Life's time out

Blue Mountains

2011-01-03T14:46:00.005+08:00

Located about 2.5 hours drive from Sydney, Blue Mountains is a popular sightseeing spot for tourist visiting Sydney. I personally find there’s nothing special in the Blue Mountains, even though most of my overseas friends consider this as a “must see” destination.

What to see in the Blue Mountains? I can only point to 3 things worth doing in Blue Mountains:
1. The Three Sisters
2. Scenic World
3. Jenolan Caves

The Three Sisters
Head to Echo Point in Katoomba to see these 3 stone pillars.
Note that parking in this area is not free.

Scenic World
They have 4 activities you can do here: railway, skyway, cableway, and walkway.
And the parking here is FREE.

Jenolan Caves
Located about 45 minutes drive from Katoomba, Jenolan Caves is not as commercialised as Katoomba area.

Katoomba local map:

What to see in Sydney

2010-11-09T17:28:00.010+08:00

For this itinerary, I assume you have the Multi 1 ($40) for the transport around Sydney. The map for Multi 1 network can be downloaded from here. If you do have Multi 1, try to take the ferry as much as you can to get the most of your $40. A return ferry trip from Circular Quay to Manly is already $14 and it’s totally free with Multi 1.

Public Transport:
Train: Railcorp / City Rail
Bus: Sydney Bus
Ferry: Sydney Ferry
Trip planner

Queen Victoria Building (QVB)
Entry: Free
Nearest Transport: Town Hall train station

Suggestion:
1. Queen Victoria statue, located outside opposite the Town Hall.
2. Discounted home wares at Queen Victoria Basement
3. Cafés… tons of them!

Sydney Opera House
The most obvious symbol of Sydney and Australia
Entry: Free for the outer area
Nearest Transport:
1. Circular Quay train station
2. Circular Quay wharf for ferry

Suggestion:
1. Take the Essential Tour ($30 / person) to go inside the Opera House
2. Watch one of the performing acts.

The Rocks
Entry: Free
Nearest Transport:
1. Circular Quay train station
2. Circular Quay wharf for ferry

Suggestion:
1. Spare a few minutes (and maybe a few dollars) to watch the street performers, ranging from Aborigine music to fire or knife juggler
2. Scenic photo spot with the Opera House at the background
3. Weekend Market (Fri, Sat, and Sun) $5 for ½ liter beer at Lowenbrau during happy hour (4-6 pm everyday)

Harbour Bridge
Nearest Transport:
1. Circular Quay, Wynyard, & Milsons Point train station
2. Circular Quay wharf for ferry

There’s 3 way to enjoy this magnificent steel construction:
1. $0 to walk across the bridge
2. $10 to climb the pylon (not to be mistaken with climbing the bridge itself)
3. $200 to climb to the top of the bridge

Note: It is very rewarding and unique to climb to the top of the bridge, but you are not allowed to bring or take any photo with your own. Now… to me, this is just BS.

Darling Harbour
Entry: Free
Nearest Transport:
1. Darling Harbour wharf
2. Pyrmont Bay wharf
3. Townhall Station

Suggestion:
Take the ferry from Circular Quay (Darling Harbour service) to Darling Harbour and soak in the scenic view of the Opera House, Harbour Bridge, and Sydney’s sky line.

Other attraction within Darling Harbour:
1. Star City Casino
2. Sydney Aquarium
3. Wildlife World
4. King Street Wharf for waterfront dining
5. Harbourside Shopping mall

Transport from Sydney Airport

2010-10-04T14:20:00.008+08:00

Some of my friends are coming to Sydney to visit me (or simply to crash into my living room, saving their lodging cost), so instead repeating the same information over and over again to each of them, I’m gonna make them read this entry instead.

First thing I normally explain is about the Australian immigration, which I have done in my previous entry.

One of my friends even asked me exact questions in the immigration card, as he was afraid to tick the wrong box. He argued that he might declare about bringing illicit drugs out of confusion. Right… maybe English was not his favorite language.

Second part is about Transport (from the Airport) and it's always the favorite subject for them to bombard me with their questions (Why? When? Where? How? How much? How long?)

Okayyy… Let’s start with the fact that Sydney airport is actually well connected to the Sydney city itself, and so much closer when it’s compared to Japan Narita airport to Tokyo.

Although the public transport is not as good or clean as Singapore, there are a few transportation options available: train, bus, taxi or rent a car. Check out the following link to get a better understanding of Sydney Airport.

Train
There’s an additional charge on top of the train fare itself. Check the total fare from the airport to your destination station from here.

Bus
It is damn confusing to calculate the exact bus fare in Sydney. For the first timer in Sydney, I suggest to ditch the bus option all together. However, if you insist, you can purchase the ticket from the bus driver and pay on the spot for a single trip. Good luck.

Taxi
The most convenient option but certainly NOT the cheapest, and also the “hospitality” of the driver when you mention that you don’t know the exact destination location.

Car Rental
If you know the way AND know a cheap place to park the car, then this option might be the solution for you. My favorite car rental so far is Budget Car Rental and Avis.

So let’s compare a single trip from Sydney Airport…
Say we take Town Hall station as the destination we want to go from Sydney Airport.

Cost Travel Time
Train $15.80 + 40 mnt
Bus + $ 7 + 60 mnt
Taxi + $ 50 + 30 mnt
Car Rental + $ 55 / day + 30 mnt

If you travel alone, train is a better option. However, if you travel in group, taxi cost / person might be the same cost with the train.

Kyoto Restaurant (Food) Guide

2010-09-12T07:24:00.007+08:00

Most people will include Kyoto as their part of itinerary when they visit Japan, especially for the first timer. I did not need any help to find list of temples & shrines I want to visit when I visited Kyoto for the first time, as there's simply too many.

What I found rather difficult was finding a good restaurant! Well partly it's because of my ridiculous expectation (must taste good, cheap, traditional Japanese atmosphere, and English menu).

After 3 times in Kyoto, I finally found this free guide book, "Kyoto Restaurant Guide Book - A selection of Kyoto's best restaurant".

It's published by Kyoto City Tourist Association, in English, complete with the location map, suggestion menu & price for each restaurant! Download the PDF version from here.

They have 2 other guidebooks that will be useful for your travel in Kyoto:
1. Kyoto Tourist Guidebook
2. Kyoto Sight Seeing Map

Bring this guidebook along with you. Or else you will end up in the supermarket searching for food like I did.

The "Ugly Truth" of Singapore

2010-08-31T06:02:00.014+08:00

After my previous entry about things that I do miss from Singapore, I feel compelled to tell you the ugly side of Singapore that not so many foreigners would notice, and absolutely no Singaporean will ever admit.

Especially for those who is thinking to move to Singapore merely just because of the dollars, I suggest you read this.

