Castle of Dream - Disneyland Paris

Castle of Dream, originally uploaded by algenta101.

This photos was taken during the early spring in year 2008 at Disneyland Paris. The photos was inserted into www.schmap.com, a very good website for travel lovers to do their homework before venturing into travelling at any part of the world. The site provide very useful insights and travelling guidelines including downloading the digimaps into their iPhone and Nokia phones for free, well at least for the time being.

The photos insertion in the Schmap website can be viewed here.

Enjoy the word! The world is awesome!

Be Insured When Travelling

What this Michael Moore's SiCKO got to do with travelling? Well, I am not going to tell the world what is SiCKO is all about as you may find it here www.michaelmoore.com/sicko/checkup.

What I want to share is it is essential for you to have your own healthcare insurance coverage from your own country before you start to travel, especially if you are bound to go the States.

To know more, please look for this documovie from your local store.

500,000 Reasons To Travel!

Airasia Berhad, one of the Malaysia's leading low cost carrier had announced that they to remove the fuel surcharge from today onwards, a move that will cost the about USD63millions yearly. On top of that, they are going to put 500,000 free airlines seats to all AirAsia (excluding AirAsia X) destinations.
The offer will start from today's midnight and it is open to all people.
So folks, still looking for a reason not to travel?

AirAsia removes fuel surcharge, offers free seats

By VIJAY JOSHI, Associated Press Writer

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Malaysia's AirAsia on Tuesday abolished fuel surcharges on all its flights and said it will give away half a million free tickets next year in an attempt to lure travelers amid the global slowdown.

AirAsia Chief Executive Tony Fernandes said the region's biggest budget carrier will offer 500,000 free seats for travel between June 22 and Oct. 24, 2009, on all its domestic and international destinations.

"It will be completely free. Passengers will only have to pay airport tax," Fernandes told a news conference.

He said the recent steep drop in fuel prices has allowed AirAsia to adopt the bold strategy, adding that the loss of revenue should be offset by higher ticket sales, which will also be bolstered by new marketing strategies.

Fernandes said AirAsia is the first carrier in the world to abolish fuel surcharges, which became a standard industry practice a few years ago as oil prices rose on their way to peaking at nearly $150 a barrel in mid-July. But since then, crude prices have tumbled because expectations that slower global growth will mean less demand.

"We want to do is get rid of these surcharges," Fernandes said. "The best way to do it is aggressive marketing and low fares."
Eliminating the surcharges is expected to cost AirAsia about 940 million ringgit ($63 million) a year.

Fernandes said the move will boost Malaysia's economy as well as domestic and regional tourism by encouraging travel.

When AirAsia started in December 2001, it focused on flying within Malaysia. It has since expanded to Southeast Asia and China, and is scheduled to launch flights to India next month.
Malaysian Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Shahrir Samad praised the decision.

"Anything that reduces costs to consumers and keeps money in their pocket gets my support," he told reporters after the announcement. "What we need now is optimism instead of grumbling and quarreling."

Fernandes added that he could not guarantee that the removal of fuel surcharges would not hit AirAsia's profits, but said the company does not anticipate that would happen. He refused to say what the possible losses might be.

He noted AirAsia does not hedge its fuel purchases like other airlines do. To protect against the possibility of prices going up, some carriers make advance orders at current prices.

Fernandes said AirAsia will not implement a corresponding increase in base ticket prices with the removal of fuel surcharges, but said he could not guarantee that the surcharge would not be re-imposed if oil prices surge again.

"It would be foolish of me to say that fuel surcharges will not be imposed again but we will resist it for as long as possible," Fernandes said.

Beethoven, the Bonn's protege

Beethoven, the Bonn's protege, originally uploaded by algenta101.

In 1996, the Dusseldorf based sculpture Klaus Kammerichs created "Beethon" a visually stunning concrete bust based on the best known portrait of Beethoven, painted in 1819 by karl Josef Stieler (the name of the bust is a play on the German word "Beethon", which mean concrete). The sculpture has been synonymous not only with Beethoven Hall but also with the city of Bonn itself

Wok in Europe

Wok in Europe, originally uploaded by algenta101.

A Chinese restaurant at downtown Amsterdam. The action is a regular sight in my town of Kuala Lumpur, but to the European, it is totally a new revelation to them.

The photo shows the chef is cooking fried noodle with flashy fire. In less than 5 minutes, the noodle is ready to be served.

Prawn aquaculture

My traveling diary brought me to the northern part of Malaysia where I happened to visit once the most controversial aqua project in Malaysia's history. The project, approved in May 1993 and involving acquisition of some 400 ha of paddy land and more than 700 landowners, may be the most controversial development project in Kedah. The project was a joint venture between the state government and an Arab company, the Ben Laden group.


The project was initially used to culture tiger prawns since it fetch a good market price. The project is considered as a mega project where the are 220 ponds available and each pond can cultured of more than 70,000 matured prawns. A matured prawn is about 10grams in weight and each kilos can fetch to about Rm40 to Rm50 ex-farm. With that, you can do the maths on the projected profits. Pakcik kayo!


However, tiger prawn is prone to catch a viral disease called "red tide disease", a disease that come in during monsoon season. And this lead to the mass failure of the project (apart from the political unrest shrouding the whole project since the beginning). When the project failed the Arabs pulled out and the project was bailed out by the federal government via MOF.


Currently, only a few of the ponds are used to breed the white prawns and they no longer sees prawn tiger can bring the big bucks to them.


I do hope the new state government can revive the project and bring back the hope to the investors and previous landowners who shed their tears when heavy machinery bulldozed their paddy fields and transformed it into ponds. There is a saying that the prawns were actually swimming in the pool of tears of Kerpan people. If the prawn breeding is a failure, then a new alternative must be sought. Perhaps, the place can be turn into a resort where people can came and spend their time to fish the prawns at the the largest prawn fishing village, who knows.

But, knowing that this property belonged to state government with federal government interest, that is still a long way to go.

Beautiful BALI!

Definition of Kecak Dance from wikipedia.org

Kecak, a form of Balinese music drama, originated in the 1930s and is performed primarily by men. Also known as the Ramayana Monkey Chant, the piece, performed by a circle of 100 or more performers wearing checked cloth around their waists, percussively chanting "cak" and throwing up their arms, depicts a battle from the Ramayana where the monkey-like Vanara helped Prince Ravana fight the evil King Ravana. However, Kecak has roots in sanghyang, a trance-inducing exorcism dance.

I watched the Kecak Dance at the Uluvatu Temple which is also known as the Monkey Temple. Located just about half an hour drive from Kuta town, passing through an arid and yet heavily habitable piece of land making me appreciate how people will do anything for survival.

Monkeys are everywhere in this temple and the Balinese people believe that they are a reincarnation of Prince Ravana, one of their revered Gods. The monkeys are a constant pests in this temple and I believe "they" are trained by local guides to harass visitors. One of the monkeys took me by surprise by climbing from my back and took my spectacles and I have to pay 5 thousands rupiah to one of the local guide for the monkey to "return" it back to me. Other visitors had even bad experience when his spectacles were grabbed by the monkeys and it throw it to the cliffs.

This is where the Kecak dance will be carry out at 1800 hours sharp.