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During our 3 days at the Margaret River region, we stayed at the Margaret River Hideaway, a unique accommodation featuring 3 cottages situated right on a farm.

Every day at 9am sharp, the owner would take visitors around the farm to feed various animals like ducks, chickens, peacocks, sheep, alpacas, and cows. It was a perfect experience for Ashley as she got to interact with all the animals up close. Even the huge cows didn’t scare her!

Baa… get out of the pen!

Eggs are Ashley’s favourite food and today she got to gather them in person.

Feeding the alpacas.

Speaking of alpacas, they are highly prized for their very soft wool and are great additions to farms because they protect sheep from wolves. They are cautious but curious animals, and the two alpacas that were on the farm followed us around the place even after the feeding was over. I think they just wanted a photo.

Best friends forever!


View the full Margaret River Hideaway gallery here.

While many people know that the colonization of Australia began when convicts were shipped there from Britian, most probably wouldn’t know the difference between a convict and a criminal in the context of an early Australian prison. Convicts were basically people who were sentenced in Britain whereas criminals were sentenced in Australia itself.

The main prison block

One of the well known attractions in Fremantle is the Fremantle Prison, which was built in the 1850s but decommissioned in 1991. The prison consisted of 4 divisions, each one meant for different categories of offenders, with the 4th division reserved for the worst of them all (e.g. murderers). A total of 44 people were hung in this prison with the last execution taking place in 1964. Australia has since abolished the death penalty, although I don’t think the same would happen soon in Singapore.

The Anglican Chapel – Interestingly, the words to the sixth commandment on the Ten Commandments painted on the wall behind the altar had been modified from "Thou shalt not kill" to "Thou shall do no murder". The former would have seemed rather hypocritical given that the gallows were still being used and England was involved in so many wars.

During our visit, we signed-up for the “Doing Time Tour” – an hour long walk around the prison compounds to see the various cell blocks, chapel and gallows. For the more adventurous, there is also a tunnel tour where visitors explore the labyrinth of passages beneath the prison.

Prison art – Rules forbidding painting or drawing on walls were relaxed after it was found to calm violent prisoners.

Prior to the tour starting, the guide told me a story about how two recent tourists with high end cameras had their equipment fail on them when trying to take pictures inside the execution chamber. It made my skin crawl, but thankfully, my faithful D3 didn’t skip a beat. I even took a picture of the noose but was quite disappointed at the lack of any mysterious ghostly silhouette in the final picture.

Full Fremantle Prison gallery here.

Day 2 saw us, um, oversleeping a little resulting in us having to take a train down to the port city of Fremantle instead of one of the local cruise ships.

The Leeuwin – A 55-metre three-masted sail training ship that’s still in service.

Only 30 minutes away by train from Perth Central train station, Fremantle is unofficially regarded as Western Australia’s second capital. Unlike Perth, Fremantle’s period architecture has largely been preserved since there has never been much economic benefit from knocking them down.

The Round House – This small prison, which had only 8 cells, was eventually turned into the living quarters for the chief constable and his family during the turn of the 20th-century.

What struck me upon arriving was how empty the city was. Granted, it was Boxing Day and most people were probably indoors rather than roaming the streets, but it did feel awfully like a ghost town while walking down some of the streets.

Inside the Fremantle Markets

Full Fremantle gallery here.

We arrived in Perth on Christmas afternoon and checked into Hotel Sullivan along Mount Bay Road. It turned out to be a really great location for two reasons. Firstly, it was right next to Kings Park, one of the largest parks in the world in terms of natural bushland located right at the heart of a city. The park also offered spectacular views of Perth’s CBD and surrounding coastal areas. Secondly, we were right next to a hospital, which was reassuring when you’re traveling with a very pregnant wife…

View of the Perth skyline from Kings Park

Perth city skyline at sunset

State War Memorial Cenotaph at Kings Park

Full day 1 gallery here.

Took a short trip to Perth with Zhiyi, Ashley, Alvin, Cheryl and Charlotte over the Christmas and New Years period (25 – 31 Dec 2008). It turned out to be a very enjoyable trip, except for the small fact that this being the holidays and peak travel season meant that a lot of places like restaurants were either closed or fully booked on certain days.

Nonetheless, Perth and its surrounding towns still offered a lot of great scenery and coupled with fine weather (20 to 30 degrees C and low humidity) made walking and driving around very pleasant. Getting around and talking to people also didn’t seem as intimidating as compared to the busier and more cosmopolitan city of Sydney.

