My Travel

My blogs have been compromised

noreply@blogger.com (jesie) — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 18:13:00 +0000

Dear readers,

My paid domain webiste http://www.jesieblogjourney.com together with the gmail account has been taken over by someone without my permission. The hijacker who took over after December 2008 is trying to put up the paid domain for sale.

The hijacker (thief) has also diabled all links that I tried to access that is connected to the stolen webiste as well as this blog. I can't post from my personal computer. It gives me "Oops! this link appears to be broken."

All readers who have blogger accounts cannot be accessed by me from my computer at this point in time until there is a resolution.

If anyone knows how to how to resolve this or report it to the relevant authority please help me before this blog is also hijacked.

Next Travel Post Coming Soon

noreply@blogger.com (jesie) — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 18:06:00 +0000

Hi Readers,

I have been away and not been able to blog for a while. I am getting organized and will start posting on my travel again.

Thank you for your patience.

Sacred Cenote in Chichen Itza

noreply@blogger.com (jesie) — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 10:21:00 +0000

After a refeshing swim at the clear water at Cenote Ikil, let's visit another cenote which is located in Chichen Itza in Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico.

Cenotes or sinkholes are formed when the limestone karst caved downward and the ceiling collapsed by the moving underground water below. The ceremonial or sacred well in Chichen Itza was used in times of drought to sacrifice human beings to appease the Mayan Chac or god of fertility, agriculture, thunder, and rain. Below are three pictures of the Cenote of Sacrifice filled with green water. They are taken from different angles.

In 1904, Edward H Thompson, an American archeologist dredged the Cenote of Sacrifice and discovered these precious gold and jade objects and human bones, wooden objects, textiles, copal incense, ceramics, shells and other artifacts can probably be found at the museum in Harvard University today.

Cenote Ikil near Chichen Itza, Mexico

noreply@blogger.com (jesie) — Sat, 10 May 2008 20:27:00 +0000

The Yucatan Peninsular in Mexico is largely made up of limestone landscape with no rivers. The land is not fertile and the Mayan farmers burn and slash the trees to grow their crops. When the limestone collapsed, a sinkhole or cenote is formed. There are numerous sinkholes and the one I visited is called Ikil which means "Sacred Blue Cenote" which is located approximately 10 minutes drive from Chichen Itza. If you want to know more about the formation of cenotes, etc., click here.

Here is the picture of the sinkhole from the top surface looking down. It is almost round. According to our tour guide the surface to the water level is around 90 feet deep. The window or opening facing me as I strecthed my neck out to take this picture, is a lookout compartment from around mid level.

I am now half way down. The following picture is taken from that window looking down into the sinkhole.

Here I am proceeding down the steps to the bottom level. The stairway was beautifully lit up.

Here I am right at the bottom of the steps. Oh it's so crowded with people and birds flying all over. This is the view from the bottom to the top surface.

There were many people taller than me crowding to look or getting ready to swim in the "well." I could get only a small portion of it.

Look at all these people getting ready to swim. I am not a great swimmer so I pass on the swimming. Guess how deep the water is?

My husband took a picture of swimmers enjoying themselves in the refreshing cool water, a contrast with the hot weather outside.

Well, according to our tour guide, the water is more than 120 feet deep. I would not recommend anyone to swim if you are not a good swimmer.

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Night Shows at Hotel, Cancun

noreply@blogger.com (jesie) — Fri, 02 May 2008 20:40:00 +0000

After each day's activities, it would be great to relax and enjoy some great music. As for the best night entertainment spots in Cancun, Terence recommended Coco bongo so did the hotel agents. However, our vacation coincided with the spring break. The college students flocked popular night entertainment spots. Here you go, just showing you the picture. Click here if you want more information and listen to the music at Coco Bongo.

Every night, the hotel resort we stayed had a show time from 9:00pm through 10:00pm. During the pre-show and post-show time, we could request for our favorite songs. The audience could dance as they wish. We took this picture because we felt that one of the local artists looks like Obama. Do you think he resembles Obama too?

Not all the night show pictures turned out. White seems to stand out more clearly and I am sharing a few of them here.
This is supposed to be the music flashbacks of the 1980s reflecting Cher.

These are the 1990s music flashbacks.... Michael Jackson! His actions, and hair style resembles Jackson except he is shorter and darker.

Below are some Cabaret photos. Enjoy.

I would recommend you take a video camera with you so that you can take better pictures and those in motion. I'm not rich enough to own one.

Horseback Riding in Mexico

noreply@blogger.com (jesie) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 14:05:00 +0000

We are now at Loma Bonita horseback riding ranch waiting for our guide to take us to the horses. There is a souvenir shop at the ranch but I did not go in.

The following 2 pictures are our guide and some horses at the ranch.

We were given instruction on how to control the horses. We were then divided into beginner, intermediate and advanced horse riders. The warning is never go near a horse' hind legs for it may kick and hurt you. Always get up a horse on its left side.

Each horse has a name. This is a picture of a couple of horses on its way through the mangrove path to the ocean. We are now on a 2-hour horse back ride.

Now we are all at the beach. Notice that the horses like to walk in a single line, one following the other. We were warned that some horses like the beach and in the event that our horse gets down to the sand, we have to get off from its back. One horse did that and a couple of others started digging into the sand.

