Afternoon walk to Lower Pierce reservoir

 Singapore - Edmund, Anthony and I met at Bishan Park McDonalds to start our walk from Bishan Park to Ang Mo Kio Park and then continue into Lower Pierce reservoir.   We started at 4pm and stop at Casuarina Curry at 5.25pm, and only reach home at 8pm.   It was a long but fun day of walking.

As we are walking and talking, time passes by very fast - reaching Lower Pierce reservoir we came across hordes of monkeys.  

These monkeys seem not afraid of humans and just walked past us without fear.   The scenery of lower pierce was beautiful with the broad walk along the reservoir.

The lower pierce reservoir

We stopped by Casuarina curry restaurant, famous and always crowded for their prata and curry.

Having a good Dosai 

The walk back was brisk energised with the Indian food.

Birthday lunch with Edmund @ Tomi Sushi

 Singapore - Edmund invited me to celebrate my belated birthday and had a wonderful time with him at Tomi Sushi.  First time to this chain of Japanese sushi and the sushi was fresh and succulent - and found out that this is a Japanese sushi chain founded in Niigata since 1954.  

Edmund and me

Vitrina - Award winning Israeli Burger joint

Tel Aviv - For dinner, I walked along Rothchild boulevard and came across this burger joint.  Found out later that this is a famous award winning Israeli burger joint.

Famous burger

This is a very high price burger @ NIS 65 (around 26) for burger, french fries and a raspberry drink.   The burger is one of the best I have tasted, you bite into a juicy and succulent burger patty.  

Delicious Kerbab Restaurant near office

 Tel Aviv - Rotem brought me to a Kerbab restaurant just a walking distance away from the office.  

Mutton Kerbab

The mutton kerbab tasted so delicious and juicy with the blended spices.    

hot Pita bread

Me enjoying my Lunch

Lina - best Hummus in Jerusalem

Jerusalem - Dan brought me to this famous Hummus restaurant - Lina is a purist's paradise: it serves one thing and one thing only, hummus. Hummus is a smooth and creamy puree of cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans), tahini sesame paste and an acid, typically lemon juice.  Hummus has been a staple in the Middle East, Mediterranean and North African regions for longer than written records have been kept.

Location:  A 2-min walk from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre

Dan and me in this famous Hummus restaurant

Hummus in Olive oil

Pita 

Falafel

Falafel is a deep-fried ball or patty-shaped fritter in Middle Eastern cuisine made from ground chickpeas, broad beans, or both.  

Lutheran Church of the Redeemer

Jerusalem - Just a short walk down the cobble stones, I came across a Protestant Church by German christians called the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer.   I paid INS 15 for the entrance to the Tower and the excavation site.   

The tower was many steps of climbing up till I reach the top and provided me a panoramic view of Jerusalem.  

The excavation site was underground the church.  

Deep excavation site

Church of the Holy Sepulcher

Jerusalem - The New Imperial Hotel is very near to the Jaffa Gate but I walked around the Jerusalem wall to the New Gate towards Church of the Hotel Sepulcher.   The most holy site for Christianity as recognised as the burial site of Jesus.

New Gate entrance

This is the entrance to the Church of Holy Sepulcher, there were many tourist around this famous Church.

Stone of Annointing

The Stone of Unction, also known as the Stone of Anointing, is the place where Christ' body was laid down after being removed from the crucifix and prepared for burial. He was anointed and wrapped in shrouds as the Jews customarily prepared their dead for burial at the time.

Pilgrims queuing to worship at Calvary

Calvary

Golgotha, also called Calvary in Latin, is usually said to be connected to the traditional site of Christ's Crucifixion, now in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Christian Quarter of Jerusalem.

Holy Sepulcher

The Holy Sepulcher has two rooms – one holds the Angel's Stone, believed to be a fragment of the stone that sealed Jesus's tomb, the other is the tomb of Jesus. After the 14th century, a marble plaque over the tomb now protects it from further damage caused by flocks of pilgrims.

Dinner at Roots Restaurant - Jerusalem

Jerusalem - Recommended by the hotel reception, 2 restaurants that is near the hotel and I went to Roots Restaurant for my dinner.   It looks empty but the waiter told me to go inner as the Brazil vs Croatia game is playing.   There were a table of 2 men watching the game and told me 'it's extra time'.  I said "thank you".

