2023 Bib Gourmand list

 Introductory Video:

Every Country's Top Tourist Attraction.

According to Trip Advisor.

Link to the map.

Tips for Visitors to Singapore

So you're coming to Singapore?

Not put off by descriptions of Singapore as "Disneyland with the Death Penalty"?

Not fazed by our "totalitarian dictatorship" country?

Willing to quit chewing gum cold turkey?

Tourists!

Can't live without them. 

Citibank Global Wallet in Japan

 If you have a Citibank Global Wallet and you need an ATM in Japan to access your cash, go to a Seven-11 (or a 7-i) in Japan. And use theirATM. 

There is options for the instructions in English, and the option to skip info that you do not know.

And you can get your cash.

Seven Wonders of Singapore II - Food

Singapore's Hawker Culture is a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. What this means is that you can come to Singapore, stay in the Marina Bay Sands hotel, take pictures of the Rain Vortex at Changi Jewel (at Changi Airport), see the Merlion, wander through Gardens By the Bay, and tick all the boxes of iconic sights of Singapore, but if you have not ate at a hawker centre, you have not really experienced the quintessential Singapore.

If you ask for a recommendation for a hawker centre, invariably, tourists are guided to Maxwell Road Hawker Centre (famous for Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice), Lau Pa Sat (for their Satay and Barbequed Seafood), Newton Hawker Centre, and maybe Old Airport Road Hawker Centre (Char Kway Teow, and other food). 

Of the 4 hawker centres mentioned above, Lau Pa Sat and Newton cater to the tourist trade. You may read that to mean that they are "tourist traps", but this is Singapore. Even our so-called tourist traps have soft teeth. Lau Pa Sat has nice architecture and could offer some nice opportunities for photos/instagram.

Lau Pa Sat (outside view)

Using SUICA (travel and convenience card) in Japan

If you have been to Japan, you might have seen signs for SUICA at train stations, or you might have seen other travellers (probably Japanese/locals), using a card for transit travel.  

The video above shows how to get such a card, charge it, and use it for train travel, buying from vending machines, and convenience stores.

The price they pay for your perfect vacation photo

MAY 15, 2021

Shane Gross

The New York Times


BAHAMAS — It took nearly three months, but Mr Jody Pinder eventually succeeded. Endangered green sea turtles, usually shy, skittish and satisfied with a diet of sea grass and algae, were accepting handouts of squid that he and other local tour operators were providing at Bottom Harbor in the Bahamas.

“If you don’t feed them, they won’t come close enough for you to see them and photograph them,” Mr Pinder said.

Before the pandemic, Mr Pinder and others had been selling this assured adventure to a booming population of tourists. Day after day, boats would flock to Bottom Harbor and tourists would hop into its shallow turquoise waters holding squid morsels in their hands or on wooden skewers.

The turtles would then grab the snacks as the visitors snapped Instagram-worthy images.

Rules for using the onsen

So, here are 8 rules for onsen bathing,

The Kindness of (Japanese) Strangers

From a previous post:

I did not realise that there were TWO terminals at Haneda, and we were at Terminal 2 looking for JAL when it was ALL ANA flights. 30 minutes before our flight we were still at Terminal 2, and we approached ANA ground staff to ask about our flight. They told us we were at the WRONG terminal. So I tried to find my way to Terminal 1... with less than 30 minutes to spare.
Fortunately, the ANA staff ran towards us, checked our flight and bookings (I had a print out of the details), and ran with us to the shuttle bus (shuttling between Terminal 1 and Terminal 2), caught the shuttle bus to Domestic Terminal 1 and put us on it. At Terminal 1, we hunted for the JAL check it, connected with their "Smile" service, and the woman immediately sprang into action! 

(We had also asked a security guard for help and he sent us to the second floor to the check in counter). 

The JAL ground staff took our documents, and checked us through.
It was less than 15 minutes to our flight.
She tagged our luggage to be checked in and we ran for the gate. 
Fortunately, the flight was delayed for 5 minutes. For us? I do not know. Didn't think so,
The flight crew did not mentioned that. We did not seem to have caused any undue delay, so the 5 minutes holdup might just have been lucky coincidence.

An Izakaya in Mombetsu

Mombetsu was not what I imagined it to be.

We arrived at the Mombetsu Prince Hotel at about sunset. I was led there by the GPS it the car, but the hotel's name was written in Japanese. I was not sure if it were the hotel.

It was. I checked at the front desk, and then checked in.

It was dusk when we walked out to find dinner. According to Google maps there were eateries within two blocks or so. We walked.

Trust me. I don't trust myself driving at night. Heck! I don't even trust myself driving during the day!

Zoo. Zoo. Zoos!

On our latest trip to Japan, we visited the Asahiyama Zoo in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, and the Ueno Zoo in Tokyo.

"Meh! It's too hot. I'm a Penguin, not a Peking Duck!"

We had missed the Asahiyama Zoo the last time we visited Hokkaido because the zoo was closed. That was in late autumn. Now, being Spring, we should be (and was) luckier.

Partially, anyway.

At Asahiyama, we wanted to see the penguins from the Penguin Arch. This was a plexiglass underwater archway where we could walk and see penguins "flying" overhead in the water.

Unfortunately, because of the warm day, the penguins went "meh" and stayed in their climate controlled rooms where it was cooler.