The horses that do not like to go into the ocean were tied to the poles/fence.

The horses which would take us for a swim had the saddles removed from them. Notice the bare backs of these horses.

I am guiding my horse into the water. It wasn't easy to ride on a bare horse back. And it isn't too difficult either if you concentrate and be on your guard.

Here we go for a swim. I clamped my legs and feet tight to the horse body and held tight to its mane. I was ready to be in a position to clamp my body against the horse if the waves get too rough. A guy on the first batch fell off from his horse and he had to swim while his horse happily abandoned him. The rancher had to go after it. I didn't want it to happen to me.

Oh, oh, the waves worked against us and my horse didn't like it too much. It nearly threw me off. But I repositioned myself securely after having glided off a little from its bare back.

After the swim, we rode our horses back to the ranch. It was very hot. Lunch was ready by the time we reached the ranch. A mother and daughter whom we met at lunch shared that they have been to Hawaii for horseback riding as well but they think that Mexico has better value for money because there are more activities offered at a cheaper price and most hotel resorts are inclusive of food. They shared that their family paid US$90 for a meal in Hawaii. They also shared something that puzzled me that they saw some dogs in Mexico that were tied on the roofs in the hot sun because there was no place to keep the dogs.

After lunch, our tour bus took us back to our hotel about an hour's drive away. It was a great horse riding adventure and I think the swimming part was the most thrilling.

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Romantic Dinner in Cancun

noreply@blogger.com (jesie) — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 18:00:00 +0000

My husband had a happy secret on our Cancun, Mexico trip for my birthday. He said we would be doing something very different that evening. I waited till that day came and he told me that we had to enter the building below.

Are we going for the underwater world? I looked at the souvenirs as he took care of the paperwork. Then he came with a band to put on my wrist. He led me to face the lagoon. I asked whether we were going on any of the private yachts. He wanted me to make a wild guess. I had no idea. I asked whether we would be having a dinner on a yacht, boat or cruise ship. He said sort of.

Then came the announcement that we would be boarding M.V. Columbus, on a Lobster Dinner Cruise and couples were to walk romantically to board the ship. My husband offered to carry me to the ship but I refused. He told the guys that I piggyback on him around the house at home and was shy to let him carry me in public. Finally we are boarding.

Each lady was given a flower onboard. As we got onto the cruise vessel, we were served cocktail with some alcohol. My husband whispered in my ear that Nyquil taste better as both of us do not like alcohol. The servers were puzzled why we took only a few sips each while all the others had refills.

After a few sips, my face turned pink and my eyes did not feel good. I goofed and placed the flower on my hair while my husband took this picture. The ship is made of solid teak. I love the wood.

A couple from Wales, UK took a picture of my husband and I. I cropped to show just myself as this is my personal blog.

We cruised on the lagoon and met Cancun Queen. The tourist onboard Cancun Queen waved to us and we, them.

We exchanged conversation with other tourists and watched the sunset. The clouds hid the sun and we could not get any nice pictures.

Daniel played the sax and entertained us with romantic music. He did a very good job.

Hmm, I smell lobsters. Yes, I then saw lobsters being grilled onboard and took these pictures. I love lobsters.

Goody, it's dinner time!. The boat anchored and stopped moving. All of us adjourned to the lower deck where we were seated romatically by candle lights and were served with wine and lobsters. My husband and I had water instead of wine. Are we ripped off the price we paid?

After dinner we continued with the cruise. A few couples were picked to share their love story. A couple was married for 42 years and he shared their success in marriage is to treat his wife like a friend. Another couple said they were not married but was engaged while dining about half an hour before the interview. They had to dance and a special number was played for them.

I still don't know how much the dinner cruise cost. My husband said if I knew the cost, I would probably think it is too expensive and might not enjoy the dinner and cruise. I guess that was the most expensive dinner I have ever had in my entire life. However, I can easily check the price on the internet.

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South Island New Zealand Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (jesie) — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 03:44:00 +0000

Even pictures that you take from your car while driving on South Island in New Zealand can be so breathtaking. The sky is very clear, the mountains and lakes are naturally magnificient. Here is one of the shots to share.

After Christchurch we drove to Aoraki Mt. Cook which is the highest mountain in New Zealand. On our way there, we were caught in a traffic jam caused by hundreds of sheep. I have posted this picture before. I will upload a different picture when I win the battle with my scanner. For those who have not seen it, here you are.
Click here for the story. We were amazed how well a dog can be trained and entrusted to take care of the flock. New Zealand has the most sheep to population ratio. For the statistics, click here.

There are about 28 mountains that make up the Southern Alps of NZ. Activities include going on a 4-wheel drive safari, helicoper scenic flights with snow landing, fishing, hiking, etc. We decided to hike different trails on our own, often ending with different lookouts including glaciers. That evening the temperature dropped drastically and when we started running, my brother dropped our thermometer which we did not bother to find. We felt so good at the fireplace. We saw views like these pictures.