Things I DON’T (and will never will!) miss about Singapore:

1. My damn f***king kiassu ex-landlord
Be very careful and plan your move when it comes to pay rental deposit / bond money to your landlord. They will try as hard as they can to find any kind of reason to confiscate the bond money. Don't even think that the property agent will help you, as they will all disappear once they got the commission money.

2. Throat chocking property agent commission
In Singapore, you must pay commission fee (different from bond money) to the property agent and the rates normally is 1 month rent for 1 year rental contract. And right after you pay the money, they vanish into thin air and you must deal every damn problem directly with your landlord!

With such easy money and so many foreigners looking for a place in Singapore, maybe the Singapore government is trying to convert its entire citizen to be a blood sucking property agent!

3. Train / MRT culture
The smell, shameless, pushy, shitty look you got even before the train door open are priceless. The moment the train door opens, you can experience the tsunami force hit you.

4. The non stop, all year long, hot & humid weather
Singapore only has 2 seasons; Dry/hot (not summer) and wet/rain seasons. During the dry season, top temperate is about 33’C to 35’C. During the rainy season, temperature is not that different, just add a lot of water from the sky. Tropical rain in Singapore can be compared to light storm in US or Australia.

5. Sky rocketing property price
2009 price is about S$ 600,000 for 2 bed room government flat and about $S 1 million for 2 bedroom private apartment.

6. Poor Customer service
The most popular reply I got from them is “There’s nothing I can do” and on the second place is “We’ll get back to you soon, and the worst was "So what do you want me to do?" And the worst part is, it was a bloody doctor in the hospital who asked me what do I want the him to do. Shit! Who's the doctor here?

7. “You can speak or understand Chinese” assumption
So your appearance look just a bit like Asian, do you think they will politely try to speak in English to you first? Nothing will stop them not speak to you in Chinese.

8. “5 C” attitude from the Singaporean women
They want: Cash, Credit card, Condominium (not apartment), Car, Country club membership. I did hear about this before I moved to Singapore, and I thought maybe only the super pretty / rich girls behave like this. Reality: Even the super ugly one has this attitude!

9. Car Prices
No matter what kind of car or what year is the car, you need to purchase a “license to buy a car”. I’m not joking nor my English is poor when I wrote that sentence. Summary: Just like you need a driving license to drive, in Singapore, you need a license to buy a car.

10. Lack of variety of meat options at the supermarket
Unless you go to “Expat” or “Foreigner” supermarket which charges 75% more expensive, most supermarkets stock 95% of their shelves with pork, chicken, and seafood. Then the 5% is beef with very limited choice.

Things I miss about Singapore

2010-08-30T18:05:00.013+08:00

When I left Singapore a couple month ago, I never ever thought that I could find 1 thing that I would miss about the island nation. Yet here I am, a few months after I left Singapore, I came up with a list.

Compared with Australia, Sydney in particular, here are the top 10 things I missed from that little island.

1. Cheap taxi fare
With flag charge at S$2.50, Taxi cost about S$10 to S$15 to practically anywhere in the town. Even from the airport it would only cost about S$15 to S$20 to the city center. Compare to when I had to pay A$ 46 from Hyde Park to Maroubra (total of 11.5 km) in Sydney!!!

2. Cheap public transport fare
The public train (MRT / SMRT) cost about S$2.10 one way for the longest distance. And no surcharge for airport line what so ever.

3. Ez-Link card
Instead of using paper based ticket, 1 plastic card is enough for both bus & train in Singapore. It's convenient, rechargeable balance, hassle free determining the fares, and "greener" as most likely you will stick to only 1 card, compared to multiple paper tickets.

4. The food
Where do I start talking about the food? Singapore has all kind of cuisine from practically every country, starting from dirt cheap (S$0.70 for breakfast) to high class fine dining.

5. Long / late trading hour
Not only they have yearly "Great Singapore Sale", they also have "Late night Shopping" where very last Friday of the month, shopping malls open up till midnight.

6. Low income tax rate
Free tax for the first S$20,000 income, and 3.5% for the following S$10,000, and so on.

7. Easy access to the airport
How to go to the airport? Read reason no.1 above and hail a taxi! Or simply hop on the train for less then S$ 3.50.

8. Fast & efficient immigration process at the airport
The longest I waited at the immigration booth is 15 minutes.

9. Holiday Destination options
Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Hongkong are all within 3 or 4 hours flight and has many budget carrier.

10. GST refund
GST rate in Singapore is 7% and as a temporary visitor, you can get back the 5% GST you spent for your shopping at any shop in Singapore.

Australia Customs & Immigration

2010-07-13T16:40:00.000+08:00

Australia probably has one of the strictest custom & quarantine regulations in the world. Everybody without exception will be checked once they arrived in Australian soil.

I found a “gift” on one of my package I sent from Singapore to Sydney:

First is the travel documents / visa. For some who hold certain countries passport, it could be as easy as apply visa online. For others, well… gonna takes more than just your time and money.

After the travel documents, comes the quarantine section by AQIS. What you can not take into Australia? AQIS has provided the answer and brochure (PDF) for that.

Filling out “Incoming Passenger Card” can be quite an adventure for those who has no clue what the question is about. So help your self, download the PDF of Passenger Card and ask your friend or family to help you. Asking a stranger may not be a good idea to help you with this task.

And if you think Australian is not serious the immigration, for your convenience sake, they have made this whole customs & Immigration things into a TV series.

Moving out

2010-07-10T09:03:00.006+08:00

Recently, my Koala Permanent Residency has been granted! I have been waiting for this news for almost 1 year. So without wasting another day, I throw my resignation letter and kiss goodbye to my old job.

First problem is done, now comes the second… packing & sending my stuff. Oh how I wish I have Monica from Friends to help me with packing.

I had no idea how much stuff I had accumulated during my 4 years life in Singapore. What I thought would only be less than 100 kg, has swelled to a whooping 250 kg, spread over into 23 boxes!!!

After asking around for shipping price quotation, I found out that Singapore Post “Speed Surface Service” does actually has the cheapest rate. Unlike cargo, they go by weight like a normal parcel, but still it’s so much cheaper compared to freight forwarders.

Singapore Post website states it would take about 5 – 7 weeks for my stuff to arrive from Singapore to Sydney. Well, in reality, it took over then 8 weeks before it arrived. So you might want to recalculate the timing.

Kurama

2010-06-06T21:14:00.005+08:00

On the third and final day of my 3 day Kansai Thru Pass, I decided to go Kurama, located in Kyoto’s outskirt. From Kyoto, I cycled to Demachiyanagi station, and then continued by train to Kurama station.

There are only 2 things to do here; see the temple on top of the mountain (Kurama Dera) and then to soak in Kurama onsen.

