Category: Beyond the Dot

Zermatt
Beyond the Dot, Switzerland, Zermatt

Zermatt

What do you see when you look at the end of a Toblerone chocolate wrapper? If you guessed a mountain then you are correct. This is the Matterhorn, a famous mountain in Switzerland which reaches a height of 4,478m. In 1998 I was in Switzerland for technical training and together with a group of colleagues who were there for various other reasons, we decided to spend the weekend in Zermatt, the ski resort for the rich and famous. Well, we weren’t rich and famous but that didn’t stop us from trying. Continue reading “Zermatt”

Neuschwanstein Castle
Beyond the Dot, Germany, Neuschwanstein Castle

Neuschwanstein Castle

This is the quintessential fairy tale castle that comes to every child’s imagination. Located in southern Germany near the town of Füssen, the castle was built in 1892 by King Ludwig II of Bavaria. The castle was also the inspiration for Disneyland’s Sleeping Beauty castle (which explains why all kids associate fairy tale castles with this), and Michael Jackson offered to buy it so that he could dismantle and rebuild the castle in his Neverland ranch. I finally got a chance to visit this castle in 1996 and relive the childhood fantasy within me when I was in Regensburg, Germany for a training visit. My German colleague drove and it took us 3-4 hrs to drive from Regensburg to Füssen. Continue reading “Neuschwanstein Castle”

Liuhe Night Market (六合夜市), Kaoshiung
Beyond the Dot, Liuhe Night Market in Kaoshiung, Taiwan

Liuhe Night Market (六合夜市), Kaoshiung

I came to Kaoshiung to visit a customer’s factory in 2012. This was my second time visiting Taiwan’s southern most city. My first time to Kaoshiung was actually more than 20 years ago when I was doing my National Service and we had our R&R in the city. With the completion of the High Speed Rail (HSR) line, it only takes 1.5 hrs by bullet train from Taoyuan to Kaoshiung. Previously, travellers would have to take a long distance bus or domestic flight. Continue reading “Liuhe Night Market (六合夜市), Kaoshiung”

Qinghai Lake
Beyond the Dot, China, Qinghai Lake

Qinghai Lake

My visit to Qinghai Lake was part of my Tibet tour, but Qinghai Lake deserves it’s own blog post. This is the largest lake in China and is situated high in the Tibetan plateau at 3,205m above sea level. Although it’s part of Tibet, it’s not in the Tibet Autonomous Region so you don’t need a travel permit to visit this place. Qinghai Lake is not just the largest lake in China, but it is also a salt water lake. Continue reading “Qinghai Lake”

Turkey Tour (Istanbul, Ankara, Bursa, Cappadocia, Pumakkale, Kusadasi) 2009
Beyond the Dot, Turkey

Turkey Tour (Istanbul, Ankara, Bursa, Cappadocia, Pumakkale, Kusadasi) 2009

Lying at the crossroads of Asia and Europe, Turkey is  a curious mix of East and West, Islam and Christianity. We decided to visit Turkey in 2009 after hearing a lot about it, and after some consideration, decided to join a tour from Chan Brothers (www.chanbrothers.com). This was actually our first time touring with them and our experience with them was quite good, such that if we needed to join any tours next time, we would look at their itineraries first.  Continue reading “Turkey Tour (Istanbul, Ankara, Bursa, Cappadocia, Pumakkale, Kusadasi) 2009”

Egypt Tour (Luxor, Cairo, Aswan, Edfu, Alexandria) 2011
Beyond the Dot, Egypt

Egypt Tour (Luxor, Cairo, Aswan, Edfu, Alexandria) 2011

Egypt, the mysterious land of the Pharoahs. Egypt has been portrayed in all stories since the beginning of civilization from the Bible to movies and novels. Recently, the country is also undergoing a tremendous transformation as old political systems in the Middle East collapse amid the rising Arab Spring. We booked a tour with Chan Brothers (www.chanbrothers.com) in 2011 to visit Egypt for 10 days. This was before all the political troubles started and little did we know that shortly after the tour ended, the country would descend into chaos. Continue reading “Egypt Tour (Luxor, Cairo, Aswan, Edfu, Alexandria) 2011”

Siem Reap and Phnom Penh 2009
Beyond the Dot, Cambodia, Siem Reap and Phnom Penh 2009

Siem Reap and Phnom Penh 2009

I guess there is a little of Indiana Jones in all of us. The allure of exploring ancient ruins and discovering lost treasure always makes for a great adventure story. Luckily, it’s not necessary to go on an adventure to explore ancient ruins nowadays. With cheap airfares and hotels it’s possible to travel to Cambodia to marvel at the ancient temple of Angkor Wat easily without the help of Indiana Jones. Continue reading “Siem Reap and Phnom Penh 2009”

Hanoi, Ha Long Bay and Perfume Pagoda 2011
Beyond the Dot, Hanoi, Ha Long Bay and Perfume Pagoda 2011, Vietnam

Hanoi, Ha Long Bay and Perfume Pagoda 2011

It is not often that we can go on a family vacation. Trying to fit everyone’s conflicting schedules and preferences together and agreeing on a place to visit can be a major headache. My extended family finally went on a holiday to Hanoi in 2011 during the December school holidays. Due to everyone’s tight schedules, we managed to squeeze in 5 days of vacation time between Christmas and New Year. But this meant that we could only go somewhere nearby and doesn’t take up too much time. Since we all had not been to Hanoi, this was an ideal place to visit given our short time requirements.
Continue reading “Hanoi, Ha Long Bay and Perfume Pagoda 2011”

Golfing in Japan – First Impressions
Beyond the Dot, Golfing in Japan - First Impressions, Japan

Golfing in Japan – First Impressions

I guess if playing golf in Japan is a dream for Singaporean golfers  (because it is expensive) then getting the chance to go on a fully paid golf trip in Japan is an epic fantasy.  This happened by chance in 2007 when our principal in Japan wanted to host a strategy meeting with all their agents. After the meeting there was to be a friendly golf competition and all attendees were invited to play. Since this was our first time dealing with a Japanese company and we didn’t want to offend them, we decided to accept the invitation although none of us were really good at golf. In fact, I was the only one who had ever played golf amongst my colleagues. Continue reading “Golfing in Japan – First Impressions”

Chengdu and Leshan 2013
Chengdu and Leshan 2013, China

Chengdu and Leshan 2013

This was a long business trip in November of 2013 and I had a weekend in Chengdu in which to kill time. This was also my first time going to Sichuan province. So it was that I took a domestic flight from Shenzhen to Chengdu on a Friday evening. As usual for most Chinese domestic flights, it was delayed, and I only arrived in Chengdu at almost midnight. The hotel reception told me that they thought I wasn’t going to show up and almost gave up my room to another guest. Luckily they didn’t and I still got my room otherwise they had to kick me out on the streets since the hotel was running full.  Continue reading “Chengdu and Leshan 2013”