This is one of the pictures I took with Mt. Cook right in the center which is behind me. We climbed over rocks and snow to get this shot. My sister though slow, said she would not give up the hike for the sake of the such scenic views. If this picture doesn't load,
click here.
It is very scenic. It was the most beautiful hike in my life. We made a snowman but it was so ugly and funny looking. When my scanner is fixed, I will upload that picture. For more pictures of Mt. Cook by helicopter, click here. We did not take the scenic flight as we felt we were not rich enough to go on one. A 10 minutes introductory scenic flight over Fox or Franx Josef Glaciers cost $95 and $105 respectively! If you want to include a snow landing on Mt. Cook it cost at least $240. For the scenic flight map and cost details, click here.

After Mt. Cook, we went to Wanaka. The highlight of attraction in Wanaka is the Skyshow Centre, where you will find the largest collection of air worthy WWII Fighters in the Southern Hemisphere (information source). For those who are more adventurous, you may want to try tandem skydiving. See the tourism website with video and pictures here. I did not go for the freefall. Other things that you can do at Wanaka are trout fishing or just enjoy the beautiful lake view. See pictures below.

The highlight and best part of our adventure in Wanaka was learning to ski at the Treble Cone Ski Resort. I have a complete post on Ski Tour and Lesson with nice pictures and details posted here. I hope you enjoy reading as much as I have put them together.

I have decided to write on Lake Tekapo on a separate post as this post gets too long with numerous offsite clicks. I am still battling with my scanner to make it work right.

In less than 2 weeks, I will make my first trip to Mexico. I will take digital photos to share without messing with my scanner.

South Island New Zealand 1

noreply@blogger.com (jesie) — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 08:01:00 +0000

I am breaking up our travel on South Island into two parts. This is Part 1. Now, we are onboard the Interislander which is the ferry that took us from Wellington to Picton. The distance between the two islands across the Cook Straits is about 92 km or 58 miles and the journey takes 3 hours where you can enjoy scenic views including Marlborough Sounds. There were livestock, cars, trucks, trailers, and sometimes train coach on the ferry. Here’s the virtual journey with maps, description and pictures. For more information of the ferry, pictures and virtual tour onboard click here and navigate.

Below is a map of South Island by courtesy of backpack New Zealand.
For pictures of South Island not taken by me, click here.
If you look at the road map above, we traveled and visited Picton, Blenheim, Kaikoura, Christchurch, Lake Tekapo, Mt. Cook, Pukaia, and Wanaka. We ran out of time and could not make it to Milford Sound and Queenstown.

Blenheim is a small peaceful town and it was beautiful at night. If you like to go for whale watch, go to Kaikoura. This is a picture of me goofing around in Kaikoura. I was sitting on a bench, waiting for an opportunity to spot the whale.

Christchurch looks like a British city with a population of about 350,000 people. It is also known as the Garden City. We stayed at Rolleston House, which had a fenced up parking lot (car park) and within walking distance to the museum, Art Centre, Art Gallery and Botanic Gardens. The flea market accepted payment by credit cards which amused us.

This picture was taken at the fenced up parking lot mentioned above. We had a room to ourselves and a nice parking lot.
This picture was taken at the Botanic Garden. My brother said his sister looks like a doll.

Below is the picture of the flea market near the gallery which accepts payment by credit card.

Oops! I'm not sure whether below is the Art Center and Gallery. If not, it must be part of the museum. The museum is located next to the Botanic Gardens.
Below is a picture of hand-made fountains at a park in Christchurch. They're pretty.
Below is a picture of a floral clock which resembles the ones I have seen in Melbourne and Taiwan. I don't know who copied who. Maybe they didn't copy each other but have liked minds.

Look at the English Language College and Price Water House Centre. They are facing such scenic views. I decided to feed the doves.

For more attractions and activities in Christchurch, click here.

Next, we went to Lake Tekapo. I will continue with the rest of our journey soon. (Correction: After Christchurch, we went to Mt. Cook)

North Island, New Zealand

noreply@blogger.com (jesie) — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 01:54:00 +0000

My friends who have visited New Zealand shared that it is a very scenic and beautiful country. My dream finally came true when my siblings and I planned a family trip together. Unfortunately my parents changed their mind and decided not to go with us. So my siblings and I should thank them that we had more flexibility without them.

The flight from Kuala Lumpur to Auckland was about 10 hours 10 minutes. Minimum check-in for international flights was 2 hours before departure. About 24 hours were spent for the round trip flying and at the airports.

Map Source for North Island Only

The country map can be found at my sheepdog post here.

Welcome to New Zealand. You are now in Auckland Airport. Notice that there was a park with huge stone kiwi bird sculptures. Can you see one behind the welcome sign near the tree?
Upon arrival in Auckland, we rented a car, and toured Auckland. The place you may want to visit in the City is probably the tallest in the southern hemisphere known as the Sky Tower, Auckland.

picture source

How about trying the 360˚ Sky Walk or Sky Jump?. For more activities at the Skycity Tower, click here.

Sky Jump Picture Source.

If you like the beach, I would recommend you visit Bay of Plenty.

After Auckland, we drove to the tourist information centre in Rotorua. I took a picture with Maori arts or design in the background near the centre.
Surrounding Rotorus is very scenic due to the colorful Geothermal Wonders. For more Rotorua attraction pictures, click here. You can even enjoy a virtual tour of the geyserland at the famous Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland with unique and colorful landscape. It has its own history. Admission cost, visiting hours and other details are found here. If you want to see the guaranteed daily eruption of the Lady Knox Geyser, be there to watch it at 10.15am.
This picture highlights the main wonders with attractive names such as Champagne Pool, Bridal Veil Falls, etc. which you would see in the park.
This picture gives you the view of the Wonderland from a higher elevation.