Entrance fee to Kurama-dera is 300 yen. After that, you have 2 options: to walk your butt up to the top or to take the cable train to the top for additional 100 yen. Being a lazy bum, it took me less then 10 seconds before I reached my pocket searching for 100 yen coin.

With the red lantern all over the mountain, the height, the view, and the fresh clean air, Kurama-dera is surely one of my favorite place around Kyoto. It’s surrounded by mountain and not so many people, left alone tourist, can be seen around.

The court yard of the main temple is full of sakura trees. Unfortunately I came her in winter, leaving the trees without a single leaves on. I will be back here during the sakura season one day.

To get to the onsen, I walked back to Kurama station to catch the onsen’s free minibus which transported me for free to the onsen’s door step. I chose the lunch + onsen package for 7,000 yen.

The food was not disappointing, while the indoor onsen is just average. The outdoor bath, however, is quite an experience to try. The view of the mountain is just spectacular! By “spectacular”, I don’t mean the naked male bodies around me!

Arima Onsen

2010-05-22T08:42:00.011+08:00

On the second day of my 3 days Kansai Thru Pass, I decided to its furthest travelling distance it allows me to travel, Kobe / Arima Onsen.

Arima Onsen is not as easy as Nara to get to. It takes around 2.5 hour train ride from Kyoto, and change lines a couple of times. But I have been intoxicated by onsen from my last trip to Japan, and Funaoka Onsen alone was not enough to satisfy my urge.

From Wikitravel and Japan Guide, I learned that there are 2 ways to get to Arima Onsen:

The fun & expensive way Via Mt. Rokko and then descend to Arima Onsen using ropeway.
The cheap & easy way Using train from Kyoto (Hankyu Line) to Arima Onsen station.

View Kyoto to Arima Onsen by Train in a larger map

Heck, I have spent so much money & time to come all the way to Japan, why should I choose only one way? I decided to combine them! I took to the easy way to go to Arima, did sight seeing, soaked in onsen, and came back to Kyoto via Mt. Rokko.

I have made a detailed Google Map and separated it into 3 parts:

Kyoto to Arima Onsen station (by train on Hankyu Line)
Sightseeing in Arima Onsen
Arima Onsen to Kyoto via Mt. Rokko

Kyoto to Arima Onsen station (by train on Hankyu Line)
Kansai Thru Pass covers all expenses in this way. It’s a pretty darn good deal considering the distance between Kyoto & Arima Onsen. It’s difficult to explain by words, please refer to the map I made in Google Map.

Sightseeing in Arima Onsen
If you have booked an expensive onsen trip / package, chances are: there will be someone waiting for you at the train station. If you are on a budget like me, I would suggest Tourist Information Centre as your first stop.

It’s located just 5 minutes walk from the station. If you plan to go to Mt. Rokko, make sure you ask them the time table of the ropeway.

They have a very complete sightseeing map / brochure with all onsen, what to see in Arima, restaurant, etc. Download the English version of the map here.

I came to Arima onsen with 2 things in my mind, to try either the Gin-no-yu or Kin-no-yu onsen and to try Kobe (Wagyu) beef.

I arrived in Arima 3 hour before lunch time, so I walked around first, tried the free foot onsen...

Ate manju...

Japanese croquette...

And finally I soaked in Gin-no-yu. The best way to spend cold day is to soak in bloody damn hot onsen water.

Now is time to taste the wagyu beef. I found this kiosk or (restaurant?) while walking back to the bus stop.

Instead of Kobe / Wagyu beef, it’s selling “Tajima Beef”, with hand written explanation claiming Tajima Beef is the origin of all Kobe / Wagyu beef.

It's probably the most honest restaurant in Japan too, with this poster posted outside its door:

Anyway, I tried 2 stick of it’s Tajima Beef + rice for 1,000 yen. The taste doesn’t disappoint me.

Arima Onsen to Kyoto via Mt. Rokko
Kansai Thru Pass does not cover most of the cost in this. Bus (from Arima Onsen) to Mt.Rokko Ropeway station costs 100 yen.

I recommend buying a package ticket in the ropeway station which covers:

Ropeway to Rokko Sancho Station
Mt.Rokko bus
Cable train to go down from Mt.Rokko

After that, you can use Kansai Thru Pass again on the Train to Kyoto.
Refer to the map I made in Google Map.

When you reach Mt. Rokko, before you take the bus to cable train, I made my walk to Jukkoku Observatory, where I saw a scenic view of Kobe city harbor. Well that’s probably the reason why most people even bother forging extra yen to go up the mountain in the first place anyway.

Walk to the right sight of Mt. Rokko station, continue under the bridge, until you find your self in an open space with full view of Kobe city harbor below. The night view from here is breathtaking, but I did not wait until its dark because I chose not to miss my connection bus.

Refer to my Google Map for easier view of the route I took.

Australian PR Update (May 2010)

2010-05-19T20:52:00.006+08:00

Australian Immigration has revised the Skilled Occupation List (“SOL”) on 17 May 2010. Check the immigration website for detailed changes.

The SOL will come to play from 1 July 2010, unless there’s new update from the immigration office. Click here for the updated SOL (PDF)

The changes indeed cloudy & gloomy for those with their occupation no longer in SOL.

As you may notice, the new SOL is shorter compared to the previous one, meaning there are lesser occupation is sought by the Australian Immigration.

If you are wondering why the Australian Government decided to change the SOL, give this PDF a read.

Nara

2010-05-12T20:17:00.018+08:00

I bought my 3 days Kansai Thru Pass (5,000 yen) from the in front of the Kyoto Station. It’s a small building outside the station, so it’s not the JR station.

The staff will ask you to fill up simple form for your detail, where you’re from, Passport, etc. 10 minutes later (and 5,000 yen poorer), armed with Kansai Thru Pass, I hopped on the train to Nara, to Kintetsu Nara station.

I have made an appointment about 1 month before with Nara Student Guide through their website. They are a group of student in Nara who volunteer their free time to guide tourist around Nara.

Thanks to my guide, I visited more places in Nara, got a really good history of each building, temples, and shrines. We did all this sight seeing on foot, just under 3 hours. That's included my numerous stops to take photos.

I have made a walk through map in Google Map, with some photos along the path I walked. Visit the link here.

View Nara on Foot in a larger map

Just like its neighbor, Kyoto, Nara also has a long track of history which can be seen on its buildings, trees, temples, & shrines.

However, I found Nara has more nature to offer, and I’m not just talking about the deer on the street.

Kyoto By Bicycle

2010-05-07T22:00:00.011+08:00

JR pass is not really helpful when it comes to wonder around Kyoto, as most subway & train in Kyoto is run on private lines. Beside, when you bought JR Pass, which valid for Shinkansen, might as well abuse it to travel to the end of Japan like I did back in August 2009.

