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We turbojet to Macau

Today, we go to Macau, declared Ryan. I said, ok, then promptly forgot to take my passport along (DOH!) and we only found out on the double-decker bus to the ferry terminal. So we did something else and shifted our Macau plans to the next day.

I had forgotten that Macau is another country. Or at least it needed a passport for entry, even though Hong Kong and Macau now belong to China.

Ryan told me to watch my wallet as we boarded the high-speed Turbojet ferries. Macau has quite a reputation for pickpockets and we Singaporeans are so used to our city's safety that we take things for granted overseas. Nothing like a lost wallet or smartphone to ruin your trip.

Breakfast was congee and zha leong. Mmmmm, zha leong. It's yew char kuay wrapped in thin chee cheong fun and tastes soooo good. I love the congee in Hong Kong too, the taste is different from ours in Singapore. Mine had slices of fish and pork bits.

The first thing that hits you when you reach Macau is the giant casinos, like the two Lisboas owned by gambling king Stanley Ho. We took the free shuttle service to the hotels but spent more time wondering the streets of Macau.

The second thing that struck me was how European Macau looked. This is undoubtedly due to the fact that was a Portuguese colony for a long time, until 1999.

There were tourists everywhere, more than I expected. I am told that most of the 500,000 population (about two Ang Mo Kios) work in the casino/tourism industry of Macau.

It seems the locals don't usually gamble in the casinos, unlike in Singapore, where we need a levy to keep our own people out. I guess it is not easy to gamble openly when you live in such a small community and your cousin's friend's sister can tell your mother he saw you blowing your salary at the baccarat tables yesterday.

The main tourist attraction, besides the casinos, seems to be the Ruins of St. Paul's (Portuguese: Ruínas de São Paulo). The ruins of this 16th century Portuguese cathedral are all that remain after the ravages of fire. The southern stone façade is the one most people take photos in front of.

I enjoyed walking the cobbled streets of Macau, away from the more touristy shops, to see the old stores like an old Chinese laundry and a cheongsam maker.

It is like peering into the past, and we don't see this kind of history in our own fast-modernizing Singapore much anymore.

Maybe we should slow down a little. And enjoy our heritage more.

Oh, I almost forgot the food porn. Here is what we had for tea, 義順紅豆雙皮奶 or Red Bean with milk pudding at a place called Yishun.

The quieter side of Hong Kong

Ryan and I decided to venture a little further out today with our Galaxy Camera, away from the hustle and bustle. We headed to the ferry terminal and went to Lamma Island (南丫島), the Pulau Ubin of Hong Kong. Ok, maybe somewhere between Pulau Ubin and Sentosa.

It is a laid back kind of place, an island shaped like a Y (hence the the Chinese character 丫 in its name) or a tree branch, filled with hills and nature. It also has a beach, which I am told is very popular during summer.

We got off the ferry at Yung Shue Wan (Banyan Bay) and started to walk along the main street and then the hike began. Nothing too strenuous, just occasional hills. We stuck to the paths and it was very easy to do, especially in 20°C weather.

Halfway in our walk, we decided that we would head for Sok Kwu Wan, and depart from the ferry point there.

The main form of transport on the island seems to be bicycles. We saw very few cars and the occasional motorised mini-trailer used to haul goods and construction material. The lack of cars did make the island very pleasant to wander through. It was a stark contrast to the busyness of Hong Kong and Kowloon.

We finally reached Sok Kwu Wan, and along the way, saw some "Kamikaze grottos" that were supposedly used by the Japanese to store boats that were meant to the used on suicide attacks on Allied ships passing by the island. But the story goes that the war ended just as this plan was hatched so the grottos never saw Kamikaze action.

We had a late lunch in one of the eateries at Sok Kwu Wan after our day of walking. It was a smaller snack house, and we had wanton mee pok with ham and eggs on the side. We avoided the big seafood restaurants because we were wary of their Newton Hawker Centre vibe.

We found out there was a ferry service operating from Sok Kwu Wan that goes to Aberdeen so we decided to try that instead.

It wasn't anything fancy, this ferry service, mind you. Just an old but sturdy vessel. But even as we got aboard, we noticed the ubiquitous Octopus card reader. Octopus is the Hong Kong equivalent of our ez-link card, but way better. It is accepted in more establishments than ours, and it is found on all kinds of public transport, like MTR, buses, minibuses and ferries, including, it seems, old ones like this.

Why can't we integrate our public transport cashless systems better instead of all the competing technologies like ez-link and NETS Flashpay? Why can't we learn from the Hong Kong Octopus or Japanese Pasmo cards?

