Makati City (Green Belt Area?). Good were the stew cooked in peanut sauce and deep fried crablets. Restaurants service was a cut above Singapore's
On the last day before going to the airport, I headed to an indoor gun range in a mall and peppered the black area of the paper target with a Berreta 9mm, Colt 45 and a S&W 38 revolver. It was very therapeutic - it's relaxing when you engage the target. Had a chat with the range warden and learn about 'Gun culture' in the Philiippines. PTC or Permit to Carry is needed if you own a gun and want to pack it wherever you go. But in the rural area, anything goes.
I left and head to the airport and found out that I did not have enough Pesos for some tax thingy. It was not airport tax cause that was paid upfront with the tickets. How convenient it was to have a money changer next to the counter. Oh well, spend the last of my peso on a sandwich before boarding the plane home.
All in all, the trip was enjoyable since almost everyone speaks English and the Filipinos were very friendly.
Scandinavia (Denmark,
Norway, Sweden) June - July 2004 I spent 2 weeks in
Scandinavia - Denmark, Norway, Sweden. This is the second guided tour we
went. Okay, maybe I am getting pampered. Scandinavia was obscenely expensive
by Singaporean, Australian and American standard. Hotdog and a cup of Coke
from a hotdog stand will set you back S$15. Moderate restaurants main's
prices will set you back about S$50. Prices of Levi's red tab while on
sale was around S$200. My digital camera is a 30% more expensive over
there. GST or VAT is at a high 25% and that means that many tourists will
not shop there unnecessarily even with tax refunds. It also means that
visiting tourist attractions is costly.
While Scandinavian architecture is
unique, it is somewhat similiar to the rest of europe and after a while
offer very little distinct differents in the 3 countries as compared to
going from Spain to France. If you have been to Europe, there is very
little distinctively new architecture to offer you except for Norway's
signature rugged scenery and staves churches.
Scandinavia is as clean as
Singapore if not better without the need to fine its residence. and I
constantly wondered what the fuzz is about Singapore being super clean.
Scandinavian are very friendly and can conversed well in English. In
summer, the temperature varies from 9-20 degrees Celcuis. The fast
changing weather means that one could be wearing 3 layers in the morning,
t-shirt the next and back to 3 layers an hour later.
Unforgettable highlights are: More details on this trip later South Korea Mar 2003 Another 7 days trip.
This time to South Korea. It's hard to find time for trips once you have a
busy work life. This trip was done totally with a guided tour. Koreans
hardly speak any English and thus the decision for the guided tour. The
funny thing about this tour was that it is conducted in Chinese by a
Korean tour guide. He's fluent in Japanese too. The tour was conducted
very well although we didn't have much free time on our own. First
impression of Koreans is that they are well dressed. I went in spring and
the jackets they wore have a designer feel to it. All the Korean ladies I
saw wore make up.
Because Singaporeans are
shopaholics, the tour includes visiting shopping malls! The few that
interest me was Itaewon where the US military personnel usually shops. The
retailers spoke English. Clothes here are distinctively American style
with Abercrombie, NFL, NBA, MLB jerseys etc. It was during one of these
shopping tour that I realised why Koreans dressing is so designer. There
are many small shops selling imitation designer jackets from Prada, Polo
Ralph, Armani and etc. One thing about Korea,
every meal is accompanied by Kimchi. Our tour guide told us that Koreans
will have Kimchi for every meal including breakfast. Lucky for me, I am
used to Korean food and kimchi because they are available almost in every
food court in Singapore. Of course the standard in Korea is much better
than in Singapore's food court save for one in Amara Hotel run by Korean. Perth, Australia Nov 02 After a 3 year break
without any 'major' tour, I finally had a chance to go for a short 7 days
trip to Perth, Western Australia. Itinerary includes Rottnest Island,
Kings Park, Fremantle Market, Fremantle Prison and the Pinnacles. Perth was surprisingly
slow paced and people are friendlier than Sydney. I went to Rottnest
Island to enjoy the beautiful scenery and on the way back in the late
afternoon, the ship stopped at Fremantle before moving on to Perth. I made
a last minute decision to disembark here instead of Perth and went to look
around Fremantle. Most of the places are closed by 6pm and we hurried to
grab dinner and decided to come back here tomorrow. We took a train back
to Perth.
The following day, we took a train
to Fremantle again. On my carriage was a drunk lad showcasing his
colourful vocabulary. Surprisingly, there are train patrols. 4 of them,
all NFL sized, had a talk with the lad and he shut up. I had to pay for a
guided tour into Fremantle Prison. The tour was led by a
ex-prison-warden-turned-tour guide who looks like Robert De Niro. One look
at his eyes and you know he is someone not to mess with. We got to see how
inmates were housed. In the old days inmates cells are without toilet
facility unless you count the bucket. In some of the walls of the cells
were artwork of aboriginal and modern drawn by prisoners. The prison walls
of the old days doesn't have barbed or concertina wire. Rather broken
glasses were used in their place. Finally, we get to see the isolation
cells and the Gallows. The isolation cells can be made totally pitched
dark to disorient a prisoner's passage of time. "Robert" showed
us how inmates on death row were housed, where he had his last meal before
meeting his maker. The mechanism of the gallows room is nothing fancy.