I order their he Entrecôte (which is the rib eye) and it was good.

My steak

I ordered medium rare and it was tasty and tender with lots of greens and very nicely cooked potatoes.  Enjoyed this meal but did not enjoy watching Brazil most their match and out of World Cup.

First trip to the Holy Land - Jerusalem

 Jerusalem - The Emirates flight took off on time and it was a smooth journey to Dubai with a connecting flight to Tel Aviv.   The flight arrived in Dubai on time and there was an Emirates lady with a sign to bring me to my gate.   In the future, 1hr layover is too short for the connecting flight - at least 2hrs would be good.

Jerusalem means 'City of Peace' and Mount Zion is where Jerusalem sits.  Jerusalem is one of the oldest cities in the wold and considered a holy city by 3 major religions - Christianity, Judaism and Muslim.  Also both Israel and Palestine claim it as their capital.   Today,  the city walls define the Old City, which has been traditionally divided into four-quarters—known since the early 19th century as the Armenian, Christian, Jewish, and Muslim quarters. The Old City became a World Heritage Site in 1981.

There are many taxi touts at the airport - their taxi apps of Uber and Gett is basically useless as the taxi drivers will call and ask you to pay cash, otherwise they will not take you.   These touts will walk up to you "you want taxi", "where are you going", and when I say I am taking a taxi from app - he said "good luck".  At first, I did not understand why until - I got into a Gett taxi and since I am paying cash - he cancelled my booking and told me the price is NIS 350 (which is about S$ 152.  

There is even a big news in Israel on taxi rip offs. 

My booked hotel is New Imperial Hotel, the new is a misnomer as there is nothing new about it.   There are flight of stairs to my room for USD 180 /night.

my room

Cupboard

The cupboard was blocked by the dressing table - so cannot open the cupboard doors to hang my clothes.  

Ceiling of the room

Octave Rooftop Bar & Lounge

Bangkok - At the top of Bangkok Marriott on the 45th floor is the Octave Rooftop Bar & Lounge that provide a spectacular view of downtown Bangkok.   You can feel the cool breeze of the night and bright city light down below.   

The service is really slow at the Octave Bar - looks like short handed up on this bar.

Ascott Bangkok @ Sukumvit

Maguro Sushi @ Siam Square

Bangkok - Our last dinner before heading back to Singapore.   Let's do sushi and to this famous Maguro restaurant in Bangkok.  Delicious sushi and sashimi dish.  

Maguro set

Chawanmushi

Wat Tham Suea (Tiger Cave temple)

Kanchanaburi - The Tiger Cave Temple, locally known as Wat Tham Suea, to reach the summit - we had to climb the 157 steep steps. 

157 steps up to the summit

At the hilltop, you will see the largest Buddha Image situated in the out-door area. This largest Buddha image, and was built in 1973. This Buddha image is about 18 meters high and 10 meters wide.

Beautiful view from the top

 

Willy, Lesley and I from the beautiful summit 

Hellfire Pass - Poppy remembrance day

Kanchanaburi - The Hellfire Pass Interpretive Centre and Memorial Walking Trail was built and is maintained by the Australian Government. Opened 25 April 1998 and refurbished and rededicated on 12 December 2018, it's dedicated to the allied prisoners of war and Asian labourers who suffered and died at Hellfire Pass and elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific region during World War II.

Poppy remembrance day

Entrance to Hellfire pass

Hellfire Pass was 'lost' in the jungle for many years after 1945 and was rediscovered only in the 1980s. After World War II, most of the Burma-Thailand railway was dismantled.

Pathway down to the Hellfire pass

The Thais kept a 130km section of the railway operating in the south, but the rest of the railway, including Hellfire Pass (Konyu Cutting), disappeared beneath agricultural land, jungle and a major reservoir near the border with Myanmar (formerly Burma).

Relics' of the railway, such as sleepers and rails were collected, and stairs were built down the steep slope from the road.

However, in the 1980s, Australian ex-prisoners started to return to Thailand. Like many veterans, they felt the need, as they grew older, to revisit the sites where they had felt such intense experiences 40 years earlier.

'Although it was not easy to locate, they found Hellfire Pass, full of tangled undergrowth.

Burma - Thailand railway for those that died building this railway