We also have additional cashless payment systems like CashCard, MasterCard PayPass and Visa payWave (seen in more movie theater ads than in real shops in Singapore, it seems to me), which confuses me even more. My POSB ATM card now has logos for PayPass, FlashPay and ez-link. What happened to keeping it simple?

I love ferry rides. Maybe it's the kid in me. The sea breeze caressing my face, the sight of seagulls flying and hanging out together, the seasickness when the waters are choppy… ok, maybe not that last part. But our ride was smooth this time anyway.

When we reached Aberdeen, we saw the jumbo floating restaurant there but headed instead for our next destination, Happy Valley Racecourse, for dinner. Here is a last bit of food porn, our dinner of fish balls with noodles made of fish meat, with a side of wantons, in hot and spicy soup.

Our evening was spent at Happy Valley Racecourse, their turf club. It is a classy place, at least to me, and had both the hardcore punters and the ang moh socializers.

We stayed for a few races, soaking in the atmosphere. It didn't feel dodgy at all, and felt very festive. Although you have to get used to punters shouting at their horses, and talking to you, a total stranger, about their thoughts and tips. They even had a DJ spinning. I don't think the punters paid the fella any heed.

We stood on the fence by the track, and at one race, was even at the starting point. It was quite fun to be that close to the action.

I have to say that the horses here, besides the funny names, have really muscular legs. Maybe I should exercise more.

Hong Kong, here we come (with our new camera)!

Hours after we got back from cycling in KL, Ryan and I found ourselves back at the airport bound for Hong Kong. My suspicion is that whatever weight we lost riding on Sunday, it will all come back after we tucked into our first dish in Hong Kong.

We are here to explore Hong Kong with the Samsung Galaxy Camera, a camera that has the Android Jelly Bean OS built in. It is not a phone but it has 3G and Wifi. It is not a tablet but it lets you go online and do the things you do online. It is kind of a camera on steroids.

I was skeptical at first. How would it fare as a travel companion? We wasted no time taking it out for a spin (that photo above was our first meal in Hong Kong, Zha Leong with congee, yum!).

All the photos here were taken and edited on the Galaxy Camera and uploaded to Instagram, Twitter and Facebook (and all the social media sites we frequent). Yes, taken with the camera and edited in-camera (it comes with Photo Wizard but we used Snapseed app for simple edits). We also hashtagged our photos with #galaxycamera so you'd know what the photos were made with if you saw it on my Twitter or Instagram feed.

For the rest of the week here in Hong Kong, Ryan and I will be posting more photos of the Galaxy Camera in action, so do keep a lookout on this blog, on my Instagram (@mr_brown) and my Twitter feed (@mrbrown).

We will also be producing some videos to show you how to get the most out of the Galaxy Camera after we return.

We have unlimited mobile Internet for just HK78 ($12.70) for 7 days via a one2free prepaid sim. We bought three sims: one for me, one for Ryan and one for the camera.

This is me buying some curry fishballs-on-a-stick at Kwai Fong MTR station. It is like Lok Lok but sold from a store instead of at the back of a van.

This was taken from a double decker bus. I love making black and white images. We are staying in the suburbs and taking public transport a lot. I am very impressed with the Hong Kong public transport system, although I realized that Hong Kong has many bus ads for celebrity tuition teachers whose sole qualification to teach is good looks. What is up with that?

Sham Shui Po Market was one of our early stops. It is a mecca for all kinds of shopping. I love the feel of the place, and the chaos.

My only complaint about Hong Kong so far is the weather. I came expecting a cool 18-21°C. It's been more like 24°C and above lor. So much for my jackets.

Here are two more photos of a lunch and a dinner.

That's Portugese chicken chop rice and wanton soup.

This was dinner consisting of a steamed Sek Pan fish (garoupa) and brinjal with minced pork in a claypot (not seen in the photo). The fish was only S$11.

I am entertaining myself reading about the Punggol East by-election too, and since it is the week of the hustings, my Facebook feed has become like a James Joyce stream of consciousness novel about things like the Tuesday WP rally.

Still, nothing will distract us from our mission to eat and shop in Hong Kong, and sharing our photos with you. Stay with us this week!

Chionging our way through KL at OCBC Cycle Malaysia 2013

Ryan and I were in KL over the weekend to ride at OCBC Cycle Malaysia, the second year this event has been held in Malaysia.

We brought along two foldies, a pink Moulton TSR and a white Tyrell fx, with super-comfy Rido saddles, kindly sponsored by onesport for our 48km Challenge ride. We also shot some video with our sponsored Looxcie HD cameras. I will share that in a later post.

We were joined by bloggers like @Sivasothi a.k.a. Otterman who blogs at Cycling in Singapore, Kevin a.k.a. @BrainOpera and other media friends like Shawn and Adrian.