Many people like to pamper themselves by relaxing in the Polynesian Spa. After I showed my co-workers my pictures, he and his wife went to NZ but they joinned a tour. He noticed that everyone else looked so refreshed but he and his wife weren't. The joke was they soaked themselves in "used" cooled down spa water which someone else had been soaking and bathing in there. They did not use the "fresh" warm water for their pool. Below is a picture which I took outside the famous spa which you may not want to miss.

The advantage of renting a car as compared to joining a tour is that we could stop to look and explore according to our interest at any time. Our curiousity drove us to a park with boiling mud and signs. It was dangerous as the ground was steaming hot. What is this pool of mud?
Well, the mud pool is called coffee pot. This is the story behind bathing in the coffee pot. (If my parents were with us, we would not have a chance to see this).

Lake Taupo which is in the center of the North Island is an enormous lake created after a huge volcanic eruption. It is about the size of the Republic of Singapore. There are a lot of activities such as trout fishing and scenic attractions there. For scenic highlights of Lake Taupo, click here.

We drove up the look out point in Wellington to explore and had good view of the city. Wellington is the capital of New Zealand. If you are interested in its history, click here.

Now that we are done in Wellington, it's time to take a ferry to Picton in South Island.

Tips on crossing between islands by ferry:
1) The cost for getting a car from Wellington (in North Island) to Picton (SI) cost NZ$185 for the car itself and NZ$69 per person.
2) You can save some money by leaving the car in Wellington and pick up another car in Picton. However, you must have picked up the car for at least 3 days in North Island before you are allowed to have this arrangement.
3) The ferry is huge. Just imagine its size because we waited for a train to come out before we drove to the vehicles deck on the ferry.
4) For more information on ferry tickets click here

Stay tuned. I will be posting our adventure in the South Island later.

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C & O Canal National Historical Park

noreply@blogger.com (jesie) — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 02:49:00 +0000

I went to my favorite seafood restaurant at Canal Place in Cumberland, Maryland for my favorite baked crabs and this was what I found.

an empty crab cage with some crab shells. There was no live crabs. The season starts again in April 2008.

After my lunch, I visited some sovenir stores, bought some coin albums, visited other galleries and walked around the C & O Canal National Historical Park.

These are the site maps and historical information:

Apparently, the C & O Canal was once a very important form of transportation which was in service from 1836 through 1924. At that time, some falls on the Potomac River made water transportation on the river impossible so a canal with 74 locks was constructed parallel to the Potomac River. Washington D.C. and Alexandria were major ports for distribution of tobacco, grains, whiskey, furs, timber and other items. Cumberland, Maryland was the main producer of these items (information source). Later, it stopped operation because the competition from B & O Railroad put it out of business. I think using animals would need a man to walk along with it to make sure that everything works right. I just wonder how many man would be required to walk 184.5 miles with the work animals.

Here are the pictures of a boat used at that time. Notice that it had no engine and thus had no power to move on the canal. I told my husband it's so ancient.
.

That is why a towpath was built along the 184.5 mile canal. See picture of the towpath. Notice that animals were used to pull the boat along the canal. I was told that horses were used. But this picture shows buffaloes.

Picture Source

Today the flat towpath is ideally turned into a bicycle trail which not only preserves its history, but also enables cyclists to enjoy the pleasant path and ride.

Following is the picture of the end of the canal in Cumberland. The red brick tiles mark the end of the canal.

Native Indians of the U.S.

noreply@blogger.com (jesie) — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 23:44:00 +0000

I joined some friends for an annual church retreat at the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee and I enjoyed the nature there. Then someone asked whether I had seen an Indian before, I said they are from India and I have many Indian friends. I never knew that the so called natives or aborigines of North America are also called Indians, or American Indians. One day, my husband decided to take me to the Cherokee Indian Reservation in North Carolina which is located near the Smoky Mountains so that I would meet and learn about this tribe.

To view the video on the short introduction of the Oconaluftee Indian Village, click here. You will be able to see some pictures on this replica village of the 18th century depicted here.

I took pictures of the craftsmen at work. Here is a lady weaving a basket.

This man is working with some polished stones and I have forgotten what he was trying to do. Do you have any idea?

This group carved the wood from the tree and used the trough, pestle and mortar-like stuff. I think one man was trying to crush something. It is not easy to visualize or remember things that happened back in the 18th century.

It was a guided tour with demonstrations on tribal ceremonies, where history, culture and style of the Cherokee tribe were explained. I remember that the Trail of Tears was very tragic. The Cherokees were exiled from NC to Oklahoma and traveled on a forced march of six months in a bitter winter where many of them died along the way.

I felt the term "Indian" was confusing and found the answers to why native americans are called Indians here.

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Taiwan

noreply@blogger.com (jesie) — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 19:19:00 +0000

I didn't take enough pictures as I was suffering from a bad spring allergy. I had red swollen eyes and a stuffy nose. However, I'm providing you with good links which give you good information and photo gallery of Taiwan. Enjoy.

