Dolphin Wacthing in Jervis Bay

It took around 3 hours drive from Sydney to Jervis Bay and along the way you will have the chance to see the beautiful coastal rainforest scenery and spectacular coastline of South Pacific Ocean.

The end of winter was gently chill, the sky is cloudless, the water is clear and the air crisp. Apart from its pristine natural beauty, Jervis Bay does offer the ideal viewing experiences for dolphin, whale and seal in Australia. This trip around we are going for the cruise of seeing dolphin in wild. There are no guarantee you will see dolphin in live, therefore pray hard on it.

Australia abundance's of natural resources are the key sources of its economy. I can see that Australian really take a good care of their environment and protect the wild animal. I think we as a Malaysian should learn from them.

We are so luckily that we were able to witness dolphin with close proximity. At last, we took the famous fish and chip at the nearby restaurant after the cruise.

  

Malaysia Taxi the worst in the world?!!

It was quite shock and shame to know that Malaysia taxi driver is the worst in the world at the recent survey  published in the newspaper! Although I seldom took public transport but I have encountered the same experience where the taxi driver refuse to use meter and quoting a higher fare.

It was during a visit to KLCC. Me and my husband decided not to drive and took LRT at Taman Paramout station. We do this to avoid jam and paying high parking fees charged by KLCC during holiday.

After shopping in KLCC, we went down to the KLCC station to get our LRT ticket. But it was to my  surprised to see that the station is flooded with foreigner workers. We try to squeeze into the crowd to line up for the ticket, but we really do not know where to line up from. At last, we have to forget the idea of went back using LRT.

The next solution we have is to go back by taxi. We went to the taxi stand and get a taxi, but the taxi driver told us that the fare was RM40. We surveyed three more, all of them refuse to use meter. At last, we have to haggle and got RM35 per trip. Mentioned by the taxi driver, it is not worth to take a trip to the place we go without charging a returned trip. It will be a loss for them.

It was nonsense. But I didn't argue, I only want to go home without any delay. From this experience onwards, I will always drive myself. It is really a bad reputation for our Malaysia if this happened to traveler, although the taxi driver earned a bit more but it will affect on the long term tourism business. At last, it comes back to the taxi driver as well.         

I was being scammed in Beijing, China

I promised to write this scammed incident in my blog but I wait until now only I put down my words. Before I departure to Yangon, Myanmar, I have send a letter to the Tourism Quality Supervision and Management Offices in China to complain against the dishonest of the hospital/ company which the travel agent brought us to. But it almost one month and I didn't receive any reply from the authority.

I am writing this is to prevent the same incident happened again and hope tourists in China will be more alert. The incident happened like this. Me and my husband had been brought to a place, called by the travel agent as a Tibet hospital. Why we being brought here is because the China government would like to promote the Tibet art of healing to tourist so that people are aware of their existence.

When we walk through the main entrance, the photo displayed are the top politicians in China. They even mentioned that this is one of the government department to promote Tibet culture. After that the person brought us to a room and a lady started to share the knowledge of health. After the lady finished the sharing, she went to invite her so called head to diagnose our health by seeing only our palm lines which is the uniqueness of Tibet art of healing.

The Head came in together with two boys and the two boys will be helping us to massage our foot. But this is one of the tactics they used to hold us and prevent us walk away. The Head then introduced himself and asked where do we came from, after knowing where we from he started to put some relationship with our local famous Chinese hospital leader so that the whole scammed looks real.

After diagnosis my palm, he started to told my health condition and problem, if I didn't treat it, it will become worse and hard to get pregnant in future. Then he introduced their Tibet herb and he wrote 900 x 3 is equally to RMB1800, converted it was just around RM900. The price is considered reasonable for me but I didn't decided to buy. Then he started pursuing and mentioned the seriousness of my case. At last, due to my husband is very caring for me, he pulled out his credit card and purchased the medicine for me.

When the slip came back, it is RMB5400 (9 bottles with 20 pills in a bottle) rather than RMB1800. And he mentioned that he wrote the times 3 at the bottom at his note. We didn't argued it and at last we signed for the bill.