We spent Saturday watching the races like the Men’s Open and Masters’ Criteriums, where the pros showed us how fast they can ride.

In the photo below is the lead dancer of a group that did a dance number just before the Men's Open Criterium.

Ryan muttered to me just before the pre-race dance began, "They'd better not be doing Gangnam Style…" and just as he finished that sentence, the overplayed music of Psy kicked in. It was like a pre-Criterium war dance of joy.

As for this next photo, I have no idea how it got into my camera. I think her role was to pass the prizes and the starting airhorn to the VIPs.

On Sunday morning, we woke up at 4am and met at 5.45am at our hotel lobby for the short ride to the starting point at KLCC.

Yes, FOUR. A. M.

That is the time I usually go to SLEEP but I was a good boy and slept early on Saturday night.

Kevin was there with his Pugsley and its giant tires (it drew a LOT of attention). That's Shawn Chung behind Kevin, who rides like the wind (he overtook us on his third lap while Ryan and I were at our second of four laps around KLCC).

Siva was there with more lights on his bike than a Christmas tree. He is a kindred spirit because I love lights too. Siva took a photo of me adjusting my timing chip on my Moulton.

When all of us were assembled, we rode to join the riders at KLCC and found ourselves in front of the second wave. I have no idea how we ended up there but Kevin has a photo of us poised to go.

I looked like i was high on cough mixture in that photo.

[Photo courtesy of Julian]

Ryan and I fell behind, to the back of the pack very quickly but we knew our own pace. We were to do four laps around Suria KLCC, a total of 48km.

Once we started riding, we realized how many slopes there were in the route. Good grief, some of these inclines went on forever. But once you reached the top, bombing downhill was fast and fun. We also got to see the potholed streets of KL, and it took some maneuvering to avoid them.

Kevin has a photo of the road marshal who bravely stood for an hour warning cyclists to slow down before a dangerous sinkhole.

There were some riders who overestimated themselves and pengsan-ed by the second lap. There were a few who buanged but no one was seriously hurt, I think. Some rode too fast over humps or huge cracks on the road, and blew their skinny racing tires out, requiring a tube change by the road.

What was amazing was that the organizers managed to close so many roads in the heart of KL for those few hours on Sunday morning. Although that did not stop one or two stubborn Malaysian cars and motorbikes from trying to break into the closed roads filled with us cyclists. They got a lot of "Oi!" and shouts of "Idiot!" from all of us.

While others were trying to beat their personal times, Ryan and I had but one goal: to finish our 48km Challenge in time for breakfast back at the hotel. You can tell we have our priorities straight. And in case you are wondering, we did make it in time for the buffet. It was a fun weekend indeed.

When in China…

Since I came back from China, I've taken to calling my wife 爱人, coffeeshop aunties 服务员, taxi uncles 师傅, and random women 美女.

I've also learned to say 问题不大 and 没事.

I also notice that in China, they say 堵 for traffic jam, instead of 塞车.

Random dudes are called 帅哥, domestic helpers are 阿姨, cops are 公安, make a left is 左拐, and make a right is 右拐.

I also watched Prince of Persia on CCTV in my China hotel, entirely in Chinese.

It was odd watching Jake Gyllenhaal speaking Chinese. But the dubbing and voice acting was so good that I didnt think anything of it after a while. I am told Chinese tv is heavily dubbed, which is why they have such competent voice actors.

English speakers are still quite scarce, even hotel staff struggle when I ask for help in English.

On an MRT in Nanjing, my mom did meet a nice young man who spoke English well. She asked him, out of curiosity, "Are you allowed to eat and drink on your trains?"

He replied politely, "Yes, you are allowed to. This is not Singapore."

That is not the first time I've heard a Chinese national reference our nation's strictness. In their minds, we have less freedoms in Singapore than they do in China. They may be right in some ways.

Nanjing is hosting the Youth Olympic Games in 2014, and the Asian Youth Games in 2013. Our taxi driver told us that in addition to the 2 MRT lines already running, the city plans to finish another 4 lines by 2014. I read that they plan to have 17 lines by 2030. That's really fast development.

The MRT in Nanjing is pretty smooth. My only gripe is the lack of lifts for the elderly and disabled. Every station you go, be it MRT station, commuter train station or bullet train station, stairs are the most common mode of going up and down. Escalators seem to show up randomly. My mom, at age 70, had a real workout.

I had to help a grandmother and her daughter with a broken leg to carry her wheelchair down 2 long flights of stairs because the Nanjing MRT station didn't have a lift (or one that was obvious). The grandma was grateful but she followed me all the way down just to be sure I didn't run off with her granddaughter's wheelchair. I guess that sense of caution is not uncommon here.

