Trius Travels

Trius Travels August 2010: Trius Blades & the Land of the Rising Sun!

2011-04-19T17:55:00.001+08:00

Trius Blades - Credits to Gil of Rinara Spectrum =)

I have been putting off this Entry for far too long. And seeing the sight that shook not only Japan but the rest of the world. We are reminded that everything is impermanent. And to this, I dedicate this entry to the 'Land of the rising Sun' and the lovely people who lost precious valuables, love ones,and lives.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is the story of my trip to Japan a year before the Great Sendai Earthquake/Tsunami of 2011. I give you my memories of Japan.

"My trip was set on the 21st of August 2010 to the 18th of September 2010. Unlike the other trips that i have blogged, this is the first time that I have traveled on a company related trip. Hence the length. Not to worry, I shan't bore you with details of my time spent in the factory classroom. Instead I will do what I always do and blog on the adventures we went through during our stay here in Japan.

Useful Links for your stay in Japan
===============

1) Japanese Yen to Malaysian Ringgit Converter
2) Keikyu Train Line - Credits to Traveling Tengco

Permits, invitations and Arrivals
========================

As Malaysians or perhaps every other foreigner aka. 'Gaijin' to Japan, One needs to apply for a Japanese Visa. With the Visa comes an Invitation letter from the Embassy to enter the country. The visa applied for me by the company was a standard 3 month visa. But since I was traveling along with other managers, the invitation letter they held was good enough. (Might have been a Group invitation letter.)

**UPDATED TRIUS TIPS #ZERO: Prior to your stay in Japan, you will need to find out where will you be staying and who is organizing your stay AOTS? GTC? You will also need to ask yourself, will you be needing internet connections? If you require an internet connection on the move, you should consider renting a wifi dongle at Global Advance Communications. Here you can rent your wifi dongles, iphones, Androids, or even Sim cards prior to your arrival and collect it either at the designated collection spots or you could have it couriered to your hotel or hostel.

Once you receive it, just turn it on and you will have instant wifi for the duration of your stay. Once you are done with it, just seal it back into the envelope provided to you and drop it off at any red postboxes.

For rates you can go to the website and check it out. But a rough estimate would be

RM 260.00 for 7 days

RM 530.00 for a month

RM 880.00 for 2 months

Credits goes to @Wendyloh23 for this Great tip!**

Anyway putting invitations aside, the Narita Airport Terminal 2 is a 1+ 1 International airport. Meaning the checking in and arrival hall terminal building is separated from the main Departure Hall terminal Building. (Very similar to the KLIA).

My colleagues and I came in on a Morning flight reaching Narita Airport at about 5:30 am in the morning. We were briefed in detail so we could have a brisk exit and make our way to Yokohama City- Airport Terminal (YCAT). The steps were

1) Exit the plane and head straight to the arrivals,
2) Pass the thermal sensors and to the immigration. There you are required to take a picture and have your index fingers scanned. Trius Tips #1: It is advised that you head directly to the immigrations after you land because it might crowd up if you took your time. (This was actually advised by my company, but we didn't really face that problem.)
3) Next you are to collect your baggage and go through customs.

Getting to the City or to Oppama
========================

There are several ways to get to the Tokyo city. You could either take an expensive taxi (not an option), an express train from to Ueno station Tokyo, or a Limousine bus.

To Oppama, we had to take a Limousine bus to Yokohama City Airport Terminal (YCAT). It costs 3500 yen for one way. One can purchase them from the personnel attending a small trolley next to the Bus. Any luggage to be left in the bus's cargo booth will be tagged and a stub given to you. This stub will be returned to them to match your bag.

From YCAT, one needs to make their way East to the Main Yokohama train Station which is where most train lines intersect. To Oppama, take the Kei-kyu line's Red or Green express trains (Which will be on the same platform) towards Uraga. Drop off at Kanazawa-hakkei and change to a gray (Local) train that stops at every stop and stop 1 stop after that station. Traveling cost takes 300yen as of 2010.

Of course you won't need to go to Oppama if you are not assigned there, but for my other colleagues who will be visiting the factory, This is how you get to the station. From there you will need to travel another 500 meters to the Oppama Higashi Domitories. Which is actually really nice dormitory.

Oppama Higashi Dormitory

Of course, for a nice establishment with a high security there are rules. Immobilisers are required to gain access through the main door. The room key can be used to open both your apartment and the garbage building. Garbage has to be separated to categories, plastics, cardboard, clothing, books and disposables(Combustibles). The room has to be returned to the dormitory as when it was given. It should be cleaned by you if necessary.

Pre-explorations
============

It is a custom or a habit as travelers to get used to our surroundings. It is good to find out your nearest

1) Telephone booth
2) Internet cafe - Which is really scares unless you get a temporary hand-phone or mobile internet service.
3) grocery store
4) Local food restaurants and so on and so forth.

Trius Tips 2#: If you are living in Oppama, there are only 2 areas that you can access the internet.

1) There is a small shop along the main road (the school side) next to Lawson that offers internet access from 10am-430pm.

2) There is a library parallel to the main road (the school side also) that offers limited internet access as well. (15 mins each time and you can view your emails or facebook but you cannot reply, compose or comment).

So the best thing to do would probably be to head to a larger place like Yokohama or Tokyo and look for the froggy signs. These internet cafes are quite affordable and provide free drinks as well. Also See Trius Tips #ZERO for a more convenient mobile 'wifi' solution.

An internet Cafe chain near Yokohama Station.

Trius Tips 3#: Food averages at about 500 yen to 1000 yen per meal depending on how hungry you are. But if you are on a tight budget, do check out the good ol' McDonald's. Their McSaver's meals go at 100 yen a burger which is quite worth and is quite filling too!

Yokohama
========

During my stay, we frequent to Yokohama alot! (Mainly due to transit and Internet). Yokohama is actually the capital of the Kanagawa Prefecture and is the 2nd largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo. It is actually almost 30 kilometers South of Tokyo.

Even from the Yokohama main train station, there are lots to see and do. It is situated by the bay, hence one can enjoy the view of the Yokohama skyline. And if the view isn't as good from the train station, you could take the a train to "Minato Mirai 21" by taking the Minatomirai Line.

There is also Chinatown where they have A Lion Dance performance twice a year (once during the beginning of Spring for Chinese New Year and one in Autumn).

The Yokohama Train Station is also a popular meeting point for outstation buses as I will touch on a little later when we headed to Kyoto for a weekend =).

Work-wise, Kanagawa prefecture which is where Yokohama is situated in is also home to the Nissan Headquarters building which faces the bay. It houses an amazing showroom and their offices above it.
If you are there, don't miss the chance to check out the latest models, if you know what i mean =).

Tokyo
=====

North of Yokohama, is the famous city of Japan that we all know. Yes its Tokyo! Originally named "Edo", Tokyo (meaning "East Capital") changed its name in 1868 when it became the imperial Capital of Japan.

Nonetheless, Tokyo is a very large metropolis and planning for at least 4 days to experience everything comfortably.

When coming from Yokohama via the Kei-kyu line, one will reach the Shinagawa Station of which we will usually transit to a different platform to explore the city of Tokyo.

Trius Tips 4#: If you are on time, get the special Express Trains that go to Asakusa, they usually change into "underground services" that bring you into the city as if it were a city train. In this case, you won't need to switch platforms.

Depending on your liking, there is a different appeal at different stations.

The first place that we explored was the famous "Akihabara". Home to electronics, anime, cosplay shops, and kissaten (maid cafes)! Here you can get your souvenirs at ease and spot maids on the side walks giving out pamphlets.

Akihabara!

AKIHABARA FOOOO!!! OGEY!!

Son Goku!

Maids on the streets

KFC In Japan!

Cosplay Stormtroopers!

Trius and Vader!

If you are looking for guitars, percussion and other music shops, you can splurge at Shimbashi Station. There are many shops across the road from the 'Hachiko' exit.

Hachiko!

Trius Tips 5# Hachiko was an Akita Inu, that became famous for his loyalty to his deceased owner. When he was alive, Hachiko would follow his owner every morning to the station. And every evening, he would return to greet his owner. One day the owner never came back. But yet, Hachiko came back to wait for him. He did so for 9 years until its death in on March 8, 1935. He became a symbol of loyalty ever since.

At the Ueno Park Station, There is a famous park. In Spring, people will gather here for the Sakura viewing. Although it can be a bit too crowded and commercialized. The Park is also home to many museums and shrines.

Statue of Saigo Takamori

Red Arches in Ueno Park...not Kyoto XP

National Tokyo Museum in Ueno Park

Asakusa, is famous for it's temples, bazaar and the various festivals which are usually held there. During my visit, they were holding the Samba festival which was quite a spectacular event!

Asakusa Temple

Me and the Asakusa Lantern in front of the Bazaar

Asakusa lantern

Bazaar at Asakusa - Can get practically ANYTHING!

Samba-sara during the Samba Festival Hot Hot Hot!

They are also building a tower called the 'Sky tree'. The tower is 634 meters tall and is to be completed in late 2011 and will be the tallest tower in the world.

The Sky Tree In the distance from Asakusa.

If you are looking for Japanese instruments, a stop you should go to is the Mejiro Station. If you come out of the station and head to the west along the Mejiro Street, you will find the Mejiro Company. They sell traditional Japanese instruments like the Shakuhachi, Shinobue, Nokan, Gagaku and even monk's hats!

Mejiro Station

Scene outside Mejiro Station

Mejiro Shop where they sell musical instruments.

Along the Yamanote Line, a station after Mejiro is Ikebukuro or 'pond bag' is an entertainment and commercial district. Like Hachiko is the meeting point at Shibuya, Ikebukuro has and Owl at the center of the city. If you are into martial arts, there is a Budo Shop situated not too far away from the station.

Ikebukuro Station and the Stuff 'tenugui' I bought from the Budo shop!

The Budo Shop =)

Trius Tips 6# Owl in japanese is "fukuroo" similar to "fukuro" for bag, making the owl a symbol of the district.

If you are looking for some Sumo action, Ryogoku is a great place to be. The Ryogoku Kokugikan Sumo Stadium is the hall where these championships take place. While you're there, why not try their Sumo's staple diet the Chankonabe. That is if you are not on a diet.

There is also Harajuku where alot of Japan's younger generation flaunt their fashion. Shinjuku is downtown commercial and administrative district that one can find many high class brands.

Takeshi Street at Harajuku

Another district with high class shopping is the Ginza district named after a Silver-coin mint. Here you can find large majestic buildings housing famous and high class brands. It is also home to the Kabuki-za theater. Unfortunately it was closed down and current kabuki plays now reside in another theater close by known as the Shimbashi Enbujo Theater!

Trius Tips #7 Kabuki and Theatre of Japan

There are different types of theatrical plays in Japan.

1) Noh - performed only to the higher class, usually with masks played by men. Usually filled with inner meanings and codes.

2) Kyogen - Are comedies or short skits played between Noh plays as an intermission.

3) Kabuki - Was born out of Noh and is performed with more characters and with music, drama and dance.

4) Bunraku- Puppet theatre using puppets ranging from the size of 2 1/2 feet to 4 feet. A famous Bunraku play is the Date Musume Koi no Hikanoko .

Bunraku scene at Gion's Corner, Kyoto

These are a few special places to find artifacts or unique Japanese attractions in Tokyo. There is a cheap "Hop-on-Hop-Off" type bus that takes you to the many attractions around Tokyo. Its called the 'Shitamachi bus'. They stop at 7 prime areas, Tokyo Station, Nihombashi, Akihabara, Ueno, Kappabashi, Asakusa, and Ryogoku. Its 200 yen for adults and 100 yen for children per trip or you could get a day pass for 500/250 yen. The Bus is easy to spot as it is Green and has a cartoon character on the windscreen.

