Thursday, December 30, 2010

Highlights in 2010

Highlights in 2010

Into my 4th year of blogging about Samui and it's daily weather updates! With this blog I try to show the visitors to this blog and to the beautiful tropical island of Koh Samui some spots and ideas to see and visit during your stay that are slightly off the beaten path and inform you about local island life and tradition.

I think that I have a fairly unique insight on local island life and events because I'm married to a local Samui woman and through her and her family I am able to witness events that may not be possible for somebody visiting the island.
On top of that I review plenty of local Samui restaurants but also from outside of Samui, wherever my travels around (or outside) Thailand may bring me.
I hope you enjoy it and what follows now is a list of highlights during the last year;

January kicks off the 2010 highlights but they start on a sad note for me since on 14th January my Dad passed away. RIP dad.

My Dad and our kids on Choengmon Beach, December 2008

During February I witnessed a very local event, the Tambun Sala Koy, a nice local Samui and beach/island tradition.
This month saw also the yearly Thai Red Cross charity motorcycle ride around Samui.
February also marked three years of blogging about Samui and it's weather!

In March the whole family visited Pattaya during a dive trip I did there, including a fantastic exploratory wreck dive trip into the Gulf. A great time was had by all, especially during our visit to Dream World, an amusement park in Bangkok.

April saw a very busy month and besides daily weather updates I only got around to report about the yearly Chakri Memorial day and the wet and fun Thai New Year; Songkran.

On to May where the very legit question arose if Samui is safe to visit, with all the Bangkok unrest during April and May, fortunately enough the answer is yes although it seems that all of Thailand's tourism had a negative impulse from the unrest.
I also visited the Lebanon station for the first time, a great Lebanese restaurant in Chaweng.

June saw the construction of an old fashioned style well drilling on my wife's youngest sister's land and also saw a second serious incident in the form of a speed collision in a few years during the Full Moon Part on Koh Phangan.

Phetcharat boat after collision

In July the highlight was the Football World Championship which saw the Dutch team reach the finals, which they unfortunately lost for a third time!
I also was able to put my hands on some stunning pictures of one of the speedboats involved in the collision last month during transporting visitors to the Full Moon Party between Samui and Phangan.
It was also during this month that I started my Food on Wheels series, which turned out to become fairly popular, especially amongst my Thai fellow bloggers.
There was also a big protest demonstration all around the island against oil drilling off Samui's coast and beaches.

August brought some interesting posts and the first one is about a very popular up and coming social event, the local 'Walking street' events, my post is about seemingly the most popular one, the Fisherman's Village Walking Street event, held each Friday. You can find these events now in Lamai, Nathon and Maenam.
During one of my Koh Tao visits I witnessed some old style local tradition, the coconut monkey at work.
Thailand's gold prices are also fluctuating a lot and if you bought early on, you can reap the benefits now!

September was another busy blogging month and also saw me conduct my first PADI IDC outside of Koh Samui and I traveled to Koh Phangan to do so where I discovered one of the best Italian restaurants ever! In general I really liked Phangan and I can highly recommend a visit.
My running that I started earlier this year in January paid off by participating in my first ever running event, the Samui Island Marathon, although I only participated in the 10km run.

Samui Island Marathon

In the beginning of October I participated in another running event, the 5km Ibis fun run, as part of an adventure event.
This month saw some creative parking styles around the island and I spend time on Koh Lanta for my second PADI IDC away from home.
On a sadder note, my wife's grand mother passed away towards the end of the month, since I was not on Samui I couldn't attend the burial ceremony.

We're getting towards the end of the year and November knocked on the door, which I almost completely spend away from Samui, conducting IDC's in Kao Lak and Koh Lanta.
Due to the torrential rains in November, I saw a massive amount of visits and page views to my blog, a post with videos of the flooding received over 3.500 hits and proved to be the most popular of them all!
The yearly Loy Kratong event was celebrated by me at a lovely location in Kao Lak.

Plai Laem flooding November 2010

December saw me once more away from home for most of the month, the start of the month saw me in Koh Lanta once more to complete a second PADI IDC in a short time frame and towards the middle of the month I had a fantastic holiday in the United Arab Emirates.

Me at the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, highest tower in the world

Now it's waiting for midnight tonight for the start of a New Year!

Thanks for dropping by and I hope you made it to the bottom of this page, it was a rather long read, especially if you clicked on some of the links and looked up the corresponding stories.
Have a look at my dive blog for a 2010 flash back.

A Happy New Year to all of you and I'm looking forward seeing you back in 2011!

Camille

Happy New Year

Happy New Year


Good luck and a successful 2011

Camille

Goodbye to December 2010

Goodbye to December 2010

December 2010 was the second month in a row during which most time of the time month was spend outside of Koh Samui, just like November 2010. Still I managed to update this blog daily with Samui weather impressions, thanks to a hotline with my wife!

I must admit that I'm contemplating changing the frequency of the blog posts, to once or twice updating per week but I can't seem to solve that puzzle yet. Possibly later this year..........

Motorbike samlor, a typical sight on Koh Lanta

The first part of December I spent on the lovely island of Koh Lanta, where in short succession I conducted a second PADI IDC.

After Lanta it was off to Phuket for a couple of days to assist my IDC candidates during their PADI IE in Phuket.

Than at last I got a couple of days to spend on Samui before I took off for a short holiday trip to the United Arab Emirates.

A traditional breakfast in a very traditional Bedouin tent, the coffee drinking part with one of my hosts and friends Bader

This holiday was definitely the highlight of the month and the first couple of days were spent in Umm al-Quwain, a a quiet and more residential Emirate where both my friends Imad and Bader live.