Still, we found that the subway was the easiest to get around large cities like Shanghai and Nanjing even if the cabs were affordable. The jams are horrible and whenever possible, we took the trains. And if the train station was too far from your destination, there was always the motorcycle guys and motorcycle pedicabs waiting at the station entrance waiting to whisk you that last mile for a small fee.

Mom and I took a motorcycle pedicab from the MRT station to the Confucius Temple in Nanjing for RMB5 ($1). It was mad fun to feel the wind in our hair and we tried not to think too much about the possibility of slamming into a bus on those streets. We liked it so much, we took it again back to the station.

Guess we didn't know the Chinese word for "Don't know what is called dangerous".

Canada 2012: Vancouver

We drove our rental Toyota Prius (once again, thanks Hertz!) all the way back from Banff to Vancouver, stopping for a night at Kamloops in between. It was there that we met a young Singaporean, Kai Xiang, who was studying for his degree in, wait for it… adventure tourism. Even in a small town like, Kamloops, Canada, you can find a Singaporean there. We had a nice dinner and he even brought the wife and I a bottle of barley he made himself. Such a nice fellow.

We stayed at a friend's home in Maple Ridge, about an hour from Vancouver, and drove to the city. I had planned other sightseeing trips but realized we had to give the wife some time to shop at the outlets. So this was a short but fun visit to the city of Vancouver.

Our first stop was Gastown, named after a "Gassy" Jack, owner of the area's first saloon. The historic area has many quaint shops (we loved the antique shops most) and also some touristy-looking tower you have to pay to go up to see the city from up high.

There is also some steamy clock at Gastown. See one time and no need to see again.

Our next stop was one of our favourite stops in Vancouver, the lovely Stanley Park. 8km of park to walk, bike or drive. We only had time to drive through its scenic route and stop for some photos of the views.

People take their cycling very seriously here. A lady rider (not the lady in the photo) shouted "Get off the bike path!" at a Korean family who were absentmindedly standing on the bike path, admiring the lighthouse.

There were ducks, boats and the occasional seaplane flying across the sky. We were blessed with good weather (the sun seems to follow us wherever we go). Our friends told us it had been raining for days until we arrived. "Quick, the weather very good," they said, "Go and see Vancouver today!"

We drove to Granville Island next. It sounds like some faraway place but it is really just a small islet with a famous public market.

We had a late lunch of fish and chips here. It was a little expensive but I suppose touristy places usually are.

We tried to drive to Lynn Canyon Park to see it but the skies got dark really fast (autumn/winter lah). At 4.30pm, we drove into the area only to see signs saying that the gates will close at 5pm. So we had to hightail out of there before the park ranger locked us in. It looks like a great place to hike and camp. Many mountain bikers were riding in on their bicycles as we left. So nice to have nature near by a bustling city like Vancouver.

As we drove home to Maple Ridge via East Hastings Street, we saw one of the poorest neighbourhoods in Vancouver. It is known to be populated by junkies, pandhandlers, and prostitutes, and not a good place to hang out after dark. Later, when we got home, our friends told us about the infamous serial killer and former pig farmer, Robert Pickton, linked to that place. I guess all cities have their dark side too.

While staying at Maple Ridge, British Columbia, we crossed the border to the US a few times to go shopping. It was relatively painless. Except for having to explain to US and Canadian border immigration officers that, yes, I flew in via JFK and my wife via Seattle, yes, we will fly out of Seattle, but we are currently staying in Canada, and yes, we are driving over the Seattle to shop then coming back to Canada, in our Arizona-plate rental car. Hahaha!

Seattle is the JB of Canadians living in British Columbia, it seems. Because the Canadian dollar is stronger than the US dollar currently, and the cost of living is higher in Canada (except for maybe, maple syrup), British Columbians frequently drive over to the US, mainly to Washington cities like Bellingham (especially the Bellingham Costco), and Burlington to do their grocery shopping, and Seattle to do outlet shopping.

Like us, Canadians flock to the US to buy petrol, because it is cheaper than in Canada, except they don't have a 3/4 tank rule.

In fact, US residents in these Washington towns got very annoyed because wealthy Canadians were flocking to their US towns to buy up all the milk, because it is cheaper there.

Speaking of shopping, my wife is now a fan of Costco, Ross and Marshall's. I think she was a little sad she didn't have more time to bargain-hunt in these giant stores.

Canada 2012: Banff

We took about seven hours to drive to Banff from Kelowna. It was a very scenic drive and we took our time to stop too. Banff is in the Rockies and I always have problems pronouncing its name.

The hotel receptionist cheerfully told us that we came to Banff at a good time because it was warm that day: PLUS five degrees Celsius. "That's nice. So warm," I said, realizing that this is considered warm by Banff standards, where temperatures commonly go way below zero.

