My Mount Kinabalu Escapade

P.S. Sorry for the way overdue post! Been really busy with new trips and all, but here it is: The (assuming anyone reads this) long-awaited Mt. K. post!

Bidding my beloved laptop goodbye and tearing my tush from my cush, I set out to conquer one of Asia’s tallest peaks. I did my research and obtained a return ticket via Air Asia, which cost me S$260. My accommodation in Kota Kinabalu was very bare and simple, since the price of luxury would have scorched a hole in my pocket, all through to my tighty whities. It was at Asia Adventure Lodge, where it was just a few bus stops away from KK's airport and where I was to be picked up at 6 a.m. the following dawn. It’s about S$9 per night for a clusterf**k dormitory and S$25 for private quarters. 

Amazing Bourneo Tours was the mountaineering agency with which I corresponded under this site. I had some problems initially because of some financial misunderstandings. But hey, add that to the fact that I was a complete NOOB in travel negotiations, and you got yourself a very persevering and insistent client. :D The guide and climbing fee from Timpohon Gate to Low’s Peak at 4,095m (Someone had a sense of irony) was priced strategically at S$659. I thought this was pretty reasonable, in contrast to other official hotel and Mt. K. websites at the time. Prices fluctuate a lot due to Mt. K.'s commercialised value, but when you gotta do it, no time's better than now.

My Underwater Odyssey: 9-11 May, 2014

And thus, began my underwater mission to prove myself as an advanced diver. Having procured my Open Water Certificate at Dayang Island, I'd decided to take a second twist with Malaysia's Tioman Island to secure my Advanced qualification. Blue Reef Scuba was the company my friend had recommended to me, and it's at an utterly affordable rate -- about S$486 or so, I believe. Considering the market average to be about S$530, I'd say we were making a killing here. The staff are meticulous, friendly, invitingly professional and genuine. This was pretty short notice too, since I had signed up on the same week as the departure date, so I was quite impressed with their efficiency as well. 

                                 

Cruising around Tioman Island

To Taiwan

Have you ever been to Taiwan? It's one of the most scenic places in the world. Their delicacies are sumptuous and exquisite, the culture is dynamic and diverse, and the people never stay in one spot. Most of the time I had to adapt to my own mother tongue and people who know me know my Chinese teachers almost belched blood at my ineptitude. Not that I'm complaining though, the girls were fine! The trip was rather recent, just last year.



Food is truly one of the hallmarks of Taiwan. The authenticity of their culinary flavours whips up an unprejudiced appetite. Below are some of the pictures I had scrambled to take of the smorgasbord of Taiwanese food before I finally succumbed to my taste buds' gastronomic desires.

Taiwanese hot dog

Virtually a trademark of the country. If you have tasted it, you'd know what I mean when I say its sweetness and 'roastiness', coalesced with the juicy yet surprisingly springy texture plummets it to an international ranking of hot dogs.

A hot pot of stewed vegetables and meat!

I honestly am still unsure what I put in my mouth that day. Yeah, sure, hot pots and stews are actually exotic cauldrons that probably have frog legs and newts in them, for all I know. I am still pretty sure one of the vegetables in there emitted a strong... ammonia... aroma. My relatives were observing a watchful distance after I'd bought that regretful dish. At least, the fish cutlet you see there was every bit as palatable as it looked. So were the other vegetables that thankfully tasted divine.