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Category: Travel

Efficient Malaysia Immigration
08.25.10 |Malaysia, Penang, Service, Travel| Permalink | Comment?

I must say the Malaysia Immigration for passport renewal has improved. Kudos to all the staff there in Penang!! First they sent me a reminder stating my passport is about to expire. I will travel soon so it really helps me to get it renewed. I don’t want to be at the immigration gate only to find out my passport is not valid.

Secondly, I can download the renewal application form from their website. I remembered I used to queue for that form and also need to pay RM1 for it. It is also a waste of time because a number is given only after you filled up the form.

It only took me 30 minutes to get everything done. However it still takes 2-3 hours before I can collect the passport on the same day. I collected the next day instead.

Next is the US Visa application. The online form is driving me crazy. Imagine I filled up half of the form and it all vanished into thin air.

You can download the form here.

Popularity: 1% [?]
Hyatt Vineyard Creek Hotel & Spa Santa Rosa
08.10.10 |Hotel, Travel, US| Permalink | Comments Off

I stayed in this hotel in Jan 2010 on my business trip to Santa Rosa. However my stay wasn’t that pleasant. It had a bad start and finish. I booked the hotel through my company travel agent and it was suppose to come with a free breakfast and Wifi. I was very sure of it because I checked before I booked it.

On the day of arrival, the front desk told me no complimentary breakfast or Wifi. I should have printed out the reservation info. Anyway I went online with paid Wifi to verify and call the front desk. The front desk verified again but he said I can have the free Wifi but no complimentary breakfast.

I stayed there for 4 nights and on the second day, I received a notice from the General Manager with an email address. I wrote to him with regards to my complimentary breakfast. He told me to go ahead and order the breakfast, he will have it waive off my bill. Pretty cool.

I worked late for a few nights and in the morning, I called room service for breakfast so that I do not have to make a rush.

At the end of my stay, the bill came but the breakfast was charged. I told the checkout person but he told me that room service was not part of the deal. He also explained to me that I should get the complimentary breakfast vouchers upon check-in and have my meal in the restaurant. I wasn’t given those vouchers upon check in and the GM didn’t say I could not call room service for breakfast. I just didn’t like the way the checkout guy talk to me. Anyhow, he settled it with his GM.

Another upsetting part was I went for dinner at Brasserie Restaurant, I wasn’t given a menu for ordering. I had to get the menu myself. On top of it, the waitress who saw me didn’t bother to come and take my order. I had to go to another part of the dining area and a waiter serving that area served me right away.

On the last day, there was a fire drill but there wasn’t any notice given. All the doors were closed. I took the stairs but it led to a lock door. If really there was a fire, I will be dead. I climb back up the stairs. The drill was over when I came out of my room but no one bothers to open back the doors. Ooh there was also a door for the elevator. Elevator was not working too. I had to walk a couple of rounds to get to the exit. Imagine dragging my bags here and there. It was really frustrating.

There wasn’t any DIY laundry service and I have to go to Marriott Hotel next door to do my laundry. The front desk lady was kind enough to do a electronic key for me to get into the laundry room and provided free WiFi while I waited for the laundry to be done.

I will not ever stay there again! Of all the Hyatt hotel I stayed, this was the poorest customer service ever!

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Popularity: 1% [?]
Air Asia Convenience Fee
07.28.10 |Travel| Permalink | Comments Off

I am sure for those who book Air Asia flights and pay by credit card, you are charged RM5 per one way ticket per person. Return trip will be RM10. If you have n number of people flying, it will be n*RM10.

Today I booked AA flights and realized they don’t charge if I pay by debit from my CIMB account. It also applies to Maybank, Public Bank, Ambank and Bank Rakyat. Just click Debit on the payment page.

Don’t let them charged you the costly convenience fee unless you don’t know where to use your money. Be Smart!

Popularity: 1% [?]
Time Share
05.29.10 |PP, Travel| Permalink | Comments Off

Once I was invited to join a timeshare membership. I would have if I know I traveled so much. At that time it was worth it because the amount invested can be refunded after 30 years. I could use some free hotel stays for school holiday vacation.

