15 Aug 2010
by irenein Belgium, Happenings, Travels
D and I went to Brussels to view the Flower Carpet. We stayed around the venue for a few hours, taking lots of pictures. Also took some short walks to locations like the Butcher Street etc. We sighted a federal minister who looked like he had one too many. Maybe he was, maybe he was not. But I do not think he cared one way or another. Last but not least, we stopped by one of the many cafes and had a pintje each.
Brussels’ Flower Carpet only takes place once every 2 years. So, I am glad I finally got to see it. I’ve been wanting to since I found out about it a few years ago.
Now, anyone for that parade which only takes place every 7 years?!
15 Jul 2010
by irenein Travels
Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” ~ Mark Twain
What Amsterdam is to me in a few words:
- Modern architecture in the Netherlands.
- Funky airport hotel/spaceship – Citizen M.
- Old and crooked buildings along the water.
- Too many tourists and profit makers.
- Church with paid entrance?!
- Delicious dim sum!
- China Town.
- Sleazy Town.
- Technology.
Oh yeah … and enough train rides to last me a long long time. 
11 Jul 2010
by irenein Travels
What an impressive place!
So much to see: animals, plants, ruins, gardens. So much to do: walking, sitting, crawling. All this with the conveniences one can ever wish for: restaurants in the aviary, iced cold beer, good selection of food, snacks, drinks and themed restrooms that are clean despite the number of visitors.
Paradisio is more than a zoo because of its rich history. There are remnants of an abbey shattered here and there. A water mill getting restored and will be brewing beer by 2011. It is more than a theme park because it does not have any of those cheesy rides. And it is definitely a special park because workers and items were employed and imported in the building of their Asian (Chinese & Indonesian) gardens. There is a river, a lake, bridges, a 19th century chateau, and much much more…
It was almost perfect. The only disappointment was the distance between the the train stop and the park. And in the heat of summer, it was tough walking for the elderly and the very young. May I suggest providing free bus rides from the train stop to the park?
23 Jun 2010
by irenein Simply Green, Travels
Afternoon bus rides are not as pleasant as the ones in the mornings. People do not smell that nice in the summer heat and the buses do not always turn on their air conditioning or crack open the overhead ventilations.
But I still do like taking the bus.
22 Feb 2010
by irenein Belgium, Malaysia, Travels
Today is my first day back to school after Krokusvakantie. It has been 2 marvelous weeks (added an extra week myself) of sand, sea and sun.
It is quite unbelievable that 48 hours ago, D and I were in the tropics. Now we are back home facing a relentless winter and our realities.
The way I see it, a vacation is not a vacation unless it is a tad bit unreal. We had a magnificent time and are looking forward to more in the future. But for now we are quite happy to be back to our lives in Belgium.
20 Feb 2010
by irenein Malaysia, Travels
Farewell my dear Sabah. It has been 2 wonderful weeks of sun, sea, sand and friendly Sabahans.
See you soon!
18 Feb 2010
by irenein Malaysia, Travels
Compared to my younger family members, D and I are like the adventurous duo. Ha!
A trip to the islands has been on our agenda since the inception of this Borneo trip. There is no way in hell that we are going to forgo it for another uneventful day at the beach hotel.
So armed with drinks, bagpack, cash for the boat trips, sunscreen and swimming gear, we went to the jetty at 10am to start our adventure. Forgot towels…doh!
And what a day it turned out to be! What fun we had at Manukan, Manutik and Sapi! And these are just the islands at the West coast of Sabah. Which many will say are inferior to Sipadan and Mabul on the East coast.
Again. Next time!
16 Feb 2010
by irenein Malaysia, Travels
History with its flickering lamp stumbles along the trail of the past, trying to reconstruct its scenes, to revive its echoes, and kindle with pale gleams the passion of former days. ~ Winston Churchill
Today a few of us made a trip to visit the Sabah Museum. Since our enlightening trip to historical Malacca 4 years ago, I always wanted D to learn more about Sabah. The last time I’ve visited the state museum was in the early 90s and have found it quite educational as well as enjoyable.
Just like the previous visit, I learned new things about my home state. People exist in the region of my home town more than 10,000 years ago! The Chinese influence has been significant since the beginning of sea trades. The rich diversity of floral and fauna in Borneo would have made Darwin drool.
All these lovely information! D and I do not have enough time to go through and digest everything. My family members were complaining about the museums ventilation and wanted to go back to their nicely air-conditioned rooms. Oh hell…
11 Feb 2010
by irenein Malaysia, Travels
I do not think that D and I are really that adventurous. Maybe resort living is just not our thing – except for the being served like royalties part. Hehe!
So, we decided to visit some baby orang utans and do the canopy walk, knowing full well that it will be uncomfortably WARM. No harm burning some calories after all the food that we have eaten so far.
The baby orang utans are doing well and I really like the idea of the resort involving themselves in such a manner. Canopy walk was not as challenging as we assumed but it was still fun and we get to see some wildlife.
Next trip back to Borneo, I will have to visit Lembah Danum. And maybe make a trip to Tabin. Next time…
09 Feb 2010
by irenein Malaysia, Travels
It was a long and tiring flight to Borneo. But the above picture prove that it was all worth it! This is the resort where we will be staying for the next week. And seen in the picture is our shadows during a beautiful sunset at the beach.
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