Go... Korea!

Finally I get to go to Seoul. One of the most popular destinations among the 'young and trendy' *ehem*, what with all that Korean drama influences these days, clothes and makeup, Kim Chis and Bibimbabs. Also a very popular flight to-have among cabin crew because of the easy sectors, beautiful hotel and attractive allowance.

There were 7 Korean crew on the flight and after about 8 hours stuck in a metal tube together the rest of us kinda figured out our itineraries. I was to eat and shop, likewise two other Asian girls. The non-Asians thought it more intriguing to do a tour visiting palaces and stuff (whom later totally regret not coming shopping with us heh).



And so there were the Korean salads and fresh lettuces making up for the fatty pork barbeque, bottles of Shoju to go with the meal, and great cosy ambience rather traditional i.e. totally NIL English words- thanks to our senior Korean crew who allowed us to tag-along, she translated and ordered everything for us.

Next morning we armed ourselves with a sharp eye and and a loose purse in the middle of Myeong-dong, the shopping district to be in the centre of Seoul. Though prices are definitely not as low as in the Namdaemun and Dongdaemun markets, it is a lovely place with plenty of shops and restaurants enough to distract ourselves for a good 5 hours. Languages are not a barrier when it comes to picking and paying. Services were good. I bought adorable makeup stuff in irresistable pink packaging - in a pink shop, Korean beauty products, cute pants, and pair of heels (very very disciplined there!). Would've gone on forever and inflict more damage but decided to take the hotel bus back to catch a quick nap before getting ready for the flight back.

Despite just a short stay, Seoul is surely good for the one who craves excellent food and shopping. Seoul for the soul, geddit?

Photos are here. Warning: 1) lotsa pork 2) will induce hunger.


Bye bye, Korean Won! You came and went oh-so quickly...

One Day in Brazil

The crew flew 14 hours from Dubai to stay in Sao Paulo for no more than 30 hours. A shame, but then we got there for free and then some shopping money. So I don't complain.

The hotel is fantastic, rooms are beautiful. Location-wise, not exactly in town area instead a new business district. Outside I see highways and contemporary architecture. My Brazilian colleagues had earlier warned me not to go out alone at night, a bad turn and one might just end up in a slum. Brazil is like that, they say.

Weather was great the next morning - skies clear from rain, breezy in the sun light. As per concierge recommendation we went to Emporio Moema for breakfast. Moema, a district where we can find the famous Havaianas flip-flop store and other shops amidst upper-class residential buildings. Spent the whole morning idling in the area, in between making tough decisions over slippers and bikinis.




I would love to have visited Liberdade, the district of Japanese community, largest outside of Japan! I want to go to the markets, the majestic museums, run in the park, binge on churasco, sit at a cafe listen to bossa but they all seem quite unachievable within a short span of time.

From the little I see, the capital of Brazil is a beautiful place with beautiful people. Many interesting stuff you can find in the media, great advertising, lovely sounds. I had a fantasy of speaking Portuguese and living there.

More photos here.

Things You'd See in a Crew Bus...

I Miss Black Cat and Padang

It's a shame I have never been to Jakarta, it being a stone-throw away from Singapore. Until January this year. I have the greatest pleasure of hanging out with my dear friend Verrie who did a very good job showing me around. I wouldn't have savoured true Indonesian Padang and subject myself to hours of charm and Bintang Beer at Black Cat Jazz Bar otherwise.

Did you know that the very sedap Padang experience is such that a huge array of dishes are presented on the table? You get billed only for those you succomb to of course... but it's very hard to resist.

Thank you, Verrie!

Very Venice lor

Venice happened in January. It was cold, windy and rainy but beautiful nonetheless. A whole bunch of us crew went out together which is great, like a tour group of multi-nationalities. Hotel rooms were pretty fabulous and it's an easy walk to the bus stop where we hop on to go Piazzale Roma. From there we took the public boat to Rialto.

A slow and distracting stroll (many shops along the way and places for pictures) later we find ourselves at the must-go St Mark's Square. It's a popular spot for tourists and pigeons, also the lowest point of Venice where floods can be a threat. On one side of the square you can see the 4 famous Saint Mark's Horses but those were replicas. The real deal is in the Basilica, sheltered and protected. We didn't enter the Basilica as it was getting late, and there was a queue and entrance fees involved.

Many photos later we wandered into the back alleys in search of something to eat. Herein lies many tourists traps - souvenir shops, over-priced Italian restaurants, McDonald's (but of course...). We settled for one of the said Italian restaurants and ordered various pasta, pizza and tiramisu items. Sucking up to the atmosphere I bought a Venetian mask - a rustic black and gold, cat-shaped mask.

Outing ended with a gelato, walk in the rain, the grand canal at night, and a visit to the supermarket on the way back to hotel.

More pictures here.

Pictures from Dhaka

I've been meaning to put up the photos I took in Dhaka since 2 months back. My first stay in Bangladesh, went out with 2 girls, still slightly sore from the New Year's fall but managed to fall again on the steps of the bridge in Dhaka. Sore back and then buttock.

Bangladeshies are very hospitable, kind and full of smiles. They are very happy to have their pictures taken and even more thrilled see them on my camera display. Its city is full of life and colourful objects. Stay was good, nothing as bad as some crew make it out to be.

I had 2 Dhaka flights in January and flights like that require special skills like mind-reading and be effectively assertive without the use of English. Try that. Passengers on these flights don't travel often, don't know how to use the lavatories' locks and flush buttons, don't see the need to use seat belts, stare at you while you work, and man, they love their drinks. Still, despite these challenges, the one nasty Manchester flight in January beats all others hand down (and people on that flight are English-speaking, experienced travellers).

Please continue seeing this entry in my Dhaka album.

Save the Baby Seals

"An independent veterinary panel performed post-mortems on seal carcasses abandoned on the ice floes. Their report concluded that in 42 percent of cases, the seals did not show enough evidence of cranial injury to even guarantee unconsciousness at the time of skinning. Footage from the commercial seal hunt consistently shows conscious pups stabbed with boathooks and dragged across the ice, wounded pups left to choke on their own blood and conscious seal pups cut open. Video footage of the 2005 hunt can be viewed at http://www.protectseals.org/."

Go to http://www.hsicanada.ca/seals/ to read more, and pledge not to purchase Canadian seafood. Please, no fur products either!