Bangkok ‘11

Well for many Malaysians visiting to Bangkok is an annual thing. However for me it was a luxury. The reason is because since so many people have been there it is rather hard to find a travel companion. Finally I made my first trip to Bangkok last year. It was a short trip from December 21 to 25 with ten friends. The flight ticket cost me a bomb because it was around Christmas.

Bangkok looks very different from what I had in mind. The highway looks a lot like Malaysia’s, or perhaps the other way round. There are many modern and tall buildings in the city center. The Christmas decorations are very beautiful.

Traffic jams in Bangkok is much terrible than KL, vehicles on the road are hardly move an inch. Traffic jams can also happen at night around 9pm, in some alleys! There are many types of transportation and people there drive like crazy! I am glad to say that we had tried many types of transportation. The worst feeling I got was when taking a truck-like vehicle. I felt like I had been kidnapped and the drivers were sending us off to a land far far away.

Tuk tuk

Tips 1: When you are taking a taxi always ask the driver if they are going using meter. This is because during peak hours some metered taxi may choose to go on non meter.

Tips 2: Do not take trips or travel package from tuk tuk or taxi. It’s not value for money and at times may bring you to some shops or factories. Either take a proper day tour package from agencies or go by public transport and explore on your own.

Don’t judge the food by its appearance when you are in Thailand. Some food may looks non spicy but they are actually very spicy. I was suffering a lot during the trip due to my sensitive tummy. Some of the items on my black list include:

- Coffee – Super bad

- Milk Tea – Super sweet

Recommended restaurants:

- Somtam @ Siam Square Soi 5

- Ruen Mallika Royal Thai Cuisine – High end restaurant serving very delicious food.

- Mango Tango – Serving a varieties of mango dessert @ Siam Square Soi 5

Many commented that KFC in Thailand is very nice but I didn’t get a chance to try it.

Recommended places:

- Grand Palace – Truly royalty. The buildings are like masterpieces!

- Wat Arun (Temple of the Dawn)

- Tiger Temple – 2 hours from Bangkok city. It’s more like a reserve forest than temple. Get to see real tigers!

- Platinum Mall – Thailand’s largest fashion mall. Wholesaler for clothes and accessories. Ladies’ heaven. (Tips 3: Can only get discounts here if buying more than one)

- Chatuchak Weekend Market (also known as JJ Market) – Weekend wholesaler covering a huge geography. Can get all sorts of things from clothes, wedding gifts to handicrafts at a cheap price. Quite stuffy and uncomfortable when the weather is hot. (Tips 4: Can easily get lost and hard to return back to the same area. If there is anything you want to buy better buy it fast.)

Tips 5: Only shops with the sign “VAT Refund” will be entitled for VAT Refund at the airport.

Grand Palace

Tiger Temple

Recommended massage center:

Let’s Relax

Overall it was a great outing with friends. Check my FB for more pics.

Germany Part II – Walldorf & Heidelberg

There was a series of meetings from November 29 to December 2. I stayed in Heidelberg but attended meetings in Walldorf. Before the trip I was wondering why I am staying in Heidelberg, which is 20 minutes away from Walldorf. Now I understood the reason behind the arrangements - Walldorf is the home of a multinational software company SAP and there is hardly anything else around there. A lot of SAP employees stay in Heidelberg or other cities near Walldorf.

SAP campus @ Walldorf, Germany

Heidelberg is known as the “twin city” of Cambridge in UK. It is located beside the Neckar River and surrounded by mountains. It is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, home to the oldest university in Germany and famous for its castle. The buildings in Heidelberg Old Town are very interesting as each of them has a unique design. Due to the limited land, property in Heidelberg is one of the most expensive in Germany. The unemployment rate is 0%.

The Neckar River on a gloomy day

The trip was also a good meeting with my team members and other people whom I closely work with - a fellowship of food, beers and wine. I also met my mentor, Axel and his family on a Sunday.

There are many nice restaurants in Heidelberg Old Town (Altstadt) with beautiful interiors and home-made beer. You will be surprised that a lot of restaurants require booking in advance! To avoid disappointments, better do some proper planning upfront.