When we back to Malaysia, I checked the ingredient of the herbs Er shi wu wei gui jiu wan (二十五味鬼臼丸) we brought and I found out, it is just a normal medicine. Then I checked on the web for the same manufacturer printed in the bottle, the price is only RMB87. That's means 9 bottles is only cost RMB783.

So ridiculous! But what goes around comes around, I always believe that a person's actions, whether good or bad, will often have consequences for that person. 

I managed to capture this photo together with the Head which I kept it as my proof for my complaint.

The medicine and credit card slip.

  

Buying a violin in Myanmar...

After reading "how to think like Leonardo Da Vinci: seven steps to every day genius" book by Micheal J. Gelb, I am suddenly interested to classical music and hope that one day I can play a classical song.

But I didn't really plan to buy a violin in Myanmar, it is just coincidence that I came across a music shop in Bogyoke Aung San Market. The violin here is cheap compared to Malaysia, I have brought it only with USD50. Although the quality is not that good, but for a beginner like me is ok to play around as my "toy".

Taking the violin on flight is another challenges which I didn't put in mind when I purchased the violin. I forgotten that passenger is not allow to hand carry violin on board after 911 incident. This means I have to check in as luggage. What if the violin break in to two piece? Although is not that expensive, but it is still a waste.

At last, I still have to check in the violin cause mentioned by the ground staff the string of the violin can be used as killing weapon on the flight. No choice, I just have to bear the risk.

Luckily, the violin is in good shape and I am now started to learn violin in hometown. It was quite fun! 

Shopping in Yangon, Myanmar

The best place for you to shop around in Yangon, Myanmar will be Bogyoke Aung San Market. You can buy their local longyi, jade, ruby, sapphire, wood carving and painting in this local market. There are plenty of stores in it and I have dropped by to this market for 3 times during my stay in Myanmar.

I seems "lost" when shopping around in the market, and always back to the same place where I have been. There are plenty of shops around and the place is clean too. I got the impulse to buy their longyi when I saw most of their people wearing longyi in town. It is like a sarung for our Malaysian.  

Bogyoke Aung San Market is the shopping paradise in Yangon, Myanmar

Jewellery shops in Bogyoke Aung San Market, you can purchase precious gem such as jade, ruby and sapphire. 

Full of local people sitting in one of the alley in the market.

People are enjoying the street foods in one of the corner of the market.

Most of the local are wearing longyi on the streets including female and male.

Along the way to my 2nd destination - Chinatown, you can see plenty of stalls and street foods along the walkway. And it was to my surprised to see that they even sell books and reading materials on the roadside.
 

The local people selling their food in the street

There are plenty of books stall like this along the roadside

Local food stalls

Local market selling fruits and vegetables along the roadside

It was a far distance walking from Bogyoke Aung San Market to Chinatown. I passed by Sule Pagoda until I reached the significant Chinese symbolize - temple. Then I realized that I have reached Chinatown.

There are nothing really special in the Chinatown and you can notice that you are in Chinatown when you see stuffs like mooncake, Chinese sausage and dim sum. Due to the moon cake festival is around the corner, moon cake are selling in most of the stall and I have purchased their local moon cake for tasting. The special favour I have chosen is cranberry and cheese paste. The taste is like western cake and biscuit.

The Chinese temple which is located in one of the corner of the road.

There are different favour of moon cake sell in the stalls and I brought 2 favours (cranberry and cheese) for tasting, it taste like western cake rather than traditional moon cake.

The Chinese sausages are hanging in the stalls which is seldom we can see around in Malaysia.

What to see in Yangon, Myanmar (Part II)

3) Karaweik Hall
Karaweik Hall is located on the Kandawgi lake. This unique and modern barge is one of the landmark of Yangon. There are entrance fees collected here, it is around 400kyats. But there are another entrance fees for the Kandawgi lake in another entrance, it is 2000kyats. We didn't manage to enter the Karaweik Hall as it was closed during that time and will be open at evening. You can enjoy an evening buffet with the cultural show at Karaweik Palace.