Shitamachi Bus

The one with the Green Tamagochi =)

There are also excursions that one can go to situated slightly outside of Tokyo.

Kamakura
========

Unfortunately, I had only 3 weekends to spend in Japan, but one place I did not miss was Kamakura. Kamakura is situated in the Kanagawa district. If you are coming from Yokohama or like me from Oppama, it is a simple switch over to get to Kamakura. Or if you are coming from Shinagawa, one can use the Yokosuka JR Line to all the way to kamakura station.

Its a great place to see shrines, temples, and Sakura. One not to be missed attraction in Kamakura is the Big Buddha. From the Station, take the Enoden electric tram to the 'Hase' station. The Big Buddha is about a 10 min walk North of the Station.

Enoden Line stations

Hase- Big Buddha Stop

Crossroads

Big Buddha or Dai Butsu

Kamakura Dai Butsu

Portrait of the Buddha

Silhouette

One can enter the Buddha with a small fee.

Trius and Buddha

With title.

With lotus Flower.

Don't forget to see the beach south of the station, if its during the appropriate season.

Kyoto
=====

To me, Kyoto is a beautiful City. Home to approx. 400 Shito Shrines and 1600 Buddhist Temples, Kyoto is home to many scenic views and reach with Japanese Culture. Kyoto or Capital City, was the previous Capital before Edo. Here Gion is their entertainment and commercial area.

The Scenes in Kyoto are filled with beauty and tranquility.

A bonsai in a shape of a boat.

To get here from Tokyo or Yokohama, one can either take a night bus (6-7 hours) at a price of 3000 yen. Or try the bullet train -Nozomi for 12000yen one way....(approx. 2 hours).

Here we stayed at a relatively affordable hotel called the Hana Hostel, Kyoto. It averages about 3000yen a night which is pretty decent. And its only 5 minutes away from the JR Kyoto Station.

There is a City tour that one can take, either a full day tour or a half day tour if time is of the essence. The tour takes you to the many attractions and UNESCO sites. These include Nijo Castle, Kinkakuji Temple (Gold), GinKakuji Temple (sliver), Kiyomizu-dera Temple, and many more. Of course they will take you midway to have lunch at the Tourist Souvenir Centre at Gion. Here you can splurge on tons of Japanese merchandise including Yukatas and swords and other Made-for-Japan souvenirs.

Being here, do check out opposite the road as there is a Budo-shop called Tozando BudoShop. here you can buy any type of Budo stuff (Larger than the budoshop in Ikebukuro) including replicas of Samurai Armor!

Here, Maikos are really commonly found. However to have lunch with one may cost up to 12000 yen. Imagine a simple date with sweets and her dancing and performing for your with respectful flirting, 12000 yen.

If you are done with culture, Kyoto also has another version of culture. Toei Uzumasa Eigamura is a Japanese styled Universal Studio theme park. This is where Samurai and Japanese action films are recorded. Truth be told, this was one of my highlights of my trip that i looked forward to. It was home to the Samurai, Ninjas, Geisha, and most of all, the Super Heros, Kamen rider and Super Sentai Warriors! KYAAA!! *recomposes* sorry. Entrance for adults is 3300 yen *as of 2010 =)

Toei Uzumasa Eigamura

Kid, Lady and the Tram.

Bazaar and ancient Japan TownHall.

Samurai Hattori Hanzo, vanquishes a Ninja!

Another one.

Interaction of with the audience.

Cosplay.

Kenjutsu fight demonstration.

with the young,

The old

En guard!

Cheesuuu!

Cool dude: Shashinn! Old Dude: Oh no!

Dieded

Nobita and Dinosaur!

Henshin!(Transform!!)

Masked Rider Dance Battle??

Hugeeee Lights!

Trius tries on some menacing farmer rakes!

Back in medieval Japan..

Would you like a cuppa?

Kamen Rider Double prop.

One of the Super Robots!

Decade, Double and Trius!

Riders from Phis, Dragonknights and Agito!

Trius and Kabuto

Super Sentai warriors

One of the Super robots!

Original Kamen Rider!

Eigamura =)

Kyudo

Eigamura FOOOOO!! OGEY!!

Time to Cast some techniques!

There is a place near to Gion, that performs a wide variety of Japanese cultural dances and practices. Its called the Gion's Corner. Here you can see a complete collection of performances including the Kyo-mai Dance, Flower arrangement, Koto Zither, Tea Ceremony, Gagaku Court Music, a skit of Kyogen Comedy Theatre and Bunraku Puppet play.

Tea Ceremony Utensils

Gagaku Court Music

Kyogen Comedy Skit

Kyo-mai Dance by Maiko

Admission is about 3150 yen for an adult. There is also a tea ceremony class after the show and you can buy it together.

Ochado no Sensei

All in all, Kyoto is a fantastic place to visit. Have a minimum of 3 days to look around if you can so you can soak up and enjoy the scene.

Conclusion
========

I love Japan, my 3 weekends there, i realized that there is still so much culture that i have yet to see. So many that I missed this round (due to work). I would certainly love to return to complete my chapter with Japan. Someday I shall return Japan. Wait for me!

Arigatou Gozaimasu! Ja ne! =)

Credits
=====

I'd like to thank my company for sponsoring my trip to Japan.

Mas Marlena for giving me the initial information about Japan and the location of the Ninja village, in Mie! Which I did not have time to go unfortunately =( so here's my studio picture of Trius in Ninja costume to make up for it ....

Kamen Rider Wild! =)))) Thanks to Gil of Rinara Spectrum =)

I'd also like to thank the entire group of B25 for training me and also sharing their lives with me during our short stay. Domo-Arigatou-gozaimasu!

My new friend Suzuki Hitomi-san who was so nice to give me a Disney Towel, Domo-Arigatou-gozaimasu!

Me & Hitomi-san

Our Translator Akiko Sato-san for going all out to helping us during the training as well as the out of the way to helping us. Very much Obliged. Please keep in touch!

B25 group!

Special Thanks also to Wendy Loh for the information on the Wifi dongle. That will definitely be with me the next time I head back to Japan. =)

And all of Japan for being so courteous and nice to us.

Hontoni Arigatou!
Trius Out! =)

Trius Travels June 2010: Fable of Trius and the 12 Olympian Gods of Greece

2010-08-12T19:07:00.000+08:00

Introduction
============
Its been 23 years since i last set foot here

...and now I have returned.

Greece, Land of gods & myths, ancient architectural greatness and the birth place of true Democracy.

Located in the South-East region of Europe; Greece is today home to 11.3 million people. 97% Greek Orthodox.

The language spoken here is primarily Greek. Their writings which IS the origins of your algebraic vocabulary; is essentially Greek. But not to worry, for Greece's main industry is tourism, and the people there are usually very friendly, laid back and able to converse fairly well in English.

Greece as of June 2010 is still part of the Europe Circle. Hence, the currency used in Greece is still the 'Euro'.
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Trius TIP 1:

If you are here for the famous archeological ruins of Ancient Greece. A Trius suggestion would be to plan your visit such that it coincides with the first Sunday of the month. This is because on the first Sunday of every month, museums and archeological grounds in Greece are free to enter.

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Trius Tip 2:

If you are sensitivity with the heat or cold, a perfect time to visit Greece would be around May to June. Any earlier might be cool, and any later would be sweltering.

----

Hence the reason, why I chose June to be the timing of which I visit Greece. Personally, this was a tough decision chronologically, politically and geologically. Why?

Let me give you a breakdown of the issues we faced.

1) The eruption of volcano Eyjafjallajˆkull in Iceland, sent ashes flying all over the UK disrupting major flights.

2) The economical situation of Greece, sending the city into flash riots.

3) Strikes on a British airline which threaten our flight plans.

But alas, all went smoothly and the trip turned out to be a fantastic project.

Getting there
=============

So our period of travel was from the 1st to the 13th of June 2010. And our route was from Kuala Lumpur(KUL)- Singapore(SIN)-London(LHR)-ATHENS(ATH) and reverse.

Our main coach sponsor was British Airways.

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TRIUS Splurge Tip 1:

If you have the extra cash departing from Changi Airport. Book a flight on Business class (Club world for BA), or the First class. Changi has one of the best waiting lounges.

The British Airways Waiting lounge provides comfortable sofas, food, TV, online stations and even a showering facility for you to freshen up before your flight.

---

We took a 2255 BA17 flight from Changi's International Airport on a 14 hour Journey to London Heathrow Terminal 3.

From Heathrow, we made our way to the Euro Terminal, Terminal 5 for our next flight to ATHINA.

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Trius Tip 3:

Always get a connecting flight with a connecting time of more than 1.5 hours. Any shorter and your luggage may arrive on a later flight.

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From the Arrivals
=================

Be sure to collect brochures from the Information and Tourism desks on your way out. Some desk attendance are quite the hottie.

i.e.

There are 3 ways to get to the City or the Hotel.

1) Metro
2) Taxi
3) the Bus

Metro is the most convenient and is priced fairly close with the bus. If you are traveling light and would like convenience. Take the Metro.

Get yourself straight to the heart of the City which is the 'Syntagma Square' Station and you can connect to another line to reach your designated hotel.

The Taxi is straightforward and takes you straight to the city. It is usually about 34 Euros if you travel light. But if you have the police guy showing you to your taxi... its 50Euros.

I'd boycott the taxi if I were you.

The Bus is the other alternative. 3.50 per person on the X95 takes you straight to Syntagma Square and you can continue from there.

Even with a truck load of luggage.

The Hotel
=========

Once you are checked in. Check with the desk for excursions and ferry-rides. It is advisable to book early but, in June, Tours are not as packed as it seems so even a day before booking could be alright.

During this trip, we used 'Go Travels' for our excursion to Delphi and Meteora. For Ferries you can head straight to Piraeus Port to get your tickets from the shops around the Metro Station.

Next head out of your hotel and into the streets around you. Look out for Kiosks and metro station entries around you. They will be very convenient for getting your bottled waters and transportation.

---

Trius Choice 1

We chose the Hotel Rio, cheap, 2.5-3 stars and at a convenient distance to the suburban rail way and the metro. Also it is just around the corner from the Hop on Hop off Bus stop which i will explain in a moment.

If however you wish to stay in a slightly more grand hotel, the Hotel Stanley is just next door to the Hotel Rio. And is a stopping point for many Tour operators.

The square that these are all situated in is called Metaxourgio.

---

Also look out for the Hop on Hop Off stops for the city tour.

---

Trius Tip 4

There are two operators in the city.

"Hop on Hop off Sightseeing Tour" and the "Athens City Tour" bus.

The first one costs about 15 Euros for 1 Day (24 hours), and the latter costs 18 Euros for 2 Days (48 hours).

Both take you along a similar route of which you can go down and explore at your leisure, or just ride around the city.

This may take you about 2 days to comfortably cover everything.

---

Overview The Virgin Goddess Athena and her Patron City Athens
================================================================

There is a story about when the people called out for a Patron god for the city. There came two factions onto the Rock of the Acropolis. The daughter of Zeus Athena, Goddess of War and Wisdom, and the Brother of Zeus Poseidon God of the Sea. They came to a final settlement where the one that would offer the most useful gift to the city would become the Patron god. Poseidon was first and struck the earth with his Trident and out came a spring of ever flowing water. The citizens were overjoyed and thanked the god. But the water was salty as it came from the sea.

Athena, then cracked open the ground, and out came an Olive tree. With its many uses, Athena won and became the patron goddess of the city. Henceforth, the city was known as Athens (ATHINA).

In the middle of the city stands the most celebrated monument of the Ancient world. The Parthenon. Not only was it the symbol of monumental achievement that would echo throughout the world as the symbol of strength and Judicial fairness; It was also the birthplace of true democracy.