Noose around the neck, trapdoor underneath the condemned feet.
The trip to the Pinnacles was in a
Man 4WD vehicle (looks like a cross between a tour coach and a truck).
Hopping on to the passenger seat, I felt like I was on one of Singapore
Armed Forces's Man military truck we frequently used to ferry troops
around back home. On the way back to our hotel, we stop at sand dunes to
do some sand boarding. It's like snow boarding except that this is done on
sand dunes. The drip down was exhilarating but the climb up to do it again
was tiring climbing up loose sand.
Food in Perth was great. Dining at
North Bridge was just some 20 minutes walk from my dinky hotel. The best
food I had there wasn't fish and chips but Japanese food in a Japanese
restaurant ran by Japanese who spoke little English. The sashimi was very
fresh and sukiyaki delicious. If I had discovered this joint earlier, I
would have had dinner there everyday despite it being more expensive but
it's still cheaper than decent Japanese food in S'pore.
Oh, I also went to the funky suburb
of Subiaco. It's kinda yuppy but really cool. I saw a really cool
penthouse for sale near the train station for only A$350K. Damn, the price
is at the peak of Australia property boom but it's still cheaper than my
public flat in Singapore.
A week after my trip
to Perth, I was in my camouflage fatigue, backpack and M-16 doing my 2
weeks army reserve training with my 'Guards' unit (equivalent to US
Rangers?). Climbing up the Man military truck brought back memories of
sand boarding. Penang, Malaysia Mar 01 A quick getaway for 3
days taking advantage of a long weekend holiday.
A quick getaway for 3 days taking
advantage of a long weekend holiday. I don't get Malaysia. Having been in
Kuala Lumpur, Penang was really boring. After touring chinese temple,
going up the hill that overlook the city and the beach, I am glad this
trip was cheap even with the air ticket thrown in. Comparing Thailand and
Malaysia, give me Thailand anytime. Thailand has that x factor over
Malaysia. Bangkok has so much more sights and sounds than KL. Thais have
the edge over Malaysian in competing for tourist dollars simply because
the Thais are so friendly (even their ruby conmen). Sydney, Australia Sep 99 Went to Sydney for 6 days and
enjoyed myself pretty much. The pace of life there is slow compared to
Singapore. However, being a Chinese (or a chink to some Aryan assholes; The word 'Chink', by the way if you do not know, is a racial slur and not a reference to nationality.
Yank refers to someone from America. Chink is not a nationality reference. Someone who is of chinese ancestry like me doesn't necessary is from China. He/she could be from Philippines, the US, the UK, Malaysia and is personally diassociated with China. I do not associate myself with China. I am a Singaporean)
means I don't get good service everywhere. Within 1 hour from boarding the
BA/Qantas flight, I was served by a racist stewardess. No friendly service
just,' you want a drink?' and no 'you're welcome' after a thank you.
Compare to the Aussie gentleman next to me who got the 'Would you like a
drink to go with your meal, sir?' and 'You are most welcome.'. Thankfully,
I was able to revert the situation. I remember my friend working in Sydney
told me that some locals don't like Australian's Asian. So I did the most
touristy thing I can. I pulled out my Sydney guide and map. Worked like a
charm. The full suite of courtesy protocol comes after she notice me. Even
the, 'Is this your first trip to Down Under' Sigh. Oh well, That didn't
spoil my trip one little bit. But the truth about my friends words
haunted me. Every culture has traits formed not by choice but centuries of
internalization. What is there to hate about that? We did the usual site seeing
in Sydney via the Red Explorer Bus. Went to the outskirt to Hunter Valley
and did the booze tour and spent the whole day drinking wine. Went to
Bondi Beach but was too cold and not much people surfed. Of course, we
didn't missed out the Opera House & Circular Quay etc. Other than that
spent some time wondering around Sydney to get to know the place & the
people. It's one cool place. Great place for retiring. Bangkok, Thailand May 98 Thais are so friendly
even their conmen. I had the pleasure to meet their infamous ruby/jewelry
scammers. Mine came in the form of a tuk tuk driver who told me the Wat I
wanted to go was closed and suggested another one. I agreed. In the wat, a
well dressed man struck a conversation with me and casually told me that
this week, the Thai government was having a sales of Thai rubies & how
to profit from buying cheap ruby and selling it in Singapore. The tuk tuk
driver then took me 'shopping' for rubies. Street smartness and my
investing instinct shouted 'scam scam'. Back then I wasn't aware of such
subtle scam but my investing instinct took over my decision not to buy
any. I realised later that this is a wide spread scam. Here's a less savvy
fellow who fell for the jewelry
scam
Having eaten Thai crusine regularly
in Singapore, I can distinct that the flavour here are a cut above most
restaurants in S'pore. Lombok & Bali,
Indonesia Apr 97 This trip was great. For one
it was free. Organised by my company Hewlett Packard, we got to go for 4
days fully-paid trip to unwind ourselves. Sadly, this is going to be our
last of such trips as the Asia financial crisis hits and we will no longer
have such trips to celebrate another successful year. If you like Bali,
you will love Lombok, the sister island which is more pristine and less
commercial. People here are great. Sad to say the standard of living is
really bad. Sarongs, and batik here are cheap. Although if you want
cratfmanship, I suggest you go to Bali. Europe Escape Jun 96 England &
Scotland: France: Italy: Switzerland: Austria: Belgium: and Germany: If you have any
questions email me and ask me. A point to note is that beauty is in the
eye of the beholder. What I like may be totally ugly and uninteresting for
you. I like things like architectures, history, nature, art and hate
touristy places and shopping trips. I had been reading Lonely
Planet to help me prepare for the trip. ( This website is all about: Singapore, backpacker,
budget travel, tourist guide, cheap hotels, Singapore bed & breakfast,
where to shop, where to visit, where to stay, where to eat in Singapore
food, sights, transportation, Singapore places of interest, Singapore
maps, things to do in Singapore)
The major cities/town I went to in Scandinavia are
Denmark: Copenhagen, Odense, Aalborg
Norway: Stavanger, Bergen, Leikanger, Aalesund, Geiranger, Lom,
Lillehammar, Hamar, Oslo
Sweden: Karlstad, Stockholm.