To wonder around Kyoto, there are 3 options you can consider:

Bus Pass (500 yen / day) 2.
Kansai Thru Pass (5,000 yen for 3 days & 3,800 yen for 2 days)
Walk / cycling

I don’t like to wait for bus and all information about Kyoto bus (time table, route, etc) are in Japanese, which can turn simple trip to an adventure. My Japanese language is only enough to insult people instead of asking for help, so bus is not an option for me.

Kansai Thru Pass is really ideal to see most of Kyoto. I bought the 3 days pass, but I had a plan to abuse it to travel to the maximum distance it’s allowed, Nara, Arima, & Shirahama. Although in the end, I could not make it to Shirahama.

So I was left with cycling option. You can rent a bike for 700 yen for the whole day from K’s House Kyoto. Just make sure you go down to the front desk to get the bike key before 09:00 AM, or else you can only use your legs to get you around.

I cycled from K’s House as my starting point, and then;

cycled north along the river to Kyoto Imperial Palace,
North west to Ryoanji Temple to see the Rock Garden,
Continued further north to Kinkakuji Temple.

I have saved this cycling direction in Google Map. Click here for the link.

View Kyoto by bicyle in a larger map

After cycling like a mad man for half day (and it was winter when I did this!) a stop to Funaoka Onsen is really worth it! Although it’s called onsen, it doesn’t offer any meal. It’s purely for soaking in traditional Japanese way. Funaoka Onsen opens from 15:00 PM to 01:00 AM.

Travelling Kansai - Japan

2010-04-24T21:29:00.008+08:00

After I got such an expensive camera on my hand, and spent a month reading books and browsing the net about DSLR photography, the next thing that came to my mind was to travel and test what I have gathered about photography so far.

So I grabbed the promotion from JAL and went to Japan... again. Even though I just went there a few months ago.

This time around though, I did not purchased the JR Pass, instead I made an itinerary with 3 days Kansai Thru Pass which is much cheaper compared to JR Pass, but it was limited to Kansai region only. Detailed (my personal opinion: way too..... detailed) map can be downloaded from here.

Well, I did not really see Kansai back in August anyway and I was able to stay for 9 days in Japan this time with even less cost compare to my previous 7 days Japan trip.

If you want my detailed itinerary, you can download it from here. Let me know if you need the excel file.

In those 10 days, I visited Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, and Arima, with most days I spent soaking in onsen around Kyoto area.

DSLR, Understanding Aperture, ISO, & Shutter Speed

2010-03-28T15:56:00.005+08:00

Back in December, I finally dumped a big chunk of my hard earned dollars for a new camera, a DSLR to be exact. Ironically, I used to make a joke of those who carries a big camera around are doing so to compensate their lack of size in the “other equipment”. Well, here I am today, joining the club.

I chose the standard lens package, EF-S15-85mm IS, as I though that zoom range is already more than enough. Just 3 weeks after that, I dumped another $400 for 75-300mm USM lens!

When I bought my Canon EOS 450D, I thought how hard can it be to use a DSLR? It’s still a camera, so the “point & shoot” tactic would still work, right? How sadly wrong I was.

1 month and a hundred books of photography gone by and up till today, I am still trying to grasp the whole function of DSLR. I probably read more books in that month alone, compare to the whole year back when I was in university.

I hope the information I share below is useful for those who find the explanation in the Wikipedia too technical.

Basically there are 3 things to look out in using DSLR.

ISO
Aperture (usually known as f stop)
Shutter speed

I found the explanation on the net is a bit too technical for a newbie of DSLR world like me. However, I found Canon Japan, provides a really easy to understand explanation, pictures, and examples.

1. ISO = film sensitivity
Following Canon’s website, let’s imagine your film as a cup. The higher the ISO, the smaller the cup

2. Aperture = the amount of light
Let’s imagine the light as water. How much water you want to put into your cup?

3. Shutter speed = exposure time
Finally, how long you want to open the water tap, letting the water to flow into your cup.

After that, everything else is logic. To get more lights, say for night photo, we can either increase the aperture opening or lower the shutter speed. In another word, either open the water tab bigger or letting it open longer.

As for ISO, I prefer to keep it down to 400 for daylight shooting and 600 or 800 for night shooting, and adjust the aperture & shutter speed to reach the picture I want. This way, I have lower “noise” that may appear in high ISO pictures.

The last advise is go out there and do the practical training rather then staying inside eating books after books, like I did.

Green Police

2010-02-20T22:04:00.003+08:00

Probably the best follow up of the Copenhagen climate change conference back in 2009...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVhT7P0lDfI

Bali

2010-02-15T20:11:00.025+08:00

Despite being one of the hotspot for terrorist attack, Bali is still one of the most popular destinations in South East Asia. Indonesia maybe has the biggest Muslim population in the world, but in Bali Island, 93% of its 3.5 million residents are practicing Hindu.

English is widely spoken in Bali Island, and Japanese & German are also commonly spoken, at least by tour guides.

For lodging, I would recommend a few areas depending on your taste:

Ubud
Nusa Dua
Kuta

Ubud
The centre of Balinese culture (for tourist). The real Balinese lives in nearby area surrounding Ubud. If you are looking for nature and rice field view, Ubud is the place. Takes about 2 hour drive from the airport. Taxi fare around IDR 250,000 (USD 25), and could be double if you arrive in Bali after midnight.

Nusa Dua
Home of the upscale resorts. Located at the southern tip of the island, it offers jaw dropping view from the cliffs, sunset, and also home for Bvlgari Resort. Takes about 45 minutes drive from the airport.

Kuta
Centre of Bali’s night life and cheap lodging can easily be found here. Takes about 30 minutes drive from the airport.

The whole island of Bali is unique and even the remote places of the island itself has superb scenery, art, culture, food, and lots more. I have been in Bali a few times and even lived here for 1 month, but still can not grasp the whole island yet.

For short time holiday, I would recommend a few places that practically can be done in 1 or 2 days trip;

Tanah Lot temple
Ubud
Lunch in Ubud - suckling pig
Sukawati Market
Uluwatu temple
Sunset: watch Kecak dance in Uluwatu

Tanah Lot temple
A well known temple and another famous landmark of Bali. During the high tides, the temple looks like it’s floating on the water.

During the low tides, around 1pm – 4pm, you can walk to a small cave at the foot of the temple to see and even touch the holy snake, “guardian” of the temple.

It’s actually a wild sea snake that somehow always comes to the cave nearby the temple every morning, and yes, sea snakes are poisonous.

