Trips of 2019
Finally working on this overdue post. Visited China in October and the trip was to replace the one to Hong Kong. On hindsight, it was a blessing in disguise because Yangshuo, China has always been on my bucket list and I thought about why I didn't just choose Yangshuo initially. Managed to snag affordable tickets to Guangzhou (where I took the CRH to Yangshuo) when prices to everywhere else had skyrocketed. Also glad to have found an exquisite hotel with helpful, hospitable staff. Although the hotel is located away from the town centre, I had a driver to drive me around, so transport was not an issue. The hotel offered to have a driver pick me up from the train station when I arrived, but as I wanted to explore West Street for a while before checking-in, I told them I would find my own way. I spent close to an hour trying to request for a driver on the Chinese ridesharing app or hail a cab but to no avail. Tried asking a passing Caucasian couple in English about the availability of cabs in the area but they replied "I don't know Chinese". Could have given a better excuse. Thank God an available cab appeared not along after I received blatant disregard from those Caucasians.
I was told that it hadn't rained for 2 months before my arrival, and during my 4-day stay there, the sky was constantly gloomy with occasional drizzles. Thankfully, this did not hinder my itinerary drastically. Moreover, it was cooling and that was definitely a great respite from Singapore's heat. Rain also brings out another kind of beauty - with the karst mountains being partially obscured by mist, sound of water dripping from the roof, and verdant vegetation being accentuated. This was my first solo trip, and was an extremely relaxing one, despite having to cope with the loneliness. Whenever possible, I chatted with the staff on duty at the reception, and they were nice enough to entertain me. A good conversation should be bi-directional right? That was how it was, unlike most of the conversations on Tinder - really makes me want to vomit blood.
This month, I went to Spain and Portugal. Both countries are full of palaces, squares, and cathedrals. One might think it will get boring if you look through the pictures. But how much details do pictures show? There is something striking or unique about each place that distinguishes it from the rest. So even if there might be similarities, each step into a site is an experience of its own. Have met very snobbish people; not sure if they were being racist, but also met some welcoming folks. Generally, the Portuguese seem to speak much better English then the Spanish. Ate good food every day and spent less than expected overall. While being frugal is a strength, it is relaxing not having to worry too much about the expenditure when you're ordering food.
Although I felt annoyed at some junctures, I still enjoyed myself and had almost all my objectives met. Contingency plans turned out to be awesome, and could be even better than intended. I guess I have not mentioned we had a 1-night stay in Zurich because we missed our connecting flight? There was a delay in the Barcelona-Zurich leg and Swiss Airlines compensated us. Supposed to arrive in Singapore at 6pm on Saturday but became 6am on Sunday. No problem, no extra day of leave needed. Now can I say I've been to Switzerland? Haha...but seriously, I would want to do Switzerland on its own one day.
I shall not go into the details of day-to-day itinerary but you can ask me for it. Or do your own research. I personally think that doing research is one of the exciting parts about going abroad.
Was fully recharged after about 3 weeks of traveling, but was drained after a week. Had to clear 4.5k emails on my first day back in office and was bombarded with questions/sudden tasks from different departments, not to mention things to follow-up with external parties. Used Grab 3 out of the 5 days last week - guess I'm gonna retain my Platinum status.
I was told that it hadn't rained for 2 months before my arrival, and during my 4-day stay there, the sky was constantly gloomy with occasional drizzles. Thankfully, this did not hinder my itinerary drastically. Moreover, it was cooling and that was definitely a great respite from Singapore's heat. Rain also brings out another kind of beauty - with the karst mountains being partially obscured by mist, sound of water dripping from the roof, and verdant vegetation being accentuated. This was my first solo trip, and was an extremely relaxing one, despite having to cope with the loneliness. Whenever possible, I chatted with the staff on duty at the reception, and they were nice enough to entertain me. A good conversation should be bi-directional right? That was how it was, unlike most of the conversations on Tinder - really makes me want to vomit blood.
This month, I went to Spain and Portugal. Both countries are full of palaces, squares, and cathedrals. One might think it will get boring if you look through the pictures. But how much details do pictures show? There is something striking or unique about each place that distinguishes it from the rest. So even if there might be similarities, each step into a site is an experience of its own. Have met very snobbish people; not sure if they were being racist, but also met some welcoming folks. Generally, the Portuguese seem to speak much better English then the Spanish. Ate good food every day and spent less than expected overall. While being frugal is a strength, it is relaxing not having to worry too much about the expenditure when you're ordering food.
Although I felt annoyed at some junctures, I still enjoyed myself and had almost all my objectives met. Contingency plans turned out to be awesome, and could be even better than intended. I guess I have not mentioned we had a 1-night stay in Zurich because we missed our connecting flight? There was a delay in the Barcelona-Zurich leg and Swiss Airlines compensated us. Supposed to arrive in Singapore at 6pm on Saturday but became 6am on Sunday. No problem, no extra day of leave needed. Now can I say I've been to Switzerland? Haha...but seriously, I would want to do Switzerland on its own one day.
I shall not go into the details of day-to-day itinerary but you can ask me for it. Or do your own research. I personally think that doing research is one of the exciting parts about going abroad.
Was fully recharged after about 3 weeks of traveling, but was drained after a week. Had to clear 4.5k emails on my first day back in office and was bombarded with questions/sudden tasks from different departments, not to mention things to follow-up with external parties. Used Grab 3 out of the 5 days last week - guess I'm gonna retain my Platinum status.
Comments
Post a Comment