Europe Trip: Switzerland (9-10 April 2013)

The 2nd country we visited was Switzerland.

Journey (by bus) from Paris to Geneva, Switzerland took around 8-9 hours. On the long drive, we had a few stops at beautiful places to take pictures.

Our first stop was still in France, a place called Beaune which is famous for good quality French wine. Vineyards are a plenty in this region. We also had our lunch here. For the non-Muslim group members, they enjoyed wine-tasting and bought some for the trip and to be brought back for family. The city of Beaune is pretty quiet, not much people there but the view is very nice and tranquil..

City of Beaune...very tranquil

 

@ Beaune with tour mate, Ummi

When we reached Geneva, we had a quick city tour to see the majestic United Nations (UN) headquarters building, the heaquarters of International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Jardin Anglais which is famous for it's large & beautiful flower clock. We also went to see the "Broken Chair". It depicts a giant chair with a broken leg and stands across the street from the Palace of Nations, in Geneva. It symbolises opposition to land mines and cluster bombs, and acts as a reminder to politicians and others visiting Geneva.

The Broken Chair

On 2nd day in Switzerland, we went to the Glacier 3000 in the Swiss Alps. It really was a wonderful experience even though the weather was very cold (when I was there, it was -8 degrees celsius) and one should never miss to go to the Swiss Alps (be it Glacier 3000, Mt. Titlis or Mt. Jungfrau)..the view is magnificent!

Swiss Alps

We took a ride on this @Glacier 3000

Enjoying the view in cable car going up to Glacier 3000

Next, we went to Interlaken...a beautiful and peaceful town. We then spent the night in Bern.

View of the mountains from Interlaken

Europe Trip: France (7-8 April 2013)

Bonjour!

My journey in France started with arrival at Paris Charles De Gaulle (CDG) airport. Journey from Singapore to Paris took 13 hours on Singapore Airlines' Airbus A380.

We arrived in Paris on 7 April 2013 at 7.20am and the weather was -1 degress celsius...hopped on a bus & headed straight to the city for Paris city tour.

We started with the River Seine cruise to enjoy the beautiful scenery of Paris. River Seine lies 15km across Paris city center and we can find a total of 37 bridges along the 15km. Some of the bridges are very beautiful. We can also see the Eiffel Tower and many other historical buildings like the Notre Dame Cathedral during the cruise.

Seine River Cruise

Notre Dame Cathedral

After the cruise, we took a walk thru the Jardins (gardens) towards Eiffel Tower and took photos while enjoying the cool spring breeze and found some cherry blossoms too!

The walk to Eiffel tower

Ahaaa...found cherry blossom tree in Paris!

We then proceed to have lunch at a Chinese restaurant called Jade of the Fountain. Lunch there was good. 

Our lunch on 1st day in Paris

After a good lunch, we continued journey to outskirt of Paris to see the Versaille Palace. We spent the afternoon touring the old palace which was built by King Louis the 14th. We had a local tour guide named Ghee who shared with us the palace history. This palace was very famous for it's history of King Louis who lived a lavish life while his subjects live in poverty.

Versaille Palace

We then headed back to the city to check-in at our hotel. We stayed 2 nights at the Mercure Ivry by the River Seine.

In the evening, we had a quick outing to see and experience Paris and see Eiffel Tower at night..thanks to our nice Tour Manager, Alice and the most sporting driver..Munir. Ah, I must tell you that every night..at 10pm, the Eiffel tower will have a sort of  brief "light show" where for about 5-10 minutes the Eiffel tower will be illuminated (blinking lights). It's the most beautiful & amazing sight :)

Eiffel Tower illuminated..blinking lights!

So many people came to enjoy the view of Eiffel Tower at night!

After enjoying the night out in Paris, we went back to the hotel to have our rest and ready for the next day.

On the 2nd day, we started our day early to queue up to buy ticket and go up the 2nd level of Eiffel Tower. Very important note people: if you want to go to Eiffel Tower, especially during peak season (in Spring & Summer)..you cannot pre-purchase/book your tickets. You need to go there early to queue up to buy tickets and also queue again to go up the tower. There are 2 ways of going up the tower - by stairs & by elevator. Please buy tickets to go up by elevator. Also, if you want to go to the summit (top) of Eiffel, needs different ticket if I'm not mistaken.

OK, back to the story...view from 2nd level Eiffel Tower..is magnificent. You'll get a panoramic view of Paris which is breathtaking. Now I understand why people want to go there so much...it's an experience of a life time :)

Panoramic view of Paris city

The view from up here is breathtaking!

After enjoying the view in cold weather for about 1 hour (haha..sejuk kauuu), we headed to Galeries La Fayette fo shopping! On the way there, we had photo stops at Arc De Triomphe, Place de la Concorde and passed by Champs Elysees.