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Trius Tales 1

The Parthenon was built in 5 B.C during the leadership of Pericles. Built of Pentelic marble, this Doric peripteral temple flaunts 8 columns on the front and back and 17 columns on each side. The Parthenon was also said to house a 12-meter high statue of the patron Goddess Athena; a masterpiece by the famous sculputor Pheidias who also oversaw the construction of the Parthenon.

Pericles

Unfortunately the Parthenon; which comes from the word 'parthÈnos' meaning virgin or maiden, through time was ravage by war (Ares?) , religions and greed finally arrived at the state of which we see today.

After opening Pandora's Box, Trius Tests out his all new Gigantic form!

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Trius Tip 5

If you are visiting the grounds on a normal day do check to see if you have your student cards with you. Students from the UK get free entries at certain points where else students from other countries get a discounted price. A normal ticket would probably cost 12 Euros to enter where else a concession ticket would cost only 8 Euro. This would include The Parthenon and other ancient ruins around the vicinity like entrance to the Acropolis, the Temple of the Olympian God Zeus and not forgetting the Hadrian Library and Dionysus' theater. Tickets last for 4 days.

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The Acropolis is an ancient city filled with fields of ancient ruins and temples. Here one can just wonder what was it like to live in an ancient city, walking down the streets and mingling with the Athenians. Temples honoring the 12 Olympian Gods were built around the most complete and surviving temple would be the The temple honoring the lame Vulcan god of Science and technology, Hephaestus.

Trius & the Temple of Hephaestus

Column of Zeus

Other temples that you might be able to spot would be the Temple of the 12 Olympian gods with only a few surviving columns craved into their favorite gods, and the lawn that used to house the temple of Ares, now depicted here with a tortoise guarding a yellow mound and munching on the lawn.

What's left of the Temple of Ares, notice the tortoise on the right-hand corner

Probably Ares' manifestation of the Ultimate defense.

Stoa of Attalus

Also in the ancient Agora stands the Stoa of Attalus which used to be a 2 storey shopping mall. Today it houses the Museum of Ancient Agora.

It takes roughly 2 days to completely cover the ancient sites of the city (including the Temple of Olympian Zeus and the Hadrian Library etc.)


Temple of the Olympian Zeus in Athens

And just a block away from the Temple of Zeus stands the Olympic Stadium. This is not the one used in 2004 but the Olympic games before.

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Trius Tales 2

As the first day of our journey was coming to an end, we stopped by the old Olympic stadium called the Panathenaic Stadium. After brief photo stop, we waited for the tour bus. Unfortunately, we soon found out that the entire city's transportation services was on strike, except of course the Tour buses. But because of that, people were walking or driving home. And suddenly the route of the tour bus was no longer available. So we found ourselves stuck there. Hence, we, and two travel friends decided to walk home. Along the way we 'walked with the Riot Police 3 times, and a motorbike squad by chance all the way back to the hotel. For that I thank Athena for guarding us from the "riots". Pretty cool experience.

Another attraction is the changing of the guards at the Parliment situated at Syntagma Square. Done every hour, its really a sight not to be missed.

Museums of Athina
=================

A city of ruins would be incomplete without a collection of the ruins kept in a museum. There are 2 notice worthy museums that should be visited in Athens.

1) The National Acropolis Museum which is a modern glass building built over an ancient part of the city houses many artifacts saved from the Parthenon and within the ancient city itself.

The Museum has three levels and on the highest level houses the sculptures, freezes and reliefs of the Parthenon. It also has a video telling of the history and threats that the Parthenon had to face throughout time. Ladies do be careful where you stand especially when you are wearing skirts as you will be walking over glass and will be in plain view for all to see.

2) The National Archeological Museum

Which Houses most of the Ancient Sculptures from Greece, is World famous. Statues spanning from Meta Greece right up to the classical age.

From the Majestic Bronze Statue of Zeus/Poseidon,

to the alluring sleeping Aphrodite,

Aphrodite

to the stoned expression of this unknown stoned guy... lol.

At the Lower Ground floor there is a coffee shop that sell many Greek pies that should be tried. One particular pie that i was recommended was the 'Spanakopitas' or Spinach Pie.

*) There are many other museums housing different aspects of the history of Greece. The Byzantine Museum and the Cycladic Art Museum only a 10 minute walk from the Parliament hold many interesting pieces and videos of ancient Greece and the era they represent.

Islands of Greece
==================

Greece is famous for it's unique Islands. Names like Santorini, Rhodes, and Mykonnos are some of many great Islands with beautiful beaches and bay views. One can spend days just Island hopping to experience their splendors. But if you are on a tight budget in terms of time, here's how to make the best out of your Islands Excursion.

Depending whether you wish to book it from your hotel, or head down to Piraeus Station via metro to shop around for deals. Look out for this famous tri-package. Its the Poros-Hydra-Aegina Island package. This allows you to visit 3 Islands in just one day!

Temple at Aegina

Depending on where you stay you maybe instructed to be picked up at your hotel at about 730-800. The bus then takes you to Port Piraeus and to your cruise. Here, you will be greeted with a lunch card (which is important to keep) and a photo with the entertainers dressed in the Greek National costumes.

Departing from the port, you will be briefed on the itinerary and the rules of each stop. Lunch times for the different card colors and also the optional tours offered for your stop at Aegina Island.

Trius Tales 3

==============

At Hydra, we came across an International wedding held in the maritime museum. There were friends from France, Bulgaria, England, Ireland, and even a father in law from Indonesia. Interestingly, they brought with them a tub of nutella with them =) Pretty cool for something they will take for the rest of their lives.

Tours Out of Athens
===============

If you can spare a 2D1N out of Athens, Try the Delphi-Meteora Tour. This takes you to The famous Temple of Delphi Where the Oracle of Apollo gave predictions for the fortunes of the requester.

Ruins of the Temple of Delphi

After spending a night at Meteora, you will get to visit the churches which were built 'suspended' in between the sky and the Earth, hence Meteora.

Church on Meteora

What's the best part is, if you love the movie 300! You'd love visiting Thermoplyae

Monument of Leonidas at Thermoplyae

Self-Excursions
===========

Even though Greece's transportation services isn't as sophisticated as London's or Moscow's. Their mode of public transports to the various states are effective and on time. Its a perfect mixture of professionalism and personalization. The conductor comes in for the tickets but with a very friendly attitude.

Trius Tip 6

If you are taking an excursion to Mykines, take a one way train to Mykines, visit the LionGates Ruins and the tomb of King Agamemnon. Its 5 Euros from the station to the Ruins, and another 5 Euros back. The Taxi will suggest that you take a ride to the nearby port city of which you will have a scenic lunch there, and hop on an hourly bus that departs back to Athens. It's a choice one might consider as an alternative.

Lion Gate

Tomb of Agamemmon

Shopping
========

What's a tourist without souvenirs? The best place to get your souvenirs would be at the Plaka area where all of the tourist shops are situated. You don't like the pricing in one shop, bargain. Still don't like it, go to the next shop.

So what are the awesome pieces of Greece you could get. Evil eyes, statues of Gods and Goddesses, jewelery, keys chains. The Greek Key which is the symbol of longevity and is decorated on garments and accessories. There's just so many things you can find, I'm sure that you could spend a full day or two just shopping for things to buy here.

Food
====

Greeks are all about food, well almost as passionate about food as we Malaysians are. Greeks have Slouvakis, kebabs,...

Recommended Restaurant in Meteora

Moussaka!!

Slouvaki

Saying 'Antio'
==========

So now it's time to say goodbye. Again there are 3 ways to get your ride back to the Airport. The X95 bus, the metro or the conventional Taxi. The X95 bus can be taken from Syntagma Square. And the metro as well (the Blue Airport line). Taxis are a little bit tricky. If possible try to get one that you can call off the road. Its an extra 15 Euros if you get your hotel to call one in for you.

Trius Tip 7

Of course if they find any trouble with you at the Airport and get a police to come get more money from you? Take a stand and say that you are unhappy and will bring it up with the Tourism office at the LG floor.

Well then, that wraps up the Tips and Tricks of having a great time in Greece (as well as corners that you can cut if you are on the budget).

I'd like to thank British Airways, Uncle Chris for the wonderful flights back and forth and the use of the lounge.

The staff at Hotel Rio for their kind hospitality.

The tour guides of Go Tours for their very informative and non-stopping guides of Greece.

The Crew of the 1-day cruise.

The tourist shop staff that my dad broke a souvenir vase and had to pay for it, thank you for the discount, hospitality and showed a great place to eat around the corner of Plaka Square. .

The 12 Olympian Gods,

Zeus for keeping the weather when required,
Hera for your hospitality,
Poseidon for keeping the rough seas at bay and the Volcano ashes from spreading to Greece,
Demeter (Diana) for the wonderful food, and pistachio nuts,
Apollo for your Oracle and console during the times of Great need,
Artemis For the marvelous lamb shanks and Souvlaki,
Hermes for keeping the news in check,
Ares for shifting the turmoils elsewhere,
Aphrodite for sending your son Eros to do your bidding, he's such a tease,
Hephaestus for keeping us technology users safe,
Dionysus for the humor,
and
Patron Goddess of Athens, Athena for sending your Athenian Anti-mob police to protect us all the way to the hotel,

Acquaintance with Emma, Nicole, Jo, Stephanie Huang, Rachel Tan, Jessica, Dillan, Clara and Family.

Trius & Stephanie Huang

Trius & the Tan Family

And last but not least I thank my parents Tony Ong and Yvonne Yeap for your presence during entire trip. This would not have been possible without the both of you.

Trius & Mr & Mrs Ong

And it is now my time to sign off and say

αντίο!

... Next up Japan!!!

Trius Travels Plans of 2010: Back to Mythology and towards the Rising Sun

2010-04-08T09:46:00.000+08:00

Russia was amazing. Beautiful Scenery, Scrumptious Food, Gorgeous women. Finest Fashion. A different experience all together from the other more English speaking destinations.

Hence, This year, Trius sets off for more non-English speaking countries.

Behold! We return back again to the Mythological Age, the Age of Heracles, Perseus and Athena. Back to the Sacred Mount Olympus and Parthenon.

Take Heed Greece, Prepare thy Graces, Eros, and your Goddess Athena. As of June 2010, Blades comes.

And then, August 2010 he shall planeswalk over to the Land of the Rising Sun!

Stay tuned people :)

Trius Travels May 2009: From Russia With Love Episode 2 - Moscow

2009-08-03T22:20:00.013+08:00

After a brief flight from St. Petersberg, we touched down at Moscow's Domestic Airport at about 2pm. The taxi ride lasted 2 hours! Cause he got lost too but ...

Maxima Zarya Hotel is where we stayed. Lavish room 306 with 1 2 bed room and 1 single room with a common bathroom and toilet all connected in a communal hall.

We met our contact Alene at 6pm and she took us out for lunch at My My (Mu Mu) on Old Arbat street. We had the local dishes.

And after a hearty meal, we made our way to the Red(Beautiful) Square for an Intial taste of Moscow as well as to find out the Tour Agency's office we are to go to the next day.

Along the way we enjoyed the sights sounds and people of Moscow having fun.

We bid Alene farewell and good luck for her exams. How gracious to take some time off to meet us. =)

2 June 2009

Metro had sum issues, and so we were late for the morning City tour. But as usual we caught something extra which was......

A walking tour in the Kremlin!

It is said that every Moscovian newlyweds would come to the Kremlin to pay respects to the Memorial with the eternal flame. As eternal as the flame would be, I suppose it symbolizes the immortality of their relationship. And for other occasions.....Good Luck :P

After a fantastic tour (and photo opportunities) we continued with other 3 hour city bus tour around Moscow!