It will be good if they can extend it to US and include orlando timeshare. I always wanted to go to US Disney World and other theme parks in Orlando.

Popularity: 2% [?]
To Sleep Or Not To Sleep
05.27.10 |PP, Travel| Permalink | Comments Off

The other day, I was asked by my friend to recommend her some sleeping pills I don’t take any so what do I know. She doesn’t look like a person who needs it either. Of cause, immediately I asked her why she needs it.

She told be that she will be travelling on a long hours flights. She was afraid that she couldn’t sleep on the plane. I told her that wouldn’t that be dangerous. Imagine popping a sleeping pill, snoring your way through the journey, if any emergency, it will be difficult to wake up. Wouldn’t it be? I wouldn’t know.

I asked her to read the reviews of sleeping pills before taking any for health reason.

Popularity: 2% [?]
Mangosteen
05.09.10 |Food, Travel| Permalink | Comments Off

It is in SEASON!!! Yeah it is one of my favorite fruit. Some countries may not have this fruit, it is really too bad for them.

The fruit is purple outside but the edible part is white. It is juicy, sweet and very nutritious. I heard now they have pure juice extract from mangosteen. I wonder how many mangosteen to make a bottle of juice.

Do you know that if you look at the bottom of the fruit, you can tell how many edible white parts in the fruit? Example the one in the picture has 7 petals which mean it has 7 white parts in the fruit. I love choosing more petals. Simply delicious, if your country does not have this fruit and you are in Malaysia, you have to try it.

Popularity: 4% [?]
Motor Homes
03.01.10 |PP, Travel| Permalink | Comments Off

I always wanted to own a motor home but it is not suitable in our country. If I ever go to New Zealand or US, I would buy one. Now they come with an extended service plan for maintenance too. Great savings there too.

Motor home is good way to travel around the country without worrying about hotel bills. I really admire those countries that provide facility to park the motor homes. Maybe when I retire, I will go get one of these.

Popularity: 3% [?]
Toronto Hotels
01.14.10 |PP, Travel| Permalink | Comments Off

I heard that this place is like a second Hong Kong, maybe many Hong Kong folks have moved there. I never been there before and hope to go in the future. Toronto has many places of attraction and romantic places to go.

I like the Toronto hotels especially the elegance Le Meridien King Edward. It has a very traditional look but provides a modern sensibility. It is located centrally and link up to the major highways.

For more details on hotels, do check out the TorontoHotels.Ca. Lots of information there.

Popularity: 3% [?]
Lost In Klang Valley
12.24.09 |Kuala Lumpur, Travel| Permalink | 3 Comments

I must say that the highway in Klang Valley is really messy. It has a very poor roads planning. They build and collect toll but never take into consideration of driver friendliness. Imagine one road can be split into 4 different directions. If you miss, you land up in la la land. Sign boards are never clear.

I always got lost coming back from TheCurve. I got on the highway and never know which road to take because there are plenty of options. One of it go through 2 toll booths, one of it goes through 1 toll booth but drive a very long distance and the option I need is to avoid all tolls. All options go to KL, so never follow sign board that says KL.

Let me show you what I mean:

Finally some kind soul pointed out to me, when I got out from TheCurve to the highway, I go pass the first right exit, take the second exit and take the right most lane to make a U turn. Who would have known?

I think I will need a GPS next time I drive in KL. It has been too long staying away from KL.

Popularity: 3% [?]
Penang Sg Pinang Food Court
12.13.09 |Food, Travel| Permalink | 1 Comment

Many asked me where are the good food in Penang. Well, good food is everywhere. I believed everywhere you go, there are hawker stalls. Most hawker stalls have asam laksa, chow kuew tiew, Penang G cheong fun with dark prawn paste and others.

I always passed by the Sg Pinang Food Court when I am on the Jelutong Highway and I decided to drop by for some good food. I must say that there are a lot of varieties of food there. If you are here, you should go. It is not hard to find if you go on the Jelutong Highway heading to town. You have to go early to get a place to sit, it is always filled with people.

