Looking at this blog (yeahh! I am looking at it now!!), maybe after this I will need to regularly update with my own travel experience.

I have selected Bangkok due to the limited five days period which I have and Thailand is the nearest to go with my family. Eventhough Thailand will hold their general election on December 23rd, I don’t see any problem going there. The other place which I have in mind beside Thailand is Australia. Australia is the perfect destination to go in term of budget and what they have to offer. I will be able to get cheap flights from Jetstar and AirAsia. Again, time is the factor for me not to choose Australia. Maybe next time when I am able to get off days for at least one week.

A friend advised me to go with the tour agency because they can get good rates for hotels in Europe. Four stars hotels in Amsterdam like Park Plaza Victoria Hotel or Golden Tulip Apollo are available for less than 100 Euro and the same goes with hotels in Barcelona. I hope what my friend said is right. So, I am going to check with the tour agency for that one week extension and after that only I will make decision.

For those who is keen to know what is the meaning of Diwali/Divali/Deepavali/Deewali, I’ve got this from mr Wiki:

Diwali,or Deepawali, (also called Tihar and Swanti in Nepal) (Markiscarali) is a major Indian and Nepalese festive holiday. A significant festival in Hinduism and some of the other faiths which originated in India – Jainism and Sikhism. Today it is celebrated by Hindus, Jains and Sikhs across the globe as the “Festival of Light,” where the lights or lamps signify victory of good over the evil within every human being. The festival is also celebrated by Buddhists of Nepal, particularly the Newar Buddhists.The Sanskrit word Deepavali means an array of lights that stands for victory of brightness over darkness. As the knowledge of Sanskrit diminished, the name was popularly modified to Diwali, especially in northern India. The word “Divali/Diwali” is a corruption of the Sanskrit word “Deepavali” (also transliterated as “Dipavali”). Deepa/dipa means “light of the dharma”, and avali means “a continuous line”. The more literal translation is “rows of clay lamps”.

The grand hero’s welcome that was earlier planned has been postponed to three days after his brother’s funeral. After all, do we need to have that grand hero’s welcome? How much more millions will be spend?

I have told my wife to email me instead of sending SMS but she has never listened. I think the cheapest mobile phone option which I have is to buy local prepaid mobile number  and get my wife to use Skype to contact me. At least Skype charges is cheaper and I can talk with my wife longer.

Last night I told my mum that I am going to France in January. My boss has asked me to attend an exhibition in Paris. As expected, my mum started to tell me on her wonderful honeymoon in Paris with dad 30 years ago. Yes mum, I know you and dad ‘made’ me when both of you were in Paris. I know because you told me since the first day I was born and you have never forgotten to repeat that same old story whenever you have the chance to do so. I have not been to Paris but I know a lot about Paris from you, dad and uncle Joe.

Preparation for the trip to France will only be started when I am back from Dubai.At this moment, I am quite occupied with preparation for my trip to Dubai. I think I should not be facing problems to look for hotels in Paris because there will be no big events held in January. Paris Fashion Week will only start a month after my trip. In spite of that, the tour agency has already given me a list of hotels in France to choose from. Even though the trip will only commence in January next year, I do have a few activities in my mind which I would like to do while in Paris like visiting museums and having dinner at some famous dining places.I hope I can fully utilized the short period which I have during my stay in Paris.

Mum reminded me to visit Uncle Joe who is staying in Nice. I would love to visit Uncle Joe whose house is near to the central market but I will not be staying at his house because I will have a few friends with me. So, he has promised to find nice hotels which located near to the beaches for me.Uncle Joe also promised to bring me to a few great restaurants in Nice to sample local cuisine.

The plan, on my way back from Dubai, stop over in India for 3 days to visit one of my customer in New Delhi. It seems like a great plan but unfortunately, the notice came too late to prepare entry visa to India. If I was told earlier, visa for India can be prepared just in time because the embassy of India need five working days to issue visa for Malaysian to enter India. So, I have no choice but to bypass India for this trip to Dubai. Furthermore, the timing is not right for business visit as India is going to celebrate Deewali, or Deepawali on Nov 9th.

Diarrhea is the most common illness affecting travelers. Statistic estimated almost 10 millions international travelers develop diarrhea while traveling. The big sign of diarrhea is when traveler experiences four to five loose or watery bowel movements each day. If that is not enough, other symptoms which can confirm diarrhea including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramping, bloating, fever, urgency, and malaise. Diarrhea primary source of infection comes from contaminated water and food. So, be careful with what you eat and what you drink while traveling. Try to avoid eating foods or drinking beverages purchased from street vendors or other establishments where unhygienic conditions are present. So far, I have not faced diarrhea while abroad but not at home.

When I woke up this morning I was greeted by heavy downpour. Called my officemate who lives near to my office and asked him about the weather condition. He advised me to drive. Sigh! I have to drive to work today. I would prefer to ride my kapcai more than driving my car because it is easy for me to rempit during lunch and cilok in between cars during traffic jam. I am not Mat Rempit but I live to ride larr!!!..