Ubud
Personally, I found Ubud has lost its original cultural values due to intensive tourism. If you have visited Sukawati market, you’ll find that Ubud market offers smaller range of goods. But Ubud itself still worth a stroll, especially the Monkey Forest road. Every weekend, there’s a dance performance at Ubud palace.

Monkey Forest Sanctuary - Ubud
A good side trip if you are already in Ubud . Monkeys in Ubud’s Monkey Forest is somehow tamer than the one in Uluwatu or Sangeh.

Suckling Pig
No trip to Bali is complete without a visit to Ubud, and no trip to Ubud is complete without suckling pig (babi guling) Ibu Oka.

Try to arrive before lunch time or else risk to stand in long queue, or even sold out. Believe me, it always sold out every day, leaving some people grumbling.

Sukawati Market
Rather than spending too much time haggling with street vendors in Kuta for souvenirs, I prefer make a trip to Sukawati Market. It has every kind of souvenirs, cloths, sarong, and painting. The price is also much cheaper. As a guide line, I got 1 sarong for IDR 10,000.

Uluwatu Temple
The locations is quite remote but trust me, it’s worth all the effort. The temple itself is located at the tip of Bali’s most southern point, right on top of the cliff.

Be careful of the monkeys though. They are not afraid of people, quite the opposite, in fact.

Kecak Dance
Within the same complex of Uluwatu Temple, but try to arrive before 6 if you want to look around the temple before watching the dance. Spent about 45 minutes wondering around the temple before go to the dance "theater".

The dance may be the same dance as the one they are performing in Ubud palace, but the main difference and the reason why this one is way more famous is because of the sun set scenery. As the performance progress, the sun slowly disappears behind the horizon.

Transportation in Bali
To avoid all the hassle and to see more Bali in short amount of time, I recommend you to sign up with a local travel agent, where you can tailor make your itinerary. I know most of us hate this option, but in Bali, trust me, this can save your time & money.

For me, I know a local guide that I trust. I would call / email him informing my arrival & departure date, and tell him what I where I wanna go in Bali and what I wanna eat. He would then arrange everything for me, including picking up & dropping off at the airport.

He recently built his own website, Bali Personal Tour. He speaks fluent English & German, really experienced in arranging day tour, culinary tour, and photography trip.

Thanks to him, I saw so many Balinese culture that I know I would not be able to if he didn't show me, as it's normally reserved for Balinese only. His price is based on how far & how many places you wanna see in Bali. But, honestly, I can say that his price is below the normal travel agency.

Mutiara Burau Bay Resort - Langkawi

2009-12-01T22:14:00.014+08:00

I stayed in this so called resort when I went to Langkawi.

I already discounted their niceee photos from their official website, by 50%. But still it could not compensate what I saw when I arrived in the lobby.

This my friend, not a resort, ok? I know English is not Malaysia’s national language, but branding this shack as a resort is a scheme! Compare it to their pictures from their website.

Now let’s talk about the room.
Again, I did not know that this resort is a cottage based style.

What lies inside these little cottages is even more awesome.

But the absolute shocker was the bathroom condition

Luckily the direct beach is not disappointing.

And the sunset was one of the best I’ve ever seen

Well, I guess got what I paid for.

Langkawi

2009-10-11T22:01:00.014+08:00

This tax free island is located at the northern tip of the Malaysian peninsula, about 1 hour and twenty minute direct flight from Singapore.

Download Langkawi pdf map, here.

If you can drive, the best option is to rent a car from the airport, right after you clear your immigration. It’s impossible to miss the car rental booths as the staff are practically yelling and waving their hand to get your attention. The rental price is about MYR 150 for 3 days 2 nights. Though to get this price, it’s gonna be like passing a Malaysian haggle exam.

Taxi counter are located dead across the arrival gate. The price is fixed (depends on your destination), and you pay upfront to the counter.

Where to stay in Langkawi
Cenang beach is the most crowed beach area, a mix between 5 star hotel/resort with budget hotels. There are so many restaurants lining up on the main street, ranging from cheap to a rip off price.

On the other hand, most 5 star resorts is located in secluded places, leaving you with no option to eat in their restaurant, unless you are willing to drive 30 minutes to town.

To get a bird eye's view of Langkawi island, you can download pdf map, here.

My suggested itinerary for 3 days 2 nights:

Day 1
Rent a car from the airport, drive to Kuah town, about 20 minutes drive. Go to a duty free shop to buy lots of wine and beer. Don’t worry about finding a duty free shop in the town, as there flourishing like a mushroom in Kuah town.

In the afternoon, watching sunset from sky bridge would be unforgettable. Unfortunately for me, it was really forgettable as the Sky Bridge was closed for yearly maintenance!

Day 2
Choose one of the tour, mangrove tour or snorkeling tour. I booked the mangrove tour from the hotel and it cost me MYR 140 / person. If you rent a car and have enough people in your group, it’s better to drive directly to the mangrove boat central in Tanjung Rhu area and rent the whole boat instead.

To charter the whole boat is just about MRY 400 (zoom the yellow board in the picture below), and you have the whole boat for your and your group only.

In contrast to my experience, there were 16 people in total on the boat.

If you saw the sunset from the sky bridge on the first day, maybe seeing sunset at Cenang Beach would be a good option.

Another option, you could drive to Telaga Harbour park where you could watch the sunset & have your dinner from one of the restaurant over there. All restaurants over here have an outside seating. My favorite place here is The Loaf.

Day 3
If your hotel’s breakfast sucks, you can go to The Loaf as they open from 7 Am in the morning

Beppu

2009-09-20T19:44:00.009+08:00

I had no idea why I decided to go to Beppu in summer. Beppu is well known for its onsen, which probably as the least favorite destination during hot summer.

I arrived in Beppu in the afternoon, after making a slight stop in Hakata with only one goal in my mind, to try their infamous tonkotsu (pork bone) ramen. Among so many ramen shops, Ichiran ramen is the most famous one.

Thanks to a nice lady in JR Hakata tourist information desk, I found the nearest Ichiran stall, just across JR Hakata station (10:00 – 22:00). I was planning to go all the way by bus or subway to Canal City.

This Ichiran ramen is the best decision I made during the trip!

Anyway, back to Beppu. I know Beppu is called Japan’s onsen capital, but I didn’t expect to see hot air steaming up practically from any possible crack from the street!

I stayed at Khaosan Beppu, a well located backpacker hostel. In this onsen capital, even a backpacker hostel is equipped with natural onsen!

The folks in Beppu like their onsen hot, and they really mean HOT. If you are up to the challenge, you can try takegawara onsen, famous for its hot water.

There are several onsen area around Beppu. Among them, the famous ones are Myouban onsen and Kannawa onsen. It takes about 30 minutes by bus to get there from JR Beppu station, and it cost around 320 yen.