London: You need at least two full days to do it properly. Go to St Paul
Cathedral and go up the Galleries, then get one of your friends to go to
the opposite side and whisper to him/her, then get the surprise of your
lifetime. Don't miss Westminster Abbey and the local pubs.
I also did Bath, Salisbury, Stonehedge, Lake District, Loch Lomond,
Edinburgh, Melrose Abbey, Nottingham, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwick Castle
and Oxford.
We rented a Spacewagon and drove around U.K. A word of warning is that at
150 km/h you are still road hogging! U.K.'s roads are excellent to drive
on and most drivers are very courteous. There are numerous Tourist
Information Centers (TIC) and you probably won't never get lost.
And if you are a student, get your ISIC
card. Visit BTA at 24 Raffles Place #19-06 Clifford Centre S'pore 048621
for free maps and info. If not, you have to pay for them over there (i.e.
maps). B&Bs are the cheapest accomodation you can get. Most have
friendly hosts and a cosy bedrooms. Got a couple of address if anyone
wants (including one run by a Singaporean!)
Things are expensive. The food is great!
Nice: is not too bad. Go out early to catch the serenity of this place.
Paris: If you like museums, then you need one more day to do the Lourve
properly. Make sure your tour that brings you to the Eiffel Tower brings
you up there and not just pass it. If Paris is your first few stops, then
you will enjoy the Notre Dame Cathedral. If not, you will be quite tired
of cathedrals.
Went to Disneyland Paris too. Kinda small...the queue to the rides are
long and takes an average of at least an hour. But don't miss the Space
Mountain ride. It's roller coaster in the dark!
Do go to La Sorbonne, Boulevard St. Germain, Opera, ChampsElysees, Arc de
Triomphe and Sainte Chapelle (built to house the Crown of Thorns worn by
Christ)
Venice: is beautiful at first. You sort of get bored if you spent more
than a day there. It's Gondolas again and most shops sell mostly glass
wares and touristy stuffs.
Rome: is great (I love old architectures) with the Colosseum, Circus
Maximus, the many temples, The Roman Forum, The Pantheon and Piazza
Venezia.
Pompeii: offer people like me a glance into the past with gripping
realism.
Capri: If you like coastal areas, then Capri is beautiful with cliffs
formed by crashing waves. Take the chair lift up to get a breathtaking
view.
Assisi: Home of St. Francis. A quaint mediaeval town that I really like.
Complete with crossbows, mace and suit of armour.
Florence: Other than the Duomo (Donatello did the stained-glass windows.),
the must not miss must be the Accademia where Michaelangelo's David is in.
Breakfast in Italy are really awful. Italians don't usually take sit-down
breakfast. Two pieces of bread with jam and a cup of tea is it. If you
think it's okay, try taking that for a week.
Must try the Tiramisu, Ice Creams (Gelati) in Italy.
I didn't visit Lake Lucerne : ( . But went thru Geneva, Berne and Basle. I
reached Switzerland on a Sunday, everything was closed. I didn't get to
see much.
Stayed at Innsbruck for a night. Saw the Golden Roof. Lot of touristy
shops.
Brussels is beautiful! People there are friendly. You get invited into a
restaurant filled with singing and dancing diners even if you are not
eating there. If you can, catch the lights and music display at the Grand
Place. Don't miss the Manneken Pis, which is just a short walk from Grand
Place. Lots of good restaurants around the grand place. The one place I
had very good impression of.
Visit Cologne's Cathedral (Dom), built in the French Gothic style. Lot's
of young people getting drunk there. Try the sausage, it's fantastic
especially Bratwurst. Oh yuh, drink the beer.