These are called Matryoshka, nesting dolls. Originally there are seven layers. Mother, 4 sisters, a brother and a baby. It was inspired by a similar nesting doll from Japan. And it has been popular as a Russian Souvenir ever since. the other popular one is the Eggs, which happen to be one of the most beautiful souvenirs one could ever get.

Finishing back at the Red Square, we had a light tea and decided to find Targankaya's lovely decorations.
Unable to find the decors OR the secret Bunker, we headed back along the Ring Line towards home. On the stop back to the Grey Line we manage to see a fantastically Decorated Station the Novoslobodskaya.

One thing about this trip, missing out on something almost always means gaining something new and unexpectedly better!

3 June 2009

I decided to spend some time to check out the Moscow State Museum. Purchasing the right to take photos in the Museum I walked in seeking for fantastic shotz!

With the ocassional "Do you have a permit for that camera" stops at every room by retired Russian ladies (Which was diffused with a simple flash of the ticket). I manage to get some of many awesome pictures.

Having an early morning flight, we decided to camp at the International Airport. Hence we took a taxi from our hotel (which we made a deal with earlier) to bring us to the airport.

Moscow,
an interesting underground city that I have yet to fully explore.

A city of Patriotic Symbolisms, footsteps of Communism and treasures of Dynasties' past.

Moscow is nevertheless still a rich hub of beauty and culture.

One that will continue to flourish and evolve as a prominent Power in the history of our World.

The End...

Credits:

I'd Like to thank Mom and Dad for accompanying me along this Trip.

Alene for your kind time out of Studying for your finals, Really Really Appreciate it.

British Airways for the fantastic Flight service both in Business and First.

S7 for the Transit St.Petersberg - Moscow.

Taxi drivers who were so kind to send us to Hotel and back to Airport.

LYS for accompanying me on the transit back in London.

And Russia for having such wonderful cultures and permitting us VISA to visit you marvelous Country!

Spacibo and Dasvidanya!

From Russia with Love ;)

Trius Travels May 2009: From Russia With Love Episode 1 - St.Petersberg

2009-06-07T00:09:00.027+08:00

Wednesday 27th of May 2009...

We've been planning for 3 months now for this trip and now it has finally come to be. 4 nominations stood: Greece, Scandinavia, Japan, Russia... After much weighing, this was the path laid out. We would travel...by Bus from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore. Make our way by air to London. Connect to our first destination St. Petersberg for our first 4 nights. Take a morning flight to Moscow 3 nights. Back to London where team 1 will make their way to Michigan, while I make my way back home via Singapore.

The Russian Saga actually begins on Thursday 28th of May 2009, after a 12 hour long flight from Singapore to London, and a 4 hour one from London to St.Petersberg. Thanks to my contact, Alene in Moscow, we pretty much prepared for the worst scenario that one traveler could ever have.

Communication Barrier.

Russia is a country that has been cold to America and the other English speaking countries. Hence, Russians speak Russian. Alphabets are different, grammar and the fact that it is their prime language (only language) makes it harder to communicate. But with A "Inyourpocket" guide of both Russian states in hand, and a podcast on Russianpod101, we pretty much survived on russian numbers. And Some International Signs like this one.

Well as alwiz, first leg of the journey after the customs starts with the ride to the hotel. You are filled with baggage and have no clue where your hotel is and you have to skim through Conmen and honest Taximen to get there. We bought our taxi voucher as a precaution to our hotel costing about 700 Rubles (Russian money). Not fluent in Russian, we tried to be on the safe side of bargaining, which apparently is a trend.

Russ Hotel or what's it spelled like in Russian.

As always the trend after settling our luggage is to survey the area for kwiky-marts and the metro. We needed to head to a 24 hour money exchanger as we did not have enough rubles to last us. We walked to маяковская or Mayakovskaya metro area. we did not find our tour agency but we found our money exchanger.

With haste we replenished our local currency stash then took a metro one stop to Nevksiy Prospekt. There we saw the most colorful Church.

Deciding to have a look around, we located a Bazaar and our hop on hop off alternative instead.

Thought of the Day "With each passing wrong turn, we learn something new and unexpected. Be not afraid of the path less traveled, and explore what you find to justify the journey in the end."
29th May 2009

We journeyed to the hop on hop off stop at the "Blood spilled Church".
Trius Fact: Number of Interesting Tour Guides holding interesting objects = 3

Took a round city tour for an overview.

The plan was that after lunch, we would concentrate on particular places of interest and spend alittle bit more time getting to know them.

Our first stop was at the Aurora stop. A Russian war ship favorite to a monarch himself.

Unfortunately, a jam started and after a while of waiting we decided to walk to the next stop.

We wounded up at a Blue mosque @ Kamennoostrovskiy prospekt

and tried to take a tram South back to the city. But it went the other way. And so started our 18rb per person trip round to the otherside.

Luckily all was not lost as we came across a gorgeous Russian lady, Natalia who helped us translate.

We got to know how to head back and after a good bye found ourselves at the Rostral columns stop.

Thought of the Day: Lost is a state of mind known as Laziness to think. Once you start down that path, nothing will make sense. The good news is, All one has to do to remedy laziness...is just opening up and ask. This anti-ego act cures all thoughts of Laziness.

30th May 2009
After much discussions, we took a journey to Peterhof! down to Авото station and a 224 bus to Petershof. we spent a splendid afternoon there.

When we came back, St Petersbergers were all around us celebrating their holiday! What a Sight!

31st May 2009

Peter and Paul Fortress was first up.

We were suppose to take a train to Gor'kovskaya st. but the station was closed. so we had to take a 46 down to the stop. (thx macdonald person)

The Island was also known as Hare Island hence his icon of a hare on the side of the Bridge leading to the Fortress.

The afternoon we made our way to Hermitage to spend the last hour looking at artifacts....before it closed its doors.

After 4 days @ St.Petersberg,

i find that the ppl here are

in Love,

Helpful and curtious! the place is gorgeous!

Thumbs Up for Saint Petersberg

Next up...Moscow!

Singapore Photo Trip 2009 (feat. Trimusflyz)

2009-05-10T11:55:00.008+08:00

Another 3D/2N, this time with my fellow colleagues, Framus, Nightfly, and Fisholow. Doing it on the Labour Day weekend, We took an afternoon Tiger Airways from LCCT (Low Cost Carrier Terminal) down to Singapore's very own Budget Terminal (Not mentioned what sort of budget, pretty clever)!

Arriving at around after lunch time, we checked in to Wilby's Service Apartment room @ Queen St. Very Spacious 3 Room (inclusive of the Living room), kitchen everything. SImply superb especially the internet connection VERY Commendable!

Gearing up, we took a walk to Peninsular Plaza initially for some camera shopping (unfortunate that it was closed on Labour Day). Guitar shops with fantastic electric guitars.

We spent most of our time at Boat Quay that evening.

Getting very interesting shots ...in fact the most interesting amongst the other sights of my trip.

We had dinner at Via Veneto, Clark Quay. After a drink at a nearby bar next to the Ultimate Bungee and the Huge Swing, we decided to call it a night and adjourned back to our apartment.

MAN: Hey girl Get me on one of em Ultimate Bungees!!

Anecdote 1:
On the way back, we were confronted by a Becaman (Trishaw person). Were at a crossroad waiting cross the road when the rider appear to our left. We were minding our own business when suddenly he started swearing at us. "KNLBCCB" was like prolifically repeated. We decided to keep on walking when he followed us on his ride then stopped infront of us got down and pulled out a metal whip. He swung it so hard it wrapped around his body. Decided not to cause any trouble (since we still had another 2 more days in SIngapore, which was a good move considering my colleagues bumped into him in the mornings after). We changed our route back to our apartment.

Found out later that, these were usually the kind of people who have failed in society. But were given jobs to survive and not create more hassle. One concept that I once thought possible, realized in Singapore. Not bad at all. Just dont screw them over lol.

Day 2 -Orchard
Framus decided to do some extra guitar shopping, so Night fly and I when on to Orchard road for more street photography.

Frame Facts: Number of Monks on the road = 2

Frame Facts: Number of Kids on the Shoulder = 2
Frame Facts: Number of Musicians on the Street: 2

After lunch we rendezvous back at the hotel and took a cab to the Merlion Park where we spent some time taking pictures.

Also went to the Esplanade (The Durian shaped building) to listen to some cultural music.

A Bokeh of an Interior scene in the Esplanade
Shakuhachi

Balinese

That Night, I manage to contact two of my friends, Seng Kiat and Lys. Met up with SK that night over a cuppa Sprite and 6 piece nuggets. Was a while since we've met, seem to be well. Can't believe we've been acquintance for almost a decade. Only seem like yesterday that we were in college listening to Mr. Chan say " A man is pushing on the wall *pushes wall*, what is the work done?"

Day 3 - Leisure

Had breakfast with Framus (who was gonna meet his friend), and Nightfly(Who wanted to head to Little India). This would be the 2nd 'Bak Chor Mee' that Ive tasted (no diff), shall blog it very soon...hmm should open another blog for food hahaha.
Unlike SK, Ive only recently met Lys, and its really cool to bump into each other in an international scale lol. Fantastic Dancer! Had lunch and then walked around Orchard for a bit. Then decided to watch a movie. (Yea I know....of all places).

But it was a good meet up. Enjoyed it very much.

Also met with her BFF Sally. Pleasure meeting you.

Time to Go, reached Wilby's in time for the taxi back to the terminal.

After a dinner, we departed back to LCCT ending our journey.

My take on Singapore, Metropolitan city with lots of buildings, perfect for slow-shutter night skyline photography.

People: especially Orchard street events, many oppurtunities for candids. But try not to piss off Beca-men (Trishaw persons).
Culture and Arts: very good mix. Plays ..more than KL.

Food: erm oklar, didnt really explore much, ooh yea got more Pork hahhaa.

Make sure you tune in Next time for the Next Installment of Trius Travels! Goes to Russia!!

Fin

Melaka Trip 2009 (feat. Karen)

2009-04-24T00:30:00.013+08:00

Last weekend, my friend Karen and me made a trip to Melaka for some sightseeing! This time, she was my tour guide. It was a 3D/2N vacation and headed down South on the 17th Evening. Took us about 2 hours to get there. Mind you it was my first drive down south, so be gentle on me K?

Luckily, I had Karen as my navigator, and we eventually reached our destination.

Oh did I mention that the basis of the trip was to make use of a lucky draw for a stay at the Naza Hotel? The Deluxe room was HUGE! fitted with a long Sofa, king sized bed, TV and lots and lots of space! As much as I can describe the room. I just realized that I havent got a single picture of the room =.= but trust me its awesome! :)

The first night was just settling in after the journey. We were tired but hungry, and ended up taking a bite at the nearest KFC opened.

My first picture of the day :P

Our first point would be the Dataran Pahlawan @ Benda Hilir.
A Famosa

Stadthuys

The Square

The water mill

The Ship

We had lunch @ Zen when we figured our car was already summoned for not having a coupon. Most expensive parking in Melaka =.=

In the evening we headed to the most celebrated part of Melaka. Jonker Street! As lively as it was, we somehow could not find any nyonya food for at least half an hour.

Nancy's Kitchen, relative of Karen's was apparently visited by Lilian Too before. Great for tasting Nyonya food and snacks.

Next Day we went looking for more Nyonya Heritage places. First Karen took me too the oldest temple in Melaka. Showed me the oldest Mosque next to it too.

Then we went lookng for the Nyonya Heritage Museum, but be didnt go in (had to pay 5 bucks). We went to Hotel Puri which is apparently the hotel that they used to shoot "Little Nyonya"

Really a short trip. But Learnt and experienced alot of History and Culture ...not to mention food ....along the way.....throughly a Beginningless Journey in Heart...

