After a fun-filled day of exploring the historic and scenic sights of Sighisoara, I made my way back to the train station. The earlier encounter with the eccentric Romanian family was still vivid in my mind. I wonder what the next train ride back to Brasov had in store for me. The train back to Brasov was a couchette car. It was old, stuffy and reeked of cigarette smoke, a far cry from the train I took earlier with a modern and air-conditioned … [Read more...]
About Teh Chin Liang
Teh Chin Liang lives in Georgetown, Malaysia a scenic island city which has been recently declared as a UNESCO heritage site. A travel enthusiast, he has extensively traveled to most of the countries in EU, Australia, the USA and South East Asia. His future travel plans will cover most of the major US cities. As an avid reader, he likes to write articles and meet people. He is currently working as an ANZ Marketing Communications Operation Specialist in Dell Global Business Center in Penang. Chin Liang has a flair for languages. He is multilingual too; he speaks Mandarin, Hokkien, Cantonese, Malay, English and a little Spanish (beginner level). He is an experienced translator. Chin Liang has an extensive knowledge about traveling in Malaysia and he is an active Couch Surfing member. His future plans include taking up his graduate studies in Business, starting a travel blog and last but not least hopping on a plane and jetting around the world!
People I met on the Romanian train ride – Part 1
Travelling by train is an easy and affordable way to see Romania as the country offers an extensive rail network connecting all major cities and towns. Its official website https://www.cfrcalatori.ro/ provides comprehensive train timetables and fare information. During my visit to Romania, I chose train as my means of transportation to whisk me from one city to the other. The experience was both exhilarating and intimidating to me. Why does it … [Read more...]
My first experience of a Turkish Hamam
There are many Turkish bathhouses (Hamams) in Istanbul. The famous ones being Çemberlitaş, Ayasofya Hürrem Sultan Hamam, Cağaloğlu etc where you fork out a fortune (more than 100 liras) to enjoy the finest bathing experience in a lavish and elegant environment. Being a frugal traveler (or cheapskate as sometimes the meaning of frugal connotes), those bathhouses with world-class facilities surely are places I would not be able to … [Read more...]
My Two Favorite Spots in Luang Prabang, Laos
After recently visiting Luang Prabang, hindsight has given me a unique perspective of the region. I can inform you that not all activities were worthy of exploration. Therefore, to save you the hassles of doing these non pleasing activities - I have whittled my list down to two top activities that I found the most enjoyable during my stay. Kwang Xi Waterfalls: Tourists will be coaxed into visiting the waterfalls soon after they land - by … [Read more...]
Lost to the charm of Seville
Sometimes it is better to travel and be surprised by a destination rather then trying to do research ahead of time. My time in Seville has given me a new perspective about this beautiful part of Spain and my trip here has been without any preconceived expectations. Previously I had only heard of Sevilla through an opera that was based on a story about a barber - other than this fragment of knowledge I knew nothing about this charming little town … [Read more...]
An Alternative Journey from England to Ireland
David and I had been discussing visiting Ireland for a number of years. We both tend to gravitate towards cooler weather climates - and Ireland in late October would be a good break from our warm Malyasian weather. We arrived into London and rather than continuing via airplane from the UK, we chose to travel by train and fast ferry, in hopes this alternative would create a more memorable travel experience then being crammed into tiny seats … [Read more...]
The Disappointing Northern Lights Mystery Tour
The primary purpose of my trip to Iceland was to see the Northern Lights. October is generally a rainy month in Iceland and the sky is usually covered with clouds; hence the possibility of seeing the lights is very minimal. However, I am by nature a wanderluster with a “play it by ear” philosophy and I believe good luck is always with me so the harsh reality of bad weather did not shake my determination to explore the land of ice and fire this … [Read more...]
Prem, The Tour Guide I Met in Nepal
I went for a 3 days 2 nights trek while in Pokhara in the end of December 2014. Before arriving in Pokhara, I had browsed and read through an information-packed Taiwanese travel forum named “Beibaokezhang”: (strongly recommended for those who read Chinese) and used that as a tool to work on my itinerary and search for a reliable tour guide. I manage to contact a local tour guide named Naraya and after a series of bargains, he landed me a deal of … [Read more...]
My Couch Surfing
Couch Surfing!! What a weird term - The first time I heard of it I thought it was some sort of illegal activity. It turned out to be a club where you could offer free accommodation in your humble abode to the complete strangers who happen to visit your hometown, and you could get the same in return by requesting free stay whenever you are traveling abroad. Also it offers an opportunity for you to practice your courtesy as well as hospitality to … [Read more...]
Trip to Cameron Highlands
We had an 'early' year end team building function this year as Nikki our supervisor was going to leave Agilent in the beginning of August. Due to budgetary constraints we only had one weekend to spend so we chose Cameron Highlands as our destination. Nikki assigned Yee Kee and Sherry to organize that trip and they were doing a pretty good job of getting everything prepared before we boarded the bus heading for Malaysia's premier highlands … [Read more...]