If you don’t want to go to Beppu Jigoku, you might want to consider the time & bus cost. If you are just looking for a dip in onsen, Suginoi Hotel has an onsen with magnificent view over Beppu town.

I have uploaded Beppu city area map I got from the hostel. You can download it here.
For Kannawa onsen and Mouban onsen area map, click here.

Hiroshima

2009-09-17T15:48:00.001+08:00

It took about 3 hours shinkansen (Hikari) ride from Kyoto to Hiroshima.

Maybe I didn’t search enough info, but I had no idea that the Atomic Bomb site is located about 20 to 25 minute by tram from JR Hiroshima station.

Take the south exit of JR Hiroshima station and take tram No.2 to get to A-bomb site (Genbaku Domu in Japanese). It cost 150 yen one way. There’s a coin exchange machine at the tram station.

Map from tourist centre in Hiroshima Station is really useful as it shows complete tram route. I have scanned and upload the map. Download the PDF map here.

These two websites have a good information about Hiroshima, including a sound guide which you can download to your ipod.

Taito Ryokan (Tokyo) Review

2009-09-15T10:44:00.001+08:00

No matter what you want to do in Tokyo, I advise you to avoid Tiato Ryokan at all cost and by any means necessary!!

I first know this dreadful lodging place from Lonely Planet guide book (surprisingly). I had no idea what was in the mind of the writer when he or she recommend this place as a traditional lodging. Traditional? Ancient or run down is more fitting word for this place.

I’ll be fair about the location. It’s right in the middle of Asakusa area, and not far from Tawaramachi station. Even though Taito Ryokan website failed to mention that this station (exit 3) has no elevator. Kaminarimon & Sensoji temple is within 5 minutes walk. Oh and there’s a big & flashy love hotel, Boston Club, right in front of Taito Ryokan. So for those who already booked Taito Ryokan, but change your mind right after seeing the ryokan with your own eyes, can right away change and stay in this love hotel instead.

The front door of Taito Ryokan is never locked even though the “front office” is only open between 10:00 – 20:00. After that, no one is watching over the main door and everybody (including thief) is welcomed.

The room door is not a “door”. It’s made of some kind of thick paper or board, and my there’s no proper lock for the room! Instead they are using tiny pad lock to lock the door.

The room smelled funny, some sort of mixture between old smell and fish. There’s only one bathroom / shower room and the toilets are so smelly. The water heater temperature can only be set at 22 degree at the lowest, which is so out of question for a bloody hot summer!

For 3,000 yen per night, K’s House Tokyo is 100 times better then this!

Tokyo

2009-09-12T01:03:00.014+08:00

My impression of Tokyo? It’s a biggg city that has everything for anyone. It’ has one of the most complex train and subway networks in the world.

First thing you would need before going to Tokyo is to download & print it’s train network map. Marking the nearest station to the point of interest you would want to visit, may be a good idea. I didn’t do this and ended up gawking at the map after I arrived in Tokyo instead.

For Tokyo train & subway network map, click here.
For JR lines in Tokyo, click here (PDF)
For greater Tokyo train map, click here (PDF)

I found JR Yamanote line is the easiest way for me as a tourist to travel around Tokyo. It’s a JR line, so JR Pass is valid to travel on this line, and this line goes around Tokyo’s famous spot such as Shinjuku, Shibuya, & Akihabara.

A one day itinerary in Tokyo suggestion:
1. Tsukiji Market in the morning
2. Starbucks in Shibuya
3. Meiji Shrine
4. Tokyo Tower
5. Akihabara
6. Sensoji Temple & Kaminarimon in Asakusa
7. Jakotsuyu Onsen

Tsukiji Market
Download my printable map on how to get to Tsukiji market here.

I strongly recommend to take the earliest train (around 5am in the morning) to go here. Spend about 1 to 2 hours to walk around the alley and try one of the sushi stalls between building no.5 & 6. The famous ones are Sushi Dai & Daiwa Sushi (around 3,500 for a set menu).

Shibuya
After breakfast at Tsukiji, sipping coffee while watching over the crossing in Shibuya during rush hour is quite amusing.

Meiji Shrine
This shrine that projects majestic impression from the moment you see its first torii. It’s quite unbelievable that it’s located just a stone throw away from Harajuku, the centre of Japanese fashion victims.

Try to visit this shrine in the morning, when less tourist around and enjoy the grand & tranquil shrine. Sometime I feel that foreign tourist just does not fit into Japan shrines or temples.

Tokyo Tower
Download my printable map on how to get to Tokyo Tower here.
I went to see this Tokyo icon in the morning & night, and I find night view of this tower is slightly better then the morning. But I wonder how it looks like during the golden sunset.

Akihabara
The nerd side of Tokyo. From maid cafes, anime, arcade games, electronics, costumes (including kinky stuff), or simply useless stuff can be found in this area.

Asakusa
Download my printable map of Asakusa area here.
This area is my favorite suburb in Tokyo. It’s very convenient, so many budget hotels & eating places. Kaminarimon & Sensoji temple offers another iconic sight of Japan.

Jakotsuyu Onsen
After walking around Tokyo the whole day, a dip in onsen is very relaxing. Jakotsuyu is a natural onsen, and charge very basic fare (450 yen).

If the map link is broken, drop me an email and I’ll try to email you the PDF file.

Japan 2009 Summer Trip

2009-09-07T22:57:00.017+08:00

Despite my plan to abuse my 7 days JR Pass, I ended up only with 6 days in Japan. My first day in Tokyo was pretty much simple.

15:00 Arrived at Narita Airport & cleared the immigration.
15:30 Exchange my JR Pass
16:00 Hopped on Narita Express to Tokyo
17:00 Arrived in Tokyo Station, change train
17:15 Arrived in K’s house Tokyo. Checked in
17:45 Refreshed after shower, back on the street
18:15 Lost in Tokyo!

In total, my train & Shinkansen for 6 days would had cost me 85,000 yen, but I only paid 28,300 for my JR Pass. Total abuse of JR Pass: 56,700 yen.

I learned the hard way to discover that most trains & subway in Tokyo are not JR lines!!! Meaning JR Pass is not valid on these lines, and the most of convenient way to travel to major destinations are through these so called “private” lines instead of JR lines.

In line with my plan to abuse my JR Pass (and stingy to spend extra yen), I ended up traveled mostly on JR Yamanote line around Tokyo. I found JR Yamanote line is the safest for a lost traveler like me, because this line goes around Tokyo in circle and they have English display on the train.

To sum up, my 6 days travel itinerary in Japan this time is as follow:

Day 1 – Tokyo
Went to see Tokyo Tower only despite my initial plan to venture out in Odaiba, left alone soaking in Oedo Onsen.

