Travelogue around Asia Pacific Part II

Yangon - Walking around Yangon town, I noticed some interesting facts here. 1.     Betel nuts chewing - many people were chewing and spiting on the road the red remnants of the betel nuts.   I looks utterly disgusting red splatters here and there and all over the place.   When they smile it reveals their addiction of Betel nuts chewing with reddish black stain on their teeth. This is a deadly addiction and the main causes of mouth cancer. 2.   Thanaka - You will notice young and old ladies putting this yellowish-white cosmetic paste on their faces.  Sometimes Myanmar guys too apply it too.   This is a distinctive feature of Myanmar people.  This cosmetic paste is obtained from the bark of the Thanka tree. 3.   Motocycles - We wonder why there were no motorcycles in Yangon town and was revealed by a local that motorcycles are banned on Yangon town since 2003.  If they are caught riding a motorbike within the town, they will be...

Yangon - For dinner we went to this restaurant that came highly recommended for its many local patrons.   There were many local diners in this restaurant and food was good.   It is more casual and I had to walk up to the counter and pick the dishes I like,  my orders was noted down and brought to my table. Pick and choose your dishes complimentary starters The sauce in the middle was spicy and had a strong fish smell but fortunately it tasted good. Dishes Lesley ordered Lesley ordered 'fried prawns with sambal', 'egg plant', 'mutton' and 'vermicelli and egg' dishes.  All tasted really good.   We cleared the dishes and the second round I ordered them. Beef stew and pork stew The Beef had a very strong 'animal' smell and not really to my liking.  The Pork was ok. Roti prata or Roti chennai It was funny to see this Roti prata being sold which I believe has more to do with Malaysian influence.  Many Yangon residents can ...

Yangon -  The concierge told us that the best time to visit the Shwedagon Pagoda was around 4-6pm when it was cool and not so hot.   The Shwedagon Pagoda is believed to be built more than 2500 years ago.   This is Yangon's most prominent landmark visible from far away and towers over 100 meters above the city-scape. The entrance to the Shwedagon Pagoda was Ks 8,000 and shoes have to be removed, but the floor is reasonably clean.   Since it was raining prior, a green anti-slip mat lined the surrounding of the Pagoda walkway.   The Shwedagon Pagoda and the surrounding buildings cover a wide area. The temple is sheathed in gold worth more than $100m, the glowing bell-shaped stupa stands at the centre of the 14-acre Shwedagon complex.   The radiant 32 storey stupa rises upward, and is studded with 4,350 diamonds and precious stones, including a 76-carat diamond on its tip. The Shwedagon Pagoda One of the temple within the compound Entrance to...

Yangon - We decided to do a walking tour around Yangon downtown.   Our first stop was Sule Pagoda; which was a short distance from Shangri-La hotel. Sule Pagoda is situated in the center of Yangon and it is one of the its oldest landmarks.   The Pagoda was built about 2200 year ago.   The golden zedi is unusual in that its octagonal shape continues right up to the bell. Sule Pagoda We walked along Sule Pagoda Road to Sule Pagoda.  When we reach the Sule Pagoda, we did not enter the Pagoda and just took photos from the outside.   From here it was short walk to the Independence Monument situated in a park. Independence Monument High Court Building There are many colonial buildings in Yangon and this is one of them High Court Building .   We walked down Merchant Road and passed by some interesting buildings. Bank entrance This bank building looks very old and dilapidated with dated plastic chairs. 2nd hand book store Burmes...

Yangon - Today is my first time to Myanmar.  The flight on SilkAir was partially filled and we landed on time to a modern but small Yangon International Airport.   Every foreigner has to have a VISA to visit Myanmar and I already had mine done a few weeks back.  You can also do it upon arrival but all documents need to be complete otherwise entry could be a hassle. There are a number of money changers and USD and Singapore Dollar are readily accepted.  Taxi are changed on standard distance rate with no meter and a lot do with negotiation; but it's not so expensive and thus we seldom negotiate. Our Hotel is Sule Shangri La Hotel ; which was used to be Traders Hotel.  It's near the famous Sule Pagoda and thus the name for this Shangri La hotel.  The management up one notch their Shangri-La branding and charge exorbitant room rates to foreigners.  Room view - background Sule Pagoda Downside is that the Internet access is ver...

Ayutthaya - After our meeting in Ayutthaya we drove a short distance to a riverside restaurant.    A popular seafood restaurant around here. As I walk through the restaurant, they were busy preparing Thai Giant King prawns over the grill.  They are huge and these were the ones that we ordered. King prawn grilled over the fire Fried chicken with salad dish spicy crab salad Grilled river fish My huge river king prawns This river king prawns is expensive @ 600baht each (about SGD 26) and weights 350g each.    But it is so fresh and really yummy, the yellow 'brain' taste like melted cheese. Price list for the famous King prawns 1st line item reads - 250g King prawns price 375Baht, so we ordered the 3rd line down @ 350g.  The have Giant prawns weighing 700grams.

Bangkok - The famous Japan & Thai ramen chain with Michelin star chef - Chabuton .  The ramen is famous for their tender pork. Chabuton @ CentralWorld Bangkok Famous ramen We had our dinner late near their closing time of 10pm.  I think everything taste delicious when you are hungry.  The broth was thick and tasty.  This restaurant allowed us in as their last diner for the day.

Bangkok - The hotel concierge recommended some Thai restaurants about 10 minutes walk away and we came to this Thai & Seafood restaurant called ' Tumtim Thai & Seafood Restaurant ' We ordered grilled snapper with their side condiments grill snapper The grilled snapper has a very thick skin and white salt crust could be seen on the fish.   The flesh of this fish is nice and tender.  The waitress showed us how to wrapped for this dish.   Take a lettuce, put a small bunch of bee hoon noodle (rice vermicelli) ,add a dash of spicy chilli sauce, add the snapper.  Wrapped it up nicely and put it on your mouth. lettuce, cabbage and spicy sauce Vermicelli Thai fish maw and prawn in brown sauce Grill station outside the restaurant