First time in Dubai

Dubai - I flew Emirates red-eye into Dubai and arrive early in the morning at 4AM - spent slight over an hour at Starbucks for Lesley to arrive from KL. The flight was fully booked and it arrived on time.

Good morning @ Dubai

Breakfast @ Club lounge

Lesley and I are the only ones on the Club lounge for breakfast - maybe it is still too early on a Sunday morning.

Some things I found out:

1. The United Arab Emirates is a federation of seven emirates, with Abu Dhabi as its capital, located in the Western Asia on the Eastern Coast of the Arabian Peninsula. The seven emirates are: Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah.

2. The 2021 UAE population including expats is 9.99 million, expat population in UAE has now come to 8.84 million, which constitutes approximately 89% of the population.

3. Dubai Population in 2021 is 3.43 Million, Emiratis constitute roughly 10% of the total population.

4. The UAE is around the same size as Portugal, but some 80% of its land area is already desert.

5. Water. - Dubai uses desalination technology to convert 182 million litres of seawater into drinkable water for its nearly 3 million inhabitants every day. Today, most of the country's potable water (42 per cent of the total water requirement) comes from some 70 major desalination plants,

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Calesa around Intramuros

Manila - Together with Albert, we took a calesa (horse drawn carriage used in Philippines) around Intramuros. Albert and Lesley Albert and I Intramuros is the oldest district and historic core of Manila. The walled part of Manila was called intramuros, which is Latin for "within the walls"; districts beyond the walls are known as extramuros meaning outside the walls. Construction of the defensive walls was started by the Spaniards in the late 16th century to protect the city from foreign invasions. Guarding the old city is Fortaiago wich is located at the mouth of the river. Gallery of Philippines past and present presidents General MacArthur Battle HQ Entrance of General MacArthur HQ Manila Hotel Manila Hotel in the distance Manila hotel is the oldest hotel in the Philippines and the most well known icon. Baluarte De San Andres Cannons lined in a semi-circle Colegio de San Juan de Letran was founded in...

Cheong Guk Jang - fermented bean soup

Seoul - Lunch with Youngjin was at a traditional soup restaurant and it was crowded. Youngjin asked me many times Cheonggukjang "ok", I said ok not knowing what to expect. I have tried many weird and smelly good in Seoul, so I was very prepared. My first time tasting Cheonggukjang and I like it. CheongGukJang 청국장 is fermented soybean soup aka Stinky soup. Actually, I like fermented food and the smell does not put me off. I like fermented food because of the many health benefits and also we have them here in Singapore - tempe, belachan, fermented bean curd (which I love with my porridge), chincaluk, etc.. very hot Cheonggukjang I always buy danjang paste and bring home to make soup. I understand that they are the same but the difference is Cheonggukjang beans are uncrushed and are fermented for a longer period of time.

Temple Street Night Market

Kowloon - This flea market is full of quirky, Hong Kong souvenirs and t-shirts to take home. The actual market on Temple Street is in the Yau Ma Tei and Jordan sections of Temple Street. The flea market starts in the late afternoon every day and continues throughout the evening. You can find fake’designer' handbags, sunglasses, clothes, and electronic gadgets. The atmosphere was filled with many tourist of different nationalities. Along the sides were many seafood restaurants, mostly crowded. You will also find fortuner teller stalls plying their trade.

Travelogue around Asia Pacific Part II

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