Mini Travel Log: Frankfurt, Germany (2)

I was here last time during the snowy white Christmas. And I thought I had experienced the coldest season in my life. I was wrong. I was here again when the Siberian cold started pounding Europe with bitter cold winds that froze everything along its' path. It brought misery to hundreds of unfortunate homeless people on the street. Hundreds of them were frozen to death all across Europe. On a clear sunny day when it looked harmless, the cold winds were deadly. Even with multiple layers of clothing, frost bit through and left my fingers and feet numb. I had to find shelters every 30 minutes to defrost. After continuous days of subzero temperature and cold winds, even small lakes and water fountains froze up.

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Related link: Mini Travel Log: Frankfurt, Germany (1)

Mini Travel Log: Tokyo, Japan (3)

Working on the eve of Chinese New Year was not a good day to start off with. But what to do? In my line of duty, there is no public holidays nor weekends. But we as aircrews only wish that sometimes our sacrifices are being appreciated more and rewarded accordingly. During belt tightening years, we were the first ones to take the cut. But as everyone worked hard to put the ledger back into the black, we were the last ones the be rewarded tinily as record payouts were handed to the big sharks. Moral of the story? It pays to sit on top or being the stakeholders. If you're in the middle or bottom, then you're a nobody in this capitalist world.

Thinking of a short stay in Tokyo, I did not lug along my camera. Again my Samsung Galaxy S2 saved the day when I most needed it. The life-sized Gundam is back to Odaiba. I was very impressed with the actual size of this fictional gigantic robot. It is at least 5-7 storey tall. Perhaps this robot will come to life and be our earth's future fighting machine?

Walking further from the Gundam, I arrived at Venus Fort. It looks plain from the outside, but inside you'll be surprised to discover a beautiful shopping mall. It is similar to the Venetian Macau in smaller scale. It has beautiful fake cloud ceiling with changing lights and ambiance. There is also a free Toyota car museum inside and the Tokyo Big Sight ferris wheel outside.

On the departure day back to Singapore, snow lashed down on the city. Adding to the misery, there was a tremor felt from a 5.1 mag earthquake that happened nearby Fukushima. Thank god I got home safely for my Chinese New Year.

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Related link: Mini Travel Log: Tokyo, Japan (2)
Related link: Mini Travel Log: Tokyo, Japan (1)

Mini Travel Log: San Francisco, USA (5)

I've returned again to San Francisco, this time via Hong Kong stopover. Being so familiar with this city already, I decided to sight see via public transport. With just a 2 dollar ticket, you can hop on hop off any MUNI buses to the destination of your choice. The ticket is valid for 2 hours, but most of the time, the bus driver is kind enough to throw in half a day worth when he issues you the ticket. Knowing this will definitely save you tons of money on transport because tourist buses normally cost 30 dollars and above for a day pass. I ventured to the Palace of Fine Arts which has a beautiful surrounding lake and park. I also climbed up the Coit Tower for a beautiful 360 view of San Francisco city on a blue sunny day.

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Related link: Mini Travel Log: San Francisco, USA (4)
Related link: Mini Travel Log: San Francisco, USA (3)
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Mini Travel Log: Hong Kong, China (2)

I had the chance to visit Hong Kong again en-route to and from San Francisco. This time, I made sure I had my camera glued to my body wherever I go in the city so I won't miss out any photo opportunities like I did last time. I arrived on the right timing during the weekend. My aunt and cousin were kind enough to be my tour guide bringing me to some beautiful places in the countryside. To my surprise, away from the congested city area, Hong Kong is actually quite large with many lands in the countryside left undeveloped. However because the younger generation love the "entertainment" and "lifestyle" of the city, they would rather live in cramped and run down city buildings than in the beautiful spacious countryside. Probably they are too conscious of their social status as "modern city dwellers" and don't want to be labelled "villagers".

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Related link: Mini Travel Log: Hong Kong, China (1)