Day 2 – Tokyo to Kyoto
Tsukiji Fish Market in the morning, with the first train of Oedo Subway Line at 05:05 AM from Kuramae Station. Kuramae is the nearest station to K’s House Tokyo where I spent the night.

After the most expensive breakfast in my life at Daiwa Sushi (3,500 Yen for sushi set menu) and my love at first lick of fatty tuna, I started my first abuse of my JR Pass by taking Shinkansen from Tokyo to Kyoto. 3 hours Shinkansen ride later, I arrived at Kyoto Station around noon and went to Fushimi Inari before calling it a day.

Day 3 – Kyoto to Beppu
Taking the first Shinkansen from Kyoto to Hiroshima, I arrived at Hiroshima station just before 10am. Spent a few hours in A-Bomb Dome site before taking another Shinkansen to the end of Sanyo Shinkansen line, Hakata.

I went all the way to Hakata because it’s the original place where my favorite ramen, the Tonkotsu ramen! Ichiran ramen is the most famous chain selling tonkotsu, and I was not disappointed!

From Hakata, I took another Shinkansen to Kokura before changing to local train, Sonic Express, to Beppu. Beppu is truly is an onsen town. A free foot onsen welcomes everyone right in front of the Beppu station. Steam comes out practically from any crack on the Beppu ground.

I soaked in 3 different onsen in just 9 hours of my stay in Beppu. Felt like a used tea bag after dipping here & there.

Day 4 – Beppu to Kyoto
Trip back to Kyoto on Sonic Express to Kokura, continued with Shinkansen to Kyoto.

Day 5 – Kyoto to Tokyo
Nothing much on my fifth day in Japan. Went to Shinjuku for dinner, and walked around in Kabukicho and got a card from Japanese lady boys. Managed to find an onsen in Asakusa area, and had a dip before calling it a day.

Day 6 – Tokyo to Narita
On the last day, I finally went to Odaiba. I had enough of temples & shines by that time and in Odaiba I saw maybe one of the sight that can only be seen in Japan. A real life scale of Gundam RX-78. I am not a fan of Gundam, but this Gundam will only be erected there until the end of Aug’09, so it’s worth a visit.

In the next few post, I will write more detail of places I visited in Japan.

Japan - Summer 2009

2009-07-20T21:52:00.015+08:00

The first time I visited Japan was in December 2006, a 6 days stop over after my US & Canada trip. I didn’t prepare any plan for that 6 days… big mistake. Since I was coming “down” from Canada, a country located nearer to the North Pole, I assumed Japan’s winter would be just a breeze. WRONG. Damn cold wind welcomed me the moment I stepped my foot outside Tokyo Station!

I also didn’t buy JR Pass to go to Kyoto, and chose the night bus instead. STUPID idea to cut cost. I ended up walking around looking for my bus in front of Tokyo station for almost 1.5 hour, with my big luggage, no one spoke English, a bus uncle yelled at me (coz I asked him the same question more then 5 times, “Is this bus?” – while furiously pointing my ticket), oh and the damn freezing wind has asked the snow to joined me.

The snow fall, the first snow of 2006 in Tokyo, turned the 7 hours bus ride into 10 hours. No, It was not romantic at all! So this time, I have made a travel plan, to fully abuse the 7 days Japan Railway (JR) Pass. JR has been kind enough to mail me the detailed JR time schedule. It’s really useful to plan your itinerary. You can request the schedule from here.

Since I will be arriving late afternoon in Narita, I don’t want to use my precioussss 7 days JR Pass for only ½ day. I will take either Limousine Bus (¥3,000) or Keisei Limited Express (¥1,000) from Narita to Tokyo Station, saving my JR pass for a full day use from the next day.

Accommodation list:

Tokyo: Taito Ryokan & K’s House Tokyo
Kyoto: K’s House Kyoto
Matsuyama: Funaya Onsen
Hiroshima: K’s House Hiroshima
Beppu: Khaosan Beppu

Other website that I use to help me plan my travel:

Australian PR

2009-07-05T18:20:00.012+08:00

Not like Singapore which is quite easy for foreigners to find works, Australia is totally a different matter. In most job search website, it is always stated that you need to obtain a working permit before you could apply. So for most people, Australian Permanent Residency (PR) is the first step in finding a job or moving to Australia.

Australian PR is based on point testing system and depending on which type of PR you apply, the minimum PR points must be satisfied. Below are some information about Australian PR application, based on my personal experience.

Type of PR
Points calculation
Skill Assessment
List of documents
Lodging your application
After lodgment

1. Type of PR
The easiest way to find your most suitable visa (PR is part of visa), is by using Visa Wizard from Australian Immigration website. After a few questions, the web will come out with which visa is the most suitable for you, complete with links to web page to guide you through the lodgment

2. Point Calculation
If you do the Visa Wizard, in “Visa Basic” tab, there’s a link for you to calculate your mark. Basically, you are going to be tested against these criterias:

Now, don’t cheat your self by giving higher scores when you calculate your points, because in the end the system will determine the correct points.

Each visa category has different minimum pass point. If your points is not enough for the visa you want, but still higher then the pool mark, your application will be saved in “pool” as reserves. Check the pass point here.

3. Skill Assessment
Probably the most important and the most time consuming to do before you can lodge your application. You need to get your education assessed by the Australian Assessing Authority to determine whether it’s equal with Australian level.

Each skill has different Assessing Authority, for example, Accountant / Auditor will be assessed by CPA Australia or Chartered Accountant Australia. The list of assessment bodies can be found here.

4. List of Documents
All documents must be in English (or accompanied by English translation) and certified true copy by authorized person (lawyer, Embassy, etc).

Birth certificate
Copy of passport
IELTS Report Results
Evidence of qualifications (degree certificate)
Evidence of skills assessment Evidence of work experience (Testimonial letter / Work contract)
Evidence of Designated Language Qualifications (for claiming community language point) Passport photo

5. Lodgment
You can lodge your application online through this link.

6. After lodgment
It’s recommended for you to check your application status frequently, as the immigration will ask you any additional documents or information through this website. To check your application status, you can follow this link.

DO NOT take your health check until you are asked to do so. You must download and complete the health check form from before visiting the appointed doctor/clinic.

Redang Island - Second Visit

2009-06-28T17:04:00.009+08:00

Last weekend I went to Redang Island again, stayed in the same hotel, Laguna Redang, just like I did back in 2007. The water is still as clear as ever and the snorkelling was even better.

The fish population is doubled and they are now more shameless compared to 2 years ago – considering I got chased by a big trigger fish for at least 5 times! Not sure whether it wanted some food from me or simply just wanna chew me up, but it surely scarred the shit out of me! Not far from there, 3 little Blacktip sharks were patrolling the reefs.

The transport, 9 hour bus trip from Singapore was hell!

