Bintan - Nov 10

2nd time to Bintan. I think this is the last time I will go there as it is simply too boring unless there is a super good deal for a posh villa. There are 2 things I always do outside the resort.
1) Massage, you just call for the spa for free transport as long as you spend minimum number of dollars
2) Nasi Padang at the hawker center outside the Spa- nothing fantastic but there is not much delicious food in Bintan anyway

Lawrence's dad had a good deal at Banyu Biru at Nirwana Gardens and it was a family gathering for Bernice's(the grandchild) birthday celebration.

The only pictures I took was Lawrence (trying to capture his childhood memory) jumping into the drain near our resort to catch fish.

The Three Sisters in Bangkok Oct 10

Reasons why are I still going Bangkok every year?
1) Cheap food
2) Cheap shopping
3) Time to lose weight due to intense walking

I almost never bring camera to Bangkok anymore, just rely on my good old handphone for some food pictures.

Newly discovered things:
1) Cheap and good chicken rice at Pratunam
2) On the spot made dough fritters
3) Japanese food is cheap!
4) More time to eat this trip.

Usual Haunts:
1) Platinum Shopping Mall
2) Naraya Bags
3) Chinatown Wholesale Shopping
4) Dog Shit Shopping
5)HealthLand Spa
6) Seafood at Chinatown
7) Chatuchak

Lunch at Japanese restaurant in Platinum Mall. Always wanted to try it..

Some grilled meat/fish

Shabu Shabu Hotpot

Pork Katsu

Mango Sticky Rice Pudding at Chatuchak

Green Curry

Only Tom Yum Soup I had in Bangkok this time

UK - Touch and go!

The long awaited annual trip is here again! This time on a 2 weeks trip to Spain. I booked British Airways(transit in Heathrow- UK) as it was cheaper than flying SQ..
Turns out everytime I go Europe, I can claim my travel insurance! OMG! We reached UK in the wee morning (around 6plus am). Unfortunately no shops were opened for me to spend my pounds.
We proceeded to the waiting area and was told that the flight were late.Then we saw news on the TV that there was a "strike" in Spain. Isn't the customer service at the airport great? We only knew of it from the news!I had inverted "strike" as it was more of a walk-out. In Europe, strike is known in advance. If it is not known, then it is a walk-out. This is what I learnt from a lady in the queue.



The queue to rebook our tickets were terrible! It took almost 5 hours before we reached the counter. And guess what? The queue stopped moving when some of the customer svc people went off for lunch! Luckily, there were sandwiches and water for the trapped passengers if not I will really freaked out.

Slightly after I booked my tickets nfor the next day, I was told that the flights to Spain started again..Nevertheless, we decided to stick with our flights tomorrow since Ching is also stranded in Milan (SW transit point for Spain). British Airways also provided free airport hotel accomodation, so off we trooped off into the feeder bus.

                                     

                        However, before I do so..here is a picture of the street outside the airport.

                                           Accomodation for the night. I think it was Thistle Hotel?

                    Very basic bathroom.We had to ring the receptionist to get our toothbrushes!

Our buffet dinner.Only plain water available. If you want other drinks, you have to order separately. There were actually many part time Chinese waitresses,even the chef spoke Cantonese.