Karaweik Hall was constructed in 1972 and it is located on the eastern shore of Kandawgyi lake

4)  St. Mary's Cathedral
When you visited Bogyoke Aung San Market, you may as well pay a visit to St. Mary's Cathedral which is next to the market. The red brick exterior cathedral is elegant, and it is the largest cathedral in Myanmar. 

What to see in Yangon, Myanmar

1) Shwedagon Pagoda
There are many pagoda in town, and Shwedagon Pagoda is a MUST visit place when you travel in Myanmar. With history over 2500 years, the Shwedagon Pagoda is the repository of all the architecture, sculpture and arts of Myanmar heritage. Besides, it is the place that enshrined the eight hairs of Buddha.  

The present height of Shwedagon is 326 feet, with hundreds of gold plates covered the pagoda and 3154 gold bells, 79569 diamonds and other precious stones decorated in the "Hti" (umbrella), "Hngetmana" (the flag shape vane which revolves to the wind direction) and the "Seinbu" (diamond bud), makes the Pagoda more elegant and one of the wonders.

Old (right) and new (left) "Hti", where new "Hti" is made of golden plate and old is wodden. Odd number of the "Hti" represents good number in Myanmar.

Footprint of lord Buddha

The second largest "gong" in Myanmar

Chinese"paifang" marking "fu chi gong" in the pagoda

Diamond bud

Image of King of Okkalapa

2) Chaukhtatgyi Paya
One of the largest recumbent Buddha with length from the head to holy foot is two hundred and sixteen feet. The Buddha image is lifelike and vivid, the holy eyes are made of glass and the holy nose is well shaped. According to the information provided in the Pagoda, there are four classification for the recumbent posture of creature:
(1) Sleep of the ghost (the ghost sleeps supinely due to lack of flesh);
(2) The sleep of the Luxurious person (the Luxurious person sleep reclining to the left side);
(3) Sleep of Lion King (The Lion King sleep reclining to the right with the tail between the hind limbs;
(4) Sleep of the Buddhas (the Buddhas sleep reclining to the right side. This sleep posture of the powerful and noble person. When lord Buddha relaxed or sleep, he reclined to the right side with the leg on the right leg. So recumbent Buddha image always faces to the right side) 

Food in Yangon, Myanmar

Myanmar cuisine is strongly influenced by the country surrounded such as India, China and Thailand over the past decade. When we says Myanmar cuisine normally we referred to their traditional Myanmar food such as Mohinga (rice noodle served with fish soup), lahpet (pickled tea), Shan noodles, Myanmar curry...

Before departure to Myanmar, I decided I would like to try their traditional local dishes mentioned above. The first day, we tried their laphet - tea leaf and ginger salad during our dinner in Padonmar Restaurant at Kha-Yae-Bin Road Dagon Township. Padonmar Restaurant (Lotus flower in Myanmar Language) is one of the fine dinning restaurant in Yangon and it is a conversion of a 50 year old residential house.

The elegant old house with colour paper lanterns and wood cravings decoration in the inner of the building provide you a romantic and comfortable dinner. The price is reasonable, we have ordered Tom Yam Koong Thai soup with prawn, Prawn dish, laphet, rice, beer and fruit juice and it cost 19,640 kayts or $23.   

One of the beauty and elegant restaurant in Yangon for fine dining food for local food and Thai cuisine

Malaysian actress Datuk Siti Nurhaliza visited Padonmar Restaurant in 2012

Tofu crackers, laphet, Tom Yam Koong Thai soup with prawn...

The taste of fermented tea leave is salty but the roasted nuts is crispy and smell great. The combination of fermented tea leave, fried ginger, roasted nuts, garlic, chili, fried shrimp provide you a different taste. It is a bit weird, but when you chew longer, it is nice too! Only after that we realized this dish is an appreciation snack served after a settlement, it will be nice to eat directly and not to be served with rice.