Like to thank Karen for navigating and showing me around Melaka and accomodating to my photographic hobbies ^.^ Thank you so much for your time!

Thank you Readers, hope u enjoyed the entry.

Trius Out..... Next up Singapore and Moscow!

2009 is Malacca and Moscow!

2009-04-15T08:53:00.003+08:00

Dear frenz,

Its been ages since I've blogged here, infact its been a year Exactly!!

Ive not blogged my Borobudur Bali trip which was at the end of last year. But I suppose its in my WAYN site hehe.

Just like to say....Im back! and this time ..I'll be heading to few places near and far. Singapore, Malacca and Moscow! to name a few!

So Stay tuned!

Next up! Malacca! also in Trius Apertures !

Portugal, Spain & some say Morocco Trip 2008 - In the Makings...

2008-04-15T08:30:00.003+08:00

Hey peeps, Shukram! Currently in Morocco!

Leaving for Barcelona tomorrow, which is my last stop of this final voyage. Sigh can't believe I won't be able to fly without perks anymore. Anyway, ive been constantly updating my travelblog on my WAYN site and will continue to do so as i end my journey in Barcelona. Pictures will also follow suite too lol. Cheers!!

dem i hate these Moroccan keyboards. :p

Portugal, Spain & some say Morocco Trip, 2008 - Preview

2008-04-06T01:16:00.007+08:00

Up Next a Two week Trip to Lisbon, Madrid, Barcelona and Casablanca!! Journey Begins on the 6th of April 2008 to 20th of April 2008

Catch Regular updates also at

My Trip site on WAYN

Don't Miss it ;) Trius' Travel's Final Sponsored Destination!!

This time Trius has a new toy as well!! A Video Camera!! ^^ Stay tuned ppl!! Trius is about to change!!

UPDATE (8 April 2008)!!!
Due to some reason I cant get access to my WAYN site from here so Im gonna put my log to this address at the moment www.mytb.org/triblade84 but do check back if theres any new updates THanks!!

UPDATE (9 April 2008)!!!
Lisbon Entry on WAYN. Pictures yet to be added, computer here lacks the facility to read my card. Be back soon ^^

Mexico & Havana City November 2007 - Part 3 Ciudad El Mexico

2008-01-10T10:08:00.008+08:00

This entry is long due. But I hope to finish it with a bang .

And so November 4 2007, we went to the airport and took the 1240 Mexicana flight MX322 back to Mexico City. From there we returned to Good Ol Luis Moya's San Fransisco Hotel.

But this time with less bags with us, we decided to try the train lines from the Airport back to the Hotel. Only a cheap alternative when you have small baggages. That evening we spent some time at the square across the street. Seemed like a festival, there were singers, musicians, people buying and selling, and dancing salsa, even guys dressed up as girls. But their dance was very folkish-like. Nothing like the cubans.

Returning to the hotel, we noticed alot of youngsters with at least one instrument case in hand.

Anecdote #1
Towards the later evening. The lights began to flicker out. Everyone was curious. Next door, loud crackling noises were heard. Not 5 minutes later, a police patrol car arrived, and then the fire brigade. They tore down the fences of the building next door. It seemed abandoned or maybe under construction. By then, black smoke was already spewing out. But after awhile, they manage to subdue the sparks. Must have been a short circuit somewhere.

Talk about a 5th Of November Fire Heist lol...V must have been close by.

On our final Tour of Mexico, we were brought to a place far away from the City. We saw the Smoking volcano from the distance. The farmers of Cuaunavuac live mainly on Corn, Silver and gold.

Very scenic area. We were traveling with an American Ex-soldier who was the official photographer for Cuba's Fidel Castro, during his younger days. He's an official photographer called David from Idaho. Told a whole lot of Jokes really funny guy. He was also the photographer of Window's meadow field wallpaper. Was really a lucky break to get to meet him there.

This was inside the Cathedral, no flash allowed so, the picture is as it is.

Also with us was Kira and Mafi mother and daughter from Miami down to Mexico City for holiday. Was really a pleasant journey although we nearly hit a dog along the way but that caused Kira to twist her ankle along the way.

At the summit, the place was magnificient. Hence the pictures. Was a really fruitful day. Wish I had my primary camera.

6th of November 2007, We visited the Anthropology museum of Mexico. I seriously Love the museum, it was FABULOUS!! HAD LOADS OF FUN HEHEHE!!

Well I headed home on the 7th of November. Mom and dad carried on to Michigan to visit the kids and grandsons. I took another flight back home.

Polls:

3, Number of people whom shared my table while i waited for mom and dad to check in.

Live animals seen or heard in the airport: Dog and Chicken.

I left at 6pm... Looking out of the window watching the two left engines of the 747-400 roaring away with landing flaps flared. I can still remember my first memories of being carried into the car and driven to the airport sleeping back when i was a kid. First having to wait dressed up as if going for a wedding. Always flying...all my life...soon my final flight shall come, and I will no longer be able to fly as I did for the first 24 years of my life.

Once again, I would like to thank my parents for setting up the arrangements with the appropriate parties to make this happen. Shiva to introduce us to Laura and Laura & husband for her wonderful hospitality.

All Cubans who were helpful especially Indian Boy! thank you very much! Everyone that we crossed paths during the trip. I thank you very much for everything.

Hope that our paths cross once more in our lives.

Cheers

FIN

Mexico & Havana City, November 2007 -Part 2 Ciudad La Habana

2007-11-15T02:56:00.000+08:00

MX321 Flight to Havana Cuba or as they say on the Destination Board, 'La Habana'.

INFO #1: According to the Mexican Embassy in Malaysia, Malaysians do not require a visa permit to Cuba. However, they will make you buy one on the way into the aircraft. So be prepared. Keep that and the boarding pass. You won't need the visa so keep it unless of course they ask for it. With your boarding pass and visa permit, you can bring it up to the embassy when you return to get it reimbursed...hopefully. AS with handling the Mexican embassy's secretary, she is a strict person so be sure to bring everything (passports, itinerary, fictious air tickets if you don't have any in hand and most importantly; youself in person. She will insist you see her even if you are in Kelantan).

Sigh....what a nice feeling to be in Cuba. Clean air, Kota Bharu airport, Melaka streets.

INFO #2: Cubans are a very closely knitted comunity. You can tell by the way they dance in the clubs, with practically everyone in one song. There are customs especially while driving. Give passing cars of ppl you know and courteous drivers the following sign language; The I Love You sign...as such... And The thumbs Up

Whenever theres a hot chick walking down the street (mostly ladies in Red), it is polite to Honk and check out the chick (vacilala).

We got a room at th 'Hotel Deauville' facing Old Havana City, the Lighthouse castle and the Sea. Room 1403 had a spacious floorspace and was on the top floor. Something compared to what you'd get in Sheraton with the same amount of money.

After a night of rest, 5am was tossing and turning session. After awhile we gave up sleeping and decided to make breakfast. Second breakfast was at 630.

We went for a city tour. Saw the popular places of Havana, both new and old Cities, Citidel, Cuban Rum factory which also sells cigars, Havana Castle, and a walking tour along the Cuban streets. Most of which I have made into a video that has all the three days.

That evening we had a stroll along the streets to see what we could find. Unfortunately, 'Casa De La Musica' was setup for a Jazz performance training, so no salsa there. But there was this place called the 'Calleson de Jamel' that was suppose to be the place to learn the local dancers.

Looks familiar you Cyber-cafe peeps!?
Anyway we went to 'Habana Cafe' thinking it was a club. But we saw more than that. There were 2 performances. one of which consisted of 4 musicians singing and making instrumental sounds with their mouth and hands.

The other was a full blown performance of sexy Cuban ladies and muscular men dancing on stage showcasing the various Caribbean and African mix dances. There was a session for dancing after that. But they were too good, I couldn't enter the circle.

So I went to a lower level club called the 70's Cafe at the lower lobby of our hotel and danced there instead. They were more humble and let me dance with them though it was more of the samba type of music by the time I got there.

Next day, we took a tour that led us to a forest reserve hours away from the City. There, we were shown a park that was reforested by the government and is listed by UNESCO. Completely healed with a man made lake as well. Such a beauty.

We were also brought to see a house that was owned by a French family who used the area to produce coffee. Complete with a coffee area, a house and slave quarters. A stream where people can soak or swim was next on the agenda. It was a beautiful sight of greenery and well all things nature.

Lunch was fantastic.

Apart from learning the political and sociological stands of Cuba to the world, from Amielo our guide, We made some new friends 3 from California(Shoshana, Ken and Aura) and 1 from France (Daniel Brun).

We were recommended to see this play called 'Cecilla Valdez' which was confusing at first. But thanks to Aura, the Spanish musical made sense.

And so it was time to adjourn the trip back to Mexico city. Stay tuned for PArt 3: Return to Mexico!

P.S Enjoy the Video-slide!

Mexico & Havana City, November 2007 -Part 1 Ciudad Mexico!

2007-11-09T23:15:00.001+08:00

28th October 2007
=================

Alas its finally here! 28th October 2007. Bags packed, counted and verified. Persons present and crosschecked. Early rise and a good start for a good 2 week journey!

So here's the final itinerary...

28 October morning we head down south from Bangsar, KL by coach to Singapore. Take the 2320 hours BA016 flight to London, Heathrow. Go on to the next flight to Los Angeles and finally a Mexicana flight to Mexico City. 3 days here before heading to Havana Cuba for another 3 nights. Come back for another 3 nights. And then its a Mexico-LHR-Singapore solo stretch before finishing back in Malaysia.

So its going to be 1/2 traveling, 1/4 sleeping, and 1/4 actual sightseeing and holidaying. But it matters not, as long as I've got my trusty Camera to document each and every....

every

*GASP!!* Did i not put my glasses on? Nuuuuuuuu! My trusty Sony camera of 4 years destroyed!!...Oh the humanity! Luckily, Dad brought his 2.1 Megapixel canon and mom brought her film Based Canon (aka Old Faithful).

The Journey was smooth until Los Angeles. Touching down. I was subjected to NSEERS (National Security Entrance Exit Registration). Of which I missed my flight.

TRIVIA #1:
Q: What is the average waiting time to clear Secondary Registration (NSEERS) for Entering America?

A: 2 Hours

In my case 3 hours. What was worse was that we were aiming for a standby flight on a Mexicana Flight to Mexico City. We missed it by half an hour. Most of which involved running around the terminal looking for the ticketing counter.

Anyways we took the next flight in (2.05 am) to Mexico City. Arriving afternoon, we took a Sitio Taxi to our hotel in Downtown Mexico, The San Fransisco Hotel. After a long and tiring journey, I dozed off till about 8pm local time. Where we decided to go for a walk.

We heard that there was a place where we could go dance salsa in Sona Rosa (Pink Zone). We had to take the Metro (the train) to Insurgentes which was where the Zone was.

INFO #1: Mexico has the largest Metro system in the Latin Americas( about 120kms). 11 lines and 175 stations. For only 2 pesos, you can travel anywhere around the city no matter the line.

The place was a lot like Puduraya in KL. Too bad no Salsa Havana to be found around the vicinity. Though there was a pub that was playing the Spanish version of 'Monologues of the Vagina'. We returned an hour before the Metro was scheduled to be closed. But not before salvaging like LOADS OF SALSA/MEXICAN MUSIC CDS!!

INFO #2: Taxis that are safe to use are the ones with license plates beginning with 'S' for Sitio or place. Anything else would be dangerous even those with the Letters 'L' for Libre or freedom; these usually come in green and white old Volkswagen Beetles.

