2014 Germany Trip - Cologne Messe/Deutz Station (Köln Messe/Deutz)

Location: Cologne, Germany

Itinerary and full experience of my visit to Germany can be accessed through the link below:

List of all 2014 Germany Trip | Cologne itinerary | Cologne places I went to

My last post on my Cologne's trip is on Cologne Main Station's cousin across the river - Cologne Messe/Deutz Station. It was not as impressive as the steel counterpart but I still took a liking to it due to its dome structure and stone texture.

In fact Cologne Messe/Deutz Station is just as important as the main station as it relieves traffic from the main station. Since the main station is located across the river, some trains prefer not to stop in the main station so that they need not change direction to cross the river, and then back out again to continue on their original route.

My interest in this station was caught when I was high up in KölnTriangle, seeing its distinctive dome top and wondering how the station would look like. Despite a stone exterior that made it seemed ancient, its interior is quite modern. The full station contains multiple levels, allowing access to long distance train services and regional services as well as access to tram lines. I had not called my stop in this station before so my experience with the station was limited to my wandering its hall under the dome.

Cologne Messe/Deutz station

2014 Germany Trip - Cologne Central Station (Köln Hauptbahnhof)

Location: Cologne, Germany

Itinerary and full experience of my visit to Germany can be accessed through the link below:

List of all 2014 Germany Trip | Cologne itinerary | Cologne places I went to

If you are not going to Cologne in a car, most probably you will be arriving via train like yours truly, and Cologne Hbf (short for Hauptbahnhof, German for main/central station) would be your point of arrival. That steelworks frame would be visible from distance away, at about the same time the iconic Cologne Cathedral comes into view, when the train crosses the important Hohenzollern Bridge.

As I stepped onto the platform, the pace of the station got to me, reminding me of the fact that this was one of the busiest station in Germany. With Cologne being one of the 4 biggest cities in Germany (the others being Berlin, Hamburg and Munich), its central station is definitely one of the busiest, the 5th busiest in fact, serving an average 280,000 travelers on a daily basis. As it is an important transport hub, several major rail services call into this station, including international lines connecting to Paris and Amsterdam, as well as ICE services connecting other major cities in Germany.

Traveler

2013 Hanoi Trip - Halong Bay Part 5 - Hiking Dao Go Cave (Hang Đầu Gỗ)

Location: Hanoi, Vietnam

Full experience of my visit to Hanoi can be accessed through the list below:

Attractions:   St Joseph's Cathedral | One Pillar Pagoda | Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum | Thang Long Water Puppet Theater

Dining:           New Day Restaurant | Sketch Coffee | Bánh Cuốn Gia Truyền | Dương Hoa Kem Caramen | Thu Nga Kem Xôi & Chè Thái Lan

More about Hanoi can be read through the list below:

Vietnamese Dong

After departing from the floating village, we cruised through the waters for some time, admiring the lowering sun and its reflection from the churning wake of other passing vessels. Our next stop ahead was much more secure than the floating structures of our last stop, for it was a concrete pier built on a side of an island.

Cruise vessels amassed on the pier and the size of it allowed them to comfortably line beside each other, their captains and crews sharing light conversations and cigarettes before the return of the passengers. Upon disembarking from the ship, we followed our guide to begin our hike.

Window to the Sky

2013 Hanoi Trip - Halong Bay Part 4 - Floating Village

Location: Hanoi, Vietnam

Full experience of my visit to Hanoi can be accessed through the list below:

Attractions:   St Joseph's Cathedral | One Pillar Pagoda | Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum | Thang Long Water Puppet Theater

Dining:           New Day Restaurant | Sketch Coffee | Bánh Cuốn Gia Truyền | Dương Hoa Kem Caramen | Thu Nga Kem Xôi & Chè Thái Lan

More about Hanoi can be read through the list below:

Vietnamese Dong

If we were just on board the ship and stared at the passing scenery for 6-hour, that would be a rather impersonal way to admire the natural appeal of Halong Bay. Fortunately for us, the trip included 2 highlights to dispel the monotony - a visit to the floating villages and a hike through the caves.