All 4 of my hosts together, Sunil, Bader, Imad and Anup.

Thanks guys for taking care of me and showing me around in grand style, it was amazing!

Dubai skyline

The second part of my stay was spent in Dubai, probably the most well known Emirate. It was a great time and I'm looking forward to a next visit.

It's now almost a week since I'm back on Samui and it's great to spend time with the family together and wait for the New Year to start, recharging the batteries!

The weather on Samui during December wasn't that great, early on in the month there was plenty of rain and flooding occurred again all over the island, the 6th being a very wet day.
Later during the the month, rather typical is around the middle of the month the rain subsided and sunshine became part of the scenery again.

Happy New Year to all of you out there, reading my blog!

Camille

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 31st December, 2010

Today's weather;

Samui is partly cloudy and sometimes the sun shines through. Current temp at 7am is 26.3C

Sky over Samui yesterday afternoon

Yesterday saw clouds during the morning and a bit of sunshine during the afternoon. Max temp reached 29.3C

Went to Koh Tao yesterday for a dive on a private speedboat charter and the picture above was taken on the way back near Samui.

Camille

Jamie's Phuket - Highlights 2010

Where to begin? Quick lowdown on Jamie's Phuket Blog... I started the blog in 2006 with the aim of showing what I might call the "real" Phuket. I have been here since 1999 and tend to keep away from the most touristy areas of Phuket, which is hard to do since I work at Karon Beach (manager for Sunrise Divers) 6 days a week... finding time to blog can be a struggle sometimes too. After over 4 years I keep finding new things to blog about - festivals, restaurants, places to visit. Some events like the vegetarian festival I blog every year, trying to get better photos than the previous year. I look at some of the old posts from 2006 - 2007 and probably should get some new pictures here and there since back then I had a cr*ppy little camera.. but until I win the lottery and can devote more time to blogging, this blog will normally get updated about once per week, hopefully with something new, hopefully something that will interest visitors.

So here are some of the highlights of the Phuket Blog in 2010 ...

In January, I took the kids to the Phuket Tin Mining Museum, which was not quite finished and indeed closed again later in the year.. not quite sure if its 100% open now. Anyway, we loved it. I enjoyed the fact that my kids enjoyed it, if you know what I mean. I will take a look at the museum again soon and see if it's fully operational yet. Also in January, my Mother finally sent me a very nice story which I had been asking for... she and my Dad did an elephant ride some years back and I wanted a first hand story about the experience - have a read: Elephant Ride in Phuket (by Jamie's Mum).

Elephant Ride in Phuket

February... The Big Buddha in Phuket is now a major attraction, and you can drive up to the top of the 400+m high hill... or you can hike up, which is what I did one morning : Hike to the Big Buddha. I was also happy to finally blog the Thai Italy restaurant in Patong which we have been to many times. Great Pizza.

Pizza at Thai-Italy in Patong

March - lots of good stuff. My wife and I enjoyed an evening at Glastnost Cafe in old Phuket Town, I had a birthday on the water chasing speedboats with a helicopter, and we discovered the Phuket Heroines Festival, something which is in the diary again for 2011.

Fireworks at the Phuket Heroines Festival

April - as if that hike in February had not been enough, I did a day trip cycling at Koh Yao Noi. Saddle sore and very enjoyable. Also blogged about a trip to James Bond Island and Ko Panyi.

Jamie on a bike at Koh Yao Noi

May - some holidays! We spent a night at the Cliff and River Jungle Resort near Khao Sok National Park. Beautiful.. we went again in September. I also re-blogged Laem Hin Seafood, which was the first restaurant on this blog and is still a favourite.

Bungalow

June & July ... into low season now, we drove up Radar Hill one misty morning - this is the highest road in Phuket, over 500m above sea level, with some great views.

View from Radar Hill to the Big Buddha

Kathu village where I live staged it's second cultural festival. In 2009 I was the only foreigner present for the main parade. In 2010, the promotion was a little better, I must have seen at least 4 other foreigners!

Chinese costume

And another very local event.. I checked out the Phuket Butterfly Release in July and there was still time for the second Phuket Photo Walk, part of the Worldwide Photo Walk.

The Printer

August - I finally went to see Phuket FC - I love football, and I am happy to say the Phuket FC have now been promoted to Thai Division 1. Well done, boys.

Phuket Score!

Also in August I felt quite out of place for a while attending an afternoon party at the Hongyok family house in Phuket Town celebrating the 2010 Baba Wedding ceremony. Like being immersed in history.

Baba ladies at the Hongyok house

September - my wife and I used to drink coffee at Tunk Ka Cafe about 10 years ago. One day after lunch in Phuket Town we realised that we'd not been there for a loooong time. Coffee still good, and we went back again later in the month with my family visiting from England. Dinner with a view.

Dinner at Tunk Ka Restaurant

October - I had found out about Phuket Heritage Trails via a friend on Facebook - Pu and Gan will give people a real Phuket cultural tour, as you'd expect from 2 Phuket natives. I went with Mum, Dad and an errant traveling cousin on a morning tour around old Phuket. Great.

Phuket Thai Hua Museum

And then .. the Vegetarian Festival, my favourite time of year. And not because of the food, although I do take the opportunity to eat a cleansing diet. No, I like the festival for this:

Vegetarian festival Phuket

I posted multiple entries about the festival : Part 1, Episode 2 and the much awaited Chapter 3. Plus there are lots of photos on Flickr: Phuket Vegetarian Festival 2010. I might change camera next year, but the old Canon EOS 20D was aided by the purchase of a 50mm f1.8 lens which was used for the photo above. Very good for sharp portraits.