Welcome to Taiwan which is also known as the Republic of China. It has a land area of about 36,000 sq. km (214,400 sq. miles) and a population of about 23 million people - source. It has a history of 400 years. My brother used to tell me that it has the shape of a sweet potato. See the map below.

Map Source

My brother worked in Taiwan and I went for a visit to be with his family and cooked his favorite food. He took me to Yangmingshan National Park, which has fresh air and beautiful landscape. The next place I went to was Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall, which is surrounded by nice landscape of rocks, a bridge over a stream with carp for us to feed. Next to it is a huge square with colorful lights and fountains at night where the National Theater and Concert Hall are located.

I took this picture showing the changing of the guards in front of Chiang Kai Sheik Memorial Hall.

This is the picture of the Gate of Centrality which is between Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall and the National Library.

As we go to places at night, we saw a few young betel nut girls with short skirts sitting behind the glass booth of the betel nut shops to attract customers.

We went to a couple of night markets including Shihlin Night Market for dinner. Most of the dishes were good. My brother was surprised that I ate the famous stinky tofu without complaining about the smell. I had a stuffy nose; not smelling, gave me a chance to enjoy it.

Here I am at Tamshui Ferry Terminal. The ferry provides on-board entertainment to its passengers as they travel between Tamshui and Pali. Overlooking the terminal is Kuanyin Island beautifully lit up at night. There are many shop arcades and restaurants near the banks of Tamshui River. We had some seafood at the restaurant and had our portraits sketched by the local artists.

I spent one day at the Theme Park called Window on China where there are replicas of the world's places of attraction. I took some pictures including the Statue of Liberty and Mount Rushmore. I have never been to real Mount Rushmore in South Dakota yet. It appeared strange that I just left America for Taiwan and here I am in Taiwan taking pictures of America.

Replica of Mt. Rushmore

Replica of the Statue of Liberty

Goodbye everybody, we are continuing our walk to visit the Pharoah of Egypt and other world replicas. See you again!

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London Sightseeing

noreply@blogger.com (jesie) — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 23:29:00 +0000

I went to London alone, 3 days for work and I extended 4 days for sightseeing and to catch up with some long lost friends there. I could not stay longer as I had another assignment in another country. I wish I had the time to travel by Eurostar from London to Paris! It is said to be faster than the airplane and has been winning The World Travel Awards since 1998.

This is the famous Trafalgar Square to commemorate the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte at sea in The Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. I do not understand why Nelson's Bronze Monument at the square attracts hundreds of doves. I traveled by tube (subway) and then got myself a day's pass on Hop On, Hop Off Double Deck Sightseeing Bus of London. It is very inexpensive because so many buses are in operation and you go to one place on one bus and after you are done, you show your ticket and get on the next bus, and continue for one whole day. The bus covers most London attractions including museums, palaces and shopping centers.

Picture Source

Here I am with my backpack for the day stopping at the Planetarium and Madame Tussauds. I bought a joint ticket to go to both.

I also went to see the "Crown Jewels" at the Tower of London which was once a prison, then a palace and now holds the Crown Jewels. They were the most precious and most attractive jewels I had ever seen in my entire life! You have to do some walking to get to the Tower.

Now I am at the Big Ben. This picture did not turn out well as the weather did not cooperate.
Now I am outside St. Paul's Catheral. I think I came here probably because Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana were married here that I wanted to see for myself how the church looked like.

The interior of the church is pretty but I was too late for the interior tour.

I didn't make it to the International Date Line See below if you do not want to click.
I took a train from Charing Cross to Kent to visit a few friends. I passed a place called the Seven Oaks. An old lady passenger told me it was the place Princess Diana came from. One bad hurricane had wiped out 4 oaks and today only 3 oaks are left. I thought it was interesting.

Western Australia

noreply@blogger.com (jesie) — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 15:00:00 +0000

If you refer to the map of Australia, you will notice that most settlements are along the coast. Alice Aprings is in the heart of the desert. The reason for the dense settlement near the coast is that 67% of Australia is desert.

Map Source

Now I'm taking you to Perth and Fremantle in Western Australia. The flight from Kuala Lumpur to Perth is about 5 hours.

The following two pictures were taken on the Captain Cook Cruise along the Swan River to enjoy views of the port of Fremantle and scenic city of Perth. We joked, sang and fellowship among the 110-112 of us. I think we were noisy. I liked the deck.

Let's go to the Underwater World. If you are a qualified diver, you will have a chance to dive in the aquarium where visitors can see you through the acrylic tunnel.
The dolphins here are lovely and little. But I like the one in Hong Kong better.
If you have patience to watch the whales, you may try your luck. We had a big group of approximately 110-112 of us so it was not a good idea.

The tour operators took us to the Perth Mint and shopping. They recommended the famous Australian almond hard candy nuggets. I bought some nuggets. I also purchased a pair of gold earrings from the Mint.

We went to Fremantle Market to shop for souvenirs and some had our portraits sketched by the local artists. The market was founded in 1897. It is known as a famous shopping attraction for tourists. If you are interested in the rich history and cultural heritage of the market, click here. I was bored looking as the souvenirs for I had been to Australia before. So I went around to shop for something to eat. As always, I love the ice-cream. The line was long and I thought it must be pretty good and worth the wait. When I got my ice cream, the two tour buses were gone and I was left behind. I called the tour company and they requested me to go back to the apartment to rest and wait for the rest of them to get back.