The UNESCO level beauty of Halong Bay hide an ugly past - caves of all sizes riddled the limestone karst islands scattered throughout the bay, lending pirates a haven after preying upon trading ships. With so many hiding places among the islands, it was a tough time for the authorities to wipe them out or to patrol the waters.

Hues of green

2013 Hanoi Trip - Halong Bay Part 3 - Halong Bay (Vịnh Hạ Long)

Location: Hanoi, Vietnam

Full experience of my visit to Hanoi can be accessed through the list below:

Attractions:   St Joseph's Cathedral | One Pillar Pagoda | Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum | Thang Long Water Puppet Theater

Dining:           New Day Restaurant | Sketch Coffee | Bánh Cuốn Gia Truyền | Dương Hoa Kem Caramen | Thu Nga Kem Xôi & Chè Thái Lan

More about Hanoi can be read through the list below:

Vietnamese Dong

Halong Bay is one of the most recognized name in the South East Asia, sharing its fame with the likes of Angkor Wat and Borobudur. Thousands of limestone karst islands of different size and geometry dotted the bay in the north east of Vietnam, attracting uncountable visitors near and far to cruise the waters every year, including us.

Most ships cast off at different times, depending on the speed of their passengers boarding. As the ship chugged away and cruised the waters, we just relaxed and enjoyed the moment while the captains enjoyed a slight competition in speed between different ships. Some enterprising businesses would power their boats close to each cruise and jumped aboard like a pirate, surprising unsuspecting passengers and peddling not death but fruits.

Land, sky and sea

2013 Hanoi Trip - Halong Bay Part 2 - Bai Chay Tourist Wharf (Cảng tàu khách Dl Bãi cháy)

Location: Hanoi, Vietnam

Full experience of my visit to Hanoi can be accessed through the list below:

Attractions:   St Joseph's Cathedral | One Pillar Pagoda | Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum | Thang Long Water Puppet Theater

Dining:           New Day Restaurant | Sketch Coffee | Bánh Cuốn Gia Truyền | Dương Hoa Kem Caramen | Thu Nga Kem Xôi & Chè Thái Lan

More about Hanoi can be read through the list below:

Vietnamese Dong

I was unfamiliar with my surroundings when I arrived, only trusting that we were not kidnapped to places unknown with the gathering of touristy faces disembarking various tour buses and vans. Even through my bleary eyes and stiff back resulting from the 3 hour long monotonous journey could I see that we were at a pier of some kind. Entering the squat building with its glass exterior, we waited for our guide to purchase tickets while stretching our sore muscles, glad for some exercise.

Our entrance ticket to Halong Bay, with the date stamped 1 Nov 2013 and a price tag of VND80,000 (~RM12).

2013 Hanoi Trip - Halong Bay Part 1 - Road to Halong Bay

Location: Hanoi, Vietnam

Full experience of my visit to Hanoi can be accessed through the list below:

Attractions:   St Joseph's Cathedral | One Pillar Pagoda | Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum | Thang Long Water Puppet Theater

Dining:           New Day Restaurant | Sketch Coffee | Bánh Cuốn Gia Truyền | Dương Hoa Kem Caramen | Thu Nga Kem Xôi & Chè Thái Lan

More about Hanoi can be read through the list below:

Vietnamese Dong

I have been lazy in writing recently, and the trip to Halong Bay was nearly forgotten. I better starting completing the record of that journey now before such a joy fade into nothingness. This post is long overdue anyway.

One of the highlights of our Hanoi trip was a day trip to Halong Bay, which all Hanoi visitors would put onto their travel plans. After all who would want to miss a trip to one of UNESCO's World Heritage? However I found that there are certain things seldom highlighted about the journey from Hanoi to Halong Bay, so I decided to list down some points I found indispensable.

Guardian

2014 Germany Trip - Road to Rothenburg

Location: Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany

Itinerary and full experience of my visit to Germany can be accessed through the link below:

List of all 2014 Germany Trip | Rothenburg itinerary | Rothenburg places I went to

Sometimes it pays to take public transport rather than just zipping down the lane in the comfort of your own vehicle. I chose to sacrifice my time by taking more transits and time to reach in order to enjoy the scenery since I did not need to be behind the wheels. A fine weather would grant me a glimpse into the German countryside which seldom see any tourists.