Arc de Triomphe

With my roomie, Dayah @ Arc de Triomphe

The biggest LV boutique @ Champs Elysees Avenue

The rest of the afternoon was spent shopping....OMG, shopping in Paris (at Galeries La Fayette) is sooooo tempting, with lots of designer handbags, perfumes, clothing, etc. The best thing is...we can get tax refund! Please take note: To be entitled for the tax rebate, you need to spend at least 175 Euro at the shop in 1 receipt. After purchasing you item(s), be sure to get the tax rebate/refund form from the shop. After finish all your shopping, go to the tax counter there at La Fayette...there will be somebody who can help you organize all your receipts & forms. Please keep you tax refund form to claim the refund at the airport. There are 2 options for the refund - cash or credit card. If you choose cash refund, the rate will be less...which is 10% as compared to refund to credit card, which will be 12% (plus, refund to credit card has shorter queue compared to cash refund queue at the airport).

Galeries La Fayette...the best place to shop!

Shopping done...we headed back to the hotel, packed our stuff and had a good night's rest as the next day, we had a long journey to Geneva (Switzerland).

Photos for tour in France is available here. For friends who are connected with me via Facebook, you can check out the photos in the "Europe Trip: France" album too :)

Trip to Europe (6-15 April 2013)

Ahh...how shall I begin? This year, my dream of going to Europe came true. Six countries...in 10 days 7 nights. I joined Reliance's group tour, which was cool. There were 19 of us, including our Tour Manager...Alice Shieh. Most of the group members were senior citizens/couples who enjoy travelling. The group was awesome nonetheless!

This is my 2nd trip going solo & joined a group tour. Met my roommate, Hidayah at the airport during check-in.

Just to set the expectation, I will be creating multiple entries for this journey...one entry per country. Since I joined group tour for this journey, I may not be able to give much recommendations (since everything is pre-arranged by travel agent) but I'll try my best to give some insights :)

Sequence of entries will be:

1. France
2. Switzerland
3. Germany
4. Netherlands
5. Belgium
6. England

I will also be uploading photos in stages. So many pics to edit before uploading..hehe.

Okies, hope you guys enjoy reading my entries...starting with France! :)

Europe trip updates coming soon!

Hey ya!

I just got back from my trip to Europe. It was a 10D7N trip, across 6 countries: France, Switzerland, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium & UK.

Had so much fun on the trip with Reliance group tour.

Looking forward to update the blog this weekend (20 & 21 April 2013) with stories and pics...took over 1000 pics during the trip, good luck to me on editing those pics..haha. A bit hard to update during weekdays as I'll be busy at work & too tired to update at night...so, you guys stay tuned ya!

Thanks for your patience :)

Guangzhou shopping trip (25-29 Jan 2013)

New year...new journeys :) Kicked-off Year 2013 with a shopping trip to Guangzhou, China.

Went there for about 5 days with my friend Laila. The trip was under Nusa Travel (http://www.nusatra.com). Laila was leading the tour & invited me to come along...so excited, a shopping trip..weehoo! :P

Laila & I go back a long way, we've known each other since 2004 during our years working at Proton Commerce. We've travelled together several times.

So, our journey to Guangzhou takes about 4 hours by flight (Air Asia). During our trip, it was still winter season in China. Weather was cool but not freezing, to my liking :)

What & Where to shop?
==================
Guangzhou is a shopping heaven especially for wholesale buyers. You get good bargains but must buy in bulk..haha. So for business people, especially the ones selling women garments & children wear...you'll be spoilt with choices..so much to see, so much to buy! haha

Ready-made clothes
For ready-made men/women's clothing, there's a wide selection at Zhanxi Road as there is a street of clothing wholesale markets there. While shopping there, three of us (Laila, Nurul & I) managed to get a winter coat (with some minor factory defect but still looks good) at the price of 100 yuan! (it's like RM50 in Malaysia). That was the best bargain we got during the whole trip I think..haha.

You can also shop for ready-made clothes at the Beijing Road area & Haizhu Square.

Fabrics
There's also a wide selection of fabrics...from chiffon to lycra and even denim fabric. Most fabric shops in the Zhongda area have fabric samples which you can request to take home with you if you plan to purchase in bulk.

Electronic items & gadgets
Guangzhou is also famous for electronic items/gadgets. You can get items like iPad, iPhone, Galaxy tab, etc at very low prices. Folks there call these "copy number one", it's like Grade A copycat devices..hehe. You can also get good bargains for memory cards, PowerBanks & portable hard disks at Haiyin Square.

There's another place where we can get electronic items, the place is called Nan Fang.

Children/baby clothes
There's quite good choices of children/baby clothes in Guangzhou. There are imitations of branded items..hehe. I also can't recall the name of the place which sells only children/baby clothes which we went & so does Laila..haha..

Misc. items & women's accessories
I bought most of my souvenir items, stuffed toys (for kiddies) & women's accessories like necklaces at One-Link Plaza. This place is niceee...so many accessories shop...so many bling2 necklaces...uuuu... :P

What to eat?
==========
Getting Halal food is quite easy in Guangzhou. During our trip, we had most of our lunch & dinner at the Abdullah Qinghai Muslim Restaurant. The restaurant serves halal Chinese cusisine. The food there is very nice (2 thumbs up!).