31st October 2007
=================

3rd most visited religious center the World the Shrine of Lady Guadalupe. Or so the AMEX brochure says about the Basilica. Archaeological site of Teotihuacan (City of Gods) with the pyramids of the Sun and Moon.

Tourbus picked us up at 930 to the headquarters. There we were assigned to our buses.

TIP #1: If you try booking a tour minutes before it starts. Theres a High probability that you may get a private tour for the price of a group tour. Also a High probability there may not be anymore space and they will reject your booking.

Known as the 'Plaza de Las Tres Culturas' Tlatelolco is surrounded on three sides, Aztec pyramid, 17th century church 'Templo de Santiago' and office complex of the Mexican foreign ministry. Its said to be one of the bloodiest places throughout mexico history.

In 1521, The Aztecs led by Cuauhtemoc made their last stand here against the conquistadors. Over 40,000 Aztecs died here.

It was also the place where 300 students were massacred to hide Mexico's social woes from the world in conjunction with the 1968 Summer Olympic games.

So much story so few photos. Our stop was only for a couple of minutes. Then it was off to see the Basilica.

Legend has it that Juan Diego, was walking along the place when the virgin Mary came onto him and commanded him to build a Church. The Pope at that time did not believe him and Juan Diego went back to ask Virgin Mary for proof. Mary asked him to collect some roses and present it to the Pope. It was winter, the rose was foreign and the poncho that Juan Diego carried the roses with was imprinted with the image of the Virgin Mary Mexicans know as the Lady Guadalupe. Hence the construction of the Church was ordered.

Moving deeper into the past, Teotihuacan or 'Birthplace of the Gods' abandoned by their mysterious owners, found by the Aztecs. This was the place where the Pyramids of the Sun and Moon resides.

But before heading to the site, we were taken to an Obsidian shop where we were shown the various orders of Obsidian and the multiple uses of the Maguey plant; sort of Aloe Vera's cousin of the Agave family.

TIP #2: If you have low tolerance with alcohol, don't drink 3 kinds of liquor shots (pulkea, tequila and mescal) before the pyramid even if the Mexicans say it has very little alcohol in it. Climbing 65 stories of steep rocky pyramid is no joke while tipsy is no joke!

These are a few shots of the pyramids and your chance to play "Where's Juzzy!"

SUNNY!!!!
Fun with the Umbrella!
Altar to the Moon God!
Honey-Moon hahahaa
Some Mexican Gals... not bad...
Mariachi and a she-Mariachi(?)

In the evening, we met up with Laura and her Husband who are very dear friends of my good friend Shiva, Lord of Bachata (and from what I heard the new 'Sex Machine').

They brought us to this restaurant 'El Bajio' and showed us a good time and good local food.

Heres the Lovely Couple!

INFO #3: Shiva ate 15 tacos in one serving!

Thank you so much for the Hospitality and the drive around the City District to show the Day of the Dead Celebrations was fantastic.

INFO #4: Day of the Dead in Mexico represents a mixture of Christian devotion and Pre-Hispanic traditions and beliefs. As a result of this mixture, the celebration comes to life as an unique Mexican tradition including an altar and offerings dedicated to the deceased. For more info on Day of the Dead click here!

NEXT!! Part 2 Three days in La Habana!!!

Mexico/Cuba Trailer! Blog Entry 12 November 2007

2007-10-11T21:49:00.000+08:00

Ola! Greetings everybody. My name is Justin Ong but you can call me Trius. Its been awhile since I last traveled (last was 7 months ago the Penang/UK/US Trip 2007). And after 6 months of working in TCMA, its finally time to unravel my dusty wings and travel once more.

This time, Trius is going to Mexico and Cuba. This trip will start on the 28th Morning, with a bus ride down to Singapore. Then An evening flight from SIngapore's CHangi Airport to London Heathrow. There will be South West bound flight to Mexico City. 3 days in, we will fly to Havana City for 3 nights, then back to Mexico. ANd finally, the 3 day journey back to Singapore 1855pm.

I will constantly write up my program as it follows, ppl we meet see and do. So...Tune in for an exciting blog entry on the 12 of November 2007! ;-)

Posing with the Stars - Madame Tussauds

2007-03-02T10:31:00.000+08:00

Arriving Heathrow at 11am I decided to head downtown to spend my time while waiting for my flight that was to fly at 9pm.

At first I thought of heading to the museums, but then I realize that it would be just sticks and stones (or bones). Then it hit me, bonbonKat was talking about this new attraction at Madame Tussauds. So it was on to Baker Street, London!!

There I went for to spend about an hour in the Wax museum...so kewl... Here are some of the fun pics I took..

Entertainers
===========

Captian Jean Luc- Picard...Live Long and Prosper!!

Me and Julia Roberts

Me and Posh...doesn't remind you of another picture in the blog... ;)

Bald Britney..

OOoo La la...cheeky me..

Dream Girl Beyon...

The Roti boy..

Heroes
======
Encik Sparrow...

And his hot chick..
The Incredible hulk choking me!

I'll Be BACK!!! Or should I put him under politicians

Clark Kent to Superman....JuzzyT and Christopher Reeves

Politics..
======

Encik Newkiller Weapons..

Washing Mr. Kennedy...

Virgin Queen Elizabeth

And her Genius Playwright she calls 'Willy'

And her dad...mom and step moms..
Saddam Hussien

Next I went around the corner to 221b Baker Street..Thats Right ...Elementary my Dear Watson..

See thats him in bronze...

And thats him in real life.....haha joking....i should grayscale this pic..and see what happens..

Here's the hero!!
Futile attempt to hold a puffer
Got stopped by the fashion police as well..
After a fantastic time looking at wax criminal figures and records and other stuff of Dr. Watson and Mrs Hudson's, I headed back via Bakerloo and Piccadilly to Terminal 4. Returned my Oyster card for a refund and headed into the terminal where I waited for BA011 back to Changi Singapore.

Unfortunately, this marks the end of my February 2007 travels but a fitting end for such a fantastic adventure....

CREDITS
=======

I'd Like to thank

Penang Trip: Bren for being such a fantastic tour guide and more...
Kon: for being my driver and the DVD pillager...
Emerald of Mingood: for making me breakfast at lunch time.

England Trip: Rowan, Sze Yuin and housemates, Pika and Kelvin for your utmost hospitality and time even when you were in your semester..Ikhwan for trying so hard to meet up, let me know when you return we go makan. Ahmad pleasure meeting you.

US Trip: Marcus and Chris for accommodating me in every way possible. Uncle Dom for the fantastic food and recipes. Adam and Evan for your pics and chicks. The girl who made me a dare victim while browsing at Brookstone in Briarwood Mall.

British Airways for giving me good seats, Club World and First. Uncle Chris special thanks to you.

And thank you readers for...well...enjoying yourselves...

FIN
ISH

Canton, Michigan February 2007

2007-02-23T01:58:00.000+08:00

America, a country of culture, politics, freedom, and opportunities. and not to mention Celebrities. Unfortunately, this time, I am there to visit a small lil district called Canton, Michigan. The celebrities here are.,...Eninem? that guy from Home Improvement? Well that's all I know. It is the country where bookstores have two extra sections; Homo and Bush. Where Baseball is like war and Asians take advantage of return policies.

This is more of a vacation for me, to see my brother, sister-in-law, and my nephews rather than an exploration. But as you will later see, the Wanderlust did take over.

This is Adam and Evan...My nephews. Cute yes? Mom says that Adam is like my brother, carefree, happy-go-lucky, and loves to sleep and eat. Evan is like me, hot tempered, Sir Cry-a-lot, Always absorbing everything he sees. Both are good with chicks though. Although, Evan at first was rather evil giving me old ladies, blacks or both. Adam was more consistent, getting attention from nice people. (though in the end Evan manage to get me a hot HK girl...).

These are a few photoshoots of them...

(not in chronological order)

This is dedicated to my nephews which I will soon put them as the evil twins in my book of Trius Blades....yay!! Ive now got names.

Cheers!!

Britain February 2007

2007-02-09T18:22:00.000+08:00

Singdate 1830-09022007

Posting from The British Airways Business Class Lounge in Changi Airport, Singapore. Ive been put on the 1030pm boarding flight to London, Heathrow Airport. BA016. I have a 99% chance of a Business Class seat and I can still used the Business class lounge. Thanks to Uncle Chris a very good friend of my Dad.

Allow me to flashback to 8am this morning. That was the time I set my alarm and got ready. Uncle Ron picked us (me and my dad) and sent us to Bangsar to catch the First Coach..erm...coach?

I realize this is a travel log...but do allow me to be a lil personal. Bren woke up at about ten to SMS me off with hugs and kisses * aww shucks .now I must do something for u for valentines..;)

Kon confirmed my DVD request...may the pillaging begin!! And Rowan..I mean the 'Your Evilness and all that is Dark and Farnie, the Dark Lord Muse' reconfirmed his evilness and address for my landing card.

We started off with a Sunny clear sky...a good sign for the start of my second solo trip of the year. Here's to Trius the Jet setter who moved...and friends...

We reached Singapore at about 5pm and the airport at about six. Enric couldn't meet up with me cause he was stuck with his WOW friends ...and the other friend eheheehehee ...

and So here i am having 3 hours *yes Bren again...* to spend in a Starbuck like lounge. See u guys in London, Ro-The Dark Lord Muse, Ikhwan, and Sze Yuin....

LonDate 0913-11022007

I'm updating my travels from the comfort of row- The DARK LORD's Crib. Heronbank, 149 University of Warwick. It is Gorgeous, left over snow and stuff...but I'll put that in the next part. Rewind to 7 am 10022007.

I met the Dark lord and he took me to Faringdon via Kings Cross St.Pancras via the Piccadilly line. When we reached Bonboncat's place aka Kelvin, he was still asleep so we had to hangout in the kitchen. But not for long, as we soon decided to go out for a lil breakfast and a gamble to spend sometime.

Ppl if u want to lose as much as 20 pounds in a matter of 15 mins, this is the only possible way to do it, with out pain or hassle. But u must be mentally prepared: This is for entertainment, I have a target of losing 20 pounds only, and that is all. Most ppl who don't start getting greedy and end up losing more than they weigh.

We headed back to the kitchen and talked of old times and I showed him my pictures of my adventures.

When BBC arose, we headed to Bay waters for lunch.

Four Season's Roast Duck seem to be the thing in London.

If u have not tried Roast Tuck, then u have not eaten in Lonton.

And indeed it was the most orgasmic roast duck ever!! Everyone I recommend this place!! though I should make a deal with the Shop to bring more customers in..i need a cut lol.

After Bays water. we decided to head to Piccadilly Circus and see the China Town there. There i was introduced to this lovely thing called the 'Tiger Roll'!

There after, we made our way to elegant Regent Street. The Valentine? mood was in Play as well*Bren u should come here one day...it'll be ur paradise

Heading back we decided to hang out at BBC's place for a while, chat and see some funny videos of 'Chaser's war on Everything'.

The Dark Lord was tired, so we decided to head back to Coventry. Which happen to be the longest journey ever.

Anecdote 1
=======

The DarkLord and I boarded the train at Faringdon Station to head 3 stations down to Baker street station, change to the Bakerloo line to Marylebone station to take another train to Leamington Spa and finally a bus to the Campus grounds.

Sounds pretty simple?

So lets head back to step one. We stated heading to the first station after Faringdon when the train suddenly stopped.

1 train passed us...and then another. And another. and then..
Announcement: Ladies and Gentlemen, I apologize for the delay as there have been some signaling problems inhibiting us from continuing on to our destination. When I get an update on when we can move on I shall inform u.

Another train passed, and so did time.
Announcement: Ladies and gentlemen, this is not good news. There seems to be a train in front of us that has not been given clearance to move. Once that goes forth we can make our way to the next station at a slower speed.