I told myself, I'm not going to get back and feel sad or waste my time. I would make the best out of my solo experience. I walked to the nearest police station, requested for a map and advice on places to visit and off I went, taking a train and buses as I visited places on my own.
When I was on the overhead walkway of the railway station, I saw a band performance. I could not find the picture to show you. Sorry.

Then I went to see the black swans, a different place from my group. Here are the closed-up pictures of the swan; swimming normally and then decided to show off its acrobatic skills.

I strolled along the coast and saw many big trunked palm trees. I asked some local guys whether there was any specific reasons other than the shade and beauty. He explained that the coast is very proned to the Westerlies (wind) and the palm trees help to break the wind.
I did little things alone and talked to the local folks. I arrived at the secured apartment complex ahead of the rest of my co-workers and they caught me eating ice-cream again. They shared they had lunch and watched some black swans which did not perform any acrobatic. I was glad I didn't miss much. I shared what I did and some of them thought it wasn't a bad idea to be left behind by the pick-up bus.

If you have a small group or travel as a family, you may want to explore the desert in Western Australia on a jeep and see the limestone structures called the Pinnacles It is about 250 km (approx, 156 miles) from Perth.

Check out the season for bush flies in Western Australia. According to a local guy, you have to cover your mouth, fan your mouth or open it as small as possible when you talk so that the flies would not enter. I don't think you want to have a vacation dealing with the bush flies.

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Cameron Highlands, Malaysia

noreply@blogger.com (jesie) — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 11:19:00 +0000

Let's go to Cameron Highlands, Malaysia (named after a British Surveyor of the 1880s). First, let's visit the tea plantation. A British man started the tea plantation in Cameron Highlands in 1929. He named it the Boh Plantations totaling an area of 1200 hectares which accounted for 70% of the total tea production in Malaysia. The plantations produce about 4 million kg or 8.8 million pounds of tea annually which can make approximately 5.5 million cups of tea a day!

Here is the picture of a woman prunning the tender tea leaves with a pair of shearers that has an orange funnel like gadget attached to it. The leaves that she prunned will be trapped into the funnel and she then threw them over her head into the huge basket hanging on her back. The tea leaves are ready for picking 2 years after planting and the same bush is picked once every 3 weeks. I asked how many years of good tea leaves can a tea bush produce and if my memory doesn't fail me, it's either 16 or 26 years.
For those who are interested to know the tea processing details, click here. Other attractions in Camerion Highlands include the Strawberry Farms, Flower Nurseries, Markets, Vegetable Farms, Butterfly Farms, etc. which I do not have all the pictures, but you can find them here.

I would like to share with you the cacti farm. I had never seen so many cacti in my life. The center of attraction was a cactus which was 25 years old. Compare its size to my hand and arms.

You will not be left out on your food. Steam boat (hot pot) is very popular. I like my hot pot with lots of vegetables. This is a modern hot pot using gas with the soup in the pot and the raw meat, seafood, etc. on the table Picture from Wikipedia.

The steamboat below is outdated. It uses charcoal so you see the fire coming from the center. The outer ring is filled with soup which you cook your food when it boils.
Picture Source.

If you have a group, you may want to book for chalets or a bungalow depending on the size you need. There are some hotels there too. I went there a few times and we organized a church retreat there once where the guys planned on playing golf. Unfortunately, the king booked the whole golf course and the guys were disappointed. So we had time to go to places like the waterfalls and walked around the market.

On one occasion, I went on a small jeep and was driven from the bottom to the hill top terrain. I closed my eyes and prayed for our safety so I did not take any pictures to show you. We were cornering or going in circles as we went higher and higher up. I was afraid we would slide downhill. I wonder how the farmers did that for a living traveling up and down constantly on the hills with steep gradients. I wasn't sure whether I would survive on one ride up and down.

Other activities you can do in Cameron Highlands are camping, jungle treking, and mountain hiking besides golfing. My husband simply likes the cool highlands.

Virginia Beach, USA

noreply@blogger.com (jesie) — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 16:42:00 +0000

Last week I worked at Virginia Beach. If you love the ocean, here are some pictures which you may like. Below is a picture which I took from my room balcony overlooking the ocean. The whole stretch of beach is occupied by hotels. During the day, you find people walking along the narrow alley.

Below is a statue and I have no idea whether it is a sand or solid statue. It was too windy to walk close to it. I don't understand why we have machines working at the beach. I had to rush for work and did not stay long enough to watch.

If you want to see the scene in summer, navigate the side bar for more pictures on this site. You will see how crowded the beach is. It is very clean and sandy. There is plenty of room to get your tan. Summer is a hot season and certainly the hotel rooms would cost more. If you like the beach, it's the experience that counts.

I went in search of seafood along Atlantic Avenue. Most of them close early in winter. My choice of restaurants was more limited as compared to summer. I ordered a seafood platter and paid about $33 for one dinner and $13 for another from two different restaurants. Of course the $33 was much better and more appetizing. I'm not sure whether it would cost more in summer.

Not many people go there for winter. I find the night view more exciting as cars drove slowly to watch the lights. Here are some pictures of the lights.

I like the lights in the form of Cane Sticks surrounded by Pointsettia. I think they are very pretty.

