4 days in Krabi

Mel & I are off to Krabi (Thailand) today. We're traveling with a bunch of friends over the next four days.

This time we're going without any expectations besides the beach, and some Thai food.

Do come along with us — we're mobile blogging on-the-go =)

http://krabi-phiphi.blogspot.com/

Wanna know more about Krabi? Download the Offbeat Guide (PDF, 1.5MB) that was created for this trip.

WANTED: Bangkok travel guide & street map

View Larger Map

M and I will be traveling to Bangkok in July. It's our first time, and we're excited. I'm looking forward to street food and muay thai. She's looking forward to making me carry gunny sacks of shoes and dresses.

We booked a couple of cheap AirAsia tickets back in February, but have yet to plan anything else (yes, it's my fault). I'm looking into budget hotels now. Preferably something that's really close to the Skytrain / MRT, has a swimming pool, is not too far from a 7-Eleven, and is in either Sukhumvit / Siam.

In the meantime, do you have any good travel guide books and street maps which we could borrow (or buy)? We're making full use of the Internet, but nothing beats something you can touch, hold, flip, fold & tear (ok, maybe not the last bit).

Remember Central Market?

We're at the Central Market in KL today. The place has changed so much. There's the Annexe which is home to the arts and cultural stuff. Walking in now. Mel wants to take painting lessons. Cool!

Simei, Sin Meng & SMRT - Update (2)

My letter to SMRT has been published verbatim in the Singapore Straits Times ST Forum.



Read: SMRT taxi driver made customer's day with kind act

For context:

• Simei, Sin Meng & SMRT
• Simei, Sin Meng & SMRT - Update (1)

Simei, Sin Meng & SMRT - Update (1)

I just received a response from SMRT, acknowledging receipt of my email.



Hope it makes Mr. Teo's day =)

For context: Simei, Sin Meng & SMRT

Simei, Sin Meng & SMRT

I just got back from a weekend with my best friends in Singapore. Here's my letter to SMRT (a Singaporean taxi operator) regarding a taxi journey on Sunday.

Dear SMRT,

The following email highlights my recent journey with an SMRT taxi, of which the experience exceeded my expectations despite the initial dissatisfaction.

My partner and I boarded the taxi with registration number SHB5507S near Neptune Court, on Sunday, December 16, around 2:15pm. The intended alighting point was Simei Street 1, which I mentioned to the driver upon boarding. Being weekend travelers from Kuala Lumpur, we were not familiar with the routes, but were happy that the driver asked us if it was okay to use the CTE, of which we duly acknowledged while stating that we preferred the fastest route.

As the journey progressed the meter fare and travel time exceeded our initial estimates. We then realised that the driver had taken us towards the Sin Meng area. At this point the fare was already about $12+, as compared to $8 when we traveled earlier in the afternoon (Simei - Neptune Court).

Upon clarification that we intended to go to Simei and not Sin Meng, the driver was unable to provide us with a travel time estimate, but assured us that he would get us there in the fastest time. At this point our itinerary was in disarray as we had spent over 20 minutes in the taxi, and were due to board a bus out of Singapore at 4:30pm from Novena Square.

Upon finally arriving at our destination in Simei, the meter fare was around $23. The driver apologised for the inconvenience, and offered to accept a fare similar to what we had paid for the past journey. We offered $10, but he refused and only took $8.

We were comforted by this act of genuine kindness, and acknowledge that even though it was an inconvenience, it could have very well been an honest error.

We would like to thank the driver for making the journey a memorable experience, and for getting us to our destination safely. Many a times we hear stories of unfriendly and dishonest taxi drivers, but not on this encounter. I believe this SMRT experience under the circumstances is a worthy benchmark to emulate.

It is definitely a "uniquely Singapore experience", and we look forward to riding with SMRT again on our next visit.

Thank you,

Praveen Rajan

Incredible souvenir photos

Michael Hughes has created an amazing series of his travel photos on Flickr. He holds up souvenirs and postcards precisely over the real-life scene and photographs it with the right perspective. The result -- something really clever that looks surreal almost all the time.

Link: Souvenirs photoset by Michael Hughes

Here are some of my favourites:


At the Agora temple with an entry ticket


At the Eiffel Tower with a brass model


At the leaning Tower of Pisa with a rainbow lollipop


Street car at Powell & Sutter, San Francisco


Helsinki Harbour with an inflatable toy