Steinach station

There are more than 1 place with the name "Steinach" in Germany so this station has to differentiate itself from the others by adding "bei Rothenburg ob der Tauber".

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.

2012 HK Trip - Knowing Hong Kong through MTR Stations Part 3

Location: S.A.R. Hong Kong, China

Note: This is an article continuing from Knowing Hong Kong through MTR Stations Part 2.

New Territories ( 新界 )

Traditional Chinese: 新界

Simplified Chinese: 新界

Cantonese Jyutping: san¹ gaai³

Pin Yin: Xīn Jiè

Pronounced as: saan gaai

The New Territories are, interestingly, the least interesting in the minds of most tourists. But the fact that it makes up over 80% of Hong Kong's territory crowns it as the largest region within the island S.A.R. If one  is unsure of what this region could offer, it should be reminded that Lantau Island (大嶼山), which served as the base for Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) and Hong Kong Disneyland, is also a part of this region.

Sunny Bay
Traditional Chinese: 欣澳
Cantonese Jyutping: jan1 ou3
Pin Yin: Xīn ào
Pronounced as: yaan ou

If you were to visit Hong Kong Disneyland, then you will need to transit between MTR on this station. Basically there isn't anything around this station.

2012 HK Trip - Knowing Hong Kong through MTR Stations Part 2

Location: S.A.R. Hong Kong, China

Note: This is an article continuing from Knowing Hong Kong through MTR Stations Part 1.

Kowloon (九龍)

Traditional Chinese: 九龍

Simplified Chinese: 九龙

Cantonese Jyutping: gau² lung⁴

Pin Yin: Jǐu Lǒng

Pronounced as: gau loong

Being a transliteration of "Nine Dragons", the origin of the name is an interesting one. A legend (may be historically true as well) recounted that the Song Emperor Bing (宋帝昺) was in the area with his court and he counted eight mountains. 

The Chinese believed that each mountain was in reality a dragon in disguise and the Emperor would like to name the place as such ("Eight Dragons" that is). A witty courtier immediately corrected him that there were nine dragons instead. Where was the ninth one then? The Emperor of course! Talk about bootlicking (source from Asia Travel)...

Prince Edward
Traditional Chinese: 太子
Cantonese Jyutping: taai³ zi²
Pin Yin: Tài Zǐ 
Pronounced as: taai zhee

The origin of this station's name is quite interesting - the transliteration of 太子 is actually "Crown Prince", so how did Prince Edward comes into play? The station is named according to the major roads Prince Edward East and Prince Edward West in the area. The latter are in turn named after Edward VIII of United Kingdom, who was Crown Prince when he visited (from Wikipedia).

2012 HK Trip - Knowing Hong Kong through MTR Stations Part 1

Location: S.A.R. Hong Kong, China

In my humble opinion, there are no better way to know Hong Kong than these 2 methods - watching Hong Kong drama and travelling by MTR. Yes, it's MTR (Mass Transit Railway), not MRT (Mass Rapid Transit), although it stands for the same transportation method.

It was during my study of Hong Kong's locations that I started to understand the layout of this foreign land. In general, the region is divided into 3 geographical districts, with each of them listed below. I have the opportunity to plan my trip to coincide with at least one of the district and leave with a shot of the MTR stations there.

Hong Kong's MTR map and route. Click on the image for a larger view (image obtained from Hong Kong Planner).

The region of Hong Kong is categorized into 18 districts, with them grouped under 3 different territories. The largest territory will be the New Territories, with Kowloon and Hong Kong Island holding environments which are familiar to us through TV dramas and movies (image obtained from Wikipedia).

Lucky Garden, Yong Peng (永平) - Garden of Fishes

Location: Yong Peng, Johor, Malaysia

If one was a frequent traveler going back and forth from Singapore to Malaysia, it would not be hard to notice that there is no major town between Johor's northern town of Muar and the suburbs of Johor Bahru.

Vehicles of all sorts lined the area, patiently awaiting the tired drivers and bored passengers before continuing forth to their various destinations.