Hope you enjoy the lights from Virginia Beach. Merry Christmas to all of you.

Tumbulgum Farm, Australia

noreply@blogger.com (jesie) — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 18:14:00 +0000

Welcome to Tumbulgum Farm in Western Australia! It has an area of about 80 hectares and is an award winning tourist attraction. See the cultural experience including Farm and Aboriginal shows, BBQ lunches, Aboriginal gallery and displays. There are interactive shows that give tourists hands-on experience as well. The history of the farm is interesting.

The farm shows include Australian sheep dogs at work where they respond to different sounds as intructions to do different tasks. Also watch sheep mustering with the stockman on horseback. I took two pictures at the show which I would like to share with you as below.

See the picture of sheep shearing. The suspension loop around the shearer's body serves specific functions such as control and protect his back (if I remember correctly). The sheep is meek and not difficult to handle. Probably the shearer's experience makes him efficient. He did not take long to do a good job. I would make a mess shearing my husband's hair let alone so much work on a sheep.

Here I am trying to milk "Bernie" the cow in an old-fashioned way. Hey, I need a bucket to collect the milk!

If you want to see more pictures and activities on the farm, here is the photo gallery. Enjoy the fun from the pictures. Then go for a traditional billy tea and Australian damper.

How do you like the Australian Farm experience!

Penang Butterfly Farm, Malaysia

noreply@blogger.com (jesie) — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 01:14:00 +0000

Let’s guess what you can find other than butterflies on the Butterfly Farm in Penang, Malaysia.

As the name implies, it's not surprising that the Butterfly Farm has possibly close to 4,000 butterflies from over 120 species flying along the footpath around the enclosed landscaped garden. They like to rest on colorful flowers, plants and even rock surfaces. The lifespan of each butterfly is approximately 2 weeks! You may have a chance to see a female butterfly trying to lay eggs.

Besides the butterflies, you will be able to see white tree squirrels, scorpions, millipedes, snakes, iguana, lizards, oriental water dragon, ducks, tortoise, finches, insect museum, etc. There is a little insect zoo where you will see different kinds of bugs.

The most unique bug which I am introducing to you today is the human face bug. I saw a face bug crawling on a branch. See picture below.

Here is the picture of a female face bug guarding its eggs.

Now you should be able to differentiate between the male and female face bug from the picture below.

The moving leaf bug is also something unique which I had never seen elsewhere in my entire life. Take a look at it below:

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The Oldest City in the World, Bremen

noreply@blogger.com (jesie) — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 13:18:00 +0000

Let's see the oldest city, in the world, Bremen, Germany (source: Wikipedia). It is a port city and I went there to follow up on a marine insurance claim. The best way to see the city is by bicycles. There are guided cycling tours too. I walked. I met cyclists cycling to work and back from work. Most of them speak good English. The overhead bridges are bicycle friendly with a flat surface at the side for the cyclists to push their bikes without dragging over the steps. You can find some information on the cycling tour here.

According to Wikipedia , Bremen is the tenth populous city in Germany. It is situated along River Weser about 60km (or 57mi) south from the mouth of Weser from the North Sea. It is the longest river to reach the sea.

River Weser has cruises and you can see some beautiful views along it. There is a list of attraction including different kinds of cruises here . I crossed a bridge from the hotel to the insurance company and took the picture below.

Below is another picture along the river view from the Stephani-Bridge in the direction of the Cathedral
Picture Source

The hotel management recommended me to visit Rathaus Dom Buergerschaft which means Bremen town hall, St. Peter's Cathedral and parliament if I remember correctly.

Picture Source

I like this old but pretty windmill at the Bremen Rose Garden which has a very nice landscape surrounding it. You can see it from the main road.

Although there are many old buildings, they are well maintained to preserve its historical heritage.

Treble Cone Ski Resort, New Zealand.

noreply@blogger.com (jesie) — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 03:19:00 +0000

After Mt. Cook,, my siblings and I proceeded to Treble Cone, Wanaka Ski Resort. It has a skiable terrain of 550 hectares (1359 acres) with the summit height of 2100m (6888 ft). The terrain is divided into 3 different grades; 15% beginner, 45% intermediate and 40% advanced.

It had a total lift capacity of 6200 people per hour with 4 different types of lifts;
1) 1 Six seater high speed detachable chairlift
2) 1 double chair lift
3) 2 T-bars
4) 1 Platter

First of all, we went for a ski tour. Here we are at the top end of the six seater high speed detachable chairlift line. You can see a man behind us who just got off from a chair lift and he was all ready to ski.

Now we are at the advanced ski terrain and made way for those experts who came by so swiftly though we knew they would know how to avoid hurting us.

Then we toured the facility. Below is a bird's eye view of the ski equipment rental building, restaurant, etc. which we took while we were on the chair lift.

It was our first ski adventure and we had to enroll at the Ski and Snowboard School. Here we are waiting for our instructor.

We learned to balance ourselves, glide, turn, and stop. Then we pulled one of the T-bars and rode to a higher elevation for beginners.

My sister who was in front of me called for help as she wasn't sure whether she knew how to get off the T-bar safely. Our instructor took this picture of me at the same time. We must have driven him up the wall.