I notice that Canadians say Eh a lot. Singaporeans say Eh at the beginning of our sentences. Canadians say Eh at the end of theirs. Would a Singaporean in Canada say "Eh, this Rockies very nice, eh?"

It also took me a long time to realize what a Loonie is. I thought retail staff were calling me one. But it turns out that a Loonie is a Canadian dollar coin (because of the bird on the coin) and the two dollar coin is called a Toonie (or Twonie).

We brought our winter clothes in preparation for this leg. By the time we were dressed, we looked like Bak Chang.

Our first destination was the Banff Gondolas, that took us to the summit of Sulphur Mountain. I will let the photos speak for the views.

We also drove to Lake Louise and boy, that's a sight to behold. When sunlight hits those waters, the emerald colours are stunning. The shifting of Victoria Glacier causes rock particles in the waters to reflect the lovely blue and blue-green colours.

Needless to say, EVERYONE took photos here. It was like an auto-postcard. I bet many people drive here to do wedding photos, though I am not sure if the bride in her gown will be able to tahan the cold in winter.

At the edge of Lake Louise is the hotel with probably the best views in Canada, The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. The wife and I looked longingly at the hotel. It looks expensive. Maybe we will stay here next time.

We spent longer than we expected at Lake Louise. The wife and I walked for quite a while on the snow-covered boardwalk (thank you, my hiking boots), just soaking in the breath-taking views. I am so glad we drove this far to see this.

USA 2012: Thou shalt fulfill thy wife's shopping needs

Me: "Don't worry, I have set aside a day for your Factory Outlet Shopping. One day should be enough, right?"

Wife: *eyes narrow*

Me: "Two days?"

Wife: "…"

Me: "Let's keep it open-ended, ya? *nervous laughter*

Later at the Seattle Factory Outlets…

Me: "So you see your stores and I see mine, ok?"

Wife: *eyes narrow*

Me: "Or I can also come along to give my opinion." *nervous laughter*

Canada 2012: Kelowna

The wife and I departed Seattle for Canada in our Toyota Prius rental car (kindly sponsored by Hertz) and hit the i-5N, driving north. Our drive took us to town Sumas, at the border of the USA and Canada. It felt like Sumas (and probably many US towns at the US/Canadian border) was the JB of Canada, a place where people pop over from Canada to buy cheaper petrol and duty-free liquor (but without the 3/4 tank rule).

Crossing the border with our US rental car was painless. It was even easier than crossing the Causeway in Singapore. The Canadian immigration officer just checked our passports and off we went.

When we reached the Trans Canada Highway, we knew we were truly in Canada when we saw sights like these.

Frankly, we didn't have a plan or itinerary. We did not know where exactly were were heading first or where we were going to stop. That's the beauty of self-drive, and I have enjoyed this freedom of going-with-the-flow.

We stopped at rest stops like this A&W at Revelstoke when we felt like it. Also partly because we got hungry and my butt hurt from driving for so many hours (Pro-tip: Rest often when doing long distance driving. It is better for your alertness and your butt.)

We decided to stop for the night at Kelowna. We spent two days here, enjoying the views of the Okanagan Lake in the Okanagan Valley. We spent a lovely afternoon at Summerhill Pyramid Winery, where we had lunch with a view, took a tour of their winery, and did some awesome wine tasting.

Their wines are stored in a pyramid-shaped cellar, which is believed to make the wines taste better.

This is Ruth, our host at the winery. She was a most knowledgeable guide, about wines and about the geography of the Kelowna area.

According to Ruth, the Okanagan Lake was created when two tectonic plates collided long ago and then glaciers melted. The collision was so big that parts of the lake are as deep as 1km! The fertile sediment of the banks of the lake, together with the climate, made this place ideal for growing grapes.

We hit the road for Banff after our stay in Kelowna, but always ready to pull over whenever we saw sights that we liked.

I think I could get used to the massive sense of space in Canada. And also the awesome views.

Travel, Auntie Style

Travel confession: We take the coffee & tea packets from the hotel room when we leave to drink at the next location. Very auntie, I know.

In fact, today's breakfast menu is: a loaf of bread from the grocery store, mini packets of butter & jam from the previous hotel's breakfast, coffee from coffee maker in the room (supplemented with coffee packets from the last hotel), and leftover pizza from last night's dinner.

Besides the saving money part, it is actually fun. It feels like a little picnic in the room.

This comes from the training I received from my mom and dad when we traveled as a family. We were blessed to get annual free travel because my late father worked in an airline, but because we were not a rich family, and because the US dollar then was THREE Singapore dollars, we had to be frugal in our ways. Children of airline parents will understand this.