One special store is the BBQ seafood stall. Many varieties of seafood that you can bbq to eat. I ordered the special bbq brinjal. It is the most expensive brinjal I ever eaten. It cost me RM8. From a local point of view, it is costly.

You must try this place if you are visiting Penang. It is not very hard to find.

Popularity: 4% [?]
Dream Vacation
12.09.09 |PP, Travel| Permalink | Comments Off

Living is a 4 season country does have its advantage. You can enjoy the different seasons. In US, even if it is winter, you still can find summer in Florida. It is a great place to find the sun and hang out in the beach.

You can booked the affordable destin condos by the beach. It will be a lovely retreat for the family. You will have plenty to do besides sunbathing. There are lot of attractions and shopping destinations. On top of that, there are fine restaurants for you to pick from.

Now I wished I can go to a winter place to celebrate Christmas with my family. My kids are dying to build a snowman. Well, let’s hope their dream comes true in the future.

Popularity: 4% [?]
Grand Hyatt Hotel in Singapore
12.06.09 |Hotel, Travel| Permalink | 2 Comments

Love it! Love it! Absolutely love it. First of all, after many years of points collecting, I get some complimentary stay in Hyatt for my family. I would pick this hotel every time I go to Singapore for business. Sad to say that because of cost cutting, they remove this hotel from the preferred list. I hope they add it back on.

Why do I like it so much? First the staffs are super friendly. They treat me the same even though the stay was complimentary. Next, the room is spacious, especially like the bathroom. The TV is a huge flat screen.

I am glad they renovated the swimming pool and provide a children pool. My children absolutely love it. While my children were enjoying the pool, I ordered breakfast by the pool. It has my son’s favorite garlic bread and chicken drumlets. They love it. They asked me whether they can stay another night there.

Lastly as I was checking out, the staffs casually ask my feedback on the stay. I wasn’t complaining but told them the air condition in the room was not working well. It switched off by itself and I had to turn it back on. For that, they waived my bill for my stay. Isn’t that great, hardly get this type of service in Asia.

I will sure return to stay with them again! Absolutely.

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Popularity: 4% [?]
New York
12.06.09 |PP, Travel| Permalink | Comments Off

I never been to the east coast of US and I wish one day I can visit new york. I heard so much about it but never had the chance to go there. Let’s hope my company acquires some office there and I can make a trip there.

I am sure the night view of New York is magnificent. I scan through some of the New York ground packages and it is not that expensive. It is only the air flight from here to New York. I am sure shopping in New York would be great too. Let’s hope I have a chance to step foot on it in the future.

Popularity: 4% [?]
Total Darkness
12.01.09 |PP, Travel| Permalink | 2 Comments

I was staying in this Hotel C with 4 stars in Orchard Road Singapore and I was really disappointed at their service. First they put Internet access as part of the attraction for me to make a booking. However, the internet charge is sky high. SGD$25 per day and with that, I can have Internet access for the whole month.

It started with a stain kettle. I requested housekeeping to change a clean one for me. They send a staff to have it clean for me. She showed me Jif and said she can have the stain removed. I used Jif to clean my toilet and the thought of using it to clean the kettle is out of my mind. I let her clean it anyway.

She did a good job with no stain. I had to boil the kettle once before using it, just to be cautious. Guess what, the kettle gave a power trip to the room. Total Darkness except for my notebook! Fortunately it is just my room, my hubby thought it was the whole hotel. That would be headlines.

In the end, the staff brought in a new kettle. Well that is their service. I was really disappointed because it was 4 star hotel.

By the way, I found that the cutlery in most of the Singapore food court have dirt stains on it. I am not sure are they using cheap labor to have them clean or what.

Popularity: 4% [?]
Vacation Overdue
11.11.09 |PP, Travel| Permalink | Comments Off

Last two months of the year and my work is still piling up. I have a few major projects. I have last year annual leaves that I need to clear. How I wished I can drop everything and booked a vacation. Maybe I can try the myrtle beach vacation rentals. It looks good.

Actually I am looking forward to my children’s school holidays. I had plan a good vacation with them. Well I had some free frequent flyer miles to kill. I will blog all about it when we return.

