Category: Malaysia

Sights (no sound) of Muar, Johor

D and I visited Muar during the Christmas weekend. It was our first trip which we have made no real plans: no pre-booked bus tickets, hotel nor list of places to visit.

We mainly feasted on Chinese food (another blog post) and walked around the town going into random boutiques (they have A LOT of random boutiques).

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See the full gallery on Posterous

Full account of the trip up later this week (I hope!)

Travel tip: Cheap prepaid phone in Malaysia (Digi)

[UPDATE OCT 1 2012: Digi’s plans have been changed a lot since I wrote the post so I’m including the new price plans]

Usually before a trip, I try looking for a cheap prepaid phone plan or SIM. If you are like me, you probably think you cannot live without 24-7 Internet connection even when on the road. (That’s not quite true as I somehow managed to survive on hotel Wi-Fi and generousity of the Apple Store in Japan.)

Here’s what I use when I go back to Malaysia, either for a day trip to Johor or a week back home, I switch back to my old Malaysian SIM card. It just makes more sense.

I’ve been with Digi for many years not because it’s the cheapest prepaid around but because my whole family uses it so we get cheaper calls, SMS.

Continue reading “Travel tip: Cheap prepaid phone in Malaysia (Digi)” →

Homeless


“Anyway, home is where you feel at home. I’m still looking.”

Holly Golightly, Breakast at Tiffany’s

Same as Holly Golightly, I’m still searching for home.

“Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia” is the location where my passport was issued. It was the place where I sepnt 19 years growing up and learning about life.

If home is where your family is, I’ve been away since January 2, 2011. More than 10 months being away from the house where my family stays.

But if family is the only thing that makes a certain location home, then I’ve not been away for too long. I had two trips this year which allowed me to see my family. I met up with my parents and my sister in June in Xi’an and I was away in Japan with my mother in October.

Kota Kinabalu is not really home. I don’t really see a place where I’ve not been staying in for more than 2 months in a year as home.

Frankly, I’ve not seen anywhere as home for sometime now and see places where my bed is as temporary accomodation. Perhaps, like my friend D says, I should be a gypsy. 

Anway, here is a picture of the sky in front of my house back home. The rusty gate and mossy walls are still familiar.

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This post is part of BootsnAll’s 30 Days of Indie Travel project. Day 13: Home. 

The rest of my posts for the project can be found here.

2012 can’t come fast enough

This morning I realized that it is already the end of November but I haven’t finished writing this year’s new year resolutions!

It makes today’s prompt for BootsnAll’s 30 Days of Indie Travel blogging project even more funny. I haven’t made plans for my life but I’ve already made plans for travelling.

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(Image from my TripIt app. Here’s a review of the Web program.)

Aside from the Chinese New Year tickets, the flights for the rest of the trips were bought on offer and I’m dang proud of myself for that. 

Some of next year’s travel will be more challenging. For the two Vietnam trips, I’ll be going alone and I don’t speak Vietnamese.

But that also makes it more exciting because they’ll be like warm up for my RTW trip where I plan to visit many countries which I don’t speak the language.

Yogjakarta has been on my To Go list after I found out about the ancient Hindu temples nearby. I’ll be travelling with D, my travel buddy who I went to Bandung with a few years ago. (This trip also reminds me I need to visit Angkor Wat.)

The locations I’m going to are great for indie travelers because they aren’t really huge cities and you can cover a lot of the areas within a few days of wondering around.

Can’t wait for 2012 to come.

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This blog post is part of BootsnAll’s 30 Days of Indie Travel Project. Day 30 (last day!): 2012 TICKET

Where are you going in 2012?  Why is that place great for indie travelers? 

The rest of my posts for the project can be found here.