So mom packed coffee powder, instant noodles, and even her own belacan. In fact, mom even used to pack a gas camping stove (which was later upgraded to a safer Sanyo travel electric hot plate) to whip up entire four-course meals with rice in the hotels and motels we stayed in, for our family of five, with groceries from that country's supermarkets (and oyster sauce from home).

And their kids (we three sons) were not allowed to ask for popcorn in Disneyland, Anaheim, USA, because it cost a small fortune in Singapore dollars. In fact, lunch for us in Disneyland back in the Eighties was the Tupperware-packed fried rice she cooked in the hotel kitchenette.

The wife and I aren't as hardcore but we still have our frugal ways.

Like taking the extra plastic fork and knife from our dinner outside to be used for our next in-room meal.

You do become your mother and father as you get older. Only in their time, they didn't need to find a way to share wifi Internet too.

Wifi-ception

Staying in a Wifi-only hotel room? Wifi Internet in room only works with one device? Easy.

MacBook Air shares the room's wifi internet with Airport Express connected to the MBA via Ethernet.

Voila! Wifi shared over Wifi!

I shall have Internet for ALL my devices! You cannot stop me! 

Muahahaha!

PC can do wifi sharing over wifi with an application called Connectify, I am told.

In other news, I have a CRT tv in my hotel room (how quaint!) but just like the Rockies, it is all snow. I guess the tv reception in Canadian mountains is not so good.

Speaking of Internet, I wish to apologize to Americans for saying that the prepaid mobile data plans offered by American telcos are overpriced.

Canadian telcos are way worse.

They even charge CAD15 to merely set up and activate your prepaid simcard.

USA 2012: Bringing the sun to Seattle

This is Idylwood Park. Located on the shores of picturesque Lake Sammamish, the wife and I stumbled upon this park after driving from Microsoft to meet some Singapore friends there.

It was an unusually sunny day in Seattle, more used to rain and overcast skies. The wife flew in to join me in Seattle and I guess she brought some of our Singapore sun here too.

We spent a pleasant time just enjoying the view and the scenery.

Did I say we visited Microsoft? Yes, some friends met us there and we toured the place which was buzzing with Windows 8, Surface and Halo 4 activity. Yes, I played some Halo 4. I may need to dust off the Xbox 360 when I get home.

Of course, I could not resist opening my blog on the browser. Hey, I do it to Apple Stores, so why not the Microsoft Visitor Center, right?

We drove our Hertz rental car (a Toyota Prius, 2012 model!) to the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks. The Ballard Locks was built in 1911 provides a link for boats between the Puget Sound (sea water) and Lake Washington (fresh water).

Stay tuned for more driving adventures as we drive out to Canada from Seattle. The Canadian city of Kelowna, BC next!

USA 2012: Riding Chicago

Chicago is such a marked contrast from Ann Arbor. This is the Big City personified, with high rise buildings everywhere, and old buildings standing next to the swanky new ones.

When I got here, the temperature was 24°C, a little unusual for this time of year. I even complained that I didn't get to wear my warm clothing. Me and my big mouth because the next evening, it plunged to 7°C with rain and winds. And it's the wind that gets you, cutting into you like a blade. I understood finally why they call Chicago the Windy City.

I love the old buildings here, like The Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago.

I also made my pilgrimage to the Vivian Maier exhibition at the Chicago History Museum. She is one of my favourite street photographers, and she captured people and the cityscape in her photographs, most of it in Chicago.

And of course, I found a little time to cycle my Bike Friday Tikit in Chicago. One fine afternoon, after lunch, I rode along the 18-mile-long Lakefront Trail that hugs the coast of Lake Michigan.

From my hotel, a short ride on the street took me to this funky tunnel to the trail.

Then it was just 18 miles (or 29km) of sweet bike path with a most gorgeous view.

At the south end of the Lakefront Trail is Navy Pier, a major tourist attraction.

At the north end of the trail, there are other parks, small harbors and scattered sculptures.

I cycled with my jacket, gloves and wooly hat, and found it warm enough for riding in 10°C temperatures. You generate heat once you ride a little harder.

By the time I headed back to the hotel, I could see the blinking lights of other riders, making their way home by bike as the sun set. I wish I had more than two days here to explore more of the Windy City. I shan't wish for cold winds next time though.

USA 2012: Riding around Ann Arbor, Michigan

I had great time speaking to the Singaporeans in Ann Arbor, Michigan. There were many students and some working adults.

I also met some married couples with babies. They got do national duty leh!

I think we brought the warm weather to Ann Arbor. It's supposed to be 6-9°C in the day here but it has been 24°C for the last two days. I just needed to wear just my t-shirt (and pants lah) to cycle my Bike Friday Tikit (thanks My Bike Shop!)