We were there for another 5 mins when we started making jokes about the LONDON UNDERGROUND.
Dark Lord: I see no reason why the signaling problem is taking so long.....In London Underground when they say 'couple of minutes' it really means 'indefinite time'....when they sat "slower than usual" they mean small jerks and spurts and then a long wait of complete stop", When they say "Mind the Gap, Doors closing", well have u ever heard them speaking after that?"

After much wailing and laughing and sighing, we finally got past the affected area and was well under way. We started our journey at about 6pm, and ended at his place at 9 something. Its a neat place nonetheless, but only one plug to the internet. We were freaking tired. But I knocked out first. While The Dark Lord had to complete a task before retiring.

LonDate 1033-12022007

Something I tripped over while waiting for the bus

Yesterday was a rather interesting day, I got to go to a CASTLE!! WARWICK CASTLE, home to the Earl of Warwick, Richard Neville, King maker. Warwick castle is situated north west of Leamington. And by the time we got there, it was about 1pm. We got in and just missed their explanation on weapons used at that time

Pole means head... so a Pole-axe is actually an axe design to cut off the head, not cause it has an axe at the end of the pole.

Next we saw a man dressing up a kid telling the different mechanics of each armor and each symbol.

The Castle is majestic and large.

We visited the dungeon first where time and claustrophobia was the key element of torture.

Next we entered the castle room area telling the tale of the last battle of the Earl of Warwick against the dog Edward.

3 on Lancaster's side, Oxford, Neville and Montague, and three on Edward's. However the foggy day caused Richard his life...slain in battle and paraded for all to see.

The next gallery was on a Royal Weekend Party in 1898.

This is for all you Harry Potter Fans...

And then a ghost tower which was pointless.

Then we went to walk outside the castle grounds and saw some 'rowlawns' lol...hilarious

The trebuchet is f-ing huge ..look at the size of that thing...

Made a lil joke regarding the word.."fornication under consent of the king"...now that word has been said to be used in many context...the other is where u screw up..hence.."Fatality under consent of the king"

And this is the Peacock Garden, there were eight Peacock Hedges.

And lots of real ones.

Then we did a walk along the tower.

Pretty interesting. There is also a guy who tells tales of Warwick, and knows his weapons. .."Turn, parry, Strike!"

Checkout Warwick shire...

Nerd Cafe!!! lol....Nero....burning cafe..

Interesting valentine message...

We returned to Leamington to get a bus back to the university. It was a 45 min wait so we waited around. Check what we saw...

Heading back... we meet the Darklord's Smart Mat, Ahmad for dinner at the 'Cafe Xanana' at the Campus Center. We had Carvery which was fantastically huge!!

Check out the Chocos I bought from Warwick castle ..only....30 ringgit...okay nevermind..

LonDate 12022007

Today is Sheffield day. The DarkLord and I took a blue bus to Coventry. From there I bought a 30 pound ticket to Sheffield. We took a train to Birmingham New Street International Station. And then using a train heading to New Castle, to get to Sheffield.

Reached Pika's place at 3pm, Sze yuin came after awhile and we all went to see her place. Apparently there was a Dikir Barat meeting at about 730 in the evening. So we had to plan around it. We ended up having tea at 'Witherspoon'.

I had Lamb burger...which sounds a lot like 'lam berger'. I joined Sze Yuin to see her friend's place, While the Dark Lord and Pika went to get groceries.

After some entertainment, we headed back to her place to get ready for the Dikir Barat Practice.

The practice was somewhat entertaining, even more with Rowan and Pika *wasn't looking at chicks k?* Anyway the chance came where we could run home and help make dinner.

We manage to have dinner at 10pm. Chili Cream Spaghetti was on menu and it was really worth the wait. The Dark lord's prowess to bring out the gluttony in us was complete. DL and Pika left close to midnight and i was left to fend for myself. SY was kind enuf to lend me her room for the night. I think I should stay at Pika's the following as I have a feeling she isn't that free the next day.

LonDate 0200-14022007

Happy Valentines!! My dear friends. *And Happy Vals to u my sweet... Its Valentines day where you should be out with your lover, spending time together at a restaurant, or a cafe or making out under a bridge. Unfortunately, as a Jet Setter, I have the unfortunate situation of being hundreds of miles away from mine.

So anyway, I woke up at 5 am, in the morning. Had a bad case of Jetlead. So anyway, SY came in at about 10 to get ready for class. I continued lazying around until her return to take me out...for lunch. We saw a Cathedral that seem to be an interesting building.

Then, she showed me a typical English diet for lunch.

SY then took me to finish up some of her errands which includes shopping as well. I ate a shot of chocolate!! Then, it was the Peace and winters Gardens. It was magnificent. Even seating at Cafe Nero facing the scenery itself was fantastic.

After a good long Coffee with SY's housemate, we went over to SY's other friend's place for Nintendo Wii!!

And apparently, He was a junior in my highschool!!! But lets skip tat part... NWII IS KEWL!!

Anecdote 2
==========

While busing dinner at 'Aslan Kebab', an incident occurred. Apparently, it is often that ppl claim free meals in England. This guy started eating something and then put it back on the counter and say that theres not enough meat or chips. The counter guy already knew something was wrong and refused to give a refund, said that he can't change and that he did that before. The guy threatened the counter guy saying that he is a boxer, medical student, and new to Sheffield. But he pissed off the tray master, They were about to fight when a coworker stopped then. 3 Greeks sitting down also got ready to beat the shit out of the bugger. Luckily for that that, nothing happened.

Anyway we ate at home. SY went to bake a cake at a friend's place while me and her house mates played...poker and then went to a pub waiting to escort her home which did not happen. By the time, we returned ...we were pooped.

LonDate 15022007

So What did I do for Valentines? Well I ended up spending another day at SY's. But they had 9am classes, so everyone left the house. I was left ALL alone for Valentines. So I decided to do a valentine call. Before i knew it they returned. *sigh*... So having about slightly more than two hours to spare, SY, Pika, Jack and I went for lunch at Witherspoon. This time i chose the fish and chips.

After all that, I bid my hosts farewell and it was off to London!! I took the 1253 BorneMouth down to Leamington Spa, and then the 1500 Marylebone to London. I Reached BBC's place at about 6pm. We decided to try our luck to watch a play or a musical. Unfortunately, it was Valentines and every ticket was sold out...well except for Mamamia which I had already seen.

So we ventured about and then it hit us!! AVENUE Q!!! *GASP* The Super Puppet Adult Comedy Musical!!! I LOVE AVENUE Q!! U know why?

(8) Coz....it sucks to be me, it sucks to be me,
its sucks to be single, desperate, lonely when your twenty three,
when my other half is not here right beside of me, (on vals)
it sucks to be me. (8)

Either way it was at 8pm and we had two stool tickets that were not together but that's fine, at least we had a musical to go to! so With about 90mins to spare, we lined up for a Japanese restaurant called 'Misato' they served good Curry Tori Katsudon!! And a Huge Plate as well!! We met his Indonesian friend, Adi who was getting a seat for his girlfriend. Aw how incredibly sweet. But he is a cool guy!

Avenue Q went on for about 2 hours of Nonstop Funniness. Did u know that Purpose, can be changed to Prupose and then Propose!. Come and mitment is Commitment. And if u shoot down 4 out of 5 standing knights, u get a 1 knight stand.

It was really good. Anyway, I was super pooped and dozed off at 1. Woke up at 5 in the morning. Got myself ready and left BBC's place at 545. I reached the Airport at 7am. Checked in and OMG I forgot to give the Emperor's Chicken spices to Rowan... ah dammit. Oh I mean the DArk Lord.

Oh well. I checked my bag into a 767 BA203 to Detroit at gate 1C and met my parents inside. Strapping in my sleeper seat, marked the end of my England Trip February 2007 and the beginning of my two week US Training.

What did i learn from this trip?

Well, seeing my high school friends again in semester sure jogged up alot of memories. To see them in the spunk of their youth, tied to education commitments, and wonder what's in store for them, ambitions, sophisticallity, I come to realize how simple minded I have been. Without a mind for politics, without a knowhow of empathy, consideration and equity on things.

Nevertheless they are simple and humble people as well, which is what I like about them. London is filled with culture and traditions that though prominent, they are not commercially overboard.

The Castles are kept with well regards, keeping their majestic aura to enchant the visitors. I'd love to see more! I'd love to see more of the cities, the castles, the countryside, the people, the art, the traditions, the histories, and most of all, friends who have grown to attune to these customs.

From Trius Travels, Im Justin Goodnight...

Last installment of pictures coming soon...

Penang February 2007

2007-02-02T23:31:00.000+08:00

EarthDate 2332-02022007,

Hey ppl, Im starting this post from Mingood Hotel, Argyll Road Penang...if thats how you spell it. Its 11:32pm 2nd February 2007 and its been a fantastic day.

I got out of bed at about 9:30 this morning. Got everything all set and prepped.
Dad cameback and we decided to have lunch at the Old Train Station in the city. The ANW apparently turned out to be an abandoned KFC, so we had to settle for the mamak instead.

After saying goodbye to my dad as he had to leave for his errands, I set off on My First Journey of Spring 2007. Not only is this my first milestone, a solo trip to Penang and seeing my friends, it marks the transistion of my life from a student to a man with Free Will able to change dreams into action.

My bus left on Schedule at 1pm. And I spent most of the time reading and nodding off. We Reached the Sungai Perak Rest House at about 330pm. About high time as it was hot and 'the tide was rather high'. We left 20 passed 4pm and managed to squeeze to a 6pm arrival time.

It is at Sungai Nibong that I was received by my dearest friend Brenda. Ive not seen Brenda for 2 years (Officially) and to finally meet her in person after so long was simply beyond words. Still Bubbly and Gorgeous as before.

Anyway, she took me to Gurney Drive to have dinner. Got me to eat the char keow Tiao there and the Lok LOk... of which the sauce was fabulous(U are lucky my betting luck not so good this year if not hehe).

After she left at about 9pm, I met up with my friend Kon(aiyaaa....!). We had a small dinner at Gurney as well before we started hunting for my hotel. And oh my gosh, we would not have found it if we didnt have the Penang map in his trunk. The place is liveable(u are right Bren...i'll try the 140 one next time) but the lighting is abit to the dim side(not enuf yang energy..right Lilian?).

We were suppose to head to Batu Ferringhi for supper...but since it was close to 12, we decided to postpone it to the next day instead....(4 dollar DVDs :( ).

Will post some pictures the next time around.....and add on to this post tomorrow...cheers...

====================
Earth Date -03022007,

This entry was recorded into my Blue Travel logbook 2 hours after the Earth Date above. In Mingood Hotel 409.

Today turned out to be rather interesting. Got up at about nine something. Had a tough time trying to sleep but it turned out to be a good night.

Anyway Kon picked me up close to 11 am I started considering picking up Bren for Brunch together. Unfortunately, she was without transport and could not meet us at QB yet. So we continued our journey down south to see Motorola.

Not much of a trip but it did help us with travel placings. Bren told us that we could get decent Chee Cheong Fann at this place called 'SUPER TANKER' (aiyah.....super tanker...stim mo..). It was okay .... and after spending sometime at Kon's Crib, we set off to whisk our princess.

Kon's filtered personality shone through and we were off to a GREAT start. After the 3rd bend, Bren became the fourth member of our Aiyah club...(Rayner ah...) And after the 5th bend, Kon was transformed to Bren's import man-ho the super sensational 'Alejandro Konillius'. (Konstantine Konwallis or Konmodore..wateva tickles ur fancy) with a 'K', from Pee Jay, dont mess wei!

With Sexual innuendic humor and a fantastic array of 'lame'; we set off on our very own tour of Penang (Heritage indeed).

