Thursday, January 01, 2009

Wonderful 2008 Travels

It's the New Year, and I'm already missing 2008. Now, it's not that I'm not looking forward to this brand New Year... but it's just that 2008 has given me a list of wonderful memories.

I'd like to reflect back a bit on 2008 and so that I can work on a brand new 2009. And I hope you guys can bear with me on my thoughts to share.

For this post, I'll dedicate it to my wonderful 2008 travels.

1. Phuket, Thailand
My favourite country destination - Thailand...

travel, swimming pool thailandI stayed in this beautiful resort at the cliff, with the infinity swimming pool - I still remember swimming in the night there!
travel, beach phuket surin beachAnd we also visited another resort with unique beach (not the crowded one in Patpong).

travel wat phranang sang phuketAnd visiting Thailand is never complete without visithing a Wat (temple).

travel, thai night marketAnd what impressed me was that the locals were so like Malaysians in many ways.

travel thai phuket fantaseaWe watched this huge mega show of Phuket Fantasea.

travel thai phuket simon cabaretAnd there's also the Thai ladyboy show - Simon Cabaret!

2. From Thai To Tai (Taiwan)
After Thailand, I had my dream holiday to Taiwan.

travel, taiwan, ximendingTill today, I find Taipei as a cool city!

travel, taipei 101 towerAnd the mega tallest building in the world Taipei 101.

travel smelly tofu, taiwanIt was here that I had my first smelly tofu!

travel business class, bullet train, taiwanHad my first bullet train experience.

travel, jay chou cafe, songwriterAnd met the songwriter for Jay Chou at his restaurant.

3. Jakarta, Indonesia

travel, indonesian wedding dressGoing there for a friend's wedding, it's my first mega huge wedding.

travel indonesia mall, pacific placeAnd apart from the wedding, I was awed by all the big malls in Jakarta!

4. Vietnam

travel vietnam independence dayAnd in August, I visited Vietnam - from Hanoi to Halong Bay. This is the only holiday which experience wasn't as great (with the people) , though I must say that looking back, the pictures are awesome.

5. Magnificient China
travel, chinaAnd as some of you who are following my recent travels, towards the end of the year, I went to Shanghai, soaking in the all things Chinese atmosphere.

travel hangzhou westlakeThere is Hangzhou & its scenic Westlake - the city so many people claim 'the nicest in China'!

travel wuzhen xizha riverAnd of course, another mini dream holiday - to see the watervillage of Wuzhen.

6. Beloved Malaysia
And in between, I took a few short drives around places near hometown Malacca.

travel port dickson, old buildingI can still remember the feeling passing by this unique lil town on the way to Port Dickson.

travel kampung seasideI drove around the kampungs - getting close to rubber estates, palm trees and even this beautiful sunset at Tanjung Kling Melaka.

travel jonker walk, tukang besiI even did a short walk around the old Malacca town (beyond Jonker Street) - and took this as a break (despite it being my hometown!)

7. Loving Singapore
I had my fair share of still exploring Singapore despite being there for a number of years now.

travel singapore esplanadeI had a meal with a view of Singapore in one of its tall buildings in town. Honestly, this may seem ordinary to many working in the CBD area, but for me, it's an experience!

travel east coast park, sand castleThere's many other things I've enjoyed in Singapore - even this walk at the East Coast Park.

travel singapore christamsOr the Christmas decorations (I like this pic a lot as it's very overseas like).

Well, that's a long list of travels in 2008!

I realised that I do like to travel lots. And hopefully I can combine work + travel, allowing me to travel & see more places yet not feeling the full guilt! haha.

More Asia
And yes, I do have plans for my 2009 holidays (at least a resolution). My dream holiday would be to go to Japan (Tokyo)!

And if time permits, I'd still like to explore Asia - like to visit East Coast Malaysia, East Malaysia, the unique parts of Singapore island (like the farms & nature places), Brunei, Hong Kong and once again Thailand! :)

13 comments:

  1. Nice travel shots you have ... a very simple review of your travel...

    hehehe... this year (year 2009) i would like to explore the Africa continent since i will be in Uganda most of my time :)

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  2. you jalan2 a lot!
    nice~ :D

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  3. Thailand is my favorite destination too, but had to cancel my plan due to the political instability there...

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  4. You should include the Philippines in your travel! :) And maybe we could meet up.

    Taiwan is one of my favorites in Asia. The people there are so cool and friendly. And the street culture! :)

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  5. Yalor! You got to travel to so many places. Can you bring me with you next time around? I can help you carry your luggage! Haha =)

    Anyway happy new year 2009 to you and may you have a prosperous and wonderful year ahead of you. =)

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  6. Wow! Nice to reflect on your past year's travels. I'm sure you have many good memories of them : )

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  7. Hi buddy, it's been a great year for you. Looking forward to read more of your travels in 2009.

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  8. Hey Quachee :)

    Its been a long time since i visited ur blog :) Happy New year to you :)

    Saw some of ur pictures about ur trip, and i just got back from Jakarta too, and i went to that mall which you took that pic :) yeah, is a very very nice mall.

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  9. Oh my!
    Really admiring your life! And make peoples jealous too! haha!

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  10. @day-dreamer
    lol. thank you! :)

    @tz
    wow, ive yet to go beyond asia (minus australia). good for you :)

    @adila
    haha. jalan jalan cari makan! haha

    @khengsion
    oh thats a pity. are you goinb back soon? :)

    @宝茹
    act, i might go to philippines this year - heard and read so much bout it! do u live in manila? :)

    @tekkaus
    now with yr new job, new year, put this as a resolution with yr wife :)

    @foongpc
    yes, its nice to travel. i think i really did a lot in 2008. wonder whats in for 2009! haha

    @stormwhistle
    me too! haha.

    @sandra
    the malls in jakarta are super heh! :)

    @robo
    haha, but u travel lots too! :)

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  11. Yup, I am in Manila. Do tell me if you plan to visit. :D The Philippines is a great place!

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  12. ya heard so much bout your country. must make a point to visit the beaches and the malls! :)

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Oh hey, thank you for commenting! :)