We spent the next few days hanging around the city area, Fremantle and driving out to Margaret River and Pemberton before flying back on New Year’s Eve.

More pictures to come in following posts! Sifting through 17GB of holiday photos to upload isn’t exactly the most relaxing thing to do after a tiring holiday.

Full gallery here (uploads still ongoing!).

There are so many things I miss about Hawaii – the cool weather (hot but not humid), beaches (white sand and turquoise water), food (everything is served twice the portion of what we have in Singapore), friendly people (aloha and mahalo!) and shopping (everyone thinks I’m a Jap tourist) among others. But what I really miss is being able to end the day looking into the golden sunset with not a ship in sight along the horizon. I can’t remember when I last saw a good sunset in Singapore…

These pictures were taken along the beach at the Hilton Waikola on Big Island (Hawai’i).

Had to go on yet another business trip – this time to Manila – on the weekend of 9 Jun 2007. This trip was made all the more interesting by the fact that I was born there and had not been back for almost 28 years. More specifically, I was born at St Luke’s Hospital in Quezon City during the time when the late President Fidel Marcos was still mayor of St Juan. I was too young to remember this, of course.

As I had not been back for such a long time, I knew that I had to take some nice photos to show my parents. For that, I armed myself with Merv’s trusty Nikon D80 DSLR camera and equally potent but intimidating looking 70-200mm F/2.8 lens. For those who don’t know how this lens looks like, it is almost as long as my forearm, and fatter! In fact, thanks to my equipment, I even got into an interesting conversation with an air stewardess as I was taking this photo.

One of Philippine’s many many many islands.

SIA Girl: Hi, are you a professional photographer?
Me: Noleh, I just take for fun.
SIA Girl: Oh, your camera looks very big and powerful.
Me: Yah! (I then spend the next 15 mins blabbering non-stop about the advantages of a DSLR and its system of interchangeable lenses and bodies)
SIA Girl: So complicated… (at this point politely excusing herself to avoid passing out)

In retrospect, I should have just suppressed the geek in me and asked her to help me take a picture instead. There’s nothing like fond memories of sitting in a nearly empty Business Class munching away on steak with a glass of champagne in one hand. Ok, so maybe it was just sparkling apple juice but still.

Jeepney! Cheapest form of transport in Manila.

Though my schedule was very intense, thank God, I still managed to squeeze in a few hours of time to take photos. Thanks to a colleague’s recommendation, we visited Intramuros, a famous historical area in Manila. We certainly weren’t disappointed, having had a chance to take pictures of Fort Santiago and Manila Cathedral. Later in the evening, we also headed down to Manila Bay, where the sunset is reputed to be one of the best in the world. Unfortunately, due to overly cloudy skies, there wasn’t much of one in the end.

Other highlights of the trip included the amazing buffet breakfast at Shangri-La Hotel, tasting authentic Filipino food and listening to live music at the Green Belt.

Lastly, more photos on my PBase album here!

On 15 Dec, I had to travel to Hong Kong for a one day work assignment, my first time travelling for work! I stayed there for 3D2N and also managed to do a bit of sightseeing in the process. The weather was perfect for walking around and at approximately 15°C, it was like having aircon outdoors. Not only that, Christmas atmosphere was in the air.

Accomodation

During the trip, I stayed at this 5-star business hotel called The Conrad which is quite near Admiralty MTR and right next to Shangri-La Hotel. There is also a huge shopping centre called Pacific Plaza right below the hotel. The good thing about this hotel is that it is within walking distance of many places of interest like The Peak pram station, Star Ferry Pier, Central District, etc. However, the irony was that whenever I asked the hotel receptionist for directions, they would always tell me to take a taxi, even if it were only a 5-10min walk away!

At HKD1700 a night (that’s roughly SGD340 a night and all paid for!), I was able to enjoy a pretty nice view of the city from my Superior View Room on the 36th floor, albeit blocked by a lot of tall buildings; and a sumptuous continental buffet breakfast every morning.

The biggest hotel room I’ve stayed in so far. Too bad I had to travel without wifey…

(Click on the image above for more pictures of the hotel and Pacific Plaza)

Tsim Sha Tsui

Tsim Sha Tsui, which lies at the southern tip of Kowloon, is probably the best place to get an unobstructed view of the famous Hong Kong skyline. To get there from Hong Kong Island where I was staying, the cheapest and most scenic way to travel is by hopping on board a Star Ferry from Pier 7. I can’t remember exactly how much it cost but it was pretty cheap and the ride took less than 10 minutes.