Zingerman's was one of the first stops we made. They make the awesomest sandwiches. I had the corned beef Reuben. Yum.

Ann Arbor is lovely in the fall. The colours are everywhere and the university town has a laid back character that I totally enjoyed.

I spent most of my time riding around the Huron River. It has a lovely bikeway and you can even canoe on the river. I rode as far north as Barton Pond, and also rode past Argos Cascade, Bandemer Park, and the Cedar Bend Nature Area in the south.

It was a lovely ride and I am glad I brought the bicycle along.

In other news, I am ensuring that I am properly moisturized while I am here in the US. But trust my wife to give me a body lotion that has "jojoba and shea butter" for my trip. I smell womanly now. And yummy too.

Hello Ann Arbor, Michigan!

I am finally here in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It took more than 30 hours to fly here from Singapore: Singapore to Frankfurt, then to JFK in NYC, then after a four-and-a-half hour layover in JFK, a Delta flight to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW).

I lost track of how many movies I watched already. I tried not to watch stuff I had already watched (which is really difficult, since I kinda review movies and catch premieres all the time). I recall catching Safe (Jason Statham rules), Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (so-so) and Disney's Tangled (very good) on my flights.

My first meal in the US for this trip was McDonald's at JFK airport. I know, it is tragic. I miss my Bak Chor Mee already.

I didn't have time to whip out the camera so here are some photos from my iPhone 4S. Below is the view of from my SQ A380 flight and one above is of the Detroit Airport.

The DTW airport is surprisingly pretty. Lots of shops and a tram system INSIDE the terminal. It looks like a scene from the movie Total Recall. One of the best looking airports I have seen in the US (sorry, LAX and JFK, you guys need to upgrade).

By the time I reached my hotel in Ann Arbor, it was time for dinner. I had a very nice sea bass at the hotel restaurant.

I spent the night sleeping on the opposite side of the hotel bed because the wifi signal was too weak at the head of the bed. Such is the life of an internet junkie.

I fell asleep watching the US Elections news blasting away on the telly, with news folks analyzing every word and gesture made by Romney and Obama on their third debate ("You see that pat he made on the back? It means he is in charge…").

There were also countless commercials whacking the other candidate and his policies ("I am so-and-so and I approve this message.").

It seems like yesterday I was here in the US to see Obama run against McCain in 2008. Back then, when I was in Congress watching Obama speak about the need to get the bailout voted through, his hair was black. It is now white after four years in office.

While I was up in the air, Tim Cook announced the new iPad mini and a tweaked new iPad (iPad 4?). I hope you guys didn't buy an iPad 3 a.k.a. New iPad yesterday. Never buy stuff just before an Apple announcement (says he who bought an Airport Express just before the new one was announced).

It is now 6am here and it should be 6pm in Singapore. Why am I up so early? Yep, say hello to my friend, Jet Lag. My body clock will take a while to adjust.

I also took the Bike Friday Tikit folding bicycle out of my luggage and set it up last night. I hope there will be time to do a little riding around Ann Arbor.

Shanghai 2012: Home of the Bund

This is the view from the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, or 东方明珠塔. It is 468m high and was the tallest structure in China until 2007, when it was beaten by the Shanghai World Financial Center. You could say it was beaten by one of its own.

The queue was long and somewhat frustrating. It costs RMB180 ($36) to get to the very top (RMB108 for senior citizens) and the very top is a tiny lift that can take 10 people at a time. So be prepared to queue and queue during busy periods.

But once you get up there, the view is pretty awesome. You can see the Bund and all the tall buildings in Shanghai. On a clear day (which is rare in Shanghai), you probably see beyond the city.

At the lower observation deck, the floor is made of glass and this is where we had the most fun. If you have a fear of heights, the view from here can turn your legs into jelly.

I missed the Bund the last time I was in Shanghai (I know, how could I, right?). So this time, I made it a point to get there. By night, the Bund is really beautiful.

An old traffic cop at this junction in front of The Swatch Art Peace Hotel took a liking to me and spent fifteen minutes telling me stories about the street of buildings. Like how the British owner of The Fairmont Peace Hotel (left one, below) went to court to prevent the Bank of China building (right one, below) from being built taller than the Peace Hotel and won.

So the Chinese stuck a taller flag pole on their building. I am not sure if the stories the uncle told me were true but it was fun to listen to anyway.

This is the skyline of Shanghai from the Bund. Neat eh?

Yuyuan Garden (豫园) was less interesting and not really worth the entrance fee.

I did like the surrounding areas though. Like the small parks where old folks hung out and danced or had tea.

Also in the area is The City God Temple or Chenghuang Miao (上海城隍庙), one of the most significant Taoist temples in Shanghai. It was built during early 1400s, during the Ming Dynasty.