I had some holiday end of September and early October when Mum and Dad visited, and we did plenty of exploring, much of which was blogged later in November and early December such as the Wat Tha Reua temple and the Phuket Butterfly Garden. On our return visit to Khao Sok we stopped to look around the old town of Sri Takua Pa, like a town that time forgot...

Brushes

December, nearly home. We had already done a trip in Phang Nga Bay this year, but I reckoned if we planned things right we could hit James Bond Island when all the tourists had gone home. It's taken a few trips to plan this. But now we've got it sorted - Phang Nga Bay - Doing it Our Way :) - and you can book a tour doing it Jamie-Style by contacting Easy Day Thailand, a tour company set up by some friends of mine this year.

James Bond Island is OURS!

Formula 1 Longtail

The Big Buddha has been blogged many times as the building continued for many years, and is still not complete. We were up there again in December to get the latest photos. I also blogged about local markets - want to see real local life? Markets are the place to be.

December was time for something new in Phuket. The first 'Phuket Street Show' festival. A couple of streets in old Phuket Town were closed off for several evenings and made into walking streets with stalls and stages set up with performers doing juggling, drumming, acrobatics, comedy and more. Great event, happy faces everywhere. In fact my favourite photo of the festival is a photo of the crowd. Everyone is smiling.

Smiles

Back to the vegetarian festival for a moment - my favourite thing... and I was very chuffed that some of my photos and writing was published on the France 24 News website - see Phuket's Bloody Vegetarian Festival, or in French here. And then later I did a webcam interview which appeared on TV and on the website here - certainly a highlight of 2010 for me :)

I have been in Phuket for 11 years now, still looking for new places, new food, new experiences. Maybe in 2011 I will finally try the bungy jump. We have been to Phuket Fantasea recently, not blogged yet. I want to take the family out on boat trips to the Similan Islands and Phi Phi sometime soon. And people have contacted asking for some more general information on the blog... Maybe. I want to keep this blog a bit more personal showing this places we go as a family. If anyone has any suggestions for what could be on the blog, do let me know. Oh, and please do Follow me on Twitter and join the Jamie's Phuket Facebook Group.

Happy New Year! Sawatdee Pee Mai!

Best of the blog 2009 Part 1 - Best of 2009 Part 2
Best of the blog 2008
Best of the blog 2007

Alternative Routes To MOA Or Mall Of Asia From Quezon City

It seems that going to Mall Of Asia from north of Metro Manila via EDSA is the best way to take. It's just one continues direction without any turns. Without even changing road. But take note that there are times that this main thoroughfare is heavily congested. Bumper to bumper traffic suddenly appears making your travel a bit of annoying. Alternative routes and directions is very helpful at all times. So here are other options to take in going to Mall Of Asia as well as the Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex if you really need to take the car with you. Try to drive along these routes to get yourself familiar with them.

You can take Quezon Avenue all the way to Quiapo via Espana. Then continue driving up to Lawton, crossing Pasig River via Quezon Bridge. Do not use this route every Friday. Stay to the middle of the road and continue driving. For your information, Quezon Boulevard does't end in Quiapo. It's still Quezon Boulevard you're driving along in front of Manila Post Office in Lawton. The road name only changed the moment it bends to the left. It becomes Padre Burgos Street and it runs parallel to the wall of Intramuros up to Roxas Boulevard. At this point you're on Padre Burgos Street even without changing the road that you're taking. Only name of the road has changed. Upon approach of the first stop light on Padre Burgos, change lane from middle to the right to avoid getting onto the Lagusnilad underpass, which will take you to Taft, and that's wrong way. You must get to Roxas Boulevard. So after crossing the stop light, you must take the road to the right of Lagusnilad underpass. Okay here's another information. That road with stop light intersecting Padre Burgos, its name is Victoria to your right, going to an entrance of Intramuros that is nearer to Mapua Institute of Technology, Lyceum of the Philippines, Manila High School and Manila Bulletin. To your left is Conception Street, the side where Manila City Hall is located. Next to Manila City Hall is SM City Manila. You can get to Manila City Hall or SM City Manila from that route by first turning right onto Victoria and then make a U-Turn back toward Padre Burgos and cross Padre Burgos to get to opposite street of Concepcion. From Concepcion Street, you have the options to get to Manila City Hall or SM City Manila.

Now back to our route to MOA or Mall Of Asia via Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex. As I've mentioned, you must stay to the right of Padre Burgos after crossing Victoria Street to avoid getting onto Lagusnilad underpass. Once you passed that junction, stay to the middle of Padre Burgos Street. As you'll notice Padre Burgos bends to the right at this point. And then there's the second stop light. That road that runs perpendicurlly to the left of Padre Burgos is Finance Road. After that road is the third stop light of Padre Burgos, and that intersection is General Luna Street, the route and direction to Intramuros Entrance nearer to Pamantasan Ng Maynila or PLM, Department of Labor, San Agustin Church, Knight of Columbus, Casa Manila Patio, Father Blanco's Garden and Manila Cathedral. The moment you enter Intramuros, General Luna Street will take you to San Agustin Church and Manila Cathedral. Also, right before you enter Intramuros via General Luna Street is the area they called Round Table - a landmark that now never exist I think.

After General Luna Street, the fourth stop light is Palacio Street. You need to stay to the left of Padre Burgos Street after crossing Palacio Street in preparation for turning left on Roxas Boulevard. You're now traversing along the edge of Luneta or Rizal Park. If you're going to Manila Ocean Park and Quirino Grandstand, stay to the middle of Padre Burgos and cross Roxas Boulevard. After crossing Roxas Boulevard, the road becomes Katigbak Drive and Quirino Grandstand will be visible after Katigbak Drive turn left. Manila Ocean Park is at the back of Quirino Grandstand. You can park your car in front of Quirino Grandstand.