I was fortunate enough to visit right before Christmas as Harbour City, a really long mall next to the pier, was decorated very beautifully. I was also able to catch the daily light show where lights on major buildings on Hong Kong Island facing Kowloon would synchronize to music.

Night view of Hong Kong Island from Tsim Sha Tsui.

(Click on the image above for more pictures of Tsim Sha Tsui)

Mongkok

Mongkok is characterized by its many shops, food outlets and bustling night markets. It reminds me a lot of our Bugis Street back in Singapore, except many many times larger. To enjoy shopping here, one must be quite aggressive in bargaining. Unfortunately, not knowing Cantonese was a big handicap for me and I left the place empty handed.

Still, Mongkok was one of the highlights of my visit to Kowloon. If you’re one who draws energy from crowds, this is the place to visit!

If people call Hong Kong a city that never sleeps, it is probably because of Mongkok.

(Click on the image above for more pictures of Mongkok)

The Peak

The Peak is what the locals call Victoria Peak, a mountain situated on Hong Kong Island. Victoria Peak is about 550m tall and is one of the busiest tourist attractions in Hong Kong. I’m not surprised, judging by the spectacular view of the city and bay if offers. You can also see Kowloon Peninsula from up there. I heard that the best time to visit is at night when all of Hong Kong is lighted up. However, the late morning view I saw was no less stunning.

To get the The Peak, I had to take The Peak Tram, which runs every day from 7am to midnight. A return ticket costs HKD33 for adults and is a must to experience this enduring emblem of Hong Kong’s history.

I could sit here for hours just admiring the view and the cool breeze.

(Click on the image above for more pictures of The Peak)

Central

Central District is located on the northern part of Hong Kong Island and it is the financial centre or CBD of Hong Kong. There are many tall buildings in this area, especially banks, but the most interesting thing is how rows and rows of old shophouses lining the back alleys juxtapose against such a modern landscape.

My main goal of going to Central was to hunt for one of the most famous restaurants in Hong Kong called Yung Kee. Hong Kong is the home of dim sum and what better place to try it than at this restaurant. Besides, that was what the hotel receptionist recommended so I wasn’t going to argue. I must say it was really worth it!

Exploring the city is fun and it is impossible to get lost (unless given wrong directions like me!).

(Click on the image above for more pictures of Central)

At the end of the trip, I can definitely say that Hong Kong is a shopper’s and foodie’s paradise and I wish I could’ve spent more time there. If all goes well, I might be going back again in March 07 together with wifey, Ashley and some HopeIslanders! Really looking forward to that.

For all pictures of the trip, browse to my album here:
http://www.pbase.com/inkyneil/hongkong2006

(Finally finished this post!)

Here are some pics from our first ever 3D2N Unit Retreat in Bintan. Though many of us have been together as a unit for almost 2 years now (INK’s, Chris’ & KC’s CGs), we have never had any chalet outings or retreats before. This was one of those rare opportunities for us to just hang out, free and easy style, and let our hair down (doesn’t apply to me for obvious reasons). It was also through this trip that I got to see the crazy side of some IslandHopies (you know who you are!). More on that later! *Heh*

The morning we were supposed to meet at the Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal started uneventfully enough. All seemed to be going smoothly until it was Juergen’s turn to cross the checkpoint. Suddenly, he realized that one of his green cards (either the Student Pass or Embarkation & Disembarkation Card) was missing. After much panic and many a silent prayer from us folks who could only watch helplessly from across the checkpoint, there were sighs of relief all around when he finally emerged with his card. The lady at the check-in counter apparently dropped it on the floor while she was processing our huge bunch of passports earlier. The first miracle of the trip had occurred!

Us on the 2nd deck of the ferry on what was to be a 1 hour ride. We passed the time by doing what we do best – taking photos!

We arrived at Teluk Sebung at around half past noon and didn’t take very long to clear customs. While queueing, we again did what we do best – take photos. It also helped that Ashley was having a lot of fun with her mum’s oversized hat.

IslandHope’s Cover Girl

Thankfully, there was no drama this time around and when we got through, a friendly resort staff was there waiting to greet us.

Welcome Priscilla Tham & … who? Who?! What does the sign say?? It’s been bugging me all night! *hyuks*

I don’t remember that eagle being there the last time Zhiyi and I visited.

Happy slapping – this is how it should be done.

After another brief ride on a bus chartered by the hotel, we arrived at Nirwana Gardens Resort only to find out that a huge crowd had just checked-out and many of the rooms wouldn’t be ready till much later. Nonetheless, time flew by pretty quickly as we passed the time by snapping pictures and having lunch.

