What's Your (INspiring) Story: FoongPC & Traveling

When I first started blogging I used to be shy meeting online khakis. It was only around 1.5 years ago that I started meeting one of my first few online khakis - and it was this 'annonymous' 'panda-faced' FoongPC.

He turned out to be a nice guy, close to the person he is in his blog - friendly, witty and share a similar interest of travel, though at that time he was rather 'virgin' at it. But looking at his blog now.. he has traveled way past me, or most other people's average share of travels.

And that is what he is sharing here on this 7th installment of this series. Yes, his many adventures & travels in just such a short span of 2 years or so. This, is his story..

I was initially not a person who likes to travel. But since I started blogging in the year 2008, things have changed. I was inspired by so many posts written by other bloggers about their travel experiences.

In my mind, I was thinking of filling up my blog with pictures and articles of my travel adventures. No, I did not want to turn my blog into a travel blog, but I guess it was inevitable.

I would say my travel adventures started with my visit to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah in early 2009. Who says local travel is not considered travel? Of course it is, and I think everyone should visit his or her own country first before thinking of holidaying overseas.

Of course, I had been traveling way before that KK trip, but it was few and far between. I had been holing up myself in Petaling Jaya, the city that I call home and that I love way too much!

But yes, KK started it all. It was also my first time traveling on my own so it was quite an experience for me. I especially enjoyed Pulau Manukan with its beautiful waters!

After that there was no turning back. I was hooked.

Barely two months later, I visited Guilin, China for 10 days with two friends. It was one of my most memorable travels. I went on a cruise along the scenic Li River visiting this Nine Painted Horses Hill. How many horses can you see?

I stayed overnight at Longji and visited the famous rice terraces. Can you see the lady with the umbrella? She was the one who led us up and down the rice terraces!

And how could I forget the mesmerizing Twin Pagodas of Shan Lake?

Or the river rafting on scenic Yulong River where I actually fell and injured myself?

And that part of the trip where my two friends were down with food poisoning and I had to trek alone and almost got lost in the forest? What an adventure!

A few months after my China trip, I went Tasik Kenyir for a weekend break. It was here that I experienced an unexplained “paranormal activity”. If you would like to know more about my supernatural experience, read HERE.

Of course no paranormal activity was going to keep me away from traveling for too long! Next I visited Bali, my very first time in Indonesia. That was in early 2010. Bali was a fascinating place with unique “meru” architecture.

A few months later, I was traveling again this time to Siem Reap in Cambodia. I was interested to see the ruins of Angkor Wat and I was not disappointed.

Right after I returned from Cambodia, I didn't head back home but instead flew off to Redang Island the very next day to soak up the sun and sea. Waking up early to catch the sunrise was pretty enlightening.

I did not have any plans to travel for the remaining part of the year when suddenly out of the blue, I received a call telling me I won a contest for a return flight to Bangkok to watch Enrique Iglesias in concert and a 4D/3N stay in the prestigious Dusit Thani Hotel! Wow!

In Bangkok, I ate this yummy durian with sticky rice. Of course if you don’t like durians, you will not like it. But I happen to love durians, and this dessert was just.. heavenly!

I like to be adventurous when I go traveling so when I went on a solo trip to Manila, Philippines early this year, I just got to eat the balut! Don’t know what a balut is? It is boiled fertilized duck or chicken egg with a nearly developed embryo inside. Well, it was not as nice as the durian with sticky rice, but it was quite palatable.

If you ever go Manila, you must give this “delicacy” a try!

OK, if you noticed, all the pictures so far did not show my face. Well I do take photos of myself but I just do not like to put them online. You see, I am a very private person and would like to remain as such.

Perhaps the closest you can see me is this picture which I took with USA President Barack Obama.

Of course it was just a wax figure of President Obama at Hong Kong’s Madame Tussauds which I visited last March! Haha!

Where would I be going next? Australia? USA? Europe? Who knows?

Traveling is fun. Trust me. And just like all those bloggers who have inspired me, I hope I have inspired you to travel the world as well!