Back to topic. Turn left on Roxas Boulevard from Padre Burgos Street and stay to the middle. Drive all the way, cross intersections of U.N. Avenue, Padre Faura, Pedro Gil and Quirino Avenue. After crossing Quirino Avenue, stay to the right in preparation for turning right onto Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex.

After Quirino Avenue to your right is the Manila Yatch Club followed by Philippine Navy Headquarters and then the Cultural Center of the Philippines or CCP Complex. Turn right onto the next street after the Philippine Navy Headquarters. That street is Pedro Bukaneg. It's opposite street to the left is Pablo Ocampo Street. From Bukaneg Street, turn left on Magdalena Jalandoni and drive all the way crossing Vicente Sotto Street where the Star City is located to the left and Gil Puyat Avenue where the World Trade Center is located. Note: There are times Magdalena Jalandoni is closed from Bukaneg. If that's the case, go straight on Padre Bukaneg then turn left on the next corner. This is where Tanghalang Francisco Balagtas or Folk Arts Theater is located, the building you see in front of you before you turn left. Turn left on Vicente Sotto toward Magdalena Jalandoni and turn right onto Jalandoni. Philippine International Convention Center or PICC is along Vicente Sotto, visible from this direction.

After crossing Gil Puyat Avenue intersection, road name changed to President Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard. Upon approaching the first stop light on Macapagal Boulevard, stay to the right of Macapagal and turn right onto Seaside Boulevard. Stay to the middle of Seaside Boulevard all the way until you see the Mall Of Asia. You will cross the intersection of Diokno Boulevard. After you cross Diokno Boulevard, to your right is the One Esplanade located at the corner of Diokno Boulevard and Seaside Boulevard. You can park at the open parking which is visible a little while after the road bends to the left and where Club LAX is located. How to get to Club LAX MOA? Park your car in the open parking space in the esplanade of MOA using the first Parking Entrance after you pass One Esplanade. LAX is just a few meters from the first entrance of open parking you get to see along Seaside Boulevard from One Esplanade. Now, if you're destination is MOA itself and you don't want to walk that far, get to the covered parking located at the North Building and another one at the South Building. Just pass by the first entrance of open parking from which LAX is located and from Seaside Boulevard turn left on Sunset Avenue, and you'll easily see the entrance to the covered parking up ahead next to SM Hypermart. You're now in Mall Of Asia or MOA. Enjoy!

To be continued

LRT-1 Tayuman Station Destinations


Tayuman Station of LRT-1 or the yellow lane serves commuters from district of Tondo as well as Santa Cruz Manila. Main destination here is the SM San Lazaro, a branch of SM Shopping Malls, where you can watch movies after shopping and then eat on fast food chains and restaurants. Along Tayuman Street near to SM San Lazaro is a nice and affordable traveler's hotel. There's a church and student dormitories. Arsenio Lacson Avenue starts perpendicularly from Tayuman near SM City San Lazaro. Lacson Avenue is the main thoroughfare that is connected to Nagtahan Flyover, the main linkage to the SLEX and the first entrance ramp of Manila Skyway.

Here are the destinations in going to Tayuman Station of LRT-1:

  • Esperito Santo Parochial Church
  • SM City San Lazaro
  • Starbucks
  • Land Transportation Office (LTO) Tayuman
  • Tayuman Hotel
  • Jeepney ride to Pritil Puregold
  • Family Clinic Colleges
  • Tayuman Commercial Center
  • La Suerte Garments Manufacturing

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 30th December, 2010

Today's weather;

It's cloudy again in Samui during the early morning but dry. Current temp at 7am is 26C

Yesterday saw plenty of clouds during the morning over Samui but during the afternoon it cleared up and the sun broke through, although there were scattered clouds all over the sky. Max temp reached 29.2C

Camille

How To Get To Blue Wave Macapagal


Blue Wave Macapagal is located at the corner of President Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard and EDSA Extension in Pasay City. Commuting by bus from Monumento and Quezon City, there's only one route and direction going to Blue Wave - EDSA. This post will also tell you directions to Blue Wave Macapagal from other parts of Metro Manila.


BY BUS & JEEP BY LRT & MRT BY CAR LOCATION MAP

How to get to Blue Wave Macapagal from North of Metro Manila - Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, Valenzuela, Fairview, Novaliches and other parts of Quezon City
How to get to Blue Wave Macapagal from South of Metro Manila - Alabang, Muntinlupa, Pacita, etc.
From Las Pinas, Cavite and nearby areas
From Quiapo, Espana, Sta. Cruz, Dapitan, Binondo

From Caloocan City

Ride bus with Baclaran MOA sign at the corner of Rizal Avenue and 5th Avenue or at Monumento. Get off at Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard.

From Valenzuela, Navotas and Malabon

You need to get to EDSA anywhere in Caloocan, then ride bus with Baclaran MOA sign. Get off at Macapagal Blvd. If there are busses that ply directly from your area going to Baclaran like in Letre and Marulas, then ride right there.

From Novaliches

Ride bus with Baclaran MOA sign along Quirino Highway and get off at Macapagal Boulevard.

From Fairview

Ride bus with Baclaran MOA sign and get off at Macapagal Blvd.

How to get to Blue Wave Macapagal from South of Metro Manila - Alabang, Muntinlupa, Pacita, etc.

From Alabang by bus

Ride bus going to Monumento, Novaliches or Fairview. Get off at unloading station in EDSA e.g. Magallanes MRT Station or Ayala MRT Station. Cross EDSA via MRT station's overpass - there are elevators in some MRT stations. Ride another bus with Baclaran MOA sign. Get off at Macapagal Blvd.