Recommended attractions in Heidelberg around November/December are the Heidelberg Castle, Philosopher’s Path (Philosophenweg), the Old Bridge and Christmas Markets.

The Old Bridge

The famous monkey at the Old Bridge

Christmas Markets are only available around November and December in Germany. It is a German tradition. The ones in Heidelberg Old Town is the best I came across due to a number of reasons – each stall is well decorated, it is surrounded by historical buildings and it is not too crowded. After a meal or shopping you can take a stroll around Old Town or along the Neckar River.

With colleagues at Heidelberg's Christmas Market

For the Heidelberg Castle, you can either take a 10 mins walk from Corn Market (Kornmarkt) or take the funicular train. Note: The entrance fee of Heidelberg Castle also includes entrance to the Pharmacy Museum. From the Heidelberg Castle you can have a very nice view of the Old Town, the Church, the Christmas Market and the Old Bridge. There is a Christmas Market at the Heidelberg’s Castle Garden on December 1-4, the perfect place to enjoy a splendid night view of Heidelberg Old Town and Castle from the Castle Garden with a cup of mulled/ hot wine!

The famous Heidelberg Castle

Inside Heidelberg Castle

Snapshots of the Pharmacy Museum

Night view of Heidelberg from Heidelberg Castle's garden.

If you want to have a nice view of Heidelberg Old Town, the Old Bridge and Heidelberg Castle across the Neckar River, then Philosopher’s Path (Philosophenweg) is the place. Walk across the Old Bridge from the Old Town and you will see a traffic light with some huge bungalows. Cross the road and you will see a small signboard to the Philosopher’s Path. It’s kind of hidden and it seems to be very quiet most of the time. Nonetheless a good place to get a nice view of Heidelberg.

At the beginning of the Philosopher's Path

View from the Philosopher's Path

Germany Part I - Cologne and surrounding cities

This is my first business trip with HCL AXON and the second business trip in my career. It was winter in Germany. The temperature ranged from approximately 0 to 9 Celcius. The weather was quite pleasant, with sunlight most of the time and occasionally cloudy with some rainfall. So far there were no signs of snow.I took a flight from KL to Frankfurt, transiting in Singapore. The flight was rather uncomfortable as I was squeezed in between and the air ventilation was not good. I had a hard time sleeping because it was rather stuffy.

I arrived in Frankfurt on Saturday at around 6am. There was hardly anyone in the airport and the immigration check was very fast. I did not need to queue or fill in any forms. They just checked my passport and asked a few simple questions, that’s all!

After collecting my luggage, I headed straight to Frankfurt Airport station (the regional train station) which is within walking distance from the airport. I was amazed by the types of train they had in the station. From there I took a train to Cologne, staying in an old friend’s place (Special thanks to Christoph and his wife Lee for hosting me) for the first 2 days.

Cologne is the fourth largest city in Germany and it was built by the Romans. The first day was rather cold because it was windy and I was not feeling well due to the lack of sleep. After taking some pastry and a hot shower at Christoph’s place, we departed to the city again by the city train. We stopped at the Heumarkt station and walked from there. Just beside the station there was a Christmas market and a skating ring. There are many stalls selling various types of food, including sausages, mulled/hot wine, Christmas cookies and cheese. There are also stalls selling Christmas decorations. The place was crowded. Around the same area, there were many more Christmas markets and they were all very crowded.

Note: Mulled/Hot wine is only available in Germany around November/December. It cost around 2.5 Euro each. Drinking mulled/hot wine can keep you warm during the cold season. Highly recommended.
After having a scroll around the Christmas market, we visited an art museum called Walraf-Richartz Museum. This museum has a huge collection of paintings by painters who are least famous. There is a story behind each painting. In the olden days, Germans like to draw portraits of their family members and then hang them at home. There are a lot of paintings of Jesus as well. It is interesting that they actually analyse the strokes, drawing styles, materials and colours etc to determine its authenticity. The photo frames are also very interesting because each drawing comes with its own frame. There are also a lot of studies regarding the preservation of the paintings and how to restore them to its previous glory.Another interesting place is the Catheral. It is a UNESCO heritage built by the Romans. This is a must visit place for those who are visiting Cologne. It is one of the tallest buildings in the city. The exterior design looks rather complex but the interior design is very simple and majestic. The building is very strong, able to survive through the war and earthquake! It is very amazing how people in the olden days design and build such a huge building.

