Shanghai, 26-31 May 2026

 Our very first family trip- dad, mum, ed, jas, luis, asher, jiu jiu and me. It was a tiring trip as we had to manage dad throughout. He woke up before 6am daily and mum and I accompanied him for his breakfast round 1 (even on days we are going to go out for breakfast) and he couldnt walk for long. Shanghai is a big city, cant say I really like it but our hotel location was good and we could walk easily to the bund. I prefer zhu jia jiao and especially since it was quieter earlier in the day. Food was extremely affordable and didi was cheap. Food delivery was also so advanced that robots sent them up to our hotel room. It was a comfortable trip and was also the first time I didnt get anything (literally nothing at all) for myself as souvenir.  

Nepal, 25 Dec 2025 to 2 Jan 2026

 We went with this small private tour called Brothers International or something. Signed up with the tour as we didnt want to crack our heads with the planning and since this was q an exotic place. The flights had long transits and it made me realise that I can no longer appreciate sacrificing sleep for lower costs. The food there was expected and similar to Indian food. Weather was cold at night. The 2 day hiking (now I cannot even remember which places we went) was extremely tough and challenging, especially so as I experienced serious back pain before the trip and the hike from Pokhara (although less than 2000m) made it worse. The scenery of mountains in the distance and throughout the hike was very very beautiful; the country is fortunate to have so much nature. I still remembered the little doggy who followed up for the more than 1hr walk, the extreme cold on top of the mountains (temperatures dropped after 2pm) and both Huimin and I were shivering under the blankets. The long and bumpy car rides and I wondered why the hell the roads were so unconnected (always with holes in the roads). The sunrise view at the temple was breath-taking, the unbelievable view of tourists doing paragliding in the mountains in front of our hotel, the simple and yet down-to-earth local bus ride up the mountain to our hotel together with the locals, spending countdown and new year,.... Before the trip we were still concerned because early in the year the riots in Kathmandu was so major that a new major hotel was burned down and we wondered if we should continue with the trip. The only shame was that the tour guide was too young and inexperienced to show us anything. My first time on Yeti (Nepal domestic flight). The country came across as sad to me, as on our first day our chat with the more experienced local guide shared with us that young people are all planning to leave the country due to the corrupted government and they no longer find any future staying in the country. This left me thinking a lot throughout the trip despite the beautiful scenery throughout. It's sad, really sad.

Melbourne Road Trip, 1-8 May 2024

 First trip post pandemic. Huimin drove and we travelled across Great Ocean Road. The scenery was awesome and having the time to travel in a relaxed pace was really enjoyable. Fish and chips was really good anywhere and Huimin cooked as well. Another highlight of the trip was to the Grampians National Park. There was an on-going festival and the hiking trail was the one of the toughest I've tried. The breath-taking scenery at the end was definitely worth it. Met my colleague boarding the same plane and going to the same national park.

Lake Iseo

We have been in Italy for a week now, starting at Lake Garda and then Verona and now at Lake Iseo. Buon girno. Lake Garda was very beautiful, the waters were very blue. We  took a boat ride to Sirmione which was beautiful as well. I didn't know that many Germans go there for summer vacation. Our b&b was fantastic and the location was good but we had to walk quite some distance with our big luggage to the b&b. The train rides were quite a headache because of our big luggages and there was no space to put out luggages and I feel so apologetic that my luggage occupied a seat. Yes before I forget, on the first day from airport train ride to lake Garda we met this super nice elderly couple who made space for me and helped me fend off a lady asking for money. I'm very very thankful to them. Verona is a city with many old buildings and history. Of special mention was the opera experience at the Arena di Verona. Outdoor opera and no microphones. You get to see the sky turn dark. The day is longer here in Italy too, the sky is still bright at 9pm. Lake Iseo is quieter and smaller than I expected. Wanwen's wedding is tomorrow, I think tomorrow will be a long day. Ciao ciao.