From Alabang by jeepney

There are terminals of jeepneys going to Pasay Rotonda located in Alabang near Metropolis Star Mall. Some of them just pick up passengers along East Service Road near corner Montillano Street. Ride jeepney with Pasay Rotonda sign. Get off at Pasay Rotonda. Some jeepney drivers drop off passengers right at the MRT Taft Station. Some of them drop off passengers after crossing Taft Avenue. You can either ride just below the elevated MRT Station or near Save More Supermarket after crossing Taft. Plenty of jeepneys going to MOA pass by along EDSA. You don't need to go to the terminal of the so called orange passenger shuttle service going to MOA. It's too far, along Taft, out of the way. Just ride any jeepney or even bus with MOA sign along EDSA. Get off at Macapagal Blvd.

From Bacoor, Zapote, Las Pinas, Cavite and other areas near Alabang-Zapote Road and Emilio Aguinaldo Highway Junction

Ride a bus going to Lawton, Sta. Cruz, or Buendia. This busses take the route of Coastal Road also known as Manila-Cavite Expressway or Aguinaldo Blvd. Lawton and Sta. Cruz bound busses cross EDSA intersection via the flyover. So you must get off right before or after the bus get onto the flyover. Always tell the conductor or driver to drop you off on the unloading station. Most of the time, they don't stop after stopping on the last unloading before EDSA. In this case, it's safe to get off at Baclaran. There's a terminal of jeepneys going to MOA near Lydia's Restaurant along the service road of Roxas Blvd before Redemptorist Church. Ride right there and get off at Macapagal Boulevard. If any chance you get to EDSA, then ride a bus or jeepney with MOA sign and get off at Macapagal Blvd.

From Quiapo, Espana, Sta. Cruz, Dapitan and Binondo

Ride jeepney going to Baclaran and get off at EDSA. Ride another jeepney or bus going to MOA and get off at Macapagal Blvd.

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How to get to Blue Wave Macapagal by MRT and LRT?

From any station of MRT-3, get off at Taft Avenue Station.
From any station of LRT-1, get off at EDSA Station.
From any station of LRT-2, get off at Araneta Center-Cubao Station. Walk your way to MRT-3 Cubao Station. LRT-2 and MRT-3 are linked by walkway inside Gateway Mall going to Farmers Plaza Mall where the MRT-3 is connected. Ride a southbound MRT train or train going to Taft Avenue Station. Get off right there at Taft Station.

Under the elevated MRT Taft Station, ride a jeepney going to MOA or Mall of Asia. Jeepneys stop right before the MRT Station so you might walk a little bit backward. If at any case, you find it hard to get a ride there, you might go across Taft Avenue and ride a jeepney going to MOA along EDSA just in front of Save More Supermarket.

Get off at Pres. Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard.

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How to get to Blue Wave Macapagal by car?

Route #1

If you're coming from North of Metro Manila e.g. Caloocan, Malabon, Valenzuela, Navotas, Bulacan, Novaliches, Fairview, Cubao and other parts of Quezon City take EDSA. Drive all the way to Pasay until you cross Roxas Boulevard under the flyover. After crossing Roxas Boulevard, stay to the right of EDSA and turn right onto Macapagal Boulevard and make a U-Turn on the first U-Turn slot along Macapagal to get to the Blue Wave. You can easily see the entrance to the parking from the distance. Alternately, you can cross Macapagal Boulevard then get to the parking entrance along EDSA.

Route #2

From south of Metro Manila and the province of Cavite. Take Coastal Road or Manila-Cavite Expressway and drive all the way to NAIA Road where Coastal Road ends. NAIA Road is where Coastal Mall is situated to the left corner. NAIA Road is a main intersection with traffic lights. Upon approaching NAIA Road, change lane to the left and turn left on NAIA Road then turn right onto Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard. Stay to the middle and drive all the way until you cross EDSA. After crossing EDSA stay to the right and make a U-Turn to get to the Blue Wave Macapagal.

Route #3

Coming from areas of Sucat, NAIA-3, NAIA-1, Multinational Village and neighboring vicinity take Sucat Road, Imelda Avenue and Ninoy Aquino Avenue. Turn left on NAIA Road and stay on the middle. Cross Roxas Blvd and turn right onto Diosdado Macapagal Blvd. Stay to the middle and drive all the way until you cross EDSA. After crossing EDSA stay to the right and make a U-Turn to get to the Blue Wave Macapagal.

Route #4

From Alabang take the Skyway and exit on Magallanes Exit then turn left on EDSA. Stay on the middle of EDSA and drive all the way until you cross Roxas Boulevard under the flyover. After crossing Roxas Boulevard, stay to the right of EDSA and turn right onto Macapagal Boulevard and make a U-Turn on the first U-Turn slot along Macapagal to get to the Blue Wave. You can easily see the entrance to the parking from the distance. Alternately, you can cross Macapagal Boulevard then get to the parking entrance along EDSA.

Route #5

From Bulacan, Pampanga and North Luzon, take the route to CCP Complex. Search "how to get to ccp complex" in our search box on the sidebar. From Pedro Bukaneg in CCP Complex turn left on Magdalena Jalandoni and stay to the middle, cross Gil Puyat Avenue Extension. After crossing Gil Puyat Avenue intersection, road name becomes President Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard. Stay to the middle of Macapagal Boulevard, cross the Seaside Boulevard. Next stop light is on EDSA intersection. Before reaching EDSA stay to the right and the Blue Wave is located before the EDSA-Macapagal Boulevard intersection.