We spent the second day visiting the smaller cities near Cologne. The countryside was more relaxing. We visited a castle in Bruehl called Augustusburg Palace, which is also a UNESCO heritage. This palace was built by the commission of Clemens August, Cologne’s elector and archbishop in 1725. Its completion took around 40 years. The building has a simple structure but the interior design is simply magnificent. Many famous architects contributed to its interior beauty, making it one of the most glorious residences of its time. It is a prime example of German Rococo art. It is interesting that China’s pottery was a “hit” back in those days and commonly found on top of furniture.
We visited two Christmas markets on our little tour. One of them was at the countryside. The combination of old buildings, river, bridge and the surroundings really give me a magical Christmas feel. I finally understood what Christoph meant by “the Christmas markets in Cologne were not romantic”.We had dinner at a very deserted restaurant located in the middle of the woods. The restaurant’s environment was very nice and warm. The pork knuckle was rather hard. Their homemade wheat beer was rather light. The mascot of the restaurant (a fox) made me excited the most.
On November 28 I departed to Heidelberg by train. It was a 2-3 hours train ride. From the window it was rather misty outside, signs of rain coming soon.

P/s: I was fascinated by the cars here. Most of the cars on the road were BMW, Mercedes and Volkswagen. I am not an expert or fan of cars but I just love their designs~

I shall continue the rest of the story in Part II… :)

Coupons

Recently many people are talking about coupons websites such as Groupon and Everyday Coupon.

Below are some FAQs for sharing. Please note that these are just my personal comments as a customer of coupons:

1) What is coupon?

A coupon is like discounted voucher. Normally customers will get approximately 50% off for a product/service. You can buy vouchers at a discounted price and then claim for the product/service (e.g. body massage, spa, GPS).

2) How does coupon works?

• Select the coupon that you want to purchase.
• Pay online via Credit Card or direct debit.
• Once the deal is closed, you will be received a notification. Print out the coupon and then use it.

3) What is the difference between Groupon and Everday Coupon?

The mechanism behind Groupon and Everyday Coupon is the same. They are just like two different companies.

4) What are the "hidden" clauses?

Coupons can only be purchased within a short period of time. Please read the terms and conditions properly. Things to take note before you purchase a coupon:

• Validity period – The coupon can be used at certain dates and time only. E.g. It cannot be used on public holidays.
• Outlets – The coupon can be used at certain outlets only. E.g. It can only be used in Jalan Yap Kwang Seng’s Tony Romas.
• Reservation – Certain coupons contain a minimum days for reservation.
• Number of pax – Certain coupons contain a requirement for min/ max pax.
• Package – If the coupon comes with a combo such as 8 course meal, normally changes are not allowed.
• Additional charges – E.g. Sometimes using the coupon on weekends contain additional charges.

5) Why companies are offering coupons?

Below are some of the reasons:

• Attract new customers
• Improve business
• Promote a new branch or company
• Promote their product/ services

Note: For a lot of restaurants on Groupon/Everyday Coupon, the food is normally so-so or bad.

6) What are cons of using coupon?

• Coupon needs to be purchased in advance and use it at a later time. If you want to use it immediately, sorry coupon is not the one.
• Coupon can only be used at selected dates and time.
• You need to abide to the terms and conditions of the coupon. E.g. Need to make reservations.
• The respond for cheap coupons (e.g. RM1 for 3 hours of karaoke) are normally ridiculously overwhelming. So in the end you may not be able to use it as it will be overbooked.
• Some products/services may not meet your satisfactions.

Tips before buying a coupon:

• Always check the terms and conditions buying any coupon. No point buying a coupon which you are unable to use unless you plan to buy it as a gift.
  
• Check out feedback (e.g. forum, blog, friends) by those who have used the product/service before.
• Info such as number of pax who have bought the deal can be used as a decision making tool.

Hope this helps :)