There is also another Halal restaurant there which we went, called Saba Restaurant. It serves Arab/middle-eastern cuisine which captured my taste buds. The food is very nice but a bit on the pricey side.

Any tips?
========
1. When you here a place name with the word "Lu" at the back, it means "Road". For example, local people call Zhanxi Road as "Zhanxi Lu" or Beijing Road is also known as "Beijing Lu" or "Peking Lu".

2. Most of the people (at the shops) in Guangzhou don't speak English so well, some of them not at all. So, to bargain for prices...we do it by pressing the shop owner's calculator. We ask "how much?", most of them understand...then they press the calculator. Always ask what is the price for one item (this would normally be their retail price) and what is the price for many/bulk. If there's several of you going, you can combine your purchase to get a good wholesale price.

3. If you want to buy fabric in bulk at Zhongda, suggest that you ask the shop owner if you can get the materials/stock immediately or have to wait few days. Safest is to find a shop which can provide you the materials on the spot or same day delivery (probably deliver to hotel). And most important, DO NOT pay in full if the shop owner can't provide on the spot. Only pay deposit and then pay the balance upon receiving all goods.

4. Always remember to BARGAIN. Sometimes the opening/initial price given to you is a bit high especially when you just want to buy 1 piece/item. Do basic research on the price of same item which is sold in your country, this will serve as a baseline. The price of an item in Guangzhou should not be more expensive then buying in your own country. That's just my common sense ;)

5. If the shop owner doesn't want to give you the price that you want, sometimes it's best to just walk away..don't look too desperate to buy the item. It's like playing hard to get game. Most of the times, the shop owner will call you back & give you the price you want (if you & they know that the price you're asking is more than reasonable).

I think that's about it for now, can't remember much details at this hour..haha. Will further update this post if any details come to mind..this is the disadvantage of retro posts, will try my best next time ya..hehe.

At Beijing Road

With my friend Laila

Done shopping, time to go home :)

The rest of the photos from my Guangzhou trip can be found here. Some photos in Laila's camera, yet to ask from her...especially the ones on the river cruise..hehe.

Singapore biz trip (11-12 March 2013)

I've been planing to go Singapore for vacation for the longest time but every time I plan, there's always obstacles. Not sure why that is...

Recently I got a chance to go (finally! haha) but it was a business/official trip. Went there for 2 days with my boss & 2 colleagues - Day 1: Executive Briefing for Lync 2013 at Microsoft Technology Centre, Day 2: Visit to AT&T office in Singapore.

Even though it was an official trip, still managed to squeeze in some "unofficial activities"..haha. As the Malays would say it "sambil menyelam minum air" or in English "killing 2 birds with one stone" (please note that the English version is not a direct translation of the Malay one..hiks) :P

Day 1
=====
We departed to Singapore on Monday morning, 11th March 2013 by Malaysia Airlines.

Upon arrival in Singapore, we straight away went to Microsoft Technology Centre (MTC) which is near Marina Bay Sands. Was there whole day for an executing briefing/demo of Lync Server 2013. We also had a guided tour of MTC to see the latest technology. All the gadgets & devices were excellent!
  

Some of the UC devices on display, most of it is Polycom

The servers for cloud hosting & research on latest hardware

I was particularly impressed with Microsoft Surface...it's awesome!

The day at MTC ended around 6pm. We then went to Holiday Inn Orchard to check-in & refresh.

In the evening, we went out exploring the Marina Bay area. It was awesome! We went to the Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands and watched the light & sound display at night, had dinner..then took a walk in Marina Bay Sands Hotel (the hotel is super duper nice!) then we went to the Gardens by The Bay and went to SuperTree Grove..


View of Marina Bay Sands from MTC

SuperTrees Grove @ Gardens by The Bay

Our exploration ended at Mustafa Center...the shop/mall is amazing, it sells all sorts of things, like Mydin in Malaysia but with more choice!

Day 2
=====
After much exploring on Day 1, we started Day 2 not so early. Went to Orchard area to get some breakfast/lunch.

In the afternoon we went to AT&T's office in Singapore to meet up with the Managed Hosting folks. We were welcomed by Nathaniel, he took us around and introduced to the folks there..including Kim who is from Network team.

It was great to finally get to know the people's faces which we deal with on daily Operations :)

With MHO T2 Server & T2 Network guys (from left: Praveen Sasikumar, x, me, Nurul, y, Kim Frivaldo, Renn, Nathaniel Lim)

Done with visit to AT&T Singapore, we went back to hotel to get our bags and proceed to the airport for flight back to KL.

It was a quick 2 days trip, hoping to visit Singapore again soon in vacation mode :)

More photos from the trip can be found here.

Intro

Hello :)

Welcome to my blog, "Journeys of a part-time globetrotter".  I'm a person who works in the IT industry who loves to travel. Travelling is my passion :)

With this blog, I'm hoping to share my travelling experiences and probably can provide some insight, review or recommendations to friends who love to travel too.

Okies, will start blogging with some travel experiences I had from past few years. Stay tuned!