Route #6

From Quezon City, take the route to CCP Complex. Search "how to get to ccp complex" in our search box on the sidebar. From Pedro Bukaneg in CCP Complex turn left on Magdalena Jalandoni and stay to the middle, cross Gil Puyat Avenue Extension. After crossing Gil Puyat Avenue intersection, road name becomes President Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard. Stay to the middle of Macapagal Boulevard, cross the Seaside Boulevard. Next stop light is on EDSA intersection. Before reaching EDSA stay to the right and the Blue Wave is located before the EDSA-Macapagal Boulevard intersection.

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Location Map of Blue Wave Macapagal



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Cafe 1511 at Heeren Street (Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock) of Malacca

Cafe 1511 (N2 11.736 E102 14.784) is located at Hereen Street (Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock) next to the Baba Nyonya Heritage Museum in Malacca. It's just a street next to Jonker Street.

The Baba Nyonya Heritage Museum & Cafe 1511

They serve Nyonya Delicacies and Western Food. The Peranakan Decoration is nice and cozy, we felt like walk into a Time Machine...

The front dining area


The second hall after the dining area

The Counter

There was a nice fish pond beside the counter, and the antique bicycles...

The Fish Pond & the Antique Bicycle

Anyway, the cafe also A Museum to us. Full of antiques, and histories...

Mixed with the antique table and today computer...

Malacca was conquered by Portuguese - Afonso de Albuquerque with 1200 men and eighteen ships in the year 1511, maybe this is the reason the owner use 1511 for his cafe! :)

This was a Totally different dining experience for us! Awesome! Having our tea break in the Museum! Great! Even we were quite hungry that time, but we don't wanna filled up our stomach yet...because we planned our dinner at the Portuguese Seafood Village at Portuguese Settlement.

Our purpose here is to taste some of the Nyonya foods here so I ordered a plate of Nyonya Popiah, Pai Tee and the Nyonya Laksa.

Nyonya Popiah


Pai Tee (Top Hats)

Nyonya Laksa

We were very satisfied with all the Excellent foods! I like the Nyonya Popiah very much especially the dark sweet sauce! The Pai Tee were crunchy and tasty, the Nyonya Laksa was flavourful! We enjoyed the foods and the environment Very much! Definitely need a second visit! :)

The Damage : MYR18.50 included a cup of Tea & watermelon juice. It's reasonable price!

Rated : 4.5/5

Highly recommended Cafe, it's worth the visit!
We planned to visit the cafe again  for dinner and also the Museum.

Cafe 1511
52, Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock,
75200 Melaka,
Malaysia.
Tel : +606-2860150

The location map of Cafe 1511 of Malacca


Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 29th December, 2010

Today's weather;

It's cloudy but dry on Samui this morning. Current temp at 7am is 24.2C

Yesterday saw a mixed of some sunshine throughout the day but in the morning there was an half an hour of hard rain as well. Mostly it was cloudy though. Max temp reached 29C

Camille

Hallmark Hotel at Malacca (Melaka)

Hallmark Hotel (N2 12.002 E102 14.808) is located along Jalan Portugis of Jalan Kubu main road in Malacca Town. And it's also stone throw away (about 300 meter) to Jonker Street. There are many nice restaurants around the area. This was our first visit to Hallmark Hotel.

Hallmark Hotel, Malacca

I made the reservation before we drove to Malacca. The standard room rates was MYR105.00 for 2 single beds (with 2 breakfast), the twin bed was fully booked that day.

We were quite impressed with the facilities in the room. Beside the necessities, they also provide Free Wifi to the room and A DVD player with the 32" LCD TV. This was the first time I saw a DVD player in the hotel room! But we didn't utilized it and we were not intend to spend the time in the hotel for movie?!

The LCD TV, DVD Player & the Mini Fridge

The room was spacious enough for 2 of us and it was well maintain and Clean! My wife was surprised there was a hair dryer provided in the room too!
Once we check in the hotel, we went for tea break at Cafe 1511 and not really have time to look around the hotel.

The bathroom

The Big shower head

I like the hot shower, the hot water was Very hot once you turn the tap!

The only 2 comments we had :
1)  The loud water sound from upstairs bathroom, it was not well isolated.
2)  Vehicle parking difficulty!

OH NO! We received  a parking ticket (RM30.00) on the next day morning after we check out from the hotel, I asked the guy at the reception counter on that night before I parked, and he said it's ok to park my car beside the lane. Too bad we got the fine ticket! I show to one of the gentlemen at the reception, and he said he will pay the fine for us, still yet to receive any notification from them. (Cross my finger and pray...)

The room rates was reasonable at MYR105.00 per day and we were satisfied with the staffs at the front counter and also the hotel environment. We will visit again the Hotel again in our future visit to Malacca and hope they will have a better parking area for hotel guests in the future. :)

Hotel Hallmark
68, Jalan Portugis of Jalan Kubu,
75200 Melaka,
Malaysia.
Tel : +606-2812888  Fax : +606-2813409

Grand Hallmark Hotel (Taman Molek)
32 Jalan Molek 2/2 Taman Molek 81100 Johor Bahru Malaysia
Tel: +607-357-2288
Website: www.grandhotelhallmark.com

Location map of Hallmark Hotel in Malacca


Monday, December 27, 2010

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 28th December, 2010

Today's weather;

Samui is covered under dark clouds but it's still dry. Current temp at 7am is 26.3C

Yesterday saw a sunny day on the island with a max temp of 29.6C

Camille

Roxas Boulevard: Great Place To Watch Fireworks On New Year Eve


Roxas Boulevard is a long stretch of thouroughfare by the Manila Bay, about 9 kilometers, from Anda Circle in the Port Area up to NAIA Road in Paranaque. It was so beautiful according to those who born ahead of us. But that was 40 years ago, when the whole stretch of the so called "lover's boulevard", known then as Dewey Boulevard, ran smoothly without obstructions brought about by major development that slowly engulfed our metropolis after the war. Then, it was so lovely. With coconut trees dotting along its line, Roxas Boulevard was the real picture of a grandeur highway. Today, Roxas Boulevard is wider. To give way for progress some coconut trees must be cut down. And so we have now CCP Complex, Mall of Asia, Metropolitan Park, Asiaworld City and soon the Nayong Pilipino Entertainment City. Well, if it's not yet stalled as presumed.