The Trip of a Lifetime - Bhutan

The weather was very good despite it being the monsoon season (29 July to 8 August 2018). The 10 days trip was very very good. I enjoyed myself a lot and I hope my mum and sis did too. Nature is everywhere; right in front of our eyes. The first thing that we saw in front of us when we woke up in the morning was mountains, blue sky and clouds. It seems strange and unreal to me; that nature and development can co-exist. Humans and animals; nature and development; king and democracy; culture and education ... I'm unable to describe in detail but Bhutan is a special country. The land size is over 300,000 sqm but they only have a population of around 700,000 people. People just chat casually with one another and tease one another. Within 10 days we did 4 hikes including the challenging 7.5hrs up to Tiger's Nest. That was epic. We even hiked through paddy fields and got all muddy. Every day we laughed (including laughing at ourselves). The land of chilli cheese and potatoes. We met Chen Hanwei and Sheila Sim at the SG airport and stayed at the same hotel in Thimphu. We even passed by in our van and saw the 4th King cycle up the mountain when we were on our way to embark our first hike in Thimphu. It gave me more than I expected and taught me more than what I could possibly ask for - What is important in life?

From Paro airport > Thimphu (1hr ride. We stayed 3 nights) > Punakha (2.5hr ride. We stayed 3 nights at Hotel Lobesa, the best hotel of the trip) > Gangtey (2.5hr ride. Stayed 1 night. Recall the blackout and no internet access) > Back to Paro (6hr ride. We stayed 3 nights).

I like Thimphu and we went to a cafe across our hotel (Hotel Osel) and a cup of latte only cost 110nu or S$2+.

I like Punakha and the endless green fields; the guide and driver also brought us to the hot spring and prepared the picnic lunches; and the warm hospitality of the hotel staff during our stay.

I like Gangtey and its peacefulness and beautiful valley. A pity it was not the season for the black-necked cranes.

I like Paro; the extreme test of our physical and mental strength up Tiger's Nest and it was really worth it; the beauty of Haa Valley and strawberries and flowers and the craziness at Chelela Pass. Bhutan is so colourful that I'll never forget. I miss even having the whiff of cow dung in the air. =p

Thank you Passang and Tandin for making our trip so memorable!

Thimphu- first hike

Long drive from Punakha- Hot Spring & Picinic Lunch

Paro- Tiger's Nest

Paro- In Bhutanese traditional wear

Chelela Pass

Learning to cook Potato Chilli Cheese 

Reflections 2017

What a year. Was just browsing through facebook and realised that so many people around me (of same age) are doing very very well. JPS nurtured so many talents! I'm proud of them of course, but looking at myself... it makes me feel so tiny and puny. I've been dormant for so long; it's time to awaken.

Spa Wellness Retreat @ Museflower Chiang Rai 4-9 Jun 2017

I'm back. Feels rejuvenated and that my body is lighter than before. I signed up for the spa wellness retreat and the daily itinerary is: morning wellness activity which can be yoga or stretching etc, breakfast, daily massage and steam session, lunch, afternoon wellness activity which can be yoga or cooking demo and followed by dinner. Museflower is a resort that is close to nature and you can hear the birds chirp or insects call at all times of the day. The weather was very hot when I was there. When I was there, it was non-peak period and there was only another Singaporean apart from me. As such, I felt that the services such as the meals and exercise sessions were very personalised. It was a good getaway. The 6 hour flight which I thought was long turned out to be quite ok. Flew by Airasia and the 2hr transit in Bangkok DMK airport was just nice, I didnt have to wait too long for the next flight. Airport was a bit chaotic though. The cooking session was very fun and the other interesting or intriquing activity was the energy healing session by Laeticia (from Switzerland). I was in the resort during my entire stay and did not venture out into the city. The swimming pool was also interesting in that it was himalayan salt pool (they use himalayan salt instead of chlorine). The meals served were vegetarian and they use himalayan salt and no MSG. The vegetables were self-grown in their organic farm.