Popularity: 5% [?]
RM1 Asam Laksa
11.10.09 |Food, Travel| Permalink | 3 Comments

Today where can you find a bowl of Asam Laksa for RM1 about US 30 cents? Seriously, there is and the place is in Kuala Jalan Baru, Balik Pulau, Penang. The stall is set up very long ago, asam laksa used to be only 30 sens.

It is also a DIY asam laksa stall, meaning you scoop your own noodle, cut your own cucumber, onions, kunyit, chili and scoop your own hot soup. You can put as much as you one in the bowl with no extra cost. Of cause the bowl is small.

The stall is managed by a malay family. I loved the Asam Laksa here. I can have at least 2 bowls of it on any day. If you go to Balik Pulau, you must go taste the special DIY laksa.

Popularity: 5% [?]
Traveling Again
11.02.09 |PP, Travel| Permalink | Comments Off

I will be traveling again. I need to save up money to loot some more stuff back. It would be good if I have Eagle Creek luggage. I heard their bags are pretty tough. It must be easy for me to carry around too. I am also looking for a hand carry bag with rollers.

With the stuff that I planned to buy, I would need a pretty huge luggage bag. Something not too heavy to begin with, after all, I do have 23kg per check in luggage.

By the way, my last travel SIA was pretty strict about hand carry luggage. Officers were coming around at the waiting areas to ensure passengers do not overload. I saw some folks try to hide their bags.

Popularity: 4% [?]
Orlando Vacations
10.02.09 |PP, Theme Park, Travel| Permalink | Comments Off

I always wanted to have one of those Orlando vacations. However I don’t seem to find any great deals on any airline. There are many attractive Orlando local deals. You can browse the great deals on OrlandoVacationOnline.com.

I like Orlando because it has all the major and world class theme parks in one state. If I were to go to Orlando, I would probably stay there for more than 1 month. Ha! It is the only way to get my tickets worth.

Let me know if you hear of any cheap airlines to Orlando.

Popularity: 3% [?]
Entertainment on SIA
09.28.09 |Travel| Permalink | 1 Comment

Last trip when I went on the SIA airlines, they had new planes with new set of bigger Entertainment screen in front of the seat. The screen slightly bigger compare to the old ones. The entertainment software has also been upgraded. It is easier for me to maneuver through the selections.

I always like SIA entertainment programs. It has lots of movies, songs, TV programs and games to choose from. However I wished they put more reality, comedy, CSI and popular shows. My last trip programs weren’t so good. I was bored on the return trip not having stuff to watch.

Another thing SIA has to work on is the frequent miles. It is not very useful as I still have to pay more even with a lot of miles collected. Sometimes the promotion tickets are better than reward miles. The tax and surcharges are costly. It is useless and I rather go with other airlines.

Popularity: 3% [?]
Hyatt Summerfield Hotel
09.07.09 |Hotel, Travel| Permalink | Comments Off

When I was in the Colorado Springs, I stayed in Hyatt Summerfield. Initially I booked Hyatt The Place which is more upper class. However there is no DIY laundry service, so I downgrade myself. I wanted all my laundries clean before going home.

Hyatt Summerfield in Colorado Springs is very spacious. The room has a kitchen, a living hall and a bedroom. I believed land in US is always available which makes most hotel room spacious. The room was very clean. The only complain I had was the security latch to the lock was broken and every morning I received a 6am morning call. I feedback the morning call problem to the front desk, every morning but they told me they were fixing it. It wasn’t fixed till the day I checked out. It was really annoying having to wake up an hour early. I am not a morning person.

I came back and wrote a feedback on Hyatt website. I was pretty pleased that the customer service responded to me immediately, apologizing about the bad experience. On top of that, they added points to my membership. Now I get a free night stay at any Hyatt hotel. Cool eh. Kudos to the customer service folks! For compensating me on waking up early to shut off the morning call.

Hyatt Summerfield Hotel in Colorado Springs was very near to Garden of The Gods road and you can visit the rocks there. It is very beautiful all season. I visited it during winter and it was splendid. Next, you can go to Manitou Springs. Lots of beautiful places in CS. I don’t mind staying there.

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Popularity: 4% [?]