Manila Bay at Roxas Boulevard now confined to Malate and Ermita Districts. And if you're wondering what part of Roxas Boulevard is the best area to watch fireworks this coming New Year's Eve, no doubt it's the part from Pedro Gil up to Quirino Avenue. Yearly, the local government of the city of Manila allots big budget for pyrotechnics to make the welcoming of the coming new year more memorable, joyful and festive. So if you're thinking of where to spend your New Year to watch fireworks on the very first hour of 2011, consider this great destination.

Here are the directions to Roxas Boulevard by Manila Bay from different parts of Metro Manila

BY CAR BY LRT/MRT BY JEEPNEY LOCATION MAP

Route #1

From south of Metro Manila and the province of Cavite. Take Coastal Road and drive all the way until you cross NAIA Road. By this time you're already driving along Roxas Boulevard. Stay to the middle and drive all the way until you reach Ermita District. You'll cross EDSA and Gil Puyat Avenue via flyovers. Two stop lights, P. Ocampo formerly Vito Cruz and Quirino Avenue, after that your already in the Manila Bay where the fireworks display in Manila will take place. Now, you must think of how to park your car properly. You can make a U-Turn on Pedro Gil but it's not legal. The best way is to drive all the way to T.M. Kalaw, stay to the left and turn left on Kalaw going to Quirino Grandstand. Make a U-Turn there then turn right onto Roxas Boulevard again. Now, you're driving on south bound lane of Roxas Boulevard. You can easily see parking areas along Roxas Boulevard after you pass U.S. Embassy and there's another one right before the intersection of Quirino Avenue.

Route #2

From north of Metro Manila and provinces of Bulacan, Pampanga and North Luzon, take A. Bonifacio Avenue and Dimasalang Street to Quezon Avenue. On Quezon Avenue go straight up to Quiapo and Lawton. Road name change to Padre Burgos after passing Lawton area. Stay to the right of P. Burgos Street to avoid getting to Taft Avenue. Stay on P. Burgos and turn left on Roxas Blvd. Stay to the middle and cross intersections of T.M. Kalaw, U.N. Avenue and Padre Faura. After passing the U.S. Embassy stay to the left of Roxas Boulevard. You can easily see parking areas along Roxas Boulevard after you pass U.S. Embassy and there's another one right before the intersection of Quirino Avenue.

Route #3

From Alabang take the Skyway and exit on Gil Puyat. Avoid getting to the Gil Puyat Avenue flyover. Turn left on Gil Puyat Avenue and drive all the way. Cross Taft Avenue under LRT-1 and turn right onto Roxas Boulevard. Two stop lights, P. Ocampo formerly Vito Cruz and Quirino Avenue, after that your already in the Manila Bay where the fireworks display in Manila will take place. Now, you must think of how to park your car properly. You can make a U-Turn on Pedro Gil but it's not legal. The best way is to drive all the way to T.M. Kalaw, stay to the left and turn left on Kalaw going to Quirino Grandstand. Make a U-Turn there then turn right onto Roxas Boulevard again. Now, you're driving on south bound lane of Roxas Boulevard. You can easily see parking areas along Roxas Boulevard after you pass U.S. Embassy and there's another one right before the intersection of Quirino Avenue.

Route #4

Coming from areas of Sucat, NAIA-3, NAIA-1, Multinational Village and neighboring vicinity take Sucat Road, Imelda Avenue and Ninoy Aquino Avenue. Turn left on NAIA Road then turn right onto Roxas Boulevard. Stay to the middle and drive all the way until you reach Ermita District. You'll cross EDSA and Gil Puyat Avenue via flyovers. Two stop lights, P. Ocampo formerly Vito Cruz and Quirino Avenue, after that your already in the Manila Bay where the fireworks display in Manila will take place. Now, you must think of how to park your car properly. You can make a U-Turn on Pedro Gil but it's not legal. The best way is to drive all the way to T.M. Kalaw, stay to the left and turn left on Kalaw going to Quirino Grandstand. Make a U-Turn there then turn right onto Roxas Boulevard again. Now, you're driving on south bound lane of Roxas Boulevard. You can easily see parking areas along Roxas Boulevard after you pass U.S. Embassy and there's another one right before the intersection of Quirino Avenue.

Route #5

From Caloocan, Navotas, Malabon take Jose Abad Santos Avenue. Jose Abad Santos Avenue ends up in Recto. Cross Recto Avenue and Reina Regente begins. Drive on Reina Regente up to Plaza Lorenzo Ruiz. Turn right to go with the flow of one way traffic around Plaza Lorenzo Ruiz turning left on Juan Luna Street. Stay on Juan Luna crossing Dasmarinas Street. Follow where public jeepneys turn. Turn left on the next street after Dasmarinas. Turn right onto Jones bridge. You are now taking Padre Burgos Street. Stay to the right of P. Burgos Street to avoid getting to Taft Avenue. Stay on P. Burgos and turn left on Roxas Blvd. Stay to the middle and cross intersections of T.M. Kalaw, U.N. Avenue and Padre Faura. After passing the U.S. Embassy stay to the left of Roxas Boulevard. You can easily see parking areas along Roxas Boulevard after you pass U.S. Embassy and there's another one right before the intersection of Quirino Avenue.