Our accomodation in the background.

I like how the pool looks like it is stretching out into the ocean.

A rare photo with me in it! I spent a lot of time in that pool thanks to some people…

As it was raining in the afternoon, we spent most of the day in and around the hotel. Merv and Chris went to try their hand at archery and I must admit that they were pretty good at it. I was a little disappointed though that they didn’t try any tricks like shooting blindfolded or two arrows at once.

It’s pretty obvious from the photo below that I’ve never tried this before. Just look at that wussy way I draw the arrow!

Right next door, the air rifle gang were doing their rounds. It’s ironic that though you expect guys to be good at guns, they were summarily out-gunned by the girls. Leading the way was “beginner after beginner luck” Pris who popped one tin after another and Zhiyi “I used to be in NCC” cooly hitting the target on ALL tries!

This lady definitely deserves her stripes.

All that exercise carrying the baby has definitely given Zhiyi steady arms (all the better to hold a gun with!)

Gab’s really much better at this in Battlefield than in real life (thank God!)

While we were busy doing target practice, Ashley managed to keep herself entertained looking at a fountain nearby. I don’t know what’s so hilarious about water sprouting up from the ground but she was in stiches for a good minute or two.

And when was the last time something so simple in life could make you laugh so hard?

The afternoon shower eventually turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Once the rain had cleared and the sun came out, we were able to enjoy beautiful blue skies and clear fresh air.

Not a trace of the haze in sight.

This is sure to give Ashley a tan.

From there on, the day passed pretty quickly with a game of Captain’s Ball at the pool followed by dinner at the poolside cafe. Half of the unit folks decided to go out to the kelong for dinner (seafood!) while half of us chose to remain at the hotel. I guess after the really tiring workout at the pool, I wanted to be within walking distance of my bed! Dinner was not too bad and we were able to enjoy live music from a traditional instrument and dance group.

Romantic poolside dinner for seven. Can you make out the traditional music band in the background?

After the performance, some of the dancers gave out flowers. Seeing how Ashley is too young for earrings, this will do for now!

We ended the day by taking a short stroll by the beach. The tide happened to be coming in and the sound of the waves lapping against the shore with the cool evening breeze blowing just filled us with so much tranquility. How nice to be able to stay in a house that is facing the sea and being able to hear the sound of the ocean every night. *Yawn*! I guess this is what those people who paid millions of dollars for bungalows at Sentosa will be able to enjoy…

This hammock isn’t big enough for Pris and Ashley, so guess who got kicked off!

We started off the second day of our holiday by visiting my old church. Indeed, there were a few old faces I was hoping to see but it seems like almost everyone is working overseas now! Still, it was a nice experience seeing Ashley go through her first sabbath school class (the equivalent of sunday school for kids) without any major incident except for a diaper change halfway. Oh wait a minute, that is a major incident! Also, can you spot my dad teaching Bible study to the adults in the picture below? Hmm, I seem to be following in his footsteps!

Sabbath school with the rest of the kids.

After that, our family headed down to Padungan to have lunch at a chinese restaurant with Dawn’s family. Padungan is situated in the middle of Kuching city and the rows of old two to three storey shophouses on either side of the road don’t look much different from how they were like in the 80s. And yes, that old non-airconditioned blue bus is the same one I used to take home from school in my younger days. I still have fond memories of how the bus conductor would collect coins from us and give us colourful paper tickets in return (which I used to collect). Anyway, I heard that they are going to replace these buses with air-conditioned ones soon.

Something that I had really been looking forward to during the trip was to feast on seafood which is quite affordable in Kuching compared to Singapore. In fact, we were pretty lucky as I heard from my mum that some other relatives who visited just a few weeks prior to us didn’t get to enjoy any crab as it wasn’t the season. Oh, and there is also this special vegetable called bilin which grows near rivers and tastes heavenly when fried together with belachan. Great, I just made myself hungry at this ungodly hour!

After the sumptous dinner, we were off… to get even more food! My dad brought us to this cake shop that is supposedly famous for its chocolate cake. With all the good food in Kuching, now you know why Kenny complains that it’s near impossible to lose weight in Kuching. Thank God man I was born with skinny genes or else I’ll be twice the man I am today, literally!

Ok, after spending the whole day eating and eating, there was but one thing to do – relax on the sofa and watch TV.

Watch soccer or the cat? I can’t make up my mind…