Driving in Hokkaido

There have been surveys that found that 90% of drivers believe that they are above-average drivers.

This of course cannot be objectively true.

(Unless the survey was conducted in Lake Wobegon from Prairie Home Companion.)

At least 40% of those surveyed were over-estimating their driving skills.

I belong to the 10%. I don't claim to be an above-average driver. At best, I am a barely competent driver.

Well, I believe I am a better driver than my wife, but that's only because she doesn't have a licence.

Anyway, I do not drive in Singapore, saving my driving skills to terrorise drivers in foreign countries (I have driven in Canada, US, Australia, and Japan.)

Back to Hokkaido

The plan is to fly to Tokyo (Haneda or Narita). Stay a day or so at Narita.

There is a Unagi Restaurant we're trying to find. If we can't, well, there are other things to look for in Narita.

Then we fly to Asahikawa.

I should have checked if there were a train link to Asahikawa Airport.

There is none.

There is a shuttle bus from the Airport to Asahikawa Train Station. And there is always taxis to fall back on. But we plan to try with the bus.

We will stay a few days in Asahikawa, and visit Asahiyama Zoo. The last time we came, the zoo was closed for the season.

This time, it will be spring, so it should be fine.

We hope.

Cruise Holiday: Royal Caribbean Voyager of the Seas - Dress codes/ Cheat Codes

I read like a lawyer.

So when Royal Caribbean sent us our cruise documents and information, I studied the information. And this page drew some questions:

Nothing strikes you?

See the last bullet just before the table on "Cruise Length" and "Formal Wear".

Cruise Holiday: Royal Caribbean Voyager of the Seas - Cruising with Cheapskates.

We went on a cruise recently.

Twenty-three of us.

This was our extended family holiday for the first time in 18 years.

The last time we went on a family vacation was to Sydney in 2000.

At that time, there was only one child (my nephew and godson) in the next generation that had been born. In total, including my nephew, there were 10 of us. My father was still alive then.

This time, there were 13 in the next generation ranging from 4 years of age, to almost 19. And my father had passed on about 10 years ago.

Putrajaya Sept 2018 - A limited visit and review.

My wife had a conference in Putrajaya (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) recently, and would have been gone for a few days.

When she had a similar conference last year (in another city), I took on the task of single parenting my daughter (two and a half years old) for a few days.

She was fine the morning my wife left.

She was fine that evening.

But when it was dark and she was supposed to go to bed, she started to tear, and said that she missed her mommy and finally sobbed herself to sleep.

I got my wife to video call us while she was there, so my daughter could see her. And it was clear she really liked being able to see and talk to mommy.

I got my wife to send video messages via WhatsApp and that was precious to my daughter.

But bed time was still sad times. And lonely times. And times she missed her mommy acutely.

Tips for visiting Singapore

This is a good video tip.

I can find no issues in terms of accuracy or bias.

One of the better videos, I believe.

AAA Granary Accommodations & Tasmazia

We stayed 2 nights in the studio apartment of AAA Granary Accommodations called "The Loft".

Wished I had booked for more nights!

I picked AAA Granary for its proximity to Tasmazia. 

The Loft is a one-room studio with gas fireplace, one king bed, one single and one sofa bed.

The proprietor had turned on the fireplace BEFORE we arrived and selected the "turbo" option so that we would walk into a warm room when we arrived.

So nice and thoughtful of her!

Once in a Lifetime Experiences: Penguins of Phillip Island

We booked a tour with Wildlife Adventures, which start the day picking us up from our hotel at about 9.30. This is followed by a 90 minute drive South, towards Phillip Island.

Before that, we stopped just after 11.00 am for lunch, at Maru Koala Sanctuary.

Maru Koala Sanctuary has Kangaroo feeding (which I have already done at Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary), and two albino kangaroos, which are quite rare.

But of course, Koalas are their main attraction.

We were lucky to catch the Koala at their most active. According to their handler, Koalas move only about 15 minutes a day. And sleeps up to 20 hours.

And are not the very brightest of creatures.

Because of their exclusive diet of Eucalyptus leaves.

So we were VERY lucky that while we were there, one Koala moved from one bunch of leaves to another.

And then she was done moving for the day (according to the handler).

After about 2 hours there, we headed to Phillip Island and the Penguin parade.

Visiting Singapore?

As a Singaporean, I don't do travel tips for visiting Singapore.

But I watch videos of tips on travelling to Singapore. To see what misinformation is being shared.

And I nod at certain points. Or I laugh at some ridiculous misunderstanding and misrepresentation of Singapore's quirks or idiosyncracies.

Or get furious at some misinformation or outright lies (most likely just uninformed. They are not lies if the person really believes it) in the video.

So here are a collection of videos with tips for visiting or travelling to Singapore that I found quite informative (and mostly if not completely true). If there are any misinformation, I think they are quite minor and should not present any real problems.

Things you need to know before you go to Singapore. Singapore weather: Hot, humid, and rainy! Singapore Language: English (or Singlish!) Singapore Money: It's the Singapore Dollar -- bring cash! Singapore Laws: Don't chew gum! Singapore Food: Eat at the Hawker Centres. Singapore Public Transportation: Take the Singapore MRT, it's clean, fast and cheap!