Route #6

From Pasig, Sta. Mesa and neighboring vicinity take Ramon Magsasay Blvd and Legarda Street crossing Nagtahan by taking flyover to Legarda. On Legarda Street, just cross Recto Avenue. Legarda ends up in Arlegui but the road continues under the name of P. Casal Street. Drive on P. Casal and cross Pasig River via Ayala Bridge. You are now in Ayala Blvd. Go straight crossing Taft Avenue passing under LRT-1. You are now in Finance Road. Turn left on Padre Burgos Street. Another stop light and you must stay to the left of P. Burgos Street. Turn left on Roxas Blvd. Stay to the middle and cross intersections of T.M. Kalaw, U.N. Avenue and Padre Faura. After passing the U.S. Embassy stay to the left of Roxas Boulevard. You can easily see parking areas along Roxas Boulevard after you pass U.S. Embassy and there's another one right before the intersection of Quirino Avenue.

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How to get to Manila Bay at Roxas Boulevard by MRT and LRT?

Route #1

LRT-1 from north stations namely Roosevelt, Balintawak, Monumento and other stations. Get off at Carriedo Station then ride jeepney infront of Santa Cruz Church bound to "Baclaran Mabini" or "Vito Cruz Mabini". You can get to Santa Cruz Church by walking to the west side of Carriedo Street between Plaza Fair and Philtrust Bank, then turn right on the next corner. The church is up ahead. Make sure the jeepney you're going to ride bear sign that read "Mabini" Ask driver to kindly drop you off at Rajah Sulayman. You can now walk your way to Roxas Boulevard.

Route #2

LRT-1 from South Terminal of Baclaran and all other stations from there. Get off at Libertad Station. Walk to the Philtrust Bank and wait for jeepney bound to Pier or Horizon. Ride and then if you ride a Pier bound jeep, get off at San Andres and walk toward Roxas Boulevard. If you ride Horizon bound jeep, take another jeepney via "Mabini" and get off at San Andres. You can also get off at Gil Puyat Avenue Station, ride a jeepney with "Evengelista" sign, get off at Horizon Street and take another jeep with "Manini" on its sign. Get off at San Andres Street, then walk toward Roxas Boulevard.

Route #3

LRT-2 Stations, all stations. From your station get off at Recto then walk your way to Avenida Street. Ride jeepney with "Baclaran Mabini" or "Vito Cruz Mabini" sign. There must be the "Mabini" on the jeepney sign or you will not get there. Ask driver to kindly drop you off at Rajah Sulayman. Walk your way to Roxas Boulevard.

Route #4

MRT-3, all Stations. From your station, get off at Taft Station then take another train ride North bound or Monumento bound on LRT-1. LRT and MRT are interconnected. Get off at Libertad Station. Walk to the Philtrust Bank and wait for jeepney bound to Pier or Harrison. Ride and then if you ride a Pier bound jeep, get off at San Andres and walk toward Roxas Boulevard. If you ride Harrison bound jeep, take another jeepney via "Mabini" and get off at San Andres. You can also get off at Gil Puyat Avenue Station, ride a jeepney with "Evengelista" sign, get off at Horizon Street and take another jeep with "Manini" on its sign. Get off at San Andres Street, then walk toward Roxas Boulevard.

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How to get to Manila Bay at Roxas Boulevard by jeepney?

All jeepneys that ply the route of "Monumento-Baclaran" vice versa via Mabini pass by Rajah Sulayman Park. From Rajah Sulayman Park, walk your way to Roxas Boulevard and see where's the best place for you to watch the fireworks. There are also Baclaran bound jeepneys that ply the route of Mabini. Always make sure that there's the "Mabini" word on the sign of jeepney you are going to ride.

All you need to do is to ride another jeep bound to Baclaran via Mabini. If you're from Pasig, ride Baclaran bound jeepney in Quiapo. If you're from Cubao, there's also Baclaran bound jeepney there via Mabini. If there's none then ride one in Quiapo. Same way if you're from Fairview or Novaliches and Quezon Avenue. If you're from Monumento, then just get off right in front of Malate Church. Rajah Sulayman is opposite the church. From Makati, ride bus then get off at Harrison Street then ride a jeep bound to Monumento or Quiapo via Mabini. Wherever you might be coming from, just remember to ride a jeepney with "Mabini" on its sign.

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Location Map of Manila Bay at Roxas Boulevard



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Food on Wheels; Kanom Tokyo

Food on Wheels; Kanom Tokyo

Time to look into the Food on Wheels series, with a very interesting entry today; Kanom Tokyo. Most of you out there probably didn't even know there was a thing called like this, just like me!

In front of one of our local 7-11's near our house, almost every evening this cart can be found, the Kanom Tokyo vendor. It's mainly a children's favorite. Our kids love it, that's for sure.

The ingredients, on the bottom quill eggs and Maggi sauce, in the middle some sort of sweet cream and on top sausages.

The batter is obviously also of importance and is actually very tasty! Three 'kanoms' or sweet pancakes are spread out next to each other and than ingredients are put on top of them. This results in a sweet but crunchy pancake.

An almost finished Kanom Tokyo, the batter turned into a pancake style sweet, topped with all the ingredients previously mentioned. The only thing missing now is shaping the whole thing up and putting it in the inevitable plastic bag.

Here it is, one Kanom Tokyo, rolled into shape and ready to be eaten. Enjoy! For 5 to 10 Baht a piece, pretty cool stuff.

Camille