Now is the fun time. I was like a Humpty Dumpty who had too many great falls. I knew the the DOs and DON'Ts but knowing is different from doing. See how I progressed. This was how I started by maintaining a slight inverted V and learned to stop as well.

As I progressed, my feet are now parallel to each other.

I'm about to make a V, ready to crash and fall like the man on the right!

My sister did a good job balancing as she bent her knees and use her hips skillfully. My brother has always been above average in sports so we could not compare. I was the worst ski student. My instructor fell along with me at one time. Look how I was about to knock him down.

It was already 4:30pm and I was on my way to remove the glasses and return them along with all other ski equipment.

We wasted one rainny day and ran out of time. So we did not make it further south to Milford Sound. If you are planning to visit New Zealand, try not to miss Milford Sound.

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Sydney Harbor Bridge

noreply@blogger.com (jesie) — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 03:49:00 +0000

Picture Source

Let's climb the famous Sydney Harbor Bridge. It was built in 1932 and was not opened for climbing for about 7 decades. I am glad to be able to climb it. Here I am, with my waist strapped to the railing standing on the catwalk at the summit of the bridge. I am the last lady on the front row. I was so excited and happy that I made it! Can you see the Opera House behind us?

The above picture was taken by the Bridge Climb tour operator. All our personal belongings including our clothes, watch, jewelry and camera had to be stored in our personal locker during the climb.

For those who have children, bear in mind that all climbers must be above 12 years old. Those between 12-16 years old have to be accompanied by an adult.

Upon registration and payment for the climb, you will attend a briefing and simulation. Each of you will be strapped around the waist with a metal gadget that will lock and glide onto the railing throughout the climb. You have to watch it as you turn.

The above diagram is an illustration of 3 main points. Number 4 is the start of the climb from the eastern arch. Number 5 is the summit of the bridge where your group picture will be taken. After you have reached the summit, you will cross the bridge and return from the western arch at number 6.

You will see cars, road and water below you. If you have a phobia for heights, try to concentrate on the climb and don't look down.

At the end of the climb, you will receive a climb certificate and purchase the photos of your choice.

I enjoy the adventure. I hope that you will enjoy it too.

Sheepdog At Work in New Zealand!

noreply@blogger.com (jesie) — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 14:11:00 +0000

My siblings and I were very excited to get to our next destination at Mt.Cook, New Zealand. We had driven a long way from Auckland, Rotorua, Wellington and then crossed a ferry to Picton (the car cost alot to cross between islands on the ferry. If you have time, pick up another car on the other island). Below is a map which will give you a better picture of places. Picton is the ferry terminal on the south island of NZ.
Map Source

After Christchurch, we proceeded to Mt. Cook. My brother was driving and suddenly he stopped and woke us up from our nap when he exclaimed, "Oh, sheep jam!"

The sheep occupied the whole road and then came a black sheepdog to herd hundreds of sheep to the side of the road. There was no human shepherd. As we waited for the dog to clear the sheep off the road, we started to take pictures. We were amazed by what we saw. Seeing is believing.

Later we drove passed a building that sold fruits. We pulled our rented car by the side of a barn and was greeted by a friendly dog which wagged its tail. As we walked to the stall where all the fruits, money and weighing scales were, the dog barked and disappeared almost instantly and got its owner out. We asked questions and learned that the sheepdog is a rare breed that herds the sheep by its "voice." We forgot to ask whether her dog at the fruit stall was also a sheepdog.

In New Zealand dogs are widely trainned to herd the sheep and cattle in huge farms. It's not surprising because there are about 75 million sheep and only 4 million people. Dogs can learn to do human tasks. They run faster than humans. There is no need to pay for its salary or health insurance. Just take good care of it and feed it well and you get a good job done without having to deal with labor or union issues. How smart and efficient!

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London Bridge

noreply@blogger.com (jesie) — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 23:00:00 +0000

When I went to London sometime in summer, it rainned throughout the day for the whole week. So I bought a T-shirt which showed "rainning in London." I waited for a long time to get in, and took some indoor pictures of the great wax figures at the Madam Tussard`s Wax Museum but I'm not proud to show them.

This is the picture of the real London Bridge. Sorry that I could not do anything about the rain and gloomy weather.

The London Bridge has a long history. It has been rebuilt a few times. The present bridge we see today was constructed from 1967 to 1972, and opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1973. It is 928 feet (283 m) long and cost £4 million. For more details and history ob the bridge, click here. The tower part of the bridge called Tower Bridge, opens up in the center to allow ships to pass through. You can see the pictures of how it opens and shuts here.

Some countries built replicas of the Tower Bridge for tourist attraction. The sunny weather and blue sky provide a sharp shot. The one below is in Shenzhen, China just across the channel from Hong Kong. There is another one in Taiwan.

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Boat House

noreply@blogger.com (jesie) — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 13:45:00 +0000

Well, the cable cars from my previous post is located in Ocean Park in Hongkong. The park is enormous. You find several long excalators too.

Moving away from the modern city, you will find some secluded homes on boats. The boats are their homes!

If you visit a Chinese restaurant in the US, chances are you may find a picture of the floating Jumbo Restaurant hanging on the wall. The food at Jumbo is so good but you must be willing to pay for the price. Take a ride further behind the restaurant and you will find the boat houses.

What a contrast between the restaurant in the fore front and the floating houses behind it.

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