You'd think by now we'd tire of temple hopping but we were keen to visit The Jade Buddha Temple (玉佛禅寺).

Mom and I eavesdropped on a particularly good Hong Kong tour guide who explained things very clearly and wittily, and we learned quite a lot from listening to him.

Nanjing 2012: A city that doesn't forget

The drive to Nanjing from Yangzhou took about two hours. Mom and I planned to make Nanjing our base (also our flight departed from here).

Our first stop was 中山陵 or the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum. The Chinese call Dr Sun 国父 or Father of Modern China. Located at Purple Mountain (紫金山), it is quite grand tribute to the man who overthrew the Qing Dynasty in 1911 and ended the feudal system.

The place was crowded with tourists because it was still Golden Week in China, the week where almost everyone is on 10-days of leave due to the National Day holiday and the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Our driver couldn't drive up to the entrance of the mausoleum at first, and when we were almost resigned to making a long walk up the hill, a tout offered to take us up via his own secret shortcut… for RMB100 ($20). We paid up and he guided us to the first step of the 392 steps that led to memorial chamber.

Mom could not resist taking a photo with the student groups visiting the place.

And when you get to the top, you turn around and you will see the most awesome view of Nanjing. Definitely worth the trip there.

Our next stop was Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum (明孝陵), where the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty is buried. It is a really peaceful and pretty place for a stroll.

The Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall (南京大屠杀遇难同胞纪念馆) is a place I had mixed feelings about visiting. While it is a must-visit place to know more about the atrocities which happened in 1937 when the Japanese invaded Nanjing, you will also leave the memorial hall with a heavy heart.

According to the memorial, 300,000 lives were lost in this tragic chapter of history. Mom and I spent more than two hours here, more than we expected. It was worth every minute.

We also visited Xuanwu Lake (玄武湖), a delightful lake and park. It is one of the most relaxing places we visited during this trip. We chose not to walk or take a tram, but jumped into one of the little rental electric boats (RMB60 or $12 for an hour, with a RMB100 refundable deposit).

There was no operating instructions, no life vests, nothing. So Mom and I just got on our boat and I turned on the little engine and steered my way around the huge lake. We didn't see the black dragon that the lake was named for.

The lake is a popular spot for bridal photos. And we drove our little boat up close to gawk. My Mom and I had a hoot laughing at my poor boating skills.

One of the last places we visited in Nanjing was the Nanjing Confucius Temple (南京夫子庙). Because we didn't want to take a cab and be stuck in traffic, Mom and I took the MRT to the nearest station there and hopped on a motorcycle-powered pedicab.

The Temple area is actually a big shopping area, complete with instant photo pushcarts. Cameramen offer to take your photo with the super tacky dragon wall (that lights up at night) as the backdrop, and print the digital file with their inkjet printers, for a fee, of course.

I am not sure if the great scholar and thinker Confucius would approve of the touristy commercialism of the place.

Mom and I decided to finish the evening with some desserts from the pushcarts at 夫子庙, but all I could smell was the Smelly Tofu stall.

Taipei 2012: mrbrown cycles Taipei (video)

My buddy/cameraman, Ryan, and I went to Taipei in September (read the blog posts here, here and here), and we rode the bikeways there with our folding bicycles (Bike Friday Tikit and Tern Link P9 kindly sponsored by My Bike Shop).

Let us take you on a little tour!

Youtube link: http://mrbrwn.co/Wp21nD

Yangzhou 2012: Where the fried rice is for real

My mother and I spent a few days in Yangzhou, to attend my brother's wedding there. It is an awesome city. Don't let the second-tier status fool you, it is exceptionally clean and orderly. It has a charm all of its own, without the roughness of larger cities like Shanghai.

This 1350-year-old temple has a structure made of interlocking wood instead of nails. And the mural of the 18 courts of hell makes Haw Par Villa look like a theme park.

By reader request, here is a photo of Yangzhou fried rice. The giant meatball is a personal favourite of mine, called 狮子头 or Lion's Head.

Dong Guan Jie (东关街) in Yangzhou is a charming "ancient street" with many quaint little stalls. By day or by night, the walk is fun and never feels touristy.

Slender West Lake (瘦西湖) is another popular Yangzhou attraction. We took a ferry ride through the lake with a guide. Be warned, your entry fee doesn't cover the extras. They will upsize you at every turn, making you pay for one thing after another. That's the only annoying thing.

Then we hit the road and headed for Nanjing. The suspension bridge that took us past the Yangtze River was an impressive sight to behold, as was the river itself.

I think these geese also enjoyed their ride.

Shanghai 2012: The drink of ancient emperors

Nothing says "Thousands of years of Chinese history" at Shanghai's Old City area of 豫园 like a Starbucks.