In the future, if I wanna visit this island again, I would definitely take Star Cruise Virgo from Singapore. Departing from Singapore every Wednesday, the cruise will take you to Redang in style (if you chose the cabin or balcony room) or in Leonardo Dicaprio's Titanic style (the starter room without window at all).

Either way, the cruise has so much to offer for you rather then just staying inside the room. You will arrive in Redang the following day, spend the whole day on the island and board back on the cruise in the afternoon to start the journey back to Singapore.

The down side of this option is you can not spend a night in the island itself though.

Turkey - Istanbul

2009-06-24T23:18:00.010+08:00

I love Istanbul! This city has an amazing load of ancient sites and cultures. If you have an opportunity even just for a stop over in Istanbul, jump to it!

I personally like the train/tram network in Istanbul. Announcement on the train is in Turkish first, follows by English, and then... they also announce the nearest places of interest! Now isn’t that smart & tourist friendly? The train connects Ataturk airport to the city centre. Most of the stops are situated within walking distance of the place of interest, so you really don’t need to walk around figuring out your way. Download the train network map from here.

The highlight of Istanbul includes:

Sultanahmet Mosque (Blue Mosque) (nearest stop: Sirkeci)
Hagia Sophia
Grand Bazaar (nearest stop: Sirkeci)
Topkapı Palace (nearest stop: Sirkeci)
Spice Bazaar (nearest stop: Eminonu)
Bosphorus cruise

All of these places are on a single train line, the Zeytinburnu – Kabatas Tramway. That should be enough to fill 1 or 2 days stop over in Istanbul.

For the Bosphorus cruise, the most common starting point is in Eminonu, right in front of Spice Bazaar.

You can choose to take the private tour operated boat or the public ferry. The private boat tour sails on the Asian side all the way to the end of Bosphorus and sails on the European side on the way back (or vice versa). The whole cruise takes about 1 to 1.5 hour. You can easily buy the ticket for this cruise in front of Eminou, from a sales guy and bargain the price a bit. I got mine for 20 Lira / person.

The public ferry is actually a public transport from 1 port to another port, so you must plan where you wanna go first. It does not operate on Sunday and most public holiday. For price comparison, for almost the same distance, you can cover only with 6 Lira. The only thing you need to worry about is the ferry time schedule. Download the ferry time schedule from here.

Redang Island - Malaysia

2009-06-14T12:01:00.012+08:00

I have been to Thailand, Australia, Indonesia (yes folks… Bali is part of Indonesia), and I found Redang Island in Malaysia is the best so far. Crystal clear water, picture perfect view right from the doorstep of your hotel. All of that does not charged in USD, but only in Malaysian Ringgit!

The downside is the transportation. By bus, it takes about 8 hours from Singapore to the ferry port. From there, it takes another 1 hour ride to the island itself.

Air Asia connects Singapore to Kuala Lumpur (KL), and takes another flight from KL to Kuala Terengganu. From Terengganu, you still need to take taxi to ferry port and 1 hour ferry ride. Actually there’s another small airline, Berjaya Air that flies directly from Singapore to Redang Island. But honestly, I am not that adventurous to try, so I chose bus when I visited the island.

To save the hassle, Five Star Tour has package tours (hotel + bus + ferry) from Singapore to Redang island. The best hotel in the island is unarguably, the Laguna Redang.

Batam & Bintan Island

2009-06-12T22:04:00.015+08:00

Batam & Bintan are Indonesian islands, each reachable by 1 hour ferry ride from Singapore. Check either Batam Fast or Penguin Ferry for detailed schedule & price. Bintan can be said as a “resort” island, build ~~to suck Singapore Dollars~~ as a short holiday destination for Singaporeans. 90% of the island operates and will charge you in Singapore Dollars instead of Indonesian Rupiah! Batam, on the other end, is not yet evolve like Bintan – I don’t know how long they can last, at the moment Indonesian Rupiah is still somehow wanted in the island.

I found Batam offers more things to do rather then Bintan. My favorite massage place is Sport Massage. Their price tag start from IDR 200,000 (+ SGD 30) for 2 hours, compare to Bintan’s SGD 100 for 1 hour! Another upper scale spa is Devata Spa in I-Hotel. Staff in both places speaks fluent Indonesian but very minimum English. So… good luck!

For golfers, Turi Beach Resort maybe a better choice of hotel. This hotel also has stunning café on the pier above the sea water. Arriving in Batam for the first timer, may be tricky. First you better check whether you do not need a visa or can obtain “visa on arrival” to enter Indonesia. If you need to obtain a visa on your arrival, you better bring USD 10 notes with you, as the immigration booth exchange rate is almost can be described as a rip-off.

Second problem after immigration is transportation. If you arrive in Batam Centre ferry terminal, heads straight away to the second floor, and find a connecting bridge to Mega Mall - shopping mall accross the terminal. It is a good idea to book your return ticket with the ferry operator as you will pass the counter anyway. Taking taxi from the shopping mall is much safer and the price is sort of fixed. FYI, no metered taxi in Batam.

Working in Singapore

2009-06-04T13:00:00.007+08:00

As one of the economic power house in south East Asia, and with so many MNC setting up their regional office, Singapore attracts so many job seeker (including me). Not to mention the island’s welcoming approach to foreign workers. For those who are thinking to work in Singapore, I hope my personal experience when I moved in to Singapore can be useful.

1. Visa
Most nationalities can stay in Singapore for 30 days without specific visa. For detail list, please check ICA (Immigration and Check point Authority). Hopefully you can find an employer who is willing to deal with your Employment Pass (EP) within that period. Alternatively, you may want to apply for EPEC. Employment Pass Eligibility Certificate allows you to stay in Singapore up to 360 days (if granted). If you still can not get a single job offer within 1 year, I suggest you to pack all your belongings and go back to your home planet.

2. Permanent Residency (PR)
You can apply for PR after you started to work in Singapore for about 6 months.

3. Accommodation
Accommodation / property price is ridiculously high in Singapore, even when you compare it with Tokyo or Sydney's standard. Get ready to pay 50% of your monthly rental fee as an “agent fee” to your property agent when if you are using one. For me, I prefer to find accommodation from some website like Shareaccomodation and make sure you find direct owner or “No agent” sign.

4. Finding jobs
The most effective way is from Saturday’s newspaper, The Strait Times. Alternatively, you may try your luck in jobsdb or jobstreet.

5. Bank Account
Opening Bank Account Without EP or Permanent Resident Visa, you CAN NOT open any bank account. Even EPEC can not be used for this.

6. Living cost
If you are not fussy about oily food, a decent meal ranging from SGD3 up to… well you decide your own the upper limit then. Train (MRT) cost about SGD 3 from one tip of the island to the other end (Yes, Singapore is that short).