Travel through Philately - Treasures of Malta Series - Fountains

Are you familiar with the country of Malta? I am not, at least not until recently. This country to the south of the European continent may be minuscule compared to most of its bigger sisters, but it held honors which cast no doubt on its significance in history. It is the first and one of only two collective holder of the George Cross Award, the famous residence site of Knights Hospitaller, otherwise known as Knights of Malta, and the summit host for the meeting which signified the end of Cold War. 

Travel through Philately - Singapore Pond Life Definitive 2013

SingPost (Singapore Post) had launched the 2013 definitives with pond life as its title. Both stamps employed plants on their image, and with natural ponds so rare in Singapore, this may become the way for younger generation to get to know the habitat that is shrinking in size and popularity. 

Philately and Numismatics

With a renewed interest in philately and numismatic, I found that I can be writing about such stuff in a blog dedicated to my traveling adventures. I am used to studying the cultural and religious differences of the people, be it a foreign or familiar land, while marveling at the wonders Mother Nature gave breath to as well as that which Man built in defiance of nature, sometimes even destroying it in the process. 

And philately and numismatics are undeniably an inseparable part of the development of a human civilization. Being the branch of study of stamps and postal history, as well as the collection of such items, philately tells the story of how mankind despises loneliness and thirsts for communication. 

Penny Black, the world's first postage stamp (taken from Wikipedia).

NATAS 2013 @ Singapore EXPO

Once again, the semi annual travel fair is hitting the streets of Singapore! Back at its old haunt of Singapore EXPO, the fair will run for 3 whole days from 22 - 24 February, offering exciting travel destinations and tours. Be prepared for the crowd though, as travel enthusiasts crashed with each other to visit booths and get the latest tour package for their annual holiday trip. Be sure to get more updates on their Facebook page!

Date:             22^nd (Fri) - 24^th Feb (Sun) 2012

Admission:    10:00 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.

Entry fee:      SGD4 (free admission of children under 12)

Location:       Singapore EXPO, Halls 3B, 4 and 5

The Way Back Home - Train Journey from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur

Location: Woodlands Train Checkpoint, Singapore to KL Sentral, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

How does one travel from Ipoh to Singapore, or vice versa? The typical answer would be by bus, by car or by flight. But one rarely does consider taking a train unless being subjected to a desperate situation. Unfortunately, I was.

Despite the romantic notion of train travels popularized by novels such as Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express, I assure you that it is anything but if one were to take KTM's train service. The slow crawl of the locomotive was only faster than a car or bus's speed if there were a severe jam on the road, affording this choice of transportation the least preferred.

Singapore Food Blog - Soup Broth Asia

Location: City Hall, Central Business District (CBD), Singapore

Updated 5-Sept 2013: Soup Broth Asia is permanently closed and no longer in operation independently in Raffles City Shopping Centre. It has instead been combined with The Soup Spoon (its mother company) and The Handburger into Unity. The name remained in this combined establishment, but the soup is no longer available.

City Hall. Raffles Place. Bugis. These are familiar hangout areas in Singapore, with very obvious reasons. This is the heart of Singapore, where the CBD (Central Business District) resides and where most money flows. But that also meant that getting good food at low price is going to be tough. And Raffles City Shopping Centre is not going to relent unless you parted with enough of your money.

There are not many shops selling Asian soup in shopping centres as high end as that of Raffles City Shopping Centre. At least not at an affordable price. So it is to my delight that I encountered Soup Broth Asia while hunting for something more affordable and still able to fill my tummy.

Soup Broth Asia, located within the basement of Raffles City Shopping Centre, is part of The Soup Spoon's range of restaurants.

2012 HK Trip - Wong Tai Sin Temple (黃大仙祠) Finale

Location: Wong Tai Sin (黃大仙), S.A.R. Hong Kong, China

The final leg of my walk brought me back to where I began, the gates guarding the main temple complex. A further look before I left for my next destination revealed details which I did not noticed when I first marveled at the place. 

The gates guarding the main temple were as beautifully carved as any other areas of the temple, with intrinsic details and topped with the familiar upturned eave which decorated Chinese temples everywhere