We began with Laksa lunch at 'Aiya...Itam ah...' As one who never really fancied laksa, it was a turning point for me. Taking a bite, i could see why ppl travel from far and wide for this World Famous heritage.

Next, Fort Konwallis.

As usual the scenery is gorgeous . Just look at its beauty

and its reality..

The Fort turned out to be a fantastic play ground.

It had really large attractions,

and huge majestic masts.

The Failure to find the Milo truck led us to Little India for a lil scouting, and then to the World Famous 'Cenoi shop'

After much planning and consideration, the next stop was the taman bunga...(so sorry Bren...though u suggested it). How ungentlemanly of us( emm maybe just me).

Though if not for her sacrifice, we would not have gotten so many kewl pics. ( Wuv u!)

Kon had to leave for his B-day Partee, so he was to send Bren back and me to spend some quality time with myself at a shopping centre. Again Bren was kind enuf to accompany me for dinner (huggies).

Neyway, just as Bren was at the midst of getting me drunk, she was hijacked by her mom, and i spent the next 3 hours with myself. Within three hours, I spent 23 bucks on food and drinks, checked out the whole E-Gate ground floor shops, rounded Tesco and got myself Hi on sugar water. By the time Kon picked me up, I was so high on Sugar, I could barely think straight. But after a couple of gulps, it toned down.

The trip to 'Batu F'ing Hi ' was fantastic as well. We were suppose to go there to get cheap DVDs, despite Bren's warnings of them being closed (yes yes u r always right, for ur own good), we decided to go anyway. We found out that the Inbound and OUtbound track was a perfect trail for a Time attack!! AND the DVD shops WERE closed.

The day ended when Kon sent me home and I drank as much as i could to lower my glucose level.

========================
Earth Date 1800-04022007 Sungai Perak Rest area

After a very interesting Satur-day, waking up at 10 am was god-like. Mask Rider's Justified was singing under my pillow into a new day. The morning was fantastic and so was my hair.

At twelve i left my room and checked out. I was hungry and asked the 'concierge' if i could get something to eat. She was kind enough to reopen the kitchen and serve me a good toast, tea and other bits and pieces. One thing I like better than a fantastic room, is customized and personal hotel service. It was bed and breakfast all over again. What they lack in placement of the hotel, they made up in service! Her name as I recall is 'Emerald' or so I heard. Hotel Mingood, certainly worth 70 bucks per night!!

Kon, got me there after and we met up with Bren at QB. She gave me this, A cute graduation Bear... with 'honors' labelled on its butt-tag too!! (THANKS BREN!!! GoSH Im starting to fall for u! GO OUT WIF ME!!Onegai!XOXO)

There was this concert with unknown singers to us who sang and gave out astro gifts to the audience. After a while, we lost interest and start roaming around. went to several shops and passed the time while waiting for Bren's Friend.

We went for lunch at about 2 at this restaurant that i kinda forgot the name, Jack or something. A nepalese that spoke fluent mandarin..(oh how banana i feel...Joseph baNAna... lay hoe?) Well with Alej's super Konstantine charms, we were off making interesting lunch episodes again.

But as Good things have the habit of sloping. THe delights of the trip was coming to an end for me. The sinulsoidal rule of events. The bus that would take me back was at 4pm. A 45 min headstart was wise (as you will soon read).

Bren and her friend decided to walk us to our car(with me playing with my house keys, Hitch). Unfortunately, the inefficient lift system prevented them from following us to the car. So we bid the ladies farewell, and made our way up 5 floors to Kon's ride.

We realize that we had to get our ticket to the autopay machine, spotting a sign on the 5th floor, I got down in vain to find the machine. I told Kon to wait for me at the 4th floor as i go look for a machine. I went to the 4th, no machine. Went to the 3rd. found the machine but no 1 ringgit. Lucky i had a five and couple of guys also looking for the machine. I manage to get my 5 changed, paid my ticket and ran back up to the 4th. Kon was in the wait..so i rendezvous with him in time for him to use the ramp down to the 3rd. Wat a Macguyver.

Anyway after that incident and our cursing a BMW driver for missusing its breaks on the 60 degree downhill ramp, we reached the station with 15 mins to spare. Stepping on the bus marked the end of my first trip, but the beginning of a new life ahead.

What Have I learnt?
Seeing my Dear Bren again after so long and my Aiyah friend Kon, I realized how much I have yet to learn. Opinions, judgments, ingenuity, frankness, impromptus. All these values that I have neglected so while I worked on other strengths.

But it is this very reason, that I started this trip, to rediscover myself and the people around me. It is not just the destination, but a journey of the mind. To be able to see what one lacks, and build from it, to be a better person for one's self and to serve the people I Love and care for.

I want to be not just the Kid who dreamt of the rabbit. But the man who brought the rabbit into the hearts of millions of children around the world.

For all da uploaded pics from my cam, go to photobucket.com and search for triblade84. And for a proffessional blogger's version of This trip go to Bren's blog.

Adelaide November 2006

2006-11-21T18:15:00.000+08:00

Justin's Log Date: 11 November 2006 5.00 a.m Day 1
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This trip consist a group of monash students, including Eujin, Yin Chien, Wei sern, Rayner and me. Population 5. lmao.

As time passed I made sure that Rayner brought his protector for my comp. This is our journey to Adelaide, the City of Churches.

Coach S, Seat 38. 7.20 a.m.
We left the house just after 6am with the minor inconvinence of getting a goodie bag that we left behind. We manage to catch the 6.15 bus to Huntingdale but barely. There we took the train to Southern Cross station where our 'Cross Country' train awaited us.

Our train was due to depart at 7.30am and we had to get the tickets from the booth before boarding. Once down, we brisked to platform 2 and Eu Jin darted off to get our tickets. And we were off, in Coach S od the Overlander. We were poofed from not sleeping. Nonetheless as I finish this entrym, we are just minutes away from depating Melbourne on a 10 hour journey to Adelaide.

Yu Sheng's Place, 11.45pm
We arrived at Adelaide's Railway station a little after 6 pm. After collecting our luggage and some brochures we took a free shuttle down to the city. Initially we thought of stopping at Rundle Street but told the bus driver to drop us off at Victoria Square.

And as some twisted perverted fate, we ended up in the middle of a procession. Not just any parade. The Adelaide Pride Parade. Gays, Lesbos, 'whores', the happy and the SM all in one parade celebrating what they believe in. How appropriate it was that it was held on 'Hindley Street'. Wat a first step in to a new city.

We met up with Eujin's friend Yu Sheng and his gf and had an awesome dinner at Grote Street. The dinner was awesome , Duck Kangaroo, alligator meat all fantastic. That night we were suppose to head on to our friend's place down south, towards Glenelg, but was stopped by the rain so here we will stay the night in a three storey apartment since everyone was dead tired.

Justin's Log Date: 13 November 2006, 1.30 a.m Day 2
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In the morning, we left for Paradise Community Church. We took the famous O-bahn bus to the Paradise Interchange where we met another of Eujin's friends.

The service wen on till 1pm and we went for lunch. We had 2 pizza rissoto, pasta and garlic bread at the Cafe Primo. After lunch, Icecream was in order at Cold Rock. After a run to Rundle Mall, we separate and wandered around the city on our own.

The Info Center was closed, so we thought of going ourselves to the key places. The state Library was first. But it was about to close, so it was merely a pitstop for mitcurating and refilling our bottles. We then visited Uni SA and then the botanical Garden.

Next we wandered around till we found ourselves in the Cinema watching BoyTown. Show was hilarious. Anyway we had a late dinner and took our stuff to Stop 14 of the tram to Eujin's other Friend Elaine.

Justin's Log Date: 14 November 2006, 12.10 am Day 3
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We started pff in the morning with a trip to Thrifty on Hindley Street. We left Marion Street by foot and reached the place 15 past the hour with an allowance of a small mishap of Jin's wallet and handphone.

We decided to head to the Jam factory to see how glass was made. Then we headed to the Car, the Mitsubishi 380. A good car with Lots of space.

And off we were to Handorf the Oldest German town in Australia. The highlight of the it was of course the food, lunch at the Handorf Inn where we had lots of sausages. And a beer for Eu Jin. Meeting RuO and his Angels along the way.

The Strawberry farm was next. 2 Dollars entry, we gobbled up as many strawberries as we could, picked up some for friends and had loads of fun as well.

Then we left for Mt. Lofty Summit with some detours along the way.

Next up was the St. Flinders University. Go visit our host elaine 'studying hard' for her exam.
Next we left for the city, made some last minute shopping for the next day. and finally head to the pancake shop.

I had 'IT'a sweet pancake stack with syrup rock nuts and jamacian bananas for 10 bucks.
After the reunion we went to one of the fantastic apartments 'Botanical Apartments', really nice, chatted up with some friends and finally headed home to bed.

Hawker, Justin's Log Date: 14th November 2006, 10.30 pm Day 4
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Left Elaine's at 9. went to Barossa valley for lunch and a couple of drinking stops like Penfold.
Next came a 4 hour journey North till we decided it was time to stop. We stopped at a town called Hawker, got a self-contained Motel thingy for about 130 bucks and began our rest. We decided to head up to Flinders Ranges the next day.

Elaine's, Justin's log Date 16th November 2006, 2.00 am Day 5
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We had a good start. It was about half an hour's ride to the Trail head site of Wilpena. There we travelled up a 2 hour return trail to a lookout point. Making interesting videos and pictures especially at one of the cliffs. Oh yea..lol

It was another 4-5 hour journey back. By the time we reached Adelaide, we were able to go to Glenelg got dinner (oysters) and see the beach.

Then it was supper with Elaine and Melissa (though Weisern wasnt feeling well and I had to dissappear in the car for a long bit). They had drinks, while rayner and I had orange juice.
Then it was real pizza to finish the night.

Tenten Bayview, Justin's log Date: 16th November 2006, 10.30 am Day 6
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We were out of Elaine's by 9 something, returned the car by ten and walked to somewhere north of the city for brunch. YC left us for a bit to meet another friend. It was good as we had an abortion. this slab of chips, lamb sour cream and sweet chilli sauce. MMMM.

Then we made our way back to Haigh's choco in the city, met up with YC and headed to the airport. That concluded our 6 Day journey of Adelaide. It was fun, nostalgic, interesting, and lame to say the least an enjoyable roadtrip for all of us.

Welcome to Trius Travels

2006-08-20T16:36:00.000+08:00

Greetings fellow readers,

Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Justin Ong. As of 2006, I am a 22 year-old 4th year Mechatronics Engineering student from Monash University. I do not have the best of personalities, but given that I would be telling my tales over the internet, I see no reason why I would bore you with such details.

This blog will be dedicated to the travels that I have experienced over the past 21 years of my life. So this is how the story goes...

Now, Trius was born into a middle-class family some 22 years ago as the youngest child of 2 in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. But unlike other middle-class families, he had an advantage. He could fly. You see, his mother was a diligent clerk in the accounts department in Hilton hotel, KL which granted them special rates in any international hotel. His father, a legendary employee in British Airways.

And such a perfect match, they could travel around the world with only the financial burden of provisions, entertainment and souvenirs.

But there was a catch, being the 'son of', his privilages had a limit. Like his brother, he could only travel in the same manner only for the first 24 years of his life. And that is why, 22 years later he wishes to tell his tales of travels past, and catalogue his future travels of the future.

So this is how the blog goes. There will be two kinds of entries, Retro and Recent.

Retro tells of travels that he had in the past from day one of his traveling life.
Recent would tell of his travels from the recent back from 2006.

Later in the year I will gather suggestions to given by everyone, and that will help in planning Trius' final 2 years of Travels.

so till then.....Dont miss the next entry on Trius Travels!